9:13am Friday 20th October 2006
By Andy Dickenson
Bikers turned out in force yesterday to salute Ducati collector Andrew Danzelman who was carried to his funeral in a sidecar with his wife riding pillion.
A self-confessed "Ducati freak" Mr Danzelman, 43, of Meadow Close, Worthing, died suddenly from a heart attack last Thursday.
His widow, Rose, escorted him to Worthing Crematorium on a classic Honda Triumph with more than 30 other bikers joining them in a convoy through the town's streets.
Mr Danzelman was transported in a custom-built sidecar, one of only three in the country.
The owner of eight Ducati motorbikes in the past, including the yellow Ducati 748 which his son Barry King rode to his funeral, Mr Danzelman had been a bike enthusiast since he was 16.
He had even spotted the funeral sidecar just two months before at a bike show.
Peter Danzelman said he had shared his brother's first bike, a moped, when they were teenagers.
He said: "My brother had been riding since he was 16 years old. That moped was given to us after my mum fell off it and there have been motorbikes in the family ever since. He had a garage full of Ducatis which he'd collected - a couple of quite rare ones, as well as two modern ones.
"His son Barry has been motorbike mad ever since he was a little boy - he's grown up around them.
"Andrew was an absolute Ducati freak.
"His pride and joy was a Seventies 90ss - a beautiful bike but not particularly rideable."
The funeral cortege took about half-an-hour to ride from the family home, through Broadwater and along Titnore Lane to the crematorium.
William Warren, director of HD Tribe, which organised the funeral, said: "When all the bikes started up with the noise and the engines it was fabulous, just right.
"Funerals like this don't happen every day. I thought it was a unique service - a touching and apt tribute."
The Danzelmans have asked for any donations to be made to the British Heart Foundation, care of HD Tribe Ltd, 130 Broadwater Road, Worthing.
Too see a video of the bikers' tribute click here
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