David Weir makes an emotional return to Belgium next weekend to compete in a race in his father's memory.

Weir was working as a body man for the Hermetite team at Spa-Francorchamps in 1976 when he was told his father had died.

Years later Weir went on to achieve success in his own right as a driver.

Now he is racing again and next Saturday he will be at Spa again competing in the Hermetite (ICI) colours in the Sports GT Saloon Car Championship Douglas James Weir Memorial Race.

It has been a long journey from the days when Weir's father told him to give up his motorsport dream and get a proper job'.

Weir did just that by becoming an ambulance man for West Sussex Ambulance Service, reaching cardiac status, but he has also proved in the intervening years he did have the talent to be successful on a race track and there will be no prouder man next weekend when he presents a trophy in his father's name.

Weir, now 55, said: "I designed and painted the car for the Hermetite team competing in the Group Two Touring Cars for Mann's Garage at Chiddingfold in 1976. The drivers were Les Blackburn, Mike Crabree and Tom Walkinshaw.

"After the first day of night practice they told me my dad had died while I was on the ferry over. I decided to stay out for the race and they flew me back afterwards.

"My dad had always said to me you won't make any money in motorsport, go and get a proper job, which I did with the ambulance service. I dealt with the Brighton bombing and took Norman Tebbitt out from that, then I had a complete career change and went to work for Ashington Autos."

While there he helped one of the proprieters, Dave Thomas, get him into racing a Capri and then followed suit himself in the Slick 50 Road Saloon Championship in 1990, also in a Capri.

Weir said: "The first race was at Brands which I won with my boss Dave Thomas second. I had a couple more pole positions and a few more results.

"In the second year I decided to concentrate on it properly and get some sponsorship. In the first race at Brands I was on pole but had a big accident on the third lap when I broke my neck and one wrist and was out for six weeks. I came back to do a few races and then won the Winter Warmer series at Brands Hatch."

Weir went from there to racing Cosworths and was signed by Peugeot on a five-year deal to race Touring Cars, although he never got a chance to drive and, as he was tied to the contact, he ended up giving up racing.

This year Weir has started racing again in the Classic Group One Touring Car series with sponsorship from Hermetite (ICI), who were impressed he had painted the car in their colours. By complete chance, he bought the Capri he had originally raced in 1990.

Earlier this year, Weir had the idea to return to Spa with his own team and present some trophies in memory of his father.

He said: "I'm looking forward to racing there as the driver and not as a mere member of the team. We are going there to do the one-hour race, they will pick a driver of the race and I will present the Douglas James Weir Memorial Race trophy afterwards. They will run the race for the next four years."

Jolyon Palmer, from Horsham, has finished tenth in the Visma Formula Palmer Audi Championship.

The Sussex driver scored 187 points in the 20-race single-seater series despite missing the last five races.

Palmer, the son of from Grand Prix driver Jonathan, suffered a serious quad biking accident a month ago and was airlifted to hospital where he was treated for serious abdominal injuries. The accident came after recently taking a second FPA victory at Oulton Park.

Formula Palmer Audi cars are powered by 300 bhp Audi 1.8-litre turbocharged engines. The series has proved to be one of the premier training grounds for aspiring Formula One drivers.

Sussex racing driver Paul Lund made it six class wins from seven starts in the Dunlop Sport MAXX Cup at Pembrey in South Wales. Lund has only been beaten to the chequered flag once so far this year racing his Alfa Romeo 147 with support from Rusper Alfa Romeo.