David Miller - The ‘proper boss’ of BSN

David Miller was what you would call a proper journalist. Born in 1974, David start his working life as a reporter on the Stamford Mercury having successfully survived the EMAP training school. His love and knowledge of motorbikes led him inevitably to the magazine division and titles like ‘Bike’, ‘What Bike’, and the early MCN Sport. However, a “my way or no way” tendency didn’t always go down well with the hierarchy which increased his ambition to be his own boss, something he realised in 2008.

Bikesport News was originally a tabloid newspaper with additional website, based in Derby and owned by Robert Fearnall - then running the Donington Circuit under Tom Wheatcroft - and founder Dave Hardy. Having had some experience with online media, David saw the potential and made a bid for the unloved website, transforming it to the point where it made the print version unprofitable, and the original owners, somewhat reluctantly, later decide to sell up entirely. Deal done, it was decided the tabloid version was not sufficiently visible on the bottom shelf of the newsstand and so it became a colourful, glossy magazine but one which still retained its newsy content.

While a great success, the reach and appeal of bikesportnews.com eventually made it clear, as all print publishers have found, that print and online don’t mix easily and choices have to be made. It was made and bikesportnews.com became the media for road racing fans with up-to-the-minute news and great writers. David Miller can be proud of it.

Over the past 24 hours, David’s standing in the racing community has been clear to see. Friends, colleagues, riders and fans have all shared their shock, sympathies, admiration and fond memories of a man whose intellect,