Obituary: Chrissy Rouse, perhaps the fastest maths teacher in the world

Chrissy Rouse 1995-2022

“The world’s fastest maths teacher.” It’s a title Chrissy Rouse earned, perhaps only half-jokingly, from his podcasting partner and dear pal Dominic Herbertson. But it’s hard to dispute it. How many other maths teachers regularly lapped Britain’s best racing circuits on 200mph-plus superbikes?

Born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1995, Chrissy built his talents on the two-wheeled scene while putting his all into a vocation to support it all. Chrissy rode in motocross until a switch to superbikes in his early teens, winning the Aprilia Superteens Championship at his second attempt in 2010. Three years later he lifted the Triumph Triple Challenge trophy having won ten races.

A journey through the British Superstock classes followed, culminating in Rouse becoming British Superstock 1000 champion in 2020, beating rival Tom Neave by 26 points with the help of two wins and seven podiums. He graduated to the British Superbike class for 2022 with a seat on Crowe Performance’s BMW M1000 RR. He’d clocked six points-finishes – included a spot in the top ten around Donington National earlier in the season – before being involved in a first-lap accident in the third race of Round 10 around Donington’s GP layout on Sunday October 2. After sustaining a significant head injury, Chrissy was placed in an induced coma and rushed for surgery at Queens Medical Centre/University Hospital in Nottingham. After four days in intensive care, Chrissy passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on Thursday October 6, four days short of his 27^th birthday.

For all his racing achievements – and latent potential to accrue more trophies in years to come – Chrissy arguably shone brightest in front of a microphone, fronting the much-loved Chasin’ the Racin’ podcast with Herbertson as the pair airlifted their two racing disciplines from their own bubbles of coverage and deservedly into the mainstream. Indeed, they regularly bombilated around the top five of UK automotive podcasts and there’ll be thousands of listeners keenly feeling his loss and unable to fathom no longer hearing Chrissy’s iconic ‘Three, two, one…’ intro that kicked off each episode.

That Chasin’ the Racin’ competed with much more sincere four-wheeled podcasts shows just how much value we place on unabashed authenticity. Neither presenter even began to soften their broad Geordie accents. While Chrissy usually acted the straight man to Dom’s japes, the pair frequently scurried down all sorts of comedic cul-de-sacs while interviewing their fellow British circuit and road racers. And listeners lapped up every second.

Dom would have been forgiven for an extended radio silence processing Chrissy’s loss, but he was quick to post on social media, perhaps knowing all too keenly the swathes of listeners who’d be receiving the dreadful news nearly as painfully. “This was the one race I honestly never thought you would beat me to the finish line!” he said, ever the joker. “This is not the end brother, but just a new journey beginning.”

Chrissy followed Dom to the Isle of Man each year as Dom chased his TT dreams and you’ll have a hard – perhaps impossible – job finding an image of the pair of them without a face-splitting grin on either of them.

Warmth naturally rushed in from the BSB paddock, with heartfelt tributes from a number of Chrissy’s rivals who acknowledged that his commitment to keeping racing fans entertained was of no detriment to his racing nous. All were quick to reference the smile he always wore in their company. “There is a huge hole left in the racing community tonight,” said Tom Neave, his 2020 foe. “We were the strongest of rivals on track, but he would always be the first to shake my hand with a smile after the race, win or lose.”

Sadness washed in from the commentary teams, too. “Such a smashing fella,” said Steve Parrish, while Matt Roberts added “Chrissy, you absolute star.” It says everything of the breadth of Chrissy’s talents that a tribute was simultaneously posted by Emmanuel College, the Christian-ethos school in Gateshead where the white-knuckled racer was known instead as Mr Rouse. He’s described as “someone who exemplified the spirit of Emmanuel College. A person of excellence who lived with humility and demonstrated remarkable love for others.”

A remarkable amount of love was fired right back at him. Usually, the loss of a champion racer is marked by a nod to the group of forlorn supporters in the stands before an acknowledgement of the loved ones so keenly mourning their death. Chrissy leaves behind so many others, but that simply means he also leaves the world a significantly better place than he found it.

Hosts of kids who learned from perhaps not only the fastest maths teacher, but the coolest. A paddock of riders who enjoyed the warmth of his friendship every race weekend and the slickness of his interviewing skills in the mobile podcast studio. Fans of Rouse the rider, who cheered him on in the stands. Then there’s the wealth of loyal listeners who will feel they’ve lost a friend this week, such is the power of podcasting and the sheer sense of fun that courses through every episode of Chasin’ the Racin’. Our thoughts are most naturally directed at his devoted family and Herbertson, with whom he shared a most fond and public friendship. RIP, Chrissy.