Hundreds of bikers turned out to honour the superbike champion

The Teviot Church in Hislop's home town of Hawick was filled with mourners, some wearing motorbike leathers, who paid their last respects to the 41-year-old biker.

The Reverend Neil Combe told the service that for all Hislop may have been a flawed genius, he was an "inspiring man".

An investigation is under way into the cause of the accident on 30 July in which the helicopter Hislop was flying crashed on moorland near the A7.

Rev. Combe said the people who would miss Hislop, nicknamed Hizzy, most were those who loved him best.

They might never have thrown a leg over a bike and they might think "Ducati" was an Italian pet food, but they were mourning a Borders man who had come back to his roots, the minister said.

Honoured at tracks

Streets in Hawick were crowded when the cortege left for the community of Chesters, where Hislop was buried beside his father and brother.

Hislop was buried beside his father and brother

He won the British Superbike title in 1995 and 2002 and also triumphed in 11 races at the Isle of Man TT.

A bend at the Knockhill motorsports circuit near Dunfermline is to be named after Steve Hislop.

He will also be honoured this weekend at Oulton Park in Cheshire where "Hizzy's chicane" will be unveiled.

As a mark of respect, Hislop's 1992 TT winning Norton Rotary machine will be ridden for one lap by MonsterMob Ducati's Stuart Easton, Hizzy's 2002 team-mate and fellow Hawick resident.