A memorial for a Calgary motorcycle racer who was killed in a crash over the weekend in Mont Tremblant, will be held in the city sometime next month.

John Ross MacRae, 24, died in a Montreal hospital early Sunday morning after he crashed on Saturday at the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship in Mont Tremblant.

According to the Canadian Superbike Championship's website, he was on a qualifying lap for the season finale when he was involved in a crash on turn one.

Those who knew him say he grew up around motorcycles all his life.

MacRae started riding bikes at the age of two and took part in his first road races by the time he was 12.

He worked at his father’s business, Blackfoot Motosports, and was considered by many to be a rising star in the sport.

He became involved in the sport in 2011 and was part of the Ruthless Racing team in the XR1200 Cup class.

Officials say he also rode a Triumph 675 in the Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike class this season, finishing on the podium in every event and ending with a second place.

“John Ross MacRae was one of the bright young stars in our sport and his loss is a great tragedy for Canadian racing,” said series Director of Competition Colin Fraser. “He was very popular with his fellow competitors and was greatly respected. Our sympathies go out to the MacRae family and his friends.”

MacRae had just won his first career victory on August 11 at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

Tributes are pouring in for MacRae to support his family during this difficult time on his Facebook page.

Darren James, owner and racer with Ruthless Racing, the team to which MacRae belonged, says that J.R. was a very very talented young man who he saw as a younger brother.

"We traveled together, we flew together, we drove to the tracks together, we stayed in the hotels together. He was like my little brother - he would come and ice race with me and hang with my family out west," James said.

James was on the track, behind MacRae at the time he crashed. "I witnessed the whole thing happen 10 feet in front of me. I could see that J.R. was crashing and he wasn't going to hit the air fence."

He says that he missed the air fence, a barrier meant to protect riders from serious injury in the event of a crash, by about two feet.

"I've seen bad accidents - I knew it was as serious as it possibly could be."

James said that, following the crash, he rode his bike right off the track and into a gravel trap. "I threw my bike down and just ran to J.R. I was the first at the scene, I laid down next to him.

"I didn't want to touch him, I just wanted the paramedics there and they were there fast. I watched them do everything they could for him and they loaded him up."

James says that there was no control over what happened. "I feel so terribly responsible. Nobody makes us go and race motorcycles. It's what we love to do. We wouldn't do it other wise. I feel so terrible for his family."

A memorial service for MacRae is planned in Calgary for September 5, but there are few other details so far.