Plan to give North West 200 chief Borough 'Freedom'

by Nevin Farrell

A plan has revved up to bestow a 'Freedom' award on North West 200 race chief Mervyn Whyte.

Just days after tens of thousands of people attended another successful race event on the famous Coleraine-Portrush-Portstewart course, a bid is to be made to give Limavady man Mervyn (67) the highest honour a council can present to a citizen is set to be a winner

Limavady councillor James McCorkell will ask Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council on Tuesday night to give Whyte the 'Freedom of the Borough'.

It is not the first time, Whyte has been honoured for his efforts. In 2007 he received an MBE for his services to motorcycling in Northern Ireland.

In the past, members of the famous Dunlop motorbike racing family - the late Joey, late Robert and Michael - were given 'Freedom' awards by the former Ballymoney Borough Council which is now part of the Causeway Council.

A Notice of Motion to be brought by Councillor McCorkell reads: ‘That this Council bestows the Freedom of the Borough upon Mr Mervyn Whyte MBE, Race Director of the International NW200 in recognition of his services to the NW200 race and motorsport in Northern Ireland’.

In an accompanying citation, Mr McCorkell says: "Mervyn Whyte MBE is a resident of Limavady and is Race Director of the International Northwest 200 motorcycle road race. Mervyn has been involved at a high level in the organising of the race for the last 17 years and in that time he has seen it become perhaps the best known road race in the world.

"The NW200 is certainly an internationally renowned event which attracts all the big name racers from across the globe. Thousands of racing fans visit Northern Ireland and the North Coast each year to see their heroes in action.

"It is estimated that some 80,000 fans packed around the 8.9 mile race circuit with many millions more tuning in and logging on worldwide to watch and to listen into this year’s race, which was quite possibly the most successful in Mervyn’s 17 year reign as Race Director."

Mr McCorkell said Whyte signed up as a volunteer marshal for the NW200 in 1973 and succeeded Billy Nutt as Clerk of the Course in 2000 and "then stepped into his new role as Race Director" and has been the public face of the race for many years.

The councillor said Whyte's "steady hand in guiding the North West 200 through good times and bad has made him one of the best known and admired figures in Northern Ireland sporting circles."

Added Mr McCorkell: "He is the steady head on race day, the one making all the big decisions and the one who always has the racers' safety and best interests at heart."

The councillor said Causeway Coast and Glens Borough owes a great debt of gratitude to Mervyn, his family and to the members of Coleraine and District Motor Club Ltd.

He added: "It is hard to imagine the Triangle area without the NW200 and after 44 years, it is hard to imagine the NW200 without Mervyn Whyte MBE."

In recent days, Whyte revealed he is pondering his future after being at the helm for such a long time.

He said: "In truth, I have been considering for a while when would be the time to go. I’ve just turned 67 so it has to happen sometime.

Whyte added: "I am going to go on holiday, take stock of what is good for the race and for me and then come back and let people know what I have decided."