North West 200 remains in difficulty despite 195,000 crowd in 2022

While the Isle of Man government is congratulating itself, and being congratulated by its followers, on what appears to have been a highly-successful digitally-powered marketing campaign for this year’s TT, the jury is still out on this weekend’s Manx Grand Prix - star-studded as it is.

The difficulty in staging such events is starkly illustrated by North West 200 boss Mervyn Whyte’s appeal to local authorities for their backing to ensure that next year’s North West 200 takes place. And for an event which earlier this year, according to independent research, attracted a three-day audience of 195,000.

Talking to bikesportnews.com and commenting on Phillip McCallen’s more upbeat view following his repeated discussions with Tourism NI regarding the possible return of the Ulster Grand Prix which they weren’t prepared to back this year, the experienced NW chief said: “I’ve tried many things over the 15 to 20 years and while not in the slightest criticising Phillip’s efforts these things are easily said.

“We have tried with the tourist board as recently as last year and were unsuccessful. One of the problems is that we don’t have a government in Northern Ireland so we’re sitting in limbo. The tourist board can only pay out a certain amount - £150,000 per event - and what is required for the Ulster is way above that.”

Whyte faces a real challenge as a many senior staff, including the course manager John Adams, have retired.

“That is the crux of it. We have had an ageing profile in the Coleraine and District Motor Club over the last few years. Fifteen to 20 years ago we were attracting young volunteers, it doesn’t seem to happen these days. And Covid didn’t help either with a lot of people out of action. Many came back this