Congrats to Mervyn Whyte, Mr NW200, for his latest accolade. He’s just won this year’s award for Services to Motorsport, presented at the Champions of Motorsport annual dinner in Belfast.

What’s so special about Mervyn’s gong is that it’s the first time in the 15th year old history of the award that it’s gone to someone connected with motorcycle sport. Raise your helmets please to Mr Whyte.

The event is organised by the SPARKS NI charity (Sporting Partners of Action Medical Research) and its prime purpose, apart from drawing together the big names from two and four wheels, is to raise money for Action Medical Research. Since the inception of the local event over £370,000 has been raised for medical research.

There’s a very energetic committee, fronted with style at the dinner by Pamela Ballentine. Representing the world of two wheels on it is Jeremy McWilliams and also Peter Dickson, of Bridgestone, one of the main corporate sponsors. Peter’s also a bike enthusiast.

There’s always an auction on the night – it’s the main source of the fund raising -- and to give you an example of amounts raised, a Valentino Rossi signed photograph was only a couple of wheel lengths short of £1,000.

The sponsors included Billy Nutt’s travel company, Nutt Travel, and he put up a package for a weekend trip for two at any round of next year’s British Superbikes.

Among the guests last weekend from the biking world was Leon Haslam, Alastair Seeley and Charley Boorman. If some bike clubs are looking for a charity to support I suggest they give serious consider to SPARKS NI. I can supply contact details email me at dneely@belfasttelegraph.co.uk