The prophets of doom prematurely prepared their obituaries for the North West 200 when the Foot and Mouth epidemic of 2001 wiped the event from the calender.

Ten years on, storm clouds quite literally engulfed the race again, causing questions to be asked of its future well-being, given the huge financial loss inflicted by the weekend abandonment.

Incessant rain, a serious oil spill on the track, mass evacuation from the paddock after a first-ever bomb alert... everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the blameless organisers.

None of the above could have been legislated for or avoided. Saturday's North West was simply jinxed.

They expected rain and prepared for it, but no-one could have anticipated the freak conditions that battered the north coast circuit, the accidental oil spill made worse as it formed a lethal mix with surface water on the track, nor the delay and disruption caused by an overspill from the dustbin of history.

The only mishaps avoided were racing accidents and those would surely have occurred with potentially disastrous consequences, had the riders been allowed to return to the hazardous track. Running again on Sunday was never an option with local residents to consider.

Naturally there were grumbles and more outpourings of gloom among the many thousands of disappointed fans who stuck it out in saturation for six hours or more in a constant downpour in the forlorn hope more racing would follow a scintillating, sole Supersport race, won by Alastair Seeley.

They should have hung laurels on every rider who braved the crazy conditions. Likewise, the fans, who grimly hung on until the inevitable bitter end, deserve medals for their devotion.

And that is why the North West will survive its latest setback — because of the determination of the riders and the unswerving loyalty of those who support them and the famous event.

When the disappointment dims and bad memories of the day diminish, thoughts should turn back to 2001.

The pessimists said then the race would never be the same again for its gap year — and they were right. It returned, bigger and better than ever. Now another watershed has been reached.

As they conduct their inquest this week, the Coleraine club organisers should consider Saturday's washout a case of fate trying to tell them something again — a signal that more change needs to happen to put the race on a financial footing that matches its magnitude.

And to secure, once and for all, its valued status as a jewel in this country's sporting and tourism crown.

This column has consistently argued that something is not right when an event can generate over £7million for the Northern Ireland economy, £4million of that locally, and still struggle to break even.

Saturday's revenue loss, particularly their biggest source of income from programme sales, will hit even harder.

The volunteer army of the Coleraine club cannot alone turn around the supertanker they have built. They need help and that has to begin with recognition of their worth.

Business and generous sponsors cannot carry all of the burden of the three-quarter million pounds it takes to run every year.

Now Government must step in and take the North West and its’ survival seriously.

It should be looked at, not just in terms of a sporting event, attracting tens of thousands to what is largely a free show, but as a wealth creator, sustaining the equivalent of 120 jobs annually from that £7million.

The Government bean counters will have read the Economic Impact Report commissioned into last year's North West.

It found every pound invested in the race generated £33, so they know it represents a sound investment of public money.

Currently £65,000 of funding is forthcoming. That needs to treble, at least.

And, in that respect, the race has a friend at court in Ian Paisley junior (pictured), clad in his bikers' leathers on Saturday but vowing to don his Assembly suit of armour and go into battle for a cause close to his heart.

Young Ian was preaching to the converted when he made an impromptu rallying call to guests in the hospitality area. Wearing his heart on his leather sleeve, he voiced his frustration at the disruptions, both natural and malicious.

“This event is a national treasure and should not be left to struggle for what it brings to Northern Ireland,” he said. “More Government money needs to be invested — £65,000 isn't enough compared to the much greater amounts being put into other sports here and the comparable Isle of Man TT.

“They are similar events, creating economic and tourism spin-offs in difficult times. Why should the North West be the poor relation? Rest assured I'll be fighting their corner in the new Assembly.”

Paisley junior didn't so much condemn the neanderthals behind that earlier brief throwback to the dark ages as deride them in a one word dismissal. “A*seh*les,” he called them.

Their cowardice in hiding behind anonymous phone calls does not bear comparison to the bravery of the riders who would have carried on racing, had they been allowed.

Race chief Mervyn Whyte, a decent man carrying an indecent weight on his shoulders, could not have been expected to live with the consequences if it all went wrong on a day when everything seemed pre-determined to go awry.

Watching Mervyn and his team cope admirably in the face of unimaginable adversity, the thought occurred they should not have to bear the event's financial worries on top of everything else.

Those need to be washed away like oil from the track to ensure normal service resumes next year, as it will. On yer bike, young Ian, Make it happen.