BIKE RACING MOURNS LOSS OF NORRIE WHYTE
18 September 2003

STANDING at six feet five and weighing in at a conservative estimate of 24 stones, Norrie Whyte certainly stood out in a crowd, writes John Watterson, iomonline's sports editor.

For over 30 years he was the face of the Motor Cycle News. He covered the Grands Prix scene for roughly half of that period, globetrotting the world for five months of the year and filing copy back to base camp in Kettering long before the invention of mobile phones or laptop computers.

Latterly he reported for iomonline and TT News, produced by IoM Newspapers during the TT races.

He was one of the old school of hacks, able to rustle up a story from nothing and make it a lead with a few choice quotes.

Norrie was respected by everyone from world champions to club rookies, circuit owners to sponsors, mechanics to trades' people. The big man really was one of the best known characters on the Continental circus.

Norrie Whyte was born in Dumfries (the same hospital as TT winners Jim Moodie and Ian Simpson) 61 years ago.

After the death of his mother at quite a young age he was brought up by an aunt in Crocketford, between Stranraer and Dumfries. He retained an early interest in motorcycle racing, but after leaving school his first job was as a cub reporter on a Castle Douglas newspaper.

He filed race and other reports for the Scottish Daily Express before getting a job south o' the border with Motorcycling, then finally onto Motor Cycle News.

During his early years on the GP circuit he became a close personal friend of the stars. Such names as Mike Hailwood, Tony Godfrey, Phil Read and Mike Duff.

Norrie's first love was real road racing and in latter years, since taking early retirement from the MCN in 1993, he spent a month of every year here in the Island, covering the TT and Manx, and often enough another fortnight in Northern Ireland for the North West and the Ulster.

He wasn't that keen on all the red tape and over-officious ACU stuffed shirts at the TT, so the Manx was his favourite and he was indeed honoured to be the Manx Motor Cycle Club's guest of honour for the 1997 meeting. He made his final sojourn over to the Island just a few weeks ago to cover what would be his last ever Manx GP for Bikesport News.

The Isle of Man will miss the big Scot. In this age where it is almost a national sport for full-time journalists to knock the Mountain Circuit and the TT in particular, Norrie defended it steadfastly.

He passed away in hospital in Scarborough on Tuesday evening. Norrie had travelled from his home at Finedon, Northants to the Yorkshire seaside town to be press officer for this weekend's meeting at Oliver's Mount, but had taken ill while working on the official programme a week last Monday. The final prognosis was a tumour on the liver.