Billy Nutt and Sam Geddis, with Stuart Easton at the launch of the Northern Ireland Festival of Motorcycling earlier this year.

Northern Ireland Motorcycle Festival organiser Billy Nutt has placed on record his thanks to Sam Geddis of Cornmarket Motorbike Insurance (formerly Adelaide Insurance) after a 14-year association.

Managing Director Geddis has confirmed that his company has ended its role as title sponsor of Nutt’s show and the Mondello Masters short circuit championship, although Cornmarket Insurance will still back the annual Irish Motorcyclist of the Year Awards at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in January, with new World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea the red-hot favourite to lift the Joey Dunlop Trophy.

Coleraine businessman and show promoter Nutt told the News Letter he was indebted to Geddis for his support over the years and revealed he is in the process of trying to obtain a new sponsor for the festival in 2016.

“Myself and Marty really appreciate the support we have received from Adelaide Insurance through Sam Geddis because without their support, the show would never have grown to what it is,” said Nutt.

“We look forward to hopefully doing business with Sam again in the future but for now we are on the lookout for a new title sponsor for the show, which will go ahead as normal next year.

“We would like to wish Sam continued success for the future.”

Adelaide Insurance, founded by Geddis in 1991, has been part of the Cornmarket group since 1996 and adopted the name of its parent company last year.

Geddis said: “Since the beginning we’ve always been concerned with motorcycling safety and that’s where we’ll be focusing our time and efforts.

“We’ll be able to get that road safety message across to bikers nationwide much better by using the internet, social media and the like rather than by being the main sponsor of a small number of local events.

“And it’ll be year round, as opposed to the motorcycle show, which lasts three days and the Masters Series, which lasted for half a dozen events,” he added.

“Although we’ll no longer be the main sponsor of the show, we will be involved at some level as part of our ongoing support for motorcycling in general and our 20,000 biking customers in particular.”

Kyle White