BIKES: Fundraising to continue for Robert Dunlop Memorial Sculpture fund

The sculpture will take pride of place in the new memorial garden, which was officially opened in Ballymoney on Saturday. And it would be fitting in this the week of the North West 200 if the committee could reach their 60,000 to honour the man who holds the record number of wins around the Triangle circuit.

Chairperson of the fund's committee - Robert's former mechanic and friend Liam Beckett - said they are currently 15,000 short of their target needed to finance the sculpture.

"This is down to the generosity of public and some businesses who have been very helpful," he said.

"Since September there has been a big, big push and I have no doubt come the end of the week we won't be far off that total."

The committee will have a stall throughout the North West 200 races and a special chat show will take place in Portrush on Thursday as well as a motorcycle show in the Manor Hotel, Ballymoney on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in order to raise funds. A special golf day has also been planned for Wednesday featuring a number of sporting and television stars.

"We are absolutely delighted with the response so far," said Mr Beckett.

"It is something Robert would have been very proud of and is befitting of him.

"I must also commend Ballymoney Borough Council who have been fantastic throughout this.

"They provided the ground and it looks fantastic. We are all delighted with the finished product."

The sculptor commissioned to create the centrepiece bronze statue of Robert for the 'King of the North West's' memorial garden was in Ballymoney visiting the site for the first time recently.

David Annand from Dundee discussed the finer details of the 60,000 statue project as he was shown the work completed to date at the memorial garden by Mr Beckett.

Mr Annand also met with council officers and members of Robert's family.

He has sculpted motorsport stars in the past including Steve Hislop, Stirling Moss and Mike Hailwood. He has also sculpted poet Robert Burns.

He said: "Robert's son William saw the Steve Hislop memorial I did on the Isle of Man. They confirmed that it was the sort of thing they were after, which is Steve Hislop in all his leathers. So we are going to do something similar here.

"Robert will be standing with his laurels and a bottle of champagne, with his helmet at his feet in a gladiatorial sort of stance for the victor."

Robert's family, friends and members of the local motorcycling fraternity came together on Saturday to pay an emotional tribute to the racing legend at the opening of the memorial garden in his honour.

The 47-year-old passed away after suffering fatal injuries in a crash during a practice session at the North West 200 on May 15, 2008.

A memorial pillar to the "Mighty Micro", adorned with the many racing successes of the five times Isle of Man TT winner, is located next to a separate garden in tribute to his late elder brother, Joey, also killed in a racing accident in 2000.

The unveiling, which took place in glorious sunshine in Ballymoney, was attended by Robert's mother, May, his wife Louise, and two of his three sons, William and Michael. His other son, Daniel, was unable to attend due to commitments with the Armed Forces.

Meanwhile, a BBC documentry to mark the 10th anniversary of the passing of Robert's brother Joey, who was killed following a crash on his 125cc Honda at Tallin in Estonia will be shown this Saturday.

This film has a number of 'firsts' including the interviews with Linda and the children but also several unseen interviews with Joey and unique film and video footage as well as unpublished still pictures. Another first is the coverage of Linda's pilgrimage to Japan to meet the senior Honda officials who worked with Joey over his 19 years as part of the Honda team.

It is an emotional rollercoaster with stories of both sadness and humour. A very personal story revealing fascinating aspects of this great sportsman never revealed before and it is sure to draw in a massive viewing audience.

A special exhibition at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum also opens this week.

"King of the Roads" - the definitive Joey Dunlop collection which celebrates the life and times of the most loved motorcycling sportsman in the history of road racing contains the famous trademark yellow Arai helmet as well as ten sets of racing leathers. Among the clothing is a suit worn by Joey Dunlop in the early 70s as he started out in the sport.

National Museums Northern Ireland's Road Transport Curator Mark Kennedy says the collection is particularly important because of the position Joey Dunlop commanded in the world of motorcycle road racing.

"We are particularly grateful to the Dunlop family for allowing us to display the collection which means so much to them personally.

"Thanks to the generosity of the family, fans will be able to get very close to the memorabilia and share a moment of intimacy with the man so many thousands admired all over the world," says Mr Kennedy.

The collection also includes three motorcycles, Joey Dunlop's ceremonial Manx Sword and OBE. It also contains the first trophy he won as a racer – the mid-Antrim 150 in 1972.