(SPEEDWAY 1)
SEVEN time British Champion Scott Nicholls was handed the Outstanding Contribution Award at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Motorcycle Speedway annual reception.
There was another impressive turnout at the Houses of Parliament in London as a whole host of promoters, management, riders and MPs gathered to celebrate the success stories of 2017.
39-year-old Nicholls led the individual accolades with his Outstanding Contribution honour, recognising his dedication to the sport during a 20+ year career.
Said Nicholls: "It was a total shock if I'm being honest.
"As far as I knew I was coming to give a speech about the sport and about some of my career highlights.
"I have many in British Speedway and being in the Grand Prix Series for a whole number of years were going to be the sorts of things I was talking about.
"But in the end I was delighted to accept the award and it's a very proud moment for me indeed."
Swindon team boss Alun Rossiter received the Premiership Award for guiding the Robins to their first league title since 2012, while his achievements of managing Team Great Britain through to this year's FIM Speedway World Cup Final was also highlighted.
Sheffield promoter Damien Bates was handed the Championship Award for a first league triumph since 2002, the just reward for his investment in his local club.
Meanwhile outgoing Birmingham promoter Graham Drury won the National League Award. While the Brummies missed out on the league championship for the first time in the third tier since their entry in 2015, his work behind the scenes for the Midlands outfit at all three levels of British Speedway since 2007 was acknowledged.
British Speedway Promoters' Association Chairman Keith Chapman said: "It was another fabulous turnout for this event and we are highly honoured to be invited to such a venue as the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
"Not only were there plenty of Speedway people in attendance, but there were also a lot of MPs there too and the majority of them are fans themselves who want to provide as much support as they can for clubs in our sport.
"It hasn't always been easy at times in 2017, but the AGM is just a few weeks away now and we're taking some steps in the right direction for an even more positive 2018 season."
