North West 200: Hopes high for more edge-of-your seat sporting theatre that is synonymous with NI’s premier road race

​Thursday’s jaw-dropping racing and high drama combining last-gasp overtaking moves and spills amongst the thrills encapsulated everything that makes the North West 200 such a special sporting occasion.
Thursday saw a convoy of over 200 motorbikes disembark the Stena Superfast VIII vessel in Belfast, making their way to the North Coast for the North West 200. Stena Line said it was set to transport over 3,000 motorbikes on the Cairnryan - Belfast, Liverpool - Belfast and Holyhead - Dublin routes over course of the week.Thursday saw a convoy of over 200 motorbikes disembark the Stena Superfast VIII vessel in Belfast, making their way to the North Coast for the North West 200. Stena Line said it was set to transport over 3,000 motorbikes on the Cairnryan - Belfast, Liverpool - Belfast and Holyhead - Dublin routes over course of the week.
Thursday saw a convoy of over 200 motorbikes disembark the Stena Superfast VIII vessel in Belfast, making their way to the North Coast for the North West 200. Stena Line said it was set to transport over 3,000 motorbikes on the Cairnryan - Belfast, Liverpool - Belfast and Holyhead - Dublin routes over course of the week.
By Kyle White
Published 11th May 2024, 06:00 BST
Updated 11th May 2024, 06:35 BST

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Thursday’s jaw-dropping racing and high drama combining last-gasp overtaking moves and spills amongst the thrills encapsulated everything that makes the North West 200 such a special sporting occasion.

Glorious spring weather this week has showcased the famous old motorcycling race in all its glory, with many of the world’s greatest road racers putting on a spectacular show against the sun-kissed backdrop of the stunning north coast.

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Manx rider Paul Cassidy was flung from his Yamaha machine and landed in a garden on the bonnet of a car after crashing in qualifying at the North West 200, escaping serious injuryManx rider Paul Cassidy was flung from his Yamaha machine and landed in a garden on the bonnet of a car after crashing in qualifying at the North West 200, escaping serious injury
Manx rider Paul Cassidy was flung from his Yamaha machine and landed in a garden on the bonnet of a car after crashing in qualifying at the North West 200, escaping serious injury

Home hero Glenn Irwin gave the fans the result they wanted as the Carrickfergus man narrowly got the better of English challenger Davey Todd to extend his Superbike winning streak to nine wins in a row, matching the record held jointly by Ulster motorcycling legend Joey Dunlop and Michael Rutter, who is still competing at the North West aged 52.

Crowd favourite Irwin is a big draw at Irish motorcycling’s jewel in the crown along with Ballymoney’s Michael Dunlop, who this year could make history by surpassing his uncle Joey’s record of 26 wins at the Isle of Man TT in June, which has stood since 2000.

Northern Ireland’s six-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea joined his fellow motorcycling gladiators on the start line in Portrush and shared in their celebrations on the winner’s podium.

The Ballyclare man also soaked in the adulation of thousands of fans lined around the 8.9-mile course linking the towns of Portrush, Coleraine and Portstewart as he completed a parade lap.

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Yet for all the warranted positivity around a superb week so far, there was a timely reminder of the inherent dangers involved in this high-speed arena after three red-flag stoppages during qualifying on Thursday.

In one incident, a competitor was flung 25 feet in the air before landing on a car bonnet in the garden of a house near Millbank Avenue in Portstewart.

Mercifully, he was not seriously injured, nor were those riders involved in the other crashes.

First held in 1929, the North West 200 will soon be approaching its 100th anniversary, yet such an iconic sporting occasion in Northern Ireland continues to face financial uncertainty from one year to the next.

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Event Director Mervyn Whyte and the hardworking volunteers at Coleraine and District Motor Club have come through a multitude of challenges to keep the show on the road, from the foot and mouth cancellation in 2001 to bomb scares, weather disruption and non-racing related medical emergencies to the impact on the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused the meeting to be called off in 2020 and 2021.

A new title sponsor in Briggs Equipment has brought some much-needed backing but an event of this stature, which generates millions for the economy and advertises Northern Ireland globally as a tourist destination through live broadcasts of every second of the action, deserves so much more from NI’s power brokers in Stormont and Tourism NI.

Driving force Whyte will eventually have to step away and when he does, there will need to be a reassessment of how this unique event, sewn into the fabric of Ulster’s sporting history, moves forward.

Today, with warm sunshine and dry roads expected, we hope for more of the same edge-of-your seat sporting theatre that is synonymous with Northern Ireland’s premier road race but wish most of all for an accident-free crescendo.

Related topics:Jonathan ReaMichael DunlopDavey ToddJoey Dunlop