North West 200: some of the world's best riders all set for coastal biking spectacle
Glenn Irwin, Alastair Seeley and Richard Cooper among the top competitors
Organisers of this year's North West 200, said today (Friday) that they have assembled the "world's strongest field of road racing talent".
Among those on the grid from May 7 to 13, are leading British championship competitors, Glenn Irwin, Alastair Seeley and Richard Cooper.
Irwin, the winner of the last six superbike races at Portrush, has returned to the PBM Ducati squad for the 2023 British Superbike series.
The Carrickfergus racer last raced with Paul Bird’s team in 2018, winning three times at the NW200 on the Italian superbike before scoring another big bike victory at Portrush in 2019 on a JG Speedfit Kawasaki.
Last year the 33 year old scooped a Superbike double at the seaside meeting in the Anchor Bar and Merrow Hotel Superbike races on the Honda Racing Fireblade.
Seeley, the spectacle's most successful rider with 27 wins, won three races at last year’s event.
After leading the opposition home in the Strain Engineering Supersport and Turkington Superstock races during a wet Thursday evening, the 43 year old also sealed victory in Saturday’s CP Hire Superstock contest.
Seeley has reunited with Philip and Hector Neill’s TAS BMW team for 2023, campaigning a Milwaukee liveried BMW in the British Superstock series. He will also race that machine plus a Superbike-spec version of the M1000RR in the same colours at the NW200.
Cooper made his North West 200 debut in 2019, finishing second in the CP Hire Superstock race to claim the leading newcomer honours.
The Nottingham rider crossed the finish line first in both of last year’s Supertwin races but was disqualified because of a technical infringement with his machine.
Cooper enjoyed the consolation of finishing on the podium of the Turkington Superstock race plus claiming second and third place finishes in both Superbike contests on a Hawk Racing Suzuki. The former double British Superstock champion will return to Portrush in May aboard a Boyce Precision Engineering by Russell Racing Yamaha for the 600cc races plus a still to be confirmed superbike-spec machine.
More than 100 entrants, including a line-up of international competitors from 13 countries outside the UK and Ireland, will take part in the Tuesday and Thursday qualifying sessions at this year’s North West 200 ahead of a nine race programme that includes three events on Thursday evening and five during Saturday’s main race day.
With Irwin, Seeley and Cooper all competing in the opening rounds of the British championship, they should arrive on the north coast in razor sharp form.
Among the opposition awaiting them will be local favourite, Michael Dunlop. The Ballymoney racer will ride a Honda Fireblade in the Superbike class for the first time since 2013 as he retains his seat in the Hawk Racing outfit which has made the switch from Suzuki power this year. The 33 year old will also be Honda-mounted in his own MD Racing colours in the Superstock class alongside a R6 Yamaha in the Supersport division.
And 31 years after making his NW200 debut, 14 times NW200 winner, Michael Rutter is set to thrill the north coast crowds in the Superbike races aboard the screaming RCV213 Honda V4 machine in Bathams livery.
Last year’s leading newcomer at Portrush, Gary McCoy, will also be back on this year’s NW200 grid alongside female competitors, Nadieh Schoots, Patricia Fernadez-West and Maria Costello.