By Spellbinding, riveting, extremely close racing are just three phrases attributed towards the Supersport class at the Briggs Equipment Northwest 200.
A virtual who’s who of international road racing is set to duke it out, for middleweight category spoils next week.
Oliver’s Mount Bob Smith Spring Cup winner, USBK Round 3 Bishopscourt Supersport opening race winner, Nottingham’s Richard Cooper heads into NW200 race week in fine form.
Already a seven times event winner, Cooper aligning again with Alister Russell’s Boyce Precision Engineering/Russell Racing team, mixture of accurate, shrewd race craft, proven P1 finishing quality, sees him start for certain roads scene insiders as favourite for more Supersport zeniths.
Cooper’s NW200 team-mate, also aboard Yamaha’s much lauded YZF-R9, Michael ‘Mikey’ Browne will be looking to continue the real roads form he showed last June, July, September when he went on an impressive winning run on SSPRT equipment, taking race wins at Tandragee, the Southern 100, Armoy and Scarborough.
Further podium finishing, race winning prospects, to name but a-few include:
2025 NW200 victories hat-trick hero, the one and only Michael Dunlop MBE (Scars Racing Ducati), NW200 wins record-holder Alastair Seeley (Binch Pro Racing/3B Construction), joining Dunlop MBE on V2 Panigale Ducati tackle.
Peter Hickman (Trooper Triumph/PHR Performance), team-mate fitness pending Davey Todd (Swan Racing by PHR Performance – 765 RS Triumph), runaway Cookstown Supersport (A) race winner Paul Jordan (Jackson Racing Powered by Prosper2 – Ducati).
Josh Brookes (Carl Cox Motorsport/Uggly & Co Racing – Suzuki), Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK), Ian Hutchinson (BE/RK Racing – Ducati), Jeremy McWilliams, Dominic Herbertson (KTS Macadam Triumph Factory Racing).
Others looking to capture first-rate finishes include:
Michael Evans (Dafabet Racing – Triumph), Darryl Tweed (Stanley Stewart Racing by Novogen), Jeremy McWilliams (CD Racing/MSS Performance – Kawasaki), Pierre Yves Bian (Swan Racing by PHR Performance – 765 RS Triumph).
Christian Elkin, Kevin Keyes, Julian Trummer (Smith Racing – Triumph), Gary McCoy (Mad Bros Racing), Nathan Harrison (H&H Motorcycles – Honda), Joe Yeardsley.
Performance Racing Achterhoek’s Mauro Poncini and Ilja Caljouw, Barry Furber, Michael Sweeney, Jonathan Perry (Lionheart Racing/Carl Cox Motorsport).
Triangle course debutants to monitor closely include Chris Cook (STS Racing – Kawasaki), Grant Thomson, Franco Bourne (Team ILR with Frog Vehicle Developments – Honda).
Rob Hodson (SMT Racing – Ducati), Imatranajo front-runner Niko Lehtiranta (Parker Car Transport Racing – Yamaha) and 2025 Ulster Road Race Senior Support Champion Sean Brolly.
To win a Supersport NW200 encounter you need relentless speed, spot on race tactics, determination personified, some luck and perhaps most of all, an uncompromising sheer will to win.
These attributes apply to various racers featuring within the truly world class field, which is certain to guarantee next month more breath-taking pure road racing all streamed live online by BBC Northern Ireland, who will continue to showcase the NW200 through to 2029.
Discussing this subject, BBC NI Director Adam Smyth, stated:
“The NW200 is a renowned global event synonymous with Northern Ireland and it’s fantastic that we’re extending our partnership right up until its centenary in 2029.
We’ve had a long relationship with Mervyn Whyte and the Coleraine and District Motor Club and we’re looking forward to bringing race fans, across the UK and around the globe, the thrills and passion of the NW200 races as well as providing audiences around the world with a glimpse of the spectacular northwest coastline.”
Photos by Tommy Vennard, Derek Wilson
Quotes courtesy of Kevin McCauley BBC
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
