On a sunny day, the North coast was bustling with activity as crowds flocked to the main race day of the 2024 Briggs Equipment North West 200 on Saturday. Anticipation was high and spectators were in for a surprise as Glenn Irwin secured his 11th consecutive victory in Superbike, solidifying his status as the most successful competitor in the premier class in the history of the event.
Superbike
Irwin’s remarkable feat began with the Briggs Equipment Superbike race on Thursday, where he matched the record of nine wins set by the late Joey Dunlop and Michael Rutter. The Saturday races, sponsored by Anchor Bar and Merrow Hotel and Spa, saw Irwin clinch victory once again aboard the PBM Hager Ducati, completing a hat-trick of wins in the Superbike category for the Carrtickfergus rider. However, Irwin faced strong competition from Davey Todd on the Milwaukee BMW in both events.
In the six-lap Anchor Bar race, Irwin led for five laps, briefly relinquishing the lead before crossing the finish line with just a 0.382-second advantage over Todd. Despite a valiant effort, Michael Dunlop finished over 19 seconds behind Irwin after a crash at the Magherabouy chicane. Irwin’s stellar performance was highlighted by setting the fastest lap of the race at an impressive 207 km/h.
O domínio de Irwin na categoria Superbike persistiu durante o evento do Merrow Hotel and Spa, assegurando a sua terceira vitória em três corridas a bordo da PBM Hager Ducati no North West 200 deste ano. Em mais um intenso confronto com Todd, Irwin enfrentou um novo adversário desta vez, Dean Harrison da Honda Racing.
A corrida desenrolou-se com Todd a liderar as duas primeiras voltas depois da bancada, mas Irwin rapidamente manobrou para a liderança em Juniper, preparando o palco para uma batalha implacável ao longo das seis voltas. Apesar de Todd ter recuperado momentaneamente a liderança em Station, Irwin voltou a ganhar a liderança em University e manteve a sua posição até à meta. Ao cruzar a linha de meta com apenas 0,464 segundos de vantagem sobre Todd, Irwin selou a sua vitória, com Harrison a ficar atrás por mais 2,9 segundos, completando o hat-trick de Irwin nas Superbike.
Com a sua 11.ª vitória consecutiva na NW200 na classe rainha assegurada, seguiram-se celebrações jubilosas.
Supertwin
Peter Hickman assegurou uma dupla vitória no sábado, conquistando vitórias nas corridas Milltown Service Station e JM Paterson Supertwin, enquanto partia da pole position a bordo da sua Swan Racing Yamaha.
Na primeira corrida, Hickman saiu vitorioso depois de uma emocionante batalha com Richard Cooper (Jack Reid Cars/KMR Kawasaki), acabando por cruzar a linha de meta com 0,489 segundos de vantagem. Mike Browne garantiu o seu primeiro pódio no NW200 ao terminar em terceiro lugar com uma Aprilia Scott Racing, terminando com 10,4 segundos de vantagem sobre Jeremy McWilliams (IFS/Bayview Paton).
The second Supertwin race saw Hickman and Cooper once again at the front, with Hickman making a decisive move on the last lap at Metropole and winning by 0.855 seconds. This time, Jeremy McWilliams finished third, behind Cooper by 5.2 seconds, with Browne in fourth, 6.1 seconds behind.
The Tides Restaurant Supersport race featured an exciting duel between Davey Todd and Richard Cooper (Russell Racing/BPE Yamaha), with Michael Dunlop and Mike Browne also in contention. Todd clinched the victory by just 0.462 seconds after a fierce battle with Cooper, marking his second triumph at the NW200 after his win in Superstock earlier in the week.
Superstock
In the CP Hire Superstock race, Todd secured his hat-trick at the NW200 2024 with a 1.57-second victory on his BMW Milwaukee over Peter Hickman on the PHR Performance BMW, who finished as the runner-up.
The crowd cheered for third-place finisher John McGuinness, a veteran of Honda Racing. Having made his debut at the event 30 years ago, McGuinness has amassed a significant following among Irish racing fans over the decades.
As the event drew to a close, Davey Todd was named Man of the Meeting and received the Robert Dunlop trophy, along with a substantial cash prize for winning the Milwaukee Superbike Challenge.
The South African Allann John Venter was awarded as the best newcomer sponsored by Around a Pound, while Erno Kostamo received the award for Best Foreign Competitor from Ramore Restaurant. The Best Team trophy from Station Bar went to Milwaukee BMW and Peter Hickman received the Spirit of the North West 200 award, sponsored by Domino’s Pizza in memory of the late Daley Mathison.
MILLTOWN SERVICE STATION SUPERTWIN
1 P Hickman (Yamaha) 19m 21.577s
2 R Cooper (Kawasaki) +0.489s
3 M Browne (Aprilia) +10.891s
4 J McWilliams (Paton) +11.509s
5 C Elkin (Kawasaki) +39.667s
ANCHOR BAR SUPERBIKE
1 G Irwin (Ducati) 25m 53.017s
2 D Todd (BMW) +0.382s
3 M Dunlop (Honda) +19.637s
4 J Hillier (Honda) +1m 01.866s
5 M Rutter (BBMW) +1m 03.292s
TIDES RESTAURANT SUPERSPORT
1 D Todd (Ducati) 27m 29.959s
2 R Cooper (Yamaha) +0.462s
3 M Dunlop (Triumph) +0.761s
4 M Browne (Yamaha) +2.653s
5 C Cummins (Honda) +35.325s
TIDES RESTAURANT SUPERSPORT
1 D Todd (Ducati) 27m 29.959s
2 R Cooper (Yamaha) +0.462s
3 M Dunlop (Triumph) +0.761s
4 M Browne (Yamaha) +2.653s
CP HIRE SUPERSTOCK
1 D Todd (BMW) 26m08.377s
2 P Hickman (BMW) +1.579s
3 J McGuinness (Honda) +22.643s
4 J Hillier (Honda) +23.995s
5 E Kostamo (BMW) +37.411s
J M PATERSON SUPERTWIN
1 P Hickman (Yamaha) 19m 24.347s
2 R Cooper (Kawasaki) +0.855s
3 J McWilliams (Paton) +6.177s
4 M Browne (Aprilia) +12.231s
5 C Elkin (Kawasaki) +26.178s
MERROW HOTEL & SPA NW200 SUPERBIKE
1 G Irwin (Ducati) 25m 50.595s
2 D Todd (BMW) +0.464s
3 D Harrison (Honda) +3.342s
4 M Dunlop (Honda) +23.903s
5 P Jordan (Honda) +59.740s
