Tuesday’s report from our man on the ground at North West 200

2022 Northwest 200
Qualify first

Reports and Photos by Ben McCook

The North West 200 in Northern Ireland finally reopened on Tuesday after a three-year shutdown due to torrential rain. For viewers at the carousel and online around the world, it proved worth the wait.

Superbikes have kept fans on their toes as the battle for the temporary pole has come to an end.

Our own Josh Brookes overtook his PBM MCE Ducati at the top, hitting 193 km/h to knock local hero Michael Dunlop 0.173 seconds down on the final lap of the session.

This is where it gets interesting. Dunlop had been racing with Ducati until a few weeks ago when racer Ballymoney sensationally announced that the deal was closed. That leaves the 19-time TT winner with no superbike in the lead in major road races.

However, since everything is ready for the Ducati team to travel to Northern Ireland for the event, Brookes (racer for PBM in BSB) joined to take over the ride. The British two-time champion had not competed in the ‘North West’ since 2014 before this morning, but made an upbeat statement in the build-up that he had ‘very high expectations’.

On Monday, just 24 hours before the start of the qualifiers, Dunlop made another sensational announcement. The Ballymoney racer has revealed that he has secured HAWK Suzuki’s service and will in fact compete in the superbike classes.

“It’s one of those situations where I have to go back to someone I can trust“, He say. Dunlop previously raced for the Hawk with great success.

The whole situation has spiced up the occasion and watching the pair battle each other at the top of the timeline provides an unexpected but very welcome turn. Two racers of that caliber, at the top of their game, racing on public roads at speeds that are a sight to behold; never mind the backdrop of a juicy revenge match. The dual Superbike races cannot be missed on Saturday, when the battle between PBM MCE Ducati and Dunlop will be a matter of principled pride.

Josh Brookes

“As soon as we were out in the proper Superbikes practice, I was able to go my own way, get the feel for the bike and lean in the turns. Luckily, the sun was out and we had a completely dry track so once I got up to my rhythm the song came back to me.”

However, it is unlikely that Dunlop and Brookes will have things their own way. The North West 200 is famous for its large groups of riders sliding down long straights, contesting the top spot until the end of the race. A quick scan of the timesheet reveals an all-star cast, with multiple racers likely to win.

In particular, Brookes’ BSB rivals; Glenn Irwin and Peter Hickman are sure to be in the match despite not quite getting into the early hours of this morning. Michael Dunlop’s teammate Richard Cooper, Milenco Honda’s Davey Todd and 24-time winner Alastair Seeley will also participate on Saturday.

Most of Brookes’ opponents will have more track time before the race starts with most riding in multiple classes, and in Dunlop’s case, all four, while Brookes only rides Superbikes.

Superbike First Qualifier

1. Josh ABOUT Ducati – MCE Ducati Racing 4: 29,000 120,045mph
2. Michael DUNLOP Suzuki – Hawk Racing 4: 29,173 119,967mph
3. Davey TODD Honda – Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles 4: 29,891 119,648mph
4. Alastair SEELEY Yamaha – IFS 4: 29,909 119,640mph
5. Glenn IRWIN Honda – Honda Racing Uk 4: 31,145 119,095mph
6. James HILLIER Yamaha – RICH Energy OMG Racing 4: 31.815 118,801mph
7. Richard COOPER Suzuki – Hawk Racing 4: 32.485 118,509mph
8. Conor CUMMINS Honda – Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles 4: 32,858 118,347mph
9. Michael RUTTER BMW – Bathams Racing 4: 33.403 118,111mph
10. Peter HICKMAN BMW – FHO Racing 4: 34,002 117.853mph

Supersport

Before that Superbike session, the Supersport bikes were on the right track. Ashcourt’s Lee Johnston took provisional poles against Dunlop on his MD racing Yamaha and DAO Kawasaki’s Dean Harrison.

2019 winner Davey Todd in 4th place^order before Seeley and Adam McLean. Supersport is, as always, a class where any number of drivers has a chance to win.

Supersport First Qualifying

1. Lee JOHNSTON, Yamaha – Ashcourt Racing 4: 42,935 114.132mph
2. Michael DUNLOP, Yamaha – MD Racing 4: 44.155 113,642mph
3. Dean HARRISON, Kawasaki – DAO Racing 4: 44,938 113,330mph
4. Davey TODD, Honda – Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles 4: 45,547 113,088mph
5. Alastair SEELEY, Yamaha – IFS 4: 45,966 112,923mph
6. Adam McLEAN, Kawasaki – McAdoo Kawasaki Racing 4: 46,029 112,898mph
7. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Yamaha – Burrows by RK Racing 4: 47.417 112.352mph
8. Conor CUMMINS, Honda – Milenco by Padgett’s Motorcycles 4: 48.284 112.015mph
9. Ian HUTCHINSON, Yamaha – Russell Racing’s BPE 4: 48,577 111,901mph
10. Joe LOUGHLIN, Yamaha – Team ILR / Mark Coverdale 4: 48.706 111,851mph

Supercar

In carts; Dunlop, this time Honda, took the top spot ahead of Michael Rutter in Batham’s BMW.

Rutter celebrates his 50th birthday^order April birthdays show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Behind Rutter is former British supercar champion Richard Cooper in a Hawk Suzuki. The diminutive Nottingham rider only made his debut at the event’s previous run, in 2019, and could be a black horse to take home some silver this week.

Suposystem’s First Qualifier

1. Michael DUNLOP Honda – MD Racing 4: 35,056 117,402
2. Michael RUTTER BMW – Bathams Racing 4: 36,814 116,656
3. Richard COOPER Suzuki – Hawk Racing 4: 40,134 115,273
4. Dom HERBERTSON BMW – GB Racing 4: 40,974 114,929
5. Ian HUTCHINSON BMW – Milwaukee BMW Motorrad 4: 41,880 114,559
6. James HILLIER Yamaha – RICH Energy OMG Racing 4: 43,050 114,086
7. Craig NEVE BMW – CN Racing 4: 43.442 113.928
8. John McGUINNESS Honda – Honda Racing UK 4: 45,330 113,174
9. Alastair SEELEY Yamaha – IFS 4: 45,732 113.015
10. Peter HICKMAN BMW – FHO Racing 4: 46,090 112,874

Supertwins

Richard Cooper has the fastest time in the Supertwins session on the JMCC Roofing Kawasaki.

Gemini always throws out some wild cards and this morning was no different. Pierre-Yves Bian sent the crowd frantically checking their shows to see who was above 199 Paton when he jostled his feet behind Cooper in 2^nd Position.

The session was held in mixed conditions after some heavy rain poured in from the adjacent Atlantic and left the veins wet and greasy. It will be interesting to see if the little-known Frenchman can repeat this form in the next training session.

Superwins First Qualifier

1. Richard COOPER Kawasaki – JMcC Roofing 5: 14,212 102,771mph
2. Pierre Yves BIAN Paton – VAS Engine Racing 5: 18,256 101,465mph
3. Jeremy McWILLIAMS Paton – IFS / Bayview Hotel 5: 19,801 100,975mph
4. Michael RUTTER Paton – ILR / Mark Coverdale Group 5: 21.387 100,477mph
5. Joe LOUGHLIN Paton – ILR / Mark Coverdale Group 5: 21.717 100.374mph
6. Christian ELKIN Kawasaki – Dynocentre NI 5: 24,060 99,648mph
7. Peter HICKMAN Aprilia – Performance PHR 5: 25,304 99,267mph
8. Jamie COWARD Kawasaki – Architects Racing by Steadplan 5: 26.970 98,761mph
9. Lee JOHNSTON Aprilia – Ashcourt Racing 5: 28,769 98,221mph
10. Craig NEVE Kawasaki – RB Engineering 5: 29,535 97,993mph

Former MotoGP star 58 years old, Jeremy McWilliams 3 years old^rd, also on a Paton. Few would dare bet on the number 99 adding another famous win to his glittering list of achievements.

Final qualifying takes place on Thursday, followed by the Supertwins, Supersport and Suposystem races starting at 4am Australian Eastern Time on Friday. A full program of races, including the Blue Ribbon Superbike races will take place on Saturday. You can watch all sessions and races online on BBC IPlayer, which is broadcast for free.