We're almost ready to go in the first Superbike race.

Alastair Seeley, who revealed he hit a bird on the final lap of the Supersport race (1st): "Going on qualifying times, and the pace we can do, I find it comfortable. The bike is stable and fast. There is plenty of eager boys behind me."

Glenn Irwin (7th): "Raw, is how I feel. Not so many laps done and the guys have done a few races. That's how it is. There is a lot of learning to do in this one. It's basically a new bike for today, it's what I do week in, week out so I'll try to enjoy it."

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI at NW200

Alastair Seeley racked up a remarkable 28th North West 200 win by taking victory in the Superstock race on his Synetiq BMW by TAS Racing on Thursday.

But his TAS team sit just one victory behind his tally in their various guises and with different manufacturers over the years - their total now standing at 27.

Fifteen of those wins have been achieved by Seeley, with Bruce Anstey (8), William Dunlop, Adrian Archibald, Ian Lougher and Ian Hutchinson also taking wins for the Moneymore-based outfit run by father and son Hector and Philip Neill.

Will both rider and team add to their tallies today?

Glenn Irwin takes up for a trip down memory lane as we look back at his first Superbike victory in 2017.

Wee Ellen is enjoying the sunshine and the racing at her first North West 200.

The smile says it all!

Image source, .

Peter Hickman says he had to fight "very hard" to claim a podium finish in the Supersport race:

"These boys are absolutely on it. I'm really happy. The bike is so good. I'm a big lad for a 600 so when you're racing against these lads, I can get in the slipstream but generally can't pass.

"The back marker kind of ruined the last lap a little bit because I had a plan but it all went out the window when we caught him.

"But I'm happy to get on the podium after everything that's happened the last few days, happy with the lap record as well."

Supersport runner-up Richard Cooper:

"A massive schoolboy error. I probably had more knowledge of the track conditions than anybody but I still made the mistake. I was soft on the front the first time I hit the brakes, the fuel load just went straight to the bottom.

"I thought 'don't panic, put your foot down', which I did and I got into a good rhythm to catch the boys. I went as deep as I could, as I've ever been, but Davey still got past me."

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI at NW200

The fortunes of Northern Ireland riders in Superbike races at the North West have swung dramatically over the years.

Following Phillip McCallen's 'big bike' success in 1997, it took another 13 years before Alastair Seeley became the next Northern Irish rider to stand on the top step of the podium in the glamour class of the meeting.

That 13-year gap yielded a remarkable 22 successive wins for riders from outside NI, before the Carrickfergus rider halted their winning sequence.

In contrast, NI riders have dominated in recent years, winning the last 12 Superbike races staged from 2012 to the present day.

John McGuinness was the last 'visitor' to secure a big bike win, with Glenn Irwin (6), Alastair Seeley (3), Michael Dunlop (2) and William Dunlop the other 'local' victors.

FHO Racing have withdrawn from the remainder of the North West 200 "due to no confidence in the application of the Superstock technical regulations".

Josh Brookes and Peter Hickman were prevented from racing in Thursday's race over their BMW's carbon wheels.

The team were also set to compete in Saturday's Superbike races. "

This lack of confidence in the organisation renders the team's participation in this year's event impossible," a statement read.

Both Brookes and Hickman were permitted to qualify their BMW M 1000 RR machines on Tuesday and Thursday but, when the rest of the Superstock grid were preparing to go off on their pre-race sighting lap, Brookes told BBC Sport the team were prevented from racing due to their bikes having carbon wheels, which are not in the regulations.

The team subsequently pulled out of the remainder of the race meeting, but on Friday it was confirmed that Hickman will still ride his Triumph machine in the Supersport race and his Yamaha in the Supertwins contest on Saturday.

Those regulations, which are implemented by the MCUI Stewards of the Meeting, were approved by the sport's governing body in January 2023 and published on the North West 200's website at that stage.

In a statement, the North West 200 said they were informed of the steward's decision to exclude Brookes and Hickman from the Superstock race on Thursday night.

"We deeply regret the FHO Racing BMW team's decision to withdraw from the event tonight as a result of this action, a sentiment we know will be shared by all NW200 race fans," read the NW200's statement.

Image source, Pacemaker

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI at NW200

Glenn Irwin has won the last six Superbike races held at the North West 200 but his machine set-up difficulties in qualifying may indicate that he faces an uphill struggle to continue that run today.

Lack of precious practice time on his PBM Ducati may prove crucial as the Carrickfergus rider aims to keep hold of the 'number one' plate that he has guarded so jealously in recent years.

Irwin's stated ambition at the NW200 has been to equal and then overhaul the record of nine Superbike wins achieved by the late Joey Dunlop and Michael Rutter.

Will he take another step towards achieving that target today? Time will tell.

Next up, it's the Superbikes! Will they deliver the same drama?

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI at NW200

You thought the first Supersport race on Thursday night was something special, well this one was as good if not even better!

Davey Todd held off the charging pack to make it a Supersport double and in the heat of battle no fewer than three riders dipped under the previous lap record on the fifth lap of six.

Todd lapped at 118.184, Cooper was slightly faster on 118.244, but it was Peter Hickman who recorded who ended up with the new class benchmark for the 8.97 miles with 118.273mph.

Breathtaking stuff!

Supersport winner Davey Todd, speaking to BBC Sport NI:

"Even better [than Thursday's Supersport win]. These boys are going so hard. I wasn't sure I was going to do that. Coop got the draft, he was coming by so quick. I was just about hanging on then Pete was sniffing at me as well.

"Holding these guys off is so hard, I just needed to stay in that first position. Every time someone came by I tried to bite back because I didn't want to slip back in the field.

"Wow, that is the hardest I've had to fight for something there."

After four second-place finishes last year, Davey Todd has made it a Supersport double!

He enjoyed that one!

1 Davey Todd

2 Richard Cooper

3 Peter Hickman

4 Dean Harrison

5 Michael Dunlop

6 Alastair Seeley

7 Adam McLean

8 Mike Browne

9 Paul Jordan

10 Joe Loughlin

I'd love to know how many changes for the lead there across the six laps.

That was a stunning race. The Supersports always deliver!

It's a Supersport double for Todd!

What a move up the inside of Cooper to take the win!

Cooper has to settle for second and Hickman takes third, just ahead of Harrison!

Wow! What a final lap!

Cooper is closing, closing, closing and goes past into Juniper! Todd dives back up the inside and makes the corner! What a move!!!

Cooper dangles his leg into Metropole and runs wide! He slots back in behind!

Todd leads running up the hill!

Cooper blasts past on the straight again and they all have to dive past the backmarker! So close!