North West 200: Ten riders to watch at this year's international road race

Action from the start of the first Supersport race at the 2022 North West 200

It's almost time race fans.....

After weeks of uncertainty over whether this year's North West 200 would go ahead because of well publicised insurance issues, the best road racers in the world are now gathering on the north coast of Northern Ireland for the international speed spectacular.

The organising Coleraine Club has again assembled a quality field of competitors and exotic machines for the event and with anticipation mounting, BBC Sport takes you through some of the likely winners and podium finishers over the Triangle Circuit in the coming week.

Glenn Irwin

Glenn Irwin has established himself as the dominant force in the Superbike class of late, winning the last six races in the feature category across four different years, with three different manufacturers and in different conditions.

The 33-year-old has switched back to the PBM Ducati team, with whom he enjoyed his first three victories at the event and will have high hopes of moving closer to the record of nine Superbike successes held jointly by Michael Rutter and the late Joey Dunlop.

Irwin's primary aim this season is undoubtedly a maiden British Superbike title and he has made a good start to that campaign with two wins and five podiums from the first six races seeing him lead the championship by three points.

But the Carrickfergus rider will also be determined to extend his run of triumphs at the North West and prompt more of those iconic, exuberant, trademark post-race celebrations which have become a feature of the meeting in recent years.

Alastair Seeley

After a barren year in 2019, which failed to yield a single win, or indeed a podium finish, Alastair Seeley returned to the top step of the rostrum on no fewer than three occasions 12 months ago.

The 43-year-old took his record tally of wins over 'The Triangle' to 27 by taking the chequered flag in the opening Supersport race and the two Superstock outings.

With four hat-tricks under his belt and a four-timer in 2017, one of the few records Seeley could still target is Phillip McCallen's record of five wins at a meeting, a benchmark he set in 1992 in a single day.

This year the Carrick rider campaigns BMW machinery for the Milwaukee by TAS Racing team in the Superbike and Superstock classes, returning to the Moneymore-based outfit which has helped him to 14 of those 27 victories.

Seeley lies 12th in the British Superstock series but showed he had the pace to run at the front at Oulton Park where he led the race before being 'taken out' by another rider. He picked up the Ulster Superbike and Supersport titles in each of the last two years and also has a Ducati at his disposal for the Supersport races.

Peter Hickman

Peter Hickman's road racing pedigree makes his total of two North West 200 wins to date seem slightly paltry in comparison to his achievements at the Isle of Man TT and the Ulster Grand Prix, but that is something he will be keen to rectify this week, and is very capable of doing so.

The Lincolnshire rider's previous victories came in Superstock events in 2018 and 2019, so a win in the Superbike class in which he competes regularly on the British short circuits, would be especially welcome. He will be encouraged by a couple of top-six finishes at the most recent round at Oulton Park.

The 36-year-old showed he had the speed needed to compete at the front of the pack as he set a new absolute course record in 2022 at an average speed of 124.799mph to add the benchmark for the Triangle circuit to those he already held for the Isle of Man TT and Ulster Grand Prix.

Hickman remains with the FHO Racing BMW team for the 1000cc classes this year, as well as running a Triumph in the Supersport class and a Yamaha R7 Supertwin.

Josh Brookes

Josh Brookes marked his return to the North West 200 last year after an eight-year absence by securing a podium spot in the final Superbike race of the meeting.

The Australian is a former lap record holder for the 8.9-mile course and equipped with the FHO BMW he rides in the British Superbike Championship, is set to contend for his maiden race success in both that and the Superstock class.

Already a two-time BSB champion, Brookes has set about his bid for a third crown in fine style, taking away two wins and four rostrum positions from the first couple of rounds of this year's series at Silverstone and Oulton Park to sit tied for second in the standings, three points behind Irwin.

A busy 2023 for the 40-year-old will also see him take in the Isle of Man TT races for the first time since 2018.

Davey Todd

Davey Todd has become one of the great 'all-rounders' of British two-wheel motorsport, performing strongly on both short circuit and roads courses, to build on the success he enjoyed in off-road disciplines prior to switching to tarmac competition.

The Yorkshire rider confirmed his credentials by securing the British Superstock 1000cc championship in 2022 and now competes in the feature British Superbike class for his Milenco by Padgett's Racing team.

That success was the headline of a stellar year which also saw the 27-year-old clinch four second places at the North West 200, a first podium at the IOM TT and notable victories at the Southern 100 and Armoy road events.

A winner in the Supersport class in 2019, Todd recorded new lap record speeds in both the Superstock and Supersport classes at last year's North West.

Lee Johnston

Lee Johnston has become a particularly formidable force in the Supersport class, displaying his prowess on both British short circuits and public roads courses.

The 34-year-old Ashcourt Racing pilot and team manager has won five North West 200 races, two in Supersport, plus victories in Superstock and Supertwins earlier in his career.

The county Fermanagh native's one IOM TT success has come in the middleweight class and he began this season's British Supersport series in fine form with a win double at round one and still heads the series after round two.

Johnston switches from BMW to Honda power as he aims to make an impact in the 1000cc classes, while retaining a Yamaha for the Supersport jousts and an Aprilia for the Supertwins.

Michael Dunlop

Michael Dunlop continues to rack up Isle of Man TT wins, his total stands at 21 going into this year's event, but you have to go back to 2016 for his last victory at the North West 200.

That Superbike triumph was his fifth win at his 'home' international road race and he will be keen to increase that number this week as he continues his preparation for the TT.

Now 34, Dunlop continues his fruitful partnership with the Hawk Racing team, but will be on board Honda rather than Suzuki machines for the 'big bike' races this time round.

Yamaha continues to be his weapon of choice for the Supersport class in which he excelled on the Isle of Man in June last year, while he is also entered on a Paton for the two Twins races.

Richard Cooper

The event's fastest newcomer in 2019, Richard Cooper continued to further his reputation as one of the top riders at the Triangle in 2022 with a second place and two third positions in the 1000cc classes.

Cooper also crossed the line first in both Supertwins races, but was later omitted from the results because of a technical infringement.

The twice British Superstock 1000 champion is taking in a new BMW-only support class in the BSB calendar and is favourite to add that title to his already impressive CV after wins in the two season openers.

The 40-year-old Nottingham rider races a Yamaha for the BPE by Russell Racing team in the Supersport class, having already tasted success for the Northern Ireland-based outfit at the Sunflower Trophy short circuit meeting at Bishopscourt last October. He is aboard a Yamaha for Batham's Racing in the Supertwins.

Dean Harrison

Dean Harrison continues to seek a first North West 200 win to add to the three Isle of Man TT victories, two Ulster Grand Prix successes and three Southern 100 Solo Championship titles he has already accumulated.

A regular in the British Superbike Championship, Harrison continues his productive association with the DAO Kawasaki Racing team for the 2023 road racing season in the Superbike classes.

The 34-year-old joins Cooper in flying the flag for the BPE by Russell Racing team in the 600ccs.

The Bradford rider's best previous results at the North West are two second spots and three third places.

James Hillier

James Hillier excelled at a rain-affected 2019 North West 200, collecting the man-of-the-meeting award and sealing his maiden win at the event in the Superstock class.

A further eight appearances on the podium have yielded five seconds and three thirds, all as part of the Bournemouth Kawasaki team, for whom he rode for many years.

His first season with the OMG Racing Yamaha team in 2022 failed to produce the same level of results but the continuity of a second campaign with the British Superbike-winning team may prove beneficial.

The 38-year-old 2013 Supertwins TT winner completed the gruelling Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.