Motorbikes

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The 2026 North West 200 international road race is to take place from 6-9 May, the organisers have confirmed.

The on-track action will begin with qualifying sessions on Wednesday 6 May between 09:00 BST and 15:00, with a similar qualifying schedule subject to the same road closure times on Thursday, 7 May.

Racing will commence on Thursday evening, with roads closing at 16:45 until 21:00 with three four-lap races taking place for the Superstock, Superbike and Supersport machines.

The action will resume on Saturday, 9 May, with roads closing between 09:00 and 21:00.

The six race programme will include two Superbike races, two Supertwin events and Supersport and Superstock outings.

Davey Todd and Michael Dunlop secured hat-tricks at the 2025 meeting, with Richard Cooper claiming two wins and Paul Jordan one.

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Two-time Sunflower Trophy winner Charlie Nesbitt and newly-crowned British Supersport champion Rhys Irwin are among the headline entries for this year's event at Bishopscourt on Friday and Saturday.

Nesbitt will ride a MasterMac Honda for the Hawk Racing team as he aims to lift the silverware for the third year in succession.

Last year the English rider finished the feature race ahead of runner-up David Allingham, with 2022 winner Richard Kerr in third position.

Nesbitt secured 12th position in the final standings of this year's British Superbike series, with a best finish of fourth at the Assen round of the championship in September.

He will be joined by Kent rider Dan Brooks, who rode for the MasterMac Honda team in the National Superstock 1000cc series, with Randalstown's Eugene McManus revealed as the third member of the team.

McManus was sixth overall in this year's British Supersport championship.

Also signed up for the premier short circuit event of the Northern Ireland motorcycling calendar is Donegal rider Irwin.

The Irishman edged out Ben Currie by just four points to claim the title at Brands Hatch on Sunday.

Irwin will compete in the Superbike and Supersport races aboard his Gearlink by Performance 15 Suzuki.

Practicing and the first races will take place at Bishopscourt on Friday, with the remainder of the race programme, including the feature Sunflower event, being staged on Saturday.

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Ollie Wilson is set to pick up where his father Ben left off when he competes in next weekend's Sunflower Races at Bishopscourt on 24 and 25 October.

The 14-year-old will make his debut on the same tarmac where his father, a former Gearlink Kawasaki British Supersport racer, concluded his racing career in 2015.

Wilson has shown plenty of promise with titles such as the Junior Sand Racing Champion and the British Junior Flat Track Champion, and will race on the Kawasaki Ninja 400 for his inaugural track appearance.

In the competitive landscape of the USBK Supersport 300 championship, Ruben Sherman-Boyd is currently leading the standings with a narrow 11-point advantage over his closest rival Roy Werst, with Rory Creith in third.

Sherman-Boyd faced a challenging season, missing several rounds while participating in the AJN Steelstock Kawasaki British Superteen Championship. However, his resilience shone through when he secured fourth at Oulton Park just a couple of weeks ago. Ruben was also the top rookie for the series.

The Ballyclare teenager's prowess was further highlighted when representing his country at the Celtic Match races in East Fortune, where he, alongside Carl Philips, emerged victorious to break Kian McDonald's winning streak and set a new class record on his debut.

Meanwhile, Bushmills' Rory Creith has been showcasing his skills in various national championship events this season, which adds extra intrigue to the championship's final round.

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Andrew Irwin is to part way with the Honda Racing British Superbike team at the end of the 2025 season after three consecutive years and five seasons in total as part of the Louth-based outfit.

The 31-year-old from Northern Ireland joined the Honda Racing team in 2019 and secured his first BSB victory at Thruxton that year, finishing eighth in the championship.

The Carrickfergus rider followed that up with three further race wins in 2020 as he improved to sixth in the final overall standings.

After he returned to the team in 2023 Irwin's plans for that season were blighted by an arm injury sustained in testing but 2024 brought better fortune as he clinched several podium finishes.

In 2025 Andrew picked up another injury at the opening round at Oulton Park but battled his way back to fitness to seal a series of impressive results in the second half of the season.

He accumulated seven top-six finishes in eight races, including a second place and two third positions at the Cadwell Park Bank Holiday round.

However Irwin sustained a significant elbow injury at the Donington Park, which required surgery and has ruled him out of the last rounds of the series.

Honda Racing have announced that Ryan Vickers will be joining their team for the 2026 BSB season.

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI Journalist

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Peter Hickman and Davey Todd head a 20-strong field which will contend this year's Macau motorcycle grand prix in November.

The 57th running of the event will mark 14-time Isle of Man TT winner Hickman's return to road racing after his qualifying crash at the Manx event at the end of May.

The Lincolnshire rider suffered multiple fractures in the incident at the Kerrowmoar section of the circuit.

The 38-year-old has since returned to action on circuits in the British Superbike Championship.

Hickman has won the Macau Grand Prix on four occasions - in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2023.

He will ride under the Zeeco BMW banner, along with his regular 8TEN Racing team-mate Todd.

Yorkshireman Todd was awarded the victory at last year's meeting when the result was based on the qualifying leaderboard because the race had to be cancelled because of poor weather.

Other leading names on the entry include 2022 winner, Finland's Erno Kostamo, who rides a BMW, along with Jackson Racing Honda pilot Paul Jordan from Northern Ireland.

Michael Evans, Rob Hodson, Marcus Simpson and New Zealand newcomer Mitch Rees ride Hondas, with Sam West, Phil Crowe, David Johnson and Michael Sweeney among the other BMW entrants.

Record nine-time Macau winner Michael Rutter misses the race as he continues to recover from injuries sustained in a crash during the second Supertwins race at the TT in June.

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Northern Ireland rider Darryl Tweed has been crowned International Road Racing Superbike Champion.

The Ballymoney rider secured the title after taking an eighth place finish on his Yamaha R1 in the opening race of the weekend at the Frohburg round in Germany on Sunday.

Finland's Erno Kostamo, a regular competitor at the North West 200, won the race from Freddie Heinrich and Laurent Hoffmann.

Tweed only required three points to wrap up the title and become the first rider from Northern Ireland to win the IRRC title.

He will also be the last winner of the European championship as Superbikes are being dropped from the series on safety grounds.

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Jonathan Rea's challenge in Saturday's opening World Superbike race at Magny-Cours in France ended early as he retired with eight laps to go.

The race was won by championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu with Nicolo Bulega in second and England's Alex Lowes in third.

Six-time champion Rea had been in eighth place on the first lap when he got tangled up in a collision between Yari Montelli and Andrea Iannone.

After making his way back to the pit lane, Rea rejoined the race on a scouting mission for Sunday's races at the venue at 10:00 BST and 14:30 BST before dropping out early.

The Northern Ireland rider recently announced that he would be retiring at the end of the current World Superbike season.

Meanwhile, at the British Superbike Championship at Donington Park, Honda Racing's Andrew Irwin finished fifth in race one and Glenn Irwin placed sixth on Saturday.

PBM Ducati rider Scott Redding, who had earlier beaten the record for the fastest BSB lap of the circuit, was the race victor.

Glenn Irwin began the race in eighth and improved that position, but Redding led the way in a race that ended a lap early.

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI Journalist

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Positive moves have been made towards potentially restoring the Mid Antrim 150 road races to the Irish motorcycle racing calendar in 2026.

The previous attempt to revive the event in Clough in September 2022 had to be abandoned after sabotage because oil, glass and nails were deposited on parts of the circuit the night before the main Saturday race day.

It was the second time the Mid Antrim race day had to be cancelled because of oil and other substances being deposited on the track, with a similar scenario having occurred in 2011.

The meeting was last staged in 2016 but a number of setbacks, including financial difficulties, led to the event disappearing from the calendar.

A statement released by the Mid Antrim 150 Club on social media said:

"Following a successful meeting with residents and a positive club meeting, the Mid Antrim 150 Club are pleased to announce that the starting lights are now on for the Mid Antrim 150 in 2026.

"Our plan is to bring the event back to its home in Clough.

"Planning is at a very early stage, but provisional dates have been applied for. Further details on this will follow shortly.

"The club would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents and farmers of the village and surrounding area for their support.

"We look forward to building on successful initial discussions going forward."

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Northern Ireland heroes and motorsport icons were some of those to pay tribute to six-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea, who announced he will retire at the end of the season.

Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez: "Congrats LEGEND. Amazing career, true inspiration".

Two-time World Superbike champion Toprak Razgatlioglu: "I will never forget the days we spent at the WSBK paddock and the times you helped me. It was a pleasure to compete and battle with you. Legend. Thanks for everything."

Former Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis: "Congratulations on an incredible career."

Ducati's two-time MotoGP champion Pecco Bagnaia: "Sad day, but you're a true inspiration for all the riders around the world. Thank you and congrats for your amazing career."

Four-time World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty: "Congrats on an amazing career."

Former Northern Ireland and Leeds United player Stuart Dallas: "A career so many can only dream of. Congratulations JR and best wishes for retirement."

Olympic pommel horse champion Rhys McClenaghan: "Thank you for the inspiration. Forever a legend."

Alex Lowes, Rea's former Kawasaki team-mate: "Quite simply the best of my era. Proud to have shared the garage with you mate. The benchmark of WSBK. Above all tat a top bloke and Dad. Nothing more to say, thank you JR."

Northern Ireland rider and former racer Michael Laverty: "What an incredible career. A legacy that will take some beating. The World SBK G.O.A.T - enjoy your retirement."

Former Ireland and Ulster rugby player Tommy Bowe: "Congratulations mate! What an innings! Best of luck with the next chapter."

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Andrew Irwin finished second in the final British Superbike race to complete a podium treble at Cadwell Park.

The Honda rider had secured his first podium of the season in Sunday's opening race.

Northern Ireland rider Irwin then finished third in the first race on Monday, and recorded his best finish of the season when he came home in second.

Honda's Tommy Bridewell and Yamaha rider Kyle Ryde won Monday's two races.

Bridewell won his first race of the season as he capitalised on championship contender Bradley Ray crashing out of the lead.

Ryde passed Irwin at the hairpin on the final lap to steal second place.

In the final race of the day, reigning champion Ryde took the championship lead off Ray by winning ahead of Irwin and Bridewell.

Glenn Irwin, Andrew's older brother, was 13th in both races as he continued his recovery from a pelvic injury sustained in June.

Scott Swann was 17th and 15th in the two races.

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Six-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea's retirement statement in full:

"I've been thinking about this day for a long time and finally, I've decided to step away from full-time racing and retire.

"This sport has been everything to me. From growing up as a child in Northern Ireland, dreaming of racing bikes, to standing on the top step of the WorldSBK Championship, winning races and Championships.

"Throughout my career, I've only ever had one goal: to win. That mentality defined who I was. I never raced to make up the numbers. I raced to be the best. The time has come to listen to my body, my mind and, most importantly, my instinct.

"If I can't race to win, then it's time to step away. I have the same love for the sport I had on day one right now in this present day. I'm incredibly proud of what I've achieved during my lengthy career.

"Six World Championships, more than 100 race wins, and so many other accolades along the way. These are some records that I never imaged could be possible.

"It's not the records, the trophies or the race wins. It's the people and the memories I take with me forever. I've had the honour of working with some incredible teams, sponsors and engineers during my career.

"You've all been part of this journey and I'm incredibly grateful that you let me live my dream. To my family, mum and dad, brother and sisters, thank you so much for all your sacrifice during the early days of my career.

"To my wife, Tarsh, and our kids, Jake and Tyler, thank you so much for being my anchor and my rock during all the good and tougher times.

"To all my rivals and competitors during my career, thanks for making my dig deep. I was such a better rider because of you guys.

"To all my fans, thank you for all your incredible support and loyalty; all the support during good times and bad times have really helped me through and given me the career I've dreamed of.

"Whilst I'm stepping away from full-time racing, this isn't goodbye. I'll always be part of this sport, just in a different way. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything. It's been one hell of a ride. I'll see you in the paddock."

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Andrew Irwin secured his first podium finish of the season in the British Superbike Championship opener at Cadwell Park.

Honda rider Irwin was third as championship leader Bradley Ray won by 0.087 seconds ahead of reigning champion Kyle Ryde.

Northern Ireland's Irwin came out on top of a podium battle with Christian Iddon and Charlie Nesbitt to take his best finish of the year.

Irwin's brother, Glenn, finished in 10th position to secure his best finish since recovering from a pelvic injury sustained in June, and his first top-10 since switching Ducati machinery for Yamaha.

Scott Swann was 15th in the Cadwell Park opener while Richard Kerr crossed the line in 17th place.

There are two more British Superbike races at Cadwell Park on Monday.