Former Honda Racing UK British Superbike rider Franco Bourne set for North West 200 debut with Ian Lougher Racing
Former Honda Racing UK British Superbike rider Franco Bourne will make his debut at next month’s Briggs Equipment North West 200.
The 21-year-old from Co Durham will compete at the north coast road race from May 6-9 on a Superstock-spec Honda Fireblade in the Superbike and Superstock races, and will also line up in the Supersport and Supertwin class on Honda and Paton machinery respectively for Ian Lougher’s ILR squad.
Bourne’s transition to road racing is in its infancy but he has an impressive background in motorcycle racing, including contesting the British Talent Cup, winning the British Moto3 title, racing in Europe in the Moto3 class and rising through the ranks in the British Junior Superstock and Superstock 1000 classes.
He was handed the chance to make his BSB debut on with the factory Honda team as a replacement for the injured Andrew Irwin in 2023.
However, by his own admission, his career nosedived after he struggled with the pressure of riding for Honda in the high-profile BSB class when he was still just 18 years old.
“It skyrocketed my career but after that things were a little bit good and then went pear-shaped,” said Bourne.
“I was an 18-year-old jumping on a Honda Superbike. The pressure got to me and I struggled.”
Bourne stayed in BSB in 2024, joining the Rapid Honda team, but a high-speed crash at Thruxton proved a big setback.
He added: “It ended in a 140mph high-side at Thruxton where I broke my hand and was massively concussed.
“I had lost my mojo a little bit and I was replaced in the team at the end of the year. I lost a load of sponsors and was back to square one.
“I was really worried if I was going to be racing at all last season.”
Bourne then made the move to road racing with the Cowton Racing team last year, competing at Scarborough, Cookstown, Tandragee and Armoy on ZX6 and ER650 Kawasaki machines.
He also rode a BMW for Phil Crowe’s team at Armoy last summer, which he admitted was “really scary”.
“I’ve wanted to do the roads for years,” said Bourne.
“It just wasn’t possible but now I think it is time. I met Ian [Lougher] at Tandragee last year but I didn’t know who he was!
“I was wandering around the paddock and I liked the look of his Paton and asked him if I could have a ride on it. I was so embarrassed! But now I will be racing for Ian at Scarborough and maybe Cookstown before making my North West debut.”
NW200 Event Director Mervyn Whyte said Bourne would be a high-quality addition to this year’s event.
“Franco Bourne is another new talent joining the North West 200 grid in 2026,” said Whyte.
“Like Storm Stacey, Franco has both the talent and experience of competing at the highest level in British motorcycle racing. Bringing those qualities to the famous Triangle course is exciting news for NW200 fans who will provide a warm welcome to all of this year’s debutants.”