The North West 200 has secured ongoing title sponsorship from Briggs Equipment through to the event’s centenary year in 2029.

Coleraine and District Motor Club announced the three-year deal on Wednesday in an extension to the firm’s agreement with the famous motorcycle race on the North Coast, which began in 2024.

The dates for the 2027 race were also confirmed as May 11-15, with practice and qualifying reverting to the traditional Tuesday and Thursday slots. Qualifying has been held on Wednesday and Thursday around the 8.9-mile course over the past three seasons between 2024 and 2026.

The first three races of the 2027 meeting will take place on Thursday evening after final qualifying.

placeholder image — North West 200 Event Director, Mervyn Whyte, pictured with Stephen Marshall, Group Strategic Development Manager, Briggs Equipment and Stephen Johnston, Head of Operations for Balloo Hire, following the annoucement of a three-year title sponsorship extension for the event.

Welcoming the sponsorship extension, Event Director Mervyn Whyte said: “This is a very important development for the North West 200 as it approaches a landmark juncture in the event’s long and storied history.

“The support of Briggs Equipment and Balloo Hire over the last three years has underpinned very significant improvements for the event and we look forward to continuing with that advance as we build towards 2029 and the centenary meeting.

“We currently have the world’s strongest line-up of road racing talent on the NW200 grid each May.

"No-one who was there in 2026 will forget the impact that Storm Stacey made during his debut in May and we are committed to recruiting other new talents who will line up alongside the established stars to entertain the tens of thousands of race fans who flock to the north coast each May.”

Briggs Equipment Divisional Director, Colin McNeely, said the centenary anniversary of the NW200 in 2029 “promises to be one of the great sporting occasions of our lifetime”.

“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to extend our title sponsorship of the North West 200 for another three years,” said McNeely.

“It’s been a fantastic experience for Briggs Equipment and Balloo Hire up to this point and I look forward to helping the event grow further in the run-up to its centenary in 2029, which promises to be one of the great sporting occasions of our lifetime.

“The NW200 has evolved a lot in those 100 years and its list of legends continues to grow, so it’s a real honour to cement our long-term association with such an iconic occasion.”

McNeely added that while the centenary milestone in 2029 is on the horizon, the immediate focus is on striving to enhance the country’s biggest motorcycle race year on year.

“Although we are very much aware of the proximity to the centenary event, we have plenty of work to do for 2027 first,” he addd.

“Every year is a new opportunity to take the event to the next level and make the experience better for fans. I firmly believe the Briggs Equipment North West 200 is in great hands with Mervyn’s team and ourselves. And the name has a nice ring to it as well!

“Being so actively involved with the NW200 during these last three years has opened my eyes to just what the event means to so many people. From the fans to the organisers, volunteers, race teams, and other sponsors, I’ve seen a passion and love for road racing that’s unlike anything I’ve seen with other sports.

“As title sponsors, we took on the responsibility to support the event as much as possible and I think we’ve done that well. We’ve built up a good working relationship with the NW200 team and that was a really important consideration when making the commitment to sign a new agreement.

“We all want to see the NW200 grow year on year and that drive for improvement has been evident during race week I believe. We’ve seen record crowds in recent years and my hope is we keep setting new standards.

"I have no doubt the Briggs Equipment North West 200 will go from strength to strength.”