NW200: FHO Racing BMW team withdraws from remainder of Northern Ireland road race

On Thursday evening, Josh Brookes revealed the team had been excluded from the Superstock race as the M1000RR machines use carbon wheels, which are not permitted in the regulations.

Later, the FHO Racing BMW team issued a statement which said the team was withdrawing from the NW200 ‘due to no confidence in the application of the Superstock technical regulations’.

The statement said: “The Superstock class technical regulations mandate the machines must fully comply with conditions regarding the wheels, where Superstock machines must remain with the originally homologated wheels from the manufacturer, which from BMW are carbon.

"It then goes on to prohibit carbon material, however aftermarket wheels are also not allowed and no mandated alternative specification is prescribed.

“The FHO Racing BMW M 1000 RR machines passed scrutineering on Tuesday (9 May) and were allowed to take part in all qualifying sessions before being informed they were not allowed to race moments before the Briggs Equipment Superstock race this evening.

“Having taking this issue out with the fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 organisers, there is no confidence that the FHO Racing riders could take part in a race with the obvious dangers, and risks that road racing prevents and then the performance protested or disqualified on a technicality that is not adequately explained.”

The team statement said the regulations ‘remained the same’ as they did in 2022, when the team also used carbon wheels, and also in 2019 before the event was cancelled for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It continued: “The FHO Racing team have checked the 2023 technical regulations against those of 2022 and the regulations remain the same, where the team raced the carbon homologated wheels in both Superstock races, as well as the event in 2019.

“The effort commitment and logistics required to compete in the North West 200 are significant and this lack of confidence in the organisation renders the team’s participation in this year’s event impossible.

“The FHO Racing team would like to sincerely apologise to all its sponsors and fans, and the team are now looking forward to getting back out on the roads in a few weeks time at the Isle of Man TT Races.”