NW200: Glenn Irwin seeking Superbike inspiration from 'magic' of north coast road race

The Carrickfergus man has made an impressive start to the season on the BeerMonster Ducati and leads the British Superbike Championship for Paul Bird’s team after the first two rounds.

Irwin has ruled the Superbike class since he prevailed in a memorable last-lap shootout with Alastair Seeley to clinch his first win in the blue riband class in 2017, when he rode the 1199cc Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R.

A double on the Honda Racing UK Fireblade last May gave him six wins in the class in total, but the 33-year-old hasn’t enjoyed the preparation he would have hoped for during practice week on the new Panigale V4R.

Irwin struggled with stability problems on Tuesday in a shortened session and only managed a handful of laps in final qualifying on Thursday, which was again cut short in the wake of Lee Johnston’s crash in the Supersport session.

He will move up to fifth place on the second row after Peter Hickman and Josh Brookes were ruled out of the Superbike and Superstock races, with the FHO Racing BMW team withdrawing from the event over a row relating to the use of carbon wheels on their M1000RR machines.

Irwin is concentrating solely on the Superbike class and says no other motorcycling event gives him the same buzz as the famous seaside meeting on the picturesque north coast.

“I love the place,” said Irwin, who heaved a sigh of relief following confirmation the event would go ahead after concerns around prohibitive insurance costs in 2023.

“I think about it flat-out and it was just brilliant news when things got sorted out and we knew it was definitely going ahead.

“We love it and you can be finishing 20th or finishing first – we all love it the same. It may provide an income for some of us and not for others, but that’s how life is.

“But strip all that away and I just love the place. The fact that it’s going ahead is just amazing,” he added.

“The area itself is such a beautiful place and it’s one of the nicest parts of the world, especially when you get the weather – the North West 200 brings so much focus onto that.

“The when you factor in the sport itself, it’s thrilling, it will always draw people to it and it’s just class – there’s definitely magic to it and no other event gives me a feeling like it.”