NW200: 'No heroics' but Richard Cooper happy after leading Superbike and Supersport times
Seven-time North West 200 winner Richard Cooper made an instant impression for Northern Ireland team SMS/Nicholl Oils Racing by topping Superbike qualifying on Wednesday in challenging conditions on the north coast.
Cooper is competing on 1000cc machinery at the event for the first time since 2022, when his results included a runner-up finish in the headline Superbike race behind Glenn Irwin on a Hawk Racing Suzuki.
The 43-year-old has concentrated on the smaller Supertwin and Supersport classes in recent years, but four-time British champion Cooper accepted an offer to ride a BMW M1000RR Superstock machine in a late deal a few weeks ago after being approached by David Allingham.
Eglinton’s Allingham rides for the SMS/Nicholl Oils team in the National Superstock 1000 Championship and made a winning start to the 2026 season at Oulton Park on Monday.
Conditions were cold and wet around the 8.9-mile ‘Triangle’ course, but Cooper completed eight laps during Superbike qualifying and claimed provisional pole with a speed of 110.843mph, which was 2.6 seconds faster than Magherafelt man Paul Jordan in second on the Jackson Racing Honda.
Cooper said: “For me, the bike’s very new and the more laps I can do the better. We came in and put the wet tyres in, just got a feel for things – no heroics and just sort of rode around.
“A few braking areas were dry and then a few were very wet, so it was a kind of nothing session really, but for me, with the bike being so new, every lap is important and that’s why I was out there.”
Cooper also led the Supersport qualifying times on the BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha from veteran Northern Ireland rider Jeremy McWilliams, who later topped the Supertwin times.
British Superbike prospect and NW200 newcomer Storm Stacey lived up to the hype by claiming third in the Superstock qualifying session behind Australian Josh Brookes and Dean Harrison.
Michael Dunlop, a hat-trick winner last year, only managed a handful of laps in the Superbike and Superstock sessions and was 12th in Supersport qualifying on the Scars Ducati.
Glenn Irwin, who sat out the event last year, was fourth fastest on the Nitrous Competitions Racing Ducati Superbike, 3.3 seconds down on Cooper.