NW200: Peter Hickman fastest after two red flags in opening Superbike qualifying session

The first stoppage was due to an oil spill at University corner, which resulted in a slight delay while the contamination was cleared.

Bradford’s Dean Harrison was leading the way on his Honda Racing UK Fireblade before the first red flag after three laps of the 8.9-mile course, lapping at 121.385mph.

After the restart, it was Hickman on the new 8TEN Racing BMW who put himself at the top of the time sheets with a lap of 121.732mph around the 8.9-mile course in glorious sunshine on the north coast.

The Burton-on-Trent man was 0.759s ahead of Harrison, whose earlier lap kept him towards the head of the session, with returning 29-time winner Alastair Seeley third fastest on the SMS/Nicholl Oils BMW (121.003mph).

Harrison, who did eight laps in all on his Honda, was fastest through the speed trap at 209.1mph on the blast to Coleraine.Magherafelt’s Paul Jordan made an impressive start on the Jackson Racing Honda to slot into fourth with a speed of 120.652mph, while the top six was completed by Finland’s Erno Kostamo (RVS Motorsport BMW) and Yorkshireman Jamie Coward (KTS Racing powered by Stanley Stewart BMW).

Michael Dunlop, riding his new BMW Superbike for the first time, was seventh fastest at 119.063mph but only did three laps on the German machine.

Skerries rdier Michael Sweeney was eighth on his MJR BMW followed by Honda Racing’s John McGuinness and Manx rider Nathan Harrison ((H&H Motorcycles Honda).

The second red flag stoppage was also reported to have been caused by an oil spill.

Davey Todd, a treble winner in 2024, did not manage a competitive time on his 8TEN Racing BMW after some issues.

SUPERBIKE TIMES

1. Peter Hickman (BMW) 4:35.271 (121.732 mph)

2. Dean Harrison (Honda) 4:26.030 (121.385 mph)

3. Alastair Seeley (BMW) 4:26.869 (121.003 mph)

4. Paul Jordan (Honda) 4:27.645 (120.652 mph)

5. Erno Kostamo (BMW) 4:30.696 (119.292 mph)

6. Jamie Coward (BMW) 4:31.092 (119.118 mph)

7. Michael Dunlop (BMW) 4:31.217 (119.063 mph)

8. Michael Sweeney (BMW) 4:31.847 (118.776 mph)

9. John McGuinness (Honda) 4:33.260 (118.173 mph)

10. Nathan Harrison (Honda) 4:33.409 (118.109 mph)