NW200: Rider tragically killed in incident at North West 200 officially named as Czech racer Kamil Holan
Czech rider Kamil Holan has been officially named as the rider who tragically lost his life following an incident at the North West 200 on Thursday.
The experienced European rider, who was 48 and from Prague, came off during the Superbike qualifying session in the morning at Station corner, a right-hand bend which is the fastest corner on the 8.9-mile course.
A NW200 statement said: “The rider who lost his life in an incident during qualifying for the 2026 Briggs Equipment North West 200 on Thursday, May 7 was 48 year old Kamil Holan from the Czech Republic.
“The family have now given permission for him to be named.”
On Thursday, his family gave their approval for the event to continue, but requested that he was not immediately named.
Holan was a former winner at the Manx Grand Prix in the Newcomers ‘A’ race in 2012, when he was the first competitor from the Czech Republic to win at the event.
He was also the fastest Czech competitor ever at the Isle of Man TT, where his standout result was 20th in the Superbike race in 2018.
Holan also competed at the Ulster Grand Prix and Macau Grand Prix road races.
His team, Hefty74, posted a tribute on Facebook, which described him as a “wonderful friend and a man of great character”.
The statement said: “Kamil, you were an inspiration, support and a partner in life and on the track. Your humility, passion and smile will be missed every second.
“Your legacy will live on in Hefty74 and in our hearts. We express our deepest and most sincere condolences to his entire family and all his loved ones.”
The ill-fated Superbike session on Thursday was red-flagged at 10:20 BST, with Race Control announcing an initial delay of 45 minutes. A further delay of one hour followed before a third delay of 90 minutes was confirmed at 12:16 BST.
No further qualifying took place on Thursday afternoon before the roads opened at 14:45 BST. A planned three-race schedule in the evening was replaced by qualifying sessions because most of the afternoon practice did not take place.
The tragic accident has cast a cloud over Northern Ireland’s biggest motorcycling event on the north coast.
Thursday’s fatality is the first at the event in ten years and the 20th overall in its 97-year history, coming after rising prospect Malachi Mitchell-Thomas died in a crash in the Supertwin race at Dhu Varren in 2016.