Retro Rewind: Alastair Seeley's maiden North West 200 victory 12 years ago was start of something special

The Carrickfergus man became a serial winner as his name became synonymous with the country’s biggest road race, with Seeley eventually surpassing Ulster road racing legend Robert Dunlop’s tally of 15 victories in 2016, when he won the opening Supersport race on the Gearlink Kawasaki for a sweet 16th success.

Incredibly, Seeley won at least one race every year at the North West from 2008 to 2018. The chance to make it a quarter-century of wins eluded him last year, but the two-time British champion was fired up to return to winning ways in 2020 after signing a deal with the Quattro Plant Kawasaki team to ride alongside John McGuinness.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus outbreak forced the cancellation of the international road race, where final qualifying and the evening race schedule should have been taking place on the north coast today.

Seeley will have to wait until 2021 for the chance to bid for his 25th victory, but for now we can reflect on his maiden triumph at the North West 200 on Saturday, May 17, 2008.

The event was marred by the tragic death of Robert Dunlop following a crash in practice, but racing went ahead with the blessing of his family.

Seeley, who had finished as the runner-up in the Superstock race at the North West the previous year behind Bruce Anstey, went one better this time as he clinched a coveted victory for Ballymoney team JMF Millsport Racing on a Yamaha R1.

He capitalised on a mistake by Anstey on the brakes at the Juniper Hill chicane to snatch the lead on the final lap and kept his nose in front until the finishing line, chalking up the second win of the day by a Northern Ireland rider after Michael Dunlop’s emotional victory earlier in the 250cc race.

Anstey was half-a-second behind on the Relentless Suzuki with the Kiwi’s team-mate, Cameron Donald, taking third. Guy Martin set a new lap record for the class at 121.949mph as he crossed the line in fourth place.

The moment belonged to a jubilant Seeley, however, who said he was ‘over the moon’ with his first international win.

“I’m over the moon to get a big international win and I knew from the start that this would be a close race,” Seeley said.

“I got a good drive out of Black Hill on the last lap and Bruce Anstey made a mistake and that let me through, but that’s the nature of the game.

“I had thought that the Ducati would have been up there with us and when I didn’t see it go past, I thought: ‘Right, let’s go for it’. It was a tight race and I’m really glad to get the win.”

Michael Rutter was riding John Laverty’s British Superbike Cup 1098 Ducati in the race, but the English rider crashed out uninjured at the low-speed York Corner on the third lap of the five-lap event.

At this point in the race, Lincolnshire’s Gary Johnson was leading from Seeley and Scotsman Keith Amor, with Anstey and Donald in hot pursuit.

Anstey – a four-time winner in the class – hit the front at Ballysally on the penultimate lap and appeared on course for the win. There was late drama though, as Anstey got it wrong at Juniper chicane and ran over the grass, leaving the door open for Seeley.

Runner-up Anstey said: “I slipstreamed Cameron a bit too much and went past him too fast, and then I ran wide at the chicane. I thought I could have done it, but that’s racing.

“The first thing you try to do is get a good start and get away from the others, but I couldn’t do it.”

Australian rider Donald added: “I was a bit gutted because I felt I could have done it, but there seemed to be some pretty crazy moves going on out there.

“Bruce Anstey was trying really hard and he and Seeley went underneath me and I was surprised at how close they were.”

Ryan Farquhar finished the race in sixth place on his Kawasaki behind Amor.

Race winner Seeley also finished on the rostrum twice in the Supersport class behind Steve Plater on a day to remember for the Northern Ireland man.

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