2026 North West 200 to host round of new Superbike series

Organisers for the North West 200 have announced that the 2026 event will host a round of the new European Series Road Racing (ESR) for Superbikes.

Following the decision by the International Road Racing Championship to end Superbike machinery as its top class due to safety concerns, a new series has been created to continue this.

The ERS will be a six-round series run next year for 1000cc machinery, with rounds taking place in the Netherlands, Czechia, Finland and Belgium.

The calendar will also take in the North West 200, with championship points on offer in the final Superbike race on the Thursday programme and main Superbike contest on the Saturday.

There will also be a total prize fund of €30,000.

“This is a very exciting development for the Briggs Equipment North West 200.’ NW200 race director, Mervyn Whyte, says.

“Laurent Hoffmann is an experienced competitor on the roads, having competed at the NW200, the Macau GP and in the International Road Racing Championship.

“Changes to the IRRC series for 2026 created an opportunity for us to host a round of the new ESR series, and I am certain this will attract a lot of interest from European competitors who now have an extra incentive to compete at Portrush.

“It will strengthen the international character of our event and the new competitors can be assured of a warm welcome on the north coast.”

A points-paying round at one of the main international road race events harks back to the days of the Formula TT, which combined contests at the Isle of Man TT and the Ulster Grand Prix with races on conventional circuits.

The 2026 North West 200 will run from 4-9 May, marking the first major road race of the season.

Belgian rider Fedrik Matthys, who will compete in the new ESR series, said: “I was with Laurent Hoffmann’s team at last year’s North West and I had never seen anything like it before with the crowds and the two waves of riders in each race.

“The biggest names and the lesser-known riders were all there, close to the fans and free for everyone to talk to.

“There was great organisation and spectacular racing, and I can’t wait to get out on track and be part of it on my M1000RR BMW.”