EXCLUSIVE: Glenn Irwin “99% sure” of missing North West 200 before BSB turnaround

Glenn Irwin was almost certain he’d have to miss the North West 200 due to ongoing technical issues with his Ducati Panigale V4 R.

Irwin is due to race the North West 200 road races from 6–9 May aboard the same Panigale he is campaigning in BSB this year, but a series of electronic problems resulted in a dire start to the season for Irwin who was 12th in Race 1 and retired from Race 2.

The Northern Irishman was much improved in Race 3, however, starting 10th and finishing fifth with a fastest lap within a few hundredths of Bradley Ray and Scott Redding who finished third and fourth, respectively.

The lack of resolution to the technical issues before Race 3, however, meant Irwin had told North West 200 event organiser Mervyn Whyte on Sunday (3 May) that he would not be able to race.

“We were 99 per cent sure we weren’t going to be racing North West this week until that race,” Glenn Irwin told Crash.net after Race 3 at the Oulton Park BSB.

He added: “I spoke to the event organiser yesterday, Mervyn Whyte. He understood my decision and he was actually very much for the decision. 

“He still doesn’t know we’re going to be attending, so I’ll have to give him a ring!”

With the gear selection issue seemingly resolved, Irwin is now confident that he can perform well at the North West 200 road races this week, an event where he holds the record for premier class wins.

“I’ve felt amazing from the first time we rode this,” he said.

“You look at the testing, we’ve always been fast – with issues. 

“First time we didn’t have issues, not so sure where we are in sectors or whatever, but that was pretty good.”

Irwin explained that the amount of issues his side of the Nitrous Competitions team had been dealing with during the weekend meant it was difficult to find the central issue.

“It’s no secret that we’ve been so unlucky with technicals,” he said.

“We’ve had a couple of little gremlins that were there at the very beginning of the test, just got resolved at the last race. The last race is honestly the first session I’ve had without a technical. 

“Challenges that were thrown at us throughout the weekend, like new little things, we were eradicating, but some were still there. It’s hard for the guys to fix something or see something electronically when there’s so many things happening. 

“So, after that first race this morning [Race 2] I couldn’t get gears whatsoever. It’s been like that, but when you’re in a group of people… I couldn’t get gears, it was really apparent. 

“I couldn’t ride with people, I started touring at the back, doing a lap for grid position – even I couldn’t do that good because I was getting stuck in fifth gear a lot. 

“First session when the bike was okay and I think we showed we’re not far away: for the majority of that race we were probably lapping the fastest on the track for quite a bit. 

“It’s been a good weekend in terms of testing, putting you in the doldrums and seeing can you rise from it. It is what it is. 

“It’s been a bit ‘Glenn Irwin weekend’. I wear my heart on my sleeve. Made an interview yesterday – win fans, lose fans, I don’t really care. I’m not in this sport to please people.”