Rider dies at the 2026 North West 200 following qualifying crash on Thursday
A fatal incident happened on Thursday morning during Superbike qualifying at the North West 200
Organisers for the 2026 North West 200 have confirmed that a rider has died following a crash at Station corner during Superbike qualifying on Thursday.
The 2026 North West 200 on Northern Ireland’s north coast began on Wednesday with a full day of qualifying action, though wet weather plagued running.
Conditions were perfect for Thursday’s qualifying beginning at 9:45am local time, ahead of the first races of the event this evening.
The Superbike session ultimately got underway at just after 9:50am local time, before it was brought to a halt at about 10:04am due to a red flag.
Little information was given at the time, with numerous lengthy delays implemented that ultimately saw no more action on the coast road for the rest of the qualifying session.
Organisers have now confirmed that a rider has died following the incident at Station corner.
The competitor’s name has not been released, upon request from their family, who have also given their blessing for the event to continue.
A statement from the North West 200 read: “A competitor at the 2026 Briggs Equipment North West 200 has died following an incident at Station corner on the NW200 course during this morning’s Superbike qualifying session.
“The session was immediately red-flagged and emergency services attended the scene, but unfortunately, the rider succumbed to his injuries.
“The family have given their approval for the event to continue, but have requested that the rider not be named at this time.
“Coleraine and District Motor Club, the organisers of the races, offer our sincere condolences to the family and team.”
Racing was due to begin with three races this evening, but have now been replaced with more qualifying due to the lack of dry running held so far this week.
Qualifying will begin at 5:45pm local time.
The full Thursday evening session is as follow:
5:45pm - 6:15pm SUPERBIKE
6:35pm - 7:05pm SUPERTWIN/SPORTBIKE
7:25pm - 7:55pm SUPERSTOCK
8:15pm-8:45pm SUPERSPORT
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