North West 200 winner Storm Stacey set for 2027 return

Storm Stacey will look to add to his two newcomer wins at the North West 200 in 2027, where he will ride alongside the event’s wins record holder Glenn Irwin. 

Stacey became the first newcomer to win in a 1,000cc class at the event since Bruce Anstey in 2002, beating some of road racing’s biggest names in the process.  

Stacey was victorious in both the superstock and superbike classes at the 2026 event, beating 36-time Isle of Man TT winner Michael Dunlop, Glenn Irwin and Dean Harrison.

Stacey would go on to beat Dunlop in a tight encounter that went down to the final lap of the superstock race, before edging out Harrison and Irwin in the second superbike race of the event. 

Stacey’s return to the North West 200 will be as a member of Michael Laverty’s GRYD Racing team, which is also set to compete in BSB for the first time next season with both Stacey and Irwin.

Stacey, who raced for Michael Rutter’s Bathams team in BSB the last two seasons, spoke to BBC Sport NI about his NW200 return, saying: "It was always going to be hard to keep me away from here to be honest. 

“The feeling, the sensations, it's just magical when this event is on. If you haven't been, you haven't witnessed it, you've only seen it on the telly, it doesn't do it justice.

"It's unbelievable. We've done a couple of laps round again and I've been getting those feelings straight away. 

“You're five abreast doing 200mph. You just don't get it anywhere else. It's a mega event."

NW200 organiser Mervyn White also said this about Stacey’s 2027 return: “Storm’s 2026 performance was one of the greatest revelations we have had at the North West in many, many years.

“Now he is coming back with a Northern Ireland team. Michael Laverty knows how to run a race team and he has an excellent combination with Storm and Glenn. 

“What Storm did in 2026 was exceptional. It was new and fresh and lit the whole place up which has to be good for the sport as we look ahead to more exciting announcements about what is to come for the Briggs Equipment 2027 North West 200.”

Alongside the Isle of Man TT, the North West 200 is one of the most iconic road races in the world.

But despite his success at the event in 2026, which came as a surprise to many, it’s unclear whether Stacey has plans to compete at the TT in the future.