Stacey double on NW200 debut as Irwin & Dunlop also win
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Storm Stacey raced to a sensational double in the Superstock race and second Superbike event on his debut at the North West 200.
The 23-year-old British Superbike frontrunner rode his BMW to victory ahead of Michael Dunlop in the Stocker race and followed that up with a success in Superbike race two which came to a premature end when the red flags came out because of a deposit of oil on the coast road section of the circuit.
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The result was taken after lap three, with Stacey declared the winner, and Dean Harrison and Glenn Irwin second and third respectively.
Irwin took his tally of career Superbike triumphs to 12 by winning Superbike race one, Michael Dunlop took the Supersport victory and Peter Hickman and Jeremy McWilliams were the winners of the Supertwin/Sportbike races.
Irwin holds off Harrison for Superbike success
Irwin held off the challenge of Harrison to seal his 12th race win at the North West 200 in the first Superbike race of the day.
The Northern Ireland rider had won 11 races in a row in the feature class between 2017 and 2024 before deciding to opt out of the event last year.
Riding a Nitrous Competitions Ducati, he marked his return by taking victory by 0.18 seconds from Honda Racing rider Harrison, with Dunlop a further 14.4 seconds adrift in third position.
Irwin led for the vast majority of the race, with Harrison giving chase throughout as he went after his maiden win over the Triangle circuit.
The Yorkshireman briefly hit the front at the end of lap four after a stunning takeover move at Juniper Hill but in the end, after a thrilling battle, had to settle for a 16th podium finish of his career at the meeting.
Irwin set the fastest lap of the race at a speed of 124.997mph.
Hickman, Josh Brookes and Ian Hutchinson made up the top six, with newcomer Storm Stacey in seventh after the six laps.
Stacey obliterated the previous best lap by a newcomer at the event when he circulated at 123.725.
The race had to be re-started after a minor incident at Church Corner in the initial running.
Dunlop wins twice red-flagged Supersport event
Dunlop took victory in a twice red-flagged Supersport race to claim the ninth win of his career at the event.
The first attempt to run the race was halted when Hutchinson came off without injury at the Mill Road roundabout and then the second staging was stopped on the fifth lap after an incident at the same section involving Richard Cooper and Paul Jordan, who were also unhurt.
The results were taken after four laps, leaving Dunlop the winner on his V2 Ducati, his third Supersport victory over the Triangle circuit.
His triumph took him above Ian Lougher and Steve Plater in terms of wins at the meeting, and level with the total achieved by Tony Rutter and Davey Todd.
The Ballymoney rider led at the end of each lap and enjoyed a 0.3-seconds advantage over runner-up Harrison when the riders completed their fourth circuit.
Brookes completed the rostrum places, followed by Alastair Seeley, Carl Phillips and Mitch Rees.
Dunlop and Harrison were involved in a titanic tussle at the front, with the English rider emerging with a new lap record for the class at 118.748mph.
Dunlop was also inside his previous benchmark for the middleweight category with 118.683.
It was a 17th podium finish for Harrison at the North West.
Stacey secures sensational debut win in Superstock
Stacey scored a sensational win in the Superstock class on his North West 200 bow.
The English rider, a regular frontrunner in the British Superbike series, saw off the challenge of runner-up Dunlop to win by 1.26 seconds after a breathtaking last-lap battle between the two.
The lead swapped between the two at the front before Stacey pulled clear of his rival and fellow BMW rider with a new class lap record of 124.498mph on his final circuit.
Stacey became the 27th rider to win a North West race on their debut, and the first since Christian Elkin achieved the feat in 2007.
Australian Brookes was also in the mix for the victory but fell behind in the latter stages and had to settle for third spot on his DAO Racing Honda.
Hutchinson, John McGuinness and Mike Browne rounded out the top six, with leading contender Harrison retiring on lap two.
The race was restarted over a reduced four-lap distance, rather than the original six, after the first running was red-flagged after an incident at University Corner.
Hickman and McWilliams take Supertwin wins
Hickman and McWilliams extended their totals of wins in the SZupertwins/Sportbike cartgeory.
Hickman edged out McWilliams to take victory in a thrilling opener, with the Northern Ireland rider coming home first to occupy the top step on the rostrum in race two.
Swan Racing Yamaha R7 rider Hickman executed the decisive pass at the Juniper Hill chicane on the final circuit of four to take the fifth North West win of his career and his third in the Twins class following his double in 2024.
The Lincolnshire rider had 0.46 seconds to spare over McWilliams, who led for the duration of the race until Hickman hit the front when it mattered.
The pair were involved in an exhilarating dual at the front, with Seeley holding off Jordan to secure the final rostrum position.
Jordan recovered ground after overshooting at University Corner on the first lap, posting the fastest lap of the race at 112.231mph in taking fourth spot.
Yorkshire's Jamie Coward was fifth on his Milenco by Padgett's Paton, with Christian Elkin completing the top six.
McWilliams led from start to finish on his Flitwick Yamaha to grab his fourth Supertwin win at the North West and his first since 2019 in race two.
Jordan was 5.8 seconds behind the winner in second, with Seeley third, then Coward, Franco Bourne and Elkin.
Hickman retired while battling for a top-three place, while Jordan set the fastest lap with 112.351.
Race results
Supertwins race one - 1 Peter Hickman (Yamaha); 2 Jeremy McWilliams (Yamaha); 3 Alastair Seeley (Aprilia); 4 Paul Jordan (Aprilia); 5 Jamie Coward (Paton); 6 Christian Elkin (Aprilia)
Superbike race one - 1 Glenn Irwin (Ducati); 2 Dean Harrison (Honda); 3 Michael Dunlop (Honda); 4 Peter Hickman (BMW); 5 Josh Brookes (Honda); 6 Ian Hutchinson (BMW)
Supersport race - 1 Michael Dunlop (Ducati); 2 Dean Harrison (Honda); 3 Josh Brookes (Suzuki); 4 Alastair Seeley (Ducati); 5 Carl Phillips (Ducati); 6 Mitch Rees (Honda)
Superstock race - 1 Storm Stacey (BMW); 2 Michael Dunlop (BMW); 3 Josh Brookes (Honda); 4 Ian Hutchinson (BMW); 5 John McGuinness (Honda); 6 Mike Browne (Honda)
Supertwin race two - 1 Jeremy McWilliams (Yamaha); 2 Paul Jordan (Aprilia); 3 Alastair Seeley (Aprilia); 4 Jamie Coward (Paton); 5 Franco Bourne (Paton); 6 Christian Elkin (Aprilia)
Superbike race two - 1 Storm Stacey (BMW); 2 Dean Harrison (Honda); 3 Glenn Irwin (Ducati); 4 Peter Hickman (BMW); 5 Josh Brookes (Honda); 6 Ian Hutchinson (BMW)