The 2026 edition of the North West 200 delivered a new road racing star over a packed single day of racing on Saturday, May 9, with 23-year-old British Superbike regular Storm Stacey (BMW) emerging as the standout performer after claiming a sensational double victory on Northern Ireland’s Triangle circuit.
After Thursday’s planned races were canceled following the tragic death of Czech rider Kamil Holan during qualifying, organizers condensed the program into six races on Saturday.
The opening SuperTwins race belonged to Peter Hickman (Yamaha), who edged out veteran Jeremy McWilliams (Yamaha) for victory, while Alastair Seeley (Aprilia) completed the podium. McWilliams later turned the tables in the second SuperTwins race, taking an emotional victory ahead of Paul Jordan (Aprilia) and Seeley.
In the big-bike categories, Glenn Irwin (Ducati) continued his formidable North West 200 form by winning the opening Superbike race from Dean Harrison (Honda) and Michael Dunlop (BMW).
However, Irwin’s long unbeaten run in the class ended in the second encounter when Stacey stormed to victory before a red flag for an oil spill halted proceedings and forced officials to declare a result after three laps. Harrison again finished second with Irwin third.
Stacey also captured the Superstock race in commanding fashion aboard the BMW, defeating Dunlop by just over one second, with Josh Brookes (Honda) taking third.
The Supersport class produced another classic showdown as Dunlop guided the Ducati Panigale V2 to victory over Harrison by less than three-tenths of a second after the race was shortened by a red flag. Brookes (Honda) rounded out the top three, while Alastair Seeley (Ducati) narrowly missed the podium in fourth. CN
