REAL ROAD RACING
THE NORTH WEST 200 RETAINS THE PURITY OF ROAD RACING.
You probably know a bit about the Isle of Man TT. At least you might have heard of it. But you might not know anything about the North West 200, a road race held in Northern Ireland in the weeks leading up the TT. It’s the most popular sporting event of the year over there, with some 150,000 people from all over the world in attendance. Traditionally it’s been considered a support race, a warm up if you like; but in reality, where the TT has become a kind of festival of biking, the NW has retained its purity. It’s racing. Nothing more, nothing less...
Picture it. You’re sat atop a machine that can barely stay still a minute such is the ferocity and precision of its engineering. It’s built to move, not to sit still on the grid. And a grid this most definitely is. The TT is effectively a qualifying session, with riders launched down the road at set intervals to improve safety, but here, on the roads known as the ‘Triangle’ (between three local villages), there’s a rider on either side of you. Behind you, the rest of the field waits, clutches held, hearts beating, all eyes on the lights. You won’t find any run-off areas here, no sand traps, no wide open grass sections to smooth a fall. These are roads, complete with curbs, walls, trees and undulating lips threatening to spit you over the top at 200mph if you make even the slightest mistake.
Racing on the roads – literally ‘road racing’ – takes a certain kind of man. Some would call them mad, others, err, determined. Either way, be sure to follow this year’s NW 200 this weekend on the BBC and, as a taster, brace yourself for a tour of the ‘Triangle’.
Picture it. You’re sat atop a machine that can barely stay still a minute such is the ferocity and precision of its engineering. It’s built to move, not to sit still on the grid. And a grid this most definitely is. The TT is effectively a qualifying session, with riders launched down the road at set intervals to improve safety, but here, on the roads known as the ‘Triangle’ (between three local villages), there’s a rider on either side of you. Behind you, the rest of the field waits, clutches held, hearts beating, all eyes on the lights. You won’t find any run-off areas here, no sand traps, no wide open grass sections to smooth a fall. These are roads, complete with curbs, walls, trees and undulating lips threatening to spit you over the top at 200mph if you make even the slightest mistake.
Racing on the roads – literally ‘road racing’ – takes a certain kind of man. Some would call them mad, others, err, determined. Either way, be sure to follow this year’s NW 200 this weekend on the BBC and, as a taster, brace yourself for a tour of the ‘Triangle’.
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