Wednesday qualifying at the North West 200 unfolded in mixed conditions, with Richard Cooper leading two classes and Josh Brookes setting the pace in Superstock
Wednesday qualifying at the 2026 North West 200 was run in changeable weather, with lap times shifting as conditions evolved through the day. The first races are scheduled for Thursday evening, with the remainder of the event to be completed on Saturday.
In the Superbike session, held in wet conditions, Richard Cooper went quickest on his BMW with a 4m51.332s lap. That left him 2.5 seconds ahead of Paul Jordan on a Honda, while Dean Harrison completed the top three on another Honda with a 4m54.566s effort. Glenn Irwin was fourth on the Ducati, narrowly behind Harrison, and Peter Hickman rounded out the top five on a BMW. Michael Dunlop, also on a Honda, managed only two laps and posted a best of 10m11.539s.
2026 NW200 - Superbike Qualifying
| POS | RIDER | BIKE | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Cooper | BMW | 4m51.332s |
| 2 | Paul Jordan | Honda | 4m53.940s |
| 3 | Dean Harrison | Honda | 4m54.566s |
| 4 | Glenn Irwin | Ducati | 4m54.689s |
| 5 | Peter Hickman | BMW | 4m55.322s |
| 6 | Mike Browne | Honda | 4m57.706s |
| 7 | Darryl Tweed | Honda | 4m58.176s |
| 8 | Storm Stacey | Ducati | 5m01.107s |
| 9 | Gary McCoy | BMW | 5m06.666s |
| 10 | John McGuinness | Honda | 5m06.831s |
The track improved for Supersport qualifying, and Cooper again finished fastest, this time on a Yamaha. His best lap of 4m50.877s put him ahead of Jeremy McWilliams on a Kawasaki, with Harrison third on a Honda. Peter Hickman took fourth aboard a Triumph, while Alastair Seeley was fifth on a Ducati. Josh Brookes placed seventh on a Suzuki with a time of 5m00.254s.
2026 NW200 - Supersport Qualifying
| POS | RIDER | BIKE | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Cooper | Yamaha | 4m50.877s |
| 2 | Jeremy McWilliams | Kawasaki | 4m53.419s |
| 3 | Dean Harrison | Honda | 4m55.676s |
| 4 | Peter Hickman | Triumph | 4m56.187s |
| 5 | Alastair Seeley | Ducati | 4m56.265s |
| 6 | Ian Hutchinson | Ducati | 4m58.464s |
| 7 | Josh Brookes | Suzuki | 5m00.254s |
| 8 | Paul Jordan | Ducati | 5m00.598s |
| 9 | Darryl Tweed | Triumph | 5m01.436s |
| 10 | Mitch Rees | Honda | 5m03.267s |
Conditions worsened again by the time Superstock qualifying began, but Brookes topped the session on his Honda with a 4m55.143s lap. ‘We’ve got some changes to make over night but overall a positive first day despite the conditions,’ said Brookes. Dean Harrison made it another Honda one-two, 1.621 seconds down, while Storm Stacey was third on a BMW.
2026 NW200 - Superstock Qualifying
| POS | RIDER | BIKE | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Brookes | Honda | 4m55.143s |
| 2 | Dean Harrison | Honda | 4m56.764s |
| 3 | Storm Stacey | BMW | 4m59.361s |
| 4 | John McGuinness | Honda | 5m01.709s |
| 5 | Dominic Herbertson | BMW | 5m01.738s |
| 6 | Peter Hickman | BMW | 5m02.318s |
| 7 | Carl Phillips | BMW | 5m04.193s |
| 8 | Ian Hutchinson | BMW | 5m04.521s |
| 9 | Mitch Rees | Honda | 5m04.902s |
| 10 | Paul Jordan | Honda | 5m07.321s |
The final session of the day was for the Supertwin and Sportbike class, where former grand prix rider Jeremy McWilliams handled the difficult conditions best. McWilliams was more than seven seconds quicker than the rest of the field, setting a 5m07.065s on his Yamaha. Paul Jordan was second on an Aprilia, with Alastair Seeley third, also on an Aprilia. Christian Elkin and Jamie Coward filled the next two places.
