North West 200
North West 200 at a glance
- Location
- Portstewart, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
- Type
- road course
- Length
- 14.44 km (8.97 mi)
- Direction
- anti-clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Elevation change
- 800 ft
- Opened
- 1929
- Owner
- Coleraine and District Motor Club (organiser; roads owned by the Department for Infrastructure)
- Phone
- +44 28 9532 0335
- Website
- northwest200.co.uk
Track map and layout
The North West 200 is run on an 8.97-mile (14.44km) triangle of ordinary public roads linking the seaside towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush on Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast, closed to traffic for one week each May. The lap climbs and falls between roughly 6 and 75 metres above sea level and mixes flat-out sections capable of 200mph-plus with tight town-centre turns such as Metropole Corner and University Corner in Portrush and Church Corner and Mather's Cross near Coleraine. Three chicanes, including one at Juniper Hill added in 1983 after fatal accidents, were built into the fastest stretches to slow bikes before the tightest corners. The start/finish line sits on Portstewart's Portmore Road, its location since a 1973 move from an earlier position further along the course.
Named corners and sections
- Metropole Corner. A tight right-hander in Portrush named after the former Metropole Hotel, one of the circuit's key overtaking and viewing points.
- University Corner. A turn in Portrush named for the town's former Magee University College site.
- Church Corner. A tight junction on the approach into Coleraine.
- Mather's Cross. A fast, undulating section on the Coleraine side of the triangle.
- Juniper Hill. A chicane added in 1983, after fatal accidents on the preceding fast section, to slow riders before the run into Portstewart.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Full triangle circuit | 14.43 km | The only configuration; run anti-clockwise using the A2, A29 and B185 public roads |
Events and race weekends
The North West 200 is a single week-long motorcycle road-racing meeting each May, run by Coleraine and District Motor Club since 1964. Roads close for closed-road practice sessions and races, with the main race day on Saturday and an additional evening of racing on Thursday; classes range from Supersport and Superstock up to the headline Superbike races. Organisers describe it as the largest annual outdoor sporting event in Northern Ireland, drawing crowds estimated at more than 150,000 across race week.
| Event | Series | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| North West 200 | International road racing (Superbike, Supersport, Superstock, Supertwin) | May | One week of practice and racing; roads close only for scheduled sessions, not the whole week |
Getting there and parking
The course lies on Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast, around 55 miles north-west of Belfast. City of Derry Airport is the closest airport, about 45 minutes' drive south-west; Belfast's two airports (Belfast International and George Best Belfast City) are each roughly an hour away. Coleraine railway station, on the Belfast-to-Derry line, sits inside the triangle and is a practical base for reaching all three towns without a car.
- City of Derry Airport (LDY) · about 45 min drive
- Belfast International Airport (BFS) · about 60 min drive
Parking
Parking is available near the grandstands and in the towns, but road closures during practice and racing sessions mean routes in and out of Portrush, Portstewart and Coleraine are restricted; organisers advise arriving well before the roads close and expecting long walks from parking to a grandstand.
Roads only close for scheduled practice and race sessions, not for the whole week, so it is possible to move around the triangle between sessions if you plan around the published closure times.
Hotels and camping near North West 200
Accommodation across Portrush, Portstewart and Coleraine, plus nearby Portballintrae, Castlerock, Bushmills and Ballycastle, books out well ahead of race week, and regular attendees typically rebook the same room a year in advance. With hotel and B&B stock in these small towns limited relative to the crowd the event draws, visitors who leave booking late are often pushed out to Derry/Londonderry or the wider Causeway Coast and need to drive in each day.
Where to look
Portrush and Portstewart, the two seaside towns either end of the triangle, are the most atmospheric and most sought-after bases; Coleraine, the larger inland town, has more room stock and is a practical fallback.
Camping
Static and touring caravan parks around the triangle, including sites such as Juniper Hill Holiday Park on the Portrush-Portstewart road, see heavy demand during race week; the event itself does not run an official campsite in the way a purpose-built circuit does.
RV
Caravans and motorhomes use the same commercial caravan parks along the coast rather than any race-organised RV area.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
There is no track-day or open-pitlane access to the North West 200 course: it is a public road network open to normal traffic outside the scheduled closures for official practice and racing, and only licensed competitors take part in those sessions.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outright (Superbike, post-chicane course) | 124.8mph average lap speed | Peter Hickman | BMW S1000RR | 2022 |
| Outright (pre-chicane course) | 127.63mph average lap speed | Tom Herron | Yamaha | 1978 |
Spectator guide
Spectating is mostly free, standing along the closed public roads at dozens of vantage points around the triangle, with paid grandstands at Start Line, Metropole, Amici Corner, Juniper Hill and the Paddock offering trackside seats and big screens. Grandstand tickets for the main Thursday and Saturday race days for 2026 ranged from about £55 (Juniper Hill) to £60 (Start Line, Metropole, Amici Corner) for a seat alone, rising to around £85 with a paddock pass and programme included; all grandstands for the 2026 race week sold out.
Seating
Five ticketed grandstands (Start Line, Metropole, Amici Corner, Juniper Hill and Paddock) offer seated trackside viewing with big screens; most of the circuit is watched for free from behind barriers along the public roads.
Best places to watch
Metropole and University Corner in Portrush give close-up views of overtaking at reduced speed, while sections like Black Hill and the run into Juniper Hill show the bikes at their fastest.
Weather
- May: Typical Causeway Coast spring weather: cool and breezy off the Atlantic, highs around 12-15°C with a real chance of rain and wind affecting racing
History of North West 200
Origins on the Causeway Coast
The North West 200 was first run in 1929, taking its name from an original plan to hold a 200-mile handicap race in Ireland's north-west, even though the race settled on the roughly 9-mile triangle between Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush it still uses. The event grew out of the same closed-road racing tradition as the Isle of Man TT, using ordinary seaside-town roads rather than a purpose-built circuit, and it quickly became one of Ireland's premier motorcycle meetings.
Growth and legendary riders
Coleraine and District Motor Club has organised the event since 1964, and the race grew into the largest outdoor sporting event held annually in Northern Ireland, with crowds now estimated at more than 150,000 across race week. Its roll of honour is dominated by home riders: Joey Dunlop won 13 times, his brother Robert Dunlop won 15, and Alastair Seeley became the outright leading winner with 29 victories, while England's Michael Rutter added 14 wins. Speeds climbed steadily, from Tom Herron's 127.63mph lap in 1978, before the course carried any chicanes, to Michael Rutter becoming the first rider recorded at 200mph on the course in 2004.
Safety and changes to the course
Racing on public roads at these speeds has come at a cost: the event has recorded 20 competitor deaths since 1939, including three riders killed on a single day in 1979 remembered as 'Black Saturday'. Organisers have repeatedly modified the course in response, most significantly adding chicanes, including one at Juniper Hill in 1983, to slow riders on the fastest approaches.
Present day
The North West 200 continues as a single week of practice and racing each May, now run under sponsorship as the fonaCab & Nicholl Oils North West 200 after a two-year pandemic cancellation in 2020 and 2021. Peter Hickman holds the current outright lap record, averaging 124.8mph on the modern, chicane-equipped course, and the event remains one of the fastest and most-attended road races anywhere in the world, filling hotels and grandstands across Portrush, Portstewart and Coleraine every year it runs.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the North West 200 course?+
The lap is 8.97 miles (14.44 km), run anti-clockwise over public roads linking Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush.
When is the North West 200 held?+
It runs as a single race week each May; the 2026 event ran from Monday 4 to Saturday 9 May, with the main race days on Thursday evening and Saturday.
Why is it called the North West 200 if the course is under 9 miles?+
The name dates back to the race's origin as a planned 200-mile handicap event in Ireland's north-west; the name stuck even after the race became a series of shorter sprints on the current triangle.
Do I need a grandstand ticket to watch the North West 200?+
No, most vantage points along the closed public roads are free; paid grandstands at Start Line, Metropole, Amici Corner, Juniper Hill and the Paddock offer seated trackside views with big screens, and all sold out for 2026.
Do hotels near the North West 200 sell out?+
Yes. Accommodation in Portrush, Portstewart and Coleraine books out well in advance of race week, and many regular spectators rebook the same room a year ahead.
Who holds the North West 200 lap record?+
Peter Hickman set the current outright lap record, averaging 124.8mph, in the 2022 Superbike race on the modern, chicane-equipped course.
Other tracks nearby
- Dundrod Circuit (Ulster Grand Prix) · 79 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Bishopscourt Racing Circuit · 113 km · road course
- Kirkistown Race Circuit · 114 km · road course
- St John's Short Course · 173 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Billown Circuit · 181 km · public road circuit
- Clypse Course · 182 km · historic circuit (defunct)
Facts checked against 5 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.