Motorbikes

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Pacemaker

Supertwin machines will continue to be allowed to compete at the North West 200 in 2027, organisers of the international road race have confirmed.

The Twins races will run alongside the newly introduced Sportbike machinery in both races on Saturday, with the two classes starting separately and having their own podium and prize fund.

The move follows the introduction of new regulations at the Isle of Man TT next year, which will see only Sportbikes permitted to compete, with no Supertwin participation.

North West 200 Race Director Mervyn Whyte explained that the decision was taken with consideration given to the fact that "not everyone will necessarily have sufficient time to produce and develop new Sportbike-spec machinery for 2027".

"With so many teams and riders having invested a great deal of time and money in developing Supertwin machinery over many seasons, we felt it was only fair that they should continue to have the opportunity to compete on the Triangle course this year," Whyte added.

"After consultation with a number of competitors and teams, it is felt that this joint format will provide the fairest opportunity for everyone involved and will ensure full grids across both races."

The 2026 Supertwins races were won by Peter Hickman and Jeremy McWilliams.

The class was introduced at both the NW200 and TT in 2012, with Richard Cooper the most successful rider in the category over the Triangle circuit with five victories to date.

Regulations across the Superbike and Superstock classes are to remain largely unchanged for the 2027 North West, while the Supersport races adopt the Next Generation-spec.

Image source, BBC Sport

Jack Kennedy is the most successful rider in the history of the British Supersport Championship but says he is "not done" with winning titles.

Irish rider Kennedy is a five-time champion in the Supersport class but had to settle for second behind Luke Stapleford in the 2026 standings.

He will return for another shot at the title in 2027 as he sticks with the Honda manufacturer team, and says he is aiming to go one better next year.

"A lot of hard work and dedication has got me to where I am now," Kennedy told the BBC Bikes podcast.

"I'm grateful for all of the opportunities I've been given and all the great teams and manufacturers I've ridden for.

"I'm not done and I want more. There's nothing to say we can't win one, two, three or four more championships. Why not?".

You can listen to the BBC Bikes podcast on BBC Sounds or watch on YouTube., external

Richard Petrie
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Doublered

Northern Ireland's David Allingham has been crowned British Superstock 1000cc champion.

The Eglinton rider took victory in the first race of the weekend over the Brands Hatch GP circuit in Kent to secure an unassailable 47-point lead over nearest challenger Luke Mossey at the head of the championship standings with one race still to come on Sunday.

Allingham has won 10 races over the course of the season aboard his SMS/Nicholl Oils Racing BMW.

The 31-year-old had finished runner-up behind Ukraine's Ilya Mikhalchik in the 2025 edition of the series.

Allingham went into Saturday's 15-lap race with a 42-point cushion over Milenco by Padgett's Honda rider Luke Mossey.

The new champion finished ahead of Mossey and Billy McConnell in the opening outing of the weekend.

Meanwhile the Northern Ireland-based Scars Racing team have clinched the British Supersport title with their rider Luke Stapleford.

Stapleford won seven races during the 2026 campaign.

The team, jointly managed by Dale McElveen and Leigh Finlay, will move to the feature British Superbike series next year as official representatives of BMW Motorrad Motorsport.

The team will feature a yet to be revealed two-rider line-up.

Stephen Watson
BBC Sport NI

Image source, Getty

Michael Laverty jokes that he has "often considered myself one of the busiest men in motorcycle racing," but the truth is he might be right.

Across team ownership, talent development, television work and a growing clothing brand, the former MotoGP rider is operating at a pace few in the sport can match.

Laverty now fronts GRYD Racing, the umbrella organisation he has built from the top down.

The team fields entries in Moto4, Sportbike, Superstock, JuniorGP Moto3 and Moto4 and now, through a landmark deal, GRYD is taking over TAS Racing - the Northern Ireland outfit he once rode for.

TAS Racing has competed on British short circuits and at the major international road races under the direction of father and son Hector and Philip Neill for the past two-and-a-half decades.

"Philip Neill and I started talking a few years ago," Laverty told the BBC Bikes Podcast.

"Now he's ready to take a step back and we're ready to really push in British Superbikes."

The takeover means GRYD will soon have a footprint in almost every major class.

"We've just got two teams left," explains Laverty, a former British Supersport Champion.

"Moto2 and World Superbike - and then we've got all the rungs in the ladder. It's a lofty target, but if we can get there, it would be a dream."

Laverty's clothing brand is also part of the model. "Every sale is a penny that goes into funding the team," he says. "If a sponsor isn't there, we can use our own brand."

Alongside all that sits his MotoGP broadcasting schedule. "I love it," he smiles.

"It feels like a holiday from the team side…it's probably the only thing I actually get paid for these days. We all travel together, we have fun and socially it's good."

Balancing home life remains a priority. "When I'm home, I'm there, I'm engaged," he says.

"Monday to Wednesday is my time with the kids."

For a man shaping the sport on multiple fronts, the busiest man in bikes might be underselling it.

Stephen Watson
BBC Sport NI

Image source, David Allingham

David Allingham's charge towards the British Superstock Championship has become one of the most compelling stories of the motorcycling season - not just for the results, but for the personal turnaround behind them.

The Northern Ireland rider has taken seven wins from nine races, a run he admits he "would have taken all day long" if offered back in January .

The transformation has been established with new confidence, something Allingham says "is everything".

A double victory at Brands Hatch last year proved pivotal.

"I came home that weekend and said, you know what, I can actually do this - at every track, not just Brands Hatch," he told the BBC Bikes podcast on BBC Sounds.

Allingham speaks openly about the mental battles that once held him back. He tried sports psychologists, but found the process "nearly over complicating the whole job" and piling pressure on top of pressure.

Instead, the breakthrough came from within and from home. His fiancée Megan became his sounding board, his motivator, and, at one point, the person who stopped him quitting the sport entirely.

"I was doing so much that when I didn't win, it was a massive failure," he admitted.

After a broken leg due to a crash at Thruxton left him questioning whether to continue in the sport Megan stepped in.

"I said to her I don't even know if I want to do this anymore," Allingham recalled.

"She nearly told me off and told me you have got this, start believing in yourself and the champagne will taste even sweeter when we win."

Now the pair share another special goal.

"My dream is to win the British Championship and then get married the week after. That would be perfect ending to a defining year."

Equally central to Allingham's success is his Northern Irish team, SMS/Nicholl's Oils BMW, who he says rebuilt his confidence after injuries and self-doubt.

"We are a little team from Eglinton and Greysteel trying to give it to the big teams. The first thing them boys done was put an arm around me," he said.

Older, wiser and finally believing he belongs at the front, Allingham is riding the crest of a wave - and chasing the perfect double.

You can watch the full BBC Bikes podcast with David Allingham on the BBC NI YouTube channel now

Stephen Watson
BBC Sport NI

Image source, Pacemaker

Storm Stacey is open to returning to the North West 200 next year after his standout debut at the event but insists any comeback will depend on securing the right deal.

Speaking at Oulton Park, the British Superbike star said the impact of his North West performance and double victory has stayed with him.

"I keep looking back thinking I want to relive it and do it all again," the 23 year old told the BBC Bikes podcast on BBC Sounds.

"Racing's strange. BSB can be the best place on earth or you just want to go home. At the North West I was like, I want to live here now on the North Coast.

"A guy said to me on the podium – your life will change now."

He has also begun to appreciate the magnitude of what he achieved, particularly his high‑speed duel with road racing's biggest star Michael Dunlop - a moment which went viral online.

"The BMW was so planted down the straights. I looked across at Michael and in my head I was saying: you're going to brake, then I'm going to brake," Stacey said.

"Probably not the cleverest thing at 200mph, but definitely one of the most fun."

Stacey, who rides for the Bathams AJN racing team in the British Superbike Championship, had arrived at the North West largely unknown to many road‑racing followers, but the response was immediate.

"Some Irish fans only watch road racing like Armoy and the TT so they didn't know me but by the end of the week they were ransacking the trailer.

"If we'd brought 200 more top hats [Stacey wears a top hat to promote mental health awareness] we'd have sold 200 more."

His sister flew in with a suitcase of merchandise, which sold out within a day.

One supporter told him afterwards: "You're like a god here now."

Stacey said the reaction was "crazy" and unlike anything he had experienced.

On a possible return to Northern Ireland's biggest outdoor sporting event next May, he remains cautious.

"We have a short career. If I had a big injury tomorrow, everything ends. The North West will always be a distraction from BSB - but if I'm paid enough to be distracted, I'm happy."

Before any decisions, Stacey will be back in Northern Ireland on Saturday for the Classic Bike Festival, riding his beloved TZ two‑stroke.

"I always say I was born way too late. Proper race bikes - that's why I enjoy them."

You can watch the BBC Bikes podcast with Storm Stacey on YouTube, external and find all the other episodes there on the playlist.