2026 NW200 to host ESR Superbike round in 2026
With the end of IRRC 1000cc racing, a new European Superbike series emerges, and the NW200 will play a central role.
The Briggs Equipment North West 200 will step into a new role for 2026, hosting a round of the freshly launched European Series Road Racing (ESR) Superbike championship.
The event, set for 4 to 9 May, has been confirmed as the second stop on the six-round calendar, marking a notable shift in the international road-racing landscape following the end of 1,000cc competition in the IRRC last season.
The new ESR championship is built around full-fat superbike machinery and pulls together a spread of established European road races. It begins at Hengelo in the Netherlands on 2 to 3 May before heading to the North West 200. It then rolls on to Horice in the Czech Republic (23 to 24 May), Imatra in Finland (3 to 5 July) and Chimay in Belgium (25 to 26 July), before returning to Horice for the season finale on 8 and 9 of August.
The series has been driven by long-time NW200 contender Laurent Hoffmann, and the grid will feature familiar names from the Triangle, including Finland’s Erno Kostamo and Switzerland’s Lukas Maurer. With a €30,000 prize fund and points on offer from both NW200 Superbike races, the Milwaukee Superbike race on Thursday evening and Saturday’s Briggs Equipment six-lap feature race, the expectation is a broader, more competitive field than previous years.
NW200 race director Mervyn Whyte says the opportunity arrived at the right time. “Laurent Hoffmann is an experienced roads competitor, and changes to the IRRC created an opening for a new Superbike series. Hosting a round gives European riders extra incentive to come to Portrush, and it will strengthen the international character of the event.”
One of those riders is Belgium’s Fedrik Matthys, who finished third in last year’s IRRC Superbike standings. The 39-year-old raced at the North West in 2024 as part of Hoffmann’s team and says the atmosphere made a lasting impression. “I had never seen anything like it before: the crowds, the two waves of riders, the access for fans. The biggest names and the lesser-known riders were all there together. Great organisation, spectacular racing. I can’t wait to get back out on track on my M1000RR BMW.”
Find out more about the event on the official website.
Image of Mervyn White, Laurent Hoffman, and Fedrik Matthys - Steven Davidson
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!