For Rounds 3, 4 and 5 of the 2024 King of the Roads, riders gathered at the International North West 200 on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast. For 2024, organisers had added a third Superbike race to the roster, meaning a triple header round and a maximum of 75 points on offer. Its one of the largest events on the 2024 King of the Roads schedule, which includes 7 events in 5 countries, from Finland to Wales, the Isle of Man to Macau. The rider with the most points after the 15 Superbike races will be crowned the King of the Roads, joining Derek Sheils, Davey Todd and Michael Dunlop.
With such a large event comes a large depth of field, the entry list including British Superbike stars, Isle of Man TT winners and King of the Roads champions. Northern Ireland’s Glenn Irwin enters the event as pre event favourite, with 8 Superbike wins on the bounce heading into the 2024 event. Double Cookstown 100 winner Dominic Herbertson currently leads the championship, the Englishman aiming to add to his tally amongst some international talent.
Riders were greeted to clear blue skies and dry roads all around the Triangle course ahead of Thursday’s 4 Lap Superbike Race, a new addition for 2024, and after Irwin obliterated the qualifying lap record earlier in the day aboard his PBM Hager Ducati, he was odds on favourite to convert pole position into the victory. Irwin would not be alone though, as he was joined by Davey Todd, Dean Harrison, Peter Hickman and Michael Dunlop in the top group.
Ultimately, it would be an Irwin and Todd tussle to the flag, the Ducati rider setting a new outright lap record on Lap 2 as the pair swapped places on the fast 9 mile circuit. The duel came down to the final chicane, with Irwin winning a battle on the brakes to collect the first Superbike win of the week, a victory that upped his North West 200 big bike win tally to 9, equalling the record held by Michael Rutter and the late Joey Dunlop. Davey Todd was second with Michael Dunlop a distant third.
In the first of two races on Superbike Saturday, it was again a dogfight between Irwin and Todd; the former looking to take his tally into double digits, and the latter looking to pick up his maiden Superbike win. Todd, aboard the Milwaukee BMW, again put up a valiant challenge to the nine-timer, but even he couldn’t stop Irwin from making it two from two at the 2024 event. At the completion of 6 laps, it was Irwin on top, the Northern Irishman winning by 3 tenths of a second and breaking the record for the most Superbike wins at the event. Behind the top two, Michael Dunlop finished in third place.
