North West 200 to host new ESR Championship in 2026

2026 Briggs Equipment North West 200
European Series Road Racing (ESR)

The 2026 North West 200 has been confirmed for May 4–9 and will form part of the new European Series Road Racing (ESR) Superbike Championship, adding an extra competitive dimension to one of road racing’s landmark events.

The NW200 is currently slated to host the second round of the six-race ESR series, which debuts next year following the discontinuation of 1000 cc competition in the International Road Racing Championship. The ESR series has been created to provide a new Superbike platform for Europe’s leading road racers.

The 2026 calendar will open at Hengelo, the Netherlands, on May 2–3, before travelling to the North West 200. Subsequent rounds will take place at Horice in the Czech Republic on May 23–24, Imatra in Finland on July 3–5, and Chimay in Belgium on July 25–26, with the championship decider returning to Horice on August 8–9.

Led by NW200 regular Laurent Hoffmann, the new championship will also feature familiar names such as Finland’s Erno Kostamo and Switzerland’s Lukas Maurer, alongside a wider European entry list. At the North West 200, ESR points will be awarded based on final results in both the Milwaukee Superbike race on Thursday evening and Saturday’s six-lap Briggs Equipment Superbike race.

With a prize fund of €30,000, organisers expect the ESR series to attract a strong field of established and emerging road racing talent.

Mervyn Whyte – NW200 Race Director

“This is a very exciting development for the Briggs Equipment North West 200. Laurent Hoffmann is an experienced competitor on the roads having competed at the NW200, the Macau GP and in the International Road Racing championship. Changes to the IRRC series for 2026 created an opportunity for us to host a round of the new ESR series and I am certain this will attract a lot of interest from European competitors who now have an extra incentive to compete at Portrush. It will strengthen the international character of our event and the new competitors can be assured of a warm welcome on the north coast.”

Fedrik Matthys and Mervyn Whyte – NW200 Race Director

Belgium’s Fedrik Matthys is one of the riders who is looking forward to competing at the 2026 Briggs Equipment North West 200. The 39-year-old has been racing in Europe for 15 years and finished third overall in last year’s IRRC Superbike series.

Fedrik Matthys

“I was with Laurent Hoffmann’s team at last year’s North West and I had never seen anything like it before with the crowds and the two waves of riders in each race. The biggest names and the lesser-known riders were all there, close to the fans and free for everyone to talk to. There was great organisation and spectacular racing and I can’t wait to get out on track and be part of it on my M1000RR BMW.”