2025 North West 200
Supersport races at the North West 200 are always frantic and unpredictable, and Saturday’s race was no exception. You would have been forgiven for thinking, after Thursday’s evening race, that Michael Dunlop would be unstoppable on his Milwaukee Ducati after he powered away from his rivals with ease on the final lap.
But that wasn’t the case this time. Richard Cooper and Dean Harrison proved that there’s still life left in the traditional 600cc machines and they fought tooth and nail for the win every step of the way in race 2.
Cooper eventually came out on top by just 0.14 seconds, but Dean Harrison will feel a little hard done by as he was leading an earlier incarnation of the race and had opened up a slight gap before a rider further down the order spectacularly high-sided in the Dhuvarren area, Pierre Yves Bian’s bike burst into a fireball, bringing out the red flags. The Frenchman was air-lifted to hospital with ‘non life threatening injuries’.
There was also an added delay due to a non-racing incident. But eventually the bikes returned to the grid for a four-lap restart. (The previous attempt had fallen just short of the required distance to call a result).
There was further controversy in this bout as Cooper also straight-lined a chicane in the final stages just as it looked as thought Michael Dunlop was making a late charge. However, this chicane cutting incident didn’t grab as many headlines as the controversial earlier Superbike race, with all riders attending the podium and only a respectful disgruntlement expressed in the post-race interviews.
Richard Cooper
“I thought to myself, I’m having this one. Michael beat me fair and square on Thursday and he had that one, but this one today- no way. I got through the chicane on the last lap and we come here to win. We’re up against the best road racers in the world and I’m a part time racer but we beat the best!”
Of the chicane debacle ‘Coops’ added, “There was no other option at the chicane other than go straight on and after that I was in the wrong gear but controlled myself, found the right gear and drove to the line knowing it would take a brave man to pass me at the final corner.“
Harrison slotted into second yet again, the Bradford man had been knocking on the door for his first win in almost every single race at this year’s meeting but has fallen just short every time. He’ll be particularly disappointed not to get the job done in this race as the CBR600RR is the bike he rides week in, week out in British Supersport.
Third place Michael Dunlop got a few issues off his chest in his post-race interview after finishing just 0.3s off the winner. First, he spoke of how everyone had been ‘squealing’ about the speed of his Ducati after his victory on Thursday, but that this contest had proven that the bikes were in fact equal.
Then he addressed the chicane shenanigans, stating that while he was getting heat for his issues in the Superbike race, he had gained no advantage from going straight on, while in his opinion, Harrison and Cooper had gained an advantage this time around.
Michael Dunlop
“It was always going to come down to the chicane and I knew Dean was going to have a lunge, I knew what was coming but it was a frustrating end to the race.”
Davey Todd, Peter Hickman and Alastair Seeley completed the top six. Josh Brookes and Paul Jordan were also in that fairly tight group that crossed the finish line ten-seconds behind the podium finishers.
