North West 200 receives additional funding for 2023 event

The North West 200 race looks set to return again in 2023 after organisers secured financial backing from local authorities. 

The money has come from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, who have agreed to increase their financial backing of the event to £275,000, according to the News Letter. 

The increased support from the aforementioned local authorities should secure the event for 2023. 

This comes after the denial of £800,000  earlier in the year by Tourism NI for both the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix. The latter was unable to return to action in 2022 after missing the last two years through Covid-related issues as well as financial problems.

North West 200 race boss Mervyn Whyte also requested the appointment of a new event manager, whose task would be to secure the event’s future by planning for its next five-to-ten years. Whyte’s request was denied.

The North West 200 returned in 2022 for the first time since 2019 after cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. The main race - the North West 200 - was won by Glenn Irwin for Honda Racing UK. Irwin also won the previous Superbike race.

Its return was regarded as a success, with around 200,000 people visiting for the races, and the News Letter reports that early signs suggest an injection of around £13 million into the local economy as a result of the race’s return in 2022. This matches findings from a study conducted by Sheffield Hallam University in 2017.

Images courtesy of North West 200 Pacemaker.

2022 Ducati Streetfighter V4S review | Ducati Trackday Silverstone GP Circuit