Padgett Honda’s Davey Todd does NW200 Supersport double

2023 North West 200

Supersport

With Ben McCook

Milenco by Padgett’s Honda star Davey Todd moved on from last year’s quartet of runner-up finishes in style with a Supersport double this year and thus heads home a much happier man in 2023. But he didn’t get it easy and had to fight tooth and nail with some of the best road racers in the world for each victory. On both occasions the 27-year-old timed his run to perfection to hit the front when it mattered most to take the glory.

If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, you wouldn’t believe the intensity of this year’s Supersport battles.

Any one of Todd, Michael Dunlop, Richard Cooper, Dean Harrison, Alastair Seeley and Peter Hickman could have come away with a victory; each took a turn at the front on multiple occasions.

Thursday’s race opened the meeting but it was initially red-flagged due to an incident at the Mill Rd round-a-bout.

After a lengthy delay, the bikes went back at it and all eyes were on pole sitter, Alastair Seeley who was debuting the V2 Powertools mate Ducati.

“People see Bulega leading the world championship and see that it won Daytona and think it’s the bike to be on,  but you still have to ride it and it doesn’t like the bumps around here.” said the wee wizard.

“Bedlam” is how Michael Dunlop described the opening lap of a supersport encounter, and he wasn’t far wrong.

Seeley got the hole-shot but Todd took over at the front going into York. Next Cooper took up the mantle and it would appear that the little jockey might make a break for it. However, Cooper was struggling on the brakes into Mathers and Magherabouy (something that he would never really rectify over the course of the weekend), and Todd was back in front by the time the leaders got to Portrush.

Cooper hit the lead again by the end of the lap he and the BPE/ Russel YZF-R6 seemed to be in some sort of control until the race reached half distance.

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Seeley was rarely out of the top three but Michael Dunlop had been making moves in the pack and it was him who hit the front on the third lap. The locals dared to dream of another Dunlop win around the triangle circuit but the cut-n-thrust and in-pack fighting made it impossible predict a result, with the lead thrown about like a hot-potato over the remaining miles.

In the end Todd took over at Magherabuoy on the final lap when Dunlop and Seeley almost tripped over each other at Metropole, the Saltburn rider had a clean run to the line to take a second North West victory, adding to the wet win he bagged in 2019… This one meant much more though, as some seen the wet win as an anomaly; this time he beat the rest fair and square.

“That means so much after all them second places last year and being so close- I didn’t want to let it slip away. It’s a dream.” a jubilant Todd declared in parc-ferme.

In the end Seeley took 2nd with Cooper in 3rd.

Saturday’s race provided more of the same with the usual suspects bashing bars on the run to Coleraine over the first lap.

Cooper was again having issues braking and he overshot a chicane, which seemingly put paid to any chances he had of a win.

Peter Hickman was pushing hard on the Trooper Triumph despite stating on the grid that he was racing “through gritted teeth” after all the controversy that saw his FHO team go home early. Indeed, the 666 triple was in front at the Metropole on lap 1, but with some of his rivals as much as 9 mph faster on the high-speed straights, the world’s fastest road racer was going to struggle.

Amazingly, Cooper was back in the lead group by lap 2 and on lap 4 he sensationally took over from Seeley at the front. The Nottingham man was stretching away at the front of a group that comprised himself, Todd, Dean Harrison and Hickman with Dunlop hanging on at the back, but Cooper’s braking woes continued at the chicanes and that allowed Todd back in.

On the final circuit Todd and Cooper were side-by-side on the run to Coleraine but it was the Padgett’s star who had his nose in front when it mattered and he would take the victory, ahead of Cooper, to chalk up a famous Supersport double.

Hickman completed the podium and claimed a new lap record but lamented a backmarker they came across at Metropole, stating that it cost him the chance of challenging. ‘I won’t say what I think’ the Lincolnshire man said.

Harrison and Dunlop were next ahead of Seeley, who dropped back after a bird strike on the last lap literally had him spitting feathers. Adam McLean, Mike Browne, Paul Jordan and Joe Loughlin completed the top 10 with ex- World Endurance champion, Matthieu Lagrive coming home in 11th- a great result for the high-profile newcomer.

2023 North West 200 Results
Supersport Race One

2023 North West 200 Results
Supersport Race Two

2023 North West 200 Results
Supersport Thursday Qualifying