The North West 200 claimed the lives of three riders on this day in motorcycle history - Englishmen, P.L. Phillips on 15th May 1949 at Portstewart, John Newbold in 1982 on Juniper Hill, and Northern Ireland’s Robert Dunlop, who died following a crash Mather’s Cross on this day in 2008.
Possibly the most famous road race after the Isle of Man TT, the North West 200 is held each May in Northern Ireland. The course is a street circuit, made up of public roads running between the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush (the Triangle). The race is one of the fastest in the world with speeds in excess of 200 mph. but does include three speed reducing chicanes. The route runs anti-clockwise, entering the outskirts of the towns and passing many private homes, restaurants and pubs. To help improve safety, street signs are removed at parts of the track and bales of hay are used to wrap the base of lampposts and telegraph poles.
