Alastair Seeley North West 200 rides confirmed for 2022 event

North West 200 record holder Alastair Seeley has landed a trio of rides at this year's big road race event.

It has been confirmed that Seeley will partner IFS Racing Yamaha in the Supersport, Superstock and Superbike classes at the fonaCABand Nicholl Oils sponsored event on May 8-14.

The 24-times winner around the famous 8.9 mile Triangle circuit secured the 2021 Ulster Superbike and Supersport championships with Graeme Hanna’s team. He will be hoping to continue that success on the north coast after securing an 11th hour deal with the Antrim based squad.

“I am just glad to have something because for a while it was looking as if I might be flag marshalling or spectating at this year’s North West," the Carrickfergus rider joked.

Another USBK campaign will provide plenty of preparation for North West week and although the squad won’t receive official Yamaha support, Seeley is confident he has the machinery to add a 25th victory to his record tally.

“I spent a lot of time on the Superbike and the 600 last year," he added.

“The bikes will be meticulously prepared and I will know them as well as the rest of the boys will know theirs. There won’t be any Spanish testing, just cold days out at Kirkistown and Bishopscourt, but we will maximise what we do here at home and I will have the race craft and the mileage.”

Now 42, Seeley feels his best chance of success in May will come on the Supersport-spec R6 Yamaha, a class in which he holds the lap record.

“The 600 is probably the strongest bike for me,” he said.

“I lost out on the Thursday night race in 2019 when I crashed on the last lap at Juniper. The big bikes are all about set-up and I’ve suffered with a lot of high speed weave in recent years which means you can’t hold the