The opening day of qualifying for the 2025 North West 200 was cut to just two sessions due to an incident on-track thꦗat required air ambulance attendance.

This year’s North West 200 got underway under glorious conditi🐈ons on Northern Ireland’s North Coast, with four timed sessions originally scheduled.

The day began with the newcomers session, where debutants to the event ran speed controlled un🦄timed laps to get a feel f🦹or the course.

The first timed session💜 of the day was for the Superbikes, thoug💦h this was twice red-flagged due to two oil spills.

The session was event💛ually 𒁏completed, with Peter Hickman leading the way for 8TEN Racing on a BMW with a 4m35.271s.

Honda's Dean Harrison was clocked at 209.1mph through the s𓂃peedtraps on his Superbike, while he also topped the Supersport speeds at 185mph.

2025 North West 200 - Wednesday Superbike qualifying times

The ✱two red flags led to a lengthy delay to✤ the overall schedule, with the Supersport class following before that session was quickly halted.

Oꩲrganisers confirmed during the stoppage✃ that it was due to an incident on course.

BBC Sport later revealed that two ride♔rs were involved, with one taken to a local hospital by road while a second needed to be airlifted from the course.

No further details have been given by the organisers, though th🎃ey released this statement: 

"Two riders were involved in an incident at Mill Road roundabout on the NW200 course six minutes into the Supersport qualifying session at today's Briggs Equipment North West 2🍸00.

"Both riders were injured in the incident and t🌟he on course medical team attended tꦕhe scene.

"The riders were subsequently transferred to hospital, one by road ambulance and🥀 the other by air ambulance."

Due to the road closing order in place, roads had 💟to re-open at 3pm.

Thi𓆉s meant that, when the Supersport session got bac🦋k underway at around 2:45pm local time, there was time enough for just a few laps.

Richard Cooper was fastest in Supersport with a 4m36.484s ahead of Dean Harrison and Michael Dunlop on his new V2 Paniga🀅le Ducati.

2025 North West 200 - Wednesday Supersport qualifying times