Super Six For Metzeler At 2025 North West 200
Words and images courtesy of Metzeler
Hattrick hero Davey Todd led the Metzeler charge with wins in the Superbike and Superstock classes. Meanwhile, Richard Cooper and Paul Jordan added further victories in Supersport and Supertwin.
With glorious weather all week, the 2025 North West 200 once again proved a happy hunting ground for Metzeler riders. They achieved six wins and a further 12 podiums across the event’s nine races. With victories in all four race classes, Metzeler riders showed their prowess.
With warm and sunny weather from the opening day, the paddock wasted no time in getting up to speed around the iconic ‘Triangle’. Lap times quickly tumbled during practice and into qualifying.
Utilising the Metzeler Racetec™ RR Slick aboard the all-new 8ten Racing BMW, Davey Todd qualified on pole in the Superstock class, second in Superbike, and third in Supersport. Meanwhile, fellow Metzeler riders Dean Harrison and Richard Cooper would claim pole in the Supersport and Supertwin classes respectively.
Thursday evening would see a trio of Superbike, Supersport and Superstock races. Todd kick-started the event in style by claiming his maiden North West 200 Superbike win. However, he would not have it all his own way. There was stiff competition in a race-long battle that would come down to the last lap, where the BMW rider held off Honda’s Harrison by just 0.215s.
The opening Supersport race was a thrilling slipstream battle between five riders. Cooper and Todd added to the Metzeler podium tally with second and third. It was similar in the Superstock race. Harrison claimed second and fan-favourite Ian Hutchinson made an emotional return to a Road Racing podium in third.
Main race day on Saturday saw temperatures continue to rise.
As a result, one of the biggest ever crowds in North West 200 history crammed into every inch of the 8.9-mile circuit. The day kick-started with a podium lockout for Metzeler riders. Cooper took the win ahead of Adam McLean. Both riders used the road-legal Racetec™ RR treaded tyres.
The second Superbike race would prove a controversial finish. Todd led for almost the entirety of the six-lap race, narrowly missing out on victory on the final lap. Supersport race two proved to be an edge-of-the-seat race. It saw a last lap battle between Cooper and Harrison, with the Yamaha man narrowly beating Harrison.
Bouncing back from the disappointment of the Superbike race, Todd claimed a fabulous win in the final Superstock race of the event. Harrison pushed him hard to make it another Metzeler 1-2. Paul Jordan added another victory for Metzeler with a win in the second Supertwin race. Meanwhile, Barry Furber took third.
In the blue-riband final Superbike race, the thousands of fans trackside were treated to a thriller. Todd and Harrison vied for the lead throughout the six laps, never more than a few tenths apart. Unfortunately, a red flag on the last lap stopped a final showdown. Todd took the win ahead of Harrison, while North West 200 stalwart Alastair Seeley took third. This made it a clean sweep for Metzeler riders in the most important race of the weekend.
Metzeler now turns its attention to the Isle of Man and the legendary TT fortnight, which gets underway on May 26th.
Speaking after the event, METZELER UK Racing Manager Jason Griffiths added;
“The podium clean sweep in the feature Superbike race was obviously the highlight of the event for Metzeler. It demonstrated the performance potential and quality of the product.
With a hattrick of wins, including two in the Superbikes, Davey has been the man to beat all week. I would like to give a special mention to Richard Cooper and Paul Jordan for their victories. We now look forward to the Isle of Man TT later this month.”
The 2025 North West 200 results:
Superbike Race One – Thursday
1. Davey Todd (Metzeler)
2. Dean Harrison (Metzeler)
3. Peter Hickman
Supersport Race One – Thursday
1. Michael Dunlop
2. Richard Cooper (Metzeler)
3. Davey Todd (Metzeler)
Superstock Race One – Thursday
1. Michael Dunlop
2. Dean Harrison (Metzeler)
3. Ian Hutchinson (Metzeler)
Supertwin Race One – Saturday
1. Richard Cooper (Metzeler)
2. Adam McLean (Metzeler)
3. Jeremy McWilliams
Superbike Race Two – Saturday
1. Michael Dunlop
2. Davey Todd (Metzeler)
3. Peter Hickman
Supersport Race Two – Saturday
1. Richard Cooper (Metzeler)
2. Dean Harrison (Metzeler)
3. Michael Dunlop
Superstock Race Two – Saturday
1. Davey Todd (Metzeler)
2. Dean Harrison (Metzeler)
3. Peter Hickman
Supertwin Race Two – Saturday
1. Paul Jordan (METZELER)
2. Michael Sweeney
3. Barry Furber (Metzeler)
Superbike Race Three – Saturday
1. Davey Todd (Metzeler)
2. Dean Harrison (Metzeler)
3. Alastair Seeley (Metzeler)