Quiet Kiwi Rees Lets His Hondas Do The Talking at Fabled Northwest 200
Three-time NZSBK Superbike champ delivers top 10s on the streets of Northern Ireland as he eyes his second Isle of Man TT
The rise and rise of Kiwi Mitch Rees as a genuine presence in international street racing has gathered further momentum at the famous Northwest 200 on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast .
The Whakatāne 32-year-old claimed top 10s in the Supersport (6th) and Superstock (10th) classes and finished a highly respectable 12th and 15th in Saturday’s two premier Superbike starts – all four races featuring a who’s who of street racing including TT superstars Michael Dunlop and John McGuinness.
Northern Ireland’s Glenn Irwin and top-hatted Englishman Storm Stacey won the feature Superbike races around the 8.9-mile (14.4 km) circuit known as “The Triangle” on a day of high winds and seven red flag stoppages which forced several restarts in Portstewart.
The Northwest 200’s traditional Thursday and Saturday racing schedule was curtailed with Thursday’s racing cancelled after the death of Czech Republic rider Kamil Holan following an accident at Station Corner during the opening Superbike qualifying session. It was the first fatality at the North West 200 since 2016.
It cast a pall over the weekend but Rees, riding for the iconic Milenco by Padgett’s Racing Team, departed chilly Northern Ireland with fresh confidence as he eyes his second Isle of Man TT from May 25-June 6.
“North West 200 🫡. Felt like Antarctica 🫣,” Rees wrote on his social pages @mitchrees92.
“Massive thanks to the Milenco By Padgetts team & Dad [Tony] for their mega effort over the past week 👌. Let’s get to the Isle of Man TT 🇮🇲.”
The three-time NZSBK Superbike champion won the Vernon Cooper Trophy as top solo newcomer in his debut campaign around the fabled Mountain course in 2025.
A relative latecomer to motorcycling’s most dangerous event, Rees finished 19th and 23rd in Superstock races and recorded a best lap of 126.440mph (203.485kmh) around the 60.7km circuit that sees walls, hedgerows, power poles and buildings vanish at frightening speeds.
The Kiwi is reportedly campaigning Hondas in the Superbike, Superstock, Senior TT, Supersport and Sportbike classes at the Isle of Man TT for Padgett’s who have supported some of the greats of street racing including Mike Hailwood, Carl Fogarty, John McGuinness, Ian Hutchinson and fellow Kiwi Bruce Anstey.
Superbike
After qualifying 23rd and starting on the 8th row of 22, Rees finished Saturday’s first
Superbike race – which had to be restarted after an incident – 1:34.316 behind Irwin.
The Northern Irishman edged a ding-dong battle with Dean Harrison, the Yorkshireman briefly getting his nose in front on lap four of the six-lapper after Irwin had set the fastest lap of the race – a 124.997mph (201.163kmh) – the previous lap. Irwin regained the lead braking into Metropole on the following lap and held on for his 12th Northwest Superbike victory by 0.181 sec.
The Kiwi’s headline number at the official speed trap on approach to University was a 196.9mph (316.87kmh) on lap two. Michael Dunlop was fastest, recording identical 212.4 (341.82kmp) speeds on laps three and five.
The Kiwi was quicker at University in race 2 – 199.2mph (320.58kmph) – with Peter Hickman topping the radar at 212.4mph (341.82).
However, the final feature six-lapper was brought to a premature end by an oil spill along the coast road from the exit of Juniper chicane. Stacey was declared the winner after three laps when the organisers ran out of time to clear the oil before the 6.45pm road opening stipulation, the official Northwest website reported.
Rees finished 40.229secs behind Stacey in race 2.
The #92’s race pace was 117.216mph (188.640kmph) and 117.243mph (188.684kmph) compared to 124.329mph (200.088kmph) by Irwin and 123.276mph (198.393kmph) by Stacey in races 1 and 2 respectively.
Supersport
Northern Ireland legend Michael Dunlop was declared the winner on his Scars Ducati by MD Racing after the race was red-flagged twice following two separate crashes at Mill Road roundabout involving Ian Hutchinson, Richard Cooper, and Paul Jordan. All three riders were unhurt, northwest200.co.uk reported.
Rees had qualified 21st on his Honda Fireblade 600 and finished 37.780 behind Dunlop who holds the all-time record for victories and podium finishes at the Isle of Man TT with 33 wins and 51 podiums, surpassing the previous record of 26 wins held by his uncle Joey Dunlop in 2024.
Superstock
Popular British Superbikes (BSB) and Northwest 200 newcomer Storm Stacey won on his BMW after the Superstock was red-flagged and restarted over four laps following an incident at University corner involving Richard Cooper, northwest200.co.uk reported.
Rees qualified 14th and was 39.756 behind Stacey in the race with the 23-year-old Englishman becoming the first newcomer to win a race on his debut on the 8.9-mile Triangle course since Christian Elkin in 2007. – By Kent Gray.
