PODIUM JOY FOR DAO RACING AND JOSH BROOKES AT NORTH WEST 200

DAO Racing and Josh Brookes tasted success at the 2026 North West 200 after taking to the podium in Saturday’s CP Hire Superstock race following a titanic three-man battle under the North Coast sunshine. The team also enjoyed a brace of fifth-place finishes in the two Superbike races.

The week got off to a solid start for Brookes, who, after the opening day of practice in tricky, wet conditions on the Causeway Coast, was pleased with the feeling from his Superbike and Superstock Fireblades heading into Thursday’s qualifying. He completed five laps on each of his bikes, meaning he would be eligible to continue in the event.

Under bright skies and dry conditions the following morning, the team were confident that the small changes made to both bikes would prove beneficial for the Australian rider, who was confident of achieving a good grid position for the evening’s racing action.

Due to an incident on the course, there was a lengthy delay to proceedings, which forced the organisers to cancel the racing action and replace it with qualifying sessions for all classes.

Thursday evening’s session was again run in dry conditions, with the Superbike first out on the road. Josh improved his time after a fantastic final lap, which saw him finish the hour-long session in fourth place, meaning he would start both Saturday races from the second row.

Brookes then continued that form moments later during the Superstock qualifying session, where he again improved his time, securing fifth place on the grid for Saturday afternoon’s sole race.

Conditions on Saturday were perfect, with bright sunshine and dry roads blessing the final day of action on the North Coast.

The opening race of the day saw Brookes make a great start, holding his grid position after the opening lap and remaining on the coattails of the leading three riders. However, midway through lap two, the red flag was shown due to a minor incident at Church Corner, prompting a full restart.

Ten minutes later the re-run roared into life, however Josh endured a difficult start, dropping back to fifth following the opening lap. He then became embroiled in a battle with Peter Hickman, Michael Dunlop and Ian Hutchinson.

He dropped back to seventh by mid-race distance, however he quickly regrouped, making up a position with two laps to go. Slipstreaming around the 8.9-mile Triangle course, Brookes sat comfortably in fifth as the four-man battle became three, however at the flag he was unable to make his way past Dunlop and Hickman, taking fifth place.

Just over an hour later he was back on the grid again, this time for the sole Superstock race of the day, where he started fifth and in the middle of the second row. From the start he made a great launch off the line and sat in second place after the opening lap, however the race was red flagged on lap two due to an incident at University Corner.

Following a ten-minute delay, the race was restarted over a shortened four-lap distance, and once again Brooksey made a fantastic start, battling for the lead with Storm Stacey and Dean Harrison.

Just a lap later, Harrison was forced to retire from the race, however Michael Dunlop soon joined the battle for the lead. Swapping positions over the next two laps became the order of the day, with the trio pushing hard for the win.

With just one mile of the course remaining, Josh made his move on Dunlop for second place, however he lost the position heading into the final sequence of corners, crossing the line in third place and taking the team’s eighth podium finish on the Causeway Coast and the fourth North West podium of his career.

The final race of the week got underway in the setting sun, with Brookes making another strong start, sitting fourth after the opening lap and firmly within a five-man battle for the lead.

However, as the race entered its third lap, it was red flagged due to an oil spill. Due to time constraints, the race was not restarted and the result was declared, with Josh taking fifth place.

DAO Racing send their heartfelt condolences to the family of Kamil Holán, who sadly lost his life in the incident that took place on Thursday. All our thoughts are with Kamil’s family, friends and team.

Josh Brookes: “It’s been positive overall, for me I must cast my eyes back to 2025 when I was last there, and it was all negative to the point where I thought about packing up and going home because I didn’t feel safe on the Honda.

“Fast forward to this year, it’s polar opposite, the bike was really stable and I was building confidence all the time, to the point where we were challenging for not just the podium, but for wins, so on that note I have to feel that a weight is off my shoulders that I can be fast at the North West again. To secure a podium, I am pleased with it, I would have loved to have had my first win there, it seems such a task to get there, but overall, I’m happy,

“It put us in a strong place leading into the TT and there is every chance that we could transfer what we have learnt this week to our BSB campaign, it’s not for sure likely but it could be another bonus if we get that. A big thanks to the team once again, they’ve worked so hard all week for me.”

Team manager Jonny Bagnall: “It’s fantastic to be back on the podium at the North West 200, it’s been a good week for us and it’s great to reward all the team, including Josh, that well earnt taste of champagne. The bikes haven’t missed a beat all week and that’s a testament to the team, we’ve worked incredibly hard over the winter to build a package that can run at the sharp end on the roads, and we’ve proven that this week.

“It sets us up nicely for the Isle of Man TT, which is in a couple of weeks’ time, but it also gives us a lot of confidence as we head into the second round of the BSB Championship next weekend at Donington Park. Just finally, I want to send our sincere condolences to the family, friends and team of Kamil, we’re all thinking of them at this sad time.”

The team now travel to Donington Park for round two of the 2026 ZYN British Superbike Championship on May 15-17.