Rider dies in North West 200 Superbike accident

Breaking news from the world of sport: Rider dies in North West 200 Superbike accidentImage source, PacemakerImage caption, The red flag brought the Superbike session to a close after the incident at Station CornerByAndy GrayBBC Sport NI Journalist at the North West 200Published5 minutes agoA rider has died after an accident in Superbike qualifying for the North West 200 international road race on Thursday. The incident happened at Station Corner and a red flag brought the session to a close. The rider has not been named due to the wishes of his family.

"The session was immediately red flagged and emergency services attended the scene but unfortunately the rider succumbed to his injuries," said North West 200 organisers in a statement. "The family have given their approval for the event to continue but have requested that the rider not be named at this time. "Coleraine and District Motor Club, the organisers of the races, offer our sincere condolences to the family and team.

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"Superbike qualifying was the first session of the day and the remaining sessions in the afternoon did not take place. The qualifying sessions have been moved to Thursday night to replace the planned opening three races, and it has not yet been confirmed by race organisers if Saturday's schedule will contain any additional races on top of the planned six. The fatality is the first at the North West 200 since Malachi Mitchell-Thomas was killed in a Supertwins race in 2016, and the 20th rider to lose their life in the 97-year history of the event.

The event is an international road race that takes place on 8. 97 miles of closed public roads.

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.