Communities Minister Gordon Lyons visited the Briggs Equipment North West 200 over the weekend to meet with competitors and fans at the internationally renowned road racing event.

The North West 200, which celebrated its 96th year, is one of Northern Ireland's largest annual sporting events, run on its traditional circuit linking Portstewart, Portrush, and Coleraine.

The Minister said: "It was great to meet with so many competitors and fans at the world famous races, which are now in their 96th year. The NW200 continues to deliver a spectacular event and is now one of the largest annual sporting events in Northern Ireland’s sporting calendar."

Mr Lyons also emphasised the importance of safety at the event, referencing recent funding. "Safety for everyone is of paramount importance for both the organisers and riders. I recently announced £187,000 of motorsports safety funding and I am pleased to see the new safety bales in place at the event today," he stated.

"Together with Sport NI, my Department and Sport NI has supported a range of safety features over the years, with the purchase of safety bales, fencing around the paddock and the electronic marshalling warning lights for the track."

The Minister acknowledged the significant effort involved in staging the event: "I acknowledge the effort, enthusiasm and commitment of the Coleraine and District Motor Club, sponsors and other partners who work hard every year to organise and run the event."

Mervyn Whyte, Director of the North West 200 races, added: "I was pleased to welcome the Minister to the event this year and would like to express my thanks to him again for the recent funding which allowed us to purchase safety bales."