0:00:04 > 0:00:08The North West 200 is the fastest track in the world.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11It's not just a motorcycle race.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16We were always trying to make money to keep the race going.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20It's everything, really. I just couldn't imagine not being there.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Complete and utter devastating shock.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Should we carry on? Should we pull the plug and leave it?
0:00:28 > 0:00:32The race wasn't run and it looked as if it would never be run again.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47The North West 200 is now Ireland's largest outdoor sporting event,
0:00:47 > 0:00:52attracting thousands of race fans and families to the north coast.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00Roads are closed on the triangle between Portrush, Portstewart
0:01:00 > 0:01:06and Coleraine for the thrills and spills of pure road racing.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11But the story of the North West began nearly a century ago.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19The young men of the 1920s were the first generation who could afford
0:01:19 > 0:01:24to own motorbikes and wanted to go fast, but where?
0:01:24 > 0:01:28With such poor roads, the only place was on the beach.
0:01:30 > 0:01:37And so the City of Derry Motor Club organised speed trials on Magilligan Strand.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40They used to put a set
0:01:40 > 0:01:47of posts down to keep the riders from running onto the other.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49All that might run out in front of you would
0:01:49 > 0:01:54be a seagull or a wave come in. There's nothing to crash against.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02Up to the 1920s, the only place where you could road-race
0:02:02 > 0:02:07was the Isle of Man, but the passing of the 1922 Road Races Act gave the
0:02:07 > 0:02:15Derry Motor Club the shrewd idea of holding an international event weeks before the well-established TT.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Every top rider that you could mention,
0:02:19 > 0:02:20they all regard the North West
0:02:20 > 0:02:25as being very, very important because it was just before the TT,
0:02:25 > 0:02:31so they could use the North West to get their bikes fettled and get themselves ready to go road-racing.
0:02:32 > 0:02:39So, on Saturday 20th April, 1929, the first North West was held
0:02:39 > 0:02:42as thousands of race fans came to the north coast.
0:02:42 > 0:02:48One of the many spectators was a then 12-year-old John McKay.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52We heard the noise of the motorbikes and we headed for the direction
0:02:52 > 0:02:53where the bikes were.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58They were just ordinary bikes and then
0:02:58 > 0:03:01they'd fix them up for racing and then they had a spot
0:03:01 > 0:03:04or something on the side of their boot for changing the plugs.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11After 200 miles and over three gruelling hours, the fans who'd
0:03:11 > 0:03:17turned out to see the big names compete cheered on the eight riders who'd managed to finish,
0:03:17 > 0:03:22including two local winners, Malcolm McQuigg and Billy McCracken,
0:03:22 > 0:03:28seen here in 1979 at the 50th anniversary of that famous first race.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33We were getting way up to the 90s and we were flying in those days at that speed.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41In 1930, a new club was formed
0:03:41 > 0:03:45and the start/finish was moved to Portstewart.
0:03:45 > 0:03:52Throughout the '30s, two of the big names were Dubliner Stanley Woods and Scotland's Jimmie Guthrie,
0:03:52 > 0:03:59who had raced against Englishman Graham Walker, a winner of the event in 1931.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03My father was in the Norton works team in the early days,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06and they were great personal friends.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09They got on very well together off the track and they raced
0:04:09 > 0:04:13fairly and very quickly against each other on the track.
0:04:14 > 0:04:23The 500cc event of 1930 was won by Ernie Nott, who was awarded the impressive sum of £10.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Stanley Woods came third and got £3.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35In 1935, the year Jimmie Guthrie had his second win,
0:04:35 > 0:04:40King George V's Silver Jubilee was celebrated in Coleraine.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54By 1939, with the Second World War looming,
0:04:54 > 0:05:00Ernie Lyons, AKA the Flying Farmer, travelled up from County Kildare
0:05:00 > 0:05:03and won the last race before the war.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07We should never lose sight of the fact that, although motorcycle racing is hazardous now,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10it was infinitely more hazardous then.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13They not only had to be very good riders,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16they had to be very brave riders as well.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20But tragedy struck when English rider Norman Wainwright
0:05:20 > 0:05:24was the first man to be killed at the North West.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33Racing didn't resume after the war until 1947.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Winner Belfast rider Artie Bell was congratulated by Lord Brookeborough,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40the then prime minister of Northern Ireland.
0:05:41 > 0:05:49# Unforgettable That's what you are... #
0:05:49 > 0:05:58The North West of 1951 managed to attract the world-famous Geoff Duke, who won the 500cc event.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Geoff Duke in them days was the rider to have,
0:06:02 > 0:06:07and for them to pull the likes of Geoff Duke back in the '50s gave the meeting a complete boost.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Thousands more spectators poured into the holiday towns
0:06:16 > 0:06:21of Portrush and Portstewart to see these international stars.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26I worked the local Woolworths store. We were so busy.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31The ladies and the children, a lot have stopped in the town.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36And I was in charge of the toy counter, and you had to go back and restock up.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41It was really, really busy and it brought a lot to the town even then, so it did.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58By the 1950s, the North West had come a long way from that first race in 1929.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03But despite the appearance of world-famous competitors,
0:07:03 > 0:07:08the fans continued to have unrivalled access to riders and their machines.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12In those days, the pits were all in the middle of the town,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16at a place called High Road,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20and you could have stood at the pits, which was on a grass embankment,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24and you could have watched the race the whole way down there, and it was a great atmosphere.
0:07:27 > 0:07:34Belfast 1953, and a month after her coronation the Queen visited Stormont.
0:07:34 > 0:07:40At the North West, English visitor Arthur Wheeler won that year,
0:07:40 > 0:07:45and returned in 1989 for the 60th anniversary parade.
0:07:46 > 0:07:55I'm extremely pleased to be here, and the reception of my many friends is absolutely overwhelming.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56The flag's up.
0:08:01 > 0:08:08By the late '50s, the bikes were now capable of lapping at over 100mph,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12and the honour of being the first to achieve this went to Jack Brett,
0:08:12 > 0:08:20who in 1958 beat Scotland's hero Bob McIntyre in the 500cc race.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25Through Henry's Corner for this tricky exit, and a lamp-post in your way if you overdo it.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28McIntyre and Brett are quickly leaving the field far behind them.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Also in '58, a young Belfast man, Sammy Miller,
0:08:34 > 0:08:39takes on rising English star and future world champion Mike Hailwood.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44And in the 250s, Mike Hailwood is just holding off Sammy Miller.
0:08:44 > 0:08:50On the last lap, coming down into Portrush, I made my move and,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52luckily, got past him and then it was
0:08:52 > 0:08:58flat out along the coast road, head down, and I managed to get over the line just in front of him.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02And Sammy Miller is the 250cc verdict after a photo-finish with Mike Hailwood.
0:09:06 > 0:09:13After nearly 30 years, the North West had grown into a truly international event,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17and so the dedicated supporters had to raise more funds to keep it going,
0:09:17 > 0:09:22as they've continued to do ever since.
0:09:22 > 0:09:28They ran an entertainment committee and we ran a dance every month.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32We had the old-fashioned jumble sale and things like that. We were always
0:09:32 > 0:09:36trying to make money to keep the race going.
0:09:36 > 0:09:44In 1959, Belfast man Tommy Robb became the first rider to win two races on the same day.
0:09:44 > 0:09:50Tommy recalls a near-fatal incident from the following year.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55We were probably seven or eight abreast across the road, and as I looked ahead of me.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57I could see a car driving towards us on the road.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00And I started to move to the left and I leaned against,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02I think, Bob McIntyre.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Bob leaned against Alistair King. Alistair leaned against another.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10By the time we got level with the car, I could see the fella's eyes
0:10:10 > 0:10:13pulling out of their sockets as we went thundering past.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Billy Hutton was the travelling marshal who follows the bikes round.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21He went over to the car driver, who was now sitting at 45 degrees up the
0:10:21 > 0:10:25bank, and the chap in the car leaned out the window, he said, "Excuse me."
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Billy stopped the bike, looked round.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31He said, "When you're coming round on the next lap, could you bring me a packet of fags?"
0:10:31 > 0:10:35# We're all going on a summer holiday
0:10:35 > 0:10:38# No more working for a week or two... #
0:10:38 > 0:10:45The holidaymakers of 1963 had to do without racing at the North West,
0:10:45 > 0:10:50the organisers blaming a clash with the live televised FA Cup final.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56I think there was something more to it than blaming the coverage for the football.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59They mightn't have had the money at that time to run it.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04The race wasn't run and it looked as if it would never be run again.
0:11:07 > 0:11:13After 34 years of unstinting effort by organisers and loyal supporters,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17it looked like the North West would be consigned to sporting history.
0:11:18 > 0:11:24But after a meeting of the Motorcycle Union of Ireland, one man stood up.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26"We'll run the North West 200."
0:11:26 > 0:11:28And everybody stared and said, "Who is this?"
0:11:28 > 0:11:31and it was a man called Jubilee Maxwell, who was the
0:11:31 > 0:11:33head of the Coleraine Motor Club,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37and that they would hopefully keep it back on track again, as they did.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41# Calling out around the world
0:11:41 > 0:11:44# Are you ready for a brand new beat...? #
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Thanks to the dedication of the Coleraine Club members,
0:11:48 > 0:11:53the North West was brought back from the brink, and in 1964, a huge crowd
0:11:53 > 0:12:00was treated to an Irish clean sweep, including two wins by a Belfast man Ralph Bryans.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06I'd just signed a contract with Honda, and that was the first I'd seen the machines.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10So we managed to get them running and I was fortunate enough
0:12:10 > 0:12:11to be able to win both races.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18And Bushmills farmer Dick Creith was the first Ulster winner in
0:12:18 > 0:12:22the premiere event since Artie Bell won in 1950.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Couldn't believe it when I won the race,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31and still find it hard to believe.
0:12:32 > 0:12:38Dick returned the following year and, despite marshals having to contend with several incidents,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42including a South African rider's bike catching fire in Portstewart,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Dick went on to repeat his success.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50For winning the race I got £50,
0:12:50 > 0:12:57and for the fastest lap I got £10, and for second handicap I got £5.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00I think came home with £65.
0:13:03 > 0:13:10The Miss North West competition started in the '50s and soon became a regular feature of the event.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13# I believe in miracles
0:13:13 > 0:13:17# Where you from, you sexy thing?
0:13:17 > 0:13:19# Sexy thing you... #
0:13:19 > 0:13:22The circus rolls into town when the North West 200 happens,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25so the Miss North West 200 is synonymous with
0:13:25 > 0:13:27that whole circus atmosphere.
0:13:33 > 0:13:40It was stopped for a few years because one of the sponsors thought it wasn't politically correct.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45But let's face it, we're talking bikers here and bikers like to look at females,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47and all the glamour, I think that's all come back again
0:13:47 > 0:13:50and it's just gone from strength to strength.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54# Where you from? You sexy thing
0:13:54 > 0:13:55# Sexy thing you... #
0:13:55 > 0:13:59It's good for the girls and, for sure, it's good for the riders.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04Miss North West 200, 2007.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Please give her a big round of applause. It's Kirsty Weir.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10It was a fabulous experience.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12It was the first year that Miss North West had come back,
0:14:12 > 0:14:13so there was a real buzz.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21The following year, Laura McNally, daughter of former race winner,
0:14:21 > 0:14:25the late Owen McNally, was crowned Miss North West.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Everyone was so nice and just chatting and telling me all
0:14:28 > 0:14:31about Dad's memories and stuff, so it was very nice to be there.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44As the Troubles here made headlines worldwide, the organisers were
0:14:44 > 0:14:48struggling to attract big-name riders from across the water.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54We used to read in the paper about the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57We only ever saw bad stuff coming out of Northern Ireland.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00And to be honest, we went there with a lot of trepidation,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03and we arrived there and of course we had an absolutely brilliant time.
0:15:04 > 0:15:11During the '70s, Sammy Patton was one of the many volunteers who helped to build the course.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15He was stopped one night on the old bridge by the army,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19and the army was just about to pull the car off the road because he had
0:15:19 > 0:15:25special-length pieces of wire, he had staples, he had hammers, he had all this stuff.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30Luckily, a local policeman came along and he explained he's just getting ready
0:15:30 > 0:15:33for a motorbike race and that's what all the equipment's for.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36I think they thought he was heading off somewhere.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41And the Troubles were to give the organisers even more headaches.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46'72, unfortunately, we didn't get going because the Government
0:15:46 > 0:15:49decided that it wouldn't be safe,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Portstewart especially would be cut off
0:15:51 > 0:15:56and if there was a problem, bomb scare or something like that, then the army couldn't get in.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01So we gave in that year and we didn't run the North West.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06Racing was allowed again in 1973 when the organisers agreed to avoid
0:16:06 > 0:16:12the town of Portstewart, reducing the course by two miles.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15The following year, the first treble at the North West
0:16:15 > 0:16:17was won by Englishmen John Williams.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22# I'll get the blanket from the bedroom... #
0:16:23 > 0:16:27During the '70s, fans of the North West began forming rival clubs
0:16:27 > 0:16:33to support their local heroes like Joey Dunlop from the Armoy Armada
0:16:33 > 0:16:36and Ray McCullough from the Dromara Destroyers.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41We just felt that they were just people like ourselves
0:16:41 > 0:16:42and they just had a passion
0:16:42 > 0:16:45and they were playing out their passion on the road circuits.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47It was just great.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Although it was very intense rivalries on the track,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53we would all chip in to sort each others' bikes out
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and it was a great time to be involved.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05In 1976, like many years at the North West 200,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09the weather was less than clement.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14Rain, the incessant, unyielding kind which only Ireland can produce,
0:17:14 > 0:17:19puts paid to any hopes of a new lap record for the opening 350cc event.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22In '76, I remember the water ran down the road
0:17:22 > 0:17:25and they had to sweep it off the road, it was such heavy rain.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31We got into the station and the first place we went was straight
0:17:31 > 0:17:34down to the shops to buy woolly hats for the children
0:17:34 > 0:17:37because it was so cold when we got there.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39But whatever the weather, there's always been a hardcore
0:17:39 > 0:17:47of North West supporters who've worked tirelessly to raise money to try to keep the event going.
0:17:47 > 0:17:521977, we produced the first badge.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54The badge changes every year.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59We have hats, T-shirts, polo shirts and the usual goodies
0:17:59 > 0:18:02that people like to buy.
0:18:02 > 0:18:09It gives you a great feeling whenever you're able to go and hand over a lot of money to the race.
0:18:14 > 0:18:20In 1977, as moviegoers were treated to the first instalment of Star Wars,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22fans at the North West were
0:18:22 > 0:18:27treated to stunt man Dave Taylor wheelying round the entire course,
0:18:28 > 0:18:33as well as the famous battle between local man Ray McCullough, number 1,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and English rider Tony Rutter, number 6.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Most of the local for fans were wanting their local rider to win,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49but Tony had fantastic skill, too.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55We were together the whole race and it was just a matter
0:18:55 > 0:18:56of slipstreaming each other.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01I thought at the time I'd won, but you know...
0:19:01 > 0:19:08Ray was my hero in those days and all the locals wanted it to have been Ray who had won.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11I think everyone enjoyed it, didn't they?
0:19:11 > 0:19:18The day of heat of Ray McCullough and Tony Rutter was one that will always be remembered.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20You just couldn't split them, it was amazing.
0:19:22 > 0:19:261978 saw the fastest lap time at the North West.
0:19:26 > 0:19:34County Down man Tom Herron averages a speed of over 127mph.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Subsequent safety improvements to the course
0:19:36 > 0:19:41mean that in, over 30 years, this record still hasn't been broken.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48By the late '70s, crowds in excess of 100,000
0:19:48 > 0:19:55were regularly coming to the event to see their local heroes compete with the international stars.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Those really were fantastic times.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Then, of course, the English riders coming over.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Roger Marshall.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Charlie Williams.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Steve Parrish.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11It was lovely to see the big wagons coming into the paddock.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Accessibility was something that we hadn't been used to.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15You weren't locked away behind any fences.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Everybody could walk in your awning and come and see what was going on.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Bring your burgers and cups of tea.
0:20:21 > 0:20:22It was just a fantastic atmosphere.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31In 1979, the sun shone on the 50th anniversary meeting.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36And rising star, Joey Dunlop, got his first two North West wins.
0:20:39 > 0:20:461979 is a race that nobody will ever forget because that was the blackest day for the North West.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51It will be the day that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
0:20:55 > 0:21:01Lap record-holder Tom Herron and Scottish rider Bryan Hamilton were killed that day.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Frank Kennedy later died in hospital.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Complete and utter devastating shock.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13That was the last motorcycle race I went to.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17It certainly made us all think about what we were doing.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Is this really worth carrying on?
0:21:20 > 0:21:24We sort of decided then that we would stick at it
0:21:24 > 0:21:29and try and make it safer and try and improve things.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Despite course changes in the early '80s,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35the event claimed the lives of Suzuki Works rider John Newbold
0:21:35 > 0:21:42and local Armoy Armada man, Mervyn Robinson, Joey Dunlop's brother-in-law.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Since his first race at the North West, Mervyn's son, Paul,
0:21:46 > 0:21:51has been trying to win the event in memory of his father.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53I made a vow to myself that I would never leave a wreath
0:21:53 > 0:21:57on my dad's grave, I would never do it until I won the North West.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03And there is the chequered flag for Paul Robinson.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09For it actually to become a reality was quite a thing.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Such an emotional moment for him and the whole family, of course.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Over the next two years, the council and the local DoE people were absolutely brilliant.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31They helped us to get the chicanes in, they helped us to move telegraph poles.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Everybody was so enthusiastic about the whole thing.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37That is what kept the thing going.
0:22:37 > 0:22:43As well as the teams of volunteer marshals, who continue to police the course right up to today.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50We built up a very strong team of guys who were experienced and knew what to do.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54And warn other riders rather than going to the assistance
0:22:54 > 0:22:56of the guy who came off.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06In 1985, while Princess Diana visited Northern Ireland,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Joey Dunlop notched up his eighth North West win.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22By the end of the decade, he would bring his total to a staggering 13.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29He said to me one time, he said, once the North West 200 week is over,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32both you and the bike are ready for the skip.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Do you feel the TT is a more relaxed course?
0:23:35 > 0:23:38- Oh, it is. By a long way.- The North West wasn't Joey's favourite circuit.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41He much preferred the TT and the Ulster.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44But, oh, it was a close one because a dog ran out
0:23:44 > 0:23:48on the road in front of him going down from Coleraine to Portrush.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51You think, oh dear! And he won that year.
0:23:59 > 0:24:07One of Joey's most exciting races was in 1988, when he was up against Steve Cull from Bangor.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10I was leading that race from start to finish
0:24:10 > 0:24:12and on the last lap I fell off.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16And Joey went past me.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20I knew it was the last lap, I knew me and Steven were way ahead.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22And I says to myself, just take it easy.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Joey saw that Steven was down and it was all over. But Steven had other ideas.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31I remember Joey looking behind him going underneath the railway bridge.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34And he nearly fell off because I was right up his backside.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36I looked back and Steven was sitting on my back wheel.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39I couldn't believe it!
0:24:39 > 0:24:44I passed him before the start-finish to win the race.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48But it was his day. And he won the race.
0:24:51 > 0:24:58It meant a lot to me because falling off and remounting again, to win the race was superb for me.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02CHEERING
0:25:05 > 0:25:11Joey's brother, Robert, was also disappointed at the North West 200 that year.
0:25:14 > 0:25:20He was interviewed the day after with young son William on his knee.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23In the second race I was trying to go a bit harder.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27And I went into Metropole and the fella just hit me from behind.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29And that was it, down.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37# Come on, baby do the locomotion... #
0:25:37 > 0:25:42Every year, after the excitement on the course, the race fans partied the night away.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49# Come on, come on do the locomotion with me
0:25:50 > 0:25:52# The locomotion
0:25:52 > 0:25:55# Come on, come on the locomotion... #
0:25:55 > 0:25:59I heard someone say yesterday that it's a pity
0:25:59 > 0:26:02we had the motorcycle racing here, it spoils the social life!
0:26:02 > 0:26:05The social life here is brilliant.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08It really is.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11I can't remember any time in my career where I have had a better
0:26:11 > 0:26:13time socially than in the North West 200.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15The actual craic there is memorable.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22The North West managed to survive the recessionary '80s
0:26:22 > 0:26:26with the help of several loyal local sponsors.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Jimmy Moran, who had the amusements in Portrush, he really helped to
0:26:29 > 0:26:33get the local businesses and things involved. That was really good.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37Without their help, there would definitely have been no North West.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42# I am the one and only... #
0:26:42 > 0:26:47It's going to be Robbie Dunlop grabbing his first win of the weekend.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52Just as Joey Dunlop dominated the '80s, Robert dominated the early '90s.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55With four hat-tricks in the space of five years.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00He was the king of the treble. And he, in my opinion, was
0:27:00 > 0:27:04the biggest and most popular name at the North West 200.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12He rode at the North West in 1994 and then he had a terrible crash on the Isle of Man.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17Which should have knocked him out for good. But Robert persisted.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19He was amazing character, very much amazing.
0:27:22 > 0:27:271990 was the year Mary Robinson became the first female President of Ireland.
0:27:27 > 0:27:33Liz Skinner from Chester became the first female rider to take part in the North West.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38The only place I found it a bit iffy was the bumps,
0:27:38 > 0:27:40after you come out of the roundabout. I didn't like those at all!
0:27:45 > 0:27:52Tandragee man Phillip McCallen arrived in 1992, hoping to do well.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00I started off that morning really thinking,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04if we got on the rostrum or maybe got a win,
0:28:04 > 0:28:05it would have been good.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Number nine, McCallen, leads from Robert Dunlop.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Somewhere behind them is Alan Irwin in third place.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16I couldn't believe it, I was just getting excited
0:28:16 > 0:28:18and realising I got my first win
0:28:18 > 0:28:21when it was time to get off the rostrum and get on the bike for the next race.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24And McCallen is going to take his second race of the day.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27The opening Superbike race. There it is.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32I was competing in six races that day so there was no breathing space,
0:28:32 > 0:28:33no time even to think.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36McCallen is going to get his record third win.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39He now equals the record along with Robert Dunlop from last year.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Twice I lost it completely sideways and I thought, this is it.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45I don't know how I held on! But I got it.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48I was exhausted, mentally and physically.
0:28:48 > 0:28:53Here we are at the start-finish. Yes, McCallen still gets it from Jonny Rea in second place.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Third place is Steve Lindell.
0:28:55 > 0:29:01To compete in five, six races on four different machines,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04the mental torture of that is really, really hard.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Can McCallen... Well, he can't!
0:29:06 > 0:29:11He loses a front wheel. McCallen is not going to make it five in a row.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13But I remember thinking, this is a rest!
0:29:13 > 0:29:15Let me rest for as long as I can.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18I had to get back faster if I was going to be out in the next race.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Into the start-finish chicane to take the win of the North West 200.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24And really, any man that can win five races almost on the trot
0:29:24 > 0:29:27around here is a superb effort indeed.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29That's the first time I met Miss North West.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34So, I got to meet him quite often on the podium and we just became firm friends, then.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38And then it just blossomed into more of a serious relationship.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Then after that, the rest is history.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45The happy couple was married four years later.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48Guest of honour was Joey Dunlop.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53# No you're never gonna get it
0:29:53 > 0:29:56# Never, never gonna get it No, not this time... #
0:29:56 > 0:30:00English rider, soon-to-be-crowned world Superbike champion, Carl Fogarty,
0:30:00 > 0:30:03had been coming to the North West for six years.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07But hadn't been lucky enough to make it to the top of the podium.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13I was a bit negative about the whole thing.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15The usual thing will happen tomorrow.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18I will be leading and I will break down or something like that.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23One of the Irish officials said, "You wear something green tomorrow."
0:30:23 > 0:30:25I thought, straight away, I am going to do that.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29The only thing I could find was Michaela's green vest.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32She was pregnant. So I put a her green vest on under my leathers.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34And, as they say, the rest is history.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37I won both races and set a new lap record.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39The green vest stayed with me for the rest of my career.
0:30:39 > 0:30:45# Crossing that bridge with lessons I've learned... #
0:30:47 > 0:30:511994 was the year of the IRA ceasefire.
0:30:52 > 0:30:57And the year Robert Dunlop got his fourth treble in five years.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05Five years later, as we celebrated the opening of the power-sharing Executive,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08there wasn't much to celebrate at the North West.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13For the first time in 24 years, there was no Irish winner,
0:31:13 > 0:31:17with Englishman David Jefferies winning three of the six races.
0:31:19 > 0:31:26The year 2000 was sadly Joey Dunlop's last appearance at the North West.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33And the 30th year in charge for Billy Nutt.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38In 2000 we had a real good day's racing.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43Everything had gone great and Mervyn Whyte and George Harrigan were standing as usual
0:31:43 > 0:31:49and I went up to them and shook their hand and said, "Right, that's it, I'm finished."
0:31:49 > 0:31:52And away I went. And that was it.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56After three decades working for the North West,
0:31:56 > 0:32:00Billy Nutt was awarded the MBE for services to motorsport.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03The man who took over was Mervyn Whyte.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06We have an excellent management team
0:32:06 > 0:32:09who have a massive amount of ownership of the North West 200.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12As well as all the people who come along to the event,
0:32:12 > 0:32:16from your marshals to your medical people to your scrutineers.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19I can be the figurehead, if you like, of the North West 200.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24But unless I have all those various management team personnel, then the event just wouldn't go.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27The Executive's current foot and mouth guidelines said that
0:32:27 > 0:32:29while sporting events are allowed,
0:32:29 > 0:32:33large gatherings of people close to farmland should not take place.
0:32:35 > 0:32:41For the first time since 1972, racing was cancelled in 2001.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Michael Rutter has done it!
0:32:43 > 0:32:46He has cracked the 200mph barrier.
0:32:46 > 0:32:47201.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Absolutely incredible!
0:32:51 > 0:32:53It was the most amazing kind of feeling.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56So hard to explain.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00If you put your head up above the screen, it blew your head off.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02I was in the signal area, just past the start-finish.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04And I just couldn't believe it.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06Marvellous, fantastic.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11To steer a machine at 200 mph with the wind pressure, I don't know how they do it.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15# Just have a little patience... #
0:33:16 > 0:33:21In the heatwave of 2006, after a wait of 12 years,
0:33:21 > 0:33:26Robert Dunlop finally got his record-breaking 15th win.
0:33:26 > 0:33:3045 years old. Well, I don't think we could do it!
0:33:34 > 0:33:38A year later, the BBC took over televising the North West
0:33:38 > 0:33:45and, for the first time, made live racing available over the internet to a worldwide audience.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49We are now looking at the number six bike of William Dunlop.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52There is his father, Robert Dunlop, on the number 40 bike.
0:33:55 > 0:33:592008 was set to be a magnificent year for the Dunlops.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03With father Robert and sons William and Michael entering the event.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06But fate intervened.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Moments after these pictures were taken,
0:34:11 > 0:34:14the 47 year-old was flung off his bike at around 150mph.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17He was then taken to Coleraine's Causeway Hospital
0:34:17 > 0:34:21before being pronounced dead at approximately 10:15am.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26William and Michael also took part in last night's practice.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30At this stage it's unclear whether or not they will compete tomorrow.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34I spoke to William on the Friday evening.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36I said to William, what do you want to do?
0:34:36 > 0:34:39He was adamant that he was going to go racing.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41And I said, well, I'll go with him.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43It was something I had to do.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45It might sound selfish, but it was nothing to do with my father.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48I wasn't going out to try to win for him.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52To be honest, I really wanted to win the 250 race before it had gone.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54I would never forgive myself if I had never got it.
0:34:54 > 0:34:55So I was going to do it anyway.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00It just sort of fell into place and we all went with it.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Robert was a wonderful ambassador for the North West 200 and for Northern Ireland.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07And we believe he would have wished the event to go ahead.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10They obviously heard I was coming so they had a committee meeting
0:35:10 > 0:35:13and it was three to two that I wasn't allowed to race.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16I says, William, get on the grid. So the next thing, the two of us landed on the grid.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21Less than 48 hours after their father lost his life on the circuit,
0:35:21 > 0:35:25Michael and William Dunlop were back on the grid.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27There was people grabbing for interviews. I just wanted to
0:35:27 > 0:35:31get my head down because it was always the same question.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33How do you feel? Why are you doing it?
0:35:33 > 0:35:38What I feel, you don't know unless it's happened to you. There's no point in explaining that to you.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42And why I am doing it, you'll find out now in about 10 minutes' time.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44As Michael Dunlop tries to overcome his emotions,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47it's hard to believe this race could become any more dramatic.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49William Dunlop is out of the race.
0:35:49 > 0:35:55Michael's older brother has broken down on the warm-up lap and he is out of the race.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59I was absolutely gutted. So much effort and I knew that had happened. That was it.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03Everything hangs on Michael Dunlop in the middle of the front row.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05And a good start from Michael Dunlop, there.
0:36:05 > 0:36:11What is going on in this young man's head as he leaves the grid for the first time?
0:36:11 > 0:36:13I just got my head down and just went for it.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16There was a number of occasions where I just couldn't watch it at all.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19I had to look away, particularly on the Coast Road.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Oh! The back wheel off the ground for Michael Dunlop.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26- It was just hard to take in.- There is no opportunity given to Dunlop.
0:36:26 > 0:36:27Oh, yes, there is!
0:36:27 > 0:36:29And the crowd have gone berserk!
0:36:29 > 0:36:34All I heard was screaming. I couldn't even hear the bike at all. I could hear people roaring.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37The race was mine, I had it won.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39As he comes to the line.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41How emotional will this be?
0:36:41 > 0:36:45Over 100,000 fans at trackside.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47And all of them, heart and soul, are with this young man.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51I thought it was unbelievable.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54Because I could see how much it even meant to the people watching.
0:36:54 > 0:36:55It was a big deal, like.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59- What a hero. - The people were screaming.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02The reception I got was unbelievable.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06And I remember John McGuinness coming over to me and a thing I'll never forget...
0:37:06 > 0:37:08He said to me, "No one was going to beat you that day.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10"You're in a class of your own."
0:37:10 > 0:37:15That was meant to be, that day. To see Michael win.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17The hairs are standing on the back of my head just thinking about it.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20To see Michael win for Robert, that was a pretty special moment.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33The North West 200 has meant everything to the generations of
0:37:33 > 0:37:39riders and fans who have made the event what it is today.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41My grandchildren have grown up with the race.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43My grandson works at it.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46My son-in-law works at it.
0:37:46 > 0:37:51I think the region as a whole has done brilliantly to enhance the thing,
0:37:51 > 0:37:55where everything is going on in the whole of the area, the whole region.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59There is a willingness among the people who live in the area
0:37:59 > 0:38:04to put up with inconvenience just for the sake of having the race there.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06You've got the old boys and your diehard North West supporters.
0:38:06 > 0:38:11And the new generation of spectators coming as well.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Everybody has a real good time.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16But there would have been no good times were it not
0:38:16 > 0:38:22for the men and women who have kept this event going for over 80 years.
0:38:22 > 0:38:30Following the dreams of those few daring racers all those years ago on the sands of Magilligan Strand.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd