Cooper tops two classes in first NW200 qualifying

Cooper tops two classes in first NW200 qualifyingImage source, PacemakerImage caption, Richard Cooper secured a last-minute deal to ride a 1000cc SMS/Nicholl Oils BMW bikeByRichard PetrieBBC Sport NI Journalist at the North West 200Published24 minutes agoRichard Cooper set the fastest average lap speeds in both the Superbike and Supersport qualifying sessions at a weather-affected first qualifying session for the North West 200 on Wednesday.The 43-year-old adapted to the changeable conditions best to top the timesheets on a day of sunshine and showers on the Triangle circuit on the north coast of Northern Ireland.Riding the SMS/Nicholl Oils BMW that he acquired in a last-minute deal before the event, Cooper recorded a speed of 110.843mph to finish quickest in the premier Superbike class.To emphasise the testing nature of the track conditions, the Nottingham rider's lap time of four minutes 51.332 seconds was almost 35 seconds slower than the class lap record of 125.779 set by Glenn Irwin on his most recent appearance in 2024."I managed to get a couple of laps in the relative dry. The bike is new for me so every lap is important," said Cooper after the hour-long session.Northern Ireland rider Paul Jordan was second on the Superbike leaderboard at 109.859, followed by Honda Racing's Dean Harrison with 109.626.Irwin, Peter Hickman and Mike Browne rounded out the top six leaderboard.Seven-time North West winner Cooper followed that by registering the quickest speed in the Supersport category on his next generation Yamaha R9 at 111.016mph, with a time of four minutes and 50.877 seconds.He has two Supersport victories to his name at the meeting and has been on the podium in the past six editions of the middleweight class.Jeremy McWilliams was second fastest on his CD Racing Kawasaki, with the 62-year-old using all his experience to occupy a provisional front row spot before Thursday's second qualifying session.The Belfast-born racer secured a ride...