Glenn Irwin will return to road racing in 2026 after announcing his retirement.

Irwin became the most successful rider in the history of the North West 200’s premier Superbike class at the 2024 edition of the Northern Irish road race, but announced at the end of that year that he was done with road racing and would focus instead on winning the BSB title.

However, he was ruled out of the BSB title race at round three of 2025 when he crashed in practice at Snetterton. By the time he came back, he’d left the PBM Ducati team and joined the OMG Racing Yamaha team, now Nitrous Competitions.

The team has swapped Yamaha machinery for Irwin’s more familiar Ducati Panigale V4 R, admittedly with a model update, for 2026. The Carrickfergus rider says the opportunity to race for OMG aboard the new Panigale at the North West was something he couldn’t pass up this year.

“Everything has fallen into place to allow this to happen and the package is too good to turn it down,” said Irwin, speaking to the Belfast News Letter.

“The North West is a big part of why I have the new deal with the Nitrous Competitions team for the BSB series on the new Ducati. 

“The team wants to get its first North West win so we will come from the first British Superbike round at Oulton Park to the north coast and I have no doubts about the plan.”

Irwin added that his targets are to continue winning races when he gets back on the famous Triangle circuit.

“I love it up on the north coast, it feels like my back garden for a reason and I will be chasing three North West Superbike wins again,” he said.

“I will feel my way back into it again and hit the ground running. 

“The next 10 weeks will be spent in Spain with the family, training and taking in some track days so that I can bring the best prepared Glenn Irwin to BSB and the North West.”

The 2026 North West 200 will take place on 6–9 May in the week after the first BSB round of the season at Oulton Park on 2–4 May.