Coca Cola and the North West 200 became an awesome force together during the 90s when the company last sponsored Northern Ireland’s biggest road racing events, but like everything the partnership ended, but for the 80th anniversary race this year, Coca Cola have come back on board with their Coca Cola Zero branding to be joint main sponsors alongside the Kennedy Group.

At the launch for the 2009 race in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast on Thursday Clerk of Course, Mervyn Whyte, added: "The Club is pleased to welcome back our old friends Coca-Cola who, as high profile sponsors of the North West from 1992 until 2002, helped raise the international profile of the event. It's fitting that this global corporate, which in 2009 also marks its 70th year in Northern Ireland, is back on board for the road race's 80th birthday."

At launch for this the 80th year of the North West 200 one of Britain’s top road racers, Lincolnshire’s Steve Plater, who was a hat trick winner in 2008, got into the anniversary celebrations, dressing up for the occasion in 1929 style race clothing to get his photograph taken also side the North West 200 Yamaha’s own rider Michael Rutter who will be out to renew his battle with Plater for victory on May 16th.

As normal the two practice evenings will be held on the Tuesday and Thursday of race week, but in a change to last year, the 125cc and 250cc bikes will be heading practice on both evenings. But in a slight chance to last year’s event there will no longer be a race for the 400cc machines, this is due to quality of the field and limited number of entrants.

It was also announced at the launch that the BBC would be again providing television and internet coverage with the additional help of Greenlight Television, last year the event was broadcast worldwide via the internet with great success.