A motorbike racer went airborne in a heart-stopping moment at the North West 200 – flipping 25ft through the sky before crashing down onto a parked car.
Paul Cassidy, from Castletown, Isle of Man, miraculously walked away with just bruises after he lost control of his bike on a right-hander just past the start/finish line of the famous road race in Northern Ireland.
The dramatic scene was caught on camera and shows Cassidy’s motorbike veering off the track, smashing into barriers, and catapulting him skywards. He performed several somersaults mid-air, before his unexpected landing on the vehicle.
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Despite the horror smash, daredevil Cassidy took to social media to reassure fans, posting: “As you all know I had a little off at NW200. I’m all OK just bloody sore.
“I was behind a rider and had just clicked fourth. I believe his bike cut out or something on the first right after the start. The marshals said the same thing too. He pulled to the left then looking over his left shoulder not knowing I was going round him and we collided together.”
(Image: @Lbartram/X)
“Unfortunately nothing I could do at that sort of speed. Big thank you to everyone for all support. All the medical staff did a cracking job.
“Went up around 25ft and landed in the garden on someone’s car.” The car bore the brunt of the impact, with images showing extensive damage to its front end, reports Belfast Live.
The clip soon went viral on social media, with fans sending Cassidy their well wishes. One fan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, to say: “My goodness… great to read that the rider is OK.”
(Image: @Lbartram/X)
(Image: @Lbartram/X)
“Oh my goodness. Shocking. So glad he’s ok,” a second said. And another added: “Holy s***. I’ve seen some things at road racing, but… my god. And incredibly, he walked away with bruised ribs!”
The North West 200 is a road race held since 1929 on a street circuit known as the Triangle between the Northern Irish towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush in Causeway Coast and Glens.
There were three red flag incidents during Thursday’s practice session involving three separate riders. Organisers confirmed that none of the riders were seriously injured, although two were taken to hospital for “assessment and treatment”.