NW200: Martin: This isn't a proper road race

Guy Martin sparked controversy at the North West 200 on Thursday after claiming the event doesn't count as a 'proper road race'.

The Tyco BMW star also slammed the number of chicanes implemented around the 8.9-mile course and claimed the growing number of short circuit riders attaining success at the event shouldn't class themselves as road races.

A disgruntled Martin, who has never won a race at the North West 200, said: "I'm sick of these chicanes and I was just thinking, are there any circuits in the world with the same chicanes-to-mile-ratio worse than the North West 200?

"I love riding the bike and I love going fast, but going down the back straight it feels boring really. The next thing there's a chicane, then you come out of the chicane and get back up to sixth gear again, then there's another chicane.

"What are there, five chicanes? I mean, yeah," added Martin.

"I can understand why they've had to do that but for me the North West isn't a proper road race.
"You go to the likes of the Ulster [Grand Prix], Cookstown and the TT and there are no chicanes there it's raw road racing and if it goes wrong it gets messy, but that's what I like about road racing.

"You get boys coming here that are a lot faster than me like [Alastair] Seeley and the short circuit boys who go well and then call themselves a road racer," said Martin.

"But for me, you're not really a road racer coming to the North West and racing along straights with some chicanes - fair play to them, but it's not for me."