May 7 (Reuters) - A Superbike rider died after a crash in Thursday's qualifying at the North West 200 event in Northern Ireland, organisers said.
The competitor was not named at the request of the family, who gave their approval for the event to continue, they said in a statement.
"The session was immediately red flagged and emergency services attended the scene but unfortunately the rider succumbed to his injuries," it said.
The North West 200 was first held in 1929 as a handicap event and run over a distance of 200 miles in the north-west of Ireland.
Riders compete on closed public roads and the event has suffered 20 fatalities over the years. The most recent before Thursday was Briton Malachi Mitchell-Thomas in 2016.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
