Twelve riders from England, Scotland, both parts of Ireland, Austria, Belgium and the Isle of Man took part in a two-day induction event for the Briggs Equipment North West 200. The sessions occurred on Thursday February 26 and Friday, preparing participants for their debuts during race week from May 4 to 9. Eight-time race winner Steve Plater, the event's rider liaison officer, led the activities.

Participants included Sean Brolly from Tamnaherin in County Londonderry, 28-year-old Austrian Florian Aster, 22-year-old Illiam Quayle from the Isle of Man, 37-year-old Chris Cook from Hawick, and Donegal's Caomhan Canny. Others were Stephen Gorton, Grant Thomson, Lee Osprey, Mark Hewitt, Lee Hara, Eddy Wormald, Fedrik Matthys and Laurent Hoffman. Event director Mervyn Whyte stated the induction ensures newcomers are prepared for the 8.9-mile Triangle course.

The group completed classroom sessions each morning. They toured the course by coach and visited Bushmills Distillery on the first day, with a second course visit on Friday.

Brolly, who won the Senior Support race at Tandragee 100 and placed third in a Supertwins race at Armoy last year, plans to compete on a Ducati in Supersport events and an Aprilia in Twins races. Aster intends to ride a BMW in Superstock and Superbike classes at Portrush. Quayle will debut in Supertwin races on an ILR Paton. Cook will race in Supersport on a ZXR6 Kawasaki for STS Racing.

The North West 200, held annually on public roads around Portrush, Coleraine and Portstewart, draws international competitors to one of Europe's premier road racing events.