The triangular course runs anti-clockwise on the A2, B185, and A29 public roads, incorporating three chicanes that reduce speeds at critical points. The elevation ranges from 6 to 75 metres above sea level. The current start/finish line is located between Juniper Hill and Millbank Avenue in Portstewart, a position established in 1973 following modifications that removed the Promenade section from the route and introduced the B185 Station Road for the first time.
Key reference points on the course include York Corner, Mather's Cross, University Corner, Primrose Hill, and the start/finish straight along Portmore Road. Street signs are removed in the racing zones, and the bases of lampposts and telegraph poles are wrapped with hay bales to mitigate off-course contact risks. The circuit passes private houses along much of its length, giving it the intimate character typical of Irish road racing venues.
The circuit's length on the first lap of each race differs from subsequent laps: 8.834 miles (14.217 km) rather than the full 8.970 miles.
The North West 200 was first organized in 1929 by the City of Derry and District Motor Club, originally intended for a north-west of Ireland location before being moved to the north coast under its existing name. Since 1964 the event has been run by the Coleraine and District Motor Club.
The most significant course change came in 1973, when the Promenade at Portstewart was excluded and the start/finish line moved to its current location. Shell Hill Bridge, a prominent feature of the original course, was used for the last time in 1979. A new road link from University Corner to Ballysally Roundabout was added in 1980. Safety chicanes were progressively introduced from 1983 onwards, with a dedicated chicane at Primrose Hill added in 1988 to reduce approach speeds. Mather's Cross was widened in 2009 and received a new purpose-built chicane for 2010.
Jack Brett recorded the first 100 mph lap on the course in 1957 on a Manx Norton. Tom Herron set a fastest lap of 127.63 mph during the 1978 event, a record that stood for the partial course configuration. Peter Hickman holds the outright lap record for the current four-chicane configuration, set during the 2022 Superbike event at 124.799 mph (200.845 km/h). In 2004, Michael Rutter became the first rider to exceed 200 mph on the course. At the 2012 event, Martin Jessopp reached 208 mph (335 km/h) in the speed trap at University Corner.
Unlike the Isle of Man TT — which runs as a time-trial with riders starting individually at intervals — the North West 200 races are mass-start events where riders compete directly against each other on closed roads. Practice is held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings; racing takes place on Saturday afternoon with multiple classes each running four to six laps. Since 2012, an additional Thursday evening racing program has been offered. The Supertwin class was introduced as part of that expansion.
Alastair Seeley of Northern Ireland holds the record with 29 wins. Robert Dunlop held the previous record with 15. Michael Rutter has won 14 races. Joey Dunlop won 13 races; both his sons Michael and William Dunlop have also won at the event. The early decades of the event were dominated by British manufacturers, with Norton particularly prominent. Honda claimed its first victory in 1964; BMW scored its first win in 2010, the first non-Japanese manufacturer to win since 1997.
The first recorded fatality at the event was Norman Wainwright in 1939. The worst single day in the event's history was Black Saturday in 1979, when crashes killed Tom Herron and Brian Hamilton and fatally injured Frank Kennedy. Robert Dunlop died during 2008 practice after his bike seized approaching Mather's Cross. Mark Young died in 2009, Mark Buckley on Millbank Avenue in 2012, and Simon Andrews succumbed to injuries sustained in 2014 after crashing at high speed in Portrush. Malachi Mitchell-Thomas died at the approach to Black Hill during the 2016 Supertwins race. Kamil Holan died in 2026 following a crash at Station Corner during Superbike qualifying.
The event is broadcast live by BBC Northern Ireland with commentary by Steve Parrish. In 2026, BBC Sport NI extended its coverage contract to 2029. The course features in the PlayStation 2 title TT Superbikes: Real Road Racing Championship and appears in Milestone's Ride 2, Ride 3, Ride 4, and Ride 5 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.