North West 200: ‘I don’t like giving up, I want to come back stronger’

As he began to recover full fitness, Nathan’s family received the terrible news that his mum Jane had been diagnosed with life threatening cancer.

In the midst of countless visits to Nobles Hospital in the Isle of Man, numerous trips to England and also to Spain for specialist treatment, the prospect of seeing her son race over the Mountain Course gave his mum something to fight for and use as motivation in those difficult days for the family.

That dream was realised as Nathan secured that double success at the MGP in 2019 and three years later he finished all five races he competed in at TT 2022, lapping at over 128 mph.

Sadly, his mum passed away on 19 May 2023, a matter of days after Nathan sustained a broken collarbone in a crash at Church Corner in the first Superstock race at the North West.

“I was in a good battle with James Hillier, John McGuinness and Michael Rutter. I got knocked out so I don’t know what happened really but I’ve seen the footage of me high-siding out of Church Corner,” explained Nathan.

“My goal was still to try and make the TT but Havier [Beltran, Honda Racing team manager] and my dad wouldn’t let me do it.

“They didn’t say it straight away because they wanted to keep me going but they knew I wasn’t going to make the TT. They only told me a few days before the team were due to travel.

“When I look back my dad and Havier were right, from a mental point of view I wouldn’t have been right.

“As much as I would have told myself I was right, I was ok, when you’re a close racing family like we were – me, my mum, my dad [Dean], my brother Glenn, a former TT racer himself – you have to have proper time to grieve rather than just going ahead.

“If it wasn’t for the support of my mum and dad, I wouldn’t be where I am today. We were a proper racing family outfit. They put thousands of pounds into my racing over the years.”