More North West 200 podiums for John McGuinness

John McGuinness had his first road race outing of the year on Saturday, at the International North West 200 road races, and the Morecambe star was able to add two more podiums to his collection, taking two third place finishes in the Superbike races.

The rest of the day wasn’t so kind though, with a fifth place in the second Supersport 600cc race being his only other finish, the HM Plant Honda rider retiring from both the Superstock and opening Supersport events.

Conditions throughout race week were perfect, and John took the Honda FireBlade to a tremendous pole position for the Superbike races, posting a speed of 122.015mph on his final lap on Thursday evening. The 600cc Honda, usually campaigned in the British Championships by Eugene Laverty, was also working well and he claimed another front row position in third. The only disappointment came in his usual Superstock class, where he was a non-qualifier, a number of red flag stoppages meaning he was unable to complete the necessary number of qualifying laps. However, the organisers slotted him onto the grid, albeit on the very back row.

With clear blue sky and constant sunshine, the 100,000+ fans who flocked to the Causeway Coast were in for a day of high speed action, and John’s day got off to a great start with third place in the opening Superbike race. In the thick of the action throughout, John dropped back in the latter stages, but with Michael Rutter falling at the Juniper Chicane on the final lap he was able to take the final step on the podium. The first Supersport 600cc race followed but it was to give John his first retirement on the day, the clutch on the Honda failing on the fourth lap.

Things didn’t get any better in the Superstock race and, after trying to fight his way through the pack from his back row start, John ran on at Church Corner and rather than risk anything for a midfield finish, he opted to pull into the pits on the fourth lap. The feature NW200 Superbike race was one of the highlights of the day and, after initially holding onto fourth place, John moved into third on lap three when Bruce Anstey retired. Despite posting his fastest lap of the day at 122.147mph, he was unable to make any impression on the leaders, Steve Plater and Michael Rutter, but with a safe margin over the fourth placed rider, John took a comfortable third place for the second time.

His final outing came in the second Supersport race and, after holding onto second place in the first half of the race, John slipped back to fourth and was embroiled in a terrific dice with Alistair Seeley. The battle went all the way to the line, but it was the Irishman who prevailed and John had to settle for fifth place.

After a solid day’s racing, John said:
“I’m happy enough with how the day went, and we’ve been competitive all week, particularly in the Superbike class. The first race was closer than the second one, but I settled down into a good rhythm and was strong throughout so, with a pole position and two podiums, I can’t complain. Michael and Steve ride in the Superbike class all the time, so have a slight advantage over me, but I’m pleased with how the bike performed and I’m sure we’ll be strong at the TT.”

“Practice didn’t go according to plan with the Superstock bike and, although they put me on the back row, it was always going to be difficult to get a result. I got a reasonable start, but then ran straight on at Church Corner so thought better of it and opted to pull in. The 600cc machine didn’t work as well as we would have liked, and we were struggling a little bit with top speed, so we’ve got a bit of work to do with that before the TT gets underway - but I’m sure we can make the necessary improvements. Alistair rode really well in the second race and just pipped me to the line but, overall, I’m happy with how the day went. We got four finishes from five starts and, with the weather being kind to us, it’s been a fantastic week for everyone here in Northern Ireland.”

Before the Isle of Man TT races, John will be back out in action in round five of the National Superstock Championship at Mondello Park, the meeting taking place on Sunday, 21st May.