John McGuinness described Wednesday’s PokerStars Supersport TT as a ‘wicked race’ despite only managing second place.
Riding the Padgett’s Honda, he finished runner-up to Ian Hutchinson, but less than three seconds behind the Yorkshireman.
A charge of the Mountain section on the last of four laps saw Morecambe’s McGuinness slash Hutchy’s lead in half.
Despite the thrilling final circuit, it wasn’t enough to deny Hutchinson his first TT win.
McGuinness, whose TT tally reached 12 when he won Monday’s Superbike race, said he had struggled with slower riders and the loss of a knee slider, but had no complaints.
He said:
‘That was a wicked race and we were all setting some mega speeds, so it just shows how good these 600cc bikes are now.’
‘I really enjoyed the race, and after dropping a bit of time at the start, when Bruce (Anstey) was flying, I tried incredibly hard, like I do in every race here.’
‘I lost a knee slider, which made it hard to gauge the corners, and had quite a poor run through the backmarkers, catching them at the worst possible places, but I can’t have any excuses.’
‘Hutchy rode a great race and I’m pleased he’s got his first win – I might have taught him too much though!’
The 34-year-old added:
‘I’ve got to say a massive thanks to Clive and the whole Padgett’s team as they stepped in over the winter to give me a ride when I needed it most.’
‘They had the faith in me and I’m really pleased to have given them a podium. I gave it everything and did the best job I could possibly do, which got me second on the day.’
‘It was a fantastic race and there was plenty of drama throughout, so I hope all the fans enjoyed it as much as what I did.’
McGuinness has scored one win and two second places during the Centenary TT. He will be out to equal Dave Molyneux’s record of 13 wins tomorrow in the Senior TT sponsored by PokerStars.
Phil Wain