McGuinness forced to settle for 11th place
TT great John McGuinness said the wet conditions during Wednesday’s Relentless Supersport 2 race put him ‘as close to coming off’ as he’s ever been.
The 15-times TT winner and outright lap record holder finished 11th in the race, which was delayed for more than four hours due to rain.
When the race got under way at 2pm, there were still damp sections throughout a long stretch of course in the west of the Isle of Man.
McGuinness started at number two on his 600cc HM Plant Honda, but suffered a number of slides and, at the end of the first lap, found himself in 11th having lapped at an average speed of 115.518mph, more than 90 seconds slower than in the first Supersport race on Tuesday.
With the section through Glen Helen section remaining damp throughout the four-lap race, McGuinness slipped further back on lap two, to 14th, but a final lap of 119.402mph elevated him back up to 11th.
McGuinness said:
‘It was really tough out there and the roads were really wet on the first lap. There was standing water for a good 10 miles on the first lap and I had a couple of really bad slides, one at Rhencullen putting me out of the saddle and nearly over the handlebars.’
‘I was as close to coming off as I've ever done and it really knocked my confidence. After that, I just rode at a pace I felt comfortable with in the conditions, but 11th obviously isn't where I want to be.’
‘Some of the boys were pushing really hard and I just didn't think it was safe to do that. There'll always be another TT race so I just concentrated on bringing the bike home and getting a finish.’
‘We've just got the Senior race left now and having won the Superbike race earlier in the week, I'll be hoping to do the same again on Friday.’