On Saturday, the 2016 Isle of Man TT races concluded with an epic six-lap race for the Senior TT. Honda Racing’s John McGuinness secured his second podium of the week, placing his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP on the podium in third place. While team-mate Conor Cummins came home sixth.

With delays to the race programme following fog across the island in the morning, the Senior TT finally got underway at 1545. First away on the road with the number one plate was McGuinness, but after the first lap he was sitting ninth.

Coming into the first pit stop at the end of the second lap, McGuinness had moved into seventh place, however a superb stop from the super-slick Honda crew saw McGuinness out of the pits first and by Glen Helen he’d moved into third place.

Chipping away and making up time on his CBR machine the ‘Morecambe Missile’ comfortably settled into the third place spot. During the second pit stop McGuinness and his crew pulled back a blinding eight seconds.

The remainder of two laps saw the Honda-man push away over the 37.73-mile Mountain circuit and on the final lap he was fastest from Glen Helen to Ballaugh, two seconds under the leading rider. McGuinness crossed the finish line after six laps to claim his second podium of the week and 46th TT podium of his career. Michael Dunlop took the Senior TT win, with Ian Hutchinson in second place.

Team-mate Cummins enjoyed a good race over the six laps. Starting on the road tenth, the local lad was sitting 12th after the first lap. Pushing away, making up time and after a good pit stop from his crew at the end of the second lap he’d moved into sixth place. Keeping his pace over the remainder of the race the ‘Ramsey Rocket’ settled into sixth, where he crossed the line.

Neil Tuxworth - Team Manager

It’s been another successful day for the team with John taking his second third place finish on the podium this week, which is realistically the best we could have expected with the times the others were putting in. So we’re happy with that and he went quicker round the TT circuit than he has done previously, so I know he’s happy about that. It’s great for Conor after the Superbike race last weekend that he finished in sixth place, and with Bruce finishing also in the top six there were three Honda’s at the front. So all in all it’s been a successful day for Honda and especially the Honda Racing team.

John McGuinness 1

This is my 20th TT and I remember going down Bray Hill on my little 250 Honda. I never thought I’d be back on the podium with my 46th podium 20 years later. I’ve seen all sorts of things, come across great riders and been in fantastic races. Last year I was sat in the middle but this year it’s Michael and Hutchy and I know how hard it is. The Fireblade was great and never missed a beat. I was probably a little steady at the start and by my first pit stop was P9 and I thought it definitely was time to hang my boots up, but then Hutchy came past and I managed to get a tow and learn some things off these guys about how to ride even faster round here. My crew were stunning in the pits; they did a fantastic job for me both times. It’s been a tough year and it has been hard, but I always enjoy coming here and riding, and to walk away with two podium finishes is great!

Conor Cummins 10

We’re at the end of the TT fortnight and it’s been a challenging one, but I’ve also had a great time riding the Fireblade again here. I’ve had some good, consistent results and been chipping away at my times and speeds. We’ve had some ups and downs and have been trying a few different things to make improvements over the week and today finishing sixth, I think we’re nearly there, but we do have some small things to work on just to make it all a bit better and get further towards the front. A huge thanks to my team who has worked so hard over the TT to build me a great package and also to Honda Racing and my sponsors for their support.

1  - MICHAEL DUNLOP 6 HAWK RACING BMW 01:43:56.129
2  - IAN HUTCHINSON 4 TYCO BMW BMW 01:44:27.605
3  - JOHN MCGUINNESS 1 HONDA RACING HONDA 01:44:58.651
4  - DEAN HARRISON 12 SILICONE ENGINEERING KAWASAKI 01:45:51.385
5  - BRUCE ANSTEY 2 PADGETTS HONDA HONDA 01:46:08.108
6  - CONOR CUMMINS 10 HONDA RACING HONDA 01:46:11.570
7  - MICHAEL RUTTER 9 BATHAMS SMT RACING BMW 01:46:20.009
8  - LEE JOHNSTON 13 EAST COAST CONSTRUCTION / BURDENS BMW 01:47:00.201
9  - JAMES HILLIER 3 QUATTRO PLANT MUC-OFF KAWASAKI KAWASAKI 01:47:03.679
10  IVAN LINTIN 20 DEVITT RC EXPRESS RACING KAWASAKI 01:48:22.931