Hondas top Friday TT practice

Ian Hutchinson topped the leaderboard in the Superbike and Superstock classes in Friday’s final practice for this year’s Centenary TT races on the Isle of Man.

Hutch clocked a 127.04mph lap on the HM Plant Honda superbike that’s normally ridden by Leon Camier in BSB. He also turned an impressive 125.57mph in superstock on the more standard FireBlade to throw down the gauntlet to class favourite, Relentless Suzuki’s Bruce Anstey who topped each of the three previous sessions with a best lap of 125.33mph on Tuesday.

Hutchinson said: “It was a mega steady lap on the superbike because we had rain flags at Greeba and a couple of yellows around the course. I’m really pleased with the superstock lap though considering that was only my second lap I’ve done on it this week.”

Team-mate John McGuinness did ride his superbike after clocking over 129mph on Thursday but he topped the Sueprsport times on the Padgetts Honda  with a 122.42mph lap, a fraction off Anstey’s best time in the class on Thursday of 122.61mph.

Anstey was a lot happier with his superbike than he’s been all week but his 126.01mph lap only came after swapping his superstock shock into the superbike to try and eradicate some of the instability he had been suffering all week in the middle of corners.

Guy Martin didn’t get a chance to repeat his 128mph lap on Thursday when his Hydrex Honda was sidelined with a holed radiator.

Ian Lougher, the other rider to top 128mph on Thursday, didn’t improve on his best because he stopped his Stobart Honda at Sulby Bridge to adjust the clickers on his suspension.