IN glorious sunshine on Tuesday, HM Plant Honda star, John McGuinness, fired the early warning shots ahead of Saturday's International North West 200 as he topped the Superbike leaderboard in Portstewart.
The Morecambe ace, who was a winner in the premier class at the event a year ago, posted the top speed of the evening on his 1000cc Fireblade at 121.63mph.
McGuinness' time was almost three seconds faster than TAS Suzuki's Bruce Anstey, who left it late to haul himself up the leaderboard with a best lap of 120.36mph.
Hydrex Bike Animal Honda's Guy Martin had set the early Superbike pace, but ended Tuesday's opening qualifier in third position with an average speed of 120.20mph.
Michael Rutter, whose official JHP NW200 Ducati Team has attracted massive interest in the paddock among fans, was fourth quickest with a best effort of 120.01mph, followed by AIM Yamaha's Steve Plater (119.32mph).
McAdoo Racing's Ryan Farquhar was the top Northern Ireland rider in the Superbike category with a lap at 118.70mph securing sixth position for Saturday's provisional grid.
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2008 NORTH WEST 200The full article contains 195 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
