With the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT road races fast approaching, Eazi-Grip & Eazi-Guard sponsored John McGuinness and Conor Cummins have been in action this week with a two-day test at Castle Combe in Wiltshire, in preparation for the start of their road-racing season.
The first day of the test saw the Honda squad greeted with mixed weather conditions, but in-between the snow and rain showers the team were able to gain good track time. Wednesday saw a full day on track, where McGuinness and Cummins were able to try different settings on their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machines.
Working closely with Dunlop throughout the two days both riders tested different tyre compounds, electronics and suspension options to fine-tune settings for the forthcoming North West 200 (10-14 May).
The Castle Combe outing is one of many official Honda tests this year that has seen McGuinness reunited with his 2015 Senior TT winning Fireblade and the circuit gives a good direction for road racing tests, due to its bumpy nature. The ‘Morecambe Missile’ proved he is still the man to beat at the TT on the CBR, after smashing the outright Senior lap record with an 132.701mph lap last year.
Team-mate Cummins enjoyed being back aboard his Fireblade working through different settings and had consistent lap times at the 1.85-mile circuit. The Manxman has enjoyed previous success at the North West 200, where in 2014 he was on the Superbike podium and hopes to be again this year.
The 2016 North West 200 takes place in two weeks time on 10-14 May, which sees McGuinness and Cummins competing for Honda Racing in the two Superbike races on Saturday 14 May. The NW200 is one of the world’s fastest road races and the 8.970-mile course forms a triangle between the Northern Irish coastal towns of Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart.