Macau: Hats off to Hutchy, says McGuinness
Isle of Man TT star John McGuinness heaped praised on Ian Hutchinson following the Milwaukee Yamaha rider's victorious return to racing at the Macau Grand Prix.
Hutchinson claimed a convincing victory in China as he made his competitive comeback after some 18 months out as he recovered from more surgery to his damaged left leg.
The Yorkshire rider took the win from event specialist Michael Rutter and Gary Johnson, with McGuinness finishing fourth on the Honda TT Legends machine.
"I have to say hats off to Hutchy. He hasn't been on a bike for a long, long time, so to take the win, pole position and fastest lap in such hot company and on one of the toughest tracks in the world is an unbelievable achievement," said McGuinness, whose sole win at Macau was achieved in 2001.
"2001 is a long time ago and I'd have loved nothing more than another win here but I've put my heart and soul in and gone round as hard as I could all weekend.
"I got a great start and slotted into third going into Lisboa but before I knew it, Hutchy had gone by and the front three boys were four seconds down the road," he added.
"Their pace in the first couple of laps was incredibly strong and try as I might, the gap kept creeping up."
McGuinness lost fourth to Scottish rider Jimmy Storrar but battled back to reclaim the place on lap 11.
