John McGuinness' practice times on Tuesday evening only served to increase his favouritism for the Superbike races in Saturday's North West 200.
McGuinness was delighted by the his new Fireblade Honda on Tuesday as he grabbed provisional pole and he is full of confidence ahead of the weekend.
"I looked at the paint job and how good the bike looks and thought:'I'm going to go fast on this thing," he said.
"I did a good eight or nine laps on it which is full race distance."
McGuinness is also delighted by the performances of his other bikes so the Morecambe rider could be a good bet for haul of wins at the Triangle circuit.
The Englishman has been competing at the North West 200 for 15 years and the popular figure was content to mingle with the large crowds who had already congregated at the event on Thursday afternoon.
"I remember coming here 15 years ago and getting treated properly. The treatment is exactly the same but the event just seems to get bigger and better every year.
"You look this year at all the hospitality trucks and the paddock and it's just tremendous."
The Honda rider from Morecambe was fastest in the opening superbike practice session with an average lap speed of 121.63mph, pipping New Zealander Bruce Anstey.
Anstey was fastest in the Superstock class ahead of Alistair Seeley from Carrickfergus and Cameron Donald.
Scotland's Keith Amor topped the Supersport timings with McGuinness second and Ryan Farquhar third.
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