Michael Dunlop has said he was ‘honoured’ to take a replica of his uncle Joey’s Formula 1 TT winning bike around the Mountain Course on a special tribute lap on Friday night.

The 36-time winner took out the the replica Honda SP1 that he and his team built from scratch after the red-flagged Senior race.

Speaking to Radio TT after the 118mph lap, the 37 year old said: ‘It was a great pleasure and honour for me to do it. Thanks to the TT organisers for allowing me to.’

Dunlop was originally meant to undertake the lap at last year’s Classic TT, but the weather scuppered his plans.

He added it was the first time he’d really ridden the bike: ‘I was expecting it to handle like a pig because it is heavy, but it handled like a dream.

‘It does everything it says on the tin.’

Dunlop will be aiming to secure TT win number 37 on the final day of action at this year’s festival tomorrow (Saturday).