McGuinness is almost unbeatable in the Superbike TT race

The HM Plant Honda rider from Morecambe started favourite and he came home 26 seconds in front of Guy Martin with Ian Hutchinson a further 40 seconds back.

Lusk's Martin Finnegan and Ian Lougher finished fourth and fifth with Northern Ireland pair Ryan Farquhar and Adrian Archibald taking the next two places.

McGuinness set a new Superbike race record and lap record of 128.04mph.

Pre-race contenders Bruce Anstey and Michael Rutter both retired on the first lap.

The first six competitors home were all riding Honda machines.

The start of Monday's rescheduled race was put back by two hours because of mist.

Poor weather on Saturday had forced organisers to call off the race, the first of the TT's centenary festival.

The 12th TT success for McGuinness takes him third in the all-time winners list.

The emotional Englishman was delighted to win in a landmark year for the meeting.

"There was all the hype and build-up and it all came down to that race - one of the biggest and most important of the week," he told BBC Sport.

"I just got my head down and I'm not one for riding through the damp bits but I just thought 'I'm going to go for it'.

"Credit has to go to my team. I had two fantastic pit-stops - nice, calm and collected and it looks like that may have won me the race.

"All the years I've been racing here it was something special to win on the centenary.

"I'm not normally emotional but I was in tears all the way round the last lap.

"It's a bit sad really but that's how I felt. I've been racing here a long time and to pull off a big one like that is fantastic."