Road racing legend John McGuinness is considering hanging up his racing suit after the 2022 Isle of Man TT.
The British rider will turn 50-years-old when the Isle of Man TT comes around and will race onboard the new Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade alongside British Superbike race winner and debutant Glen Irwin.
McGuinness hinted that the upcoming 2022 edition might be his last before he bids farewell to the sport.
“The last time I raced there, I didn’t have a great TT and I didn’t want to finish my racing career on a breakdown so this, never said it before, could possibly be my last TT but I wanted to just go there with everything, you know, all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed and go and enjoy it and see where we end up.”
“Getting back to racing, we’re all a little bit nervous, all us riders especially. We did some racing through Covid but not the road racing like in the Isle of Man so we’ve all been away for two years.
“The bikes are getting faster, none of us have been there so we’re all nervous, there’s a lot of anticipation but, you watch, once we get there it will be flat out, it will be 200mph, we’ll be doing what we do,” said McGuinness to the press after picking up his MBE for his service to motorcycle racing.
McGuinness last primary event TT wins came in 2015, bringing him a total of 23 wins, just three shies of the record holder, Joey Dunlop.
McGuinness was on course to surpass Dunlop in 2017, but his plans got derailed due to a technical error that led to a devastating crash on the 2017 North West 200.
The incident also ruled him out of 2017 and 2018 TT.
He ought to make a comeback in 2020 with Bournemouth Kawasaki – after a disappointing 2019 season with Norton – but was stopped short due to Covid-19.
John McGuinness reportedly will make a surprise return to the factory Honda team for the 2022 Isle of Man TT.
The British rider currently is the second most successful rider at the iconic race with over 23 victories, just three shy of Joey Dunlop 26 wins.
McGuinness enjoyed most of his success with Honda stretching back to 2006 before it ended with an accident in 2018 where he broke his leg, four vertebrae and three ribs at the North West 200.
The 49-year-old rider return to action in high profile deals with cash-strapped Norton in 2018 before making a switch to Kawasaki in 2020.
However, his career with Team Green did not begin as that year’s Isle of Man TT got cancelled due to Covid-19.
With the 2021 edition also axed, free agent McGuinness was close to retiring however according to Northern Ireland’s ‘The Newsletter’ report, 2022 will see him back on a factory Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade.
This means that he will get his 100th start at next year TT.
“It’s been weird, coming up to my 100th start, so I’m feeling a little bit of pressure, but I shouldn’t really feel any pressure because it’s just going to be another race.
“I’ve nothing left to prove anymore and I just still love coming across, I still love riding the place and I still enjoy everything about it.
“I miss the people, I miss the bikes, the atmosphere – there’s only one place like it and the Isle of Man is so unique, and I’ve loved every minute of it,” he said.
After 30 years of racing, TT legend John McGuinness has finally been recognised with an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his massive success in the world of road racing. So, not exactly a ‘Datuk’, but around the same level in the UK (we guess). (more…)
John McGuinness is back on the racing calendar for 2020 as he inked a new deal with the Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki Team. The 23-time Isle of Man TT winner will be racing this beautiful Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR in multiple IOMTT categories which includes Superbike, Superstock, and Senior TT. (more…)
John McGuinness and Michael Rutter will ride the 2019 Mugen Shinden Hachi electric bike at the Isle of Man TT Zero race this year.
According to Visordown, the Mugen Shinden Hachi is the uprated version last year’s bike. Rutter won the TT Zero race last year on the previous Mugen (called “Nana”), setting the fastest lap record for the class along the way. He averaged 196.056 km/h around the TT course, which was only 20.922 km/h slower than the record-setting superbike.
So, for this year, Mugen is back with a bike that promises to be better and faster.
Mugen gave Visordown unlimited access to their facilities in Milton Keynes, thus all credit goes to Visordown.
The 2019 Mugen has better aerodynamics and increased power. It weighs a somewhat heavy 248 kg (due to the batteries) but the engine… sorry, motor, produces the equivalent of 160 hp. The 370-volt lithium-ion battery powers the 120kW oil-cooled brushless electric motor. Torque is rated at 210 Nm.
The fairing is sharper and wraps tightly around the bike. The front suspension consists of the Showa Carbon Fibre prototype forks. The chassis is a monocoque.
Source: Visordown
It’s not easy for an accomplished rider such as John McGuinness to sit on the sidelines watching other racers ride their race bikes. Having broken his right leg last year, the King of the Mountain took over 14 months just to get healthy enough to be declared fit to race BUT the gods of racing have ruled him out of contention once again. (more…)
The 2018 Tokyo Motorcycle Show last week certainly brought more than a few surprises to those lucky enough to attend from all corners of the world. It seems that this year, Mugen is out and ready to make a huge impact, especially in the motorcycle universe with the unveiling of its 1,400cc V-twin engine called the MRV1400. (more…)
It’s official, folks. After several rumours going around town, John McGuinness has finally confirmed his move to Norton for the 2018 Isle of Man TT. The 23-time Isle of Man TT winner will be piloting the 1,200cc Norton V4 RR together with Australian Josh Brookes. (more…)
It was only last month when Honda Racing confirmed that Ian Hutchinson and Lee Johnston will race on board their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 for 2018. Both Hutchinson and Johnston have a lot of road riding experience and together with Honda, they will attempt to conquer all of 2018 road racing events from the North West 200, Isle of Man TT, and Ulster GP. (more…)
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