John McGuinness: Still Going Strong After 25 Years of Road Racing
As reported in Road Racing News on November 7, 2023, John McGuinness, a seasoned veteran of the Isle of Man TT, is still going strong after more than 25 years of competing. Despite it being over eight years since his last win, McGuinness remains motivated to race, with no intention of hanging up his boots just yet.
The last few years of Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP career were marked by a decline in success, with some speculating that his move to the satellite Petronas SRT squad in 2021 would reignite his competitiveness. McGuinness, who enjoyed most of his TT wins during a similar period to Rossi’s Grand Prix victories, exudes a more grounded confidence. > “I used to walk onto my bike knowing I was going to win because I was going to beat everybody,” McGuinness said, recalling his peak when he claimed 23 TT wins, placing him second on the all-time list until Michael Dunlop overtook him earlier this year.
McGuinness’ last TT win came in the 2015 Senior race, and it would have been hard to envision a reality where he didn’t match Joey Dunlop’s record of 26 wins. However, by 2023, it feels like an impossibility. > “Now, I have to be honest with myself,” McGuinness said, “I’m 51, I’ll be 52 on the grid next year.” As McGuinness has aged out of winning contention, a new generation of racers has emerged, including his teammates at Honda Racing UK for 2024, Nathan Harrison and Dean Harrison.
A New Generation of Racers
“[Dean Harrison] is another interesting guy, another guy who’s got the same hunger that I had at his age, wanting to win TTs,” McGuinness said of the 2019 Senior TT winner. Unlike Valentino Rossi, who had rivalries with teammates, McGuinness adopts a different approach. > “There’s no hierarchy,” he said, “there’s no ‘bullying’, or whatever you want to call it. I’m just John, I’ve just been in the team a long time. Whatever is open to me will always be open to Dean; if he wanted help from me, I would never curveball him or bullshit him, I’d always be dead honest.”
The passage of time has led McGuinness to accept being sixth, but he remains eager to see his teammate succeed. > “If Dean goes and wins as my teammate, I’ll be the first man in the winners’ enclosure to shake his hand. I’d love to be in there with him, but he’s just that little one step ahead of me – which he should be, he’s in his prime.” McGuinness’ own ‘renaissance’ in 2023, which saw him return to the 130mph+ group for the first time since 2016, is a source of motivation for him. > “[I’m] still going round at 131mph, and I thought all the young lads would just be bashing me up now, and be long gone, they’d be all doing 133, 134, 135. But they’re not, there’s only a couple of them doing that.”
The Future of Road Racing
At some point, McGuinness’ racing career will come to an end. Though he’s aware of it, he’s not considering it imminent. > “Yes,” McGuinness said when asked about his final race, “I do, yeah, I’m split with it all. I hope that I’ll make the decision at some point where I just have to walk away from it.” McGuinness’ discipline is fraught with danger, and the frequency of reminders only underscores the risk. The 2023 TT saw Raul Torras set his fastest ever lap before fatal consequences in the following day’s Supertwin race.
The 2024 Isle of Man TT will see McGuinness on his fourth generation of Honda Fireblade, boasting chassis and engine changes, as well as new winglets. A new model is still something to be excited about for McGuinness. > “I’m looking forward to it, yeah. It’s exciting, isn’t it? Like, yesterday (7 November 2023) [the 2024 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade] was out, and I was reading about it and looking at it being unveiled in EICMA and stuff like that.” The 2024 Fireblade claims a maximum power output of 215bhp, a far cry from the 85bhp RS250R McGuinness debuted with back in ’97.
In Road Racing News, it’s clear that McGuinness still derives great enjoyment from racing and being around motorcycles. As he looks to the future, he could still be around for another generation of Fireblade, defying the odds and cementing his legacy in the world of road racing.
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