TT REWIND: 80s AND 90s PARADE LAP
The Classic TT is back and with it comes TT Rewind: The 80s & 90s, a must-see parade lap that will walk you through some of the most iconic TT moments of this era.
Taking place on Wednesday 27 August at 12:00, the lap brings together a line-up of legendary riders reunited with the machines that made them famous - for any fan of road racing, it’s a front-row ticket to history in motion.
Here’s a run through of the sights, sounds and moments you can expect to see out on the Mountain Course.
John McGuinness - 1999 Vimto 250 Honda
John McGuinness was just 27 years old when he claimed his first TT win, the 1999 Lightweight 250cc race, and he did it in style. Leading from start to finish aboard his Vimto Honda TSR250, he shattered Joey Dunlop’s race record and Ian Lougher’s lap record in a performance that announced his arrival on the world’s toughest stage.
Before he became ‘McPint’, this was the ride that set it all in motion. Now, over two decades and 23 TT wins later, including a record seven Senior TT victories, McGuinness returns to the Mountain Course on a replica of that very machine. “Your first win is always really cool,” says McGuinness. At 52 and still finishing in the top 10, this two-stroke time machine is more than nostalgia, it’s a tribute to the awakening of a TT legend.
Phillip McCallen – 1997 Honda RC45
Phillip McCallen returns aboard the exact machine that carried him to double TT glory in 1997 - the formidable Honda Britain RC45. That year, he stormed to victory in both the Formula 1 and Senior TT, capping off a dominant period following his historic four-win week in 1996.
“This is the actual bike I won on,” McCallen adds. “It’s still got the original fairings, the original paintwork… even the little chip out of the screen from a stone on the Mountain.” With the distinctive V4 engine tone and sharp-edged silhouette, this factory machine remains a time capsule of 90s performance – a proper beast in the hands of one of the TT’s fiercest competitors.
Iain Duffus – 1995 V&M Duckhams Honda (Junior TT Winner)
Iain Duffus returns to the Classic TT aboard the very machine that delivered one of his most memorable victories, the V&M Duckhams Honda that powered him to success in the 1995 Junior TT. It was his second career TT win and his first in the class since it adopted 600cc machinery, marking a turning point in both his career and the event’s evolution.
Duffus rode a near-flawless race, battling hard with Phillip McCallen in a tense four-lap showdown. Heading into the final lap, he held a lead of 13.1 seconds over McCallen, who threw everything at his final lap in a bid to claw back time. But a slide off at Waterworks by McCallen, handed victory to Duffus, who sealed the win with a record average speed of 116.58mph, finishing ahead of Nick Jefferies and Colin Gable. Now, almost 30 years later, Duffus returns to the Mountain Course aboard the same bike that made that day unforgettable.
Ian Simpson & Michael Rutter – 1998 Factory Honda RC45s
Two key figures in Honda’s 50th anniversary TT celebrations, Ian ‘Simmo’ Simpson and Michael Rutter will be reunited at TT Rewind aboard the factory Honda RC45s that carried them to a dramatic 1-2 finish in the 1998 Formula 1 TT. Simpson claimed victory, with teammate Rutter finishing a close second in what became one of the most talked-about races of the week.
Going into the final lap of the Formula 1 TT, Rutter, who had led for much of the race, lost a contact lens and therefore, “couldn’t see too well.” Combined with a near-record lap from Simpson, the stray lens demoted Rutter to second place, just 2.2 seconds behind his teammate. After the event, Michael famously underwent laser eye surgery to ensure it never happened again.
Simpson went on to make it a double, winning the Senior TT later in the week on the same RC45, while Rutter had already notched his maiden TT victory in the Junior TT, cementing his place as a rising star on the roads.
More than 25 years on, Simpson and Rutter set-off down Glencrutchery Road together aboard the very bikes that defined their 1998 success - a double helping of Honda heritage and rider rivalry, back where it all happened.
Ian Lougher – 1998 Honda RS250
Continuing the 1998 Hall of Fame, Ian Lougher returns to the Mountain Course on something truly special – the original Honda RS250 he raced throughout the 1998 season. Arriving at that year’s TT full of confidence after finishing second in the 1997 Lightweight 250cc, Lougher was once again a frontrunner.
But the 1998 Lightweight TT didn’t luck out for Lougher. In a race shortened to just two laps due to poor weather, he was forced to retire, while Joey Dunlop memorably splashed his way over a rain soaked Mountain Course to claim the win. The RS250 and Lougher’s mastery of it remain a lasting reminder of just how thrilling, and unforgiving the two-stroke era could be.
Dave Molyneux to be joined by Tom Birchall - 1989 Bregazzi Yamaha TZ750
Two of the greatest names in sidecar racing history, Dave Molyneux and Tom Birchall, will team up for a truly historic lap at TT Rewind, piloting the very machine that marked the start of Molyneux’s legendary TT career: the 1989 Bregazzi Yamaha TZ750.
It was aboard this now famous two-stroke that Molyneux took his maiden TT win at the 1989 Sidecar 'A' race, partnered by Colin Hardman. The pair also claimed third in the 'B' race, kicking off a career that would see Molyneux become the most successful sidecar driver in TT history, with 17 victories to his name.
This time, he'll be joined by Tom Birchall, the most successful TT passenger of all time, boasting 14 TT wins. Together, Molyneux and Birchall bring an astounding 31 TT victories to the track, making this one of the most accomplished duos ever to share a sidecar outfit.
Trevor Nation – Norton Rotary
Few machines capture the imagination quite like the Norton rotary - radical, fire breathing, and unmistakably British. TT Rewind will see Trevor Nation bring this iconic machine and a golden era of innovation roaring back to life.
He’ll take to the course aboard a 588cc rotary Norton, dressed in the legendary black and gold JPS livery that became synonymous in the late 1980s and early 90s. The very colour scheme that helped cement the Norton name in racing folklore, and few riders are more closely linked to it than Nation himself.
In 1990, Nation helped lead the charge for the JPS Norton team, claiming victory in the MCN Superbike Championship and delivering one of the brand’s most memorable TT performances. That same year, Robert Dunlop took the Norton to a remarkable third place in the Formula 1 TT, while Nation went one better later in the week, finishing second in the Senior TT.
Brian Reid – 1992 Loctite Yamaha 250
Five-time TT winner Brian Reid will complete the TT Rewind line-up aboard a truly special machine - the 250cc Loctite Yamaha that he rode to victory in the 1992 Junior TT. That year was a standout for Reid, who also claimed victory in the 400cc race, making it two wins from two starts on Loctite Yamaha machinery. A master of the lightweight classes, Reid’s smooth, precise style made him one of the standout riders of his era.
The very bike he rode to Junior TT victory is now owned by John McGuinness and has been lovingly preserved. Its return to the Mountain Course with Reid at the controls is a fitting tribute to both the machine’s legacy and a golden age of two-stroke brilliance.
Whether you lived through it or just wished you had, the TT Rewind: The 80s & 90s Parade Lap is your chance to relive one of the most thrilling chapters in road racing history. One course. One lap. One unforgettable spectacle.
