JOHN MCGUINNESS - THIRTY YEARS AND STILL ON TOP
Very few sportspeople can boast a career spanning decades, and for those that do it’s even rarer to find one still on the top of their game in their twilight seasons.
When it comes to John McGuinness and the Isle of Man TT, however, he is very much against the grain in that regard.
First arriving at the TT in 1996 with Paul Bird and a Honda RS250R, no-one could have predicted the legacy that was about to unfold in front of them over the next 30 years. An impressive 15th place on debut, lapping at 111mph and taking home the Best Newcomer award provided the stepping stone for what would be one of the greatest TT careers ever witnessed.
But it’s not over yet. Despite batting away questions surrounding retirement over the past few years, and even overcoming a near career-ending injury, McGuinness is still very much at the top of his game and deservedly in the conversation for top five results any time he gets on a bike at the top of Glencrutchery Road. You can even throw him into the podium conversation without raising any eyebrows, and at 54 years of age, that in itself is an achievement not worth sleeping on.
McGuinness came to the Isle of Man TT in 2026 once again with the Honda Racing UK squad, a partnership that seems as intrinsic to the TT as road racing and the island itself. The relationship between the two is unparalleled, including an 11-year stint between 2006 and 2017. After a short switch to Norton, the less of which is said the better, and the worldwide enforced break of 2020 and 2021, McGuinness returned to his rightful home in 2022.
McGuinness came to the Isle of Man TT in 2026 once again with the Honda Racing UK squad.
There’s just something about John McGuinness riding a Honda with the number one plate at the start of a big bike TT. That alone would be special to witness, but there’s substance behind the style, and ‘McPint’’s performances this year would have you thinking he was a man two decades his junior.
Living up to that reputation, McGuinness laid down a statement of intent from the very first timed qualifying session this year. Posting a lap at 128.979mph, McGuinness set the sixth fastest lap of the day, but it would be his speeds over the next two sessions that really showed he’d come to compete.
“We’re still sharp, we’re still fast,” he said. “I think it’s an experience thing as well, I hit the ground running and I thought it would’ve caught me up by now but we’ll see what the race brings. I never really want to worry about it, I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. All I want to do is make sure I do a good job.”
With two sessions included on the schedule for both Wednesday and Friday, McGuinness got his head down from the off, and his best time came in the opening sessions on both days. On both occasions, his best time was clocked at over 130mph - an achievement he only reached once racing began twelve months previously.
McGuinness got his head down from the off, and his best time came in the opening sessions on both days.
The rain forced an unscheduled rest day on Saturday, but what followed on Sunday was a Superbike TT for the ages. The first full six-lap race to take place since the Superbike TT of 2024, McGuinness had a surprise in store for the crowds as they gathered on the Start Line to finally get racing going.
Sporting retro leathers, McGuinness strode onto the grid while his Honda team kept his bike under wraps - which began to explain a little confusion as to why John’s bike hadn’t been seen and the Honda awning had been kept firmly shut all morning. With just minutes to go before the start, the covers were removed to reveal a stunning tribute to that RS250R McGuinness and Bird brought over on the ferry some 30 years prior.
Having shaken off the visible emotion on the grid, McGuinness prepared himself to lead yet another field of runners down Bray Hill for 226 miles of flat out motorsport. Following the trademark kiss to the helmet, the game face was on and one tap of the shoulder later, racing began.
Covers were removed to reveal a stunning tribute to that RS250R McGuinness and Bird brought over on the ferry some 30 years prior.
Putting in a lap of 131.185mph from a standing start, McGuinness slotted himself into fifth, firmly between Josh Brookes and Ian Hutchinson. Over the next five laps, the 23-time winner came across the line at over 130mph three more times, including a 132.248mph lap on his final lap, just four seconds away from his fastest ever lap around the TT course.
“I’m on a good bike,” he said, when we caught up with him on the eve of the Senior TT. “You just have to get the best out of yourself, which I have done. I’ve just gone five seconds faster on the overall cumulative time I’ve ever done and the fastest ever six laps I’ve done. We’re still sort of improving. Everywhere we’ve been this year we’ve been faster at all the tracks. I’ve never really been one for lap times, I’ve had the lap record a lot of times but it doesn’t really matter. The most important thing for me is to have a good, safe six laps.”
So what does success look like when you’re a rider on the fringes of the podium battle but with a heritage like John’s? There’s always an air of expectation when he gets on a bike, but it’s almost pressureless. It’s like a feeling that everyone simply wants to see him do well and climb up that podium one more time. But for McGuinness, it’s simply a case of having fun and making personal gains that he’s after.
“If I was eighth or ninth, then I’ll be eighth or ninth,” he offers. “Get some good company around us and we have a bit of a ding dong, and then the pit board says sixth, eighth, ninth. The icing on the cake would be a fast lap, I’m not going to lie. I'd love to go faster than we’ve gone on a single lap.
“We’ve gone faster than we’ve done overall but it’s not the same, is it? I did 132.701mph in 2015 so if I go just a little bit faster I’d love to get into the 33s. It was a bit of a target of mine, but I sort of keep it to myself. I'm not going to say “I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do that”, I never have done. I’ve always just kept to my little programme and the speeds have been good over the years.”
Everywhere we’ve been this year we’ve been faster at all the tracks.
With weather continuing to cause revisions to the race schedule, McGuinness didn’t get back out on track for a competitive lap until Friday evening’s attempted running of the Senior TT - though there was a demonstration lap on a Honda Fireblade road bike ahead of Tuesday’s Supersport TT.
The Senior was ultimately red flagged before the end of the second lap, meaning not enough had been completed for it to be initially declared a result, though McGuinness’ pace was seemingly not as strong as it had been a week previous.
Before the race had started, a round of applause broke out as McGuinness pushed his bike to lead the field once more. The 23-time winner acknowledged the fans - many of whom felt they may be watching a TT legend line up on the start line for the final time.
For John, while happy to acknowledge that stepping away from competing at the TT is closer now than it has ever been before, once he steps onto Glencrutchery Road his mind is focused on the job at hand, and any ideas of retirement aren’t coming from him.
The 23-time winner acknowledged the fans - many of whom felt they may be watching a TT legend line up on the start line for the final time.
“It seems like everybody's making the decision for me, and I get it,” he admits, when our conversation turns to the idea of hanging up his leathers. “A lot of people are only looking out for my safety. They’re thinking the odds are going to run out for me at some point if I don’t stop. If it’s not my fault, it might be mechanical, but at some point I could hurt myself. But at the minute it’s all going well. I’ve lost a few mates with cancers and all sorts at my age, so who knows what’s the right or wrong thing to do? The nice thing is everybody supports me. The team supports me, Honda and family, everything. At the minute I’ll just stick to what I’m doing.
“In 2015 I should have retired, whatever age I was. I won the Senior TT and should have taken a bow and walked away from there. I came back in 2016 and got on the rostrum. ‘17: injured, ‘18: injured. ‘19: Norton mess, then Covid in ‘20 and ‘21.
“In 2015 I should have retired, whatever age I was. I won the Senior TT and should have taken a bow and walked away from there".
“You look at it now: 54 years old, 30 years of racing here, cross the line in the Senior in those colours, what a great time to retire. From the outside looking in it looks probably the right thing to do, but I’ve got to be so careful that I just don’t take my eye off the ball. For me now I’m a professional motorbike racer not thinking about retiring. I’ve got to think about the next apex, I’ve got to think about what’s coming, you know. I have to concentrate on the race, not any other thoughts. That’s the one that’ll get you - thinking “oh it’s my last one”, you take your eye off the ball, bang, it’s all over.”
With the pressure of TT 2026 now in the rear view mirrors, McGuinness can turn his attention to some of the privileges that come with being a legend of the Isle of Man TT, including being celebrated at some of the biggest events in motorsport.
“We’ve got Goodwood coming up, Classic TT coming up, there’s some real nice things to look forward to,” he says, before turning his attention to the job at hand. “There’s a bit of pressure on with the TT and always will be, but at the minute I’ve got to do my job otherwise I’ll be getting sacked!”
