The TT Podcast Live: John McGuinness - Celebrating 30 Years
Tickets are now on sale for a special edition of The TT Podcast Live: John McGuinness - Celebrating 30 Years, taking place on Friday 24th April at 19:30 at the Villa Gaiety, Douglas. Join us as the ‘Morecambe Missile’ celebrates 30 years of racing at the Isle of Man TT Races.
As the countdown to TT 2026 begins, this one-off live event serves as the official curtain-raiser and sets the tone for the months ahead - bringing you closer to the people and stories that define the TT.
Hosted by Chris Pritchard and Lee Johnston, the evening will celebrate 30 years of John McGuinness MBE at the TT, tracing his journey from a teenager inspired by his first visit to the Island in the 1990s to one of the defining figures of the modern era.
Dreams don’t always become reality, but McGuinness turned his into history. He didn’t just become a TT racer, he became one of its greatest icons.
With 23 victories, record-breaking laps and a career spanning multiple classes and eras, McGuinness’ story runs alongside the evolution of the event itself. He has won on two-stroke and four-stroke machinery, closed historic chapters and opened new ones, and he’s set benchmarks - including the first-ever 130mph lap of the Mountain Course - that still define modern performance.
Yet his influence extends beyond statistics. Preparation, judgement, resilience and an enduring connection to the TT community have underpinned his three decades on 37.73 miles of public roads - through triumph, setback and return.
Told not as a list of achievements, but as a journey through the defining eras of his career. From the determined newcomer learning the Mountain Course in 1996, to the rider who would redefine expectations in the 2000s, to the senior figure whose experience now shapes the modern grid, the night will move chapter by chapter through the moments that mattered.
Each era will be brought to life by the people who stood alongside him. His team-mates, rivals, friends and today’s front runners, offering first-hand perspective on how a TT career is built over decades, not just race weeks.
Joined on stage by guests including Michael Rutter, Ian Lougher, Conor Cummins, Dean Harrison, Davey Todd and Peter Hickman, with many more voices from across the paddock to be announced, the evening will explore the rivalries, partnerships and turning points that shaped McGuinness’ path.
As the story unfolds, you will gain first hand insight into the decisions behind the headlines, the history-making laps, and the moments of setback and return that often say more than the results themselves. Alongside untold stories and reflections from those closest to him, the show will connect past and present.
Because the story of John McGuinness isn’t just about race wins - it’s about how he has and continues to shape the TT as we know it today.
Event: The TT Podcast Live – 30 Years of John McGuinness
Date: Friday 24th April
Time: 19:30
Venue: Villa Gaiety, Douglas
Tickets: On sale now
Tickets are available via the Villa Gaiety website: www.villagaiety.com/ttpodcast
