John McGuinness MBE’s 2024 North West 200 tenure (6th-11th May) carries extra significance, as he will be marking 30 years since he first took the world-famous Triangle course.
Most recently Superbike race one victor in 2012, the Morecambe international road racing hero’s NW200 resume includes six triumphs.
Before front-running pursuits, dicing with Irish road racing, roads scene royalty, McGuinness MBE made an under the radar event debut in 1994.
Commenting about why he decided to participate at the NW200, he said:
“I had been competing in the British championships, but I wanted to be a road racer. I’d read all the books, listened to the stories and my mates Lee Pullan, Mick Lofthouse and David Jefferies, were all doing it.
It seemed the natural thing to do and I was offered a free boat and a free entry to race in 1994 which now, currently, is unheard of!”
He continued:
“We just rounded up a few tins of beans and soup and set off in the van. But my dad, who was my mechanic, didn’t want me to go road racing and he refused to come with us. I didn’t have a clue what I was letting myself in for really.
I did the best I could with what I had, and I befriended everyone because I needed to learn.
I had dipped my toe into road racing, had got the sense of speed and felt all the bumps.
The pure roads were so different compared to the short circuits. The speeds were very high on roads that had various types of tarmac with different levels of grip.”
Although race wins were to follow (six, as mentioned above), McGuinness MBE cites the 250cc race from 1996, as his personal NW200 highlight to date.
“After two years of learning the track and weighing the job up, I found myself in the leading group of the 250cc race when the flag dropped.
That was a defining moment for me, a moment when I thought I could do alright at road racing because a lot of the 250cc greats were there including Joey Dunlop, Phillip McCallen, Phelim Owens, Robbie Milton, Callum Ramsey, Woolsey Coulter, and Owen McNally.
I’d gone from struggling on bikes that weren’t the most competitive to dicing with Joey Dunlop.”
He went onto admit, that he probably should have more NW200 wins in his racing CV.
“I probably should have won a few more but I’ve been racing alongside Steve Plater, Michael Rutter, Guy Martin, and Bruce Anstey, leading along the coast road on the last lap and then finished third and was left wondering what happened!
Maybe I just wasn’t aggressive enough, just not prepared to risk it all.”
In terms of next month’s competitive action, the 23 times TT winner candidly stated:
“This year the goal for me is to help Dean Harrison, my new Honda teammate, win at the Northwest and I want Nathan (Harrison) to have a safe race.
For me, I just want to go out and enjoy myself. During the last couple of years, I’ve maybe been under the radar a little bit in fifth, sixth or seventh but I’m more than happy with that.
It’s all I’ve got in my armoury these days- a decent, fast, safe ride and if I finish tenth, I’m tenth or if it’s fourth its fourth. If I got on to the podium it would be the icing on the cake.”
Quotes courtesy of Stephen Davison.
Photo credit: Tommy Vennard
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou