Big Interview: John McGuinness is back...and going full throttle

The undisputed modern-day King of the Mountain has returned to do what he does best, riding fast and winning races.

Following a horror crash at the North West 200 in 2017, which caused a broken back, injured knee, dislocated thumb and severely damage led, the 46-year-old was forced to miss the last two TT fortnights.

But following 'a dark 12 months', the 23-times TT winner bounced back in the only way he knows how, with a win at the Classic TT in August and victory at Goodwood. He also took the Norton out for a spin at Darley Moor.

A 10th-place finish at the Macau GP, in November, really blew the cobwebs off as it marked the first time he had ridden a superbike in anger in serious competition since his crash.

"After all the bumps and scrapes it was great to make my 20th visit to Macau," said McGuinness, during a talk held at the Cleveland Arms, in Wolverhampton.

"First time I went was in 1998 on a two-stroke and then I won it in 2001. I've been on the rostrum many times since.

"I was given the option to ride for Paul Bird again on his Ducati, so I just thought 'let's do this'.

"I needed to go and ride. The Ducati is quite a strange thing to ride because it has no frame but I qualified eighth and finished 10th.

"It meant a lot to me just to get back on a superbike again because although I'd won at the Classic TT and Goodwood, these bikes have 230bhp.

"It was nerve-wracking, despite all the miles I'd done on a bike over the years. It marked a big step for me.

"I'd not ridden a superbike properly for a long time but I hoped to be there or thereabouts and was pleased with a top 10, especially as the bike is so different to the Norton."

McGuinness was in a completely different place this time last year and, whilst lying on a golf course in Northern Ireland, with his leg 'pretty much hanging on with a bit of skin', he had wondered even then if a comeback would ever be possible.

Then followed the gruelling recovery. With 26 pins in his leg, he had to lengthen his bone by 50ml, to help it grow back, turning a screw a quarter of a millimetre every six hours for months on end.

"There were days during that when I did not know if I'd be back on a bike again," he said.

"I was a right grumpy bugger at times at home and I'd have a pop at the kids but it was my family and friends who kept me going.

"They could have turned their backs on me but they didn't.

"I had 26 pins in my leg and it was a bit of weird injury. It still swells up now and I've had a special boot made for it.

"It was such a difficult injury to go through but at least the circulation in my foot is okay now.

"After Macau, everything was hurting but a couple of days later I felt good.

"It made me feel like I could do this again and now I just need get in some more training and time on the bike.

"I mean, racing is just a drug that keeps you coming back for more."

McGuinness had already made a comeback, of sorts, securing an emotional win at the Classic TT, riding the Paton, with his mother and father waiting in the winner's enclosure for him.

He is now embarking on a two-year contract with Norton, to race at the North West 200 in Northern Ireland – the scene of his injury – and the TT.

It marked the end of a long affiliation with the Honda factory team that had brought both parties tremendous success.

But McGuinness remains angry with how he was treated after his crash and is in no doubt how the accident happened.

"It was an auto blipper problem," he said. "When changing down from fourth to third gear, doing about 120mph, the throttle remained open by about 42 per cent.

"It meant I'd lost control and I just went down to get off the bike. I was bouncing down the road, which is something I wasn't used to because I like to keep safe and ride neatly.

"I've done 49,000 miles around the TT, which is twice round the world, with not many crashes.

"Eventually, I went through a fence and ended up on a golf field, and the worst part was I f***ing hate golf.

"Honda were not there for me really. I'd been with the factory team since 2006 and it took the management three months to come out and see me.

"It was tough times. I was feeling a little bit down. I could have gone through a lot of stuff but it wasn't going to fix my leg. So I just took it on the chin but it was a very frustrating time.

"The bike had a lot of issues and it's still not competitive now. My input was not making any sense with them.

"I'm not the most educated person in the world but I know the Fireblades inside out.

"I knew I should not have taken that bike any further before the crash. When I was bouncing down that road I was so made with myself. But I don't want to hold a massive grudge."

Having finally been able to start putting his injuries behind him, McGuinness is still keen to win races and, for good reason, believes he can still win at the TT.

The logic is there too, and not only because he sits second on the all-time winners list, behind Joey Dunlop on 26.

Josh Brookes and Dave Johnson have put in near 132mph laps – average lap speed around the 37.73-mile TT circuit – on the Norton, and McGuinness is quicker than both.

Although Dean Harrison, Michael Dunlop and Peter Hickman raised the bar in 2018 posting 134mph and 135mph laps, the TT was blessed with two weeks of beautiful sunshine.

It's unlikely that will happen again so add a few seconds to Harrison and Hickman's times, and scrub off a few with McGuinness on the Norton, and it's clearly achievable.

"I have to think I can win and I need that direction. I've got 17 seconds to find per lap but the Norton is capable of doing a 134mph. I'm going to attack it," said McGuinness.

"With the right package around me it's possible. Norton has also produced this new 650cc supertwin for the lightweight race and I'll be back on the Honda Mugen in the electric bike race.

"I really didn't want to end my racing career in the middle of a golf course but I also can't go on forever. I just hope I do eventually retire on my own terms.

"I did say I was done in private to the missus a few times but then I started feeling better and decided I was going to return.

"It's tough sometimes and that's when the real people come out of the woodwork.

"Ian Hutchison was going through a similar injury at the time so we'd just be talking about rubbish on Whatsapp but I think we helped each other get through it. It's been hard work but I am back now."

Regardless of what the future holds, McGuinness has enjoyed one of racing's finest ever careers – and to top it all off, he's still the same working class brickie from Morecambe who had a dream of winning one TT and one British championship all those years ago.

"It's been an amazing career. I never thought I would have won 23 TTs, raced in world championships and won multiple British titles," he said.

"I'll definitely be doing some domestic championships next year because everyone at the sharp end of the TT is doing BSB. I might try and do a few Ducati Cup rounds with Paul Bird.

"Harrison turned from an amateur club racer into a world class TT star. He just hit the ground running this year.

"Hickman is a natural racer, a bit like Dave Jefferies was, and looks race fit too, which is what I need to focus on now.

"The BMW is also a stronger bike but we'll just have to see how far we can take the Norton."