John McGuinness

John Warren McGuinness (16 April 1972 ) is an English motorcycle road racer, best known as a specialist at the Isle of Man TT, where he has won 23 races and sits 3rd in the all-time win list behind Michael Dunlop and Joey Dunlop.

He and Mike Hailwood hold the record for the most Senior TT wins: 7.

His first experience of motorcycle road racing was in 1982, at age 10, with his father, who was competing in the Jurby races, in the Isle of Man.

His father owned a motorcycle repair shop but advised John to train as a bricklayer.

Graduating in 1990, the resultant recession forced him into cockle fishing with his future father-in-law.

McGuinness’ first race on tarmac was a club road race at Aintree in 1990, at age 18.

He finished in last position.

McGuinness’ first Isle of Man TT race was in 1996 on a Honda RS250R, finishing 15th.

He took his first win in the Lightweight 250cc race three years later, the year he also became British 250 Champion.

This was his first short-circuit race win since 2001 in the British Supersport series, which he finished in third place overall.

McGuinness was confirmed as part of the HM Plant Honda team for the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT events, also he is confirmed with Padgetts Motorcycles (Padgetts Grand Prix).

Entered in the British superstock championship alongside new team mate's Glen Richards and Ian Hutchinson (road racing events).

TT 2006 proved to be the best ever for McGuinness.

He won three races (Senior, Superbike and Supersport) and he lowered the outright lap record four times during the festival.

This all started in the TT Superbike race on 3 June, recording 17:42.53 from a standing start, then 17:41.71 on the second lap.

His record lap stood at 127.933 mph to take in the 37.73 miles of the Mountain course, before another record-breaking performance in the Senior TT race on 9 June.

John set a time of 17:39.95 from a standing start (already 1.76 seconds faster than a racing lap) and then blitzed the course in 17:29.26, 10.69 seconds faster than his opening lap and at an average speed of 129.451 mph.

TT 2007 was also a great year with McGuinness taking wins in the Superbike TT and the Senior TT with lap and race records in both, the Senior lap record of 17:21.99 averaging 130.354 mph not only the outright lap record but the first to break the 130 mph barrier.

The 2008 Isle of Man TT saw McGuinness struggle with reliability problems with his bikes, but did manage to pick up his 14th career win on the island, in the Senior TT.

This win moved him alongside Mike Hailwood as the joint second-placed rider with most wins.

McGuinness surpassed Hailwood's mark during the rain-delayed opening race of the 2009 Isle of Man TT on 8 June 2009.

After Cameron Donald unofficially lapped the course at over 131 mph during practice, McGuinness broke the outright lap record by 0.7 seconds, taking the lap record to 17:21.29 or 130.442 mph. McGuinness held off team-mate Steve Plater by 18.11 seconds to record victory number fifteen.

That was his only win and podium of the week; however, he did finish the week with a new outright lap record, and the fastest lap ever recorded with a 17:12.30 or 131.578 mph lap on the second lap of the Senior TT.

A broken chain cost him a runaway victory, as Plater took his second career TT win.

He has also finished on the podium at the Macau Grand Prix.

McGuinness also contested the British Superstock championship, taking victory at Croft after his team-mate Steve Brogan and champion Alastair Seeley tangled in the final corner.

At the 2010 North West 200 meeting, McGuinness took his fifth win around the 8.9-mile circuit when he took victory in the Superbike race and he followed this up with third in the feature race behind Alastair Seeley and Stuart Easton.

He also took fifth and sixth in the two Supersport races and ninth in the Superstock.

In 2013, a left-hand bend on the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the TT races before the top of Barregarrow on the main A3 road was named McGuinness's in recognition of his wins, together with Dave Molyneux who was similarly honoured.

He was part of a multi-rider motorcycle endurance-racing team called Honda TT Legends.

In April 2016, the RAC announced McGuinness as recipient of the Segrave Trophy for 2015.

McGuinness was born and raised in Morecambe, Lancashire.

He started competing in motocross at around seven, and continued until his teens.

He withdrew from what was supposed to be his first race a few seconds before the start, due to anxiety.

Until early 2017 he had a long association with Honda machines, having factory support in road races like the Isle of Man TT, the North West 200 and the Macau Grand Prix, and also on the short tracks in the British Superstock and Supersport series.

In May 2017 McGuinness suffered serious injuries during practice for a race in Northern Ireland, ending his race participation for the remainder of the season.

The accident occurred shortly after the release of his book.

In January 2018 he announced his intended return as a TT rider, but had not sufficiently recovered to compete, and in April announced that a setback had prevented any competitive riding.

He was able to complete a Parade lap of the TT circuit on a Norton SG4 during the June 2018 event, but returned in August to win the 2018 Classic TT on the 500 cc Paton.

In May/June 2019 McGuinness returned to the TT races, riding a large capacity Norton without success, but again renewed his association with smaller-capacity Hondas, finishing in places 15 and 17 in the two Supersport 600 races, second place in the TT Zero electric race, and another win in August's Classic TT, part of the Manx Grand Prix race weeks.