Morecambe TT legend John McGuinness prepares to race in 30th anniversary year

Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness MBE is preparing to mark the 30th anniversary of his debut.

The Morecambe Missile raced at the TT for the first time in 1996 and went on to become one of the most famous names in the history of the iconic race, winning 23 times.

McGuinness is once again part of the Honda Racing team, and the 54-year-old remains a top-six contender in the Superbike class.

He will compete in the Superbike, Superstock and Senior races at the 2026 TT, with his first race on Saturday in the opening Superstock TT, which will be held over three laps.

John has already enjoyed a number of practice sessions ahead of the event, with his standing start lap on the Superbike specification Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade clocked at an average of 130.163mph on Wednesday.

John said: ‘’It’s always good to come in and see 130mph laps on the screen, I was riding within myself as well and felt like I had more to give before the second flying lap was cut short.

‘’I’ll work to optimise the settings on the Superstock bike on Friday and continue to enjoy myself on the big Superbike.’’

The 23-time winner is the third most successful TT rider ever behind Northern Ireland’s Michael Dunlop (33 wins) and Joey Dunlop (26).

Speaking during a recent special TT event to celebrate his 30-year career, John added: ‘’I’m sort of a simple lad from up north who grew up in Morecambe and Hesham, and had some dream about winning TTs or being a bike racer, being a professional bike racer.

“I went to college and learned to lay bricks and had that to fall back on. But I just wanted to be a professional bike racer, and got some breaks along the way with some good people.

“And when I got the breaks, I took them, I wouldn’t let it go.

“There’s a lot of people here that are not with us anymore, and I just want to say a shout out to them as well. I’ve lost a lot of friends through it, and I’ll never ever forget them.

“I think it’s just been a fascinating journey, where it has took me, people I’ve met; friends, family and all of it.”