TT Preview: McGuinness' Mountain Desire

15 TT wins. 29 podiums. Outright lap record holder. TT legend. With his record on the TT mountain course, John McGuinness could be forgiven for being a bit of a superstyar be he’s more like your best mate you enjoy having a natter with about racing over a pint.

He’s still in his leathers after a qualifying session on his superstocker but we’re chilling in the back of the Padgett’s Honda truck at Brands.

There’s a twinkle in his eye as he raids the sarnies from the fridge in the Padgett’s truck and peels the crusts off the brown bread. “This isn’t real. White bread’s real,” he says, chomping away. McGuiness is real.

For someone regarded as one of the most gifted motorcycle racers in the world, he’s never forgotten his roots. And after all these years at the top of his game, he still oozes the excitement of a teenager when it comes to bikes. He’s as nuts about the 2011 speedway season as he is about the heyday of 500GP two-strokes. But he really loves his TT.

He’s not just a great racer, he’s also a knowledgeable historian of the event and wallows in the black and white heyday of Manx Nortons and MV Agustas as much as the glamour and glitz of modern-day racing.

He’s back in the fridge, looking for something top wash his snack down. “So how do you want to play this? Do you want to fire me some questions?”

“Nah mate, you just talk about the TT. We’ll take it from there.”

That might sound like a cop-out, but McGuinness TT-talking is sweet music. the anecdotes are entertaining, amusing, uplifting and, yes, sometimes downwright sad, but always wonderfully beguiling…

You can read the full article in the TT Preview 2011 supplement, free with your copy of the May 25 issue of MCN on sale now.