MCGUINNESS: MAN ON A MUGEN
‘Am I an eco-warrior? For fucks sake, probably not! I’m so wrapped up in my own stuff that tree-hugging is at the bottom of my priority list. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like to see trees cut down, but I like riding bikes, so I just get on with that and hope I don’t do too much harm,’ reasoned the Morecambe Missile, having just scooped his 24th victory at this year’s Classic TT. It’s fair to say the one-time bricklayer, and second most successful road racer of all time, has built up a legendary status around the Isle of Man’s 37.73-mile Mountain Course, constantly moving with the times to achieve new speeds and conquer new classes. He made his TT debut back in 1996, going on to take his inaugural win in the Lightweight class on a 250cc stroker, the same year he won the British 250GP Championship. From that point onwards the wins flowed in and in 2007 he became the first ever racer to average in excess of 130mph around the house, wall and tree-lined road circuit. But it was in 2012 that McGuinness’ interests were electrified in a wholly new direction.
“It’s funny how things come about. The Mugen gig came off the back of racing for Honda. I was full bore flat out doing World Endurance and road racing at the time. It actually came
