‘Riding around at the back is no fun…’
JOHN McGUINNESS Greatest living TT racer
Racing can be a tough and lonely place, you know. Just look at Lorenzo at Silverstone, he’s one of the best in the world, but he spent the weekend trying as hard as he could just not to be last. As a racer you try and do everything right, but it doesn’t always work out. For example, I went to World Supersport in 2002 and I absolutely hated every minute because the bike was shit. I was going to tracks
‘I WANTED TO CURL UP IN A BALL AND DISAPPEAR’
like Monza and I went there wanting to be world champion and I knew from the off that I didn’t have a chance.
I came from nearly winning the British Championship on a 600 – Karl Harris beat me – and into WSS. I went from Dunlops to Pirellis, a different engine tuner and among other things I got pneumonia in South Africa. It was supposed to be a dream, but it turned into a nightmare. There was no one to talk to, no having a beer at the end of the meeting. I should have been living the dream. We had no house at the time so it was myself and Becky and my son Ewan who had just been born travelling around in the camper. People thought I was having a great time, but I wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. As a result in 2002 I had nothing and then in 2003 I had a one race deal with Triumph and Paul Bird to do the TT – and the rest is history!
Racing is a lonely place when you’re riding around at the back and people think that you can’t ride a bike anymore. There is no fun in that I can assure you. Bike sport isn’t Hollywood – it’s hard work.