Isle of Man TT: John McGuiness “I’m a little bit empty to be honest”
The Isle of Man TT was cancelled for 2021 for the second time in a row due to COVID-19.
The Isle of Man TT, the oldest and most famous road race in the world, running officially since 1907 has been cancelled for 2021 after already being cancelled for the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 Isle of Man TT road race was cancelled due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the development of the COVID-19 pandemic with UK figures rising, the Isle of Man are taking precautionary measures to slow the spread of the illness and stop transmission onto the island.
Joey Dunlop holds the crown of the most wins with a total of 26 to his name whilst John McGuiness sits in a close second place with 23, throughout his career McGuiness has said he hopes to match and not beat this record, however, with the 2021 cancellation, this dream may not have the chance to be a reality after some tough seasons on the Honda and Norton bikes.
When the 2022 Isle of Man TT rolls around, he will be 50 years old, an age when most riders would’ve been sat on their sofa for the last 10 years boring everyone to death about those times he used to go racing, however John has different ideas, wanting to continue racing but feeling bitterly disappointed at the decision.
“I’m a little bit empty to be honest. I’m not surprised, just sad really,” said McGuiness speaking to Manx Radio.
“I think all of us in the industry had it in our heads that the TT would probably go ahead in August, so it’s a bit of a shock for it to be called now but I understand.”
Doubting his 2022 entry given his age saying, “Next time I’ll stand on the start-line I’ll be 50 years old and to be looking down Bray Hill on a Superbike, I’m not sure if that’s going to happen.
A couple of years is a long time ahead and it has affected us because it’s my living, my passion and my job… I’m just trying to get my head around it and I’m super disappointed. I was due to make my 100th TT start next year, which would have been a special moment, but if it’s 2022 then it’s 2022.”
Let’s hope we can get this pandemic over and done with by 2022 so we can return to some road racing.
