McGuinness '˜very interested' in Norton TT deal

The 45-year-old is recovering from a serious crash at the North West 200 last year and has confirmed he is pursuing other options this season after his long and trophy-laden association with Honda has come to an end.

Yorkshire’s Ian Hutchinson and Northern Ireland’s Lee Johnston have joined the official Honda Racing team this year to ride the Fireblade SP2, but McGuinness is now a free agent and admits joining Stuart Garner’s Norton line-up is an attractive proposition.

The Morecambe man revealed he has held talks with Ulster’s Tyco BMW team, Kawasaki and Norton, although McGuinness admits he has no idea whether or not he will be fit enough to compete at the TT in June.

Speaking at the annual Joey Dunlop Foundation dinner on Saturday night on the Isle of Man - hosted by Jo Pack of the Sport Package - the 23-time TT winner said: “Everyone is paying attention to Norton now and Josh Brookes missed the TT for two years and then did 131mph on it and finished sixth or seventh, so I’m very, very interested in it but nothing is signed.

“I just want to ride again and I don’t want to finish like I did, going through a fence at the North West and landing on a golf course.

“At the moment I’m a 45-year-old ex-brickie with a manky leg, so I’m worth nothing. I’m just trying to keep my options open. I met with Honda last week and the boss came to see me at the house and we sat down and spoke about everything, but we shook hands and I decided it was time for me to move on and do some other things,” he added.

“I’ve had so much success with Honda and it’s been amazing – ups and downs and a few rows with [Neil] Tuxworth, my boss, along the way – but it’s part of the job and the roller coaster of racing.

“I just needed to do something else for my own sanity. I spoke to TAS, BMW and Kawasaki and I’ve also thought about running something myself, and also I’ve spoken to Norton.

“It will probably be a last-minute dash around mid-May before I can really know if I can be there [at the TT], so I’ve got to just put my entries in and then see if I can do it.”

McGuinness has also been in contact with Mugen after outlining his desire to compete in the TT Zero race once again. The Japanese team intends to run three machines this year and McGuinness is in line to return in the class after missing out last year through injury.

“I spoke with Mugen at the Autosport Show and I’ve said I would love to do it again, but there’s no point in me telling people I’ll be brand new in March and able to go testing because the reality is that I’ll probably not be,” he said.

“I had an X-ray last Friday and the results were brilliant to be fair. The surgeon has done the job right from the start and he says I’m healing like a 30-year-old and everything is going well.

“I’m pushing him like mad to get the cage off but he says it won’t be coming off unless the leg is 100 per-cent; I’m just a bit impatient because it’s been on since May and I’m desperate to get it off,” added McGuinness.

“I’ve had ups and downs and it’s been tough because I’m not used to this, but my real friends have come out and supported me, while others involved in the game have stuck their heads in the sand. My real friends have come out of the woodwork and helped me through it.”