TT 2026: Isle of Man legend John McGuinness makes retirement admission - 'After the Senior, I'll have a look at myself in the mirror'
Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness admits he “can’t carry on forever” as he prepares to mark the 30th anniversary of his debut this year.
The Morecambe man raced at the TT for the first time in 1996 and went on to become one of the most famous names in the history of the iconic race, winning 23 times.
McGuinness is part of the Honda Racing team along with Dean Harrison again this year and remains a top-six contender in the Superbike class at 54.
Now in the twilight of his career, McGuinness says he “doesn’t know” when he will hang up his leathers for good.
“I can’t carry on forever. I don’t know when I should stop, what I should do, but hopefully I’ll know that time when to hang the boots up,” McGuinness said, speaking during a special TT Podcast Live event to celebrate his 30-year career.
“But at the minute, I’m just going to hit it head-on this year, concentrate on what I’m doing.
“It’s a strange place to be in if you’re six or seventh, you would feel you’d be unhappy with that, but I’m not.
“I’m really happy just to be part of that with Honda, and them giving me that opportunity to do it. And it’s really cool.
“Scott (Hargreaves) my boss said to me, ‘if you want to stop, stop, and if you want to stop in the middle of the race, stop’.
“I’m going to carry on this year, and then after the Senior, I’ll have a look at myself in the mirror and maybe decide to stop, or maybe carry on.”
McGuinness says he is “humbled” by his achievements at the TT after seizing the opportunities that came his way.
“I mean, it’s mega humbling really. I’m sort of a simple lad from up north who grew up in Morecambe and Esham, and got some other dream about winning TTs or being a bike racer, being a professional bike racer,” he said.
“I went to college and learned to lay bricks and had that sort of to fall back on. But I just wanted to be a professional bike racer, and got some breaks along the way with some good people, got some lucky breaks.
“And when I got the breaks, I took them, I wouldn’t let it go. And I think there’s a lot of people here that are not with us anymore, and I just want to say a shout out to them as well. I’ve lost a lot of friends through it, and I’ll never ever forget them.
“And I wouldn’t be sat here if it wasn’t for Paul Bird. We lost him a couple of years ago and he was my first guy who gave me that chance.
“I think it’s just been a fascinating journey, where it’s took me, people I’ve met; friends, family and all that.”
McGuinness will compete in the Superbike, Superstock and Senior races at the 2026 TT, where practice week is scheduled to commence on Monday, May 25.