I celebrated my win last year by stuffing the wifeās belly full of arms and legs
My daughter is a month old but it hasnāt changed how I view my racing. A week after my son was born he was at the race of the year with me and the wife at Mallory Park and he did the whole of the world championship series with me in 2002. We havenāt let our lives revolve around bringing the kids up in one place. You bring your kids up the way you want, and whether itās right or wrong thatās how weāve decided to bring ours up. Heās not into bikes, he likes history and weird stuff. Itās different, in a nice way.
I hope to stop racing the TT sooner rather than later
Iām waiting to hear that demon in my head saying, āRight John, thatās it, pack it in now.ā āCos itāll get you, eventually. It has to, itās got other people and eventually itāll get me. But Iām still sharp, I look at Steve Plater at 42 and think for fucksake. Heās riding better than he ever hasĀ and right now at 38 Iām as up for it as Iāve ever been.
I have issues with my neighbour, sheās a pain in the arse
Sheās a fifty-odd-year-old, cocooned in a six-bedroom house and she just collects shit and moans about everything. I think she just needs a good shag, off a bloke or a woman. She moaned when I put a fence up, I didnāt have planning permission but I do have the freedom of the town, so I bunged it up anyway. I had to swear my allegiance to Morecambe and Lancaster, swear I wouldnāt deface it.
Iām making no changes to last yearās bike for this year
I know what the TTās like, we could get there and thereāll be rain for three days. Thatās when teams start flapping and making silly changes. The package we had last year is perfect, all Iāll do is clean the flies off the bike, put some fresh fuel in it and pump the tyres up. Thereās no better a set-up to start this year with than the one we had on the bike at the end of last year.
When I was 13 I used to sneak onto the ferry on my own
Just to go and pull wheelies on the prom on my BMX. I first came to the island in ā82 when I was ten, to watch my Dad racing at Jurby. I remember crying on the boat on the way home because I didnāt want to leave. The old ferry was a side loader and I used to hide behind cars that were paying to board and ride on beside the cars as they pulled away. My mum and dad knew Iād come home as I had nowhere to sleep. When I was 16 Iād swapped the BMX for a racer and bought a tent so I could stay over.
I wouldnāt trade my TTs for more short circuit wins
People seem to have really short memories, I was British 250 champion in ā99, did WSS in ā02, Iāve won at Daytona, Macau and finished third in Superstocks last year. I guess the TT just overshadows everything but people always think Iām no good at short stuff. The gap between Superstock and Superbikes at the TT is amazing now. You can go in a shop, buy a nine grand bike, put a shock kit and an exhaust on and run with Ā£180k Superbikes. Itās madness and all the better for that. Itās also become trendy to do, which I find hilarious.
āIām not doing that, fuck the TT,ā was DJās response
When we first started talking about coming to the Island. That was when we were both doing Superteens back in ā91. It wasnāt until I was 25 that I started racing here and we both started the same year. First time out I got a 15th and won best newcomer. Nobody gave him the credit he deserved, that boy was fantastic on a bike, even on the short circuits. He was a big lad (Dave Jefferies) but he was brilliant.
The appeal of the island has never changed for me
I still love the whole build up, I enjoy making sure Iām surrounded by the right people with the right bike and set-up. But, the biggest thrill is still winning. To do six laps on a 210bhp superbike, with pit stops, to link every corner and make the most of every single section is amazing, but to do that faster than anyone else in the world and win is such a hard feeling to explain, but thatās what keeps me coming back.
Valentino Rossi presented me with my trophy last year
It was great. He was being pulled from pillar to post so we didnāt get much of a chance to chat, so he invited me to his garage at the British GP. I didnāt want him to turn out to be a knob, you know what they say about never meeting your heroes. He was bouncing about when we saw him, looked genuinely pleased that Iād shown up and took me and the family into his garage for half an hour. It was brilliant. Without a doubt he could win at the TT.
I have got absolutely no interests in my life
Apart from motorbikes and my family, which is really sad isnāt it? I like speedway. Iām a diehard Belle Vue supporter, they stuffed it to Eastbourne a few nights back and itĀ made my week. Iāve got the best job in the world. A lot of my mates are tradesman, out of the house before breakfast, back after teatime and they never get to see their kids. I get to go racing and do the school run.
I always knew I was going to end up racing here
While everyone else was studying pi squared or whatever, I was over here studying this place. I missed my chemistry and English exams because I wanted to go and watch the 600TT, they tried to charge me Ā£15 for missing them. Iāve got no qualifications at all. DJ didnāt either but I had so much respect for him, for the numbers he could get here.
Iād like to stay around bikes when I pack the racing in
I suppose Iāll be a bit like Victor Meldrew, knocking around kicking bits and pieces. A lot of the guys I know that have retired say they canāt watch racing, but I love watching racing. I can think of no better way to take it in if Iām not riding than to be sat with a few Stellas and the radio on, talking shit with everyone else. All I can say to the fans that come over for the TT and want to ride laps is be careful. If you get drawn into a lap, no matter how good you are, youāll come unstuck. Then, your world will change.