John McGuinness and Dean Harrison to Take on North West 200
John McGuinness and Dean Harrison will spearhead Honda’s challenge at the North West 200
John McGuinness and Dean Harrison will get their 2025 road racing season underway for Honda at this week’s North West 200.
McGuinness, who is a 23-time Isle of Man TT winner, heads into the event looking to build on his six wins around the 8.97-mile circuit which has hosted the North West 200 since 1929.
The 53-year-old also arrives at the NW 200 off the back of setting personal best lap times at Donington Park and Oulton Park as part of his pre-season testing schedule.
McGuinness made his NW200 debut in 1994 and has been a consistent participant in the Northern Ireland-based event, which included an appearance in 2024 where he finished on the podium.
Teammate Harrison is a ten-time podium finisher at the NW200 but is yet to taste victory. The Yorkshireman will be racing in the Supersport class aboard a CBR600RR, as well as the Superstock and Superbike classes on a CBR1000RR-R.
Speaking ahead of this week’s races, McGuinness said: “My first North West 200 was 1994 and I’ve loved it ever since. Really, it’s difficult to get across how good the event is: the people are so hospitable, it’s a stunning part of the world, everyone’s so enthusiastic and you can’t help but look forward to it.
“As a rider, it’s incredible to be there at over 200 mph wheel-to-wheel with the best road racers in the world. We nibbled onto the podium last year and that’s got to be the target once again.
“Everything has gone well in testing, I’ve been setting personal best times - but then so has everyone else! It’s good that I’m still going forward, and to ride a full-on Superbike this year is really special. Have I got the pace to win it? We’ll see. Realistically, I’m desperate for Dean to win and I’d love to be up on the podium with him. We’re in a good place I think.”
Racing at the 2025 NW200 gets underway with three evening races on Thursday, before a six-race schedule will round out proceedings on Saturday, 10 May.
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
