John McGuinness will attempt to further his remarkable record of success at the Isle of Man TT in 2022 with a surprise return to the factory Honda squad, it has been reported.
The second most successful rider to have ever tackled the road racing festival, McGuinness currently holds 23 victories on the Mountain Course, just three shy of overall record holder Joey Dunlop on 26 successes.
Many of these wins were achieved on Honda machinery, with McGuinness enjoying a long and successful tenure with Honda stretching back to 2006. This came to an end in 2018 in the wake of an accident - caused by a throttle blip - on the North West 200 that left him with a broken leg.
On his return to action he hooked up with the ambitious but ultimately cash-strapped Norton before planning to making a switch to Kawasaki machinery 2020 just prior to that year’s Isle of Man TT being cancelled due to the coronavirus.
With this year’s edition also axed, free agent McGuinness has thus sought a new deal that - according to a reputable source for all things road racing, Northern Ireland’s ‘The Newsletter’ paper - will see him back on factory Honda machinery for 2022.
The fresh contract comes after McGuinness admitted the two year break between TT events might force him to retire, but instead he will get to ride the latest generation Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade for what should be a full road racing campaign.
“It’s a great package and I feel like I’m maybe going to be going back home, maybe slipping into the old slippers that I know,” McGuinness - who will take his 100th start next year, told Manx Radio
“But I can’t say too much about it, but the main thing with the TT is that you’ve got to be happy, you’ve got to be confident in your team and all on the same page, and where we’re going next year, we’re all really excited about it.
“It’s been weird, coming up to my 100th start, so I’m feeling a little bit of pressure, but I shouldn’t really feel any pressure because it’s just going to be another race.
“I’ve nothing left to prove anymore and I just still love coming across, I still love riding the place and I still enjoy everything about it.
“I miss the people, I miss the bikes, the atmosphere – there’s only one place like it and the Isle of Man is so unique, and I’ve loved every minute of it.”
McGuinness is expected to be paired with Honda’s BSB racer Glenn Irwin, who will make his TT debut having already enjoyed success on a Ducati at the North West 200 and Macau Grand Prix.
