John’s view of the Senior win
On Friday John McGuinness took a sensational win in the PokerStars Senior TT - restarted and shortened to four laps following Jamie Hamilton’s accident on the second lap of the initial running.
The race proved a superb end to a fantastic Isle of Man TT 2015 fuelled by Monster Energy as Honda Racing’s John McGuinness stormed to victory in the Senior TT race aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP. Team-mate Conor Cummins crossed the line in sixth.
On a mission from the start, McGuinness had claimed the lead by the end of lap one and in a superb display of his renowned skill around the Isle of Man TT, he proceeded to increase the gap sector by sector.
After a super-slick pit stop by his crew at the halfway point, McGuinness had opened his lead to 12 seconds. During the epic race, the ‘Morecambe Missile' broke the outright Senior TT lap record with a 132.701mph lap and was just a fraction off a sub 17-minute lap.
He crossed the line in first place, 14.214 seconds ahead of James Hillier in second and Ian Hutchinson in third. The victory is McGuinness’s 23rd TT win and his seventh in the Senior TT.
John’s take on the Senior in his own words -
‘Today [Friday] was a new day. I’ve been struggling a little this week, which is no-one's fault. I have been slow off the line and losing a bit of time, and I needed to find the form I had a few years ago.
‘In the restart I didn’t want James Hillier to catch me, so off the start I gave it my all, got my head down and pushed as hard as I could. Lap two I really did give it everything I could and the reaction coming in to the pits was amazing – it felt like it did when I broke the first 130mph lap. My team got me through the pits perfectly and going into the third lap the reaction from the crowd was great and I did think I’d taken the outright lap record.
‘I’d like to say a huge thanks to the marshals and the medics out there around the course, who do a fantastic job, and of course to my team and Honda for believing that it was still possible. Riding round the Isle of Man with a 17-second lead felt pretty special!’
Honda Racing Team Boss and former TT competitor Neil Tuxworth was impressed by John’s performance -
‘What a great day for John, the team and of course Honda to win what I suppose is the most iconic race of the week, the Senior TT. John rode superbly and, as I told him, he’s still the man who holds the race record round here on that bike and I knew he had the ability to win the race if he set his mind to it.
‘It was obvious he was in the right mindset today. On lap one when he got to Glen Helen we knew he was fighting for a win and I’m just so pleased for him. He’s been a bit down on himself this week and lost a bit of confidence, which he didn’t need to do, as he’s very strong, along with the CBR and the team.
‘Our lads did an excellent job in the pits and pulled about 10-seconds back. We're so pleased it was a superb performance an d we’re over the moon for him.’