Isle of Man TT star John McGuinness crashes out of rain hit Superstock race
Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness was denied a podium finish in the opening round of the National Superstock 1000cc Championship when he fell in treacherous conditions.
The Morecambe star, racing the Padgetts Honda at Brands Hatch on Monday, had third place in his sights with just a handful of laps to go when he slipped off in the rain.
McGuinness had a strong start to the weekend, securing a front row start for the race.
Heavy rain made the race itself a tricky prospect, but McGuinness burst through at the start to grab the holeshot and lead for three laps.
Lap four saw him shuffled back down to fourth, but he was soon back up to third when Jonathan Railton crashed.
The constantly shifting race saw McGuinness pushed back into fourth on lap 15 by fellow Honda rider Jason O'Halloran. The TT great was right in the wheel tracks of O’Halloran, chasing down a return to third, when, on lap 19, he high sided in the wet conditions.
McGuinness, who fortunately escaped injury, said:
“In all my years of racing I've never known a race like that - conditions were terrible and I lost count of how many slides I had, it was literally every corner, every lap!”
“I got the perfect start and although it's hard to know what pace to set in wet conditions like today, I just went at the speed I felt was comfortable. A couple of the boys went by me, but I felt strong even if it was like riding on a double-edged sword.”
“There was no grip and it was cold, but when Jason came by I wanted to stay with him as I wanted a podium today. The bike just went away from me though and it happened so quick there was nothing I could do.”
“I feel for the team as they did a great job all weekend and the bike was flying, but we're in one piece and can look forward to the rest of the season knowing we've got the pace to run at the front of the field."
The terrible conditions ultimately saw the event cut short before the second British Superbike Championship race had been run.
McGuinness is now heading to Magny Cours, France, to join up with the Honda TT Legends team for the opening round of the World Endurance Championship, with practice starting on Thursday.