Three weeks ago we told you that John McGuinness had said that he was: “Very, very interested in a Norton deal for the TT,” and today we can confirm he has signed to ride for the Norton factory team in the Superbike and Senior TT Races at the 2018 Isle of Man TT.
McGuinness joins 2015 British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes in a two-man team using the latest specification Norton ‘SG7’ machines, derived from the firm’s flagship V4 RR road bike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCALY7o3NJ4
Enjoy everything More Bikes by reading the monthly newspaper, Read FREE Online.
McGuinness last won a Superbike class race in 2015, winning the Senior TT and breaking the outright lap record with a lap of 132.701 in the process. He achieved podiums in both the 2016 Superbike and Senior TT but missed last year’s TT race meeting due to serious injuries sustained in the North West 200, which he is still recovering from. However, he expects to be back to full fitness in time for his TT debut with Norton this June.
https://www.morebikes.co.uk/42886/john-mcguinness-im-very-interested-in-a-norton-deal-for-the-tt/
Speaking about signing for Norton, John McGuinness said: “I didn’t want to end my career due to an injury, but the truth is I didn’t know whether I would be able to come back as I didn’t know how fit I was going to be. Right now, things are going well. I feel a lot sharper and my head is in gear and ready to go. The plan is to get the external fixator cage off my leg by the end of this month and after that, we can start working towards getting bike fit and testing.”
“I’m definitely ready for a change of manufacturer. I needed an injection of enthusiasm and I’ve found it with Norton. From the first time, I met with Stuart (Garner) the vibe was there and the passion. I watched Steve Hislop win the TT on the Norton in 1992 and it was massive. Everyone remembers that! We can’t get carried away, it’s going to be a big job but I’ve watched a lot of YouTube videos of the bike in action, I watched the bike out on track last year and it’s clearly a very fast and capable bike and I can tell you there are worse handling bikes out there too, so there’s no reason we can’t do the business if the stars line up right.”
Norton Motorcycles CEO Stuart Garner added: “We’ve been talking to John for a year or more, he’s the talent. He’s the man at the TT with the total experience, the results, and the pedigree. We have the ambition to win the TT and to go on to develop a really strong team in years to come. We’d got John in our sights for a long time.”
“To get John in the Norton team with his experience and knowledge available is fabulous. Norton will seize the opportunity to get John involved in all aspects of the bike – he’s a huge asset to Norton. Everyone in the factory has got a huge buzz., It’s pretty special. We’re all looking forward to the TT but we’ve not set any targets and take nothing for granted. Putting John McGuiness and Norton together is a dream team, but we know all results at the TT are hard earned whatever your name.”
For more information on the IOMTT, click HERE.
Advert
Enjoy everything More Bikes by reading the MoreBikes monthly newspaper. Click here to subscribe, or Read FREE Online.
