John McGuinness: “I didn’t enjoy” bad conditions at Isle of Man TT, “it’s tricky”
Honda Racing UK's John McGuinness and Dean Harrison found conditions tough at Isle of Man TT
John McGuinness admitted that his first laps at the 2025 Isle of Man TT were marred by the poor weather.
Tuesday’s session went ahead as untimed practice allowing McGuiness and co their first look at the Mountain Course.
But, although they were able to get some initial preparation under their belts, McGuinness was honest about the challenges.
2025 Isle of Man TT: Full practice and race schedule
“I didn’t really enjoy it to be honest, it’s really patchy everywhere,” he told the Belfast Newsletter.
“It’s tricky and I didn’t enjoy it, but it was good to get some base on the bike and we tried a few different tyres and eliminated a few things.
“It was quite hard to see as well but we’ve got some laps in and a four o’clock this afternoon I couldn’t believe we were going to go.
“The conditions were better than I thought they were going to be but still a little bit sketchy, but we got some laps under our belt, sleep on it and we’ll go tomorrow.”
McGuinness is a 23-time TT race winner and a legend of the famous event. He remains competitive, aged 53.
He is a part of a two-rider Honda Racing UK line-up with Dean Harrison who also found the conditions on Tuesday to be difficult.
Honda boss Havier Beltran said: “Dean went out on the 600cc. Two laps down, he came in and said ‘it’s pretty sketchy out there’.
“He had a good chat with John about the areas to roll off, and where it’s a bit risky or apprehensive.
“I am pleased we managed to run the Superbike after the weather we had. It’s not ideal but at least we got some laps, and we’re able to see what’s going on.”
Beltran insisted that Harrison, prioritising Supersport machinery this year at the TT and in the British Superbike Championship, is one to watch.
“Look what Dean was able to do at the North West 200 - five podiums in six races,” he said.
“He’s on a roll, even in BSB, so we’re keen to carry on that momentum.
“From last year, when Dean ran on the Superbike in BSB, we discussed running the 600cc.
“It’s a good move for him. It enabled him to push hard, work hard, at BSB consistently.
“That can roll into the North West 200 and everything else.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
