Puncture robs John McGuinness of Classic TT win: ‘I didn’t deserve that’

Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness says a rear puncture robbed him of a chance to win the Historic Senior race on Friday at the 2025 Classic TT.

The 23-time TT winner led the field away in Friday’s two-lap Historic Classic Senior TT race aboard the Paton 500, as he aimed for a fourth class win and revenger for his defeat last year at the Manx Grand Prix.

McGuinness tripped the Glen Helen sector split on the opening lap around four seconds clear and was able to grow that lead to around 10 seconds by the time he got to the Ramsey split.

But his pace began to drop over the mountain, before he lost the lead at Cronk ny Mona and pulled into pitlane at the end of the lap.

McGuinness told Manx Radio TT that he suffered a rear puncture.

“It was going great until about Ramsey,” he said.

“And then just come round Stella Maris and it felt like… not a slide, it was weird.

“Basically, I got a rear puncture and it just moves around, moves around, and you can’t carry on. It was going great till Ramsey.”

It is the second puncture McGuinness has suffered on the Paton 500 during the Classic TT, having been hit by one on the front during practice week.

McGuinness used his vast Isle of Man experience to understand where to push on the course at the start of the race, with numerous damp patch warnings issued ahead of the contest.

“Absolutely flying”, McGuinness felt with all the “bad luck” he’s had on the Paton before that he “didn’t deserve” that end to his race.

“It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be,” he said of the conditions.

“I just attacked the track where I thought it was going to be dry.

“I’ve been around a long time and knew where it was going to be good.

“So, I really had a real good go through them sectors.

“And I was steady through the damp, which I think we all are - you should be.

“First pit board I saw plus four, then plus nine and I thought we were in touch here.

“Bike was absolutely flying. And I was really, really enjoying that. I waited ages and ages to ride, and I just got two thirds of a lap.

“The mountain was difficult but I just brought the bike back.

“But I couldn’t have carried on any further. I live to fight another day on the Paton.

“I’ve had so much bad luck with this bike, just don’t deserve that one.

“I had a puncture on the front earlier in practice week. And now a a puncture on the rear now. spoke tyres are for trials bikes!”

Mike Browne won the race from Adam McLean.