McGuinness: "I feel I'm riding the best I've ever ridden"

Author: Oli Rushby at Castle Combe Posted: 29 Apr 2015

John McGuinness has said he feels like he’s riding the best he’s ever ridden ahead of his 2015 season getting underway at the North West 200 next week.

The Honda Racing rider has spent the last two days testing his CBR1000RR Fireblade at Castle Combe in Wiltshire before heading to Northern Ireland for the first international road race of 2015. 

McGuinness endured a tough season last year after breaking his wrist in a training accident. This ruled the Morecambe Missile out of much of his pre-season preparation and left him handicapped at both the North West and Isle of Man TT last year. With the exception of the TT Zero race, McGuinness failed to finish on the podium for the first time in recent history.

“I’m in a much better place than I was last year,” McGuinness told Bike Social at Castle Combe. “I’ve got a lot more confidence, I’m happier and much more motiviated. There’s tonnes going on as usual, a full programme and a busy diary so I’m sort of back at where I was at the end of 2013, probably riding the best I’ve ever ridden. I might not be the fittest guy out there, everyone takes the piss out of my weight but I’m over all that now. I’m feeling confident and a confident John McGuinness is a fast John McGuinness."

Read more...

• John McGuinness: ‘You can’t win them all’ 

“We haven’t had anything to develop or worry about, we haven’t been messing with links and exhausts, modifying this changing that – the bike is a good, strong competitive package. I know it inside out, I felt comfortable and at home straight away after just a few laps here yesterday, I’ve done a Monteblanco test, Le Mans and been to Oulton Park on my stocker. We’ve done tonnes of mileage and I feel like I’m on fire. It’s not going to be easy, when you look down the entry list for next week’s North West 200 there’s ten or twelve of us who could won it! I’m going to be in there, I’m definitely going to be in there this year.”

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