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John McGuinness 130mph Mountain King at the TT

© Martin Coard
By Phil Wain June 9 2007
Morecambe’s John McGuinness set the Isle of Man alight on Friday when he not only won the Senior TT, but also made history when he became the first man to lap the 37-¾ mile circuit in excess of 130mph. The HM Plant Honda rider broke his own outright lap record on the opening lap to seize the lead.

And John went quicker still on his second lap, with a spell-binding speed of 130.354mph, to etch his name in the record books once more. This allowed him to strenghten his lead, and he clinched his second win of the week, his third successive Senior race, and his 13th TT victory in total.

With conditions again perfect, John set off at his now customary blistering pace, and it came as no surprise to hear he was two seconds in the lead at Glen Helen, the first commentary point. The usual suspects, Guy Martin and Ian Hutchinson, were again pushing hard - with the former named providing the closest challenge. However, an opening lap of 129.883mph moved John almost ten seconds clear, and with that magical 130mph mark being acheived next time around, his advantage had grown to 14 seconds.

Martin wasn’t making it easy for John though, and it was only when his chain began to jump the sprocket in the final two laps that John was able to breathe more easily. With another lap in excess of 129mph, John was able to extend his advantage and he crossed the line at the end of the six laps in a race record time of 1hr46m44.23s (Av.127.255mph) to win by 32 seconds clear. The win moved him into joint third on the all time winners list, with only Joey Dunlop (26) and Mike Hailwood (14) having acheived more.

Speaking afterwards, a naturally delighted John said:
“Unbelievable - brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! To get two wins, take the 130mph lap and become the third most successful rider ever, all at the Centenary event, is absolutely fantastic, and it’s really something special - I’m so proud of what I’ve achieved. I tried really hard at the beginning of the race and felt very strong over the Mountain, so I concentrated on hitting all my apexes, braking points etc and to be the first man to break the 130mph barrier is unbelievable.

“The whole package has been brilliant, and I’ve had the same people with me for the last two years - the bike has now won four TTs, so maybe Honda will let me keep it for my collection! The track was in great condition and the weather was spot on, so I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon’s work. I’ve got to say a big thank you to the army of fans who were so appreciative, cheering all around the course, as well as all the marshals and organisers who helped make the show possible. I’m on a mega high at the moment, and the job’s a dream!”

It’s back to the British Supersport Championship for John next, with the latest round taking place at Mondello Park, near Dublin, this next weekend, Sunday 17th June.


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