McGuinness joins Bournemouth Kawasaki for 2020 road racing season
Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness will make a shock switch to the Bournemouth Kawasaki team for the 2020 international road racing season
A 23-time winner at the TT, McGuinness made his comeback to the event last year follow two years on the sidelines due to a severe leg injury suffered at the 2017 North West 200.
Riding for Norton in the big bike classes and Lightweight class, McGuinness's return season was a nightmare of reliability woes on uncompetitive machinery.
He confirmed to Autosport he was still in talks with Norton about remaining for 2020, but revealed he had also held talks with Paul Bird Motorsport, after riding one of the reigning British Superbike champion's Ducatis at the Macau Grand Prix.
However, McGuinness has now taken over the Kawasaki machinery vacated by long-time Bournemouth Kawasaki runner James Hillier (pictured below) - who has switched to new roads squad OMG Racing.
Autosport understands McGuinness was close to a deal to join Hillier and David Johnson at the OMG squad prior to Christmas.
However, OMG has confirmed it will no longer run a third rider in 2020.
"I am delighted to be riding for Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki at the 2020 Isle of Man TT," said McGuinness
"Their record on the island with James Hillier, in terms of both results and reliability, speaks for itself. "With it being such a family-orientated team, it's the perfect fit for me and they're a highly reputable, professional team who have achieved great things on both the roads and the circuits.
"Pete [Extance, team boss] drove all the way up to Morecambe to meet me and put the offer on the table, and it didn't take much for me to sign - it was an easy decision.
"Everything made perfect sense and we've put together a good plan that will put us in the best position possible.
"Joining Kawasaki and Pete's team is a new chapter for me, one I'm excited about and really looking forward to."
Autosport understands McGuinness was close to a deal to join Hillier and David Johnson at the OMG squad prior to Christmas.
- More road racing from Autosport
- BSB squad OMG Racing to make TT debut in '20
-
Hillier aims for Hickman-style team building
- Hickman switches to Yamaha for Supersport class
- Podcast: What's next for TT legend John McGuinness
The announcement does not make clear if McGuinness will also ride the Bournemouth Kawasaki team's Zx-6R in the Supersport class.
The details of the "plan" McGuinness mentions is also unclear, but it is likely to involve a proper test programme and short circuit outings - something McGuinness previously told Autosport he was looking for from Norton after the 2019 TT.
Alfa Romeo F1 junior Calderon to be first female Super Formula racer
Smedley launches electric kart to 'democratise' grassroots motorsport
Magazine: F1 half-term report, Brabham celebration
Our new half-term Formula 1 report of the season so far leads this week’s Autosport magazine (18 August), which also celebrates Brabham.
Motorsport Games Officially Licensed NASCAR Game to Bring Users Authentic and Customizable Racing Experiences, Available for Pre-order August 24.
Magazine: Hamilton's F1 2009 woes retrospective, BMW Motorsport at 50
Lewis Hamilton’s struggles with mediocre Formula 1 machinery in 2009 and 2022 are compared in this week’s Autosport magazine, out today (11 August).
Rodin reveals more details about 'F1-beating' hypercar
More details have been revealed about Rodin’s new closed-cockpit FZERO hypercar, which it intends will offer greater performance than Formula 1 machinery.
Why romanticism isn't the key factor in Lola’s racing return
The iconic Lola name is being relaunched after it was taken over by new ownership. Part of that reboot is a planned return to racing, though the exact details of this are still to be finalised - though its new owner does have a desire to bring the brand back to the Le Mans 24 Hours. But romanticism doesn't appear to be the driving force behind this renewed project...
Rating the best drivers of the century so far
Autosport's Top 50 feature has been a staple of the magazine for the past two decades since its first appearance in 2002. Here are the drivers that have featured most prevalently during that time
The best motorsport moments of 2021
Motorsport produced one of its greatest years of all-time in 2021 despite a backdrop of ongoing COVID-19 challenges and an ever-changing racing landscape. Through the non-stop action Autosport has collected the finest moments from the past 12 months to highlight the incredible drama and joy motorsport generates
The racing comeback artists who resurrected long-dormant careers
Making it in motorsport can be tough, and sometimes drivers move elsewhere before their best chance arrives. Here are some of those who made it back
The hidden racing gem attracting ex-F1 heroes
It’s rarely mentioned when it comes to assessing the best national contests, but the Brazilian Stock Car series that reaches its climax this weekend has an ever-growing appeal. Its expanding roster of ex-Formula 1 names has helped to draw in new fans, but it's the closeness of competition that keeps them watching
The one-time Schumacher rival rebooting his career Down Under
Joey Mawson made waves in the middle of the last decade, beating future Haas Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher - among other highly-rated talents - to the 2016 German F4 title. A run in F1's feeder GP3 category only caused his career to stall, but now back in Australia Mawson's S5000 title success has set that to rights
The lesson football’s would-be wreckers could learn from racing
OPINION: The greed-driven push for a European Super League that threatened to tear football apart is collapsing at the seams. Motor racing's equivalent, the football-themed Superleague Formula series of 2008-11, was everything that the proposed ESL never could be
The F1 and Indy 'nearly man' that found contentment in Japan
Having had the door to F1 slammed in his face and come within three laps of winning the Indianapolis 500, the collapse of a Peugeot LMP1 shot meant Japan was Bertrand Baguette's last chance of a career. But it's one which he has grasped with both hands