John McGuinness was inducted into the Motor Sport magazine Hall of Fame at a star-studded ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House.

Morecambe’s Isle of Man TT legend, along with fellow racing greats Formula 1 World Champions Alain Prost and James Hunt and engineering genius Ross Brawn, joined one of the most exclusive and illustrious clubs in motorsport on Wednesday night.

McGuinness was honoured for his 20 victories at the island’s festival of racing and collected his award from another motorcycling great John Surtees, the only man ever to win the world title on both two wheels and four.

The 41-year-old, known as the Morecambe Missile, said:

“I can’t believe it!

“It’s been an amazing journey. I was first put on a motorbike when I was three-years-old by my dad, and I’ve come a long way since then.

“To see my name up there with so many greats of our sport is just a massive honour.

“Competing in the TT is such a thrill; just to ride it is exhilarating in itself, and to win there is really special – when you hear your national anthem playing, it’s something incredible.

“I never honestly thought I would be standing here with 20 wins; if I get one or two more, that would obviously be fantastic, but if I don’t then I’ve still had a great career, and it certainly won’t be through any lack of trying!”





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