2012 National Superstock 1000cc Championship
Keeping in sharp condition for international road racing, 17-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness competes in a few series, including the National Superstock 1000cc Championship in the UK.
And this past weekend, the series was at the Brands Hatch, the Superstock series a support race for the British Superbike Championship.
But not too rare, it rained at Brands Hatch, causing treacherous conditions for the Morecambe rider. While in chasing fellow Honda rider Jason O’Halloran for third with just a few laps to go in the shortened race, McGuinness crashed, high-sided in the rain.
This was very unfortunate for McGuinness, considering he began from the front row. During the race, McGuinness grabbed the holeshot, and lead the opening three laps. As for the podium, Kawasaki’s Keith Farmer was victorious, and joined on the podium by Steve Brogan (BMW) and O”halloran (Honda).
John McGuinness (Padgetts Honda CBR1000RR) says: “In all my years of racing I’ve never known a race like that – conditions were terrible and I lost count of how many slides I had, it was literally every corner, every lap!
“I got the perfect start and although it’s hard to know what pace to set in wet conditions like today, I just went at the speed I felt was comfortable. A couple of the boys went by me, but I felt strong even if it was like riding on a double-edged sword.
“There was no grip and it was cold, but when Jason came by I wanted to stay with him as I wanted a podium today. The bike just went away from me though and it happened so quick there was nothing I could do.
“I feel for the team as they did a great job all weekend and the bike was flying, but we’re in one piece and can look forward to the rest of the season knowing we’ve got the pace to run at the front of the field.”
McGuinness now heads to Magny Cours, France, for the opening round of the 2012 World Endurance Championship; he will compete aboard Honda TT Legends machinery.
