Isle of Man TT legends John McGuinness and Dave Molyneux have been honoured by bosses by having corners on the 37.73-mile Mountain Course named after them.
McGuinness's' is at 'Shoughlaigue' which is the fast run down from Handley's Corner before the top of Barregarrow. It is his favourite part of the course and one where he believes he can gain time on his rivals. 'McGuinness's' will feature his infamous voodoo artwork that has adorned his helmets for many years.
"It’s an absolute honour and I was pretty speechless when the organisers told me about the idea. It’s the most famous circuit in the world and you grow up watching the greats who go on to have corners named after them and now I‘m sitting here with a corner named after me, it doesn’t get much better than that. I was close to tears when I was standing by the sign today and what’s particularly nice is that it breaks a tradition and honours current riders," said McGuinness.
“The corner I chose is one that always gives me a special thrill when I go ride my bike through it. You never see many people watching from it and some people might not even have given it much thought but it’s part of the course I love to ride through. It’s a high speed, 6th gear corner, probably 180mph, which, when you go through it in a car, you wouldn’t think would be possible. It’s a fantastic sequence of bends and the last left opens up lovely so you can get a good run down to Barregarrow. It’s a bit of a childhood dream to have part of the course named after you and for generations to come it will always be called McGuinness’s.”
'Molyneux's' is the fast right-hander at the end of Cronk-y-Voddy straight and will now be called. As the most successful local competitor by some distance, Molyneux's will be also be represented by the Island's three legs.
The illustrious duo will be following in the wheel-tracks of some of the greatest names in motorcycling history to have sections of the course named after them including Giacomo Agostini, Geoff Duke, Jimmy Guthrie, Mike Hailwood and Joey Dunlop. The new signs that are named after famous TT riders also feature some individual artwork that reflects the rider's iconography.
