It was not part of a grand plan. John McGuinness never made grand plans. But he hankered after equalling Joey Dunlop's TT record of 26 wins and hoped that Honda would deliver a machine capable of getting him the three more he required.
Not any more. It is unlikely that one of the greatest and most popular TT riders of all time will ever again rocket down Bray Hill in TT week with, as he put it, his backside on fire.
That, to his thousands of fans, is the bad news. The good news is that he is still alive following a 100mph+ crash during practice for the North West 200. And to many of those fans who were wondering if, at 45, it was time to quit it is a relief that the decision may have been made for him. And he is still alive.
Not that McGuinness has announced his retirement. Indeed he has already made his comeback, spending hours at the TT signing his new book, and will certainly be irritated that someone has had the temerity to suggest he should even contemplate retirement. But while the spirit may be willing the flesh, with a multiplicity of broken bones, is considerably weakened – although his appearance on the Glencrutchery Road grid was an act of magnificent defiance.
Indeed, there are those who say that he is lucky to have survived the crash at Primrose Hill, one of the most dangerous sections on the coast road between Portrush and Portstewart.
He has always recognised the particular dangers of road racing, talked openly about absent friends David Jefferies and Paul Shoesmith and analysed his ability to turn his mind away from the loss - ‘although we couldn't forget it’ - and concentrate on the next race. As he puts it: "We'd be off down Bray Hill, backside on fire, looking for the next record. Onwards and upwards.”
He was also comforted by the knowledge that his family, led by wife Becky, also understood the risks and were supportive. Of his 15 year old son Euan he said: "He's getting to the age now when he probably understands that if it does go wrong he knows what's going to happen."
That was then. This is now. As he contemplates what might have been, this modest, self-effacing man from Morecambe should not forget that he will go down as a TT great, an achievement which will stay with him for the rest of his natural life and beyond. And his fans will be happy for it to be that way even if he never puts his leg over a bike again.
In fact, they'd probably be happier if he didn't. The bet, of course, is that he will and even though the great man may have given up on his main ambition we have not seen the last of him with the Classic TT in August being a likely target. Whether it will be on a Honda or not is another matter.
But what about Honda? Honda is the most loyal manufacturer the TT has ever had, but using the TT and Guy Martin to launch its new Fireblade was always high risk.
It is certainly turning into an annus horribilis for the world's greatest motorcycle manufacturer. Its performance in WorldSBK is embarrassing, theMotoGP team is not where it should be to be and the F1 effort with McLaren is a disaster. In British Superbikes, Honda is performing with a degree of credit but in both, improvements promised to Superbike seem to be slow in arriving. And the roads problems were certainly not helped by having far too little time for preparation leading up to, and including, the worst TT practice week in living memory.
But even HRC cannot control the weather nor the other great and tragic misfortune to hit the racing world. Nicky Hayden's horrible accident – being in collision with a car while out cycling – is stark reminder that accidents can happen anywhere, nothing is completely safe and we can only try to make it safer.
