John McGuinness: “Everybody thinks we’re nutters - it’s frustrating for us”

John McGuinness has denied that Isle of Man TT riders are “nutters”.

The TT is known for its danger and for the bravery and skill of its riders, and few have mastered the Mountain Course better than McGuinness.

His 23 TT victories have been bettered by only Joey Dunlop and Michael Dunlop.

“Everybody thinks we’re nutters, that we’ve got a screw loose,” McGuinness told Goodwood.

“It’s the most frustrating thing in the world for us.

“I’ve done 52,000 miles around there, and if you’ve got a screw loose, you’re going to last five minutes. Simple as that.

“It’s all calculated, it’s all assessed.”

Davey Todd won his first two races at the Isle of Man TT earlier this year.

He agrees with the legend McGuinness that those bold enough to tackle the TT are not merely risk-takers.

Todd said: “Every second, every inch, every mile is completely thought-out and rehearsed to the tightest degree.

“You can’t switch your brain off for a second.”

After the perils of the TT this year, McGuinness and Todd were among the riders to feature in the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy at the Goodwood Revival.

It was an opportunity for some of the TT’s top riders to race in a less pressurised environment.

“You can go round here and everyone is looking at each other and giving each other Vs and touching each other’s backsides and all,” McGuinness joked.

“We have no chance to do that at the TT.

“Everybody knows the risks, that kind of short circuit to do some crazy moves on each other sometimes, but at the TT you don’t.”

The TT is known for its passionate fans, who can get closer to the action than perhaps at any other sport.

That closeness comes with its own dangers.

“They’re trusted,” McGuinness said.

“If you lean too far over a hedge or sit too far over a wall or something you’d get clipped by a bike at 200mph and it’d be catastrophic.

“The spectators are as much a part of the TT as the riders are. That’s what makes it so special as well.”

Todd added: “We went to watch a couple of times at different locations around the course.

“And we get an adrenaline rush from just watching.

“You wouldn’t on a short circuit or anywhere else in the world, but at the TT you get a buzz from being a spectator, a real proper adrenaline rush.”

McGuinness, aged 52, shows no sign of ending his TT legacy yet. While Todd’s has only just started, and he will aim to extend it next year and beyond.