Honda Motor Europe has revealed a four-strong rider line-up for the Honda TT Legends team as it prepares for an all-important second year of competition in the FIM Endurance World Championship and at selected road racing events. The team will launch its assault on the world’s toughest track and road races aboard the 2012 version of the CBR1000RR Fireblade as Honda celebrates the 20th anniversary of the legendary machine.

Seventeen-times Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and road racing ace Cameron Donald will remain with the Honda TT Legends for 2012 and will be joined by British Superstock and road racing star Gary Johnson and 2011 fastest TT newcomer Simon Andrews. All four riders will contest the 2012 Endurance World Championship while McGuinness and Andrews will make up a two-man team for the Isle of Man TT and the Northwest 200.

Donald and Johnson will remain in the Honda family at both road racing events, competing for Wilson Craig Honda and Padgetts of Batley respectively. Johnson will also contest the 2012 British Superstock Championship with Honda (UK) Racing.

Neil Tuxworth – team manager

We went into the 2011 EWC as a novice team and it was very much a development year – not just for the riders but for the whole crew. Honda was keen to showcase the Fireblade in a different environment to that of short circuit racing – the festival-type atmosphere enjoyed by thousands of fans at the Isle of Man TT and the 24hr endurance races has to be experienced to be believed! We had a good first year, but now the focus is on improvement with the ultimate goal being the podium. We have the 2012 Combined ABS-equipped Fireblade, two riders with a year of EWC under their belts and two new and enthusiastic riders who can’t wait to get stuck in so we’re very positive about the season ahead. When it to comes to the TT, what better line-up than the fastest man around the course and the 2011 fastest newcomer? It’s going to be an exciting year.

John McGuinness

Last year was definitely a learning year for the team and now it’s time to up our game in EWC. We did a lot of development on the bike last season, particularly at the last couple of rounds with the introduction of Combined ABS. We were knocking on the door of the podium and this year we’ll hopefully go one step further and get up there. We’ve got a great crew and after year one we all know what we’re doing and what the aims are for 2012 so things are looking good. The fact that’s it’s the 20th anniversary of the Fireblade makes it all the more exciting. Each time Honda brings out an updated model it’s a big step forward so I’m looking forward to racing it. I’ve had some of the most memorable career moments on the Fireblade and with any luck we’ll be adding to the list this year.

Simon Andrews

I am genuinely excited about the year ahead. To be asked to join the Honda TT Legends team is a real honour and I can’t wait for the season to get started. I have done a couple of endurance races – one being the Le Mans 24-hour – so I do know what to expect but I’m sure the full championship will be a real challenge. I’m a rider that rides better with miles under my belt, so the endurance side of things will without doubt help with the road racing. To be riding alongside the legend that is John McGuinness at the Isle of Man TT is big business and I’m hoping he’ll have one or two pointers for me! There is no better person to learn from.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a great New Year celebration.

After flying back from the Joey Dunlop Foundation, I landed in London and headed straight to hospital for X-rays… finally good news! A change in my nutrition, training and rehab on the Isle Of Man set the wheels back in motion and the bone was repairing well.

I’m arriving at the seven-month point of having the cage on and even though I’m ahead of most people who have these, I was still cutting it close to being fit to the start of the race season
and Ben,my surgeon, already knew this.

He gave me two options: bone graft or plate and screws. This was a really difficult decision as the graft would take longer to heal with no guarantee it would work but the plate would be me fixed
and no cage but a higher risk of infection which would stop me racing this year! I really wanted the cage off but that was the easy but risky option.

Once the leg was open it looked a lot better than X-ray had shown and I chose the bone graft so that was some more good news!

I came out late Christmas Eve and spent then six days in a lovely but painkiller-induced haze! Somehow I managed to gather myself, along with half of a pharmacy, to watch two good friends Howie and Paula get married on New Year¹s Eve.

I’m apprehensive about going back to training full on until the next X-ray in February which will be my last along with my final blood test the end of this month meaning the treatment for my multiple blood clots has has worked. This almost feels like the end, which is strange after so long.

Monday I’m off to M10 Fitness for a new schedule then next three months of training, working on walking, rehab, race fitness (which is good) and looking forward to getting a little normality back along with focus. I started walking lessons last week again on the antigravity treadmill and some cycling but only to get function and try to get of the crutches.

I’ve finalised all my racing and have some great things coming off this season so really excited and wish I could tell you all but we have to wait! Now I’m also the face of PSI Leathers for the UK which is great as I used their leathers a few seasons ago and were really good.

Now racing is over and the show season begins it gives you time to prepare to see people youve spoken to throughout the season and hopefully tie up a few sponsor deals. The Motorcycle live show is great for that you may seen me crutch passed as fast as possible trying to get to or from stage show, autograph session, photos shoot to business meeting! I was frazzled after the show and still had meetings the following week which finished on the Thursday after with a big 14hr sleep!

It was a good show this year and my time was spent on the TT stand and with Kawasaki. Mad Sunday was mental we had security moving and directing people which I hear was Guy Martin’s fault for being too popular on the previous weekend.

I needed to do a photo for the team launch one early before up in Liverpool so grabbed a lift with Gary this was the first time I’ve been to team HQ….nice cosy set up, great coffee shop and our car didnt get nicked so was a successful trip. I hadn’t seen the boys for a while so nice to catch up after the pics were done.

I’m all set for next year apart from leathers which are becoming rarer every season especially if you need them in full team colours so that will be my task until Christmas along with a new business.

On Saturday I managed to make it the CJ Dinner awards which was great as its black tie! All the guys were black from tuxedos rather than oil. At the last minute…well 10min before I had to it I was asked to present a new award to the BSB medical staff which was great to asked and proud.

I’m currently over in the Isle of Man doing a few laps and getting physio (many thanks) along with seeing Milky’s little pocket rocket machine he’s building….all super secret…

The hardest thing about travelling is eating! Being away and not being able to cook when your eating for injury is frustrating but thankfully to the Joey Dunlop Foundation here on the island I have a lovely apartment to cook in and use as I like which is going to be a massive help financially and health wise as can’t live on restaurant food whilst fixing injuries.

Time for me to crutch like a tool around the supermarket with my basket hanging before heading over to Isla Scotts (physio) then finish off  the lap at the hotel as I only drive the island in race direction due to it freaking me out the other way!

Have fun

After a mental 2 months I final arrived at knockhill for my last week before having a well deserved week off.

The weekend was good fun even with intermittent rain shower we were top 6 every session which was a nice and felt normal to be back around the top teams. With a few big crashed by other riders finishing both races was a result!  We left with 2nd and 1st so as a team were very pleased and as a rider I couldn’t see the fuss with leaving the roads to adapting to short circuit.

I drove straight back after the race and arrived home wired on Madcroc at 4am! I spent the time off recovering catching up with family and friends along with lots of post! For once nothing extreme that’s how shattered I must of been.

I knew it was going to be a slow start to the race season with no testing but knew the later half of the season is the most import as the championship settles. I arrived at Snetterton with a clear goal win or keep beating Glen who was leading the championship.

At the start of lap eight, leading Evo rider Andrews had his sights on his second podium finish of the afternoon, mirroring his P2 and P1 results achieved at Knockhill, just two weeks earlier. Andrews hit an oil patch that was dumped on the track moments earlier sending himself and former PR rider, Steve Brogan, crashing to the ground at one of the fastest turns on the new circuit. The impact was so severe, Simon’s Kawasaki ZX-10R broke in two, hurtling the front-end of his machine over 30 feet in to the air before hitting the ground.

After the red flag incident, team principle, John Jameson commented, “I have just left Simon in the medical centre, where he is awake, but in a lot of pain after sustaining a break to his right leg. After the medics stabilised him, he was taken to hospital, where they will operate. All our thoughts and best wishes are with Simon and his family at this time, and we hope he makes a speedy recovery.”