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Honda Motor Europe has confirmed that John McGuinness and Conor Cummins will once again form a two-man squad for its 2015 road racing campaign with the Honda Racing team. The 'Morecambe Missile' and the 'Ramsey Rocket' will contest the RST Superbike and PokerStars Senior races at the Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy, and the Superbike races at the North West 200, aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP.
21-time Isle of Man TT winner McGuinness had a frustrating 2014 season after suffering a broken scaphoid while training on his off-road machine. Despite this, he secured very respectable top-ten places in the Superbike and PokerStars Senior TT races, as well as a well-deserved victory in the SES TT Zero class. 2015 will see McGuinness return fully fit and ready to prove that he's still the man to beat on the Mountain course.
Cummins made an impressive debut with Honda Racing in 2014, securing a brace of podium finishes at the NW200 and the Isle of Man TT, including second place in the Blue Riband PokerStars Senior TT. With a successful first season with Honda Racing under his belt and having proven his ability on the roads, the 28-year old Manxman is certain to be in the fight for race wins in 2015.
In addition to their commitment with the Honda Motor Europe-backed Honda Racing squad, McGuinness and Cummins will compete for the privately owned Jackson Racing team aboard the Honda CBR600RR in the Supersport class at the NW200 and TT, as well as contesting the 2015 Endurance World Championship Superstock class aboard the Fireblade SP. Cummins will also compete for the team in the Superstock class on the roads.
Neil Tuxworth
"We're very happy to retain both John McGuinness and Conor Cummins for our 2015 road racing campaign. It goes without saying that our well-established relationship with John is proven to reap results. Last year was tough for him with his injury but he still got some good results. He's very determined and we have every confidence that he'll come back fighting. He is still very capable of winning races. Conor really impressed us in 2014, not just with the results, but also with his work ethic and attitude. He's hungry for success, yet incredibly humble and he really puts in the effort on and off the bike. We're delighted to have him on board for a second season. I believe we are in a very strong position for the 2015 road racing events."
John McGuinness
"There's no denying that 2014 was a tough year for me. It shook my confidence and held me back but I'm ready to put it all behind me and get back to the business of winning races. I've said it before but the Honda team is like family to me and that support means everything. I can't wait to get back on the bike and prove that there's life in the old dog yet."
Conor Cummins
"2014 was a great year for me. I achieved a career-long dream in riding for the official Honda team and I just wanted to make the very most of the opportunity I'd been given. I'm thrilled to be staying with the team for 2015 and now that I have a season of experience on the Fireblade SP under my belt, I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve. Hopefully we can bring home some good results. "
