'I'm so proud to have been Joey Dunlop's team-mate'

John McGuinness was Joey Dunlop's last Honda team-mate

This year marks 25 years since Joey Dunlop won his final three races at the Isle of Man TT before his untimely death at the age of 48 while racing in Estonia a month later.

Dunlop's success on the Isle of Man spanned four decades, securing his first TT victory in 1977 and his last in 2000, earning him the moniker King of the Mountain.

His record tally of 26 wins stood for 24 years before being broken by his nephew Michael Dunlop last year.

Racer John McGuinness has described being team-mate to the legendary TT champion in June 2000 as "just so special".

Known as the Morecambe Missile, McGuinness took 23 wins of his own over the 37.7-mile (61km) Mountain Course.

But he said spending time with the Ballymoney racer in the same Honda team was something he was "so proud to have done".

"It was just an honour to be his team-mate, it meant a lot to me," he said.

"He was my hero. He was completely, utterly my hero."

Joey Dunlop's record tally of 26 TT wins stood for 24 years before being superseded by his nephew Michael Dunlop

And that final year's racing at the event was something that McGuinness said has stayed with him.

"To spend that time with him as a team-mate, in the same colours, in the same garage, it was something I'll never ever forget," he said.

"It's ingrained in my brain, is that, and I'm so proud to have done it, and the memories will live forever.

"I was sort of in a bit of awe really, I felt like I was a bit out of my depth a bit, I was only like 27, 28, and I was still green, but Joey was the god.

"I was just pecking his head in for information all the time - he must have just thought, who's this young idiot waffling in my ear hole?

"I was just trying to soak up as much experience as I could."

He said Dunlop's victory on the Superbike at the 2000 event "was so special" because nobody had expected it from the 48-year-old.

That Formula One TT race saw Dunlop finish 15 seconds ahead of younger rivals Michael Rutter and McGuinness.

The win was one of three secured by the rider from Northern Ireland that year, with him taking the top step on the podium in the Ultra-Lightweight 125 and Lightweight 250 races too.

Joey Dunlop and John McGuinness shared the podium for the Formula One TT in 2000

Remembering meeting Dunlop on the island when he was a child, McGuiness said: "Definitely, I wanted to be the next Joey Dunlop."

"It might have been the yellow helmet, might have been the number three, might be the guy who does the winning, but it's just something about him that you followed."

Reflecting on his own success at the TT he said: "A lot of people when I got to 23 wins, they said, oh, you know, you're nearly at Joey's wins, but I will never be Joey Dunlop.

"Joey Dunlop won hundreds of races in Ireland, the small races in Ireland, you know, he was a world champion.

"I've never been a world champion, I'm never as good as what Joey ever was.

"I looked up to him a lot, he was my hero."

Recalling being told the news of Dunlop's death just a few weeks after the pair had competed together at the TT, the 53-year-old said his first reaction was "disbelief really".

"I remember it like yesterday. I was at Silverstone, I had just got off the rostrum after winning the 250 race, and I thought, he's not racing, there's no racing on in Ireland.

"I didn't even know he'd gone out to Estonia, I think he sneaked off out of the way to race there, which he did many times, he just got in the van and drove off.

"And I sort of half thought he was invincible, you know? But racing can bite you in a breath."

Dunlop was awarded an MBE in 1986 for services to motorcycling and an OBE in 1996 for his humanitarian work

McGuinness also recalled Dunlop's ability to switch from being the quiet man with a strong humanitarian streak that he was when off the bike, to the fierce competitor he became once on it.

"He was a family man, you know, he was a normal chap [but] he put the helmet on and he was a racer, a hungry racer at times.

"He did some things that made you gasp really. You know, for him to do that, what he did in 2000 was unbelievably special.

"I can't imagine trying to do it now myself.

Dunlop was synonymous with the race number three on his bike

And McGuinness was one of the special guests at the opening at a pop-up exhibition at the Classic TT celebrating those achievements, which is on display at the grandstand until the end of the week.

"We could talk about it forever, the Joey legacy... wherever you go in the world when you talk about motorbikes, the TT comes up and then Joey comes into the conversation," he said.

"It's been a long time since we've lost him but he's definitely not forgotten about, that's for sure."