Castrol Honda Team Manager Neil Tuxworth Life With John

Castrol Honda team manager Neil Tuxworth interviewed about the challenges of managing noted ‘wild child’ John Kocinski.

Team manager par excellence Neil Tuxworth headed Honda Britain’s road racing efforts for more than 20 years, during which he masterminded Honda winning three World Superbike titles with American riders John Kocinski and Colin Edwards, as well as copious Isle of Man TT victories via the likes of Joey Dunlop and John McGuinness, and a succession of British Superbike Championship wins, most notably with Japanese expat Ryuchi Kiyonari.. A skilled racer himself, who finished second in the Isle of Man TT as well scoring a Manx GP win and five third places in TT races, Neil scored many points finishes on TZ Yamahas in Grand Prix racing, and also competed successfully in motocross, sand racing and even ice racing. He was the man who signed John Kocinski to replace Carl Fogarty in the Castrol Honda World Superbike team for 1997 – leading to a successful outcome for the hitherto unconsidered RC45.

AC: Neil, the RC45 had a troubled birth, but eventually it became a champion bike. How did it happen?