A sour end to a great fortnight...

Friday: Senior Race Day.

The morning dawned overcast with low cloud, hanging across the mountain.   We all knew a prompt start would be unlikely. Still, we had to get to scrutineering at our alloted time (9am), so we were up and away as usual. The first race of the day was the Lightweight (250 two strokes) and the Ultra-Lightweight (400 four strokes and 125 two strokes) - the two classes run together, with the 250s going off first.  The start was scheduled for 10:15, but the race office announced that roads would not be closing on time, and a further announcement would be made at 11am, so there was a fair amount of sitting around to be done.  Unlike Wednesday, I felt much more relaxed, as did most riders - having one race under our belt had made us all much less tense. 

At 11am the tannoy fired up, announcing that the roads would close at midday, and the first race would start at 12:45 - it at least looked as if we might race later in the afternoon.  But, more delays were called, and the Lightweight/UltraLightweight eventually got away at 1:45pm.   Conditions were good in Douglas, but the cloud looked very low over the mountain.  The leaders and midfield men managed to get their 4 laps in, but a dozen or so tailenders were caught by descending cloud and completed their last run over the mountain under waved yellow flags.  All reported difficult conditions, with mixed wet patches, slippery white lines and swirling fog.

So, the Senior runners all set about putting intermediate tyres in their bikes, but with a nagging doubt that we'd not get to race. Another 30 minute delay was called, and then the Clerk of the Course came on the tannoy to say that conditions had deteriorated badly, and the race would be cancelled.

In such circumstances, the race would normally have been scheduled for the next day, but this was the last day of race week, and many marshals were booked on ferries home that night and the next day, meaning there were not enough marshals to man the course on Saturday.  So, for the first time in the history of the Manx Grand Prix, a race was abandoned.

In the evening, the presentations were to run at the Villa Marina in Douglas.  This is usually an ejoyable nigth out, with everyone in a good mood after a week's racing, but this time felt a little flat.  Still, I went on stage and got my replica for 9th place in the Junior, and had my photo taken, and then we returned to Ramsey, went in the Traff and had quite a few drinks.

Saturday:

Hangover. Then I had to return the bikes to the spec which I got them from Slick (including lots of tyre swapping), and drive them up to his workshop.  This was quite fun for my dad and Ginny, as they got to see a bike being run on the dyno.  Then it was Ginny's turn to go to the airport, and little more to be done except tidy the workshop, eat, and go back down the pub.

And so, another Manx Grand Prix is over.  I had two ambitions for this year - a top ten finish, and 115mph lap.  I managed both, but secretly I had hoped for a little more.  I was on the best bikes in the paddock, I think, so I'm not sure where much extra speed will come from next year.  But, I'll think about that later. For now I'll enjoy the results I got.

There was something of a hangover to be dealt with this morning...

Yesterday was brilliant, and there's loads more details to add to yesterday's blog.  The first is about my pit crew.  Mike had told me he'd sorted someone to help in the pit stop, but it was "a suprise".  I suggested that I wouldn't like suprises on race day, but he insisted.  And, low and behold, who should turn up in the paddock mid-morning but my long standing friend Rob Brock (aka RJ) who I'd not seen for years.  And, an hour or so later another mate, Bruce Rogers, turned up, having flown in from Switzerland!  So he was given overalls too.  And my pit stop was so slick - I just rode the bike to Mike, sat back while he and Rob did the fuelling (Rob on the filler cap, Mike on the fuel nozzle).  In the means time, Bruce gave me the drink bottle and removed the tear-off that I'd not managed to pull myself.  A few more gulps of drink and then I was off - perfect.

Also, my dad and Ginny had done a good job signalling from Ginger Hall.  It's not the very best place from the rider's perspective, as it is a little difficult to pick up the board as you accelerate away from Sulby Bridge, but it was very useful to know how the race was going, and to see P9 on the last lap.

After the race, as always, the atmosphere in the beer tent at the paddock was superb - everyone is in just such a good mood.  Slick was in great form, and really pleased with my 9th place, and also the fact that the bike had the fastest time of the whole field on Sulby straight - what better advert can an engine builder have than that?

The evening was great - we all (eleven of us!) went to Sarah's place (whose garage I am using as a workshop) for a big curry, and then, inevitably, to The Trafalger Hotel (aka the Traff). 

And so to today (Thursday):  After having lots of tea and a very late breakfast (cooked by RJ), I then persuaded Ginny to come from a lap of the course on Keith's CBR600 shopping bike. She thought she'd be terrified, but she adored it!  It was slightly weird riding the course at less than half racing speed.  Then I pulled the Senior bike (the 636) from the van, put it on the bench for a nut-and-bolt check after yesterday's practice lap (which was after the race; we only took it out to check the gearing, which was great - 3rd fastest bike, after two 750s, at 168mph. I did 113mph lap without really trying).  I also gave it a clean, and measured the fuel used.  Then I re-loaded the van, and everything is ready for tomorrow, Senior Race day, and the end of the racing week.

I may have to add to this later, as it's late and I've been drinking...

Junior Race today - I was extra fired up because the race officials had refused to change my start number from 29 to something higher.  I demonstrated this by completely fluffing the start, and chasing number 30 down Brayhill.  I was soon past him on the run up Ballahutchin, and then set about chasing everyone else down.  I was slightly disappointed at how slowly they were coming towards me, but I think I still overtook 7 people (or so) on the first lap.

The second lap was a bit less dramatic.  My signallers were at Ginger Hall, and they hung the board out with P12 on it.  This was not good enough!  I wanted to be in the top ten! 

The pit stop went very smoothly, and then it was two more laps.  I was still catching and overtaking people, and my pit board said P9 on lap 4.  I got home, and 9th place was confirmed.  So we went to the beer tent.  And then back to Ramsey.  And then to the pub.

Full results here: http://www.iommgp.com/results/2007/29Aug%20Race%20-%20Junior.pdf

Very little to do today, which is good (cos it means that everything is sorted), but bad (cos there's little to think about except the race tomorrow).

I dropped a pair of wheels at Paul Dedman's for fresh rubber, and while they were being fitted I dropped the fitted wheels out, checked the brake pads, chain, nuts, bolts, etc.  I also splashed yet more fibreglass over the fresh hole in the bellypan after yesterday's practice, and, as I was feeling saucy, sprayed some black paint over the fresh 'glass.

By then it was time to get the wheels back from Paul Dedman, fit them to the bike, stand back, and admire the bike.  Then I dashed down to the airport to meet my Dad, who was flying in for a few days to watch the races.

On return to Ramsey we picked up Ginny, and went to scout out a potential signalling point at Ginger Hall.  This seemed ideal, so we then went and found the chief marshal for the sector, who happens to run the Sulby Hotel just down the road.  He was very happy for us to hang a board over the bales at Ginger Hall, and made a note to pass on the info to the marshals there.  So, while we were there, we stopped for a drink.

We then headed back, loaded the van, and....er, that's it.  We're about to eat, and then try and sleep.  Tomorrows the day.

(Didn't get chance to write this yesterday)

Sunday:   Slick wanted the 600 back on the dyno to double check it, so we took it up there, and he fine-tuned the fuelling and ignition.  It still made 127bhp, but should be very safe now.  Then I took it to my workshop, and gave both bikes a full 'nut and bolt' check, and just made sure everything was just right.

In the evening we went to the TT Marshals Association supper, which is a big event put on for all the marshals running the course.  It takes a minimum of 575 people to man the course, and these people give their time completely freely; as racers we know that we wouldn't be out there riding without them.  After the meal there's a "rider's forum" where the marshals can ask us questions; I was quite proud to be invited into this.  It was all quite good fun and good-natured (questions like : "Do you have sex during race week?").

Monday:  We had an extra practice scheduled after the racing today, as we'd lost several sessions to the weather last week. I was pretty focused on this, because I wanted to put in a good time to try and justify getting bumped up the race order.  We had to be over to be scrut'd at 10am, so the whole day was spent in the paddock.  This was a little bit of a shame, because I like watching the races, and Monday is the only day I get chance; watching from the paddock means you just see people race down the start/finish straight.  But, it was a good race (on the radio), and a chap I know fairly well, Justin Croft, was third in the Newcomers race, so I was really pleased for him.

The Senior Classic (500cc) was run in the afternoon, and was also quite interesting.  The two Paton's were really fast, and Ryan Farquhar was pretty unbeatable, winning by around 40 seconds. 

Then it was time for our practice session.  Unlike the rest of the week, when the top 30 seeded riders get out first, today was a real melee to get onto the road.  I was pretty annoyed by this, as I wanted a clear track, but everybody else was thinking the same - this was the last chance to make an impression.  I ended up with at least 30 people in front of me, if not more, which certainly fired me up!  I beat my starting partner off the line, and set about going fast.  Which seemed to work, as I started catching people straight away.  While this was quite fun, I knew it was holding me up - on the run up Creg Willys Hill I was shouting "get out of the way!" at the guy in front of me.  I think I passed more than 10 people on the lap, including my mate Keith, just before Ramsey. 

I got back to the Grandstand with a big grin on my face - the bike was fast, handled pretty well, and I'd been having great fun.  Mike had timed me at well under 20 minutes, and we went and checked the official time in the race office (19:48; 114mph).  I know I'd lost a good 10 seconds with traffic, if not 20, which puts me on a decent 115/116 pace.  Also, my bike was the fastest 600 down Sulby Straight at 167.8mph!  And there were only two 750s faster!  I phoned Slick and congratulated him on building the fastest 600 in the field. 

And, to put the icing on the cake, I was 5th fastest overall.  Very, very pleased about this - I needed to make a case for getting my start number moved up, and I couldn't have done a better job.

Results here: http://www.iommgp.com/results/2007/27Aug%20Practice%20-%20Junior.pdf

Food now, then perhaps a drink or two

(again being written the morning after)

(and being written in double quick time as MySpace lost the first version)

Another Manx day.  I was up early, swapping the wheels out of the 636 to put in the 600 (which got oil all over its tyres yesterday).  Then up to Slick's, to fit bodywork, wheels, etc.  After this, Keith and I did a lap in the car with Gary Carswell, local TT rider, which was massively useful.

We were second out, after the Classics again, so we got away a little after 7pm.  I protected the engine a little on the way to Ballacraine, but it was fine, and I was having a good run.  But, on the way up the Mountain Mile, the fog/cloud came down, and then we really couldn't see very well.  Then all the marshalling posts were waving the yellow flags, and we came down the mountain at around 60mph.  Which makes my 101mph lap fairly respectable, I guess.

Then, as it was the end of practice week, we went down the pub...

(this being written the morning after)

File under: "That's Racing"

As we didn't practice at all last night, there should have been nothing to do to the bikes.  Slick wanted to run them on the dyno to check the fuelling, so we popped up there, and he ran them up, and said they were fine (more later...).  But, one of the paddock stand bobbins on the 600 was at a jaunty angle, and Slick just reached down and broke it off with his hand!  So, back to the workshop, swingarm out, off to the welder (Phil Wall, who's the best welder/fabricator I've ever met) to fix, back in, job done.

We pushed the bikes thru scruting in bright sunshine, and it was going to be a good session.  The classics and ultra-lightweights (400s/125s) had the first session, so we didn't go until 7:30pm.  I set off alongside Phil McGurk, who's been doing 114mph all week - I fluffed it off the line, and he had 50 yards on me, but I was behind him before the braking zone for Quarterbridge; we both had to negotiate another slow starter, and then I easily passed him on the run up Ballahutchin.

The sun was directly in our eyes through the Greeba and Appledene section, but on the run out of Greeba Bridge down to Ballacraine I felt the engine just hold back a bit.  On arriving at Ballacraine there were oil flags out, and lots of cement dust down, and I got a bit of a slide on the way out, but then my foot slipped off the peg.  I was a bit cautious through the next couple of corners, and then looked down, and there was oil smoke coming up from the engine.  I slowed and stopped at Laurel Bank.  The bike sat in a puddle of oil.

Once roads opened, Mike came and picked me up in the van.  I'd already phoned Slick, and he said to bring the bike straight to the workshop, which we did.  Initially he thought maybe crankcase pressure had just caused the cam cover gasket to pop, but further investigation revealed a wrecked plug, which meant a melted piston.  So he dropped a new motor in (it took him about 2 hours, and that was working slowly for him!).  We ran the new engine up on the dyno a little after midnight (his workshop is a long way from any neighbours), with the ignition retarded a bit, and the fuelling set on the rich side for safety.  It still made 127bhp in the cool night air.

To bed at 1am.  Up at 8am this morning, cos there's lots to do...

One of those Manx days today...

I slept late - was really tired for some reason.  I then spent a couple of hours doing nothing worth mentioning on the bikes - a basic "nut and bolt" check, fibreglassing a hole in the bellypan of the 600 (in the same place as the on found by the scrutes on the 636 last night), fuelling them up (and measuring usage) etc etc.  But it passed a pleasant couple of hours.

Last night the weather closed in after the first session, meaning that the 'slower' bikes (the classics and the 400s/125s) didn't get out.  So this evening the two sessions were switched; this meant I wouldn't be going until 7:10pm (instead of 6:15pm).  On the drive over to Douglas from Ramsey, the cloud was pretty low over the mountain, so I guessed there was a far chance we wouldn't get out.  Still, we pushed the bike through scrutineering, and waited.

At 6:15, Martin Blackburn (deputy Clerk of the Course) came on the tannoy to announce that there was a window in the weather, and practice would start. The classics and the ultra lightweight classes went away, but after 15 minutes or so Martin came back on the tannoy to say that a sea mist had blown in over the west of the island, making conditions untenable for racing, and, as importantly, that the rescue helicopter couldn't fly there.  We waited for another hour or so, in the hope that conditions would improve, but at 8pm the practice session was abandoned.

Very deflating, but it happens.  Tomorrow there'll be no work to do on the bikes, so I'll go for a sighting lap in the car.

Had no 'real' work to do on the bikes today, which is a real luxury.  So I had a leisurely breakfast, gave Keith a hand with a couple of jobs on his 750, and then drove to my borrowed workshop, 1/2 mile across Ramsey.  I pulled the 636 out of the van, put it on the ramp and gave it a 'nut and bolt' check.  The bumps are so violent on the TT course that all sorts of things work loose, so you have to check after every session.  I didn't find anything untoward, but I obviously wasn't looking hard enough - of which more later.

Jan, Keith and I are taking it in turns to cook, so today I prep'd a pasta sauce, so we could heat it up when we got in.  And then it was lunchime, and we ate, and then headed to the paddock.  Today I'd arranged to meet Mike there, but just as I arrived he called to say he'd been ill all night, and all day, and couldn't make it.  I blame the track burger he had yesterday.  Anyway, this left me without a 'helper' (to carry stands, fit and remove tyre warmers, warm the engine, etc).  Fortunately Keith has a million friends in the paddock, and one of them, Tracy, was volunteered.  She did a stirling job - thanks Tracy.

Anyway, before this I pushed the bike through scrutineering - and the bike failed!  There was a hole in the bottom of the bellypan which wasn't there yesterday, so I was sent to the 'sin bin', where I quickly pulled the bellypan off and splashed some fibreglass over the hole. So, no drama really, but I really should have found and fixed this when I was checking the bike.  Oops.

The afternoon was very hot, and we were all bathed in sunshine; while this is bad enough in the (compulsory in pit lane) fireproof overalls, we knew it would be worse in leathers.  So I climbed into mine just 15 minutes before the start, and tried to keep in the shade. The roads closed at 6pm, and practice started only a few minutes after the scheduled time of 6:15.

I felt pretty relaxed tonight - I can't be getting used to this, can I?  Tracy helped me remove the tyre warmers and roll the bike off the stands, and then we rolled down to the start line two by two.  As usual I beat my starting partner off the line (the 636 is so fast!) and headed down Bray Hill.  I had two good laps, but something was different - I wasn't catching people like I have the last two nights.  In fact, I only overtook 3 people; on the plus side, no one overtook me.  But, I was feeling slightly apprehensive we I checked my times in the race office, and I was right - my two laps were 111 and 112mph.  Going slower than last night was not in the plan!

Still, things could be worse - racing mate Keith took two bikes out this evening, and broke both of them!  The 750 had a slipping clutch, so he did one lap and then swapped to his 600, which chose to have an electrical failure at the 32nd milestone.  That's racing, as they say.

When I got home, I checked the full results, and cheered up - tho my '112' was slower than last nights '113', it turns out I was only 2 seconds slower (the difference between 112.892mph and 113.068mph).  And, more importantly, I was still 7th fastest, maintaining my presence in the top 10.  Also, I felt much more comfortable and relaxed on the bike this evening, meaning I can do that sort of pace without working so hard - in fact, despite the heat, I was a lot less hot and sweaty when I came in.  So, there's more to come.  Positive mental attitude is all!

Results here: http://www.iommgp.com/results/2007/22Aug%20Practice%20-%20Senior.pdf

Awoke to bright sunshine, which is always good when racing.  The forecast is for good weather (well, dry, at least) for the rest of practice week.

Not much to do to the bikes - put some fresh tyres on the 636, as the part-worns on there were sliding a bit too much for comfort last night.  The 600 hasn't turned a wheel yet, of course, as I just did two laps on the 636 last night.  I then drove over to Slick Bass's workshop, and met Mike the Mechanic there, and we discussed how we might adjust out the handling issues I had (too much weight transfer on the brakes, and too unstable on the bumps).  Slick diagnosed it as the attitude being a bit front biased, so I raised the yokes 2mm on the forks.  Yes, 2mm, that's all.

So, then into what is already a routine of driving to the paddock, queuing up to get the bikes scrutineered, etc. Having fresh rubber on (and having been out-psyched by almost all the other top 30 riders using them), I took the tyre warmers today. 

The plan was to do one lap on the 636, and then swap to the 600 for a second lap.  I'm not sure if I've explained before, but riders running numbers 1 to 30 get 'seeded' and get out in practice first.  This is dead useful, because the only traffic you might find yourself in is people that ought to be reasonably quick. And, of course, you get away early - with over a 100 bikes to send off, in pairs at 10 second intervals, you can end up waiting quite a while.

Yesterday I'd felt bizarrely chilled out and relaxed - very unlike me before going on track.  Today my normal tension was back, which is probably a good thing.  The clock ticked round, and practice started very nearly on time, and soon enough I was away.  I beat the guy next to me away from the line, and got to the bottom of Bray Hill first, but he pushed through on the run to Quarter Bridge.  A bit keen, I thought.  I kept in touch with him through Bradden and Union Mills, and wound him in on the long straights after that, nipping past on the run to Crosby.  Blow me if he didn't tuck past again on the fast left into Greeba Castle.  I though "fair enough mate, if you want it that much you can have it".  Turns out it was Mats Nilsson, the Swedish rider who very nearly won the newcomer's race last year.  I hung on to him for a bit, but we caught some traffic through the Glen Helen section, and by the time I was past them he'd gone.

The rest of the lap was fairly uneventful, and I definitely felt much more relaxed than yesterday.  The bike was much improved on the brakes and over the bumps, so that 2mm adjustment really was all that was needed.  I pulled in at the end of the lap, and Mike had the 600 waiting, with tyre warmers off and engine warmed up, so I was straight out on that.

The 600 makes 5bhp more than the 636 on the dyno, but revs higher to make it, so the engine characteristics are quite different.  I rode this bike at the Jurby Road meeting in July, and the chassis settings are the same as then, so I was confident it would work on the TT course. And so it turned out, tho it did feel a little 'lose' compared to the 636 - this will be partly down to running used tyres (compared to the new ones on the 636), but we may tweak it a little for tomorrow. The bike is a little harder to ride, as the power is concentrated more at the top, but once wound up it really flies.

After arriving safely back at the paddock, we got the times - 113mph on the 636, and 111mph on the 600.  This places me 7th in the Senior and 9th in the Junior, so obviously I'm pretty pleased with this.

Full times here:

Senior: http://www.iommgp.com/results/2007/21Aug%20Practice%20-%20Senior.pdf

Junior: http://www.iommgp.com/results/2007/21Aug%20Practice%20-%20Junior.pdf