Manx Grand Prix 2010 is Go!

20h00 Friday 20.08.2010 – Liverpool Docks

The 2010 Manx Grand Prix adventure has begun!

3 into 2 - the ManxGP 2010 Trio.

From left to right: #106 Suzuki SV650 - Ultralightweight, roadie Ducati Monster S4r - scratcher, #94 The BAMF - Senior

After busting my ass for the last 6 weeks moving house and making final preparations the journey over to the Isle has begun. A little bit of excitement on Thursday night when I loaded the bikes onto the trailer. Single-handedly wedging 3 sports bikes on a 2-bike trailer in dark and rain is not as easy as it seems.

During the 2 hour mission, the SV only tippled off the trailer once (balacing horizontally on the trailer wheel Italian-job style) and the BAMF fell onto the SV once, breaking some bodywork and the screen. Great! Bikes thoroughly prepped, painted and looking pretty getting trashed before they turn a wheel down Bray Hill. Not the start I was looking for, but the good news is the Monster didn't go down and hasn't got any damage (that I know of).

Bit of fairing damage to the formerly pristine SV

Going to be fun getting them off tomorrow morning! Busy day tomorrow... offloading, unpacking, fitting exhausts and footpegs ant putting handle-bars to where they should be (part of the secret to getting the 3 bikes on 1 trailer...), final prep, signing on, rider's briefing, technical briefing, scrootineering and then hopefully a lap on each bike to break the ice.

Broken screen and fairing on the BAMF - bit of superglue should sort it!

Looking forward to the lap... not looking forward to the pa-lava to get there.

Of course, no trip to the IOM would be authentic without a bit ferry excitement either. The 19h30 ferry I was supposed to be on has been delayed till 22h00. Will get into Douglas at 01h00. Need to be up early so was kinda looking to get more than a few hours tonight. Oh well... guess that's what Sunday is for. On the bright side... I'm chowing down now so don't have to eat the Steam Packet Companie's shit food.

Tthe picturesque Peak District - straight from work to Liverpool docks

Hope the weather holds out and all things go smoothly (ha, ha, haaaaaa....) and I can get a lap on each bike in. After last year's BAMF clutch and power problems and appalling weather I'm desperate to give the old gal an good run in the dry... to see what she can do. Keen to feel what the SV feels like on real roads too.