IOM 2013 - Day 3 - First Practice Replay

On Monday we were greeted with beautiful, sunny and dry weather. We prepped the bikes in the morning and hauled them up to skrootineering in the afternoon. With the Newcomers speed-controlled lap, the practice session would be shorter than usual. We made sure that at least one bike was at the front of the queue so we could get 2 laps in on it.

She's so Purdy!

The Suzuki though skrootineering okay and into the middle of the pitlane queue... followed shortly by the Ducati. We got the Ducati to the front of the classics queue so intended doing 2 laps on her.

The session started on time and the nervous Newcomers headed off for their first lap of the Isle of Map on closed roads. This first lap is speed controlled and done behind one of the Travelling Marshals.

I told one of the Newcomers: "If you're not nervous, you have no idea what you've got yourself in for." When I was a Newcomer in 2005, I wasn't nervous... I had no clue. I had never been to the Isle, never gone around. On my Newcomers bus tour, it started to dawn on me that this was more than just a spirited road ride when the bus guide (and TT pro) said to me "You've never been around the island and in two hours you're going to do your first lap. Good luck." - the bus erupted with laughter. I couldn't see much from my seat at the back and the excited Scotsman next to me kept on wanting to chat.

My first speed controlled lap was terrifying. We set off in groups of 12. Down Bray Hill and I thought the Travelling Marshal was trying to kill us. It seemed so fast. I was lagging behind and despite no overtaking allowed, the group all overtook me. Soon I was on my own, wandering around the course as fast as I could. Scaring myself half to death on every second corner.

Looks like some kind of valve mechanism on this flat-four two-stroke Konig

 

About a third of the way through the lap, the group behind me caught. They also all passed me. I clung to the back of the last guy till the end. It was a huge wake-up call. The rest of practice week, I was up at 5 doing laps in cold rain and fog on my road bike. I just went round and round and round and round. And spent the rest of the time working on my ill-prepared bike - no time for sleep. I learned enough and managed to patch up to bike enough to finish the race in 12th place out of 35 or so starters. I was exhausted... but hooked.

My mate Ian Gardner's beautifully prepped Formula 1 ZXR

Back to Monday's practice... I set off on the Suzuki with a wheelie and a bit of a tank slapper down Glencrutchery road. Pretty soon my tyres were warm and I was settling into it. Got a reminder of the dangers here when I get to Appledean. Waved yellow flags, debris strewn across the road and a mangled R6 that is half the length it should be being dragged off the road. A few corners later and it's out of my mind as we're doing over 120 mph past the Hawthorn pub through the blind right-hand kink lined with stone walls.

A couple of Ducati's from Australia

It all comes back as soon as I'm doing a lap and I don't have to think too much about where I'm going and what is next. Focussing on the lines and getting used to the speed. Also getting the body acclimatised to the pounding you get.

Pootling through Quarterbridge

I had a good lap on the Suzuki and pulled in even though I could have continued for a second lap. Wanted to get out early on the Ducati to try do 2 laps on her. All ready to go on the Ducati and they announce a delay to the second practice session due to oil on the track at Appledean and Barregarrow. 30 minutes later and we head off for just a single lap.

A little quicker through Cronk y Mona

The Ducati was absolutely beautiful. A lady. Very well mannered... and fast! Our gearing was too short so I had to roll down the long straights. But she handled the bumps and fast corners so well. I am mightily impressed - for a 22 year old girl... she was lovely.

Far too soon, the lap was over and we rumbled into Parc Firme. After all the time, effort, money, late nights, stress, blood, sweat and tears I have put into her since I got her as a road bike in late April... that lap was immense. Epic.