Manx GP 2012 Thoughts - The Supertwins

Last year, in an effort to improve the little SV650, and with the help of Steve Mann, I grafted a proper front-end onto it. Away with the standard spindly, non-adjustable forks and crappy floating brakes... on with a serviced set of 51mm Ohlins off my 1998 Aprilia RSV with obligatory brembo stoppers. We worked hard on this... key was retaining the original geometry that seemed to work around the Isle.

Bungalow Bridge - always makes for great up-close pics

Pre-Manx testing at Mallory was promising. I could feel the front-end... the braking was transformed. 200% stiffer on the front-end, I could bury it deep in the corners, back wheel in the a air... and still feel exactly where the limit was. The new front-end showed up just how crap the original SV stuff is. Built to budget I guess. Those old forks flexed like Lou Farigno on Venice Beach... awful for short circiuts... but maybe not too bad on the Isle. But the old brakes were rubbish... bad on short circiuts... worse on the Isle. So... we were full of hope when we arrived on the Isle of Man mid-August.

Bungalow Bridge - from the other side

I first campaigned that bike in 2010 - that was a good year. Back then, the SV was basically a stock bike - 73 bhp at the wheel. I'd not ridden the bike before heading down Bray Hill for practice. During practice, she was flawless... a whopping 9 laps of practice with a fastest lap of 101mph. I qualified 35th of 89 entrants. During the race I got the hammer down, finishing 17th with a fastest lap of 104.6mph and earning my second replica. An awesome result... especially considering she was a 2001 stocker.

2011 wasn't a good year. With 12 more bhp, I only managed 3 laps of practice, with a fastest of 103mph. I still managed to qualify 19th... so things were looking okay for the race. But I broke down on lap 2 while lying in 12th place. Bah!

Ballaugh Bridge - doing proper jumps now

With good power (for a carbie SV) and my bling Ohlins front-end, I was looking for a replica last year. Or at least a 106mph lap.

The weather played against us... and then she developed a missfire as I was turning off Glencrutchery Road after only my second lap of practice. I checked this, checked that... found some old paint in the bottom of the tank, so cleaned out the whole fuel system and the carb jets. I didn't really know what I was doing... just following the fuel, stripping and cleaning. I didn't fix the misfire. Running out of practice days, I dropped the bike off at Padgetts. The young bloke there was great and found the problem - a rotten HT lead.

I think this is just after Ballaspur, on the approach to Doran's Bend - I can't remember the name...

The problem seemed cured. Due to one thing or another I didnt manage to get out on the bike for another lap of practice. I went straight into the race with it... but as I pulled off the start-line something was amiss. She just was't pulling. I even spent a minute parked up during that first lap at Quarterbridge checking for the problem.

I fought on during the race, expecting her to blow up at any second. It was a bit nerve-wracking. She couldn't even pull 6th gear up the Mountain Mile. The other Supertwins were just breezing past me on the straights. Fucking frustrating... I just got angry with her and wrung her neck. I finished the race with a fastest lap of only 98mph. Crap. But a finish.

Douglas Road Corner -  hard on the brakes before the exhilarating (and bumpy!) blast through Kirkmichael

After the Manx, and a few months of garage dejection I finally hauled the little SV up to Steve Mann to find the cause of her spineless performance. Steve knows his stuff and methodically goes through the scenario and possible causes. Check this, check that. Within 20 minutes, he finds the problem. The cap on the vacuum operated carb slide on the rear cylinder was on the wrong way around. The tiny airway was blocked. That slide wasn't sliding at all.

So, with one cylinder on idle, and the other in full tune, I did 150 miles at race pace. Throttle held wide open most of the time. I did the whole race on 1 1/2 cyclinders!

One of my favourite pics of the fortnight - stretching the cables coming out of Ballaspur

What muppet mechanic put that bloody cap on backwards? Fucking idoit! Looking back, a 98mph with the bike running the way it was is encouraging :-) So, all she needs is an oil change, a litte toone-up on the dyno and she's good to go! Finacially more palatable than the Aprilia.

Roof of Africa 2012 - part 2

Friday night I slept like the dead, in spite of....' bastard fowl!'
I was bright and chipper at the start, right up until I asked a marshal my start position, only to be told I was listed as a DNF the day before and now had to start 135th or something.....REALLY !

The reality was that I should have started 51st, but due to a timing 'glitch', acknowledged by organizers, and was told at the time to come talk to them after the race....WTF ! Does not help me when I have to fight my way through all the slower riders I had already dealt with the day before up the side of a mountain.....I was pissed ! And even forgot to take my med's.

So it was on.... and I uncharacteristically whacked it from the word go, blitzing my way through slower riders sometimes 4 or 5 at a time, damn the ankle, I was charging!!

Where I encountered riders all switch-backing up a rocky step section, I would plant it straight up the face, where they were all hair-pinning around the end of a trench I would jump the thing, they would all meander thru a bushy stage on the path, I would bash and crash straight thru cross country, foliage caught up in bike and helmet flaying behind. Not pretty but I was getting the job done.

I had a good chuckle to myself on a good few occasions. The best was a horrible angled rock step at the top of a steep narrow off-camber pass called "music box". It was close to the first refuel so there were allot of spectators helping at the step as well as sitting across the valley watching. I saw the drama up ahead and dropped off the sheer rock-face left, down into the valley, over the stream and up the steep spectator littered climb on the other side, missing out all the tomfoolery. To the adulation of some on-lookers who gave thumbs up, and horror of others who gave looks of "hey you cant do that"....just did !

The day wore on with strength sapping sections coming and going and the only real lapse in concentration I suffered was when I lost the front wheel down a very steep, sandy, step off section and fell on my head then somersaulted over the edge down the side of the mountain with the bike landing on top of me...dumb-ass !

By lunch with only 30 km or so to go we knew I would not have a problem making the cut off so started riding a little slower, just getting it home. Then energy started to really fade a little in the early afternoon as I, in my usual haste forgot to eat at the last refuel....brilliant!

It worked on my mind for a while until I came across a mate and 'demanded' food. All he had was a rancid protein bar, good enough. Truth is it was like chewing on a big lump of window putty but it got me there I suppose.

The day and race finish was achieved with the hectically steep, rocky but spectator lined climb "bushman's pass" really took a big effort, but a awesome feeling having them all cheering and whistling you on.

Got home in 8 hours and 44 mins, even taking my support crew, brother Nic by surprise, he was still farting around down in the parking instead of being at the finish taking pics of my moment of glory..... NICHOLAS...!!??

Total race distance 400 km
Total time 18 hours and 35 mins
Position 53rd in Expert class
Silver medal

The Roof of Africa will always remain one of the toughest enduro races in the world, and its an awesome feeling to take on and master all the challenges it throws you. Or at least the experience of throwing yourself and bike at them.... with zest.

Thanks Nic, Enduroworld, Nomadik, ASAP Racing and School of hard rocks.
Bring on Roof 2013

Roof of Africa 2012 - part 1

A few weeks ago, my brother Igor competed in the 2012 Roof of Africa - one of the toughest enduros around. Here is his story...

Before I knew it the year had rolled around and it was already time to pack and head back to Lesotho to take on "The mother of hard enduro", THE ROOF OF AFRICA ...Crap, so soon!

As in years past I had no time ( or the will ) to put any serious training I mean why suffer all that time before the event and then go and do some more of it at the race, just do it once at the race and finished.

I had only done two races the whole year, the last being with brother Paul (*a forthcoming blog attraction*) a mere two weeks before, but fortunately my work with my club Enduroworld keeps me on the bike regularly.

The event traditionally kicks off on the Thursday morning with the 'round the houses' race. An all tar, 10 km race through the streets of Maseru town. A non seeding exhibition race, so the plan is always not to burn it and rather save the tyres and bike, but this is extremely difficult when there are a myriad bikes overtaking you left and right, so the result, a heavier throttle hand is employed somewhere early in the first lap, good to settle the nerves I suppose.

With the formalities out the way it was off to the hills for the time trial and down to business.
Time trial was 60km long and took a little over two hours. I am abit of a late starter and need a good hour of riding to get into a good rhythm, so half the time trial is over before I even get going, that's just how I roll. Nevertheless I had a clean run, kept it smooth and consistent with my navigation also being pretty much spot on.

Result 90th in a class of about 180 riders, mid-pack, all good.
On the way back to the lodge to take care of bike prep I noticed as I was cooling down my left ankle was getting increasingly more painful and swollen...problem!

It took a bit of a crush between a rock and the bike in the last race but was no more than a niggle for the last couple of weeks, so what is this all about ?

It got worse and worse as the night went on, this worked on my mind a lot, all this work and money and I cant even put my boot on to start the race....bollocks!


I proceeded to gulp down handfuls of pain killers and sleeping tabs, which just made things worse, it seemed they were battling each other all night, result: pain and sleeplessness ....the 'bastard fowl' that piped up at 1:30am( outside the front door it seemed) and continued until 'real' dawn at 4:30 helped nothing...Superb, exactly what you want before the big race.

So Thursday became Friday and I was not in a good mood, what with an ankle now the size of a grapefruit and a head full of pharmaceuticals.

Fortunately I could still get my boot on so I was racing, all be it with no movement in that foot, so gear change was going to be a challenge, false neutral being the gear I rode in most of the day...!

The day started slow and deliberate, just wanted to keep the wheels turning and on the right track. My reflexes were a little off due to the pain killers and anti-inflammatory so consistency was going to be the name of this game.

Every gear change was like I was being stabbed in the foot. In spite of this, by the second refuel I was still feeling strong and decided to start pushing a little.

The last stretch was a long one, way up in the highlands in the middle of literally, no where..... This works on peoples minds, most riders are not used to being out alone for very long periods in very testing, treacherous and unfamiliar territory. I am, to a degree and felt comfortable. So I used this to my advantage and gained a good 10 or 12 places. Just kept my pace up and did not stop to rest at the end of tiring sections, but rather kept moving. This also maintains a cooler body temp with air moving over you constantly ( temperatures were in mid 30s).

The section boasted the most difficult and feared section "Big dick pass", a rocky, tight switch back drop of about 300m off the side of a cliff. I tackled it without and problem and felt confident at the bottom and mowed down the last 20km home at a good clip.

Days time 7 hours and 30 mins

ManxGP Vid

Found a vid I didn't realise I had from this year's ManxGP.

The real action starts 3 minutes in... and ends 9 minutes later... :-(

ManxGP 2012 - Day 14 - Senior Race

The big one – Senior race day. Up early to get my shit together and big bike to skrootineering. Bike through skrootineering and into Parc Firme… setup on tyre warmers and ready to race at 13h15. Hurry up and wait – racing on the Isle of Man is a lot like war.
 

The start of the Classic Superbike race - I get more nervous and excited watching other races start than I do when I'm racing. Crazy.

Due to the weather closing in, the Senior race is to start 15 minutes early. Tyre warmers on nice and early to give those shoes and wheels a nice and toasty, eat, chill, go through the pit stop with Ian and Alex, change and up to Parc Firme in good time. Up to Glencrutchery Road and line up #38 on the road. The race gets underway on time.

Team for the Senior Race - Ian on fuel and Alex on drinks, visor and screen

Pretty soon it’s my turn to stare down Glencrutchery Road. Starter’s hand on my shoulder… this time I don’t wait for the tap, but watch the start flag… every tenth counts! Blast down to St Ninians flat out, jump, I hit the next rise and she wheelies again… I roll slightly but keep her going down Bray Hill. “Whump!”  - through the bottom of Bray Hill and then more wheelies over Agos. With a full tank of gas I go steady into Quarterbridge.
 

On to Braddan Bridge, Snugborough and Union Mills… a good, steady start. I feel my way around the turns through Glen Helen where the rain flags are displayed… finding the water across the road in the same places as Wednesday. I make a mental note of where they are then get the hammer down after Sarah’s Cottage. I start to push.

Waiting for the flag to drop

I go quicker through most sections than I have ever been before… eeking out those extra few mph through every turn. Big Betty feels better and faster than anything I have ever ridden around here. She gives me the confidence to push. Faster, faster… faster!

As I approach Ballaugh Bridge - in the few seconds breathing time where I’m not pushing the big girl through turns between stone walls and hedges I think to myself:

“Yeah!”

“That’s more like it!”

“Just keep doing what you’re doing for four more laps.”

I hit Ballaugh Bridge and make one of my best jumps ever. “Boom!” and I get on the gas hard for the run down to Ballacrye. “Bwaaaaaap!”

“Bwaaaaaaaaap!”

“Frrrrrrrrrrrrrrp!”

What the fuck?

“Frrrrrrrrrrrrrrp….”

She’s running on one cylinder. My heart sinks as I coast to a stop. I restart her a few times, but she just limps with one cylinder firing. “Fuuuuuuuuck!”

I’m on a flat-out section, approaching the blind, fast (and a bit scary) Ballacrye. My mate Tim Devlin comes flying past. I decide it’s too dangerous to nurse her to the next Marshal post on Ballacrye as bikes are whipping past every 10 seconds now. The next marshal post with anything other than a few Marshals is at Sulby – a good few miles down the track.

My race is over.

Betty parked up as the race continues

I park the bike up against the garage and have a look if I can see anything wrong. No oil, not strange sounds... just running on one cylinder. The jump over Ballaugh must have moved a wire or uplugged something.

Mike Minns started well but pulled out after lap 2 becasue of deteriorating conditions

I sit on the garden wall to watch the race. On lap four and it starts to drizzle… I cheer on my mates. Dennis Booth is having a cracking race and is right up the front. I later learn that he had a 40 second lead, but crashed at the 33^rd milestone… just 4 miles from winning. He lost the front in the rain and fog and went careening down the mountain. He was airlifted to Nobles Hospital and lucky to get away with just bashes and bruises.

The owner of the house where I parked up likes tractors...

There is a long wait after the last bike and the travelling marshals go past. I start to get cold and wet. I ran up and down the driveway to keep warm. There was nobody at home but I found a shed behind the house… I lay down and got some shut-eye with a cat and tractor.

My company for the afternoon

Not too warm, or comfortable... but dry

I wake to the sound of bikes going past – it’s the parade lap. Nearly three hours after breaking down, all the old-timers are through and the roads open. Soon Ian and Alex arrive with the van and we load up and trudge back to the house in the rain and fog.

D.N.F.

Not too pleased

 

ManxGP 2012 - Day 13 - Betty Gets Better

Yesterday's Supertwins race was such and slow, easy ride that when I took off my helmet in Parc Firme, there wasn't a bead of sweat on my brow. I hopped off the wee bike content that we'd finished and immediately got the big bike ready for a lap of practice that was to be run within half an hour - needed to test those changes and see what's she's like.

On one of the laps I smacked my helmet on the steering damper...

Big Betty didn't disappoint. She felt a bit weird at first on semi-warm tyres with those changes. But I settled into the new feeling and by the 7 mile marker I started to wind her up. She wan't wheeling everywhere or shaking her head and fighting me. Now that's more like it! Compared with the sick Suzuki I had just got off, she felt like a missile! That was a fun lap.

Garage life! Today has been an easy day...

Maybe I was taking out my frustration of pootling around and the wee bike, mabe I was just warmed up. I blasted a 108mph lap from a standing start. Almost my fastest lap of the TT Mountain Course... ever!

Betty lookin' purdy

Just given her a full check and clean today... no more changes. She's all prepped and ready to rock'n roll! It's been such a quiet day that I have even had time to clean my leathers. Charging the cameras for tomorrow's race at 13h15 - hoping to have a good race and get some good footage.

Can't wait to get out there and GO FAST!

ManxGP 2012 - Day 12 - Supertwins Race

Was up early to get everything loaded and up to the paddock by 08h15. Little Suzy V sailed through skrootineering... topped up the fuel, pressures checked, tyre warmers on and she was all ready by 10h00.

To try cure the wheelie-prone flightyness of the big bike, I adjusted the front ride and rear ride hieghts (again) and wanted to add a link to the chain to lengthen the wheelbase - I measured about 0.5mm of space before we ran out of space on the swing-arm. It would be close, but I was confident we could do it.

It's been so wet on the Isle this year... that there's moss growing on the van...

I didn't have any spare master links with me and none of the race shops had links for an RK Tagaso chain. So Dennis Trollope helped me out with a new chain that he would help fit in the paddock. While the wheel was off, I managed to source a new Pirelli Supercorsa so treated the bike to a new set of tyres while Ian topped up the fuel for the pit-stop.

We managed to get the big bike all done and through skrootineering by 11h30 - giving us a bit of time to get the van hauled out of the mud where it was stuck, get some lunch and get everything ready for the race. It was a busy, busy morning and I didn't have much time to focus or prepare the way I would have wanted to for the race (not many pics either). No worries. Just get out there, give it sum beans and see what happens.

Put a wheel on the grass of the day-paddock...

 



By 13h18 I found myself focusing a thousand yards down Glencrutchery road with the starter's hand on my shoulder. He taps and I'm off for the 4 lap Supertwin race. As I pull away, the bike doesn't feel right. I almost stall as she fails to pull. I clutch her a bit and give her full throttle. She get's going and I'm flat out towards the first jump at St Ninian's crossroads. She feels slow... real slow. No acceleration. For fuck's sake!

I hit the jump flat out... but the wee bike doesn't jump. I'm going too slow.Things are not what they should be all the way down Bray Hill. It felt like my brakes were binding or something. It's like driving a car with the handbrake on. Everything is sluggish and slow. Like you're stuck in a jar of molases in winter.

We needed a tractor to drag the van out the mud

I get to Quarterbridge and a hundred possible problems are playing through my head. I need to check if there is anything wrong that could be dangerous so I pull over at the marshall's post. I hop off the bike and check as much as I can. I can't see anything wrong, nothing leaking and there is no excess heat from the disks or callipers. Strange.

I've lost a minute by the time I get back into the race. She's dog-slow and sluggish... the other bikes pass and leave me in their dust. I wringing her neck, but she's just not pulling... she sounds fine but is just not pulling. Everything happens a lot slower.

It plays on my mind and I keep her pinned, but constantly feel the footpegs for oil and have my hand down the fairing feeling for oil. I decide to push on for a lap and see if she gets worse. She doesn't, so I fly down Gelncrutchery road in slow-motion for my second lap.

Through the Bungalow

 

I'm not learning anything on the course. It's just frustrating. I'm going so much slower, all my braking markers are different. I try carry corner-speed... but it's an unknown to me so all I can do is keep up with other bikes through the turns but as soon as we hit any acceleration, they're gone. I figure that at least it's good practice for the pit-stop... and a finisher's medal is better than going home empty handed like last year. So I push on for the finish.

Those were the longest four laps of the TT Mountain Course in my life. I tried to enjoy it as much as I could... but knowing something is wrong with the machine you're hurtling around at speed, just feet from stone walls is a bit disconcerting. Whenever I saw a big group of spectators, I would wave... and I was playing games with myself to try keep concentration.

Approaching a corner so much slower made it hard to judge how fast to take them - I erred on the side of caution.

I didn't spend the last few months, time, effort, money and whatever else it cost to get another D.N.F. I do not know those words. I kept the trottle wound as hard as I could. The Wee bike reluctantly carried on. More than a week earlier, she was pulling 9500rpm down Sulby Straight... close to 140mph. During the race I think I saw 8200rpm once... I doubt she was doing 120mph... and she took forever to get there.

The best part of the race was our pit-stop... probably one of our best. Stop, cut engine, gas cap off (it was there!), fuel, gel pack, visor, screen, gas cap back, start and off. Thanks Ian and Stephen for a great stop. Two laps later and I was so glad to see the chequered flag. We finished! Hurrah!

Great photography from Dan Kneen

It didn't all go my way, but I got away with finishing 30th out of 35 finishers (don't know how I didn't come last) and 47 entrants. Lap-by-lap here. Fastest lap 98mph... I did 104mph last year with rubbish breaks.

Earlier in the day, Ryan Farquar won the Senior Classic race. But that afternoon we were saddened to learn that his uncle, Trevor Ferguson, lost his life at The Nook while running second on lap two in the Supertwins race. I don't know Trevor, but knew his face from the paddock. Condolences to Trevor's family and friends. This place can be cruel.

ManxGP 2012 - Day 11 - The Right Direction

Haven't had much time to blog... so a bit of a catch-up...

After Monday's washout, Tuesday was a beautiful, sunny day. Monday's cancelled programme was to be run, Junior Classic followed by the Junior and then a lap of practice in the evening. I wanted to get out on the wee bike seeing as I had only done 2 laps on it in dodgy conditions. But, with the race on Wednesday, the bike had to be ready and through skrootineering by 09h00 on Wednesday. That didn't give me enough time to get the tyres changed and prep it for the race.

This year I'm getting air over Ballaugh Bridge

 

So, with the help of my good friend Mike (MD Racing) and Dennis Booth, I made a load of changes to the big bike. I didn't have laps to test different changes, so the best practice of making one change at at time went out the window. I changed the front ride height, rear compression, rebound, gearing, wheelbase and tyre pressure.

 

Mike Minns giving it some down Bray Hill

 

The races went as per schedule on the dry, sunny circuit. My mate Mike Minns getting his second podium in the Junior race. Bloody well done Dood!

At 18h30 we lined up for a lap of practrice. Before I reached St Ninian's cross-roads, I sure felt the changes. The bike was trying to wheelie at every little bump and undulation on the road. Very nible through the turns, but also very flighty. I was off the pwer a lot just to try get her to keep the front wheel on the ground and to settle.

Prepping the wee bike... with a mind-boggling view of the Junior race just metres away.

With bike passing at over 130mph, this was a lucky shot!

She was turning in beutifully and holding a line. No more sliding either. So we are headed in the right direction - but mabe too far in that direction.

I got my head down and started really enjoying the lap. Besides a few sketchy places where there was water flowing across the track, it was all dry. At the end of Cronk Y Voddy straight I saw a shadow on the track to my right. I sat up early to let the rider through. It was Dennis Booth. He's got many years experience and is super-fast around the Isle.

A family effort - the Minns fanily celebrate Mike's second ManxGP podium

 



I hung onto the back of Dennis all the way to Ginger Hall. It felt fast! I kept the big bike pinned as much as I dared... she was wheelying and shaking her head everywhere. But with the new handling, she was awesome over the mountain. Huuuuge fun!

In the end I did a lap of 106mph - my fastest ever from a standing start. The bike was going well and I definitely got pulled along by Dennis. We're headed in the right diection and the bike can be improved :-)

Things are always falling off and breaking around the Isle - it's tough on machinery

I got back to the house grinning and carried on prepping the wee bike. By 23h00 It was done and  ready to race. I headed down to the ferry port to pickup Ian - my longstanding ManxGP pit Crew. Then hit the hay to rest the body for the Supertwins race on Wednesday.

Some new rubber for the wee bike. With variable conditions forecast, and not having a spare set of wheels or help to be able to change them fast, I went for the safe option of intermediates. They'll work in the dry and the wet. One less thing to think and hassle about.