Farewell to Big Betty

On Sunday Big Betty went to a new home...

Weird to see he loaded into a different van... a bit sad. I need to say farewell to the second fastest Aprilia twin around the Isle of Man...

Now there's a wee hole in my garage...

... and in my heart.

She was a good 'un.

IOM 2013 - Day 13 - Final Prep

Spent today getting new tyres fitted and doing final prep on the bikes for tomorrows races. Check, check and check everything. Then check again. Also made a few small changes to the bikes. Going about half a tooth shorter gearing on the Suzuki... mainly to get 11mm more wheelbase to try stabilize her a bit. I've been easy on her during practice... tomorrow she'll have to work a little harder. Also added 2mm of pre-load to the Aprilia to try stop the forks bottoming out.

 
Weather forecast is iffy. I have inters fitted to the Suzuki that I can run in the dry and a set of inters on rims ready for the Aprilia in case we need them.

Need to be up early to load the bikes solo and get them through skrootineering. Man, I'm missing having Nic around to help. In the paddock, Ian and Steve will help out and be in the pits for tomorrow's two stops. Will certainly need the help if I am to change the Aprilia wheels between races.

 

 

Time to get some rest... going to be a busy day tomorrow!

Follow the races live

Supertwins: 10h15-12h00 #31 'Suzy V'
Senior: 13h15-15h00 #50 'Betty'

Manx GP 2012 Thoughts... the Senior

It's been a few months since my ManxGP 2012 - I've had time to think about it a bit... digest it all... an get over the disappointment... also been watching some of my on-board footage and doing a bit of analysis. I'll start with Betty - the 'big' bike I used in the Senior race. My fastest ever lap of the TT Mountain Course is just shy of 109mph - I did this in 2006 on my stock 1998 Aprilia RSV. I'm going to get all anoraky now...

Greeba Castle. When a bike handles... it all feels easier... less fear of getting thrown into a wall... so you can go faster...

In practice week I did a 107 mph (average speed) flying lap and a 106mph lap from a standing start (I also did a 108mph from a standing start - but don't have any footage from that). Standing starts are generally around 2 mph slower than a flying lap. And in all my past years, I go about 2 mph faster in the race than I do in practice - adrenalin? Things were looking good for me to beat my personal best in the race.

The Gooseneck. Giving the vintage Fattrack leathers an airing during practice...

Just to make sure I wasn't just being hopeful, I checked out times from the on-boards. On the 107mph lap, it took me 9:08 to reach Balaugh Bridge. On the 106mph lap, about 09:28 with a bit of traffic and wet around Glen Helen. Looking at the overall lap times it stacks up. I compared with my race footage...

Ballaugh Bridge. On my 6th ManxGP,I finally get the knack of jumping Ballaugh...

I knew it was the fastest half-lap I had ever done around there... the vid confirmed it. Depite it being wet around Glen Helen - the clock says 08:54 to Ballaugh Bridge. Extrapolate that out and I was on target for a first lap of around 110 to 111mph. That should give me a flying lap of around 112 to 113 mph. This has been my goal since 2006. But, with the bike breaking down 200m after Ballaugh Bridge... half a lap counts for nothing.

The bike started running on one cylinder... so I was hoping it was just a loose wire or something. I was so disgusted with it for breaking down that it just got dumped in the corner of the garage when I got back from the Isle in the beginning of September. I had a closer look at it before Chirstmas.

Ballaspur? Nothing comes close to the feeling of going as fast as you can on real roads...

The rear rear cylinder plug was bent... damage on the piston crown and fine shards of metal on the tops of the inlet valves... it didn't look good. I took it down to may mate Don Plane (Aprilia guru) at Southern Cross. Turns out it dropped and exhaust valve on the rear cylinder. Shit. :-( gonna need new pistons, valves and other bits. Don's now trying to get the head repaired... this is gonna cost :-(

Mountain Box. Flat-out for miles on a bike that hauls... gentle curves become hard corners at over 150mph... exhilarating!

Up until the point where she went 'pop', she was running sweet. For a 10 year old bike, she's fast. And with the help of my fellow competitor Dennis Booth, I was getting her handling too. Dennis knows his stuff. In my 5 previous campaigns, I've never been able to make a bike handle around there. It just shows what a bit of know-how can do. With a fast bike that handles... I know I can go fast around there...

ManxGP 2012 - Day 7 - Qualification

One of the problems with the big bike on Thursday night was a vibration on the front wheel. First thing in the morning, I had a look. Didn't like the look of the balancing weights so whipped the wheel out to get it to the race-shop in the paddock for re-balancing (and get some footpegs). I had another look at the Suzuki but she was running worse than the day before. Bugger!

On the way to the paddock, I stopped by at Padgetts to see if they had time to have a look at the little SV. Finally, a bit of luck... they weren't busy. I got the bike to them as quickly as I could then set about prepping the big bike.

Suzy kindly lent Betty a footpeg

Around 2 o'clock, just as I finished prepping the big bike, I got a call from young Andy at Padgetts. The little bike was sorted! It was a rotten HT lead... the plugs weren't that great either. Turns out that not only is Andy a dab hand with the spanners, but is pretty clued up with  racing around here. He's been involved in the Padgetts TT effort for a few years now. We talked setup and came up with a plan to try sort the big bike's problems. Thanks Andy and Padgetts!

Skrootineering queue in the rain... if only it was like this every day!

I hauled little Suzy back to the house to get her clothes on and do final prep for practice. Now that she was fixed, I had to test her. It had been dry and sunny all day so was hoping to get the first dry laps in on the little bike.

The air-ambulances get going in the threatening conditions

Up to the paddock and skrootineering. Whilest in the queue it starts raining... and doesn't stop for an hour or so. But it dries quickly and the first practice session starts a little late - I'm in the second session. The first session is red flagged early and the riders returning are wet and say the course is still wet most of the way around and raining over the mountain. I decide not to go out. There's no way I will go faster than I did earlier in the week, neither would anyone else - so I would qualify. Also, I wouldn't learn anything and just be taking a risk. I start packing up when the Clerk of the Course announces that the session is cancelled due to an incident that they will not be able to clear for an hour or two.

Bikes being warmed up in Prac Firme

With qualifying now over, here are the results of the practice week:

Saturday - Cancelled
Monday - Little Suzy - Fog/rain on the mountain. Red flagged. 93mph
Tuesday - Little Suzy - Damp/wet. 94mph. Big Betty - Damp/wet. 94mph
Wednesday - Big Betty - Dry but red flagged. 52mph
Thursday - Big Betty - Dry! 105mph and 107mph
Friday - Cancelled

Suzy finds a new friend in Parc Firme - takes me a bit of time to haul all the equipment back down to teh van and get changed

 

Despite the fog and wet laps - I still managed to qualify Suzy. So far all I've been able to do is give the bikes a shake-down and do just enough to qualify. Two laps on each with times good enough and a total of five laps. No chance to test anything or improve the bikes. Final qualification is 39th of 88 for Big Betty and 36 of 47 for Little Suzy. Thankfully this doesn't determine the start position - so I'll be alright for the race.

ManxGP 2012 - Day 6 - Betty Gets Going

Not enough time earlier to blog about yesterday... so here goes...

Hussling the big girl through Greeba Bridge

Spent 3 hours in the morning trying to sort the wee bike. Cleaned all the fuel lines and doo-dabs after I found some old paint in the tank. Had a look at the carbs as well. Fired her up. She was better... but not right. I got to work prepping the big Aprilia.

Little Suzy V is not well...

Got everything loaded and to the day paddock in good time... determined to be at the front of the queue. Offload and ready to get the bike up to skrootineering 15 minutes before it opens. Getting my overalls on, behind me I hear "Clunk!". I spin around and the bike has fallen over... not on the sofy mushy grass side, but on the hardcore road side. "Fuck!".

Monster throttle-bodies and factory carbon

I haul the bike up and get her on the stand again. Check for damage. Clutch lever and footpeg broken. "Tree-fuckin-mendous!". My spares are back at the house. I didn't have time to be pissed off or laugh. Un-hitch trailer, breakin' the law back to the house, spares box. Clutch lever. Got it. Footpeg. Hmmm... a mingy one that they won't like in skrootineering. Got the same footpegs on the wee bike... she gladly donates one.

Leaking fuel does cosmetic damage... now sorted 

Back to day-paddock. Fix big bike and get her up to skrootineering. Join the long queue. Get through skrootineering okay. The good news is that I was four yards futher towards the front than yesterday. Yeah! Little victories... little victories.

15 minutes after skroot opens and we queue down the tarmac...

Practice starts on time and despite the dire forecast, although overcast, it didn't rain all day. Dry roads, tyre-warmers done their job, I edge to the front and open her up down Glencrutchery Road. The guy on the 600 next to me gets a great start and I follow him down Bray Hill. He holds me up, so I outbrake him into Quarterbridge. I pass quite a few slower bikes, but none hold me up too much. It's a good lap.

There is nothing like lapping the Isle of Man on closed roads... it's fast... so fast. I immerse myself in the moment - pure concentration and focus. It's other-worldly... hard to describe.

A nice Hailwood replica on display

I blast through onto lap two and catch more traffic down Glencrutchery Road. I still haven't got a clear run down Bray Hill this year. I'll get it on Wednesday's Supertwin race. I catch more traffic - a line of 5 bikes just after Greeba Bridge. The freight-train looks cool - but holds me up - I pick them off and finally get past them all somewhere after Handley's. One of them is my mate Neil Vicars on his SV... the big bike flies past the little one down Cronk Y Voddy... I'm holding on so tight I can't even wave.

Old skool

I bring her home safely from my first dry run. But there were some problems. Through the medium speed corners, the back of the bike was sliding... a lot. Especially places like Ginger Hall where the track goes off-camber. Another problem... the bike is hard, hard work to get turned when at speed.  I'm forcing the bars with all my might through the fast, flat-out turns. She's running wide. She was also shaking here head around a bit. Some things to work on. Not many practices left to work on them.

Ready for a few laps on dry roads... at last!

First lap was 105mph from a standing start. That's the same as I did in lap 1 of last year's race. My second lap was 107mph. Only 1 mph off my best. This bike is certainly better than the old RSV. It's faster and handles sweeter. I'm happy :-)

My hosts are brilliant... I came back to the house to some scruptious BLTs :-)

 

ManxGP 2012 - Pic

Last night wasn't totally wasted... besides some onboard footage that came out ok... we get a good pic from the mountain ...

... looks like the left just after the Mountain Mile.

ManxGP 2012 - Day 5 - The Struggle

Every single ManxGP I have done lands up being a struggle. Yesterday the struggle started. I couldn't get to sleep last night. Woke up feeling crap. Got going on the bikes. Tyres changed Betty and a full prep - the forecast was good... gotta make the most of it. Two quick laps and I'll be qualified. I think I did enough on Suzy on Tuesday night to get her qualified.

I'm no mechanic. So a half-hour job takes me an hour... but becasue I wasn't really with it, the job would take me one and a half-hours. Making mistakes, having to redo stuff and doin dumb-ass things like spilling a litre of petrol on the garage floor. Things weren't going well from the start.
I had a quick look at the Suzuki misfire. It's not a low battery and it's not the usual water in the front plug. I'm going to have to get her nekkid and into bits to find the problem. What a pain in the fuckin' arse.

With everything taking me so long, I was later to skrootineering than I wanted to be. And for the third night in a row I unwittingly join the slowest queue. The skrootineer farts about doing other stuff and takes 20 minutes to go over my bike. Result is I start from the back of the first session. If things go well we'll get two smokin' laps in... if things don't go so well, it's normally the punters at the back of the queue who lose out.

#85 is James Cowton - Newly crowned GNC Thunderbike champ Neil Martin is spannering for him

Nothing I can do about that so I focus on getting out the gates and up to speed quickly. With just one bike to skrootineer, I treated myself and put on some tyre warmers so that I can set off like a scalded cat. I normally don;t bother with so much to do.

I go back to the van to get my kit on - find out I've forgotten my leathers. No problem... I have been carrying my flattrack leathers in the van for just such an opportunity! I get leathered up and go up to pit lane with my old helmet becasue I find that my new one's pin-lock is knackered. I thougt I got a bit of misting last night...

I get back up to the bike to find my tyre warmers have been unplugged somewhere down the chain of 7 extensions (becasue I'm so far back in the queue) and my tyres are stone cold. No problem, tyre warmers are a luxury - they're for pussies. Just have to take it steady to Union Mills.

Practice session starts and I wait an age to edge to the front of the queue - my eyes and throat are burning from all the monoxide exaust fumes. Lovely! Great for staying awake and focussed. I give the big Aprilia beans off the line and straight away feel the quickshifer cutting the engine at the wrong time when I change up. The bike lurches on every change. Fuck. I keep going. The circuit is beautiful and dry in the evening sunshine... the bike is pulling well and I'm starting to get the feel for that big beast. It's awesome.

"Hi team." "Yeah we've been red flagged 10 yards from the open track... after the incident."

 



Around Glen Helen and there are waved yellow flags warning of an incident. Frantic arms from the marshals join the waved flags and I round Sarah's Cottage to a rider being attended to in the middle of the track and scrape marks from the apex off into the trees on the left. I pick my way through, careful not to go over any debris. The next marshal post has green flags so I start getting Betty wound up for the Cronk y Voddy straight. As I hit the crest at the start of the straight I see the marshal up ahead taking out a red flag. He's got it out by the time I reach him and I'm pulled in at the end of the straight.

We wait 20 or so minutes while the rider is heli-vac'd out. That is the only place on the entire circuit that they have to red flag for a heli-vac. Apparently it' becasue as of last year one of the two pilots refused to land in the field near Glen Helen becasue the trees are close. The marshal post we're stopped at is the last one before the live track. How shitty is that? If I was just 10 seconds ahead I would have got through. If my skrootineer hadn't pissed about, if I have got one place further up the queue, if my tyres warmers had been left plugged in. If. Hey... if I was a bit further up the road I might have got caught in the incident.

We get the go-ahead to carry on. I pull out behind 3 or 4 other riders. I get the tyres up to temp and then the riders get in my way. I pass the last one down Sulby straight. While parked up I adjusted the quickshifter. It's better but still engaging over the bumps and lurching a bit. It's got to go.

I start getting into the flow of the big bike and use her power. She is fast. When I come around to complete the lap, we are pulled in. I only get two halves of a lap... most others get two clear laps. I am the first loser by quite a way. That sucks! Although... doesn't suck as much as coming off or a bike blowing up. Checking my lap times, they haven't credited 9 of us losers with teh time we sat waiting at teh marshal post that was after the incident. I put in a stonking 52mph lap. My slowest ever.

So... the struggle will continue and I will be back in the forcast crap weather this evening to give it another go. I hope I can get the Wee Suzuki fixed too. Not many pics becasue I didn't have much time or will to take any... or find any online. But I plugged my Go-Pro in and got some onboard stuff... just need to edit and upload.

ManxGP 2012 - Day 4 - Damp Shakedown

Overslept. The last few days catching up with me. Got the wheels off Wee Suzy - those haggard old tyres from last year having done their job. Smart new Bridgestones on - heard good things about them. We'll see if it's just talk.

A clean, gas up, top-up the battery, a little tweak to the front-end to sort the dragging pads and we're good to go.

Full tank, cold tyres in the damp - taking it easy through Quarterbridge

 

Load-up, to the day-paddock, unload and the heavens open up again. The rain hold up after half an hour and practice starts late. I'm in the second session so I got time to get the bike through skrootineering and all my crap up to parc firme.

Rain, rain go away...

 

Second session and I'm out on Betty. Wet and damp around the course - I take it easy. The bike feels planted and fast... but it's still a big old beast compared with the wee Suzuki. It has a couple of strange hiccups at high revs... might be the quickshifter engaging over the bumps... must check that out.

...come back another day.

 

I come in, generally happy with the bike, but didn't really have a chance to let her rip. I park Betty up, have a drink and warm up Suzy. Ten minutes later I'm heading down a dry Bray Hill - flat out. Yeeeeeeha!

I take it easy through course - not worth taking a chance in those slippery conditions. I test my gearing and am getting her up to 9200rpm in top. Might need one tooth longer on the back - I'll see what's in my spares box.

Ready to rock for a few laps of the Isle of Man

 

Rain flags out at Hilberry... they were out on teh last lap. Wet under the trees. I take it easy and accelarate up the hill to Cronk y Mona. Half way around and I hear teh rain pinging off my visor... but the time I slither into Signpost on it's proper rain. I spash through the puddles down to Governor's Dip where Suzy cuts out. Huh? I fire her up again... but she's running on one cylinder. Shit. I limp back to the Paddock. I got some work in the morning.

Now here is a work of art - a proper race bike.

Phil McGurk built this custom frame around a super-tuned ER-6 motor. See the Ducati Supersport infleunce there. Roumors in the paddock last year had his bike making 112bhp. He says it's a little lower this year (he blew two engines up last year in practice). He's going to be up at the sharp end on this beauty.



ManxGP 2012 - Day 3 - First Practice

After a no-go day and a day of rest, there wasnlt much to do on the bikes. Opportunity to tart them up a bit. I like tarting the bikes up. Hand cutting vinyl is like making cut-out pictures back at pre-school. It's therapeutic... and your hands stay clean :-)

All smiles 'n sunshine on the appraoch to Kirkmicheal

In the afternoon I hauled the bikes up to skrootineering. Most of the day-paddock swamp had dried out and it was warm and sunny. I got both bikes through skrootineering with no problemo. Somehow I got the start time of practice wrong by an hour... the air-ambulances taking off let me know practice would be underway soon. I got siuted and booted and headed up to pit-lane with my trolley of paddock-stands, emergency tools and fuel.

The number police got me in yesterdays scrootineering... so I added more '38's to keep everyone happy 

Practice was delayed 20 minutes while marshals got to thier posts. After Saturday's lack of marshals, I think they had an influx of new marshals... they'll get into the swing of things soon.

I call the Aprilia RSV Factory 'Betty'... she call's me 'Al'

After Saturday's disaapointment, it was a relief to be pointing down Glencrutchery Road with the starter's hand on my shoulder. I feel the tap. Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaap! I forgot to get the wee bike into gear. Doh! Clunk! Braaaaap-braaaaap-braaap. Following the rider ahead down towards St. Ninians.

Betty gets Sideburned up!



The other rider was going really carefully. I had to sit up down Bray Hill... not risking a pass till over Ago's Leap. Take it easy... some heat into the old, worn tyres. After Union Mills I get me head down. It was like I was never away!

I take it steady, remembering I'm on old tyres, dodging the damp patches and re-aquainting myself with the course... and the speed! :-)

Suzy lookin' sweet with here bling front-end



The new front-end on the Suzuki feels awesome. Firm and planted. The biggest improvement is on the brakes - Brembo's rule! At the heavy braking points (end of Sulby Straight, into the Cregg) I'm holding up 50 yards short! Great forks and brakes with such a light bike - big-time negative g's. No more squeezing the brakes as hard as I can and then feeling the front-end squirm around as the forks flex backwards under stress. I need to get used to this.

The queue for skrootineering - Alan Jackson is back on his #14 Moriwaki

Up the mountain. Just after the Mountain mile and I'm eveloped in swiring mist... by the Verandah is thick fog. Visibility down to less than 50 meters. I knock it back two gears and just follow the white line. At Kate's Cottage it clears but the session is red-flagged. They run the next practice session up to Ramsay and then red-flag it again. Everyone gets a lap in.

Great to get on the bike and do 2/3 of a lap. Great to know my home-brew front-end is working.