Christmas is Early!

I've been looking out for new gloves for a few years now. Found these at a knock-down price from a bloke in Australia - gotta love eBay! Power-rangers are go!

 

I love my old Nankai gloves... but been racing in them for 8 years now. They've been down the track many times, kept my little handies safe and I've only had them repaired once in that time. Faithful servants. They will now be rested in the kit bag as the 'backup' gloves.

 

 

Classic TT - The Bike

It is done.

I took the plunge and have acquired the basis for a Classic TT race machine. It's the most I have ever spent on a bike... by a long way. I'm still whincing... thank god for credit :-)

 

On Saturday I picked up a new Italiano beauty fro John at Made in Italy Motorcycles. A 1992 Ducati 851 SP3 - #507 or around 600 made. It's taken a month or two of learning about these bikes, searching, kicking tyres, deliberation and some anguish... but there is some method to this seeming madness of pressing a so-called 'Collectors' bike into service on the isle of Man.

Took her out for a blast on Saturday evening.

Hard to believe this gal is 20 years old... handling is so sweet... must have been an incredible machine in her day.

... she looks like a Ducati...

...she feels like a Ducati...

...she sounds like a Ducati...

...she's made like a Ducati.

Now... with the help of some friends we're gonna turn this road-going lovely into a sweet-handling, Manx road devouring, super-strong, stone-wall booming, rosso-flash of nostalgia at the Classic TT in August.

Oh shit... wtf have I got myself into now!

Manx Qualification

Last Saturday I was down at Snetterton for a couple of races on the old Aprilia in the 'Forgotten Era Superbikes'. At my least like circuit I wasn't happy with the bikes handling and those tuned-to-the-moon 750s (including an ex factory HRC RC45) just blew me away down that long straight. I was way off the pace and qualified an embarassing 11th out of 14. Poor.

I was followed all the way to the track and back...

But, I was there to get my last qualification race done for the Manx GP. I just had to finish, I wasn't really up for racing. So I just grinned... and could hardly bear it.

The rain held off but a howling, gusty wind was blowing. Typical Snetterton. First race - I get a rubbish start and am last into the first corner. I struggle in the shitty chicane onto the back straight... compromising my speed and getting passed on most laps. But I'm pretty good on the brakes at the end of the straight and normally take back the places I lost down the straight as I trail brake all the way through the left-hander. This was the only fun I had on track all day.

It was great to be in the paddock with a mate

My friend Don Plane was out for the first time in 5 years on his minty but completely stock RSV. We raced together in 2004 and 2005 in the Supertwins class. Don is a super-fast rider and knows Aprilias backwards. He built and developed the most awesome RSV Factory over a few years that was eventually making a reliable 160bhp at the rear wheel (mine makes about 125bhp). He's also had a hand in my new Manx GP Senior weapon... more about that in a later post...

Don's won many races and a Championship before taking a break. A couple of 5th places on his stock RSV - he's no slouch! A tough class.

Don helped me between races tweak the Aprilia's suspension... but it didn't help much with my laptimes. Only 0.2s a lap faster in race 2 ... my head just wasn't into it. Again, the only fun was doing silly braking moves at the end of the straight. I finished 9th of 14. But we're now qualified for the Manx GP!! :-)

Team Texas Road Trip

The Texas Tomali Ben Spies and Colin Edwards take a 'mancation':