News from Africa

Some news from my brother Nic in South Africa...

Off to visit some peeps in Graskop on Saturday. The St4 did not get the nod for the job, with intermittent fault ,no chancing it.
Might have worked fine, might have not. Confidence in the machine is important.
So went on the st2. Super little motorcycle.

So I ride some other routes go through some road works for about 15k's. slow, mud sand, all the stuff you do not like to ride a Duke over.
Anyhow, all good, road opens up, open up. Back end don't feel good, feel again. No good.
Pull over.
Sheeeet.
Flat.
Rear.
Back road somewhere.
Hmm.
Bag off bike on stand. No wurries. Out with the kit.
OOOh!, on inspection there appears to be a couple of possibilities.
Send the Auger mujob into one, and give it a clean. Dumbass shitty Chinese products. Rubber cement tube has about 1 10th of a gram of cement in it.
Chinese, you don't want that.
No wurries, we don't need that. plug in. 1x CO2 bomb, 1 x can tyre weld. Pffffffffffffffsssssssssssst.
Spin tyre. Pfffsssssffffsssstffffsssst. nuther hole.
Quick.
Auger.
Plug.
Rest of tyre weld.
Sooper.
Wait 5 minutes. Check pressure. all good.
PAck up . Ride on.

Decision.
Back home or onward. there was time.
No, rather back home. I do not have total trust in these things.
Besides, I had used all the repair kit up.
So back home it was. 160 k's. in the car, and back .

All good.
It was pissin doon, and all misty, so being in a car was great.

yeah! tyre repair kit lives under seat.
Yea never know.

Flattrack Practice

Yesterday, Pete Boast held a practice day at Leicester Speedway. I had committed to going, but really wasn't up for it on the day. Not wanting to let anyone down, I managed to reluctantly drag my kit into the van, and loaded the flattracker. As I was man-handling it in, I felt a muscle in my back go "poing!". Fuck, that hurt!
 

 

I shovelled some pain-killers in my mouth and headed to my 'local' track. Overnight rain left the track really soggy - not the conditions I like. I just watched the first few sessions glumly. Not up for it. Not up for getting my bike and kit covered in shale. Being surrounded with Paaarp-paaaarping bikes and a drying track and my mood slowly changed. I popped another pain-killer in and got my kit on.

First session I is was super slow. It started to come to me by the second session and actually started to enjoy the third session. I just went round and round and round. I wanted Pete to ride my bike and give some feedback. I have never ridden another flattracker.. so have no idea if my bike is good or bad.

It was a good turnout with 2 sessions being run.

Thanks Mark Hall for the pic.

Unfortunately, Pete didn't get a chance to try out the bike but gave me a great tip on my handle-bar position. I swung them forward about 2 inches... much easier getting into corners (which is where I struggle). I found the throttle control a bit awkward with the bars that far forward, but I got used to it. By the end of my third session, my back was killing me. So I quit while ahead.

Some of the usual suspects were there...

Thanks Mark Hall for the pic.

 

 Young Oliver Brindley was flying... passed me a few times.

Thanks Mark Hall for the pic.

It was a good day on the clay and a great track - I hope we get to race there next year. Hopefully I'll get to see the doc today about my back - still fuckin hurts. Also just realised I didn't do a post on the last round of the DTRA National Flattrack Champs... I'll get onto that soon.

Sweet DD

A sweet looking Desmo Due-like racer build by the panigaleracingteam. Loads more pics on the build, on track and vids in their blog...

Thanks Café Racer Culture blog... for the link!

Conservatories...

... can be useful.

Autumn arrived this week to end the best summer weather in many years. Making space on the workbench for the winter projects. Need to make an early start on next seasons preparations - starting off with finding those lost 10bhp on both the Wee Monster and the Suzuki SV...

Fame!

This month's edition of Practical Sportsbikes... never had my name and pic in a magazine before...

Keeping good company... on the same page as Anstey, Dunlop, Mercer, a few others and some chap named McGuiness.
:-)

Classic Duke 888

Alf of Alf's Motorcycles was running a Ducati 888 Corsa at the Classic TT. It was ridden by the able Mick Godfrey. Mick was flying in practice with a lap of 113mph. From Alf's Facebook page:



Unfortunately they had engine troubles. Overheating in practice and then an internal knock at the Jurby Festival (the day before the race) prompted and overnight engine change to a standard SP5 unit. The new engine did 3 laps of the Formula 1 race before a broken wire put an end to the valiant effort. Alf say's they'll be back next year.

Ducati Cafe Racer

We love ducatis, we love monsters and we love café racers. Found this awesome Ducati café racer on the Pipeburn site by Manuel Ayllón...

Full article on Pipeburn.

Cool Guzzi Racer

Got the link from Tom Whiting. One badd-ass looking Guzzi racer from Davide Caforio from Ruote Fiere.

Full article here.

Isle of Man 2013 Thoughts and Pics

It's been more than a week since I got back from the Isle of Man. Been struggling a bit to get back to reality and normal life. Every afternoon I look out the window, check the weather and road surface. If it's dry, all I want to do is go out for practice. Lapping the TT Mountain Circuit on closed roads is like nothing else.

Ballacrye - a big jump at over 140mph - breathtaking!

 

Barregarrow - starting to get it right... 7 years of trying...

Sitting on a race bike on Glencrutchery Road, the eyes focus on that narrow, curb-lined, blue-grey strip of asphalt that disappears through St. Ninians traffic-lights and down Bray Hill. Throttle is opened as far as it will go, tacho needle kissing the red-line as the gears get hooked-up. First, second, third, past the grandstand and scoreboard, the low stone walls and trees are moving quickly. Fourth, the high hedges on the left of the road approach even faster. Fifth, hugging the left curb, brush past the green hedges and pull the bike to the right. Sixth, as you apex on the right of the St. Ninians traffic-lights. Revs rise momentarily as you hit the first jump at well over 100mph with the bike cranked over. In the air, the bike moves a few inches to the right, you land. The tyres bite into the asphalt and grip. You haul the bike to the right to hit the apex of the next curb...

Famous jump at Ballaugh Bridge

Duke through Lambfell

Skimming the walls between Waterworks and Gooseneck

All the time, expense, hassle, blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice suddenly melt away. It is you, your machine and the course. Single minded. Complete focus. Pure. It is the Supreme Ultimate, the Tai-Chi.

Threading your way along the oldest race track in the world as fast as your dare. Lined by trees, stone walls, gateposts, telephone poles, hedges, fences, homes, pubs and people come there to watch. A bit later on the brakes here, earlier off the brakes there. Everywhere counts. Need to go faster... everywhere.

Suzuki through Cronk y Mona

Suzuki bursts into the evening sunlight at Greeba Castle

 

Pushing through that blind corner just one or two mile per hour faster than you have before. You know you're on the right line, you've turned in and timed it perfectly. But you're not 100% sure your tyres will grip while leaned right over with that extra bit of speed at well over a ton. You've got to try. Take a breath and go for it.

Rain in the Supertwins race

Suzuki giving all she's got through Lambfell

Your brain is screaming "Too fast! Too fast!". That stone wall is approaching at warp speed. You're moving your weight off the bike and pushing hard with counter-steer. At that speed, the bike just want's to go straight. It reluctantly changes direction to the constant battle raging in your mind. The survival part of your brain screaming to roll the throttle, another part wanting to keep those cables stretched. When the latter wins and you hurtle through the corner faster than you ever have before... and survive... it's an incredible feeling.

Hustling the big Aprilia through the Bungalow

The old Duke booms through Kirkmichael

This is some of the allure of going as fast as you dare on the most challenging, best race circuit in the world.

The old Ducati worked hard

Post Manx Blues. Most of my Isle of Man race friends suffer from it. Withdrawal symptoms. Time to reflect.

Only got 4 practice laps in on the Aprilia... she felt better than ever and we went progressively faster



The 2013 Isle of Man campaign will go down as a vintage year in Speed Therapy history. 3 classes entered. 2 races started, 2 replicas earned. A TT Silver replica, finishing 3rd in class and my fastest lap ever on a 22 year old Ducati (that just didn't make sense for the Isle of Man) has to be the highlight. Then, bettering that personal best lap by 1.5 miles per hour average from a standing start on the big Aprilia in practice and the outgunned little Suzuki putting in a spirited performance in the harrowing, weather plagued final race would also be up there. The only blight on the fortnight was the cancelled Senior race - an anti-climax to a superb event. But... we mustn't be greedy. For the first time in my Isle of Man racing, there were no fatalities.

The old lady looking good for 22 years

Supertwins race

 

TT Mountain Course - no race track like it

 

Spending time with my brother Nic was awesome - Nic gave so much to come out from South Africa to be with me and help work on the bikes, prep, practice and the race - you're awesome Chief!

Also, the support of the Love of my life, Alex. Pit crew Ian, Steve and Mandy. I couldn't have done it without any of you. Also, to my sponsors RedMax Steve Hillary for building such a strong engine, Oronero Peter,  Southern Cross Don Plane,  MD-Racing Mike Dawson and all the support, encouragement and well wishes from friends, family and all the folks I don't know on the phone, forums, Facebook and blog. THANK YOU!

After the disappointment of 2011 and 2012 (we limped home to get just 1 finish from 4 races), 2013 has been brilliant. The support, help and people around me have made the difference. Thank you again.

It's been epic!

Post Manx Blues

As with most of my racer friends... been struggling with 'Post Manx Blues' for the last 2 weeks. All I want to do is go as fast as I can on closed roads...