Classic TT Start

'All In' getting away at 6:25. Love the comment in teh background "You can hear that...". You sure can :-) More glorious Duke sounds at 10:10

IOM 2014 - Post Manx Blues

For a few weeks and even months after returning from the Isle of Man, I suffer 'Post Manx Blues'. Most of my friends who race out there get it too. Back to the hum-drum of everyday life - lightyears away from the focus, intensity, thrill, emotion, danger, sadness, hard work, concentration, frustration, adrenalin, celebration, relief and joy of racing on the Isle of Man. I get a feeling for what combat troops returning to civil life go through.

'Crosswind' by one of my favorite artists: Tom Fritz

With the Isle of Man experience fresh in my memory, it's the contrast to everyday life that leads me to sometimes think: "Why the hell am I doing this crap?". But I quickly remind myself: "So that I can go and have these incredible experiences.". I'm getting better at keeping the gap between the thought and the reminder as small as possible.

I think that this practice, and having achieved every goal that I set out for myself before I got on that ferry a month ago, has helped keep those 'Post Manx Blues' away. Right now, I have a deep sense of satisfaction.

I never take the decision about racing on the Isle of Man lightly - this is why I wait at least 2 weeks after returning before daring to think of returning. Let the emotions settle - like closing your eyes to the dust kicked up by a car speeding by on a dirt road. Hold your breath, let the dust settle.

IOM 2014 Day 13 - Final Prep

After the success of Wednesday's Supertwins race, we decided not to go out on the Aprilia for a final practice. I was happy with the bike and had nothing to test or learn. The final practice was cut short because of a civilian emergency and the riders didn't even get a full lap in anyway.

Thursday we spent going over everything on the Aprilia. Everything. And prepping her for the Senior race on Friday. We were all done by the afternoon and spent the rest of the day and evening chilling out.

IOM 2014 Vids - Ducati 888

Kevan got a few little vids of the Ducati 888 at this year's Classic TT...

First Practice:

Formula 1 race - the flying lap:


Julie-Ann, my landlord on Bray Hill also got this one:

I've got a few on-boards (big files!) that I'll get published soon.

IOM 2014 Day 11 - Race Day: Formula 1

On Tuesday, despite early morning rain, the sun came out, the wind was blowing and the track was drying out quickly. We were going racing!

The postponed schedule was all happening a little later in the day with the Formula 1 race around 14h00. Alex had to return to London for work so I dropped her at the airport for the early morning flight. We were both disappointed that she couldn't be there in the pits for the race. When I got back to the house, I went straight back to bed for a few hours - I had been fighting a cold since the weekend and my body needed all the rest it could get.

Kevan getting the old girl through skrootineering

Another old Duke at skrootineering

Later that morning, we load the Ducati and up to skrootineering before the roads closed at 11h30. She flies through skrootineering - as she's done all week. We get her on warmers in Parc Firme, last check of everything and then back down to the van to load up the trolley with fuel, tools and pit-stop bits, a bite to eat and to get ready for the shortened 3-lap race.

Ian Gardner getting his beautiful Kawa through

I watch the start of the Classic 350cc race. Unfortunately, Mark Herbertson retires on the first lap. I lose interest and get back to the van to focus my thoughts on the race. Physically, I'm not feeling great. I eat my usual race lunch and focus on the job ahead as I get into my leathers and check my helmet over. All set, we head up to Parc Firme 45 minutes before the race to organise the pit crew. Big thanks to Mike Dickenson who stepped in to help with the pit-stop in Alex's absence.

Cleaning the leathers - got some greenery in the air vents when I brushed the hedges through Handley's during practice

Pretty soon we have the bike warmed up, and are on Glencrutchery Road awaiting our start. I hear the first seeded riders hoon off down the road and pretty soon the start queue is moving forward. Last minute 'Good Lucks', handshakes and fist-shakes all around and soon I'm into the pen just before the start line. Just me and the machine. We're ready.

Glencrutchery Road start queue

Just to keep things interesting, I stall as I roll up to the start line. But the bike fires right up again on the starter. "Phew!". The starter puts his hand on my shoulder, I watch the man in front with the little start flag. I hold the revs at 6000 rpm. Seconds later, he flicks the flag and I ease the clutch out as the starter taps my shoulder. We're away.

Off the line well... almost a wheelie there :-)

Thanks Samantha Herbertson for the pic!

The old Duke revs freely up to 10 000rpm in every gear. I hook 5th as I get to the turn-in point for St. Ninian's Crossroads - the tall hedge on the right side on the road. 6th just as I approach the crossroads - we're doing about 150mph as we hit the first jump across the crossroads. The old girl feels stable and planted as she lands and we hold her flat-out down Bray Hill. Through the bottom of Bray Hill - "Whump!" as she bottoms out and I keep her pinned with little wheelies over Ago's 1 and Ago's 2. What a rush!

Top of Barregarrow - one of my least liked corners on the course.

Thanks Keith Fothergill for the great pic!

The little tweaks we've made to the engine are working and we can run one tooth longer gearing, giving us a theoretical higher top speed of around 5mph more than last year. She also pulls well between 9000rpm and 10000rpm - she wants to just keep revving. I keep to the self imposed 10000rpm limit - reliability is key around the Isle of Man. Over-revving big twins is the kiss of death for the engine - I'm keen to see the finish line.

Down Bray Hill - Yep, that's how close up you can get to 150mph around here

Thanks Julie-Ann for the pic!

It's quite windy and blustery, but the sun is shining and the track is dry. The wind is tough to ride in. Headwinds slow the bike noticeably, tailwinds get her over-revving down some of the straights where I have to feather the throttle to try maintain reliability. The worst is getting blown off-line through corners - especially on the mountain where it is exposed and the wind buffets around. Tough conditions.

I try to relax and settle into the race. I achieve this for a few miles, then make one or two mistakes and have to make a conscious effort to get settled again. I am struggling a bit. I have to keep reminding myself how awesome it is to ride a Ducati 888 flat-out on the best race track in the world. I take it all in (as much of it as I can) and savour the experience.

After lap 1, I head into the pits for a refuel. It's a quick pit-stop to just brim the tank again to get to the finish line in 2 laps. Slow-down to under 60kmh, rumble down pit-lane at this speed, find my pits right near the end of pit-lane. Find my pits. Hmmm... where the hell is it? Shit, we're running out of pit-lane here. Where are the guys? Just then, Steve jumps out in front of me. I hit the brakes and pull in next to our fuel bowser. Hit the kill switch, Steve pops the bike on the rear stand (new rules for 2014), Mike unscrews the fuel cap, Kevan starts refuelling. Visor spray, drink, screen clean. The stop goes well and the newly acquainted team do a brilliant job.Thanks Team!!!

Pit-stop done, I flick the kill switch back on, she fires up straight away and I'm outta there! Back down Glencrutchery Road, St. Ninian's and Bray Hill. On a 37.7 mile lap, I'll normally make 2 or 3 mistakes. But I am making more like 10 to 15 mistakes every lap during this race. I'm missing apexes and running wide on some corners. I'm struggling to find a rhythm.

Top of Barregarrow again...

Thanks Keith Fothergill for the pic

I stick with it, consciously make an effort to relax and enjoy it... and try not to make so many mistakes. Lap 3 is my only flying lap - I want to make it a good, clean lap to try better my personal best on the old Duke. Flat out down Bray Hill on a flying lap is just that bit quicker than a standing start. It's exhilarating!

I struggle to get into it and find a rhythm as with the previous 2 laps. I also start to feel tired. I dig in, get my head down and try make it a good one. I think there were 3 things contributing to why I was struggling:
1) I was physically not feeling the best
2) Windy/blustery conditions made it more difficult and harder work
3) I was pushing harder than I have before and as a result hitting corners faster and arriving at the next one sooner

Some Manx wildlife

One that last lap, as I go through the flat-out, bumpy right kink just after the jump at Glen Auldyn Bridge (after Miltown). The old girl gets herself into a big tank-slapper. "Whooooaaaah!". I keep on the power, but it get's worse, a second later, I roll the throttle and she settles down. Shit. I stamp down a gear and get her going again... seconds lost there :-(

TT Legend - Bruce Anstey

I am relieved to see the chequered flag at the end of lap 3. Man, I had to work hard for that one! When I get back to Parc Firme, there are not too many other bikes there... it looks to be a good result. The crew meet me there and there are high-fives, hand shakes and "Well done"s all around. Mike then says: "You've been a naughty boy." and hands me my misdemeanor. Speeding in pit-lane. Damn! 30 second penalty. Shit! My pit-box was so far at the end of pit-lane on a downhill, I must have crept over the 60kmh limit while looking for it. Crap!

Bad news :-(

The 30 second penalty drops me from 14th place to 16th place and from 6th Privateer to 8th Privateer. Oh well... I'm still super happy with the finish. More important, my race average was 109mph - 3mph up from last year and my last lap was a whisker off 112mph. Very happy with that. The competition was stronger this year with Bruce Anstey winning the race on the Padgett's 500cc Grand Prix bike and smashing the two-stroke lap record in the process. There were even more big teams with fancy (and very expensive) ex-factory race bikes ridden by TT pros this year. Very chuffed with our finish and personal bests on the stock, completely period, converted road bike that we only managed 5 practice laps on.

Home! Always awesome to to see the finish on the Isle of Man :-)

We also find that the steering damper has snapped the boss that it is bolted to clean off the frame. This would either have been the result of the tank slapper on the last lap, or the cause of it. I think it was the cause of it and that is had snapped off over the previous very bumpy miles from Ginger Hall. This place is hard on machinery.

Steering damper snapped off

My objectives were to: make the start of practice - done. Qualify - done. Finish the race - done. Up my fastest lap from 109 to 112mph - done. Get a TT silver replica - done! A great start to the racing for the IOM 2014 Campaign.

Receiving the TT Silver Replica from the legend himself - John McGuinness

A special mention for Stafford Evans, Stuart Rayner and the Celeres Racing Team who built the other Ducati 888 that was in the race - they finished too! Read all about it: Celeres Racing blog.

The bike worked flawlessly. We could have got her handling a bit better given time, but we rode her best we could. Big Thanks to Steve Hillary at Redmax Ducati for building such a strong, reliable engine. Who would have thought a stock SP would conquer the TT Mountain Course... twice!  Peter Oronero for those beautiful carbon bits and perfect race loom - we were 12 kg lighter than last year! Mark Lumb at MADASL Racing for the exhausts, vernier pullies, belly-pan and loan of the slipper-clutch. Steve Bailey of BBB Fabrications for the subframe and custom exhaust link pipes. Steve Mann at MTS Classics for helping me with all those little bits n pieces, teaching me stuff and fabrication. And big thanks to Clinique for the soap that stopped the fuel tank leak!

With Brett, the best landlord on the Isle!

Thanks Kevan!

Besides my speeding, the pit-stop was also flawless. Big thanks to Kevan Flanagan for refuelling, spannering and generally helping out for the fortnight - a massive help! Steve Mann for operating the paddock stand and drinks and to Mike Dickenson for the slick fuel-cap operation and visor/screen cleaning and help with setup during practice. Thanks to Brett and Julie-Ann, my Isle of Man landlords. Thanks to Alan Birtwhistle for bringing the toolbox over that we forgot. And... thank you to my beautiful wife for your love and support. Couldn't have done it without any of you!

We had another cart blow-out after the F1 race...

...National Tyre to the rescue!

Hard-working!

They think we're barmy!

One race done, two to go...

IOM 2014 Day 10 - Hurry Up and Wait

On Monday we were up early to load the bikes and get the Ducati up to skrootineering for the Formula 1 race that was scheduled to run around lunch-time. We also took the Aprilia along for the scheduled practice in the afternoon. The weather was pretty wet, windy and cold and we were doubtful the races would run. We had to be there anyway, just in case.

Before the roads closed at 09h30, the Clerk of the Course announced that Monday's programme was to be postponed to Tuesday - the forecast looked better for Tuesday. Because of the new schedule, the races would be run over 3 laps and not the original 4. I was pretty relieved that we would be racing in better weather... but a little disappointed that the race was shortened. I just love riding around here!

We spent the day checking over the Ducati again, prepping the Suzuki for Wednesday's race (with the racing on Tuesday, we had to get this done in advance) and checking out the bikes in the factory Suzuki and Kawasaki displays, some of the big teams and a huge collection of Joey Dunlop's race winning bikes.

IOM 2014 Day 9 - Prep and R&R

Friday is the last day of qualifying and those last laps on the Ducati and Suzuki were good enough for me to qualify 22nd in the Formula 1 class on the Ducati (8th fastest Privateer), 11th in the Supertwins class on the Suzuki and 25th in the Senior class on the Aprilia. Well pleased with that and the personal bests we've been getting on almost every session.

A great photo of the wee Suzuki coming out of the Cregg-ny-Baa that appeared on the Manx TT Radio Website - Fame!

Sunday morning was spent prepping the Ducati for the Formula 1 Classic TT race that was scheduled for Monday. Check everything. Then... check it again. It seems like the soap has fixed our fuel leak... 3 laps of practice and not a drop leaked... should be good for a 4 lap race. With new tyres on and everything triple checked, by 14h00 she was good to go.

Oil sample taken and sent out for analysis - fresh oil for the race :-)

After solving the pain in the ass of the Chevy battery running flat because of of faulty interior light switch/loose wire, I could finally spend some time with my beautiful wife Alex who flew out on Friday night for the weekend and to help in the pits for Monday's race.

Ducati all prepped and ready for the Formula 1 race

The main opposition for the race - Bruce Anstey riding the Padgett's 500cc Yamaha Grand Prix bike.

120kg and huuuge power - proper GP stuff! Could be a bit frightening around the IOM. Kudos to Anstey for riding it!

Beautiful beaches south of the Isle

At the Calf of Mann

IOM 2014 Day 8 - Final Practice

Although we weren't racing, Saturday was the first day of racing at the Festival of Motorcycling - the 500cc Classic race. Before the race we had a short practice session for the Ducati and after the race a longer session where we could have a run out on the Aprilia and test the new fork springs. It was an early start with the road closing at 09h30 so we were up till after midnight prepping the bikes.

Burning the midnight oil...

We get the Duke through skrootineering and into it's tyre warmers up on Parc Firme. Pretty soon and we're blasting our way down Bray Hill. There was rain earlier in the morning and the course was damp most of the way around. I took it easy and tested the changes we'd made - they were good. I was quite please with a standing start lap of 106mph in those conditions.

A few carbon repairs needed

After the practice session, the 500cc Classic race was run. Unfortunately my friend Mark Herbertson got a DNF in lap 1 after engine troubles during practice week.

We get the Aprilia through skrootineering during the race and are out for a few laps afterwards to test the new springs. The harder springs will help the bike bottoming out and diving on the brakes, in turn helping to keep the rear wheel on the deck under heavy braking. It also allows us to dial in 5mm more sag on the front. The bike feels better - still good over the bumps, but much better on the brakes. It also seems to wheelie a lot more over the bumps and at gear-changes.

Ex-Gibenau Desmosedici on display

I can't remember my laptimes on the Aprilia, but they were good. There were a number of incidents during the session and that evening and we were saddened to learn that night that Tim Moorhead had lost his life on the Mountain in one of the incidents. Sincerest condolences to Tim's family and friends.

Tim Moorhead was a Newcomer in 2012

After the practice session, there was a parade lap with the who's-who of TT racing on historic TT bikes to commemorate Joey Dunlop's TT career. Kevan managed to blag his way onto Glencrutchery Road and got selfies with just about all the celebrities. I've spent the last few years doing the Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT in the company of these famous riders, when I saw all Kevan's selfies, I realized I don't have any pics with these legends. I made a mental note to get at least one in the next few days.

Steve and Mandy with TT legend John McGuinness

We've worked hard and improved the bikes every practice session and set personal bests in almost every session we went out in. I was happy with the bikes and ready to take them out to race. With only two short practice session remaining during race days, and me happy with the bikes, it was more than likely that I won't be doing any more practice laps. We'd put in the effort and reaped the rewards. All that was left was to race prep the bikes and go racing.

 Some of Kevan's selfies from Glencrutchery Road...

...more who's-who

Steve Plater on Hizzy's bike

Steve Plater and Mick Grant

IOM 2014 Day 7 - Faster, Faster!

With only 2 practice sessions remaining and only 2 laps done on the Ducati 888, it was critical we fix the fuel tank and get out for Friday's practice. So we were up early and stripped the fuel tank again and tested it again. That's when we found the leak. The boss on the bottom of the tank where the fuel pump wires come out was cracked. It was finer than a hair.

This twilight shot looks like it was taken at Cornk-y-Mona

First prize would be to get it welded properly. We went for it. A message on Facebook quickly brought us a few alluminium welders in the Douglas area. By 08h30 we were phoning around. One guy was recommended down on Peel Road and he could do it for us. We got the tank to him before 10h00. He had a look and said "No problem." The crack was in a tight corner so it needed to be cleaned up a bit - this would take an hour or two and he had another job on the go for the dairy. I suggested that I clean it up and bring it back in an hour. He said that would be great and that it would only take 15 to 20 minutes to weld.

Back at the garage, I got stuck in with my Dremel. I cleaned it up real good to make sure the guy had a good starting point for a proper weld. We drop the tank back off with the guy by 11h30 and return to the garage to prep the Suzuki. He'll call when done.

I impressed myself with the neat job.

By 13h30 I haven't heard anything. I start to worry and give the guy a call. He couldn't talk and would call me back in 5 mins. 10mins, 20 mins... no call. I call twice. The phone just gets hung up. So I drive down to the guys workshop. When I arrive, the tank is lying upside down on a bare metal workbench. Its still warm, the weld doesn't look great and when I turn it over, it is full of scratches and scrapes. The idiot that welded it just dumped it on a steel workbench and dragged it around upside down. I was pretty pissed off and explained to him in the nicest possible way that metal actually scratches paint and that he's a fucking idiot. They should stick to welding bits for udder pumps. Muppets!

And here's the job by the 'professional' welder....

To top that off... when we test the tank, it leaks even worse than before. The fuel just pisses out now. Great!

Thanks for fucking up my tank mate!

We swiftly try plan 'B'. Soap. I find some soap which just happens to be the perfect constituency and work it into and around the weld. The fuel leak stops! We re-assemble the tank, load the bikes and head up to the paddock where we are very late for skrootineering.

We are seeded in both practice sessions so luckily on this day, being late isn't too much of an issue. We get the Suzuki through skrootineering and I'm hooning down Glencrutchery Road on it while Kevan gets the Ducati through.

Ducati 888 - held together by Clinique!

The changes we made to the Suzuki are working and she is easier to ride. Easier to go fast on. I get Ballagary, the right-hander after the Hawthorn pub, end of Cronk-y-Voddy straight and Ballacrye bend absolutely flat-out in 6th. Something I couldn't do before. It feels great! What a rush! And what a difference it makes to my laptime - 107mph average on my second lap. 3mph faster than my previous best that I have been trying to better for the last 4 years!

Our hard-working trolley suffered a blow-out...

The two laps are over too soon and I'm back in Parc Firme feeling under the Duke's tank for a fuel leak with her brimmed tank. It's dry. Sweet! I swing my leg over her and open her up down Glencrutchery Road.

We have out best yet run out on the Suzuki...

I hit 10000 rpm in every gear... she flies. Between 8000 and 10000 she is soooo sweet. She just keeps on pulling. I'm loving it! We'd made some changes on the old girl too and she was feeling better. None of the big wobbles I was feeling on Monday through fast, bumpy, cranked-over sections. More stable but harder to turn in - I was working the bars hard. Something to improve for Monday's race.

... and on the old Duke

I missed a lot of apexes and ran wider than I'd like on a lot of fast turns. Everything felt just that little bit faster but just a little bit more in control. I land up doing my personal best on that bike on the second flying lap - just short of 110mph. Yeeeeeha!