TT Day 14 - Lightweight Race

Friday morning - race day. Our final race of the TT campaign - the Lightweight. At 10h15 the race starts for 3 laps of the most iconic and incredible 37.7 mile strip of tarmac on the planet. We are rested and up for it.

We're at the garage early to pickup the bike and in the paddock unloading by 08h00. Thirty minutes later and Nic has the wee Kawasaki through skrootineering and in the assembly area. We get her on paddock stands, tyre warmers and top up the fuel. All set for the race.

The Speed Therapy Team

Deebs had to get back to the mainland after the second Supersport race so Mark's partner Kath stepped in to take up the water and screen cleaning duties for the pit crew. Soon the roads were closed and the crew were up at pitlane filling the fuel bowser. Our pit box was right at the top of pit-lane. This is good... just need to watch my speed down pit-lane after the refuel.

I warm-up and stretch. Get my gear on. I love this part of racing... the reflection... the focus. I walk up to the assembly area with 20 minutes before the scheduled start. Head down... I watch the tarmac of the paddock moving beneath my feet at 2 mph, the gray stone glinting in the light... soon it will be a blur and I'll cover more than 100 miles of it in the next hour.

As I approach the assembly area, I walk down the now familiar tunnel of spectators snaking up to where the bikes are. Many with cameras, phones and tablets pointed at me. A few nod as they wish me luck and I get a few thumbs-up. Into the assembly area with the teams, well dressed VIP guests, TV crews interviewing the top riders and photographers in white bibs snapping away, trying to capture the atmosphere, the anticipation and the excitement that builds before the race.

I check in with Nic. Fuel is topped up, tyres toasty, pressures adjusted, engine warmed up and she's good to go. I walk around the assembly area, finding other riders and pit crew that I know to have a chat and wish each other luck and speed with a handshake and some hugs. we want to all see each other back at parc firme after 3 laps.

Spot the Speed Therapy lid...

The Arai support during the fortnight was fantastic. You just drop your lid off and they clean it, dry the inside and prep the tear-offs for the next session/race... done in 30 minutes or pick it up the next day. Service :-)

This is part of the ethos of racing on the Isle of Man that I love. Just about all competitors I know want all other competitors to do well. I'm sure it's the same for the top riders fighting over the podiums. You want everyone to have a good race, go fast... and come home safely. You're out there to challeng yourself, to beat the course. Get that section you've been struggling with right. make that apex you've been missing all week. Hold that corner you've been rolling the throttle on flat-out. Quieten that voice that screams "You're going to die!" at every second corner. The TT Mountain Course - just a strip of road that our human-ness has turned into a mystical place of speed and endeavor.

Up on Glencrutchery road. I love the buzz up there. The focus, the emotion, the poignance. At number 40 away on the road, we have a shorter wait than with the Superpsport races. Less time for the tyres to cool in the light breeze. Less time to soak it in, less time to savor it all.

Within minutes of the start, I have my helmet on and am chanting the mantra "Fast, safe, smooth." to myself. We move forward in the queue. I get on the bike, fist pump with Nic, "See you in twenty minutes" and I'm padding into the start enclosure. "Fast, safe, smooth. Fast, safe, smooth. Fast, safe smooth.".

The view from start position 40 on Glencrutchery Road

The red Isle of Man flag drops and we're away. The little Kawasaki parallel twin revving her heart out in every gear all the way down to Quarterbridge. I'm focused and up for it. easy through Braddan Bridge on warmish tyres up to Union Mills and then we get the hammer down.

Lap one goes well. I'm feeling fast. I get through Ballagarey faster than I ever have on a small bike... just knocking the throttle till I see the apex over the blind rise and then tipping in and flattening it. I carry good speed down to DJs where I say "Hi DJ" as I crank the bike over to the left... throttle flat out, revs rising to near maximum as the tyre rides on the smaller diameter edge. My shift lights flicker though there for the first time in the fortnight. "Sweet!"

Quarterbridge

I see the next rider on the road at Ballacraine after the flat-out blast through Gorse Lea. "Let's catch him." I push on, narrowing the gap through every sector. Ballagh Bridge and I make a huge jump... I gain 10 yards on him. Ballacrye and I'm just a few feet from his back wheel. He's good through Quarry bends and his bike is fast down Sulby Straight. I have to roll the throttle in his slipstream. I don't want to overtake too soon and give him a chance of getting back at me before the 140 down to 50 mph braking zone.

Just before the flat-out right kink, I pop out of his slipstream and pull alongside. He's two feet to my left... we're leaned over and a tall, bright green hedge is two feet from my right at over 140mph. Thrilling! We both brake late. 5th gear, 4th gear... 3rd. We are level pegging all the way up to the tipping in point. I have the inside line to Sulby Bridge - I'm through.

Up, over the mountain and the bike is feeling a bit slower than in practice. It's about 10 degrees warmer ambient temperature and the bike is running about 15 degrees hotter. We had taped the radiators in practice because she was running a bit too cool. Now too hot. Damn. With Nic doing the fueling in the pit-stop, I don't want to cause confusion and un-tape the radiators when we come in. She should be ok for the rest of the race.

Down the mountain, back to the Grandstand and into the pit-box for our mandatory stop. The top teams all have huge tanks on their bikes and just do a stop without taking any more fuel on. They save about 25 seconds in the race. We have to sit there swirling and additional 8 liters of fuel in by gravity while the clock ticks.

With the tank almost brimmed, I get impatient. "Let's go, let's go!". In the rush to get going we get the fuel rag caught in the fuel cap... in a second or two it's released and I've fired the bike up and am trundling down pit-lap obeying the 60km/h speed limit. 6500 rpm in first gear. I hook 2nd, quickly realize my fault and stamp it back down to 1st. 7000 rpm. 58km/h flashes on the board. Lucky!

I think this is through Tower Bends

Back on track and the little bike is held wide open again. "Fast, safe, smooth.". On the run to Ballacraine, I feel what I think is clutch slip. Shit. I adjust the clutch cable while flat-out. I wind it in to its maximum. That's as much as I can do for the rest of the race. By the time I get to Ramsey the clutch is starting to slip again. Shit. Shit.

I try take it easy on the clutch... not so aggressive on the throttle. Easy on my down changes. I have to bring it home. Over the mountain - I give my pit-crew the thumbs-up as I fly past the Grandstand for my last lap. "Just one more lap... c'mon baby. Just one more lap.".

Our wee IOM Mascott given by Glenda and Dave came along for a ride around his home island

Down into Quarterbridge and I see the next rider on the road just disappearing around the corner. having a target always tends to pull me along. Something to aim for. At Braddan Bridge there are marshals in the track and yellow flags been waved. Some debris around.. another marshal running with a back-board and two others trying to get a rider out from under the recticell air-fence. I slow right down and trundle through. Around the right-hander, green flags and we're flat-out again. I can see the rider ahead again through that first sector to Glen Helen. I'm chipping away at his lead.

Into the windy, forested Glen Helen section. The tighter turns, change of direction and on/off/on the throttle makes the clutch work harder... and slip. A lot. I ride as smooth as I can. Up onto Cronk-y-Voddy straight and I can no longer see the rider ahead. I just got to bring this home... I mentally clamp the clutch plates in the engine together to stop them slipping.

Through the flat-out sections I have to keep rolling the throttle to 'catch' the clutch... let it grip then gently accelerate again. It's frustrating. I'm going through sections at 1000rpm less than before. I focus on being as smooth as possible and carrying as much corner-speed as I dare.

With John Trigger. JT built the Triumph engine and most of the chassis. Top bloke and probably the best Triumph tuner in the world who helped us out during the fortnight. Factory!

Onto Sulby Straight and I see the rider up ahead again... but through the bumpy Ginger Hall to Ramsey section I lose a lot of time with the clutch slipping as the rear tyre digs in over the bumps. I give up the chase and just want to bring it home. Easy on the down-changes... gentle acceleration. Less engine braking... but also less brake to carry corner-speed. Just nursing her along. I also take time to soak in the atmosphere. Crowds lining the roads everywhere... sitting on stone walls and grass embankments... some so close you could touch them if you reached out your hand. This is racing on the Isle of Man. This is the TT :-)

I run wide on a few corners because of my change in style and increased corner-speed. It feels scrappy... but I gotta keep going. Up to the Gooseneck and there are crowds 10 deep... I give them a wave as I start my final ascent up the Mountain. Less people... less reference points... but  smoother and faster. I love the Mountain section. I enjoy every turn.

Up over Hailwood's rise... as Douglas comes into view in the distance, I can smell the finish-line. I sweep around the 32nd milestone... 3 apexes taken as one. I love that corner! Windy corner - not so windy today and I drag me knee all the way around it. Beautiful! 33rd milestone, 2 super-fast apexes taken as one onto a negative camber... I hang on the throttle longer than I ever have on the approach. Down 1 gear and tip her in. Oh shit. I'm off line through the first corner...

I keep hanging off the bike... she squirms as I cross the white center-lines. I keep hanging off and turning. My mind is screaming for me to roll the throttle... I ignore the screams and open her up... flat-out. I hit the second apex perfectly and I rocket out the other side of the turns with two feet of tar to spare. Loads of room! Awesome!

Through the Cregg-ny-Baa

Keppel gate and down to the Cregg where the crowds are waving. Down to third and I drag my knee across the curb for the photographers on the inside of the turn. Brandish as fast I have before... clutch slipping on the exit doesn't put a damper on my spirits. Hillberry, and then Cronk-y-Mona... no brakes and keeping her almost flat-out in 5th through the 3 apexes. Signpost, Bedstead, the Nook, Governor's and we're hammering down Glencrutchery Road to take the chequered flag. Job done!

I stop at the beginning of the return road with the rider that was ahead on the road. We give a handshake and "Awesome race" to each other as the big stand of spectators clap. I cruise down the return road... hand out, high-fiving about 1000 hands all the way back up to pit-lane and then teh assembly area. I have never touched so many people  in such a short space of time. Old, young, men, women. I could feel all the love and positive vibes. Wow! Emotional.

Parc firme

Back at parc firme and Nic is there as I pull up. We hug. We've done it! Isle of Man TT 2015:
3 entries, qualified for 3 races, 3 race starts and 3 race finishes. It's been tough at times and a huge amount of work... but we've done it. Mark and Kath join us and we soak up the success. It's been bloody brilliant!

Nose to the Grindstone

Home from Mallory on Thursday night, unloaded the bikes, ate and started finishing work on the Triumph again... I only lasted till midnight. I was cream-crackered. I had to get both bikes pretty much ready to roll down Bray Hill by Sunday night as I was travelling for work early on Monday until the night before our ferry to the Isle of Man in 10 days time.

Those lovely WalterMoto rear-sets don't have an exhaust hangar on them... maybe I got the wrong ones. Not much I could do about it than make my own exhaust hangar...

A bit rough... but strong... up for the job and done.

Can't even see it hidden behind the rear-set...

Up early on Sat to pickup a delivery at the post-office and run a few errands before getting back to work on the Triumph. JT had done a fantastic job getting the bike this far in such a short space of time. It's the details that make the difference... and these are the details that take to most time to get right. It's got to be right.

Replaced those horrible after-market brake reservoirs with standard items on a 'TT' mounting

Paintwork: Steve at MTS Classics was going to do my paintwork... a professional 2-pack job that will make the bike pop. Bad timing... Steve was away racing at Anglesey for the weekend and I had to get it done on the weekend to get some of the other finishes and prep done. Almost all my race bikes in the past have had a rattle-can paint job... not as durable or shiny as a pro job... but will still look good at 100mph. I got rattling.

Using nature's spray booth. A challenge in the bright sunlight, a breeze... loads of dust and insects sticking to the wet paint. We like a challenge.

My drying cabinet...

I spent most of Saturday on the fairings; prepping, priming, masking, color and then a few clear coats of lacquer. Between the painting I did the little jobs. It was pretty much non-stop till I ran out of lacquer after about 8 hours. I'm no pro and it was all done in such a short space of time... so we had a few runs, bleeds and finger marks. I just hope it doesn't look like crap after a week of being pelted with stones in practice. I've ordered some helicopter tape for the leading edges that help with that.

Beautifully simple - a kit race loom, lithium battery and Bazzaz fuelling module strapped in with care and attention to detail by JT.

I wired in the rain rain light and switch...

I kept going on the other stuff till 1 in the morning. A few hours sleep then back on the job early on Sunday. At Halfords as they open the doors for more lacquer... then back to finishing it all off. By 16h00 I still had a list of things to do, but these could be managed on the Isle.

I got cracking on prepping the wee bike - the KMR. Check, prep, oil change and some clutch steels for adjustment (I felt some clutch slip on track). Still stuff to do (like new tyres and sponsor decals), but things that we can do in about 2 hours on the Isle.

More precision detail - this time on the KMR. A custom clutch setup by Ryan Farquhar carrying additional plates to handle the extra power of the wee 650 twin. About  30% more than standard. Check out that beautiful billet clutch basket.. a billet engine cover spacer too. Proper!

Dinner, pack the spares, pack the tool box, make lists, lots of lists. By midnight my head hits the pillow for a few hours kip before being up at 04h00 to travel for work. A serious lack of sleep... my hands, arms and back aching from the work that I'm not accustomed to. All goot conditioning for the TT. I can catch up on the sleep over the next week.

I love lists. 

It's been a big push, but the bikes are pretty much there... just a few hours more on each when were on the Isle and we're ready to rock 'n roll. Bring on some rest and sleep over the next 9 days...

Starting to look good :-)

TT Machine Test

Been absolutely flat-out finishing and prepping the bikes - so this is an update from Friday...

After getting back from collecting the Triumph and track prepping it with John Trigger at 02h00, I managed a few hours sleep before loading the bikes and van to be a Mallory Park circuit for testing by 08h30.

I get to the circuit and sign on - I miss the first session as I unload the bikes, get setup and get the bikes noise tested. After all the troubles over the last few years at Mallory, there is a 103dB maximum limit on a static test for the day with drive-by monitoring down the main straight. The KMR comes in at 100dB and the Triumph scrapes through at 102dB on the static test.

The Norton team are there with Cameron Donald and Adam Child testing their TT Superbike and Lightweight bikes. The Norton Superbike is a custom framed Aprilia RSV4. That V4 sounded the absolute dogs bollocks out there. The Lightweight bike is a Kawasaki ER-6 with different body-work on. Close up, both bikes are surprisingly rough. I am surprised... maybe they are test bikes. But I have a feeling that those are the only bikes. We'll see in 2 weeks time.

All geared up and I make my way to pit-lane for the first of my test sessions on the KMR. I get a few approving nods and people are checking out the KMR. Adam Child comes over and tells me "We're admiring the bike.". We have a chat about the KMR and the TT while we wait - within a few minutes pit-lane opens and we are on circuit.

Team Norton with Cameron Donald (he used to be my wife's favorite TT rider ;-)

With cold tyres, I warm up on the bike gently. First heavy braking into a corner and I make a mental not to adjust the brake-lever. The bike is surprisingly smooth and docile. I start winding it on and 15 minutes later when the session ends, I'm really getting into it. I fiddle around with the brake lever a few times during the session, the bars need adjusting but everything else is just spot-on.

After the session I give everything a check and change the brake pads on the Triumph. Soon, I'm on circuit again on the KMR. I was in the fast group. I though t that on my little 90 horsepower bike against superbikes with twice the power I would be blown away. There are 2 or 3 riders that do just that... but the rest I either overtook or was pretty much level with. The wee KMR is such an easy machine... so smooth, balanced and planted. Built for the TT :-) I am super happy with it when I come in after another 15 minutes. I park up and put the cover over it - no use wearing out the machinery!

1 hour 20 minutes of racing on the Isle of Man and 2 sessions on track - a race tyre... superb!

Next session and I'm due out on the Triumph for the first time. Unfortunately, there is an incident at the hairpin my session and they call lunch early. The two ambulances cart 3 riders off to hospital. A reminder that track-days can still be dangerous.

After lunch and there is another hour and a half delay as we wait for one of the ambulances to return. There was lovely sunshine with a cold breeze - perfect conditions for the sunburn that I got on the back of my neck while fettling the Triumph. I am so tired from the last few days work on the bikes and lack of sleep - I can't keep my eyes open and retire to doze into and out of consciousness in the back of the van.

I wake when they announce the next session on track. I scramble groggily onto the bike and head out on circuit. Despite having had the bike on tyres warmers for the last few hours, as soon as I ask more than just a pootle from the bike, the grip levels feel terrible. I pull in to have a check in case there is something wrong. All seems as it should. I head out again and start to wind that 3 cylinder up to it's max power at 14 000 rpm.

The freshly track-ready Triumph stayed in the van overnight...

The engine is just so smooth and creamy. She pulls from low down at 4000 rpm - like a big vee twin :-) She hits 10 000rpm and just keeps on pulling! Beautiful! On one lap, coming out of Devil's Elbow, a rider comes up my outside... I pin the throttle and level-peg with the other bike next to me all the way to the braking zone for Gerrard's. I roll off early - I then see it's Cameron Donald on the Norton Superbike next to me. Either he wasn't on it or the Triumph pulls damn impressively despite running TT gearing that is way too tall for a short circuit. On both bikes I only use 5 or the 6 gears.

The brakes are bloody fantastic on the Triumph. They really show the KMR brakes up to be mediocre. I'd say that's the only weak point of the KMR... on a short circuit. Around the TT course this will be far less of a disadvantage. Maybe it's just the Brembo feel that I'm used to - the KMR has a ZX-10 Tokico setup. The Triumph stops as quick as it accelerates :-)

Next thing, I'm getting the black flag waved at me. I cruise around and pull into the pits where I'm told my bike is too noisy and I must fit baffles. I have no baffles and with that open race exhaust is was always a risk of taking it to a track-day. Especially at Mallory. I promise to keep the revs down and they let me out on track again. If I get another black flag, I'm sent home so I keep the revs below 12 000. A bit disappointing because she pulls like a demon and sounds fantastic on full chat.

The offending object of beauty

A few adjustments here and there and I get out on the next session to just get some bike time. K-Tech sent the incorrect steering damper fitting kit and without a steering damper, she was real lively over the bumps and coming down from crossed-up power wheelies. JT will have the correct kit for me on the Isle - so that should work out ok.

More titanium exhaust porn on the KMR... 

I struggle with edge grip. As soon as I get the bike down, she feels like she is loosing grip. I hardly touch my knee down and can't get her on her ear. I had a few slides in the earlier session, but I start getting her stepping out on both the left-handers (the only two on the track). It's those crap road tyres. Michelin Pilot Road 4 tyres just aren't meant for the track. I had some old Pirelli Supercorsas that I was going to fit... but after midnight, JT and I just didn't have appetite to change tyres. I am getting frustrated that I can't accelerate like I want and the cornering is also limited by the tyres.

Triumph - One and a half sessions an a new road tyre... they're shit.

My riding starts to get scrappy - the lack of sleep and sunburn factoring in. I get a big slide coming out of Edwina's and I decide to call it a day. I didn't have the energy to change tyres for the last session and on those tyres there was nothing more for me to learn... and a lot to lose. Lesson: rather go on track with worn out old race tyres than brand new road tyres.

I left frustrated that I couldn't get more out of the Triumph, that I had to wait another hour before they opened the gates to let us out but mostly by fatigue. But... the shake-down was a success. The testing is done, some adjustments made, some lessons learned and most importantly, some bike time on the machines that are going to take me around the Isle of Man in two weeks time. Nothing broke or fell off. No leaks or problems. Both bikes felt comfortable and strong. I stayed on. We're happy :-)

These two bikes followed me home... I'm happy... really... I am...

Now... to finish off the Triumph build and get both bikes prepped for the TT!

KMR Prep

Been spending some time prepping the KMR Kawasaki.
Not a huge amount to do...

Fitted a new MRA screen - no more cracks or holes during the TT fortnight. Also fitted some ex-Ducati 888 PirelliSupercorsas

Some pedigree - Jeremy McWilliams winning one of the lightweight races at the Northwest 200 on the wee bike in 2013. I've got those fairings and seat unit in bubble-wrap.

Fitted a compulsory rear light.

 Checked everything... and I mean everything. Every single bolt, fastener, wire, cable. Everything. No cleaning needed - spotless when I got her from Warren.

Some custom KMR velocity stacks and porting inside a heavily modified airbox. The business :-)

 New number-boards... and stuck with the Speed Therapy tradition of hand-cut numbers :-)

Got a track-day booked at Mallory Park later this week for a shake-down. After that, an oil change, some graphics/sponsors/contributors and the's good to roll down Glencrutchery Road. Now... what about that Triumph...

KMR in da Hoose

The Supersport build is in good hands and progressing on schedule. Maxton finished re-valving and setting up the forks and the made-to-order GP10 shock last week. Loads of parts have been ordered and most have been delivered. John Trigger will start the engine work this coming week :-)

I have been away for work a lot in the last few weeks. Super-grateful to have some work... but does make the TT prep more challenging. Last weekend I was home for a few hours and took the opportunity to pick-up the Lightweight bike. A KMR Kawasaki - it's a proper piece of kit. I only had time to collect it and then spend 45 minutes oogling it in the garage. Next weekend the TT prep for this week bike starts.

The KMR is built by Ryan Farquhar - who has won more Irish Road races than even Joey Dunlop. A true gent and great guy... this is the 12th KMR to come form his fabled workshop. It was the bike Jeremy McWilliams rode at the NW200 in 2013. Last year it was piloted to a brilliant 4th place by my friend Warren Verwey at the ManxGP. Warren did a fastest lap of 110mph... on a little 650 twin - that's cookin!

Warren at the ManxGP 2014 - 4th place on only his second visit to the Isle

Over the autumn, as my TT plans were coming together, I was going to build a Kawasaki ER-6 TT bike. I spent about 2 hours with this bike in Cotober... fairings off and took loads of photos and measurements. I wanted to understand what makes a KMR one of the best Lightweight bikes out there. It's a proper bike... built for the roads by someone who knows.

There is no way I could have built a bike as good. It would have cost me more and I would have ended up with something that still needed to be developed. This bike a fit for purpose... and it's ready to go. Thanks for your patience Warren :-)

Just a few days prep in the garage and she'll be ready to roll down Bray Hill. Man, I can't wait to hold this baby flat out down Glencrutchery there!