Suzy V for Sale

Plans are underway for next year. Unfortunately, Suzy V has to go :-(

She's been a faithful servant - a veteran of 5 Manx Grand Prix and earning 3 replicas for her efforts. Just one DNF with a faulty battery and a finishers medal after some plonker replaced the carb diaphragm cover the wrong way around before the race.

This year, outgunned and underpowered against the modern machinery, the 13 year old old carb-fed sweet-lookin' gal did a best lap of 109mph and finished 9th in her race. The first Suzuki home - she showed 'em what's what.

Original Suzuki front-end goes back on...

Frankenstein Aprilia front-end (with the help of Kawasaki bottom clamps, original stem and GSXR top clamp)...

...goes back in the box for the next bike.

Ay yes... all 'original' again.

She's been immense. I'm going to miss wringing her neck around the Isle of Man.

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!

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'

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.