The perfect restaurant table at The Creek Inn Peel

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Queenies at the Creek Inn Peel

Baby soft shellfish in garlic butter
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Ex Agostini MV or yet another replica - who knows

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Capirossi Ducati 990 at Jurby

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Rubbing shouders ?

When I gave a racer who had broken down in the Supertwins race at Douglas Rd Corner a backroads lift back to the paddock on Ethel I didn't know who he was. Turns out it was 2012 Junior Manx GP winner Wayne Kirwan ! Today he led the Senior Manx GP by 90 seconds until he wisely slowed up in the drizzle and had to settle for 3rd. As so often there is a twist to the tale. The canny Deputy Sector Marshal looking for a bike taxi volunteer had information neither my passenger nor I knew at that moment. Also he particularly wanted bike not car transport. The tragic answer to the riddle is that Trevor Ferguson, well known to my passenger, had sadly lost his life in the same race but this was not yet public news. As Kirwan planned to go out in the practice lap immediately after the race finished it was to be avoided that the terrible news be broken just before going back out on to the course thus a course car was not a good idea. So in the end my stumbling about through unknown back lanes to the paddock just as bikes were going back out was probably a good thing as he was the very last rider out and doubtful if there was any time to do anything but jump on the bike. Amazing that the only passenger Ethel has ever carried with me as rider is a Manx GP winner.
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Salut les copains !

Out for dinner with Claude and French mates. Les freres invisibles are not in the picture.
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Arturo Magni MV

This bike was at Jurby and Castletown. At both locations it was fired up and after an age produced an asthmatic burbling noise. No wonder. It's not the real deal and is based on the MV America disaster bike that Ago rode in a race version at Imola back in the day. When the thing was at last switched off at Castletown it was greeted by a loud cheer.
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Manx GP - why the natives are becoming restless

OK not natives but competitors. The Isle of Man is seeking to increase revenue from the Manx GP. The format for 2013 is to create a Classics festival to run on Saturday and Monday with Moderns to run on Wednesday and Friday. It is screamingly obvious that an exodus of Classics fans, riders and their entourages will take place after the Monday race. Riders see this as a deliberate ploy to enable the deletion of Moderns races on the basis that they are poorly attended. There are more rider grievances. The Modern bike capacity formula will go up to 1300cc. Thus someone with a currently eligible sub 100 bhp bike will become instantly uncompetitive and the owner of a worthless machine. There's more. Current entry fees for a 3 race programme come to £1000. Van ferry is £750. Other on costs make it a total of £6500 without any repairs during the meeting. All this is paid for by the rider without any support from the IOM. Just to rub it in it is alleged that professional TT riders have been overpaid by the TT to the tune of £3000 to enter the Manx thus dodging the amateur rule. Having done that a further allegation is that big TT names are being offered up to £30000 to enter the Manx in 2013. Faced with all this if you were £6500 for 2 weeks with no hope of a win man would you bother ?
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Simson Mofa at Jurby ridden by owner from Erfurt

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Douglas Road corner in the sunshine

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Peel beach race

Bonkers !
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Isle of Man queenies ( baby scallops ) at The Creek Inn Peel Isle of Man

Had to try this Manx speciality at the famous Creek Inn Peel. The dish is flash fried local caught fresh baby scallops in a garlic sauce with home made bread and salad. Absolutely delicious.
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Listen very carefully I will say this only once

Enjoyed a mad evening with Claude and his bunch of French mates.They were all pissed when I arrived and proceeded to get drunker. The resultant mixture of shaggy dog stories with forgotten endings and ancient lengthy jokes produced an evening of Allo Allo proportions.
The Isle of Man chipped in too. By the time they all finally drifted in to the Highwayman the food was finished. No problem said the barman nip next door for a Chinese and bring it in here to eat. The look of incredulity on French faces was something to see because if you were to try this in France it would cause uproar.
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Family from Morecombe

The Jurby paddock is a bit short on toilets so I had a waz behind a container. Another bloke noticed and did the same at the other end. When I came back around I bumped into him and his wife and family all on a day out so we all had a chat. Lovely people. Seems he has won 19 TT races and rides for Honda in World Endurance. His kids like ice cream.
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Return of the Invisible Man

This year the gate officials could not believe Ethel is a Jurby entrant. Must get an oily Brit bike I suppose.
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Now that's a first

After roads open last night I noticed a bike with racing numbers and exhaust pulling out into the traffic. Looking closer I saw it had no lights, indicators or registration plate. The rules say that competitors may ride race machines on public roads to and from the track to the paddock so here was someone doing just that.
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Jurby lap times

This could be handy - a clock that runs backwards !
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Look what happens when a Peel chippy gives a discount to marshals

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Manx mist

That's the mist causing the start delay before Saturday's newcomers race. So much stooging around until the medical helicopter can fly.
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Testing

I've got a nice local " lap " which takes about 45 minutes zipping along. Its left handed too so that's great. After this morning's work on the bikes I took each out for a lap. The sintered brakes went from nothing at all to making the forks dive so that's ok. Jumped on Ethel and found out how comfy race leathers are on a tourer too. Her new Conti Go tyres have come in now so all systems go. The headlight did not go BANG or smell of fish so all good for the Manx.
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Ethel ready for the Manx

After the great HID light disaster I've now stuck in a Halfords 90% brighter bulb. Great news is that I finally installed the headlight correctly so at last I can adjust it without taking the front of the bike off.
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ZX6R ready for Snetterton in Sept

After a couple of Oh Shit moments going into Redgate and the Esses at Donington I've fitted HH sintered pads at the front. If they wear out the discs too bad just as long as I've stopped first.
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More Donington war stories

The Yamaha LC club loonies were also out on track. Zipping along nicely down Craner I suddenly heard a squeal of tyres and could smell rubber immediately behind. I was waiting for the scrrrrch of bike on tarmac praying I wasn't about to be nerfed off. It was a pair of LCs who had come up on me as I missed the 2nd Redgate apex but was back on line for the Old Hairpin. On the basis that Alan Peck, Barcelona 24 hours 500cc class winner, told me 40 years ago at the Kirby Camp racing school - don't look back its up to the overtaker to make the overtake - I never do on track.
Coming past the start line I was amazed at the number of people watching from the pit wall and garages. Gave it the full berries through the gears praying I wouldn't miss one whilst changing clutchless then putting the throttle on the stop.
By the way I topped up the tank before I went in and upon refuelling on the way home saw I had done 47 mpg including screaming the nuts off the ZX6R for 6 laps.
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Out on the Currie electric bike

Healthy morning exercise
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Riding Donington Park

We were on the short track which does not use the Melbourne loop but came onto the track from the Melbourne hairpin paddock exit. This gave us a go around Goddards which is elevated on approach then drops away, easy to fall off here with either the front sliding away on the way in or back end coming out. This takes you left onto the start straight and the swoop down to right hand Redgate which has a double apex to catch you out. Then the left hand swoop down Craner to the more dog legged than expected Old Hairpin right hander. My favourite bit Schwantz left hand curve is hard on the power all the way round then bang down the gears for the right hander at McCleans. This must be quicker than I thought as you end up right on the paint on the left coming out as you go up a gear then back down to chuck it right at the uphill blind Coppice. This is an Isle of Man style surprise because just as you think you've gone round it turns into another right hander onto what was the Dunlop bridge straight. Favourite place to overtake dawdlers and scream through the gears then back down for the right left esses onto the start straight and flat out through the gears past the start to Redgate. Phew !
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Donington Park VJMC parade today

Scrutineering was a new experience. On the basis of decades of football experience with officialdom I turned up in race leathers, ACU approved helmet, mirrors removed and all glass duct taped. Just shows that preparation is everything. They took one look and said fine - if we run out of tape can we get some from you!
Not so fellow newbie Brian who was turned away in his jeans and bike with bare glass. He had to go off and buy trousers and beg tape !
Having read the CRMC rules I was wondering if jubilee clipped oil filter + wired sump plug would be needed.
Out on track I was surprised and nearly caught out by newbies keeping to the left and looking behind. Donington is swoopy and begs you to use all the road. I was zipping along NAM style and coming up on gaggles of people on the outside putting the brakes on mid corner just as I wanted to run wide and ease the power on.

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Have I got Foggyitis ?

Today in the paddock at Donington I was struck by just how uninterested I was in what other people, some very famous, were doing. Just like at Jurby last year there I was on my own doing my own thing. Making sure that I had done everything I could think of for myself and the bike was the priority. They were doing their thing and I was busy doing mine. The rare bikes were fascinating but as for sparking up conversation with celebrities I just couldn't be arsed. Easy to see how Foggy got labelled a miserable git - it must have looked like I had got it perfected too.
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On track at Donington

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Yes that's 6 pipes then

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An Agostini MV 3 signed !

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Now that's a big Triumph

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A Grant triple

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Followed by Sheene

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King Kenny's bike

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Mick Grant's ex works Honda

No dents in this tank then
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Can I have a go on this please

Valentino Rossi's Ducati GP12
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Triumph triple with Pickrell replica helme

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Beemer at Donington

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Bus Pass Racing good to go

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ZX6Rs got it taped

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CRMC Donington Park

Here we are ready for scrutineering
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Donington CRMC Parade with VJMC 11/12 August 12

The paddock pass and weekend ticket has arrived so Team BusPass is go ! Just need to have one new but weepy forkseal replaced and we are all set. The VJMC will have their trailer in the paddock near the cafe so if it pisses down we can sit around and drink tea in the warm. The YCRT will be there with 4 cylinder 2 strokes for Read and Baker. Don't want to be wobbling round when they are out.
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Team Bus Pass rides again !

Great. With VJMC pass on its way Donington CRMC parade 11/12 August 12 is now on for the ZX6R and Jurby on Ethel on 25th August is confirmed. Both bikes in good order and ready to go - let's go !
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