Well, what a great first practice! Both bikes rolled through scrutineering with no probles, other than a comment that we have to extend the oil catch tray on the Jota for Monday. No probs there, a bit of glassfibre magic from Henk and we're sorted.

I got out on the Kawa first, after a short delay and it was flying!! We've done the engine in "safe mode" as the pistons don't like the long straights and tend to object by melting! So the compression (and therefore bmep and therefore bhp) are down on last year. However the
bike seems easier to ride fast because of that; although the practice was untimed the team had me at 103 average which is fine for a first run out. 2 good laps in, happy!

I took the Jota out after that, not so brilliant here.. the lean spot at 7500 was hard to ride through and as you can imagine a couple of bits managed to shake loose - primarily the rev counter! However, I found a bigger set of jets (160, it had 150's fitted previously and we put them in today, in addition to tighening and checking the rest of the bike.

It's been hosing down all day today, but the forecast sounds better for tomorrow. Off to the pub now for a lime & soda in company with my pals Sal & Miche who probably won't be drinking lime & soda!!

This is the lads waiting for the technical briefing

The Mighty Jota!

My mate Dave "Clacker" Clarke had a grreat run too... well done Dave!

Signing On

Over to the paddock today to sign on, the Manx Motorcycle Club as ever ran this as slick as you like, all computer logged and controlled by a bar code on my TT course license.

















Here's a bunch of disreputables getting lectured by Deputy Clerk of the Course Andy MacKay.
















New for this year we have to put the numbers on the belly pan... easy to read for the lovely lovely TT marshals if the bike's lying on its side!!

















As always, big thanks to my hairy pal Slick. The Kawasaki earned itsself the nickname "The Green Grenade" lasy year but (fingers crossed, touch wood) it's been fine this year.

In closing my opening, two bits of sad news... my ol' mate James "Sidecar Mel" Melvin, who was to have spannered for me this fortnight, passed away last week from a heart attack. He was preceded by my big orange buddy and garage assistant, Trotsky the cat. Not the best start to the Manx but here ya go mates, this one's for you.

Bring the noise!

Manx GP 2009... A week to go...

Woo! First practice is a week tomorrow, as I sit here typing to the tune of rain bashing off the windows.

Been at Slick's, a certain large orange beast is showing 101 bhp on the dyno. This is honestly the first time I've personally seen a Lav into 3 figures on an accurate dyno.

Brrring it on! And bring some decent weather while you're about it...

Good news!

Just had the word... I've been accepted for the Junior, Senior and Post-Classic races for the '09 Manx Grand Prix.

Gonna be a busy 2 weeks!!

Happy!

Here's a couple of pics of my Jota that I took to slide in with my Manx GP entry form.
 
There's a Post-Classic race this year; word on the street is that Guy Martin has a Suzuki XR69 to play with.
I'll be out with this monster!
 

New toy!

Heh! I've done me bit for global warning today all righty. 2 and a half tankfuls!

Coda

That's the Manx for another year, then.

Random thoughts on this year...

• Sending riders out in numbered groups for practice is great. Really great. You're in traffic of a similar speed, and there's NO scramble through scrutineering. Applause.
  
• The paddock is a disgrace! Sure the weather was awful, but you just can't operate a top spec racing motorcycle out of, let's be frank, a swamp. Had this happened at the TT, you'd have had 200 tons of gravel chippings in there toot sweet.
  
• The lack of practice was tough on everybody. I'd encourage the organisers and the TTMA to look at returning the Thursday afternoon, and/or one or two morning practices. We lost these some years ago due to lack of marshals, but the support from the TTMA this year as been incredible... they signed on over *300* new marshals on Friday! With this level of support we might get some of the missing practices back.
• There was a lot of talk about new classes at the Manx. Forgotten Era, Formula 750 or TT Formula One?? I say, combined grid, F750 and TTF1. Oh yes. I'll be there, oh yes, Harris Laverda or similar and I *will* deafen the entire island. Close the roads on the middle Saturday as they do for the TT Superbike day; run a long practice session and the Big Hairy Old Bikes race. Oh yeah, Superstock 1000's for the Senior too, please!!
• Yesterday, I cleaned my helmet (HJC "Braveheart") by soaking it in a warm bath and scrubbing the inside with shampoo. It was truly rank; turned the bath water into a grey soup with a slurry of dead insects. Bleurgh. Leathers next, they smell like a goat's died in 'em.
  
• Next year, back again on the Kawa. Due to all the missed practice it we only got the set up there or thereabouts on Senior race day... still, I've got copious notes so we'll be out of the blocks with a bang in 09! Still one thing left to try; I want to run Supercorsa Pro tyres which quicken the steering I hear. It was hard to get the bike to turn at high speed this year. In addition, there's the TTF1 possibility, I have half an SV650 in the garage waiting to be turned into a Formula 400 bike and there's a sniff of a Drixon Honda for the classics.
• Thanks to... Sidecar Mel, Becca and Ginny for crewing. Extra thanks to Becca for going out marshaling on Senior race day, I know you really wanted to be in the pits mate! Mike for marshaling, Henk and Dirk for marshaling and lots of garage fettling! Bedankt, jongens! Jane for massages! Mega thanks to Slick for immaculate race engineering as ever and of course giga thanks to Janice for crewing, marshaling, cooking, cleaning, driving and generally being the superstar that she is.
• And of course HUGE thanks and appreciation to the Manx Motorcycle Club and the TTMA for running such a fantastic event - with a new Clerk of the Course and the worst MGP weather in memory, this must have pushed past "challenge" into "nightmare" territory. You all did an amazing job under the most difficult of circumstances... THANKS GUYS!