The rain cleared and practice got away in good conditions. I was out first on the big Suzuki XR69 with the modern bikes. Spanner [Paul Boulton] had managed to get my bike to the front of the second lane so I was able to do two laps with ease.
I jumped from the XR to the little T20, Betty, which was being warmed up by Bob Jackson. She didn’t want to play-ball down pit-lane but I wasn’t giving up and as we reached the top of Bray Hill she finally chimed in. The grin grew across my face and I enjoyed following another classic racer, learning a few different lines that suit these little two-strokers. So I was a little gutted when she broke down coming out of the Veranda. Thanks to Ken for letting me shelter in his little hut. Hat’s off to these marshals, standing in a desolate place such as here, I can’t imagine how nasty it would be when the fog comes down. So thanks to Ken & all the people who marshal here on the Isle of Man TT course!
The up-dates on the big bike have really made for a smoother ride and having Pirelli Supercorsa tyres on is a real advantage as these are the tyres I run on all my other modern race bikes – familiar rubber is good ☺
I really enjoyed my two laps on the big bike and despite the clutch slipping she feels good. So I’m looking forward to more laps in dry conditions during the remainder of practice week.
Huge thanks to Steve Wheatman, for this fantastic opportunity and to Granty & Paul for their support.
I came across an incident out of Greba Bridge on the first lap. It wasn’t until later that night that I was told it was Neil Kent but to find out the following morning that he’d lost his life was hard to absorb. He was a very well known MGP winner & competitor, a true gent and he’ll be sorely missed. Rest in peace.
Thursday 25th August
Paul had changed the plates and springs in the clutch so we headed off to Jurby to test the big Suzuki. Stopping off for a bit of lunch on the way back at the Sulby Glen Hotel.
Rain decided to soak the course just before practice was due to get away. I opted to concentrate on riding just the T20 and in drying conditions we managed our first complete lap. I really thought I was on for getting her round a second time but she broke down again, this time just before White Gates in Ramsey. Huge thanks to the very friendly and kind marshal Craig who took me to Paul Phillips house to keep warm until my crew arrived to pick me up. Thanks also to Joseph for the coat and cuppa. You can’t beat the hospitality over here.
Bob & his team were as happy as me with our first lap and we finally know what the problem is [fingers crossed] so we’ll be aiming to get her qualified tonight. Apparently I was 19 seconds faster from the start to Ballaugh on my second lap, so despite not finishing it I was obviously making better progress as I got more used to riding her.
Here are a couple of pictures of Betty & I, the Bob Jackson T20.
I’m off for lunch at Nobles Park Café before we start getting ready to put the bikes through for tonight’s practice.
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