Jurby Airfield , 1st April 2001

Sunday - Anticlockwise

Got to Jurby at about 8:30am.......Scotty Boy was supposed to come with me, but he failed to materialise, so I ended up going on my own.......if you looked up 'Shandy Drinker' in the dictionary, you'd see his face along side it...........I had been selected again to set the course up for the first meeting.......good thing about that is that I've had my turn and now it's out of the way. Also have to say thanks to my main sponsor Chris Preston for paying my entry fees for Jurby...........again......Cheers Chris....Top Banana.

The weather forecast looked like it could be wrong (again)......cos it wasn't wet as had been expected, there were a few clouds, but there was a strong breeze that was getting rid of them.....by mid morning, the sun had come out and it looked like it could be a dry day, although it was a 'tad fresh'.........an' all an that.

Saved Juan and Dawn a space with the help of some barrier tape, and by the time I had got to the paddock, they, along with Richard Murphy, had already started to erect my awning that Juan had brought with him............ I had lent it to him for the last couple of meetings.

Rich did me a favour by putting my bike through scrutineering while I put the top on the awning and unloaded my van....apparently they moaned again about my numbers, although I still can't see what the problem is, as they pass everywhere else in Britain..........got a bit of kit now, but as I've said before, you've got to have it, cos the day you don't bring it is the day you'll need it...........Brought the Scooter along this time to make its debut........but as I had entered eight races I didn't think that I was going to use it much.....although Geller, Hughie and Dawnio had a go.................oops, look out for the power band....nneeeeeoooowwwwwww...... 49cc of pure adrenalin (Ha Ha). The races I had entered were (2 of each) the 1300 Solo Centre Championship, Formula 600 Solo, 1300 Solo Clubman's Championship and the Champion Of Champions.........so a busy day and no mistake.

Practice was scheduled to commence at 11:30am, but was late....... for a change......don't know why there always seems to be a hold up at Jurby, but it gets a little frustrating with all the hanging about when you just want to get on with it.

Anyway, eventually got out to practice, and tootled round for a couple of laps to get the tyres warm, then upped the pace and this time I was looking to see when the rev limiter cut in.......which just happened to be at thirteen thousand rpm, also noticed that I had the gear change lever set too high for my liking, but the most worrying thing was that the temperature was creeping up and up.......when it got to about ninety five degrees centigrade, I cut the engine out and freewheeled back to the paddock. I had taped my radiator up to keep the temperature up, but because it wasn't freezing like the last two meetings it needed to come off again.......so Geller ripped the tape off, and off I set again. Noticed Rob Sells was standing by his bike in the middle of the Bus Stop Chicane and we were all waved through the barriers.....I thought that he must have come off, but he said his front brake locked up and he only just stayed on it......must have had too much brake fluid in it, and when the brake temperature rises the fluid swells and with nowhere else to go would push the pads out and oops...........trouble. The temp on my bike dropped to around seventy five which was just about perfect.....had a few more steady laps then the session ended, so I was quite happy with that and decided I wouldn't do the second practice session, as at the majority of venues in the UK, all you get is one, and I had learned what I needed, so sat it out and fettled the bike ready, then nattered with everyone who had come up to cheer me on.

The day started to drag on a bit, and racing was supposed to start at 12:30pm.........by now it was gone two o clock and we were still standing around......eventually got out to the grid at about 2:15pm for the first 1300 Solo Centre Championship race....10 laps......and I was on the second row, alongside Juan, with Milky, Beattie, Carswell, Ashcroft and Alton at the front.........Flag went down and I got a crap start, this 600 seems to have a low first gear, obviously more suited to the TT course than a track and is a struggle to get off the line.....as expected Juan got a flier and was tailed by a posse of R1 Yamahas. Got to the first chicane and went around the outside of a couple but then got blocked a lot by the volume of bikes, and had to filter through the Bus Stop, passed a couple more on the anchors at the perimeter section and started to settle down a bit and I could see the leaders at the front pulling away..........coming out of the Long Runway section on the second lap onto the start/finish straight saw that a bike had crashed on the exit with its number facing me.....No 26......thought that number looks familiar, then it dawned on me that it was Chris Dowling, I'd just been speaking to him before the race about heavy duty crash protector mushrooms!...he was on the other Motorcycle City Honda CBR600FW that Simpson rode in 1998, and it was now in black and looking all nice an' that. The three bikes that finished 1,2,3 in the 98 Junior TT are now on the Island, with F.C.Moore owning the bike that Dedman rode to 3rd place........a couple of laps later somebody dumped it after the Bus Stop and the race was red flagged. They held us out on the track for about 20 minutes while they cleared up and looked after the riders, which pissed me (and others) right off cos we should have been allowed to go back to the Paddock.....with the breeze that was blowing I was starting to get cold. Turned out that both riders were sore but ok.

The race was re-started and I got another crap start..........same again happened and got blocked a lot, was getting passed on the straights by the R1s then getting them back on the corners and on the brakes, which was really frustrating but I was doing that last year and I know how difficult it is to get an R1 round a corner. On about the sixth lap going around Nans I hit a cone with my elbow, which made me lose concentration on the approach to the Bus Stop Chicane and hit neutral....shite, stamped on the bakes and started to slide, didn't panic though (first time) straightened the bike up and went on the grass......came back on, but had lost 4 places, the last of them Phil Bell-Scott.....I thought 'Christ he's improved'.........or I was going backwards........managed to get back past him and Carswell but not the other two before the finish, and got 9th place.......I was well disappointed with that......was informed by my pit crew that I was lapping four seconds slower than I was in September.........Bugger. Still, this was really the first time that I had ridden the 600 hard, as the last two meetings had been frosty.......then snowy. But couldn't stop feeling disappointed....I was hoping I'd be well quicker on this Honda.

My next race was The 1300 Solo Clubman's Centre Championship (for Restricted Licence holders)......8 laps, was hoping to do really well in this one, but the guy that I thought would be my main threat (Rob Sells) still didn't have his head round it after his yee-ha at Mallory, and the way Bell-Scott was going, he was the one I was going to have to beat. Surprisingly I was on the third row for this one.....Sells and Bell-Scott on the front.....Got another crap start, but was up to about fourth by the second part of the chicane, saw that it was Phil in the lead followed by Rob, passed a bloke to go third then passed Rob at the Bus Stop to go 2nd.....saw that Phil had about 200 yards on me, managed to reel him in and followed him for a couple of laps, his 750 was faster down the straights, but I caught him on the corners, bided my time and then out braked him into the Bus Stop on the sixth lap, then started to pull away.......saw that I was far enough ahead to take it steadier.....wouldn't be clever falling off now......so settled down and got to the flag.................1st.......yeeesssssss!!....I've been waiting 365 days to say that ...(I started racing on April 2nd 2000). Was pleased with the result but I was still over a second slower than my previous best, I posted the fastest lap of 1' 02.4 but it was still way off Kinnish's Lap record of 1' 00.7, but hopefully things can get better, I'm pretty hard to please if you haven't worked that out already!

The next race up was the second 1300 Solo Centre Championship....and I was on the second row again, I was going to miss this one and change my rear sprocket from a 47 tooth to a 48, as I was only just hitting top gear on the back straight before I had to jam the brakes on.......but Juan told me not to be so f******* stupid. So after another bad start, started to work my way up the field, was getting blocked by the big Yamahas everywhere (apart from on the straights) as my corner speed and braking has improved, but you have to work your nuts off to keep them behind.......going to have to learn to stick it up 'em and be more aggressive, but at the same time I don't want to take anybody off.......anyway on about the sixth lap approaching Perimeter there were four R1s ahead of me all dicing with each other and I managed to out brake the lot of them in one move...and make it stick.......That was my manoeuvre of the day......started to catch another two R1s that were ahead of me and was planning on doing a similar move to the both of them on the last lap, but instead of looking where I was going took the wrong line into the Bus Stop chicane and went on the grass again (twice in one day...........Jesus). Lost too much ground on them and couldn't make it up and got to the finish..................6th. was reasonably pleased with that, but was kicking myself for a schoolboy error.

Was thirsty work this racing lark, and when you start drinking you can't stop and I was rapidly going through the stash of Tango that I had brought with me......have to say thanks to Geller and Ann for eating all me butties...................T***s.

My next race was the Formula 600 Solos......reduced to 6 laps, beforehand I was thinking that I would be well pleased if I got 4th, as Milky, Juan and Nige Beattie would take some stopping, and they had all beaten me in the previous races.....so 4th was the target. Was on the second row again........got my best start of the day and was about fifth into the first part of the chicane behind Kinnish, Beattie, Milky and Gary Carswell........got past Gary and tailed Milky and was getting towed along......I could see that we were making up ground on the front two, until I made another schoolboy error........I was too busy watching what was happening in front of me to notice what line I was taking and made a right hash of the Bus Stop....again, by the time I sorted myself out Milky was gone. Was gutted about that but got my head down and had a steady ride, can really tell that I'm fitter than I was last year, as I was getting better the longer the races were going and finished.........4th.......nice one.

I was well looking forward to the second 1300 Solo Clubman's Centre Championship race.......and was one the front row this time......was third into the first corner behind Rob, past him and set out after Bell-Scott who got off to a flier, caught him up and started to get cramp in my left leg, had to stand on the pegs at one point but it wouldn't go away, it only went away when I changed gear, but came back when I was cornering, funnily enough it was the same leg that held the bike up for 20 minutes in the cold when we were waiting for the first race to restart. Showed Phil my front wheel a couple of times to let him know I was there......decided on trying what I did in the first race, but he was riding well, didn't look like the same guy from last year, he was braking later into Perimeter than most of the R1 pilots, passed him again at the Bus Stop on the fifth lap and dealt with the back markers better than he did and managed to pull away again, still being steady in the process, with no hairy moments........and at the finish I was ...............1st.................yeeessssss!! again.

Wasn't going to bother with the Champion of Champions race......also reduced to 6 laps, as I had only entered that for more track time, I didn't want to bust my hump getting past the big bikes only to be outgunned on the fast straights, but decided I needed more practice, cos its going to happen all year, so out I went....and got my usual slow start from the second row, Juan had picked the start to watch this race and said I'll have to do something about my first gear problem as I was noticeably slower than most getting off the line, (but if I change it I'll have to change it back for the Manx GP, which is my priority anyway, so some thinking to be done for sure) dragged myself through the field and passed Chris Palmer on the ex Chris Heath R1 to go 4th.......he came back past me like I was standing still down the start/finish straight then blocked me till I got past him again at Snuffies the he blasted past again, then I out braked him into the Long Runway, dove up his inside but couldn't get away and he passed me again, next lap same happened passed him twice, but blasted past me again and he got to the line before me, and I ended up......5th. I know what I'm going to have to do to make these moves stick, but I need a few more races for that, although I was getting better the more I was doing it. On the cool down lap approaching the paddock, there was a huge rattling noise..............stopped straight away and looked down to find that my chain had come off...........Bastard. Could see the second Formula 600 Solos getting ready in the holding area........had to run with the bike back to the awning to get the chain back on with a new split link.... with the help of my Chief Mechanic (Geller) got it altogether just in time to see the start of the race.....................gutted.............and knackered.

Decided after that, I'd had enough, so packed the van up and went and got my 21st signature.........I know I only need 20 but I'm taking no chances.......it's better to get them while you can................Jumped in my van ready for home, then realised I still had to put the course away.................bollocks. So stayed for that.......turned out to be a long day. Still, not too bad a day...........stayed on again.............got two wins, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth and a ninth..........Hoping I'll do better at the next Jurby round on Easter weekend April 14/15th...........be there or be square............

So tune in next time for another very exciting, sometimes disappointing, breezy episode of............................Tommy Clucas Racing.