Jurby Airfield , 21st July 2001

Clockwise

After the yee-ha at the MRO round at Oulton Park last week, I spent many an hour in the garage getting the bike fixed, I still cry when I think it was my brand new fairings that I wrecked, although I'm halfway through repairing them, getting pretty good at it now............they've got that much filler and fibre glass on them, I'll need a heavy goods licence to ride it. A special thanks must go to Joe Whalley at J.W.Welding Ltd for straightening the subframe and fixing my bent and broken brackets........top man. Got everything loaded into the van on Friday night ready for the off in the morning....... although with no points or prize money up for grabs it just felt like it was going to be a track day and I wasn't overly keen..........well, ever since the Manx Grand Prix was cancelled and the Manx Championships have all been sewn up and with nothing left to aim for, I've been largely deflated.....as with hundreds of others I suppose. The van looked half empty with no spare fairings (none left) and no scooter or overnight bags etc.etc......be quicker unloading it though.

Arrived at Jurby around 0930hrs, on me own, as I had absolutely no help lined up today, was meeting Juan and Dawny Dawn here as they were both over for the weekend to get the days racing in then we were off out to get absolutely lashed to celebrate Juan's Birthday..........They both eventually arrived (late as usual) and by this time I had put the frame work of the Awning up on my own but needed their help with the canvas......The job didn't take long once the three of us were on it, and pretty soon we were ready to sign on and get scrutineered. The weather looked a little dodgy......it was spitting with rain but it wasn't sticking, still had me and Juan a little concerned as the Pirelli's we are using have no treads to the edges......its at times like these I would prefer it to either stay dry or piss down so that you know what to expect.....and not worry about it.

Went out in the first practice session and on the first lap it was going well up until I banked the bike over for the first corner and the bike was really struggling, it felt as if I was going to run out of petrol...... as soon as I straightened up going down the back straight it was fine.....then it happened again at the next corner, and again down the front straight it was fine...........decided to pull in after the second lap as it was still doing it. Got the bike in the paddock and took the petrol tank off, I thought it was fuel starvation, Juan thought it might be a loose airbox hose.....turns out it was both. When I lifted the petrol tank off, fuel poured out everywhere......shite, was glad it never ignited on the hot engine......... was my own fault, should have turned the fuel tank tap off. On closer inspection the fuel hose from the tank to the carbs had split and a hose had come off from the airbox. Juan wired up the hoses while I replaced the hose with a bit I found in my spares box.....hoped that would cure the problem. Went out in the next practice session, did about 4 laps and the bike was running fine...........goodie..........problems solved.

First race for me was race 2, the 1300 Open Solos......8 laps.......was on the front row alongside Juan and Nigel Beattie and got a good start until I went to change into second and the bike jumped back into first and it hit the limiter, snicked it back up and it jumped out again.........bastard. Lost loads of places because of it, but made up a few at the first crossover chicane, until Chris Dowling came up alongside me totally out of control on the brakes, his back wheel was way off the deck and was flapping from side to side as was the front end and because I couldn't tip into the corner I had to ride off the track to avoid him, as did a couple of others, but unfortunately Rob Colvin came off whilst doing so and broke a couple of ribs.........that's probably the most out of shape I've seen someone in without coming off, came back onto the track and was way behind, made up a few places and a couple of laps later could see Phil Kneen and Phil Bell-Scott ahead, only trouble was, it was the whole length of the back straight. Kept my head down and was reeling them in but not by much.....wasn't really enjoying it and started losing concentration and was rolling it into Snuffies when I know I'm usually a lot better into there, was even thinking of pulling in but carried on as I'm always pretty shite in the first race anyway, had a look behind me on the penultimate lap and saw Dowling behind me, that spurred me on a bit as there was no way he was getting past........went into the Perimeter section on the last lap and when I changed up the bike jumped out of gear again and popped off the rev limiter, this happened three times in a row and I lost that much drive Dowling came past me, chased him up to Snuffies and on another day I would have gone up the inside of him, put him off and thought nothing of it, but he was on a charge, thought about it again at the Bus Stop Chicane, but he was quite quick through there, so not wanting to get out of shape just to gain a place that was nowhere anyway, stayed in the position I was in till the flag, which turned out to be a disappointing........8th.The bike jumping out of gear is down to me as I'm used to the HRC close ratio gearbox and that was really slick.......with this standard box, I've realised that you have to make sure that its 'in'...........so another problem solved just by taking a little more care.........although must confess I prefer the HRC box.........but for two and a half grand for a new one I think what I've got will be okay...........its much better at the starts than the HRC one anyway.

I was straight out in the next one (Race 3) only this time they gave us a ten minute break..........Dawny Dawn was in the holding area with fuel for me so she had to carry it back........soz Dawny. Was on the front row again for the Restricted Race.......8 laps ....... and there was no Rob Sells today, but Bruce Black had entered and he had just come fourth in the Open race, so I'd have to keep an eye on him that's for sure, and I knew that Bell-Scott would be there or thereabouts as would the much improved Dave Kinrade. At the drop of the flag it was Bruce as expected that got the holeshot followed by Phil and I was side by side into the first corner with Dave, got in before him and chase the front two up to Snuffies.......into the Bus Stop and I nearly ran into the back of Phil again, he takes it a lot slower than I do, could see that Bruce had pulled an extra fifty or so yards because of this, so decided to outbrake Phil into Nans.... did this okay but as I tipped the bike over, it hit a bump in the track and put me off line a bit and I was heading straight for a cone, thought it wouldn't be a good plan to hit it, so rode off the track around it and Phil came back past me...... got back on his tail and got better drive on the exit and was less than a yard behind him when he sat up.......gave me a right fright......nearly ran into the back of him again.....turned out the red flags had come out........Dave Kinrade had lost the front going into Snuffies behind me (he was carted off to Hospital in the meat wagon.......he'd broken his ankle pretty badly and had to have a couple of pins inserted). We were told to go back to the paddock and wait to be recalled. Waited for about half an hour then we were back on the track, Bell-Scott had decided not to do it, and with no Dave as well it looked like it was going to be a two horse race........Bruce got another flier and this time I was right behind him into the crossover chicane and was still chasing up to Snuffies and he pulled away on the straight but by the time we got to Nans I had caught him up again........got better drive than him out of the chicane onto the start/finish straight and was alongside him but again he pulled away a bit......was tailing him again through the Perimeter section when I saw the Red flag come out.....so stuck my hand in the air and slowed........Bruce obviously hadn't seen it and carried on........at the next Marshal's post there was no red flag out so I wondered what was going on...going over the start finish straight I signalled to guys in charge as much as I could in the circumstances and pretty soon afterwards the other red flags came out.........went back to the start line and the Clerk of the Course came over to me to say that there had been a mix up and the red flag shouldn't have come out........ The race was restarted again and it was the same old story with me chasing Bruce up to Snuffies, and he was braking later than usual as beforehand he showed me the new AP front brake master cylinder he had fitted, these things are the business and help your braking no end, the only downside is that they cost six times what a standard cylinder costs, but, you get what you pay for.....I would have one, but the Supersport 600 rules state that you've got to have standard brakes.......bugger, he was harder than normal to get past anyway as he was really going well, but I was all over him like a cheap suit and heading up to Snuffies on the third lap I was really close behind when I saw his footpeg touch down and break off..........it headed straight for me like a bullet and I had to duck to avoid it, it whizzed past my right ear, bloody good job I saw it coming, that would have been nasty......it took Bruce a few seconds to realise his peg was missing and I knew he was going to have to pull in, so I nipped past him and carried on for the next three laps..........had a look to see where the next bloke was and he was nearly half a lap behind, so at that moment I decided that the next Restricted race would be my last. Won the race by the proverbial mile, but it gave me no satisfaction whatsoever.......with no Black, Sells, Bell-Scott or Kinrade there doesn't seem much point in me doing them.

Next race up was the 600 race, again for only 6 laps, was on the front row again alongside Nige Beattie, Juan was a row behind, so I left enough room so that he would be able to get past, cos I knew he was going to......I haven't seen anybody better than him on a 600 at the start.......Got the best start I'd had all day, and as I expected it was Juan at the front into the first corner followed by me..........he was quicker around Perimeter than me, but I was surprised when I pulled a few yards back at Snuffies, maintained the gap between us for the next lap and going over the line to start lap 3 I tried to make up some yards on the brakes...........the bike started to slide around a bit and get out of shape, so I let go of the anchors and overshot to be on the safe side, had a look before I came back on the track and Nige shot past, could have got back on before he got there, but didn't for two reasons, first one was so that I didn't obtain an unfair advantage and wouldn't be disqualified and the other was he might be able to drag me along behind him and make up the ground I wasn't doing on my own. Unfortunately (for me) Nige started pulling away a bit and reeled in Juan, so I decided on settling for a safe 3rd, until I saw that it was Big H chasing me, feeling that there was going to be nothing safe about that, I got my head back down and got to the finish.......3rd.....quite pleased with that.

Was going to miss the next 1300 Open Solo's Race, but went in it anyway......another 6 lapper....again on the front row and I got into the corner fourth and stayed there for about three laps until Milky and Big H came past me going over the line and going into the first Crossover Chicane, H overshot, but they both buggered off in to the distance, was watching as they both reeled in Bruce then Nige but never managed to catch Juan who went on to win.........I got to the line ........6th.

Next race was the second Clubman/Restricted race.......6 laps......was in the holding area and I was looking around for Bruce and couldn't see him........so thought 'if he's not doing it I'm going to pull out' and let somebody else have a go, but he appeared as soon as we were let out......goodie. Same again happened in this one and chased Bruce down the back straight, tailed him for a couple of laps and down the back straight his back wheel flicked a few stones up and one went through the front of my fairing, also noticed that my front fairing bracket was starting to force its way through the fairing as well, as I could see the track through it when I had my head under the bubble. Had a few looks at where I was going to make my move and made it on the brakes into the first Crossover Chicane at the start of the fifth lap, pulled away from him a bit and held the lead till the end and recorded what will be my last Clubman/Restricted race win. I think that if you win the Championship you shouldn't be allowed in it again anyway, it saves the same person winning it every year.

Got back to the paddock and the bracket had broken through the fairing, so decided on missing the last race which was the second 600 event, would have been kicking myself had something happened because of it had I gone out, although saying that, if it had been for points or money, I probably would have lashed loads of tape on it and gone out. So, that was the end of the day for me.........2 x 1sts........1 x 3rd......1 x 6th and 1 x 8th.............could be my last Jurby meeting for a while, unless I do the 2 hour Endurance Race in October. Packed the van up and went to watch the race and Juan won it comfortably from Nige, and I had him down for lap and race records, but was informed later that the timekeepers had stopped timing after Race 6.........bit of a bugger that.............I thought that I might have nabbed them in my second restricted race as well...........but no matter.

Don't know what my next meeting will be, but entries accepted I'll be doing the Ulster Grand Prix on the Dundrod circuit in Co Antrim in Northern Ireland...............my first road race on a race bike.............my arse is making buttons already...........

So, tune in next time for the next very exciting episode of............Tommy Clucas Racing.