Manx Grand Prix - Junior Race: Wednesday 28th August 2002

Junior Race

Even though the race wasn't till the afternoon, scrutineering was at the same time in the morning, so picked the Wad up and we headed off around 8-00am. Ian and Simon headed in on their motorbikes, so it was just the two of us in the van. Had fettled both bikes ready and the plan was that I was going to use No 2 again, and I was going out after the race in the one lap practice session to give No 1 bike a run as I wanted to use that in the Senior Race on Friday, and see haw she handled with the steering damper knocked back a couple of notches. Had been thinking before the event that a top 20 finish would be good, although after my Newcomers Race, my average race time would have got me 4th in the 2000 Junior Manx Grand Prix, only 3 seconds off a podium place….. which I thought was pretty amazing and chuffed me no end, Chris also pointed out that I would have got a top 15 finish at this years Junior TT with it as well…… so even though I was hoping for better, I was still looking for a top 20. (Chris secretly had me down for 9th)….. especially starting from the middle of the pack at No 61 no less.

Went to the Race Office to see if I could get my start number changed, and as I walked in, the secretary Caroline said she wanted a word with me…… oops, what have I done now. She told me that she wanted to give me a better start number which was No 25….. great said I, what about the Senior Race…… She said that was for the Senior, she then tried to get me a better start number for today's Junior race, but was told that it was too late…… bummer. Well, looks like I'll be busy in traffic today then. Had to sticker up my No 1 bike with my new race numbers and whilst doing just outside the scrutineering bay, Wad chinned TV commentator Murray Walker to have his picture taken with us, and he was only to pleased to do so…… Got Chris in on one of them too…… Me Muzza and Chris…… Great.

Went and got ready for the start of the race and lined up way down on the Glencrutchery Road, wished Craig Atkinson luck, he was way behind me at No 89, so he'd be having a busy day too. The guy starting at No 62 shook my hand as we got to the line….. we wished each other all the best, and when the flag dropped that was the last I saw of him. Haired down Bray Hill and on to the Quarterbridge, caught the two that had started in front of me…… On the run to Braddan Bridge the clutch was slipping and it was still doing it when I got to Glen Vine…. Bollocks….. carried on going though, and passed quite a few others….. but had it in my head that it might get better when it got hot, or hoped if it did pack in it would be near a pub somewhere…… rounding Ballacraine, John gave me the thumbs up, but I was shaking my head, and did it again at Glen Helen commentary point, but as I was way down on the road, the ones that had started first would probably already be at Ramsey, and he wouldn't mention it on the air. Along the Cronk-y-Voddy, as I rounded the corner at the end, the yellow flags were being waved and I slowed right down as there were Marshal's on the road…… somebody had lost the front at the left hander, lost a bit of time through there, then caught a bunch of four lads at Handley's…. Recognized one of them as my work mate Rob Colvin, and I could see he was getting blocked by the other three, but they were all holding me up…. They were all vying for position and between them were using the whole road and I couldn't get past…. Was actually down to 4th gear through Bishopscourt at one point and I knew that I would really have to do them all in a oner, so I out braked them all into Ballaugh Bridge….. its amazing how long it can take to get a clean move…… Managed to get away from them, but there was loads of traffic every where else and I couldn't help but think how much time I was losing….. was still passing quite a few others at various points on the course, but I still didn't want to do it unless it was a clean move, and that was eating into the seconds…... Out braked fast lady Maria Costello at the Nook, and she was going really well…… Went through the Grandstand to start the second lap, and pulled a monumental wheelie at Ago's Leap….. have to be careful I don't do that again, then rounding Ballacraine John had P15 on my pit board……. Was hoping for better than that, but I was getting blocked more times than I care to remember…… so it would have to do….. something to improve on anyway……… noticed that again, I was suffering from arm pump, not as much as the first race but it was still there all the same and again it was on the second lap…… rounding the Ginger Hall and on to Kerro Moar, there was loads of Marshal's and yellow flags everywhere…... there was absolutely loads of oil down….. it looked like Porters bike up against the hedge and the Marshal's were putting some cement dust on the spilt oil…… went really steady through it and then when I fed in the power had an almighty slide on some more of it that they hadn't got round to dusting yet…… Jesus!, that was a close one…… carried on again and duffed up another pair of riders at School House Corner in Ramsey, and had quite an eventful crossing over the mountain with traffic here, there and everywhere….. Managed to get round safely enough and caught up with a 250cc rider as we both headed into the Stop Box, foot down and I got away before him….. Ian was frantically waving, spotted him and pitted….. this time is was as smooth as silk…… Had Sammo in place of Nige this time and he whipped the cap open with the key I had returned from the local constabulary and Ian replaced the rip off that I required while Wad put the petrol in…… Had a drink, said to them get as much in as possible as I could swear that the bike was starting to run out….. and they did this and I was off…… don't think anybody's stop could have been any better…… sped off again down Bray Hill and was more relaxed and again wasn't suffering as much from the arm pump problem……. Got to Ballacraine and John Swung out P10……. That was better, would be well happy with a top 10 finish….. had a bit of a scare at the 13th milestone, when to avoid a slower rider I throttled off and it loaded the front tyre and it skidded again……. Had my heart in my mouth for a mo, but learnt not to do that again…… carried on going and could see somebody ahead, couldn't make out who it was till the end of the Sulby Straight and it was fellow local Dean Harrison…… tailed him for ages and when we got to Kerro Moar again the yellow flags were still out and he went slower than I would have done through here…. And as there were yellow flags I couldn't pass him….. tried to do it a few times, but he kept blocking me….. I don't know if he knew I was there, so I carried on following him till we got to Ramsey….. was lining up a few passes, but didn't actually get him till Ramsey hairpin…… must have lost a huge amount of time there…….. Rounding the Bungalow, had an unexpected pit board that said 'Spook P9', it had previously said Nigel, so I guessed it must be one of the Laxey Boys……. Josser had my board out at Windy Corner and it said P10….. so I thought that's a bit confusing, but it was close enough…… just carried on going…….

Flew through the Grandstand to start the last lap and the traffic was thinning out so it gave me a clearer road, until I got to Ballacraine and Caught up with Liam Quinn, John had P12 on the board and I couldn't believe that I had lost 2 or 3 places somehow…… Took me a good mile to get past Quinn and did so at Laurel Bank, and knew that I had lost a shed load of time because of that…..the corner at the end of the Cronk-y-Voddy is always interesting in 6th gear and the flags were away at the 11th this lap so I went round there pretty handy…… I know I can take the top and bottom of Begarrow faster than I was, and will do the more laps I do it, but wanted to be steady….. Didn't get a board at Ballaugh again, it was Geller's dad, Ray doing it but he must have missed me every time….. and round Quarry Bends caught a bloke on another R6….. got good drive onto the Sulby Straight and pulled alongside but he started to drag away from me, his bike was faster, so I tucked in behind and slipstreamed him….. this was probably the first time I've done this properly, as on a short circuit you can't do it for long enough…… but this time I could feel the buffeting and the drag…… just before the kink at the end of the straight, pulled out and drove past him…… that was good fun…… you always think that you could easily out brake yourself at the end of the Sulby Straight, confirmed by the scratch marks at the end, going straight into the field…… carried on going , there was still oil flags at Kerro Moar, so had to be cautious again through there, then it was pretty confusing over the Mountain when I got a board at the Bungalow saying 'Spook P8', then Josser at Windy Corner saying 'Spook P12'…… got to the finish unscathed, and the first person there was Chris again…… he reckoned he had me down for 12th - 15th as he said it was really hard to tell…… when I pulled into the Parc Ferme an official told me that I was 7th……… was well happy with that…… My mate Nigel Beattie, had beaten me to 6th, would have been nice to have started nearer the front to see if I could have ran with him….. was also pleased to be told that we had won the team trophy for The Andreas Racing Association…… meself, Paul Corrin and Norman Kneen…… so not a bad end to the day…… Know I could have done slightly better, I reckoned I was losing at least 20 seconds a lap with the traffic. My sister reckoned my first lap was over 113mph from a standing start, which I was surprised about considering the amount of times I was held up, would have been interesting to see what it would have been had I not been. The team seemed well made up.

The No 1 bike had been warmed up ready, and I cleaned my visor, put on another rip off, and after speaking to Nige and getting our photo taken together by John Watterson it was out for the one lap practice…… Shot off down Bray Hill after Sammo, who started 10 seconds in front of me and nearly ran into the back of him when his clutch went half way down…… This bike definitely fells different from the other one…… it seems smaller somehow and it did feel more powerful, it should do though, it had a brand new tuned engine, courtesy of Slick……was suffering badly from blistered toes on my gear change foot and I hit a false neutral again into Greeba Castle, but handled it okay, had a nice steady lap and the bike felt good, even though there was loads of traffic out and I was sore, I was pleased to get a lap on it …… knocking the steering damper back certainly helped the handling. When I got back in, noticed there was a smear of oil on the fairings and had to nip up a few bolts that seemed to have backed off, hope that cures it…… but will be trying it out on Friday and if its not right I'll just pull in.

Packed all the stuff in the van, went to the beer tent for a couple, then went home to get ready to got to the presentation at Summerland, where I had a few there cheering for me……… quality.

Next up is the Senior on Friday…………… So tune in for another very exciting, toe blistering episode of…………… Tommy Clucas Racing.