Wednesday 9th June

Had the bike all fettled ready, watched the Junior and some of the sidecar ‘B’ race, then lined up on the Glencrutchery Road for the start of the final practise session…… I’ve had 20 laps on the Bullock Production 600 Honda already this week, but I was still struggling to find something that I was completely happy with…… some of the other lads were telling me that their bike’s were handling brilliantly, but I was still struggling with a few things, and changing direction at high speed was pretty hard work…… Could really do with the help of a suspension specialist, because there are so many combinations of things to get your head round, and we haven’t got all the answers…… and I’m convinced that I can go loads faster if the bike will let me………………… The weather again was another goodie, but thankfully there was a nice breeze so it never actually felt as hot…… which was handy enough.

Stuey had done another fine job of getting me near the front and I was in the second pairing away, noticed that last years double production winner, Shaun Harris, was starting behind me on his 600 Production Suzuki…… mmmmmmm…… see how long I can keep him at bay for then…… Gary Carswell and that French Bird, Fabienne were first away, she actually pushed her way to the front…… and as a slow newcomer, you would think that she would have more sense…… the organisers, should have put her nearer the back…… you had all the big boys on their formula one bikes that were gonna give her a fright somewhere……… ten seconds later I was off too ……… The bloke on the Formula One bike who started with me, shot off ahead, but after being as fast as I could go down Bray Hill I wheelied past him on Ago’s leap and that was the last I saw of him…… was really crap rounding the QB, and not too much better at Braddan…… caught the French Bird into the Railway pub on her Junior bike…… she had her knee down, and up the Ballahutchin she started to drag away from me…… her bike being quicker and she never weighed much either, so a good combination to have…… caught and passed her at Glenlough Camp Site, and took BallaScarey traffic lights in top gear……… and off down through Crosby…… thought I had already lost a couple of seconds and was wondering where Lougher, Anstey, Farquhar, Harris and co were gonna come past me, as I had seen them all lining up behind me at the start…… and most of them were on their superbikes (last chance to test them before Friday’s Senior)……… Steady enough all the way to Kirk Michael, and was trying to tell myself to breathe properly and try to rest as much as possible on the straight bits……… had been feeling jaded all day, what with the hanging around an all, and was worried that I might tire early…… I had done some arm exercise beforehand this time though…… Got to Lezayre Church just outside of Ramsey, before I was caught, and it was Lucky Lougher, on his Formula One Fireblade who passed me…… nice and clean thankfully, atrue gent that bloke, tried to tail him, but had to remind meself what I was riding, and actually wasn’t doing that badly when Anstey passed me just before the Bends at Milntown, then by Farquhar into School House Corner……he passed me then braked, I was actually going to leave it a bit later, but having him in front of me gave me no option, then I tailed him round Ramsey…… They took May Hill better than me, my front end not behaving the best, but I think I gained a few yards at the Waterworks, and after the Gooseneck, they cleared off into the distance…… Up on the Mountain mile, Andy Wallace shot past me on his 750 Suzuki…… thought ‘Bloody Hell, he’s going well’…… he was a newcomer to the MGP last year and he was definitely on it…… He was obviously dialled in after the Junior Race today…… He did tell me he wasn’t going back the Manx as he gets double the practise and 5 races at the TT, as well as some cash, whereas, at the MGP, you get no cash, half the practise and two races tops……… so you can see where he’s coming from…… anyway, I tailed him round, he pulled a bit of the straights, but I was gaining on some corners, but the Mountain is big bike territory and I was never going to catch him…… coming out of the Creg, Shaun Harris slipstreamed past me, so I latched on to him, didn’t think that I was riding all that well, and it had taken him nearly a whole lap to take 10 seconds out of me, so not too shabby……… he was no quicker than me at Brandish and Hillberry and I was slightly faster at Cronk Ny Mona, but he was better than me coming out of Governors Dip, got to get better here, I’m losing a couple of seconds…… and crossing the line he pulled in, and I followed…… I was going to go for a flier, but decided against it…… thought it was our last chance to try sommat else…… so Stuey went out two clicks on the compression, to make it slightly softer on the front…… pulled away again for another lap…… Was crap at the QB again, pulled a bigger wheelie than normal, on the bump approaching the it and was later on the brakes because of it, so had to scrub more speed than normal off, which f*cked up the corner……… caught somebody on an RC30 going down past the Highlander, and he held me up all the way to Greeba Bridge, was going to do him on the Anchors at this point, but didn’t know how fast he was there, and he could have wiped my nose, so sat behind, and out dragged him past the Hawthorn Pub…… caught somebody else into Glen Helen and actually went around the outside of him up Creg Willy’s hill…… had to take a tight line rounding Sarah’s Cottage but got round comfortably enough…… lively again at the end of the Cronky Straight, and had a pretty clear run to Ballaugh Bridge, where the Yellow flags were out…… Thought somebody must have binned it, but only saw Ryan Farquhar at the side of the road sitting on his bike……not had much luck this week had Ryan…… lost some time for nothing there then…… Tried to stay tucked in for Ballacrye, but its hard to stay in the seat, but clung on with my knees, but still wasn’t actually sitting on the bike over the jump…… Caught up with another local, Scotty Stewart, on the approach to Milntown, but he never held me up and I got past him cleanly enough…… Went under another Junior bike at Stella Maris, and headed off up the Mountain…… was feeling pretty knackered by this point, but it was nearly all down hill from here……… went steady enough for the rest of the lap, felt that I rounded Hillberry and Signpost Corner better this time around and pulled in after the chequered flag and back into the paddock…… turned out I was 5th fastest on the leader board tonight with 115.70mph, which was pretty average…… Really hope I can perform better come race day.

Took delivery of my Bullock CBR600RR Supersport Honda which is the first of the fast ones I’m getting, so started to fettle it ready for the Steam Packet races this Saturday, with the help of Willy and Stuey…… Frenchman Bruno Bonhuill rode it in today’s Junior Race and recorded his personal best lap on it at 115.86mph……… watching him at the bottom of Bray Hill, it sounded fast enough, but will reserve judgement till I actually get on the bugger…… also started to fettle the Production bike, and get that all ready for Friday Mornings race…… New tyres etc etc…… So that’s it…… just the race to go……

So, tune in for another very exciting, hopefully on the pace in the race episode…………………………………………………………………………………………