A Newcomers Diary .
Kursaal Flyer Offline
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#42
RE: A Newcomers Diary .
Tuesday 2nd the Race. The sun is out and its as warm on the island as it has been all the time we have been here, as this stage I do the same here as any race on the mainland, to try and find a shaded spot and then to relax and stay as cool as possible , well as cool as one can during this final count down. Race control call up the first twenty bikes to line up on the Glencrutchery Road , then as soon as they have lined up the next twenty are called and so on until my section are called, by this stage the first riders in the race are away and you can here the exhausts rasping and the accompanying commentary as they blast away all this is adding to the experience. As I am last away I take my time getting in line and I let Mikey look after the bike as I still hide in the shadows of the trees to keep cool. I decide I best get on the bike and sit to wait my turn . Nick Jefferies is there in his capacity as newcomer liaison and I shake his hand and he wishes me a safe race. I cannot remember any nerves at this stage more excitement the stupid grin is back. How would I describe this feeling like listening to a Spitfire Rolls Royce Merlin engine close up magical  Icon_biggrin .
Slowly the queue clears and apart from officials all I can see is spectators everywhere around and Elwyn and Yuri in front of me. Elwyn gets away then Yuri moves into the gate then as he gets his signal to go he stalls the bike right there, this threw me a bit and I waited a while as he tried to kick his bike into life , I decided to move forwards and sort of squeeze myself to his left to get away and got the hand on the shoulder then the flag and I was off. As I accelerated away two things flashed through my head , well at least I am not last anymore, but something that I will not get now is a picture of me leaving the start gate by myself. I put the start line hiccup behind me and quickly settle into my rhythm . My race plan was to chase Yuri down using the dangling carrot idea but with him now behind me and Elwyn next up in front I do not now expect to see anybody else during the race. The conditions are the best I have had bright sun but high in the sky so no issues like those I encountered with the low sun during the late evening practice sessions.
The course is unfolding its beautiful curves in front of me like a meandering river and the miles seem to just quickly drift by, sections like Grebe Castle and Bridge just flow by this must be motorcycle racing heaven it really can come no better than this. Then there's the odd waterfall sections like the bottom of Barregarrow and Ballaugh Bridge where a little more care is needed these followed by the shallow rocky bottom section through Kerrowmoar and beyond , then in no time its through Ramsey and up across the mountain . The lack of good weather conditions during the practice sessions shows up more going across the mountain than on the bottom of the course. Sections up there that are fast and to get the best from them they require more accuracy in riding than my practice has allowed me to learn. But I am happy with my pace and its seems no time at all before I am coming out of Governors dip looking for my braking point to enter the pits for my fuel stop.
As I approach the pits the speed read out is 80 plus kph I need 60 kph or less, as I have not been able to set anything pit speed wise I am going to go in slow to play safe I slow down to 45 kph and just putter down the pit road, this feels so slow its like a slow walk round a supermarket with the wife. Because everybody in pit lane is in fire suits we decided to use a closed pink umbrella as a signal to help spot my pit position. This works perfect and I sight it and nod to acknowledge.  I have a three man pit crew dressed in red my wife Bev daughter Kirsty and Mikey the boy friend. As I stop on the my mark I turn the bike off Mikey removes the fuel cap Bev gives me my drink as Kirsty fuels the bike . Mikey looks around the bike for issues as Bev cleans my visor. In no time its fuel in, visor clean, drink drunk,cap on and its time to go . Ignition on restart and away minding my speed as I go down the pit lane.   
There is a fourth member of the pit crew he is the technical official who is also looking round the bike to check its safe for me to continue. I have seen a picture of my pit stop taken from the Grandstand and the fourth member who is dressed in yellow is standing near the front of the bike leaning forward , I am not disrespectful but I put this photo on social media with the title my pit stop with Zombie in the corner because that's exactly what it looks like , made me smile anyway.
As I blasted off I felt that the stop had gone very well and all the rest of this was now up to me . down Bray up the other side and I think my enthusiasm got the better of me and I was a little bit late on the brakes and took a wider line with a no no no nodding head for the spectators at Quarter Bridge than I intended, luckily this corner is wide enough to allow a small mistake like that. I soon settled down again and was thoroughly enjoying my race the good conditions and the lightening fuel load meant that every section was quicker than the one lap before a pattern I would repeat on the third lap as well . My second and third laps were fairly uneventful but little things stick in the mind the marshals at Ballagarey on the third lap doing what looked like a Mexican wave as I blasted flat out through there, then at one of the quieter sections up on the mountain on the third lap I was actually singing to myself ! In what seemed no time at all I was soon coming down the Nook towards Governors Dip for the third time , there was no question now this was about getting to the the finish nothing else now mattered to me. I rode round the dip like it was ice there was no way I could falter now, my finishers medal the thing I had worked for these last few years was now only about 1/2 a mile away I could almost smell the winners champagne from the rostrum as I blasted down to the finish. They do not make champagne that could give me that same buzz that I got as I crossed that line , an emotional air punch I was so full of emotion, for anybody that has completed a Manx or TT race it is very special moment and one no one can ever take away.

I will follow this up with my after race thoughts, thanks for reading
     
Old enough to know better, young enough to have given it a go ! Icon_cool
17-10-2015, 06:56 PM
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Messages In This Thread
A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 12:35 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Splashdown - 16-09-2015, 12:39 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 12:40 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 12:46 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 12:52 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 12:57 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 01:02 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 01:30 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 01:37 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 01:42 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 01:47 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 01:54 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 01:57 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 02:03 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 02:14 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 02:20 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 02:25 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 02:27 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 16-09-2015, 02:28 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 17-09-2015, 08:54 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 20-09-2015, 06:24 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Smidsy - 21-09-2015, 02:26 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 22-09-2015, 11:35 AM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 23-09-2015, 01:10 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Splashdown - 23-09-2015, 05:11 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 23-09-2015, 05:44 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Alfie Noakes - 23-09-2015, 06:53 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 24-09-2015, 02:42 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 28-09-2015, 02:45 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 29-09-2015, 04:02 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Splashdown - 30-09-2015, 11:44 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Alfie Noakes - 01-10-2015, 10:35 AM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 01-10-2015, 04:58 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 07-10-2015, 10:39 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by ago/mh1967 - 08-10-2015, 06:40 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 08-10-2015, 08:31 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Splashdown - 08-10-2015, 11:38 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by HammerHead - 09-10-2015, 12:53 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 11-10-2015, 08:37 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by matjaq - 11-10-2015, 09:25 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 14-10-2015, 08:57 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 17-10-2015, 06:56 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Stacky - 17-10-2015, 10:40 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Raynetjr - 18-10-2015, 04:49 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by veefour - 20-10-2015, 07:54 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 25-10-2015, 09:14 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Splashdown - 26-10-2015, 11:17 AM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Raynetjr - 26-10-2015, 09:16 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by ago/mh1967 - 26-10-2015, 09:17 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 27-10-2015, 06:38 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Raynetjr - 28-10-2015, 01:37 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 12-12-2015, 10:28 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by ago/mh1967 - 14-12-2015, 07:27 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 19-05-2017, 10:02 AM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by HammerHead - 19-05-2017, 10:22 AM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Splashdown - 19-05-2017, 11:09 AM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Raynetjr - 20-05-2017, 02:28 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 25-05-2017, 01:49 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Grantham - 30-05-2017, 09:36 PM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Kursaal Flyer - 01-06-2017, 08:02 AM
RE: A Newcomers Diary . - by Grantham - 04-06-2017, 11:08 AM



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