Andy J
Hero member
- Location
- Isle of Man
Well what a contrast to last year’s washout at Jurby, just about perfect conditions for racing and parading as it was dry, but not too hot and sunny so as to make it a sweat bath out on the circuit. I had planned to race the Shoulda-been-a-Jota and parade the F500 but the race prep hadn’t happened due to working on other bikes etc, so I just intended to parade that as well.
The event effectively combined in the morning session race qualifying and 3 parades for classic, race and road bikes. I was allotted a space in the Classic parade for the F500 and the Road bike parade for the triple. All went reasonably well to start with, the F500 started without a problem and ran fine for the first half dozen laps and generally carved my way through the mixture of genuine classic bikes and a smattering of later era bikes. However, I had just crossed the start line with a few minutes to go and the bike developed a bit of a misfire. I momentarily pulled off the circuit to fiddle with the fuel taps, in case that was the issue, but following a return to the circuit the problem appeared to be persisting so I almost immediately pulled off on to the centre of the circuit rather than try to tour back virtually a full lap to the pits. There is a wide tarmac strip down the centre that leads back to between the last two corners and is just about 50 metres from the pit entry point. As the bike was still running it seemed to me the more sensible option to parking up and waiting for a recovery vehicle. However, the clerk of the course didn’t see it the same way and gave me a right bollocking.
Anyway the bike was checked over and apart from tightening up the left hand float bowl, which was perhaps a little loose and weeping a bit, nothing obvious could be found, and the bike started up and seemed to be running okay whilst stationary. Some more fuel was chucked in the tank, in case it was just a fuel level issue and it was left at that.
Attention then turned to the triple and I thought I ought to check the fuel level in that too. Dug the key out from the van and attempted to open the fuel tank lock. That’s odd the key wouldn’t turn, so I tried it in the ignition, but with the same result. Doh, i’d only gone and picked, from the drawer at home, the key for the ‘wrong’ bike.
A short discussion ensued with my pit man Martin whether to go home (a 45 minute plus round journey) and find the ‘right’ key or just bin the parade. However, Martin then inquired whether there was any reason why I couldn’t ride his bike instead. Strangely enough there wasn’t so I very quickly accepted his generous offer, and so the 650 Formula was out mixing it with 916 and 1198 Ducati’s among others, all which the 650 of course passed with ease.
Prior to the lunch break there was a short ‘legends’ parade session for TT and MGP riders and I was able to go out and test the f500, and it ran fine, so perhaps just a bit of crap that we hadn’t managed to quite clear out the other day temporarily partly blocked a jet or something. At the end of that session, all the riders had to line up in the paddock for photos and interviews and I was approached by a very nice Dutch lady who told me ‘my husband used to race one those’. Apparently he raced against the likes of Jack Middleburg in the unofficial street races that were held in the Netherlands back on n the 70’s. However, I didn’t quite catch what his name was. Perhaps some of you Dutch guys recognize him. BTW, his wife has a very nice Syd Lawton Aermacchi.
In fact we had loads of people drop by our pitch who either still own or have owned a Laverda in the past, including Martin Sentance who raced Jotas at the same time as PK etc. We also, purely by chance, sat at a table with a couple of guys at lunchtime, one of whom turned to me after a few minutes and said, I’ve got an SFC ‘replica’. Small world, especially when a Laverda owning visitor from down under also calls by.
I had another successful outing on the 500 after lunch and was anticipating another run out last thing on Martin’s 650, but missed that as they changed the event running order without me knowing.
We were busy having an ice cream and watching a bit of the action when I noticed the bikes circulating were from the ‘road bike’ group, but it was far too late to go and get togged up just for a few laps. Never mind there’s always another opportunity and in fact I’m already booked in for the VMCC track day in early September. 
The event effectively combined in the morning session race qualifying and 3 parades for classic, race and road bikes. I was allotted a space in the Classic parade for the F500 and the Road bike parade for the triple. All went reasonably well to start with, the F500 started without a problem and ran fine for the first half dozen laps and generally carved my way through the mixture of genuine classic bikes and a smattering of later era bikes. However, I had just crossed the start line with a few minutes to go and the bike developed a bit of a misfire. I momentarily pulled off the circuit to fiddle with the fuel taps, in case that was the issue, but following a return to the circuit the problem appeared to be persisting so I almost immediately pulled off on to the centre of the circuit rather than try to tour back virtually a full lap to the pits. There is a wide tarmac strip down the centre that leads back to between the last two corners and is just about 50 metres from the pit entry point. As the bike was still running it seemed to me the more sensible option to parking up and waiting for a recovery vehicle. However, the clerk of the course didn’t see it the same way and gave me a right bollocking.
Anyway the bike was checked over and apart from tightening up the left hand float bowl, which was perhaps a little loose and weeping a bit, nothing obvious could be found, and the bike started up and seemed to be running okay whilst stationary. Some more fuel was chucked in the tank, in case it was just a fuel level issue and it was left at that.
Attention then turned to the triple and I thought I ought to check the fuel level in that too. Dug the key out from the van and attempted to open the fuel tank lock. That’s odd the key wouldn’t turn, so I tried it in the ignition, but with the same result. Doh, i’d only gone and picked, from the drawer at home, the key for the ‘wrong’ bike.
A short discussion ensued with my pit man Martin whether to go home (a 45 minute plus round journey) and find the ‘right’ key or just bin the parade. However, Martin then inquired whether there was any reason why I couldn’t ride his bike instead. Strangely enough there wasn’t so I very quickly accepted his generous offer, and so the 650 Formula was out mixing it with 916 and 1198 Ducati’s among others, all which the 650 of course passed with ease.
Prior to the lunch break there was a short ‘legends’ parade session for TT and MGP riders and I was able to go out and test the f500, and it ran fine, so perhaps just a bit of crap that we hadn’t managed to quite clear out the other day temporarily partly blocked a jet or something. At the end of that session, all the riders had to line up in the paddock for photos and interviews and I was approached by a very nice Dutch lady who told me ‘my husband used to race one those’. Apparently he raced against the likes of Jack Middleburg in the unofficial street races that were held in the Netherlands back on n the 70’s. However, I didn’t quite catch what his name was. Perhaps some of you Dutch guys recognize him. BTW, his wife has a very nice Syd Lawton Aermacchi.
In fact we had loads of people drop by our pitch who either still own or have owned a Laverda in the past, including Martin Sentance who raced Jotas at the same time as PK etc. We also, purely by chance, sat at a table with a couple of guys at lunchtime, one of whom turned to me after a few minutes and said, I’ve got an SFC ‘replica’. Small world, especially when a Laverda owning visitor from down under also calls by.
I had another successful outing on the 500 after lunch and was anticipating another run out last thing on Martin’s 650, but missed that as they changed the event running order without me knowing.
We were busy having an ice cream and watching a bit of the action when I noticed the bikes circulating were from the ‘road bike’ group, but it was far too late to go and get togged up just for a few laps. Never mind there’s always another opportunity and in fact I’m already booked in for the VMCC track day in early September. 
