Classic TT Build

griff851

Ta.

trogg888

Bloody good job Paul

Your SP3's the dogs doodas 😎, and your practice times are awesome - all the very best for the race Paul.

Thanks for the links Steve.

Phil

stafford

duc904red wroteI see Paul has lapped at 108 and 112mph in todays practice Well done Regards Steve B

Paul was surprised when I spoke to him a couple of days ago, those look like sector times Steve not lap times actual lap was 102.6624 (22:03.054) 148.5mph at Sulby. He said she was geared for around 153mph and was running out of RPM with 16/39 sprockets so had left that and fitted a new tyre with with a slightly larger circumference. He'd hoped to fit a 190 fit but fouled the chain.
Bike looks great as do number 21 Mick Godfrey and 55 Christopher Pickett going around.
Mick on 21 looks really quick, couldn't find him in the paddock though.
Really enjoyed my few days there, marshalled for a few nights and that's a great laugh as well. We had to black flag Mark Miller because his front mudguard had come adrift. The experienced Marshals seem to have spanners in pockets so he was soon on his way, minus half a guard.

See http://www.iomtt.com/Classic-TT/Results/2013.aspx for timing sheets.

Good luck to all the competitors, especially after last nights red flagged session.

Pompey

Mark Miller is a good friend of mine! We used to race at Willow Springs raceway north of LA when I lived there. Good man.

stafford

I suspect he's glad to see to the back of me as he broke the electric bike right in front of us at Ballaugh Bridge earlier this year.

Dropped in on Tony and had a spin on his SP4, pulls well and she makes a great noise. The handling was a bit off so Tony checked the tyre pressure in the rear 20PSI, thanks Tony. 😝
Sarah's looking great as well with her nicely improving bump. Looking forward to next year with the quieter roads from the TT it's a far better time to attend.

SpeedTherapy

SP3 on the Isle !

Hi Folks!

Sorry I haven't been giving updates. Super busy with 3 bikes here and waste a lot of time standing in the queue for skrootineering :-(

Been going well so far. As per Stafford's update, started off getting the gearing right and making sure we have the right tyres ;-)

Using Pirelli Supercorsas (180/55) if it's dry and tried a set of Michelin Pilot 3 on Monday that we'll use if damp/wet. They seemed to work okay, but have different diameter (despite being the same size) so will have to adjust the gearing one tooth longer if we use them.

Wednesday started working on the suspension setup. Not much change after backing off the Compression so we went for a more radical change for Thursday. Jacked the rear up two notches and backed off the pre-load. Last night the bike was turning better as a result. She was also better over the bumps... but reacting too much and we're getting a wallow going through fast, bumpy corners. It's not a problem but would rather not have it. Going to harden up rear Comp and Rebound for tonight.

Been having a wee oil leak from the clutch shaft. Just a seepage that is nothing when riding and just a small dribble as the bike cools down. Been working on it since Monday and improving it. Haven't been able to find the correct o rings... but found some at B&Q plumbing that should do the trick!

The laps have been difficult with loads of traffic. Newcomers are in our session and a lot are on real fats 600s. I can't pass them on the straights and in the corners some of them are all over the place. Had a moment or two dealing with them. Haven't had a good, clean flying lap yet... so happy with 102.8mph as my fastest. Should be able to improve if things work out for us tonight :-)

I think I am 11th fastest in the Formula 1 privateer class... out of 44 entrants. Happy with that... but with only tonight left for qualification, would like to get up a little higher to make my life easier in the race.

Other Dukes have had their problems. Mick Godfrey is flying on the Corsa. I think he's up around the 112mph mark. They have had overheating issues. Chris Pickett from Oz hasn't had a good time with the bike cutting out. They scavenged an ECU off a spectators bike for practice last night and I think he got 2 laps in.

Speaking of cutting out... last night the bike stopped on Cronk Y Voddy straight. I thought is was game over for the SP3... but after checking things in a field... I spotted that I'd accidentally flipped the cut-out switch. Doh! It's a crap switch (two way flipper thingy) and in a bad place. Must watch that.

Otherwise the bike has been going beautifully. I'm going easy on her, only revving to 9000 and running a slightly longer gearing (only pulling 9700 max rpm down towards Brandish). Toying with the idea of going 1 tooth shorter for tonight.

Check my blog for more pics...

SpeedTherapy
Thanks for all the support... and the garage visitors Stafford and Tony. Great to meet you guys.

Ciao

Paul

griff851

No thank you for sharing the experience. Great reading and pics.
Good luck with the actual race. It looks pretty much like the Aussie conquest is going to go the same way as the cricket and everything else. 😄
What's really cool is the comparison we are seeing between the strada the sp3 and the corsa bikes. Pretty obviously, if you want to go racing, build a corsa spec bike.
Once again thanks Paul, can't wait for the final results.

hauge

Very impressive Paul!
Great pics and reading.

SpeedTherapy

griff851 wroteNo thank you for sharing the experience. Great reading and pics. Good luck with the actual race. It looks pretty much like the Aussie conquest is going to go the same way as the cricket and everything else. 😄 What's really cool is the comparison we are seeing between the strada the sp3 and the corsa bikes. Pretty obviously, if you want to go racing, build a corsa spec bike. Once again thanks Paul, can't wait for the final results.

Hi Griff

The difference is in the riders too... Chris Pickett on the souped-up strada (it has later Ohlins forks etc. so is probably as high or higher spec than my SP3) is a Newcomer and having ECU problems and lack of track-time doesn't help. I'm an average Mountain Course rider. Mick Godfrey on the Corsa (130bhp at the rear wheel) is a fast ex-TT rider and podium finisher. That Corsa certainly is fast... but I doubt I could do a 113mph lap on it.

Other great Ducati news, Chris' son, Alex Pickett qualified his 848 in first place for the Newcomers A. He blew them all away on Thursday night with a 114mph lap! So the Auzzies might still get some silverware.

Off to do the final prep on the bike for tomorrow's race 😄

btw: I'm running slightly shorter gearing (1 tooth on the back) for the race to try get a little more out the corners. I've been kind to her during practice. Tomorrow she's going to have to work a little harder!

Ciao

Paul

SpeedTherapy

Race Prep

Hi Folks

She's got fresh tyres on and I'm just finishing off the prep for tomorrow's race.

So far she's been really good. She hasn't missed a beat and is quite easy to ride. Been working on the setup during the week and improving her every session. Made some changes that we haven't been able to test (Friday's washout and getting some laps in on other bikes) - but hope they work for the race.

Also shortened the gearing by 1 tooth to get a bit more drive and take her to the 10k limit (currently hitting 9700 on the approach to Brandish).

Qualified 32nd out of around 68 entrants. 13th fastest Privateer with a lap of 102.9mph. With a clear track in the race and a flying lap in there... we can go faster 😄

Follow the race from 14h00 tomorrow on Classic TT Live Timing. Looking forward to it!

Ciao

Paul

Tric

I will definitely be following the race on Manx radio tomorrow.
Good luck Paul, all the best to you. Wish I was there to cheer you on mate.

Tony IOM

Congratulations Paul!

Well done Paul, 14th overall, 3rd in class and a Silver Replica to boot! Chris Pickett came in 23rd on his 851.

PS the Corsa did not finish - at least he can boast about his bike having 135hp when he's parked at the side of the road.

Cheers from a sunny Isle of Man

duc904red

Well done Paul
Jolly good show that man😉
Regards Steve B

Mr.R

Well done Paul!
I watched the days racing from Tony's front garden and very much enjoyed it as usual.
The Corse bike looked/was faster but failed to finish, they'd been complaining of overheating during practice week? Perhaps they should have looked into it a bit more...Piss poor in my book!
The Aussie 851 looked the slowest of the 3 Griff???
There were more than a dozen Ducati's out racing today from 250/350 singles, TT F2/TT F1 to the 3 851/888's.
In the Classic Parade lap there were a few more inc' a 900SS Bevel.
Some great bikes out there today but for me one of the highlights were the several Rob North Beezumphs all of them totally un-silenced.

Steve R

Jasper

Great result mate and well deserved. Well done.

Tric

Good man, excellent result Paul, including silver trophy, well chuffed.

Paul

griff851

Onya Paul. Nice result.
I'll be talking to Sean the mechanic when he gets back about this international crisis. Next year... if they are are going again. The original plan was to sell the bike after the race, but they'll be back.... Cricket Rugby etc etc, bloody labour government. Mean while down in the bat cave..... plans are being drawn up.....Pantah time.
By the way the Bog snorkelling championship was won by a bloke from Northern Ireland. So you can add that to our list of dismal failures. 😄

chris1150

Great Result

Well done Paul fantastic result. I was watching at Parliament Square in Ramsey and she sounded sweet. I don't recall anyone campaigning the bike 'back in the day' ever getting such a good result !

Cheers

Chris

Pompey

Very well done Paul and thanks again for letting us share the process from start to a very successful finish. Go's to show reliability and quality riding are the two most important factors at the Manx. Its been a real treat to read all about it and your prep... I have to make sure I am free next year! Bravo Zulu!

ducati dad

watch out for it this wednesday... ITV4 9pm to 11pm.

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