Heading into the final road race meeting for 2016, Rowe Racing was eager to make the most of track time and decipher mechanical issues that have plagued the 600cc machine recently.

PIC: Royce battling hard on the Suzuki 600 (Credit: Ian Roddie)

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Being a typically busy penultimate round, the Café Racer Club split the meeting into the final of their own TT series on Saturday, then the final round of the SA Championships on the Sunday.

Coming off a tough day at the office in the Adelaide 3-Hour, Royce was keen to impress on Saturday. The weather turned up in the mid-30s Celsius, providing optimum conditions for some fast laps. Royce didn’t muck around, smashing out a new personal best lap time only a couple of races in.

PIC: Royce had his eye on the prize aboard the 650 Manx Ducati (Credit: Ian Roddie)

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Over the past two weeks, Brian Rosser of BJR Racing Products has rebuilt the 650 Manx Ducati and has it running well, along with the Suzuki 600, plus Royce is now also riding the BJR 1000 Ducati – the pit shed resembles a production line on race day! The BJR 1000 Ducati is the big brother of the 650, it’s still a twin-cyclinder, two-valves per cylinder air-cooled machine, but with some dramatic redesign of the heads taking it out to 1000cc.

Just to keep the team on their toes, the three bikes were in separate classes… which all ran back to back! Races were either 10 or 12 laps, so there was some frantic pit work as Royce jumped off one bike to the other prepped machine, having a quick drink then gassing it back to the form up area as to not miss the release gate for the grid.

PIC: The new BJR 1000 Ducati set a blistering pace (Credit: Ian Roddie)

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Royce won the first 600 race after a long dice with Arthur Sissis, then finished second in the second race after a great battle with Nic Limminton to take second overall for the day. Although not taking the chocolates on the day, it was still enough to amass the most points over the whole year to win the 600 series. It’s been a great year and the team are so glad all the hard work has paid off.

The Super Twins saw two consecutive wins from two races on the 650 Manx Ducati, ahead of Isle of Man teammate, Paul Van Der Heiden and up-and-coming youngster Alessandro Malatesta (both on 696 Ducatis). The clean sweep of races cemented Royce’s spot at the top of the championship for 2016.

PIC: Thumbs-up from the newly crowned South Australian Supersport Champion (Credit: Ian Roddie)

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The BJR Ducati 1000 saw two wins from two races in its Naked class. A sticking throttle probably helped with the quick lap times.

Royce did well in very hot conditions, jumping from one bike to another, all of which were extremely different in their characteristics.

The weather did an about-face on Sunday, with racers facing heavy rain and humid temperatures at Mallala. You’d be mistaken for thinking the meeting had shifted to Darwin as the humidity reached extreme levels. This drastic change in conditions meant a frantic rush was required in order to get Royce out in time on wet tyres.

PIC: Royce on his way to a new PB around Mallala aboard the Suzuki 600 (Credit: Ian Roddie)

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Capping off Saturday’s efforts on board the Suzuki 600, Royce scored two seconds and a third place, securing the South Australian Supersport Championship. Royce is loving riding the 600 and only getting faster as time goes on. The team can’t wait to get behind him again in 2017 and take the Supersport racing to another level.

In the Super Twin class, he made a clean sweep of three wins from three starts. This got Royce just over the line to win the South Australian Championship from Michael Villani on a Kawasaki ER6. The Manx 650 worked like a charm for Royce, who can’t wait to get it back to where its name suggests.

PIC: Royce off to a flyer aboard the 650 Manx Ducati (Credit: Ian Roddie)

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The BJR Ducati 1000 was left in the garage for most of the day as we didn’t have wets for it, which in turn left Royce and the team more time to concentrate on the other two classes. We came away with two championships in the one day, so we can confidently say everyone did their job to a tee.

Obviously ecstatic about taking home the silverware, Royce had this to say;

“Expecting another hot weekend, Sunday took us by surprise. We knew it was going to rain at some point but to pour all day made for some good wet practice.

“After getting a personal best lap time on the Suzuki on the Saturday, I felt the team’s morale was high and the main goal for Sunday was just to finish upright with enough points to take home the two State Titles.

“After playing it safe in qualifying, I pulled my finger out in the wet races with some good battling which was great practice for wet racing in the future. Finishing the weekend with two state titles under my belt is always a satisfying thought that the seasons hard work has paid off. Though this is all really just the warmup to next year’s Manx GP and every meeting until then is just waiting – I’m counting down the seconds.”

That marks the end of racing for 2016 in what has been a bumper year for Rowe Racing. In the coming weeks we’ll have an update on our plans for 2017, plus how you can get your hands on the hottest ticket in town!

The Rowe Racing camp has been quiet over the past few months as we patiently awaited the return of our race bikes from the Isle of Man. As things went wrong at most stages of the process, it was a great relief to have them finally arrive on Friday morning.

We anticipated the arrival to be much earlier, giving the team a chance to service and unpack before the Adelaide 3-Hour meeting. With practice due to start at Mallala the same moment the crates slid into the truck, it was obvious we were going to miss the first day.

So, Friday was spent unpacking the crates, transporting them to the workshop, unpacking them again creating a huge mess, then working on the bikes into the night. Having been stagnant on a ship crossing rough seas for months there was plenty to do.

PIC: The Rowe Racing workshop is once again bursting at the seams

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Unfortunately, there was simply not enough time to prepare the damaged Manx Ducati, so the team did what they could on the Suzuki 600 and an executive decision was made to compete on the BJR Racing 696 Ducati for the Super Twin class.

With minimal sleep, Saturday morning rolled around and the team were back in their element at the track – it’d been a long wait for rider Royce who was itching to hit the tarmac. With the clock working against us, the team battled on to get the Suzuki prepared in time for practice and qualifying. A problem with a fuel line was followed by a problem with the quick-shifter, then the front brakes… the list goes on.

The first couple of races were compromised due to these problems. Royce managed to deal with the issues as he rode, scoring a fifth place in the first Hallett Concrete 600cc heat and a third in the second heat. A commendable effort considering it was his first weekend back on the bike after having over two months off. The scorching heat didn’t help, but as the day went on he gradually found his groove again.

PIC: Royce aboard the BJR Racing Products 696 Ducati in the Super Twin class

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Aboard the BJR 696 Ducati, which was running like a dream compared to the Suzuki, Royce took out first place in both the Shingleback Wines Super Twin heats for the day.

Exhausted, but pleased, the team tinkered away for a while longer as the sunlight disappeared.

Arriving Sunday morning, the team knew they were in for a hectic day. The heat had worsened, reaching close to 40 degrees Celsius, meaning riders would have registered closer to the 50 mark when suited up on track. There were still small problems niggling at the Suzuki too, making the team sweat that little bit more before the major 3-Hour race.

PIC: In the zone on the start line of the 600cc race

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The BJR Racing Products Ducati performed well, helping Royce continue Saturday’s hot streak taking an outright win in the Super Twin class. In the 50km race, a prelude to the 3-Hour event, he finished a respectable third outright and was the first Super Twin home. This was despite a drama at the start when the team had a minor technical problem in the pits, delaying Royce getting to the start line. He was forced to start from pit lane after the rest of the riders had passed and was given a one lap penalty for good measure. He managed to filter through the traffic and then lap the field, except for the first and second placed bikes (which were both 1000’s).

The 600 Suzuki continued to plague the team, deciding to give Royce some serious front brake issues, which the team tried to cure in the morning. He still managed to finish third in the Hallett Concrete 600cc race behind Levi Day and Ted Collins.

PIC: Royce got away well in the Le Mans style 3-Hour start

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The 3-Hour kicked off at 1pm in stifling heat. Royce got away well in the Le Mans style start and was holding third outright after the first hour. Most other teams had two or three riders, with only one other solo competitor attempting the grueling task.

After a quick pit stop at the one-hour mark, the pit crew found Royce was running out of water in his ‘camel back’. As the session continued Royce ran completely out of water and dehydration set in. He began to make small mistakes and the lap times were suffering. At the 1hr34m mark on lap 73, Royce showed his maturity by doing the sensible thing and came into the pits to retire. Having ridden in the other classes beforehand and on Saturday, it was an almighty effort just to get that far.

PIC: The old Isle of Man band were back together for the 3-Hour… the umbrella girls are a little rough Down Under, though!

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Royce had this to say: “After months of being away from circuit racing it was good to get back on the short track. I had some good, fun racing in the Super Twin and 600cc class. Starting from pit lane after a small mishap in the pits for 50km prelude race was a bit of a bummer, but getting up to finish in the position I did, I was pretty happy, especially being in the heat.

“After the races on Sunday it was time for the 3-Hour and we were confident we could do some good pit stops after having extensive practice in the Isle of Man. Half way through the 3-Hour I ran out of water and thought I could last to the second pit stop at the 2-hour mark. Each lap in the heat without water having already done an hour or so of racing started to take its toll on me. Each lap I was dropping a second off my pace – once I had dropped eight seconds I knew I had to call it a day and come in before I dropped the bike. The team understood thankfully and everyone could walk away from the weekend knowing we gave it a good crack. Strategies will be discussed in great detail for next year’s race.”

PIC: Royce pushing hard through the 3-Hour event

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From here the team will prepare for the upcoming Café Racer meeting in December, with all bikes hopefully prepared and raring to go. Also keep an eye out through the Phoenix MCC as they will be selling tickets to a raffle in order to help riders like Royce achieve their racing goals next year. We will keep you posted!

Our second attempt at the Manx GP was more eventful than anyone could have anticipated, with all team members coming away with a greater appreciation for the festival. Not only are we ecstatic about the results, the burning desire to win has only been fuelled by Royce’s encouraging performance under trying circumstances.

PIC: Royce aboard the Suzuki GSX-R600 in the Manx GP Junior race (Credit: Nick Wheeler)

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The crew had spent days twiddling their thumbs with everything prepared for racing before Royce’s crash at The Nook. Even the rain had held us off early, so the spanner turners, Locky and Brian went from 0 to 100 real quick – essentially needing to rebuild a fractured Ducati while keeping on top of our Suzuki and second rider Paul’s Ducati.

PIC: Pushing hard on the Les Rowe & Associates Manx 650 Ducati (Credit: RC Photos)

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It was a tough week but fortunately the idea of defeat never entered anyone’s mind, with all the team getting tunnel vision towards Wednesday’s Supertwin race. The engine was only run in during one practice before the race, so was definitely far from 100%. It’s hard to take after travelling so far for this one shot at glory, but we know numerous teams don’t last through the race mechanically, or even make it to the start line. Scoring a seventh place was a huge achievement, with the whole team content knowing we had done everything in our power to give Royce the best shot possible.

PIC: The team was ecstatic with Royce’s sixth place finish in the Senior (Credit: Alan Teare)

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With the crash in mind, it was amazing for Royce to get straight back out on the Suzuki to begin preparation for the Junior and Senior races. An eighth and sixth place respectively was certainly not expected, shocking a number of officials and riders in the paddock. There was some serious machinery up against the little team from Oz, so we couldn’t be happier with our preparation and Royce’s determination.

PIC: Paul van der Heiden flat out through Kirk Michael on the second Rowe Racing 650 Ducati

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Adding to the team’s excitement over the Manx GP was Rowe Racing’s own Paul van der Heiden scoring a win in the Newcomers B race. The team were on hand to help with the pit stop and Paul rode like a champion afterwards to keep with his rival until the end. This makes him the first Aussie since Cam Donald to win at the Isle of Man. The celebration was fantastic and he has certainly made a few waves in the road racing scene since.

PIC: Paul van der Heiden on the podium for the Newcomers B race

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Since returning to Australia the response has been overwhelming. We have received some wonderful messages of support, with many coming from the Isle of Man of people wanting us to return. Our own Australian Motorcycle News Magazine was good enough to pick up the story, publishing a report on the full Classic TT and Manx GP, giving a special consideration to Royce and Paul. It can be found in this fortnight’s issue (Vol  66 No 06). Unfortunately, as we have found in the past, getting anything motor sport into mainstream Adelaide media is an uphill battle but the team will be working hard from here on to drum up support for next year’s attempt.

PIC: The team was lucky enough to get featured in the current issue of AMCN

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From here, Royce will unfortunately miss out on riding his favourite track Mac Park, as the bikes won’t be back from shipping in time for the Master of Mac Park in October. So instead, the next race meeting we’re able to attend will be the Mallala 3 Hour endurance race in November. It is a fantastic meeting that has gone from strength to strength thanks to the promotion by the Phoenix Club. Royce has taken out the first solo rider position for several years running, which is no easy feat considering the demanding track and typical weather conditions.

PIC: The 2016 Manx GP Rowe Racing Team

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The final round of the SA Championships is held in December. Royce currently leads the 600 Championship and is running second in the Pro Thunder class. All the meanwhile, we will have the Isle of Man in the back of our minds. The team will have to consider all options available, but hope to gather enough support to return for another shot at the Manx GP.

The Rowe Racing Team has ended the Manx Grand Prix on a high, with rider Royce Rowe scoring a sixth place finish in the coveted Senior race – making it a sixth (Senior), seventh (Supertwins) and eighth (Junior) finish this year. Allowing higher capacity machines, which is a huge advantage across the open mountain, he knew he’d be up against some tough competition during Friday’s race.

PIC: Royce combating the winds and tight fences
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Setting off with a ripper start, the front runners began clocking through Glen Helen and Ballaugh – then, much to the surprise of  the commentators and us, Royce popped up on the screens just outside the top 10. Starting from number 22 meant having to wait for a while through each sector to see his name slot in with the front runners, such is the nature of a time trial race. What really helped Royce on his way was the flawless pit stop after lap two.

PIC: The crew finally getting a chance to refuel their own engines
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Continuing on, Royce was closing in on seventh place throughout his third lap. As we got sector times, a special speed trap had been setup at Sulby Straight to catch the riders’ top speed. We waited and waited, finally to see Royce slot in at last position! This trend continued until Royce disappeared off the top 30 list, proving just how much faster the competition was in a straight line. It’s a credit to his riding style, proving that the years of 2-stroke racing has helped with carrying corner speed.

PIC: Royce slowly picking his way through the order of bikes ahead of him
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Coming into his final lap, Royce took seventh place. Then, as the luck of the mountain has it, one of the top five had an engine failure, forcing him to retire. Obviously devastating for him, this luck seems to go both ways. Much like how a different rider early on last week made a top three practice position because Royce was sprawled across a local’s front garden. It’s never nice being on the receiving end, but we were told on arrival by a local motorcycle dealer not to be disheartened by engine troubles, as there are top factory teams who arrive here and don’t even complete a full lap. So, due to the retirement, Royce slotted himself into a well earned sixth place for the Senior GP.

PIC: The team in prime position for awards night
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The team was overwhelmed by the result. Coming such a long way, it was a great feeling to achieve such a result. Immediately afterwards, the blokes visited the OKell’s tent to celebrate. The atmosphere is like none other – blokes have returned from battle still in their leathers and are wanting to sit and thank their team, while conversing with other riders who finished their wrestle between man and machine in one piece. It’s the end of a festival that has asked more from a rider than you could ever expect anywhere around the world.

PIC: Royce was entered with two other riders as part of the Mike Hailwood Foundation Team points trophy… in conjunction with the best Picasso art schmock shirt award
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Although wanting to drain the kegs dry, we knew it was going to be easier to head towards Island Express and start packing the crates. We had no intention of getting everything done in one hit, but as a credit to the team, we got it done! Working like maddogs, the three crates were drilled, filled and signed off in one afternoon – which gives us more time to catch-up on sleep tomorrow (mainly Locky anywhere he can find) and drink more beers.

PIC: The pack-up team in action
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After fastening the final bolt, we rushed back home to get prepared for the Manx GP Presentation Night. It was a throw together dinner and a quick wash of the grease covered hands. Straight into the Isle of Man Villa Marina, we got a decent seat and enjoyed a great night of awards. Unlike many ceremonies from home, whether you come 2nd or 62nd you receive an award. The cheers and congratulations was amazing! We enjoyed meeting people from all over the world, as well as many locals. Royce took over the mic when receiving his award, which is not a normal custom, but thanked all the team – a great feeling when all of us had traveled so far compared to most competitors.

 

PIC: It was a long day, but all very worth it
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Being the end of the Grand Prix, it’s a joyous time for all to celebrate. The vibe is so different here to any other race meeting. Guys don’t finish a race and discuss tactics, they congratulate each other on surviving. As the Governor declared at our dinner last week, there is a certain comradeship involved with the Mountain Course. You see an F1 podium and drivers will spray champagne onto their team and themselves, but the enjoyment shared between riders on the Isle of Man podium who have tackled the TT Course is something else. It’s not just a win, it’s survival and genuine admiration for a fellow rider.

PIC: The top six finishers have their bikes impounded while the top three have the engine inspected
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So, now it’s time to prepare for a long flight home before we consider whether we contest the race next year. Considering all things that have happened, with Royce throwing a bike into a fence at 100km/h, it’s quite possible we could come back stronger and genuinely contest a top spot. But, it’s unrealistic to consider without the help of sponsors. We can’t thank everyone enough who has got us to this point and wish to direct everyone to our sponsors page for a look. Royce has obviously found a niche in road racing, so all we can do from here is hope he flourishes in this extreme, but exciting, environment.
We’ll have a wrap up of the past fortnight’s racing in the coming days. Cheers!

The team has recovered from last night’s celebrations at the Newcomer’s Presentation to prepare today for the final race of the Manx Grand Prix. Royce will contend the Full Factory Winnerswear Senior Manx Grand Prix race at 10.15am. Once again, his number has been changed – this time to 22. It’s a nice even number, half the amount of 44 his original number and brother Leonard’s birthday. This puts Royce closer to the front with less traffic to get mixed up in. Similar to yesterday’s race, some overnight rain looks likely so delays could be enforced. Either way, the team is prepared and ready to give the Mountain Course one last crack.

PIC: The team carrying Paul down to receive his award in the traditional Manx GP winners sled
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We have also begun the task of packing everything back up into the crates, which is never as fun as unpacking crates. The two Ducatis have now finished their racing, so this afternoon will be spent packing all their corresponding bits and bobs into boxes and bubble wrap.

PIC: The Supertwin machines lined and ready for the start of their race
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After the race tomorrow we can pack away the Suzuki and race day necessities. At night we have the official Manx GP Presentation night, where both Royce and Paul will receive replica trophies for their efforts in the Supertwin race. Royce will also score a trophy in the Junior class, while for the Senior we’ll just have to wait and see. Once again, we’ll be posting the results tomorrow night but please do listen via Manx Radio or watch live timing as shown in a previous blog post.

What a day!

It was always going to be a hectic day, but we feel the team really did perform and could not be prouder of what we have achieved. With racing scheduled for 10.15am, the team were up bright and early to get down to the track for technical inspection (scrutineering). Much to Royce’s disgust, who is lucky to see the AM most mornings, the organisers delayed the start by an hour to let the overnight rain have a better chance of drying. We headed down anyway, before being informed of another half hour postponement. To be fair, this was better for the riders and for us in terms of getting all three bikes through tech inspection ready for the day’s racing – if it had of been running on time, we would have needed helpers to push through the Ducati’s while the pit crew serviced Royce in the Junior race.

PIC: Royce setting off on the Junior
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Heading out for the Junior, Royce was tentative but keen. This was his first crack at the Junior class aboard the Suzuki 600 as our entry was knocked back last year. With a field of over 80 riders, Royce set off at number 29 – a much better position than his original number of 44, giving him less traffic to contend with. He set off full of determination for his four lap venture, on a basically stock bike. His pit stop was flawless – the three lads did there job to a tee! Royce set off and was noticeably faster every lap.

PIC: We may have to start charging for signatures to fund our next trip
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Sitting around 14th on his second lap, after the pit stop he bolstered himself to 12th. Third lap he was down to 10th, and crossing the line for the final time he secured eighth with a total race time of 1hr19m17.141s. His best lap time was a 114.2mph. Coming into the form up area, the team was ecstatic to hear the results – even Royce was shocked. To be scoring eighth position as a family team from little old Adelaide is a massive achievement and we couldn’t be happier. This also qualifies Royce for a replica trophy at the presentation night as he finished within 110% of the winning race time.

PIC: Royce taking off from his solid pit stop
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As excited as we were, party mode was quickly subdued as we needed to move our attention to the upcoming Supertwin race. Royce sat down to a sandwich and sports drink, but the pain from the crash last week was starting to show – let alone the demanding physical strength needed to steer a Supersport bike around a huge course for well over an hour. With both Royce and teammate Paul in the same race, the team kept their cool remarkably well to get them both out in time.

PIC: The A-Team

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Setting off well, Royce knew that the first half of his lap at least needed to be tentative as the new engine wasn’t quite run in properly and his shock had just been repaired, so the bikes stiffness could be slightly different than expected – not hard to gauge when hitting the bottom of Bray Hill at 232km/h. He continued on, pittnig for a great stop again with the organised lads, before battling with a Spanish rider for the rest of the race. Holding a 1.5 second lead for the first three laps, Royce pulled away to take 7th place by over four seconds.

PIC: The team ran a very organised pit stop
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Royce was stoked with his result. He is used to having a fully prepped circuit bike, so was a bit unsure early on, but it took the team to explain to him how amazing the result was for him to appreciate the finish. Yes, the bike wasn’t 100% like it would be at a local race meet and Royce wasn’t 100% physically either. But, he rode the wheels off it and scored an amazing result. There were teams who finished ahead of us last year who didn’t even make the top ten, or broke down all together, such is the harsh reality of the Isle of Man circuit.

PIC: The ultimate pit crew in action
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The fact Royce made it through the race alive and the bike survived is out of this world There are not too many air-cooled machines that come away from the Isle of Man in one piece. Ducati builder and owner Brian Rosser has worked his magic all this week to get Royce back on track after his horror crash. Everything that could have gone wrong has and the only reason we competed this week was becauase of the hard work and long hours committed by Brian and Locky.

PIC: Royce and Les on their way to a big day ahead

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The team went along to the Newcomers gathering to congratulate Paul in winning the Newcomers B race. We all enjoyed carrying him down the pathway on board the traditional Manx GP wheelbarrow (Photos to follow). The event was great, especially when Royce went up for a dance with the Race Secretary. We all drank our team’s share of Guinness and as we left the local bartenders took a sigh of relief, knowing we wouldn’t be back until Friday. The Senior takes off Friday morning, so we will have an update for the fans then – potentially uploaded from the OKell’s beer tent.

BREAKING NEWS: The planned post will continue below, but we would like to inform fans that Royce has changed numbers for the Junior races. Originally number 44 aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600, the officials have moved Royce to number 29. Although a tad frustrating to change fairings at the final hour, it does give Royce less traffic to deal with and a clearer run. Being a superstitious family, we were worried Royce’s favourite number of 4 (doubled in this case) was gone, along with his luck. But, Manx luck has it that champion Adelaide racer and long time friend, Bill Horsman has rode with number 29 all his life and also won a Classic TT here many years ago. Also, Andrea Iannone has recently earned stripes on board his Ducati winning a MotoGP race in Germany sporting number 29. At the end of the day, it’s up to Royce to make his own luck.

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The Rowe Racing Team have a busy day of racing scheduled for Wednesday, with Royce competing in the Junior race at 10.15am (6.45pm ADL time) aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600, then hopping straight onto his Manx 650 Ducati alongside rider Paul for the Supertwins race at 1.15pm (9.45pm ADL time). Being a pretty friendly hour for our fans back home, we thought it’d be a good idea to give everyone a basic run-through of how they can be a part of the action! We realise technology can be a fickle mistress, so although this process worked for us, it may take an undefined amount of profanities and keyboard bashing to make it work for you! If worse comes to worst, tune into Manx Radio online to hear updates.

STEP ONE: Visit the webpage http://www.manxgrandprix.org and you should be shown the screen below. Click on the ‘Live Timing’ block to the right that we have circled below.

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STEP TWO: After clicking on the ‘Live Timing’ link, you SHOULD be taken to the login screen below. Some people have just had an error page come up, but have then again tried closer to the racing time and the page has worked. Once at this login screen, type your email address that you can check straight away and a password of your choice. You only receive the one email, there’s no spam or constant hassling after signing up.

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STEP THREE: Check your inbox for an email from the Isle of Man TT Live Team. It should look like the one below. Click the highlighted link, which will take you to the Live Timing page.

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STEP FOUR: Now on the live timing page, you can follow riders as they pass through different areas of the track. As it refreshes, the top rider should appear with his/her lap time and bike number. This can also be done by smart phone, there’s just less detail shown on the live timing page. Grandstand mph is the actual speed the bikes pass at, while just ‘Grandstand’ is the final timing point, so the time given under this banner is the final lap time for the rider.

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So, hopefully this makes following Royce back home a bit easier and enjoyable. And, to make it very clear, Royce is now number 29 for the Junior aboard the Suzuki. He remains number 11 for the Supertwin race, which takes place after the Junior race in the afternoon.

PIC: The Rowe boys visited the Governor’s House tonight, shaking hands and trading stories with local identities. The big question was will we be back…
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In other news, the shock horror story involving the broken rear-shock on Royce’s Ducati after the crash and Paul’s leaking rear-shock has been resolved. Yesterday, Royce went out for one lap of practice before the team worked furiously to then rip it out and place it in Paul’s bike ready for his Newcomers B race, trying to give Paul the best steed possible. This obviously worked a treat as he came away with top spot!

The leaking shock, repaired with bits from the broken shock, is now ready to roll… or push. The spare, decent shock is now permanently in Royce’s bike. The whole team is now wondering how it’s possible we could have gone through that many shocks, of all the parts that could have possibly gone awry when Royce threw the Ducati into a gutter at speed.
We’ll be posting constant updates on our Facebook page tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for a full race wrap-up tomorrow night. Paul has a Newcomers function for the team to attend, so the wrap-up will be either later than usual, full of colourful language or both. We can’t wait to tackle a big day, bring it on!

After a stressful weekend sourcing parts, replacing engines and Royce repairing wounds, things are finally starting to look up.

PIC: Royce off to the back nine before jumping on the bike later
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This morning the team took Royce out past Hillberry, the closest part of the track to our accommodation, then up to Kate’s Cottage in the van with the Ducati. The engine went in overnight without too much fuss. The only trouble was with a timing gear that wasn’t quite right, promptly sorted out by spanner-men Brian and Locky. So to run it in, Royce was let loose at the drop point past Kate’s Cottage. As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, a rider can take his machine to and from the Grandstand an hour before or after the event, so although it may not have been the ‘direct’ route, we headed towards Douglas from there.

PIC: Give way to horses and passing race bikes
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Royce thundered past police and the general public in their hatchbacks with nobody as much as batting an eyelid. Being a race engine, just this short distance was extremely beneficial as the only Isle of Man road track was closed today. The team then made their way to the paddock for 12.10pm practice. Only planning to complete the one lap at half-pace, Royce set out taking the bike to basically half-throttle. By half-way through the lap, Royce was feeling the engine slowly loosen up and the connecting parts bed-in nicely. Pitting straight afterwards, Royce still managed to clock a 108mph lap. The other top riders were around the same mark and also only completed the one lap – obviously everyone had the same idea of saving their engines for the big race this Wednesday.

PIC: Royce passing over Braddan Bridge during his practice
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In other exciting news, our fellow Rowe Racing Team rider Paul van der Heiden competed in his Newcomer B race tonight at 5pm. Knowing he would be around the mark we had our hopes set high, but Paul went one better and crossed the chequered flag to win his race by just over 10 seconds! Paul had no idea he had actually scored the win when returning to the pits, such is the nature of time trial racing. Ecstatically jumping on the podium, the team were down below in pit lane to wear the dregs of champagne. Although over the moon, both Paul and Royce move their attention to Wednesday’s Supertwin race. And before that, Royce has to consider his attempt at the Junior aboard the Suzuki 600.

PIC: Our man Paul van der Heiden celebrating his first place finish
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Tomorrow is a day off with no racing scheduled. The Classics had their final race today, so only Manx GP races are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday. This means more room for the team to watch and the ‘1964 TT / Old Guys Rule t-shirts’ ratio has suddenly dropped. We’ll be spending tomorrow giving all three bikes a final service before Wednesday’s races. Tomorrow night, rider Royce and media-man Leonard will be visiting the Governor’s House to meet the notables of Isle of Man society. It should be a great opportunity to spruik the team’s efforts in coming over to the Isle and promoting the festival back home.

As previously mentioned, the Ducati returned from it’s first lap out after crash repairs with an odd rattle. Running a few tests pointed towards a broken bearing inside the engine. Without actually knowing exactly where or what, the team opted to perform major surgery – pulling the damaged engine out and bolting the new one in. We also didn’t know if the impact from the crash had loosened or damaged other parts we aren’t aware of yet, so the fresh engine was definitely the safest option.

PIC: A proper naked Ducati 650

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Mechanics Brian and Locky have spent the majority of the day performing the procedure, slipping out in the afternoon to checkout the Jerby Festival of Speed. The guys will more than likely be working on into the night trying to iron out any of the smaller issues with the fresh metal. With all this focus on the Ducati, it has taken some emphasis off the Suzuki for the Junior/Senior races. Royce was placing about tenth in the Junior practice, so as long as he focuses on both there may still be another reason to congratulate the team.

PIC: Prepping the donor for surgery

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We’re hoping to get the bike out for a test to run in the engine, but that may prove to be difficult. Unfortunately, the Jerby road circuit is closed, as that would have been perfect for this scenario. We’ll just have to find an alternative or be forced to use the last practice tomorrow afternoon to let Royce slowly run the bike in. The organisers are very understanding here, even allowing competitors to ride their race machines on public roads an hour before or after their event to make getting home easier. Plus, basically anything with a motor is road register-able here – spotting blokes popping down the shops on their dirt-track sidecars has been a laugh. We love it, but can’t imagine the fun police back home would consider adopting the laws.

PIC: The team trying to find the rattle once Royce had returned from his initial lap

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So, all things going to plan (ha!), we’ll have the bike back up and running by tonight, run in tomorrow and practicing tomorrow night, ready for race day Wednesday… Check back in the coming days to hear how it all actually pans out. Let’s just say we’re all hoping for a bit of Irish luck!

Saturday brought along the festival’s first full day of riding, rather than the 6pm road closure and ride until sundown. Royce had Junior/Senior practice aboard the Suzuki GSX-R600 scheduled for 1.25pm, which set off around 10 minutes late due to the first Classic race of the festival taking place beforehand. The team was watching from Quarter Bridge, so luckily the five-deep crowd of beige clothed spectators hobbled off after the race, leaving the full corner in clear sight for us.

PIC: Royce heading through Quarter Bridge
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Setting off in a busy session, Royce blocked out his niggling injuries from this week’s crash and set a starting lap of 115mph. Coming around for the second time, Royce got held up with a yellow flag, giving those watching on live-timing some serious heartburn. This slowed the lap terribly and he was eventually flagged to return straight to the pits, therefore not crossing the line. The initial lap though was faster than yesterday’s, so at least we know he’s on the mend and still slowly improving aboard the new bike. As we found early on with a few practices being back to back, much like his endurance racing back home, Royce tends to perform better as he warms up – getting his eye in and riding in the ‘zone’. This may just be beneficial come Wednesday as his Junior race will end as the Supertwin race begins.

PIC: There’s plenty of pubs along the Mountain Course

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The Supertwin practice began at 6.10pm tonight. After seeing the damage done only a few days ago, we all had our concerns that we might not have the means to bring everything together. The clock was working against us for a while, but thanks to some long days and hard work from Brian and Locky, as well as Les sourcing parts and Ali delivering them, it has shown the just rewards from the tenacity of a tight team working towards a common goal.

PIC: The very last corner of the track at Governors 

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Setting out, Royce was tentative with the bike, knowing that many parts had only just been bolted on. Also, the team had tried to alter the rear sprocket by losing one tooth. It didn’t take him long to get back into the swing of things, posting a 109mph lap. Although being able to go straight past the Grandstand for another flying lap, the team had already decided to have Royce come in to check over the bike. Unfortunately, Royce had noticed a slight engine rattle and not enjoyed the gearing change.

PIC:The team trying to diagnose the problem, while Milky informs us the session is about to end

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It’s unlike any other rattle Brian has heard, so it’s very hard to diagnose the issue – especially without any showing symptoms apart from the noise. So, Royce obviously chose not to head out for another lap. Back at HQ, the team are now pulling bits apart and trying all methods to find the problem. The other option to consider would be putting the spare engine into the Ducati. This hasn’t been run in, so would require us heading to the local track at Jurby to clock up some hours. As well as the obvious man hours of pulling out the old one. Whatever we do, it needs to be sharpish as Monday will be our last chance to practice before Wednesday’s race. We’ll keep you updated with the latest plans of attack.