Archive for August, 2009

Harvest time and the Manx GP

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

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Now then folks, as usual, a bit slack on the blog front. I’m just sat in a tea shop in the Isle of Man while it’s pissing it down outside. I’m here for the first running of the Post-Classic Manx GP. As I said in the last entry I’ll be riding John Sims’ Suzuki XR69. She’ a proper job, I just hope the weather cheers up a bit to get some dry laps in.

First practice was on Saturday night but I didnt get over till this morn, been a bit busy on my normal truck job and I’ve been working lates on the farm giving em a hand with the harvest. Getting there I reckon, though. My mate Johhny, who lives with the other farmer’s daughter, does 4 on, 4 off at the Volvo truck yard so we’ve been swapping about to get sorted. All in all with the wheat ,barley and rape there is about 3000 acres to get through, but the back is broken now. Make hay when the sun shines and all that eh? Check out Andy Graves’s fancy camera work – trick as owt eh? I’ve been listening to Radio 4 soilid for the past week in me tractor so for owt to do with rasberry production, current affairs, runners whose sex isnt tpo obvious and the price of a fish, I’m your man.

Posted in Combine Harvester, Life | 25 Comments »

Hydrex Honda Race Bikes Go Up For Sale

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

BSB Superbike racing team, Hydrex Honda, are selling 3 of their 5 Superbikes and Guy martins Supersport 600 machine.

One of the bikes, Guy Martins Ulster GP winning machine, is available to buy in the next few weeks.  2 further bikes will be available from the last race of the year at Oulton Park.

The Ulster winning machine is fitted with all top spec components including Showa suspension, kit ECU, generator, Subframe, Brembo brakes, Dymag wheels and is proven to be one of the fastest Superbikes in the country.

The bikes ridden by Karl Harris and Stuart Easton are very similar spec however there are some options on components including the choice of Showa or K-Tech forks and Pi/Pectel electronics or Kit ECU.

The Supersport bike is also fitted with K-Tech forks and Showa shock and is available with either Pi/Pectel or Honda Kit ECU.

The cost for the Superbikes is from £25000 to £35000 and the Supersport bike is available from £9500.

Please direct all serious enquiries to Mick Shanley (07976443587) or Pete Jennings (07768 881791)

For further information, exclusive Blogs and photographs go to www.hydrexhonda.com

Contact: press@hydrexhonda.com

Posted in Press Releases | 5 Comments »

Ulster GP Update

Monday, August 17th, 2009

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Ulster GP 2009 - Alan Armstrong Photography

Now then folks, how’s it all going out your way? Getting held up with tractors every way you turn I bet? Anyway, ta very much for the info on the onion front. It’s cleared it up a bit, but there are a few different ones to choose from so I’m not sure what to do on the sticker front. Let me have a think.

I reckon could get a load done for the Scarborough gold cup on the 19th of September and give em away. Leave it with me, how many should i get done? Oh, while your at it would any one know why your John Thomas is called John Thomas? It’s just he was asking the other day and I didn’t have a good enough answer for the little fella.

Anyway, back to the norm. Got back from the Ulster GP on Sunday night. A good week had by all, I reckon. Shaun the sheep took his camper over and let us work out of his awning, so ta very much to him and his mate Steve for keeping an eye on us. It was just me and Danny the mechanic working on the bikes for all of practice, so I was a bit stuck for time when it came to yarn to folk, so sorry about that. I’m sure most folk understand that firstly I’m there to race bikes. Cammy was over on Friday so it lightened the load a bit. We had a right laugh between the lot of us, proper team bonding, not in that way. God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve and all that, but we had a few shandys and a bit of banter, mostly at Danny’s expense, so can’t grumble. Right I’ll get some work done. Next big outing is the Manx GP for John Simms on his classic, then the end-to-end pushbike race in the Isle of Man, best get in training.

Posted in Gear | 27 Comments »

Armoy Update & Stickers

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Got back from Armoy the other day. Now that’s what I call I man’s track. Proper. I’m back to work for a couple of days then off to the Ulster GP.

You know I’m into my mountain biking big time and some people like to describe sports like that, BMX, snowboarding, surfing, motocross, and the like as extreme. Well to me I reckon that’s a load of balls. Extreme to me is something that’s as hardcore as it gets, something where if it all goes a bit pear-shaped, nine times out of ten you end up pushing up daisies. So to me Armoy was as extreme as it gets, a proper extreme sport. It’s just confirmed to me that it is what floats my boat.

Right, I’ll get some work done then catch a ferry.

Oh, I’ve have a good few people ask about my skull and spanner stickers. I’ll get a word with my mate paddy who did em for my helmets last year. He knows his onions. I’ll get it put on here when I know where you can get em from. And I’ll give someone a sticker who can tell me where that saying came from: knowing your onions. I obviously don’t know mine.

Posted in Gear, armoy, racing, stickers | 49 Comments »

Shaun Palmer

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

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Sorry I’ve been a bit slack on the blog front. There’s been nowt much to write about. I was meant to be doing the Mid-Antrim last weekend but we had a few issues  which knackered the job up a bit. Not my side of the team, we’re grand. Anyway, no doom and gloom around here. I’m getting ready for this weekend’s Armoy road race, then from there to the Ulster Grand Prix. I’m really looking forward to it. A repeat of 06 wouldnt go amiss. Fingers crossed for the weather, eh?

The harvest is getting going a treat now the weather has made its mind up so hopefully that’ll give me with a few hours work in between me other jobs.

Anyway, in my last post I mentioned the snowboarder turned downhill mountain biker, Shaun Palmer. Well, check out this interview. I’ve watched it to death, his respect for the legendary Nicolas voulioz, baggy clothes, his love of motocross and snowboarding, proper. What does it for me is the way he hasn’t got a plan for the future. A bit like me, take it all as it comes.

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Posted in Mountain Biking | 11 Comments »