Welcome to TEAM CSR`s blog on the Manx Grand Prix 2010...............
5th July 2010
For the 2010 Manx Grand Prix once again i will be racing the Robert J Joiner Haulage Suzuki GSXR 750 K7 .Concentrating mainly on the Senior Race , preparations are taking shape. First and foremost the all important entry has been accepted albeit with a disappointing start number of 65! This has made me more determined to put on a strong effort during the practice week ,hopefully a number change may help!!!
9th July 2010
Team CSR is proud to announce a partnership for this years MGP with CMC motorcycles.
12th July 2010
Team CSR secures a deal to use Weise Leathers thanks to CMC and Fowlers.
15th July 2010
For the 2010 Manx Grand Prix ,with the help of CMC Motorcycles, Team CSR will be supported by Nevis Marketing with product support from SHARK HELMETS and TCX boots.
16th Aug 2010
The GSXR 750K7 on display at CMC
19th August 2010
Ferry crossing to the IOM was good today, smooth sea, spent most off the day on the top deck (until it rained!).
20th Aug 2010
Weather was good today mainly dry ,spent the morning signing on and attending the riders briefing. The rest off the day we spent fettling the bike and doing a lap of the circuit to look for any changes.
21st August
After attending the technical briefing at the grandstand, my first practice session got underway at 18.30. Conditions were on the whole good ,there was damp patches through some sections and wet areas in Ramsey. Two steady laps as the fog came down on the mountain!!!Best lap was 98 mph.
23rd August
Practice got underway in difficult conditions. Dry roads at the start gave way to totally wet roads at Glen Helen ,this remained the case all the way back home. I only did 1 lap ,as i was on new tyres on wet roads. 84 mph.
24th August
Conditions were good this evening , dry with strong westerly winds on the mountain. After changes to the rear suspension , i did 2 laps at 104 and 106.
25th August
Weather conditions were describe as perfect tonite . I did 2 laps again @ 108 and 108.27 .Very pleased with the progress so far as i was 26th fastest tonite , 10th fastest thru the speed trap (152.1) on the start line.
Good weather at the Manx = Dryer paddock !
26th August
Another dry warm and sunny evenings practice session . Tonight i did 2 laps , the first one was 109.9 and the second was timed at 110.6. So i`m pleased with the progress so far. Overall i`m lying in 20th place. You can follow my progress live on the MGP festival Website.
27th August
The weather again this evening was dry and sunny ,with a freshening sw wind. Tonite i completed 2 laps at 109.9 and 110.10mph average. This was enough to qualify me in 26th position for the Senior Manx GP.Tonite i was clocked at 159.9mph on the Sulby speed trap and 150 at the grandstand. there was lots of traffic to deal with ,so i was pleased with my lap times as i must of passed 6 slower riders at least.
Up on the Mountain at the Bungalow MGP Practice week
28th August
Decided not to go out this evening due to rain showers affecting most of the circuit,. Also there was a mysterious diesel spillage which delayed the practice for over an hour!!! This is not the first time this has happened at the MGP.
30th August
Good conditions this afternoon with two laps completed , first lap was at 108.45 and the second @ 109.95mph average. Changed the section on the rear tyre and adjusted the suspension to suit ,which helped with the high speed direction changes.
31st August
No practice lap today after the tragic incident at Alpine today . Thoughts go out to the families of the two riders who died today . RIP Woody.
2 Sept 2010
After the rescheduled races today we finally got the the last practice session for Senior bikes at the MGP. I did one lap in dry sunny conditions @ 109.45mph . That was good enough for 7th fastest!
Perfect weather for a well earned Peel Ice Cream
3rd September - SENIOR RACE DAY
It was an early start for raceday after spending the evening fettling the bike for the race. Scruitineering was at 8.30 ,the bike sailed through ok ,so with a bit of time to kill me and Stu went for breakfast at the trade stalls behind the Grandstand. Stu went for his customary sausage bap , i settled for a cup of tea and i must say the weather was looking a bit "iffy on the tops." Indeed it wasn't to long before the Clarke of the course made the announcement that todays lightweight race will be delayed by one hour.
TOP OF BRAY HILL SENIOR MANX GP LAP 1
Perfect conditions greeted us for the rescheduled start of 14.15. I got the drop on my starting partner towards the traffic lights at st.ninians , i was on new tyres so i took it reasonably steady for the first few miles. I knew starting from 65th i`d be passing some traffic and sure enough i was in traffic at Glen Helen ,although they seemed to be holding me up a bit i decided to wait until the faster sections, as i came out of the Glen and i was able to keep up a good rythm and pass slower riders all the way to Ramsay. In fact i had abit of a scare going into the left hander at Cruikshanks ,just before Ramsay Hairpin, when i nearly ran into the back of a slower rider ,so i kept kept my composure and kept passing riders on the climb up the mountain. By the end of lap one i was in 25th place averaging 110.772mph. I got a good clear run thru the Grandstand and Bray Hill Section to Start my second lap. Lap 2 was pretty clear and less hectic than the previous one , idid get held up in a few places although nobody had passed me, so i knew i was going ok. The run over the mountain was good and clear and i prepeared myself for the pistop.
As i entered the Pit lane the bike started to splutter so i new we were tight on fuel. For this years Manx my pit crew consisted of brother Stu on the fuel cap key ; "Dad" Murphy (Ian) on the fuel nozzle and Sandra on Visor ,Screen and drinks bottle duty. By the end of lap two i was holding onto 25th place and with a personal best lap of 20m23.14s , 111.049mph. For me the pitstop seemed unhurried and glitch free ,but the reality was that their was a problem with the fuel nozzle and fuel spilt over my crouch area, whilst i took a tear off and shouted for me drink bottle, this attracted the attension of the scrutineer and he requested a towel to mop the spillage up. Once this was done ,then we could carry on with the re fuelling, at this point i told the crew that i`d nearly ran out of fuel and to make sure they filled it right up! Exiting the pits i new a bit of time was lost as i slotted behind a couple of riders i`d past coming into the pits, so i just got my head down and went for a good lap.
Lap three felt good with fewer riders to pass, although i could not catch Timmy Turtle the irish racer who i set off behind after the pitstop. By the end off the lap i was still holding on to 23rd position.
Lap four was supposed to be the flying lap and to be honest it didn`t go as planned ,for the right reasons though, i did start to think about the fuel situation and i was "rolling" the throttle a little to try and save fuel in a few places , i just wanted to bring it all home and not end up retired somewhere without fuel. It was a difficult run over the mountain and my concentration was going a little and i was making a few errors ,so i slowed down between Ramsey and the Bungalow ,just to regain my composure . It obviously paid off as i remember sailing thru Hillberry thinking i can freewheel from here!. It was a fantastic feeling crossing the line ,with Sandra and Stu cheering me on.
LAP 4 SENIOR MANX GP AT GOVENORS...........NEARLY HOME!
Big thanks to everyone that made my MGP 2010 possible:-
Sandra my long suffering girlfriend - for booking her holidays in the IOM
Big brother Stu - tireless help and support ,fueling in the pits and trips to Peel Road petrol station!
Rob @ Robert J. Joiner Haulage - for the use of the bike !!!
Fred and Lizzie Adlem - for letting us stay at Onchan
Andy Wright - help and support from a "Derbyshire lad living in Aus!"
"Dad" Murphy - talented pit crew refueler
CMC motorcycles - product support from Ross, Malcom and to Garry on parts for his help. Paul ,CMC Service manager for letting me book 3 week hols!!!
HERE`S A FEW STATS FROM MGP2010.........................
SUZUKI GSXR750 K7
·AS RIDDEN BY CHRIS SAMMONS (CMC SERVICE DEPT.) SENIOR MANX GRAND PRIX 2010
·POWERED BY CMC DYNO CUSTOM MAPPING
·135BHP @ THE REAR WHEEL
·CLOCKED @ 160.5 mph SULBY VILLAGE SPEED TRAP
·111.14 mph AVERAGE LAP
·FINISHED 25th FROM STARTING POSITION 65th
·SILVER REPLICA TROPHY
·4 LAP RACEISLE OF MAN TT MOUNTAIN COURSE
·151 MILES
·AVERAGING 110mph
·1HR 22MINS
·20 LAPS IN TOTAL INCLUDING PRACTICE ANDRACE -755 MILES
Home Page
