After a few last minute hitches your team of Pete Blackburn (1971Moto-guzzi V700) Steve Capp (1980 BMW R100rs) & self (1968Velocette Thruxton) had loaded the van, together with our President’s Honda 90, for the trip to The Isle Of Man Manx Grand-Prix Festival. The VMCC (Vintage M/C club) run a rally for members at both the TT & the Manx, which includes a track day, timed lap of the course, displays, & lap of the 37.75ml course under closed road conditions on their 25+yr old bikes.

Good start, ferry on time, & the sun is nearly shining on The Island, just time to check-in at the hotel, unload, do a lap, & pick-up Pat who flew from Luton

Pat’s taxi from the airport was the Guzzi, on which he complained that MY arse was too big, leaving no room for his.

Sunday morning was time to meet fellow guests for breakfast before riding up to the north-west for the track day & display at Jurby, an ex airfield track.

Track days for all of us are new, but we gave it our all, Pete removed some metal from the stand, I was lapped, & Steve enjoyed our first session of 7 laps on the 1.8 ml track.

The second session was held in hazy sun, with Pete really getting to grips with the quirky Guzzi, with MORE metal being removed, I DIDN’T get lapped, & Steve DID enjoy it.

Monday held a promise of a dry day, & good racing, with Pat showing us a new place to watch.

Tuesday was the timed lap from the Tony East Museum, at Kirk Michael, round the circuit & back, trying to average 24mph, with 2 check-points en-route, a difficult task in normal traffic, with Steve leading (cos e ad a clock), we finished with a team deviation of 1.8 mph to fast.

Wednesday saw some terrific classic racing, with a push-rod Royal Enfield 104mph lap, & 102 race average, but just missing the podium in 4^th place, I hope this gets the credit it deserves.

The evening saw a trip to Douglas, 4-up in the van, to "Chillie’s", an Asian restaurant, of some repute, for an early meal, so we could watch some spectacular beach racing, new for the Manx Festival.

Thursday was a full day, the team signing on for Friday’s closed road parade, scrutinizing of bikes & riding gear, roam the stalls at the grandstand, up to Ramsey for the sprint then down to the start of the Southern 100, for a parade of the 2.25ml circuit finishing in Castletown Square for a display of rally machines, what a collection, including a 3cyl MV racer from the 70’s. We were to meet Pat @7.00 for a meal in the Shore at Gansy, but seeing his Honda 90 all on its own was too much for me, I rallied the Team & in no time it stood on a table in the pub garden, in the now infamous photo, when we got Pat away from his Okells to "admire the sky", his face was a picture, even if his language wasn’t he was then known as Joe 90 in the hotel

Friday’s forecast was grim, road closure was delayed by 30mins., but the wind blew the clouds away, racing was on, & so was our highlight, the Closed Road Lap, from start to finish line. By lunch the sun was out, we sat in the grandstand & saw John McGuinness, do a "parade" lap in 27mins, incl. a stop for ½ pint at Ramsey!!!!!.

15.00 hrs we assembled in the paddock area, Pete with butterflies, me with "will it start syndrome" & Steve, was, well, Steve.

16.10, Velo starts, we line up & OFF, I note the clock, 16.20, control marshal disappears down Bray Hill, no chance keeping with him, but hell, 60mph down the hill on a 40+ yr old bike, shakes my 60+yr.old bones. I just getting used to using both sides of the road going through Glen Helen, 75 along Kirk Michael High St is frightening, crowds waving, the building just close in, I find I brake for corners that aren’t there, don’t brake for the ones that are, still this is FUN, I overtake a Goldie going up the Mountain, he retakes me on the flat, I chicken out on the corners, 90 down to Creg, but 45 round it, down to a crawl in the dip at Governors, out on the home run , cross the line, 40mins, WOW that was FANTASTIC, into the show line up, Pete & Steve follow me 2mins later.

We are all high, EVEN Steve, we had to rest a while & come down to earth.

Now Friday night is "prize gala night dinner"!!! & the individual winner’s time from Tuesday was just 0.007 mph deviation, but all was not lost, there’s the "Team Prize", & of the 8 teams entered, we were 2^nd, the winning team beat us by only 0.6mph.

This was a splendid effort by the club’s Manx GP Rally Team SPG(Steve, Pete, Gordon), but our special thanks to Pat, whose local knowledge, & banter made a good week GREAT