Manx Grand Prix 2023 – Final Blog
Manx Grand Prix 2023
Manx Grand Prix 2023 – Day 10
Saturday 26th August Race Day!
Wow what a day! Busy and stressful! Full of excitement and lows! It was race day and due to yet more cancellations on the previous day, all three of Steve’s races were packed into one day. This meant Steve would have 3 races, do 10 laps and ride at race pace 377 miles around the world’s most famous but also dangerous and difficult race circuit, the TT mountain course.
It was all systems go as times for racing and technical inspection clashed and we only had so many bodies in the pits to help. Steve Higerty and Scott Larkin certainly earned their bacon sandwiches getting all three bikes ready and through technical inspection.
As the morning progressed, the days schedule changed time and time again. Finally the schedule read:
14:15 Senior Classic TT 3 laps
16:15 Junior MGP 4 laps
18:15 lightweight/ ultra lightweight MGP 3 laps
This gave Steve no time between races to eat or rest. It was set to be manic and became very manic.
Steve set off with high hopes of being the fastest 350 in the Senior Classic TT but at the start of lap 1, a spark plug fell out causing him to retire. However no one could find him or knew where he was not even the retirement office. Stress levels hit maximum. Three teams members set off to try and find him as news came in that he was somewhere between Glen Helen and Ballaugh Bridge. He had broken down at Ballacobb and with no access to public open roads, Steve had run across fields, through a stream, climb over brambles to get to the camp site at Ballaugh.
One thing I love about the Manx and people here is their willingness to help and seeing Steve dressed in his leathers and hearing his plight, 3 young lads on enduro bikes came to his rescue. There were no open roads back to the paddock and with less than an hour until his next race, he went green laning to get back.
Covered in mud, tired, no food, he had to run to the paddock to start his next race with 15 mins to spare! Everything was a rush and it wasn’t long before he set off down Bray Hill this time on the Aprilia. Steve was in 18th most of the race but official results showed he finished 19th and gained a bronze replica.
So with a 30 min window, Steve quickly prepared for his final race which was then delayed by 15mins. The weather was now closing in as the race was started and shortly after the race was started, it was announced it would be a two lap race. But sadly the cloak of Manannan engulfed the mountain section forcing the race to be stopped due to safely issues. This meant Steve only completed one full lap but a race was called. Steve finished 17th overall and 6th in the ultra lightweight class.
Racing for 2023 was over for us but the celebrations were about to begin.
Photos by Martyn Parnell
Manx Grand Prix 2023 – Day 9
Friday 25th August
The team woke early with excitement as it was their first race day! Steve was due to race his beloved Honda CBR400rr NC29, lovingly named Erin, in the first race of the weekend at the centenary Manx Grand Prix, the lightweight/ ultra lightweight MGP race.
They prepared for their pit stop and had every thing ready for racing. Little Erin sailed through technical inspection when the red flag went out in the classic superbike practice session, not due to an incident but because of heavy rain on the far side of the island.
The bing bong announcement soon followed that racing for the day was cancelled and a new schedule for tomorrow would be released shortly. While the team waited to see if Steve would be doing all three of his races, 10 laps of the TT mountain course, 377 race miles on closed roads, in just one day, they trotted off to Douglas for a milk sake at the shake shop.
Manx Grand Prix 2023 – Day 8
Thursday 24th August
Due to several practice sessions being cancelled, once again Gary Thompson announced there would be an afternoon and evening practice session. The weather was good and all in the paddock hoped for two good incident free sessions. As such it also meant the team had lots to do preparing and fuelling all three bikes for the day’s events.
Fuelled with bacon sandwiches and leftover pizza, they set to work. Steve decided he would ride the Aprilia and NC29 in the longer afternoon session and the Drixton in the shorter evening session. All three bikes sailed through technical inspection with no issues.
At 2:30pm the ‘bing bong’ went and riders in the Junior MGP were called to start their practice session. As Steve was about to set off on the Aprilia, it was noted that there was some fluid on the ground under his bike and the kill switch was hit. Here you cannot take any risks and not knowing what the fluid was or where it had come from meant he could not go out on the bike. So in true Marc Marquez style but with less speed or agility, Steve jumped off the Aprilia and jumped on Erin the Honda CBR400rr NC29 and set off down Bray Hill. Steve completed two laps, his fastest being a 103 mph average lap speed making him the 9th fastest out of 26 riders in the ultra lightweight class for the next days race.
With the panic over the Aprilia now sorted, Steve once again swapped bikes and headed off round the TT mountain course on the Aprilia to again complete two laps, his fastest being a 108 mph average lap speed placing him in 21st out 55 riders for Saturdays race. In the evening Steve did two smooth laps on the Honda Drixton K4 with his fastest being a 93 mph lap making him the fastest 350 and 23rd in Senior Classic TT standings; bikes 1-22 are all 500cc bikes.
Manx Grand Prix 2023 – Day 7
Wednesday 23rd August
As practice was cancelled on Monday evening due to poor weather conditions over the mountain, an additional practice session was planned for Wednesday afternoon. This was a longer session than usual and gave Steve ample time to take two bikes out.
Steve finally took the 3D Moto Aprilia RS660 out for its first full lap of the TT Mountain Course in 2023 and managed a 106 mph average lap speed from a standing start to put him 22/50 in the overall standings with just the one qualifying lap. Steve then took the 1972 Drixton framed Honda K4 out for its first laps around the island. Lap 1 was a 91 mph lap and lap was 103 mph making Steve the fastest 350 in the Senior Classic TT. Sadly once again evening practice was cancelled due to rain and low cloud.
Manx Grand Prix 2023 – Day 6
Tuesday 22nd August
There was little to do in way of preparation for the that evenings practice session as the bikes were ready to go the night before when practice was cancelled.
Steve decided to take the 3D Moto Aprilia RS660 out first and then the Honda Drixton K4 afterwards. Sadly there was a red flag incident shortly after his session started so Steve wasn’t able to complete a full lap on either bike.
Manx Grand Prix 2023 – Day 5
Monday 21st August
The team were up bright and early as they needed to fix the Drixton. After a few heated discussions, bald heads scratched and choice words, the 1972 Drixton framed Honda 350 K4 started to the excitement and joy of everyone. And then it was time to give the bike a final check over and prepare for technical inspection. Erin the 1994 Honda CBR400RR NC29 got a new set of boots too.
Then all the team could do was sit and wait for technical inspection to open and the Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson to announce the start of practice. However, lingering low cloud and fog on the Mountain put practice in jeopardy. At 5:30pm, the announcement no one one wanted hear was made, practice was cancelled due to weather conditions over the mountain so the team went for a walk along the beach with Kevin.
Manx Grand Prix 2023 – Day 4
The team finally got some sleep and felt refreshed ready for first practice in the afternoon. There were concerns that practice could be cancelled due to reports of fog on the mountain, rain in Ramsey and insufficient marshals but at 11am the Clerk of the Course made the announcement that first practice would go ahead and technical inspection was open.
The decision was made that Steve would ride the Honda CBR400RR NC29 and 3D Moto Aprilia RS660 in his first session as the Drixton would not start. All three classes Steve is racing in, junior, ultra lightweight and senior classic, have the same technical inspection and practice time slots so it is only possible to take two bikes out each day due to human capacity and time constraints.
Both bikes sailed through technical inspection and then all the team could do was wait to go out. First out were the newcomers on their control lap followed by the Senior MGP and Classic Superbike riders. Sadly the first session was red flagged which meant subsequent sessions were shorted. As such, Steve decided to park the Aprilia and take his old faithful and much loved NC29 Erin, out for his first laps on the TT mountain course for 2023, steady away.
Steve managed two laps in the brief 50 min practice session and was the 5th fastest overall in the ultra lightweight class with a 101mph lap. Steve was pleased and said the bike felt good.
Photos by Martyn Parnell
Technical Inspection
Parc Ferme
Summerhill Glen
Manx Grand Prix 2023 – Day 1-3
The team left Dilligaf HQ around 5pm on Thursday 17th August to take the 5 hour 210 mile journey to Heysham in Bob the big blue bus. The ferry was delayed so they finally set sail at 3am, docking in Douglas harbour at 7am. With the weather closing in, they immediately the set to work to get set up in the paddock. It rained much of the day which hindered proceedings but finally by midday they were settled in plot 33. It was a busy afternoon with signing on, riders and technical briefings and having all the gear checked and signed off.
Friday night a terrible storm swept across the island and at 1am Saturday morning it tore through the paddock destroying many awnings including the teams. It was a savage night weather wise, another night with no sleep for the team as they tried to rescue what they could as gusts of 50-60 mph winds relentlessly ragged all night and into Saturday morning. Ferries were cancelled and flights delayed. Ray and Julie arrived on the Ben My Chree after a very rocky crossing and a little green around the gills and dear Scott sat at the airport for 12 hours waiting for his very delayed flight. Thankfully Joy was on hand to look after the team and Steve UK or SUK, as now know as so many Steve’s, helped to finish getting the bikes ready and fuelled for Sunday afternoon practice.
Manx Grand Prix
2023 is the centenary year of the Manx Grand Prix which was first raced in 1923. The event was started by the Manx Motorcycle Club and was originally named the ‘Amateur TT’, and used and still uses the same TT Mountain Course as the Tourist Trophy. The ‘Amateur TT’ was renamed the Manx Grand Prix in 1930 and became a national event in 1967.
2023 is Steve’s 10th year competing at this prestigious event. Steve first raced on the TT Mountain course as a Newcomer at the MGP in 2008, finishing 11th with a 100mph lap on his Truimph 675. Having caught the IOM ‘bug’, Steve returned in 2009 and successfully finished 16th in the Senior MGP with an average lap speed of 108mph, earning himself his first replica.
After a 5 year sabbatical from road racing, Steve returned to the Isle of Man and Manx Grand Prix in 2014 on his new Triumph Daytona and gained a silver replica for his performance in the Junior MGP and another in 2015 when Steve finished 25th in the Senior MGP with a 113mph lap. In 2016 Steve returned with a new Honda CBR600rr, however, sadly Steve did not complete a race due to an incident at Keppel Gate that got him a ride in a helicopter instead!
In 2017 Steve was forced to retire from the Junior race due an issue with his brakes and got a finishers medal in the senior MGP. In 2018 the team returned with two bikes, the CBR600rr and Erin the CBR400rr. Sadly at incident at Ballacraine caused Steve to withdraw from the Senior and Junior MGP but Steve brought Erin the little babyblade home in 5th in the ultra lightweight race to gain another replica to add to the collection. In 2019 Steve finished 33rd in the Classic Superbike TT and 12th in the ultra lightweight race after a fortnight plagued with mechanical issues.
Covid stopped play in 2020 and 2021 but the team returned in 2022 with the new Dilligaf mobile, the 3D Moto Aprilia RS660. Steve finished 16th in the new Junior MGP (supertwin class) and secured another replica. In 2023 Steve is returning to the Isle of Man with three bikes. He will be competing on the Aprilia RS660 in the Junior MGP, racing his beloved Honda NC29 Erin in the ultra lightweight race and will also be riding a Drixten framed Honda 350 K4 owned by Ray Stephens in the Senior Classic TT.
Stay tuned to this page for all the racing action and daily updates from the 2023 Manx Grand Prix.