I issued my final press release before leaving for the Isle of Man this Friday.  Announced some new and very important sponsors for this year's endeavor.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=48366

I will be honest, I cannot wait for this week to be done with!  I have been dealing with major issues in getting everything coordinated for the TT which has been stressful to say the least.  Hopefully it all gets sorted out before I leave on Friday.  At least I finished my MBA class for this semester 2 weeks ago so I don't have that to worry about, managed a 3.0 GPA in the class, I was happy with that considering all that is on my plate.

As it happens every year, I am getting nervous and excited at the same time.  I am about to ride in the most dangerous motorsports race in the world but it will be on the most fun place to ride a motorbike in the world too!  I feel prepared and I know I have all right sponsors and people behind me though so I am really looking forward to a fun, safe, and successful 2 weeks!

Stay tuned for updates on a daily basis once I start the journey this week!

Well the HEL Performance/RevZilla.com CBR1000rr is coming along nicely but still a ways to go before she is Isle of Man TT ready!

The bike was delivered by my sponsor Irish Bike Magazine to my "teammate" who is competing at the Northwest 200 this week.  He will finish prepping it for me so it is 100% ready to when I arrive at the Isle of Man on May 27th.  All that will be left will be to install the sponsor decals, which I actually enjoy doing!

Go fast parts to be installed next week:  Ohlins 25mm forks, Ohlins TTX shock, GPR Steering Stabilizer, HEL Performance brake lines, EBC Brakes, GB Racing crash covers, Zero Gravity Corsa windscreen, and some fresh Continental Race Attack tires.

- Brandon

Sorry for the lack of posts this week.  Things have been a million miles an hour this week with the TT looming nearer and nearer each day.  I leave in less than 2 weeks now on May 25!  

A multitude of emotions roll through me during this time...stress from organizing the whole thing myself and making sure things are happening as they need to, anxiety from realizing I am about to compete in the most demanding and dangerous race in the world, and excitement in knowing that I always have an amazing experience when I compete at the TT.  I am extremely fortunate and lucky to be able to compete in such a prestigious event and to have the sponsors and people behind me that I do.

With such a beautiful weekend here in South Central Pennsylvania I couldn't help but get outside and do a bit of mountain biking to continue my training regiment.  I realized while traveling through a very rocky downhill section how similar it was to certain sections of the TT course.  You just have to trust the bike and let it track through the bumps rather than fight it.  It gave me goosebumps as I thought about riding through the bumpy bits at the TT course, it is like no other!

This is the bike I will be riding at the TT as it sat a few weeks ago at my sponsors garage in Northern Ireland.  By the time you see it in 2 weeks it will be transformed.  New bodywork, paintjob, suspension, brake lines and a multitude of other performance bits thanks to all of my sponsors.  I am excited to ride as well as to show everyone the completed bike!

 

-Brandon

Well, the TT is officially ready for countdown status since I received my 2012 TT Mountain Course license this week.  The pre-race jitters are already beginning.  Running through my head everyday the layout of the course, the bumps and jumps, the poles and hedges.....only a matter of time before I am heading at ludicrous speed down Bray Hill!  I get nervous and anxious just thinking about it!

This week has been a blur.  Tieing up many loose ends with sponsors and getting things in order to make sure the bike I am riding is prepped and ready to go when I arrive on the Isle of Man on May 27.

Hoping to announce a few new last minute sponsors this week.  Stay tuned!

 

- Brandon

The past weekend was pretty awesome and reminding me of how lucky I am to have some really awesome sponsors behind me.  This was my third year working with Jason Pridmore's STAR School.  I go out every year about a month before I leave for the TT to take his school and work with Jason as well as his instructors.  I am a firm believer in that there is always something you can learn from anyone no matter what level you are at.  The weekend was awesome and I was able to work on some skills that I have been lacking in as well as reinforce some skills that I had been forgetting!

I flew out Friday night after work, rode all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and then flew the red-eye back home.  I arrived at 6:30AM on Monday morning, went straight to work, and then had night class until 9:30PM!  I wanted to come home from work today to catch up on sleep but my friends convinced me to go mountain biking instead!  

-Brandon

Well this week has been another busy one!

I have been finishing up projects for my MBA class every night as well as fitting in training for the TT and making sure everything is in order since it is almost a month away!  This weekend should shape up to be not only fun but also great preparation for the TT.

My long time sponsor Jason Pridmore has be out to his STAR School every year before I leave for the TT.  Jason and some of his coaches give me valuable advice and feedback on my riding that help ensure I am ready mentally and physically for the demands that the TT places on a rider.  I fly out tomorrow night from Dulles, VA and into Palm Springs, CA.  Luckily my friend lives in Palm Springs so she is picking me up from the airport and giving me a place to stay while her roommate is gone.  It never hurts to have friends all over the place as it makes traveling so much cheaper!  Then Saturday I head to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway which is about 30 minutes from Palm Springs for 2 days of fine tuning my riding.  Keep posted for an update and review when I get done the school on Sunday evening.  I take the red eye back to Dulles, VA and head straight to work Monday morning.  Gonna be a rough Monday!  :-/

I do have to mention a bit of fun I got to have the other day.  My dad is a certified gun nut and I went with him this past Sunday to the local indoor gun range to shoot some of his handguns.  While we were there we rented a MP5 sub-machine gun.  Sure is a good way to relieve some stress!  

- Brandon

Sorry for the delay in posting up this week!

We got back from Carolina Motorsports Park around midnight Sunday night.  Then I had to be up for work at 5:30AM, not to mention I have night class on Monday nights for my MBA until 9:30PM.  Partner that with the fact that the semester is drawing to a close so I have been busy after work trying to fit in school work along with training for the TT and getting last minute details sorted.....my head is spinning just typing it out!!

Round 3 of the ASRA Team Challenge series went "OK".  We are still struggling with setup on our CBR1000RR and need to do some things to make up the gap to start finishing on the podium.  Read the full write-up at the link below...

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=47966

 

Some good news about my TT efforts this week...

I have signed with Ohlins USA and Superbike Chassis LLC's Lenny Albin to provide me with custom built forks and shock for my CBR1000RR for the 2012 TT.  I worked with Lenny last year when he was with Race Tech so I am excited to keep working with him in 2012 as he proved to me last year that he knows how to build suspension that works at the TT.

Training has ramped up this week.  More onboard videos, more mountain bike rides, and more Crossfit style gym workouts.  

Less than 40 days!!!!

 

- Brandon

 

Well, this weekend brings me down to Kershaw, SC at Carolina Motorsports Park for round 3 of the ASRA Team Challenge series with teammate Dennie Huff.  We had practice this morning which went well.  We both still have some work to do to drop some seconds so we can fight for a podium but we are going into this one optimistic as we have made some changes to the bike and we both enjoy riding this track.  Race is tomorrow at 12 noon!

 

I also had an exciting week in that I was able to issue an official press release to the Isle of Man TT organizers who subsequently posted it to their official www.iomtt.com website!  Most people don't realize that running your own international race program is hard work and time intensive.  I am a one man army, handling everything from riding, logistics, marketing, PR, and finances.  It is literally a second full time job!  It is all worth it though.  :-)

 

-Brandon

Last night found me slaving away to make a few extra bucks by fixing the water pump seal and changing the fluids on my best friends Honda CRF150R. He is a bit mechanically inept so I usually act as part time mechanic for all of his bikes. :)
We both ride our 150R's in the off season to train and, well, it's just plain fun!

As I was working in my parents garage on his bike I realized I received my start numbers for the 2012 TT last week but never posted them up on my blog! I am bearing the #73 plate for the Superstock, Superbike, and Senior races. I received a start number for both Supersport races but still do not have the funding to support a ride in that class.

Getting close now! Less than 2 months until I am going at ludicrous speed down Bray Hill. The nerves are building!

-Brandon

It is always awesome to have a new sponsor on board that really respects and supports something that you put a lot of time and hard work into.  Putting together a privateer TT effort for the past 3 years is like a second full time job year round and I could not do it without the help of my sponsors.

I signed with Bell helmets this year and I cannot say how stoked I am to finally have a helmet company support me at the TT.  They are as excited as I am about me wearing there product at the TT this year.  Their new Star helmet is pretty slick and super light.

I went for a 5k run tonight after work and when I returned I found one of my new Bell Star helmets on the front porch.  They sent me the Speed Freak LE.  What a badass helmet!  The picture surely doesn't do it justice!

Thanks Bell!!

-Brandon