Hi everyone and welcome to the second article detailing my efforts to race at the 2013 Isle of Man TT🌼!

I have to start by saying a huge thanks to everyone for the comments and feedback that followed the first article. It's really nice to read so much encouragement from my fellow mahbx.com readers and I really appreciate the support.

The weeks that have passed since the first article was published hav💞e bee🅘n busy ones!

Last year I rode a Yamaha R6 at a combination of shor൲t circuit meetings and real road race meetings, and this same bike will be the one t🍨hat I will enter into the Supersport races at the TT.

But being aware that getting an entry to the TT will be difficult to say the least, I have also been eag🅰er to source a Supertwin bike to double my chances.

Finding sponsorship is difficult enough for even the bigg🉐est names in racing, so it was always going to ♑be a big challenge for little old me!

Thankfully my French family roots helpe🌃d, and with backing from BikeClubFrance and a personal loan, I secured the budget to purchase a Kawasaki ER6 ridden last year by Ivan Lintin.

It still needs a few bits doing to iꦚt, the forks are off to Steve Jordan Motorcycles for an upgrade and it needs a steering damper, but other than that it's prettyꦐ much ready to go. Result!

As well as getting a Supertwin sorted, I had the enjoyable task of officially submitt🦄ing my TT en😼try, which I can honestly say is the most excited I have ever been about completing paperwork!

Entries for the Supersport and Supertwins races are in, along with an email appealing my case to the organisers. The online system has assu🍒red me I'll find out whether or not I have been accepted before the end of Mar🔯ch, so for the next two months, I'll be praying for a yes in each class!

Meanwhile I've also been arranging testing and𒉰 racing for prior to the TT, to🅺 blow away the winter cobwebs and get to grips with the Supertwin.

A lot of guys head to Spain or Portugal for testing these days, bu🌳t I prefer my pre-season to have a little more glamour - so for me it's a trackday at Snetterton in early March!

The racing I've got planned is a lot more fun though. After a few short circuit meetings I'm 🐽heading to Ireland for the Cookstown and Tandragee road races.

They were my first real road races last year and I had an absolute blast, so Iꦿ can't wait to do them 🌱again. Tandragee is particularly good fun, almost like a mini-TT. If anyone is coming along to them then do come and say hello.

With all this preparation I now just can't wait to get onto the bikes. But it's not too long to wait, I'll let you♛ know how it goes!

Thanks for reading,

Oli