First off, there are in fact a number of races held on the Isle of Man, the TT is a professional race held in early June, and the Southern 100 occurs at roughly the same time.  The TT is  held on the 37 mile mountain circuit, while the Southern 100 is held on the Castletown circuit, both held on closed roadways, there is also a club racing circuit at Jurby.  The TT features the usual "modern" classes as well as Singles and Sidecar racing.  The Southern 100 modern and vintage racing.  The Manx GP is an amateur event held the last week of August, following a week of practice.  Amateur is perhaps not the correct term, attracting star club racers and the top vintage riders from around the globe.  The competition was both intense and about the friendliest that I've ever seen.

I started planning my trip about a 18 months in advance, but a year would suffice.  It really takes that long to get ready and all the paperwork in place.  There are 4 critical aspects of planning a trip, some covered below, others

• License and Entries
• The Bike
• Getting there and a place to stay
• Having Fun

License and Entries

Questions and License Applications:

AMA ProRacing Contact:

Rules and Regulations are easy to obtain through the Manx Motor Cycle Club.  Entries are somewhat more difficult to obtain since often the races are oversubscribed and riders must be turned away.  Vintage entries are perhaps the most difficult to obtain, I've gleaned some tips from various sources.  Foreign riders are interesting to the club to promote it as an international event.   Interesting bikes, either rare or with significant history are obviously looked upon favorably, and common bikes (ie: Japanese or production based) are less interesting since the number of these machines entered are high.  The newcomer's race, obviously for riders who have never been to the Manx GP, is open to almost any bike and is not heavily subscribed.  A good finish is always a plus for getting an entry in the future.

Rules and Entries:

There is no way I could have figured out all the details without the help of Don Leeson, a top British vintage Suzuki rider, and Ron Kalanquin, a vintage Bultaco rider from Michigan.  Between them I got a clearer picture of what to expect (from both sides of the Atlantic) and how to best spend my time preparing.
 

The Bike

Indeed all the difficulty in obtaining a license paled in comparison to shipping the bike.  I ship scientific equipment worldwide quite frequently at work and didn't expect the trouble that was to come.  It all worked out, but there were a few moments where it looked dicey.  After getting a few quotes from motorcycle specific shippers, who normally ship street bikes for vacationers, I was disappointed by their prices (roughly 750$/ each way).  Basically I need to ship a 200lbs box, so the cost shouldn't be much more than a plane ticket and the crate wouldn't expect free drinks. Emery Worldwide was the most helpful, had competitive rates, and were located at the Rochester Airport.  The first problem was that they will only accept packages from businesses, the recipient on the other end can be an individual, but the shipper must be in business.  We have a family business so it worked out, but this may require some creative planning otherwise.  Delta air freight does appear to accept shipments from any individual, so it may be worth trying.

After carefully packing and crating everything, I found out that no batteries, no gas tanks, and no oil can be shipped via Emery.  The RS was dry, but the tank was used.  If the tank is new then they will ship it.  I ended up unpacking the crate in a warehouse at the airport and removing the gas tank.  Realistically no one actually checks inside the crate, but you sign some very official looking forms declaring that there are no explosive / hazardous materials in the crate.  The US postal service had no problems shipping the gas tank directly to Don's home address.  Also we checked the gas tank in our luggage for the return trip, something Brendan Morgan does on his yearly trips to the UK to buy cafe racer parts...  no problems with the airlines.

The customs requirements will require about an hour of your time, but no real hassles.  You must file out a form of registration (proving that you own the stuff, and that it will be returned to the US) and an invoice of what is in the crate.  Serial numbers, lists of parts, etc.  The more details, the less likely they are to bother you.  Since my bike was completely disassembled there was quite a list of parts.  The more official and the more organized you can muster, the better.  I think dealing with customs on anything other than a real race bike might be tricky.  They are looking for thieves trying to export stolen goods.

A couple of important points to remember:  You could collect the crate yourself, but you'd need to very carefully plan the timing, discuss this with the shipper.  Also ensure that the return journey is either pre-paid or is freight collect (ie: paid when you pick it back up at home.)  The British cost to ship to the US, can be higher than the US to UK, so prepayment is important to get the best rates.  Make absolutely sure that all the documentation possible is in the hands of the person picking up the freight in advance.  My crate was stuck in British customs for 3 days at 20 Pounds a day storage because the paperwork hadn't made it to Don's house in time.  Pack it like every guy who's ever operated a fork lift is pissed that they have to work while you're going on vacation.  Plan ahead.