Cameron Donald will be riding one of the more esoteric machines at this year’s Classic TT Races presented by Bennetts as he prepares for tonight’s first qualifying session on the Isle of Man.

The Australian will be riding an Egli-Vincent but not the better known 1000cc 50 degree twin powered version but a 500cc single.

Swiss chassis designer Fritz Egli built his first examples around the Vincent 1000cc Black Shadow powerplant. As a racer at the time, he did this to improve handling performance in his bid to win the 1968 Swiss hillclimb championship. The Egli chassis name has since become synonymous with racing success with its iconic large-diameter frame designs.

Designed by Australian Phil Irving, the 499cc OHV air-cooled engine was the first built ‘in house’ by Vincent. It was used in four different road-going models, from the entry-level Meteor to the sporty Comet.

“I have no illusion of how difficult a task it will be to get the bike onto the podium – the TT course is brutal on machinery. Top teams have decades of experience in building bikes capable of withstanding the torture. Add to this, a single-cylinder Vincent has never been among the TT frontrunners,” said Donald.

“It has been some time since I’ve raced a 500cc classic single and I’ve had to readapt my style to suit the low-powered thoroughbred. A regular diet of modern bikes makes it easy to become complacent about having excess power on hand. Aboard a 500cc single the key is to carry your speed through the turns and maintain momentum.

“You can quickly spoil your lap time with a mistake as simple as running off line in a corner that then requires you to close the throttle. This is what I like most about racing this class of bikes, smooth riding and precise rider inputs is the only way to get results, and that’s easier said than done.

“We are now really close to the bike’s Isle of Man debut and I can feel a positive momentum building in the team. Luis’ passionate vision of a single-cylinder Vincent succeeding at the Isle of Man is getting closer and I’m relishing the challenge as the rider to take it there.”