#SpanishGP The weekend has started on the right foot for Marc and Alex Marquez at their home track in Jerez de la Frontera. The only ‘tiny cloud’ in this sunny (albeit not too hot) day was the crash by the #73 halfway through the second session, from which he escaped uninjured. The recently turned 28-year-old was able to return to the pits and then finish the session in 10^th place.
 
Things did not go as hoped, especially in light of the morning’s quickest time, but it was enough to secure the direct seed to Q2, a session that will also feature his brother Marc Marquez for the fourth consecutive time as the #93 was third overall in practice. The eight-time world champion was likely the fastest in sectors one and three, while there is still work to be done in the other two in order to battle for top positions. 

3^rd - MARC MARQUEZ #93
“We worked on the base set-up from the previous GP and things went well straight away. I struggled a bit more with the wind in the afternoon but I can say we’re in a good place, even though so many riders are fast, too. We’re losing a bit at turn five and in the final sector but one thing is for sure: the adaptation process with the Ducati machine is over, now it is time to do some fine tuning in order to race with the best. We keep working session after session and qualifying is next.”
 
10^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“Too bad for the afternoon crash and especially for the traffic encountered during the time attack, otherwise we would have been much higher in the practice timesheets. We needed to recover the feeling and the confidence, and we did it. To be racing in front of the home crowd obviously helps in being fast straight away from the morning. We need to be as close as we can to the front of the grid because it’s not easy to overtake here, so our full focus is now on tomorrow’s qualifying.”

• Third Salon Privé London a celebrated success at Royal Hospital Chelsea with over 18,000 visitors welcomed over three days
• Exclusive world record largest-ever gathering of Aston Martin Valkyrie witnessed by VIP guests including Red Bull Racing’s Adrian Newey
• Special themed days celebrated 50 years of the Porsche 911 Turbo, Magnificent McLarens and Supercar Saturday
• Breathtaking 1930 Bentley Speed Six wins Prix d’Honneur award
• 1972 BMW E9 3.0 CSL, 1983 Lamborghini Countach 5000S and Vintage Bentley’s 1930 Speed Six named Class winners
• 1990 Ferrari F40 GT named People’s Choice and 1966 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Touring Limousine by James Young named Pensioner’s Choice
• Focus now moves to Salon Privé Concours at Blenheim Palace on 28-31 August 2024. Tickets available at https://www.salonpriveconcours.com/

The third Salon Privé London event has wrapped up at the Royal Hospital Chelsea with more than 18,000 visitors attending over the three days, with celebrity guests, blue-riband manufacturer displays, plus an unmissable gathering of the world’s finest cars and luxury brands –many of which were exhibiting cars for the first time at the exclusive season-opening event.

The world’s leading luxury car brands were out in force. Aston Martin returned for the third consecutive year, with a fantastic line-up of cars. Guests had one of the first opportunities in the world to inspect the new Aston Martin Vantage, which has new looks, all-new interior and a spectacular increase in power to an incredible 656bhp.

For those seeking a luxury British alternative, the new Rolls-Royce Spectre showed off the firm’s famed elegance in combination with an all-electric drivetrain and a range of almost 330 miles for serene long-distance grand touring.

The new Polestar 4 electric SUV made its public event debut at Salon Privé London ahead of the first cars arriving in the UK later this year. It combines sports car performance and dynamics with SUV practicality and a range of well over 300 miles. It also, uniquely, has no rear window, aiding its distinctive design.

JLR presented the new Range Rover P615 SV, combining a 615bhp V8 engine with beautiful exterior and interior. It attracted plenty of interest from Salon Privé London guests – as did fellow British brand Lotus’ new Eletre hyper-SUV. The firm, which recently celebrated record sales, also showed the agile new Emira V6 sports car.

The MG brand is 100 years old in 2024 and Salon Privé London saw it showcase its exciting new Cyberster electric two-seat roadster, just weeks before full UK pricing is announced. The spiritual successor to the classic MGB Roadster, the new MG Cyberster has up to 536bhp for 0-62mph performance in just 3.2 seconds. The distinctive powered scissor doors proved to be a draw at Royal Hospital Chelsea, too. 

Porsche marked 50 years of the 911 Turbo by displaying the latest ultra-powerful model, alongside a modern evolution of the turbo brand – the new Porsche Taycan Turbo. Maserati won the hearts of Salon Privé London guests with its stunning new MC20 Cielo open-top supercar, which was complemented by a new Grecale SUV and GranTurismo GT – itself celebrating 75 years.

Koenigsegg UK / SuperVettura, the official UK retail partner of the famed Swedish supercar maker, presented the Jesko for the first time in the UK. Described as the ultimate track weapon, it has a 5.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine that produces 1,280hp on pump fuel – or 1,600hp on E85 biofuel. It was joined by the amazing Koenigsegg Regera and Agera.

German luxury brand BRABUS, famed for its bold designs and bruising performance, was also at Salon Privé London, thanks to the firm’s official UK partner, Top Cars of Sheffield. It presented the UK launch of the new BRABUS Range Rover, based on the P615 SV model and boasting both a carbon fibre aero package and a bespoke hand-crafted diamond leather interior. This was a genuine world debut – with the car finished just the day before Salon Privé London 2024.

Other manufacturer highlights included Jensen International Automotive’s clever fully-electric Chieftain, an EV restoration of a Range Rover Classic. Thornton Hundred Motorcycles displayed the Wide Wheel Triumph Bobber, based around a modern Bonneville Bobber, and Krazy Horse showed both the new CCM Heritage 71 motorcycle, along with the Microlino – a reborn bubble car with ultra-stylish design and a city EV range of over 140 miles. It’s so compact, it can cross-park to the kerb, so its two occupants can exit onto the pavement.

A great opening day attraction saw 50 years of the Porsche 911 Turbo marked in crowd-pulling stye with a showcase of 50 Porsche 911 Turbos from through the years. The first display of its kind in the UK this year, the line-up including some ultra-rare models, including the star of the show, a Porsche 911 964 Turbo S Leichtbau, the first-ever lightweight Turbo built by Porsche, and one of only 11 in right-hand drive.

A world record line-up of 14 Aston Martin Valkyrie ensured Friday at Salon Privé London was one to remember. The largest ever gathering of the Aston Martin Valkyrie, which was designed in partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, made for a memorable photoshoot – particularly as Red Bull Racing genius and 2024 World Car Person of the Year Adrian Newey, the man who inspired the car, was in attendance.

Complementing the headline-grabbing Aston Martin Valkyrie showcase were two Aston Martin One-77, an Aston Martin Vulcan, and an Aston Martin V12 Speedster. The breathtaking display was organised by the AMV Owners Club in partnership with Salon Privé.

Magnificent McLarens showcased the very best of the famed British brand with more than 30 models on display. The collection included a lightweight McLaren Elva, the iconic McLaren 675LT, the bombastic McLaren 720S and its latest hybrid supercar, the McLaren Artura.

On Saturday, Salon Privé London welcomed the exclusive SCC Private Members Supercar Club, which presented a jaw-dropping display of 50 incredible motors to make the family-focused Supercar Saturday one to remember this year. The supercars included a Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren Senna, Ferrari F12 tdf, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS and a Koenigsegg CCR.

This year’s Concours de Vente, the world’s only concours event where every entry is for sale, saw more than 50 cars displayed on the pristine Royal Hospital Chelsea lawn. The Prix d’Honneur winner was a 1930 Bentley Speed Six from Vintage Bentley, one of only two close couple coupés and the only surviving example, delivered new to Viscount Mandeville the 10th Duke of Manchester, and then part of the Medcalf family for over 40 years. The meticulous restoration was to the exact standard of the Bentley factory and has set a new benchmark for restorations today. The exceedingly storied car formed part of Vintage Bentley’s incredible Ultimate Collection of five of the most historically significant Bentleys ever made. The crowd-pleasing Bentley also scooped the Class 3 winner for cars costing over £1 million, with a 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT from Dylan Miles taking the runners-up prize.

The Class 1 winner, for cars up to £250,000, was a 1972 BWM E9 3.0 CSL from The Octane Collection. A superb and period-correct car, it came fresh from a painstaking four-year restoration. A 1955 Jaguar XK140 Drophead from Joe Macari was runner-up.  

The Class 2 winner, for cars between £250,000 and £1 million, was a 1983 Lamborghini Countach 5000S from Furlonger Specialist Cars. With just 1,780 miles on the clock, this stunning black model formed part of the ‘Yin and Yang’ line up with a sister Countach in white. Runner-up was a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagoda from Hemmels.

A 1990 Ferrari F40 GT from Joe Macari was named the People’s Choice winner, while P & A Wood’s 1966 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Touring Limousine by James Young was the Pensioner’s Trophy winner. Remarkably, the three Chelsea Pensioners who formed the judging team were in the back of the car for the parade before P & A Wood knew they’d won!

Director David Bagley said: “With the spring sun shining and our guests out in force, this year’s Salon Privé London was another incredible success. We had three days packed full of amazing cars, once-in-a-lifetime attractions and even a world record Aston Martin Valkyrie gathering, all of course complemented by the finest in luxury and fine dining. Our season-opening event is one now firmly on the London events calendar, and we can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for our landmark garden party at Royal Hospital Chelsea.”  

Attention now turns to the Salon Privé Concours at Blenheim Palace. Now in its 19th year, the globally renowned classic is a second-to-none experience, and this year is held from 28-31 August at Britain’s greatest palace.

Meanwhile it has been confirmed Salon Privé London will return to Royal Hospital Chelsea on 10-12 April 2025.

Watch the event highlights on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/salonpriveuk

Outstanding! Back Roads Of Spain, Spanish Adventures On A Moto Guzzi Centauro was Duncan Gough's first published book of his travels through Spain, covering a ten-year span.

Packed with stories of his earlier exploration of the Iberian Peninsula Back Roads Of Spain has a little for everyone, stories that will make you laugh, cry, and even wonder why.  

Gough has a unique writing style that is engaging and not pretentious yet will have you pulling out a map and wanting your own Spanish adventure, it even had us checking out the web to find pictures of the bird life mentioned in the book, you see Gough is an avid birdwatcher. He combines this love with that of motorcycle travel to produce beautifully written anecdotes of his adventures.

As well as the descriptive examples of architecture, landscapes, cultures and people, Gough includes a little philosophical examination to generate thought provocation whilst not taking himself or the thought of motorcycle travel too seriously. It's a wonderful way of including the reader and works well enough to have you power through Back Roads Of Spain in an hour or so, then flip back to page one and start again. And like travel, you'll find things you hadn't discovered first time around.

If you're heading to Spain, or even if you're not, Back Roads Of Spain is a must.

TRAVERSE MAGAZINE REVIEW ISSUE 26

www.traverse-magazine.com

The British Motor Museum’s informal 'Gaydon Gathering' events, aimed at motoring enthusiasts, returned on Tuesday 9 April from 5pm – 8:30pm. The events, which are free to attend, take place outside on the arenas on the second Tuesday of each month. Over 500 vehicles participated at the Gatherings last year, and there was an impressive mix of vehicle types, makes, and models. 

Pre-booking is essential, and tickets will be released online a few weeks before each event and announced on social media. Tickets for the 14 May event are now available and can be booked online free of charge. The dates for the rest of the Gatherings are 11 June, 9 July, 13 August, 10 September, and 8 October.

In addition to providing an opportunity for like-minded motoring enthusiasts to display their vehicles, each Gathering features the 'Gaydon Garage' at 6:30pm when the workshop doors open to reveal one of the many unique vehicles from the collection before it’s driven around the site. News as to which car will emerge from the garage are posted on the social media channels in the run-up to the events.

Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum, stated, “After a winter of Museum Late events, we can’t wait to host our ‘Gaydon Gatherings’ outside again! The events are a firm favourite with petrol-heads and have always proved to be immensely popular. Each month until October, we will be running this regular meet-up where motoring fans can indulge their passion with a burger and drink, hopefully in the spring sunshine!” 

Display vehicles will be parked in front of the Museum, and there will be separate free parking for those visitors who aren’t displaying. Visitors can enjoy refreshments including burgers along with hot and soft drinks.

Dogs are welcome on leads. Please note that the Museum itself will not be open for the evening gatherings.

For more information and to book your FREE tickets visit Gaydon Gathering