Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea finished as runner-up in this evening’s final World Superbike race of the season at Losail in Qatar, securing third place in the championship, as French rider Sylvain Guintoli took the title with a double race victory.

Rea had finished in fourth place in the first 17-lap outing under floodlights at the 5.380km Losail International Circuit after a blistering start on his Pata Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP from seventh place on the grid.

In race two, Rea got another great launch off the grid and led the race in the early stages before dropping back to third. However, knowing that he had to fight for every available point, Rea got back past outgoing champion Tom Sykes to finish three seconds behind Guintoli and take third place in the series by a single point from Marco Melandri.

Rea’s Pata Honda team-mate Leon Haslam finished race one in 11th place after struggling with front end grip throughout the 17 laps, but the British ace had to fight even harder for tenth place in race two.

After a good start from sixth place on the grid, the 31-year-old was forced off the track at the first corner by Frenchman Loris Baz and had to recover from last position. His hard-fought finish leaves Haslam seventh overall in the final points standings.

A recent survey by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has found more than two-thirds (68 per cent) of those who completed the survey would like the Scottish drink-drive limit introduced across England and Wales.

A total of 2,632 people took part in the survey throughout October 2014.

Under the new proposal, the Scottish government will lower the legal drink-drive limit to 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood before Christmas – to reduce the number of drink-related accidents and deaths on Scotland’s roads.

Over 83 per cent of IAM’s survey respondents confirmed that they drink alcohol, and over 47 per cent have agreed lowering the limit from 80mg to 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood will reduce the number of accidents taking place across UK roads.

IAM’s director of policy and research, Neil Greig said: “England and Wales are now totally out of step with drink-drive limits across the rest of Europe.  Existing research has shown that between 63 and 116 lives can be saved every year by a lower limit1.  Different limits are also a recipe for confusion and the IAM would urge the Westminster government to review its approach as a matter of urgency.”

The poll further revealed that over 53 per cent would prefer more thorough police checks to target drink-drivers, while only five per cent would support an increase in alcohol prices to tackle the problem.

Bike racing heroes Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner, Christian Sarron and Didier de Radiguès present all-new event to hundreds of thousands at the Regent Street Motor Show

The exciting new World GP Bike Legends event fired into life at the Regent Street Motor Show today (1 November) as a host of racing heroes and former world champions captivated the crowds with incredible live demonstrations.    

To launch the all-new racing extravaganza, Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner, Christian Sarron and Didier de Radiguès all donned their racing leathers and climbed aboard some of the most iconic racing motorcycles ever to blast down a 40-metre section of London’s famous Regent Street, giving the public just a small taste of what’s in store at World GP Bike Legends 2015.    

The main event will take place at the beautiful Jerez Circuit in Spain on 19-21 June 2015 and will feature flat-out racing in three classes – 125cc, 250cc and 500cc – with bikes dating from 1980 to 2000.    

Dubbed ‘The Race of Legends’, the event will feature what’s likely to be the biggest reunion of motorcycling heroes from the period, with many rider announcements expected over the coming months to join the four star names already confirmed. What’s more, following event organiser Goose Communications’ policy of creating access-all-areas extravaganzas like the Silverstone Classic, fans will get an unprecedented opportunity to meet with some of the biggest names in bike racing history and see the iconic racing machines both racing flat-out on track and up-close in the pits.

 Tickets for World GP Bike Legends went on sale today, and earlybird prices start at an incredible £55 for a full weekend pass which includes access to the paddock, grandstand seating and an official event programme. Tickets can only be purchased through at www.worldgpbikelegends.com    

The launch took centre stage at the world-renowned Regent Street Motor show – an event that attracts hundreds of thousands of motoring enthusiasts to the heart of London. Among the incredible displays of cars past and present, the raucous and unmistakable sound of 500cc grand prix bikes rattled windows and stole the show, as Gardner, Spencer, Sarron and de Radiguès rekindled their racing fires with several jaw-dropping sprints throughout the day.   “What an incredible way to launch World GP Bike Legends!” exclaimed Nick Wigley, CEO of event organiser Goose Communications. “Seeing the look on people’s faces as those amazing bikes roared down the middle of Regent Street summed up why this event is going to be so brilliant – we’re bringing to life a truly golden era of racing that so many of the fans look back on as the most exciting and competitive period ever. With a setting as spectacular Jerez, it really will be an unmissable weekend for any fan of grand prix motorcycle racing.”   Speaking at the launch, triple world champion Freddie Spencer said: “It’s an incredible honour to be riding some of my old bikes here on Regent Street in the middle of London – it’s all a bit surreal, to be honest. For the fans to see, hear and smell these 500cc bikes firing up and accelerating right here on Regent Street is pretty cool. It was a great preview to what is going to be a fabulous event in Spain next year”

Wayne Gardner added: "It's the first time I've attended Regent Street Motor Show and it's a surprisingly big event and looks successful event. The launch of the World GP Bike Legends has gone off extremely well attracting a huge crowd, particularly when the two-stroke bikes start and the smell and noise fills the air. The idea has been very well recieved today and everyone's really looking forward to Jerez in 2015. It's very exciting"

Saturday 8th November
9pm - 2am
Entry £10
Sorry no under 18's

Celebrating the Willesden, north London born, late great British rock n' roll star Fred Heath, better known to the world as Johnny Kidd, considered by many as the sonic bridge between British rock n' roll, British Beat and British R&B, Ace Cafe London hosts a very special evening on Saturday 8th November featuring the sounds of "Serious Charge", together with DJ Flat Top Dave "on the decks" on occasion of the cafe's annual Johnny Kidd Tribute Night.

Having "hit the big time" in 1960 with "Shakin' All Over", fifty years ago in 1965 "Always and Ever" was released and quickly climbed the charts.

Retain you door entry tickets to enter the free prize draw raffle to win pairs of tickets to attend the cafe's annual New Years Eve Party on Wednesday 31st December 2014 and to the cafe's annual Elvis "Birthday" Tribute Night on Saturday 10th January 2015, copies of Vintage Rock Magazine, as well as Ace & other goodie items!

For more information about what's on at the Ace, check out: www.ace-cafe-london.com

John Surtees: My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels has won the first Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year award, held at a ceremony at the Pall Mall clubhouse as the climax of its inaugural Motoring Literary Festival on Wednesday 29 October 2014. Club Chairman Tom Purves who presented the award said ‘this book is exactly the type of title we want our Award to recognise. It is a fascinating story, entertaining and personable, with wonderful pictures, and comes from a new publisher who demonstrates great faith in the printed word. John Surtees, Mike Nicks and Evro deserve our hearty congratulations.’

Written by John Surtees himself with co-author Mike Nicks, and published by the recently established Evro Publishing, the book won huge praise from judges. One of them, Henry Hope-Frost of Autosport, summed it up: ‘John Surtees – My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels cleverly bridges the gap between multiple world champion superstar and ordinary bloke, with every endearing word coming across as though it was told directly to the reader by the great man over a fireside glass of red’.

Another judge, Henry Willis of Auto Express magazine, added: ‘For an incredible life, it’s only right that it should be looked back on with such warmth and fondness, and Surtees recalls his pioneering years on both sides of the fence, both in car and motorbike Grand Prix championships. No-one’s done it since – which makes these brilliant memoirs all the better.’

The Club asked six experts, who review books regularly and in detail, to act as independent judges. They were Mick Walsh, Editor-in-Chief of Classic & Sports Car; Gordon Cruickshank, Deputy Editor of Motor Sport; Keith Adams, Editor of Classic Car Weekly; Henry Willis, Consumer Writer at Auto Express; Henry Hope-Frost, long-time contributor to Autosport; and Richard Heseltine, book reviewer for Octane.

They each provided a list of the 10 best titles they had read professionally in the previous 12-month period.

John Surtees: My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels received more nominations than any other title, although it faced stiff opposition in a closely-run contest. At one stage, four titles vied for victory with an equal number of votes.

The other contenders were: Ayrton Senna – All His Races, by Tony Dodgins; published by Evro; Cunningham: The Passion, The Cars, The Legacy, by Richard Harman; published by Dalton Watson;  Group 2: The Genesis Of World Rallying, by John Davenport & Reinhard Klein; published by McKlein; Maserati: A Century Of History, by Gianni Cancellieri, Luca Dal Monte & Cesare De Agostini; published by Giorgio Nada Editore; and McRae: Just Colin, by David Evans & Colin McMaster; published by McKlein.

‘Our panel of reviewers, completely independently of each other, have picked a clear winner,’ said Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee.

‘We see our Book of the Year Award as a significant extra prize that authors can aim for – a shot in the arm for the whole industry and, we hope, a symbol of genuine encouragement for something that matters greatly to the Royal Automobile Club.’

The presentation crowned an evening dedicated to motoring book publishing – the Royal Automobile Club’s first Motoring Literary Festival. It aims to reinvigorate interest in all kinds of books about motoring and motor racing, and the art and craft of publishing them.

The Royal Automobile Club itself possesses an important collection of motoring-related books, which are made available to members and outside researchers through the uniquely magnificent Library at Pall Mall. The clubhouse is also the official home of the Guild Of Motoring Writers, further demonstrating the Royal Automobile Club’s dedication to great writing.

In front of an invited audience of Club members, authors and publishers, a lively debate took place on the future of motoring book publishing. Panellists included Tom Tivnan of The Bookseller, Mark Hughes of Evro Publishing, Philip Porter of Porter Press International and Rod Grainger of Veloce Publishing.

The debate was followed by an interview with Graham Robson, a legendary author of the genre who has written more books about cars than anyone else.

Publishing is an important creative sector in the UK. In 2013, some 184,000 new and revised titles were published in this country, and physical book sales were worth £3bn. Although motoring publishing represents a small niche within that, the Royal Automobile Club is passionate about supporting and promoting it.

Tom Purves added: ‘We intend this evening to become the first of an annual ongoing event – a focal point for publishers and authors involved in producing great books about motoring and motor sport, and to establish the Royal Automobile Club as the genre’s flag waver.’

The Royal Automobile Club

The Royal Automobile Club was founded in 1897 and its distinguished history mirrors that of motoring itself. In 1907, the Club was awarded its Royal title by King Edward VII, sealing the Club’s status as Britain’s oldest and most influential motoring organisation.

The Club’s early years were focused on promoting the motor car and its place in society, which developed into motoring events such as the 1000 Mile Trial, first held in 1900. In 1905, the Club held the first Tourist Trophy, which remains the oldest continuously competed for motor sports event. The Club promoted the first pre-war and post-war Grands Prix at Brooklands in 1926 and Silverstone in 1948 respectively, whilst continuing to campaign for the rights of the motorist, including introducing the first driving licences.

Today, the Club continues to develop and support automobilism through representation on the Motor Sport Association (MSA), Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and RAC Foundation, while continuing to promote its own motoring events, such as the free-to-attend Regent Street Motor Show and the Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run held on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd November 2014.

The Royal Automobile Club also awards a series of historic trophies and medals celebrating motoring achievements. These include the Segrave Trophy, the Tourist Trophy, the Simms Medal, the Dewar Trophy and the Torrens Trophy.

www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk/motoring