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

Registration for the highly-anticipated Bike4Life Ride Out and Festival is now open and next year’s event, taking place on Sunday 26 April 2015 is set to be bigger and better than ever!

Bikers from across Shropshire and the wider Midlands area are invited to kick start the motorcycle season at the region’s biggest biker event, now in its fifth year.  In April 2014, over 3,000 bikers took part in the 23 mile Ride Out from Meole Brace in Shrewsbury and headed to the Bike4Life Festival at RAF Museum Cosford, near Wolverhampton.  The one day event attracted over 8,000 bikers and enthusiasts from across the UK and organisers are anticipating even more bikers will turn out at next year’s event and show their support for the event charity Midlands Air Ambulance.

With arena displays, stalls and exhibitions, biker tutorials raising awareness of road safety, live music supported by Planet Rock radio and much more, the atmosphere among the visitors is sure to be electric.  It's a great day out for bikers, the local community and families alike, so what are you waiting for, get into gear and register your place at Bike4Life 2015.

Bikers wishing to participate in the 2015 Ride Out can register now via the Bike4Life Fest website www.bike4lifefest.com.  

Participating in the fun-filled Bike4Life Ride Out is just £5 per bike.  Bikers wishing to participate in the ride out MUST have a full licence as the route to the RAF Museum Cosford will travel along the M54 motorway.

If you are heading straight to the Festival there is no need to register, just come along on the day.  The festival will run from 10:00am to 4:00pm and visitors of all ages, not just bikers are encouraged to attend.  Entry to the Festival is FREE but you will be encouraged to make a voluntary donation, with all proceeds going towards the vital lifesaving work of the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. 

With just under a month to go until Motorcycle Live 2014 open its doors, motorcyclists across Great Britain are gearing up for the country’s biggest bike show and nine days of new metal, non-stop entertainment and retail therapy.

As a one-stop shop for motorcycle parts, riding kit and accessories, Motorcycle Live is traditionally the place for many bike fans to indulge in an end-of-season shopping spree. This year’s retail offering will be stronger than ever with some of the UK’s leading motorcycle stores, brands and dealerships selling everything from helmets to hoodies, leathers to luggage and padlocks and paddock stands.

There will also be a wide range of stands dedicated to motorcycle-related services, so visitors can organise insurance, book the two-wheel trip of a lifetime, subscribe to a magazine, buy tickets to a must-see racing event in 2015 and more. For a full list of exhibitors click here.

Motorcycle Live takes place at The NEC, Birmingham from 22-30 November 2014. Advance tickets are just £17 per adult, £11 for Seniors and £7 for children aged 11-16* (kids ten and under accompanied by a paying adult go free). There is also a £20 advance ticket, which includes entry to the show and a three-pack of Oxford Comfy neck warmers worth £15.

To book, call 0844 581 2345 or visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk

APRILIA READY TO DEFEND ITS LEADERSHIP IN THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP, SYLVIAN GIUNTOLI IN THE HUNT FOR THE RIDER TITLE.

BOTH TITLES STILL UP FOR GRABS IN THE FINAL ROUND AT LOSAIL IN QATAR.

Qatar, 29 October 2014 - The Superbike season which is coming to an end could be the inspiration for an excellent screenplay: great entertainment, continuous upsets and a wide open grand finale which is the stuff of a great action film.

The key players will most certainly include Aprilia and Sylvain Guintoli, respectively the Manufacturer Championship leader and the second place contender in the rider competition. At Losail, a track that is back on the calendar after a four year absence, the races will be held at night with the aid of a sophisticated artificial lighting system. Another "theatrical stroke" worthy of the best Hollywood director.

While Aprilia is leading the Brand World Championship with a 23 point advantage, spoils that must be defended in Qatar, a 12 point gap stands between Sylvain and his first Rider World Championship. The Aprilia Frenchman has made a sensational comeback to close a 44 point gap since the Laguna Seca round. Guintoli has a good record on the Losail track and for his assault he will be able to count on an RSV4 which has demonstrated brilliant performance in the last four rounds, taking as many "one-two" wins with two riders consistently on the top two steps of the podium.

Sylvain Guintoli: “Last visit to Qatar I won the race ("8h of Doha") and the Team I raced for was World Champion (Endurance), back in 2010. I love the track and it will suit the RSV4 like a glove. I am very excited about this weekend and very focused on our target. I have worked very hard for this and since Laguna we have closed the gap from 44 to 12 points. Sykes is defending well but we are now very close”.   

Marco Melandri, who has shown great progress, has great expectations for the Losail race. Coming off of 4 wins in the last six races, the rider from Ravenna is now lying third in the rider standings with a wide margin from the nearest contender. Marco also has an excellent change of finishing the season with honours.

Marco Melandri: “I'm very happy to race at night in Qatar. I really like both this place and this track and I'm sure that my RSV4 will adapt very well. I really want to continue my position streak and help Aprilia take the Manufacturer World Championship”.

Happy Birthday Cal!

A professional motorcycle road racer and former British Supersport champion and British Superbike race winner.

Since 2011 he has been competing in the MotoGP class, with the Yamaha Tech 3 team between 2011 and 2013, and in 2014, Crutchlow moved to Ducati.

From Wikipedia