Retired World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty, is going into the Australian jungle as a contestant in this year's ITV reality show - I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

He has said that he is in it to win it. "The competitive spirit will set in and I will be very competitive to get all the stars", he promised. Fogarty, who won four world championships in the 1990s and is considered one of the most successful riders of all time.

Watch the interview

The show airs on Sunday 16th November, 9pm on ITV     Sometimes known as Foggy, he is the most successful World Superbike racer of all time, in terms of the number of championships and number of race wins. He is renowned for his high corner speed riding style, combined with an aggressive competitiveness, which netted him 59 victories and four World Superbike Championships. He was awarded an MBE in 1998's New Year's Honours List.

MARCO MELANDRI TO RACE WITH APRILIA IN MOTOGP

THE RIDER FROM RAVENNA WILL RACE UNDER THE ITALIAN TEAM'S COLOURS IN 2015

ROMANO ALBESIANO: "AN ITALIAN DUO TO TAKE ON APRILIA'S NEW CHALLENGE"

MARCO MELANDRI: "A VERY AMBITIOUS GOAL, BUT WE'RE READY"

Valencia, 10 November 2014 - The lineup is complete for the team that will take Aprilia into its rookie year in the 2015 MotoGP World Championship. After the announcement about Alvaro Bautista, today Marco Melandri has officially been signed, fresh from the conclusion of the 2014 Superbike season, also with Aprilia Racing, where he took 6 wins and another 5 podiums that contributed significantly to the WSBK Manufacturer Title that the Italian Brand won.

With these two new world titles earned in the recently ended WSBK season under its belt - Rider and Manufacturer - Aprilia now enters MotoGP a year ahead of the earlier announced schedule. As announced at the beginning of September, Aprilia Racing has signed an agreement with Gresini Racing, based on which Gresini Racing will mange the Aprilia bikes on the track in the MotoGP class for four years beginning with the 2015 season.

Born in 1982, Marco Melandri began his career at a very young age in minimoto, winning the Italian Championship in 1992 and 1994. Moving to 125 he became Italian Champion for the category in 1997, a title which allowed him to début in the "eighth litre" MotoGP class. Third in 1998 and second in 1999, Marco moved up a category to ride a powerful 250 two-stroke with Aprilia. This was the beginning of a Melandri-Aprilia match up where he finished fifth in the rider standings in 2000, third in 2001 and World Champion (with 9 wins and 2 podiums out of 16 races) in 2002.

Rising to the premier MotoGP category, Melandri immediately confirmed his competitiveness, finishing out the year in second place. In the various MotoGP categories Melandri has won 22 races and been on the podium 62 times.

In 2011 Marco Melandri moved over to World Superbike and was immediately a key player, so much that he was battling for the title from his rookie season, finishing the year in second place. Finishing third in the 2012 season, the rider from Ravenna was also a contender for the title in 2013, finishing out the season in fourth place. In SBK he has taken 19 wins and 31 podiums.

In its brief history, Aprilia boasts 54 World Titles (38 in MotoGP, 7 in Superbike and 9 in off-road disciplines) which make it one of the most victorious brands on a global level in motorcycle racing. Many recent protagonists in the motorcycle racing world have raced and won with Aprilia such as Biaggi, Capirossi, Rossi, Melandri, Simoncelli, Stoner and Lorenzo.

Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing Director: "With Marco Melandri the last piece of the puzzle has been put into place for Aprilia's participation in next year's MotoGP season. These have been very intense and exciting days where in just a few hours we went from the last round of Superbike at Losail to this new adventure in MotoGP. We are very pleased to announce Marco's signing because this completes our team in the best way possible on the eve of a great challenge: with Melandri we now have an all-Italian bike-rider duo. We are moving into MotoGP a year ahead of schedule on wings of enthusiasm because of the double world Superbike championships we have just won. We moved our schedule up because we want the most demanding tracks and the most competitive championship in the world to gauge the quality of our work. Aprilia's 54 world titles, the hundreds of wins on tracks all over the world give proof of technical skills and a winning attitude that deserve the limelight of the most prestigious stage."

Marco Melandri: "I was offered the chance to develop a completely new project and it is something that I have not yet done in my career since I have always had 'inherited' bikes. Precisely for this reason I am very intrigued by this challenge. I am working with a company and a racing department which sought me out and with which I want to continue to work in order to develop and grow a great project. Aprilia Racing has always demonstrated their ability to make great bikes and make them fast. I'll put in my efforts. Our goal is quite ambitious: to grow a bike and at the same time to develop a new prototype that will race in 2016. It will be a demanding season and a lot of work but we are ready to take on these challenges."

The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) has published its road safety manifesto for the upcoming general election, calling for urgent support from all political parties to promote driver and rider improvement on UK roads.

One of the more radical ideas in the IAM manifesto, which is designed to cut the unacceptable number of road deaths and injuries every year, is a call for high speed rural roads to be part of the driving test as well as for road safety to be part of the national curriculum.

IAM chairman Alistair Cheyne, speaking at the IAM’s annual lunch on Thursday 6 November, said: “In the last five years, more than five-and-a-half-thousand young people have been killed on our roads or had life-changing injuries. Every one of those crashes was avoidable.”

“We need legislation, we need campaigns to nudge people towards better driving behaviour and we need more training interventions – yes from people like us – but also from parents and the community. All of society has a duty to safeguard our young people.”

The IAM also asked the government to play its part by making sure that companies applying for public sector contracts have road-risk policies in place. IAM research shows that only 30 per cent of commercial drivers have ever been offered driver training yet commercial drivers account for a third of all crashes.

The IAM manifesto also covers:

• Protecting vulnerable roads users, including cyclists • greater priority for motorcyclists in transport policy • a call for a national road safety forum • targeted retraining for offenders • continuous learning for motorists; and • an informed debate on keeping older drivers mobile.

The full IAM manifesto can be found online

The National Motorcycle Museum celebrated its 30th anniversary this Saturday 1st November, with its “Museum Live” open day. The milestone event saw thousands of visitors join the museum in marking its heritage and successes since first opening its doors in October 1984.

Attendees were treated to a range of free attractions and family-friendly activities; featuring free Museum entry, indoor trade displays, autojumble, wheelie machine and even the chance to “try a bike” in a controlled off road area.

Highlights of the day included ex-GP rider and television commentator Steve Parrish who conducted chat show-style interviews and live race machine ‘start ups’ in a special “stars on stage” feature. Held in the Museum’s Imperial Suite the four features re-united the riders, the machines and the factory “back room” staff on stage throughout the day. Including machines such as the ex-works Norton Rotaries, “Slippery Sam” & names like Nation, Grant, Read & McGuinness visitors were treated to some fascinating viewing.   

The day culminated with TT superstar John McGuinness drawing the winning ticket to win a Vincent Rapide motorcycle worth £40,000 in the Museum’s anniversary raffle prize draw. Friday (31 October) also saw Parrish host a date from his M.A.D Tour at the Museum.

James Hewing, Museum director of the National Motorcycle Museum says: “We are very proud to be celebrating our 30th anniversary. Museum Live was a fantastic way for us to say thank you to the public for their support over the years and we are pleased to have been able to celebrate our achievements with everyone. We’re looking forward to the next 30 years!”

The weekend was the pinnacle of a year’s celebrations for the National Motorcycle Museum. 2014 has also seen the venue host an installation of a pop-up art gallery & photographic competition* within the Museum which has seen footfall rise by 40%.

Museum 30th anniversary photographic competition winners*-

1st Prize: Luxury Break at a UK Best Western hotel- Mr Robert Bracher- “The Black Shadow”.
2nd Prize: VIP Museum entry/tour & lunch for five-Mr Anthony Jinks- “Goldstar”.

Investcorp, a leading global provider and manager of alternative investment products, announced today that it has reached an agreement with Mr Lino Dainese, to acquire the specialist Italian retailer Dainese at an enterprise value of €130 million. Mr Dainese, will retain a minority stake in the business alongside Investcorp.  

Founded in 1972, Dainese is the most recognised and respected brand for safety and quality in the motorcycle and other dynamic sports market. Originally famed for its competitive motorcycling racing wear, Dainese has subsequently diversified its product range and today provides protective gear for road and racing use alike, as well as for use in winter sports, biking and horse riding. In addition, through the AGV brand name, Dainese is also one of the leading protective helmet manufacturers for the motorcycle market.  

Through its Dainese Technology Centre (D-Tec®), an R&D technical centre for the study of protective technology and the development of innovative products, the Company ensures it remains at the forefront of innovation. The Company’s founder, Mr Lino Dainese, is credited with inventing products such as back protectors, knee sliders and Dainese air bag (D-Air®), an intelligent protection system which recognises a dangerous fall and deploys special airbags around motorcyclists’ bodies.  

Lino Dainese will remain on board devoting his life long experience in safety to develop innovative protective system for dynamic sports and everyday life.  

Lino Dainese, founder and President of Dainese, said; “It was hugely important to us to find the right partner in this period of strong development for the company. I believe that Investcorp’s proven track record, global presence and network will support the Company’s continued international expansion and product innovation. I also believe that their support will enable me to refocus on my passion, driving forward technological advances in our product line and, in particular, the D-Air® system.”  

Hazem Ben-Gacem, Head of Investcorp’s European corporate investment team, said; “We are honoured to have the trust and confidence of Mr Dainese and to be the custodian of this exceptional business that Mr Dainese has built over 40 years ago.  Dainese is an iconic brand with a track record of leadership in a multibillion dollar market. It is exactly the type of company we look to invest in: a founder managed successful business looking for a partner for the next phase of growth. We look forward to working in partnership with the current management team, and Mr Dainese, to consolidate Dainese’s deserved reputation as an innovator and to strive to increase its penetration into new markets.”

www.dainese.com