Douglas, Isle of Man. Frances Thorp, the Honorary Secretary of the TT Riders Association for the past eleven years, has been awarded this year's PokerStars Spirit of the TT Award. The position is unpaid and subject to an election every year.

Ex-racer Freddie Frith formed the charity, which provides funds for old and injured riders and their families, in 1953. All current and former TT riders are eligible to join. Frances' husband Tom, who passed away in 2012, competed at the TT and MGP from 1956 to 1962 and was a TTRA member.

The charity is made up of an Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, four committeemen and a President with a new president elected each year. Current president is Mortons Media Publisher Malcolm Wheeler while previous presidents have included Phillip McCallen, Mike Hailwood MBE, John Surtees MBE, Joey Dunlop, Stanley Woods and Geoff Duke OBE.

The TTRA operates a number of fundraising events in the UK and worldwide through the year including their high profile annual lunch at the NEC in Birmingham during Motorcycle Live. The charity has helped hundreds of riders and their families past and present over its sixty-year history but never reveals individual details. Frances is regularly seen operating and managing the '38th milestone', the meeting point behind the grandstand for ex-riders during the TT Races and Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling.

David Cretney, Isle of Man Government Political Member with responsibility for Tourism and Motorsport said:

"Frances is a worthy recipient of this year's award. The incredible work that she puts in to fundraise for the TT Riders Association is second to none and many riders past and present have benefitted from her efforts."

Representatives from the Isle of Man Government's Motorsport team including David Cretney, the Isle of Man Government representative with responsibility for Motorsport and Tourism, TT rider liaison officers Richard Quayle and John Barton, ACU Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson and PokerStars Head of Corporate Communications Eric Hollreiser judged the award. Nominations were invited from members of the public and from officials associated with the TT.

The award is given to the person or team who best represent the ethos and values of the TT Races including decency, honesty, generosity, courage, compassion, integrity, respect, teamwork and commitment to the development of the races.

Previous winners of the award have included Paul Owen in 2010, Conor Cummins in 2011 and sidecar duo Ben and Tom Birchall who won the award in 2012. Longest serving TT Marshal Eric Alexander, 81, who first marshalled at the TT in 1952, won the 2013 award.

PokerStars Director of Corporate Communications Eric Hollreiser commented:

"The TT Riders Association is a tremendous charity that does incredible work behind the scenes and is a hugely important and relevant part of the overall TT organisation. We are delighted to be able to recognise both their efforts and Frances' work with this award." 

As part of this year's Triumph Live celebrations we're offering everyone with a ticket to the main event a rare opportunity to visit Hinckley, Leicestershire the day before for a free and exclusive look around our main production facility!

Come and see how we machine our cranks, camshafts and engine cases, where we build our engines and how we turn a single piston into a full bike in only 2 hours!

During a working day we push a completed motorcycle off the line every 5 minutes - but you'll have a whole hour to immerse yourself on our self-guided tour.

This will be your only opportunity to see inside the factory gates this year, so don't miss it!

If you're travelling far to come to Triumph Live there's camping available too - take our factory tour on Friday 11th, camp over at Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon and then enjoy an action packed day at Triumph Live on Saturday 12th - the perfect weekend!

GET YOUR TRIUMPH LIVE TICKET AND FREE FACTORY TOUR TODAY! 

Join Us
July 11th - Factory Tour, Hinckley Leicestershire
July 12th - Triumph Live, Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon

FOR THE RIDE

www.triumph-live.com

Moto Rapido of Winchester has been confirmed as the 2013 Ducati UK dealer of the year. This award is the most prestigious of the awards given by the UK subsidiary and is recognition of the overall hard work and dedication to the brand. This independent solus dealer has been part of the Ducati dealer network since 2005 and is renowned by its customers for their enthusiasm, professionalism and passion for the brand.

Steve Moore, Managing Director, Moto Rapido: “Dealer of the year is the most prestigious award from Ducati and the whole of Moto Rapido is thrilled to have this recognition. To win this award, every aspect of the dealership has to be to a very high level and the service and professionalism of my team is something I am extremely proud of. In 2005 we won ‘best new dealer’ and have since won and been commended for four other accolades. Consistently winning these awards is down to all the team here really going the extra mile and taking pride in their work. I have been keen to win this one since we started with Ducati. It will be displayed with great pride in the shop.”

Tim Maccabee, Managing Director, Ducati UK “I am delighted that this award goes to Moto Rapido who are one of our most committed and pro-active dealers in the network. Steve Moore and his team are Ducati through and through and a credit to the brand, showing passion and professionalism both in the dealership and on the race track. Moto Rapido also has consistently achieved strong results helping Ducati to achieve its sales successes over the last few years.”

Another notable award winner is P&H Motorcycles for the award for ‘Notable Contribution to the Brand’. This is in recognition of the continued commitment and professionalism from this long serving dealer.

The full list of dealer awards can be seen in the attachment.

To find your nearest Ducati dealer

Whether you are a Triumph fan, football follower or simply a lover of adventure, don’t miss David Beckham: Into the Unknown on BBC1, 8.30 tonight and see David riding the iconic Bonneville in action as it takes on everything that Brazil can throw at it from Rio’s congested streets to the depths of the Amazon jungle.

To find out more about the Triumph Bonneville click here or book your test ride today!

FOR THE RIDE

www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk

The F4MC allows bike-bike toggling with up to four riders within a range of 1/2 a mile.

The system receives GPS voice instructions and allows communication with a pillion, or other group riders. Phone calls can also be made and received inside the helmet including automatic radio muting for incoming calls.

You can listen to music from a stereo A2DP connection, or MP2/iPod via c able. It also has a built-in FM radio with RDS, as well as a preset memory to save up to eight stations.

For real ease of use the F4MC can be used with interphone's remote control, which is fitted to the motorcycle handle bars and means the whole system can be used without loosing contact with the motorcycle.

Standard features – that are also present on other units in the MC range - include music sharing mode, so rider and pillion can listen to the same stereo music. Also, a two-way volume setting that increases conversation in the intercom mode as the volume can be set in two ways; one for open-faced helmets and another for full-faced.

The F4MC is available in UK dealers and priced at £169.99 for a single unit and £299.99 for a twin set.

For more information or to find your local dealer visit www.nevis.uk.com