The Motorcycle Off-Road Experience (MORE) is holding another 4 day mini off-road ‘try out’ festival, which will be held 20th to 23rd of June at the AMCA track at Bevercotes in Nottinghamshire.

This is for anyone aged 16 or over, who has not ridden off-road before, and is suitable for road riders, or complete novices.  All bikes, protective clothing and training will be provided for a subsidised fee of just £25, for a whole morning or afternoon session.

Places are allocated on a first come first served basis, via an online booking system, which goes ‘live’ on Saturday May 10th at 10 am.  Most of the places for a similar event last year went within the first hour of going live.

A women only session will be held on the morning of Friday 20th June, but women are obviously welcome to attend any session.

See the website:  www.rideoffroad.co.uk

And like the facebook page 

A dry but windy Anglesey circuit greeted the BHR brigade for round 1 of the 2014 season.

The entertainment began with the Ducati singles and Formula Bantams sharing the track, Rich Hawkins taking his first of many wins over the weekend on a 349 Mk 3 Duke. Nick Bramley took the first Bantam race honours with Michael Brown, Ian Scutt and Mike Powell pecking at his heels all the way to the flag. These four had some great dices over the weekend, each grabbing a win.

Some very funky paintjobs were being shown off on the packed scooter grids, Damon Tunnicliffe’s mean looking fully faired Lambretta taking him to the front in most of Saturday’s outings. More beautifully turned out bikes graced the ‘big bike’ startline, the Rob North Rocket 3s of the Woolleys putting in good performances, but the fight for top spot all day was between the Seeley G50 mounted Ian Sheltner and Mike Bevan on a 750 Seeley Norton. Rich Hawkins rode the wheels off his Ducati again to take the 250/350 races and the world’s oldest rider/bike combination of Mervyn Stratford and his bionic Rudge bossed virtually everyone else about.

The pre ’72 unlimited 3 wheelers showed everyone how to have a good time throughout the weekend. The Quirk’s Vincent powered outfit just seemed to have the legs in the early stages, but the Tuer’s very rapid Morgan and Eddy Wright’s 750 Bella BMW soon made sure the spectators were on their toes.

Misfortune dogged many of the BEARS riders on Saturday, not least novice Robin Webster who threw his very nice Laverda 500 away in the first race whilst leading, causing the red flag to come out. With a depleted field on Sunday, Nigel Clark took charge with some strong showings on his 950 V7 Guzzi. Rich Hawkins had it all his own way again in the Ducati class, with Andy Hunt looking the strongest of the 250 competitors over the weekend. The four key Bantam jockeys fought hard again with Mike Powell hopping onto a Seeley G50 between the Bantam races to contest the 351-500 specials championship. Some cracking racing saw Powell and Ian Sheltner share victories, with Dave Matravers, also Seeley G50 mounted, join them up front and grab a win for himself in race 4.

Tony Perkins rode his 500 Rudge with style and class keeping Stratford in his sights, and showed many of the newer and larger capacity BEARS the way home in the mixed BEARS/pre 48 races. Saturday’s sidecar madness continued on Sunday with the Quirks, Tuers and the Wright/Clarke combo knocking lumps out of each other. Sheltner, Bevan and Tim Woolley fought it out in the ‘big bike’ class.

Over the weekend John Woods had it all his own way in the ‘Zip’ scooter class, winning all of his five races. Graham Buller put in some great rides over the weekend on his Norton to show he is one of the key contenders in the pre’63 350 class.

The 750 Crick BSA outfit of Phil Holt/Jeff Gamble swept the pre’72 750 sidecar races, with the 1300 Vincent outfit of Bishop/Howes proving to be the frontrunner in the unlimited to ’58 three wheeler class. Two BMW ‘Flying Brick’ big wheeled outfits joined the sidecar party, and what a curious sight they were. Mr Lorriman’s machine sported the number ‘13’, but the pilots, outfits and passengers stayed in one piece and enjoyed the action.
The unlimited capacity sidecar races must mean there are some hard fought battles ahead. The Tuer’s Morgan turned into a ride on mower more than once over the weekend in a bid to make up a place, the Quirk’s Vincent pulling off the same trick and demolishing a corner sign.

Ian Sheltner proved to be a hot contender in more than one of the solo classes, but by the final races on Sunday a lot of riders were really finding their feet again after the winter layoff. With some new riders getting up to speed quickly too, we should have a great season ahead. 

Stuart Swift is about to embark on one of the biggest challenges of his life. A dream he has held for more than 40 years. The Michelin-sponsored rider will travel to the famous Bonneville Speedway in an attempt to break the 250cc motorcycle world land speed record.

Lining up with world-class riders like Toseland, in the centenary year of Bonneville speed racing, Stuart, a 51-year-old RAC patrolman, is looking to take the top spot in the 250cc production motorcycle class.

Riding an Aprilia RS250 fitted with Michelin’s new Pilot Road 4 tyres, Stuart will need to beat the current record of just over 136 mph held by British rider, Mark Jordan. To qualify for the world record, Stuart will have to ride faster than the existing record three times, and then an average speed of two runs over the three mile course will be taken for the final figure.

Stuart said: “I’ve been interested in Bonneville since I was seven years old, but it wasn’t until I was thirteen that I got my first bike, a Honda ST50. This attempt will fulfil one of my lifelong dreams and I truly can’t wait to line up on the salt in August this year. I’ll be wearing number 58 in honour of one of my heroes, the late Marco Simoncelli 2008 250GP World Champion.”

Stuart has spent years researching and developing the Aprilia’s engine himself, being a firm believer that a world record beating engine tune cannot be bought – hence the difficulty in breaking these records.

Of course tyres will play a crucial role in the attempt. The surface at Bonneville is unique, as it can vary between compact, hard salt and softer, looser patches. In places grip can be reduced to as little as 20% when compared with asphalt. Using Michelin’s new Pilot Road 4 tyres will help combat the wide variation in available grip.

Michelin Technical Manager, Tony Charlton said: “When Stuart contacted Michelin with his idea to break the 250cc World land speed record, we knew we could help. Michelin has a range of motorcycle tyres for every bike and surface, and the Bonneville salt is one very special surface. We chose the new Pilot Road 4 because it has been designed for optimum performance with excellent grip and stability over a variety of surfaces, whilst being able to cope with the extreme heat that Stuart will have to contend with.” Talking of his Michelin sponsorship, Stuart said: “The support I have received from Michelin has been outstanding. I don't know why, but ever since I was a young boy I’ve always had a fascination for Michelin tyres. I had them on my pedal bikes and on all of my motorbikes. If it was on two wheels, it had to be Michelin. Now I just can’t wait to get out to Utah and hopefully break records with the new Pilot Road 4 tyres – and have plenty of fun while doing it!”

Find out more about the new Pilot Road 4 at www.moto.michelin.co.uk

Bikers from across the country turned out in their thousands at the weekend to show their incredible support for two Midlands charities, as they took part in one of the largest biking events in the country – the Bike4Life Ride Out and Festival, 27th April 2014. 

Helping to raise money for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and Royal Air Force Museum, in excess of 3,000 motorcyclists participated in the 23 mile ride along the M54 from Meole Brace, Shrewsbury to the RAF Museum Cosford, double the number of bikers who took part in the 2013 Ride Out.  They filled the motorway as far as the eye could see, as they travelled en masse by police escort to the Museum with hundreds of members of the public lining every bridge along the route, waving as they passed. TV’s Emergency Bikers Mark Hayes and Steve Forrest were two of the bikers leading the Ride Out before spending the day at the Festival meeting and greeting.

The event raised in excess of £30,000 thanks to the impressive turnout and support shown by the biking community, smashing last year’s total.  The day was a huge success, with more bikers taking part in this year’s ride out than ever before, with many bikers travelling some distance to be part of the day.  In addition to the 3,000 bikers on the Ride Out, over 2,000 additional bikers headed straight to the Festival along with thousands of interested members of the public with almost 8,000 visitors on site throughout the day. 

Nina Mitchell, Events Executive for the RAF Museum Cosford said, “We knew the event this year was going to be big, judging by the level of interest we received in the buildup, but nothing could prepare us for the overwhelming support from the bikers who turned out on the day.  We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended and donated to the two event charities, we hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as we did.  We have received some fantastic feedback on our Facebook and Twitter pages and we hope to see everyone again next year.”

Upon arrival at the Museum, bikers were treated to an afternoon packed with entertainment which included a spectacular flypast from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire and live music supplied by five rock bands on the Planet Rock stage. Arena displays entertained the crowds throughout the day and even encouraged participation from some members of the public, with some fantastic biker related prizes up for grabs.  Plus, some of the biggest names in the biking world were exhibiting with road safety and advance riding organisations on hand to talk biker safety.

The Cosford-based Midlands Air Ambulance helicopter was situated at the event and was called out several times during the day, demonstrating the great need to continue to raise funds for the lifesaving service. 

Jason Levy, Fundraising and Marketing Director for Midlands Air Ambulance charity said, “We were overwhelmed by the level of people who attended both the Ride Out and the Festival.  Bikers make up about a fifth of the air ambulance missions we attend, so their support is hugely appreciated by everyone at the charity.  We trebled our fundraising total from last year and we’re already planning next year’s event, so watch this space.” 

Bike4Life is also in collaboration with Safer Roads Partnership and West Mercia Police who work tirelessly to promote road safety and to help reduce the number of road traffic collisions across West Mercia.  The event took months of planning and wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Central Motorway Police Group, the Highways Agency and West Mercia Police who ensured the safety of all of the bikers on the Ride Out.

Vicki Bristow from the Safer Roads Partnership, Road Safety unit for Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police says, “Improving safety for motorbike riders is a big part of what we work on throughout the year so to be part of this event and to talk to bikers, not just in our region but from neighbouring counties was great.  We are really pleased that we were able to support the event and two wonderful local charities and we'd like to thank everyone who turned up to the event, without the support it wouldn't have been possible.  We hope to see everyone again next year!"

Photos from the event will be posted on the Bike4Life website www.bike4lifefest.co.uk and on the official Facebook and Twitter pages over the coming days.

Find out more information about the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity by visiting www.midlandsairambulance.com or for more information on the RAF Museum Cosford visit www.rafmuseum.org. Further details about the Safer Roads Partnership can be found at www.srpwestmercia.org.uk

Scotland's Robert Wilson will represent Belgian outfit

Belgian clean emissions racing team Saroléa Racing has today confirmed that they will participate in the 2014 SES TT Zero Challenge. Scotland's Robert Wilson, who made his TT debut in 2011, will represent the team at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.

The historic Motorcycle brand, which will also compete in the FIM eRoad-Racing World Cup, was Belgium's first Motorcycle brand when it was established in 1850.  The team has always put a strong emphasis on racing to advance its technology, a tradition that has continued with the 2014 Saroléa SP7.

Designed and built in Belgium, the SP7 motorcycle showcases the company's latest developments in technology. The bike is built up around the innovative carbon fibre monotube chassis and its ultra efficient axial flux motor.

During the design process the focus was on achieving a high power to weight ratio and on aerodynamic efficiency. Extensive use of carbon fibre and lightweight alloys helped reduce the overall weight. The result is a very compact and agile motorcycle. Along with technical partners Bridgestone and Beta Tools, the team will focus on collecting data to further develop the bike.

Scotsman Wilson has recorded five top twenty finishes in his three year career including a highest placed thirteenth in the 2012 Monster Energy Supersport Race.  Belgian Thijs De Ridder, developer of the electric powertrain, will race for the team in the eRoadRacing World Cup and will also support the team at the TT Races.

Project Manager Torsten Robbens will lead the Saroléa Racing campaign.  Under his guidance, the SP7 will undergo extensive track testing, prior to its race debut.

He commented: "The Isle of Man TT is the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world. Its 37.73 Mile laps (approximately 60km) also make it the most challenging event for both rider and machine. The TT zero testing programme will focus on optimising the race strategy and aerodynamic efficiency. The combination of the TT Zero challenge and the FIM world cup represents a really ambitious racing programme for us."