Online subscription for the Ducati Dream Tour 2014 to start from 27 January

• Spectacular weekend tours to experience the Tuscany-Emilia Apennines on a Ducati
• Dates include a “Ducati Dream Tour special package” combining World Ducati Week 2014

Borgo Panigale (Bologna), 24 January 2014 – Ducati announces the 2014 edition of the Ducati Dream Tour, a series of factory-organised 3-day tours through the twisting landscape of the Tuscany-Emilia Apennines. Riding Ducati’s latest motorcycles, each trip will include a guided tour of the Ducati factory and museum, with one additional “special package” tour dedicated to the long-awaited World Ducati Week 2014, the international gathering of Ducatisti being held in Misano 18-20 July.

Available online in the Experience and Ducati Travels section of Ducati.com from 27 January, each Ducati Dream Tour presents a thrilling itinerary that passes through some of Italy’s most stunning landscapes, guided by the highly experienced former Paris-Dakar competitor, Beppe Gualini, and his skilled team of professional test-riders. Their route is specially designed to ensure the very best enjoyment of the region of Emilia and the superb riding experience provided by the exciting Ducati motorcycles.

The Ducati models available in the tour package include the brand new for 2014 Monster 1200, the Monster 796, the Multistrada 1200 S Touring, the Diavel, Hypermotard and Hyperstrada.

Each Ducati Dream Tour will span a long weekend, starting on Friday with a late-morning rendezvous at the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale, Bologna, Italy for registration and lunch, followed by a guided tour of the factory and museum to provide a fascinating prelude to a weekend of pure Ducati pleasure. All participants will be carefully looked after by a dedicated tour team, managing everything from luggage transfer in the support vehicle to the hand-over of the Ducati motorcycles. The first day ends with an overnight stay at the splendid Hotel Resort Palazzo in Varignana, located in cool, verdant hills that provide the perfect place to enjoy the fabulous local food and wine in addition to the magnificent spa inside the resort.

The next morning, the Resort Palazzo of Varignana will be the starting-point for the longest and most captivating day of the tour. Saturday’s route winds through over 270km of excellent motorcycling roads to Mugello, home to one of the most beautiful race circuits in Italy and the theatre of breathtaking battles in the MotoGP world championships and a regular testing ground for Ducati. Sunday’s itinerary covers a further 250km of the spectacular route, returning the Ducati Dream Tour riders to Bologna later in the afternoon.

With this year’s World Ducati Week event attracting Ducatisti from all over the world, Ducati is offering an attractive package that combines the incredible event with the Ducati Dream Tour. This tour provides the classic Dream Tour itinerary in addition to a ticket to WDW2014. For this tour only, the Ducati Dream Tour will take place from Wednesday to Friday, with the tour continuing on to the Misano Adriatico circuit where participants will enjoy the electrifying weekend of WDW2014, the biggest Ducati gathering in the world.

Ducati Dream Tours are specially tailored for those who would enjoy a fascinating two-wheeled weekend exploring the traditional and historic Tuscany-Emilia Apennines. They are available alongside many other Ducati travel packages, designed in association with highly experienced travel partners, published on Ducati.com and listed within the “Experience / Ducati Travels section”.

Ducati Dream Tour 2014 calendar

May

16-18

23-25

June

6-8

20-22

27-29

July

16-20 Special Dream Tour & WDW 2014 package

25-27

September

19-21

26-28

We have been asked a few times if we can produce a sticker as our popular car window sticker for THE BIKER GUIDE® which can be stuck onto things, like panniers, luggage, bars, people...

As we listern to you our visitors and like to keep you happy, we are pleased to announce the arrival of a great big box of stick on 'I'd rather be riding or on THE BIKER GUIDE

Get one here

GP ace Danny Webb to make Isle of Man TT Races Debut with KMR Kawasaki

Danny Webb, one of the UK’s leading 125cc Grand Prix and Moto 3 contenders, will make his real road racing debut at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, riding for KMR Kawasaki.

The Kent youngster will contest the Dainese Superbike, RL360º Superstock, bikesocial.co.uk Lightweight and PokerStars Senior TT Races and will benefit from the expert Mountain Course knowledge and support of KMR team manager and owner Ryan Farquhar.

The 22-year old has long been considered one of the countries brightest prospects, a claim supported by his seven years of Grand Prix level competition. He achieved an impressive twenty top-ten finishes in the 125cc and Moto 3 divisions, arguably one of the most competitive classes in motorcycle racing.

Riding for the highly experienced Molenaar/De Graaf, Andalucia Cajasol and Ambrogio Racing teams, Webb achieved a best finish of fifth at the 2008 Portuguese GP, with his best Championship standing coming in the 2010 season when he took 10th overall with 93 points.

Having led races on a number of occasions, Webb was also chosen to spearhead the Indian manufacturer Mahindra’s first ever assault on the GP trail in 2011. Indeed, he gave them first ever pole position at the Valencia GP.

The Tunbridge Wells rider hails from a racing family with father Jimmy enjoying a successful career as a sidecar passenger and his elder brother James was a front runner in both the Virgin Mobile R6 Cup and British Supersport Championships, competing in the latter as team-mate to 20-times TT winner John McGuinness at Padgetts Racing.

Having left the Moto 3 arena midway through the 2013 season, Webb turned his attention to the World Supersport Championship, competing in a number of races for PTR Racing, who not only played an instrumental part in the success of Michael Dunlop at the 2013 TT Races but also took Eugene Laverty and Sam Lowes to numerous wins and podiums on the World stage. Webb soon proved his talent on the 600cc machine too, scoring a best position of 11th at the final round in Spain.

Speaking about his TT debut, Danny commented: “I’m a big TT fan. I've already been to the event and I have always said that I wanted to do it one day. It’s something that has been going through my mind more and more of late, and the opportunity came along to work with Ryan Farquhar who puts out some of the best bikes on the grid, so I simply couldn’t say no.”

He continued: “It’s going to be a big change for me after years in the Grand Prix paddock, but it is something I am really looking forward to. I don’t see this being a one off thing either and I know it will take me many years to really learn my way around but for now I just can’t wait to get out there and make my debut.”

THE doors will soon be open for the 34th Carole Nash Bristol Classic MotorCycle Show and this year’s event is set to be a real spectacle.

With 18,000 visitors expected, 60 clubs putting on displays and 600 classic motorcycles restored to pristine condition, the show, taking place on the weekend of February 8-9, is set to be bigger and better than ever before. As is now tradition, many of the UK’s top clubs will be flocking to the Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, to showcase the best that the classic world has to offer.

The London Douglas Club has promised a wide ranging display and, in Cotton’s centennial year, the Cotton Owners and Enthusiasts Club will be making a special effort with 16 bikes earmarked for display; the earliest being a 1926 Blackburne. Although the show is predominately about motorcycles, 2014’s offering will also have a good helping of scooters on display including the Soul City Scooter Club and the Bristol Lambretta Club. And the Stonehenge Section VMCC will have their usual collection of immaculate machinery, including Jim Devereux’s 1931 Ariel SG which was featured in the February 2014 issue of The Classic MotorCycle. The prize money up for grabs this year ranges from £100 for individuals to £250-£750 for clubs so, with John Phizacklea bringing along a 1947 EMC Mk.1 that is sure to be up to his prize winning standards, there will definitely be an atmosphere of friendly competition. As far as trade stands go, there will be a wide variety of sellers offering everything you need to get your bike prepped and ready for the summer.

In attendance will be City of Leather, known for visiting India to track down specially made pieces of clothing, Davida Helmets offering retro headgear and Metalman – offering you the opportunity to go DIY and make your own metal parts. West Midlands Motorcycle will also be there selling top quality clearance items and Motorcycle Lifts will make working on your bike that little bit easier with the bike benches it supplies.

“Bristol is the traditional season opener and is looked forward to by many involved in the classic movement,” said James Robinson, editor of The Classic MotorCycle. “There are always a few surprises with some top quality restorations making their debut, the atmosphere is always friendly and it’s a pleasure to attend.”

Gates are open from 10am until 5pm on both days. Tickets are £10 when purchased in advance and £12 on the day.

Dan Kneen has made the move to BE Racing for the 2014 season with the talented Manxman looking to make a concerted attack on the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy as well as the other International road races – the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix. He'll also appear in selected Irish national races, beginning his season with the Cookstown 100.

Riding for the team owned and run by former racer John Burrows, Kneen will have a full assembly of machinery at his disposal including the ex-TAS Suzuki Superbike and a brand new 600cc Honda built to World Supersport specification. Kneen will also have selected outings on Burrows’ Kawasaki Supertwin whilst also retaining the use of the Marks Bloom Charted Accountants/Wemoto 1000cc Suzuki Superstock machine.

The Dungannon businessman explained: "I wanted an exciting young rider that could take the team forward and Dan is the man in my opinion. He's already a proven top ten international finisher and with our quality machinery I believe he will be even closer to the top step of the podiums this year. I have no doubt that it's a combination that will work well."

26-year-old Kneen from Braddan on the Isle of Man has been hampered in recent times by injury, which affected all of the last three seasons, but he remains one of the brightest young talents in road racing. He shot to prominence in 2008 when he scored a unique Manx Grand Prix treble, winning the newcomers, Junior and Ultra-Lightweight races. Since then he has matured into a top class international competitor with six top ten TT finishes to his credit and a best placed fifth in the 2010 Supersport 2 Race.

Kneen, who has a fastest TT lap of over 127mph, has also made his mark in Ireland, taking top ten finishes in the North West 200. He achieved two wins at the Dundrod '150' meeting and took sixth and seventh in the two Ulster GP Supersport races in the same year. Kneen has made three visits to the Macau Grand Prix with a best finish of ninth in 2012.

Speaking about the year ahead, Kneen commented: "I'm delighted to be joining John Burrows' team. I feel that John and his crew will provide me with everything that I need to challenge for international podium finishes. His bikes will be as good as anything around. In previous years, I've had to take care of all of the machine preparation myself but this year I will be able to concentrate solely on the racing. I'm going to have a great opportunity to show what I can do and I'm really looking forward to mixing it up at the front."

He continued: "My main aim is podium finishes at the TT but I'll also be looking to go well in Ireland. I don't know any of the national circuits but John's experience will be a great help at all the places that are new to me and I'm confident that I can put on a good show everywhere, starting at Cookstown. I'd like to thank John for putting his faith in me and thanks to Marks Bloom for their continued support."

Tickets are now on sale and selling fast for the 2014 TT Races. Glencrutchery Road Grandstand race day tickets are sold out but there are still TT Fan Zone Grandstand tickets available at Ballacrye, Creg Ny Baa and Nobles Park during practice and race days. Grandstand tickets are also available by purchasing VIP or Platinum Hospitality tickets. All tickets are available from www.iomtt.com or by phoning 00 44 (0)1624 640000.

_