Four times World Superbikes Champion Carl Fogarty and ex-British Champion James Whitham will be the special guests at the launch of the Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes service at the RAF Museum, Cosford.

Carl said: “I am pleased to support the Blood Bikes service which do such a great job in delivering urgently required blood and other medical items to NHS patients, helping tosave lives.”

The newly formed Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes already have over 100 volunteer riders and supporters, ready to commence operations in support of the NHS this month with its first two specially equipped motorcycles.

SSBB Chairman Chris Powdrill said: “We are delighted to have Carl Fogarty and TV pundit James Whitham with us to support the official launch of the Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes, to be hosted by BBCRadio Shropshire’s Jim Hawkins. The emergency Blood Bikes service is a charity run entirely by volunteers, providing a vital service delivering blood and medical items which can save the NHS up to £300 per urgent delivery compared to thecost of using commercial couriers. SSBB is fortunate to have raised sufficient funds to purchase its first two blood bikes but will need six bikes to provide cover for the whole of Shropshire and Staffordshire.”

The SSBB launch event at RAF Museum Cosford at 2pm on 22nd January is open to everyone interested in the work of the Blood Bikes and coincides with Carl and James’ visit to Telford, where they will stage a leg of their UK chat show ‘Foggy and Whit - Givin’ it Gas’ at The Place later that evening. For full details of the tour visit www.foggyandwhit.co.uk

If you would like to be involved or support Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes, visit here

The Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI) is optimistic about motorcycle sales during 2014, after surveying its members, following Motorcycle Live.

Interest at Motorcycle Live, the Association’s flagship show, is traditionally a barometer which predicts sales for the coming year. Intention to buy a bike seems to be high, with Kawasaki’s exit poll showing this could be as many as nearly 50% of those visiting the show.

Figures released today, show that new registrations for December 2013 were 11.3% up on the same time for 2012. This follows increases for September 8% and October 6.7%, compared to the same time the previous year.

CEO of the MCI, Steve Kenward, explained that any upturn in the motorcycle market is a good indication that economic recovery is sustained.

“The motorcycle market in the UK has taken longer to pick up than the car market. The majority of our sales are to leisure customers, and so upgrading the bike regularly became a casualty of reduced disposable income. That seems to be changing from what our members are reporting with regard to intention to buy in 2014.

“Though the UK motorcycle market has fared better than mainland Europe, it’s been a tough few years, and those areas where there has been growth tended to be from new customers looking for more economical ways to commute."

General Manager of Kawasaki, Howard Dale explained: “This is our one chance per year to meet the maximum number of current, past and future customers. Just about every Kawasaki Motors UK head office staff member worked at the show during its 9 day run, and they were all unanimous in reporting that the reception to the stand, new machines, Kawasaki riders and attractions was overwhelming. New models were a particular draw.

“Perhaps the most encouraging and exciting thing to come out of the show for us was that an independent exit poll we commissioned to gain opinion on those leaving the Kawasaki stand told us that almost half of our visitors are ready to buy during the forthcoming 2014 sales season”.

Head of Honda Motorcycles UK, Nick Campolucci is optimistic for 2014 and beyond: “In a market which at present remains flat, Honda (UK) is seeing signs of improvement on the previous year. We are 3.9% up on sales volume (2013 vs. 2012) and 1% up on market share (up from 17.5% to 18.5% across all sectors, 2013 vs. 2012). These are of course positive figures and we are optimistic that there will be further improvements going forward, with the introduction of several new 2014 models in the coming months and modest growth in the total market in the coming years.

Yamaha’s General Manager for Sales and Marketing, Adam Kelley says they too felt interest at the show suggested confidence in the UK market for 2014 is well founded, “There was a real buzz both on our stand and at the show in general. The market is changing and we were particularly pleased by the interest level in many of our new models as well as the existing line-up both from existing and non Yamaha customers. It has left us with a more positive feeling about sales in 2014”.

Harley Davidson’s UK manager David Hackshall is looking forward to a particularly good year: “We had an amazing response at Motorcycle Live with our best ever level of customer enquiries driven through the Harley-Davidson stand team. This gives us a very positive outlook for the coming year.”

Additional late morning qualifying session to be held on Thursday 29th May

The Isle of Man Government and ACU Events have released the regulations that the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy will be run under, confirming the times and dates of the qualifying sessions and races.

The race schedule is broadly the same as 2013 with four race days, starting with the Dainese Superbike Race on Saturday 31st May at 11.00am followed by the first Sure Sidecar Race at 2pm.

Monday 2nd June opens up with the first Monster Energy Supersport Race at 10.45am with the RL 360 Superstock Race at 2pm. Wednesday 4th June sees three races, beginning with the SES TT Zero Challenge at 10.45am followed by the second Monster Energy Supersport Race and concluding with the second Sure Sidecar Race.

The race meeting concludes on Friday 6th June with the bikesocial.co.uk Lightweight TT ahead of the traditional climax of the meeting, the PokerStars Senior TT.

The Qualifying schedule begins with the opportunity for solo and sidecar newcomers to get their speed controlled laps on Saturday 24th May from 6.20pm before Lightweight and Sidecar competitors get their first laps in from 6.50pm. Supersport, Superstock and Superbike competitors will begin their qualifying from Monday 26th May. Dedicated qualifying sessions continue until Friday 30th May and there are also qualifying sessions scheduled on all race days.

However, in a change to previous years, subject to a public consultation there will be an additional qualifying session on Thursday 29th May for all classes from 10.15am to 12.40pm. Superbike, Superstock and Supersport machines will go out between 10.15am and 11.00am with Supersport and Lightweight machines scheduled to be on track between 11.05am and 11.50am and Sidecars from 11.55am to 12.40pm.

Commenting on the change, Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson, MBE, Director, ACU Events said: "We have proposed an additional qualifying session this year to mitigate against restricted practice time to ensure that machines and riders are given every opportunity to practice ahead of races. Last year we had to postpone the Superbike Race to allow riders to get additional practice time."

"We will be consulting with all relevant parties to ensure that the additional session may be possible in order to minimise any perceived disruption to the public. I would like to thank both the Isle of Man Government's Department of Infrastructure and the Isle of Man TT Marshals Association for their support."

Entries for the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy are now open. Competitors and teams wishing to enter should go here to register. Entries close for the 2014 event on 28th of February.

The German manufacturer BMW are to recall 1,000's of motorcycles built between January 2004 and 2012 (both boxer and four-cylinder models), over a possible fuel leak.

It has been discovered that a fuel pump flange on theses models can crack, causing petrol to escape. Customers are to be notified and the flanges will be modified and replaced as necessary.

BMW GB are however anxious to point out this is not a matter for panic, as there have been no safety issues related to this in the UK. Owners will either have the fix carried out for free at a BMW dealer at their request or at the next service. A spokesman added: "Technically it is not classed as a ‘recall’ in the UK, as it is not safety related and customers will not be asked to immediately return their bikes to the dealers. We would class it as a campaign."

The measures follow an investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into consumer complaints. The fault concerns more than 50,000 motorcycles in America alone.

One owner told the NHTSA: “I started the motorcycle engine and a few seconds after it started, gasoline started to gush from the front of the bike onto the engine. Before I knew it, I was in a puddle of gasoline. I shut it off as soon as I realized what was happening. I mopped up the gasoline off of the floor to eliminate the fire danger.”

A report posted by BMW on the NHTSA’s website says the first warrantee claim describing a fuel leak was received in 2006.

The models affected are:

BMW HP2 ENDURO 2006
BMW HP2 MEGAMOTO 2008-2009
BMW HP2 SPORT 2008-2010
BMW K 1200 GT 2006-2008
BMW K 1200 R 2006-2008
BMW K 1200 R SPORT 2007
BMW K 1200 S 2005-2008
BMW K 1300 GT 2009-2011
BMW K 1300 S 2009-2011
BMW K 1600 GT 2012
BMW K 1600 GTL 2012
BMW R 1200 GS 2005-2011
BMW R 1200 GS ADVENTURE 2006-2011
BMW R 1200 R 2007-2011
BMW R 1200 RT 2005-2011
BMW R 1200 S 2007
BMW R 1200 ST2005-2007
BMW S 1000 RR2010-2011

www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk

Reigning Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy Privateer’s Champion Lee Johnston has confirmed his participation at the 2014 event by again teaming up with East Coast Racing.

The Lincolnshire-based team will run 24-year old Johnston in all solo classes with the Northern Irishman riding Hondas in the Dainese Superbike, PokerStars Senior, RL360º Superstock and Monster Energy Supersport Races. He will again contest the Bikesocial.co.uk Lightweight TT on board a 650cc ER6 Kawasaki.

Without doubt, Johnston, a former British Junior Superstock Champion and front runner in the British Supersport Championship, has the potential to become a major TT star and has been a revelation since committing to road racing, enjoying a particularly successful 2013 TT campaign.

Despite only his second Mountain Course meeting ‘the General’, as he is affectionately known, was a clear winner in the TT Privateer’s Championship, achieving a best result of ninth in the Bikesocial.co.uk Lightweight TT Race. However, it was, arguably, the PokerStars Senior Race where was most impressive, as he not only took 11th on his privateer Honda but also lapped at a superb 126.358mph, becoming the 26th fastest rider in TT history.

Joining the East Coast Racing team only weeks prior to the 2013 event, Johnston also took 12th in the Superstock race, 13th in the Superbike and 17th in the second Supersport race to complete a truly excellent week.

His road racing credentials were also proved elsewhere during the 2013 season as he took four top-eight finishes at the Ulster Grand Prix, including a brace of thirds in the Supersport and Supertwin Races, and lapped the Dundrod course at 131.559mph. In addition, he claimed his debut podium at the North West 200, third in the Supersport Race, took ninth at the Macau Grand Prix and enjoyed a solid debut at the Scarborough Gold Cup. Now based in Hull, Johnston also finished fourth in the National Superstock 1000cc Race at Cadwell Park.

Speaking about his 2014 TT plans, Johnston commented: “I still feel like a rookie around the Mountain Circuit. I got so few laps done in 2012 that 2013 really felt like I was still a newcomer. I was carrying a leg injury into the event also and it was touch and go as to whether or not I’d be able to ride at all. As it turned out I don’t think it could have gone any better and I feel confident in my own ability now going back for my third year on the Island.”

He continued by saying: “Phil Reed at East Coast Construction has been brilliant to me with the support he is giving me and together I think we can look forward to a successful season. I’m still learning my way around the Mountain Circuit and there is no pressure on me to get results, but I am quietly confident that we can make further progress up the leader board in 2014.”