Tyco Suzuki has confirmed the signing of talented Ballymoney road racer William Dunlop for the 2014 season. The 28-year-old will ride alongside Lincolnshire's Guy Martin in next season's Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy as well as the other international road races - The North West 200, and The Ulster Grand Prix.

Dunlop will also take in a selection of national road races during 2014, and will partner Guy Martin at the Southern 100 in July - aboard a full stable of GSX-R machinery decked out in Tyco Suzuki livery.

Dunlop's 2013 TT campaign included joining the Superbike '130mph Club' at this year's and victory in the second Supersport race at the Ulster Grand Prix. He made his TT debut in 2006 and has two Monster Energy Supersport TT Race podiums, with third place finishes in 2012 and 2013.

He is delighted at the prospect of joining his local Northern Ireland based team for 2014 and said "Now that I have it all signed off I'm pretty excited to be honest. I know how fast the Tyco Suzuki GSX-R600 is having followed Guy Martin this year at the Southern 100 and his results on the Superbike at the Ulster Grand Prix speak for themselves. I never expected to be riding for Hector and Philip this year but it just shows you what can happen in racing, and now that I am I can't wait to get started."

Philip Neill - Team Manager: "We are very pleased to complete our road racing line-up for 2014. It was a fairly last minute agreement with William, but one that we are delighted to announce, and our goal is now to help him achieve his first Isle of Man TT victory in 2014. As well as the three internationals, we will also compete in a number of national events with him next season.

"He's a very talented rider and I believe he's now at the right stage of his career to challenge for victories at all three internationals, and not just in the 600 class I might add, as he's also a very good Superbike rider."

Paul Phillips, TT and Motorsport Manager, Isle of Man Government commented: "William was one of the riders that we highlighted in our 2007 young guns advertising campaign and he's clearly now come of age as a rider. This deal represents the next stage of his TT career and next year's TT could well be the year when he finally achieves his potential and is the next Dunlop to stand on the top step at the TT. I'm sure that this news will already add to the anticipation around TT2014."

Former Isle of Man TT Sidecar Race winner Ian Bell is set to make a sensational return to the Mountain Course with confirmation that he will contest the 2014 event, adding further quality to what’s already the world's leading Sidecar race.

The Bedlington motorcycle dealer, who will be competing on Yamaha machinery, last raced at the TT in 2004, a year after he won the opening 3-lap race with passenger Neil Carpenter, but a heavy practice spill at Hillberry resulted in arm and hand injuries and led to him retiring from all competition. However, he was soon back in the driving seat, this time with son Carl in the chair and they will now contest the two races to be held next June with Carl making his debut around the 37 and ¾ mile course.

A former Southern 100 solo champion, Bell made the switch to three wheels in the mid 1990s and was an instant success at the TT where, with Craig Hallam in the chair, stunning finishes of fifth and sixth in 1995 saw him a deserved winner of the Peter Chapman Newcomers Trophy.

Two years later, Bell and Carpenter took their first podium finish with third in the second race of 1997 and they went one place better in 1999 with second behind Rob Fisher. Over the next four years, Bell and Carpenter regularly challenged the likes of Dave Molyneux and Fisher for the race wins and they finally got to stand on the top step of the podium in the first race of 2003. Although its 11 years since he last contested the TT, Bell’s best lap of 110.81mph still makes him the 16th fastest driver of all time.

Since returning to the sport in 2007, Ian and Carl have been regular front runners in the British F2 Championship taking the title in 2012 as well as becoming the Southern 100 Champions in 2009, which was Ian’s third three-wheel title around the Billown course following his successes in 1999 and 2000. The pair have also been regular winners at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough.

Speaking about his comeback to the TT, Ian said: “I’ve been giving a TT comeback some consideration for quite some time and now it feels right with my son Carl having gained enough experience in the passenger’s seat for us to go and do a decent job there. We’ll go with no expectations other than to have fun and to see how we get on.”

BMF Show organisers The Mulberry Group have announced improvements and a larger Classic & Vintage area for the 2014 May Show at the Peterborough Arena.

At this year’s May show, the Classic & Vintage was launched and after reviewing the very positive feed-back from show attendees it will return and it will be bigger with a completely new area – The Fire-it-Up zone.

Mulberry’s MD Martin Chick said “After discussing the initial set-up for May this year a lot of people told us that they would love to hear, not only see the machines on display – so we have responded and set up a temporary arena immediately outside the Atrium which houses the Classic & Vintage exhibitors to be known as the Fire-it-Up zone”

“Exhibitors will be able to ride their bikes around or merely fire them up so the sounds of some amazing machines can be heard, by some, possibly for the first time!”

A full list of those exhibiting will soon be populating the BMF shows web pages www.thebmfshow.co.uk (follow the links to the Classic & Vintage area).

The BMF May show runs at the Peterborough Arena 16-18 May 2014. Advance tickets now on sale www.thebmfshow.co.uk or via the hotline: 0844 8845151

The North East of England has seen the biggest increase in accident rates for killed and seriously injured people in 2012, according to IAM’s analysis of recent data produced by the Department for Transport[1].

Figures for 2012 show that the rate[2] of reported killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties in the North East has increased by eight per cent since 2011, an extra 65 KSI incidents.

The South East, which was one of the worst regions for road safety last year, has made the biggest improvement with an eight per cent decrease in 2011/2012. This follows a ten per cent increase 2010/2011.  However, London did see an increase of 217 in the number of killed and serious injured accidents in 2012.

The South West saw a six per cent increase in accident rates for the most serious crashes with 127 additional killed or serious injured accidents.

There are reductions in the North West, South East, and West Midlands, cancelling out small increases in Yorkshire and Humber, East of England and London, giving an overall reduction of two per cent in accident rates for England.

A two per cent increase has pushed Yorkshire and Humberside to the top of the accident rate table.  Per head of population you are more likely to be killed or injured in Yorkshire and Humberside than anywhere else in England.  

The ‘live’ in Motorcycle Live is being taken to a whole new level this year with a brand-new action-packed stunt show that threatens to rip the roof off The NEC!

Crank’d takes home-grown superstars from motorcycle trials, BMX, mountain bike trials, and road bike stunt riding and blends these pedal and petrol-powered performers together for a battle of the cranks over a specially-constructed indoor playground of dirt ramps, jump boxes, high jumps and flatbed sections.

With internet sensation Christian ‘DJ-BBQ’ Stevenson hosting three shows each day and four at a weekend over the duration of Motorcycle Live, Crank’d will feature former Motorcycle Trials Junior World Champion Jack Challoner alongside Alexz Wigg. Two-time World BMX Champ Kye Forte will also take part with fellow BMX riders Ben Hennon, Bob Manchester and Kona Hellier, plus former British MTB Trials champion Chris Doney along with Chris Akrigg. All riders will also take part in autograph sessions.

Last summer 30-year-old Forte broke the Guinness World Record for a BMX High Jump when he cleared a bar set at almost 21 feet – an achievement that’s attracted in excess of 200,000 YouTube views. The exact same ramp will be used in the Crank’d set up with another attempt at the Guinness World Record taking place during Motorcycle Live.

The Crank’d live action show will take place in the centre of Hall 4 - Free of Charge - at the following times:

- 11.30, 1.00pm, 2.30pm and 4.00pm Friday, Saturdays and Sundays

- 12.00, 2.00pm and 3.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Motorcycle Live 2013 takes place at The NEC, Birmingham from 23 November to 1 December 2013. Advance tickets are just £17 per adult, £11 for Seniors and £7 for children aged 6-16* (kids aged five and under accompanied by a paying adult go free). Bike parking is free of charge and subject to availability. Reduced car parking costs of £8 – subsidised by Motorcycle Live.

To book your tickets, call 0844 581 2345 or visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk