The British Motor Museum is gearing up to run a full schedule of motoring shows and events this year. Following the Government’s road map announcement the Museum is planning to reopen on 17 May and is delighted to say that its popular show season will also return in line with all government guidelines.

Over 14 shows and rallies are being planned for the summer, to include the return of several popular events such as the Land Rover Show, Retro Truck Show as well as some brand-new events. The show season kicks off with the ever popular Metro and Mini Show on 6 June followed by 3 car club rallies: Ford Nationals on 27 June and the TR Drivers Day and Mogfest on 10 July. The BMC and Leyland Show will return on 11 July, the Old Ford Rally on 18 July and take two of the MGF’s 25^th anniversary with the MGF 25+1 Anniversary Rally on 24 July.

The Museum is asking all visitors and exhibitors planning to be at any of the gatherings, rallies or shows to pre-book their tickets early to avoid disappointment. Events around the country will have limited capacity in keeping with Government guidelines.

The Gaydon Land Rover Show is back on 31 July & 1 August (a changed date for 2021) bringing the finest vehicles, owners and historians together for a weekend dedicated to this iconic marque. The EV Electric Vehicle Festival takes place on the 7 August and the Classic and Vintage Commercial Show, which this year includes the Transit Van Club Rally and Classic Van and Pick Up Show, returns on 14 & 15 August (also a changed date).

Continuing through the summer, new to Gaydon is ‘Autolicious’ on 29 August. This event presented by Audi-licious is a rare opportunity to see an array of stunning cars on display including Audi, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes, Lamborghini and VW.

The Gaydon Jaguar Show, which began in 2020, returns on 4 September and is billed as a friendly, informal gathering for all Jaguar fans, owners and enthusiasts. The Retro Truck Show returns on 11 & 12 September and to round the show season off the last two events are indoor; the Large Model Aircraft Show on 24 October and the Great British Model Railway Show on 30 & 31 October.

The Museum is keen to remind any car clubs still looking for a venue for a rally, gathering or marque event for 2021 or beyond, that the Museum offers the perfect setting with its two hard standing arenas as well as indoor meeting space. It also offers special discounted rates for clubs. To find out more contact the bookings team on 01926 649649.

The Museum will continue to monitor the Government advice and keep visitors informed of any changes. All visitors are reminded that in line with the Museum’s new policy, everyone, including those with annual passes, must pre-book tickets so they can be contacted if there are any changes to the show. 

Tickets for most of the events are now on sale and more information about these can be found at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on 2021 admission prices have been frozen from 2020 and are: Adults £14.50, Children £9 (5-16 years), under 5’s free, Concessions £12.50 and a Family ticket £40 (2 adults & up to 3 children). These prices exclude 5 special show days – see website for details. Tickets to the events also include entry to the Museum & Collections Centre.

APRILIA PREPARES FOR THE SECOND ROUND IN QATAR

The double race on the same circuit is one of the changes that the MotoGP circus made in response to the limitations generated by the international situation. After the experience last season, riders and teams have learned to tackle what is, in all actuality, a new challenge. In fact, the double round presents some unique situations: the setup, if possible, must go into even more detail, without neglecting the obvious adjustments to the changed asphalt conditions.

This is no simple task, particularly for Aprilia, as they are still exploring the potential of the revamped RS-GP. Feedback from the first GP was positive, especially for Aleix Espargaró, finishing seventh but having brought his bike to a gap of just 5 seconds and 93 hundredths from the winner. Never, in all its history, has Aprilia been so high in the MotoGP field.

Lorenzo Savadori, on the other hand, will be making the most of the experience gained during the first weekend. Still not perfectly at ease, both because of a lack of confidence on the new bike and due to a shoulder which continues to limit him, Lorenzo will continue his apprenticeship, seeking to increase his performance level.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"The first weekend gave us the feedback we were looking for. We showed, even for those who were sceptical, that we have taken a step forward in the race, as well as in practice. We still have room to grow and the double round here in Doha will give us a chance to continue improving the RS-GP. Goals? Shaving off a few tenths in qualifying and increasing race pace. Getting even closer to the leaders would mean battling for an important result. It won’t be easy. Everyone will have the chance to improve, including solving some problems they had in the first race, so I expect the competition to be even fiercer."

LORENZO SAVADORI
"Even if the first race didn’t go as we had hoped, for us it was important to gather information on how the new bike behaves. We’ll use what we learned last weekend to set up our work. We know what our weak points will be and that’s where we’ll have to focus. During the break, I tried to recuperate as much as possible and, although it has improved, my shoulder is still a limitation. The situation is manageable during practice, but I can definitely feel the strain in the race."

ALEIX BATTLES, SETS THE PACE AND STAYS WITH THE BEST: APRILIA IS IN THE MIX

A SEVENTH PLACE THAT BOOSTS CONFIDENCE AND PROVIDES CERTAINTIES

The question mark was erased with a great performance by Aleix in the first race in Qatar. The new Aprilia RS-GP is fast, consistent and capable of battling with the best. The seventh-place finish today is worth more than it might seem. The gap from the leader is under six seconds, despite a few tenths lost in overtaking - an important message that rewards the hard work on the track and in Noale.

After a good start, Aleix suffered a few attacks straight away in the early stages where, with a full tank, the rider from Granollers preferred not taking any pointless risks. Once he had set his pace, he began an unstoppable comeback, with times that made him the fastest on track in the central phase of the race. Precise and confident overtaking, Espargaró clawed his way all the way up to a seventh-place finish.

It was a demanding race for teammate Savadori, reckoning with a shoulder that suffered over race distance and with a feeling that still needs to be perfected. For the Italian rookie, finishing the race, accumulating data and gaining experience was fundamental, as well as setting up his race for next week, which will once again be here in Qatar.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I am happy. Seventh place may not seem like much, but I showed that I am able to stay with the best all the way to the end, with a gap behind the leader that had never before been so low. In some stages of the race I was cautious, especially overtaking, where I tried to be clean and not risk, and that certainly cost us a few tenths. But after the positive tests and after all the efforts of the team here and in Noale, it was important not to make any mistakes. Now we definitely know that we can be in the game. We are fast, not only in practice, but also when it counts, and that is fundamental."

LORENZO SAVADORI
"A difficult race, both because of my shoulder that was bothering me, especially at the beginning, and also because we still need to improve. I don’t have the right feeling to push. I struggle with a full tank and managing the tyres. Finishing the race was important because, analysing the data, we’ll be able to continue working on the RS-GP. The bike definitely has great potential, as Aleix’s performance demonstrates. Now, during the days off, I’ll try to recuperate as much as possible to be ready for next weekend."

GOOD PACE AND THIRD ROW ON THE GRID: ALEIX READY FOR THE FIRST RACE OF THE SEASON

LORENZO CONTINUES TO IMPROVE, CONSISTENTLY RECUPERATING PHYSICALLY

There are certain sessions where you have to look deeper into the analysis, without stopping at the final position. That was the case for the first qualifiers of the season today in Qatar, where Aleix finished with the eighth best time (1'53.315) and a spot on the third row. However, the timer also shows that less than one tenth separates him from the second row, whereas just over 2 tenths kept him from finishing on the first row.

These stats confirm both the extraordinary level MotoGP has reached, where riders are increasingly more often separated by incredibly small gaps, and the good form demonstrated by the Aleix/Aprilia duo.

On the other side of the garage, Lorenzo Savadori continues working hard, able to count on a consistently improving physical condition. The Italian is gradually making up the time lost during the winter tests, trying to improve the settings on his RS-GP. Tomorrow, he will be adding more, fundamental miles to his apprenticeship.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I can confirm what I said yesterday in terms of feeling with the bike. I'm having fun riding the new RS-GP and I believe in its potential. We may still have some limits in qualifying. I did some very good laps without mistakes, but it wasn’t enough for a spot on the second row. Race strategies will be fundamental. Today we saw some incredible times, but tomorrow in the final laps, race pace will go up quite a bit. We’ll see how this will translate for us. Today we did a few long runs, but this bike’s true potential is still unknown."

LORENZO SAVADORI
"Thanks especially to the good conditions of my shoulder, we are trying to work on the bike to make up for lost time during the winter tests, where I was unable to do more than 2 or 3 laps in a row. We are still lacking something, despite the fact that I could have improved my time in qualifying if I hadn’t made a small mistake. We’ll see tomorrow. Some of our rivals don’t seem so far away in terms of pace, but I'm curious to see how the RS-GP performs."

Over 100 stunning customs will be on display...

On Sunday 23rd May the beautiful regency Town Hall in Cheltenham will be packed full of top drawer custom and retro bikes from all over the UK. 
This is a great opportunity for some of the UK's finest bike builders to show us what they have been building in their sheds over lockdown. It's also a fabulous chance for visitors to jump on their bikes and blast through the Cotswolds into Cheltenham for a great day out with their mates.

The whole show takes place inside and around the wonderful Town Hall and the stunning Imperial Gardens, there is a licensed bar and cafe inside the Hall and outside in the gardens!

Due to Covid protocols we can only have half capacity in the hall at any one time so we have introduced a morning session and an afternoon session. It's an all ticket event with limited numbers.

To buy your tickets please visit http://www.ticketsource.co.uk and just enter kickback in search button.

KICKBACK: The UK's Custom + Retro Bike Show is at the Town Hall in Cheltenham GL50 1NQ on Sunday 23rd May. Open from 10am - 1.30pm and 1.30pm - 5pm.