The Circuito San Juan Villicum will host its inaugural round of the World Superbike Championship, Round 12 of the 2018 season. As a new venue for the entire grid, the circuit presents a level playing field with no previous setup data for teams to work from.
Both Leon Camier and Jake Gagne are looking to build off their pace in France, where they improved on their CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 machines each session.
Camier is expecting a busy weekend of setup work without any previous reference for riding at the track. The opening sessions will be crucial for understanding the direction for the remainder of the weekend. For Gagne, the Circuito San Juan Villicum offers a chance to learn with the rest of the field, rather than trying to catch up to years of previous experience.
Riders will get their first taste of the circuit on Thursday during the track walk, but Villicum looks set to present a sizeable challenge with its 19 corners and 1 kilometre long straight. The eight right hand corners and 11 lefts present a mix of fast and flowing corners, such as Turn 5, and tight technical sections as from Turn 13 to 16.
The twelfth round of the WorldSBK championship commences with Free Practice 1 at 0945 local time (GMT -3) on Friday. Race 1, the first ever race at Villicum, will begin at 1600 local time on Saturday, while Race 2 on Sunday starts at 1600.

Motorcycle Live – the UK’s biggest bike show – opens its door at The NEC, Birmingham next month for a nine-day spectacular of all things two-wheeled. The event offers something to entertain everyone, no matter what their age or ability on a motorcycle.

In fact, there’s so much for kids to do, you’ll be hard-pushed to fit it all in to one day – and the best bit? 11-16 year olds get in for just £1 and those aged 10 and under go FREE*, so you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a really great day out. Here’s our top ten ways to keep the youngsters entertained at Motorcycle Live…

1) A taste for two wheels 
The Strider Adventure Zone is back, providing a safe and friendly riding area with ramps, see saws and rumple strips that encourages kids aged 18 months to 5 years to explore balance and mobility on a bike. Demo bikes and helmets are provided in this FREE feature that will give your little one a taste for life on two wheels and start them on their journey to becoming a motorcyclist.

2) Go dirt riding
A full-powered Arenacross Experience will return to Motorcycle Live this year, with two mini-AX dirt tracks suitable for first-time and intermediate ability girls and boys from the ages of 4 to 12 years. Youngsters will get the chance to ride an ultra-cool electric AX machine, kitted head-to-toe in the latest AX-branded kit with instructions from the best AX coaches – and best of all, the experience is totally FREE!

3) Take a motorcycling lesson
Youngsters aged 14 and over can take advantage of a FREE 20-minute riding lesson with a professional instructor at the Get On feature sponsored by Lexham Insurance. Participants will be introduced to the brakes, gears and slow speed handling, giving them that all-important first experience of motorcycling in a safe and friendly environment.

4) See a mind-blowing show
Moto-Cirque is a brand-new FREE live action arena that promises to bring the very latest technology together with world class stunt riders, lasers and music. With seats so close to the action, your kids will feel like your part of the show! Moto-Cirque will take place three times a day at weekends and twice times a day during the week.

5) Go autograph hunting  
Motorcycle Live is one of the best places in the UK to meet racers while they’re relaxed and away from the stresses of the paddock. Arm yourself with the daily schedule of autograph signings and rider appearances and make it you and your kids’ mission to seek out as many of their racing heroes as you can!

6) Race an Ace
Take it one step further than just meeting your racing heroes and try and beat them at their own game! ‘Race the Ace’ takes place at 11.30am every day on the Blackhorse Stage and sees a well-known racer go head-to-head with a member of the audience on the Isle of Man TT computer game. Children aged 14+ can take part.

7) Try the bikes for size
It’s not just the grown-ups who can climb aboard the hundreds of bikes on display and try them for size – manufacturers are more than happy to see the kids giving them a go too. There’s nothing quite like sitting astride a big, shiny motorbike to bring a big, cheesy grin to a child’s face!

8) Try all the latest kit
Motorcycle Live is a fantastic one-stop-shop for all the latest motorcycle kit and accessories, with loads of retailers offering jackets, trousers, boots, helmets and casual wear for kids. Get them trying on all the gear they’ll need to be riding pillion with you or even getting on their own two wheels in the not-too-distant future.

9) Be amazed by the weird and wacky
Aside form the brand-new bikes on display, there are also some weird and wacky machines that will amaze the youngsters. Head to the Custom Xtreme Zone supported by Back Street Heroes to feast your eyes on some unique, hand-built beauties.

10) Show them how cool you can be…
Ok, so number 10 is really for the adults BUT just imagine how cool your kid will think you are when they see you having a go at adventure riding, kitting up to head out with the Yamaha MT Tour or trying your hand at Trials. Get involved!

Motorcycle Live 2018 takes place at The NEC, Birmingham from 17-25 November. Advance tickets are on sale now priced at just £19.50 per adult, £12 for Seniors, £1 for 11-16 year olds* and FREE for children aged ten and under*. There is also a £25 advance ticket, which includes entry to the show and an Oxford HD MAX disc lock worth £25.00.

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

"Riding a 1970 BMW R75-5 - in the south of Namibia."
- Annerien Scholz 

After ten years, the Dainese Group returns to INTERMOT with exciting new Touring products and airbag technology. Dainese introduces Explorer, the new product line made especially for on & off road Adventure Touring. The third generation of D-air® products is also debuting, making available the highest level of protection for every type of use, including for female riders. AGV introduces AX9, the helmet that combines the best of both Touring and off road.
With the release of Explorer, the new Dainese product line, the definition of Touring is updated to incorporate these products, which are the perfect blend of technology, comfort, and safety.
From the glacial cold of the Arctic Circle to scorching hot deserts, by way of Alpine passes and infinite lengths of road, the Dainese Explorer products are designed to protect pilots and passengers in the most extreme weather conditions.
Dainese is making use of the experience it gained with MIT in developing the gear for the astronauts who will go on Mission to Mars 2030. Special attention has been given to analyzing, studying, and mapping the lines of non-extension: The areas of the body along which body movement causes neither stretching or contraction. This knowledge has led to a guarantee of unprecedented lightness and comfort in a product with advanced ergonomics and an exceptional fit.
Designed for on & off road Adventure riding on the planet’s coldest land, the Antarctica outfit is the adventurous soul of Explorer. Antarctica offers exceptional isolation from external temperatures and atmospheric agents. It also embodies Dainese’s technological excellence, providing highly innovative solutions like the Fast-Fit lumbar band that can be adjusted externally to customize the fit without having to open the garment, and the new patented Trixior® material that ensures superior abrasion resistance.
In Cologne, Dainese will also introduce its new product range with the integrated D-air® airbag, which has been expanded and completely updated to guarantee an unparalleled level of protection and to meet the needs of every type of motorbike rider. Relying on more than 20 years of research and the analysis of over 1,500 deployments, the bag in the D-air® system has been purposely designed to only cover areas of the body that truly require protection. Plus, the protection has been diversified according to track or road use. For the first time, Dainese’s D-air® airbag, the company’s feather in its cap, is now integrated into a divisible suit and also comes in a women’s version for female customers.
The historic Italian brand AGV is once again proving itself to be the natural extension of the Dainese Group head-to-toe safety system. Pista GP R is the perfect complement to the D-air® product range. It represents the state of the art for technology applied to protection, which is further confirmation of its role as the crowned jewel in the AGV racing product range.
The new AX9 helmet is being seen for the first time at Intermot. This helmet together with SPORTMODULAR, the 2017 breakthrough, complete the AGV Touring range and stand out as the ideal complements to the Dainese Explorer line.
AX9 combines the comfort of a Touring helmet with the style of an Off Road helmet. AX9 inherited the visor with Max Pinlock from the world of the Grand Tours, then it added a more comfortable lining and borrowed lightness from the Off Road sector, all of which places this helmet firmly in the top of its category.
All of the Dainese Group new products being introduced at INTERMOT 2018 will be on display in Pavilion 8, Stand C024-D029.

LEGENDARY racer Freddie Spencer, universally known as Fast Freddie, will be the Guest of Honour at the Carole Nash Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic on January 5-6, bringing a real international flavour to the season starter, held at Newark Showground.
After a hugely successful career in his native USA – the 1978 AMA 250cc Championship being his first big series win – Freddie got his first taste of international racing as part of the USA team in the 1980 Transatlantic Trophy Match Races, winning two races at Brands Hatch and beating World Champions Kenny Roberts and Barry Sheene in the process.
By 1982 Freddie was a full-time Honda Grand Prix rider and in just one year in Europe he won his first 500cc World Championship, giving him the distinction of being the youngest rider ever to secure the title – aged just 21.
The following year saw a battle royal between fellow American Kenny Roberts and Spencer with the latter snatching the title by just two points. However, it was the 1985 season that truly cemented Freddie’s name in the history books when he did the unthinkable and won both the 250cc and 500cc titles, becoming the only rider in Grand Prix history to pull off such a feat.
Freddie will be interviewed live on stage by Steve Plater, and will be available for autographs and photos throughout the weekend. Event organiser Nick Mowbray said:
“Having worked with Freddie before, we are really excited for him to appear at the show. He is a great character and will certainly help to set the scene of excitement for the classic motorcycling event season!”
The show, which takes place over the weekend of January 5-6 at Newark Showground in Nottinghamshire, features a huge autojumble, trade stands, packed scooter halls, and new for 2019 an indoor Scooter World start up area, bringing the sounds and smells of the past in to the New Year.
For more information visit and to buy advance tickets go to www.newarkclassicbikeshow.com or call 01507 529529.