BOMB RUN 2018
Open Day and SWM and MASH Motorcycles Launch @ Bournemouth Bikes | 14th April 2018 - free event
Garstang Autojumble
Unwanted MCC's Ride In weekend
All Day Kawasaki Sunday - “Let the Good Times Roll” - Ace Cafe
Bikers' Church
Haynes Bikers Breakfast Ride-in

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ FORCED TO RETIRE DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH AN ELECTRICAL COMPONENT

The expectations that Aleix Espargaró had built with a great Saturday qualifying were not met due to a problem with a simple electrical component that began right from the start and which, after compromising his performance, forced Aleix to throw in the towel. The disappointment remains for a race in which Aleix entered as a protagonist after his great qualifiers yesterday, but also with the awareness that the potential demonstrated throughout the weekend, he is ready to bring home results on Sunday as well.

Scott Redding finished twelfth, thereby bringing home his first championship points with Aprilia. But his race - in any case positive - was conditioned by a backache that tormented him the whole weekend. For him as well, the Argentinian round represents a good base from which to pick up for the upcoming races, given the clear progress compared to his début race.


ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"To be honest, I felt very good today. But from the start, the bike responded strangely to the throttle when I accelerated from low speed. For everything else, the feeling was excellent, so much that for the first time in my career, I was able to handle the wet patches without any problems. Then things got worse with the collisions with Marquez and Petrucci who, quite frankly, took some avoidable risks. I cannot be happy with two consecutive zero finishes on two occasions when I felt like I could have battled for important positions. Now I want to recharge my batteries with my family before going to Austin, where we will pick back up from the good that we saw in these last two weekends."

SCOTT REDDING
"It was a very long race. After lining up on the grid, there were some rather confusing moments. Fortunately, the delayed start gave everyone a chance to gain a better understanding of the situation. Today it was basically about interpreting the track conditions straight away and I must say that things worked quite well. I lost ground on the longest straight, whereas on the rest of the track I managed to stay close to my rivals. I am happy with the final result, both because I rediscovered the feeling after Qatar and for the guys on the team who really had to work under pressure today. Riding along with the other riders for the entire race distance also gave me a chance to better understand where the RS-GP and I need to improve and that will help us in the upcoming races."

ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
"A difficult weekend but one in which we demonstrated our speed with both riders, referring to the good qualifiers on Saturday where we brought home some good results that could have been even better. In the race, we had an electrical problem with Aleix's bike and Scott did his job, considering the physical conditions in which he raced due to a devastating backache. A bit of luck will come."

FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"If I look at the entire weekend, I see a Saturday where we did very well. We won Q1 and we were also protagonists in the final qualifying session. Scott's race is certainly positive. He earned points racing with a bad backache. Aleix did very well in practice and in the race he was also in a position to bring home a good result. Unfortunately, it went the way it did and we just need to focus immediately on the next race."

Into The Valley 2018 - 4th to the 6th of May

Well, here are again for the start of another exciting rally season - Into The Valley is the first rally for Yorkshire MAG and we are expecting to have a great event. We will be starting early on Friday, as we did last year, so please join us for a few early afternoon and relaxing beers (or ciders) that have been hand crafted by the Yorkshire Brewing Company - all at a reasonable prices once again.

We have some excellent bands and comedians lined up for you. Early afternoons will have DJs and our very special friend Scott Dangleberry who you all know from previous rallies and especially from Yorkshire Pudding - the man is off the scale! Gunlaw will headline Friday night in the main stage whilst Old's Cool will headline on Saturday, with other bands, such as Glamrockz and Beckwater Bushwackers providing variety for everyone's tastes and fancies.

On Saturday, the Smacked Arse Comedy Show will bring you a number of outstanding comedians, with the well known headline act Chris Lynam offering some wacky and far out laughs to keep you all smiling.

Last year we relocated Into The Valley to Sledmere following 2016's inclement weather where many of our regular customers were not able to get to the event in South Dalton putting the rally in a financial predicament with no return of funds from this event to MAG UK. The decision to relocate was well made, with excellent feedback from our customers. OK - there were a few teething problems, as we would do with any other site, but we have planned and taken extra measures to prevent these issues reoccurring so that this year's rally is even better!

Firstly, we have increased the camping space available to customers - an extra large field will be available and marshals will ensure camp areas are not cramped as they were last year. Of course, with walled camp areas, people will not suffer unnecessarily from any inclement weather that may come our way. 

Secondly, more heaters in the main arena - just to keep you even more toasty.

Thirdly, more site security and a look out station will be erected. Last year's thefts were disappointing but we are not the only ones to experience this petty crime over the past five or so years, with other rallies and events being targeted. You can rest assured that we will do our utmost to prevent further thefts.

This rally will now be pre-book only with a limited about of tickets sold on a first come first served basis.

To the continued success of Into The Valley

Pete Walker

www.farmyardparty.com 

APRILIA FLIES TO TERMAS DE RIO HONDO IN ARGENTINA

It will be the 4.8 kilometres of the Argentinian Termas de Rio Hondo track hosting the second round on the 2018 MotoGP calendar. A fast track (more than 170 km/h average) with plenty of treachery, especially in terms of grip conditions. The weather forecast, with a chance of rain, contributes to increasing the uncertainty expected from the South American round.

This is an exam that Aprilia is tackling with renewed ambitions, comforted by both the potential of the new 2018 RS-GP and by the wide margins of improvement shown in Qatar.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"We need to keep working. In Qatar, the feeling in the race was rather good before the problem in the end that kept us from a top-10 finish that was well within our reach. I am confident because we confirmed our strong points, especially over race distance, whereas we have room to improve our flying lap in qualifying. We are at the beginning of the season. We have set some ambitious goals for ourselves which will certainly not be easy to confirm, but we have all our papers in order to have a good season."

SCOTT REDDING
“The sensations after Qatar were not the best, but I am sure that we will be able to solve the problems that came up in the race. The RS-GP worked well up to that point, so apparently we missed something and that is what we will focus on in Argentina. With so many new components introduced on the 2018 RS-GP, it becomes essential to analyse the data and the bike's reactions carefully in order to create a working base that can then be dialled in as the weekend progresses."

Prescott Bike Festival due to take place at Prescott Hillclimb, Cheltenham on the weekend of 14-15 April has been postponed due to adverse ground conditions.

With more rain forecast this week the organisers of Prescott Bike Festival have reluctantly agreed with the land owners that to go ahead would be foolish and unsafe in its present state. Currently the exhibitor and public parking areas are unusable.

The event is the biggest annual fundraiser for the charity Blood Bikes. Event Organiser Gordon Downie said “It has always been our goal to host Two Amazing Days – One Winning Weekend. We know that we could not deliver this promise if we were to proceed next weekend. We feel that, rather than relying on wishful thinking, that it’s better to reschedule to a more favourable and warmer time in the year”.

The popular, family-friendly event has now been postponed to 16th - 17th June 2018, a very auspicious weekend for all fathers. What better present could you give your dad for Father’s Day?

All Advance Ticket holders, Run the Hill Entries, Competition Winners and Exhibitors will be contacted by the organisers directly via email.
If you have any queries in the meantime, please use the Contact Us form on Prescott Bike Festival website - www.prescottbikefestival.co.uk

The organisers apologise for any inconvenience caused and hope to see you in June.

New dates -  Saturday 16th – Sunday 17th June 2018

About Prescott Bike Festival

Prescott Bike Fest celebrates engineering excellence; from rare, classic, modern, customised to hand built motorbikes and some pretty wacky contraptions too! This year for the first time, the event has been extended to two days. Aside from all the incredible machinery, there’s a stellar line-up of entertainment to keep the whole family entertained. Throughout the weekend there’s non-stop live music, special guest appearances, ‘On the Edge Stunt Show’, Show ‘n’ Tell area, passenger ride experiences, large kids zone, over 100 quality trade stands, clubs, a beer tent, the Blood Bike Village and great food. You can grab yourself a bargain or maybe treat yourself to a new bike from one of the dealers or manufacturers represented including Harley Davidson, Ducati, Triumph, Honda and MV Augusta.

Event Address: Prescott Speed Hillclimb, Gotherington, Cheltenham, GL52 9RD
Tickets and Times: Advance tickets start at just £10
Under 16s go free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Saturday: 11:00am until 11:00pm
Sunday: Gates open 08:30; track action starts 09:30, closes at 17:00

www.prescottbikefestival.co.uk