The Ace Cafes annual Overland & Adventure Bike Day, held 9am to 5pm on Sunday 19th March, with a host of intrepid travellers to include Sam Manicom, Austin Vince, Graham Field, Derek Mansfield and Zoe Cano, together with stand and displays by Globebusters Kevin Sanders (soon to head off from the Ace in London on 22.4.17 to Ace Cafe Beijing!), Mark Lamplough and Bike Tours for the Wounded, the Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF), Motofreight, Giles Ernsting of Shippio Ltd, Darryl Steptoe of James Cargo Ltd, H-C Travel, Adventure Peru Motorcycles, Kaapstad Motorcycle Adventure Tours, the Adventure Bike Shop, and many more!

As in previous event, there will copies of THE BIKER GUIDE booklet available* and prizes up for grabs. Spend £5 or more over the counter at the cafe from 9am and receive a raffle ticket. Draw to be held at 3pm.

For more information about what's on, check out the scrolling calendar at www.ace-cafe-london.com

* Whilst stocks last.

17th March 2017
Fat Medicine @ The Buck Inn

Celtic rock and reel band mixing in rock and pop classics.

venue: The Buck Inn, Chop Gate, Bilsdale, Hambleton, North Yorkshire, TS9 7JL
price: 
tel: 01642 778 334
website: www.the-buck-inn.co.uk
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e-mail: [email protected]

17th March 2017
7th annual party night

For the best party night this year, join the Northern Cross MCC. Live band, buffet supper including curry. Free raffle. All this for £5 of your Yorkshire pounds! Rock solid play live with a rock disco too

venue: Baildon Wood bottom club, Otley Road, Shipley, West Yorkshire, BD17 7EP
price: £5. 
tel: 07948 553 249
website: www.northerncrossmcc.co.uk
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e-mail: [email protected]

18th March 2017
Nifty Fifty Endurance

Round 1 of the 2017 Nifty Fifty Endurance Championship, now open for registration. You don't have to do all the rounds to take part. See the website for full details.

venue: Route 34 Motocross Park, Down Farm Lane, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 6RG
price: £110 per team of up to 4 riders
website: www.niftyfiftyendurance.com
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e-mail: [email protected]

18th - 19th March 2017
Cadwell Park TT Warm up Road Races

venue: Cadwell Park Circuit, Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 9SE. Local accommodation
price: see website 
tel: 0843 453 9000
website: www.cadwellpark.co.uk | www.auto66.com
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e-mail: [email protected] | [email protected]

19th March 2017
Motorcycle Auto Jumble

Open 10am to 4pm. Trade Stands, Club stands, hot food & drink available all day. Over 50 Stands, selling Bike accessories, parts, even bikes...

venue: The Anchor Inn, Liverpool Road, Hutton, (just off the A59 Roundabout, towards Preston), Lancashire, PR4 5SL 
price: Free all day, free parking. For stands; Pre-book price and closing date: Trade £10- Club or individual £5. Charity's free... bookings must be in by Feb 28th
tel: 07739 721152
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e-mail: [email protected]

19th March 2017
Overland & Adventure Travel Bike Day @ Ace Cafe    

venue: Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, North Circular Road, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD 
price: free event 
tel: 020 8961 1000 
website: www.ace-cafe-london.com - www.acecafeevents.com 
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e-mail: [email protected]

19th March 2017
Biker Breakfast

In aid of the Midland Freewheelers, voluntary emergency blood and medical delivery service. Join them for a free cuppa, breakfast bap and Sergio's nibble selection, all donations are to this Stirling Group of Volunteers supporting the NHS. A chance to meet up and talk motorcycles over a coffee

venue: Melimoto Ltd., 22-23 Sapcote Trd Ctr., Powke Lane, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, B64 5QR
price: Free 
tel: 01384 569064
website: www.Melimoto.com
e-mail: [email protected] -  [email protected]

19th March 2017
The 26th Shropshire Vintage and Classic Motorcycle Show and Auto Jumble

A well supported, friendly show set in the beautiful village of Wistanstow South Shropshire. A varied array of display bikes and auto jumbles. The Guest of Honour is Peter Williams, renowned former Grand Prix motorcycle racer.

A varied array of exhibitors in the vast Wistanstow Hall. Autojumblers and hot and cold refreshments available. The event is sponsored by The Woods Brewery and all proceeds to Wistanstow Primary School.

venue: Wistanstow Village Hall, Wistanstow, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 8DQ. Gates open 10.30am.
price: £3 on the day per person includes free parking. Iinfamous hot and cold refreshments will be served by the local school PTA. 
tel: 01588 672751 – 07968 618646
website: www.shropshirevintagebikeshow.co.uk
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e-mail: [email protected]

19th March 2017
Garstang Autojumble

Car and Bike Autojumbles. On site farmer’s café.

venue: Hamilton House Farm, on A586, off A6, Garstang, Preston PR3 0TB. 9am – 1pm. 
price: Adult £3.50, Child under 14yrs free. Indoor and outdoor pitches available. Free parking. 
tel: 07836 331324 (day) or 01772 323654 (6pm – 8pm)
website: www.garstangautojumbles.co.uk
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e-mail: [email protected]

19th March 2017
Sunbeam MCC Pioneer Run

London to Brighton run for pre-1915 motorcycles.

venue: Starts: Tattenham Corner, Epsom, Surrey from 8am. Finishes: Madeira Drive, Brighton, Sussex from 10am. 
price: Free to visit, entry to the paddock at Brighton is by Programme available on the day at £3.
website: www.sunbeam-mcc.co.uk
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Enjoy a ‘Biker’s Special’ meal for just £6! Valid in the restaurant throughout March 2017 when you visit on two wheels! 

Breakfast served until 11.30: Full English with tea or coffee

Brunch from 11.30 until 4pm: Bacon, sausage, fried egg, chips and beans

Served from 12 noon: 
- Burger or hand battered fish, chips and peas
- Main meal of the day (including a roast on Sunday)

For further details visit www.shuttleworth.org/bikers-special

venue: The Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden Aerodrome, near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 9EP
price: ‘Biker’s Special’ meal for just £6
tel: 01767 627 927
website: www.shuttleworth.org/bikers-special
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e-mail: [email protected]

See the main WHATS ON section here 

ALBESIANO: “ALEIX'S SPEED AND THE QUALITY OF OUR PROJECT ARE CONFIRMED. WE ARE CONTINUING TO GROW”

The three days of tests on the Losail track have come to an end, the last tests before the Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing championship begins 26 March on the same track.

The new 2017 Aprilia RS-GP confirmed the growth trend seen in the first two tests at Sepang and Phillip Island. Aleix Espargarò got even closer to the leaders, particularly on the second day of testing when he finished in fifth place, just 66 hundredths from the leader. The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Spaniard had what it took today to do even better, but two crashes slowed him down, especially the first which came as Aleix was doing his bests lap, already improved in T1 and his best partial yet in T2. The second crash even forced him to change bikes, removing any chance of lowering his time. Aleix, who also tested the new fairing Aprilia brought in two runs, focused on his race pace, confirming the good feelings he has had since the 2017 bike's début even in this situation. This means that his best time is still 1’55.121, done on Saturday, which earns him twelfth place in the three-day standings.

Sam Lowes, on the other hand, continued his progress with a time of 1’56.167. Also slowed by two crashes today, he finished the tests having done better than the day before. Yet another encouraging sign along the English rider's path to his MotoGP début.


ALEIX ESPARGARO'
“Even if today was not the best of the three days, I am still happy with our work. At the beginning I started with a good feeling, managing to be fast even on used tyres. Maybe it was partially because of these good sensations that I pushed a bit too hard with the soft tyre, crashing while I was doing a good lap. The bike was repaired quickly, but a second crash forced me to use the other RS-GP with a less advanced engine and electronics that were not perfectly dialled in. For this reason I was unable to improve in the second part of the session, but I see the glass as half full. We have improved our pace and our level is definitely better than our standings on the time sheets show.”

SAM LOWES
“It may seem strange, but just at the end of this last day, when I crashed, we found the right setup for the 2017 RS-GP to increase my confidence. We had some particular tests. We have a lot of things to try and sometimes that keeps us from focusing on pure performance. This is all part of my growth. Right now my sensations in the saddle are more important than lap times and I learned a lot even from the less positive situations. I am optimistic about the race. The work we did on the front of the bike gave me the confidence I was lacking and now the points zone, which is the goal I've set for the first race, appears to be well without our reach. We'll set up our first weekend based on what we found today - a nice starting base.”

ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
“We are finishing the tests well aware that we have a bike with very good chassis architecture, with excellent capacity going into corners, turning and grip when leaned over. We need to improve the traction when the bike is almost upright and engine performance that has improved but which, on tracks like this one, counts for a lot. We confirmed the progress our project is making here. Today Aleix was held up by two crashes but he had the potential to lap in the mid to high 54 range and to keep up with the leaders. He was fast on a track that is certainly not our favourite and he was efficient in terms of race pace, since he showed that he can lap easily at mid to high 55. Sam also did very well, despite the fact that he fell a couple of times too. He improved consistently over the three days, showing that he has the potential to do well. Now we have two weeks to finalize our work and turn up at the first race with goals that are within reach for us, well aware that we have room to improve throughout the season.”

FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"I am very satisfied with these tests. We showed that we have good potential. There is definitely still work to be done, but we are not far off. From the end of 2016 to now, we have taken tangible steps forward and that is a sign that the development over the winter break was important. We also need to consider the way our competitors have improved, compared to whom we were still able to reduce the gap and this is very significant. At a crucial moment for our project, everyone put forth their best effort, from Aprilia to the team. Now we are anxiously awaiting the first race where we will definitely be ready."

Aprilia was the nicest surprise on the second day of tests in Qatar, the last ones before the Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing championship opening round, also scheduled to be held in Qatar on 26 March.

Confirming the good sensations he had yesterday when, slowed by a crash, he had shown the potential to move up in the standings, Aleix Espargarò rode his 2017 Aprilia RS-GP to fifth place in the rankings for the day with a time of 1’55.121, just 66 one hundredths behind the leader, Viñales.

This is the best result yet that the 2017 Aprilia RS-GP has achieved in testing, only on its third outing of the season. Beyond the excellent time achieved, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Spaniard put 34 laps on the sheets, continuing development of the new bike and obtaining positive feedback throughout the long day of tests.

Sam Lowes, who tested the 2017 bike for the first time yesterday, also continued progressing, shaving more than 8 tenths off of his time from Friday and stopping the clock at 1’56.276, a performance that earned him twentieth place at the end of the day.