venue: Witton Castle Country Park, Witton-Le-Wear, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 0DE
price: Pre-book: £30, by 29th August. OTG: £40 (only when arriving on a bike or trike). Saturday only tickets: £20. Children 5 - 15: £5. Car passes: £40; Pre-book only and limited and must be bought with an adult ticket.
tel: 0870 225 8352
website: www.storminthecastle.co.uk
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Half-a-million people have taken IAM RoadSmart’s advanced test for car or bike over the past six decades – that’s as the leading UK road safety charity reaches its 60th anniversary this week.

The advanced driving and riding courses are regarded as two of the most comprehensive post-test courses in the UK and have been definitively shown to improve driving and riding skills.

Current figures show that around 500,000 people have taken the charity’s advanced courses to date in the UK.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) as it was known until earlier this year was established in 1956, based on the police’s Roadcraft manual. At that point annual road death figures in the UK stood at 5,000 a year.

In 1962 the IAM introduced the first test for commercial vehicle drivers and 1986 saw it launch fleet training for businesses. In 1994 it enrolled its 250,000th member.

The advanced test assists drivers and riders in becoming more aware of other road users, how to adapt to different conditions, to read the road ahead, and enjoy driving and riding more.

Independent research revealed 70% of those who received driver coaching showed significantly better skills in key areas such as cornering, speeding and hazard anticipation.

Today slightly over 1,700 people are year are killed on UK roads – a figure IAM RoadSmart is determined to reduce further by helping to improve the road skills of private and commercial drivers and riders and by its lobbying work within government.

Nigel Mansell CBE, IAM RoadSmart president and 1992 Formula 1 World Champion said: “The real heroes of the road are those who show that skill, precision and flair on everyday roads while doing it for the safety of themselves and those around them.

“Taking the advanced driver or rider course turns good drivers into great drivers. Those who have chosen to take their skills to the next level show they have commitment and staying power. They are the real champions.”

Earlier in the year the Institute of Advanced Motorists rebranded to become IAM RoadSmart as it prepares for the next 60 years and to appeal to the next generation of drivers.

IAM RoadSmart recently appointed the Under 17 Car Club as an accredited course provider. Getting the good driving message should come long before a young person reaches their 17th birthday.

For more information about the advanced driver course click here

Currently IAM RoadSmart is offering a 10% discount off the Advanced Driver Course simply by calling 0300 303 1134 and quoting the reference RACE10. All bookings made this way will also be entered into a prize draw to win an exciting session for two on a racing simulator at Base Performance Simulators in Banbury.

Nigel Mansell CBE, IAM RoadSmart president and 1992 Formula 1 World Champion

From Tony Parnham - I am a motorbike rider of many years with an advanced riding certificate and a member of Blood bike Wales. With more traffic users on the roads each year. I find there to be the downturn/deterioration of courtesy and common sense within road users, more and more road users do not give way and sadly selfishly blocks the way of motorbike users during slow moving or stationary traffic.

Sign this petition

At 10,000 signatures, government will respond to this petition and with 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament.

BRADL AND BAUTISTA'S RS-GP MACHINES ON THE SEVENTH ROW

Sunday at the Red Bull Ring promises to be fiery, and not only because of the temperatures that are back to pleasant summer values. On the second day of practice on the Austrian circuit, the MotoGP riders saw their times drop as the conditions improved, as well as the gaps: just over 2 seconds separated the first from the last in the FP3 and FP4 standings, with an extremely compact ranking, especially in the central pack.
These are positions just outside of the top 10 for which the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders are battling.

On one of the most difficult circuits because of the characteristics of the RS-GP, Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl worked mainly in view of the race. The goal is to manage to maintain a consistent pace, setting up the bike so that it is easy to ride and stable in the violent Austrian braking sections.
In qualifying, the Aprilia riders had to reckon with the difficulty of expressing the potential they had demonstrated on the flying lap, for example, in terms of race pace. In particular, Bautista lost tenths in the more flowing section, a direct consequence of a setting oriented more toward stability than handling. Bradl, on the other hand, had to face a less than perfect feeling in braking.

Both Alvaro and Stefan will work on these parameters with the Aprilia technicians as they look for solutions to test in the warm up that will allow them, in the race, to improve on the 19th and 21st positions they achieved in qualifying, placing both of them on the seventh row.

ALVARO BAUTISTA
"Tomorrow anything could happen. On a track where overtaking is complicated, the start is crucial. From a physical point of view, this is not a circuit that creates particular problems, so we'll need to push throughout the entire race, maintaining a good pace. From this point of view, I am satisfied with the work we've done so far. The gaps behind the top 10 are extremely close and we are in a good position in terms of pace. Even the improvements to power are small but tangible along the entire output range. For tomorrow we will try to improve the ride: when you set up a stable bike, inevitably you lose something in handling, so we will try to find a good compromise".‬

STEFAN BRADL
"Compared to yesterday we were able to work much better, thanks in part to the improved conditions. I am still struggling to get the bike stopped the way I would like to. We knew that it would not be easy on this track, but looking at the gaps, I think that with another step forward in terms of setup, the situation could improve. We will try to work on braking during warm up. Right now it seems like this is the phase that is limiting us the most. For us, every weekend is a race unto itself. With a completely new bike like the RS-GP and particular circuit like this one, we need time to put all the pieces of the puzzle in the right place".‬

The awesome FMX Live is set to return to Motorcycle Live for 2016 and this year, the heart-in-your-mouth, edge-of-your-seat action is included in the ticket price, meaning visitors can experience the mind-blowing show for FREE.

Presented by the owners of the Monster Energy Arenacross Tour and including a whopping 24 shows across the nine-day event, FMX Live will feature some of the world’s most talented freestyle motocross riders. The super-skilled ensemble will be putting on an intensely choreographed spectacle 40 feet in the air, packed with whips, back-flips and tricks that will take your breath away.

The live show will be situated in the 2,000-seat FMX Live arena, creating an electrifying atmosphere complete with lights, lasers, LEDs and a heart-pumping soundtrack. Catch the freestyle frenzy twice daily from Monday to Friday and three times on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Motorcycle Live 2016 takes place at The NEC, Birmingham from 19-27 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 (accompanied by a paying adult).

Those buying in advance online could be in with the chance of receiving one of hundreds of Golden Tickets and win a prize – including tickets to the 2017 Arenacross Tour. There is also a £25 advance ticket, which includes entry to the show and a Spada bag worth £29.99**.

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