The battle for the 2014 Ducati TriOptions Cup reached fever pitch at Assen in the Netherlands this weekend (19-21 September), as the 899 Panigale and 848 machines took to the circuit for the penultimate event of their season. 

As the series heads to what’s sure to be a thrilling conclusion at Silverstone in a few weeks’ time, the fight for overall championship glory is going to be between the two P&H/Carl Cox Motorsport riders Leon Morris and Dennis Hobbs. 2011 Ducati Cup champion Morris has held a slight advantage in the standings for the majority of the season, but after two sensational races at ‘The Cathedral of Speed’, the gap has been reduced from 22 to just 13 points.

In qualifying on Friday it was the Hyside Motorcycles 899 Panigale of Rob Guiver that set the pace. He secured pole position by the tiny margin of 0.052s ahead of title challenger Hobbs, with reigning champion Marty Nutt in third for JHP/Ducati Coventry and a frustrated Morris in fourth.

For the first race on Saturday, Morris looked to have resolved his set-up issues and he launched into the lead from the second row. He was to come under immediate pressure from pole-sitter Rob Guiver, however, and the Hyside Motorcycles rider re-took the lead going into the final chicane on the opening lap.

From there Guiver initially pulled an advantage, as Morris, Hobbs and reigning champion Marty Nutt rode hard to stay in contention. Sean Neary was also in the hunt early on but retired with mechanical issues on lap four.

Hobbs and Morris made it through on Guiver at mid-distance, but as the #25 bike of Hobbs pulled a slight gap, Guiver made a last lap, last corner lunge to try and grab second place back from Morris. This forced the pair wide and just gave Nutt enough room to slip through and take second place with Guiver crossing the line ahead of Morris in third and fourth respectively.

Assen’s unpredictable weather played a big part in the second TriOptions Cup race, as a Sunday rain shower just before the grid formed up left the riders with very difficult drying conditions to negotiate. Most of the front-runners opted for a wet front Pirelli tyre and dry rear, and for the opening laps the strategy appeared to work – with Guiver the only rider going for a full dry set-up.

Hobbs was sitting on pole having set the fastest lap in race one, but a slow getaway meant that it was his team-mate leading the way on the opening tour. Nutt made a good start from third on the grid to challenge Morris for the lead, and it wasn’t long before Guiver was also in the hunt on his dry tyres.

The top three traded places for much of the contest, but as the track continued to dry out Guiver’s 899 Panigale came alive and he streaked away at the front with a couple of laps remaining. He went on to cross the line 6.391s ahead of the pack to take his second win of the year having won the season opener at Brands Hatch way back in April.

Perhaps the battle of the race came from a trio of riders on older 848 machines, as Mark Cheetham, David Ferns and Jonathan Railton traded blows for much of the 7-lap sprint. In a typically spectacular last lap Assen showdown it was Railton who emerged as top 848 in seventh, just 0.2s ahead of Ferns.

Back at the front Nutt edged out Morris for second place and Hobbs finished fourth, so the championship battle has been left finely balanced going into the final event at Silverstone (3-5 October) with the two Carl Cox Motorsport competitors the only ones now capable of lifting the Ducati TriOptions Cup.

Leon Morris said: The aim is to beat Dennis at the moment regardless of where the two of us end up. Today turned out a fair bit better than yesterday – we went with the safe option in the drying conditions – if we didn’t have a championship to worry about I’d definitely have gone with the dry front like Guiver. We lost a fair bunch of points yesterday so to claw a few back is really important – it’s all about winning the championship now – the P&H boys deserve that trophy more than anyone, and I want it to be me not Dennis that gives it to them!

Dennis Hobbs said: The bike was perfect yesterday but I got a bad start and had to be careful not to make any mistakes. Once I got through to the front I just put my head down and didn’t look back – it’s really important to have closed the gap going into Silverstone, it’s definitely all still to play for.

Marty Nutt said: It’s been a good weekend. The team has been brilliant and the bike has been right on the money all the time, even in the really tricky conditions in race two. The main aim was to beat everyone who was on the same tyres – once it was dry there wasn’t really anything I could do about Rob [Guiver] on the dry tyres, but it’s been a really good trip to Assen for the whole team.

Rob Guiver said: The track was drying really quickly, so even though it was quite a short race it turned out to be the right choice to go on dry tyres. Everyone was very cautious at the start so I could stay with them, and then I could push so much harder on the dry sections. The race just came to me which was perfect!

Some shots from today's Kickback show at Donnington from Glenn Mills

A WORLD superbike legend will add a bit of spice to proceedings this autumn as the red hot action of one of the world’s largest classic motorcycle events heads once again for Staffordshire County Showground.

Frankie Chili, best remembered in the UK for his battles with rival Carl Fogarty, will be in attendance as the special guest of honour for the 21st Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show on October 18-19 and he’ll be regaling showgoers with stories from a legendary career on track.

Fogarty too will be in town on the Saturday of the event; the four times World Superbike champion will be stationed on the Oily Rag stand for the day.

Bertie Simmonds, editor of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine, said: “Frankie’s incredible career stretches back into the 1980s and covers all the eras of machines and famous motorcycle names that are celebrated and showcased at the Stafford event.

“Many will recall him winning the controversial 500cc race in Misano where wet conditions had meant other top riders refused to start and surely all will look back fondly at the passion and determination he displayed in the WSB races of the 1990s and early 2000s.

“During that time he was a pace-setter among riders of a high-calibre; not just Foggy but also Aaron Slight, John Kocinski, Anthony Gobert and Simon Crafar.

“I have no doubt he’ll be a big hit and a popular draw; I for one am already looking forward to the third weekend in October.”

A new live element has been added to the show for 2014, with organiser Classic Bike Shows utilising the main ring at the venue to host parade sessions.

Bikes from 1960 through to the present day have been sought out and, as they circle the display area, guest commentators will be talking about the history of each machine and the work that has been done to it.

Exhibition manager Nick Mowbray said: “Our Stafford event is renowned for its collection of display machines which is one of the most extensive in the world.

“Now, visitors will be able to see a handful of these machines in action and we expect this to be a welcome addition to our line-up.”

Bonhams’ annual Autumn Stafford Sale will once again be taking place on the Sunday of the event, with viewing open on Saturday.

The auction house will be hoping to repeat last year’s success which saw 436 lots sold to make a combined total of over £1.3 million and set a new world record for the sale of a Manx.

There are also the traditional displays from the Classic Racer Grand Prix Paddock and the Classic Dirt Bike Experience, more than 500 trade stands and autojumble plots to rummage through and a host of exhibits from the top motorcycle clubs in the business.

Nick added: “The Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show is, by far, the most comprehensive motorcycling weekend when it comes to the modern classics that such a vast number of us bike fans know and love from our younger days.

“Despite how busy I am, I always have to stop myself from taking home my next project because there’s just so much to see, to do and to buy. And, with a one day adult ticket just £10 when bought in advance – a saving of more than 20% – it’s not just one of the biggest bike shows, it’s the best value-for-money too.”

www.classicbikeshows.com

Davies duo link up with top road safety organisations to encourage safer biking this autumn

World Superbike racer Chaz Davies has teamed up with comedian Alan Davies to launch a new THINK! road safety campaign to encourage motorcyclists to take further training to improve their riding expertise and safety on the road. The campaign is being delivered with the assistance of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and RoSPA who have helped THINK! develop the content and recruit the instructors who feature and train the riders in the campaign.

Despite huge success on two wheels, which includes becoming 2011 World Supersport Championship world champion, fifth overall in the 2013 World Superbike Championship for BMW Motorrad with three wins, and landing a seat this year at Team Ducati; Chaz has only this year passed his road bike test.

And wanting to improve his road biking skills while delivering a message to other motorcyclists that you can never have too much experience, Chaz allowed a team of assessors to judge his riding and be filmed for a series of short videos to be released on the internet over the course of the next few weeks.

Chaz, Alan and the other riders took part in a bespoke training course delivered by a number of instructors including Crispin d’Albertanson and Andy McManus. Crispin is an IAM Skills Day instructor, IAM National Observer and Nürburgring coach, while Andy is a Masters Mentor, IAM Examiner and retired Senior Collision Investigator.

The instructors assessed the group’s riding ability, equipping them with improved handling skills and introducing them to the principles and benefits of advanced riding.

Chaz urged other riders to undertaking further training, such as that offered by the IAM to improve their skills and safety on the road and ultimately reduce the number of motorcyclist casualties on our roads.

So how did Chaz, Alan and the other bikers do? The filming will be broadcast in a regular series of clips and promoted through the THINK BIKER Facebook page and a partnership with MCN over the next few couple of weeks. These will be shared on the IAM facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/InstituteofAdvancedMotorists

A preview of the campaign is already available on the THINK BIKER Facebook page which has been shared on the IAM’s facebook page, but the first of the main series of videos goes live this evening (19 September).

Chaz said: “You really are never too good to be a better rider - it’s as simple as that. I’ve been working for 15 years to try and be better on the track and that applies on the road as well. There are so many more variables on the road and I think people can get a little bit over confident, but you are never too good. You never know what’s around the corner.”

Added Peter Rodger, IAM Chief Examiner: “The fact a rider the calibre of Chaz Davies is happy to have his road riding assessed should show that no matter what your experience level is, every rider can benefit from extra tuition. We hope people will watch the films and be inspired to take their riding to the next level. Like Chaz, we can all be champions of the road.”

“We’d also like to thank Crispin and Andy for giving up their time to take part in this valuable exercise,” he added.

Honda Racing to start 24 Hours of Le Mans from second on the grid

Following a wet morning at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the second qualifying session took place on a drying track meaning the majority of the grid positions remain the same as yesterday and Honda Racing will begin the race from second.

Julien da Costa, Sebastien Gimbert, Freddy Foray and reserve rider Jason O’Halloran completed a 20-minute stint each aboard the Honda Racing CBR1000RR Fireblade SP. Da Costa and Gimbert’s lap times suffered as a result of the damp conditions, however Foray and O’Halloran were blessed with a dry track and both were able to improve on yesterday’s times.

Despite this, the grid positions remain as they were at the end of the first qualifying session, with Honda Racing starting from second behind pole sitter SRC Kawasaki and ahead of championship leader Yamaha GMT 94. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is due to begin at 15.00 CEST on Saturday.

Neil Tuxworth team manager

We had a mixed practice session due to varying weather conditions but the main thing is we had no problems. The performance of the all four riders was strong and we remain in second position to start the race. In some ways this is better than pole as it takes some of the pressure away from the starting rider. Anyway, in a 24-hour race we know anything can happen so we’re just hoping for a trouble-free race.

Julien Da Costa

It was a shame that we had a rain shower just before qualifying today so I couldn’t improve my time. We were able to try some settings for the rain though so we’re well prepared for the race. Second is good and we’re ready.

Freddy Foray

I had dry track in my session and went faster then yesterday but I’m still a little disappointed because I wanted to get a 1:37. It’s difficult here in EWC because there are so many bikes on track. Anyway, we are in a good position, maybe even better than pole because there is less pressure.

Sebastien Gimbert

I am happy because although we are not in pole position we are ready for the race. The weather has been very mixed but that means we have been able to ride in wet, intermediate and dry conditions so we’re well prepared. The main thing is that all of the riders’ lap times are consistent with each other and the bike is easy to ride. 

Jason O'halloran reserve rider

I managed to get the good session today, which was nice. I improved my time on a race tyre so I’m pleased with that. The set-up changes the team has made in the last two days have been really positive and I think they are in a really strong position for the race. My work here is pretty much done but it’s been a great experience. I’ve learnt a new track and I really enjoy being with the team so it’s been a good week.