We hope you are having a good summer so far, we were in Dublin last weekend and missed the worst of the weather, thank goodness we didn’t have an event.

We were last out on two successive weekends at the end of July, firstly on Sunday 20th July at Bodelwyddan Castle in North Wales and the following weekend at Capesthorne Hall near Macclesfield. We had the usual excellent turn out of cars and bikes at Bodelwyddan with Steve Elnor being awarded car of the show for his superb Jaguar XK140, Malcolm Halliwell bike of the show for his Laverda Jota and The Cavalier and Chevette club being awarded best club stand for an excellent display appropriately enough on Vauxhall/Opel day. The following weekend we were at Capesthorne Hall near Macclesfield with Richard Perry being awarded bike of the show for his 1939 Vincent, car of the show was Tony Darkes with his VW type 1 van. A big thanks to Nigel Hughes who coordinated a superb display from the association of Singer Car Clubs who took pride of place in front of the house with participants coming from all over the UK and even as far afield as the Netherlands. There are some photos of some of this outstanding display can be found on the strip to your right.

Moving towards the end of August we have three events over the bank holiday weekend, Capesthorne Hall on 24th August followed by Thoresby Park on Monday 25th. If you are unlucky you will see me going at great speed between the two venues on Sunday night followed by a long line of rusty old transit vans filled with autojumblers doing both events. The event at Thoresby was simply outstanding in May with a fantastic turn out of trade, vehicles and public so we are hoping for decent weather and a similar turn out. If you haven’t visited this event you are missing a treat and one well worth travelling some distance to attend. Capesthorne should be good too with the Mercedes Benz club taking pride of place in front of the house. Autojumble stalls are free at Capesthorne on the Sunday so why not take the chance to clear your garage but don’t forget there is no Saturday set up?

We will be at Blenheim Palace on both days over the weekend with classic car day on Sunday and a more general Festival of Transport on Monday with classic cars, bikes, Mini’s, VW’s, customs, Americans etc. Autojumblers can trade at Blenheim Palace on both days but just pay for one day with set up from 2pm on Saturday.

More news about our last two all out door shows of the year at Cholmondeley and Hoghton Tower to follow but for now we look forward to seeing you over the bank holiday weekend.

Andrew Greenwood

www.classicshows.org

BikeSafe is partnering with Kawasaki to offer a bespoke off-road skills course, which will help improve road riding.

The BikeSafe Off Road Skills Course will be delivered by Kawasaki Off Road Experience trainers, who include Mick Extance - former Paris-Dakar competitor and motocross champion Lee Dunham. The course will be offered initially in 5 UK locations, with extra ones added in time.

In addition to the usual fun guaranteed in taking part in an off-road experience day, the BikeSafe Off-Road Skills Course will cover areas such as:

· Fine brake and clutch control

· Riding on slippery surfaces

· Body positioning

· Ascent and descent control

National BikeSafe Coordinator Glen Dennis explained:

“Off-road riding offers lots of opportunities to control a machine in conditions you generally hope to avoid on public highways. We believe skills learned off-road are invaluable for road riders and will enhance a road rider’s ability to deal with unexpected road conditions”.

The course is available to those who hold a full motorcycle licence and includes hire of the bike, plus any safety equipment. It costs £200 for a full day’s tuition and riding, with a 10% discount for people who have done a BikeSafe assessment. Riders will receive an accreditation certificate signed by Kawasaki and Bikesafe upon successful completion of the one day course.

Mark Spiller, Marketing Manager for Kawasaki Motors UK commented, “We are very happy to work alongside BikeSafe on this forward thinking and important initiative. At Kawasaki we are passionate about both off-roading and road safety and this combines the fun of dirt riding with practical safety benefits for road riders”.

You can find out more from the BikeSafe Kawasaki Off-Road Skills Course website: www.kawasaki-bikesafe.co.uk

See the video

Check out BT Sport programme "MotoGP Tonight", Tuesday 12th August, 'live' on air at 8pm to 9pm with Craig Doyle and Iwan Thomas looking back at all the highlights from Indianapolis with former motorcycle road racer Jamie Witham, plus a preview of this weekends Round 11 action at Brno, ahead of the forthcoming Round 12 at Silverstone, together with invited guests (and the bikes) from Ace Cafe London!

www.btsport.com

www.ace-cafe-london.com

RACING royalty and top entertainment made the Royal Highland Centre’s new summer motorcycle show a weekend to remember.

Thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts poured through the Ingliston venue’s gates on August 9th and again on August 10th for the Carole Nash Great Scottish Bike Show – the event that is set to become a summer staple in the classic bike shows calendar.

Show manager Nick Mowbray said: “Our aim was to put on a comprehensive show in Scotland that celebrated all that’s best about biking… and we’ve done exactly that. The Royal Highland Centre is the perfect location and we couldn’t be happier with the way everything has gone.”

The event featured a host of big motorcycling names, including legendary racer Giacomo Agostini, and Scotland’s own three times TT winner Alex George who proved a popular figure among his native crowd. Ago, the 15 times world champion and GP race wins record holder, spoke on stage several times throughout the weekend, telling tales of an incredible career that remains unrivalled in terms of its success.

The Italian motorcycling legend took centre stage on Sunday afternoon when he joined the Purple Helmets Stunt display team for their signature stunt – the pyramid. It was another show stopping performance for the 15 times world champion which left the crowds wanting more.

Yamaha, with its Dark Side MT Tour, set up camp for the two days of the event giving unique opportunities for all-comers to test the MT range, try the MT-09 Extreme Wheelie Machine and witness the incredible antics of the Dave Coates Stunt Show.

It was a memorable weekend too for David Stewart, who picked up the inaugural Robbie Allan Memorial Trophy after his 1914 Victoria was named Best in Show. Along with the impressive variety of bikes on display, the inside halls were packed with traders and dealers offering all manner of deals and bargains on the latest motorcycle gear.

Nick said: “I must mention and thank the many businesses who’ve supported us here at the event by coming along to showcase their wares. It’s been fantastic to see so many people heading home with bags full of biking bits.”

Outside facilities proved popular too, with a range of live action events including the madcap Purple Helmets stunt display, Moped Mayhem racing, Scottish Supermoto demos and even a live indie rock band that added a real buzz to proceedings.

Nick added: “There’s been a great blend of long-term bikers, beginners and families who’ve joined us for the weekend and it’s so brilliant to see motorcycling alive and well in this way. I truly hope everyone who attended had a top, top weekend.”

Ace Air Ambulance Ride-Out to Brackley Bike Festival!

Ace Cafe London's presence and involvement with the forthcoming Brackley Festival of Motorcycling; www.bfomc.org.uk once again includes a ride-out from the cafe to the event, departing the Ace at 8.30am on Sunday 17th August, in aid of the Air Ambulance Service.

This year, the "Rescue Ride-In", will depart the Ace and head to the Silverstone Circuit, joining other riders with a police escort into the Brackley Festival of Motorcycling.

The Air Ambulance Service needs you to get involved. Your donations will help keep the helicopters flying and get you refreshments and free entry into the festival.

Register online by visiting www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk/RideIn or sign up on the day.

www.bfomc.org.uk
www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk

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