The Expedition hit a major snag last week when the only border between Georgia and Russia was closed due to a major landslide which killed 8 truck drivers from the region. What this meant for our expeditioners who arrived later was that they had a few options. They could:

1.Try and find another way around through Azerbaijan or through Abkhazia
2.Return back to the Black Sea and hope they could find a boat running across to Russia
3.Return all the way back to Europe and then travel up through to Lithuania and Latvia adding weeks onto the trip and costing a huge amount.

In the end they decided on the third option as the visas would not be possible for the first two countries and no ferries were running across the Black Sea. However they just made it back into Turkey when they received confirmation that the border had reopened and they could return and cross from Georgia into Russia as originally planned.

Read the blog post from Mick McDonald of Compass Expeditions and see the photos from week 4 at the link below.

Motorcyclists with their own vintage style clothing and vintage style bikes are being sought as 'extras' for a fashion shoot for Italian Vogue Magazine fashion story.

A fun day being shot with a fashion model, shooting on location in Surrey on the 6th July.

Fee to be discussed, please send pictures to [email protected]

We had a great weekend at The Farmyard Party, and it was all thanks to you guys at THE BIKER GUIDE...

Thanks again!

ClassicShows are pleased to announce that following the great success of the Japanese and Modern Classic Bike Show at Donington Park in February this year, they have been able to secure a suitable second date for this show in the autumn after many years of trying.

Over the years we have had lots of requests from clubs, private individuals and traders to do a repeat show in the autumn when the weather is likely to be a bit kinder than in the depths of winter and more bikes are out on the road. Accordingly we already have bookings from The Triumph Owners Motorcycle Club and UK 2 Strokes who will both be mounting displays of 20 or more motorcycles.

They also have many trade bookings and fully expect the halls and outside stands at this popular East Midlands venue to be full to bursting on Sunday 28th September.

THE 16TH JAPANESE AND MODERN CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE SHOW
EXHIBITION HALL, DONINGTON PARK, DERBS DE74 2RP
SUNDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2014

AND CONFIRMS THE COMPETITIVE EDGE THAT HE REACQUIRED WITH THE WINS AT SEPANG

WITH TWO PLACINGS GUINTOLI DEFENDS HIS SECOND PLACE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Misano, 22 June 2014 – Finishing on the podium twice in Misano, Marco Melandri confirms the competitive edge that he reacquired with the double win at Sepang in Malaysia, while team mate Sylvain Guintoli managed to defend his second place in the championship standings.

The 32 points earned in Emilia Romagna – thanks to two third place finishes – are the second major spoils for Marco Melandri in his first season astride the Aprilia RSV4 and allow him to continue his climb in the upper part of the world championship standings. At Misano Marco gained 12 points on Rea and reduced the gap behind fourth place to 20 points.

In Race 1 Melandri got stuck in the pack through the first turns, then having to fight to regain positions from eights place, a job he carried out skilfully, finishing in third place for his first podium of the day. Race 2 was an exciting duel behind Sykes, battled out between Melandri and Baz to the excitement of the Italian crowd with Marco finishing the race in third place.

Marco Melandri: “I'm pleased with the way I rode today. I had a good feeling with the bike. In Race 1 after a few mistakes at the start I was able to overtake the riders in front of me, but the Kawasakis were quite simply faster. I'm disappointed about Race 2 because I was able to make up some ground thanks to the work done in the garage. Unfortunately it is very difficult to overtake here and Baz rode very well and didn't make any mistakes. I think I could have given Sykes a run for it. I wouldn't have made it easy for him. It's a shame that we weren't able to fully verify the progress we made. After Sepang I was consistently fast here too. We are on the right track in terms of feeling so we just need to keep improving from here. Portimao, with its layout, will be able to give us a hand”.

Sylvain Guintoli was one of the protagonists of the day, battling in the top spots but stopping at the foot of the podium twice, finishing fifth and fourth, placements that allowed him to fend off the attack by countryman Baz and hold onto second place in the championship standings.

Sylvain Guintoli: “In terms of the championship at least I am holding onto second place in the standings. But I definitely was expecting more. We are not missing any pure speed, but we need to work on consistent performance as far as race pace goes. In Race 1 we made the wrong tyre choice, whereas in Race 2 with the right options and a few changes to the bike geometry we were able to significantly reduce the gap behind the leaders. While I was with Marco and Baz I made a few mistakes too many which kept me from battling for the podium in the end. It's a shame there is no Race 3... All joking aside, we need to keep working to be more consistent in the race”.