Pata Honda’s World Supersport championship leader Michael van der Mark finished second in today’s seventh-round race at Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ in Italy, his sixth successive podium finish, which gives him a 28-point lead in the series as it enters the second half of the season.

The 21-year-old Dutch rider got a good start from the front row of the grid but his race almost ended at the beginning of lap three when another rider ran wide at Misano’s first turn and re-joined the track, almost colliding with van der Mark. The Pata Honda rider took evasive action but lost a position before beginning a charge back to race leader and eventual winner Jules Cluzel.

Van der Mark’s Pata Honda team-mate Lorenzo Zanetti was in the leading group for the early part of the race and held a lonely fifth place for 12 of the 19 laps around the 4.226km Misano circuit. The Italian ace, 26, dropped back to sixth at the flag to match his grid position but moves up to fourth place in the championship standings with five rounds to go.

Sixty-nine per cent of drivers would not consider buying an electric car, according road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) analysis of the latest government research.1

The most important factors deterring motorists from buying an electric vehicle were recharging (40 per cent), the distanced travelled on a battery (39 per cent) and cost (33 per cent).

Currently, less than one per cent of drivers already own an electric car or van. Five per cent said they were thinking about buying an electric car and eighteen per cent had thought about purchasing an electric vehicle but later changed their mind.

However, not all motorists are put off the idea of an electric vehicle. Thirty-seven per cent said that lower cost would encourage them to buy an electric vehicle as well as the distance travelled (20 per cent), widely available recharging points (17 per cent) and environmentally friendly (16 per cent). With costs, the most important cost stated was the purchase cost, followed by fuel and recharging costs, maintenance, insurance and vehicle excise duty.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “It is clear that the government have a long way to go to convince drivers that electric vehicles really are the future. On the positive side drivers are not worried about safety or comfort issues, but range anxiety and charging infrastructure remain real stumbling blocks. For the good of the environment the IAM want to see quicker roll out of charging points and long term guarantees that the current £5000 subsidy will remain in place.”

New in Richa’s 2014 collection is the Bonneville, a waxed jacket that takes its style straight from the golden age of motorcycling and is manufactured using the highest quality of waxed cotton from The British Millerain® Company Ltd.

The Bonneville offers more bang for your buck and has everything you’d expect from a top-of-the-range jacket, apart from the price tag. The cut of the jacket is slim-fit and has a double-fronted zip with popper fastening, removable quilted lining and internal pockets that sit behind the waterproof membrane to keep your valuables dry. It also has a waterproof and breathable Reissa membrane, as well as a removable padded liner and four-piece CE approved armour.

Attention to detail has gone into the finishing of the jacket with brushed authentic look buttons, buckle-neck tartan lining and a removable, and adjustable waist belt. The Bonneville is now available in UK dealers with an RRP of £179.99.

www.nevis.uk.com

The World Supersport championship heads to Italy this weekend (20-22 June) for round seven of the 2014 series which returns to Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ after a two-year absence.

Both Pata Honda riders, Michael van der Mark and Lorenzo Zanetti, have a strong motivation to aim for top results on their Honda CBR600RR machines in Sunday’s 19-lap race at the 4.226km circuit.

Dutch ace, van der Mark, will be seeking to maintain his impressive form this season that has seen the 21-year-old take three race wins and two second places in the five races since he crashed out of round one in Australia in February.

Van der Mark currently heads the World Supersport championship leaderboard by 33 points over Frenchman Jules Cluzel while his Pata Honda team-mate Zanetti sits in fourth place overall.

The Italian rider is determined to put himself in a position to repeat his triumph at his home race in Imola last month when he took his debut World Supersport victory. The 26-year-old has been a consistent top-five finisher this season but is resolute in his aim to become a regular podium visitor as the season reaches its halfway point.

www.patahonda.com

Ride to Work Day (RTWD) is an international event which sees thousands of riders around the world come together to show just how enjoyable their daily commute is. As part of RTWD and Ride to Work Week, the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI) organised Commuter City Challenges in six cities around the UK, and the motorcycle proved to be 100 per cent successful. The challenge cities were Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Leeds/Bradford, Leicester and Manchester.

The 2014 TomTom Traffic Index reveals that traffic congestion in cities across the UK has significantly worsened in 2013, with average journeys taking 27 per cent longer than they would in free-flowing traffic. The time lost as a result of traffic congestion is estimated to cost the UK economy £2 billion a year, and that figure is set to rise as the Government has forecast four million more drivers on UK roads by 2030.

In light of the worsening situation and to mark Ride to Work Day, the MCI instigated commuting experiments to see how well powered two wheelers (PTW) hold up against other modes of transport. City commuter challenges comprising of a motorcyclist, a car driver, a public transport user, and also a cyclist in the cases of Leeds and Brighton, were carried out in six of the top congested cities in the UK as identified in the recent TomTom report. The routes were chosen to represent genuine commuter routes carried out during peak morning rush hour.

In three of the six challenges, the car took the longest time to reach the destination, frequently being held up in traffic or finding it difficult to park. Public transport was the other mode which arrived last. The cyclists, when included, came in second in both cases, but the riders were both sportsmen who each cover over 10,000 miles a year on their bikes. The real success was the motorcycle which came in first across all six challenges and has the benefit of giving you the freedom to stick to your own timetable. Who wouldn't want to be able to sleep in that little bit longer in the morning?

MCI CEO Steve Kenward said, "We held the City Challenges in order to give us proof of what motorcyclists already know, commuting by motorcycle is the quickest, easiest, and most enjoyable way to travel to work, particularly in highly congested cities. We hope that these statistics will encourage more people to contemplate their commute and give serious consideration to travelling by motorcycle or scooter.

Anyone considering travelling by powered two wheeler (PTW) can get more information from the MCI's Get On scheme. Join in with Ride to Work Day/Week.

 Videos of the six City Challenges can be found on the MCI's YouTube channel