It would appear ahead of schedule that negotiations with the European Parliament and the European Council on the Road Worthiness Test (RWT) Package, have been finalised.

The Lithuanian Presidency of The Council have announced that heavy motorcycles will be subject to periodic roadworthiness tests from 2022.

However giving breathing space to those motorcyclists in European Member States (11 – member states) who do not have mandatory RWT (MoT) for motorcycles and whose rider organisations who have been fighting hard against mandatory RWT, the compromise news is that those Member States may:

“Exclude these vehicles from testing if they have put in place alternative effective road safety measures, taking into account in particular road safety statistics of the 5 years.

If heavy motorcycles are included in the scope of periodic roadworthiness testing, specific testing methods, inspection areas and frequency are decided at the Member State level.”

Of course the devil is in the detail, for example what is meant by heavy motorcycles, what this means for low-performance and medium powered motorcycles and whether the compromise will be accepted by those riders and their organistions who will be affected by this compromise.

“Final Compromise”

With this “final compromise” text agreed the final vote is down to the elected body of MEPs at the European Parliament.

For the UK with our own RWT through our MoT it looks like there is no major change or shake up to our system of testing.

At Right To Ride EU in the cold darkness of this evening, having just learnt of this outcome, it looks like a compromise that can be lived with.

As we have said all along our view is simply that, different countries with different situations require a different solution and that this must always be a national decision based on the needs and requirements of each country and their citizens.

We will be off to study some of the finer details.

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The current way we train new drivers is clearly failing to produce safe and law abiding motorists, particularly men, according to road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

Thirty-thousand, eight hundred and fifty male drivers aged 20 or under have up to six points on their license, according to data released by the DVLA.¹  This compares with only 9, 758 young female drivers with up to six points on their license.

The breakdown by age is:

During 2012, young drivers were involved in a fifth of all collisions where someone was killed or seriously injured.  Yet younger drivers only account for eight per cent of all full driving licence holders in Great Britain, they also drive, on average, about half the distance of older drivers each year.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Such high numbers committing a wide range of offences demonstrates the inability of our current system to deal with the attitudes and lack of experience which put new drivers at such high risk on the roads today. The government is currently working on a Green Paper for young drivers and this must better address the content and process of learning to drive so that our roads are safer for all road users.”

The trio will be riding 500cc Manx Norton’s for Works Racing Motorcycles, owned and run by Patrick Walker and Miles Robinson. Both are lifelong Manx Norton enthusiasts and have been involved at the top level in classic bike racing for many years, providing bikes for riders of the quality of Wayne Gardner, Glen English, Swallow and Chris Palmer. They have Senior Manx Grand Prix, Goodwood Revival and Lansdowne Championship wins among their achievements.

Works Racing Motorcycles will also team up with Stuart Garner and the Norton Factory for the Classic TT to build an eye catching Norton display in the paddock, featuring Norton machines from past to present.

Charlie Williams came to the fore at the Manx Grand Prix, winning the 1971 Lightweight event and the Cheshire rider went on to enjoy a phenomenal TT career, particularly in the 250cc and 350cc classes, in the 1970s and 80s taking no less than nine wins and 21 podiums.

His last TT race came in 1984, finishing second to Graeme McGregor in the Junior 250cc event and fifth in the 250cc Production Race, but he has continued to ride regularly in Mountain Course parade laps and UK circuits as well as contesting races in the UK including the Lansdowne Classic Championship, Goodwood Revival and the Triumph Past Masters.

Swallow also has a formidable record around the 37 and ¾ mile circuit and still has the fastest ever recorded lap by a single cylinder machine, an impressive 108.03mph which he set in the 1999 Singles TT when he finished in second place. The Huddersfield rider’s record in the Classic races at the Manx Grand Prix is second to none having won nine races between 1986 and 2003, the fourth highest number of wins ever achieved in the meeting, and has taken 19 podiums in total. He last competed on the island in 2011, when he finished fourth in the Classic 350cc Manx GP.

The third team member, Pemberton, is also an experienced campaigner around the Mountain Course having contested the Manx Grand Prix between 1996 and 2000. He returned in 2012 to finish 12th in the Supertwins Race and also rode at the TT in 2003 and 2004, winning two bronze replicas.

Speaking about his return to competition around the Mountain Course, Charlie Williams commented: “I really wanted to be involved in the Classic TT, but didn’t envisage ever racing in it! I’ve been riding for Works Racing Motorcycles in the Lansdowne Series for Patrick Walker and Miles Robinson and they really wanted me to do it and have worn me down eventually! Now that I have committed to do it though, I am really excited about the chance to race on the Mountain Course again, without any of the pressure I had during my career. I know the bike and the team well and both are second to none.”

Miles Robinson, Works Racing Motorcycles added: “We attended the first Classic TT earlier this year and were very impressed by what we saw. We decided immediately that we wanted to be a part of the event going forward and we are delighted with the three riders we have confirmed to ride our bikes. We are equally pleased to be working with Stuart Garner and the Norton Factory to ensure that our presence in the paddock is as professional and high profile as it is on the track.”

BMF Show Organiser’s The Mulberry Group have revealed a NEW show layout for the ever popular BMF Kelso Bikefest which will double the size of Indoor exhibition area available.

Mulberry’s MD Martin Chick told us “Basically it’ll be all change at Kelso in 2014. For years we have actually turned Indoor exhibitors away because we didn’t have enough room – with the new layout however we’ll be able to accommodate double the number thereby giving more traders opportunities to reach the market place and more exhibitors means better value for the show attendees to see. The Best in Show area will now be moved indoors which means we won’t have to contend with weather conditions (as we did in 2012 which was horrendous) and those entering can be safe in the knowledge that their machines will not only be protected from the elements but they will be secure as well. The new layout also means changes for the live music. The addition of a large marquee will now enable us to put on day AND evening live music entertainment and we are also introducing a Saturday combined ticket which will allow Day visitors the chance to stay for the evening entertainment for the first time (they will not have access to the campsite though). All in all the BMF Kelso Bikefest will be bigger and better and we hope more exhibitors will take advantage of the bigger area”

The BMF Kelso Bikefest runs 4-6th July 2014 at the Borders Union Showground, Kelso. Advance tickets are available now from: www.thebmfshow.co.uk or ticket hotline: 0844 8845151

The Honda Racing family was out in force yesterday as a selection of its elite riders from various disciplines took part in an Assessment Day at the English Institute of Sport – the organisation behind much of Team GB’s outstanding success at the London 2012 Olympics.

The roll call included: Pata Honda World Superbike star Leon Haslam and World Supersport riders Lorenzo Zanetti and Michael van der Mark; Honda’s 2014 road racing squad of 20-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and his new team-mate Conor Cummins; the new World Endurance Championship line-up of Freddy Foray, Julien Da Costa and Sebastien Gimbert; Honda Motocross World Championship riders Evgeny Bobryshev and Max Nagl; Gariboldi Honda MX2 star Tim Gajser and last-but-not-least, 2013 Enduro World Champion Alex Salvini. 

The riders – who have eight world championship titles between them – took part in physio and isometric testing, strength and conditioning assessments and a fitness analysis, as well as a seminar on sleep patterns and jet lag in relation to sporting performance. The data collected from each rider will be collated and used to form the basis of their training and fitness programmes for the 2014 racing season.

“It’s great for us to welcome the Honda riders to the English Institute of Sport,” said EIS Director of Operations Richard Parker. “Everything we do here is about maximising the performance of athletes and today provides an opportunity for us to assess the riders and see how we can give them some programmes to improve their performance on the bike in the coming year.”

As the riders departed at the end of the day, they were in high spirits. “It has been great today as it’s always a pleasure to work with riders from other disciplines,” explains Honda’s new World Endurance signing Freddy Foray. “I am really looking forward to getting the results because I think it’s going to be really useful in training and racing next year. I know I have a few problems with my shoulder for example, and this will help me find out some more information about that and how I can deal with it going forward.”

“To be honest I lost a bit of sleep about coming here as it’s to be fair it’s not my kind of thing, but it’s actually been good fun,” said road racer John McGuinness. “I’ve learned quite a lot and in the end I’m happy that I’ve done it. I’m buzzing to have spent the day with all these top riders from MX, Enduro and SBK and to do a bit of bonding with my new team-mate Conor. I’ve got some areas that I can tidy up, as I’m sure we all have, and hopefully next time I’ll be a bit stronger and we can put it all to the test.”

For more information on the English Institute of Sport visit www.eis2win.co.uk