South African star Allann-Jon Venter will make his Mountain circuit debut at the 2013 Isle of Man TT fuelled by Monster Energy.

The exciting youngster, better known as AJ, will race for Mick Charnock’s TC Racing Honda/DP Coldplaning outfit. The team has secured high-spec 1000cc Hondas for their Mountain course campaign and will contest the Superbike, Royal London 360 Superstock and Senior races.

24-year old Venter has been racing in the British Championship since 2007 when he joined Glen Richards in the MAP Embassy Superstock team, eventually finishing in 18th place overall with seven impressive points-scoring rides. A year later, he switched to the inaugural Superstock 600cc Championship, claiming a win at Oulton Park and three more podiums on his way to an excellent fourth place overall.

However, it’s the Supersport class where he’s achieved his greatest success. Riding Triumph machinery, Venter, who bases himself in Newcastle upon Tyne during the racing season, finished in 13th overall in 2009 with six top ten finishes, including a career best of fourth, before improving further in the following two seasons.

2010 and 2011 saw him finish in 11th place overall in the fiercely competitive 600cc class, with a combined total of fourteen top ten finishes, defeating the likes of Sam Lowes, Dan Linfoot, Lee Johnston, Gary Johnson, Dan Cooper and Jimmy Hill during the course of the year.

A lack of finance forced him to miss the 2012 British Championship season but he returned to his homeland where he competed with more success.

TC Racing Honda/DP Coldplaning team boss Mick Charnock has a strong pedigree of competing at the TT and Manx Grand Prix firstly as a rider and latterly running his own team, backing Cameron Donald, David Johnson and Jimmy Storrar, all as newcomers, in 2005, 2010 and 2012 respectively.

Venter is clearly looking forward to making his TT debut and commented:

"Lots of people are aware of the TT back home in South Africa and it's been on my radar for a while. I first came out to the Isle of Man in 2007 and met Milky Quayle and Johnny Barton, which gave me an idea of what I'd be taking on. I'm under no illusions about the task but I can't wait to make my Mountain Course debut."

Paul Phillips, TT and Motorsport Manager, Isle of Man Government, commented:

"AJ has an excellent pedigree and has already made his mark in the British Championship at a relatively young age. He's a hugely talented rider and as a newcomer there's no better team than Mick Charnock's outfit as he has a proven track record of helping talented newcomers get to grips with the TT."

Ace Cafe London has again teamed up with Santa Pod, which opened in 1966 as Europe's first permanent drag racing venue, with pairs of tickets, up for grabs as prizes at the cafe, for eleven of the "Pods" major events through 2013!

Raffles at the cafe will be held on the occasions shown below. Spend £5 or more over the counter to receive a raffle ticket.

1) The Fast Show - Sunday 17th March

 2 x pairs of tickets to attend may be won at the cafe on "InCarNation" Night held on the last Wednesday of each month

 Wed 30th January

 Wed 27th February

 2) Street Nationals - 11th & 12th May

 2 x pairs of tickets to attend may be won at the cafe on "InCarNation" Night held on the last Wednesday of each month

 Wed 27th March

 Wed 24th April

 3) Back with the Mods - 14th - 16th June

 2 x pairs of tickets to attend may be won at the cafe on:

 Sat 19th Jan - Motown Night

 2 x pairs of tickets to be won at the cafe on;

 Sun 30th March - Scooter Sunday

 2 x pairs of tickets to be won at the cafe on:

 Sat 20th April - Ska Night

 4) Retro Show - Sunday 7th July

 3 x pairs of tickets to be won at the cafe on Classic Car Night held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month

 Tues 9th April

 Tues 14th May

 Tues 11th June

 5) Dragstalgia - 13th & 14th July

 3 x pairs of tickets to be won at the cafe on Hot Rod Night held on the 1st Wednesday of each month

 Wed 1st May

 Wed 5th June

 Wed 3rd July

 6) Bug Jam 27 - 19th - 21st July

 3 x pairs of tickets may be won at the cafe on VW Night held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month

 Tues 21st May

 Tues 18th June

 Tues 16th July

 7) 20th Mopar Euro Nationals - 26th - 28th July

 3 x pairs of tickets may be won at the cafe on All American Cruise-In Nights held last Saturday of each month

 Sat 27th April

Sat 25th May

 Sat 29th June

 8) FIA European Drag Racing Championship - 5th - 8th September

 6 x pairs of tickets may be won at the cafe, 3 pairs each on:

   a) All American Cruise-In Nights - held last Saturday of each month

      Sat 29th June

      Sat 27th July

      Sat 31st August

     b) Bike Nights held last Friday of each month

      Fri 28th June

      Fri 26th July

      Fri 30th August

   9) National Finals - 21st & 22nd September

www.santapod.com

 3 x pairs of tickets may be won at the cafe on Hot Rod Nights held on 1st Wednesday of each month

 Wed 3rd July

 Wed 7th August

 Wed 4th September

 10) Japshow Finale - Sunday 29th September

www.japshow.com

 3 x pairs of tickets may be won at the cafe on "InCarNation" Night held last Wednesday of each month

 Wed 31st July

 Wed 28th August

 Wed 25th September

   11) Extreme Performance Bike Weekend - 5th & 6th October

www.extremebike.co.uk

 3 x pairs of tickets may be won at the cafe on "Bike Night" 1st Friday of each month

 Fri 5th July

 Fri 2nd August

 Fri 6th September

   www.ace-cafe-london.com

Older drivers are as safe as drivers from all other age groups, according to research published today by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).

Contrary to widespread belief, the study shows they have better attitudes to safety, deal with hazards better than young drivers and use experience to increase their safety margins on the road.  

The report reveals that drivers over 75 react just as quickly as other age groups when a vehicle emerges from a side road or if the car in front brakes suddenly on a rural road.  

Official statistics show that people over 70 make up nine per cent of drivers but six per of driver casualties.  This practical study found that where older drivers had slower reaction times, they used their experience on the road to compensate:

•They drive at slower speeds on all occasions
•They keep a bigger following distance than drivers from other age groups. Whilst the study found little difference in driving performance across the ages it did highlight two surprising areas of concern:  
•Compared with other age groups, the eldest group appeared to stop short of the stop line at junctions and not look as often as others before pulling out.
•Older drivers failed to look in their rear view mirror as much as other age groups on the motorway.  

The report found that older drivers were likely to have less flexibility in neck movement and poorer vision standards but this did not translate into differences in driving performance. Neck flexibility varied widely, with some older drivers as flexible as some in the youngest group.

The IAM believes it is important these findings are used in on-road and online assessments to ensure that older drivers understand the risks they face and what they can do to improve their driving in key areas.  
In the light of this new report the IAM is calling for:  

•A government action plan for older drivers
•More car manufacturers considering older drivers in vehicle design
•Greater publicity to encourage health professionals to discuss driving
•Better information for older drivers and their families
•Online self-assessment tools for older drivers
•Wider availability of voluntary on-road driving assessments
•Better partnership working at a local level  

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “The government needs to create a strategy now to deal with the ageing driving population. Older drivers, their families and friends deserve access to assessment and information to help them stay safe on the road. As well as this, car makers need to look at innovative ways to use technology to help this growing sector and the medical profession has to improve the way it delivers support and advise to keep drivers fit for the roads.”  

TRL principal human factors researcher Nick Reed said: “This study for IAM using TRL’s DigiCar simulator revealed that in many of the driving scenarios tested, older drivers were typically as safe as their younger counterparts. It was notable that performance was more varied across the older participants; seemingly reflecting differences in the ageing process and highlighting how difficult it is to make judgements about driving ability based solely on age. It was pleasing to identify specific areas of concern for older drivers and perhaps to correct some common misconceptions about their driving ability.”  

www.Iam.org.uk

THE BIKER GUIDE® is pleased to announce as of the 16th November, 2012 the name and brand has been trademarked.

To secure THE BIKER GUIDE® name, brand and ethos we registered with the Trade Marks Registry on 15th June, 2012 and after a 3 month wait are delighted to announce that we can now officially use the ® sign and also avoid others from using our good name.

What is a brand?

A brand is a 'promise of an experience' and conveys to consumers a certain assurance as to the nature of the product or service they will receive. Intellectual property rights provide legal protection for some of the most important aspects of a brand.

Registered under Class 35:

Advertising; business management; business administration; advertising services provided via the Internet and printed publications; production of television and radio advertisements; trade fairs; opinion polling; data processing; provision of business information; compilation of directories for publishing on global computer networks or the internet.