ESPARGARÓ'S GP ENDS ON THE NINTH LAP IN TEXAS

ALEIX HAD MANAGED TO WORK HIS WAY UP SEVEN POSITIONS WHEN A CRASH ENDED HIS RACE

A crash during the ninth lap with no physical consequences for the rider brought the GP of the Americas to an end for Aleix Espargaró.

After starting from the seventh row - evidence of a consistently difficult weekend - Aleix began to move up through the positions. Even without pushing too hard, he had already moved up seven places all the way to twelfth when he fell victim to the crash. This ended a seemingly parenthetical weekend in an otherwise fantastic season for Aleix and his Aprilia RS-GP. But even on the only track on the calendar where he was never able to find that competitive edge, Aleix Espargaró was still riding a respectable race.

Now the goal is to recover energy - both physical and mental - and to get back to the trend of positive growth that has characterised his season thus far in order to best tackle the final three races of the championship.


ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I am truly disappointed. Not so much for the crash, which is always a possibility in racing, but certainly not when you’re riding with such high lap times. Unfortunately, something just didn't work this weekend and we need to take a deeper look at that. Until now, we have been competitive everywhere, with various results but consistently battling in the group of the best. I want to apologise to the team. Five crashes in three days are definitely not a good record and both they and the engineers have worked nonstop throughout the weekend. The goal was to stay calm and aim for the best possible result, which was the points zone for us today. We were doing just that before the crash, which fortunately came without any physical consequences."

DIFFICULT QUALIFIERS FOR ALEIX AND APRILIA AT COTA

The Circuit of the Americas proves once again to be a tough nut to crack for Aleix Espargaró astride his Aprilia. Calling the asphalt bumpy would be a huge understatement and it keeps the Spaniard from exploiting the strong points of the RS-GP. Despite making considerable progress in terms of the settings, which was especially clear in FP4, a couple of crashes at decisive moments further complicated the day.

For the first time this season, Aleix was unable to go through to Q2 due to finishing outside the top 10 in the first three sessions and not getting through the selection stage of Q1 due to a crash. These statistics confirm the abnormal situation generated by the Texan circuit in a season where Aleix is lying seventh in the overall championship standings.

So, for a race that promises to be a complicated one, Espargaró will be starting from the best spot on the seventh row of the grid.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"This has certainly not been the best weekend for us so far. The RS-GP is competitive everywhere, but this asphalt that is in such bad condition really puts us in a rough spot. Not only do I not have the pace that I had been able to maintain until now, but as soon as I try to push, I risk crashing, like what happened today. I apologise to the entire team. They are already working hard to fix the bike for tomorrow. We’ll test a few things in the warm-up session as well to try to make the bike easier to ride and more stable. The track is the same for everyone, so it won’t be easy, but we’ll have to make a go of it and shoot for the best possible result."

Ace Cafe London’s annual “End of Summer Scooter & Mod Special” is at the cafe 9am to 5pm on Sunday 3rd October. 

This year we are hosting the “Tony Class Memorial Special”, celebrating with the Vespa Club of Britain the 75th anniversary of Vespa. 

Founded 1946 in Florence, Italy, R. Agius opened in 1951 on the Edgware Road, London W2 selling Vespa’s. Today they are the UK's oldest original retro family run Piaggio Vespa dealer and will be joining us for the day as special guests at the Ace!

Ragius Piaggio
Vespa Club UK

 This Scooter Sunday Special is for all that “Keep the Faith”!

https://london.acecafe.com/

After winning both races at Oulton Park, Josh Day (Host-it.co.uk Racing Team) secured his third back-to-back Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup championship.

FIVE REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO BE AT THE STAFFORD CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS SHOW ON OCTOBER 9-10!

SUMMER has come and passed…however, in the world of classic motorcycling it can only mean one thing - Stafford Classic Bike Show is just around the corner!

After a tough 18 months, show organiser Mortons Media Group shares its top five reasons why you need to be there!

1) Road Racing Royalty: Michael Dunlop!

Nineteen time TT winner Michael Dunlop is set to take centre stage during the course of the weekend, with opportunities for fans to take photographs, have Michael sign their merchandise and listen to interviews with fellow TT star Steve Plater. The Irishman will also be bringing two of his bikes to display on both Saturday and Sunday.

2) Joey Dunlop Bike Collection!

The Dunlop dynasty presence continues out into the halls with a fantastic display of machines ridden and owned by Michael’s late uncle and TT record holder, Joey.

The Joey Dunlop Foundation will be filling its stand with an incredible collection of Honda RC45s; including the original Honda 750 as ridden by Joey in the 1994 TT, where he achieved third place in both the Senior race and Formula 1 race. The charity, which was established in 2001, is also planning to bring the lap record-holding 1999 Jim Moodie Honda RC45 750, which he famously rode at 124.5mph!

Visitors can also expect to see a further collection of RC45s and CBR 600s as ridden by Ian Simpson, Michael Rutter and Steve Hislop in the Competition Hall.

3) Bonhams is back!

Bonhams returns to Stafford with another barnstorming two-day sale offering more than 300 collectors’ motorcycles including two ‘fresh to market’ important single-owner collections.

The Phil Morris Road Racing Collection of 24 machines is offered direct from the collection in Oswestry: a treasure trove – and one of the world’s largest collections – of motorcycles, leathers and trophies raced, worn and won by some of the most famous names on two wheels and dubbed ‘The Church’ by TT rider Rob Barber.

This landmark collection is led by no fewer than five MotoGP machines, the entire fleet from the Paul Bird Motorsport team which campaigned in the top-flight series from 2012 to 2014. All Aprilia machines, three are to full Moto GP prototype specification and include the number 1 and number 2 motorcycles from the 2014 season.

The second collection comprised more than 40 important motorcycles owned by the late acclaimed German film critic Hans Schifferle, led by a rare 1974 Ducati 750 SS; estimate £90,000 – £130,000.

Known for his work for Süddeutsche Zeitung as a film critic and essayist, Schifferle, who died last year, was also a motorcycle connoisseur, building up his collection over two decades.

Offering a range of motorcycles from sports bikes to café racers, the collection represents the great Italian, British and American marques, including MV Agusta, Vincent and Indian.

More than 130 lots of motorcycle spares and memorabilia will also be offered.

4) LIVE Music!

The show is making full use of the bandstand this year. As well as using it for interviewing Michael Dunlop, visitors can enjoy multiple sets from a couple of  live bands in there too!

Catch Ignition live on Saturday for three half-hour sets at 11.30am, 12.30pm and 1.30pm. Ignition is a Staffordshire-based Rockabilly band aiming to replicate the Neo Rockabilly sound of the 1980s. It offers high tempo, hard hitting rock ‘n’ roll with a mix of classics from the 1950s through to the present day.

On Sunday, visitors can expect something completely different!  The all-singing, all-dancing female close harmony duo The Daisy Belles will be recapturing the authentic sounds of The Andrews Sisters, live on the stage at 11.30am, 12.30pm and 1.30pm.

Showcasing a delightful mix of classic hits from the bygone years and popular modern songs with a unique twist, the girls have been dazzling audiences internationally with their intricate harmonies, cute vintage choreography and fun loving flare!

5) Bikes EVERYWHERE!   

Saving the best ‘til last – Stafford really is all about the bikes… and this October promises to be no exception.

Lots of the clubs in particular will be celebrating some of their milestone anniversaries with an extra special collection on display for all to see.

The CBX Riders’ Club (UK) will be celebrating the 40^th Anniversary of the CBX Pro-link, this being the third generation of the fantastic Honda six-cylinder CBX 1000. Honda reconfigured the CBX for 1981 as a sports touring bike, with fairing and side panniers. The rear suspension also changed from dual to mono shock, and saw the introduction of the progressive linkage system - hence the name Pro-Link! Visitors can find the club in one of the side halls at the show.

Plans are in place for a full return of all the much-loved aspects of the show including the wall of death, massive indoor and outdoor trade and autojumble and club stands. There’ll be bikes everywhere, live trials action and live music too, with no planned restrictions in place. More details can be found on the website: www.staffordclassicbikeshows.com

Tickets are on sale now at an early bird price of £13 until October 4. Visit www.staffordclassicbikeshows.com or call 01507 529529 to purchase.