We can now announce the Saturday night headliner has been confirmed, from The Jam will be blasting out hits from The Jam

Led by the Jam's ex base player Bruce Foxton, After The Jam split in '82, Foxton pursued a solo career. He had a hit with the single "Freak" and collaborated with other musicians, until he... read more here

Ducati teams make further strides in both British Superbike and National Superstock 1000 classes

Ducati enjoyed its strongest weekend’s racing for some time at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk (5-7 July). Tristan Palmer had yet another fantastic race in the National Superstock 1000 class for Rapido Sport Racing, while the team’s rider in the main British Superbike class Matteo Baiocco scored the a best ever result by breaking into the top ten.

Coming off the back of a good weekend at Knockhill the team had the top ten in its sights, but with the ultra-competitive nature of the series, nothing is ever certain. The Italian made a good start in race one and jumped two spots from thirteenth on the grid to 11th at the end of the first lap, finding himself in a fierce mid-field battle that stretched from eighth back to 14th.

A safety car period followed, and Matteo managed to move up to ninth at half race distance before dropping back a couple of spots to eleventh. It looked like the Factory Ducati World Superbike test rider would just miss out on that elusive maiden top ten, but a fall from one of the front runners on the penultimate lap bumped the sole BSB Ducati back into the top ten to score the best ever finish for the Rapido Sport Racing team.

Another strong performance in race two for Italian rider and bike saw the Rapido Sport Racing team once again knocking on the door of the top ten. By lap 11 of 16 the Italian had taken tenth and was lapping slightly faster than the riders ahead. By lap 14 he was up to ninth, but a resurgent James Ellison just edged him back to tenth for a repeat result of race one over the line. Both rider and team were delighted with the double top-ten, and are confident that the performance can be repeated for the rest of the season.

Things would get even better for the Italian marque as the day went on, with Tristan Palmer starting from second place on the grid for the weekend’s only National Superstock 1000 race. A superb launch saw the rider from Nuneaton rocket into first place into the first corner. He was pushed back into second on lap two, but after a brief safety lap period took the lead back on lap nine.

A mistake on the same lap saw Palmer drop back to third, and despite his best efforts, didn’t have enough grip left to challenge in the last few laps. A scary moment at Montreal on the final lap saw Palmer run very wide, but he managed to pull the 1199 Panigale up just in time to maintain fourth place across the line.

Signs were also positive from Robbie Brown in the Superstock class. The DMC Racing rider had been struggling all weekend, but a change to the traction control gave him the smooth power delivery he’s been searching for all season. The 24-year-old had moved forward from 29th on the grid to 18th before a burst water pipe forced him out of the race on lap 11.

The Ducati TriOptions 848 Challenge made a welcome return to the support bill this weekend, and provided even more exciting racing for Ducati fans. In race one, Jonathan Railton’s unbroken winning spree was brought to an end with a superb lights to flag victory for Marty Nutt on the number 77 machine.

Race two saw a fantastic race-long battle between Nutt and Railton, with Nutt muscling past the current championship leader and defending strongly for the majority of the race. On the penultimate lap, however, there was nothing the Northern Irishman could do to hold off Railton’s charge, and at Agositini corner the number 40 machine took the lead. Railton pulled out a gap of almost half a second over the line, and made it five wins from six races so far in 2013.

Matteo Baiocco said:

“I’m happy for the position because we brought some good points home. We are much closer to the factory riders than at the other races so this weekend had been good. We stopped the improvements with the bike after qualifying. We might have been able to do some more with the setting but we were scoring our best results so it wasn’t worth risking it. The races felt long – I forgot about the sun, the last time I was here the track temperature was two degrees so it was very different. In the end, to get this result without coming to test here, which a lot of the other teams did, looks good for the rest of the races.”

The teams return to action at Brands Hatch for round 6 of the British Superbike Championship 19-21 July.

Along with other stakeholders, the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI) is disappointed with the outcome of the Motorcycle Test Review, announced by the Department for Transport.

Although some access improvements have been made with more examiners, the implementation of an online booking system and some additional test centres, the UK still has nowhere near the level of test centres before 2DLD was introduced.

Steve Kenward, Chief Executive of the MCI commented:

“Our disappointment chiefly lies with the fact that a genuine desire to try to work with the DSA and its stakeholders - to improve the 2DLD process - has not generated a better result. We remain concerned that the time and effort expended by all has not moved the testing regime forward.  Instead, it serves to reinforce a testing regime that MCI believes was poorly implemented at the outset”.

“We were willing to try to make 2DLD work, and we thought this review would help to refine its implementation, but a lack of progress raises a bigger question about whether the specific requirements of 2DLD should now be challenged. MCI remains concerned about the safety of a test which is considered too dangerous to be carried out on a road, yet qualifies the rider to use the road afterwards.  We remain passionate about rider safety, and especially the safety of those new to motorcycling and will continue to work with the DSA and other stakeholders to advance this”.

The British Bikers Association (BBA) has launched a 'pothole campaign' with a difference. With evidence compiled straight from the smartphones of its members, the UK's newest biking community aims to show local councils that evading their responsibilities is no longer an option.

Picture the scene. You're riding along enjoying yourself and engaging all your faculties in the safe observance of the laws of the land then - without warning - you hit a pothole. What happens? Well, if you're a motorcyclist you'll know the sickening feeling of losing control as you try and recover your balance and ride on. Frankly, that's the least offensive scenario - for many riders, hitting a yawning chasm in the road can spell serious injury and perhaps even death.

A casual glance at the statistics bolsters the case: motorcyclists may only account for a mere one percent of road users, but they account for 20 percent of all fatalities - a figure that's 61 times greater than the figure for car drivers. By anyone's measure that is a significant disparity in mortality rate. But, predictably, the very organisations that should be working to protect bikers from these kinds of numbers seem to be content to play the percentages. Take the recent news about the Highways Agency imposing speed limits on roads with surfaces more akin to the surface of the moon than a properly maintained public highway. The move - a result of introducing 'less prescriptive' maintenance contracts has seen vast sections of major routes such as the M11 become subject to speed restrictions - a genuine case of the tax payer stumping up cash to bankroll slower journey times and little in the way of improvements. At local council level the story is equally dispiriting. The coalition government's decision to let councils abandon their road improvement targets has led to miles of poor surfaces and a general trend of neglect. The Department for Transport's own figures tell a potent story: data compiled from polling 89 councils in 2010/11 shows that 38 per cent recorded deterioration in minor roads during this period. Major roads fared little better, with 40 per cent of councils recording a similar decline.

It would be funny if it wasn't so serious - and the crowning irony is that councils themselves are aware of the urgent need to deal with this in short order. Recent information released by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) revealed that councillors' top priority was dealing with the desperate state of the roads and yet, despite the message filtering to where it should, we still seem to be in a situation where potential death traps lurk round every corner.

It's not something that can be allowed to continue; but sadly, with 20 years' experience of fighting for the rights of bikers everywhere, the BBA's staff have bitter experience of the biking community's voice getting lost in the static. Yes, recent campaigns such as the BBC's Watchdog expose have made a dent in the public consciousness, but where's the motorcycle angle in all of this? Well, the good news is that it's right here and it's ready to start fighting back.

The British Bikers Association's Pothole Reporter feature offers everyone in the biking fraternity the chance to get the inside track on the location of potholes. Easily accessed with a couple of swipes of the 'Bikers Voice' app, this information can travel anywhere, allowing bikers on the move to access a complete inventory of all the potholes that have been reported to the site - and all from the convenience of their smartphones. That in itself is an incredibly useful resource, but Bikers Voice does more than that. Registered members get to take the next step in 'naming and shaming' local authorities into taking their duty of care seriously. With the 'Report Pothole' feature, they can take a picture of the offending surface and add a further two for good measure if required. The app will then overlay this on to Google maps for location information and the whole 'package' can be beamed straight to BBA to inform members browsing the 'campaigns/report a pothole' section of the website.

Whilst this is the type of innovation that's geared to make our councils think twice about lax - or non-existent - maintenance schedules, gathering evidence is only part of the equation. As a committed campaigning organisation, the BBA is using this information to head off the first - and last - resort of the wily council - the Section 58 defence. To offer a brief explanation, Section 58 of the Highways Act is supposed to require a local authority to take reasonable care of the road. However, should a pothole be reported and a biker go down, the council has recourse to all kinds of ways of removing the burden of responsibility from its shoulders. Many bikers will be familiar with the white spray around a hole that the council has hastily decided is 'scheduled for maintenance'; but as motorcyclists everywhere know, Section 58 defence is no moral defence in the wake of serious, preventable injury or a fatality.

It's a situation that can't be allowed to prevail, so the BBA is tackling this issue head-on by placing councils on 14 days' notice of potholes that have been uploaded to our website. If nothing has been done to deal with the problem after this period has elapsed, then we will contact their insurers with the details. In effect this has two outcomes: firstly if a biker goes down after the pothole has been reported, then the Section 58 defence no longer applies; secondly insurance companies looking after councils' policies will want to advise their clients of potential problems before they hit - and that should provide the extra motivation to get that pothole filled.

Speaking about the campaign, BBA founder Colin Mahoney was in a defiant mood: "The current situation on our roads is absolutely inexcusable. In effect motorcyclists and other roads users are paying to subsidise a regimen that allows the cracks, gaping holes and uneven surfaces that make riding out a real lottery. It's absolutely amazing what we can find to spend public money on; but when it comes to something that we are forced to use on a daily basis that has the potential to cause serious injury and even death, the cash and the political will to sort it out just doesn't seem to be there. The BBA is putting this issue to the forefront of the campaigning agenda and with our 'report a pothole feature' on the 'Bikers Voice' app (android version with Apple version to follow) and our willingness to get our hands dirty with the people that matter in this, we're not going to stop until it's something that's placed squarely at the top of councils' priority lists."

The British Bikers Association is the UK's freshest non profit motorcycling organisation. Founded by bikers for bikers, it's the ultimate resource for news, views and comment from in and around the world of motorcycling. For more information, including how to join, the benefits of membership, and further details about the 'Bikers Voice' app, log on and join the debate.

In April 1981 in Surrey, Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers (SERV) was set up to supply a quick and reliable means of Transporting Emergency Blood and Blood Products to the hospitals and medical facilities at night and weekends. This is the service we now wish to emulate and offer in our area.

Prior to SERV the only means available to hospitals, doctors and other medical establishments for the transport of emergency blood supplies at night were the following:

• Taxi • Ambulance • Police • Courier • Transfusion service vehicle

Each of these options had good and bad points:

Taxis: The advantage of these was that there were plenty of them. The disadvantage was reliability and cost. The cost to hospitals would range from £30 - £60 or more depending on location. The hospital also had to wait for one to be available and it was not guaranteed how long it would take to deliver.

Ambulance: Fast and able to respond quickly. The disadvantage was it removed a much-needed emergency vehicle from service during the transport time.

Police: Fast and able to respond quickly. The disadvantage was it removed a much-needed emergency vehicle from service during the transport time.

Courier: Limited availability during the night. High cost for service

Transfusion Service: Own vehicles are used during the day. Availability during the night was limited and hospitals were charged for the service.

NWBB MERSEYSIDE supplies this service FREE of any charge, thus freeing up much-needed funds for improved patient care and other needed facilities within the hospital and allows the hospitals to strive to make the financial cuts the government are demanding.

Future

With the existing services in the Manchester area and in the Lancs & Lakes area, it is now time to expand our Merseyside operations So as to cover the whole of Merseyside and therefore WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW!

With the ever-increasing need for the health service to save much needed funds, but to ensure good patient care, the demands upon the charity grow each year.

NWBB MERSEYSIDE Aims:-

• To supply a safe, quick, and reliable service to local hospitals and doctors for the transport of Emergency Blood and Blood products and Baby milk. • To transport emergency medical equipment, drugs, and maybe donor organs if requested to do so. • To provide our service free of any charge so this will release more money for patient care. This service is provided between the hours of 7pm and 6am weekdays and all weekend, 365 days a year. • To supply 24hr cover over the Christmas and New Year Bank Holidays.

Help Us

NWBB MERSEYSIDE is a charitable organisation that delivers blood products to the emergency and accident hospitals across Merseyside at night free of charge when official Health Service transportation services don't operate, as well as working other similar organisations to cover the UK if required.

If you own or are part of a company, you could DONATE a sum of money for a specific purchase, such as, insulated blood bags or reflective jackets and NWBB MERSEYSIDE would have your company's name printed on them. Or you could always provide Corporate Sponsorship, which would ensure that NWBB MERSEYSIDE would have a regular amount each year.

Maybe you belong to a Local Club or Group who are looking for a charity to help. Then please consider this one. All donations are welcome and you never know who might need the service. As explained, NWBB MERSEYSIDE is being asked to expand but to do so it needs the financial support to maintain it. Even small amounts all help to keep this service running, from just a few pounds to a few thousand it all helps and you can feel that even your little bit has helped towards saving a life. But not only does NWBB MERSEYSIDE need the financial support, but also the support of the medical establishments in the areas already covered, to use the service to its full potential. For without the calls the charity will fold in these areas through lack of use.

If you wish to become a volunteer yourself and would like to know more then please email us using [email protected] or any questions please ring Norman on 07794 030182 or if you get the answerphone please leave your message, your name and your phone number so we can ring you back.

www.nwbb-mers.org