Road racing legend and television star, Guy Martin, once again encouraged motorcycle riders and tea drinkers around the country to back the charity Spinal Research over the May Bank Holiday.

Overall the Big Brew 2013 raised a fantastic £12,500 including a contribution of £2,500 from the sale of Guy Martin’s 2013 calendars. This is double last year’s total and there is still money coming in for life changing research funded by Spinal Research. Supporters all over the country brewed kettles, made tea, baked cakes, held fundraising events and generally had a great time.

Happy Days Leisure raised the most money making £2000 and special thanks also to Wessons Café who also raised a whopping £700 – the two most successful fundraisers. Thanks to their stirling Big Brew efforts, they will get to meet Guy later this year, along with Stuart Tansley, whose name was drawn from all those that joined in and had a cuppa at their local Big Brew event organised by the Arlesey Motorcycle Club.

Guy’s sideburns competition saw ‘sidies’ created in every way imaginable and even those who couldn’t grow them joined in on the action using glitter tattoo sideburns, amongst other things! Rosewood Farms also got in on the act and donated 10% from the sale of packs of their mutton chops to support the Big Brew. Top marks for creativity! Check out all the fabulous mutton chops entries here www.guymartinbigbrew.org

Of course King of the mutton chops himself, Guy Martin, had great fun choosing the lucky winner, who is John Mallett and wins a fantastic Focused Events track day.

Of the many Big Brew events held around the country, special thanks must go to the ‘growers’ at The Parks and Greenspaces Team in Merseyside, who cultivated some spectacular sideburns and raised even more money by selling cream teas too. Also, Fulton Vehicle Specialists on the Isle of Man, held their own special TT trivia quiz, with all proceeds going to the Big Brew and Spinal Research.

The Big Brew fun day at City School of Motorcycling had something for everyone including a climbing wall, mini motos, skilled balance riding competition, stunt rider display, raffle, barbecue, teas and delicious cakes donated by Greggs.  The Big Brew action continued in Scotland as Hein Gericke Edinburgh supported the day.

Special motorcycle ride outs that took place to celebrate the Big Brew included a ride out along the Cornish TT and the Hastings Bike 1066 Spring Opener where Cooper Tunbridge Wells held a Big Brew event on their stand.

It’s an exciting time for Spinal Research as they are working towards clinical trials that will transform the lives of people living with paralysis, improving sensation, movement and their quality of life. The charity has a dedicated campaign specifically for motorcyclists called Ride Out and The Big Brew is one of the key events in their biking calendar.

It’s not too late to make a donation, or if you want to discuss a fundraising idea then Spinal Research would love to hear from you.  Visit www.spinal-research.org or call Isabel on 01483 898786.

“I’m putting my support and tea drinking enthusiasm behind The Big Brew, taking part and fundraising can make all the difference to people living with paralysis.  I hope you enjoyed the 2013 Big Brew and hope even more of you will join us in 2014.”

Guy Martin, Ride Out for Spinal Research Ambassador

For this summer, Ducati UK has launched a realm of affordable TriOptions PCP offers spread throughout the model range from the iconic entry level Monster 696 through to the flagship Superbike 1199 Panigale.

Ducati has constantly reacted to customer needs by not only producing market challenging products but also by making its motorcycles more affordable. This has been done by reducing service costs and extending service intervals and by offering a range of Ducati finance options that make the dream of owning a Ducati a reality.

Ducati UK’s latest TriOptions PCP offers range from as low as £85 per month for a Monster 696 up to £199 for the award winning 1199 S ABS Panigale and with competitive finance APR levels ranging between 2.7% - 6.5%. The full range of Monsters is included in the promotion with a deposit level set at just 20%. The top of the range Monster 1100 Evo is available on the PCP deal at just £119. The 1100 Evo combines the renowned styling of a model celebrating its 20th anniversary with such features as Ducati Safety pack which includes both Traction control and ABS.

The most recent new Ducati model, the irresistible Hyperstrada, is also included in the campaign. This compelling mix of Motard and practicality is available on the PCP offer at an enticing £115 per month.

Another model often described as compelling is the Diavel. Its heady mix of blistering performance and cruising genetics accompanies the rest of the range in being part of this inviting PCP promotion. Price per month across the Diavel family range is from £139 per month for the Dark, to £169 for the new Diavel Strada, and on to £189 for the range topping Carbon model.

Finally the beloved 848 Superbike range completes the collection of PCP offers with a tempting £119 for the 848 Evo and just £125 per month for the 848 Evo Corse Special Edition.

All prices quoted are for an agreement duration of 37 months. Deposits, APR and fixed interest rates vary depending on model. The promotion runs from now until the end of September 2013. For further details of this PCP offers contact your local dealer or visit www.ducatiuk.com

Ride to Work Day 2013 took place on Monday 17 June, with dealers, biker cafes and companies up and down the country taking part. Riders were asked to use their motorcycle or scooter to commute to work to demonstrate the benefits of commuting on two wheels.

2013 saw the largest measured rider participation ever with over 8,000 bikers on the Ride to Work Day Facebook page and another 1,200 on Twitter - all pledging their support. The Ride to Work Day team introduced a mile counter on the website and encouraged riders to send in their mileage for the day, just the miles sent in via Facebook and Twitter come to over 30,000 and the count is still going!

Manufacturer support came from Harley Davidson, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda and ZingBikes, while insurance companies, BikeSure, Carol Nash, MCE and Bennetts all helped promote the event and held their own Ride to Work Day celebrations. Large corporate firms encouraged their staff to consider a motorcycle for their commute, such as Santander and Visteon Global Engineering.

Competitions were run in celebration of the day, not only on the Ride to Work Day sites, but by MCN, Twist and Go and MCE’s Big Ed, with motorcycling app REALRIDER giving away BSB Paddock passes and Michelin tyres if your route was picked from all those uploaded via their app on Ride to Work Day.

One of the winners of the Ultimate Ride to Work Day award went to new rider, Rachel Jones, who passed her CBT in May this year and now commutes the 40 miles from Bo’ness to Edinburgh everyday: “I know I'm a newbie, but even with town riding, I'm getting 140 miles to the gallon! The guys at work laugh at me in my bike gear, but I have the last laugh - I've cut my commuting costs from the train being £8 a day to just £1.50 on the bike”.

Dealers and biker cafes opened early, with special offers and tempting freebies such as bacon sandwiches, cakes and hot drinks to welcome riders. Even councils in Leicestershire and Neath held riding events in their car parks, with free bacon rolls for passing bikers!

Harley Davidson was a particularly strong supporter this year, supplying goods for competition prizes across the Ride to Work Day social networking platforms and encouraging all their dealers to get behind the event. Don Rutherford from Glasgow dealer, West Coast Harley-Davidson said: "Ride to Work Day works very well as a general awareness campaign promoting the benefits of motorcycling. We had the opportunity to use Ride to Work Day to generate solid local media coverage in the local press and radio, and that's good for us. We laid on free coffee and buns, but at the end of the day people were riding to work, and so wouldn't have the time to visit a dealer on the same day. For us, we don't judge the success of Ride to Work Day on the numbers of people that came through our showroom on one day, we have reached a larger audience with an important motorcycling message and that means they could visit us tomorrow, next week or next month. As an industry, we need to promote ourselves and Ride to Work Day does a very good job of that."

Surrey-based dealer, Doble Motorcycles has always supported Ride to Work Day and 2013 was no exception. Michael Lee at Doble explained: "We always support Ride to Work Day, it's a positive event for motorcycling with a good message. This year we organised a staff and customer ride out before work with a free breakfast at the end of it! We had a lot of customer interest with around 50 customers signing up, but unfortunately the weather let us down.  It rained in the morning and this obviously put some people off, but the ride out still went ahead with around 25 riders, and we all enjoyed a 'full English' overlooking the runway at Redhill Aerodrome. We enjoyed the early morning ride out and would definitely do it again next year. Ride to Work Day is the only annual event that is committed to promoting the benefits of commuting by bike - why wouldn't we support it?!"

The team at Zing Bikes celebrated Ride to Work Day by opening early and giving callers to their Huntingdon showroom free coffee and muffins throughout the day. They also held a free prize draw that was open to the public and to employees of parent company Encocam, as long as they rode to work on a motorcycle or scooter. Peterborough biker, Pete Formosa, was the lucky winner and won a ZingWear leather motorcycle jacket and gloves. ZingBikes General Manager Paul Hinchliffe said “We were really pleased to back the Ride to Work campaign.  It gives people a chance to consider the alternatives to the car and to look at the cost savings in fuel and road tax, but also the joy of getting out on two wheels.”

The campaign is part of the MCI’s annual calendar of events. The MCI opened its Coventry headquarters this year, with free bacon rolls on offer for passing bikers, while acting CEO Steve Kenward, recorded his own 136 mile commute.

Overall the aim of promoting the benefits of commuting by motorcycle to existing and potential riders was fulfilled and 2014 promises to be another exciting event!

www.ridetoworkday.co.uk

Joining us at our annual Open Day* is not only the perfect opportunity to swing your leg over the current Triumph range but could also win you the loan of the Triumph of your choice for a whole year!

 Simply register to let us know you’ll be attending on the 13th, and we’ll enter you into the competition. It’s that easy!

Alongside a list of other prizes, including service vouchers, clothing vouchers and items from our personal accessory range, we’re also offering 25% off Triumph clothing**, valid on the 13th July.

Now there’s no excuse, clear your diary on the 13th July and register today...

Nothing will compare to the thrilling sights, sounds and smell of some of the world's most exotic classic bikes at this year's inaugural Classic TT event on the Isle of Man and you can be within ear splitting distance of the best action as well as be part of the world's leading Classic Motorcycle event with race day and special events tickets now on sale.

VIP, Platinum VIP and Grandstand tickets are all now available for the two Classic TT race days - Saturday 24th and Monday 26th August. VIP and Platinum VIP hospitality tickets offer unrivalled access to the event from the comfort of the 'VIP Club'. You'll be sharing the complimentary bar, breakfast and buffet with heroes from the TT past and present as well as some of the greatest names in the history of motorcycle racing.

Grandstand tickets will give you a great view of the start and finish straight and the iconic pit lane as the world's leading classic racers go head to head with the modern TT stars. John McGuinness and Michael Dunlop are set to renew their rivalry from this year's TT and battle for the 500cc crown

Other leading TT stars including Conor Cummins, Cameron Donald, William Dunlop, James Hillier, Gary Johnson and Bruce Anstey are all confirmed to appear on some of the greatest and most iconic machines of the last century including bikes from Paton, Matchless, Norton, MV Agusta, BSA, Moto Guzzi, Ducati, Vincent, AJS, Aermacchi and the established Japanese manufacturers, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki..

Grandstand tickets are priced at just £10 for Saturday's 500cc Classic TT Race with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company '67 Senior TT Reenactment Lap featuring John McGuinness and Giacomo Agostini also scheduled for that day. Monday's action includes the combined 350cc and 250cc Classic TT Races as well as the Formula 1, 2 and Formula Classic TT Race.

Monday will also feature the Classic Racer Classic TT 'Lap of Honour'. Riders already confirmed to take part include 15-time World Champion Giacomo Agostini, 20-time TT winner John McGuinness, 11-time TT winner Philip McCallen, 16-time TT sidecar race winner Dave Molyneux, 7-time TT winner Mick Grant, 4-time World Champion Kork Ballington, double World Champion Carlos Lavado, Ralf Waldmann, winner of 20 Grand Prix, Formula 750 World Champion Steve Baker, triple world champion Freddie Spencer and 2003 World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson.

The action doesn't just take place on the track this year as London's iconic Ace Cafe will be taking over the VIP Club and recreating their unrivalled experience on Saturday 24th August with an Ace Cafe Classic TT Party. Expect tub-thumping rock and roll from the sixties with live music, DJ's and special guests. Tickets are priced at just £20 for an evening of fun and nostalgia.

The following evening, Sunday 25th August, TT fans will get the chance to meet some of the greatest names in Motorcycling history at the 'Classic TT Heroes Dinner' in the VIP Club. Compered by Neil Hodgson and with a plethora of World Champions, national champions and a stunning line up of TT riders past and present with over a hundred race victories and numerous podiums, it promises to be an unforgettable and exclusive evening. Tickets are priced at £100 each plus VAT

Grandstand, VIP and Platinum Hospitality and the Ace Cafe Classic TT Party and Classic TT Heroes Dinner are all available on the www.officialiomtt.com website or by phoning Duke Marketing on +44 (0) 1624 640 000.