John McGuinness started the race for the Honda TT Legends and the first few hours saw him, Simon Andrews and Michael Dunlop put in an impressive performance that took them from 28th to third place.

As evening fell on the Magny Cours circuit in France, light rain caused a few incidents for other teams, but the Honda TT Legends settled into a steady fourth place, where they remained through the night until daybreak.     

Just after 8am, Dunlop made an unexpected pit stop and the Honda TT Legends crew set to work, eventually identifying and fixing a problem with the heat exchanger. McGuinness re-joined the race in 13th place but unfortunately the irreparable damage to the engine had already been done and it subsequently overheated. He was forced to dismount and push the bike back to the pits on the first lap and the team retired from the race.

The EWC will continue with the Suzuka 8-hour in Japan on 28 July.

Neil Tuxworth   This is a very disappointing end for the team after all the hard work and effort everyone has put in. It’s unfortunate but we had a problem with the heat exchanger which caused the engine to overheat and fail towards the end of the race. It’s our first incomplete event in seven races and our first ever retirement from a 24 hour race, but it happens to everyone at some point and the main thing is that everyone is ok. We haven’t had any injuries to anybody and although there was some leakage from the bike, it doesn’t look like it caused problems to anybody else as the safety car came out very quickly. Like I say, very disappointing for everyone but we have to move on and look forward to the road races coming up in the next few months.       John McGuinness   We’re just gutted not to have finished. The lads have done so much work on the bike – new electronics, traction control – all sorts of bits and pieces that they’ve spent hundreds if not thousands of hours on. We’ve had a fantastic run of results up to now with seven races completed and we were looking good in the race. We were top five again and chipping away, but unfortunately we had a problem 18 hours in. I’m just speechless really, just gutted, but we’ll try and take the positives out of it. We were running a lot closer to some of our rivals so we can take that to the next round.     

Simon Andrews   It had gone well up until that point. I did a good few stints at the beginning to get us up to fourth and I was happy enough with that. It’s a shame what’s happened for everyone because the guys have worked so hard. The chassis was working well and we had the quickest bike out there at some points, so it just would have been nice to reward everyone with a podium. We were third at one stage so to go from that position to coming away with no points at all is not fun, but that’s endurance racing. We can be happy with the hard work we’ve put in and the way we’ve worked together and we’ll look forward to the next round.     

Michael Dunlop   It’s so disappointing for all the lads after all the hard work they’ve done. I really feel for them because it’s not just about us riders, it’s a massive team effort and they put so much into it. I just got my head down and got on with it, going with the flow really. It was going well up until that point, but we’ll go back and take a look at the bike and come back bigger and stronger next time.

Off-road biking legend, Patsy Quick, will lead a mass motorcycle ride on Saturday 18th May to the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) Show at Peterborough Arena to support Riders for Health.   

Meeting at the Super Sausage Café on the A5 near Towcester from 8am for registration and breakfast, the ride-in will leave at 9.30am taking a scenic, cross-country route to the Peterborough Arena (formerly the East of England Showground) arriving at the BMF Show for 11am. 

The ride-in will be led by Patsy Quick, the first British woman to complete the legendary Dakar Rally. Prior to her achievement in the famous desert endurance race, Patsy was both British and European Women’s Enduro Champion. Now Patsy is supporting Riders for Health to help mobilise health workers in Africa with reliable motorcycles so that they can reach remote communities with lifesaving health care. 

Spaces are limited so participation on the ride-in will be decided on a first come, first served basis and a £5 donation to Riders for Health will be encouraged. Everyone taking part will need to be registered and given a Riders for Health bib to wear. 

The ride-in route will cover approximately 50 miles passing through picturesque towns and villages such as Castlethorpe, Olney, Bozeat, Rushden, Thrapston and Oundle. On arrival at the BMF Show, the group will have a photo opportunity with Patsy, before being directed to the bike parking area. 

www.thebmfshow.co.uk

Riders for Health have teamed up with the BMF in the hope of introducing many more people to the charities’ lifesaving work.

The BMF Show in May is Europe’s largest outdoor motorcycle show, with over 40,000 people expected to attend over the weekend. Riders will have a stand in the new Adventure and Overland Touring area with their off-road fundraising ride to Zambia, Experience Africa.

For your chance to win a free place on this once-in-a-lifetime motorcycle adventure, visit Riders for Health’s stand to buy a ticket for just £1. 

Riders for Health is the official charity of the Fédération Internationale de Motorcyclisme (FIM) and MotoGP. The organisation provides health workers in Africa with reliable vehicles, enabling them to deliver vital health care to isolated communities on a regular basis. Riders also teaches health workers to ride safely in the difficult terrain and local men and women are trained to maintain the vehicles so that they never break down. 

www.riders.org

If I have a medical problem with my spine, I want someone who understands my vertebrae and of course I wouldn’t dream of calling to see my dentist. It must be the same with motorcycle accident claims. I want someone who understands what I have experienced as a biker!

I want someone who is a biker and not someone who I have try to explain things to time and time again.  

What I really don’t want is to try and explain things to a lifelong car driver who will not only fail to understand what I am trying to say, but may even not sympathize with my dilemma. I want a bike solicitor that deals with motorcycle accident claims and not a non riding lawyer who will deal with it, but not really understand it.  I want a solicitor who has ridden to work and parked his motorbike unashamedly outside the office, and will ride it back home at the end of the day; that’s what I want from a real motorcycle accident claims lawyer.  

When a motorcyclist or scooter rider are injured as the result of a road traffic accident, they will want solicitors that understand the difficulties they have experienced as the direct result of being a minority on the roads. In that, I mean that compared with the number of car drivers, involved in accidents each day, we as motorcyclists make for a very small proportion.  

Motorbike accident claims are becoming more and more sophisticated in their approach to dealing with personal injuries involving motorcyclists who may be completely innocent victims. What we don’t want is the motorcyclist to be a secondary victim of a non riding solicitor who may simply not understand.  

With the ever increasing cost of fuel, we will shortly see a dramatic rise in the number of motorcyclists on the road. That being the case, we will also see a rise in the number of motorcycle injury claims. For many years in many countries throughout the world, the motorcycle has been the staple form of transport for businesses and households.

Many are driven to two wheels by poverty, whilst many do it simply because they are passionate and simply want to. It is this desire to ride on two wheels that drives the majority of people in this country to become motorcyclists.  

As global oil prices rocket, so will the number of motorcyclists and so will the number of motorcycle injury claims that will need specialist knowledge, handing and expertise.  

Don’t lose out on your compensation, pick experience over image. Pick a genuine motorcycle injury claims solicitor; nothing else will do. Remember, passion about motorcycles and legal expertise go hand in hand.  

If you have had a motorbike injury claim, then call us today for free biker to biker legal advice on 0800 622 6517.

The third annual Prescott Bike Festival took place on Sunday 7 April 2013 and raised in excess of £35,000 for the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes and one of its member groups, Severn Freewheelers.

The event attracted more than 4,500 visitors who enjoyed an action-packed day where rare classic, modern and famous bikes took to the historic hill, from Nortons, BSAs and Velocettes, to extreme custom Choppers and well-known superbikes such as the John Reynolds ex-Reve Red Bull Ducati 996RS Championship bike and the David Jeffries' Suzuki GSXR1000 TT (which will be appearing at the Isle of Man TT next month for his 10th anniversary of Davids death).

The festival was supported by many motorcycle clubs and dealers including those representing Ducati, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Enfield, Triumph, AJP, Harley, Victory, BMW and KTM. Speaking at the event Chris Waldron, General Manager of the Blade Group said “We have supported Prescott Bike Festival for the past three years; the event is an obvious place for us to showcase our three brands, Triumph, Harley Davidson and Victory. It’s great to be able to take our showrooms outdoors to a large dedicated motorcycle audience at a convenient and unique event”.

Despite the unseasonably cold weather, all 200 tickets for members of the public to “Ride the hill” were sold out months in advance, as was the special feature this year, “Happy Hour” - the public’s opportunity to see, hear, get up close and watch some special motorcycle machinery.

Not surprisingly, passenger thrill rides in an Aprilia sidecar, the new Morgan Three Wheeler, the Carver One and the Scorpion 3 sold out. Throughout the day there were demonstrations by the Scott Redding Mini Moto Academy, Simon Welsh Trials Team featuring the Youth Development Squad, Skyzone Racings’ Chris Hodgson (current British Supermoto Champion), the NHCA Masters, the Classic 50cc Racing Club and motorcycle adventurer Nick Sanders, who has motorcycled around the world seven times.

Off track, the paddock was crammed with bike displays, motorcycle trade stands and a host of entertainment with live music from UK hot rocking band, Josie and the Outlaws, and covers band, Come Up and See Me. In addition there were roaming actors from the 501st Garrison, the world’s largest and most accurate Star Wars costuming club, and, back by popular demand, the George Formby look-a-like from the motorcycle film, No Limit? One particular highlight was a surprise appearance from the Cheltenham Pipe Band – who says motorcyclists aren’t eclectic!

In amongst the fun, were serious messages too - exhibitor Chris Harrison, Motorcycle Coordinator from the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership said “Prescott Bike Festival is a prime place to get the Think Bike message out there to a large motorcycle audience. We are here today to provide advice to riders about the training available locally through Bikesafe, IAM and RoSPA and other precautionary measures that riders can take out on the road. In Gloucestershire 84% of all motorcycle collisions involve another vehicle, and whilst it’s hoped they will never be needed, we are handing out free crash cards. Its a scheme where a rider places a crash card inside their helmet providing emergency contact details for ambulance crews in case they are injured in an accident. So far we have distributed over 3,000 in the county and 500,000 nationally”.

Festival organiser, Gordon Downie, said, “Prescott Bike Festival raises vital funds for the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes, it’s the charity's biggest fundraising event of the year and we are delighted that it has become a firm annual fixture in the motorcycle calendar. We are hugely grateful to all the exhibitors, bike clubs, dealers, marshals, volunteers and visitors who continue to support us and have helped make the event such a success. Plans for the 2014 event are already underway”.

Cheltenham Mayor, Councillor Colin Hay, came to support the event, he is a volunteer Blood Bike rider with the Gloucestershire branch of the Severn Freewheelers. When asked “so why do you do it”, he simply replied “I love riding, it is so rewarding being a volunteer. The hospitals are so grateful for the service that even on the bleakest of nights when you are freezing cold on a call out, you don’t mind, you have a sense of purpose – that ride just might save a life. What a terrific way for me to use my hobby for another benefit”.

Did you 'Ride the Hill' at Prescott Bike Festival? If so, why not buy a picture of your hill run, using the link on the Prescott Bike Festival website.

All proceeds from pictures bought will be donated to the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes.

The Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes is the umbrella organisation representing 24 regional blood bike charities, all providing a motorcycle-based, free delivery service to the NHS; moving vital medical supplies, blood and pathology samples from medical centres and hospitals throughout the UK. Recently NABB member groups have become involved in the transport of frozen human milk from the donor to the milk processing hospitals. This has been a real lifesaver due to the necessity of very premature babies having intolerance to anything but human milk.

Run entirely by volunteers, NABB member groups have over 1500 active members with a fleet of 88+ emergency response vehicles. All NABB riders are trained in the movement of medical essentials and operate from individual regional charities but with a common goal – to alleviate suffering and reduce the funding pressures on the NHS. NABB was formed in 2010 and is chaired by Gordon Downie, from Gloucestershire.

Severn Freewheelers is the regional Blood Bike group operating in Gloucestershire, Hereford & Worcester and North Wiltshire. Over 70 volunteers help Severn Freewheelers carry out a much-needed service. Severn Freewheelers runs four BMW R1200RTs and a Honda ST1300, all are emergency response equipped and the members handle some 3,500 call outs per annum, covering 140,000 miles. ?They work from 7pm in the evening to 7am the following day and all day at weekends. Each "shift" consists of four people, three riders and a dispatcher. The dispatcher fields calls from the hospitals and plans the route for the evening based on the calls received. Emergency calls are obviously dealt with first and for these we use blue lights. All riders are volunteers. All receive extra training in emergency response riding and go through a first aid course. In short, a professional team delivering a professional service, FREE to the NHS at the point of use.

Volunteers join for many different reasons. Below are just three examples:

After spending two years watching my mother be treated by the NHS for cancer I wanted to do what I could, to give something back, to say "thank you". I joined Severn Freewheelers and have spent two years riding and helping deliver our service to our customers. I think my mum would have approved. Paul

Although I was aware of SFW from its formation, it was only during my late wife Lindsey's hospital treatment that their day-to-day work became apparent. During her inpatient treatment at Cheltenham & Bristol hospital out of hours, units of blood and platelets were delivered by SFW and the Avon team. Although Lindsey did not survive we were grateful to everybody involved for giving her the best opportunity to overcome her leukemia. David

My elder son was diagnosed with leukemia when he was two and a half and since then I have given blood, whole and platelets, as I saw how much he needed of both. Joining SFW was an extension of this and a way of helping a health service that gave him so much. He was treated in Gloucester & Bristol hospital and is now a large, robust 28 year-old. Ian Stockwell

Severn freewheelers are a charity organisation and are always looking for help. If you feel that you would like to volunteer to either ride, dispatch, provide help with event fundraising, or offer financial aid, sponsorship or product – please contact us at www.severnfreewheelers.co.uk, or contact Edward on: 01527 544 292

To sustain Severn Freewheelers need around £28,000 per annum to provide the service. It is estimated that the service saves the NHS some £280,000. Please see below where the money goes:

• £300 pays for fuel for one motorcycle for one month • £400 pays for one motorcycle’s annual insurance premium • £600 pays for our liability insurance for a year • £1,000 pays for six months depreciation for one motorcycle • £2,000 pays for our motorcycle servicing costs for one year • £7,000 enables us to buy a new motorcycle • £7,500 enables to fully run one motorcycle for one year

Your contribution, however small, could save someone’s life, maybe your own...

The top TT riders are heading for the Isle of Man for the launch of the 2013 TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy and you can follow the event wherever you are in the world.

The leading riders will all be appearing at the free Fan Party hosted by Manx Radio TT's Chris Kinley and Tim Glover, which kicks off at 7.30pm at the Villa Marina on Wednesday 10th April.

This is your chance to hear the thoughts of all of the top riders as they get ready for this year's TT; from John McGuinness as he looks to add to his 19 race wins through to Australian Josh Brookes who will be taking part in his first TT. Other riders who will feature in the evening include race winners Bruce Anstey, Gary Johnson, Ian Lougher and Honda TT Legends team-mates Michael Rutter and Michael Dunlop while Cameron Donald is scheduled to link up live from Australia.

You'll also get to hear from Dan Stewart, Conor Cummins, William Dunlop, Dean Harrison, Dan and Ryan Kneen and Simon Andrews while newcomers Horst Saiger, AJ Venter and the Isle of Man's Gav Hunt will be sharing their thoughts on tackling the TT Mountain Course for the first time.

The sidecars will also be represented with 16 time champion Dave Molyneux and passenger Patrick Farrance heading the field. You'll also get the chance to get insights from current World sidecar champion Tim Reeves and his passenger Dan Sayle, and 2012 TT race winner John Holden and Andy Winkle.

However, if you can't get to the Isle of Man you can still follow the event live via the iomtt.com website, which will be broadcasting the whole launch from the Villa Marina. It will also be broadcast live via Manx Radio and through the stations on-line service. You can also tweet your questions to the riders on the night to @iom_tt and presenter Chris Kinley will ask the best ones on the night.

Anyone lucky enough to be on the Isle of Man can also meet the riders in Douglas at the Motorsport Merchandise store on Strand Street at 5pm on Tuesday 9th April where they will be signing autographs at the launch of the 2013 TT Merchandise collection - your chance to bag an early souvenir including the launch of new limited edition TT 2013 posters featuring new unique artwork of the leading TT stars.

However, if all of this isn't enough you can still buy tickets to the 'TT Launch - Access All Areas', package which offers exclusive behind the scenes access at the launch including the opportunity to meet the riders behind the scenes at the official media launch during the day on Wednesday 10th April. The day will include breakfast reception, the chance to be pictured with all of the leading riders at a secret location as well as lunch. You'll then be transported back to the Villa Marina for an evening buffet with the riders followed by reserved seating at the public launch event. Tickets are available at £200 plus VAT from www.iomtt.com or official ticket and travel agency Regency Travel on 01624 694456.