Category: Other

1. MICHELIN READY TO TAKE ON THE MARVELS OF THE MASARYK

   Posted on 10:00am Saturday 20th Aug 2016

   Following last weekend’s event at the new venue in Spielberg in Austria, the MotoGP field now returns to a more familiar circuit and one which has a history of producing close and exciting racing. The Brno track features long straights, fast and slow corners, big elevation changes and downhill braking sectors, all added to a medium level abrasive surface which gives a complete test to riders, machines and tyres. With such a complex number of factors, Michelin will supply tyres to cope with the stresses that will be placed upon the rubber, both from the stability needed for good braking and the grip required to power the bikes out of the corners. With six left turns and eight right-handers, the layout has a more symmetrical appearance than some of the recent tracks MotoGP has visited, but the extra rights and the speed of these turns means Michelin will supply asymmetric rears, both of which will have a harder right shoulder to combat the extra demands that will be generated around the circuit.

   With the technical demands that will be faced, Michelin has a range of tyres designed to perform in all conditions and for all riders and machines. A selection of three front tyres in soft (identified by a white band), medium (no band) and hard (yellow band) will be available. These will be matched with two brand-new rear tyres that were first used at the Barcelona test and are aimed at providing the riders with increased traction. Available in soft (white band) and medium (no band), these rear MICHELIN Power Slicks will make their racing debut at Brno. The full range of MICHELIN Power Rain and Power Inter tyres will also be available to provide the best options for changeable or inclement weather.

   The Automotodrom Brno, also known as the Masaryk Circuit, is situated in the south-east of the Czech Republic in the area of Kyvalka, about 20km from Brno city centre and 200km from the country’s capital Prague. Its position is in close proximity to many neighbouring countries such as Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, making Brno one of the best attended races of the season and a huge crowd is expected to gather around the hillsides of the natural amphitheatre that forms the setting for this beautiful circuit. The present 5,403m Brno Grand Prix circuit was built in 1987 and is located in woodland near to the old street circuit which originally staged road-racing events from its inception on the 1930’s right up until the end of 1986.

   Michelin and the riders will take to the track on Friday 19th August for the first two free practice sessions, with another free practice the following morning. Saturday afternoon will see the all-important qualifying sessions where grid places will be decided for Sunday’s 22-lap race. The main event will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs BST, 12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 21st August.

   Piero Taramasso – Manager of the Two-Wheel Motorsport Group: “The Brno circuit is certainly a big test for tyres, as it features just about every type of corner, a medium abrasiveness and lots of changes in elevations, with over 70 metres of difference from the lowest to the highest points on the track, so we need to have tyres that can cope with the stresses that are placed upon them. The front tyre needs to be very stable under braking and the rear has to have a high level of grip to give the best drive out of the corners. We did test at the circuit last year, but it rained so we don’t really have any valuable data – unless it’s wet! We have already come a long way this season with the development of our tyres so we think that with the information we have gained over the first 10 races of the season we are in a good position to supply the correct tyres for the circuit, despite the lack of dry testing that we had when we came here. The Brno event is always a special one on the calendar and attracts a huge crowd, but sometimes the weather can be very unpredictable, we just hope that this weekend stays dry and warm, unlike some of the recent races we’ve had.”

2. GMEC are proud to present the ex-Barry Sheene,1979 Dunstall Suzuki GS1000 F1 on display

   Posted on 3:30pm Thursday 18th Aug 2016

   This machine was raced by Barry Sheene at the August Bank Holiday meeting at Oulton Park in 1979.   

   UK importer Heron Suzuki was interested in promoting production-based racing and had asked Paul Dunstall to enter Yoshimura-prepared engine factory GS1000s in TT Formula 1 events in 1979. Barry Sheene was the Texaco-sponsored Heron Suzuki team's number one rider in Grands Prix and his dislike of racing heavyweight four-strokes was well known, once referring to them as 'muck spreaders'. Nevertheless, Barry acquitted himself with distinction in his one-off ride at Oulton, finishing a close 2nd to Honda-mounted Ron Haslam. Indeed, the Suzuki star might have won had he not been balked by a back-marker on the final lap.

    

   
   
   The Bike Café at GMEC is open every day during normal business hours. Drop in for hot and cold refreshments or stay for something to eat such as The Big Breakfast, Bacon Baps, Pies, Chilli Con Carne, Jacket Potatoes, Burgers, Cold Sandwiches, etc, etc... Bike Night every Wednesday from 5pm – All Bikes welcome!

   Predominately selling Motorcycles, Quads and Scooters, (new and used), Clothing, Helmets, Parts and Tyres, with a workshop for repairs, paintwork, servicing, rebuilds, tyre fitting, MOT and much, much more… GMEC are proud to present the ex-Barry Sheene,1979 Dunstall Suzuki GS1000 F1 on display.  

   where: Unit 2 - 3, Merry Lees, Spital Road, Staxton, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 4NN
   tel: 01944 711596
   website: www.gmecmotorcyclesplus.co.uk
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   e-mail: [email protected]

3. Supporting Charities

   Posted on 2:00pm Thursday 18th Aug 2016

   As somebody who has been the voluntary and totally-unpaid chairman of a successful registered charity for almost 24 years, few things anger me quite as much as greedy and immoral ‘charity professionals’ whose only reason for being involved in any charity is blatant greed and self-interest. Not one of these vastly over-paid ‘executives’ would have any involvement in these charities if they were not receiving a big fat pay cheque and a ‘generous expenses package’ as they euphemistically refer to the open-chequebook used for their own convenience and comfort.

   Most bikers are rightly proud of their long history of supporting charitable causes; I just wish they would take the time to find-out how much of their support would be syphoned away by overpaid staff and/or greedy middle-men before deciding which charities to support.

   The charity sector is riddled with these gravy-train charities, Save the Children, Help for Heroes, Cancer Research UK and so many others should be taken to task for such blatant piracy but there seems little political will to do so and the much-vaunted ‘Charities Commission’ has fewer teeth than a daffodil when it comes to controlling the unbridled rapaciousness of many charity executives.

   The only way these grasping bastards will ever be put out to pasture is if enough of the public get wise to their unconscionable greed and withdraw their support.

   In 2015 twelve of the top 100 charities paid their highest earners more than £300,000 and thirty two of the top 100 charities paid their highest earners more than £200,000. And it’s not just the highest paid employees that people need to be aware of; Cancer Research UK has 189 employees who are each paid more than £60,000 per year, with its highest earner on £230,000 per year.

   Here’s a prime example of a greed-riddled charity that is overflowing with avaricious executives who are riding the gravy-train in the 1st class carriage. In February 2014, the Daily Mail reported the following information about the charity ‘Save the Children’:

   The charity ‘Save the Children’ has more than twenty of its executives on salaries of more than £100,000 per year. The Chief Executive of Save the Children International, Jasmine Whitbread is paid around £234,000 per year, and yet she still had time to take a second highly-paid job alongside actress Dame Helen Mirren and artist Tracey Emin in Marks & Spencer’s ‘Britain’s Leading Ladies’ fashion advert campaign.

   The chief executive of ‘Save the Children UK’ Justin Forsyth is on £163,000.00 per year. There have been questions raised in parliament about the indefensible salaries paid to these executives.

   Priti Patel, a member of the House of Commons ‘Public Administration Select Committee’, said: “Taxpayers and individual donors who bankroll these charities will be shocked to see the size of these colossal fat cat salaries. They deserve to know how decisions are made about salaries and who is paid them. The culture of secrecy that exists in some charities must come to an end.”

   Charlie Elphicke MP said: “Think charity and you think volunteers rattling their collecting tins, vocation, and compassion. You don’t think of mega-salaries. It’s unacceptable and it has got to change. Charities should be open and transparent.” 

   OK, this might seem a bit ironic coming from a greedy overpaid Tory MP with a huge expense account, but the point is no less valid for that (and that will no-doubt be a rant for another time).

   I remember a similar call for something to be done about the blatant piracy within this charity’s executive five or six years ago but obviously nothing was done about it.

   The 2015 Third Sector ‘Charity Pay Study’ reported the Save the Children International highest earner to have been paid £257,000 – £267,000. It also reported Save the Children International as having 184 employees who are paid £60,000 or more per year.

   Only public awareness and the boycotting of these corrupt charities will force them to change. All it takes is a little bit of thought and a few minutes research to be sure that your charitable cause is not a gravy-train for greedy immoral bastards!

   Even setting-up an on-line system to enable people to donate to a charitable fund-raising event can be a bit of a minefield. ‘Just Giving’ are one of the best known on-line charitable giving companies. Sadly they also take a commission from the donations made through their system and they charge any charities signed-up to this system a standing monthly charge irrespective of whether or not any donations are received in that month.

   Registered charity The National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD) refuses to sign-up to ‘Just Giving’ for these very reasons. 

   If you are thinking of setting-up an on-line donation page for a charity event there are one or two providers who do not fleece you or the charity you are supporting. Both ‘Give As You Live’ www.giveasyoulive.com and ‘BT Mydonate’ www.btplc.com/mydonate operate in such a way that every penny raised via your event page goes directly to the charity you nominate and there are no charges to you or to the charity you are supporting for this service.

   So, what about an example of a charity that doesn’t divert donations into fat-cat salaries?

   Well I know of one for certain, because I have been involved in it for 25 years. The National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD) guarantees that 100% of every donation will go directly towards the purpose it has been donated for.

   We have only two paid employees (admin staff); both are paid a rate agreed as fair after consultations with several trades unions (and this year, for the second time in five years, both have volunteered to forgo their annual pay revue to help the charity meet growing costs). The costs of employing these two paid employees are funded from the proceeds of our own direct fundraising events and merchandise sales, so none of it comes out of donations.

   All of the National Committee members and other official representatives of the NABD are unpaid volunteers.

   The question has to be asked, If a bunch of ‘raggy-arsed bikers’ can manage a charity this way, why can’t these so-called ‘professional charity executives’? And perhaps an even more pertinent question is: Why are so many bikers and bike clubs still supporting big gravy-train charities instead of an honest volunteer-led charity run by bikers for the benefit of bikers?

   If you’d like to know more about the NABD, see www.nabd.org.uk

   Rick Hulse

   (A slightly abridged version of this article was first published in Back Street Heroes magazine in July 2016).

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   THE BIKER GUIDE® are proud to be affliated to the NABD. 
   
   

4. The Empire Diner - NEW for 2016

   Posted on 10:00am Thursday 18th Aug 2016

   A brand new American themed diner which is already gaining an excellent reputation with Bikers…

   Serving a great choice for breakfast, including various pancakes, a hearty omelette, poached eggs, Old English and the NY Yankees; pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon and maple syrup. The main menu includes hotdogs, ribs, burgers, steaks (locally sourced), sandwiches, wraps and if there is room - home-made Blueberry pie, Reeces Pieces cheesecake and waffles topped with a variety of sweet stuff. Various coffees, soft drinks, lovely milk shakes and licensed.     
   
   A regular bike meet on a Wednesday evenings from 7 (ish) to late, with a discounted take-outside menu. Becoming popular as a ride to on Sundays for a great breakfast and biker banter! The owner is a biker and is open to suggestions for other events and meets. Visit The Empire Diner for the Ultimate Dining Experience. Large parking area. 

   where: The Empire Diner, A12 Northbound, Rivenhall, Witham, Essex, CM8 3HB
   tel: 01376 572396
   website: Coming soon to - www.theempirediner.co.uk 
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   e-mail: [email protected]
   
   
   

5. MICHELIN AND IANNONE TAKE MAIDEN VICTORIES AT THE RED BULL RING IN A SPIELBERG BLOCKBUSTER

   Posted on 6:00pm Tuesday 16th Aug 2016

   Michelin’s MotoGP™ debut at the Red Bull Ring in Austria produced a thrilling race during the NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, which saw Ducati’s Andrea Iannone take his first premier class win at the Spielberg track.

   Starting from pole position, Iannone was the only rider to choose the new medium compound rear MICHELIN Power Slick, which had been especially developed for the Austrian circuit following a recent test held there. The Italian got the holeshot and led for most of the first-lap until Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) passed him just before they crossed the stripe for the first time. An incredible battle then ensued at the front, as those two were joined by four more riders in the shape of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and Maverick Viñales (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR). With all the riders battling for positions it wasn’t long before the lead changed hands as Dovizioso reeled in his team-mate on lap-10. The Italian – who today became the youngest rider to make 250 Grand Prix starts – held the lead for 10 more laps until he was hunted down by Iannone and passed on lap-21. Despite Dovizioso’s best efforts, Iannone used his Michelin tyres to great effect in the closing stages as he recorded the race’s fastest lap on the 24th circulation and almost bettered it on the final lap to further confirm the durability of the latest compounds. He brought his Ducati home in front of Dovizioso to give Ducati its first MotoGP victory since 2010 and the Italian marque’s first one-two since 2007. Iannone’s victory also made him the fifth different MotoGP winner this season, a feat that hasn’t happened since 2009.

   Behind the front two the battle was just as intriguing as the Yamaha’s of Lorenzo and Rossi stayed in close contention throughout the 28-lap race. Lorenzo just got the better of his team-mate to secure the final podium position, with current championship leader Marquez taking fifth, just in front of Viñales. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) took seventh, with Scott Redding (OCTO Pramac Yakhnich) racing to eighth and the position of First Independent Team Rider. The top-10 was rounded out by Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3). Michelin’s new tyres also saw the race completed without a single rider crashing, as the only incident that saw a faller was due to one rider hitting another.

   Today’s event was held in clear and sunny conditions with track temperatures reaching 46°C, a statistic that further underlines the tyres’ all-round performance on this technical and abrasive circuit. A crowd of 95,000 packed the circuit, taking the total of spectators to almost 216,000, making this the biggest race weekend of the season so far.

   Michelin and the rest of the MotoGP field now makes the short trip to the neighbouring Czech Republic as it heads to Brno for the second race in this double-header and round 11 of the championship on Sunday 21st August.

   Andrea Iannone – Ducati Team: “Michelin has worked very well from the test that we had here and they changed the tyres to give us ones that are very strong and had competitive grip, so I am very happy with that. Always this year, race-by-race, test-by-test and step-by-step Michelin has improved and they are coming better all the time, which is good for everybody.”

   Nicolas Goubert – Deputy Director, Technical Director and Supervisor of the MotoGP Programme: “We are very pleased with the weekend here in Spielberg, it has been very positive and showed that our tyres work well in many different conditions. At the start of the weekend on Friday it was very cold with track temperatures of 15°C, but for today’s race it was almost 50°C and our tyres reacted very well. Today’s race was always believed to be a dual between the Ducatis – and so it proved – but the two Yamaha’s closed the gap over the weekend, so it made for a very competitive and interesting afternoon. To see the fastest laps recorded towards the end is testament to what we are doing and to have a 28-lap race in those conditions without a single crash due to tyres, is also an extremely positive indication of the direction we are going in. We now move to Brno where we have some new tyres which we will be using for the first time since the test at Barcelona and we hope that these will give yet another step in performance and provide the riders with even better traction.”