Honda Racing has been speaking with John McGuinness in hospital following his crash last week and overwhelmed with the love and support received, John wanted to pass on his thanks:

“I really am truly overwhelmed with the amount of support and well wishes that have been flooding in since my accident at the North West 200 last Thursday. Both myself and the wife (Becky) have received so much support and I cannot thank the race fans, industry people, the medical teams and fellow racers enough; all your messages do help pull me through the dark hours.

I’m still at the Royal Victoria Hospital undergoing various treatments for my leg injury; the fixator is still yet to be fitted as they don’t want to run the risk of infection, so at the moment it is day-by-day.

I’m not going to lie, missing the TT this year is going to hurt, but I will be watching and keeping an eye on everything! Good luck to all the lads heading out there; if I am able to head over then of course I will be there, but at the moment everything is day-by-day and I just have to do what I can to recover and get better. It’s going to be a long road ahead, but I have a great support network around me, so I have to be patient and take each day as it comes.

Thank you again!”

Further updates will be made available in due course. 

It’s not long now before a bevy of bikers descend on the Erskine Estate in Bishopton for the annual Erskine Motorbike Meet.

Last year’s event was the biggest Motorbike Meet yet, with nearly 800 bikers taking part in the parade and over £12,500 being raised for the veterans of Erskine. This year’s event takes place on Sunday 28th May.

Recently a number of bikers, cadets, military personnel, officers from Scottish Police, representatives of Paisley 2021 and Milly the biking dog, visited the Erskine Estate in preparation for the big day.

Erskine supporter Heather Clissett, who organises the event, got the group together to promote this year’s event. She said: “The Erskine Motorbike Meet has grown larger than we could ever have hoped, in its 11 years.”

“We hope all who visit the bike meet, know how much their loyalty to, and respect for, Erskine's veterans means. We are so grateful and appreciative to them for never failing to turn out and we hope they realise how much it means to all at Erskine and the respect we have for all our two and three wheeled visitors."

Anyone who has attended the popular event will know the parade of bikes and trikes, which begins at Park Mains High School in Erskine at 12.40pm, is quite a spectacle. The bikers take around 20 minutes to make their way along the seven mile route to The Erskine Home where there are lots of attractions on offer for an entertaining afternoon for bikers and visitors.

This year’s entertainment includes fairground rides, Port Town Rockers, Kennedy Cupcakes, UK Garrison, Irvine Marine Cadets & Sea Cadets display, Glasgow Science Centre buskers, Pin Ups Vintage, Paisley 2021, a photo booth and lots of street food. There is also military support on the day including 7 Scots who will have a deactivated weapons display, the Royal Artillery with their light gun display and 225 Medical Regiment with their ambulance.

There are a number of first’s this year at Erskine Motorbike Meet including a Boccia Bowls match with Bikers v Veterans. Playing a game against our veterans is Rigbys Guardians MCC Scotland – who promote and preserve the memory of murdered Fusilier Lee Rigby. The group also raise money for veterans’ charities including The Lee Rigby Foundation that was set up in Lee’s memory.

There will be music from Balaklava Pipes and Drums and The Band of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association. There will also be two luxury cars – provided by Met Wedding Cars – so this year Erskine veterans will be able to take part in the bike parade in the comfort of a luxurious wedding car!

The Erskine Motorbike Meet takes place on the Erskine estate from 1-5pm. Entry is £5 per bike and £2 per adult (free for children) with parking available at HP, Bishopton, PA7 5PP which is a short walk from The Erskine Home or you can hop on the shuttle bus kindly provided by McGills.

28th May 2017
Erskine Motorbike Meet

Annual event to support the veterans cared for by Erskine with 100's of bikes taking part. Starting with a parade from Park Mains High School to Erskine's grounds for 1pm official opening. Live music, food, demonstrations, stalls and much more. All welcome.

venue: Starting with a parade from Park Mains High School, PA8 6EY at 1240 to Erskine (Hospital) Bishopton, Renfrewshire, PA7 5PU 
price: £5 per bike donation to Erskine on the day. £2 per adult (free for children) with parking available at HP
tel: 07814 984082 
website: www.erskinemotorbikemeet.co.uk 
facebook 
twitter 
e-mail: [email protected]

Erskine is a family. Our strength lies in the very special blend of dedicated care, compassion and understanding we offer to our residents and their families. When Erskine was founded in 1916, our aim was to care for Service men and women who had been injured in active service. Today, care remains the cornerstone of our philosophy. We not only care for our veterans – we care about them.

As Scotland’s foremost provider of care for veterans and their spouses, we provide unrivalled nursing, residential, respite and dementia care within our four homes across Scotland. Our person-centred care is tailored to the needs of each individual veteran.
Erskine's proud history also extends beyond its provision of medical and nursing care by employing and promoting all employment opportunities for veterans and offering housing to veterans and their families in 44 cottages within Erskine estate.

As a charity, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to maintain our commitment to care for Scotland’s veterans – without donations we simply cannot continue this work.

Honda Racing has an update regarding John McGuinness, following his incident at the North West 200 Superbike qualifying on Thursday, May 11.

John has been diagnosed with a compound fracture to his right lower leg, while in theatre on Thursday night it was not possible to plate the leg as initially thought due to the extent of the injury, and tomorrow an external fixator will be fitted. In addition, John has also suffered four broken vertebrae and has three broken back ribs, John will wear a cast for up to six weeks in treatment for the vertebrae. John will remain at Royal Victoria Hospital for around one week as part of the recuperation process.

Honda Racing has received John’s bike from the race organisers and will perform a detailed analysis of the bike and ECU data at its headquarters in Louth. As a result, the team has withdrawn from the Superstock and Superbike races at the North West 200.

The team will next be on track at Castle Combe in a couple of weeks’ time as part of its preparation for the Isle of Man TT.

Jonny Twelvetrees, team manager:
“Unfortunately John’s incident at Primrose Hill during qualifying has resulted in quite a substantial injury to his right Tibia and Fibula. It is a real blow to John and the team, but he’s got an incredible amount of spirit and is in very good hands with the medical staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital. We now need to determine what happened and will sit out the Superstock and Superbike races, get back to Louth to analyse John’s bike and re-group ahead of our next test at Castle Combe in a couple of weeks before we head to the Isle of Man.”

Roads including Greater London’s Lambeth A23 named as dangerous for motorcyclists– findings revealed as Swinton Insurance announces partnership with IAM RoadSmart 

Ten roads across Britain have been named as the most dangerous for motorcyclists, including the North West’s High Peak A57 and London’s Lambeth A23, according to government data analysed by Swinton Insurance. In total in 2016, 118 accidents involving motorcycles happened on these ten roads.

The research compiled by Swinton, the UK's largest high street insurance broker, reveals the motorcyclists most likely to be in an accident by age and motorcycle type across each region in the UK.

The national average showed motorcyclists aged 25 are at most risk of an accident. Men were also 93% more likely to be involved in accidents than women across the UK.

The conditions most likely to cause an accident on a motorcycle have also been revealed. Motorcyclists are most likely to have an accident in daylight, travelling in a 30mph zone with dry road conditions. Accidents are also more likely to happen on a Wednesday, according to the Swinton Insurance findings from government data.

Motorbike engine size also played an important factor in accidents across the country, with 44% of accidents occurring on a bike with an engine size of 50 to 125cc. A further 37% of accidents involved a motorbike with an engine size of over 500cc.

A-Roads were found to be the most dangerous, with 79% of accidents occurring there compared to just 21% on other types of routes. Most accidents also happened during fine weather conditions and more accidents also occurred in urban areas. With hazards from hairpin bends to ensuring a motorbike is ready for the road, there are many tricky hurdles for a motorcyclist to overcome on roads across Great Britain.

Top 10 most dangerous regional roads for motorcyclists across the UK

To coincide with UN Global Road Safety Week 2017, which begins on Monday 8^th May, and to help raise awareness the importance of motorcycle safety, Swinton Insurance has announced a partnership with leading road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart. The charity have contributed guide content, offering practical advice on issues such as filtering, biking in seasonal weather conditions, as well as dealing with vulnerable road users. There are also top tips for riders returning to the saddle. 

Along with IAM RoadSmart, Swinton Insurance has also teamed up with a panel of experienced motorcyclists, who have provided commentary for biking on some of the UKs’ most dangerous roads. They have shared practical advice on issues such as tyre safety, handling a motorbike, and how to bike in tricky conditions. The bikers’ commentary also highlights key watch outs when biking on the most dangerous regional roads.  Yorkshire / London

The free guides and an interactive map that shows the most dangerous regional roads across the UK and its regions is now available here

Rodney Kumar IAM RoadSmart said: “We often find that while drivers and motorcyclists strive to be as safe as possible, some find it a challenge to understand exactly how to do so. And as time passes after our driving tests, some of the simple tips we learnt to help stay safe can fade into the background. That’s why it’s so important to offer useful and easily digestible information on how to be a safer driver. We are excited to partner with Swinton to help spread the word about national motorcycle safety”

Dan Agate Swinton Insurance said: “Motorcycle safety should always be front of mind for any rider, but awareness events like the UN Global Road Safety Week are great reminders of just how imperative it is to do what we can to stay safe on the road. And talking about it now to riders in across the nation, ahead of summer months, is really important. We hope our interactive map and guides help people to think more about safety with every journey they make, come rain or shine.”

Swinton Insurance has been helping people find insurance for more than 50 years by using panels of insurers to find the right cover for individual needs without compromising on price.  

www.swinton.co.uk