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Hundreds of Mini’s will converge at the Heritage Motor Centre on Sunday 4 July for the Gaydon Mini Festival. The annual event is expected to attract thousands of Mini enthusiasts, keen to celebrate Britain’s favourite iconic little car.
A Heritage Run of 30 Mini’s including classic models and present day MINI’s will depart from the MINI Plant Oxford. The last Mini to leave will be the latest 2010 MINI model. MINI Plant Oxford Managing Director Dr Juergen Hedrich will be there to flag the drivers away at 10:00am with the procession due to arrive at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon at 11:00am.
The Mini Festival includes a host of exciting Mini activities including the Quick Shift Mini stand with children’s activities for under 14's, the Mini cutout corner, the inter club challenge, Car of the Year competition, Mini Trade village and the infamous Heritage Run. A Mini party will take place the night before the show on Saturday 3 July featuring a quiz, skittles and disco.
Advance tickets costs £9 or £11 on the day for adults, £8 in advance or £10 on the day for children and £28 for an advance family ticket or £38 on the day. Camping is available for the evening of Saturday 3 July. Prices are £13 in advance or £18 on the day. Advance tickets or camping can be purchased by phoning the new ticket hotline on 01926 287728 Monday – Friday from 9:30am – 5pm.
The Gaydon Mini Festival is just one of many exciting and unique motoring events held at The Heritage Motor Centre in 2010.
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Revealed for the first time on DVD, the incredible history of Ducati told with rare movie footage, pictures and interviews from its creation in 1926 to the 2007 MotoGP World Championship title.
In close collaboration with "Strike Video" of Milan, Ducati worked with director, Angelo Barberi, to achieve the most complete and compelling account of their incredible heritage, and with so much exclusive material released for the very first time, the captivating ninety-minute movie reveals a fast-moving and exciting story.
From the innovative Ducati brothers and the birth of the "Cucciolo" to the unforgettable engineer Taglioni and the Desmodromic system. From victory in the Imola 200 to the production of the Scrambler and from Superbike dominance to debut in MotoGP, witnesses recount their personal experiences of a journey that is the story of a company, a view of Italian social history and the passion and genius that created the Ducati engines destined to write the history of motorcycling.
"This is a new way to tell the story," Livio Lodi, curator of the Ducati Museum, proudly explains. "As if leafing through an old photo album or speaking with a wise, old relative, the story becomes a fascinating view not only of Ducati’s, but also of Italy’s history. For me, it is vitally important that we share this story with Ducati fans around the world."
"Ducati – The Story" is available on DVD from Ducati Stores world-wide from July 2010 onwards.
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New statistics released by the Government show that as the number of motorcycle miles travelled has increased the number of casualties and fatalities has actually fallen, indicating that more miles travelled does not mean more accidents. (1)
This has been the ongoing trend since around 2002, when the link was broken between the year on year number of motorcycles in use compared to the number of casualties per annum. The figures show that motorcycle traffic rose by 2 per cent but the number of motorcycle casualties was 4 percent lower than in 2008. The number reported as seriously injured fell by 4 per cent to 5,350 and there were 472 motorcycle user fatalities in 2009, which was also 4 per cent lower than during 2008.
Improving motorcycle safety has always been an important part of the industry's agenda and the MCI works closely with the Government and other relevant bodies in the motorcycle community to find ways to improve safety in a number of ways.
The Police BikeSafe scheme; intelligent enforcement, engineering improvements and the commitment from trainers to improving standards, have all contributed to a safer motorcycling environment.
Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCI, said, "Although there is still a strong concern about the number of motorcycle casualties, the fact remains that year after year motorcycling continues to get safer in terms of the likelihood of having an accident. The reported fall in motorcycle fatalities during 2009 is welcome, but we can not be complacent about this - there are simply far too many people dying in accidents - and we still have much more work to do. The MCI and the rest of the motorcycle community will continue to work hard to improve safety and ensure that we get full Government support for a more rounded approach to road-user safety. The full integration of motorcycles into mainstream transport policy and local transport plans, which the Government is now backing, can only help maintain and improve on this reduction in casualties and needs to be a key priority along with improvements to rider training delivery and participation."
1) Transport Statistics Bulletin - Reported Road Casualties Great Britain Main Results: 2009 - Department of Transport
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British successes abound in the motorcycle industry and contribute to sales estimated at £5.2 billion. (1)
UK based motorcycle manufacturers and component manufacturers are investing heavily in Research & Development (R&D) and innovation driving the future of the industry.
The UK motorcycle industry already generates significant revenue from exports at £370 million per annum.
An economic survey conducted on behalf of the Motorcycle Industry Association highlights that the British motorcycle industry includes many high-value, innovative businesses that together make an important contribution to economic development of UK PLC with products that are exported around the world.
The British companies, among others, at the forefront of innovation and export are Triumph, Motorcycle Management Ltd, Davida, Forcefield Body Armour and Scion Sprays with others involved in a range of diverse and interesting projects. Manufacturers - Triumph has increased its turnover by almost 300% over the last ten years and exports more than 80% of its finished motorcycles.
Norton, with a long history of producing hand-built quality motorcycles continues to produce bespoke orders of high value, high performance motorcycles, for both road and racing. Motorcycle Technology - Harris Performance Products are involved with the major Japanese manufacturers and race teams designing, developing and manufacturing new products that will deliver results on the track or in off-road sport disciplines.
Alternative Powered Motorcycles - Intelligent Energy of Loughborough University is working with Suzuki to develop hydrogen powered motorcycles, while the UK is also driving the development of electric race bikes and has established the eGrandPrix championship.
Motorcycle Safety - The industry is working to improve the safety of motorcyclists and other road users, through the delivery of training (e.g. California Superbike School) and safety developments relating to helmets (e.g. Davida) and motorcycle clothing (e.g. Forcefield Body Armour and Frank Thomas)
Advance Engineering - Companies are developing advanced engineering capabilities and expertise in the UK. e.g. Scion Sprays' fuel injection and engine management technologies to improve performance and deliver economic and environmental benefits.
Steve Kenward CEO of the MCI commented, " British companies have a integral role in the motorcycle industry. Along with the overseas manufacturers who sell their products to UK customers, the UK industry provides a valuable economic contribution to UK PLC. British companies are providing a comprehensive and important range of products and services including motorcycles, safety products, technological advancements motorcycle events, touring and adventure holidays and training and safety developments. It is vital the government and the British people recognise the importance of the UK motorcycle industry to the UK economy and provide the necessary support to ensure that all these businesses continue to flourish."
1) GHK survey - The Economic Significance of the UK Motor Cycle Industry - The Motor Cycle Industry Association - Published 2010
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This enthralling tale, Sam's fourth book, takes you on a gripping rollercoaster of a two-wheeled journey across the dramatic landscapes of Mexico, the USA and Canada. Tortillas to Totems has more twists than a Rocky Mountain pass and more surprises than anyone would expect in a lifetime.
There are canyons, cowboys, idyllic beaches, bears, mountains, Californian vineyards, gun-toting policemen with grudges, glaciers, exploding volcanoes, dodgy border crossings and some of the most stunning open roads that a traveller could ever wish to see.
Sam will be book signing from 12pm until 4pm on Saturday 18th September. There'll be rock music from the fabulous Steve McGill, celebs, t-shirts, and of course travel books! Look out too for the raffle in aid of Motorcycle Outreach. Take to opportunity to check out Avon Tyres and Metal Mule gear. You'll also have the chance to talk to photography specialists from Robert White Photographic. Robert White is the sponsor of the launch and the team are hugely knowledgeable about your needs as motorcycling photographers.
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