FRONT ROW FOR MARCO MELANDRI

Donington (UK), 24 May 2014 – The wet Superpole on Saturday placed the official Aprilia Racing RSV4s on the first two rows and ensured that Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli will be key players in the races tomorrow.

The rain which had been forecasted for the past few days finally arrived to dampen the beautiful English track at Donington and to nullify all the work the teams had done during Friday practice. The extreme conditions – it is also quite cold – enhanced Marco Melandri’s riding quality as he rode his Aprilia to just two tenths of a second off the top time, taking a spot on the front row of the starting grid with the third best time.

Marco Melandri: “Today’s result was important. I want to thank the guys on the team because they are really working hard. Superpole was hard. The first part of the track – the fastest part – was slippery and then the last long braking sections were quite difficult in the wet. It was hard to find the limit, so tomorrow we’ll have to see first of all how the weather shapes up and then we’ll prepare as best as possible for the races.”

Sylvain Guintoli, a specialist in the wet, started off strong, firmly establishing himself in the top positions and even taking first, but a sliding crash in the second part of the session (without consequences for the Frenchman), forced him to come into the pits, keeping him from defending his top time. Once back on the track with time for only one more lap, Guintoli in any case was able to improve on his time, taking a spot on the second row with the fifth best time.

Sylvain Guintoli: “As always a wet Superpole makes a mess of things. I felt good, but I slowed down for a lap and the tyre probably cooled down so I took a slide. I was able to get back on the track and take a flying lap even though the bike wasn’t performing at 100%. It could have gone better but in these conditions there is always a risk and second row is fine to get off to a good start tomorrow.”

www.aprilia.it

Dorna Sports, promoter and organiser of the MotoGP World Championship, which is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), has announced that Michelin will be the sole supplier of tyres to teams participating in the series from 2016.

“Our policy of carrying over our technologies from track to street fits perfectly with the new technical regulations which are due to be introduced in 2016 and which will dictate the use of 17-inch wheels. That is why Michelin decided to submit a bid following the tender process instigated by Dorna Sports. We take this opportunity to thank the governing bodies for the confidence they have placed in us today. Their confidence recognises Michelin’s expertise and the 26 Riders’ world titles it has secured”, says MICHELIN Motorsport’s Director Pascal COUASNON.

The MotoGP World Championship features the discipline’s most technologically sophisticated bikes, the power output of which exceeds 250hp. The level of performance they deliver both mechanically and dynamically is very high. The series also stars the world’s best riders and their efficiency is notably due to the confidence they have in their machines, particularly their tyres. The discipline consequently serves as an exceptional proving ground for the technological innovations of tomorrow.

Thanks to the MICHELIN Total Performance concept, which consists of constantly and simultaneously pushing the envelope in all the areas that influence tyre performance, Michelin is geared to providing the riders with increasingly higher levels of grip in dry and wet conditions alike.

RAIN IS THE UNKNOWN FACTOR FOR SUPERPOLE SATURDAY AND THE RACES SUNDAY.

Donington, 23 May 2014 - At the end of a working Friday, exceptionally characterised by three practice session instead of the normally scheduled two, good results were in store for the Aprilia Racing Team. Guintoli and Melandri finished the first day of the Donington weekend with third and sixth place respectively in the combined standings. But the third session had the Frenchman in second place and Marco in fourth - confirmation of the positive developments on this Friday. Of the top riders, including Sykes, the two Aprilia standard bearers were the only ones to improve in the third session.

However, the weather remains the big unknown. The rain that was forecast even for today arrived only in the last seconds of the last session. If the forecast is correct - which calls for rain both Saturday and Sunday - the setups and solutions tested thus far will all be useless.

Sylvain Guintoli: “Today was a very demanding day with three sessions and a lot of testing. The bike is performing very well at the moment on the flying lap, but we still need to work on race pace. We have the speed, our times are proof of that, so we just need to focus on pace to make sure our performance is consistent and to get the most out of the RSV4 over long distance”.

Marco Melandri: "We still haven't taken a decisive step but, especially in the afternoon when we went back to a standard setup, I was able to go fast in a few laps. We are working 360 degrees to find a setup that will let me be fast and consistent and we are also waiting to see how the weather develops because that will be the biggest unknown of the weekend”.

www.aprilia.it

For the first time in 5 years the weather was kind to the BMF Show and as a result thousands flocked to enjoy the weekend.

From early Friday afternoon campers arrived to enjoy the weather and evening entertainment and they weren’t disappointed with many claiming that it was the best Friday night for years!

Show organisers The Mulberry Group received very positive feed-back from exhibitors including KTM who were exhibiting for the first time and running demo rides along with Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki. Harley Davidson, Victory & Indian, WK Bikes and Boom Trikes all reported good interest.

Visitors arrived early on Saturday morning with the bike park almost full by early afternoon.

There was a great ‘party’ atmosphere throughout the weekend and appearances by Carl Fogarty, Henry Cole and Don Powell (founder member of 70’s super group SLADE) added to it.

The Adventure & Overland area was crowded throughout the weekend with people listening to presentations from Sam Manicom, Graham Hoskins, Nick Plum (Touratech), Alex Jackson (Kaapstad), Jacqui Furneaux, Dom Giles, Ed March and Graham Field who was launching his new book Ureka.

The Best in Show competition received the most number of entries for the past 9 years and the Cavalcade of clubs attracted over 135 bikes of all shapes and sizes!

Mulberry’s MD Martin Chick said “The weather coupled with manufacturers and the new show areas have clearly boosted attendance which was up by just over 3% giving us 40,889 on site over the weekend” “The show was a great success and gives us a platform to keep building from, increase the numbers further and to get more manufacturers to come back to the show”

For more information about any of the BMF shows visit www.thebmfshow.co.uk. Or talk to the show organisers, The Mulberry Group, on 01869 277077.

The show was held on the one acre meadow behind the Five Bells pub was a great success with a fantastic turn out of over 400 bikes of all types.

The weather was wonderful and everybody had a great time, supported and assisted by local community organizations. There was a small service by local rector Tiffer Robinson, together with the CMA, who blessed the bikes and remembered those no longer with us. Music was provided by Long Days a 3 piece blues/rock outfit from Ipswich. The meadow at the rear of the pub had to be closed at one point due to the high numbers of attendees and local residents allowed parking in their gardens.

The primary aim was to raise funds for the BBRF (British Biker Relief Foundation, registered as a small charity) and so they managed to raise £2000 for the charity to assist in their work.

Best in show was won by Clive Ransom, aka Hip from Solo Choppers on a 1976 Harley Shovelhead with paint by Hillary of Hurricane Airbrush Art. The landladies choice was Richard Battley aka Chum on a Harley Softail Breakout.