The historic Silverstone circuit in England will host the 12th round of the 2018 MotoGP season. With its 5,891 metres, the English track is the longest one on the calendar and it has recently been completely resurfaced. This means that the teams and riders will begin their work with an assessment of the new surface in terms of grip and tyre wear. All with one eye on the weather forecast, which is always a point of concern when on the other side of the English Channel.

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini heads to Silverstone after a profitable day of private testing in Misano, where some engine and chassis upgrades were tested which will be useful in the rest of the season.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"The Misano test was fundamental for our season and for the future of the project. I suffered last year at Silverstone. I had just come from a very painful injury that compromised the entire weekend. This year I am at 100% and I really want to do well. I hope that the new asphalt solved some of the problems with the bumps on the track and that the weather will be stable."

SCOTT REDDING
"The home race always has a special flavour. The warmth of the fans and the location are something quite unique. Last year I rode a good race here. We'll have to assess the new asphalt to see about grip and aggressiveness on the tyres. We need to work with precision, session after session, in order to be as ready as possible for the race. We are coming from a good test in Misano which has boosted our confidence."

2010 Winter Olympics Gold medallist Amy Williams MBE will join established presenters Steve Parrish and Steve Plater for ITV4’s coverage of this year’s Classic TT Races presented by Bennetts.

Amy won Britain’s first solo Winter Olympics gold medal for thirty years, and the first by a woman for 58 years, with victory in the women’s skeleton bobsled. Her presenting experience includes Channel Five’s the Gadget show, BBC2’s Ski Sunday and she has appeared on Top Gear and ITV Show 71 Degrees North as well as the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea for the BBC.  

Amy Williams said:

“Road racers are unique sportsmen and I have huge admiration for anyone that tackles the TT course. I’m really looking forward to my first experience of the Isle of Man and seeing this great festival close up.”

Former World Championship and TT Racer Steve Parrish has presented the Classic TT show since it was first broadcast in 2013 and is well known to Motorcycle fans for presenting the BBC’s coverage of MotoGP.  Steve Plater is a double TT Race winner and currently appears on ITV4’s coverage of the TT Races.

ITV4 will be screening an additional show from the Classic TT Races – there will now be two hour long programmes; the first will be broadcast on Wednesday 29^th from 9pm and is currently scheduled to feature the Bennetts Senior and Dunlop Lightweight Classic TT Races.  The second programme will be broadcast at 9pm on Thursday 30^th August and will feature the RST Superbike and locate.im Junior Classic TT Races.

The definitive history of the two-stroke Suzukis, from little known machines hardly seen outside Japan to the triples that took on the world. The book covers all major markets and uses stunning contemporary photography gathered from all over the world to help owners and enthusiasts establish authenticity or simply take a trip down memory lane.

Researched and written in Japan with the full co-operation of the factory, here in definitive detail is the story of the two-stroke Suzuki bikes – a series of models that put the company on the map, helping it to survive a difficult era that saw hundreds of Japanese motorcycle makers reduced to just four.

Successful immediately, the two-stroke models defended Suzuki's honour on the tracks as well as in the showrooms, handing the company numerous world championship titles. The series has now been all but killed off, but this title helps celebrate an era when the two-stroke was king, concentrating on the 1950s through to the late-1970s.

Go click for more details 

Two of the Isle of Man TT’s leading racers will again be in action in this year’s Isle of Man Classic TT, presented by Bennetts, with James Hillier and Daniel Cooper riding for Somerset-based CSC Racing, firmly signalling the team’s intentions for this year’s event.

Hillier, who achieved two more podiums at this year’s Isle of Man TT Races, has been a regular at the Classic TT on board the CSC Racing Honda machines since the inaugural year in 2013. 

The 33-year old took sixth in the 2013 Bennetts 500cc Classic TT Race and although he was out of luck in subsequent years, he was back on the leaderboard twelve months ago with eighth place on the team’s 500-4 cylinder Honda when he posted a new personal best lap in the class at 105.940mph.

Cooper lines up for Steve Caffyn’s team for the third successive year having finished fifth and 11^th in the 2016 and 2017 Junior Classic TT Races respectively. He’ll again ride a 350cc Honda in this year’s race and will join Hillier on a 500-4 for the Bennetts Senior Classic TT.

The Stroud rider previously rode the Molnar Manx Nortons between 2013 and 2015 and regularly challenged for the race victories, finishing second behind Ian Lougher in the 2014 500cc Race and third in the 2013 350cc Race. He also led the 2015 350cc Race before being forced to retire on the third lap.

Classic TT Grandstand tickets are available now starting from as little at £5 with race day tickets priced at £30. VIP experiences, tickets for the Classic TT Party on Saturday 25th August and the RST Classic TT Heroes Dinner on Sunday 26th August are all available to buy now at iomtt.com or via our sales hotline on (00 44) (0) 1624 640011.

The world’s premier Beatles tribute act ‘The Bootleg Beatles’ are bringing their remarkable four-part show to the Classic TT Races presented by Bennetts. Tickets go on sale on Thursday for this exclusive appearance in the TT VIP Hospitality Suite on Saturday 25th August.

In a near forty year career The Bootleg Beatles have played to packed audiences worldwide, headlined Glastonbury’s acoustic stage, supported Oasis at Earls Court and Knebworth and shared stages with the likes of David Bowie, Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Manic Street Preachers and Iggy Pop.

The Bootleg Beatles were formed from the original cast of London’s West End multi-media stage show ‘Beatlemania’ and have become an institution with their note-perfect recreation of the hits from the world’s most famous songbook. Every tiny detail is meticulously covered from costumes to authentic period instruments; from their witty ‘Liverpudlian’ banter to their ‘inflection perfect’ vocal mimicry. But it’s not only their sound that is so authentic but also their uncanny resemblance to the original Fab Four.

The show features distinct eras that encompass some of the most definitive moments in rock history and many of its most memorable songs – from the early days of Beatlemania, the Shea Stadium appearance and the psychedelic phase, including mini orchestral accompaniment to recreate the distinctive sound, through to the White album, Abbey Road and the final rooftop appearance at Saville Row.

Tickets, priced at £40, for the Bootleg Beatles at the Classic TT Party will go on sale from 9am on Thursday 16th August via iomtt.com or via our sales hotline on (00 44) (0) 1624 640011.