... with his past at the Royal Automobile Club dinner

Retired motorsport commentator Murray Walker was surprised and overwhelmed last night when, as guest of honour at a Royal Automobile Club dinner, when he was reintroduced to one of his father’s old racing motorcycles. The bike was one of a group of his late father’s Rudge motorcycles that the Club had assembled as a surpise for Murray.

To millions, the name Murray Walker is synonymous with Formula One, but as the son of Graham Walker, the succesful motorcycle racer of the Twenties and Thirties, Murray’s first love was bikes and his early career centred around motorcycling. Indeed the king of F1 commentary often said; ‘four wheels good, two wheels better.’

Another bike in those assembled had been specially shipped over from Australia for the occassion and hasn’t been seen in the UK for over 60 years. The collection included: 

1932 Isle of Man TT Senior Race, with a top speed speed of 76.36mph (finished 6th)

1933 Rudge TT replica

1934 Tyrell-Smith motorcycle (6th in the Ulster Grand Prix and won the Australian TT)

1935 TT Rudge Replica racer, one of only ten made

Murray was obviously deeply moved by the sight of the old racing warhorse. ‘For once I’m almost speechless,’ said the 90 year-old broadcaster. ‘This is absolutely astounding. My father was a great man to me. I have fifteen silver replicas of his TT bikes and to see these here together after all these years is overwhelming.’

Graham and Murray Walker

Murray’s late father Graham Walker was a motorcycle despatch rider for Royal Engineers Signal Service during the First World War. He received a leg injury and had to ride a motorcycle with a modified brake pedal. Despite this, Walker went on to a successful racing career with Rudge, Sunbeam and Norton. He won the Ulster Grand Prix on a Rudge Ulster in 1929, at an average of 80 mph. He also won the 350cc class at the 1931 North West 200 on a Rudge, and won the lightweight 250cc class in 1931. Walker won the Manx TT 15 times.

In 1935 Graham Walker retired from motorcycle racing and was employed by the BBC to commentate on motorcycle racing events for both radio and, later, television. After a brief spell racing motorcycles himself, his son Murray was also employed and made his first outside broadcast at Shelsley Walsh hillclimb in 1948. In 1949, both Graham and Murray were partnered on the BBC's motorcycle commentaries.

By 1949 Murray was commentating on races alongside Max Robertson, although it wasn't until the late Seventies that Formula 1 racing was given extensive coverage on British television. Murray went full-time with Formula One for the 1978 season and, from then until his retirement at the 2001 Indianapolis United States Grand Prix, was to millions, the trully authoritaitve and entertaining voice of the sport.

About Rudge

Back in the Thirties,  Rudge was the British make everyone was talking about. Its four-valve, single cylinder-engined machines dominated racing in a way not been seen before. Racing and lap records fell to Rudge motorbikes as they won both the Senior and the Junior events.

Graham Walker’s Ulster Grand Prix victory in 1929 prompted the release of the Rudge Ulster, which went on to became one of its most famous models. The bike was advertised as "probably the fastest 500cc motorcycle in production".

The Motorcycle Action Group Yorkshire proudly presents its first rally of the 2014 season.

Set in beautiful East Yorkshire with heated marquees for entertainment, bars and sit down eating you will have a great time no matter the weather. With Bands, DJ's, The Rick Hulse Smacked Arse Comedy Show and the Back Street Heroes ride in bike show. With real ales at pub prices and great food with a CMA marquee to sit and eat it in.

venue: Into the Valley, South Dalton, Beverley, East Yorkshire, HU17 7PN

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First practice sessions at Assen, third round of the 2914 World Superbike season. Favoured by the good weather conditions, the factory derivative riders engaged in a close battle on the track that is confirmed by the rather similar times all the top riders in the class put on the boards.
For Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli it was a day marked by hard work on tyre longevity and finding the best setup solutions. The areas they need to focus on are primarily going into turns and consistency, essential characteristics on a flowing track like the Dutch one.
 
Eighth in the combined standings of the two sessions today, Sylvain Guintoli is focused first and foremost on working in view of the races, concentrating on tyre wear and understanding how they perform as conditions vary. The characteristics of the Dutch track, basically divided into two completely different sections, require fine tuning of both the electronics package and the chassis setup.
 
Sylvain Guintoli: "We did quite a bit of work today. Assen is not an easy track to interpret. You have to get a clear understanding of where you need to control power and where you can push it to the limit. This is a process that takes time in order to fully understand how the tyres work and to act accordingly. It looks like the conditions for the first session tomorrow will be similar to those for Race 1. We'll have to take advantage of that so we can be ready on Sunday".
 
The expected variable weather doesn't particularly worry Marco Melandri (in ninth place), confident that he has identified the points he needs to work on with his mechanics.
 
Marco Melandri: "We have a lot of work left to do tomorrow but we have a clear idea of which areas we need to improve. Especially going into turns and braking the bike is very twitchy and we need to work on that. I would like to be able to get some more laps in to work toward finding a solution".

IAM’s head of riding standards and advanced biker, Peter Rodger, is advising on filtering.

•Plan ahead when approaching long queues. Make a decision in advance for passing each vehicle, but be ready to change your plans if the traffic situation changes
•Be prepared for vehicles to move out or change lanes, particularly approaching junctions
•In bus lanes, watch for cars that want to turn left across your path
•Be aware of cyclists wearing earphones – they may not know you’re there
•Watch side roads. Drivers waiting to emerge will be looking for larger vehicles – not necessarily a motorbike
•When filtering give other vehicles time to notice you’re there – don’t arrive too quickly
•Wait behind stationary vehicles unless you're sure you can get past them before they start to move. – avoid sitting next to them where you can be in a blind spot.

Rodger said: “One of the great things about riding a bike is that you can reduce your journey time by filtering through traffic and congestion. But be considerate to other road users, and bear in mind they may not know or expect you to be there.”

World Superbike fans will have the chance to meet their SBK heroes and feel the thrill of riding the Donington Park race track at a brand new Riders for Health event.

Day of Dreams takes place on Thursday 22 May and is an opportunity for fans to go behind-the-scenes of SBK and meet past and present superbike stars ahead of the UK round of the Superbike World Championships.

The family-friendly day costs just £15 per person and includes paddock and pit-lane access, with the opportunity to get close to the incredible SBK bikes as crews prepare for the upcoming race, as well as the chance to meet the current stars of SBK at an autograph signing session.

Tickets can be purchased today by visiting www.donington-park.co.uk

Fans looking for something extra special can join three-times British Superbike Champion Niall MacKenzie and legend Ron Haslam for half an hour of expert tuition on the Donington Park race track. It’s the chance to feel the thrill of riding on a world famous track, with two champions who know Donington better than anyone, just days before the British SBK race.

Track time tickets cost £95 and include lunch in the paddock hospitality suite and entrance to all Day of Dreams events. These can be purchased by emailing [email protected]

Niall Mackenzie said ‘I’ve supported Riders for Health for a long time, and I think events like Day of Dreams are really special. You get the chance to experience the pre-race buzz that goes on behind-the-scenes, as well as raising money for a charity that really is helping to save lives.’

Day of Dreams will also include a Riders for Health auction, where fans will get the opportunity to bid on unique SBK memorabilia and experiences to really kick-start their weekend of racing.

Riders for Health CEO Andrea Coleman said, ‘We’re really excited about returning to Donington Park and adding a brand new event to our calendar, and are grateful to Donington for all their support in staging Day of Dreams.’

All of the money raised from Day of Dreams will help Riders for Health ensure health workers in Africa have access to reliable, well maintained motorcycles and ambulances so that they can continue to transform health care for 14 million people.

For more information visit www.riders.org.uk/day-of-dreams

Track Time Terms and Conditions

The track time will consist of two sessions with 25 people in each. Each session will include two 15 minute rides on the track. Donington Park has a noise restriction policy of 98 db.