After a week of cold and wet weather, the 2012 North West 200 races took place in bright and sunny conditions today as Honda TT Legends’ John McGuinness claimed two podium finishes in the Superbike class and took his tally of wins to six. Team-mate and NW200 newcomer Simon Andrews impressed with a confident debut on the 8.9 mile Triangle circuit to secure two top ten places. 
 
The first Superbike race of the day saw McGuinness get off to a great start ahead of pole sitter Alastair Seeley. By the end of lap one Seeley had regained a slight advantage, but under increased pressure from a determined McGuinness, he made a mistake that cost him several places. With a clear road ahead and a comfortable lead, McGuinness put in a flawless performance to hold the top spot for the remainder of the six-lap race claiming his sixth North West 200 win. 
 
Team-mate Simon Andrews started his first ever NW200 race from 19th on the grid, placing him on the front row of the second wave of riders. A confident performance saw him finish ninth and as the highest-placed newcomer in the race. 

The second Superbike battle was the sixth and final race of the day for John McGuinness, who also took part in the Supersport and Superstock classes with Padgetts Honda. He had another strong start and held on to second place until lap four when he was overtaken by Michael Rutter. McGuinness eventually crossed the line in third to secure his second Superbike podium. 
 
Meanwhile, Andrews put up an incredible fight from the second wave of riders to finish just one place behind his team-mate on the timesheet in a well-deserved fourth position – an impressive end to his debut at the North West 200. The next stop for the Honda TT Legends team will be its namesake event – the Isle of Man TT – which kicks off in just eight days time. 
 
John McGuinness - I was fairly confident we could go well in the races today after qualifying on the front row. I went in with a good attitude, just wanting to get stuck in and go as hard as I could to keep Alastair under pressure. In race one that happened and he made a mistake and in race two I was with him all the time but I couldn’t quite get there. Rutter got passed me too, but to be honest you’ve got two guys there doing BSB week in, week out so I’m happy to be on the podium. A win and a third is great for the team. We’re here in the iconic Honda colours and the bike has not let us down so I’m well happy with that.
 
Simon Andrews - I’m really happy after that. The team have done a top job with the bike set-up and it was just a dream to ride from the word go. I felt comfortable, it was easy to ride, I could push for the whole race – it was just a pleasure. I’m just really pleased that we have achieved so much and this is exactly where we wanted to be after the North West going in to the TT.

Firstly, we've arranged for a Big Screen to be at the Show. This means footy fans can watch Chelsea’s game live on Saturday evening AND it will show the Moto GP practice sessions and the race live on Sunday. Remember, to have access to the evening entertainment or the sports screening you will need a Weekend ticket.

Secondly, the BMF have offered a further incentive to BMF Members - you will now be given a £2 discount off the ‘On Gate’ ticket prices – this will include camping and day tickets. You MUST produce your membership card to get the discount - so pop it in your wallet now! Affiliated club members also entitled to this discount (with membership card).

Rain, rain, go away...!

We are keeping a watch on the weather and forecasts indicate that there will be an improvement and even the chance of sunshine again – so the show most definitely will be ON!

We have put a number of measures in place to dry the ground as much as possible and minimise the disruption should the heavens open (this is the UK summer after all!) and there are a lot of people working in the background to ensure everyone has a great time. In addition, campers who decide the weather isn’t up to a weekend in a tent will be able to buy a camper van ticket on the gate on arrival, so you can leave that decision until the last minute and check how the sky looks on the day…

And finally...

You can meet one of the BSB riders from Team Savage Squirrel we have visiting the the show, together with a few other biking characters such as globe-trotting round the world record breaker Nick Saunders.

Tell us what you think of the show! – In the FREE show programme you’ll find a short questionnaire, simply fill it in, hand it in and you could win £75 voucher to spend at Mick Byrne.

Show us what you think of the show! – Upload your video to You Tube  and you could win the use of Ducati Monster 1100 for a weekend. Thanks to the lovely people at Sycamore Ducati for putting up this prize. Terms & conditions apply.

Remember, if you want to take a bike out on a demo ride you will need both parts of your licence, so put the paper part in your packing pile now (good bit of illiteration there me thinks!).

You’re out for a ride on the bike on country roads and your worst nightmare as you round a bend, muck is spread across the road.   Surviving the lack of grip, handle bars going from lock to lock, sideways and thisways, backend stepping out in an all mighty slide, hopefully you ride on and you report the muck on the road.   However was anything ever done about it, was the muck cleaned up, were those responsible ever face anything for trailing muck all over the road?  

Well the BBC in Northern Ireland are reporting that a farmer has been fined for allowing muck from his fields to be dragged onto roads in the Portrush area.  

The BBC report says that this is one of the first cases of its kind to come before the courts.   Fining the farmer £500, District Judge Richard Wilson said the roads were in a dangerous position and had been left like that for some time while the defendant was reluctant to do anything about it.  

Although the farmers lawyer said the defendant had tried to clean up the road using a slurry tanker filled with water but this attempt was unsuccessful.

Original Source:

Unless you are living in a dark cave in Northern Ireland, you should be aware that this week is the Race Week Festival for the Relentless International North West 200 road races.
 
Race Week Festival started on Saturday 12th May and sees a whole raft of events and entertainment continue with BikeSafe assessments, charity fundraising events including the NW200 Giant Ride Out – and there is even some Road Racing going on.
 
The official charity partner adopted for the 2012 Relentless International North West 200 is the children’s charity, Action Medical Research.
 
NW200 Technical Director Mervyn Whyte said, “Following a strong application and interview process we’re delighted to bring on board Action Medical Research as our official 2012 charity partner. Similar to the NW200, the charity has been operating for a long time and has supported incredible medical breakthroughs which have made a huge difference to the lives of sick and disabled children. Many of our NW200 competitors have also supported Action Medical Research through the local committee Sporting Partners in Action and we felt the partnership was an important one particularly as in 2012 as the charity celebrates its 60th anniversary.”
 
The NW200 Giant Ride Out sets on Friday 18th May at 2:00pm from the Stena Belfast-Cairnryan, terminal Belfast.
 
Riders will journey with Jeremy McWilliams and Josh Brookes from the Belfast-Cairnryan Stena Line terminal to The Paddock following the M2 and A26.
 
Supported by BikeSafe NI, motorcyclists will travel in cavalcade to the regrouping point at Tannaghmore Filling Station, Antrim.
 
Here participants can refuel, have a break and chat with Jeremy and Josh. Roundabouts will be held along the route by Bike Safe NI police marshals to aid the flow of the cavalcade.
 
The entry fee is £5. 

www.action.org.uk/north_west_200
 
Relentless International North West 200 Race Week takes place from 12 – 19 May – Race Day Saturday 19 May.
 
Visit www.northwest200.org for up to date Race Week information.

The Honda TT Legends team is set to take a break from the Endurance World Championship this week as it prepares to contest Ireland’s most famous road race, the North West 200. The team missed the event last year due to an EWC date clash, but it will be out in force for 2012 with the two-man superbike squad of John McGuinness and Simon Andrews competing aboard the CBR1000RR Fireblade. 
 
John McGuinness first took part in the North West 200 in 1994 at what was also his first ever road racing event. He secured his maiden NW200 win in 2000 and has since claimed four further wins around the 8.9 mile course – the most recent being the Superbike victory in 2010. The 17-times Isle of Man TT winner hopes to add to his tally at the 2012 event. 

McGuinness's team-mate and 2011 fastest TT newcomer Simon Andrews will be making his race debut at the North West 200. Andrews took part in the practice sessions last year but did not get the opportunity to compete after the Superbike race was cancelled due to severe wet weather. This year, both Honda TT Legends riders are due to take part in the two Superbike races on Saturday 19 May. 
 
In addition to the two-man Superbike line-up, Honda TT Legends EWC rider Gary Johnson will be competing under the team’s colours in the Superstock class. This will be the Johnson’s fifth year at the NW200. 
 
Neil Tuxworth
 
As the largest sporting event in Northern Ireland with a crowd that often exceeds 100,000, the NW200 is one of the most important events that our team participates in during the year. We have a number of Honda dealers in Northern Ireland so it’s great to take part in an event in their area. For 2012, we have John McGuinness and Simon Andrews competing in both Superbike races and Gary Johnson will contest the Superstock race under the TT Legends banner. These three riders are all capable of winning races at the NW and we hope to continue the success that Honda has achieved in the past.
 
John McGuinness
 
The North West 200 has been part of my racing career for such a long time. It’s 18 years since my first one and I’ve only missed two events in that time – one when it was cancelled due to the foot and mouth crisis and last year when the date clashed with the Albacete round of world endurance. I absolutely love the North West – there is nothing quite like Northern Irish hospitality. It’s a unique circuit and we race wheel-to-wheel at incredibly high speeds. It will be really nice to make a return to the event for 2012 and I hope we can make it count.
 
Simon Andrews
 
I took part in the practice sessions last year, so I while I have some limited experience of the North West 200 circuit, I’m still classed as a newcomer this year as I didn’t actually race. I do know that it’s very, very fast and I’m looking forward to getting out there and hopefully being able to compete in the race itself. It’s pretty wet here at the moment so we’re all hoping it clears up over the next few days and we get to give the massive crowd that make the journey here a good show. 

Gary Johnson
 
I’m excited to be involved in the North West 200 under the Honda TT Legends banner and I’m looking forward to road racing with a such a high profile team. I hope I can achieve the best results possible in the two Superstock races. 
 
The week-long North West 200 festival kicked off on Saturday 12 May and features a whole host of activities to entertain all ages – from paddock walkabouts and rider meet and greets to live music and firework displays. To view the whole schedule visit  

For news, blogs and real-time updates from the Honda TT Legends team:

Follow @HondaTTLegends on Twitter
 
www.HondaTTLegends.com