Ben, the automotive industry charity, has just released a new short film to raise awareness about the topic of suicide on International Men’s Day, for which this year’s theme is ‘zero male suicide’. 

The short film, called ‘Alright mate’, also aims to challenge perceptions and is a longer piece of video content, at around 8 minutes long, so Ben encourages automotive industry people to dedicate the time to watch it.

One of the main characters, Aidan (Ade), is played by Alastair Ellery who starred in the Netflix film, The Strays. It was filmed and directed by Chris Harris.

Watch the film now!
Click here

MAVERICK SIXTH, ALEIX INVOLVED IN A CRASH AND INJURED

In the spectacular setting of the revamped Losail circuit, the MotoGP Sprint Race had Maverick as the best Aprilia – sixth across the line – after a long chase behind Bagnaia. Aleix, on the other hand, was involved in a crash in the early stages of the race which left him in pain. The subsequent medical checks showed a small fracture at the top of the left fibula which will be reassessed tomorrow morning after a night of rest.

In the race tomorrow, Maverick will start from the second spot on the third row which he earned in qualifying. On the other hand, if he participates, Aleix will be penalised six positions, so he’ll have to start from the sixth row.

MAVERICK
"A good Sprint Race, although I had hoped to be able to have a go with Bagnaia. We actually had a very similar pace, but by spending the entire race behind him, I was able to figure out which aspects of the RS-GP need to be improved. Once again, starting from behind cost me a lot of time in the early laps – another area where we need to improve in 2024 because it conditions the end result a great deal. In any case, I felt good in the saddle and I believe that I obtained the maximum possible. Tomorrow we’ll see if and how things will change with twice as many laps and even more crucial tyre management."

ON THE NEW ASPHALT AT LOSAIL THE RS-GP MACHINES DO WELL: MAVERICK THIRD, ALEIX FIFTH AND FERNANDEZ AHEAD OF THE REST

The fact that Losail was a track where the RS-GP could express its full potential was easy to imagine, but the unknown of the new asphalt placed an ominous question mark on any predictions. In reality, the Aprilias started well in Qatar, with three riders in the top ten and straight through to Q2.

Ahead of everyone was Raùl Fernandez with his "satellite" RS-GP, a performance that came after a series of good signs from the young Spaniard. Maverick was third, with his best lap (and new track record) nullified by a yellow flag, whereas Aleix was fifth after a harmless crash in the first session. 

An overall good performance in the first two sessions of a weekend that promises to be demanding. 

ALEIX
"I’m obviously pleased with this start. It’s only Friday – we always say it: there is still much to do. We especially need to analyse the data to understand why the RS-GP works so well in certain conditions. We’ll need to improve on our weak points – essential if we want to battle for a championship title. The new asphalt gradually improved. In the first session, it was rather dirty and deviating from the ideal trajectory was probably what caused my crash. There’s still a question mark on tyre choice. We’ll need to continue working on it tomorrow."

MAVERICK
"Like every Friday, the goal today was to go through to Q2. Being so fast is positive anyway, although we still have a lot to improve on. Tyre management with this new asphalt was an unknown for everyone and whoever works best preparing will have advantages both in the Sprint Race tomorrow and in the Race on Sunday. In any case, the good level of the RS-GP in these conditions is clear if we think about a week ago in Malaysia. This confirms that in MotoGP, you always have to put in the effort and the hard work without ever stopping."

Team Gresini MotoGP had a great debut day at Lusail, and it was especially the case for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who was quick in both today’s session and ended up second quickest in the afternoon’s key practice. There is still work to do for the Rome-born rider, who needs to find a better feeling with the front-end and to get a deeper understanding of how the different tyres behave on the new asphalt.
 
The yellow flag situations ad the end of the practice session prevented Alex Marquez from earning the direct seed to Q2. The Spanish rider, who worked hard on the bike set-up, will be forced to go through Q1 tomorrow, but the feeling he had this afternoon bodes well. 

2^nd - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’52.892)
“We did a good job, whie trying to focus on improving the front-end feeling. We need to keep working well and analyse all the tyre options in order to make the best decision for tomorrow’s sprint race and Sunday’s full encounter. We need to decide on whether to gamble on durability or speed. We were quick all day long, but we need to keep working tonight ahead of tomorrow’s sessions. The track is great, maybe the one that has improved the most from previous editions: there’s a lot of grip so it’ll be crucial to know how to play with the tyres.”
 
12^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’53.561)
“The yellow flag situations were like a sentence… especially at the last corner when you get them after pushing hard for the whole lap. We could have comfortably been in Q2, likely lapping in 1’52.9secs, but flags sometimes helps and other times don’t… The track changed a lot from the morning, we worked on the set-up and I’m quite happy. The goal tomorrow is to get into Q2.”

KYMCO UK is exhibiting at Motorcycle Live from 18-26 November at NEC Birmingham, offering both media and visitors the unique opportunity to test a selection of its current model range at the NEC’s indoor and outdoor test riding facilities free of charge.

The Electric Test Ride Zone is open to full A, A1 or A2 licence holders, enabling testing of one of two electric models, including the Prototype S7. Also available, is the i-One, KYMCO UK’s first IONEX EV model with a 1,743Wh capacity, which provides up to 37 miles of range.

The Test Ride Zone is open to licence holders of over 12 months, who will have access to try two models out on the open road. Included is the CV3, KYMCO’s first three-wheeled scooter, which provides extra stability and confidence, under any circumstance.

MCIA TryRIDE enables non-licence holders the opportunity to test ride two of KYMCO’s best-selling entry-level models under the guidance of a professional instructor. Included is the Agility 50, which offers maximum comfort with extremely competitive running costs. Also offered is the Agility City+ 125, a comfortable, safe and agile scooter.

KYMCO UK remains committed in its belief that two and three-wheeled transportation is the fundamental element in delivering a UK-wide transport solution. For more information please visit https://www.kymco.co.uk

For specific media enquiries wishing to test at Motorcycle Live, please contact Neil on: [email protected]. For customer test rides please visit the test ride areas at the show to register.