Five former race winners are in the line up for this year’s two Sure Sidecar TT Races, at the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, with no less than 25 victories between them.

Almost fifty entries have been accepted for the two three lap races with the first on the opening day – Saturday 3rd June and the second forming part of the ‘Championship Day’ on the final day of the meeting – Friday 9th June.

The competitive field includes thirteen crews have already lapped the Mountain Course at more than 110mph and the strength in depth extends through the field. Only ten drivers are seeded but the top thirty have all lapped at more than 106mph.

Like the solo seeds, there’s change in the sidecar ranks as Ben and Tom Birchall take the number one plate for the first time. With four wins in total, and three in the last two years, as well as being the current outright lap record holders, the Nottinghamshire brothers are the crew to beat and will be confident that they can add to their tally of wins.

Setting off ten seconds behind them are the most successful driver and passenger in TT history – Dave Molyneux and Dan Sayle. With seventeen and eight wins respectively, the Manx duo have an unbelievable record but the last few years have been marked by a dip in their fortunes and they will be hoping a switch to Yamaha will elevate them back to the top step of the podium.

John Holden, last year’s winner, is at number three. The Silicone Engineering-backed driver took his second individual win in the opening race of 2016. With 15 podiums to his name, the Blackburn driver has made a change to his wing man with local passenger Lee Cain joining him in a formidable looking combination.

Conrad Harrison, another race winner, is at number four.  The Bradford driver took victory in the opening race of 2014 but has had a year to forget in 2016 and failed to start a race for the first time in his TT career. Having recruited Holden’s former race winning passenger Andy Winkle, he is likely to be challenging for honours again.

The same applies to five times World Champion Tim Reeves who takes the number five plate this time around on the Klaffi Racing Honda. His sole victory came in 2013 and although he has a rookie passenger, to the TT at least, in Mark Wilkes, he’ll be looking to build up his challenge during race week and in contention come race day.

Last year’s sensation, Cheshire’s Peter Founds, who took second place in the opening race in just his second year of competing as a driver at the TT, starts ten seconds behind them. Passenger Jevan Walmsley had a dream debut and having already lapped at close to 113mph, the duo will be hoping to make even greater strides in 2017.

Peter’s brother Alan was also on the podium last year, finishing third in the same race and he takes the number seven plate. He also has a new passenger in the shape of Jake Lowther who last competed at the TT with his brother John in 2015, the duo lapping at close to 109mph.

Next up at number eight is another local driver, Karl Bennett. He had his best ever TT result 12 months ago when he took fourth in the second race and also broke the 112mph barrier for the first time. He too has a new passenger on board and, having partnered with Cain since 2010, he’s now recruited Frenchman Maxime Vasseur.

The father and son pairing of Steve and Matty Ramsden are at number nine and deservedly become a seeded pairing after two great drives in 2016 saw them claim fourth and sixth place finishes while at number 10 Gary Knight is the last of the seeds. The former European Champion lines up with Daniel Evanson again after they finished eighth and twelfth in 2016.

The rest of the field will confirm their starting positions during qualifying week including Tony Baker/Fiona Baker-Milligan, Wayne Lockey/Mark Sayers, Michael Grabmuller/Manfred Wechselberger, Mike Roscher/Ben Hughes and the returning Rob Handcock/Ken Edwards and Allan Schofield/Steve Thomas who will all be looking to secure low start numbers for the two Sure Sidecar TT Races.

...And over a 47-year working life, Brits will spend over a year of their lives commuting to and from work, with 68 per cent driving, 11 per cent taking the train, and eight percent making their journeys on two wheels.

The study of 2,000 commuters in the UK also found that out of the lifetime cost of commuting, over a third is on snacks and takeaway coffees in the morning.

Andy Goodson, the Sales and Marketing Director for motorcycle insurance specialists Lexham Insurance, who commissioned the research, said: “While many commuters think their journeys to and from work are barely worth considering, the amount of time we spend on them shows we should give them a bit more thought.

“With an average commute time of almost an hour a day, for many Brits this is wasted time as they’re stuck behind the wheel in traffic. Some of the happiest respondents in our survey were ones who were able to walk to work – giving themselves the shortest commute possible.”

Brits commute on average of seven miles to work and back each day, which tallies up to an incredible 171, 080 miles over their working life – enough to circle the globe more than six times each.

Taking a car to work was voted as the most stressful way to get to work, followed by the bus, the train and Metro or Underground systems.

And taking a motorbike was one of the lowest scoring in terms of stress, alongside walking and riding a bicycle.

Nearly half of respondents admitted to being late at least once a week, arriving an average of 10 minutes behind schedule each time.

The most common cause was bad traffic, followed by a lack of sleep leading to too many taps of the snooze button.

Sixty two per cent of commuters said that if their trip to work is particularly stressful or annoying, it makes the rest of their day worse.

And an unlucky 30 per cent of train travellers have had their face stuck up next to someone’s stinky armpit more than once.

Over the course of their working life, the average commuter will read 67 books, 2248 newspapers and listen to 3617 albums.

They’ll also send 1710 work emails, munch down 977 bananas and play 2077 games on their phones.

Andy Goodson said: “One of the best ways to make your commute happier is to cut down how long it is. Motorbikes and scooters are a convenient way to bring down your commuting time, as they can beat traffic so easily. Nobody wants to have their day made any more stressful than it needs to be – and sitting in traffic, other commuters’ personal hygiene and constantly late trains definitely don’t help.”

A LIFETIME OF COMMUTING IN NUMBERS

Distance travelled: 171,080 miles
Amount spent: £48,708.92
Time spent: 10,998 hours
Days late to work: 1906
Newspapers read: 2248
Coffees bought: 1759
Games played on phone: 2077
Social events planned: 1710
Albums listened to: 3617
Bananas eaten: 977

The study was commisioned by Lexham Insurance.

– Ongoing success sees the Honda TT Revolution return to the Isle of Man for the fourth year
– Honda partners with Mixmag for this year’s event
– Closing party at the Isle of Man TT to round off seven days of breathtaking racing action

Now in its fourth year, the Honda TT Revolution is fast becoming the must see event at the Isle of Man. Held at the culmination of an unforgettable week of motorcycle racing, the TT Revolution celebrates the Isle of Man TT with an epic closing party that is attended by fans, racers and celebrities alike.

For the 2017 edition of Honda TT Revolution, Honda Motor Europe joins forces with Mixmag – the world’s biggest dance music media brand – to bring the BBC’s Reggie Yates to the island, who will headline the event after the Senior TT on Friday 9th June.

“I’m really excited to head over to the Isle of Man TT races”, explained Reggie Yates, ahead of this year’s event. “It’s an event that has grown year-on-year and I am excited to be a part of it. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the racing too, I have watched some onboard videos from the Honda Racing team and it looks insane! I can’t wait to get over there and experience the Honda TT Revolution for myself and be a part of it”.

Since its launch in 2014, the Honda TT Revolution has grown year-on-year taking the crown as the TT closing party and the place to be on the island. With tickets selling fast each year, the event has always been sold-out with partygoers keen to see their TT experience off in style.

The Honda TT Revolution closing party will take place at Tahiko, Douglas on Friday 9 June. A limited number of tickets will be on-sale through Resident Advisor on Friday 12 May, with further tickets available on the door at Tahiko, priced at £5 per person.

Join Honda on the #HondaTTRev journey!

Twitter: @HondaRacingCBR
Facebook: HondaProRacing

www.mixmag.net

www.reggieyates.com

BikeSafe takes delivery of ten Ducati Multistrada 1200 as it joins forces with the RAF to improve service personnel motorcycle training.
 
BikeSafe take delivery of ten Ducati Multistrada 1200 motorcycles
Highways England support BikeSafe with funding
BikeSafe provide RAF personnel with training
 
RAF Brize Norton was the location for the official handover of ten Ducati Multistrada 1200 motorcycles to BikeSafe, a police led initiative to reduce the number of motorcyclists involved in accidents on the road by improving skills, knowledge and hazard awareness. The location was also chosen to highlight BikeSafe’s partnership with the RAF that will involve the police putting an estimated 2,500 motorcycle riding RAF personnel through the workshops.
 
The Multistrada 1200 was chosen by BikeSafe after an extensive evaluation process and deemed to be the most suitable motorcycle to assist the various forces throughout the UK to deliver the BikeSafe workshops, feature at shows, events and bike meets.
 
The purchase of the bikes is funded by Highways England, which is responsible for 4000 miles of England’s motorways and major A routes. Highways England has seen the results and benefits of the BikeSafe project and sees improving rider skills as one way of achieving its aims to reduce rider casualties on its road network.
 
Ducati UK along with the motorcycle industry has been an important supporter to the BikeSafe project regularly loaning its bikes to them in police livery for use at shows, race meetings and bike meets. Ducati motorcycles that BikeSafe have used in the past has included, a 1299 Panigale, a Scrambler, a Diavel and for this year the new SuperSport.
 
Assistant Chief Constable Nick Adderley the National Police Chiefs Council lead for BikeSafe said “We are delighted by the recognition and direct support that BikeSafe has received from Highways England, a national body that is working in partnership with BikeSafe to reduce motorcycle casualties. This has enabled BikeSafe to purchase this fantastic fleet of Ducati motorcycles.,These exciting and dynamically engaging bikes will be used for BikeSafe engagement and education of motorcyclists across the country, as well as keeping our service personnel safe through our partnership with the RAF.”

It’s an obligatory date in the calendars of many motorbike fans and adventure riders: The big Travel Event at the Touratech headquarters in Niedereschach, Germany. From June 9th to 11th, visitors from all over the world will be heading to this small town in the Black Forest to enjoy a fantastic event full of entertainment, adventures and conviviality. At the same time, the 2017 BMW Motorrad GS Trophy Qualifier Germany will guarantee even more action on two wheels.

At least when it comes to the dimensions, the 2017 Touratech Travel Event will be the biggest event Niedereschach has ever seen as it will take place on two locations: The original grounds and the area around the new sales and logistics centre. Both locations will be connected and will be turned into one huge festival area with about 80 exhibitors and wide-ranging catering options. Ten different food trucks will be offering international specialties in addition to the usual choice of meals.

With BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha, all the big motorcycle manufacturers will attend, and most of them will come with their impressive show trucks. You can not only admire, but also try and test the latest motorcycle models. For bargain hunters, there will be the popular second sale, taking place in its very own hall behind the new building. From Friday to Sunday, the shop opening hours will be extended.

The event will start on Friday, June 9th at 12pm. Part of the programme will be exciting lectures and interesting workshops about tyres, travels, navigation and photography, as well as presentations on the big main stage. There, Touratech Racing will introduce a project that will leave many of you stunned in surprise. Also, the behind-the-scenes tours might be of special interest this year as they will show how many things have changed at Touratech’s. Of course, you can also visit the new logistics centre.

A trials show next to the big polygon tent will be pure artistry on two wheels. Those who like to have some fun with their own bikes can participate in the guided tours, training and ride-outs. All these offers are for free, however, the number of participants is limited. For this reason, an online registration form will be set up at travelevent.touratech.de, being available as of May.

The presentations on the daily agenda promise will be full of adventures. Among others, Black Forest native Martin Brucker will report on his six and a half year’s journey on a BMW G650 Xchallenge, while the renowned photographer Dirk Schäfer will take his fans with him on a tour from Namibia to Kenia (Coast to Coast). Martin Leonhardt brought many exciting stories and great pictures from his world trip as well, being presented on the big stage on Friday evening.

On Saturday evening at 6pm it’s going to be exciting as that’s the start of the spectacular final of the 2017 BMW Motorrad GS Trophy Qualifiers Germany, taking place at the Touratech Travel Event area. There, the best German GS riders will fight for the starting positions for the 2018 International GS Trophy in Mongolia. After the award ceremony, Ramona and Herbert Schwarz will present the new Touratech film about Australia.
Visiting the Touratech Travel Event is free, and so will be the overnight stay on the huge camping ground. Two exclusive hansgrohe shower trucks will upgrade the sanitary facilities providing luxurious shower pleasure.

Further information please visit travelevent.touratech.de