The seventh annual Prescott Bike Festival took place at Prescott Hill Climb (home of the Bugatti Owners Club) on Sunday 9th April 2017 and was hailed as the most successful yet. Thanks to the glorious sunshine, over 6,000 motorcycle enthusiasts flocked to a sun-baked Prescott to support the fundraising event for Blood Bikes and were treated to a whole feast of entertainment both on and off the track. 

Festival Organiser Gordon Downie said “It was a hugely successful Bike Fest and we'd like to thank everyone who helped make it so, from those that took to the hill, the entertainers, musicians, volunteers, marshals, bike clubs to trade stands and exhibitors - not least the thousands of visitors who came to support us. We'll post the final results on our Facebook page shortly, but early doors suggest that a record breaking sum has been raised for the Blood Bike charities this year. Exciting plans are already afoot for next year, which will be held on Sunday 15 April 2018”.

The Mayor of Gloucester, Councillor Neil Hampson said “I am delighted to support the work of the Blood Bikers. As a district qualified nurse, I understand the importance of the service that they provide moving vital medical supplies, blood, pathology samples and human breast milk from medical centres and hospitals throughout the UK. Both my wife and I have donated over 150 pints of blood throughout the years, so it’s a charity that resonates with me well. Prescott Bike Festival is a great fun way for the charity to boost its fundraising and profile; I have really enjoyed the day. The Blood Bikers deserve recognition for the outstanding free service that they provide to the NHS and for selflessly giving their free time to help save lives throughout the country”.

Amongst the many VIPs in attendance was David Hailwood, son of the legendary Mike ‘the Bike’ Hailwood with his father’s iconic Honda RC174 motorcycle, Norton sidecar racing World Sidecar Champion Stan Dibben, British motorcycle racing champion Rod Scivyer and popular British sporting hero Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards. Eddie took to the hill (not on skies we hasten to add) but in a Grinnall three wheeler.

The bike festival always celebrates engineering with an eclectic array of machinery and this year was no exception. The highly skilled engineer Allen Millyard returned with no less than eight of his amazing creations including his award-winning Flying Millyard (powered by a 5-litre V-twin aero engine). Matt McKeown thrilled the crowds once again with his Chinook helicopter engine powered Shopping Trolley and his latest project, the World’s Fastest jet powered Hearse called ‘Dead Quick’ which he hopes to set a new 200mph record in later this summer. Plus engineer Tom ‘The Atom’ Anable was ecstatic to actually reach the top of the hill climb course in his record-breaking Monowheel.

The event featured large displays of historic, modern and race bikes, a Paddock Specials Show ‘n’ Tell area, and the unique opportunity for members of the public to take part in the spectacle by ‘running the hill’ or participating in a thrilling passenger ride experiences. There was also a whole raft of entertainment too from live music, stunt shows, trade stands, motorcycle manufacturers and motorcycle clubs – what’s more it helped raise vital money and awareness for the Blood Bikes charities to help keep them on the road.

All proceeds from the event go to the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes and regional blood bike group Severn Freewheelers, one of 27 blood bike groups around the UK that provide a free out-of-hours courier service for medical essentials. The life-saving service is run by volunteers and operates between NHS facilities, with Severn Freewheelers alone dealing with around 400 calls per month on emergency response BMW R1200RTs.  

APRILIA CONFIRMS NEW COMPETITIVENESS IN ARGENTINA ONCE AGAIN

Aleix Espargaró rode a great race that confirmed both his feeling on the RS-GP and the new level of competitiveness Aprilia has reached. However, in the race he was unable to reap the fruits of the excellent work done during the weekend. In what looked like a repeat of the Qatar race, with Aleix Espargaró catching up to his rivals in the second part of the race, a sliding crash in the 15th lap took the Spanish rider and his RS-GP out of the running.

The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider, who started from the eighth spot on the grid that he had earned yesterday, started well, staying in the group. Settling into eleventh place during the first lap, he set his pace, staying with the riders battling for the positions from fourth through seventh. On turn 5, he found his way past Petrucci and Dovizioso who had gone a bit wide while duelling. When he lost the front end, he went into a slide, colliding with a blameless Dovizioso. The good performance seen during practice and in the race remains, with the RS-GP once again competitive, especially over race distance and capable of battling for important positions in any condition.

The race ended early for Sam Lowes too, forced to retire due to a gear selection problem.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"In the opening laps I was a bit slower than the other riders, but then things began to work right. Just as I was starting to increase my pace and when I had gotten close to the group, I saw Dovi off the line and I moved in. Unfortunately, I had to brake hard and I lost the front. I am really sorry for the team and for Andrea, who was unwillingly involved in my crash. It's a pity because in the second part of the race we could have done well. Now we will head to Austin to confirm our progress."

SAM LOWES
"At the start I lost a few meters, but I was catching up. I managed to lap with a good pace and I was about to reach the zone where they were battling for points. I had a problem with gear selection and I had to go into pit lane, but this was a good weekend for me. In Qatar I had not had the chance to work a lot on the 2017 bike before the race, in any case finding a good setup base. Here we changed a few details and in the race I felt at ease. Our bike is very competitive at the end of the race, so I know that I would have been able to make up a few positions."

ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
"This weekend substantially confirmed the level of our bike, with Aleix doing an outstanding job in practice. In the race things were going just like in Qatar. I don't think it is an exaggeration to consider a fifth place finish as a result within our reach. Unfortunately, the crash stopped the comeback. We need to work to give Aleix a more incisive bike in the initial laps where it is important to be able to get out of the pack. Our setup will continue to be race distance oriented. Unfortunately, we were unable to reap the fruits of our labours today, but we had some important confirmation in terms of our competitiveness anyway."

FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"A bitter-sweet race. We know that we did a great job and that we have a rider in Aleix who is capable of battling with the best. We suffered a bit in the opening laps, but we were catching up. It's a pity about the crash where I think Aleix lost his braking reference, thrown off by Petrucci and Dovizioso running a bit wide. I am sorry that the crash involved Dovi. It was an unfortunate coincidence. We still have a very good technical base. Aprilia Racing and the team are doing a great job. We need to keep going in this direction."

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ RIDES HIS APRILIA RS-GP TO THE TOP-10
SAM LOWES INCREASES HIS FEELING WITH THE ARGENTINIAN TRACK

As was widely expected, the first two MotoGP sessions on the Argentinian Termas de Rìo Hondo circuit were characterized by a track in constant evolution, forcing teams and riders to adjust settings and tyre selection quickly.

At the end of the day, Aleix Espargaró rode his Aprilia RS-GP into the Top-10, finishing with the ninth best time (1'40.175) at less than 7 tenths from the top. Significant performance in anticipation of qualifying: if it should rain tomorrow, it would be difficult for everyone to improve their times from today and that would mean going straight through to Q2 for Aleix. As for race pace, on the other hand, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Spanish rider is having a few problems, especially in terms of braking. The less than perfect asphalt conditions are partly to blame for this feeling, but Aleix and his team will be working on it in order to optimize the setup solutions.

Sam Lowes continues improving and, despite the gap (best time 1'42.179), he demonstrated a better feeling in the saddle of his RS-GP. The British rookie tested various tyre solutions and worked on settings and riding style, setting up a programme with particular attention to consistent performance for the race.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"The feeling today was strange. I still haven't found the sensations I had in Qatar, especially when it comes to stopping the bike. I think that as the track improves, things will sort themselves. Right now we are still too close to the limit for me to feel at ease on the bike. In any case, we were able to get into the Top-10 and that is positive, since the weather forecast calls for rain tomorrow and that could make it difficult to improve times in view of qualifying."

SAM LOWES
“It was difficult to choose the right tyre option at the right time today, because the conditions were changing rather quickly. I feel like I could have shaved off a few tenths, but it isn't fundamental. At the moment I am happy because I feel much more comfortable on the bike compared with Qatar. We will be able to be more competitive here, especially in terms of race pace. We know that we need to improve without making any mistakes and continuing to build our performance calmly. Trying the RS-GP in the wet would also not be bad. I have never done that but it could be interesting.”

One of the most important aspects of the National Motorcycle Museum friends’ scheme is giving its members the chance to take part in some unique activities that just wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Some of this unique content includes the chance for museum friends to ride some of the best bikes in our inventory!   
 
NMM Friends Classic Bike Tour Day. 
Saturday 25th March saw eight museum friends scheme members having the opportunity to ride some of the most exciting and valuable classic motorcycles from the museums inventory. 
Those taking part received an induction and “off road” training before being escorted by ex-police motorcyclists/IAM instructors around the beautiful Warwickshire countryside. 
Riding via Henley in Arden and other local beauty spots our riders enjoyed various exotic machinery including a Brough Superior SS100 and a Norton Rotary F1! 
Each class of machine attracts a different “hire” fee which includes insurance cover and lunch in the museum restaurant. The next tours date we have planned is Saturday 17/06/17.  
 
NMM Friends “Ride a Classic” Weekend.
Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd April saw no less than 100 museum friends scheme members having the opportunity to ride a diverse range of classic motorcycles from the museums inventory in our first “ride a classic” weekend of 2017. 
The days were split into two with twenty five friends pre-booked onto either morning or afternoon sessions which gave everyone the chance to sample all of the ten machines on offer.
 
Museum friends were treated to a host of exotic machinery including a BSA Goldstar, Sunbeam Model 9, Ariel Cyclone 650cc and even an ex-WD 1940 Triumph!
 
In addition to their annual membership fee the day cost museum friends just £10.00 per rider to help cover insurance costs. The next “ride a classic” day we have planned is Saturday 13/05/17.  
 
Become A Friend Of The National Motorcycle Museum & Ride Our Bikes!
Access to the above plus many other exclusive events & benefits for an annual subscription of-
Adults 18-65 £29.95
Senior Citizens 65+ £27.45
Junior 0-18 £19.95
Family (2 Adults & 2 Children) £49.95
By Phone: Call the National Motorcycle Museum on (01675) 443311

Online: Join on-line www.thenmm.co.uk 

Ex World Champions Wayne Gardner and Freddie Spencer announce a new future for 2017

Following the hugely successful events at Jerez in 2015, and the Sachsenring and Silverstone classic events in the Summer of 2016, World GP Bike Legends was pleased to announce its new manufacturer partnership with Yamaha YME on 23^rd March at the legendary Silverstone Circuit.
 
Ex 500cc World Champion Wayne Gardner and ex 250 and 500cc World Champion Freddie Spencer were on hand to do the honours, as was the celebrated Yamaha YZR-500 GP machine along with the new 998cc Yamaha YZF-R1 sportsbike. Both machines will take part in World GP Bike Legends events in the 2017 season.
 
WGPBL Ambassador, Wayne Gardner, was pleased to make the announcement that Yamaha would work with World GP Bike Legends during the 2017 season. Wayne said “We’ve had an outstanding success with World GP Bike Legends. In three years we’ve gone from an idea to 43 million TV viewers and spectators, and this shows that the fans love their classic bikes and catching up with and talking to the Legend riders. Yamaha is the first of the manufacturers to join us and will be providing their latest sportsbikes for this season.”
 
While the riders on the World GP Bike Legends circuit will still be seen on the fiery 500cc two-stroke GP bikes of the 1980s and 1990s, the new R1 machines provided by Yamaha this season will allow the riders to race faster and safer with all the noise, spectacle and excitement of 1980s GP racing.
 
Wayne added, “We’ll still have the classic 500s parading over the weekend, but the races will be with the latest sportsbikes. This will make the racing safer for the riders and allow them to reunite with their brands.”
 
The R1s provided by Yamaha will be in the classic colours and liveries of the 1980s 500cc GP teams, taking fans back to Grand Prix seasons of the past. The technology associated with Yamaha’s modern sportsbikes will allow the Legend riders to really demonstrate their outstanding ability, as well as adding a new dimension to events.
 
Ex Grand Prix champions and riders who have competed in previous World GP Bike Legends events include Wayne Gardner, Freddie Spencer, Kevin Schwantz, Phil Read, Jim Redman, Steve Parrish, Graeme Crosby, Loris Capirossi, Christian Sarron, Tadayuki Okada, Pierfrancesco Chili, Didier de Radigues, Carlos Lavado, Garry McCoy, Jeremy McWilliams and Ralf Waldmann.
 
The first World GP Bike Legends of 2017 will be at the Silverstone Classic on 28-30th July. As the largest classic motor racing festival in the world it attracts more than 100,000 fans over the weekend.
 
With the increased level of interest from other circuits throughout Europe and worldwide also wishing to host WGPBL, additional events will be announced in the near future.