Canada expert, Dave Simpson, has ring-fenced a number of motorcycles from Vancouver for dates between 19th July - 15th August 2016 for tours with H-C Travel... 

Five fabulous self-guided motorcycle tour itineraries you could take in this time. Plus we can customise any tour - just for you.

Experience first hand the stunning scenery and empty winding roads of beautiful British Columbia and the Rockies in our fabulous range of tours spanning 8 to 20 days! Alternatively, you can rent a motorcycle and follow your own route.

To take advantaged of this special availability contact Dave Simpson on 01256 770775.

Don't forget we can also book your flights and organise specialist travel insurance. And your holiday finance is protected by our ATOL bond and TTA membership. 

Ride Safe

David Grist

H-C Travel - Because Only the Best is Good Enough!

PJ Jacobsen and the Honda WorldSSP team are en route to the ‘Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari’ in Imola, Italy, where they will contest the fifth round of the 2016 FIM Supersport World Championship this weekend. The 22-year-old American rider is eager to bounce back after a disappointing end to an extremely competitive race at Assen, which saw him leading in both wet and dry conditions before crashing out.

Jacobsen was twice fourth, on different machinery, in the last two runnings of the Italian round. With the latest developments made by the team to his #2 Honda CBR600RR machine, he is now looking forward to even better results and a return to podium ways.

Located within the central Italian city of Imola, the 4.936km track has witnessed some of the most incredible battles in the history of World Supersport. It is known for being extremely technical and demanding, with no room to catch a breath over the course of the lap – given the absence of long straights – and many elevation changes. 

• The IAM and its commercial subsidiaries rebrands to IAM RoadSmart.

• We asked 7,000 road users what their greatest challenges were on the road.

• The results will allow IAM RoadSmart to be a champion for all road users.

• IAM RoadSmart will be launching a range of new training programmes for consumers and businesses.

• Please visit the new website: www.iamroadsmart.com and watch the video of the story behind the rebrand.

IAM RoadSmart is the new name for the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) as of today. The change will unify the charity with its subsidiaries IAM Drive & Survive, Professional Driver Services and Driver Retraining Academy.   

The rebrand is the result of extensive research¹ which highlighted a number of key findings. Firstly, drivers’ biggest concern is actually other drivers. Safety and fuel efficiency came out as the biggest motivators for younger drivers to take further training while insurance continues to be the most effective incentive.                                                                                                                                                               

For forty per cent of mums and grandmothers, becoming more confident driving to unfamiliar places was described as a way they’d like to improve and while on-road training continues to be important for professional drivers, online courses are preferred by consumers. Time is also of the essence – the majority of consumers would rather training takes less than two hours.

Key facts:

• This change will be reflected by a brand new logo and image – visit www.iamroadsmart.com to get a glimpse of this new look.

• The rebranding coincides with the charity’s 60^th anniversary. Its 200 local groups and 92,000 members continue to play a pivotal role in developing driving and riding standards across the country.

• Over the course of 2016 and 2017, IAM RoadSmart will be launching a number of new modular products, with proposed topics including: eco driving, motorways, risk management, driving in unfamiliar places and built-in vehicle technology.

IAM RoadSmart’s chief executive officer, Sarah Sillars OBE said: “The most important thing for the majority of drivers and riders is getting from A to B with as little hassle as possible. The daily commute, travelling to a business meeting, or the drive to the shops, can be made so much more enjoyable with just a bit more awareness of the challenges on the road ahead. This is where IAM RoadSmart comes in.

“We’ve been around for 60 years and in that time roads, vehicles and distractions have changed, in some cases, beyond all recognition. To ensure we are in a position to support Britain’s road users for the next 60 years, we’ve invested significantly into researching the needs of today’s drivers and riders.  

“We will be launching a suite of new products to support the needs of all road users. The advanced driving and riding tests will remain core to what we do and will continue to be seen as the ultimate achievement, but if you just want to get more confident driving in bad weather for instance, we can help with that too.

“We’ve helped create nearly half a million better drivers and riders already and as we become recognised as IAM RoadSmart we hope to be able to help many more.”

Nigel Mansell, IAM President and Formula 1 World Champion, said: “To appeal to a new generation of drivers and riders it’s essential to understand and reflect their needs and priorities. In becoming IAM RoadSmart the IAM is taking an essential step into an exciting future, with an approach which is more relevant than ever before.

“Everyone can enjoy their driving and riding more, whether they’re a world champion or simply cover five miles a day commuting to the office. And the skills which help you with an easier journey are the same which will help to reduce the numbers of casualties on our roads. We’ve had a great 60 years; what an exciting future we all have.”

Once again, the Monster Energy Supersport 600cc races received more entries than any of the other classes on the programme at the 2016 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, which will mean that 95 of the world’s best road racers will line up on Glencrutchery Road for the two four-lap races which they should see some of the closest and most competitive action of TT2016.

The top 20 riders are again seeded but unlike previous years, where there’s been some significant shuffling between the different classes, 2016 sees the starting top ten in identical order to the 1000cc races although the pre-race favourites will vary.

Ian Hutchinson claimed victory in both races last year and the Bingley Bullet will again be riding for Keith Flint’s Team Traction Control Yamaha team. With countless 127mph+ laps in the class already, he’ll start the race as the slight favourite from number four.

Michael Dunlop was forced to retire from both races in 2015 due to the arm injuries sustained in the RST Superbike race but he still holds the class lap record at close to 129mph and could prove to be Hutchy’s biggest threat. The Ballymoney rider will again line up at number six but this time for his own MD Racing team with his choice of machinery yet to be confirmed.

Bruce Anstey, the Valvoline Racing by Padgetts Honda ride, is another who is likely to be challenging at the front of the field. The Kiwi took a pair of seconds in 2015 and pushed Hutchinson all the way in what’s always been one of his favourite races.

Fellow Antipodean Cameron Donald will also be looking to show the form that saw him take two second places and the TT Supporters Club Trophy in 2012. Back on board the Wilson Craig Racing Honda, Donald has lapped at close to 127mph on the 600cc machine and cannot be ruled out.

The Jackson Racing duo of John McGuinness, number 1, and Conor Cummins, at number 10, will provide Honda with other potential race winners but in a field of multiple potential race winners Kawasaki, Yamaha and Triumph all have riders capable of winning.

Yamaha, and specifically the Mar-Train Racing team, have a strong opportunity with Manxman Dan Kneen (14) who recorded his best TT finish to date of fifth in the opening race of 2010. However, William Dunlop (8) on the CD Racing machine will fancy his chances of being the first Yamaha rider home having already finished on the podium three times in this race.

Triumph have two potential winners in Gary Johnson (7) and Lee Johnston (13), the former having previously won the race on the British machine when riding for Smiths Racing in 2014. This time around he’s riding for T3 Racing while Johnston (13) will again line up for his regular East Coast Construction team, which could provide his best opportunity of claiming a maiden TT victory.

James Hillier (3) will again spearhead Kawasaki’s efforts on the Quattro Plant Muc-Off machine as he looks to step on to a 600cc rostrum for the first time, an ambition shared by Peter Hickman (5) on his privately entered ZX-6R and Dean Harrison on the Silicone Engineering entrant. Other quick men on Kawasakis include Michael Rutter (9) riding for Bathams/SMT Racing and Iast year’s Lightweight race winner Ivan Lintin who again has the number 20 plate for Devitt RC Express Racing.

Australian David Johnson, Dan Stewart and Martin Jessopp will again start at numbers 15, 17 and 18 respectively whilst the top 20 riders shows just two differences to the 1000cc races with Dan Cooper (16) and James Cowton (19) being seeded on this occasion.

As always, there’s plenty of quality outside the top 20 as well with Jamie Coward (21), Daniel Hegarty (22), last year’s Newcomers Trophy winner Derek McGee (24), Steve Mercer (25) and 2015 Manx GP winner Malachi Mitchell-Thomas (23) just some of the names more than capable of top 15 finishes.

Other riders to look out for include Sam West (27), Mark Miller (31), Connor Behan (34), Christopher Dixon (39) and Hudson Kennaugh (43) while a number of Manx Grand Prix riders step up to the TT for the first time including David Sellers (44), Rob Hodson (49), Joseph Newbould (50), Karl Foster (61) and local rider Paul Smyth (62).

Such as been the quality and depth of the entry, just three newcomers have been accepted but there’s an international flavour with Northern Ireland’s Seamus Elliott, Canada’s Darren James and Norway’s Olaf Romjin set to line up for the Monday and Wednesday races.

With 95 entries challenging for just 78 starting places on the grid, a starting position will have to be earned.