Michelin-sponsored racer, Daley Mathison, has been crowned champion of the 2015 MotoE series with his electric motorcycle, UoN-01, built by an expert team from the University of Nottingham. Having competed at rounds across Europe, Mathison, famous for his road-racing success, took the final win of the championship at the Portimão circuit.

The MotoE series is a five-round European Championship Cup for electric motorcycle racers with teams from across the globe competing against each other. Constructors come from a variety of different backgrounds, from technical colleges to commercial engineering specialists, and traditional motorsports professionals to privateer inventors.

The bike that Mathison rode to victory was designed and built by a small, highly-talented team within the University of Nottingham’s Power Electronics, Machine and Control Research Group, part of the university’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Daley Mathison was appointed as the team's rider, based on the recommendation of senior officials from the Isle of Man TT.

With a maximum speed of over 180mph and power in excess of 265hp (200kw), the UoN-01, is certainly not your average motorcycle, although it does share some standard superbike parts such as Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes that sit alongside a purpose-built frame and swing arm.

Riding on Michelin tyres, Daley admits that the demands of racing an electric motorcycle are different to a petrol bike: “The electric bike performed fantastically for me throughout this championship. A lot of it is down to the fact there is not as much to do whilst you are on the bike. With a petrol machine you’re constantly thinking about gears and engine braking, while on the electric bike you’ve just got to brake and accelerate, which allows you to really concentrate on hitting the apex and getting the drive out of the corner.”

Daley’s team had a range of Michelin’s high-quality performance tyres to choose from such as the new Power Slick Evo, Power Cup Evo and Power Rain. The Power Slick Evo is designed to provide optimum power on the track, and when racing in the heat of Portugal’s Portimão Circuit, having rubber you can rely on makes a big difference.

For more information about Michelin’s range of motorcycle tyres visit moto.michelin.co.uk or to follow Daley’s racing success check out www.daleymathisonracing.co.uk

SIXTH AND SEVENTH ROW FOR BAUTISTA AND BRADL

Alvaro Bautista finished the qualifying sessions at Phillip Island,, riding his Aprilia RS-GP to the eighth best time in Q1 (in 1’30,147), just a half second behind the leader) which earns him 18th overall place and therefore the sixth row on the starting grid for the Australian GP tomorrow. In this decisive session that determines the starting order the Spaniard once again proved to be, as he has been throughout the weekend, faster than Bradl, his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini team mate. Already in the last two free practice sessions, dedicated to finding the best possible race pace, Alvaro had shown progress compared to the Friday sessions. It was more of an uphill battle for Bradl who, although making improvements, struggled to stay close to his team mate and finished qualifiers with the eleventh best time (1’30,634) which places him on the 21st spot and the seventh row of the starting grid for tomorrow.


ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
“The team worked above all on improving grip, trying different geometries and chassis setups. Bautista was feeling more comfortable although we still need to work on his race pace. With Stefan, on the other hand, we had a bit more trouble from the start, more than expected I'd say. But even with him there are still a few things to test in order to try to improve for the race.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
“Bautista did well today, performing well in qualifying. If we are able to get off the line well when the lights go out tomorrow he has the potential to stay with the group of riders in front of him. Alvaro still has a bit of difficulty, especially in the last sector of the track, so tomorrow morning in the warm up we'll focus mainly on trying to be more effective in the last two turns. Stefan has been struggling from the beginning of the weekend, so we'll try to help him for the race, also comparing his data with Alvaro's and testing some more adjustments in warm up.”

ALVARO BAUTISTA
“I'd say that these were good qualifiers which we finished just a half a second from the time that would have gotten us into Q2 - not bad. If anything there is still some room for improvement on race pace that I would like to make. Today in FP3 and FP4 we lapped well with worn tyres. Up to twenty laps I'm able to maintain a fairly consistent pace and then there is a bit of drop. I can feel spinning so I struggle a bit. Tomorrow we'll use the warm up specifically to work on improving pace. Then in the race it will be important to start well and push hard in the first laps to stay with the group ahead of us.”

STEFAN BRADL
“Up to now the weekend has been more difficult than we expected. Today we made some more changes on the bike, looking for more feeling with the rear tyre, but without actually making much progress. All we can do now is keep analysing the data more in depth to find a solution that allows me to be more competitive in the race tomorrow.”

A British company specializing in reinforced denim motorcycle jeans, designed for improved comfort and extra protection, fully lined with a softer, cooler and more breathable K-tech lining protecting the whole jean, back and front from the waistband down to the shins.

Set up by Chris and Julie in 1998 with a history of designing and manufacturing jeans which goes back to the 50’s, where dad Tom set up Falmer Jeans. Owner Chris met his future wife Julie there, before eventually leaving to set up their own design and manufacturing company.

They set up Hood Jeans after working with a motocross team to design and produce their race kit. At this time they were given fabrics such as Cordura, Ballistic Nylon and Kevlar to use within the kit and gained much knowledge about their strengths. From this they thought to combine these fabrics with their background in denim Jeans and the seed for Hood Jeans was planted.

The Hood K7 jean was one of the first motorcycle jeans launched in the UK and has become one of the best and most respected on the market. Since then they have added the B15 (inspired by the jeans worn by Steve McQueen in The Great Escape), Cargo and G8evo jeans to the range. 

Their business philosophy is quite simple; make the best product they can and sell it direct to you, cutting out the middle man. This enables them to sell a top quality, British made motorcycle jeans at a very competitive price, with a high level of service! They also offer a leg lengths altered to size at no extra cost.

Customers are welcome to visit the premises in Norfolk to buy direct, where jeans purchased can be altered to length whilst you wait.

where: Web store and @ Unit C, Orchard Business Units, Maurice Gaymer Road, Attleborough, Norfolk, NR17 2QZ. Free UK and worldwide delivery.
tel: 01953 861166

www.hoodjeans.co.uk

facebook

Have you ever dreamed of exploring an exotic island on a motorbike? This dream could now come true. Under the slogan "United People of Adventure", Touratech founder Herbert Schwarz and his wife Ramona invite motorcycle travellers from six continents to join them on an adventure ride on the Island of Madagascar - of course on fully equipped Touratech bikes and with the appropriate riding gear. If you don't want to miss this once in a lifetime chance, please apply online with a short video (in English language).

Madagascar is the fourth biggest island in the world and enthrals with its unique flora and fauna, impressive landscapes and cultural diversity. This will also play an important role in the "United People of Adventure" project, as the name says it all: Each one of the six team members comes from another continent, so motorbike travellers from Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America as well as Oceania / Australia will join the Touratech crew in April 2016.

"We're looking for fellow riders who share - even though they speak different languages, have different skills and talents and come from different cultural backgrounds - the love for adventure riding beyond the well-trodden paths of tourism", Ramona and Herbert Schwarz point out. The team will be accompanied by an experienced film and photographer crew which were already part of many Touratech journeys in the past: TV journalist Wolfgang Danner, cinematographer Jan-Peter Sölter, photographer Jon Beck, actor and producer Kurt Yaeger and journalist Jonathan Bentman will capture this adventure on film.

It is all about adventure and team spirit. So don't expect pre-booked hotel rooms or defined routes, but sand and gravel, mud and water instead. The riders will get to know the Madagascan way of life, make unforgettable experiences and explore one of the most fascinating islands on the best adventure bikes currently available: Upon arrival at the airport in Antanarivo, a BMW R 1200 GS Adventure, a F 800 GS Adventure, a Ducati Multistrada, a Honda Africa Twin 1000, a KTM 1190 Adventure, a Suzuki DL 1000 V-Strom, a Triumph Tiger 800 XCx and a Yamaha Super Ténéré Worldcrosser will be waiting for the team members - all equipped and provided by Touratech. Touratech will also provide the complete riding gear and pays for the flight tickets, there will be no costs for the participants.

Riders who would like to join this adventure ride in April 2016 are asked to upload a three minute video in English language explaining what makes them a perfect team member for "United People of Adventure". Deadline for the application is December 15th 2015. In the first selection phase two candidates from each continent will be chosen and invited to Niedereschach where they meet with Ramona and Herbert Schwarz. In this personal meeting they will figure out who fits their team the best.

The six lucky “chosen ones” will be announced in February 2016. Please find all the information and conditions of participation at www.real-adv.com. More pictures and videos can be found at #realADV.

Honda has today confirmed the team that will spearhead its campaign in the 2016 World Superbike championship on the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP. Current rider Michael van der Mark will be joined in the team by former MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden.

Hayden has been riding in MotoGP since 2003 when he joined the Repsol Honda team and the 34-year-old American has since gone on to start more than 200 Grands Prix, scoring 28 podiums and taking three wins. He won the MotoGP title with Honda in 2006.

His strong flat-track racing pedigree, which began at the age of three, eventually led him into road-racing and the young Hayden turned professional on his 16th birthday, halfway through the 1997 season. He won the AMA Supersport series with Honda two years later before turning to AMA Superbike in 2000. He became the youngest ever AMA Superbike champion, taking Honda’s VTR1000SP (RC51) to victory in 2002 at the age of 21.

Hayden is relishing a return to his superbike roots in 2016 and to continuing his racing career with Honda in the production-based World Superbike championship. Ultimate success in the series would make him the first rider to win both MotoGP and WSBK titles.

He will team up for 2016 with Michael van der Mark, one of the most exciting and talented young riders in the series. The 22-year-old Dutch flyer has followed Honda’s rider development programme in winning both the 2012 European Superstock 600 series and last year’s World Supersport championship on Honda’s CBR600RR.

Van der Mark won back-to-back Suzuka 8 Hours races in Japan in 2013 and 2014 and has scored three podiums to date in his rookie World Superbike season on the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP with the final round coming up in Qatar on 18 October.

The team will begin testing for the 2016 World Superbike championship season in November with two scheduled tests in Spain which will be Hayden’s first opportunity to familiarise himself with his new Honda CBR Fireblade.

Nicky Hayden

Well, my next stop is Superbike with Honda! I’m very excited, obviously, to stick with Honda; it’s where I’ve had the most success in my career. World Superbikes is a championship that I followed closely as a kid when a lot of American riders were fighting at the front. It just seems like the right time and the right team to go with. I know I’ve got a lot to learn and it’s going to be a big challenge, but also I’m very motivated to start and learn what I can. I’d like to say thanks to everyone who has supported me through my MotoGP career. We had a good run but now it’s time to move on and try something different.

Michael van der Mark

I’m really looking forward to 2016 already! This season we have made a lot of progress with the CBR and I think that taking my experience on the bike from every track will be a very good base to start from. We’ve really improved the bike even more over the last couple of rounds and that has put us close to the front, which is what we’ve been aiming for throughout the year. The next target of course is a victory but I think that in my second season on the CBR I can be confident that we can make some more podiums and fight for wins. I’m happy to hear that Nicky will be my team-mate next year and I think we’ll be able to learn a lot from each other during the season.

Marco Chini – WSBK Operations Manager, Honda

We are of course delighted to announce that Nicky Hayden will be Michael’s team-mate on Honda’s CBR Fireblade machine in the 2016 World Superbike championship. The team has worked really hard this season, continuing the development of the bike together with Cosworth’s electronics and we are really happy that this endeavor has translated into strong performances from both riders, particularly in the last few races. These results have demonstrated the great potential that remains in the CBR and I’m happy that they may have influenced Nicky’s decision to join our programme. We are confident that the wide experience he has gained at the highest level of our sport can help the squad to continue the development, the momentum and the team-work that has been established this season and translate that into further positive results.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

It’s well known that, at Ten Kate, we always have been and always will be Honda. There is only be one person in the world who could possibly be more Honda than us, and that’s Nicky Hayden! That’s why I’m absolutely delighted that he’ll be joining us for next season. He was AMA Superbike champion with Honda and we’re really looking forward to bringing him back to his superbike roots. By working together and using all our combined resources, I hope that in the future we can make him the first world champion in MotoGP and World Superbike. We are also looking forward to combining Nicky’s experience with young Michael, who has shown really good pace and huge potential on the CBR in his first season. I think you can safely say that I’m more than happy with the line-up we have for 2016!