The Ring of Red started as an idea by Julia Stevenson, a respected biker who many people know from the Ride of Respect at Royal Wootton Basset, now Carterton.

The idea was to create the biggest poppy ever attempted on Remembrance Sunday, in respect of our Armed Forces, past and present. Thousands of bikers met at service stations and designated nine meeting points at junctions around the M25 and by 1230 hours on Sunday 10th November 2013, the bikers, all wearing something Red, rode onto the M25 Clockwise at 55mph. Section by section the riders met up and completed the circle, which if seen from the air would show the massive Ring of Red, symbolising the Poppy.

The ride is now an annual ride and as from November 2014 there are now two rides, one on the M25 and another one up north on the M60 Manchester. The bikers also now all meet at one point for the M60 and ride round, the first riders meeting up with the last to form the giant poppy on the M60.

We would like to stress that this event is not a protest in any way shape or form; it is a coming together of the biking community, as it does on many occasions, but this occasion is out of respect for the Armed Forces, past and present, many of the bikers having been in the Armed Forces themselves. It will be a very proud and humbling moment, but will also be a great show of how big bikers hearts really are!

Ali Scott is the organiser of the M25 ride and has a team of volunteers all working together with their specific roles helping her to organise the event, and oversees the M60 ride which Gavin Vitler organises. Everyone is busy all with the same aim in mind, to make the day a major success, however all this could not happen without the attendance of the bikers. 

This year's ride is in the process of being organised as per previous years and will be on Sunday 8th November aiming by 13:30 hours all riders will be on the M25 and 1230 hrs for the M60, both hopefully completing the Ring of Red and raising money for our nominated Armed Forces charities.

This year the charities are the UK Homes for Heroes and the Armed Forces Bikers charity for the M25 and SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) for the M60 ride.

Hopefully this year will be bigger and better as with more riders than previous years it will be easier to complete the full ring.

For details as they become available for this year's ride there are two facebook groups Ring of Red M25 and Ring of Red M60 and also the Ride of Respect website

www.therideofrespect.co.uk

Don’t miss out on the only event dedicated to off the beaten track travel experiences and discover your journey of a lifetime

The Adventure Travel Show, now in its 20th year, will take place at London’s Olympia on 23- 24 January 2016. This is your chance to immerse yourself in a weekend of Adventure travel inspiration and discover off the beaten track travel experiences with the biggest collection of specialist travel operators under one roof. Plus, you can listen to over 100 free talks in 4 theatres from explorers, industry experts, guide book writers and expedition leaders who will help you uncover your perfect adventure. The show is famed for its incredible talk line-ups, and 2016’s will be the biggest and best yet.

Meet the biggest collection of specialist travel operators

Get face-to-face with the biggest collection of specialist adventure travel companies in the business all under one roof. They will be on hand to offer advice on everything from walking and trekking, epic journeys, exploratory travels and exclusive expeditions to safaris, overland trips, life-changing volunteering projects and much more. You will even find providers not available on the high-street so get ready to be spoilt for choice!

Specialist Seminars

Visitors can hone their skills and get a chance to sit down with the top experts face-to-face in a multitude of specialist seminars. From travel writing and travel photography, to expedition planning, overlanding guidance and motorcycle – these specialist seminars* are packed with vital information and are not to be missed.

An Evening with: The Adventure Travel Film Festival

Visitors can join us for the evening on Saturday 23rd January 2016 and enjoy a selection of excellent adventure travel films – brought to you by Austin Vince and the Adventure Travel Film Festival. The evening will showcase the very best independent travel films, guarantee a platform for future adventure film-makers and bring together the adventure travel community. So if you’re an adventure travel enthusiast or a budding adventure travel film maker – make sure you don’t miss this exciting evening!

Discover Africa

Visitors can also explore the ever-popular ‘Discover Africa’ feature – dedicated to one of the world most beguiling continents, this feature is designed to provide you with the information you need to plan the African adventure of a lifetime.

As the UK’s foremost travel event for people who like something a little different from their trips, The Adventure Travel Show is an essential date in every traveller’s diary – it’s where your adventure begins…

www.adventureshow.com

Ducati UK has agreed a support package with Lloyds British Moto Rapido team that will see the popular Winchester based outfit continue in the premier MCE British Superbike class for 2016.

The package agreed last week at Ducati’s Silverstone Headquarters shows the UK subsidiaries’ commitment not only to the MCE British Superbike series but also a show of loyalty to one of Ducati’s most passionate and dedicated dealer based teams.

This will be Moto Rapido’s fourth consecutive year in the premier class, with this year being the team’s most successful with its highest finishes, most number of front rows and its maiden Superbike podium.

Tim Maccabee, Managing Director:

“Steve Moore and the Moto Rapido team have shown what can be achieved by a small independent team and their results this year has been a testament to their dedication and passion together with the expertise that they have developed over the years. For Ducati UK it is important to support a Ducati dealer based race team and we look forward to seeing their continued success in 2016.”

Steve Moore, Team owner:

“The continued and increased support from Ducati UK and Ducati Corse is as vital as it is rewarding. The direct connection to the factory racing via Ducati UK has help greatly with our development of the BSB bike so I’m looking forward to working closer still in 2016. The strength of Ducati racing is through the family approach, which is how we are able to access the very smart people at the highest level of superbike racing for development. We have enjoyed this relationship with them so I am very pleased it is continuing and growing as more Ducati’s join the BSB paddock in 2016.”

The results from visitor surveys undertaken by Isle of Man based Research Offshore for the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races and 2015 Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling have shown significant growth in the number of visitors to the Isle of Man and the economic contribution that both events make.

The Department introduced a new marketing strategy for the events in 2011 with funding from the Government's Marketing Initiatives Fund. This new marketing approach coincided with the launch of the Classic TT Races and the evolution of the Manx Grand Prix Festival into the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling.

This year's TT Races attracted over 42,000 visitors while the Festival of Motorcycling attracted over 15,000 visitors. This represents visitor growth of over 42% over a six year period, the majority of which has occurred since the introduction of the new marketing strategy in 2011.

The two events combined generated almost £28,000,000 for the Isle of Man economy in 2015, which is an increase of £11,900,000 from a 2009 Treasury survey figure, an increase averaging 12% per year. The benefit to the exchequer has also risen sharply during this period increasing from just over £3,000,000 in 2009 to £5,000,000 per annum by 2015 giving average annual growth of 11%.

The surveys also showed that over 30% of the visitors in 2015 were attending one of the events for the first time, which represents almost 15,000 new visitors to the Isle of Man this year alone.

It was announced that the Department will shortly start looking for an independent promoter to further develop the commercial and marketing programme for the TT and Classic TT, and to ensure these opportunities for further benefits to the Manx economy and taxpayer are realised.

David Cretney MLC, Department of Economic Development Member with responsibility for Motorsport commented:

"The results outlined in the recent TT and Festival of Motorcycling surveys demonstrate just how effective our marketing approach to both events has been in recent years. The TT continues to enjoy year on year growth in all measureable areas, whilst the introduction of the Classic TT and the formation of the Festival of Motorcycling has delivered sharp increases in visitor numbers and spend in a very short period of time."

"The Department will have spent £4,600,000 by year end delivering these two events for 2015. With commercial income streams for both events rising sharply to over £2,400,000 for 2015 and with the benefit to the exchequer of £5,000,000, we are delivering almost £3,000,000 worth of net receipts back to Treasury while at the same time generating almost £28,000,000 for the Manx economy on an annual basis."

TAS Racing has confirmed that 11-time Isle of Man TT winner Ian Hutchinson will be joining Tyco BMW for the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy and other international road races in the 2016 season.

Hutchinson was back to his very best in 2015 with a hat-trick of wins at the Isle of Man TT including a new Superstock class race record and is now looking forward to teaming up with Tyco BMW, where he will ride BMW Motorrad S1000RR Superbike and Superstock machinery next season.

Hutchinson said: "We've been in negotiations for a couple of months but I've always been serious about coming to the team for next year. I'm really looking forward to getting going now with Tyco BMW. After pretty much four years away from the sport I now need a bit of consistency. BMW is a huge brand and along with Philip Neill at TAS, they have shown how much they want to be involved with me for next season. That enthusiasm sold it to me and with direct support from BMW Motorrad it was hard to turn down."

Tyco BMW Team Manager Philip Neill said: "Hutchy was undoubtedly the dominant force at this year's TT so to sign him up for 2016 is hopefully a big enough statement from both BMW Motorrad and TAS Racing, as to our aspirations for next season. We've talked about working together previously and it didn't quite come to fruition, but I think we've joined forces at the best possible time. I believe Ian can add to his International Road Racing success next season on BMW Motorrad machinery with the support of TAS Racing."

Hutchinson is also scheduled to ride BMW Motorrad S1000RR machinery next season for Tyco BMW in the National Superstock 1000cc series, which will keep him sharp for his TT Races and International Road Racing campaign.