Packed final day of racing brings curtain down on successful first event

Over the past three days, classic racing fans have enjoyed thrilling racing from the biggest collection of former racing heroes ever assembled who between them have over 300 grand prix wins.

Wayne Gardner, Freddie Spencer and Kevin Schwantz each took to the top step of the podium in three headlining 500cc races at World GP Bike Legends at Jerez Circuit, Spain. The encounters, which also saw the likes of Christian Sarron, Didier de Radiguès José Cardoso, Phil Read and Steve Parrish battling it out for position, were the tip of the entertainment iceberg, as legends also raced in 125c and 250cc classes, plus there was supporting action from the International Classic Grand Prix series.

With Gardner winning the first race on Saturday, it was the turn of ‘Fast Freddie’ to take glory in the second battle aboard a Yamaha YZR 500 ahead of Schwantz and Radiguès. In the final contest, Schwantz grabbed the early lead but was caught and passed by Spencer. Undeterred, the pair swapped positions several times before Schwantz eventually made the move stick to the delight of the Spanish fans at the circuit.

In the supporting 250cc/350cc, Manuel ‘Champi’ Herreros and Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez both scored popular podium finishes, while the supporting ICGP races were both won by Ian Simpson.

Away from the track action, World GP Bike Legends has been full of fun, with trial shows taking place throughout the weekend, two spectacular stunt riding shows, plus displays of classic racing bikes and contemporary machines. Friday and Saturday nights were filled with live music from some amazing acts, with renowned tribute bands The ZZ Tops and QueenMania on Friday and James Toseland and Bonnie Tyler closing proceedings on Saturday with two brilliant performances.

With the success of this inaugural event, discussions are already underway to begin planning for the next chapter of World GP Bike Legends history.

Freddie Spencer said: “This event is all about what we’ve been experiencing outside with the public. It’s the passion and the emotion that gets generated – I’ve been around motorcycles my whole life, and it has given me so many things – and the look on people’s faces is what it’s all about. I saw a couple of young guys in the paddock and they said ‘thank you so much for doing this and allowing us to see you live’, and that’s what it’s all about. For us it’s also brilliant to be back on the 500s, I've been riding a bike I was actually racing against back in the ‘80s! It’s the beginning of this connection between us guys up here, the collectors who have given us the opportunity to ride, and the fans who have come along to see us. I’m truly looking forward to where this is going in the future.”

Wayne Gardner said: “My perspective of the event has been overwhelmingly successful. I saw the look in people’s eyes and heard all the cheering when I won yesterday which was so cool. It brought back a lot of memories and it’s my third GP victory at Jerez! To ride with all your friends is such a pleasure. Today I was riding around the outside of Christian and I had total confidence and it was a great feeling. These motorcycles are still so thrilling, and of course we’ve got it all filmed on TV and hopefully the documentary will help us grow further. There’s already negotiations for events in other countries so the future is very bright. I think this event will springboard the interest in it and will make it easier for us to fill the grids in the future. I applaud Nick Wigley and the team at Goose for coming up with such a great concept.”

José Cardoso said: “For me it has been a great weekend. I’m so happy to be here and to be with such heroes of grand prix racing – it’s a great pleasure. I’m a local rider and it feels so good – the people who come love to be near to us and the bikes, a lot of them have never had that opportunity and that’s the most important thing about the weekend.

Steve Parrish said: “It’s great to be back with the old motorcycles and remember how they were in the old days. Unfortunately I’d like to apologize to Steve Wheatman because I managed to break one of his today – it’s been very kind of him to lend them to me and I was able to go out on a different bike which was really enjoyable as I managed to finish the races today! To be out there with colleagues from the past, the fumes and the camaraderie that goes on as well as to go right into the middle of all the fans and see so many enthusiastic people is really great.”

Christian Sarron said: “I want to say that it is always heart touching to see the fans – I’ve seen so many people riding their bikes all the way from France, from England, Holland, all sorts of places, and they said to me that ‘we did it because we wanted to see you.’ This is something incredible, we are all so pleased and so honoured that they came. We’ll keep improving the show for the future to see as many fans and people as possible.”

Didier de Radiguès said: “We can see and feel that many many people love this and enjoy it. It’s great to give them something back, but I also must admit I had a lot of fun on the track! It was very nice to race again with the guys.”

Event director Nick Wigley said: “I’m so proud of the whole team for bringing World GP Bike Legends to life. I need to thank a lot of people for making it possible, but especially Wayne Gardner for being an incredible ambassador for what we are creating here and getting so many legends together to race this weekend. The passion from the fans at Jerez Circuit is like nothing I’ve ever seen, and the potential for this to become something on a global scale is really, really exciting. We hope everyone has seen just how special this can be, and are already in discussions to take the event to more venues all around the world.”

The Race Of Legends 500cc – Race 1
1.Wayne GARDNER – Cagiva V589
2.Didier de RADIGUES – Suzuki XR88 RGV 500
3.Kevin SCHWANTZ – Suzuki XR84 RGV 500
4.Christian SARRON – Yamaha YZR 500
5.Niggi SCHMASSMANN – Yamaha YZR 500
6.Freddie SPENCER – Yamaha OW48R
7.Gary LINGHAM – Suzuki RGB500 MK7
8.Graeme CROSBY – Suzuki XR34
9.Steve PARRISH – Suzuki XR34
10.Michael NEEVES – Yamaha YZR 500
11.Phil READ – Suzuki Mk1RG
12.Jose Luis CARDOSO – Kawasaki KR500

The Race Of Legends 500cc – Race 2 1.Freddie SPENCER – Yamaha YZR500 OW48R
2.Kevin SCHWANTZ – Suzuki RGV500 XR84
3.Didier DE RADIGUES – Suzuki RGV500 XR88
4.Christian SARRON – Yamaha YZR500
5.Niggi SCHMASSMANN – Yamaha YZR500
6.Wayne GARDNER – Cagiva V589
7.Jose Luis CARDOSO – Kawasaki KR500
8.Steve PARRISH – Suzuki RGV500 XR34
9.Phil READ – Suzuki RG500
10.Graeme CROSBY – Suzuki RGV500 XR34

The Race Of Legends 500cc – Race 3 1.Kevin SCHWANTZ - Suzuki RGV500 XR84
2.Freddie SPENCER - Yamaha YZR500
3.Niggi SCHMASSMANN - Yamaha YZR500
4.Jose Luis CARDOSO - Kawasaki KR500
5.Didier DE RADIGUES - Suzuki RGV500
6.Graeme CROSBY - Suzuki RGV500
7.Steve PARRISH - Suzuki RGV500
8.Phil READ - Suzuki Mk1RG
9.Wayne GARDNER - Cagiva V589

GREAT RETURN FOR MAX BIAGGI: HE BATTLED SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP PROTAGONISTS AND FINISHED THE WEEKEND WITH TWO EXCELLENT SIXTH PLACES AND... 20 POINTS IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Misano Adriatico (Italy), 21 June 2015 – It was expected to be a celebration and a celebration it was. Max Biaggi – who will be 44 on Friday, wild card three years after retiring from racing – brought the skills of a six-time World Champion to the track: speed, precision and an always impeccable riding style.

Max finished both Race 1 and Race 2 in sixth place. Despite hindrances due to tyre wear problems, Biaggi raced an exceptional second race, keeping pace with the leading protagonists of the World Superbike championship and finishing just 2 tenths of a second behind Sykes and about 5 seconds behind the winner.

“Today Max did something wonderful for us at Aprilia and for all motorcycle racing fans” commented Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing Manager. “His domination on Friday was understandable, even if it was extraordinary. But today Max battled on the same level as the riders who fight for the World Championship in every race and he did it at a fantastic race pace. I'm pleased with the way everyone here at Aprilia, from the first to the last, interpreted this occasion. There were no problems, the riders and mechanics did great and Max had fun battling even with Leon and Jordi, our factory riders. We wanted to give ourselves, and everyone, a brilliant moment which has already gone down in Superbike history.”

Albesiano also expressed his satisfaction with Haslam's podium, third in Race 2: “I'm happy about Leon's nice podium finish, especially because he finished very close to the leaders. Really a great performance. Without the tyre wear problems we had in Race 1, the RSV4 showed its potential and Leon was able to demonstrate all of his great personality on the track.” Romano Albesiano was also pleased with the Superstock 1000 results where Lorenzo Savadori and his RSV4 RF rode to victory: “A great job as always. Once again, he proved himself authoritatively in his home round.”

As for the Aprilia Racing - Red Devils riders, Leon Haslam – once the tyre wear problem that hindered him in the first race was solved – rode the second race as a key player, battling with Davis for third place and finishing on the podium at just under 2 second behind the leader. Jordi Torres finished his Adriatic weekend with seventh place in Race 2 (battling with Biaggi) which is excellent in consideration of the tiny gaps behind the leaders, and thereby redeeming himself for his sliding crash that put him out of Race 1 in the third lap.

Max Biaggi files away the Misano Sunday with 20 points in the championship standings: for statistics lovers, in his first wild card race he has already won the long-distance duel with Troy Bayliss, who in the four races at Phillip Island and Buriram earned 15 points in all.

Max Biaggi: “I'm happy with this weekend. Everything went well and we didn't make any mistakes. Once again I'd like to thank the Piaggio Group, Aprilia and the guys from Noale who helped me take perfect advantage of this fantastic opportunity. Race 2 went better than the first. I finished about 5 seconds behind the winner, which is really not much at all. It's a shame about the first laps when you find yourself following from behind it's a struggle. I am still unable to take full advantage of the tyres straight away, whereas from mid-race I felt fast but struggling to overtake I lost a few tenths every lap. This type of return is definitely not easy, but it was a great weekend, tackled with a different spirit than someone who races full time in the championship. Now I'm hoping for the cherry on the top: Sepang. This round was sort of a running-in and we can consider it to be truly satisfactory. Next time we'll be able to do well.”

Leon Haslam: “In Race 2 we took a big step forward, especially thanks to the higher temperature where my Aprilia RSV4 RF performs really well. It was a shame about the first phases. We were all very close and I lost a few precious metres in traffic. In Race 1, on the other hand, I made a few small mistakes. Grip wasn't the best and even though I felt fast on most of the track I lost ground at some points. Of the two available rear tyre options we went with the one that gave us more confidence even if the second, used by a few rivals, proved to work well in the this morning's conditions. All things considered I'm pleased with the two results. A podium in front of Italian fans is always a nice feeling. We were able to grow consistently throughout the weekend, improving precisely those critical points of our package. In hotter races like Malaysia and the USA we'll be able to do well.”

Jordi Torres: In Race 1 I made a small mistake and unfortunately I crashed. In the second race, on the other hand, I learned from my mistakes and didn't repeat them. I started well and I wanted to stay with the leaders, but I was hindered by a strange vibration from the front wheel only at maximum lean in the left-handers that kept me from riding the way I wanted to, taking advantage of my best riding quality which is the way I ride in turns. In any case I think it was a positive weekend for me where we took a good step forward to stay with the leaders for the entire race.”

SUPERSTOCK 1000: A GREAT SAVADORI, ONCE AGAIN AT MISANO AN APRILIA IN FRONT OF THE REST

Lorenzo Savadori's masterpiece season continues, with the rider taking his Aprilia RSV4 RF to the lead in the Misano race as well.

The Team Nuova M2 rider is dominating the category thanks to 4 wins out of the 6 races held thus far, with just two left in the season. His team mate, Kevin Calia, just missed the podium, taking the lead at the start and finishing fourth under the chequered flag by just one tenth of a second.

Ducati hold first press conference in India at the largest Ducati Store in the world
• Two new variants of the Scrambler revealed in India - Classic and Full Throttle
• Ducati India announces the opening of its Dealership in Bangalore in October

New Delhi, India, 22 June 2015 – At an event held in New Delhi at the largest Ducati Store in the world, the iconic Italian motorcycle brand made its first official press conference since entering India and Ducati India Pvt. Ltd. took the occasion to announce the arrival of two new variants of the Scrambler.

Ducati India Pvt. Ltd is the youngest of 11 official subsidiaries owned worldwide by Ducati and since opening its first dealerships in Delhi NCR and Mumbai, has received a tremendous response from the motorcycling community. Their wide range of motorcycles appeal to many different types of enthusiast, such as the latest edition to the Monster family: the Monster 821, alongside the Monster S2R and 795. Ducati India also presents the Hypermotard and Hyperstrada, all models of the Diavel family and the 899, 1299, 1299 S and Panigale R.

During the conference, Mr. Pierfrancesco Scalzo (Asia General Manager of Ducati) spoke about the brand’s history, its Italian heritage and current range, while Mr. Ravi Avalur (Ducati India Pvt. Ltd Managing Director) presented plans for India’s network, confirmed the opening of a new dealership in UB City, Bangalore in October 2015 and unveiled the the two new Scrambler variants.

Remarking on Ducati’s official entry to India, Pierfrancesco Scalzo said: “in 2013 we began our groundwork in India and our belief in the market has been reaffirmed. This has been possible with great partners such as AMP, Infinity and VST. I have travelled extensively across the length and breadth of India, met Ducatisti, felt their passion and know that we will be successful in this country. Ducati will provide the same high standards of service in India as we do everywhere else in the world”.

“We introduced the Scrambler Icon in June and were overwhelmed with the positive response from our customers,” said Ravi Avalur. "Now, we’re proud to unveil the Scrambler Classic and Full Throttle and are confident that motorcyclists will love these versatile machines also. Of the two new Scrambler variants introduced, the Classic is aimed at those who appreciate attention to detail and 1970s style, but who don’t want to compromise on riding pleasure and functionality. The Full Throttle version, inspired by the flat track world, is destined for those who want a motorcycle perfect for every-day use and with a distinctive racing style”.

Mr. Pierfrancesco Scalzo concluded the event announcing new openings in the rest of the country, including Pune and Hyderabad and he remarked that the main target for Ducati is to provide unlimited satisfaction to the customers in India.

The Ducati store in New Delhi, which is now fully operational, covers five floors and, with a total floor area of 2,694 square metres, takes over the honour of being the biggest in the world.

Known as 'Rocket Ron' the British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, has over 30 years of racing under his belt, where he won 3 World titles and 4 British championships...
Father of Leon - who is nicknamed 'Pocket Rocket'.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has reacted with disappointment to the big increase in fatalities on Scotland’s roads as announced this morning by Transport Scotland, stating it made the Scottish government’s mid-term review of its Road Safety Plan all the more urgent.

Key Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2014 figures show of the total of 11,240 road casualties reported in 2014 there were 200 fatalities - 16% more than 2013.

There were also 1,694 seriously injured, some 22 or 1% more than 2013. Figures show there was a 44.6% increase in motorcycle casualties including 31 fatalities (see reference 1 for all figures).

Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said: “While in many areas figures are falling, in some very important ones they have risen alarmingly.

“There has been a lot going on in road safety in Scotland with projects such as the A9 average speed cameras coming on stream but the challenge of breaking the link between rising traffic and crashes remains a huge one.

“Alongside the government the IAM want to see more incentives for individuals and companies to improve the quality of their driving and riding. New roads and new cars have delivered year on year death reductions for decades but the underlying human factors involved must now receive even higher priority.”

The IAM’s Manifesto addresses what the charity believes need to happen to reduce the numbers of those killed and seriously injured on the roads. You can download it here