Conor Cummins will be back on-board the Honda Racing CBR1000RR Fireblade SP this week for the Ulster Grand Prix. Situated just west of Belfast in Northern Ireland, the event takes place on the 7.4-mile Dundrod circuit and is dubbed ‘the world’s fastest road race’.

The ‘Ramsey rocket’ was due to race at the meeting last year for Honda Racing, but had to pull out after sustaining an injury at the Southern 100 in mid-July. Cummins has enjoyed previous success at the UGP, winning the Superbike race in 2009 and is a former lap record holder, something he hopes he can repeat this year.

Cummins will compete for Honda Racing in three Superbike races, with one on Thursday 6 August and two on Saturday 8 August.

For real-time updates follow @HondaRacingCBR

ONE of the world’s leading custom bike magazines has joined the stable of motorcycle publications at independent publisher Mortons Media Group.

Back Street Heroes, described by its editorial team as ‘a rock ‘n’ roll biking mag for hard-core customisation fans’, will sit within the company’s portfolio alongside other market-leading brands such as Classic Bike Guide, Motorcycle Sport & Leisure and Classic Motorcycle Mechanics.

Mortons’ publishing director Dan Savage said: “We’re delighted to have completed the acquisition of Back Street Heroes from Ocean Media, and we look forward to building on the 30 years’ of success it has already enjoyed.”

Each issue covers technical information on a range of vehicle modifications and custom bike-building styles, but also documents the subculture associated with the scene.

Dan continued: “Adding a title to our range which looks in such detail at the lifestyle associated with custom-bike ownership adds yet another dimension to our current offering.

“Our publishing efforts mean we are already active at the grassroots across all makes, models and eras of bikes, as well as being regular attendees of several major motorcycle events. We look forward to extending this knowledge and expertise to Back Street Heroes which already has close ties with some of the leading custom shows in the UK.”

Along with the publication’s assets and archive, the current editorial, design and advertising teams will move will the title, although they’ll continue to work across the UK. Subscription, circulation, marketing and all other logistical operations and activity will be based at Mortons’ offices in Lincolnshire.

Stefan Bradl makes his debut on the Aprilia RS-GP alongside Alvaro Bautista

Indianapolis (USA), 4 August 2015 - After the three week summer break the MotoGP engines roar to life for the Indianapolis GP. But even during the holidays there were changes afoot: German rider Stefan Bradl will make his début on the Aprilia RS-GP for the American round. Bradl will then continue throughout the season on the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini alongside Alvaro Bautista.

At exactly the midway point of the season Bradl's contribution could be decisive in continuing the project development process which is Aprilia's primary goal in this rookie year of MotoGP. This is a progressive job that Bautista has been carrying out perfectly from the start of the championship, managing to consistently battle for points and, with the tenth place finish at Barcelona, bringing home a very encouraging result for the entire team's work.


ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
“Stefan is a young rider with a lot of important experience and he's fast, having won the Moto2 world championship title and taking home some good placements in MotoGP in recent years. We are expecting an important contribution from him in developing the RS-GP, working alongside Alvaro Bautista who has done a truly excellent job thus far. I would like to thank Michael Laverty for his efforts and professionalism during the German GP.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
“After a three week break we are anxious to get back onto the track. Up to now we have been able to do a lot of work on the RS-GP and with Bautista we have also brought home a few satisfying results, like the tenth place finish in Barcelona and the other five finishes in the points. Now we are ready to get back to work with even more enthusiasm. We are sure that with the arrival of a fast and expert rider like Stefan Bradl alongside Alvaro our progress on the technical front will move along even quicker.”

ALVARO BAUTISTA
“During the summer break unfortunately I didn't have much time to relax. I would have liked to have spent some time on the beach, but it just wasn't to be. In fact, after the Sachsenring race, my right forearm which had been operated on for compartment syndrome swelled up so I had to do physical therapy and undergo various medical checks. In any case, I'll be going to Indianapolis very focused and intent on picking up on the development work carried out in the first half of the championship: Indianapolis is a very particular track since it was made to be raced on in the opposite direction, but we want to continue gathering important data here as well in order to define next year's bike. I'd also like to welcome Bradl to the team: being able to count on a competitive team mate is definitely positive and I hope that together we'll be able to move forward more quickly on developing the RS-GP.”

STEFAN BRADL
“I can't wait to get to Indianapolis and start this new, great adventure. It obviously won't be easy at the beginning. I'll need to get used to a new team and a new bike, so my main goal in this first Grand Prix is to begin getting to know my mechanics and familiarising myself with the way the bike performs. As for my injured right wrist, the situation is good: I am very pleased because my hand is no longer giving me problems and lately I have been able to do the same training programme that I did before my injury. During the summer break the healing process went well and on Monday the doctors gave me the all-clear to race at Indy. Recently I have also been Motocross training to check my sensations on a bike. I still don't know how I'll feel astride a MotoGP bike, but I think that by the time I arrive at Indianapolis I'll already be close to 100% fitness.”

40 days to go... Shelsley Bike Festival, September 13th
If you've already booked - thank you for your support. Please tell your friends!

We've got a cracking Festival planned for you, here's some of the highlights •Your unique chance to run the historic Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb track

•Our very best Paddock Specials ever; the best in factory racers, unique builds, rare classics. Get up close and watch them take to the hill.
•Lunchtime Show 'n' Tell - interviews with the very best Paddock Specials
•End of season bargains and trade stands
•Manufacturer's Dealers
•Passenger Experiences - go up the hill in a choice of 2 or 3 wheels.
•Live Music and Burlesque
•Entertainment including stuff to keep the kids amused.
•Meet Zoe Cano (Adventure rider) and David Hailwood
•Team RepliCast, MiniGP UK and the Scott Redding Riders Academy - the best of motorcycle racing's young talent.
•Supermoto UK - top riders taking to the hill
•The UK launch of the new, electric Morgan Three Wheeler
•Plenty of good food and drink
•Club stands and so much more

Ticket Booking Office is here

Run the Hill entries are only £35 and include two runs up the famous hill, paddock spot and general admission plus (if you wish) Saturday arrival, camping and our Saturday Night Party. Run the Hill Pillion / Friend tickets are only £10 and they're also welcome to join you on Saturday evening. Only 180 Run the Hill places are available.

General Admission tickets (Sunday arrival only) are only £10 in advance saving £5 on the Gate Price.

Ticket Booking Office is here

We look forward to seeing you at Shelsley in September, check out the website for latest news. Gates open 8:30, track action starts at 9:30 and show closes at 17:00. Just 20 minutes from the Worcester junctions on the M5.

Best regards
Gordon
Festival Organiser

Rhino Ride: Together Against Rhino Poaching in Southern Africa

They mostly appear in the middle of the night, rope down from the helicopters; and often it takes them just a few minutes to do their bloody business: Rhino poachers in Southern Africa. With the Rhino Ride, André Barnard from Namibia and Gavin Green from South Africa are committing themselves to the protection of these impressive pachyderms. The Touratech headquarters in Niedereschach / Germany are supporting this project.

For about 50 million years, rhinos have been living on this planet. But the survivors of prehistoric times may soon disappear forever, if trophy hunters and poachers can’t be stopped. According to the WWF, between 1990 and 2007 about 14 rhinos per year were victims of illegal hunt. Then - due to the greed for their horns - the numbers exploded. According to André Barnard, 1215 white and black rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa in 2014, and this year, about 1200 have been killed to this day. So, 2015 is going to be the bloodiest year in the history of rhinos. “If this continues, our children won’t see any rhinos anymore”, says André, pointing out that it’s five to midnight. The population of white rhinos in Namibia has decreased to only 5000 animals.

For this reason, he started the “Rhino Ride” project along with Gavin Green from Cape Town two years ago. Working in the tourism business themselves, the two of them want to raise the awareness of other tour operators and partners for the protection of wild animals in general, and rhinos in particular. Motorcycle stunt rider Dirk Manderbach and Sabine Kastner, CEO of the company “Afrikascout” in Haiger (Germany) are supporting them. Sabine wants to set a good example, knowing that you can also achieve a lot by doing small steps. A single e-mail she sent to several tour operators was the reason that some of them are no longer offering ostrich and elephant riding in their programmes.

The 2015 Rhino Ride lead through Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. André and Gavin have between  two and four appointments a day on their schedule. In order to be flexible and to avoid traffic jams, they have used motorcycles. But this is not the only reason: “The bikes are ‘door openers’, too. People are more relaxed, there is less distance and it's much easier to get into a conversation”, BMW fan André points out. Therefore, Touratech provided the two “Rhino Riders” with an R 1200 GS LC and an R 1200 GS Adventure. Africa fan Herbert Schwarz, who got to know André in person at the 2014 Travel Event, immediately knew that this project deserves every support.

André and Gavin are also hoping for support from their partners in the tourism business, as last but not least, it’s the fascinating fauna that attracts holiday makers to the black continent: “If they’d donate just three Euros for each tourist travelling to Southern Africa, a lot could be done in the fight against poaching.” Protecting pachyderms is expensive: Due to the organized procedure of poachers, it is necessary to observe even remote areas from the air on a large scale. In some reservations, the rhinos even get their own bodyguards to prevent them from being slaughtered because of their horns. Rhino horn is considered to be a magic cure and is illegally shipped to Asia in most cases. One kilogramme of horn is worth about 60,000 US Dollars.

Often, the animals are just anesthetized, so that no gunshot will alarm the rangers, André explains. Then the poachers cut off the horn, disappear as quickly as they came and leave the animals dying in agony. “Each tour operator should be obliged to support the fight against this cruel slaughtering and thus support species protection”, André says. It is not just all about collecting donations but, in the first place to do explanatory work and to raise awareness for the fate of rhinos.

The Rhino Ride team points out that every cent donated will directly benefit the Chipembere Rhino Foundation in South Africa and the Next Generation Conservation Trust in Namibia. Both organizations do valuable work for the protection of rhinos.

You will find further information on the Rhino Ride at www.therhinoride.org.za

Stunt rider Dirk Manderbach, “Rhino Rider” André Barnard from Namibia and “Afrikascout” CEO Sabine Kastner in front of the Touratech headquarters in Niedereschach / Germany.