For the second consecutive year, Honda's road racing stars John McGuinness and Conor Cummins joined their Honda Racing Endurance World Championship counterparts Freddy Foray and Julien da Costa and some of Honda's other elite riders and kicked off the season with an Assessment Day at the English Institute of Sport - the organisation behind much of Team GB's outstanding success at the London 2012 Olympics.

The riders were put through their paces in a series of physio and isometric tests, strength and conditioning assessments and fitness analyses. The data collected from each rider will be collated, compared to previous year's results and used to form the basis of their training and fitness programmes for the 2015 racing season.

The two-day event was organised by Honda Motor Europe, in conjunction with the EIS, as part of its ongoing commitment to maximising rider performance across all disciplines. Pata Honda World Superbike Championship stars Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark, 2014 European Junior Cup winner Augusto Fernandez, 2014 Honda 150 Champion Albie Wilkie and former World Enduro Champion Alex Salvini were also in attendance.

Conor Cummins was positive about the experience:
"I really enjoy coming to the EIS and this year has been even better as we're able to see any improvement and changes compared to last year. I have my own trainer and usually train with him alone, so it's nice to get together with the other riders and compare notes. I'll definitely be taking all the data back to my coach so we can use it to figure out my fitness programme for the year ahead."

The road racing season will begin with the Northwest 200 in May followed by the Isle of Man TT which runs from Saturday 30th May to Friday 12th June 2015. For all the latest news on Honda Racing follow @HondaRacingCBR on Twitter.

"Wheels" was established following my eldest sons tour of Afghanistan in 2012.

He was keen to mark his Battalions safe return and remember those who had paid the ultimate price. It followed that after buying a Harley that this was a motor bike ride out. The date was fixed and a route set. On the day it poured with rain but approx. 30 riders turned out and a great day was had by all and much needed funds were raised for military charities close to our family’s hearts. The ride was so much enjoyed that we were asked to repeat it the following year… much larger numbers attended and more money raised.

2014 saw a much smaller event due to our family’s circumstances but money was still raised for the Poppy Appeal. Having now regrouped the time has come for us to move this event up a level and support and thank the military through supporting the tireless work of these groups.

Wheels for Troops is now heading towards it fourth annual event, to be held on Saturday 4th July 2015 within Surrey.

Wheels is a not for profit group who aims to support those members of the community who are or have served in the three UK forces. We will also support those who are physically and mentally injured, their families and the families of the bereaved. This is achieved through the promotion and monitory support to some of the invaluable smaller military charities.

This is done through our annual Motorbike Ride and Family event, which this year is being held. on Saturday 4th July. The Ride out will commence in Tunnel Road Reigate and after 25 miles it will culminate the Family event at a Redhill Memorial Park. Here there will be fundraising stalls, food and drink, as well as some rather special entertainment. The details of the later will be release once confirmed. With the support of three local councils, it promises to be a fun filled and successful day.

The day will start from at 10am in Tunnel Road Reigate where the riders their bikes and supporters will enjoy a warm welcome of bacon butties and coffee, being available from The Market Stores. The ride out will set off at 11am prompt and follow a route through Epsom and Ewell followed by Mole Valley before finally returning home to Reigate for an afternoon of entertainment. The ride will be fully marshalled by Volunteers from SERV, assisted by riders from the Royal British Legion Riders Branch.

The ride will be fully marshalled by volunteers from SERV and signposted. All participants are asked to make a £15 donation to take part in the ride, for which they will receive an event t-shirt. Riders can register by emailing [email protected] or by requesting via our face book page Wheels for Troops Beyond2014

Money raised from 2015 event will be used to support the invaluable work of the following charities;

The British Legion Poppy Appeal
The Royal Hospital Chelsea, home of the Chelsea Pensioners
Armed Forces Bikers
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans
SERV

Contact...

By calling 07549 988 080
By emailing [email protected]
Via our website www.wheelsfortroops.org
Via Facebook 
Via Twitter @Wheels4Troops

Coventry Transport Museum hosts breakfast with style this summer as they invite classic car owners to join their Breakfast Club.

These free events are an opportunity for classic car and motorcycle owners to show off their cars on Millennium Place, directly in front of the Coventry Transport Museum, on Saturday mornings. As well as meeting other vehicle owners, participants can chat over a cup of tea and a free pastry.

Having been trialled during Autumn 2014, the Breakfast Club proved to be very popular with Midlands motor enthusiasts and this year the Breakfast Club returns, taking place on the following Saturdays: 11 April, 9 May, 13 June, 11 July, 8 August, 12 September, with the last event happening on 10 October. The events are FREE for any classic vehicle owners to attend are from 9am to 11am.

Culture Coventry’s Chief Executive Gary Hall, said, “The Breakfast Club here at the Transport Museum proved to be very popular last year so of course we are bringing it back for 2015. We welcome anyone who owns a classic car or motorbike, and it really is a chance for people to come and show off their vehicle and have a chat with other classic car owners. It’ll take place during the summer months so people can bring their classic cars and motorbikes onto Millennium Place and enjoy a cup of coffee in the sunshine. We’ll be relaunching the Museum this summer after an impressive £8.5m refurbishment project, so getting involved in the Breakfast Club is an excellent way for owners to be part of a really exciting time for the Museum.”

All vehicle owners attending will enjoy a free pastry, when purchasing a regular sized tea or coffee from the range of beverages at the popular museum coffee house 'Esquires'. Due to space restrictions, places at the Breakfast Club are strictly limited, and only pre-registered vehicles will be permitted onto Millennium Place on the day.

For more information or to register please go to www.transport-museum.com

Northern Ireland racer Ryan Farquhar, a three-time TT Race winner, is set for an increased attack on this year's Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy.

Having made his return to the Mountain Course in the 2014 BikeNation Lightweight TT race, after a two-year absence from the Isle of Man, the KMR Kawasaki rider will now contest four races in June and is sure to line up amongst the favourites in all of the classes.

Continuing with Kawasaki machinery for the eighth consecutive year, Farquhar, who turns 39 in February, will contest the RL360 Superstock on his old production machine and the BikeNation Lightweight TT on a new ER6. He'll also be campaigning a high-spec Kawasaki ZX-10R Superbike for the RST Superbike and Dainese Senior TT Races.

Having retired from racing in August 2012, the Dungannon rider, the most successful in Irish Road Racing history, returned to the sport at the beginning of 2014 along with Keith Amor and the duo contested the Lightweight class on Farquhar's immaculately prepared ER6 650cc Kawasakis. He also raced Roger Winfield's classic Yamaha and Paton in the 2014 Classic TT Races.

Having won the re-introduced Lightweight TT race in 2012 - the first for Super Twin-spec machines - Farquhar took a relatively low key seventh place in last year's race, paying the price for only having one bike and suffering a distinct lack of track time compared with his rivals during the fortnight.

Farquhar made his TT debut in 2002 after winning the Manx Grand Prix, and now has a total of 13 podiums to his name, as well as three race wins in the 2004 Production 600cc, the 2005 Supersport B and 2012 Lightweight races - a tally he's keen to add to later this year.

The presence of one of the greatest names in road racing on the entry list for all solo classes will be a terrific addition to the event and adds further intrigue and excitement to what's already shaping up to be another stunning TT fortnight.

Commenting on his return to the Superbike and Superstock class, Farquhar said:

"To go back to the TT with just the one bike is a waste of time. My intentions last year were to just do a few classic races and ride the Supertwin at selected races but it left me badly on the back foot. It was a big disadvantage because I wasn't bike fit but I'm back in training again and I haven't trained in years, so you can take out of that what you want! I'm not going out there to waste tyres and fuel."

Father and son team SP FiFTYONE, with Dakar veteran Simon Pavey and first-time competitor Llewelyn Pavey, is currently tackling the first few days of this year’s Dakar Desert Race in Argentina.

Michelin is the tyre provider of choice for the duo, who spend most of their time off-road riding at their specialist riding school set in the heart of the Welsh countryside. The Dakar sees the pair facing vastly different terrains to the Welsh valleys, with the notorious soft sand or fesh-fesh sections, dry rutted riverbeds, and riding at altitude as they head into Chile.

With such a wide variety of terrain, climate and long stages of riding – the tyres for their KTM rally bikes really needed to be able to stand up to the task. Using Michelin’s Desert Race tyres combined with Bib-mousse puncture protection, the pair have already completed the first days of the race and managed to move up places within the top 100 riders.

The Michelin Desert Race tyres have won the Dakar an impressive 30 times in as many years and have certainly proven their credibility as the Rally race tyre of choice for serious competitors. In 2012, the winning KTM factory rider, Cyril Despres, went straight to the top of the podium using Desert Race tyres and praised their exceptional performance no matter what type of terrain, temperature, engine size or bike weight was thrown at them.

With excellent handling at high speeds and in extreme conditions, the tyres combined with Bib-mousse are the perfect set-up for the Pavey duo and the challenges they will face in this year’s Dakar. In fact Michelin were the first to develop the concept of a foam replacement for the inner tube with Bib-mousse in 1984, and in its first year at the Dakar, the technology was proven by taking the win. The winning rider has been using Michelin Bib-mousse every year since.

Michelin UK Technical Manager, Tony Charlton explains: “A Bib-mousse replaces the inner tube for off-road motorcycles. As it is not a tube that holds air, you can’t suffer from a traditional puncture or pinch flat and subsequent flat tyre, even if the tyre itself is punctured. Pinch flats are a big threat in this type of competition with high speeds and rocky terrain. A pinch flat occurs when the traditional inner tube is pinched between the tyre and wheel rim, usually from a hard impact against a rock or ledge. This splits the tube, sometimes in two places when the tyre is pushed against both sides of the rim and this is a snakebite, as that’s exactly what it looks like has happened to the tube. In races like the Dakar the riders have enough to contend with without having to mend a puncture or swap a tube after every unexpectedly hard hit!

Bib-mousse is named after the Michelin Man, or Bibendum as he is officially named. It is a ring of butyl honeycomb foam with its cells filled with nitrogen. It has a smooth-moulded outer skin that is specially designed to slip into specific size off-road motorcycle tyres. We’re proud to be supporting the Pavey team this year, and are confident the use of Michelin tyres and Bib-mousse will help them complete the extreme challenge.”

To follow the progress of Team SP FiFTYONE visit www.simonpavey.com

Find out more about the extensive range of motorcycle tyres at moto.michelin.co.uk