Northern Ireland based road racing team owner John Burrows has moved quickly to replace Dan Kneen who moved to pastures new after spearheading the team's 2014 Irish Superbike title winning efforts.

Burrows has confirmed that Ulsterman Jamie Hamilton, who has a wealth of experience despite only being 23-years-old, will be his rider for the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy and other international as well as a full Irish championship campaign. He will race the team's Superbike, Supersport and Supertwin machines.

Hamilton will bring an impressive CV with him to Burrows Engineering Racing. His initial successes came in the short circuit arena where he captured the 2009 British Superstock 600 title. Ironically, the man who finished fourth in that championship tussle was Manxman Kneen and the two men are destined to lock horns again next year on a regular basis.

Since Hamilton vacated the short circuit world for a road-racing career he has left his mark at both national and international level. In 2012 he won the prestigious Best Newcomer award at the Isle of Man TT and has been on the rostrum at both the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix meetings thanks to his Supertwins efforts. In 2013 Hamilton completed a fine Irish title double, finishing top of the Supersport 600 and Supertwins points tables.

Burrows spoke about his new arrival:
"I'm delighted to have found a rider of Jamie Hamilton's calibre to lead Burrows Engineering Racing's national and international road campaigns in 2015. He's the ideal man for the job and it's a bonus that he's a local man too. He's a proven race and title winner and although 2014 didn't work out particularly well for him he showed what he is capable of on a number of occasions, especially at Bush where he scored four wins and denied my team two Superbike wins. Burrows Engineering Racing was at the forefront of road racing in 2014 and with Jamie onboard some very competitive machinery I'm confident we can again be a top privateer team and give the factory boys something to worry about in 2015. It's great to have all the team's 2015 plans sorted this far ahead of next year, everyone can get focused and have a happy Christmas. All our sponsors will be announced in due course, there will be some loyal and familiar names on the side of the bike as well as some exciting new ones."

Jamie Hamilton said:
"I'm very happy that I have secured a ride with one of the most professional teams in the sport of road racing. I was very impressed with what John and his team achieved in 2014 and I hope my efforts will bring more success for the team in the coming season. The bikes will definitely be ultra competitive and I'm confident that I'm capable of taking them to top results. Roll on Cookstown."

Life changing experiences don't come along very often, however bikers now have the great opportunity to make one for themselves, with a sensational motorcycle trip around Europe!

Discover all Europe has to offer in a euphoric once-in-a-lifetime adventure around beautiful locations, including a vast amount of inspiring routes along France, Norway, Italy and Switzerland. There is so much to see, and so much open road to indulge in.

Adventure

Built for riding, the Stelvio Pass, located in Italy, at 2,757m is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps. With 48 hairpin turns on the northern side, and 12 on the southern side, this ravishing run takes riders through fantastic stretches of Alpine scenery, and many beautiful kilometers of fast and sweeping roads, before arriving at the foot of the pass. Once on the pass itself, each of the turns are numbered with stones, so those on this fantastic journey can count their way to the top, just keep one eye on the road!

Another fantastic route for bikers is through, Trollstigen, a very motorbike-friendly mountain road in Rauma, Norway, part of Norwegian National Road 63 connecting Soggeberget in Rauma and Valldal in Norddal. It has a steep incline of 9% and eleven hairpin bends up a steep mountain side. Trollstigen was opened for riders on July 31, 1936, by King Haakon VII after 8 years of construction. The road up is narrow with many sharp hairpins, and although it has been widened in the past few years, vehicles over 12.4 metres long are prohibited from driving the road. Bikers can park up for a pit-stop at the car park at the top, and walk for about ten minutes to an iron viewing balcony which overlooks the road, with all its bends and the Stigfossen waterfall, which drops 320 metres down the mountain side. Although Trollstigen is closed during the Autumn and Winter months, and a normal opening season stretches from mid-May to October, those travelling its exceptioanl outstretches can make the most of it during the brighter summer periods of the year. This is a must-ride road, but its just worth remembering to time it right! 

A trip for those looking to stay a little closer to home in the UK will enjoy this worthwhile trek. The Cat And Fiddle is a road in England running between Buxton, Derbyshire and Macclesfield, Cheshire, named after The Cat and Fiddle Pub, at its summit. Formed by parts of the A537, A54 and A53, it is famous for its stunning scenic views across the Greater Manchester conurbation, Peak District National Park and the Cheshire Plain and for its many bends and corners. It seems to be particularly attractive to motorcyclists because of the frequency and severity of the bends, and is regularly classed as the most dangerous road in the UK.

For a break from all the hectic travelling, riders can make a stop off at Casino Marbella along a journey across Granada, which is situated in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. As well as the surrounding beauty, there is a genuine buzz around the casino scene. All the top games like poker, which are featured on online casino games at Euro Palace and other sites, can be found at the Spanish city. Only only one hour from the Mediterranean coast, the city of Granada is placed at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, This area is characterised by volcanic rock formations, lava flows, volcanic domes, and volcanic calderas. A great ride through natural beauty.

TAS Racing along with title partner Tyco Security Products will join forces with BMW Motorrad for the 2015 road racing season, becoming the German manufacturer's official representatives for the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy and the other international road races.

Guy Martin and William Dunlop have been retained and will spearhead Tyco BMW's assault at the 'big three' international road racing events as well as selected national races. The team will campaign the BMW S1000RR in the RST Superbike, RL360 Superstock and PokerStars Senior TT.

Guy Martin achieved two podiums in the 2014 TT Races, finishing second in the Superbike race and following it up with a third place finish in the PokerStars SeniorTT while William Dunlop was running in a podium place in the Senior before crashing on the third lap.

William Dunlop:

"Moving to BMW Motorrad is an exciting change and one I'm looking forward to. We all saw what the BMW S 1000 RR was capable of achieving this season, so with the expertise of the guys at TAS Racing, I'm pretty sure we can do a good job in 2015. I got my first international Superbike win last year and I'd really like more next year as it's the class to do it in. We have a top team and I'm happy to be working with Guy again at the TT, where I think together we can be even stronger with this exciting new package."

Guy Martin:

"Moving to BMW Motorrad machinery is the reason I'm still racing next year and not retiring. I'll always give it my all and to be with a quality manufacturer like BMW is mega. I'm looking forward to getting on the bikes as soon as possible. It's a new bike and I've never ridden it before, but we all know its pedigree. TAS are the best team I've ever ridden for; they get me and I get them and we meet in the middle, which is why we've been successful and this new venture with BMW is just what we need going into next season."

Philip Neill - Team Manager:

"It really is a great honour for TAS Racing to be chosen by BMW Motorrad to spearhead their official racing efforts in 2015, and everyone involved has been very supportive in helping us put the correct package together. Although our agreement is with BMW Motorrad in the UK, the support we have received from BMW in Germany is already very encouraging. We will have full support from the factory both technically and personnel-wise next season to help us achieve our goals. On the rider line-up for 2015 TT Races, the Tyco BMW team manager added: "We put a lot of thought into our rider line up for 2015 and as always the goal is to win races both in British championship and also at International level on the roads. We fully expect to be championship contenders in British Superbike and the National Superstock class next season racing BMW's S 1000 RR, and on the roads I've every confidence that William and Guy will also benefit from riding top class Tyco BMW machinery."

"The TT is extremely important to BMW, TAS Racing and all our sponsors, and of course we want to be successful on the Island. It has been a few years now since we have had a rider on that coveted top step of the podium and as you might expect that will be our goal in June with William and Guy. I don't want to build all our expectations around Guy and a TT win, although it is fair to say 2015 will give him a great chance of achieving his goal on the Tyco BMW. TT races are not easily won these days so I know Guy will be applying a one-hundred percent effort just as he does every year. Fingers crossed 2015 will be his year. On the other hand William has come of age on a Superbike and I wouldn't bet against him either at the TT next June."

Lee Nicholls, BMW Motorrad Marketing and PR Manager, said:

"It is with great pleasure that we can finally announce BMW Motorrad's support of the TAS Racing team for the 2015 Road Racing season. In 2014, BMW Motorrad had its most successful season of racing ever in the UK, which has enabled us to increase our support to both the British Superbike and Road Racing paddocks for 2015. The TAS Racing team will spearhead our assault on track, and on the roads, and will receive the full technical support from BMW Motorrad Motorsports in Munich within the framework of the BMW Customer Racing Strategy. As a company we are very much looking forward to working with Hector and Philip and his team and we are confident that together with the all-new S 1000 RR we will challenge for podiums and wins next year."

On THE BIKER GUIDE we have lots of jokes and videos clips on a very popular jokes section, including a festive favourite from Harley-Davidson - How bad have you been?

See the Joke section here

Santander Consumer Finance UK has been announced as the new title sponsor of the upcoming KTM RC 390-powered race series, which will support the 2015 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship.

The Santander Consumer Finance KTM British Junior Cup will be open to riders 13-18-years old, and every rider will line up on an identical ‘Cup’ variation of the recently-launched KTM RC 390. The series gives equal opportunity and a level playing field for emerging talent. The series will be promoted by MSVR across eight events incorporating 20 points-scoring races. KTM UK already enjoys a successful relationship with Santander Consumer Finance UK - this division of the Spanish bank provides consumer finance for its network of dealers to allow its customers a broad portfolio of competitive finance for the purchase of new machines along with the option to include KTM PowerParts and PowerWear, under the ‘KTM Finance’ banner.

Paul Munns, National Sales Manager – Leisure Finance, from Santander Consumer Finance UK, said: “We’re very excited to play a part in what will no doubt be a very exciting and successful championship. Santander Consumer Finance UK already enjoys a great working relationship with KTM UK and the opportunity to work with them to help bolster future motorcycle racing talent, while helping to promote this area of the business within the best domestic motorcycle racing championship, was an opportunity that couldn’t be missed.”

In standard production form, the RC 390 is an exciting, light and practical sports bike with a 44hp, 375cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine housed in a steel trellis chassis and fitted with top-level components. The ‘Cup’ version, shown in its new race livery for the first time at Motorcycle Live in November, takes this already energetic machine and focuses it solely for track use, using a whole host of official KTM PowerParts that will also be publically available.

The fully adjustable suspension package not only allows for individual set up for each race; it is also a valuable learning tool for suspension set-ups. The bike has adjustable foot pegs and handlebar levers to create personalised ergonomics, making it ideal for young racers who are still growing. Interested parties who would like more information on the race series next year, should email [email protected] and in the subject line put RC 390 Cup 2015 and include name, address, post code, age, riding experience and preferred KTM dealer. We will then
send details when they have been confirmed.

For more information on the series visit www.ktm.com/gb or register at www.bsbteams.com