THREE DAYS OF WORK AT JEREZ AFTER THE OPENING ROUND AT PHILLIP ISLAND WITH A WIN AND FIRST PLACE IN THE STANDINGS

In view of the second round at Aragon Melandri and Guintoli tested chassis setups and electronics.

Aprilia will arrive at the first European race leading the Rider championship with Guintoli, in third place with Melandri and at the top of the Manufacturer standings.

Jerez, 2 April 2014 - The long break after the Australian first round at Phillip Island gave the World SBK teams and riders a chance to recharge their batteries in view of the first European round which will be held at the Spanish Aragon circuit on 13 April. In order to regain familiarity with "race mode" and to hone their weapons in view of the next round, the Aprilia Racing Team had three days of testing on the Jerez track in Andalusia, where current championship leader Sylvain Guintoli and team mate Marco Melandri, third in the standings after the first round, were hard at work.

The first two days, marked by sunny skies but a lot of wind and mild temperatures, gave the Aprilia Racing Team standard bearers a chance to get a lot of laps in, completing a heavy workload and gathering fundamental information to develop the RSV4. While for Sylvain this was an opportunity to further increase his confidence on the track since he skipped the winter test sessions, at the same time trying out some new electronic and chassis solutions, Marco Melandri took advantage of the tests to explore the potential of the RSV4, a new bike for him in his first Aprilia SBK season. During the more than 150 laps he took the rider from Ravenna was able to test a variety of setups and electronic configurations aimed at increasing his familiarity with the bike, in addition to refining his riding style in search of the best harmony with the bike which is the reigning Champion of the Manufacturer Championship.

Winner of Race 2 at Phillip Island, Sylvain Guintoli put in a total of more than 160 laps at a good pace, confirming the positive feeling he demonstrated after the first race. His right shoulder, injured last year and operated on twice during the winter break, also held up well under stress which means that this can now be filed away as an overcome problem.

Marco Melandri: "Fortunately we were able to get a lot of work done, focusing on what we didn't like about Phillip Island. On the first day we concentrated on shock absorption on the bumps and going into turns, whereas on the second day we tried to lap and get the RSV4 to close out the turns better. It was difficult but in the end we managed to put together a package that will allow us to improve. We had some other ideas we wanted to try out as well but unfortunately we weren't able to do a lot of work on the third day. At Aragon I expect to see a leap of quality which is what we need to win."

Sylvain Guintoli: "For us these three days were important, first and foremost to get back into the saddle after Phillip Island. This has been a very long break and I needed to get some kilometres in with the bike. We also had quite a few details we needed to test, besides new electronics strategies, so these were some pretty intense tests. I'm happy with the refinements. When we get to Aragon we'll be strong and motivated and that's what's important."

Romano Albesiano: "These were three very useful days of testing for the development of the RSV4. There are still a few improvements to focus on, both from electronics and a chassis point of view. Final race pace performance is not bad, but it still isn't enough. At Jerez we gathered some important information that helps us to have a very clear idea on which direction we need to go."

Compass Expeditions is very pleased to announce that Dakar legend, Simon Pavey, is once again returning to Australia to conduct a level 1 & 2 off road training skills course on the weekend of November 1st & 2nd at Mansfield the gateway to the Victorian High Country.

"Lasts years event in the Flinders Ranges was a massive success" says Mick McDonald Co- founder of Compass Expeditions, "I simply can't believe the change in skill levels, but more importantly, confidence after a weekend with Simon and his team, in fact 2 riders who had never been off road booked the epic 105 Road of Bones expedition shortly after completing the course, it really is that good " continues Mick.

The weekend course is followed by a 5-day ride out throughout the Victorian High Country where riders can put to practice what they have learnt over the weekend. The route provides a superb mix of easy to challenging dirt with a little pavement mixed in.

For more info on the course and 5-day ride out, which can be booked separately, click these following links.

Weekend training 
5-Day ride out

www.compassexpeditions.com

The Pata Honda team has announced the introduction of a nepotistic youth policy designed to enhance development and ensure continuity of its world championship racing programme.

On tomorrow’s third and final day of the World Superbike championship test currently taking place at Jerez in Spain, regular riders Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea will hand over their Honda CBR1000RR SP racing machines to their respective young sons. Despite being less than a year old, Max Haslam and Jake Rea are deemed to have inherited sufficient quantities of the so-called ‘speed gene’ to warrant a full test on the sophisticated production race bikes. The Pata Honda crew has lowered the ride height on both CBR machines and engaged the services of a goo-ga translator to record feedback from the would-be young racers.    

Leon Haslam    

It’ll be interesting to see if young Max has got it. The ‘rocket’ that is, which is coincidentally what me and my dad have on our salad when it’s in season. I reckon he’ll be fast though – he’s got a bit of a weight advantage.       

Jonathan Rea   

Jake was born a month or two after Max but we’ve been weening him on Manx kippers to build up his strength. He had a wee go on my CRF450R motocrosser on the Isle of Man, so I had to clean up the seat after, but he’ll be right.        

Pieter Breddels -  youth development manager    

With world championship racers seemingly getting younger every year – just like policemen, really – we’ve decided that we need to start investing in youth. Jonathan’s father raced and won a TT and Leon’s dad was pretty handy, too, so it absolutely HAS to be a genetic thing. If it’s not, we’re going to look a bit silly, but the lads will have had some fun.        

A decline in cognitive abilities – for example the onset of dementia – is the greatest concern that families have about elderly relatives driving. Nearly half (46 per cent) of people are worried about it, according to a survey by the IAM.

Forty-two per cent of people who have concerns about an older relative driving have tried to discuss this with them.

People with dementia may still be able to drive safely for some time after it has been diagnosed, but because of the progressive nature of the disease, there will come a time when they have to give up.

Drivers must tell the DVLA if they have dementia or another condition that affects their driving.  The law assumes that people have a right to drive safely and will only intervene when medical conditions impair driving ability.  The aim is to allow people to drive for as long as possible. If the DVLA allows someone with dementia to continue driving, then they will almost certainly have to have periodic medical assessments.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said:  “Staying healthy is the simplest way to ensure you are fit to drive but an independent and objective driving assessment will also help people make the right decision at the right time. Experts warn that the numbers suffering from dementia will continue to grow and it is important drivers seek advice before using their cars.  Families and friends need to be aware of the early warning signs of dementia and seek advice and medical help as soon as possible.”

Signs that an individual no longer has the skills needed to drive safely; •Difficulty judging speed, distance and space •Getting lost on familiar roads •Straying across lanes or hitting kerbs •Confusing the gas and brake pedals •Making slow or poor decisions •Failing to observe road signs and traffic signals •Parking inappropriately •Becoming angry or confused while driving •Causing passengers to have concerns about their driving

Given the varying progression of dementia, the driving skills of an individual with dementia can decrease significantly in between evaluations, therefore those who have demonstrated they are able to drive should gradually modify their driving to reduce the risk of an accident.

Over 800,000 people in the UK currently have dementia (17,000 are under 65).   This is expected to increase to over a million people by 2021

New online store Bike Nation, which was launched last week, is to become the new title sponsor of the Lightweight TT Race, which will be called the Bike Nation Lightweight TT.

The Lightweight Race for Supertwin machines first took place in 2012 and has quickly become an established part of the TT schedule.  James Hillier won the 2013 race setting a new lap record of 119.130mph. This year's race takes place on Friday 6th June, ahead of the PokerStars Senior TT. Almost 90 entries were received for the race, the highest number since the race's inception. The start list will be announced on Friday 4th April.

As part of the launch programme, Bike Nation will offer one customer a VIP trip for two to the Isle of Man TT Races. The trip will include travel and accommodation, as well as two tickets to the TT's VIP Club, the Isle of Man's prestigious hospitality that gives ticket holders access all areas to the world's leading road race.

Bike Nation has been launched in conjunction with TT sponsor Bennetts, whose brands have sponsored the Lightweight race since 2012. Bike Nation offers one of the UK’s widest selections of quality motorcycle clothing and accessories, offering over 100,000 lines from 140+ brands. It also uniquely offers original equipment parts and new motorcycles from top manufacturers and insurance cover on helmets and leathers.

The site completes the company’s overall offering to British motorcyclists, with its award-winning Bike Social website and Free Classifieds services complementing the 84-year-old company’s traditional insurance offerings.

Bike Nation can be found at www.bikenation.co.uk

More details on the Bike Nation Lightweight TT can be found at www.iomtt.com