Baiocco scores points in final two BSB races while incredible Superstock 1000 contest sees both Ducati riders in the top four.

Ducati ended the 2013 British Superbike Championship season on a high this weekend at Brands Hatch with points-scoring finishes in both of Sunday’s BSB races and an impressive performance in the National Superstock 1000 class.

Coming off the back of a sensational weekend at Silverstone for Matteo Baiocco and the Rapido Sport Racing Ducati team, the pressure was on to produce another good result around the challenging Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. Having missed the first free practice session on Friday, the Italian was on the back foot for the first part of the weekend. Come qualifying, however, the pace seen from the 1199 Panigale RS superbike last time out made a welcome return, and for the second race meeting in succession Baiocco progressed into the final qualifying session to secure tenth position on the grid for race one.

A problem with the clutch meant that the reigning Italian Superbike champion couldn’t capitalise on his strong qualifying, and he slipped back to 17th over the first of three 18-lap contests this weekend.

Race two on Sunday saw mixed conditions throw another layer of uncertainty into the mix, with riders opting for different tyre choices throughout the grid. Baiocco’s decision to run full wets paid off in the early stages, and he ran for a time as high up as fourth place. As the track dried, however, his pace dropped away, and he had to fight hard to maintain a points-scoring position, eventually crossing the line in 13th. The final race of the year saw full wet conditions, and from down in 18th on the grid Matteo once again had it all to do to score points. With great pace in the middle part of the race he was able to secure 15th, rounding out a progressive debut season in BSB with points finishes in both races on finals day.

The two Ducati riders in the National Superstock 1000 class grabbed the headlines, as Tristan Palmer rode to his fourth podium of the season for Rapido Sport Racing and Robbie Brown rode brilliantly through the field to score his best result of 2013 in fourth for DMC Racing.

In Friday’s dry qualifying session Palmer put his Panigale fifth on the grid, with a marked improvement in the dry for Brown putting him 15th. Sunday’s wet conditions then played into the hands of both riders, and as Tristan fought for the outright race win, 2012 Ducati 848 Challenge champion Robbie proved once again his prowess in challenging conditions. He charged through from 15th to finish just 0.294s from the podium positions setting the fastest lap of the race along the way.

Palmer had led the race going onto the final lap, but just lost out going into Clearways for the final time. Second place for Palmer and a seasons-best fourth for Brown left both Ducati teams in high spirits going into the winter break, with more success surely on the cards for the Panigale in Superstock trim.

Having seen the potential of the Ducati Panigale in the BSB, Millsport Racing, who have worked alongside Rapido Sport Racing this year, have announced their intentions to step up to compete in the main superbike class for 2014. The team is now looking to secure sufficient sponsorship to mount a serious championship challenge.

Robbie Brown said: I can’t complain at that – I just wish I’d had a couple more laps and I know I could have won it! It’s great to finish on a high – we’ve made some real progress over the last few race meetings, and I wish it wasn’t the end of the season now. I’d like to say a big thanks to Ducati Manchester and everyone who’s supported us this year. Hopefully we can get the budget together and come back stronger next year.

Tristan Palmer said: I pushed 100% to try and get the win but Jenkinson just got past on the last lap and there was nothing I could do. It’s great to get another podium for the team, and to have both Ducati’s right up there is good for everyone. I’ve enjoyed riding the Panigale for Rapido Sport Racing this year, and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to challenge for the championship next season.

Three weeks before;

• Book hair, nail, eyebrow appointment
• Buy hair colour
• Search e-bay for new outfit
• Look at your womanly physique in the mirror... decide that you need to lose a stone in 3 weeks, so make mental note to do workout, sit-ups, squats, etc, every day
• Save small amount of your favourite toiletries, face cleanser, toner, eye make up remover, day cream, night cream, eye cream, factor 15 for the face and factor 8 for the body (the sun WILL come out), body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hair product one (to give it body), hair product two (to make it straight), hair product three (to make it glossy) hair product four (so it does not frizz), hair product five (to keep it in place)

Two weeks before;

• Buy new outfit (two of just in case) off e-bay, found using searches such as 'Biker babe', 'biker rally outfit', 'black goth', 'black basque ladies', etc...
• Start tan-tastic preparations, scrub flesh and moisturise

The week before;

• Dye hair, hair cut, buy new hair product
• Eyebrows waxed
• Manicure (and pedicure if its summer)
• Apply self-tanning creams (unless goth)
• Look in shops for a new outfit (just in case you see one you like better than the two you bought last week)

The day before;

• Sort out the clothing you are taking into piles
• The clothing you are wearing on a hanger
• All other items hidden, so that your Victor Meldrew husband does not say "Do you think you are taking that lot for two days!"

The day of;

• Face pack, condition hair, shave armpits and legs, apply make up with no mascara (to avoid panda eyes on the way in gail force winds)
• Try to pack 10 tops, three pairs of jeans, 3 sets of matching underwear, toiletries (as above), towel (the size of a small country) into small bag
• Text mates to see if they are taking hairdryers and/or straighterners as you realise you have gone over your allocation baggage allowance
• Moisturise whole body, get dressed putting on extra layers of clothing that you could not fit into small bag
• Put extra items you forgot to pack into coat pockets

Men

• Put tent on bike
• Take toothbrush if longer than one night
• Moan at woman at the amount of luggage she is taking for two nights
• Put on 'Rally' pants, club t and leather vest
• Go...

Motorcycle Live features a double dose of TT action this year, with two days dedicated to the Isle of Man’s flagship road racing festivals. Sunday 24 November will celebrate heritage event the Classic TT, while Sunday 1 December will be devoted to the world’s most famous road race, the Isle of Man TT. There will also be special guest appearances from top racers on a daily basis.

20-times Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and 2013’s big winner Michael Dunlop will be leading a star-studded line-up which also includes Manxman Conor Cummins, fan favourite Bruce Anstey, SES TT Zero winner Michael Rutter, veteran competitor Ian Lougher and rising star James Hillier, who won his first TT race this year.

John Holden and Andy Winkle, Ben and Tom Birchall, Tim Reeves and Dan Sayle and sixteen-time TT champion Dave Molyneux along with his passenger Patrick Farrance will be representing the Sidecars. For a full list of riders and their appearance dates click here.

The riders will be signing autographs and meeting fans on the TT Paddock Experience stand and taking part in daily Q&As with TT commentator James Whitham on the Black Horse Stage in the British Eurosport Entertainment Zone in Hall 2. On Sunday 1 December, the TT will take over the stage, with four Q&A sessions and a special TT-themed edition of Fast Bikes Question of Bikes hosted by Steve Parrish. Race fans will also have the chance to bag early-bird Grandstand and VIP hospitality packages for the 2014 Isle of Man TT.

Advance tickets for Motorcycle Live 2013 are just £17 per adult, £11 for Seniors and £7 for children aged 6-16* (kids five aged and under accompanied by a paying adult go free). Bike parking is free of charge and subject to availability. Reduced car parking costs of £8 – subsidised by Motorcycle Live. To book your tickets, call 0844 581 2345 or visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk

...with miniature Ducati 1199 Panigale

  •Latest version of the world’s best-selling board game, MONOPOLY, now ready for release •New MONOPOLY board features 22 top brands, with Ducati the game’s sole Italian brand •Game tokens include a miniature Ducati 1199 Panigale

Borgo Panigale (Bologna) 15 October, 2013 – Hasbro’s all-new MONOPOLY Empire features Ducati among 22 of the world’s most prestigious brands, offering players a whole new gaming experience in which they buy and sell the best-known names in business (instead of property) to "take over the empire" and win.

Featured brands in the new MONOPOLY Empire include: Beats by Dr. Dre, Carnival, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, eBay, Electronic Arts, Fender, Hasbro, Intel, JetBlue, McDonald’s, Nerf, Nestlé, Paramount Pictures, Samsung, Spotify, Transformers, Under Armour, Xbox, X Games Yahoo! and Ducati.

Ducati represents the only Italian brand included in MONOPOLY Empire game, the prestigious Bologna-built motorcycle brand taking pride of place on the MONOPOLY board and occupying the same square previously assigned in the classic versions to those ultra-expensive icons of the MONOPOLY world, Mayfair (UK) and Boardwalk (USA).

Ducati’s inclusion in the game underlines the strength of this unique motorcycle brand, which has become an ambassador of Italian-made quality and a global icon of excellence and success. Supporting Ducati’s technical excellence will now be more fun than ever and drive Ducati to further success on MONOPOLY’s gaming battlefield.

Players move around the board using tokens that represent six of the brands included in the game: a  Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, a Ducati 1199 Panigale, a bottle of Coca-Cola, an Xbox controller, a Paramount Pictures clapperboard and the world-famous McDonald’s French fries.

Drawing inspiration from the on-skyscraper advertising typical of all major cities, players display the brands they own on billboards upon their own empire tower. The first player to put their brand’s billboard advertising at the top of the tower wins the game, but unforeseen hazards such as a sudden push for dominance from competitors or a stock market collapse provides additional and realistic challenges. With the concept of property purchase and construction of houses an hotels discarded in the latest version, most players will be able to finish the new game in under 30 minutes.

MONOPOLY is the world’s best-loved board game. It has been played by over 1 billion people in 111 countries. Played in the company of friends, or using the mobile or online versions, the MONOPOLY game experience can enjoyably be fitted into any lifestyle.

Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A – An Audi Group Company

Founded in 1926, Ducati has been producing sport-inspired motorcycles since 1946. Their motorcycles are characterised by “Desmodromic” performance engines, innovative design and avant-garde technology. Covering several market segments, Ducati's range of motorcycles are divided into model families which include: Diavel, Hypermotard, Monster, Multistrada, Streetfighter and Superbike.

These authentic icons of “made in Italy” are sold in over 80 countries around the world, with concentration on the European, North-American and Asia Pacific markets. Ducati competes in both the World Superbike Championship and, with an official team, the World MotoGP Championship. In Superbike Ducati has won 17 Manufacturers' titles and 14 Riders' titles and in 2011 passed the historic milestone of 300 race victories. Ducati have participated in MotoGP since 2003, and took both the Manufacturers' and Riders' titles in 2007.

Only half of drivers feel prescription drug labelling is clear enough on medicines, according to the latest poll by road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

Earlier this year, the government announced that a drug-driving bill will be introduced and will include chemicals which can be found in prescription drugs. Almost a third of respondents suggest that a simple traffic-light system would be the best method to inform people of the risks of using prescription drugs when driving.

It is clear that the vast majority of drivers have no sympathy for those who drive under the influence of drugs. Seventy-three per cent of drivers think that those who drive whilst under the influence of illegal drugs are as dangerous as drunk drivers. Eighty per cent of respondents agree with the view that a zero limit should be set for the worst illegal drugs.

Motorists feel that penalties are not harsh enough for drug-drivers. Currently, if prosecuted, they face a one year ban and up to £1000 fine. Fifty-nine per cent of respondents feel that this is not strong enough.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Motorists clearly feel that labelling is not clear or consistent enough when giving information on driving when taking medications. A traffic-light system such as red for no driving, amber for care required and green for limited effects appears to be the most popular option.  What is clear is that we will need a wide ranging information campaign to support the new laws and ensure motorists don’t find themselves on the wrong side of the law.”