MAG Ireland, the Irish Motorcyclists’ Action Group, reports that at its recent AGM MAG Ireland members voted to adopt a new policy on distracted driving in light of the increase in motorcycle accidents.

MAG Ireland say, “It is clear from research carried out by the RSA (Road Safety Authority) among others, that distracted driving (most typically use of a mobile phone while driving) is both a growing problem and a significant contributor to motorcycle accidents where another vehicle is involved. RSA figures suggest it may be as high as one in four collisions.”

At Right To Ride, riders in the context of vulnerable road users, are more than just concerned of the increasing use of mobile phone and other electronic devices by other road users.

MAG Ireland have brought a rational position to this debate, with suggestions for cyclists and car drivers as well as drivers of goods, construction, agricultural or public transport vehicles and including motorcyclists for policy, rigorous enforcement of the existing laws, public road safety education and funding to get rid of this road user menace and socially unacceptable driving on our roads.

In Northern Ireland we can only support MAG Ireland’s position as well as the inclusion written in Northern Ireland’s Road Safety Strategy To 2020:

•Educate and inform people about the dangers of using any mobile phone while driving, including hands free kits.
•Consider further measures to reduce mobile phone usage, including texting, while driving.

Information on mobile phone use contained in the Northern Ireland Survey of Seat Belt Wearing 2013, states that “In total 13,293 cars were observed and details of 19,792 occupants recorded. This recording took place in eight half hour sessions between 08:30 and 17:00 on Tuesday 23rd and Saturday 27th April 2013.”

•1 per cent of drivers in 2013 were observed using a mobile phone which is the same as reported for 2012 (0.7 per cent were using a hand – held phone and 0.4 per cent were using a hands – free phone)

Travel along any street, road, urban or rural byway and it would not be too long before the count of mobile phone use exceeds the number of fingers you have to count on.

These pariahs of mobile phone use, should be penalised for their actions due to the danger they cause and as motorcyclists or any other road users, avoided at all costs!

Read the article in full on Right To Ride...

899 Panigale to make first public appearance on UK soil - Carl Fogarty to lead demonstration lap on 899 Panigale

The highly-anticipated Ducati 899 Panigale makes its UK debut this weekend at Brands Hatch at the final round of the British Superbike Championship, giving the UK racing public an early glimpse of the latest Ducati Superbike.

The 899 will be on display outside the Ducati hospitality which will be located behind the Pit Straight Grandstand. There will also be a selection of the latest model range to view and Ducati clothing available to purchase in the retail area adjacent to the hospitality unit.

As well as a static display of the 899 Panigale, there will also be a chance to see the bike on track as four-times World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty leads a demonstration lap of the Kent circuit on Sunday at midday. The 899 Panigale will be a familiar sight on UK tracks next year when it will line-up on the grid in the new Ducati TriOptons Cup as a support series for British Superbikes.

This stunning 899 Panigale is intended to provide a new way to access the exclusive world of Ducati Superbikes and is described as a “Supermid” version of the award-winning 1199 Panigale. The 899 still provides the thrill of the flagship model but with the refined character of an everyday road bike.

Its brand new Superquadro engine features a revised bore and stroke for a broad power delivery, producing 148hp (109kW) with a torque of 73lb-ft (10.1kgm). The super-smooth power unit continues to be a fully stressed member of the innovative Panigale monocoque construction, achieving both an outstanding power-to-weight ratio and ride-enhancing agility with a dry weight of 169kg (372.5lb). An 1199 silhouette underlines the family DNA, while the Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) and the fully integrated Riding Mode technologies of Ride-by-Wire, triple stage ABS, Ducati Traction Control (DTC) and Engine Brake Control (EBC) continue the benchmark ingenuity introduced with the new generation Superbike.

The 899 Panigale will be available from November, priced a £12,495 in traditional Ducati red with black wheels or a stunning arctic white with red wheels.

For further information on the 899 Panigale and the Ducati TriOptions Cup visit www.ducatiuk.com

IT IS the biggest show in the classic calendar. You’ll find everything from the very best motorcycle restorations through to gravity-defying stunts and tributes to the iconic ‘Fizzy’ and it all takes place on two superb days at Stafford County Showground…

The 20th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show is now merely days away – taking place on the weekend of October 19-20 – and it celebrates all things classic bike, with the main focus on machines from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

“We look forward to welcoming more than 30,000 visitors over two days,” said show manager Nick Mowbray.

“The show is the largest classics event in Europe and is packed to the rafters with things to see, buy, do and experience,” he continued.

Among these attractions will be former 250cc GP world champion and 500cc legend Christian Sarron, who will be bringing a wealth of racing memories and anecdotes to share with showgoers.

French star Sarron, famed for his ability to ride in the wet, made his name in the 250cc division before going on to find success in 500cc racing as well as endurance events.

The expert team from Bonhams is heading to the event once again, with a single-owner collection of nearly 100 classic Japanese motorcycles the star attraction of the auction house’s annual autumn sale.

And with more than 70 club stands, visitors can expect to encounter row upon row of stunning machinery – with some even being fired up in the Classic Racer GP Paddock – as they take in a plethora of motorcycle sights, sounds and engine smells.

The FS1-E stand will be one that definitely requires a visit, and organiser Nick is certainly fired up by a significant milestone: “The era we celebrate here at the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show is the one that I grew up in and with the FS1-E marking 40 years; this really is the show for the rider who began on a ‘Fizzy’.”

The show isn’t just about looking at bikes though, as a sprawling autojumble that covers every available inch of the showground offers an incredible range of parts, accessories and motorcycle memorabilia for visitors to get their hands on.

Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine editor Bertie Simmonds commented: “If you’re in the middle of a restoration project – or looking at the next one – then the big draw is the autojumble that covers the whole venue.

“It’s so good that you can even expect to see me ferreting about for bits for my 1991 Yamaha TDM850!”

If all of this wasn’t enough, top trials ace Steve Colley will be wowing crowds in the main ring with this gravity-defying stunt display.

A one-day adult pass is currently priced at just £10 – incredible value for what is sure to be an action-packed 20th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show.

Discounted advance tickets are available until Tuesday, October 15 and can be purchased at www.classicbikeshows.co.uk

A pedigree budgie, a toilet, several laps of the TT course and a very patient photographer – Milestones TT calendar is back, with more wittily-illustrated TT anecdotes.

Milestones made its debut last year, after artist and journalist Rachael Clegg decided that making a TT calendar was her calling in life. Together with Al Jazeera photojournalist Peter Greste and assistant Shaz Nicol, Rachael created a calendar that paid visual homage to some of the most significant and quirky events in TT history.

The result is, once again, 15 leaves of unusual monochrome images, which will be launched at this year’s TT. Only the goose that appeared in last year’s calendar has now been replaced with a prized budgie.

In this year’s Milestones Rachael has a fracas with a stack of tyres, a blast at Waterworks and an encounter with a very rare budgie at Kirk Michael.

But however bizarre, these ‘happenings’ interpret real TT events involving the likes of Giacomo Agostini, Archie Birkin, Guy Martin, Ian Lougher and Joey Dunlop.

“The idea struck me on the way back from the TT in 2010. I’ve come across so many tales over the years but knew there must be more TT stories out there so I set to work...”

That was it. Weeks later Rachael was knee-deep in TT research. “I encountered dozens of unusual tales from the race’s 106-year history and used each tale as inspiration for the images, which I sketched out as I was doing the research.”

And while last year’s calendar brought about its own risks - including near-arrest at Brandish Corner wearing John McGuinness’ leathers - this year Rachael had to dive head-first in a tower of tyres, was caught naked on a toilet and strewn with bleeding mackerel. “It’s a very glamorous job,” she said.

The calendar is a fusion of Rachael’s background, obsession with history and her family’s racing legacy. She studied art and art history, worked at the Tate Gallery in Liverpool and taught art for several years.

“Milestones nods to my heritage – both my dad and granddad were TT racers so I’ve been going to the TT all my life. I would have a go myself but I have no road sense.”

The props used in Milestones were borrowed off the likes of John McGuinness, Guy Martin, Ian Lougher, Rachael’s father, TT veteran Vin Duckett, an eccentric Manxman, farmer John Quine and a budgie enthusiast.

“That’s what’s great about the Isle of Man; I needed a budgie so I walked into the pharmacist, asked if anyone had a budgie I could borrow and came out with a packet of paracetamols and a number for a budgie fancier.”

With a posh budgie, umpteen Dunlops and Manx mackerel, Milestones 2014 will no doubt raise a few smiles and shed more light on the TT’s hidden history.

Milestones: an Isle of Man Road Races calendar costs £15 and is available at www.milestonescalendar.com

A swinging evening with EVE HELL & The Razors [CAN]

Sixties Surf, dance hall country and rockabilly, this music sounds like a live soundtrack of a Quentin Tarantino movie.

Everybody welcome. Entrance fee €5 (first drink included)  

www.grd.be    www.bikersloft.be     www.groenedijk.be     www.goodys.be

Groenedijkstraat 5  B-8460 Oudenburg Belgium tel.++32+(0)59+268540