The Castrol Honda team has completed a two-day test at the Misano circuit in Italy with riders Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus declaring themselves happy with progress. The test was Rea’s first visit to the circuit where he crashed in June, sustaining a wrist injury that kept him out of action until two weeks ago.

With three rounds still remaining in the 2011 World Superbike season, the team has been working on developments for the current CBR1000RR. However, Rea and Xaus were also joined by Japanese rider Makoto Tamada at the Misano test and tried some development parts for next year’s racing machine.

In spite of a brief rain shower this afternoon, the test was conducted in temperatures of more than 30 degrees ahead of next week’s 11th round of the series at Imola, just an hour up the road from Misano.

Jonathan Rea

It’s been a real proper test, this, and we had a lot of stu ff to work through. On top of that, Pirelli also brought some new rubber to try so, in the end, we actually ran out of time. We probably needed the rest of this week to get through everything, but we can definitely see the potential of the fly-by-wire system that I tested for the first time today. Also, I’m able to ride a lot more in my comfort zone with this new package and it helped with engine braking, too. Going back to Misano was no problem for me and, in fact, I was going through the corner where I crashed faster than I did during the race weekend in June. Pirelli brought a lot of soft rubber and we could have used a qualifier to try for a time, but we had to keep our heads down and keep focused on the work we had to get through. The lap time is probably about where we are at the moment, but we know that the next step forward will push us back to the front.

Ruben Xaus

Well it felt good to be back on a bike again properly f or the first time since the Brno crash in July. Of course, after two days of testing, I was tired, but it felt like a naturally tiredness. We’ve been testing some different electronics and the bike is much easier to control. The feeling is much better and the bike definitely feels stronger and faster. It’s been a good two days for motivation and to give me confidence heading into Imola next week – I’m feeling like I can really go for it when we get there.

Antrim’s John Simpson took two second place finishes at Donington Park for round ten of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Cup Championship to further consolidate his Championship lead.

Simpson placed his T3 Racing Triumph in second place during qualifying for the Cup race and 16^th overall. He had a race long battle with David Paton who is his main title rival. They swapped places a number of times between first and second with Simpson having to settle for second place and take home as many points as possible. He also finished in 12^th place in the overall race.

The second race of the weekend was action packed with a red flag due to rain and a red flag due to fluid on the track. On the initial start Simpson jumped straight into the lead and held it for six laps. He was relegated to second for three laps and that is when the rain came on stopping the race.

On the re-start Simpson opted to use a different tyre which unfortunately wasn’t up to temperature when the race started. He didn’t make such a good start and found himself in third place. This part of the race was halted after just four laps thanks to Paton’s machine dropping fluid on track. This gifted second place to Simpson in the Cup race and 13^th place overall.

Simpson said: “We were having a problem with over-heating this weekend. At the start of the race I was pulling away and then the warning light came on and I could feel a drop in power. All through the turns the bike was fine as it has plenty of torque, but as soon as I hit the straight I was losing out on power. I decided to make sure I finished and took it easy. On the re-start I went for a zero tyre which just wasn’t up to temperature and didn’t work for me. Either way I’ve still got the lead by 80 points so I’m happy enough.”

Jimmy Dye had a difficult first outing at Donington Park in the Oulton Park Metzeler National Superstock 600 race re-run, aboard his T3 Racing Triumph.

He started from 20^th on the grid and had progressed through to sixteenth place in just two laps. He was pushed back to 18^th but was on the move again when another rider wiped him out at the Esses on lap seven of the ten lap race.

The second race of the weekend saw Dye start from 28^th but worked his way up to 17^th place picking off eleven riders. Unfortunately for Dye he had a big moment and almost high sided which lost him a number of places. He finally came over the line in 20^th position.

Dye said: “During qualifying I couldn’t get the bike to turn so we made some big changes which worked but I lost out in qualifying as we were having this problem. The changes worked and in the Oulton Park re-run I felt good and was going well until I got wiped out. We ran the same settings in the second race and it was working great. Then I got out of the seat and started having problems with rear grip and turning the bike again. I had an excursion across the gravel which lost me a few places. It’s been a difficult one but I’m off to Silverstone for a test so we should be in good shape for the next round."

Isle of Man TT sponsors Red Torpedo, together with TT racer Guy Martin, confirm attendance at the Brighton Burn Up on Sunday 11th September.
 
Guy will be on the Red Torpedo stand on Brighton's famous seafront road, Madeira Drive, and will also be debuting, as special guest, on the Ace stage at approx. 2pm.
 
Six Ulster GP's, seven consecutive Scarborough Gold Cups, 13 TT podiums, innumerable cups of tea, and now Brighton for the 18th annual Ace Cafe Reunion!

Once again, Silloth is preparing to bring together two of your favourite things!

There are 16 acts performing across the weekend, and there will be more than 75 real ales and ciders to sample across the weekend. Both the bands and the beers are a selection of local gems and some of the best that are an offer across the country.
 
Headliners include Mercury, an award winning tribute to Queen. The band have received praise from Freddie Mercury's family as being the "next best thing" to Queen, it really doesn't get much better than that! Blondied will also perform, no prizes for guessing who they are a tribute too. Front woman Michelle Hendricks has received rave reviews across the country from fans for creating an onstage presence that made Debbie Harry of Blondie the poster girl of choice for a million 80s teenage boys. Then, bringing things up to date, there will be sets from the Four Fighters, the definitive Foo Fighters tribute act. They'll perform alongside Kazabian (the clues in the name!) who will recreate the sound of one of the noughties most successful indie-rock acts.
 
As well as tributes there are many other fantastic performances. One of the UK’s most popular comedy acts, The Lancashire Hotpots, will be performing two sets across the weekend. The band have gained a huge following with their witty, affection and sometimes absurd view of the world from an uniquely Lancashire angle. With airplay on BBC Radio 1, close on a third of a million plays of their ‘He’s Turned Emo’ track on MySpace, national tour support to Comedian Paddy McGuinness, a number one record on iTunes and an endless string of festival appearances, by ‘eck these lads are proving popular!  Also appearing are one of the most authentic and popular purveyors of sizzling hot 50’s American style r’n’b. The Revolutionaires. Based in the North-East the band have toured extensively through Europe, and have four albums under their belts. Expect to be blown away!

We're also delighted to be able to showcase so much local talent across the weekend, and to offer them a place on our festival stage, including our Battle Of The Band’s winners. Wigton/Silloth based band Sneaky Finch will be performing, alongside Carlisle based indie four-piece House Of Three Hands and West Cumbrian rockers Black Wolf Run.  They will be joined by Gosforth band The Roosters, West Cumbrian Blues Band Code Blue, indie-rock band Collision, The Two-ers, The Pulse and Whitehaven singer-songwriter Emma Dockeray.
 
Tickets are still available and a four day Festival Ticket, with access to all five sessions, remains at the same price as last year of only £35! Individual afternoon and night tickets are also available. Full information on ticket prices, a list of beers, and more details on this years artists can be found at www.sillothbeerfestival.co.uk. Tickets now available in person from Winters Newsagents in Silloth, or on the door.
 
With just hours to go until this years festival we can't wait to open to get the bar opened! There are 16 bands across four days and there's something for everyone. We hope to see you there. Cheers!