Biker Cafe

MOTOGP IS SET FOR AN INFLUX OF NEW TEAMS

Bikercafe — Mon, 23 May 2011 13:01:46 +0000

The size of the MotoGP grid could be set to increase substantially for the 2012 season. The Governing body, FIM has said that 11 teams comprising 16 riders have been invited to take part in the next stage of selection to compete in MotoGP.

For the last four season the grid seasons have been made up to 17 bikes but new regulations have led to plenty interests especially from Moto2.

Existing teams have been guaranteed places for the next season and the remaining hopefuls must lodge a security deposit with the International Road Racing Teams Association (IRTA) by the Friday of the next grand prix weekend in Barcelona on 3 June.

At the Catalan Grand Prix, series-rights holders Dorna and IRTA will decide which teams will be offered a participation deal.

MOTORBIKES CALENDAR

Bikercafe — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:39:23 +0000

April 2011
1st – 3rd Moto GP rd 2, Jerez, Spain .
15th – 17th World Superbike Championship rd 3, Assen, The Netherlands .
22nd – 25th British Superbike Championship rd 1, Brands Hatch Indy.
29th – 1st May Moto GP rd 3, Estoril, Portugal .
30th – 2nd May British Superbike Championship rd 2, Oulton Park.

May 2011
6th – 8th World Superbike Championship rd 4, Monza, Italy.
13th – 15th British Superbike Championship rd 3, Croft.
13th – 15th Moto GP rd 4, Le Mans, France .
28th – 30th British Superbike Championship rd 4, Thruxton.
28th – 30th World Superbike Championship rd 5, Miller Motorsport Park, United States .
30th – 10th June 2011 Isle of Man TT , Isle of Man .

June 2011
3rd – 5th Moto GP rd 5, Catalunya, Spain.
10th – 12th Moto GP rd 6, Silverstone, Great Britain.
10th – 12th World Superbike Championship rd 6, Misano, San Marino .
17th – 19th World Superbike Championship rd 7, Motorland Aragon, Spain .
17th – 19th British Superbike Championship rd 5, Knockhill.
23rd – 25th Moto GP rd 7, Assen, Netherlands.

July 2011
1st – 3rd Moto GP rd 8, Mugello, Italy .
1st – 3rd British Superbike Championship rd 6, Snetterton 300.
8th – 10th World Superbike Championship rd 8, Brno, Czech Republic .
15th – 17th British Superbike Championship rd 7, Oulton Park .
15th – 17th Moto GP rd 9, Sachsenring, Germany .
22nd – 24th Moto GP rd 10, Laguna Seca, United States.
29th – 31st World Superbike Championship rd 9, Silverstone, Great Britain .

August 2011
5th – 7th British Superbike Championship rd 8, Brands Hatch GP .
12th – 14th Moto GP rd 11, Brno, Czech Republic .
26th – 28th Moto GP rd 12, Indianapolis, United States .
27th – 29th British Superbike Championship rd 9, Cadwell Park.

^^ Back to top

September 2011
2nd – 4th World Superbike Championship rd 10, Nurburgring, Germany .
2nd – 4th Moto GP rd 13, San Marino & Riviera di Rimini, Misano, Italy.
9th – 11th November British Superbike Championship rd 10, Donington Park.
16th – 18th Moto GP rd 14, MotorLand, Aragon, Spain.
23rd – 25th British Superbike Championship rd 11, Silverstone Arena GP.
23rd – 25th World Superbike Championship rd 11, Imola, Italy.
30th – 2nd October World Superbike Championship rd 12, Magny Cours, France .
30th – 2nd October Moto GP rd 15, Motegi, Japan .

October 2011
7th – 9th British Superbike Championship rd 12, Brands Hatch GP .
14th – 16th Moto GP rd 16, Phillip Island, Australia .
14th – 16th World Superbike Championship rd 13, Portimao, Portugal .
21st – 23rd Moto GP rd 17, Sepang, Malaysia .

November 2011
4th – 6th Moto GP rd 18, Ricardo Tormo – Valencia, Spain.

MOTO GP CALENDAR 2011

Bikercafe — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:36:10 +0000

Date	Location
20 March	Qatar, Losail
3 April	Spain, Jerez
1 May	Portugal, Estoril
15 May	France, Le Mans
5 June	Catalunya, Barcelona
12 June	Great Britain, Silverstone
25 June	Netherlands, Assen
3 July	Italy, Mugello
17 July	Germany, Sachsenring
24 July	United States, Laguna Seca
14 August	Czech Republic, Brno
28 August	United States, Indianapolis
4 September	San Marino, Misano
18 September	Spain, Aragon
2 October	Japan, Motegi
16 October	Australia, Phillip Island
23 October	Malaysia, Sepang
6 November	Spain, Valencia

HONDA TT LEGENDS RACE TEAM RETIRE FROM THE WORLD ENDURANCE RACE

Bikercafe — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:27:08 +0000

Steve Platers Honda TT legends retired from the latest round of the World Endurance Championship in the early hours of yesterday morning. The Louth based squad were in fourth position. There was 50 minutes remaining when their team mate John McGuinness, crashed just seconds away from the end of his final stint.

The Isle of Man TT legend was uninjured, but the team failed to build on their fifth place at the first round, the Bol d’Or 24-hour in France.

“We’re disappointed but that’s endurance racing,” reflected Plater. “We were setting a good pace and holding fourth position with one hour to go when John had an unfortunate crash. “This year is a big learning curve for the team and we’ve learned a huge amount again this meeting. “We are more competitive than we were at the Bol d’Or which we’re happy about and we aim to move forward at Suzuka.”

Despite the no-score, team manager Neil Tuxworth insisted there were positives to take out of the meeting.

“We have made an awful lot of progress with both the bikes and the team,” he said. “The fuelling, the brake pads and the tyres are all working well, the team has bonded and the riders are doing a great job.

“We were only an hour from the end and we were within our target position of top four so we have many positive things to take away with us. Most importantly, we are thankful that John is okay.”

The team now turns its attention to road racing and the Isle of Man TT fortnight, which starts on May 30.

ALEX LOWES VOWS A QUICK RETURN TO THE SUPERBIKES AFTER SPLIT FROM WFR HONDA

Bikercafe — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:12:42 +0000

Alex Lowes says he expects to be back in action at round four of the British Superbike Championship at Thruxton following his shocking departure from the WFR Honda squad.

Lowes, who leads the SuperBike Evo standings by 60 points was axed after he refused to sign a 10 year management contract with the Yorkshire based team WFR Honda.

Lowes has been taken back by his treatment at the hands of his former team but is looking to the future and confident in making a swift return.

“I would ride anything really, but it would be nice to be on a Sup

erbike and get into the top six on a regular basis,” explained Lowes. ”I’ve already been on the phone trying to sort something out. A few people have been ringing me up, which has been nice and hopefully I’ll be on something at Thruxton.”

The obvious candidate is the MSS Colchester Kawasaki team who Lowes tested for last year. The teams star rider Stuart Easton suffered a serious leg injury at practice at the North West 200 yesterday. He will be missing several rounds after after breaking his pelvis and several fingers after a collision with team-mate Gary Mason. Another candidate is the the Louth-based HM Plant Honda team.

Meanwhile, Lowes has revealed he was left in an impossible situation by WFR. He claimed he was bullied and blackmailed into signing a long-term management contract with the team.

“After Oulton Park, I was sent a contract without any warning,” he explained.”It was a 20-page document which would’ve tied me to a management contract 10 years after I left the team. ”I let other people who have more knowledge of contracts than me look at it. They said it was ridiculous and told me not to sign it. ”We had an agreement in place that I would ride for the team this year. ”I would’ve preferred to have signed a contract, but they said it would be fine.”

Lowes said he was put under more pressure from WFR management during last weekend’s meeting at Croft.

“At Croft I was told to sign it or the ride would be taken away from me. They said it was non-negotiable,” he added.”They basically tried to blackmail me into signing it. ”I said I hadn’t had chance to read through it all and told them there was no point me not riding on Sunday as we were already there.

Lowes went on to finish fifth and 11th overall and won the Evo class in both races. He believes he was being singled out by the team because of his potential.

“The thing that gets me is that there are two other riders in the team (Glen Richards and Graeme Gowland) and they haven’t been made to sign this contract,” he said. ”And I imagine the rider they get to replace me won’t be made to sign it either. They were just trying to make money off me. ”Even if I wanted a manager, they wouldn’t be the type of people I would want to be managed by.

“They didn’t even tell me that they’d sacked me. I only found out on Wednesday when my mum rang me and said she’d seen it on Twitter. ”Don’t get me wrong, the mechanics are great and they gave me a great bike.

“But the people who run the team aren’t bike people. If I’d been running near the front but then dropped back later in the race, they’d ask ‘why did you drop back?’ Even though I was on an Evo bike (which has around 30bhp less than a top Superbike).”

While frustrated by this week’s events, Lowes believes he did the right thing by not signing for the team.

“They tried to bully me into signing a contract, but I would’ve have been stupid to do it. I’m best off out of the team,” he said.

A WFR statement said: “Contract terms are often viewed differently between those involved, and although we have done our best to explain what we feel is a fair and equitable agreement, it seems Alex is not able to commit.

“As such, we have withdrawn our offer of the ride and Alex is now free to negotiate his own position.”

ALEX LOWES EXCELS DESPITE TOUGH COMPETITION AT CROFT

Bikercafe — Mon, 23 May 2011 11:54:42 +0000

Alex Lowes swept to a brace of wins in the Evo class at Croft but despite producing a pair of fantastic rides on his WFR Honda the Lincoln rider insisted he was frustrated he could not finish higher than fifth and 11th overall at the North Yorkshire venue.

The incident-packed race one, which was run in wet-dry conditions, saw an intermediate tyre-shod Lowes run as high as third overall. But a couple of risky moments in the closing stages of the race forced him to consolidate as Jon Kirkham took his maiden British Superbike victory, ahead of Stuart Easton, Jon Hopkins and Josh Brookes.

“I had two or three really big moments towards the end of the race,” explained the 20-year-old. ”I just thought to myself ‘don’t bin it and make sure you finish the race’.I slowed down in the last two laps to make sure I brought it home.”

Lowes was inside the top 10 in race two before slipping to 11th. Championship leader Shane Byrne secured victory, with Easton and Hopkins completing the podium.

“It was awesome. It was nice to win the Evo class again and be quite a long way in front of second place,” said Lowes. ”I just wish I could stick in there a bit longer with the big boys. It was a little bit frustrating.I stuck in there until about lap 15 or 16 and was still doing one minute 21s. I need to sort my last five laps out. I’m not sure if it’s the tyres or the way I handle the tyres. If we can do that, we can push for the top six on a regular basis. But it’s mega. I’m really enjoying riding the bike and just can’t wait to get back out there at Thruxton to see if we can make that step forward.”

After some blistering displays during the opening three rounds, Lowes believes a podium finish in the main championship is on the cards before the end of the season.

“I’d like to think so,” he added. “I’m pushing hard and trying my best every time I sit on the bike. ”At some point in the year I think I’ll be able to get on the podium in the main championship. That’s the aim. Whether it will happen or not, I don’t know.”

Lowes will head to round four at Thruxton at the end of May with a huge 60-point lead in the Evo class standings. Glen Richards was second in class in both races at Croft.

STEVE PLATER EYES PODIUM PLACE AT ALBACETE 8 HOUR

Bikercafe — Fri, 20 May 2011 12:27:20 +0000

Steve Plater is targeting a podium finish once he resumes his World Endurance campaign. Next up for the squad is the Albacete 8 Hour which finished a solid fifth at first race of the season, the Bol d’Or 24 Hour in France.

With one of the toughest races of the season out of the way, Plater believes the team can push for the top three in south-east Spain.

“We’re in it to win,” declared the Woodhall Spa racer. “It’s not easy because there are a lot of strong teams out there. ”Team Suzuki, the world champions, will be there so it’s going to be hard. ”But I feel we’ll be even more competitive at Albacete.”

Plater says the approach to this weekend’s eight-hour race will be completely differently compared to the first round of the series.

“Not only is it an eight hour as opposed to a 24-hour race but it is also a completely different circuit,” he said. ”It’s a more aggressive, busy track and it’s much more suited to my riding style so I’ll be pushing hard. ”It’s still a difficult task as there are only two riders (Plater and McGuinness with Amor as reserve) instead of three this time, but I’m really looking forward to it. ”It’s my kind of race, I’ve won there before so hopefully we can get a bit nearer to the podium.”

After finishing third and second at the two British Supersport races at Croft last weekend, Plater has been at practice ahead of the North West 200 this week.

The 42-year-old suffered a broken neck and arm at Northern Ireland venue last year and has since retired from road racing.

“I’ve been to North West 200 to help out with the new guys,” he explained. “I gave them a briefing before the first practice session on Tuesday. ”I helped out with a few safety issues as well, just checking over the track and giving my opinion on things.”

After this weekend’s race, Plater will then move onto the Isle of Man TT.

“I’m working for TV for the two weeks and working as co-ordinator for the TT Legends team – John McGuiness and Kieth Amor – and hopefully helping them to some trophies.”

Plater admits it will be hard not racing at the TT, where he tasted victory in 2009.

“For sure it will be hard, but the good thing is that’ll be doing the parade lap so I’ll get to ride the track,” he added.

MOTORBIKE WORLD RESULTS

Bikercafe — Sun, 15 May 2011 11:33:13 +0000

Moto GP rd 4, Le Mans:

Leading final positions after Moto GP Race:

1 Casey Stoner (Aus) Honda 44mins 03.955secs

2 Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 44:18.169

3 Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati 44:18.519

4 Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 44:25.030

5 Marco Simoncelli (Ita) Honda 44:35.200

6 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 44:35.564

7 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 44:39.521

8 Hiroshi Aoyama (Jpn) Honda 44:55.457

9 Hector Barbera (Spa) Ducati 45:07.686

10 Karel Abraham (Cze) Ducati 45:07.840

11 Toni Elias (Spa) Honda 45:08.023

12 Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Suzuki 45:08.147

13 Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 45:03.007 +2 laps

Moto GP Driver Championship Standings:

1 Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 78.0pts

2 Casey Stoner (Aus) Honda 66.0

3 Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda 61.0

4 Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 50.0

5 Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati 47.0

6 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 39.0

7 Hiroshi Aoyama (Jpn) Honda 36.0

8 Marco Simoncelli (Ita) Honda 22.0

9 Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 21.0

9 Hector Barbera (Spa) Ducati 21.0

Moto GP Manufacturers Championship Standings:

1 Honda 95.0pts

2 Yamaha 78.0

3 Ducati 52.0

4 Suzuki 13.0

Leading final positions after MOTO 2 Race:

1 Marc Marquez (Spa) Suter 43mins 03.308secs

2 Yuki Takahashi (Jpn) Moriwaki 43:05.290

3 Stefan Bradl (Ger) Kalex 43:05.545

4 Julian Simon (Spa) Suter 43:05.657

5 Thomas Luthi (Swi) Suter 43:05.917

6 Aleix Espargaro (Spa) Pons Kalex 43:15.603

7 Simone Corsi (Ita) Ioda 43:22.047

8 Dominique Aegerter (Swi) Suter 43:22.226

9 Bradley Smith (Gbr) Tech 3 43:23.716

10 Alex De Angelis (Smr) Motobi 43:23.874

11 Jules Cluzel (Fra) Suter 43:26.533

12 Randy Krummenacher (Swi) Kalex 43:26.667

13 Pol Espargaro (Spa) FTR 43:26.984

14 Michele Pirro (Ita) Moriwaki 43:28.064

15 Max Neukirchner (Ger) MZ-Re Honda 43:28.371

MOTO 2 Driver Championship Standings:

1 Stefan Bradl (Ger) Kalex 77.0pts

2 Julian Simon (Spa) Suter 49.0

3 Andrea Iannone (Ita) Suter 48.0

4 Yuki Takahashi (Jpn) Moriwaki 47.0

4 Thomas Luthi (Swi) Suter 47.0

6 Simone Corsi (Ita) Ioda 46.0

7 Alex De Angelis (Smr) Motobi 32.0

8 Bradley Smith (Gbr) Tech 3 27.0

9 Marc Marquez (Spa) Suter 25.0

10 Dominique Aegerter (Swi) Suter 24.0

MOTO 2 Manufacturers Championship Standings:

1 Suter 90.0pts

2 Kalex 77.0

3 Moriwaki 54.0

4 FTR 46.0

5 Tech 3 34.0

6 Motobi 32.0

7 Pons Kalex 16.0

8 MZ-Re Honda 8.0

Leading final positions after 125cc Race:

1 Maverick Vinales (Spa) Aprilia 42mins 00.505secs

2 Nicolas Terol (Spa) Aprilia 42:00.553

3 Efren Vazquez (Spa) Derbi 42:07.341

4 Hector Faubel (Spa) Aprilia 42:08.803

5 Johann Zarco (Fra) Derbi 42:09.095

6 Jonas Folger (Ger) Derbi 42:10.741

7 Sandro Cortese (Ger) Aprilia 42:11.172

8 Sergio Gadea (Spa) Aprilia 42:16.147

9 Miguel Oliveira (Por) Aprilia 42:23.343

10 Luis Salom (Spa) Aprilia 42:31.406

11 Alberto Moncayo (Spa) Aprilia 42:34.301

12 Simone Grotzkyj (Ita) Aprilia 42:34.918

13 Louis Rossi (Fra) Aprilia 42:35.201

14 Adrian Martin (Spa) Aprilia 42:41.741

15 Alexis Masbou (Fra) Aprilia 42:57.448

125cc Driver Championship Standings:

1 Nicolas Terol (Spa) Aprilia 95pts

2 Sandro Cortese (Ger) Aprilia 59

3 Johann Zarco (Fra) Derbi 53

4 Jonas Folger (Ger) Derbi 52

5 Efren Vazquez (Spa) Derbi 46

6 Maverick Vinales (Spa) Aprilia 45

7 Sergio Gadea (Spa) Aprilia 28

8 Hector Faubel (Spa) Aprilia 23

9 Luis Salom (Spa) Aprilia 22

9 Miguel Oliveira (Por) Aprilia 22

125cc Manufacturers Championship Standings:

1 Aprilia 100pts

2 Derbi 61

3 KTM 8

4 Mahindra 3 ,

Saturday, 14 May, 2011

Moto GP rd 4, Le Mans:

Leading final positions after Final Qualifying Moto GP:

1 Casey Stoner (Aus) Honda 1min 33.153secs

2 Marco Simoncelli (Ita) Honda 1:33.212

3 Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 1:33.621

4 Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda 1:33.683

5 Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 1:33.706

6 Cal Crutchlow (Gbr) Yamaha 1:33.804

7 Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 1:34.063

8 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 1:34.206

9 Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati 1:34.206

10 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 1:34.277

11 Randy De Puniet (Fra) Ducati 1:34.351

12 Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Suzuki 1:34.513

13 Hiroshi Aoyama (Jpn) Honda 1:34.612

14 Hector Barbera (Spa) Ducati 1:34.650

15 Loris Capirossi (Ita) Ducati 1:34.866

Leading final positions after Final Qualifying MOTO 2:

1 Stefan Bradl (Ger) Kalex 1min 38.357secs

2 Thomas Luthi (Swi) Suter 1:38.402

3 Yuki Takahashi (Jpn) Moriwaki 1:38.540

4 Aleix Espargaro (Spa) Pons Kalex 1:38.560

5 Scott Redding (Gbr) Suter 1:38.655

6 Marc Marquez (Spa) Suter 1:38.679

7 Simone Corsi (Ita) Ioda 1:38.706

8 Andrea Iannone (Ita) Suter 1:38.799

9 Julian Simon (Spa) Suter 1:38.819

10 Dominique Aegerter (Swi) Suter 1:38.849

11 Jules Cluzel (Fra) Suter 1:39.005

12 Alex De Angelis (Smr) Motobi 1:39.031

13 Michele Pirro (Ita) Moriwaki 1:39.064

14 Axel Pons (Spa) Pons Kalex 1:39.122

15 Mattia Pasini (Ita) Ioda 1:39.138

Leading final positions after Final Qualifying 125cc:

1 Nicolas Terol (Spa) Aprilia 1min 43.578secs

2 Hector Faubel (Spa) Aprilia 1:43.967

3 Maverick Vinales (Spa) Aprilia 1:44.315

4 Sandro Cortese (Ger) Aprilia 1:44.355

5 Jonas Folger (Ger) Derbi 1:44.497

6 Johann Zarco (Fra) Derbi 1:44.592

7 Adrian Martin (Spa) Aprilia 1:44.726

8 Sergio Gadea (Spa) Aprilia 1:44.755

9 Efren Vazquez (Spa) Derbi 1:44.776

10 Luis Salom (Spa) Aprilia 1:45.347

11 Simone Grotzkyj (Ita) Aprilia 1:45.423

12 Miguel Oliveira (Por) Aprilia 1:45.593

13 Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Mal) Derbi 1:45.629

14 Jakub Kornfeil (Cze) Aprilia 1:45.682

15 Alberto Moncayo (Spa) Aprilia 1:45.697,

SCOTTISH BIKERS STAGE FUEL PROTEST

Bikercafe — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:39:24 +0000

A group of bikers is planning to demonstrate against the rising cost of fuel with a mass ride into Edinburgh.

The event has been organised by the web forum fifebikers.co.uk which has about 1,100 members. Organisers are hoping several hundred people will take part.

Their plan involves riding from the M90 Kinross services on Saturday, towards Edinburgh, around the city-bypass and into the centre of the capital.

One biker said they did not want lorry drivers to be the only focus.

The exact route has not been finalised and organisers are planning to speak with the police this week.

The bikers, who are expecting people to travel from across the country to take part, will meet on Edinburgh’s Grassmarket once they reach the capital.

Strong feelings

One biker, who only gave his name as Stephen, said: “We have contacted a number of bike clubs across Scotland from Dundee to Aberdeen. A lot of people will turn up.

“Indications are that there will be well over a hundred, possibly a lot more. There will be some classic bikes there too.”

He said feelings within the biking community were high and the bikers were hoping to cause traffic disruption to highlight their views.

“It is really quite strong in the bike community,” he said. “We feel that the spotlight is on lorry drivers but they are not the only ones and we want to highlight that by what we are going to do.”

The group said it does not intend to make all of its plans known to the police and is expecting opposition from them.

Protest details

Saturday 28th June, 12 noon, Kinross Services, Jct6 M90

A Fife Police escort will be provided at approx 45 mph heading South on the M90. For safety reasons both lanes of the Southbound carriageway will be for our use.

When we reach the Welldean Layby (just North of Forth Road Bridge ) Lothian & Borders officers will take over escort, and will facilitate riders who have met at the layby to join the group. (we will not be stopping en masse) Riders wishing to join from this layby should be there by 12.15.

We will then be escorted by Lothian officers along the new M9 link road, onto the M9, and onto the M8. Again speed will be 40-45mph, traffic will be controlled so the group stays together, and both lanes will be available.

At the end of the M8, we reach Hermiston Gate. This will be the 2nd join-on point, and again officers will facilitate riders merging onto the group. Again we will not be stopping. To join here, be there for 12.30 please.

The group will then proceed down the A71, Calder Rd, etc and end up on Lothian Rd. We will be escorted toKings Stables Rd ( Below and in front of Castle and adjacent Prices St Gardens) There will be a stop here for 1 hr. (ETA of 1.30pm) We have asked if additional Porta-loos can be provided at this location, and there are public toilets nearby. Local Police are to enforce parking restrictions on this road on the Saturday to ensure plenty of space for bikes.

You also get to take your holiday snaps with the Castle in the background.

After the 1hr stop, we will be escorted back onto Lothian Rd, across Princes St, onto Queensferry St, and from there out Queensferry Rd to Barnton. At the Barnton Junction the Police escort will fall away. This will facilitate people either turning left towards the Airport, and roads South and West, or continuing on the A90 towards the Forth Road Bridge.

From this point your route is your own choice, but we will hand out information at the start of the day on local bike friendly eating places,etc if you wish to partake before heading home.

To make a point clear ………… this route has been agreed to try and give maximum exposure to what we are doing, within the constraints of multiple other parades and marches being policed that day, and in short is the best we could hope for.

Make the most of it, get on your bike and come along and demonstrate that we are ALL fed up with being double-taxed on fuel.

Support if you can, and tell every biker you know.

THANKS

Fifebikers Team.

MARTIN FINNEGANS DEATH STUNS MOTORCYCLING COMMUNITY

Bikercafe — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:17:16 +0000

Tributes have been paid to motorcyclist Martin Finnegan after the Dublin rider’s death in a crash at the Tandragee 100 event on Saturday.

The rider’s manager Barry Symmons spoke of his shock at the tragedy.

“He was a really nice guy who was well-respected by his peers and someone with a true talent for road racing,” said Mr Symmons.

The rider’s wife Brenda and his father were present at Saturday’s meeting organised by the North Armagh Club.

“This year he was really looking forward to being on top and riding winning bikes,” added Mr Symmons.

“He was was doing what he loved and he was doing it very well.

“He rode the MV (Agusta) for us last year and at some considerable personal cost (as well).

“It is tragic that this has happened.”

Before the accident, Finnegan had claimed an impressive win in the open race at Tandragee.

“That was his first win on a Yamaha for quite a long time. He was really on top of things and looking forward to the rest of the day,” recalled Symmons.

Finnegan’s fellow-competitor Ryan Farquhar said after the accident that oil had been coming out of the Dubliner’s bike.

“His back tyre was covered in oil,” added Farquhar.

The Motorcycle Union of Ireland chairman Alan Drysdale described Finnegan as “one of the star riders of recent years”.

“It is a tragedy that this has happened,” added the MCUI official.

“It is impossible to make it (the sport) totally safe.

“A lot of effort went in from the North Armagh Club.

“The incident that Martin had will be investigated to see if any lessons can be learned.”

Another rider, John Donnan, was killed in last year’s Tandragee event but Drysdale said that it was “too early” to say if the future of the meeting could now be in doubt.

Former competitor Phillip McCallen said he knew Finnegan very well and added that “he was really looking forward to this season”.

“I spoke to him a week ago and this season, for the first time in a few years, he felt he had really competitive machinery.

“The Tandragee course is near to my home and I know the club have worked hard to make the circuit as safe as possible.

“Maybe they need to limit the capacity to 600cc for the public roads, but we are still seeing a record number of newcomers taking up the sport and it is still popular with the public.

“Martin’s passing is a terrible, terrible loss to the sport and it is a dangerous sport, there is no getting away from that.”

In Saturday’s accident, three spectators were also injured, two males and one female.

The woman was taken to hospital with head injuries but none of the injuries suffered by the spectators are thought to be life-threatening. The meeting was abandoned after the accident.

Married father-of-one Finnegan was competing this year for the JMF Millsport Yamaha team.