Saturday 18th May
9am – 5pm
 
Ace Cafe London celebrates electric motive power from 9am to 5pm on Saturday 18th May 2023, hosting the cafes annual Electric Vehicle Owners Meet.

Dating from 1827 when Hungarian priest Ányos Jedlik built the first viable electric motor,  the folowing year he used it to power a small car and, at the Stanley Cycle Show in 1896 in London, England, bicycle manufacturer Humber exhibited an electric tandem bicycle.

In 1897, electric cars first found commercial use as taxis in Britain and in the United States. In London, Walter Bersey's electric cabs were the first self-propelled vehicles for hire at a time when cabs were horse-drawn.

 The electric vehicle fleet peaked at approximately 30,000 vehicles at the turn of the 20th century  including the iconic British milk float.  For most of the 20th century, the UK was the world's largest user of electric road vehicles.
 
EV riders/drivers may wish to note that there is a Charge Point at the Ace
See the Zap Map link:
 
See you at The Ace 

Listen, revel and be immersed in a mix of the best rock and roll and rockabilly, blended with the London sub-culture sounds, broadcasting 24/7 on online radio and social media.

From 13^th on the grid to 2^nd at the line with an Usain Bolt-worthy start out of the blocks. These few words would be enough to describe Marc Marquez’s Saturday afternoon performance, undoubtedly a spectacular one in spite of his worst qualifying result of the season so far. 
 
Nine positions recovered in less than a lap and then a great pace that allowed him to cross the line only two seconds away from sprint race winner Martín (who started from pole position). Nine key points bagged today for the championship standings, with the #93 still sixth but only seven points away from Bastianini in second. 
 
Alex Marquez was 14^th at the finish line. His Saturday cannot be considered a fully negative one with the Spaniard who managed to find both confidence and pace in the morning, two crucial aspects that can make the difference ahead of tomorrow’ 27-lap encounter. 

2^nd - MARC MARQUEZ #93
“That was literally the perfect start; I did well and was also lucky as I found the right space to dive in and kept the right speed. I got almost sandwiched between Bagnaia and Bastianini, but I got out of it with good speed. The thing I’m happy the most for was the pace we found in the 10-11 laps since I moved out to fourth. Tomorrow it’s going to be very challenging, and you never know how it’s going to end should it rain. Still, I’ll sleep soundly tonight.”
 
14^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“We haven’t performed at our best, but it’s not all negative. We found back a good feeling today aboard the bike and our pace was strong also in the sprint race. Obviously how qualifying went surely affected our race, but on the 27-lap distance we can surely aim at something positive.”

• Check your bike’s battery is fully charged
• Half of all bike breakdowns are due to non-start or cut-out issues
• Mechanical issues cause a third of breakdowns

The motorcycling season is kick-starting and riders need to make essential checks to avoid common breakdown issues, says leading provider Start Rescue.

“Our data shows that half of all motorcycle breakdowns are due to the engine not starting or cutting out,” says Lee Puffett, Managing Director of Start Rescue. “Non-start issues, such as a flat battery, account for 34% of call-outs, while a cut-out where the engine stops unexpectedly make up 16% of calls. That’s why it’s vital to keep your bike’s battery properly charged or replace it when necessary.”

A further 30% of motorcycle call-outs are due to: general mechanical faults (13%), gearbox and clutch issues (11%), and problems with the chain (6%). Other issues can be caused by tyres and fuel systems that have degraded while the bike has been stored over winter.

Most motorcycle breakdowns happen within a short distance from home, which is why Start Rescue motorcycle cover includes Local Recovery up to 10 miles and most policies include National Recovery too.

Lee Puffett adds: “Our dedicated motorcycle cover is among the most affordable on the market. As well as motorcycles, we also cover scooters and mopeds, and our operatives have the correct equipment to repair or transport your treasured motorcycle.

“We are the quickest to respond to a breakdown and reach 77% of call-outs within 30 minutes to an hour. You can also take out personal cover if you’re riding pillion, so you are still protected in the event of a breakdown.”

Start Rescue has just been named Your Money’s Best Breakdown Provider 2024 and the judges commented: “This shows you can win if you provide outstanding customer service, appealing products, and cater for Brits on a budget.”

Start Rescue has a 4.4-star rating on Trustpilot, a five-star Defaqto* rating and has achieved Which? Recommended Provider status for five years running. Start Rescue has also been awarded best Breakdown Cover provider in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024 (www.finder.com), scoring 4.9 out of 5 for overall satisfaction with a 94% recommendation rate.

In the What Car? Survey of Best Breakdown Cover Start Rescue come top for best response time, reaching 77% of call-outs in 30 minutes to an hour and didn’t leave anyone waiting for more than two hours. Start Rescue also won best in the survey for performing temporary repairs that let people continue with their journeys.

Launched in 2009, Start Rescue is an integral part of the nation’s fourth largest breakdown and recovery service, Call Assist, which now has more than two million UK customers.

For further breakdown advice, please visit startrescue.co.uk

article supplied

The outcome of this morning’s FP1 at Le Mans had created a very different degree of expectations for Marc and Alex Marquez, who in the end could not finish Practice higher than 13^th and 19^th, respectively. An afternoon characterised by high temperatures that saw a crash (for the #93) and a bit too many yellow flag situations did not help in what was extremely competitive session, with the top-12 lapping under the 1’31s barrier. 
 
For the first time in the season, both standard bearers of Team Gresini Racing MotoGP will be forced to tackle Q1 tomorrow from 10:50 local time (GMT +2). 

13^th - MARC MARQUEZ #93 (1’31.097s)
“I never felt comfortable in the afternoon set-up wise, and we need to react quickly. I’m not really fond of Q1 and it’s going to be a key but also complicated session. Unfortunately I got a yellow flag during my quick lap attempt and then made a mistake at the last second. We went in the wrong direction with the set-up so there’s a lot of work to do to be competitive tomorrow.”
 
19^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’31.530s)
“I managed to only do one time attack. We tried some adjustments that we working well this morning, but not as much in the afternoon. We need to make a step back, I had an idea set-up wise that I thought could have helped, but it turned out not to be. There’s margin to do well, but we need a bike that is not as nervous. Q1 is a complicated session and it’ll be even more challenging tomorrow with so many fast riders.”