| Biker News - Regularly updated
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Doors open to the ‘two-wheeled-extravaganza’ that is Motorcycle Live in association with Bikesure Insurance at the NEC, on Saturday 16 November - with the show running until the 24 November. The show offers families a great place to bring their budding bikers. With free entry for children five and under** and just £1* entry for 6-16 year olds*, there's no excuse not to bring the kids along for a fun-filled day for all. Get them on two wheels! Whether it's their first go or they're looking to try something electric, there's something for our smaller visitors from 2-12 years old to get involved in - and the best thing? It's FREE! Children aged 4-12, can take part in the FREE Arenacross Youth Experience which offers kids the chance to get kitted out, and ride an electric bike on a learner-friendly track. Those aged seven or over can try out OSET machines in the ACU Try Trials area in Hall 3, in the OSET Children’s Riding Feature. Brand-new for 2019, the Arenacross Toddler’s Experience is suitable for kids aged 2-5 years old. It's the perfect activity for those too young for an electric bike who still want to have a go. Watch as they take to the specially built course to have some fun and build their confidence on two wheels. Family Fun The Moto-Cirque Arena is a ‘must visit’ action-packed show - with entry included as part of your entrance ticket. Meet, and watch our professional riders performing breathtaking aerial FMX stunts just inches from the roof, and each other! New for this year, the Motorcycle Live Treasure Hunt will offer under-10s the opportunity to work their way around the show, answering questions and bagging goodies along the way. Car parking has been subsidised with advanced car parking £10 and £12 on the day. As always, motorcycle parking is FREE in the Monimoto Bike Park. Advanced tickets are on sale now, priced at just £19.50 per adult, £12 for Seniors and £1 for 6-16 year olds*. There is also a £25.00 advance ticket, which includes entry to the show and an Oxford Products Secure HD Max disc lock worth £25.00, which is collected at the show.
For book or for more information, visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk
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Born on the street, Tucano Urbano represents the urban rider who wants riding to be as simple and safe as possible, whilst always remaining stylish. This year, Tucano Urbano celebrates twenty years since the brands inception; marking two decades of innovative product development, new riding solutions and expanding horizons in the world of two-wheels. Diego Sgorbati, Tucano Urbano CEO, said: “Looking back over the past twenty years, it is clear how far Tucano Urbano has come – from a small Italian brand with a niche product, to an international brand that now spans across every avenue of two-wheel riding. What’s vital to our success is our team; Tucano Urbano is made up of riders passionate about what we do so we approach every opportunity with enthusiasm and constantly push the boundaries of what we can create. We’ve already got a lot in store for the next twenty years.” BORN IN 1999 Tucano Urbano started twenty years ago in Milan as a brand striving to make life on two-wheels simpler, safer and more engaging. Scooters were very common in Milan, born from the idea that life should be free and easy – an idea synonymous with the brand vision of total mobility. Since then, the Tucano Urbano brand has become a point of reference for urban riders. Light, straightforward and nippy in the city; scooters are designed to provide an easy ride. Urban riders don’t have time to put on bulky winter kit or worry about the weather reports, so when Tucano Urbano introduced the Termoscud®, the original leg cover, in 1999, there was finally a solution to a comfortable ride even in winter months. Tucano Urbano didn’t stop there, announcing more and more model-specific designs and design improvements such as the patented anti-flap S.G.A.S inflatable system, plus thermal control, anti-theft and smart holder systems, and spreading the technology to other big cities across the globe. BRAND EXPANSION Thinking against the stream, Tucano Urbano use modern technology paired with quality materials and an abundance of creativity to craft ideas into clever solutions, and year after year, the brand has continuously introduced a host of innovative products that make scooter and motorcycle riding more practical and protected. The original leg cover has since been joined by technical apparel, inventive accessories and dependable rainwear aimed for both scooter and motorcycle riders alike. In 2012, new partners arrived at Tucano Urbano, bringing a fresh approach to the expansion of the brand. Maintaining the four core pillars of the brand; cleverness, essentiality, practicality and value, Tucano Urbano started to grow with new clothing retailers and customer groups and shifted to focus on new international countries. In order to remain at the forefront of product innovation and design, Tucano Urbano pay close attention to the ever-evolving customer needs and trends. More recently, Tucano Urbano has launched two new brands; TU Bike, the new range for urban cyclists, and T.ur – Spirit of adventouring, the new clothing and accessories brand designed specifically for touring and off-road riders, expanding their product range to cover every type of rider, terrain and lifestyle. www.tucanourbano.com/gb/
About Tucano Urbano Established in the late 90’s in Milan, Tucano Urbano produces urban-contemporary clothing and accessories traditionally linked to the world of two wheels. Tucano Urbano constantly enlarge the scope of the brand to reach a wider, international public of all ages and passions that appreciates a metropolitan, practicable style and, above all, the creativity of an original product.
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FOURTH AND SIXTH ROW FOR THE APRILIAS IN THE GP OF THAILAND
ALEIX TWELFTH AND ANDREA SIXTEENTH AFTER QUALIFYING
Going straight through to Q2 based on his good placement yesterday when he finished seventh, Aleix Espargaró ended the day in twelfth place with a time of 1’31.258 without improving on his time from yesterday, a placement that earns him a spot on the fourth row of the starting grid tomorrow. On a much-feared circuit, the RS-GP took a clear step forward compared to last year and the good sensations he has had since Friday leave Aleix confident for the race tomorrow.
Andrea stopped in the first qualifying session (Q1), lapping at a time of 1,31.428 which is a step forward compared to yesterday, but not enough to go through to Q2, which he missed by just 4 and a half tenths. ALEIX ESPARGARO' "In qualifying I could have aimed for the top 10. The pace and feeling during the other sessions were good. Unfortunately, with the first tyre I did not have good sensations - it slid around a lot - and with the second I may have gotten a bit carried away in the moment. I pushed hard the entire lap and in the end it didn’t pay off on the time sheets. I expect a very hard race. With these temperatures, you have to manage tyre wear well. I am ready to battle. At the beginning of the weekend I would have signed on the dotted line to have this feeling on one of the most difficult tracks for us." ANDREA IANNONE "We have good potential in the more flowing part of the track. I've been riding behind other riders and we are able to maintain the pace. However, I can’t be fully satisfied, because we are still losing a lot in the first two sectors and that is a handicap that keeps me from improving. I am giving it my all. I am at the team’s complete disposal and they are at mine. We have improved the bike since the beginning of the season and now you can tell, but these are not things that are solved from one day to the next. The race won’t be a walk in the park, but we’ll put forth our best effort on the track."
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THE MOTOGP FAR EAST TOUR BEGINS
AFTER THE NICE RESULT IN ARAGÓN, APRILIA TAKES ON THE FIRST ROUND IN THAILAND With the Aragón result filed away satisfactorily, Aprilia takes on the first round of the MotoGP Far East tour. The final European GP was the best weekend of this season for the RS-GP machines: Espargaró and Iannone through to Q2 and then, in the race, Aleix’s seventh place just five seconds from the podium and Andrea’s eleventh place despite pain in his shoulder that had kept him from racing in Misano just a week prior.
However, the first overseas round at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram (Thailand) poses a new challenge for the Italian bikes on asphalt that has proven to be demanding for riders and mechanics. The high temperatures combined with a unique layout require a particular fine tuning which is a compromise between the stability required by the fast initial part and the agility that is so essential on the turns. ALEIX ESPARGARO' "The result in Aragón certainly gave us a nice boost. We are headed to this tour with high morale. However, we need to be realists. We know that it will not be easy for us in Thailand. In any case, it is important to keep working to finish out this season well and, above all, to give the engineers material to work with for the new Aprilia RS-GP." ANDREA IANNONE "We have a series of important races ahead of us on very different tracks. We will continue our work and we know that we still need to improve a lot. Because of the characteristics of the track, we already know that the race in Thailand will be a hard one for us, but it is precisely for this reason that it could also be an important opportunity to work on our weak points."
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Sir Jackie Stewart unveiled a new oil painting of himself driving the Rover-BRM gas turbine racing car in 1965 at the British Motor Museum on 29 September. The painting was commissioned by the Museum following a very generous donation from David Owen OBE and Rubery Owen. The Owen Organisation were owners of the BRM racing team. The special event was also attended by renowned motoring and aviation artist, Michael Turner who was commissioned to paint the work and Steve Cropley, Editor-in-Chief of Autocar magazine who chaired a Q&A session.
It was a chance conversation between Sir Alfred Owen and Rover's boss William Martin-Hurst that led to the creation of the Rover-BRM gas turbine racing car. It first competed with Formula One drivers Graham Hill and Ritchie Ginther in 1963, securing a prize for the first gas turbine powered car to complete the Le Mans 24 hour race. In 1965 a much updated Rover-BRM returned to Le Mans when Hill was joined by BRM teammate Jackie Stewart (now Sir Jackie) where it finished the race in 10th place, the first all-British car home.
Michael Turner had previously painted the Rover-BRM, in action at Le Mans in 1963, with Graham Hill at the wheel. His new painting, with Sir Jackie Stewart in the driver’s seat in 1965 depicts the Rover-BRM closely followed by the eventual race winner, the number 21 Ferrari 250LM of Rindt and Gregory, together with Jack Sears and Dick Thompson's AC Cobra Daytona coupé and the Thuner/Lampinen number 60 Triumph Spitfire, which would finish 10 laps behind the gas turbine car. The detail in the scene is made ever more evocative as Michael was there at Le Mans in 1965 to watch the Rover-BRM in person, capturing his own set of photographs.
When asked what the car was like to drive, Sir Jackie commented “It was bloody awful but there was nothing like it at the time! Driving the car at Le Mans was a revolution. The painting, too, is wonderful and a real piece of history. Michael is one of the best motor-racing artists and there are not many artists that can approach what this man can do. I have many of his paintings at home and in Switzerland. It’s not easy to portray the cars in the right way, for example to get the tyres to behave accurately - but Michael does it”.
Stephen Laing, Curator at the British Motor Museum said “We are delighted to have been able to commission this wonderful painting, made possible by Sir Alfred's son, David Owen OBE who is a keen supporter of the Museum. It was a great privilege that Sir Jackie Stewart was able to unveil the painting which will be hung next to the Rover-BRM, one of the most prestigious cars in the Museum’s collection”.
Museum entry is £14.50 for adults, £12.50 for concessions, £9 for children (5-16 years) and under 5s are FREE. There is also the option to Gift Aid or donate your entry fee and get an Annual Pass in return, at no extra cost.
To find out more about the British Motor Museum please visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.ukor call 01926 641188.
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