Survey finds four out of ten drivers not concentrating. 

Only sixty per cent of drivers concentrate when they are behind the wheel, according to a poll by IAM/Vision Critical of nearly 1500 drivers. However, there is good and bad news in these findings.

The good news is that older drivers are much less likely to lose concentration while driving. Seventy-three per cent of over 65 year-olds say they concentrate on the road all of the time that they are driving. Twenty-six per cent said that they concentrate most of the time. The bad news is that 50 per cent of younger drivers aged 18-24 admit to not concentrating on driving 100 per cent of the time. Not far behind, 47 per cent of 24-34 year olds admit to not concentrating.

Nearly a quarter of drivers (24 per cent) say that simply daydreaming was the most common reason for not concentrating. Among 18-24 year-olds the figure is 30 per cent. Other reasons given for not concentrating include stress (22 per cent), thinking about what you will be doing when you arrive (21 per cent) and thinking about family, friends and personal relationships (21 per cent).

In the North East and in Wales, 64 per cent of drivers, said they concentrate all the time.

Londoners are most likely to be distracted while driving, with forty-seven per cent admitting to not concentrating one hundred per cent on the road. Yorkshire and Humberside, the South West and Scotland were not far behind with 46%.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Signs of not concentrating such as missed turnings or uncancelled indicator lights are commonplace. Simply not concentrating is a key cause of crashes yet it is not borne out in statistics because drivers rarely admit to it in police reports or on insurance forms.”

“These results reconfirm stereotypes surrounding younger drivers and the ease with which they can be distracted away from staying safe. The key is to build up as wide a range of experiences as possible as you learn and to look upon your driving as a skill that needs continuous improvement.”

www.iam.org.uk

John Surtees: My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels

On the day of John Surtees’ 80th birthday, new motorsport book publisher EVRO Publishing announces that in June 2014 it will publish a photographic memoir by John Surtees.

Containing over 250 photographs from Surtees’ own collection as well as from the world’s finest motorsport picture libraries, John Surtees: My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels will present a complete visual record of the life of the only man to have won World Championships on motorcycles and in cars. In motorcycle racing through the second half of the 1950s Surtees was in a class of his own, winning seven World Championships on Italian MV Agusta motorcycles. He was 500cc World Champion in 1956 and followed that with an incredible run of six titles – three each in the 350cc and 500cc categories – in the three years from 1958 to 1960.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Surtees becoming Formula 1 World Champion in 1964. Driving for Ferrari, Surtees achieved his unique accomplishment with outstanding wins in the German and Italian Grands Prix, as well as second places in three other races.

John Surtees: My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels will show every great moment of his racing life as well as candid behind-the-scenes shots and personal photographs right back to his childhood. Accompanying the imagery will be Surtees’ own commentary, written in collaboration with leading motorsport journalist Mike Nicks.

Royalties from sales of John Surtees: My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels will go to the Henry Surtees Foundation, which was set up to honour the memory of John’s son Henry, who was killed in a freak accident at Brands Hatch in 2009.

The Henry Surtees Foundation aims to raise funds to support accident care, with particular emphasis on head injuries, and help educate and train young people with motorsport-related programmes in technology, engineering and road safety instruction for two and four wheels. The worthwhile causes supported by the Henry Surtees Foundation include the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust.

John Surtees: My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels

Published by EVRO Publishing, 19 June 2014

Jacketed hardback • Price £50 • 304 pages • 295x240mm • ISBN 978 0 99282 092 3

EVRO Publishing is a new motorsport book publisher set up by Eric Verdon-Roe (former Group Managing Director, Haymarket Publishing) and Mark Hughes (former Editorial Director, Haynes Publishing, Books Division).

M-Tec Co., Ltd president Mr Shin Nagaosa has announced the participation of Team Mugen in the SES TT Zero class at the Isle of Man TT, which will be held on Wednesday 4th June 2014. He confirmed that the team would have two riders participating in the clean emissions race.

Twenty-time TT race winner John McGuinness will again represent the Japanese outfit with New Zealand racer Bruce Anstey, who has nine TT race victories, joining him in the team. It will be McGuinness's third SES TT Zero Race while Kiwi Anstey will be making his debut in the class.

McGuinness narrowly missed out on his first TT Zero victory in 2013 with a lap of over 109mph, losing the race by less than two seconds to Michael Rutter. Both riders shattered the previous lap record by over a minute.

The formidable Team Mugen riders will be supported with an all-new bike, currently named 'Shinden San', which the team promises will have more power, and further record speeds are anticipated over the course of the event.

A spokesman for the team said: "We are extremely excited to have secured the services of two such experienced, proven winners around the TT mountain course, and the team will be pulling out all the stops to provide them with the machinery to go for the first TT Zero victory for Team Mugen."

No further details are available for Shinden San at this time, and the bike will be revealed later in the spring.

ENTHUSIASTS came out in droves to the Bath and West Showground over the weekend to enjoy a superb celebration of motorcycling, and it was the regional clubs that really shone in Somerset.

Some fantastic displays and exhibitions marked the 34th Carole Nash Bristol Classic MotorCycle Show, and none were more impressive than the winner of the Best Club Stand prize – the Bristol section of the Norton Owners Club.

Inspired by their own first ever meeting back in 1963, club members built a 60s style shop window that showcased their stunning selection of machines in all their glory. 

Event manager Nick Mowbray said: “Despite some horrendous conditions in the southwest of England, the crowds arrived in their thousands for the show and it was truly fantastic to see. They were certainly treated to an excellent two days, with everyone commenting on how much of an effort clubs, traders and individuals had gone to in order to make this a show to remember. The Norton Owners Club members certainly earned their award for a particularly creative effort, but all of those who had displays deserve credit and we can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with next year.”

Another inventive exhibition included a stand laid out like a stables, with motorcycles taking the place of horses in stalls. Bob Presley, designer of the winning stand, was rightly proud of his club’s hard work and was also quick to praise the competition: “We’re incredibly excited to have picked up the trophy for Best Club Stand, and it was certainly worth all of the hard work. Looking around the show it’s clear that the standard is as high as ever, and we will have to get our thinking caps on to come up with something even better next year.”

Elsewhere, it was a successful weekend for Gaby Hunt, who won the Best In Show prize for his 1929 Sans Soupape Emmags 50. The rare machine was built in Paris, has a Swiss-built MAG engine and has a frame of unusual pressed-steel construction. 

James Robinson, editor of The Classic MotorCycle magazine, talked about the winner and praised the high standard of display machines at the event: “There are some lovely machines, many of which are freshly restored. The Best In Show winner truly is a showstopper which, unbelievably, Gaby only finished on the Friday before the event.”

Some of the other notable award winners were a 1928 AJS K8 (Best Vintage), a 1953 Ariel KHA (Best Post-War), a 1958 Ducati 175 Sport (Best Continental) and a 1936 Calthorpe Ivory Major (Best Private Entry).

With two successful classic events already run, the Classic Bike Shows 2014 season is well and truly under way, and attention next turns to The 34th Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show at Staffordshire County Showground in April.

Freebies and Goodies up for grabs!

Friday 14th February, Valentine's in your diaries, it's the opening day of the London, Excel, MCN Bike Show and it's Bike Night Valentine's Special at the Ace!

This year's Valentine's night at the Ace not only includes with the cafe's very special, and pre-booked only, "Lover's Menu" available from 6.30pm, but also a free "cuppa" tea to accompany the "Tea GB" stickers being given away on the night, courtesy www.bikemagazine.co.uk whilst stocks last!

Spend £5 or more over the counter from 6.30pm to receive a raffle ticket. Draw to be held at 10pm.

www.ace-cafe-london.com