Honda has revealed that it will contest the 2014 FIM Endurance World Championship with an all-new rider line-up and the clear aim of securing the title victory. French endurance racing experts Julien Da Costa, Freddy Foray and Sebastien Gimbert will form a formidable three-man squad for the five-round series, competing aboard the 2014 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

The three riders have an impressive collective track record in EWC with no fewer than seven championship titles between them. Da Costa is a three-time EWC champion – most recently in 2013 – and has placed first at the Le Mans 24-hour three times and the Bol d'Or 24-hour twice. The 32-year-old was also French Superbike Champion in 2012.

Foray (29) meanwhile secured back-to-back Endurance World Championships in 2010 and 2011 and is no stranger to the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, having competed in the 2013 German IDM series and the final two rounds of the 2013 British Superbike season aboard the machine. 

Gimbert also has a history with Honda. He raced for official Honda teams from 1995-2001 and starting his endurance career with the manufacturer in 1999. The 36-year-old rider secured the EWC title in 2004 and has placed second overall in the championship in the last two years. He is also a double French Superbike Champion.

Honda’s new direction in EWC supersedes the three-year Honda TT Legends project, which has seen road racing specialists compete in the Isle of Man TT, North West 200 and World Endurance events under the same banner with the unifying link of the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

The outfit secured some impressive results and in doing so successfully raised the profile of the Endurance World Championship and Honda’s involvement in the series. The 2014 team will continue to be run from the same UK base and will re-focus its strategy on challenging for the championship title. 

Robert Watherston – Head of Motorsport, Honda Motor Europe

We’re very pleased to reveal Honda’s 2014 plans for the Endurance World Championship and announce the new team with Julien, Freddy and Sebastien on board. Over the last three years we have developed a solid foundation and secured consistent results – it’s now time to up our game and sharpen our attack on the 2014 title. The level of competition in EWC is incredibly high and the new direction for the team ensures that we have all the right elements in place to increase our chances of success in the championship. With three proven endurance specialists in the line-up I’m confident that Honda can once again see its name on the Endurance World Championship trophy.

Julien Da Costa

I am very excited to be with Honda for 2014. It’s a new machine and a new team for me and I’m motivated like never before. I have never worked with Honda as a professional rider before, but I know we are aiming to win the world championship and I believe 100% that we can make that happen. I know Freddy really well, we are good friends and sometimes train together in the winter and we will definitely work well together. I’ve known Sebastien for a very long time but we’ve never been team-mates. He has been one of my best opponents over the years – we’ve battled on the track many times and fought for the French Superbike title together four times. I’m sure we will all do the job on track! I’m looking forward to getting to know the team and I’m ready to work hard to fight for the title.

Freddy Foray

It is a real pleasure to be working with Honda for 2014 and I’m looking forward to getting started. Julien is a very good friend of mine and this will be the second time we have worked together as team-mates. I know him very well, I know his mentality and it will be great to work with him again. It will be my first time on the same team as Sebastien but I have known him and raced against him for many years. Together with the Honda crew and the Fireblade I think we have a very strong team. I’m very happy to be a part of it and can’t wait to begin.

Sebastien Gimbert

I am very happy to be with Honda for 2014. It’s a very professional team and the Fireblade is a fast bike. I rode for Honda for many years in my early racing days, started my endurance career with them in 1999 and won the Le Mans 24-hour on the SP1 in 2000, so it feels like a second family to me. My new team-mates are both very fast, the crew has good experience and I am very motivated to begin this new challenge. I’m already training hard and looking forward to getting on the Fireblade to do my first laps. With this new team, I know that we have a very strong chance to fight for the 2014 championship title.

Motorcycle Live 2013 came to a close today after a nine-day biking bonanza at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham with organisers claiming it as one of the best shows ever.

Exhibitors declared themselves delighted with both the quality and quantity of visitors, of whom more than 106,000 poured through the doors of the NEC into four halls filled with motorcycling.

With more than 230 exhibitors covering 65,000m2 of NEC hall space, Motorcycle Live opened its doors on 23 November and has been packed with live features, shows, entertainment and even a cinema showing a movie on British motorcycle racers commissioned especially for the show.

As well as a number of important new model launches, Motorcycle Live has also featured no fewer than nine opportunities to ride motorcycles, eight of which were within the halls of the NEC. Along with the live features and entertainment, all these were free with the entry price.

The show received a right royal boost on its penultimate day when HRH Prince William Duke of Cambridge visited several manufacturers’ stands to size up a few of the many new models for himself and to chat with some of the show’s visitors.

“The show has been fantastic!” said Harley-Davidson experiential marketing specialist, Marta Ostrowska. “We’ve been really busy and we’ve seen a lot of new customers. It’s felt a lot busier this year and our dealers are reporting really positive feedback already.”

Steve Clifford, sales director of Feridax, whose brands Sidi, Shoei and Spada sponsored Motorcycle Live’s Test Ride Zone commented: “We’ve concentrated on supporting our premium Shoei helmet brand this week and it’s been really busy for us. We’ve had a lot of enquiries and noticed a definite improvement in the quality of visitors to the show, and Shoei has really complemented that.”

Motorcycle Live organiser, Dean Linehan, was bubbling with enthusiasm as the curtain came down on Motorcycle Live 2013: “I think this really has been one of our best shows to date, helped, in no small way, by some fantastic new models that many of the manufacturers have introduced here.”

He added: “It was topped off by the visit on Saturday of The Duke of Cambridge, who demonstrated the same levels of enthusiasm for motorcycling that is shared by all the show’s visitors. We’re positive that this will give the entire UK motorcycle industry an important boost for 2014 and beyond.”

Motorcycle Live has released a video on yesterday's visit by HRH The Duke of Cambridge, which you can view by clicking here.

The Pata Honda team has completed its riding programme for 2013, concluding with a three-day test at Jerez in Spain which finished yesterday evening.

World Superbike riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam went to Jerez on the back of a successful test at Aragon two weeks ago and concentrated on refining the power delivery of their CBR1000RR Fireblade machines.

They were joined for the first two days at Jerez by Pata Honda’s World Supersport riders Michael van der Mark and Lorenzo Zanetti, who declared themselves satisfied with further developments made to their CBR600RRs.

A World Superbike and World Supersport testing ban comes into effect on 1 December and will remain in place until 14 January 2014, following which the team will test again at Portimao in Portugal.

Jonathan Rea - Pata Honda World Superbike

After a positive test at Aragon, I really struggled here at Jerez. It’s hard to put a finger on our problems but I feel that the character of our engine is quite aggressive and that makes the lap difficult here! We have a few new strategies to implement at our next test in January, which should help. I completed over 200 laps here so now I’m really looking forward to the winter break. I hope to come back in January to make some more progress with the CBR. Happy holidays, folks!!

Leon Haslam - Pata Honda World Superbike

I’m actually quite glad that 2013 is over now and we can look forward to a fresh start in 2014. The last three days have been pretty hard but necessary, and while we haven’t progressed as much as we would have liked, we know what we need to do. I’m confident that when new parts arrive next year we can make the step that’s needed. I’m looking forward to a few weeks off now and getting back to full fitness so that I’m raring to go in January.

Michael van der Mark - Pata Honda World Supersport

We had a positive two days in Jerez and made some good improvements. In fact, we started them in Aragon and were able to continue to make progress here. We made a couple of really fast laps but also had a good race pace. For our next test we need to work on improving rear grip a little but before then I’ll be working on my fitness to be ready for the beginning of next season.

Lorenzo Zanetti - Pata Honda World Supersport

I’m very happy with our test in Jerez. We tried a lot of different settings and in the end I improved my qualifying time from the race here and I improved my rhythm for a good race simulation. For these reasons I’m really looking forward to a positive 2014!

Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

We made some really good progress during our Aragon test recently but I have to say that we weren’t able to continue that here in Jerez. Something about the nature of the circuit – perhaps the fact that the bike is on the side of the tyre for so long – has created some issues with getting the power down. However, this is why we go testing: to test solutions to issues that we may have. Both our Superbike riders lapped in the 41s bracket and we’ve got plenty to work on during the testing ban. On the Supersport side of the garage, things went very well and the guys made a lot of progress with engine braking and suspension settings.

Prodigy frontman Keith Flint's Team Traction Control has confirmed that Kent rider Steve Mercer will ride for the team at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.

The Maidstone based racer who finished 12th in the 2013 Dainese Superbike Race, has a fastest ever lap on the Mountain Course of 126.323mph (17:55.24), which he set in the 2012 Superbike Race. He achieved his highest placed TT finish - 8th - in this year's Royal London 360 Superstock TT Race.

The thirty-one year old first competed on the Mountain Course in 2009 where he won the coveted Best Newcomers Trophy and also raced at this year's inaugural Classic TT when he retired on the fourth lap of the Motorsport Merchandise Formula 1 Race, having featured in the top three.

Mercer will race in the Dainese Superbike, RL360 Superstock and PokerStars Senior TT aboard the team's TAS Racing supported Superbike and Superstock machines as well as riding a Suzuki GSX-R 600 in the two Monster Energy Supersport Races, which will be the first time that Mercer has raced in the class at the TT.

He will also compete for Team Traction Control in the North-West 200, Ulster Grand Prix and Macau Grand Prix as well as selected Superstock rounds at BSB.

Commenting on his 2014 campaign, Mercer said: "Although it's a fledgling outfit they have an experienced crew with the likes of Grant Bunting who worked with Shaun Muir's team last year and we've already got some races under our belts."

He continued: "I think that this is my chance to kick on and get into the top ten in the Superbike races at the TT. I'm also really looking to get out on a 600 for the first time on the Mountain Course and I think that doing the extra races will help with my overall preparation."

Keith Flint, Team Principal, Team Traction Control is looking forward to the team racing on the Isle of Man. He said: "After racing myself for several years I know what's needed to compete on two wheels but I think taking on the mountain course is something I couldn't dream of doing myself. I believe it's one of the biggest motorcycle races the world has to offer and I'll put the best team out there possible. Doing the TT is not just something I want to cross off my bucket list. We are going there to do a job with a very capable rider using some top notch bikes and I can't wait."

The first new model from Hesketh Motorcycles in the 21st century will be the Hesketh 24.

Taking inspiration from Hesketh’s illustrious Formula 1 roots, the Hesketh 24 uses James Hunt’s F1 Grand Prix winning ‘24’ car as the basis of the bikes’ styling.

However, underneath the red, white and blue is a completely modern interpretation of a Hesketh machine with a massive 1950 cc  56 degree V-twin engine putting out around 120 bhp. The Hesketh 24 features top quality branded components such as Ohlins suspension (track and road), Beringer brakes and Brock’s performance BST carbon fibre wheels.

Available from February 2014, the new Hesketh 24 will be the first model to be released under Paul Sleeman’s ownership and serves as a clear indication of the new direction of the brand.

Sleeman said: “The design of the bike itself is centred around the big V-twin muscle at the heart of the bike, with overhead air intakes inside the tank above and a 22.7 litre fuel cell mounted below the engine. To stay true to some original Hesketh features the front light offers a modern half cowel and the top tank follows the distinctive Hesketh shape.

The Hesketh 24 is a nod to the F1 success of James Hunt and the Hesketh Racing team and we tried to incorporate this is in subtle touches, such as the small Scottish and English flags on the tail as seen on the original F1 24 car and the outline of the Zandvoort circuit that offered Hunt the famous 1975 victory.

The limited edition Hesketh 24, of which only 24 will be made, is available from February and we will go on to develop and release a 2 seat version of this model shortly after.”

Hesketh Motorcycles will also soon be moving from their current home in Kingswood to larger premises in Redhill, Surrey allowing the team to concentrate on the manufacture of the Hesketh 24 and further models.

For more information about Hesketh Motorcycles visit www.heskethmotorcycles.co.uk