After a great day at Motorcycle Live yesterday, this week we will share with you some of our favourite stands, staring with Ace Café - Hall 2, stand 2E66.

Celebrating 75 Years of the Ace Café. The stand is based on the Ace Cafe T3 Racing hospitality truck, features various bikes including the all new Ace 1200CR Street Special cafe racer and a 1958 Royal Enfield Constellation ‘Daily Mirror’ bike, featured on the front page of the paper on Thursday 9th February 1961!

Various memorabilia is for sale including badges, patches, the critically acclaimed book ‘Ace Times' and the CD album ‘Ace Cafe The Rock n’ Roll Years 1956-62′.

Following on from the success of the inaugural sixties themed 2013 Isle of Man Classic TT Races presented by Bennetts, the Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development has confirmed that the 2014 Classic TT Races, part of the fortnight-long Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling, will pay tribute to Joey Dunlop and will have an 'eighties' theme running throughout the event.

Entitled 'Joey Dunlop - Road Racing Legend’, the Classic TT weekend will celebrate the career of Joey Dunlop, not just at the TT, but also during the F1 World Championship days as well as his career in Ireland, with the 1980s a particular focus when Joey was at the height of his career.

Big hair, shoulder pads, ripped jeans and neon clothes are expected to be the order of the day with the fancy dress themed Paddock Carnival at the Grandstand on Friday 22nd August, while the paddock will turn back the clock and echo to everything from grunge to Madonna with live music and DJ's reflecting the best of the decade.

The Department of Economic Development is working with Joey's family to curate an exhibition of his racing machines from throughout his career, which are currently being researched. The free entry exhibition will be situated at the heart of the event in the paddock throughout Classic TT.

There will also be a parade lap sponsored by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company featuring Joey’s 26 biggest career rivals, with appropriate representatives when a rider is unavailable. This will include some of his leading fellow competitors from the 1980s F1 World Championship days as well as his earliest rivals from the Irish Road Racing scene not to mention his many TT rivals.

The Classic TT weekend will again feature two race days on Saturday 23rd and Monday 25th August with this year's programme again including Formula 1 and 2 machines, a 350cc Race and the 500cc Race. It will also feature the hugely popular VMCC's Festival of Jurby on Sunday 24th August.

Trevor Hussey, Head of Motorsport, Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development believes that the Classic TT is changing the perception of Classic Racing. He commented: "There seems to be an unwritten rule that Classic Racing is just pre-1960's machines but we are looking to change that with the Classic TT. The 1980's not only gives us a rich motorcycling theme but was also a strong cultural decade and we will look to really expand on that."

He continued: "It also gives us the opportunity to pay tribute to one of the greatest names in the TT's long history and we are really keen to develop an appropriate celebration of Joey Dunlop's racing career as his name is synonymous with the TT Races."

John Watt, Commercial Director, Isle of Man Steam Packet Company commented: "We are delighted to be supporting the 2014 Joey Dunlop Road Racing Legend Parade celebrating one of the greatest names in road racing history and are looking forward to working with the Department of Economic Development on building on the success of the inaugural Classic TT and the Festival of Motorcycling as a whole.”

VIP Hospitality, Grandstand and Classic TT Party tickets can be purchased on-line at www.iomtt.com or via phoning Duke Marketing on 01624 640 000 from Saturday 23rd November.

Motorcycle Live 2013 is set to celebrate the history of one the UK’s most popular biking haunts.

75 of the Ace Cafe will tell the story of the London-based venue and feature some stunning machinery, including the all-new Ace 1200CR Street Special cafe racer.

The Ace Cafe London ‘Ace  stand, display and presence, based on the Ace Cafe T3 Racing hospitality truck, features, amongst the bikes displayed, the Motorcycle Live debut of the all new Ace 1200CR Street Special cafe racer (‘breathed’ on HD Sportster motor in a ‘featherbed’), as well as an Ace 904S Thruxton Special and the unique and historic, 1958 Royal Enfield Constellation ‘Daily Mirror’ bike, featured on the front page of the paper on Thursday 9th February 1961!

In addition to telling the story of the cafe and its history, together with the critically acclaimed seminal book ‘Ace Times – Speed thrills and tea spills, a cafe and a culture’, by author Mick Duckworth, both the all new 132 page Ace Cafe Bookazine and CD album ‘Ace Cafe The Rock n’ Roll Years 1956-62′, featuring 28 British & American recordings released in the UK in those legendary years, will be available.

HALL: 2

STAND: 2E66

Honda Motor Europe today announced its rider line-up for the 2014 Isle of Man TT and North West 200 road racing events. Twenty-time TT winner John McGuinness will be joined by Manxman Conor Cummins to form a two-strong team competing aboard the 2014 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade in the Superbike and Senior races. Cummins will also ride for the team in the Superstock class.

The new road racing squad was revealed as McGuinness and Cummins appeared as team-mates for the first time on the main stage at Motorcycle Live in the UK. The duo promises to pose a serious threat on the roads with the combination of McGuinness’s unrivalled experience and Cummins’s undeniable talent and ambition.

The 2013 Isle of Man TT proved that at 41 years old, McGuinness is still the man to beat on the mountain course as he set a new outright lap record during the Superbike race and took an epic Senior victory to rack up his 20th win and 41st podium. The Morecambe Missile also has six NW200 wins under his belt and shows no signs of slowing down.

Cummins – who will make his debut for Honda – was fastest newcomer at the TT and the NW200 in 2006. He secured the first of four TT podiums in 2009 and is the third fastest rider in the history of the event, as well as holding the record for the fastest lap from a standing start at 131.5mph. A career-threatening crash during the 2010 TT has done nothing to dampen the 27-year-old’s ambition as he aims to come back fighting with the Honda team.

Honda Europe’s revised commitment to road racing represents a new direction following the successful three-year Honda TT Legends project, which has seen the manufacturer compete in both road racing and the Endurance World Championship under the same banner. The 2014 road-racing team will continue to be run from Louth in Lincolnshire and managed by Neil Tuxworth. Honda’s plans for the 2014 EWC season will be announced shortly. 

Neil Tuxworth

We’re pleased to announce our 2014 line-up for the roads and very happy to welcome Conor Cummins to the team. He’s an Isle of Man lad whose father and uncle have raced on the island so the TT in is in his blood. He has a great work ethic and a determination to succeed and I have a lot of admiration for him. He’s back to full fighting fitness following his 2010 crash and as one of the fastest men ever around the mountain course, he definitely has the ability to win races. The relationship between John and Honda is well-established and proven to bring results. He is by far the most successful current TT rider in terms of wins and podiums and he showed at this year’s event that he is still the quickest rider around the Isle of Man. We are of course very happy to have him with us again. With John and Conor on board, I believe we are in a very strong position for the 2014 road racing events.

John McGuinness

I’m really glad to be staying with Honda to continue the strong relationship we’ve built up in road racing over the years. The team is like family to me and it’s important that I have support that I know I can rely on 100%. It’s great news that Conor will be joining the team. I have a lot of respect for him – he’s young, he’s hungry for it and he has so much passion for racing. It will be a pleasure to be his team-mate. This year proved that there’s life in the old dog yet, so I can’t wait to get back on the Fireblade and see what we can do.

Conor Cummins

I am thrilled to bits to be with Honda in 2014. In my eyes this is the absolute pinnacle of road racing. Riding for a team like Honda has been something I’ve been aiming for my whole career so for me this is a huge deal. The team has so much experience and I just want to make the most of the opportunity I’ve been given. I’m really looking forward to racing the new Honda Fireblade and hopefully bringing home some good results.

30TH YEAR WITH A RECORD BREAKING CROWD

Another year older and another record broken! The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show celebrated its 30th birthday in style as 65,000 motoring enthusiasts gathered at Birmingham’s NEC over the three-day classic event.

From its humble beginnings of two halls (17,000 sqm) and around 70 clubs in 1984, the 2013 Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show offered 11 halls (82,000 sqm) with 269 motoring clubs creating amazing displays of rare and stunning marques. With 1,500 cars and 300 motorcycles on display and over 600 trade stands, every motoring taste was catered for.

Daniel Nwaokolo, Show Director, said: “The feedback on our 30th show has been quite overwhelming and is a true reflection of the classic car movement’s continued passion for the show. I¹d like to thank everyone - all the clubs, exhibitors, visitors, special guests and sponsors for making it an incredible event and look forward to seeing you all again in 2014."

Highlights included the culmination of Meguiar’s Club Showcase where 16 of the ‘best of the best’ from the year’s club concours events gathered to find out who would take the title. It was William Baldwin’s 1960 Jaguar XK150 S Roadster that was announced as the winner by Meguiar’s managing director David Evans.

Silverstone Auctions’ two-day sale resulted in an all-time record as over 85 cars being sold for a massive £2.85 million inclusive of premium. The star of the sale was a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 saloon, which sold at £362,250 with premium, over £80,000 its estimated price. The ex-Fangio owned 1970 IKA Tornio380S, offered without a reserve, sold at £28,175 with premium.

Sporting Bears, the charity fundraising motoring club, raised around £41,000 over the three-days from offering 10-mile dream rides to visitors in cars ranging from an Austin Seven to the latest Lamborghini Aventador Roadster.

Crowds surrounded the Wheeler Dealer Live Stage, hosted by Mike Brewer and Edd China, as special guests Sir Stirling Moss, David Soul and Quentin Willson were interviewed on their careers and latest projects along with other well known faces and enthusiasts from the classic scene.

Other celebrities found roaming the halls included BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show DJ Chris Evans, Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis, and soap stars such as Coronation Street’s Craig Charles and Emmerdale’s Kelvin Fletcher.

Aside from the celebrity guests, Mike and Edd, along with the team from Practical Classics magazine restored a 1976 MGB Roadster over the three days that was then given with a year’s free insurance from Lancaster Insurance to lucky winner Andrew Crowe from Leeds. The car had been restored with the support of MGOC Spares, who had supplied new parts and fittings including a chrome bumper conversion kit.

New headline sponsor Lancaster Insurance pulled out all the stops with three amazingly themed stands including one featuring the Starsky & Hutch Gran Torino and an appearance from David Soul. Mike Edgley, Managing Director, said: “As headline sponsors in our first year, I am absolutely delighted at the success of the Show. With record numbers for the 30th anniversary, it is very clear that this industry has vitality and vigour. What really struck me again was the passion and enthusiasm that the classic car owners have for their vehicles, but also their friendliness and willingness to share their stories. There were so many wonderful stories at the Show too; cars reunited with their owners after many years, long, painstaking restorations, as well as True Brit adventures.

“I am also really proud of our own stands at the Show, be it the four decade “Blast from the Past”, or our Gran Torino stand with the legendary David Soul showing his star quality is undimmed.”

The 2014 Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show will be held from 14th to 16th November. For more information on the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show or Classic Motorbike Show, visit www.necclassicmotorshow.com