As the Conservative party meet in Manchester for their annual conference, road safety charity IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is calling on the party to publish their much promised Green Paper on new drivers as soon as possible.

Road crashes are the biggest killer of young people in the UK today.  In 2011, 412 people died in incidents involving young drivers. Over the past four months since the government’s initial announcement to publish a green paper that would mean 137 17 to 25 year olds have been killed. Any delay in a review of our learner driver system means more young licence holders will die on the roads.

IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig said: “The UK has the safest roads in the world but with so many crashes involving new drivers, there is a clear urgency for the government to address the issues young people face on the roads. We must all do our bit to assist and make sure our road users are safe.  A Green Paper is a once in a generation opportunity to refresh our system of learning to drive and deliver long lasting benefits in road safety for all.”

www.iam.org.uk

As you may be aware Mallory Park, motor racing circuit, home to Midlands motor racing, has faced a series of difficulties in recent months to which it has regrettably been unable to reach a solution with local residents, the council and the landlord. As such, it entered into administration on Monday 30 September 2013.

Ian Robert, a partner at Kingston Smith & Partners LLP, the corporate recovery arm of accountancy firm Kingston Smith LLP, was appointed Administrator. Ian said: “I will be working with all the stakeholders to ensure that Mallory Park will see racing again. I hope the administration process can assist in finding a solution which will be beneficial to all parties concerned.”

He continued: “To that end, I will be negotiating with the landlord and the council, with the support of the BARC, to ensure that racing can be enjoyed at MP for years to come. Although it is early days, I am hopeful that, once a solution to the lease is found, all of the company’s creditors should receive a substantial dividend, which I understand is very much the driving force behind the continued support of the BARC.”

On behalf of Mallory Park, Kingston Smith & Partners thanks you for your continued support. The circuit is temporarily closed but we are working toward reopening quickly. Please return to this page for further information, which will be updated regularly.  

www.mallorypark.co.uk

The Pata Honda World Superbike team has announced that it will retain the same rider line-up of Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam heading into the 2014 world championship season.

Rea is currently recuperating from a fractured left femur that he sustained in a crash at Nürburgring in Germany last month, but the 26-year-old from Northern Ireland is making a good recovery and is optimistic about the possibility of riding his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade again before then end of the year.

Rea began his world championship career with the Ten Kate-run Honda team in the 2008 World Supersport series before moving up to World Superbikes in 2009, since when he has secured 33 podiums from 116 races, including 11 race victories.

He will once again partner fellow British rider Leon Haslam who joined the team for the 2013 season, which has unfortunately been affected by a broken leg he sustained at Assen in the Netherlands in April.

Haslam, 30, has contest 155 World Superbike championship races, a third of which have been on Honda’s CBR machine. The British rider has achieved a total of three race wins and 28 podium finishes since his first SBK race in 2003, and he finished as runner-up in the series in 2010.

Jonathan Rea

It's been a big decision that I've thought long and hard about because there were some other options to consider. However, at the end of the day it was an easy choice because of the faith and respect that I have for the team that I've been with for six years and the company that I have been with my entire career. I know how hard the guys work to make the Honda competitive and I know that we have the potential to fight again for more podiums and race wins and the championship next season. Those podiums and wins are what motivate all of us and that's why I know that everyone will pull out the stops over the winter again to make them happen. We will go into the testing programme in a much better position than we were in 12 months ago because we've worked so hard to get the new electronics package to work this season. I am as motivated as ever and really looking forward to riding my bike again.

Leon Haslam

I’m very happy to have another go at it, really! This season has been pretty non-existent with the injury and the big learning curve we’ve had with the new electronics. So I’m excited to get back to full fitness and to have good go with the bike and see if we can turn the potential into success. We’ve made some really good steps recently but that’s been combined with some bad luck this year. Hopefully, that’s all out of the way now and we can keep making progress in the last few races and over winter testing. The Haslam link to Honda has been strong for many years and it was fantastic to win the Suzuka 8-hour this year. Hopefully we can go back and defend that next year, and I can’t wait to go into the next World Superbike season with the same bike, the same guys and have a proper go at it.

Ronald ten Kate - team manager

Jonathan has demonstrated great faith in this team over the years and we are, of course, overjoyed to have him back for a sixth World Superbike campaign. We have got to know each other very well over the years and one thing that comes across is his consistent and tenacious desire to get the very best out of the CBR – something he does year after year. Of course, with injuries, it has not been an easy season for him or for his team-mate, so we are very happy that Leon will join us again for next season. With two fit riders and some further development on the bike, we can look forward to 2014 with renewed confidence and optimism.

Carlo Fiorani - racing operations manager

Honda Motor Europe I do not think it is a secret that both Jonathan and Leon had some other options to consider for 2014, so we are, of course, delighted that we will be working with them again. We believe that there is a great level of mutual respect between us and we know that we have two fully-motivated riders who have the potential to fight for top honours. It’s good that they, too, know that the Honda they ride has equal potential and that they will have a team around them to help get the results that we all want to see. For many reasons, 2013 has been a difficult year for everyone, so we all hope that, with Dorna taking the series to new levels, we can have a 2014 season that is safe and successful, both for the riders and for the whole team.

IAM’s head of riding standards and advanced motorcyclist, Peter Rodger, is offering motorcycling tips. This month, he is advising on getting ready for the autumn.  

• Check your battery is full charged and is in good condition. The colder the weather, the more work it has to do.
• Give your tyres the once over. You’ll be relying on them to be in a good state, especially in the damp and wet weather.
• Add to your summer gear. It’s important to have a set of waterproof overalls for the wet weather.
• The rain will inevitably affect the riding conditions. Allow more of a following distance.
• Don’t ride into puddles; they could conceal a pothole or other hazards.
• Riding in low sun can make it difficult to see ahead – be prepared, not surprised, and try to keep your eyes shaded.

Rodger said: “As the cold weather takes its toll on the roads, you’ll find that lying water becomes additional hazard as it hides cracks in the surface as well disguising the depth of any holes. Look well ahead to negotiate potholes so that you don’t get caught out by one.”  

SYLVAIN GUINTOLI STRUGGLED TO FIND HIS PACE IN THE PACK AND FINISHED IN FIFTH PLACE, REPEATING THE RACE 1 RESULT

APRILIA'S DOMINATION IN THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP CONTINUES.

Laguna Seca, 29 September 2013 – The determination shown in the Race 1 finale at Laguna Seca yesterday was almost a foreshadowing of the way Eugene Laverty would perform today. Rocketing to the front as soon as the red lights went off, the Northern Irish rider then found himself riding in third place behind the exhaust of Sykes and Giugliano in the first phase of the race. Eugene bided his time throughout the middle portion of the race, staying in contact with the leaders without taking any pointless risks, also taking into consideration the less than excellent grip.

Laverty's strategy paid off when four laps from the end he launched his attack on Giugliano for second place and then overtook Sykes two lap later. The grand finale had him controlling his rivals and flying across the finish in the lead. His seventh victory of the season and the third place in Race 1 take him to second place in the rider standings, 23 points behind Sykes with two more rounds (four races) left to go.

Thanks in part to Davide Giugliano's podium finish, an excellent second place ride on the Althea Racing Team RSV4, Aprilia strengthens their dominating lead in the manufacturer standings. The advantage in front of Kawasaki is now 45 points, 70 ahead of BMW, 235 over Honda, 248 above Suzuki and 308 in front of Ducati.

Eugene Laverty: “This was anything but an easy race. Yesterday I struggled quite a bit to keep up with the front runners and I managed to finish on the podium by overtaking twice in the last lap. I want to thank my team because we worked a lot on the bike and took a big step forward that allowed me to ride better in spite of the grip issues. I pushed hard from the first to the last lap and Davide (Giugliano) and Tom (Sykes) didn't make this win an easy one! This is a result that I really didn't expect which now takes me to second place in the rider standings, but we have two very different rounds ahead of us. I struggled last year at Magny Cours, but my RSV4 has grown a lot so things could change, whereas Jerez is our test track so I could have an advantage there. In any case I'll need to give 100% in every session for the next two weekends. I'd like to dedicate my win to my engineer Marco Bertolatti who became a father just a few hours ago.”

It was another difficult race for Sylvain Guintoli, dominator in Race 1 before the second red flag. After an imperfect start from the first spot on the grid thanks to winning Superpole yesterday, the Frenchman had to surrender the pace to Melandri and Giugliano. Relegated to fifth place, Sylvain struggled in the first part of the race to keep pace with the lead pack, finally settling into a good pace. However, the gap behind the four leaders kept him from improving his position, which repeats the result from yesterday but certainly does no justice to the performance demonstrated during the practice sessions. Sylvain is now lying third in the championship, just one point behind his team mate Laverty, a position that keeps him well in the running for the final victory.

Sylvain Guintoli: “To be honest this was a disappointing Race 2. I expected much more and, all things considered, the start was good. I felt like I could pass Tom and Eugene, but instead I came under attack from Melandri and Giugliano and dropped back behind the lead group. The pace was really fast and when you lose a few metres it's hard to make up that gap. Like yesterday, when I'm in the middle of the pack I'm lacking something. I'm unable to maintain the same pace that I can set when I'm riding by myself like I was in the first two starts yesterday. It's something I need to work on because we didn't make any changes to the bike compared to yesterday. I need to get focused again, I'm not lacking in speed since yesterday when I was out front I was able to be very fast. Magny Cours is coming up in just a few days and that's my home race where I hope to make up some important points”.