The Motorsport Merchandise Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula Classic Races are set to bring this year’s Classic TT presented by Bennetts to a stunning conclusion with some of the most iconic, and exotic, machines from yesteryear set to grace the Mountain Course once more.

The F1 class has seen a mammoth 74 entries received - over three times the number of competitors on the starting grid in recent years. With the likes of the RC30 Honda, OW01 Yamaha, ZXR Kawasaki and GSXR Suzuki on the startline, it promises to be one of the races of the week. Throw in the likes of the XR69 Suzuki’s, 500cc Grand Prix Yamahas and Suzuki’s and FZ750 Yamaha’s and it’s easy to see why riders have been desperate to participate.

Split into categories to reflect the era from which the bike is from, the most popular class has been the pre-1992 Superbike and going off at number 1, as he did at the TT, will be James Hillier. The Bournemouth man will be on board one of CSC Racing’s impressive RC30 Honda’s. He’ll certainly be tough to beat but ten seconds behind him will be the first of the Yamaha Classic Racing Team riders, Steve Mercer riding an immaculate YEC OW01 Yamaha in what will be team principal Ferry Brouwer’s swansong.

TT Rider Liaison Officer John Barton has acquired an ex Ray Stringer ZXR750 Kawasaki and will line up at number 4 with leading TT rider Dan Stewart on a similar machine at number 9 and the Cumbrian is sure to be one of the race favourites. Paul Owen, Jamie Coward and former Senior Manx GP winner Paul Duckett will also be Kawasaki mounted, the trio riding for Mistral Racing.

As well as Hillier, other RC30 Honda riders include 1993 Formula 1 TT winner Nick Jefferies, Kiaran Hankin, David Madsen-Mygdal, who enjoyed great success on the machine at the TT, and Manx Grand Prix outright lap record holder Alan Jackson jnr.

Michael Dunlop and Conor Cummins lead the Suzuki charge on board 1100cc GSXR powered XR69’s for Team Classic Suzuki. Russ Mountford, who led the corresponding race last year before breaking down, Dan Kneen, Davy Morgan and Graham English are also part of the team.

As well as Mercer, Yamaha have further strength in depth with TT stalwart Jim Hodson and the up and coming Ryan Kneen. Meanwhile, Mick Godfrey, who previously finished on the podium at the MGP, switches to an 888 Ducati.

Yamaha Classic Racing Team also field American Mark Miller who rides the a recreation of the 1986 FZ750 machine that Grand Prix legend Eddie Lawson rode to Daytona 200 glory and Daniel Cooper on the legendary TZ500 Yamaha that was ridden by the likes of Kenny Roberts, Johnny Cecotto and Steve Baker. Olie Linsdell is another rider who can be expected to feature towards the top of the leaderboard and he’ll be campaigning another FZ750 Yamaha whilst TT star Gary Johnson lines up for Team Winfield on a Harris framed machine.

A host of other riders are expected to be in contention including MGP winners Dave Milling, Dave Moffitt and Alan Oversby as well as Tim Poole, Maria Costello, Ken Davis, Adrian Cox, Bob Price, Alan Bud Jackson, Roger Wibberley, Peter Simpson and Alan Connor, with Connor riding a 588 Norton Rotary.

There’s also been a significant increase in entries for the Formula 2 Classic Race where the 250cc TZ Yamaha’s are expected to dominate. The class should see a battle royale between Chris Palmer on the Rob Brew Racing entered machine and Roy Richardson on the FCL Racing/Martin Bullock Manxsport equivalent. The duo have been the dominant forces at the Manx GP but perhaps a dark horse for honours is 20-year old James Cowton. The Yorkshire rider had a great Manx GP debut in 2012 and riding for two stroke guru Peter Berwick, he has a great chance of success.

Phil McGurk, Ewan Hamilton and Chris Moore are also expected to be well to the fore as is Pete Symes on one of the few Hondas in the field. Stuart Hall, Chris Barratt and Tom Jackson are just some of the other notable 250cc-mounted riders whilst Grant Wagstaff will be one to watch with the Ducks Cross Racing 350cc Yamaha. Meanwhile, Shaun Anderson, Nuno Caetano and Andy Lawson should be the front-runners in the 600cc four-stroke categories.

The third race within a race is for the Formula Classic machines where Mark Parrett is a pre-race favourite on the Snibor Racing 850cc BSA. Barry Davidson and John Ingram are on similar machines though so cannot be ruled out whilst Chris McGahan will certainly have a say in matters on the 850cc Triumph. Allan Brew rides a 350cc Yamaha for the Yamaha Classic Racing Team with Gavin Lupton’s 757cc Triumph another of the pre-race contenders.

Pata Honda riders Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea will return to World Superbike action this weekend (2-4 August) for the ninth round event at Silverstone in the UK, just a few days after contesting the prestigious Suzuka 8-hours race in Japan.

The Suzuka race was won by Haslam, who teamed up with Pata Honda World Supersport team-mate, Michael van der Mark, and Japanese rider Takumi Takahashi. Rea had looked to be well-placed to repeat last year’s victory before his own team-mate, Ryuichi Kiyonari, crashed out of contention.

Both riders will arrive at Silverstone following an event with Honda colleagues at the company's European HQ on Wednesday 31 July and both are keen to get back to their regular Honda CBR1000RR machines on the fast and flowing 5.902km circuit in central England, home to the British Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Haslam, 30, has not won at Silverstone but visited the podium in 2010 and was leading last year’s race on slick tyres when rain began to fall, turning the circuit into an ice rink and the race into a lottery.

Rea took two second-place finishes in that 2010 event and the 26-year-old missed the following year’s races through injury. He took fourth place in race one last season but was bizarrely taken out by another rider’s machine immediately after crossing the finishing line.

Leon Haslam

Suzuka was an amazing experience and I struggled a bit during my first stint, probably trying too hard to be precise and have a good pace. Also, the compensating I had to do for my leg ended up giving me some really bad back problems, but it was all worth it in the end. Now it’s all change for Silverstone this weekend, but I’m really looking forward to it. I love the circuit and was on the podium in 2010 and led the race last year when we all got caught out on slicks when the rain came. I missed the races at Donington earlier this year because of my leg injury, so this will be the only chance to ride in front of the British fans this season, so it’s something I’m really looking forward to.

Jonathan Rea

I was devastated to finish the 8-hour race the way we did, but these things happen and I was happy for my Pata Honda team-mates and for Honda. I’m feeling really good though and looking forward to getting back on my bike this weekend. I've had mixed results at Silverstone in the past and I've had some great races there; I particularly remember a couple of second places in 2010, which I really enjoyed. We struggled a bit last year, but it's a nice circuit to ride. The modifications made to the track in recent years have made it better but I'll attack it the same way I attack every other circuit. Of course, being a second British round, it'll be good to see a lot of friendly faces there, even if they can be quite far away in some places.

This event ran for the first time in September 2012 and was one of the most successful first time events we have ever organised in terms of vehicle entries.

Following this first event we also ran in May 2013 and also attracted in excess of 600 classic vehicles for display. Unfortunately on both occasions the weather was not too kind to us with a grey day and cold wind in the morning followed by rain in the afternoon. Again we have had a fantastic uptake of display cars for August and it would be nice if we had the weather to go with the display. We expect to see lots of early pre-1950 vehicles such as Singer, Morris, Riley, Rover and Humber, through to modern day classics such as MG, Porsche, TVR and Mercedes along with BSA’s, Norton’s and Velocettes in the classic bike section.

There will be expert commentary in the arena and a concours competition taking place throughout the day. With in excess of 400 vehicles booked into display, we are anticipating this once again to be an excellent show.

Various clubs have booked stands for this event including the Cheshire Classic Car Club, Jaguar Enthusiasts, Retrobevets, MCNW, Potteries & South and many more.

Visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the show but also have a walk around the garden which hosts a plant fair and if they wish have a look round Arley Hall (by separate admission). Catering facilities will be available at the event. Parking is free and dogs are welcome so long as they remain on a lead.

Andrew Greenwood’s Classic Shows

www.classicshows.org

Sunday 4th August 2013, 10am-4pm @ Arley Hall & Gardens, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 6NA

Admission Prices: • £7 per adult • £3 per child • Under 7's FREE

The Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development, the rights holder of the TT Races, is progressing its plans to develop a TT Races World Series.

The TT Races have been running on the Isle of Man since 1907 and is one of the world's oldest continuous motorsport events. It currently attracts around 40,000 visitors to the Isle of Man annually contributing £25 million to the local economy and generates over £2 million in gross commercial revenue.

The TT Races had an audited worldwide TV audience of over 23 million viewers in 2012 with leading broadcasters including ITV in the UK, Australia's Channel 10 and Discovery Velocity in the USA taking the eleven one hour TT highlights shows produced by North One TV. The official iomtt.com website has over 2 million unique users annually.

The Isle of Man Government has completed an initial feasibility study, carried out by London based agency The Sports Consultancy, into the formation of a World Series of Motorcycle Races based around the original TT concept.

The initial feasibility study included a review of the intellectual property rights, suitable venues, commercial contracts and income opportunities, marketing and promotion, safety and risk management and logistics as well as team, manufacturer and competitor involvement.

The Department is now investigating the option of attracting a commercial partner to develop and promote an international series of races based on the Isle of Man TT concept that leverages the Isle of Man TT brand. It is anticipated that such a delivery partner would be responsible for all operational aspects of the Series including the Isle of Man round.

Laurence Skelly, Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development Representative with responsibility for Motorsport and Tourism commented:

"We have re-established the TT profile worldwide and are now ready to capitalise on the brand's strength by working with an external partner to take the event to the next level."

He continued:

"We have already received positive feedback and interest from a number of international partners and potential hosts who believe in the concept of a TT World Series."

226,803 drivers in the UK have points on their licence for driving without insurance, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).

The FOI request, directed to the DVLA, revealed that 194,997 full licence holders and 31,806 provisional licence holders have been caught driving without vehicle insurance and have received points for doing so – one in two-hundred drivers. In the 17-35 age range, one in every 100 people with a full driving licence has points for driving uninsured.

Figures also show that in both licence categories and all age groups it is men who are far more likely to commit this offence. In the 17-24 age category, men are four times more likely to have points on their licence for driving uninsured than women.

Other findings were: • People in the 25-35 age category are most likely to drive uninsured (81,003 with points). • Drivers over 65 were least likely to have points on their licence for driving without insurance (0.06%, or 3,867 people). • 0.44% of people with a provisional license have been caught driving uninsured. • One in every 200 people with a full UK driving license has been penalised with points for driving without insurance.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “These findings are shocking. Those 200,000 individuals who drive whilst uninsured place the burden back on those who abide by the law through higher premiums and potentially the cost of vehicle repair.

 “The most concerning fact is that this could just be the tip of the iceberg, as these numbers only represent those who have been caught and penalised.  Insurance fraud and uninsured driving are also growing problems that need to be tackled through a coordinated approach from enforcement authorities. It is not acceptable that drivers pay up to £70 in higher premiums to compensate for those who ignore the law.”

As well as six points and a fine for driving uninsured, an eighteen year-old with a £950 premium could expect to see this increase to £2,195.  For a thirty year-old it would increase from £228 to £4621.

Peter Harrison, car insurance expert at MoneySupermarket, said: “It’s astonishing how many drivers are still prepared to hit the road without insurance. Not only is it illegal but you could face thousands of pounds in liability, a conviction, six points on your licence and a hefty fine should you be caught out or be involved in a crash. To make matters worse, uninsured drivers cost the insurance industry £500 million each year. Furthermore, insurance fraud adds £39 to the cost of every motor premium and uninsured driving an extra £30 – this is not fair on law-abiding motorists.

“The cost of insurance premiums will no doubt have influenced the decision from some drivers to forgo insurance altogether. However, the penalties for not having insurance are great, and could even result in your vehicle being confiscated. Although car insurance premiums may appear high, having suitable insurance and proving you are a safe driver will help bring premiums down over time. Not having insurance, and being caught without it, could result in you not being insurable in the future.”