...July 5th - 7th Borders Union Showground, Kelso.

Also a special guest appearance by Don Powell – original and founding member of 70’s Super Group SLADE.

Don will be at the event over the entire weekend and will also be ‘jamming’ with the bands on Friday & Saturday.

Show organiser Martin Chick said “We are really excited about having Don with us as a result of a collaboration with Sue Wilson, who raises awareness and funds for the National Autistic Society (NAS) Scotland”. “Sue is holding a series of events under the umbrella heading of Re-wind to the 70’s featuring: SLADE, Alvin Stardust, and The Rubettes (featuring Alan Williams) further details can be found at www.rewindtothe70s.co.uk”

“Don has kindly agreed to spend the weekend with us and to ‘jam’ with the bands that are playing so it’s a great chance for show-goers to meet one of pop music’s true legends”

In addition to the main stage music at Kelso, the bikefest will also feature Inch Perfect display team, Stannage International Stunt Team, an awesome Best in Show display in association with Principal Insurance and House of Custom, the BMF Club Games and the Cavalcade of Clubs.

For those attending the show and not from the Kelso area, an organised ride-out on some of the best biking roads available will also be organised on Saturday morning (subject to the weather!!!)

The BMF Kelso Bikefest is a fantastic event, smaller than the other two shows but with a real sense of community and bikers love it.

Entries are invited for the inaugural Ace Cafe London Drivers Challenge, a Clubman Production Car Autotest 'Taster Event'  to be held on Sunday 14th July and which is organised by Middlesex County Automobile Club on behalf of the Ace to celebrate the cafe's 75th anniversary of having originally opened in 1938.    

Conceived primarily to provide an introduction to motor sport, the entry is limited to just 75 vehicles across six different classes each with a crew of two, driver and navigator.    

The meeting, governed by the General Regulations of the Motor Sport Association (incorporating the provisions of the International Sporting Code of the FIA) includes driving around cones "against the clock" and several other timed tests, and with at least two runs at each test (on private ground) the best times count!  If there are more than two runs at a particular test, the slowest time is disregarded.    

Awards up for grabs for "Fastest Time of the Day" and, subject to there being sufficient entries in each vehicle class, there will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place award in each of the classes.    

Vehicle Classes:    Front-wheel drive saloons up to 1600cc  Front-wheel drive saloons over 1600cc  Rear-wheel drive saloons up to 2000cc  Rear-wheel drive saloons over 2000cc  Open/Sports cars up to 1600cc  Open/Sports cars over 1600cc    

Closing date for entries is Saturday 29th June, with ceremonial start at the Ace from 9am Sunday 14th July.     

Entry, £75 includes breakfast at the Ace, from 7am, a packed lunch and food & beverage at the cafe from 6pm, together with presentation of awards.    

For more information or to enter check out: www.mcac.co.uk

www.ace-cafe-london.com

Converts take to social media to share their enthusiasm

Facebook is buzzing with comments and pictures from the 400 people who had their first taste of dirt riding over the weekend.

The four day long Motorcycle Off-Road Experience was held between 13th - 16th June at Brake Hill Farm in Brigstock, near Ketting.  It was organised by the members of the Motorcycle Industry Association’s off-road group, to provide people with the opportunity to try off-road riding for the first time.

This attracted people from 38 different counties plus London.  Some were road riders, but quite a few had never been on a bike before.  Despite this, most managed to progress to a full motocross trail by the end of each session, with the help of expert trainers, including 3 times World Champion Dave Thorpe.

Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki and Yamaha provided bikes, kit and trainers for a heavily subsidised fee of just £15.  The AMCA ran the trackside element of the event with overall project management and communication provided by the MCI.  Other off-road organisations also attended to provide a comprehensive induction into all off-road options. These included the sporting body ACU and the Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF), which works to preserve the use of green lanes and offers a gentler form of recreation for motorcycle off-roaders.

The weather was windy but mostly dry and with so many people turning up early for sessions, it was easy to bring the start time forward one day when rain threatened.

The MCI contact centre managed the registration and booking process and is in the process of surveying all participants to see how they will be pursuing their interest in off-road riding.  93% agreed to be contacted by manufacturers and trainers post event.

Howard Dale, General Manager of Kawasaki and Chair of the MCI’s Off-Road Group says the response was incredibly positive: “I’ve never seen so many happy faces in one place.  People were buzzing after their first taste of off-road riding.  It was the same among all those involved in running the event too. This level of cooperation within the industry is unprecedented, and the ‘feel-good factor’ for everyone involved over the past four days has gone off the scale and importantly many of those attended are determined to pursue further training or buy a bike!”.

Comments from facebook:

Young drivers must be allowed to gain early motorway driving experience, according to road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

With a green paper on learning to drive due to be published later this month, the IAM are calling on the government to ensure that any new system includes allowing supervised L drivers onto our motorways.   Motorways are our safest roads and many countries including Australia and the USA already allow their use by learner drivers, often with few restrictions.  

Allowing supervised learner drivers on the motorway would help them avoid some of the most common mistakes such as driving too close and centre lane hogging.    Very few drivers on the motorway today have had any training on how to use them – they learn by building up experience and from their mistakes – this is far from ideal.   Learner drivers are already a safe group on normal roads.  While motorway lessons may not be mandatory, a relaxation would allow those who are most likely to use their local motorway the chance to build up some life saving experience and knowledge.  

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Human error is the main contributory factor in 71% of injury crashes on motorways and surveys suggest drivers often lack confidence on motorway use.  This measure, plus widely available refresher and modular courses on motorway driving should be encouraged to help everyone use them from a position of knowledge and confidence.  The outcome should be fewer incidents, fewer injuries and fewer delays.”

Most people in their middle age had started out on motorcycles when British bikers rode British bikes.

There were more brands of British bikes on the roads than any other in the world. Most bikers these days hardly remember them, and view them as museum pieces that only get polished and rode on a sunny Sunday afternoon. 

Our Motorcycle Solicitors haven’t just decided that motorcycle accidents are where the market is, it is something that is in their blood. It is something that they are passionate about, and something that they could not imagine their lives without. All our motorbike solicitors have chosen a career to assist fellow bikers get what is rightfully theirs after an accident.  

The roads out there are a jungle, if not a battlefield between those who think they own the road and those who just want to use the road. On the roads there are aggressors and bikers. It’s no good trying to tell us how you felt threatened by the presence of a motorcyclist.

We aren’t big enough to be aggressors, and that is why bikers are always on the lookout for cars making life threatening and sometimes silly maneuvers.   Motorcyclists injuries can mean dents in their legs and heads that can take years to repair, not to mention the damage to their motorcycles. This is where our bike riding solicitors understand what you are going through.  

The car driver and other road users are a threatening menace to us motorcyclists; intentional or not. As you may be able to gather from this web page, there is a different mindset between the driver and us the motorcyclist.  

Our basic instinct is one of survival. On the roads, the biker is bottom of the food chain, and we know it. People in cars treat juggernaut lorries with respect, because they know that they may come off worse in a collision. Car drivers seem to treat bikers with complete contempt, and that is the difference in understanding between a motoring accident lawyer and a motorcycle solicitor.  

It is that understanding that allows us to put together a case that reflects the problems that bikers experience on the roads. It also assists our motorcycle solicitors in presenting your case successfully to a judge who may not be a biker himself.  

Motorbikes and cars are two entirely different modes of transport and to that extent they must be treated differently. So it is essential that when you have a bike accident that you choose a motorbike solicitor.  

We will say, “We are bikers, we understand, come and talk to us, it costs you nothing”  

www.thebikerguide.co.uk/motorcycleaccidentsolicitors.html