This week has seen a host of new motorcycles unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan, Italy, most of which will be on display in the UK for the first time at Motorcycle Live at the NEC in Birmingham (19-27 November).
 
Ducati finally revealed its much-anticipated superbike, the 1199 Panigale, which is new from the wheels up and, weighing in at 190kg, boasts 195bhp from its re-designed V-twin engine, together with a host of electronics to control all that power.
 
Motorcycle Live will also be the first chance to see and touch a host of other all-new new models from manufacturers such as BMW, Honda, Husqvarna, MV Agusta, Kawasaki, Triumph and Yamaha, to name but a few.
 
Other models from major manufacturers will be making their way to Birmingham’s NEC next week with impressive makeovers, including a quartet of supersport machines from BMW, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha. Triumph, too, will bring updated versions of two of its best-sellers.

With all these and more manufacturers displaying their 2012 model ranges, together with opportunities to ride – both indoors and out, off-road and on – not to mention a wide variety of entertainment and a huge selection of biking bargains, Motorcycle Live offers a simply stunning day out.

The ticket price for Motorcycle Live 2011 is completely all-inclusive, meaning visitors can enjoy everything the show has to offer at no extra cost. Tickets are £16 in advance* for adults, £10 for seniors, £6 for children aged 6-16 and kids 5 and under accompanied by a paying adult go free.

www.motorcyclelive.co.uk

The Honda TT Legends will start tomorrow’s 8 Hours of Doha from ninth on the grid following the final qualifying session at the Losail International Circuit today. John McGuinness, Keith Amor and stand-in rider Glen Richards each completed a second 30-minute stint on the Honda Fireblade in a bid to improve on yesterday’s lap times. 
 
All three riders managed this task, with Richards lapping the quickest. Cameron Donald’s replacement posted a 2:01.476 lap in the final stint to bring the team’s overall combined time up to 2:03.381 – enough to qualify in the top ten in a field of 26 teams. 
 
Neil Tuxworth
 
All three riders went a little bit quicker in that session, which we’re pleased about. The good thing is that all through the free practice sessions, qualifying and night practice we’ve had no incidents and no problems with the bike. We’ve got a sound basis for the race and I’d like to think we are in a strong position. You never know what is going to happen in eight hours but I’m hoping we can finish in at least a top five position. 
 
John McGuinness
 
We’re ninth overall on the grid but as we’ve seen in World Endurance qualifying is not the most important thing, it’s where we are at the end of eight hours and who knows how many laps! Glen has done some good times and I’ve been half a second quicker today so I’m happy with that. It’s a tough track and it’s going to be a tough race but I’m looking forward to it. I want to bring the bike home safe, score some points, maybe go up a bit in the championship and end the season as happy chaps. 
 
Keith Amor
 
I’m feeling a lot better than I was 24 hours ago. I’m starting to get used to the track and it’s not quite as much of a struggle. I found a bit of time today and I’m happy. It’s been a tough season but it’s nice to finish somewhere like this that is a bit easier on my injured shoulder. Let’s wait and see what happens in the race. 
 
Glen Richards
 
I’m feeling pretty good. I have a few little issues with my hands but we’ll try some different grips tomorrow maybe. Apart from that, the bike is working well and I felt better on it today than yesterday. It’s going to be a hard race for sure but then endurance races are always hard. We’ve just done a really good pit practice, so we’ll just get our heads down in the race and see what happens. 
 
The final eight-hour battle of the 2011 Endurance World Championship season will begin at 13.00 AST (10.00 GMT, 11.00 CET) tomorrow.

For real-time news, videos and images throughout the event follow @HondaTTLegends on Twitter and for post-qualifying and race reports visit www.HondaTTLegends.com Live timing is available at www.ris-timing.be

One of the stars of ITV’s hugely popular costume drama Downton Abbey is to appear at the Footman James Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC this weekend (11-13 November). Forget about Hugh Bonneville or Dame Maggie Smith; this star is of the four-wheeled variety!

The 1911 Renault type CB12/16hp driven in the show by chauffeur Tom Branson, played by actor Allen Leech, will appear on the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain stand and is sure to be a crowd pleaser. The car has appeared in many of the drama’s storylines including when Lady Edith, the middle Grantham sister played by actress Laura Carmichael, attempts learning to drive. Ironically, this was at a time when the actress herself was a complete novice behind the wheel.

The beautiful 1911 Renault is totally original and in its day would have been a luxury and fit for royalty. With its open drive laudelette body, the chauffeur was exposed to the elements whilst passengers traveled in relative comfort inside.

Downton Abbey is created by award-winning writer Julian Fellowes who himself is a keen classic car fan known to have visited the Classic Motor Show in previous years.

The car can be seen on Stand 8C16 at Birmingham’s NEC this weekend. On Sunday 13 November members of the Veteran Car Club in period costume will join the Renault.

For more information on the Footman James Classic Motor Show or Classic Motorbike Show, visit www.necclassicmotorshow.com

The IAM is calling for road casualty targets to be reintroduced in its contribution to November’s transport select committee’s inquiry into the government’s road safety strategy.  Targets were removed by the government in May this year.
 
Despite positive reductions in the number of people killed in road accidents in 2010, over the last six months deaths on Britain’s roads have increased by seven per cent compared to the same period last year* (casualties in total have gone down by three per cent).
 
IAM chairman Alistair Cheyne OBE, writing in the IAM members’ magazine Advanced Driving, said: “That road deaths have gone up is a tragedy. Emergency services do a fantastic job and manufacturers are making cars safer all the time.
 
“But crashes are best avoided and all drivers need to think about how to make their driving style safer. The government must play a part by reintroducing targets on road safety to give the entire industry a goal to aim for."
 
An IAM poll in September showed that only a quarter of the 2700 respondents think that the numbers of killed and seriously injured will continue to fall. Twenty-five per cent think they will keep going down. Thirty-four per cent think they will remain the same, and 36 per cent of respondents think that casualty rates will rise a little over the next three years.

www.iam.org.uk

One lucky visitor at this year’s Motorcycle Live could become the proud owner of the Yamaha R1 machine ridden and signed by Jorge Lorenzo during his parade lap at the 2010 Isle of Man TT.

The bike – which was recently ridden from the UK to Spain as part of the Viva Valencia! charity trip by BBC’s Matt Roberts – will be up for grabs in the Riders for Health auction supported by Arai.
 
The Yamaha will be one of the star lots in the auction, which will take place at 12.30pm on Sunday 20 November with the help of Arai-sponsored riders Cal Crutchlow, Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam. Visitors will also have a chance to bid for an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience at the Riders for Health Day of Champions at the 2012 Silverstone MotoGP, including the opportunity to meet and greet top riders from the championship.
 
Other one-of-a-kind lots will include a ride in the pace car at the Silverstone MotoGP, a signed Mick Doohan replica Arai helmet, signed Arai side pods from Ian Hutchinson and Kevin Schwantz, a signed Rossi cap and a signed canvas print of Crutchlow at the 2011 Misano MotoGP. All proceeds will go to Riders for Health, which makes sure that millions of people in rural communities in Africa have the health care they need by managing and maintaining reliable vehicles for health workers.  
 
The ticket price for Motorcycle Live 2011 is completely all-inclusive, meaning visitors can enjoy everything the show has to offer at no extra cost. Tickets are £16 in advance* for adults, £10 for seniors, £6 for children aged 6-16 and  kids 5 and under accompanied by a paying adult go free.

www.motorcyclelive.co.uk

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