Jonathan Rea will make his long-awaited comeback to the Castrol Honda team in this weekend’s (2-4 September) tenth round World Superbike championship event at Nurburgring in Germany.

The Northern Irishman has been out of action since a raceday warm-up crash at Misano in Italy on 12 June. In addition to fractures to his arm and collarbone, Rea required complex surgery to repair ligament damage to his right wrist following the crash.

After completing a successful two-day test at Assen in the Netherlands last week, Rea, 24, has chosen a favoured circuit to make his return. In the last two visits, he has taken his Honda CBR1000RR to two wins, a second and a fourth place at the 5.137km Nurburgring, which sits 70km south of Cologne, adjacent to the famous Nordschleife road circuit.

Rea will be joined for the weekend in the Castrol Honda World Superbike Team by Japanese rider, Makoto Tamada, who returns to the series for the f irst time since riding as a replacement in the final round of last season’s championship.

Tamada will replace Ruben Xaus, who is still suffering the after effects of his race one crash at Brno in the Czech Republic in July. Despite testing on the first day at Assen last week, Xaus’s back injury prevented him from completing more than a handful of laps and the Spaniard has opted to miss Nurburgring.

Hailing from Ehime in Japan, Tamada, 34, completed two full World Superbike seasons on Kawasaki machinery in 2008 and 2009 following five years with Honda in MotoGP, which resulted in two Grand Prix victories. Earlier in his career, he also scored three wildcard World Superbike victories at Sugo in Japan in 2001 and 2002 and is a regular podium visitor in Japan’s famous Suzuka 8 Hour race.

Jonathan Rea

I can’t wait to get back on the bike in a race weekend situation at Nurburgring. The test at Assen last week was great for me to ride and work with the team again, but I’m really looking forward to doing it for real again this weekend. Assen was also good from a confidence point of view, because the lap time was pretty good and I was able to complete a lot of laps without any pain from the wrist. Unfortunately, I’ve missed a few races because of the injury, but I’ve got a new target for the end of the season and I know what I need to do to achieve that. The good thing is that the guys have been working really hard back at base since I’ve been away, and there were some good new things to test last week. I’m really looking forward to using them this weekend.

Makoto Tamada

It's great to be back racing in the World Superbike series. I want to thank Castrol Honda for giving me this opportunity. I am looking forward to working with the team and Jonathan, and I’m also looking forward to meeting my Euro pean fans.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

Everyone is really happy that Jonathan is back for this weekend. He did a race simulation at Assen, which showed that he’s quite fit again. It’s certainly been a troublesome mid-season with injuries, but we’ve had good results with Jonathan at Nurburgring in the last two years, so we’re all thrilled to have him back for this one. We’re also looking forward to welcoming Makoto Tamada back to the championship. His level of experience will provide good feedback on the bike since we are already looking ahead to 2012. We are working on the development of new parts for next season so it will be good to hear his opinion, too.

2011 World Superbike Championship, round ten, Nurburgring, Germany – schedule (local times):

Friday 2 September
11.30    Free practice (60 min)
15.30    Qualifying pract ice (60 min)
Saturday 3 September
10.45    Qualifying practice (45 min)
13.45    Free practice (45 min)
15.00    Superpole 1 (14 min)
15.21    Superpole 2 (12 min)
15.40    Superpole 3 (10 min)
Sunday 4 September
09.20    Warm-up (15 min)
12.00    Race 1 (20 laps – 102.740km)
15.30    Race 2 (20 laps – 102.740km)

This year we will have a limited number of 21st anniversary Hip Flasks for sale.

These will be on sale during the event from the Stormin' products stall at £15 each.

www.storminthecastle.co.uk

The Gay Biker Rally is delighted to announce sponsorship from BLD who are also offering a great track day prize on the day.

The first dealer to confirm support is BMW Chandlers who are offering a selection of pre-booked test rides on the day.

East Sussex Advanced Motorcyclists and Bike Safe will be offering skills assessments.
Entrance fee £5 includes a afternoon of indoor entertainment with a 2 hour chilled DJ set. All day food available at the Azur Pavilion.

More supporters to be confirmed next week.

www.videou.co.uk

Stormin' The Castle

Someone recently pointed out that we don’t say on our website, what happens at our event. I suppose we just expected everyone to know as most of our customers have been to lots of rallies; this doesn’t help anyone who stumbles across the site and wants to find out what it’s all about.

Stormin’ is a fund raising event for the Motorbike Action Group (MAG) which is an organisation that fights against anti-motorcycle legislation and for riders rights; find out more about MAG On their website.

Firstly it’s not a motorsport event like a car-rally, or a music festival, but is a party for bikers. Some rallies are a lot smaller, are based around a pub, with camping in a nearby field. There may not have any entertainment, but are a place where like-minded people meet up and have a chat, chill out and maybe have a drink or two! The bigger rallies such as Stormin’ and the Farmyard Party are held in a big field or a number of fields. At Stormin’ we have three campsites and a main arena where we have the stages, the bike show on Saturday afternoon, the traders village the catering vans, the fairground the wheelie machine and the dyno-machine.

How to ‘Do’ a Bike Rally

Firstly you need a motorbike, we do reluctantly allow a few cars but we are cutting the numbers down each year. The event is aimed at and run by motorcyclists, it isn’t a music festival. Once you have bought your motorbike and learned to ride it you can buy a ticket for the rally. You can pay on the gate but it’s considerably cheaper to pay in advance, see the ‘tickets’ page on this website. You will also need a tent, a sleeping bag and sleeping mat or airbed. .

People arrive for the event gates to open at 10.00 on Friday morning, set up their tents and from midday start making their way to the main arena. When you arrive at the main gate you hand in your voucher if you have pre-booked or pay the entry fee if you haven’t. Only those arriving on a bike or trike can pay on the gate. The marshal will put your wristband on your wrist for you. Once you have your wristband you can make your way to one of the campsites either by turning immediately left after you go through the gate or by going straight ahead for about 50 metres and turning right, please take care when riding on the grass, especially if it is or has been raining. When you have found a suitable camping place pitch your tent and then you’ll be ready to start.

What you do next sort of depends on what time you arrive; if you arrive early and it’s sunny then you might just want to hang out around your tent, chat with your neighbors about their bikes, maybe have a drink from the campsite bar. If you arrive in the evening you may want to head straight for the main arena. The first band in the main stage, that’s the big white marquee starts at 7:00, they could be playing rock, punk, ska or any one of the many diverse musical genres we have on over the weekend, most of all the atmosphere is lively to say the least. In the Iris stage which is the smaller of the two marquees the first band is on stage at 7:30, the bands and the atmosphere in here are a little more laid back.

There is no entertainment provided on the Friday afternoon; this is a time for chilling out, meeting up with old friends, having a look around the trade stalls, buying Stormin T-shirts and badges before they are sold out and maybe having a drink in one of the three bars.

At some point over the weekend most rally-goers visit Witton Castle itself. The castle contains bars, a restaurant, and general dealer. There are also ‘proper loos’ and showers.

On Saturday morning some people like to go for a ride out around the County, if you do decide to go out please be sure that you’re within the legal driving limit for alcohol. There are lots of interesting places to visit within an hour or so ride and you should have been given a guide leaflet with your ‘welcome pack’

On Saturday afternoon the main event is a custom bike show, which always, attracts a large number of high quality entrants. There are classes for custom bikes, classic bikes and ‘bikes of notable interest’ which are machines which do not fit into the categories and are just on display. If you want to enter your road-legal bike take it to the main arena between 9.30 am and 4.00 pm, see Tim or one of his crew and they will tell you what you need to do. Winners assemble with their bikes at 5.15 and the trophies are presented at 5.45, probably in the Iris Stage – depending on ground conditions.

You don’t need to bring any food as there are catering stalls on site to suit all tastes – from burgers and chips, to oriental cuisine. There are also catering vans on the campsites so you don’t need to go to the arena just for something to eat.

There is plenty to do at Stormin’ – browsing amongst the large selection of trade stands just chilling out. For the more adventurous – there are fairground rides, usually including, the reverse bungee or something equally intimidating. There is also a dyno and a wheelie machine, both are free of charge to our customers.

Sunday morning is time to have breakfast, pack up and go home but please don’t leave too early if you’ve been up late drinking the night before. Please take all your belongings with you and especially please don’t abandon your tent as it’s just more work for us to take it down and dispose of it. On your way out if you’ve had a good weekend please give the marshals a wave or a word of thanks as they’ve all worked hard over the weekend for no pay. Have a safe journey home and come back next year.

Best wishes

Jim Coxon, Event Coordinator

www.storminthecastle.co.uk

Independently acclaimed as the world's coolest motorcycle event - Three Days, Three Rides, One Reunion!
 
Friday 9th September from 6pm - The Continental Run Ride-In
 
Saturday 10th September - Cafe Racer & Rockers Ride-Out

Depart: 10.30am
Destination: Battersea Park (Central London)
 
Sunday 11th September - Brighton Burn-Up & Ride With The Rockers
Depart: 10.30am
Route: A406 - A40 - M25 - M23 - A23 to Madeira Drive, Brighton Seafront
 
Taking place over three days of the second weekend in September and first held in 1994, the 18th annual Ace Cafe Reunion Weekend & Ride With The Rockers celebrates the unique history, culture and style of Ace Cafe London and what it represents. The event acts as a focus in the motorcycling calendar for all those who are not only interested in the Ace Cafe, Ton Up and Rocker heritage, but also for many others who enjoy a weekend full of rock n' roll and fun!
 
Over the years, Ace Cafe London has forged lasting and strong links to the global motorcycling and rockin' community, which is reflected by the many visitors from overseas, one of the largest contingents being The Continental Run, which starts with a party at Cafe Hubraum in Solingen, Germany, before departing the next morning to cross Holland, Belgium and France, gathering numbers en route to the ferry, arriving at the cafe late afternoon, and culminating in an evening of rock 'n' roll!
 
The Brighton Burn Up & Ride With The Rockers, has been an integral part of Ace Cafe Reunions since 1996, and is a free, grand day out at the seaside on Brighton's famous seafront road, Madeira Drive. With trade and club stands, stunt displays, live music and special guests, it's an experience not to be missed!
 
On Saturday 10th September, a Cafe Racer & Rockers Ride-Out to London's historic Battersea Park will depart from the cafe at 10.30am, led again this year by the Limited Edition Ace 904S Thruxton Special, returning to the Ace for the 3rd annual Cafe Racer Review, with prizes for the "Best Ridden Cafe Racer", "Best Classic Cafe Racer", "Best Modern Cafe Racer", "Best Triumph Cafe Racer" and "Best Harley Cafe Racer".
 
This year, together with celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release in 1971 of the seminal Steve McQueen film "On Any Sunday" with prizes for the "Best Ridden Flat Tracker", and recalling his famous quote of that same year, "When you're racing, it's life", the Ace is also celebrating a very special landmark, the 10th anniversary of the legendary cafe having fully reopened!
 
Sponsors for the competitions at the cafe include;Lewis Leathers, Red Torpedo, Lucky 13, 19-60, Prison Blues, Delta Music, Jack Lilley Triumph, Warrs HD, Coventry Transport Museum, NEC Classic Bike Show and Million Dollar Quartet Musical with awards and prizes being presented by Ace Cafe Hostess Sophia St. Villier.
 
Amongst special guests,we are delighted to host Manx man and renowned author Mick Duckworth signing copies of his recently published book "Ace Times - Speed thrills and tea spills, a cafe and a culture", together with the legendary "Prince of Speed", 8 times world champion road racer Phil Read MBE. 2011 marks 50 years since his first TT race.
 
The feisty London Rockin' Rollers will be with us again, raising funds for London's Air Ambulance, the cafe's chosen charity for Saturday 10th September.
 
On Sunday 11th September in Brighton, as well as an array of club, trade stands and live bands, the annual short seafront service and blessing is being kindly undertaken by both Father Scott and Father Denis of the 59 Club.

There will also be a "Best Scooter" competition sponsored by Baracuta and Dr Martens.
 
Stunt Shows, to include featuring the ever popular Marc "Sparky" Chennel, will take place at Black Rock, the eastern end of Madeira Drive, with three displays scheduled for 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm, together with a wheelie machine for those who want to try out riding on the back wheel and, for the first time, this years Reunion will host a static Show Up n' Shine "Best Streetfighter" competition in association with Streetfighters magazine.
 
As part of Battle of Britain Week, the cafe's chosen charity RAFA will be in attendance, and assisting them in raising funds, and debuting at this years Reunion, are the Brighton Rockers Roller Derby Team, a band of fearless female skaters! and, for your convenience, the charity Riders For Health will be in attendance with a "helmet park", where you can leave your gear and enjoy the day.
 
Ace Cafe Reunion Weekend Entertainment:
 
The Hicksville Bombers+ Burlesque Show (Friday 9th), Doggone Honkabilly Band + The Bullets + Furious + The Space Cadets + Burlesque Show (Saturday 10th) at the cafe, plus Rockin' The Joint & Mark Keeley's Good Rockin' Tonight performing at Brighton (Sunday 11th). DJ's spinning the weekend's wax are Bill & Jimmy Guntrip, Dave Crozier and Mouse, and yes, it's all free!
 
For updates: