Following the first successful Thunder Rally the time is upon us again for Thunder Rally 2011.

The first event was planned as a thank you to everyone who supports us throughout the year, to say a huge thank you to the biking community who raised so much money for the charity last year at the Mothers Day Ride, also to say a huge thank you to the people of Wotton Bassett, who regardless of the weather, time of day or year stand out on the streets of that beautiful town and pay their respects to the fallen. Those of you who attended last year will recall the speech made by the Deputy Mayor of Wotton Bassett, in which he thanked all of you for your support of their town. It is also about showing the troops and their families that we haven't forgotten them, and no matter how far away they are from us we still think about them constantly, and wait for the day when they are home safe again.

Well we are at it again, we have taken your comments on board and this years event is planned to be better in lots of ways, including more shows in the main arena, more attractions for you, bigger shopping village, better ticket pricing with cheaper early bird tickets, a full line up of music for all three days Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well! The camp site is level and is equipped with showers! We will have pre recorded messages from the guys in Afghanistan, as they receive their "comfort boxes" sent by the Charity and funded by your donations.

So why not come along and spend the weekend with us or even a day you can meet the Charity founders, buy Afghan Heroes merchandise, and have some fun while the kids watch the Equestrian stunt display or the Wall of Death show. Perhaps you want to get your trusty steed on our Dyno machine? Or perhaps buy some new leathers, then stay and listen to the music in the evening. Make a day or weekend of it there is plenty of room with easy parking, and lots of space for camping.

The rest of the team look forward to seeing you June 17th-19th at Wincanton Race Course, Somerset.

www.thunderrally.co.uk

www.afghanheroes.org.uk

As British Summer Time starts, with the clock change at the weekend, so does the unofficial beginning of the riding season, as we all benefit from the longer, lighter days and warmer weather.

There are about 1.3 million licensed motorcycles in Great Britain, which according to the latest Government statistics were ridden over 5 billion kilometres at the last count.

As riders prepare for the warmer weather it is important that bikes and scooters that have been locked up over the Winter are also fully prepared for the roads.

Preparing for a season of riding requires riders to undertake a thorough inspection of their bike, and we would recommend that inspection be carried out by one of the country's network of dealers.

Kit should be checked as the spring opens up many more opportunities whether riding for purely pleasure or practical purposes.

Bike Preparation - This will depend on what you did prior to putting your bike in storage. However, over the winter months bad weather can cause some problems so it is important that you give your bike a number of checks, such as looking for corrosion, checking the oil and brake fluid and brake pads.

Get in touch with your nearest dealer as mentioned, get them to check out your bike as the season begins. Be ready to enjoy safe riding, always remembering that regular maintenance is essential and will also help to prolong the life of your motorcycle

Washing and applying a fresh coat of wax to your bike not only keeps it looking good, it can also prevent rust and corrosion.

Kit - In addition to your bike, you should give your motorbike gear and any specialist clothing some careful attention. If you've just pulled out a helmet you wore years ago or have been wearing the same one for a few years check that it's still safe enough and have a chat with your local supplier. If it has been stored in sunlight, the lining is compressed, the strap is stretched or frayed or the visor is scratched it's probably time to buy yourself a new one.

There are plenty of alternatives to leathers too. You can now get jeans reinforced with Kevlar and similar materials. Whether you go for leathers or textiles, look out for armour at vulnerable points like knees, hips, elbows and shoulders. It should be CE approved. Again try the Get On website at www.geton.co.uk/kit.

Get On - Anyone who is interested in enjoying all of the cost-saving benefits of a bike or scooter can dip their toe into the world of bikes with a free one-hour taster session with a local trainer

Steve Kenward CEO of the MCI said "Getting on a bike as the warmer weather approaches brings many benefits to the individual and other road users.  It is a fun leisure activity that brings together people from all walks of life as well as providing a cost-effective commuting alternative.

Anyone who hasn't got a licence, but is interested in life on two wheels can now have the chance to have a FREE one-hour experience as part of the industry's Get On campaign"

For more information about life on two wheels and choosing your motorcycle kit go to the website www.geton.co.uk

Motorcycling road safety initiative RideSafe BackSafe is seriously concerned about the number of learner riders who are riding illegally, having failed to renew their CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) certificate.

A CBT certificate is valid for just two years at which point a moped or motorcycle rider is required to retake their CBT course; unless they have  passed both parts of the test to acquire their full motorcycling licence, or moved on to driving a car instead. 

Road Safety Adviser and RideSafe BackSafe team member, Rob Winn, explains; “If you do nothing, your CBT expires after two years and by continuing to ride on public highways you are committing a road traffic offence. This would also mean that your moped or motorcycle insurance is no longer valid, which is another offence that can result in your bike being seized by the Police and possibly crushed. What makes this all the more alarming is the fact that your CBT is a basic, ‘entry level’ introduction to riding on the roads and really should be seen as a short-term stepping stone to other training and safer travel“.

Recent figures issued by Transport Statistics show that the number of people riding mopeds and motorcycles has increased dramatically and the motorcycle population as a whole now travels in excess of five billion kilometres per year.

Although moped and motorcycle riders only make up about one percent of all road traffic, they still account for about 20% of all collision casualties and 16 to 24 year old riders are at greatest risk.

Rob Winn continues, “With the cost of fuel and insurance going up dramatically, many people are living on a tighter budget and this may cause some learner riders to simply not bother renewing or ‘moving on’ from a CBT certificate, some may even just forget. RideSafe BackSafe is keen to highlight the fact that no reminder is issued when the two year time limit has expired. Casualty statistics also tell us that riders who do take additional training are less likely to be involved in road traffic collisions, so we are encouraging inexperienced riders in particular to develop their riding skills, as well as remaining road legal“.

More information can be found at www.ridesafebacksafe.co.uk. – and learner riders can join the bikers forum through the website to ask for advice and guidance from motorcycling experts and enthusiasts.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) also provides an informative leaflet on the subject entitled ‘Routes to motorcycling'.

The British Motorcyclists Federation have today given a mixed reaction to the publication of the Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy to 2020.
 
While the BMF welcomes the setting up of a user forum and especially the dropping of earlier proposals for lower speed limits for motorcycles, it maintains its objection to a proposed ban on unaccompanied riding by learner motorcyclists. This is a premature proposal say the BMF given that Compulsory Basic Training has not yet been implemented in Northern Ireland.
 
The new strategy* follows a wide ranging consultation process in which while motorcycling was recognised as a key part, it was seen more as a victim of circumstances and not as is often the case, the sole cause of casualties.
 
In submitting its views the BMF supported the setting up of a user forum and is pleased to see that this has been included in the strategy. It has also welcomed the fact that a proposal it objected to, the introduction of differential speed limits for motorcycles, has been dropped.
 
Amongst many other measures the BMF supported and are now included in the strategy, is the consideration of motorcycling in the design of new roads, installing motorcycle ‘friendly’ barriers, the development of a motorcycling safety strategy for Northern Ireland and an approved motorcycle instructor register.
 
Commenting Chris Hodder, the BMF’s Government Relations Executive said: “We are pleased that many of our comments have been accepted, but the ban on unaccompanied learning is unnecessary and will be disastrous for the small bike market. It shouldn’t even be considered until the CBT system has had a chance to play out.”
 
The BMF will now play a full part in the new forum and be pressing home its views, particularly on the learner rider aspects.
 
*The strategy document can be found here: 

Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow’s two second-round World Superbike championship races at Donington Park in the UK from the second row of the grid after setting the eighth fastest time in this afternoon’s Superpole qualifying sessions.

Rea’s Spanish team-mate, Ruben Xaus, was unable to progress beyond the first stage of Superpole and will start from the fourth row as his compatriot, Carlos Checa, took his second pole position of the season.

Rea improved the setting of his CBR1000RR after yesterday’s tyre problems and was fastest in this morning’s second free practice session. However, he and his crew opted to use one of his two qualifying tyres in Superpole 1, which meant he was left with no qualifier in the final shoot-out with which to improve his time.

In seeking to improve his own set up for Donington’s sweeping curves and stop-start hairpins, Xaus went the wrong way and the 33-year-old was unable to improve on his best time from yesterday.

The first of tomorrow’s two 23-lap races around the re-invigorated 4.023km (2.5 mile) Donington Park circuit will start at 12.00 local time, with the second outing at 15.30.

Jonathan Rea – P8

Today was not so bad really, although I guess we could have gone a bit faster in Superpole 1 on the race tyre so that we didn’t have to use a qualifier. But we wanted to make sure of getting into the last eight and I then had to go out on a second-hand qualifying tyre which ran out of grip pretty quickly. We’ve worked hard all day trying to cover all the bases for tyre options. With the temperature changing, we need to know which of the three combinations works best in all conditions but the track temperature tomorrow will really dictate which one we use. We still need to find some time in the final corner – I need a little bit more en gine braking at the end of the turn and a bit more punch to get out. I feel OK in the first three sectors though but it’s going to be a very tactical race. The ones who’ve worked hardest over the weekend will be the ones who choose the right tyre for the race conditions. Hopefully we’ve done our homework.

Ruben Xaus – P16

For me, this weekend is like another pre-season test. We tested during the race in Phillip Island in 30 degrees and now the conditions are much colder so we must test some more things here at Donington! The way the bike behaves is completely different here to Australia. Yesterday we were OK and had some problems in the final section of the track. We tried to improve that today, when it was much colder, and we went the wrong way and I couldn’t improve. We had grip and braking problems. As the crew said: “We know the bike, but we don’t know you so well yet.” Of course, I know myself, but I don’t know the bike so well yet! I’m much happier than I was in Phillip Island though, because there we were lost. I hope tomorrow we can make two good races and get some good top ten points and go to Assen with even more good information.

Ronald ten Kate – team-manager

We’re definitely in better shape than we were 24 hours ago. It seems we have quite some pace, but tomorrow will be all about tyres so we won’t really know how much pace until the races are done. I believe we have found ourselves a race tyre so considering yesterday’s set back I’m quite satisfied with Jonathan’s second row start. On Ruben’s side, we went in the wrong direction today. Luckily we realised that and we’ll turn things around for tomorrow when the aim will still be for him to finish inside the top ten.

2011 World Superbike championship, round two – Donington Park, UK
Final qualifying results:
1 Carlos Checa (ESP) Ducati 1m28.099s
2 Leon Haslam (GBR) BMW 1m28.365s
3 Tom Sykes (GBR) Kawasaki) 1m28.556s
4 Jakub Smrz (CZE) Ducati) 1m28.561s
8 Jonathan Rea (GBR) Castrol Honda 1m29.438s
16 Ruben Xaus (ESP) Castrol Honda 1m29.613s