The European Commission has launched an internet consultation to gauge reaction to the idea of a standardised EU MOT which might be far more demanding than the British one.  
 
They are also considering increasing the frequency of inspections and a requirement to have vehicles re-inspected if they have been modified since being tested or if the vehicle is sold.  
 
Road-side spot-checks specifically for motorcycles are also under consideration.
 
Harmonisation to the harshest test conditions currently found in any member state is an option being considered. Currently the most severe test regime is endured by Germany where riders face a far more stringent regime of testing and restriction than the UK enforces.
 
Nich Brown, General Secretary of MAG(UK), said “The scope of this consultation confirms that the EU is contemplating a draconian and expensive burden on riders. All riders need to act now to challenge the potential excesses of yet another pan-European system that fails to meet the needs of individual nations.”
 
The questions in the on-line consultation form are pitched in a suspicious manner which suggests that its architects have assumed the merit of such an initiative. It is also worrying that the consultation is published only in English whereas most of the countries who currently have no MOT equivalent test and so will be most affected, are not English speaking. Worse still, only three weeks have been allowed for stakeholders to respond.
 
The worst scenario option which the questionnaire encourages participants to support, contradicts the claim by the EU that they wish to reduce the burdens on citizens.
 
Nich Brown added
“Since vehicle defects are implicated in less than1% of motorcycle crashes in Great Britain and many of that 1% are simply down to under-inflated tyres this whole plan has the look of an expensive red herring.”
 
MAG is encouraging riders to complete the survey and opt for the ‘no change’ to present system option.
 
The consultation runs until 24th September 2010 http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/ipm/forms/dispatch?form=roadworthiness

The 20th Anniversary of Stormin' The Castle took part the weekend of the September 2010, with over 5,000 in attendance from far and wide, a custom bike show with trikes, custom chops, rat bikes, great paintwork and even a pink scooter, a wheelie machine and dyne stand and 15 bands, with The Stranglers headlining!

With over 100 volunteer marshals, a very organised site, a main stage and marquee, which can house 4,500 with an impressive professional PA system & Lighting rigs,lots of stalls, a range of food from good old fish & chips to noodles to local favourite 'Stotties' stuffed with various Rally fare, Holy Joes for a great cuppa, stalls galore, top rally merchandise (which is probably on sales on e-bay now as limited editions... I must learn to shop early), toilets which never seemed to run out of toilet paper (hey it matters), a variety of Motorcycles and Bikers of all ages were in attendance, from far and wide, a great atmosphere - Oh and its in aid of MAG, in fact the event in 2009 raised £20,000 which was donated to MAG. The event is organised throughout the year by the hard working committee and takes over 10 days to erect, run and then take down.

The main committee for Stormin', managed to once again get the stranglers to headline (previously they headlined in  2004) and for those Biker Stranglers fans it was a delight to see them at this great event, which began with the usual Men in Black theme, along with many hits including Peaches, Nice 'n' Sleazy, 5 minutes and when Always the sun was played - after a weekend of great weather it had such a poignant meaning. The 2nd encore finished with No More Heroes, leaving the crowd baying for more!    

Jim Coxon, the organiser said "First of all thanks to all who came to this years event and a special thanks to all the marshals and support staff who made it possible".    So as we packed up on the Sunday to head home, we feel like we are leaving good friends and look forward the the 21st Anniversary of Stormin' the Castle!  

www.storminthecastle.co.uk

The organisers of Stormin' The Castle, would like to thank all who came to this years event and a special thanks to all the marshals and support staff who made it possible.

First established in 1902 and now based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, Triumph Motorcycles is currently the fastest growing motorcycle brand in the world. For over a decade Triumph has produced iconic bikes which perfectly blend design, character, charisma and performance. Producing around 50,000 bikes per year, Triumph is the largest British automotive manufacturer in the country.

At the heart of Triumph’s philosophy is a commitment to developing truly unique motorcycles that offer a blend of distinctive design, intuitive handling and performance. The innovation and engineering passion that gave birth to the iconic Bonneville of the 60’s has today created a broad range of bikes suited to all motorcycle riders, including the striking 2.3 litre Rocket III, the unmistakable Speed Triple and the powerful Daytona 675.

In recent years it is the Daytona 675 that has enabled Triumph to truly stamp its mark on the modern motorcycle landscape, a proven class leader in the field. After winning the Supertest ‘King of the Supersport’ crown for four successive years the Daytona’s status has been further enhanced with the MAP Embassy Triumph team’s victory in the 2008 British Supersport Championship.

With an impressive 2010 product portfolio in place, including significant updates to existing best-selling bikes and a striking new model, Triumph is set to continue to enhance its status in the marketplace.

Ducati UK is to relocate early next year from their current offices in Milton Keynes to new purpose built head quarters at Silverstone Race Circuit.

The move to the Northamptonshire track is the result of a lengthy search for premises after out -growing the current offices and also the need to centralise all Ducati UK operations.

The Silverstone premises will see a bespoke 8000sq feet facility that will include offices, warehouse, dealer training rooms, a workshop that will service the press and demonstrator fleets (now brought back in-house) and there is the potential for a retail outlet for the sale of Ducati merchandise during major track events.

The new Ducati UK premises are expected to be ready early next year and will be situated close to the Silverstone Innovation centre on the outside of Woodcote. This relocation heralds a new era for Ducati UK who can look forward to sharing in the on-going development of the Silverstone circuit as it now becomes the UK home for  both two and four-wheeled Motorsport.

Tim Maccabee, MD of Ducati UK is excited at the prospect of the imminent move to the UK home of British Motor Racing and commented "The relocation to Silverstone will enable Ducati UK to work with Silverstone on customer events, PR opportunities and make best use of our demonstrator fleet in an appropriate local environment. These are exciting times for Silverstone’s development and we are delighted to be a part of it."