The British Motor Museum’s 'Gaydon Gathering' events return on Tuesday 11 April 2023 from 5pm – 8:30pm. Informal, fun evenings aimed at motoring enthusiasts, these events are free to attend, taking place outside on the Museum's arenas on the second Tuesday of each month. Up to 500 vehicles attended last year’s events with a truly eclectic mix of vehicle types, makes and models. 

Whilst free to attend, pre-booking is essential and tickets will be released online a few weeks before each event and will be announced on social media. Tickets for the April event are now available. The dates for the rest of the Gatherings are; 9 May, 13 June, 11 July, 8 August, 12 September, and 10 October.

In addition to providing an opportunity for likeminded motoring enthusiasts to display their vehicles, each Gathering will feature the 'Gaydon Garage' at 6:30pm when the workshop doors open to reveal one of the many fantastic vehicles from the Museum’s collection before it’s driven around the site. Hints as to which car will emerge from the garage will be posted on the Museum’s social media channels in the run up to the events.

Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum stated “Last year’s ‘Gaydon Gatherings’ proved immensely popular and we are looking forward to hosting them this year. All vehicles are welcome, no matter how many wheels they have or where and when they were made! It’s an opportunity for petrol heads to indulge their passion with a burger and drink, hopefully in the spring sunshine!”

Display vehicles will be parked in front of the Museum whilst there will be separate free parking for those visitors who aren’t displaying. Visitors can enjoy refreshments including burgers as well as hot and soft drinks. Wriggly Monkey Brewing from Bicester will also be on-site selling their range of lagers and ales.

Dogs are welcome on leads. Please note that the Museum itself will not be open for the evening gatherings. For more information and to book your FREE tickets for April’s Gaydon Gathering visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/gaydon-gathering-april

Motorcycle Live, the UK’s largest motorcycle and scooter show, is pleased to extend its partnership with specialist UK Motorcycle broker, Bikesure Insurance for 2023.  

Following the announcement of the partnership in 2019, the two brands have worked together to deliver the UK’s number one motorcycle show at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, to tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from around the country.

Finlay McAllan, Managing Director of Motorcycle Live, comments: “We’re just as excited about announcing the renewal of Bikesure’s sponsorship as we were with the initial announcement back in 2019, it’s a real testament to the strong working relationship between the brands. The show landscape has certainly changed in the last few years, but our commitment to creating a show that’s interactive and good value for visitors has remained the same - a vision the team at Bikesure share.”

Grant Varnham, Business Development Manager, Bikesure Insurance said: “No other motorcycle show supports our industry or has the ability to inspire the next generation of riders like Motorcycle Live can, which is why we’re incredibly proud to continue our sponsorship in 2023. With representation from the major motorcycle manufacturers, plenty of chances to jump on a bike and something for riders and non-riders of all ages and abilities, Motorcycle Live should be in everyone’s calendar.”

Motorcycle Live 2023 will take place at The NEC, Birmingham from 18 – 26 November. Tickets are on sale now – for an ‘early bird’ rate, visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk.

ACE CAFE LONDON PRESENTS THE 12th ANNUAL INCARNATION - BRIGHTON:

Calling all Petrolheads!  On Saturday 22nd April 2023, from 10am - 6pm, Brighton's famous seafront road, Madeira Drive will again host the UK's finest on four wheels.

With stands, displays and entertainment on the Ace stage, if the roar of an Italian V10 engine is music to your ears, or a tyre shredding drifter gets your adrenalin pumping, make sure you don't miss this unique, free to attend, seaside event - InCarNation Brighton 2023.

Suzuki Live will return for 2023, with a full weekend of activity planned at Cadwell Park on 15-16 July, including track sessions, a new adventure bike zone, trade stands and displays, plus special guests.

Spread over both Saturday and Sunday, the event will again bring together track sessions for classic and modern machines, with novice, intermediate, and experienced groups available for pre and post-2000 Suzukis. There will also be a number of classic race bike parades across the two days.

A new adventure bike zone will give V-Strom owners the chance to take their bike off-road, as well as test ride the new V-Strom 1050DE and all-new V-Strom 800DE. The zone – free to enjoy over the weekend – will include expert tuition, a skills area, and a test ride loop through woodland and undulating terrain.

Out on the roads local to Cadwell Park, visitors will be able to test ride other models in Suzuki’s on-road range, including the new GSX-8S, GSX-S1000GT, GSX-S1000, and the iconic Hayabusa.

Joining in the fun will be the likes of three-time British Superbike champion John Reynolds, former National Superstock 1000 champion Taylor Mackenzie, and former 500 Grand Prix racer and British champion Steve Parrish.

Suzuki GB’s head of motorcycle marketing, Ian Bland, said, “Last year’s Suzuki Live event took place in glorious sunshine and was a spectacular day out for us and for everyone that joined. So much so, we couldn’t wait to extend it to a full weekend of track activity, parades, displays, and entertainment., and also add a new adventure bike zone. It’s going to be a full weekend of Suzuki-themed fun, and we’re excited to join our customers on road and track this summer.”

Track day sessions for the full weekend are available for £229, with race bike parade spots costing £199, and both all include camping and evening entertainment on Saturday night, which will feature trophy presentations, lively stories from the star guests, and a live band.

Traders and clubs can also book display space.

Places can be booked here.

Watch the video from the 2022 event, here.

“Last year was another superb year for motorcycle racing and selecting a winner was no easy task,’ said former racer Barrie Baxter, Chairman of the Torrens Trophy Nominations Committee. ‘Steve Holcombe clinched his seventh World FIM EnduroGP Championship, Brad Ray was crowned British Superbike Champion, and Jane Daniels won the World Enduro Championship for the third time, making her Team GB’s best and most successful enduro racer.
 
“Finally we decided to honour the man known as ‘the King of the MotoGP paddock’. The Torrens Trophy celebrates an individual or organisation considered to have made an outstanding contribution to motorcycling in Britain. It therefore gives us enormous pleasure to award the 2022 Torrens Trophy to one of the biggest unsung heroes of British motorcycle racing.”
 
Trimby’s love affair with motorcycles and motorcycle racing started when he was a teenager in the 1960s. He started working as a mechanic for famed tuner Syd Lawton to fund the start of his own racing career, which included rides in the Isle of Man TT and the F750 world championship. In 1978 he was asked to organise the Macau motorcycle Grand Prix, a job he continued doing until 2011. He also launched the Racing and Sporting Show at Alexandra Palace, London, which became a must-do event for race fans.

Trimby became a major force in the world of Grand Prix racing following a long period of rider unrest in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which included rider strikes at the Austrian and French GPs and an attempt by three-times MotoGP world champion Kenny Roberts and others to organise a rival world championship. The main issues were safety and money.
 
In 1982 the top riders asked Trimby to represent them in their fight for better conditions. Four years later IRTA (the International Roadracing Team Association) was established to oversee GP racing’s next steps into the modern world. Trimby’s job changed from running a riders’ trade union to a body representing the teams. Today IRTA is still responsible for numerous areas of MotoGP. It works with rights-holder Dorna to contract the teams, organises the paddock and the grid and looks after facilities for non-European races.
 
From a technical, commercial and safety point of view, MotoGP has never been in a better place, largely thanks to the herculean efforts of Mike Trimby and his wife Irene. For four decades Trimby and IRTA have represented riders and teams in Grand Prix racing, while improving circuit safety, putting the races on TV, organising teams and making sure everyone gets paid. Quite simply, he’s the man who helped make MotoGP the hugely popular spectacle that it is today.

“I am surprised but honoured to receive this award,” said Trimby. “My achievements were made possible only by the initial support from the leading Grand Prix riders and subsequently the unity of the teams within IRTA, but none of this would have been possible without the partnership with Dorna, which started in 1992. Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and his staff are equally passionate about rider safety.
 
“I also want to share this award with my wife Irene, who has worked with me at Grands Prix since 1982. Whatever achievements I am credited with would not have been possible without her support.”
 
Numerous racing luminaries were in attendance on the night, from great riders, including John McGuinness, Cal Crutchlow, Niall Mackenzie, James Toseland and Eugene Laverty through to Dorna executives, team owners and team principles.

“Mike is a key pillar in our sport and a very deserving recipient of this award,’ commented Ezpeleta. “He has been part of Grand Prix motorcycle racing for decades and in our time working together, I have seen the dedication he’s given to the paddock, which has made the sport better and safer than ever. I’m very happy to see his achievements recognised by the Royal Automobile Club and proud to continue working together to keep making MotoGP the best it possibly can be, for everyone – on track, in the paddock and for our millions of fans.’
 
Three-times World Champion Freddie Spencer was one of many racers to offer his congratulations. “It is truly great news about the well-deserved recognition the Royal Automobile Club is giving to Mike Trimby for all he has contributed to our great sport,” said Spencer. “I started working with Mike 40 years ago and today, as Chairman of the MotoGP Steward Panel as the IRTA representative, it’s a privilege to work alongside him in our mutual goal of providing riders and teams the opportunity to give the fans the safest, most exciting and enjoyable show in motorsport.”

Among those members of racing management offering their good wishes was Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha. “This is a much-deserved reward for Mike’s enormous contribution as the CEO of IRTA,” said Jarvis. “Mike and IRTA have done a great deal towards the safety of the riders, the organisation of the paddock and putting in place a real structure behind the scenes of the MotoGP world. It’s the real backbone of the Championship.”

• 2021 The Crescent Yamaha team for winning the riders’, teams’ and manufacturers’ titles in the FIM World Superbike Championship.
• 2020 Emma Bristow for claiming her seventh consecutive FIM Women’s Trial World Championship.
• 2019 Peter Hickman for his three Isle of Man TT victories and for setting the world’s fastest road race lap record of 136.415mph at the Ulster GP.
• 2018 Tai Woffinden for being the most successful British speedway rider in history.
• 2017 Jonathan Rea MBE for being the first rider to win three consecutive World Superbike Championships.
• 2016 MotoGP racer Cal Crutchlow for being first British rider to win a premier class World Championship Motorcycle Grand Prix in 35 years.
• 2015 Eleven-time TT winner Ian Hutchinson for his outstanding determination, courage and overcoming adversity to win multiple TTs.
• 2014 Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne for becoming the first man in history to be crowned British Superbike Championship on four occasions (2003, 2008, 2012 and 2014).
• 2013 Tom Sykes for being crowned the 15th World Superbike Champion, the fourth from Great Britain and only the second rider to win for Kawasaki in the series for 20 years.
• 2008 World Superbike Champion James Toseland was awarded the Trophy for his immense contribution to raising the profile of motorcycle racing in this country.
• 1998 Ian Kerr of the Metropolitan Police for 20 years of tireless work in promoting safe and responsible motorcycling.
• 1989 BMW in recognition for its contribution to motorcycle safety through the development of its anti-lock braking system.
• 1981 Dave Taylor MBE for his vast contribution to motorcycle road safety.
• 1980 Transport and Road Laboratory.
• 1979 Lieutenant-Colonel Fredrick Lovegrove OBE.

The Torrens Trophy
The Royal Automobile Club has always had a close association with the motorcycling world.  The Club formed the Auto Cycle Club in 1903, which went on to become the Auto Cycle Union in 1947.  The first motorcycle race was held on the Isle of Man in 1905 for cars – two years before the first Tourist Trophy for motorcycles. 
 
The Torrens Trophy recognises an individual or organisation considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the cause of safe and skillful motorcycling in the United Kingdom, or to have made an outstanding contribution of technical excellence to further the cause of motorcycling in the UK, or to have shown outstanding skill in international motorcycling sporting events in the United Kingdom.
 
The Torrens Trophy was first awarded in 1978 in memory of Arthur Bourne, a motorcycling journalist who wrote a column under the name ‘Torrens’. Arthur Bourne was also a Vice-Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club. It is awarded only when the Club feels that the achievement justifies it.

The Club’s Torrens Trophy Nominations Committee consists of Chairman and ex-bike racer Barrie Baxter, Royal Automobile Club Chairman Ben Cussons, double World Champion and past Torrens winner James Toseland, well-respected motorcycle journalist and TT winner Mat Oxley, commentator and former racer Steve Parrish, Club member Robert Bourne (son of motorcycle journalist Arthur Bourne, in whose memory the Trophy is awarded) and Queen of Bikers Maria Costello MBE, who has held the Guinness World Record for being the fastest woman to lap the Isle of Man TT course.
 
About the Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club was founded in 1897 and its distinguished history mirrors that of motoring itself. In 1907, the Club was awarded its Royal title by King Edward VII, sealing the Club’s status as Britain’s oldest and most influential motoring organisation.

The Club’s early years were focused on promoting the motor car and its place in society, which developed into motoring events such as the 1000 Mile Trial, first held in 1900. In 1905, the Club held the first Tourist Trophy, which remains the oldest continuously competed for motor sports event. The Club promoted the first pre-war and post-war Grands Prix at Brooklands in 1926 and Silverstone in 1948 respectively, whilst continuing to campaign for the rights of the motorist, including introducing the first driving licences.

Today, the Club continues to develop and support automobilism through representation on the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the RAC Foundation while promoting its own motoring events including the Club’s London Motor Week and the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

The Club also awards a series of internationally recognised trophies and medals celebrating motoring achievements. These include the Segrave Trophy, the Torrens Trophy, the Simms Medal, the Dewar Trophy and the oldest trophy in motorsport, the Tourist Trophy.