1–5 SEPTEMBER 2021 - Salon Privé Week is renowned as being a celebration of two-wheeled machinery as well as four, and this year Blenheim Palace will host the world debut of a unique and hugely significant motor bicycle. Over the course of its long and illustrious history, Triumph became one of the most recognisable of all marques thanks to legendary models such as the Speed Twin and Bonneville, while screen icon Marlon Brando famously rode a Thunderbird 6T in The Wild One.  

Having been producing bicycles at its Coventry factory since 1889, Triumph moved into the world of motor bicycles at the turn of the 20th century and was a pioneering force in the burgeoning British motorcycle industry. Siegfried Bettmann and Moritz Schulte were responsible for the design, which used a 3/4hp 172cc Minerva engine from Belgium. A rear band brake was employed, and an eccentric crank to enable the rider to adjust the rear chain. The Triumph motor bicycle was launched in September 1901 for the 1902 season. By the outbreak of The Great War the marque's reputation for quality and reliability was well established, leading to substantial orders for military use. 
 
The example that will be on display at Blenheim Palace as part of the Salon Privé Concours d’Elégance is the very first Triumph motor bicycle ever made and actually dates from 1901. Its appearance represents a unique opportunity to see this historic motor bicycle – the forerunner of all subsequent Triumphs – in public for the first time since 1937. 
 
The prestigious Salon Privé Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva takes place on Wednesday 1 September, and will feature two classes – Exceptional Motorcycles and Exceptional Competition Motorcycles. Previous class winners have included renowned motorcycle builder Allen Millyard, who has claimed multiple Salon Privé awards. His exquisite Honda SS100 V-twin is a previous Best in Show winner, and in 2019 his Velocette MAC V-Twin received the Most Spectacular Motorbike award from the event host, the Duke of Marlborough.
 
Millyard will return this year with his Kawasaki Z1 Super Six. This beautifully engineered machine uses a six-cylinder engine that is based on the standard Z1’s double-overhead-camshaft four-cylinder unit, and uses original Kawasaki parts. Everything else on the motorcycle is standard, giving a subtle end result that looks like something the factory itself could have produced. 

The judging panel for the Concours d’Elégance includes some of the most respected experts in the motorcycle world. Writer and consultant Somer Hooker will be joined by broadcaster Henry Cole, historians Dennis Frost and Mike Jackson, along with former racer Steve Parrish. The Motorcycle Awards Ceremony will take place at noon on Thursday 2 September with judges, owners and the Duke of Marlborough present.
 
A new addition for 2021 is the introduction of a motorcycle parade to open the event on the mornings of Wednesday 1 September and Thursday 2 September. Entrants will start outside the show field, then parade through the grounds of Blenheim Palace and into place on the elegant South Lawn. 
 
There will also be the opportunity for motorcycle entrants to take part in Tour Privé for the first time, on Tuesday 31 August. The 100-mile route will depart from the Great Court at Blenheim Palace and travel through the spectacular Cotswold countryside, with a luncheon stop at Grittleton House in the picturesque village of Grittleton, Wiltshire.
 
Elsewhere on the South Lawn, Thornton Hundred will be among the brands showcasing their latest designs. The British company’s line-up will include the ‘World’s Fastest Bobber’ – a 202bhp technological tour de force– and a 2021 Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black, both are a Salon Privé debut.

‘We’re thrilled to be welcoming the first-ever Triumph motor bicycle to Blenheim Palace,’ said Salon Privé Concours Chairman Andrew Bagley, ‘and there will be a real buzz around it considering that it hasn’t been seen in public for more than 80 years. With more exceptional motorcycles already being entered into the Concours d’Elégance, this year’s event is shaping up to be a memorable celebration of motoring in all its forms.’ 
 
Some of the world’s most famous brands have chosen Salon Privé as the perfect location for a global, European or UK debut, while a brand-new element for 2021 – Salon Privé TIME – will feature the world’s leading watchmakers.
 
With a programme that includes Ladies’ Day presented by Boodles on Friday, the Salon Privé Club Trophy presented by Lockton on Saturday, and Sunday’s Classic and Supercar event, all the elements are in place for another unmissable Salon Privé Week.    

STYRIA GP QUALIFIERS

SEVENTH PLACE TIME AND THE THIRD ROW FOR ALEIX ESPARGARÓ: “WE ARE CONFIRMING OUR PROGRESS HERE AS WELL. WE DID AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB”

LORENZO SAVADORI HALTED BY A CRASH IN HIS TIME ATTACK, SETTLES FOR THE SEVENTH ROW: “I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO START FARTHER FORWARD BUT WE ARE CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE BEST”

Confirming the good signs on the track from the start of the weekend, Aleix Espargaró rode his Aprilia RS-GP to seventh place (1’23.448) in the qualifiers for the Styria GP, scheduled for tomorrow on the Austrian Red Bull Ring track. The good placement earns him the best spot on the third row of the starting grid.

For the umpteenth time this season, Aleix went straight through to Q2, the qualifying session that includes the top 12 riders, based on his top-ten placement in the last morning free practice sessions, where he finished eighth with a time of 1’23.594. His further improvement in qualifying took him close to the second row, which he missed by just 72 thousandths of a second. The Austrian circuit, which had always been difficult in past years, is an outstanding test bench for the RS-GP’s improvements and the result today is comforting for the Aprilia project.

Lorenzo Savadori, who did not make it into the top ten, had to go through the Q1 session, but he crashed during the final lap whilst, after improving in the first sectors, was doing his time attack. This meant that he would have to settle for the seventh row with a time of 1’24.405, done before his crash.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I am extremely satisfied with our result, considering the characteristics of the track and the gap. Of course, I cannot be entirely happy with a seventh-place time, but if I look back at a year ago, I started fourteenth here and with a time that was seven tenths slower, whereas today I was faster than the 2020 pole position. This confirms the huge step forward we’ve made. I complimented all the engineers in the technical briefing because they did an extraordinary job. We accumulate almost all of the disadvantage in the first sector, which is made up of two straights that are undoubtedly not our strong point, whereas the RS-GP does very well on the rest of the track. We’ll see what happens tomorrow because it looks like it is going to rain and that raises some doubts as to the safety of the track. Personally, I hope we’ll be able to race in the dry."

LORENZO SAVADORI
"Unfortunately, I was unable to finish my flying lap, which would have let me start somewhere around fifteenth or sixteenth place. I crashed on turn 8 and in a rather strange way, but without any physical consequences. In any case, we are getting closer and closer to the best and that is positive. Overtaking here will be no simple task, so staying with the group in the early laps will be fundamental for me."

The motorcycle travel season is getting underway and Ducati is particularly attentive to the globetrotting approach of its enthusiasts, offering a selection of touring accessories from the Ducati Performance catalogue, created to increase the pleasure of every riding adventure.

MOTOGP RETURNS TO THE TRACK WITH A DOUBLE ROUND AT SPIELBERG

After the summer break, the MotoGP returns to the track with a double round at the Austrian track of Spielberg. A circuit with unique characteristics, with sudden braking and violent acceleration, challenging from a technical point of view especially with regard to the race distance.

The mood at Aprilia is undoubtedly positive. Consistent results are rewarding the Italian manufacturer's work on the new RS-GP, whose potential is being exploited to the full by Aleix Espargarò. Like any innovative project, there is still room to refine and evolve a technical package that has already proven to be competitive: an activity that continues to see the Aprilia Racing department engaged on all fronts.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"The summer break was certainly very useful for regaining the physical and mental energy needed in a competitive championship like MotoGP. The second half of the season will be crucial for us, we have to confirm the positive trend shown so far and look for a further step forward. The Austrian track may not be the one that best suits the characteristics of our package, but it must also be said that the RS-GP 2021 is showing good adaptability to different conditions. We'll wait for the first sessions to analyse our level".

LORENZO SAVADORI
"This is one of the tracks I know the least, having only raced there in 2019 with MotoE, so an extremely different category. I will have to recalibrate my parameters to make the most of the RS-GP. I really want to get back on the bike, during the break I tried to work on many aspects to be ready for this second part of the season."

The British Motor Museum is to host the Electric Vehicles Festival on Saturday 7th August. The Show, which began in 2019, will give visitors the opportunity to see hundreds of electric vehicles on display. All Fully Pure Electrics (BEV) are welcome to join the show for a celebration and display their vehicles including Electric Cars, E-Commercials, E-Bikes, E-Buses and E-Coaches. 

Key exhibits will include a Harley-Davidson Live Wire Electric MotorCycle and a Citroen AMI which is only making its second UK public appearance. The Ardingly Ifield Solar Challenge Team will be at the Festival as part of their tour from John 'o' Groats to Brighton along with the Cambridge University Solar Challenge Team.  MG Motors UK will be showcasing their facelift MG5 and MG-ZS EV that made its second UK appearance at the Festival in 2019. There will also be an electric boat ‘Silent Adventure’, and Tommy Tesla.  Eco-Classics, an electric vehicle conversion company, will be bringing along something new and Streetbikes will be showcasing their Zero Electric Motorcycles. Finally #EV Twizy Park will be making a comeback celebrating the Renault Twizy!

For the first time the Festival will incorporate a mini arena with presentations provided by Octopus Electric Vehicles throughout the day.  The festival is also the perfect place for those thinking about going electric. There will be an array of different makes and models on display as well as the opportunity to talk to the owners and find out what convinced them to take the plunge and go electric.

Jeff Coope, Managing Director at the British Motor Museum said, “The future of Electric Vehicles (EV) and events such as this is very important to the Museum and the evolution of EV technology is an important story for us to tell. We have already invested in 10 electric charging points for visitors and event organisers to use, with the infrastructure to support more. This has attracted public events such as the EV festival but also corporate EV events and product launches for many of the large motoring manufacturers. This is only the start of our EV journey”.

Exploring the future of the car is particularly important to the Museum. In 2019/2020 the Museum hosted a topical and thought provoking exhibition entitled “The Car. The Future. Me” which sparked much debate amongst its visitors.

Show tickets cost £14.50 per adult, £9 per child, £12.50 per concession and £40 for a family. All tickets for the show must be pre-booked. For more information, please visit the website www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk  or call 01926 641188.

For more information about the Electric Vehicles Festival visit www.electricvehiclesfestival.com


For more information on Electric Vehicles see here  

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