The Triumph Triple Challenge got off to a thrilling start at a sunny Brands Hatch with former BSB rider Luke Jones grabbing the first two wins of the season.

Jones, on the KGD Racing Triumph, took the first pole position of the year too in the scorching conditions with a time of 49.245secs. Lining up next to Jones was Tom Ward riding the Stocks Garage machine, he was just 0.229secs behind. Tom Hayward riding the Daniel Weston Racing bike slotted into third place as he stepped up from the 125 class. And completing the front row of the grid was Tommy Dale on the Power2Connect/11KV bike.

Phil Atkinson who finished second in the Championship last year had a tough time on track qualifying in a lowly 10^th position. The South African rider suffered from handling issues which he hoped to rectify before the race.

Peter “Pesky” Ward, former BSB Superstock Cup Champion and current Triumph test rider, qualified in sixth place on the second row of the grid. This weekend is his first run out on the Peter Ward Racing Triumph so he was happy with the result and was feeling confident ahead of race one.

Jones said: “We made some changes to the suspension from yesterday as the bike was squatting too much but it felt a lot better today in qualifying. The Triumph feels really agile having come from Superbike last year. I’m pleased with pole let’s hope I get a result in the race.”

Race one got off to good start for Hayward who took the holeshot into Paddock Hill bend closely shadowed by Jones who didn’t waste any time slotting into the lead at Druids. 16-year old Tom Ward moved up into second place pushing Hayward back to third with Pesky running in fourth.

Another former 125 rider, Tom Weeden was making his presence felt taking fourth place off the more experienced Peter Ward. Just two laps in and Jones was beginning to make a break with Tom Ward going with him. Weeden had now moved up another place and was running in an impressive third position.

The top four had settled into the race until lap seven when Tom Ward crashed out of second place at Graham Hill bend. This promoted Weeden to second and Pesky to third, an out-of-the-seat moment for Weeden allowed Pesky to slide under him also at Graham Hill bend. He put his head down to try and reel in Jones who now had a 5 second lead.

Weeden wasn’t settling for third place and whilst trying to pass Pesky on the run into Druids he crashed out of the race. His fall pushed Piers Hutchins wide allowing Ashley Beech to capitalise on the tumble and he nabbed third place in the race.

Pesky took second place and Beech completed the podium.

Jones said: “I got a reasonable start and was second into the first corner. I wanted to get clear and make a break so I got into the lead and put my head down for three laps to pull a gap. I watched my board and when I saw the gap I backed off a little and just brought it home.”

Ward said: “I’ve not raced with these guys and girls before so I just wanted to settle in. The gearing isn’t quite right so I need to sort that out for race two. I’ve only had a few laps on the bike this weekend so it’s a good start.”

Beech said: “I only got my bike on Friday so I’ve only managed one practice start. So when the race started the bike came off the line like a drag bike it! It wanted to wheelie so I ended up mid pack. I just went steady into the first turn and then started picking them off. I knew I was in the pack for the podium so I was going to have a go. Weeden crashing really helped me as he pushed Hutchins wide so I’m hoping for another good result tomorrow.”

 The grid for race two was set on lap times from race one leaving Jones in pole but promoting Beech to second, Tom Ward lined up in third place and Weeden completed the front row.

Jones got the holeshot closely followed by Weeden, Beech and Pesky. Jim Lovell and Tom Ward both had short races with Lovell crashing out at Druids on the opening lap and Tom Ward going out with a technical issue.

Jones tried to break away like he did in race one but Beech who had moved into second decided to go with him. The pair broke away from the chasing pack with Beech just a breath away from Jones the entire race. At one point he was just 0.049secs behind the hard charging Jones. He had hoped to out drag him to the line but his plan failed due to a big moment on the final lap.

16-year old Weeden was doing his best to hold onto his third place in the race but the more experience Pesky had other ideas passing the youngster with just two laps to go.

Jones took his second win of the weekend, Beech finished second and Pesky took the final podium place. Jones is now leading the championship on 50 points with Beech and Pesky in joint second with 36 points each leaving Hutchins in third with 22 points.

Jones said: “It was hard leading from the start and it took me a while to get going. I knew Ash was close so I just did my best to make no mistakes and keep to my lines to take the win. I’m looking forward to Oulton Park as I can’t wait to get back out on the bike. I feel I’m learning it now so I’ll have a play with the suspension and see what happens.”

Beech said:  “That was good as I caught him quickly. I thought I could slipstream him to the line but when it mattered I had a near high side and ended up out of the seat. The bike feels better and I’m getting faster and faster. By Oulton Park I should be able to give him a run for his money.”

Ward said: “I changed the gearing for warm-up and it still didn’t feel quite right so I changed it again for the race. I got stuck behind Weeden for too long but I got a podium and more points so it’s all good.”

The Triumph Triple Challenge will hit the track again for round two at Oulton Park in Cheshire on 30^th April – 2^nd May.

A European Commission funded motorcycle project 2BeSafe www.2besafe.eu , initiated over two years ago which focuses on “Two Wheeler Behaviour and Safety”, has broken the surface with the launch of a survey.

As reported by the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations (FEMA) the survey is designed “to better understand the needs of riders in terms of safety”.

The 2BeSafe survey asks motorcyclists about their personal details, family, riding experience, accidents, strategies, motivation and habits, as well as perception of assistance technology systems, including advanced braking systems, navigation units, air bags and other riding equipment.

The control of the motorcycle other than by the rider has crept into the 2BeSafe survey with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA). According to the description in the survey “These systems adapt the distance to the vehicle ahead automatically either by slowing the motorcycle if following too closely, or accelerating the motorcycle to maintain a preset following distance when traffic allows”.

The questions on technology seem to intertwine with the previous SAFERIDER project survey carried out in 2008. However the objectives of the 2BeSafe project do not mention the development of the SAFERIDER IT systems, so there is no clear reason why the survey should ask these questions, because this is not the remit of the project.

Is the 2BeSafe project really just SAFERIDER2 in another guise?

Attitude

The last part of the survey prompts riders to reply not just about their attitude to riding but their attitude to breaking the law.

Even sex is in the survey!  They want to know if riders, “Ride fast because the opposite sex enjoys it” but unfortunately they forgot to consider that there are motorcyclists who may want to attract the same sex!

Right To Ride Opinion - Comments

Right To Ride comments, “This is yet another EU survey wanting to know if you like speeding; If you take risks; if you break the law - and - if you want technology such as Intelligent Speed Adaptations (ISA) on your motorcycle. It is in our view, another attempt to identify motorcyclists as “bad boys” and to foist technology on motorcyclists as the solution to reduce motorcycle casualties.

The FP7 EU funded project 2BeSafe has gathered researchers from 10 European countries, Australia and Israel. The researchers who put the survey together claim to aim to improve the general knowledge of rider behaviour, but instead demonstrate a lack of understanding of what is after all, a form of transport, not belonging to any one group of society.

We believe that the survey is flawed.

If, as FEMA suggests, the results of the survey are designed to help with the identification of positive measures for motorcyclist safety in the form of recommendations for traffic authorities, trainers, manufacturers, and infrastructure operators, then we are in big trouble.

We at Right To Ride also believe that the outcome of the survey is already a foregone conclusion. We base this opinion on comments made in the first document published by the consortium Rider / Driver behaviours and road safety for PTW in which they state

“Risk taking, as well as sensation seeking is a typical behaviour of PTWs (motorcyclists). This behaviour is usually reflected in activities such as disobeying traffic signal, give way or stop sign, non compliance to double white lines or pedestrian crossing, making illegal turns or speeding, maintaining low gaps with the following vehicles and so on. (…) because motorcycle riding is well known to be a dangerous activity, it ‘may tend to attract risk-seeking individuals, in all age and socio-economic categories’, which would have a corresponding effect on the total motorcycle accident figures )”.

For the full article – link to survey – links – information or to leave a comment:

Visit the Right To Ride EU website.

The British Motorcyclists Federation is warning of the possibility of countrywide parking charges being introduced for motorcycles following the failure in the Court of Appeal to overturn a High Court decision that backed the parking charges traffic order implemented by Westminster City Council in January 2010.

The ‘No To Bike Parking Tax’ campaign (NTBPT), a campaign group supported by the 80,000 strong BMF, had brought the appeal but three senior judges today ruled there was "nothing in the grounds of appeal" and dismissed their case.

Warren Djanogly, who led the NTBPT campaign, said: "We are hugely disappointed, but it is not over yet. We are now thinking of taking our case to the European courts where we expect to get a fairer hearing."

The BMF, whose members helped in raising the money required for the bringing of the appeal, say that cash-strapped Local Authorities across the country have been watching the situation closely and with the loss of the appeal, motorcyclists could now be faced with the threat of a nationwide rollout of parking charges.

A strong supporter of the ‘No To Bike Parking Tax’ (NTBPT) campaign from its inception in August 2008 the BMF say while the campaign gained massive rider support in London, many councils across the UK, possibly starting with Birmingham and Manchester, were also considering bringing in similar Pay by Phone charges for motorcycles and it was only the Westminster legal case that was preventing them doing so.

If parking charges were to be introduced, the Tax Payers Alliance have calculated that annually, it would cost the UK’s motorcycling community a staggering £93,000,000 in parking charges.

BMF Chairman, Anna Zee, who has taken part in most of the big anti-tax demonstrations together with a number of other BMF members, said she was deeply disappointed at the verdict. “The use of motorcycles and scooters in urban environments can contribute greatly to easing congestion and anything which discourages such use is to be deplored.”

Commenting on the ruling, the BMF’s Government Relations Executive Chris Hodder, said: “This is disappointing and is a blow to everyone involved in the campaign, but more than that, the ruling that Westminster’s parking charges for motorcycles are legal could well signal the end of free parking for motorcyclists across the UK.”

The BMF will now be asking members of its regional network to carefully monitor Local Authorities for any signs of plans to implement motorcycle parking charges.

www.bmf.co.uk.

Maria Costello MBE, one of the most recognisable faces in British Motorcyling, will ride in this week’s first round of the Rapid Solicitors Ducati 848 Challenge at Brands Hatch.

Maria has never before raced a Ducati during her career but now the 848 Challenge has presented her with an opportunity to realise an ambition of racing a Ducati Superbike. She will be the first female to compete in the 848 Challenge when she rides the Ducati UK VIP bike over two races during the Easter weekend.

Maria commented on her Ducati debut, "I am so excited about this opportunity, I have always loved Ducati’s and I have ridden many of the Superbikes on track days, but never before in a race. I tested the 848 at Brands last week and it is fantastic bike and I am really looking forward to racing it in front of a big crowd."

The first round of the 848 Challenge will take place over the Easter Weekend, 22 to 24 April, and is an official support race for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship.

Maria will also be supporting the breast cancer charity CoppaFeel this season. For further information about Maria Costello visit www.costelloracing.com

The Heritage Motor Centre is to host the popular annual Heritage Land Rover Show on Sunday 1 May.

Thousands of enthusiasts and club members are expected to converge at the show to enjoy a great family day out. Featuring many different models on display, visitors can also enjoy a number of rides on the new improved Land Rover Experience off-road course including passenger experiences, test tracks and heritage rides. There will also be a special appearance from Shaun the Sheep’s Land Rover, plus Ian Cook, the radical artist, will be painting the new Range Rover Evoque. Ian uses a unique style of painting using remote control cars on canvas. Attending the show is the perfect opportunity to see how his creations are produced and to create your very own masterpiece!

Another fantastic exhibition to be showcased during the show is the Land Rover Legacy Travelling Exhibition. The exhibition tells the story of the Lode Lane factory, its people and products, from 1940 to the present day and features photographs from the Archives of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust.

To celebrate Land Rover’s 63rd Birthday, the annual Heritage Run from Lode Lane in Solihull to the HMC will take place. Starting from the home of the legend at the Land Rover factory in Solihull at 10:00am, the procession is due to arrive at the HMC at 11:00am. Featuring around 150 cars, the Heritage Run is an amazing spectacle to see.

Emma Rawlinson, Events Executive at the Heritage Motor Centre stated “We’re delighted to be hosting this special event which is an absolute must for Land Rover and Range Rover enthusiasts. For many the show is the highlight on the events calendar and a definite date in the diary for anyone who loves these famous iconic models”.

The show will be open from 10am – 5pm. General admission prices are £11 in advance or £14 on the day for adults, £9 in advance or £12 on the day for concessions, £5 in advance or £8 on the day for children aged 5 – 16. Under 5’s are admitted free of charge. An advance family ticket costs £30 in advance or £40 on the day and admits 2 adults and 3 children. This year visitors can camp for 3 nights on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday for just £30 in advance and take advantage of a special Museum and Show entrance offer of just £18 for all three days. Advance tickets and camping can be purchased by phoning the ticket hotline on 01926 645029 Monday – Friday from 9:30am – 5pm. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased on-line at www.hlrw.co.uk

The HMC is also having a large screen brought in so visitors can watch the Royal Wedding on the Friday. The Centre provides the perfect place to spend the entire Bank Holiday Weekend plus visitors can take advantage of the special Royal Wedding ticket. As well as watching the wedding, visitors can gain access to the museum all weekend, see the new ‘Sci-Fi at the Movies’ exhibition, and attend the Heritage Land Rover show on the Sunday! To find out more information please visit the website at www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk