Category: Events and Shows

1. Road-Race Ace Hickman To Appear At Newark Motorcycle Show‏

   Posted on 5:00pm Monday 7th Dec 2015

   MACAU Grand Prix winner Peter Hickman is set for guest-speaking duties at Newark’s New Year classic motorcycle event.

   The Carole Nash Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic will welcome the Lincolnshire star just weeks after he pulled off the stunning victory on November 21 to grab international headlines. It followed an impressive year for the 29-year-old who took the Fastest Lap by a Newcomer record at the Isle of Man TT with a 131mph circuit at this year’s races.

   Just days before the Macau win, it had been announced that Hickman would be making the switch from the RAF BMW Reserves team to GB Moto Kawasaki for the 2016 British Superbike Championship and next year’s international road races.

   Head of the event Nick Mowbray said: “Peter has enjoyed a superb year culminating in the Macau win; he’s definitely served fans with notice of his superstar potential. We’re delighted he’s on board for our Newark event and he’ll surely prove a popular addition.”

   Taking place at Newark Showground, the event is something of a homecoming for Hickman as the Louth-based rider is originally from nearby Burton-upon-Trent.

   The rest of the January 9-10 weekend will include hundreds of trade stands and autojumble plots packing in to the halls of the venue giving visitors the chance to pick up parts, spares, tools, accessories, clothing, memorabilia and more.

   Club stands and private entrants will also be displaying pristine restored and maintained classic machines of various makes models and eras.

   Also part of the event is two dedicated scooter halls which will mix displays, trade and jumble with interactive attractions such as the Skills Area and an Engine Rebuild competition. Former British scooter and sprint champion Norrie Kerr will be the Scooter World special guest for the weekend.

   Advance discount tickets are on sale now from Classic Bike Shows, with a one-day adult pass costing just £8 – a £2 saving against gate prices.

2. Paws & Claws Xmas Pet Food Run‏

   Posted on 10:00am Monday 7th Dec 2015

   Sunday 20th December - Depart 11.00am
   
   One week after the annual Xmas Toy Run and again meeting at the cafe to depart at 11.00am, is the annual ride out to attend the Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Rise, NW10. Established during the reign of Queen Victoria in 1886, the home is entirely funded by and dependent upon public support.

   Being the season for giving, we must not forget the animals, so often overlooked and neglected, and which entirely rely on places like "The Mayhew" and the generosity and support of all.

   The Mayhew welcomes gifts, to include towels, blankets (used as bedding) as well as pet food and treats for cats and dogs.

   Private donations can also be made on your visit to the Mayhew. You may even find a furry friend that you may wish to adopt!

   For those of you who can't make the run, there will be collecting tins on the counter and a collection box for food, treats and bedding etc at the cafe in the week leading up to the run.

   www.mayhewanimalhome.org

   On the same day, Sunday 20th December, why not join us for the cafe's annual candlelit Xmas Carol Singalong & Service, from 7pm, followed by complimentary hot, oven fresh, mince pies!

   For more information about Ace Cafe London, or what's on, check out: www.ace-cafe-london.com

3. The 30th year of The Bulldog Bash

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 2nd Dec 2015

   In August 2016, The Bulldog Bash celebrates its' 30th year...

   With a drag strip, demos, stunt shows, Wall of Death, Custom show sponsored by BSH, cheap beer and quality food, along with a massive indoor bar and stage marquee, great entertainment from top class bands, a rock karaoke tent, loads of trade stands and much more… With over 7,000 attending in 2015, it is thought that 2016 will see a record number of attendies!

   venue: Long Marston Airfield, Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 8LL. Gates open at about 1pm on Thursday 11th August and then you can party right through until Sunday. 
   price: Pre-book: £30 earlybird until the end of April 2016. After earlybird is finished, the pre book price is £40. OTG: £50. 
   tel: 01623 432972
   www.bulldogbash.co.uk
   facebook
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   twitter @thebulldogbash
   
   
   
   
   

4. al Automobile Club announces contenders for Torrens Trophy‏

   Posted on 12:37pm Tuesday 1st Dec 2015

   Each year the Royal Automobile Club awards a series of historic trophies and medals to individuals and organisations, celebrating and recognising outstanding achievements, technical skills and innovation in the motoring and motor sport industries.
   
   The Torrens Trophy recognises an individual or organisation considered to have made an outstanding contribution to motor cycling in Britain. The Trophy was first awarded in 1978 in memory of Arthur Bourne, a motor cycling journalist and Vice Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club who wrote a column under the name Torrens. It has only been awarded eight times in its history and only when the club feels that the achievement justifies it.

   Its last recipient was four times British Superbike Champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne. Shakey, upon receiving it said ‘It’s a great achievement to win the Torrens Trophy and be recognised by such an established and respected organisation as the Royal Automobile Club’.
   
   This year, with such a strong crop of potential worthy recipients, the Club’s Torrens Trophy Nominations Committee - consisting of Royal Automobile Club member Ben Cussons, Torrens Nomination Committee Chairman and ex-bike racer Barrie Baxter, well-respected motorcycle journalist Mat Oxley, former racer and commentator Steve Parrish and Arthur Bourne’s son Richard Bourne - debated long and hard. The overall winner of the Torrens Trophy will be awarded at the prestigious Pall Mall clubhouse in January. In no particular order, the shortlist of nominees for the 2015 trophy is:
   
   Ian Hutchinson
   Ian Hutchinson has bettered Isle of Man TT greats like Stanley Woods, Mike Hailwood, Joey Dunlop and John McGuinness by winning five TT races in one week. That was five years ago. Since then Hutchinson has been to hell and back. Just weeks after his unique achievement the Yorkshireman broke his left leg badly. Surgeons prescribed amputation but Hutchinson resisted and has since undergone 30 operations to retain the limb. His comeback is an awe-inspiring tale of triumph over adversity, climaxing with his return to winning form at the 2015 TT, when he won another three races.
   
   Danny Kent
   Britain has enjoyed plenty of success in the World Superbike Championship over the past few decades but none in motorcycling’s premier MotoGP series. Until Danny Kent came along. On November 8th the 22-year-old from Gloucestershire became this country’s first Grand Prix World Champion since Barry Sheene in 1977. Honda rider Kent won his crown in the harum-scarum Moto3 title, MotoGP’s junior championship, which launched the careers of Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and many others. Next year Kent moves up to Moto2, with the MotoGP class itself his eventual target.
   
   Jonathan Rea
   Years of hard work paid off for Northern Irishman Jonathan Rea when he secured the World Superbike Championship in September. Rea had been a race winner in the series for six seasons, but it took a change of manufacturer to fully realise his potential. The 28-year-old utterly dominated the 2015 campaign, taking his Kawasaki to victory in 14 of the 28 races and finishing on the podium in all but four races. Rea follows in the wheel tracks of fellow British World Superbike champions including Carl Fogarty and Neil Hodgson and former Torrens Trophy winners James Toseland and Tom Sykes.
   
   Tai Woffindon
   Speedway is one of the few surviving racing disciplines in which the rider’s right wrist is effectively connected to the rear tyre, untrammelled by a little black box of electronics making win-or-lose decisions. Not only that, speedway bikes run on methanol and have no brakes! Twenty-five-year-old Woffindon has climbed to the top of this most visceral of motor sports twice in the last three years, winning the 2013 and 2015 World Speedway Championships. The Australian-born Britain, known for his stylishly aggressive riding and cast-iron bravery, is also a multiple British Speedway Champion.
   
   
   The Torrens Trophy
   The Royal Automobile Club has always had a close association with the motor cycling world. The Club formed the Auto Cycle Club in 1903, which went on to become the Auto Cycle Union in 1947. The first Tourist Trophy race was held on the Isle of Man in 1905 for cars - two years before the first TT for motorcycles.
   
   The Torrens Trophy recognises an individual or organisation considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the cause of safe and skilful motorcycling in the United Kingdom OR to have made an outstanding contribution of technical excellence to further the cause of motor cycling in the UK OR to have shown outstanding skill in international motor cycling sporting events in the United Kingdom.
   
   The Torrens Trophy was first awarded in 1978 in memory of Arthur Bourne, a motor cycling journalist who wrote a column under the name Torrens. Arthur Bourne was also a Vice-Chairman of the RAC.
   
   Previous winners of the Torrens Trophy include BMW in 1989 in recognition for their contribution to motor cycle safety through their development of their anti-lock braking system and in 1998 to Ian Kerr of the Metropolitan Police for 20-years of tireless work in promoting safe and responsible motorcycling. In 2008 World Superbike Champion James Toseland was awarded the Trophy for his immense contribution to raising the profile of motorcycle racing in this country. In 2013 Tom Sykes was awarded the trophy for being crowned the fifteenth World Superbike Champion, the fourth from Great Britain and only the second rider to win for Kawasaki in the series for twenty years. The last recipient was Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne for his unique achievement of securing a fourth British Superbike Championship.

5. Motorcycle Live 2015 comes alive!‏

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 28th Nov 2015

   Motorcycle Live 2015 fired into life at The NEC, Birmingham today with a star-studded roll call of racing VIPs, over 30 manufacturer stands and 16 interactive features – including nine FREE opportunities to ride a bike – keeping the bike fans that flooded through the doors entertained all day long.

   The Black Horse Stage in the Eurosport Entertainment Zone welcomed a whole host of racing royalty, including three-time 500cc World Champion Kenny Roberts, 2015 World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea, 2015 Moto3 Champion Danny Kent, 2015 World Speedway Champion Tai Woffinden, 2015 British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes, MotoGP riders Maverick Vinales and Scott Redding and 2015 Isle of Man TT Senior winner John McGuinness.

   Meanwhile, the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturers showcased their 2016 models in the UK for the first time and over 150 other exhibitors displayed everything from leathers, helmets and boots to dream adventure tours.

   Visitors of all ages enjoyed a whole host of live and interactive features, including the all-new FMX Live, presented by Arenacross – the craziest freestyle motocross show ever to hit Motorcycle Live, featuring the world’s leading riders whipping and back-flipping to lasers, lights and LEDs and a heart-pumping soundtrack. Motorcycle Live 2015 runs for the next eight days until Sunday 6 December.

   Tickets are available to buy on the door at £20 per adult, £14 for Seniors and £9 for children aged 11-16* (kids ten and under accompanied by a paying adult go free).

   Visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk for more details.