Category: Other

1. Honda’s elite riders visit English Institute of Sport

   Posted on 9:13am Monday 16th Dec 2013

   The Honda Racing family was out in force yesterday as a selection of its elite riders from various disciplines took part in an Assessment Day at the English Institute of Sport – the organisation behind much of Team GB’s outstanding success at the London 2012 Olympics.

   The roll call included: Pata Honda World Superbike star Leon Haslam and World Supersport riders Lorenzo Zanetti and Michael van der Mark; Honda’s 2014 road racing squad of 20-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and his new team-mate Conor Cummins; the new World Endurance Championship line-up of Freddy Foray, Julien Da Costa and Sebastien Gimbert; Honda Motocross World Championship riders Evgeny Bobryshev and Max Nagl; Gariboldi Honda MX2 star Tim Gajser and last-but-not-least, 2013 Enduro World Champion Alex Salvini. 

   The riders – who have eight world championship titles between them – took part in physio and isometric testing, strength and conditioning assessments and a fitness analysis, as well as a seminar on sleep patterns and jet lag in relation to sporting performance. The data collected from each rider will be collated and used to form the basis of their training and fitness programmes for the 2014 racing season.

   “It’s great for us to welcome the Honda riders to the English Institute of Sport,” said EIS Director of Operations Richard Parker. “Everything we do here is about maximising the performance of athletes and today provides an opportunity for us to assess the riders and see how we can give them some programmes to improve their performance on the bike in the coming year.”

   As the riders departed at the end of the day, they were in high spirits. “It has been great today as it’s always a pleasure to work with riders from other disciplines,” explains Honda’s new World Endurance signing Freddy Foray. “I am really looking forward to getting the results because I think it’s going to be really useful in training and racing next year. I know I have a few problems with my shoulder for example, and this will help me find out some more information about that and how I can deal with it going forward.”

   “To be honest I lost a bit of sleep about coming here as it’s to be fair it’s not my kind of thing, but it’s actually been good fun,” said road racer John McGuinness. “I’ve learned quite a lot and in the end I’m happy that I’ve done it. I’m buzzing to have spent the day with all these top riders from MX, Enduro and SBK and to do a bit of bonding with my new team-mate Conor. I’ve got some areas that I can tidy up, as I’m sure we all have, and hopefully next time I’ll be a bit stronger and we can put it all to the test.”

   For more information on the English Institute of Sport visit www.eis2win.co.uk

2. SHARK - The helmet of champions

   Posted on 7:54am Saturday 2nd Nov 2013

   SHARK-supported Tom Sykes was crowned the 2013 World Superbike Champion at Jerez, Spain on 20 October. To celebrate this, and by popular demand, SHARK Helmets has launched a very special new design - the Speed-R Sykes Replica.

   The model is a replica of the Race-R Pro helmet worn by the SBK champion and is a welcome addition to the existing SHARK racing replicas. The helmet features Sykes's unique design with chrome detailing and inspirational words in Japanese script including 'power’, ‘success’, ‘courage’, 'belief' and 'karma'.

   The Speed-R helmet is constructed from the latest generation composite fibre and weighs just 1450g without compromising on any features. It has a new sunvisor mechanism for better feeling with gloves and is available with PinLock Maxvision. It also features SHARK’s Easy Fit system for glasses wearers and a double D-ring strap.

   The Speed-R Sykes replica will be available in UK dealers from early December, priced at £309.99. To find your local dealer visit Nevis Marketing or call 01425 478936.

3. Welcome to our new website‏ - Maldon Shotblasting Powder Coating

   Posted on 8:45am Tuesday 29th Oct 2013

   We have recently completed a re-vamp on our website. You can now easily view all projects by category, read reviews on our blog and see the many varied projects on the galleries throughout the website. We also have plans to introduce a product shopping section soon..

   Should you wish to include any of your projects within the website to include a mention of yourself and any appropriate links, please feel free to send us photo's and information and we will look into organising this for you..

   Meanwhile, should you have any questions regarding any future projects, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

   Best regards,

   Trevor Lodge.

   www.ctc-powder-coating.co.uk

4. Getting ready for a Biker Rally - The difference between men & women

   Posted on 9:33am Friday 18th Oct 2013

   Women

   Three weeks before;

   • Book hair, nail, eyebrow appointment
   • Buy hair colour
   • Search e-bay for new outfit
   • Look at your womanly physique in the mirror... decide that you need to lose a stone in 3 weeks, so make mental note to do workout, sit-ups, squats, etc, every day
   • Save small amount of your favourite toiletries, face cleanser, toner, eye make up remover, day cream, night cream, eye cream, factor 15 for the face and factor 8 for the body (the sun WILL come out), body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hair product one (to give it body), hair product two (to make it straight), hair product three (to make it glossy) hair product four (so it does not frizz), hair product five (to keep it in place)

   Two weeks before;

   • Buy new outfit (two of just in case) off e-bay, found using searches such as 'Biker babe', 'biker rally outfit', 'black goth', 'black basque ladies', etc...
   • Start tan-tastic preparations, scrub flesh and moisturise

   The week before;

   • Dye hair, hair cut, buy new hair product
   • Eyebrows waxed
   • Manicure (and pedicure if its summer)
   • Apply self-tanning creams (unless goth)
   • Look in shops for a new outfit (just in case you see one you like better than the two you bought last week)

   The day before;

   • Sort out the clothing you are taking into piles
   • The clothing you are wearing on a hanger
   • All other items hidden, so that your Victor Meldrew husband does not say "Do you think you are taking that lot for two days!"

   The day of;

   • Face pack, condition hair, shave armpits and legs, apply make up with no mascara (to avoid panda eyes on the way in gail force winds)
   • Try to pack 10 tops, three pairs of jeans, 3 sets of matching underwear, toiletries (as above), towel (the size of a small country) into small bag
   • Text mates to see if they are taking hairdryers and/or straighterners as you realise you have gone over your allocation baggage allowance
   • Moisturise whole body, get dressed putting on extra layers of clothing that you could not fit into small bag
   • Put extra items you forgot to pack into coat pockets

   Men

   • Put tent on bike
   • Take toothbrush if longer than one night
   • Moan at woman at the amount of luggage she is taking for two nights
   • Put on 'Rally' pants, club t and leather vest
   • Go...

   Of course those apologies to all women who are lower maintenance and men who are higher...

5. Bennetts-Backed Joe Francis Wins British Moto3 Title

   Posted on 7:49am Tuesday 8th Oct 2013

   Commitment to supporting grassroots racing remains key for leading bike insurance specialist

   Fifteen-year-old Chester racer Joe Francis continued his path towards motorcycle stardom by winning the Moto3 class of the British Motostar championship at Silverstone yesterday.

   Bennetts first backed Joe in 2011, providing financial backing to help the then 13-year-old complete his season in the Aprilia Challenge championship, a series which has helped launch the career of numerous world champions including Cal Crutchlow, Chaz Davies and two-time MotoGP champ Casey Stoner. After going on to take the title in thrilling style, Bennetts continued to back the prodigious talent as he entered the British championships as part of its policy of supporting young riders.

   This season saw Francis join forces with the professional Team WD-40, racing a Honda NSF250R Moto3 machine in the British championship. Starting with a second place in his first race at Brands Hatch, the youngster scored a podium finish at every round until Sunday’s Silverstone event, where he rode with maturity to take the fifth place required to secure the title.

   Joe Francis said: “It’s a fantastic feeling to win the British championship. We had a few problems in qualifying but I knew what I had to do going into the race and I was able to get the fifth place that I needed to win the championship with a race to spare.

   “Bennetts have supported me since 2011 and have proved a great sponsor, not only in terms of helping me raise the finances required to go racing but also in raising my profile and putting me in touch with professionals who can help me progress my career. In the past year I have worked alongside Scott Redding and James Toseland, Bennetts’ other ambassador riders, and been interviewed by national TV, radio and newspapers.

   “Being a Bennetts ambassador is a fantastic experience for a young rider and they’ve certainly played their part in helping me to become a British champion. My ultimate aim is to make it to MotoGP and become a world champion, and I hope to continue working with Bennetts as I move on to the next step in my career.”

   Bennetts is committed to supporting Britain’s top motorcycle racing talent and up-and-coming young riders. In addition to Francis, the company is currently in its third season of backing Scott Redding, who currently leads the Moto2 world championship, and retains an association with two-time former World Superbike champion James Toseland.

   Any young riders who think they have what it takes to follow in the tyre tracks of Francis and Redding are invited to email Bennetts at [email protected], detailing their racing history, 2014 plans, career objectives and sponsorship requirements for the 2014 season.