Friday 31st July

The Metzeler team will be available at Ace Cafe London from 6pm – 11pm close, to talk tyres and show you a set of Guy Martin’s special edition Racetec RR tyres. These tyres have been forged on the tarmac of the fastest and most prestigious road races, the IOM TT.

Also, spend £5 or more over the counter at the cafe from 6pm and receive a raffle ticket to win some Metzeler goodies, plus pairs of tickets at attend the cafe’s Elvis Tribute Night.

Draw to be held at 10pm.

www.metzeler.co.uk

For more information about what’s on at the Ace, check out the scrolling calendar on: www.ace-cafe-london.com

The first Shelsley Bike Festival, brought to you by the organisers of the established Prescott Bike Festival, will take place at the historic Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb, Worcestershire, WR6 6RP on Sunday 13 September – just 20 minutes from the M5. A great day out for all motorcyclists and their families and all to raise funds for the Blood Bike charities.

There are lots to see and do:

Ride: the oldest continually running motorsport track in the world, the same one that Stirling Moss started his career and Guy Martin practiced on. Limited entries at just £35 so best to book now.

See: Get up close and personal with over 100 historic, modern and factory race bikes in our Paddock Special area. Stunning examples to get your attention! Lunchtime interviews in the Paddock with the riders and their bikes. Plus Club stands, Motorcycle manufacturers and more.

Do: Run the Hill with our unique Passenger Experiences. Try a racing sidecar outfit, the Morgan Three Wheeler, a Grinnall Trike or Scorpion and a Watsonian Squire Sidecar Outfit.

Buy: End of season bargains featuring the Blade Motorcycles Outlet Centre. Plus lots of trade stands!

Meet: Three times British Superbike Champion John Reynolds; Zoe Cano Motorcycle Adventurer; David Hailwood; the Scott Redding backed Team Repli-Cast UK Racing and its rising stars of Moto3, Charlie Nesbitt and Joe Thompson and top riders from Supermoto UK plus lots more! It’s not just motorcyclists either - come and meet your favourite Star Wars characters from the UK Garrison.

Hot News – the UK launch of the electric powered Morgan Three Wheeler

Plus

Live music from Josie & the Outlaw and guests

Burlesque (family friendly)

Plenty of good food, drinks and stuff for the younger kids too.

Save £5 on the Gate Price – general admission tickets are just £10 in advance.

Festival Organiser, Gordon Downie said, “We’ve built a good reputation for our Season Opener at Prescott and it seemed so natural to follow it up with a Season Closer and we are delighted to bring our Festival to Shelsley Walsh in September. Shelsley is the oldest motor sport venue in continuous use in the world and our event provides the unique opportunity for members of the public to take part and ride the historic hill climb course on their own bike. Run the Hill entries are limited, and are already selling fast, so booking early is essential”.

The Festival prides itself on its diversity, and is not just for modern bikes either, the classic marques are well represented with the likes of Bantam, AJS, BSA, Rudge, Royal Enfield, Douglas, Manxman, Ariel, Matchless and Norton to custom choppers. Whilst there are just too many to mention, here are a few to whet your appetite:-

Allen Millyard and his home-built ‘Flying Millyard’, this beast is powered by a gigantic 5.0-litre V-twin engine designed for an aeroplane!

MADMAX Race Team ‘Streetfighter’, the world’s fastest jet turbine street legal motorbike.

The experimental 1963 Norton Manx 348cc Reverse Head developed by Ray Petty and Derek Minter.

Plus the iconic 1962 BSA Rocket Gold Star 650cc (a genuine original) 1 of only 1370 built, a prototype 1927 Velocette KSS 350cc - affectionately known by enthusiasts across the world as ‘Spring-Heeled Jack’, the only one ever built at Hall Green, Birmingham 1945 and a Moto Guzzi Airone Corsa to name but a few!

Visit the Mike West Racing Paddock to see and hear an impressive array of famous and iconic race bikes.

Free parking, free motorcycle side stand puck and free helmet park for bikers

Gates Opens at: 08:30am, Track starts at: 09:30am, Festival closes at: 4:30pm.

For further information or to book advance tickets please visit: www.shelsleybikefestival.co.uk

Forget flowers and chocolates, it would appear that the surest way to woo a potential love interest is to grab the L plates and brush up on driving skills as a new survey from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) reveals the UK’s biggest first date turn-offs.

Whilst rudeness scored highest in the list, with 81% of Brits citing bad manners as the worst thing a suitor can do, driving is a three-point turn off as nearly half of the 10 worst offences happen in the car before the date has even begun.

The research found road rage to be the worst first-date faux pas for almost half (46%) of people, whilst a similar number say texting at the wheel leaves them wanting to put the brakes on the date.

Talking on a mobile whilst driving appeared at number seven in the list, grinding the gears of 44 per cent of those questioned. And it’s best to bin those crisp packets as nearly a quarter (23%) finds a dirty car unappealing.

Top 10 first date turn-offs

1. Rudeness (81%)
2. Bad personal hygiene (80%)
3. No sense of humour (70%)
4. Being self-obsessed (69%)
5. Road rage (46%)
6. Texting whilst driving (45%)
7. Talking on a mobile whilst driving (44%)
8. Bad dress sense (40%)
9. Sweaty palms (25%)
10. Dirty car (23%)

Top 10 first date turn-ons

1. Sense of humour (81%)
2. Politeness (77%)
3. Good personal hygiene (69%)
4. Good dress sense (50%)
5. Looks (44%)
6. Confidence (44%)
7. Generosity (29%)
8. Good driving skills (11%)
9. Great shoes (9%)
10. Nice car (7%)

A further one in 10 (11%) are irritated by someone who takes 15 minutes to park, whilst an eighth of Brits (13%) find overly cautious drivers who go under the speed limit off-putting.

Other turn-offs include bad personal hygiene, which causes four in five (80%) of us to lose interest, and no sense of humour which shirks nearly three quarters (70%) of singletons. Being self-obsessed (69%) and sweaty palms (25%) also scored highly in the list.

On the flipside, more than one in 10 (11%) Brits say good driving skills get their motors running on a first date – beating a nice car (7%) and great shoes (9%).

The IAM’s chief executive, Sarah Sillars said: “Bad driving not only has an impact on the safety of our roads, but can also affect your chances of romance. Being able to manoeuvre properly and drive carefully should be much higher up on peoples dating priorities.”

The research revealed that Brits pick up on the driving skills of a date – good or bad - within the first 65 seconds of getting in the car, with half picking up on their potential partner’s prowess behind the wheel in just 20 seconds.

Singles can improve their driving skills – and chances of romance – by signing up for a free IAM driving assessment worth £39 at iam.org.uk/lovedriving. See if you can improve your ‘pulling’ power today.

The IAM is the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to improving standards and safety in driving and motorcycling. The commercial division of the IAM operates through its occupational driver training company IAM Drive & Survive. The IAM has more than 200 local volunteer groups and over 90,000 members in the UK and Ireland. It is best known for the advanced driving test and the advanced driving and motorcycling courses. Its policy and research division offers advice and expertise on road safety.

Michael Rutter has confirmed he'll contest a full programme of events at this year's Classic TT presented by Bennetts with the four-time TT winner now lining up in the Motorsport Merchandise Formula One race as well as the Bennetts 500cc Classic and Okells Brewery 350cc TT Races.

The Midlands ace will ride a F1 Ducati, identical to the machine his father Tony took to third place in both the 1984 Formula One TT Race and TT Formula One World Championship and comes in addition to his outings on the Ripley Land machines in the 350cc and 500cc Races. Rutter, who took third in this year's Bennetts Lightweight TT Race, will run the bike in the same livery that his Dad rode, complete with matching helmet and leathers.

Tony Rutter had a strong association with Ducati in the 1980s, taking four successive World Formula Two Championships from 1981-1985, but he also had success on the larger capacity version, particularly in 1984 when he was only beaten by the works Hondas of Joey Dunlop and Roger Marshall in the six lap TT Formula One Race. He lapped at an impressive 111.35mph that year and went on to take fourth at the Ulster GP and Vila Real, Portugal, fifth at Zolder, Belgium and seventh at the Dutch TT to claim third overall in the World Championship.

Michael will now ride a replica of his Dad's machine built by Belgium company Redfox Grinta who are renowned Ducati specialists. Owned by Jan de Vos, Redfox Grinta have been competing and winning in Supersport, Superbike, Battle of the Twins, Supertwins and Endurance racing for almost 20 years with all of their bikes built and developed in their workshop.

With years of experience, they have recently branched out into Classic racing and will now make their debut at the Classic TT where rider, machine and team are sure to generate huge interest in the paddock.

Michael Rutter commented:

"I really enjoyed the Classic TT last year and to come back this year with bikes for every class is brilliant, especially getting the opportunity to ride a F1 Ducati identical to my Dad's. It's something that's been in the pipeline for a while and although we originally planned to contest the F2 Race, we've now decided to go in the F1 race instead. Dad got round at some impressive lap times almost 30 years ago so it's going to be a thrill and honour to ride a bike identical to that and having the matching paint scheme and leathers makes it even more special."

Having been forced to miss last year's Classic TT presented by Bennetts through injuries sustained at the preceding Ulster Grand Prix, Scots ace Keith Amor will finally get to make his debut at the event later this year.

The Falkirk rider was due to ride 350cc and 500cc Manx Norton's for Dunnell Racing and it's that same team that the now 43-year will ride for in August, contesting both the Bennetts 500cc and Okells 350cc Classic TT Races.

It will be Amor's first time on Classic machinery around the Mountain Course but the Dunnell machines are well prepared with Dunnell being one of the most respected classic bike builders in the UK.

Conor Cummins rode for Team Dunnell at the inaugural event in 2013, finishing seventh in the 350cc Race whilst Amor's late replacement twelve months ago, Mick Godfrey had an excellent ride in the 500cc Race and went one better coming home in sixth, also lapping in excess of 102mph.

Although he has a lack of Classic race experience, Amor's diminutive stature and knowledge of the Mountain Course should mean he'll be challenging for podiums in both race and he's relishing the opportunity to finally compete, particularly as he had to miss last year's races due to the aforementioned Ulster GP crash.

Adding his name to the entry list for the 500cc and 350cc Classic TT Races, the five-times TT podium finisher, now back to full fitness after his Supersport TT spill in June, adds further spice to an already mouthwatering line up that promises to be even better than the two previous years.

Dunnell himself has a long association with the Isle of Man, first as a competitor in the Manx Grand Prix and, in later years, as a sponsor and entrant. After a four year layoff, Tony returned to the Isle of Man in 2013 and has clearly embraced the Classic TT movement as he will be providing Keith with the latest specification 500cc and 350cc Manx Norton's along with spare bikes for each class.

Speaking about making his Classic TT debut, Keith Amor commented: "Obviously I was gutted to pick up the injury at the Ulster Grand Prix last year, but mainly because it meant I couldn't ride at the Classic TT. Tony has put together a great team for me for the event and the bikes should be as quick as any other single cylinder bike out there. Podium's in both races has to be our target and if we can do that, given the nature of Classic racing, anything is possible after that. Michael Rutter, Bruce Anstey and Dan Cooper showed that you can run at the front on a single last year and I intend to be right on that kind of pace."