EIGHTH AND NINTH ROW FOR BAUTISTA AND MELANDRI 

Le Mans (France), 16 May 2015 - The unpredictable weather conditions, with cold and a less than perfect track, after the rain late this morning and the resulting poor grip, did not help the work Bautista and Melandri were trying to accomplish, still looking for the right direction to go in development of the Aprilia RS-GP bikes.

After the morning free practice session where the good time Bautista put on the sheets (16th in 1'34.341) was a sign that the work being done in the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini garage was headed in the right direction, a light rain decidedly worsened the condition of the French asphalt. Although the track had dried off when the qualifiers started, the poor grip definitely hindered the performance of the Italian bikes and ended the session - which decided the order on the starting grid for the race tomorrow - with Bautista in 23rd place (1'35.458) and Melandri in 25th (1'37.522), positions which respectively place them on the eighth and ninth row for the start of tomorrow's GP.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
"The poor grip conditions, precisely in the qualifiers, certainly didn't help since our main problem at this time is tyre performance. It's obvious that significantly poor grip like what we have today penalises us more than the others. It's a shame because the morning went rather well with Alvaro, who was then unable to repeat the performance in the decisive session. We are well aware of the problem and we absolutely must improve this aspect which is decisive in order to improve the overall performance of the bike."

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
"It's quite clear that here at Le Mans today we paid the price for the poor grip, also due to the low temperature. In these conditions it's difficult to get power to the tarmac. But it's no surprise and what we need to do is take steps to fix the situation for tomorrow. We have some changes in mind and we'll try them tomorrow during warm up. The goal is to improve for the race."

ALVARO BAUTISTA
"After the free practice sessions we had to face rather unfavourable conditions in the qualifiers. Poor grip, despite the fact that the asphalt had dried off, put us at a distinct disadvantage, especially in terms of traction. I'm disappointed because in the morning I had put in a good time and I thought I could improve even more. For the race everything is hinging on the weather: if it's dry let's hope for some heat as well, which would eliminate some of the disadvantages that hindered us today."

MARCO MELANDRI
"I'm facing the same problems as I had at the beginning of the season. I need some significant changes that will help me gain more confidence on the bike. This is a fundamental condition for me to think about pushing hard to try and achieve results."

With the number of drivers age 70 or older now rising by more than 10,000 a month, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is calling for the government, medical professionals and assessment providers to come together to address the needs of this generation of motorists.

The call comes in light of figures showing for the first time there are now more than 4.34 million licence holders over 70 on our roads; 320,000 more than three years ago - an increase of 11% from 3.9 million in 2012 (reference 1/2).

The 323,631 increase in the past 31 months amounts to an average additional increase of 10,440 drivers age 70 and over on UK roads per month.

Over 80’s broke the one million number last year and increased by over 100,000 since then; a rise of 10% to 1.17 million (reference 1/2).

There are more than 11,000 more licence holders in their 90s compared to three years ago, an increase of 16%, while there are now 232 licence holders over 100, a rise of 70 on three years ago.

Britain’s oldest licence holder in 2015 is 107, while in 2012 it was 106.

What’s more projections have shown those numbers could almost double in around 20 years.

Current government data shows that there were five million people in the UK aged 75 and over in 2012; this is projected to rise to 5.5 million in 2017; 6.6 million in 2022; 7.7 million in 2027; 8.5 million in 2032 and 9.5 million in 2037 (reference 3).

Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “People are living longer and therefore there are many more drivers on the roads that are past retirement age. We want these drivers to enjoy their motoring for as long as possible, so we want some thought and resources to go into how we can allow this to happen.”

IAM research shows that the most common factors in a road accident involving a person over 70 were: failing to judge the other person’s path or speed, poor turn-in or manoeuvre, losing control, illness or disability, dazzling sun; and nervousness, anxiety or panic (reference 4).

It added those factors were typical of deteriorating physical and cognitive functioning (also reference 4).

However figures show that older drivers are proven to be the safest on the roads. Previous analysis by the IAM found that older drivers are involved in a smaller number of injury accidents than drivers under the age of 60. In 2011, people over 70 made up nine per cent of drivers but six per cent of driver casualties, while drivers under 30 made up 20 per cent of drivers but 35 per cent of casualties (reference 5).

The IAM is calling for the following:

• A government action plan for older drivers • More car manufacturers considering older drivers in vehicle design • Better information for older drivers and their families • Online self-assessment tools for older drivers • Wider availability of voluntary on-road driving assessments • Better partnership working at a local level

IAM’s table of drivers over 70 is broken down as follows:

In 2012

Numbers of driving licence holders in their: 70s/80s/90s/100s 2,842,452/988,424/71,097/162 (highest: age 106)

In 2015

Numbers of driving licence holders in their: 70s/80s/90s/100s 3,166,083/1,089,065/82,937/232 (highest: age 107)

Increase between 2012 and 2015 (numerical) +323,631/+100,641/+11,840/+70

Increase between 2012 and 2015 (percentage) +11.3%/+10%/+16.7%/+43.1%  

The Splitlath Group will be back at the Isle of Man TT races, fuelled by Monster Energy, in full force this year with riders Mark Miller and Hudson Kennaugh.

Riding under the Splitlath EBR banner, the team will again be campaigning 1190 RS EBR machines in the RST Superbike, RL360 Superstock and PokerStars Senior TT races and despite the recent announcement from Erik Buell Racing (EBR) that they were withdrawing from racing, Splitlath is determined to continue flying the U.S. manufacturers colours without factory support. Mark Miller will also race for the team on an ER6 Kawasaki in the Bennetts Lightweight race.

The Splitlath EBR team used the EBR machines for their 2014 TT campaign with American riders Miller and Brandon Cretu with former Macau Grand Prix podium finisher Miller lapping at a more than impressive 122.996mph in the Senior race while Cretu gave them their first TT finish with 42nd in the Senior. Building upon the lessons learned in 2014 the team now aim to show the true potential of the incredible EBR1190RS.

Miller is now a stalwart of the TT, having not missed a year since making his debut back in 2006, and is the fastest American ever to have lapped the Mountain Course with a lap of 125.507mph recorded in 2009. He also won the TT Zero race in 2010, finishing second in 2011 and third in 2012 and, having taken four top twenty finishes, he now has 19 replicas to his name.

Kennaugh makes his return to the TT after a four year absence. The South African ace made his debut in 2010 when he lapped at 121.759mph and picked up three bronze replicas. He went on to win the 2013 Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship and currently occupies second overall in the 2015 series having finished on the podium at each of the first three rounds including taking victory at the opening round at Donington Park.

Team owner John Dimbylow commented: "We're still confident that we haven't seen the last of Erik Buell and the EBR company so for us it was a simple decision; either give up on this year, or continue fighting and show the world just how incredible the EBR machines are on the roads. We felt we had a responsibility to all of the guys back at the factory to keep their bikes racing this year!"

The Splitlath EBR team will also return to China with American Cory West to defend their lead in the Pan Delta Series and then return to Macau for the third consecutive year aboard the EBR machines.

The MotoGP European season continues this week on the historic French Le Mans track: the goal for Bautista and Melandri is to finish in the points

Le Mans (France), 12 May 2015 - Fresh from a positive Spanish Grand Prix, Alvaro Bautista and Marco Melandri will be back astride their Aprilia RS-GP bikes for the fifth round of the MotoGP championship on the French Le Mans circuit.

The dual objective for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders is to finish in the points, further reducing the gap behind their adversaries - a result that Bautista has already brought home twice, in Austin and at Jerez - and to continue developing the bike, which has already undergone an initial acceleration from the start of the European season with positive feedback from Bautista who tested the new seamless gearbox for the first time in the post-race tests at Jerez.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
“At Jerez the European phase of the Championship got off to a positive start: we finished the Grand Prix with both riders, the second championship point brought home by Bautista and a performance by Melandri that improved throughout the weekend. It was a trip where some comforting data came out for the future, thanks in part to the tests conducted the day after the race when Bautista provided the first positive feedback on a new seamless gearbox that should be making its début on the track very soon. This is confirmation that gives the entire team a boost of confidence: a first significant step in our development process that we knew would speed up once we got back onto European soil, with the opportunity to establish a more direct connection between on work at headquarters and track operations. Now we are taking on the French GP in the hopes of being able to take another step forward.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
"In Spain we had a great weekend, completed by positive post-race tests. We can feel satisfied with our achievements so far, with the two championship points Bautista has earned. We have shown that we are able to easily battle to be in the top 15, so now it would be nice if Melandri could bring home his first points of the season in France. After all, Le Mans represents another important milestone in our path of development, so we'll keep working to reduce the gap behind our adversaries as we have done in recent races.”

ALVARO BAUTISTA
“At Jerez we worked very well throughout the entire race weekend. At Le Mans we'll be taking on a track which is similar in many ways, so I think that the data we collected in Spain may be a good base to start from. In the tests on Monday I was able to try the new seamless gearbox for the first time. It's a shame we won't have it already for Le Mans because it is already at a great level, but I'm confident that even with the current version of our bike we'll be able to do well this weekend. I have great memories of last year's race where I took the third step of the podium. The goal this round is the same as the previous races: to keep reducing the gap behind the other riders that are ahead of us and to be as competitive as possible. The track has a lot of direction changes, so we'll be working hard to obtain an agile and easy to ride bike. For the rest we'll try to stay as focused as possible in order to be ready for any conditions since weather conditions often change quickly here at Le Mans. The second championship point earned at Jerez provides great motivation for the entire team. We're ready to work hard.”

MARCO MELANDRI
“The Le Mans track is quite particularly, but I've always liked it. In fact, every time I've raced here I've done well. In this round it would be nice to try and get into the points. I think this is a realistic goal within our reach whilst waiting for important technical changes that will allow me to take more significant steps forward. The weather forecast seems pretty good so, as always, we'll be working as hard as we can and taking the weekend one day at a time, ready to take advantage of every opportunity.”

Reigning World Sidecar Champion Tim Reeves is gearing up for his assault on the 2015 Isle of Man TT races fuelled by Monster Energy and having gained additional support from sponsors including Isle of Man based telecoms company Sure, he is confident of adding to the single TT win he took in 2013.

Driving under the AOS/Team E-Aide Motorsport banner, Reeves is reunited with passenger Patrick Farrance for the first time since 2009 and with the Cumbrian having taken three wins with Dave Molyneux in the intervening period, the duo have a great chance of success.

The pairing took a podium on Reeves' debut in 2008 and with the Kent driver now having stood on the rostrum five times, including the win in the opening race of 2013, they will be one of the favourites for honours in both of this year's three-lap Sure sidecar TT races.

Reeves will again campaign a DMR Honda this year, although this time the chassis has had a number of modifications to suit his specific requirements with considerable input in the design coming from Dave Molyneux, former World Champion and TT winner Steve Abbott and Bill and Dean Ryde from Metmachex.

Reeves and Farrance recently conducted their first shakedown test of the new outfit at Silverstone, where they were immediately running under the circuit lap record, with further test sessions planned at Aintree and Mallory Park this weekend prior to the opening TT practice session on Saturday 30th May.

Tim Reeves:

"I've got the perfect package for this year's TT and with E-Aide Motorsport and the added support of AOS, Hunts Motorcycles, H&S Contractors and Sure Mobile, I'll be going into the races in the best possible position. I'm back with Patrick for the first time in six years and everything clicked straightaway at Silverstone. Six years is a long time but it was if it was yesterday as Patrick and I were at home immediately. He's a class act so I'm delighted to have him back on board whilst the outfit felt really good and was flying."

Sarah Jarvis, Marketing Manager, Sure, said

"We're absolutely delighted to be supporting Tim and Patrick at the 2015 Isle of Man TT. We're trying really hard to raise the profile of sidecar racing through our sponsorship of the races and who better to be involved with than the reigning World Champion. We've worked with Patrick before and know him well and we're really excited about his and Tim's prospects this year so, hopefully, they can be victorious this year."