A SELECTION of unique machinery from around the globe will make a rare appearance at one of the world’s flagship classic motorcycle events this April.

The 34th Carole Nash Classic MotorCycle Show takes place on the weekend of April 26-27 at Staffordshire County Showground with John Surtees’ championship winning MV Agusta, Norton F Model and Ferrari 158 among the headline grabbers.

A Moto Major, an Italian made motorcycle never before seen in the UK, will also be displayed and with Bonhams’ auction and the National Motorcycle Museum in attendance there will be several more eye-catching bikes for experts and enthusiasts to inspect.

James Robinson, editor of The Classic MotorCycle magazine, said: “It’s superb to see so many incredible machines and big names from the world of classic motorcycling coming together for our Stafford event.

“It shows a real renaissance in the world of classics and these stunning machines are a real attraction for long term visitors and newcomers alike.”

Along with the chance to see historic displays, this year sees motorsport legend John Surtees – the only man to have ever captured world titles in both two- and four-wheeled disciplines – on stage regularly sharing tales of an incredible career as he takes his place as the event’s guest of honour.

Surtees, who turned 80 in February, is at the event as part of a series of appearances throughout 2014 to mark 50 years since he captured his Formula 1 world crown and to promote a new photographic memoir to be launched in June – the proceeds of which will go to the Henry Surtees Foundation.

Show organiser Nick Mowbray said he couldn’t wait to see Surtees speak: “John Surtees is a hero of so many classic and modern motorcycle enthusiasts; what he achieved is truly remarkable.

“He is a star name, not just in motorsport, but on the world stage. No other man will ever achieve what he has by reaching the top of his profession in both motorcycle and car events.”

The two day event will also see rows of private entry and classic club bikes, along with hundreds of trade stands, an extensive autojumble and live entertainment in the form of the world famous Wall of Death.

Advance tickets for the 34th Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show are on sale now from www.classicbikeshows.com, or can be purchased over the phone by calling 01507 529529 – with an advance one day adult ticket costing £10, a £3 saving on the gate price.

The show is open from 9am – 6pm on Saturday and 9am – 5pm on Sunday. Parking is free.

Now entering its third year, the Bike Nation Lightweight TT Race promises to be the best yet at the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, not only numerically but also in quality with many of the leading TT riders competing in the three lap race.

Michael Dunlop has his sights set on making TT history by becoming the first rider to win six races in a week. His four victories in 2013 equalled fellow countryman Phillip McCallen's 1996 record and is one less than Ian Hutchinson’s unique 2010 campaign. He will ride a new McAdoo Racing ER-6 Kawasaki machine and starts from number 6 on the grid.

Speaking about the news Michael commented: “It is fair to say that I haven’t really given the Lightweight Race my full attention in the past, but this year we are going all out to win this race and try and make it six wins from six starts. It’s a massive target, but that is what we go racing for and McAdoo Racing has gone all out on building me a race-winning bike. I’m looking forward to the challenge and seeing if we can put one over the established riders and teams in this class.”

Dunlop will not have it all his own way however. Ryan Farquhar and James Hillier, the 2012 and 2013 Lightweight race winners, return to a grid that boasts an excellent blend of youth and experience, with many of the TT’s established guard being pitched against the sport’s up and coming talent.

Hillier has the number 2 plate on his Quattro Plant / Muc-Off Kawasaki with the returning Farquhar setting off ten seconds later on his KMR Kawasaki / SGS International. McKinstry Racing rider Ivan Lintin, who has finished seventh and fourth in the last two years, narrowly missing the podium twelve months ago, has the honour of leading the field away with the number 1 plate and will look to challenge the top three this time around.

Guy Martin, set to have his first outing on a Lightweight Supertwin machine, starts behind Farquhar at number 4 and if his bike’s competitive, he’ll certainly be in with a shout. There will be a strong threat behind him though from Michael Rutter, another rider in with a chance of victory, who took third in the inaugural race of 2012 and sixth last year.

Potential winners come thick and fast with Gary Johnson at number seven on the Chinese WK machine, which should be faster and more reliable this year. Jamie Hamilton, Farquhar’s former protégé, who was also well to the fore in 2013 finishing fifth, will start at number eight on the Stewart Smith Racing Kawasaki, with the stunning line-up continuing at number nine with Keith Amor. The Scots ace, returning to the TT for the first time since 2011, has joined forces with Farquhar at KMR Kawasaki and early indications are that he’s delighted with the performance of his Supertwin machine. Dan Cooper rounds out the top ten on another Chinese WK bike.

Exciting youngster James Cowton leads the next batch of ten riders away at number 11. Having lapped at more than 113mph in practice in last year's Manx Grand Prix he’s definitely one to watch but he’ll have last year’s runner-up Dean Harrison breathing down his neck. Harrison's regular RC Express Racing by MSS Performance team will be running him in the class this year as he chases his first TT victory.

Lee Johnston, ninth last year, will set off from the same number 13 slot as his other solo class races on the East Coast Construction Kawasaki, ahead of TT Rider Liaison Officer John Barton who’s rewarded with a seeded number after a strong twelfth place in 2013. Olie Linsdell, on the intriguing, all-new Paton machine, completes the top fifteen.

David Johnson, Daniel Kneen, Gavin Hunt, one of the leading newcomers from TT 2013, Colin Stephenson, who steps up from the Manx GP and Ben Wylie are the remaining top twenty seeds.

Outside the top twenty, riders and numbers to look out for include the returning Roy Richardson on a 550cc Aprilia (21), Michael Sweeney (23), Steve Mercer (24), eight-times Sidecar TT winning passenger Daniel Sayle (37), last year’s Lightweight Manx GP winner Michael Russell (45). Two promising youngsters step up from the Manx GP, The Isle of Man's Joe Faragher (39) and Northwich racer Connor Behan (48).

Former Moto 3 and 125cc GP rider, Danny Webb, making his TT debut, should have his best ride of the week on the KMR Kawasaki at his familiar number 66 while other first-timers include Callum Laidlaw (73), Alan Bonner (74) and Frenchman Franck Petricola (75).

THREE DAYS OF WORK AT JEREZ AFTER THE OPENING ROUND AT PHILLIP ISLAND WITH A WIN AND FIRST PLACE IN THE STANDINGS

In view of the second round at Aragon Melandri and Guintoli tested chassis setups and electronics.

Aprilia will arrive at the first European race leading the Rider championship with Guintoli, in third place with Melandri and at the top of the Manufacturer standings.

Jerez, 2 April 2014 - The long break after the Australian first round at Phillip Island gave the World SBK teams and riders a chance to recharge their batteries in view of the first European round which will be held at the Spanish Aragon circuit on 13 April. In order to regain familiarity with "race mode" and to hone their weapons in view of the next round, the Aprilia Racing Team had three days of testing on the Jerez track in Andalusia, where current championship leader Sylvain Guintoli and team mate Marco Melandri, third in the standings after the first round, were hard at work.

The first two days, marked by sunny skies but a lot of wind and mild temperatures, gave the Aprilia Racing Team standard bearers a chance to get a lot of laps in, completing a heavy workload and gathering fundamental information to develop the RSV4. While for Sylvain this was an opportunity to further increase his confidence on the track since he skipped the winter test sessions, at the same time trying out some new electronic and chassis solutions, Marco Melandri took advantage of the tests to explore the potential of the RSV4, a new bike for him in his first Aprilia SBK season. During the more than 150 laps he took the rider from Ravenna was able to test a variety of setups and electronic configurations aimed at increasing his familiarity with the bike, in addition to refining his riding style in search of the best harmony with the bike which is the reigning Champion of the Manufacturer Championship.

Winner of Race 2 at Phillip Island, Sylvain Guintoli put in a total of more than 160 laps at a good pace, confirming the positive feeling he demonstrated after the first race. His right shoulder, injured last year and operated on twice during the winter break, also held up well under stress which means that this can now be filed away as an overcome problem.

Marco Melandri: "Fortunately we were able to get a lot of work done, focusing on what we didn't like about Phillip Island. On the first day we concentrated on shock absorption on the bumps and going into turns, whereas on the second day we tried to lap and get the RSV4 to close out the turns better. It was difficult but in the end we managed to put together a package that will allow us to improve. We had some other ideas we wanted to try out as well but unfortunately we weren't able to do a lot of work on the third day. At Aragon I expect to see a leap of quality which is what we need to win."

Sylvain Guintoli: "For us these three days were important, first and foremost to get back into the saddle after Phillip Island. This has been a very long break and I needed to get some kilometres in with the bike. We also had quite a few details we needed to test, besides new electronics strategies, so these were some pretty intense tests. I'm happy with the refinements. When we get to Aragon we'll be strong and motivated and that's what's important."

Romano Albesiano: "These were three very useful days of testing for the development of the RSV4. There are still a few improvements to focus on, both from electronics and a chassis point of view. Final race pace performance is not bad, but it still isn't enough. At Jerez we gathered some important information that helps us to have a very clear idea on which direction we need to go."

Compass Expeditions is very pleased to announce that Dakar legend, Simon Pavey, is once again returning to Australia to conduct a level 1 & 2 off road training skills course on the weekend of November 1st & 2nd at Mansfield the gateway to the Victorian High Country.

"Lasts years event in the Flinders Ranges was a massive success" says Mick McDonald Co- founder of Compass Expeditions, "I simply can't believe the change in skill levels, but more importantly, confidence after a weekend with Simon and his team, in fact 2 riders who had never been off road booked the epic 105 Road of Bones expedition shortly after completing the course, it really is that good " continues Mick.

The weekend course is followed by a 5-day ride out throughout the Victorian High Country where riders can put to practice what they have learnt over the weekend. The route provides a superb mix of easy to challenging dirt with a little pavement mixed in.

For more info on the course and 5-day ride out, which can be booked separately, click these following links.

Weekend training 
5-Day ride out

www.compassexpeditions.com

The Pata Honda team has announced the introduction of a nepotistic youth policy designed to enhance development and ensure continuity of its world championship racing programme.

On tomorrow’s third and final day of the World Superbike championship test currently taking place at Jerez in Spain, regular riders Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea will hand over their Honda CBR1000RR SP racing machines to their respective young sons. Despite being less than a year old, Max Haslam and Jake Rea are deemed to have inherited sufficient quantities of the so-called ‘speed gene’ to warrant a full test on the sophisticated production race bikes. The Pata Honda crew has lowered the ride height on both CBR machines and engaged the services of a goo-ga translator to record feedback from the would-be young racers.    

Leon Haslam    

It’ll be interesting to see if young Max has got it. The ‘rocket’ that is, which is coincidentally what me and my dad have on our salad when it’s in season. I reckon he’ll be fast though – he’s got a bit of a weight advantage.       

Jonathan Rea   

Jake was born a month or two after Max but we’ve been weening him on Manx kippers to build up his strength. He had a wee go on my CRF450R motocrosser on the Isle of Man, so I had to clean up the seat after, but he’ll be right.        

Pieter Breddels -  youth development manager    

With world championship racers seemingly getting younger every year – just like policemen, really – we’ve decided that we need to start investing in youth. Jonathan’s father raced and won a TT and Leon’s dad was pretty handy, too, so it absolutely HAS to be a genetic thing. If it’s not, we’re going to look a bit silly, but the lads will have had some fun.