A dream start and comeback, the latest by the Marc Marquez – Team Gresini MotoGP combo. A special mention goes to the team that has done a top job (as always) to put the eight-time world champion in the best possible condition to perform in the #IndonesianGP sprint race. The rest is history: wonderful start and great awareness in ‘settling’ for third. 
 
Alex Marquez had a solid race after another challenging Saturday that was heavily affected by his Q1 crash. The #73 was fourteenth at the line as he gathered valuable information for tomorrow’s race, with points as the goal. 

The opening day of action at Mandalika has drawn to a close with both riders of Team Gresini MotoGP on competitive form on Indonesian turf. Alex Marquez had an unfortunate end to the Practice session as he crashed out of turn 12 during his time attack and with few minutes left. The crash happened when the #73 was on course to a time only 3 tenths slower than the provisional pole. Tomorrow, it’ll be another story.

It was a whole different day for Marc Marquez, again in Q2 with the seventh quickest time, but not without risks (especially at turn 10). The eight-time world champion will spearhead his attack on the front row from 11:15 local time (GMT +8).

7^th - MARC MARQUEZ #93 (1’29.855s) 
“Today wasn’t the perfect day: we struggled at the beginning, especially in the morning. We found a decent direction in the afternoon and I felt more comfortable. I’m having a difficult time in a specific part of the track and once again we’re not as fast as we should be with fresh tyres. There’s work to be done.”
21^st -ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’30.998)
“I made a mistake at Misano in a key moment and today the same happened. We’ll need to make an effort and make it into Q2 tomorrow. Today’s lap may have been enough, but we’ll never know… We’re aware that we can be fast and tomorrow we can – and we must – do well.”

Touratech has developed a comprehensive range of crash bars to protect the BMW R 1300 GS from damages. The stainless steel constructions blend harmoniously into the appearance of the machine and are designed to withstand even the toughest conditions.

Engine crash bar Street with slider

Touratech has taken a completely new approach in the design of the Sport engine crash bar developed especially for the R 1300 GS. The core of the robust protector is the integrated slider. The contour of this is 100% customised to the valve cover of the 1300 Boxer and positioned in exactly the right position. In the event of an impact, the bar absorbs the resulting forces and distributes them effectively. In an accident, the slider can be supported flat against the valve cover. The bar is positioned close to the engine to maintain full ground clearance.

Engine crash bar Stainless
The classic design of the crash bar made of 25 x 2 millimetre stainless steel tubes encloses the cylinders of the BMW R 1300 GS like a cage. Reinforcements made from 3D-formed elements provide additional strength. Numerous mounting points and plastic buffer elements relieve the frame. Mounted close to the vehicle, the crash bar has virtually no influence on the lean angle or ground clearance.

Fairing crash bar for Touratech engine crash bar
The fairing crash bar protects the sensitive radiator, the fairing and even the tank of the R 1300 GS. The electropolished stainless steel is not only functional, but also a real eye-catcher. For combination with the Touratech engine crash bar (item no. 035-5160). 

Fairing crash bar for original BMW engine crash bar
For mounting together with the engine guard from the BMW accessories programme, Touratech offers a variant of the fairing crash bar that offers the same high level of protection as its counterpart for combination with the in-house engine guard.

Reinforcing strut for original BMW engine crash bar
With the additional fourth support point, the Touratech reinforcement strut greatly enhances the functionality of the engine guard from the BMW accessories programme. Plastic buffer elements provide additional protection. Thanks to perfect adaptation to the OEM protection bar, the product made of 25 millimetre thick stainless steel tubing is easy to fit.

Further Information in the webshop

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The British Motor Museum has been shortlisted as a finalist in the prestigious West Midlands Tourism Awards 2025. The Museum has been nominated for an award in the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award category and will find out if it has won this highly coveted award at a special ceremony in early 2025.  

The Awards celebrate the success and accomplishments of tourism businesses across the West Midlands region, promoting the impressive strength of their services, venues, people, experiences and accommodation.

The Museum is proud of its continuous work to incorporate accessibility and inclusivity into all of its activities, from conception to execution. The recent addition of the ‘Austin and Morris’ Office’ displays, with holographic presentations, is a key example of this. Both historic offices are equipped with a tablet, which subtitles the speeches given in the offices, and the displays are equipped with induction loops to support people with hearing aids. Additionally, the Museum hosts accessible school and community visits, and runs a Travel Support Fund to enable schools from low-income areas to visit the Museum by helping them to save money on coach travel.

The British Motor Museum also offers Touch and Access Tours and Object Handling workshops, allowing anyone to interact with the cars and objects on display. More recently, the Community team has expanded its external relationships, notably visiting Warm Hubs for the first time, to give people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to see the Museum the chance to engage with the collections.

The West Midlands Tourism Awards are supported by the West Midlands Growth Company; the region’s official destination marketing agency. Pre-pandemic, the tourism sector contributed £13.1 billion to the West Midlands economy, attracting 134 million visitors, and supporting more than 137,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

Stephen Laing, Head of Collections & Engagement at the British Motor Museum said, “We are delighted to be shortlisted as a finalist in the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award category, which is a great testimony and recognition of the hard work the entire team undertakes. Here at the British Motor Museum we aim to make everyone's visit enjoyable and work tirelessly to ensure a welcoming experience for the widest possible audience. Our facilities ensure the Museum is a place for everyone. We look forward to hearing the results of the Awards early next year”.

For more information about the West Midlands Tourism Awards visit http://westmidlandstourismawards.com/ To find out more about the British Motor Museum please visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk

Automotive industry charity, Ben, is today announcing new details about its two biggest events of the year - Ben’s Big Breakfast and Ben Ball. These events need to raise £150,000 in total to help fund Ben’s life-saving support for automotive industry people who are struggling or in crisis.

Following the success of Ben’s Big Breakfast event over the past three years, Ben is now launching full details for 2024. This popular food-fuelled event encourages Ben’s automotive family to organise a breakfast get together during the week of World Mental Health Day on 10th October. According to the charity’s recent research[1], 1 in 4 automotive people are struggling with their mental health and 29% are experiencing loneliness, so this event is the ideal opportunity for colleagues to catch up with a coffee or bond over a bacon butty.

Automotive companies or groups are invited to host a breakfast event during the week of 7th-13th October and encourage colleagues, customers, friends and family to bring, bake or make a spread and then sell their goodies to raise money.

Be a breakfast supporter!  

Grab a slice of the action with Ben’s Big Breakfast: click here

Matt Wigginton, Director of Partnerships, Engagement & Income at Ben, said: “Breakfast is definitely the best meal of the day and our Big Breakfast is an easy way to raise funds, as well as being a great opportunity to get people together. Having a chat over a cuppa can make such a difference - some people are suffering in silence right now, thinking they have no-one to turn to. So get involved, have some fun and connect with your colleagues, all while raising vital funds for your charity.”

Ben is also excited to reveal the entertainment for this year’s 1920s themed Ben Ball (supported by AutoTrader) - a Great Gatsby experience by the Electro Swing Project. As featured on London’s West End, this awe-inspiring show is by the same performers who captivated the Ben Ball 2020 audience with their Greatest Showman performance. This entertainment (supported by LKQ Euro Car Parts) will feature talents including aerial performers, acrobats, dancers and West End singers.

Don’t miss the Great Gatsby experience at Ben Ball -  11th December at Old Billingsgate Market
Limited tickets are available so buy your Ben Ball tickets now: click here

Matt Wigginton said: “We’re very excited to announce our entertainment for Ben Ball 2024, which will embrace a roaring ’20s theme and is set to be a night of glitz, glamour and vintage charm. The Electro Swing Project wowed our Ben Ball audience back in 2020 with an incredible Greatest Showman performance, so we can’t wait to welcome them back to Ben Ball 2024 to perform their Great Gatsby show! It’s going to be an incredible night, so don’t miss out!

“Ben is on a mission to help more people each year; three times as many by 2030. That’s a bold ambition, but one we know we can achieve with the help of our industry. Events like this are crucial - and these are our two biggest events of the year, so we hope you’ll join us and make a real difference to the lives of those in our automotive family.”

When any member of our automotive family is struggling or in crisis, we all rally to support them.

[1] Ben’s annual survey: www.ben.org.uk/surveyreport2024