Well as ever we have spent the last few months in the STC ivory towers with copious amounts of beer, bikes and birds (studs for the girls, that don't rhyme as well but as we live in a claim culture one has to cover his back).

So what that really means is we have been rallying, just like you we are bikers and that's what we do, so far this year members of the committee have managed to attend:- •ITVBike • Small but Perfectly Reformed • Farmyard Party • Ben Hur • Brown Dog • Simmer Dim • IOM TT • MAG 40th - Blackpool • Rock n Bike Fest • & a few more I am sure Now that we are all sobering up the real work has started we have booked some bands, a tent and a few kegs of ale.

Well kind of times that by 5,000 and you are getting somewhere close, thirteen people have been scratching heads trying to work out new licensing law, health & safety, site plans, power, toilets, trader, caterers, fire crew, ambulances, radios, merchandise, fencing okay so you get the idea now read on for the important part...

The line up has been finalised and this year we have a wide range of bands old and new, its nice once again to welcome some old faces back to site. Friday Main Stage:- Emerald Thieves - A Foreigners Journey - Karma Heart - The Enzymes Iris Stage:- Steve Fulsham Band - Fickle Lilly

Saturday Main Stage:- From the Jam - The Bandits - The Kill - The Rattlers Iris Stage:- Sinnerboy - Blue Diamond - Bessi & The Zinc Buckets - Big Red & The Grinners - Trevor Sewel Band

Buy tickets online

www.storminthecastle.co.uk

...WITH SYLVAIN GUINTOLI LEADING THE RIDER STANDINGS AFTER THE MOSCOW RACE.

EUGENE LAVERTY INTENDS TO DO WELL ON A TRACK WHERE HE HAS ALWAYS PUT IN A STAR PERFORMANCE.

APRILIA LEADS THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 300 POINTS IN FRONT OF KAWASAKI (267), BMW (262), HONDA (151), SUZUKI (129) AND DUCATI (112).

Noale, 31 July 2013 - World Superbike 2013 will be in the United Kingdom for the second time this season on the occasion of the Silverstone round. After the difficult weekend in Moscow, devastated by the tragic accident which befell Andrea Antonelli, the riders will tread on the English asphalt, historic for having hosted the first Formula 1 World Championship race in 1950. The Midlands circuit is also known for its flowing layout, as well as for the extremely variable weather conditions.

The only race that was held at Moscow Raceway had Sylvain Guintoli, riding with a shoulder injury from a training accident a few days earlier, taking a stoic sixth place finish which, aided by Tom Sykes' DNF, placed him once again at the top of the Championship standings. In any case the 4 point advantage is no basis for strategy or calculations in a championship where 50 points are up for grabs every weekend. The French rider has continued working to get his injured shoulder fit and from a physical point of view he will be in significantly better conditions for the races, although not yet 100%.

Sylvain Guintoli: "One of us is gone in Moscow, raising many thoughts and feelings. Racing bikes is our job but also our passion and has a big part in our hearts and lives. Silverstone is going to be an emotional race, all our thoughts to his family. R.I.P Andrea Antonelli".

For Eugene Laverty top priority is rubbing out the difficult Russian weekend, where he crashed on the damp track just a few metres before making a pit stop to put on his wet tyre. There was no point looking for a culprit for this crash, given the critical grip conditions at Moscow Raceway. In any case, the lad from Toomebridge is in good spirits, especially since he is taking on a track where he knows he can do well and aim for top points.

Eugene Laverty: "I really enjoy Silverstone, it's a long lap and the fast flowing nature of the circuit makes it one of my favourites. Weather played havoc with the previous round in Moscow and so it would be nice if we could have two dry races on Sunday".

The Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI) is calling for those who are intending to repeat their CBTs (Compulsory Basic Training) to plan ahead and take an A1 licence instead.

A CBT qualifies a rider to ride a motorcycle, scooter or moped up to 125cc for a period of two years, after which the CBT must be renewed.

Taking an A1 licence will help riders who are happy riding a 125cc machine to improve their road skills and will be a one-off cost, which will never need to be renewed.  This means that if they leave motorcycling for a while, their licence will still be valid, should they wish to return.

There are other benefits too, including not having to ride with L plates and being able to take a passenger.

Karen Cole, Safety and Training Director for the MCI says riders should start planning a few months before their CBT is due for renewal:

“It would be best to start training for an A1 test around 4 to 6 months before the CBT needs renewing.  This should allow most riders enough time to choose a training school and be able to get a good choice of test dates at a centre which suits them.”

“Records of how many people are repeating CBTs are not kept by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), but we know that 190,000 CBT certificates are issued each year, a sizeable percentage of which are bound to be repeats.  Riders in this category should put the money they’d spend on another CBT (somewhere between £100 and £150) towards training and testing for a licence which will last a lifetime.”

For someone already holding a CBT the cost of taking the three parts of the motorcycle test (theory, Mod 1 and Mod 2) is from £121.50 plus any training costs.*

Even those who anticipate moving to an A2 as soon as age will allow them, will gain from taking an A1, as they will learn new skills earlier on in their riding and will be more prepared for their next test.

For those who do not want to do an A2 or A licence yet, or are restricted from doing so by age, it means they will be better trained, should they decide to progress to bigger bikes.

*Total cost of taking a test is slightly more if Mod 2 is taken at the weekend = £135.00   Training costs will vary according to need.

www.mcia.co.uk

The Motorsport Merchandise Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula Classic Races are set to bring this year’s Classic TT presented by Bennetts to a stunning conclusion with some of the most iconic, and exotic, machines from yesteryear set to grace the Mountain Course once more.

The F1 class has seen a mammoth 74 entries received - over three times the number of competitors on the starting grid in recent years. With the likes of the RC30 Honda, OW01 Yamaha, ZXR Kawasaki and GSXR Suzuki on the startline, it promises to be one of the races of the week. Throw in the likes of the XR69 Suzuki’s, 500cc Grand Prix Yamahas and Suzuki’s and FZ750 Yamaha’s and it’s easy to see why riders have been desperate to participate.

Split into categories to reflect the era from which the bike is from, the most popular class has been the pre-1992 Superbike and going off at number 1, as he did at the TT, will be James Hillier. The Bournemouth man will be on board one of CSC Racing’s impressive RC30 Honda’s. He’ll certainly be tough to beat but ten seconds behind him will be the first of the Yamaha Classic Racing Team riders, Steve Mercer riding an immaculate YEC OW01 Yamaha in what will be team principal Ferry Brouwer’s swansong.

TT Rider Liaison Officer John Barton has acquired an ex Ray Stringer ZXR750 Kawasaki and will line up at number 4 with leading TT rider Dan Stewart on a similar machine at number 9 and the Cumbrian is sure to be one of the race favourites. Paul Owen, Jamie Coward and former Senior Manx GP winner Paul Duckett will also be Kawasaki mounted, the trio riding for Mistral Racing.

As well as Hillier, other RC30 Honda riders include 1993 Formula 1 TT winner Nick Jefferies, Kiaran Hankin, David Madsen-Mygdal, who enjoyed great success on the machine at the TT, and Manx Grand Prix outright lap record holder Alan Jackson jnr.

Michael Dunlop and Conor Cummins lead the Suzuki charge on board 1100cc GSXR powered XR69’s for Team Classic Suzuki. Russ Mountford, who led the corresponding race last year before breaking down, Dan Kneen, Davy Morgan and Graham English are also part of the team.

As well as Mercer, Yamaha have further strength in depth with TT stalwart Jim Hodson and the up and coming Ryan Kneen. Meanwhile, Mick Godfrey, who previously finished on the podium at the MGP, switches to an 888 Ducati.

Yamaha Classic Racing Team also field American Mark Miller who rides the a recreation of the 1986 FZ750 machine that Grand Prix legend Eddie Lawson rode to Daytona 200 glory and Daniel Cooper on the legendary TZ500 Yamaha that was ridden by the likes of Kenny Roberts, Johnny Cecotto and Steve Baker. Olie Linsdell is another rider who can be expected to feature towards the top of the leaderboard and he’ll be campaigning another FZ750 Yamaha whilst TT star Gary Johnson lines up for Team Winfield on a Harris framed machine.

A host of other riders are expected to be in contention including MGP winners Dave Milling, Dave Moffitt and Alan Oversby as well as Tim Poole, Maria Costello, Ken Davis, Adrian Cox, Bob Price, Alan Bud Jackson, Roger Wibberley, Peter Simpson and Alan Connor, with Connor riding a 588 Norton Rotary.

There’s also been a significant increase in entries for the Formula 2 Classic Race where the 250cc TZ Yamaha’s are expected to dominate. The class should see a battle royale between Chris Palmer on the Rob Brew Racing entered machine and Roy Richardson on the FCL Racing/Martin Bullock Manxsport equivalent. The duo have been the dominant forces at the Manx GP but perhaps a dark horse for honours is 20-year old James Cowton. The Yorkshire rider had a great Manx GP debut in 2012 and riding for two stroke guru Peter Berwick, he has a great chance of success.

Phil McGurk, Ewan Hamilton and Chris Moore are also expected to be well to the fore as is Pete Symes on one of the few Hondas in the field. Stuart Hall, Chris Barratt and Tom Jackson are just some of the other notable 250cc-mounted riders whilst Grant Wagstaff will be one to watch with the Ducks Cross Racing 350cc Yamaha. Meanwhile, Shaun Anderson, Nuno Caetano and Andy Lawson should be the front-runners in the 600cc four-stroke categories.

The third race within a race is for the Formula Classic machines where Mark Parrett is a pre-race favourite on the Snibor Racing 850cc BSA. Barry Davidson and John Ingram are on similar machines though so cannot be ruled out whilst Chris McGahan will certainly have a say in matters on the 850cc Triumph. Allan Brew rides a 350cc Yamaha for the Yamaha Classic Racing Team with Gavin Lupton’s 757cc Triumph another of the pre-race contenders.

Pata Honda riders Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea will return to World Superbike action this weekend (2-4 August) for the ninth round event at Silverstone in the UK, just a few days after contesting the prestigious Suzuka 8-hours race in Japan.

The Suzuka race was won by Haslam, who teamed up with Pata Honda World Supersport team-mate, Michael van der Mark, and Japanese rider Takumi Takahashi. Rea had looked to be well-placed to repeat last year’s victory before his own team-mate, Ryuichi Kiyonari, crashed out of contention.

Both riders will arrive at Silverstone following an event with Honda colleagues at the company's European HQ on Wednesday 31 July and both are keen to get back to their regular Honda CBR1000RR machines on the fast and flowing 5.902km circuit in central England, home to the British Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Haslam, 30, has not won at Silverstone but visited the podium in 2010 and was leading last year’s race on slick tyres when rain began to fall, turning the circuit into an ice rink and the race into a lottery.

Rea took two second-place finishes in that 2010 event and the 26-year-old missed the following year’s races through injury. He took fourth place in race one last season but was bizarrely taken out by another rider’s machine immediately after crossing the finishing line.

Leon Haslam

Suzuka was an amazing experience and I struggled a bit during my first stint, probably trying too hard to be precise and have a good pace. Also, the compensating I had to do for my leg ended up giving me some really bad back problems, but it was all worth it in the end. Now it’s all change for Silverstone this weekend, but I’m really looking forward to it. I love the circuit and was on the podium in 2010 and led the race last year when we all got caught out on slicks when the rain came. I missed the races at Donington earlier this year because of my leg injury, so this will be the only chance to ride in front of the British fans this season, so it’s something I’m really looking forward to.

Jonathan Rea

I was devastated to finish the 8-hour race the way we did, but these things happen and I was happy for my Pata Honda team-mates and for Honda. I’m feeling really good though and looking forward to getting back on my bike this weekend. I've had mixed results at Silverstone in the past and I've had some great races there; I particularly remember a couple of second places in 2010, which I really enjoyed. We struggled a bit last year, but it's a nice circuit to ride. The modifications made to the track in recent years have made it better but I'll attack it the same way I attack every other circuit. Of course, being a second British round, it'll be good to see a lot of friendly faces there, even if they can be quite far away in some places.