Recent News Articles

The Trials & Enduro Committee will be holding an Open Forum for Youth Trials at ACU House on Saturday 9th October 2010 starting at 11.00am prompt.

If you would like to attend, please contact Alison Devine by e-mailing alison@acu.org.uk or telephoning 01788 566409/0 by Friday 1st October.

The Manx Motorcycle Club, organisers of the Manx Grand Prix, regret to announce the death of a second rider at today’s Manx Grand Prix. Both riders were involved in a racing accident at Alpine Cottage on the second lap of the Junior race shortly before 11am. The race was later abandoned.

Chris Bradshaw, 39, a Traffic Police Officer from Tamworth in Birmingham was taken to Noble's Hospital by airmed, but was declared dead at the hospital. Chris first competed on the Isle of Man in 2004 and finished 37th in last year’s Senior MGP race.

Jamie Adam, 28, a serving officer in the Royal Navy, from Prestwick in Scotland who was also involved in the incident was attended to by the air med team, but was declared dead at the scene. Jamie first competed on the Isle of Man in 2009, finishing 9th in the Newcomers race and 27th in the Senior MGP.

The next of kin of both families have been informed. The Manx Motorcycle club extends their deepest sympathy to the family and friends of both men.

The incident is now being investigated by the Isle of Man Constabulary who are preparing a report for the Coroner of Inquests.

Fowlers Motorcycles Pro Bike Motorcycle Races - Saturday, September 04, 2010

Who will take the coveted 'King of Castle Combe' trophy which last season provided a nail-biting climax to a fabulous 2 wheel meeting. Repeating its successive 1 day Club/National format with classes for just about every type of motorcycle, from 125 to unlimited. If you add in the fabulous Lansdowne Classic Series, Supermoto, the Classic Parade and virtual non-stop track action from 10.30 you will soon see why this is such a popular event amongst bike fans from throughout the South West.

Sponsors web site at www.fowlers.co.uk/

Races

•King of Castle Combe Trophy
•Lansdowne Classics Series
•Supermoto 125
•250GP
•Formula 400 and 600
•Sound of Thunder

THE ACU has negotiated an exclusive new benefit for its members for a 10% discount on cross-Channel SeaFrance Ferries.

The offer is open all year round to ACU members and to access it all you have to do is quote AUTOCYCLE when you call SeaFrance Ferries and make your booking on 0871 22 22 500.

SeaFrance is the only French operator on the Dover to Calais route, so you can soak up the French atmosphere the moment you step onboard. With the addition of the SeaFrance Molière in September 2008, SeaFrance completed its fleet of new generation vessels. Having a total length of 203 metres, the SeaFrance Molière is the longest ship ever to operate between Dover and Calais and, together with the award-winning SeaFrance Rodin and her sister ship the SeaFrance Berlioz, her arrival means that all SeaFrance tourism crossings will be aboard modern state-of-the-art superferries.

ACU Business Development Manager Dave Luscombe said: “This is another great benefit for ACU license holders – whether they need to cross the Channel to race or for business or holiday, this saving can be applied every time.”

To book a crossing with SeaFrance call one of its Travel Consultants on 0871 22 22 500* and quote offer code AUTOCYCLE to make your booking or visit seafrance.com entering the promotional code AUTOCYCLE.

NOTE: You may be asked to show your ACU Licence as proof of ACU Membership to validate your discount when you check in at Dover.

* Calls to this number are charged at 10 pence per minute from a BT landline, calls from other networks and mobile operators may vary.

Terms & Conditions

1. This discount applies to standard SeaFrance rates but is not available on promotional fares or any other offer.
2. Return travel must be completed before 30 December 2010.
3. This promotion can be withdrawn at any time without prior notice.
4. Travel is subject to SeaFrance’s full Terms & Conditions of Carriage – a copy is available on request.
5. Proof of eligibility for this offer will be required at the SeaFrance check-ins; failure to produce such proof will result in a surcharge being levied prior to departure.

The OK Supreme Long Distance Trial, due to be held on 19th September, has unfortunately had to be cancelled.

ACU CLUBS and license holders are set to benefit from a fantastic new e-mail and web-based service from the ACU that promotes Club events to license holders in select regions free of charge – and also warns competitors of any cancellations if needed.

It means that any ACU affiliated Club can target its event to competitors to maximise the grids. The service allows them to target 10 postcodes of their choice and then sends the event information to the relevant ACU license holder in those areas. This is completely tailored, so motocross license holders will receive news on motocross events only, road race license holders on road race events only and so on – meaning as a license holder you know exactly what events are going on in your region and letting you decide what ones you want to take part in.

The information being sent to the license holder includes everything they need to know if they want to compete, from event through to age groups/categories, where, when, how much it costs and contact details for more information or registration for the event.

Any event cancellations can also be communicated through the ACU’s weekly newsletter service which goes out on Fridays and is e-mailed to all ACU license holders who have supplied an address. It means a quick check on a Friday will let you know if an event is on or off before leaving on a potentially long journey.

ACU Business Development Manager Dave Luscombe said: “This is a win-win-win initiative for the ACU, Clubs and license holders. As a Club you can now target your event at competitors in your area and that should strengthen grids. As a license holder you will now find out about local events and hopefully you will be encouraged to compete more – or if there is an unfortunate last minute cancellation then you will know before leaving home.

“This is another service from the ACU to its Clubs and license holders that will help them get the most from their membership and has real practical value from all sides. We encourage Clubs to use the promotional service and license holders to check their newsletter each Friday before setting off for an event.”

In order to sign up for the ACU newsletter service visit www.acu.org.uk and select ‘Newsletters’ from the top menu bar – registration takes around one minute and not only will you know about the cancellation of any events but will also be kept up to date on all of the news on the motorcycle sport you are interested in.  

The 2010 MGP Festival brings together four of the biggest two-wheel events in the Isle of Man’s sporting calendar: the Manx Grand Prix, which sees classic and modern racing machines competing around the 37.73-mile Mountain course used during the TT; the Two Day Trial; the Manx Classic Trial; the Vintage Motor Cycle Club’s Manx Rally.
Packing all that action into the festival, which runs from August 21 to September 5, ensures all visitors to the Island will be kept fully entertained.

The new website – www.mgpfestival.com – includes information on travel, accommodation, entertainment and the Isle of Man, as well as dedicated sections for each of the four events.
There is also a video section, photo gallery, database containing information on MGP riders and, during the MGP Festival, reports, results and pictures will be posted online as soon as they are available.

You can already find entry details, spectator information, previous reports and results, information about getting involved and much more.

There is also a news section which will feature the very latest MGP, trials, classic trials and VMCC updates, as well as breaking news about the festival itself.

The website has been designed and built by Manx firm Duke, the company behind the Official Website of the Isle of Man. Duke was selected for the task by the Isle of Man Government thanks to its success in building the profile and use of iomtt.com, which in 2010 attracted almost 1 million visits during the TT.

The involvement of Duke has also enabled the www.mgpfestival.com website to include another exciting new feature – MGP Live!, which will deliver live commentary and timings from the Mountain course as the action happens. The service is free and does not require registration.

By Colin Bullock

ROUND SEVEN of the ACU Events/TRW sponsored series saw the riders travel down to deepest Devon for the Rene Pearce Trial just outside of Torridge.

Last year the organisers had suffered some poor weather prior to the trial and this year was little different. The evening before the event a thick mist had descended on the entire area and you could not see the van next door. The recent summer weather also meant that the woodlands area which included section 1 - 5 were very slippery. Brousentor Farm is very much a venue of two halves as much of the second area is high up on the rocky ‘Tor’ which provides the most spectacular of backdrops.

Experts A were first away at 10am with the prevailing conditions looking much more promising than the previous day. One surprise omission from the entry however was Scorpa’s Darren Brice who was able to miss the day and still retain enough of a points advantage to stay at the top of the Group with just one further event to go.

This left John Crinson picking up his first Championship win in 2010. There is now an outside chance of him catching Bricey down in Kent. Crinson put in three very steady laps with only section 10 high up on the Tor giving him problems on each lap. Second went to Guy Kendrew some eight behind. Kendrew had his own problems keeping Willenhall’s Buster Regan at bay. Both finished on 63 marks lost and the verdict went to Guy courtesy of the most cleans. A podium place was though a fitting result for Midlander Buster who has enjoyed a good series and now holds fifth overall. Local rider Keelan Hancock might be tempted to ride the series more often after grabbing a fine fourth from Richard Timperley. Timp’s reported that he had enjoyed his ride right up to final sub when arm pump had begun to affect him.

Gary Macdonald is determined to annexe the A Class Championship and made another marathon trip down from Kinlochleven. Jack Sheppard is his main rival and by the time they arrived at the sixth hazard the rocky stream section he was a couple of points ahead of the Scotsman. Gary needed a dab here to see him through. At the end of lap one it was Sheppard from Andy Chilton with Gary third. Macdonald moved up a gear on lap two riding the wood sections much better. This moved him ahead of Chilton but Sheppard was still leading and that was the order in which they would finish. It was no disaster for Gary who can travel down to Kent with a 13 point Championship lead.

One side attraction in the Class was the return of Joe Baker on the new Scorpa. Joe by his own standards had a slowish start which was hardly surprising but his second and third circuits were very much on the pace. He would finish in a solid fourth place.

The youth riders also rode the A hazards and this was pretty tough for them. Chris Stay got home in first place just a head of Jake Luther-Evans and Chris Short.

The Championship entry was last away with James Dabill defending his 100% win record in 2010. After the first five subs down in the woods it was all very close with Dibs, Alexz Wigg and Michael Brown all on 10 marks lost. Spectators wisely went across to Section six where Alexz was to arrive first. He probably felt that pressing on was the best idea especially if the rains returned. He quickly put in the first clean which was followed by Dabill. Brownie needed two to see him through and
then he had to do a clutch cover replacement before he could carry on.

Sam Haslam and Craig Robinson both made excellent cleans on the dry rocks at number seven. It looked a fairly easy hazard by these riders standards but it was easy to drop a sump on the jagged rockery as both JD and Michael found.

Over on the Tor Alexz fived section 10 as his Beta dropped into a nasty gap near the top of the hazard. He immediately fought back cleaning 11 before the mud and slime made the second step really difficult. Dabill even fived here as the Gas Gas slipped back, he would not make that mistake again.

At the end of Lap one it was Dibb’s and Alexz tied on 16 well ahead of their rivals. Wiggy was about to have a bad second circuit before rallying on lap three when he had a fine finish. James put in a really special second lap a full 12 points better than anyone else. It was the British number one at the top of his game.

The top three had all got to grips with the Devon shire countryside despite a really heavy shower at the half way stage. As the trial moved towards its conclusion Section 10 caught out Dabill and Brown. Michael had found this to be his bogey section all day and with Alexz getting through for a dab it would mean runner up place for the Beta rider. Sam Haslam had his best Championship result of the year with fourth.

So we go down to Kent in four- weeks for the season finale with James Dabill already having enough points in the bag for a second successive Number one plate. There will be some pressure however as he will try to win every round of the year.

SPORT contributes nearly £16.7bn to the UK economy according to recent research - and motorcycle sport contributes a cool £750million or 4.5% of that figure making it one of the most economically beneficial sports to the country.

The research by Sport England (Economic Value of Sport in England 1985-2008) reveals that sport contributes £16.668billion to the UK economy; while research by the Motorcycle Sport Political Group (MSPG) has shown that UK motorcycle sport contributes around three quarters of a billion pounds. That ranks motorcycle racing as one of the most economically beneficial sports and highlights its importance to UK PLC.

On the back of this significant finding, the ACU is calling on the Government to do more to recognise and support this vastly popular and economically important sport.

More than 55,000 people participate regularly in motorcycle sport, but the Department for Culture, Media and Sport doesn’t recognise motorcycle or motorsport in general and this is holding back the development and in some cases legality and safety of bike sport in the UK.

The ACU’s public policy advisor Craig Carey-Clinch said: “The MSPG research, coupled with the ACU’s own activities, shows that motorcycle sport is extremely popular and contributes massively to the economy – it is one of the most publicly engaging sports and there is no denying its positive influence on the economy.

“There is no better time for the Government to recognise motorcycle sport and to link the motorcycle sport Code of Practice under the Road traffic Act. The ACU and other motorcycle sport bodies are also calling for Government to develop a UK motorcycle sport strategy, as this will allow bike sport to flourish and continue to contribute to financial, safety and social benefits, while growing under a Government recognised mandate. It is clear the sport deserves real recognition and support from Government and we call on them to respond.”

The ACU operates within a Code of Practice which sets a minimum standard for the organisation and management of motorcycle sport events. The Government is being called upon to recognise this Code of Practice as a nationally required minimum standard and insist that it applies to all ‘awarding bodies’ listed under the Road Traffic Act.

To illustrate the scale of the rogue events, there are approximately 26.000 riders licensed by the ACU to compete in Road Racing, Motocross, Trials, Enduro and Grass Track but currently over 55,000 riders (twice the number of licensed riders – and therefore many of them are riding outside the Code of Practice and insurance/coverage of the ACU) who take part in over 8,000 ‘off road’ events alone.

For more information on the ACU, visit www.acu.org.uk and www.mscode.co.uk .

Notes to Editors:
1. For further information, please contact Craig Carey-Clinch: 07979 75784; craig@rowanpublicaffairs.com
2. The Motorcycle Sport Political Group (MSPG) is a partnership of UK motorcycle sport bodies, of which the ACU is a founding member, alongside the Amateur Motor Cycle Association and the Motor Cycle Industry Association. It seeks to promote a motorcycles sport code of practice, plus encourage recognition by Government and local authorities. The MSPG seeks to create a public policy environment which can protect sport venues and allow off road motorcycle sport in particular to become valued and supported by public and private bodies.

Germanys eight times World Longtrack Champion Gerd Riss, will head up the overseas contingent for the International Lincolnshire Poacher Longtrack meeting on Bank Holiday Sunday 29 August, near Skegness.

The Poacher has a great reputation throughout Europe and I was pleased to accept the invitation from the club once we found that I could fit the date into my busy schedule said Riss.

Promoter Reg Blackbourn commented This is a real boost for the Wainfleet club and fans throughout the country. Gerd is a living legend on the top of his game and quite simply the most successful rider the sport has ever seen.

Riss will have to overcome a galaxy of home and overseas riders if he is emulate fellow countryman Robert Barth who took the Poacher title in thrilling fashion in 2005 and 2006. Two times European Champion Theo Pijper, from The Netherlands, is sure to be a serious challenger along with reigning British Masters Champion Lewis Denham. Could former European Champion Paul Hurry add a third Poacher title to his collection or maybe Tim Nobes can make the leap to the top step of the podium following excellent runners up placings in the last two years.

Mitch Godden revels on the superfast Thorpe St Peter circuit and will be all out for a podium position after a great 4th place last year. British under 21 Champion, Tom Perry, won the bahnrekord award last year and will be aiming to capitalise on his excellent form so far this year. Two other young chargers sure to be in contention are Jamie Rodgers and Charlie Saunders . Watch this space for further announcements as more signings are confirmed.