Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

universally challenged

From desperation to elation, through hissy fits and cosmic guidance Every now and again I almost forget what a plonker I am. Luckily I work with bikes, which gives the universe plenty of opportunities to put me right pretty swiftly.Last time this happened was just a couple of days ago. As usual, it involved bikes, so I thought I’d share the story with you. I have two motorcycles: a Yamaha Fazer 1000 for Tarmac and a Suzuki DR350 for falling over in mud. They’re neither new and flashy, nor old and characterful. They are somewhere in the grey area in between – the biking equivalent of a pair of chinos and a cagoule; not something you brag about, but do the job.Anyway, a mate wanted to borrow the Fazer,…

motorcycle sport & leisure’s contributors...

Roland Brown A bike journalist for more than 30 years, Roland has contributed to countless publications worldwide and authored a dozen books on bikes. He has tested machines ranging from Rossi’s YZR-M1 to a 1923 Douglas, but still can’t decide which type of bike he most enjoys riding. Chris Moss Mossy has made a living from bikes since 1985, first as a motorcycle courier in London, and then as a journo from 1995. He’s raced, ridden and tinkered with hundreds of different bikes, but he’s the first to admit there’s still loads to experience and learn. Peter Henshaw Peter is our history man. He’s written more than 60 books and is a former editor of this very publication. Now a freelance journalist, he writes about transport…

motorcycle sport & leisure

June 2019 EDITOR: Mikko Nieminen: mnieminen@mortons.co.uk DESIGNER: Gareth Williams PRODUCTION EDITOR: Mike Cowton PICTURE DESK: Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schofield PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Dan Savage PUBLISHER: Tim Hartley GROUP KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGER: Steff Woodhouse: swoodhouse@mortons.co.uk 01507 529452 / 07786 334330 GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER: Sue Keily DIVISIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER: Zoe Thurling zthurling@mortons.co.uk 01507 529412 ADVERTISING SALES: Charlotte Mountain: cmountain@mortons.co.uk 01507 529538 SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER: Paul Deacon: pdeacon@mortons.co.uk CIRCULATION MANAGER: Steve O’Hara: sohara@mortons.co.uk MARKETING MANAGER: Charlotte Park: cpark@mortons.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Nigel Hole ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES: Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529423…

blood bikes volunteers replaced in new £14m deal

The University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has ended its longstanding arrangement with the Coventry and Warwickshire Pathology Service and the Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes. The service, which was previously offered by the WSBB’s volunteers since it was founded in 2012, will now be carried out by QE Facilities Ltd as part of a new £14 million contract.Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes claim they were excluded from the tendering process. Speaking about the news, Mark Lavery, chairman of WSBB said: “We are shell-shocked and gutted. At no stage have we been involved in the tendering process. It was through making our own enquiries we found out that UHCW has chosen to pay a company for work we have previously done free of charge. “We are devastated the…

new flying mile record at pendine sands

Record-breaking racer Zef Eisenberg established a stunning new benchmark for the Flying Mile at Pendine Sands in South Wales. Riding a specially made 400bhp supercharged Suzuki Hayabusa that was built and prepared by Eisenberg’s MADMAX Racing Team, he set a two-way average of 182.40mph on Saturday, April 6.Previous records have been achieved on four wheels rather than two: In 1927, Sir Malcolm Campbell reached 174.8mph at Pendine in his iconic aero-engined Blue Bird. That record was unbroken until 2015, when actor Idris Elba achieved 180.361mph along the historic beach in a 650hp Bentley Continental Super Sport twin-turbo W12. Eisenberg needed only a single run in both directions on the ‘Green Monster’ to surpass them both.…

olivers mount is all go

Motorcycle racing is all set to return to the iconic Olivers Mount, the only English road racing circuit. Tickets are on sale and dates confirmed for the popular Barry Sheene Classic and the International Gold Cup at Scarborough’s famous Olivers Mount road racing course. The Barry Sheene Classic, set to celebrate the return of racing to the course, will be held on July 27- 28, followed by the Gold Cup (which has previously seen wins for Guy Martin, Dean Harrison, Mick Grant, Geoff Duke, Barry Sheene and David Jefferies) on September 27-29.Advance tickets are available from Duke on 01624 640024 or online at www.dukevideo.com/oliversmount…