Table of contents for August 22nd 2018 in MCN

As I approached the track after parking up, I panicked. The roaring crowd suggested red-hot racing and yet my immaculately conceived schedule should have seen me arrive at Silverstone’s 2013 GP at least two hours before the first race. After much watch-checking I realised that I was indeed two hours early. The excitement was being caused by Scott Redding and his Union Jack-ed Moto2 Kalex. I’d not experienced such volume from a bike crowd since the heady days of Carl Fogarty at Brands Hatch in the 90s. Redding would later win the race. Cue hysteria. The British GP will always mean something to bike racing and to those living on this island. But it means more when homegrown talent competes. And, even better, when there’s a chance of a Brit…

‘Riders on holiday can now travelwithextra reassurance’ BMW have extended the warranties on their new bikes from two to three years with immediate effect, joining Suzuki as offering the longest standard warranties of any major manufacturer. The German brand now provide three-year cover on every bike (except the race-spec HP4 Race) as long as you stick to the maintenance schedule. The offer is boosted further by breakdown cover that allows the bike to be recovered and fixed anywhere in Europe in the first three years after purchase. In short, you could buy a new R1200GS and after two-and-a-half years ride it to Nordkapp and if it throws the gearbox output bearing, you’re covered. “The change matches perfectly the needs of our customers,” Nick Reece, national aftersales manager for BMW Motorrad…

An off-duty police officer was stabbed last week while trying to defend a moped from thieves. The City of London officer, who has not been named, was attacked with a ‘large kitchen knife’ while attempting to prevent a theft on Malyons Road, Lewisham. The 37-year-old saw a group of four men on bikes attempting to steal a moped from its 21-year-old owner. The suspects were armed with a knife but the unarmed officer confronted them, resulting in him being stabbed in the leg. Despite his injury, the officer succeeded in preventing the theft as the group fled the scene. The officer remains in hospital in a stable condition. Commander Jane Gyford, of the City of Police police, tweeted praise for the officer: “One of my officers was stabbed while bravely…

There are just four weeks until the Devitt MCN Ally Pally Show and Supersprint gets underway and the all-new event is shaping up to be a highlight of the biking season. With the UK’s only indoor Supersprint, the biggest biking celebs in action plus two huge halls full of retail stands selling everything from bikes to earplugs, the north London event is going to be a packed show and that’s even before you’ve had a chance to drool over the auction bikes. Premier auction house Bonhams have secured an incredible one-owner collection of bikes to sell including rare machines from Italy, Japan and the UK. We’ve selected just a handful of these superb bikes to show here from the 75-plus that will go under the hammer on the day (Sunday,…

Sorry to read of the closure of Arena Essex. When I was a teenager in London in the late 1960s I regularly visited four different tracks a week to watch speedway, all easily accessible by London Underground and if I wanted a little variety Romford and Rayleigh were a short train ride away. All these stadiums are gone now. I appreciate people need places to live, but an evening at the speedway is hard to beat for a good night out, and it seems a shame people living in London now have no opportunity to experience the unique excitement that a speedway meeting offers. MCN Star letter Write something that grabs our attention and you could get selected for the Star Letter slot. Every week one lucky reader will be…

1 R&D on the shop floor Mark starts the new product process simply by having an idea and making a cardboard model. “Aaron runs our Facebook page and we can gauge reaction before we make anything,” he says. 2 CAD drawing Mike takes the final CAD drawing into Radan software, which converts it into machine code for the laser profiler. 3 Laser cutting The laser profiler can cut sheet steel up to 15mm thick, 3 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep. 4 Breaking the edge After laser profiling, and unless the parts are being power-coated, Mike finishes by hand to clean up the bare metal surface. In this case it’s one of Cymarc’s screen strengtheners. 5 Profile breaking Aaron puts the bends in a Cymarc screen strengthener, using a six-axis…

I grab the front brake to avoid another rim-wrecking crater, but it’s too late. The front wheel drops in and I wait for the inevitable protest from my overloaded and overworked XT660. There’s a loud crack, and the subframe snaps and dumps me onto the back tyre. There are two fractures in the main frame and the tyre’s rubbing on the undertray. Oh, and there’s no hydraulic fluid in the rear shock (it’s been like riding an old pogo stick for the last 300 miles off-road). I take a deep breath of 4200-metre air, dig in my bag for cable ties and have a bite of chocolate. My girlfriend, Alissa, is on the back of a Frenchman’s Royal Enfield a few miles ahead but other than them, there’s no-one out…

Tony Briggs explains “Approaching a bend you put all your weight through your back foot, lean forward and then lay the bike down into the bend, which makes it slide and slows it down. You slide by leaning the rear tyre off its contact patch, forcing it to lose grip. You aren’t putting any weight through your inside boot and it isn’t usually on the ground despite the steel shoe. Its job is as a balance point to alter your weight distribution to control the slide. At the apex you want to get everything in line again to get the drive down, so you pick the bike up, sit back on the seat to add weight to the rear for grip and drive out. Essentially you are turning the oval…

‘I used to think only weirdos rode motorbikes,” says MCN reader Alwyn McMath, “despite my dad being a keen biker.” However, eight years and 23 bikes later, Alwyn’s got a much different point of view. “I was fed up with being stuck in traffic. Then I rode my first bike and was hooked.” From Honda Cubs, to Suzuki SV650s, BMW R1200GS Adventures, a Transalp, Ténéré, Fireblades, Triumphs, Kawasakis and even a Royal Enfield, the former pro-cyclist now has a garage that boasts a Honda Silverwing for commuting, a Yamaha XSR900 and Fazer 800 for fun, and this Africa Twin CRF1000L to answer the call of adventure. “It’s the first bike I’ve ever bought new,” admits Alwyn. “I’ll confess I was taken in by all the photos that came out of…

For riders who want to tackle any terrain with comfort, technology and safety, super-sized adventure bikes are hard to beat. Yet all that spec comes at a price. Add on heated seats, cruise control, fog lights and luggage and you’re soon be staring at a bill for thousands. But you can now pick up pre-owned examples for a fraction of their original price. Here’s our guide to the best top-spec globe busters. £5999 TRIUMPH EXPLORER XC 1215cc | 135bhp | 837mm seat height • Dealer price £6000-£8000• Private price £4500-£8000• This one 2014 model, 35,000 miles Triumph’s attempt at beating BMW at their own game had as little success with adventure bikes in terms of overall sales as it did with super-tourers (Hinckley’s similarly-powered 1200 Trophy was aimed squarely at…

Scarborough’s Gold Cup meeting, scheduled for September 22-23, could be thrown a lifeline by a group of enthusiasts who want to rescue bike racing at the Yorkshire venue. Action was suspended at the Oliver’s Mount parkland circuit this season after the 2.4-mile track failed to comply with ACU safety standards. The 2018 Spring Cup, Cock O’ the North and Barry Sheene festival were all cancelled. The Gold Cup meeting seemed certain to suffer the same fate before the intervention of the consortium which is understood to be headed up by former sponsors and racers. Neither Scarborough Council, who own Oliver’s Mount, nor the ACU, road racing’s governing body, could confirm the rescue bid but a source close to the consortium has told MCN a plan is well underway to save…

An estimated 48,000 people crammed in to Cadwell Park for the annual ‘Party in the Park’ Bennetts BSB round. The race is one of the championship’s most popular rounds and despite it losing its traditional Bank Holiday weekend date there was no lack of atmosphere. The huge crowd were rewarded with three incredible days of action, brilliant and eventful racing along with the spectacle that is ‘The Mountain’ where there was some impressive air time across all classes. MCN were there all weekend getting a fans’ eye view of the action and this is what you thought of it. Nick Johnson Age 42, Lincoln, Suzuki GSX-R1000 “I think it’s such a unique track. I’ve done trackdays here and I love it. I try to get to other races on the…

Bradley Ray put the misery of the last few rounds behind him with a solid resurgence at Cadwell Park at the weekend. The young gun, who stormed to a sensational double victory in the first round of the year at Donington Park, returned to the podium for the first time since the second round at Brands to mark the end to a difficult period for the Buildbase Suzuki squad. While Ray hasn’t lacked pace at recent rounds, for whatever reason things just haven’t come together for the 21-year-old, leading to him scoring zero points in five of the eight races prior to Cadwell. In the first eight rounds he’d gone from leading the championship to being on the brink of losing his place in the top six, meaning he came…

• ‘Rossi and Marquez both stick a leg out’ Leon Haslam stamped his authority on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship with a double at Cadwell Park. The JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider clocked up his eighth and ninth victories of the season and has now won three times as many races than anyone else on the grid. Haslam’s 100-point lead may mean little with the Showdown ahead, but he now sits 31 podium credits (more than a race win) ahead of closest rival Jake Dixon. But Haslam’s race two victory courted controversy after a moment involving Jake Dixon on the final lap. Haslam had passed Dixon for the lead on the penultimate lap, but the youngster wasn’t ready to give up. Knowing Dixon would try to get back at him at…

‘I’m scared to say too much in case I jinx it’ CHARLEY BOORMAN They have been around The World and down it, but now Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman are planning a new adventure; riding up from the southern tip of South America to the northernmost point of Alaska and filming it for a new TV series set to be called The Long Way Up. “We are very much in the early planning stages at the moment,” Boorman told MCN. “I’m scared to say too much in case I jinx it, but hopefully it is going to happen. We are still trying to figure out how we are going to do it, but I’m so excited about the thought of getting the old team together again.” Although still being…

With 325,000 Monsters sold since 1993, the naked warrior has been a huge sales success. Now, 25 years later, the Italian firm is celebrating the bike’s silver jubilee with the limited-edition Monster 1200 ‘25 Anniversario’. The £17k bike is a 1200S kitted out with an Italian tricolore paintjob, gold-coloured frame, carbon-fibre goodies and rider aids. But you can get a slice of the Monster success story for as little as £4k. 2018 25 ANNIVERSARIO What is it? A limited-edition, tricked-up version of Ducati’s greatest sales success MCN says “Ducati pays tribute to the legendary roadster with a £17,000 stunner.” Want to buy one? £17,390, no PCP deal currently available. More details at: www.ducatitrioptions.com/ 2016 1200R What is it? Uprated Ohlins suspension, 15bhp more than the S and raised pegs for…

Soft landing The airbag deploys within 0.06s of an impact. The challenge is finding a way to package it on small bikes. Sensors Accelerometers fitted in the fork legs detect impact-level changes in speed and send info to the system’s ECU. Big bang The bag is activated by an igniter which sets off ammonium nitrate propellant and compressed nitrogen gas. ‘There’s plenty of space on a bike like an NC750’ It doesn’t take a genius to know hitting soft things is safer than hitting hard things. The idea of deployable airbags for cars dates back to the 1950s, but it took until the late 1980s for sensor and inflation technology to make them viable. So where were bikes in all this? Embarrassingly, nowhere. European research in 1973, and tests by…

1 Engine Four-valve, 1870cc ‘Milwaukee-Eight’ V-twin gets bigger airbox and exhaust 2 Sporty forks Showa Dual Bending Valve forks are fully adjustable and only the second USDs on a Harley 3 Chassis Lightened frame, uprated suspension and even clip-ons hint at this Harley’s sporty side 4 Wheels Lighter forged alloy wheels cut unsprung weight to sharpen steering Harley-Davidson’s new performance cruiser looks set to have the ‘go’ to match its drag-strip styling. The new, street fighter-style FXDR doesn’t just have Harley’s latest, most torquey Big Twin engine, it uses an updated, lighter version of its new Softail frame which should give it the best handling of any Softail. Harley have slimmed down the chassis with a lighter, aluminium swingarm, which knocks over 4.6kg off the bike’s unsprung weight. The forged…

Lincolnshire Bike Nights have been running for almost 30 years. Meets are every Wednesday evening March to October, but twice a year it takes place somewhere special. MCN joined a stream of riders heading to East Kirkby to investigate. East Kirkby is an ex-RAF bomber base and home to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre. It’s based around one of just four surviving operational Avro Lancaster bombers: NX611, otherwise known as ‘Just Jane’. And on this ‘Lancaster Bomber Night’ it opens its hangar doors, sets up burger stalls and even puts on a live band to welcome bikers from all over the country. ‘To experience a Lancaster taxi run is special indeed’ “We’ve been running this event for 13 years and average well over 1000 bikes,” LAHC’s manager Andrew Panton told…

1973 MV AGUSTA GP500/3 TRIPLE The last MV racing triple to be built. Believed to have been ridden by 22-time world champion, Giacomo Agostini (though research to confirm this is still ongoing). Maintained by Lucio Castelli (former employee of MV’s race dept) and in superb condition, the bike represents the final flowering of the classic 500cc MV three-cylinder racer. Estimate: £250,000-£350,000 BUY YOUR DREAM BIKE... Admission to the auction is by catalogue (which admits two people) costing £20 and available in advance from www.bonhams.comor on the day, Viewing is on Saturday, September 22. There could be a few extra lots added to the sale between now and auction day, so it’s worth checking Bonhams’ website closer to the day.…

Both dashes are colour TFT (Thin Film Transistor) units, with multi-mode customisation available. The GS dash is an optional extra, but we’d be shocked if many new owners don’t make the £595 upgrade. Each delivers a wild array of information via their respective joystick and control wheel switchgear, but one stands out. The Tiger’s clocks lack much of the GSA’s functionality, luxurious display quality, multi-device Bluetooth capability and Appbased navigation connectivity. The BMW wins here. BMW BMW SWITCHGEAR The clever stuff all takes place between the dash and the menu button and command wheel, which effortlessly drives all dash actions. TRIUMPH TRIUMPH SWITCHGEAR The five-way joystick controls the huge array of dash options and modes well, but the switchgear feels cheap by comparison with the BMW. FUNCTIONALITY…

‘I love people who make stuff. It’s what I do. I’m obsessed about it.” Mark Hooten, boss of Cymarc Bike Parts, peers over the top of his glasses, across a garage with no fewer than four BMWs in it. His K1600, R nineT, S1000XR and GSA all sport subtle Cymarc bolt-ons and extras. Mark shows MCN one of his lockable storage boxes, locating in the same position as the GSA’s pillion. “I had a guy swore it wouldn’t fit,” says Mark. “He was on the phone telling me about it. In the end I rode to Bristol to show him; it slides in, just like a pillion seat. His wife found it funny.” Mark’s main business is Cymarc Engineering Ltd, a separate factory handling medium-to-heavy fabrication for the rail industry.…

1 Paperwork Getting into Tajikistan is straightforward. You need an E-visa with a GBAO permit, quick, easy and simple online and you’ll get an email the next day, which you just print out. No embassies or sending of your passport, just take the printout with you. 2 You don’t need to be a Dakar racer. A couple of days here will transform anyone into an off-road pro: sit back, let the bars go loose and pile on the gas. We met guys riding the Wakhan on a Honda Cub and another on a Harley! 3 Don’t worry about the police; they’ve become a lot more relaxed on fines. If you are stopped, stand your ground (unless you’re in the wrong and speeding). Either way, it’ll be a million times cheaper…

MOTOGP, SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT, TOWCESTER, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NN12 8TN, AUGUST 24-26 An ace run around Silverstone MotoGP comes to Silverstone this weekend with three days of racing but if you fancy a break why not put in a lap around our Great Route? The Route Turn left out of the circuit and head south to Stowe and into Buckingham. Turn left for the town centre. At the mini roundabout take the second exit and at the next roundabout take the A413 for a cracking run to Winslow before turning left onto the B4032. At the next T-junction turn left to the A421 then, after the roundabout, turn right to Stony Stratford. After Beachampton turn left to Passenham to the A422. At the roundabout take the third exit to Milton Keynes and at…

DANGER ZONE Poor body position and being on the throttle through the corner can overstress your tyres and lead to slides. 1. BODY FORM Prepare to hang off through the corner to keep the bike more upright, reducing lean angle and stress on your tyres. 2. LET IT REV Rev your bike’s engine hard, those revs are there to be used. Higher revs aid control and reduce the chance of exit highsides. 3. THROTTLE JAM Shut the throttle from the braking point all the way to the apex. It will improve ground clearance and help your bike to turn. 4. GAS IT UP At the apex, pick an exit point and accelerate hard towards it. Feel for rear-end grip, balancing drive on the throttle. 5. JOIN THE DOTS Treat a…

‘I’d started to wonder why I bother racing’ ‘There are strong circuits coming up’ Tommy Bridewell showed his potential with the MotoRapido Ducati team as he stormed to fifth place in the opening race. On the pace throughout the weekend, the outspoken West Countryman’s first race result bagged him a front row start for the second outing, but after struggling to get off the line he ended up pushing that little bit too hard and slipped off at Barn. The results mark a massive turnaround for Bridewell’s 2018 campaign, which saw him booted out of the Movuno.com Halsall Racing squad at Snetterton. He was then handed a lifeline from Steve Moore’s MotoRapido Ducati squad at Brands Hatch, where he showed promise from the off. Bridewell was relieved to be back…

‘We were battling hard in race two, but then disaster struck’ Having won three of the last four races, Josh Brookes went into Cadwell Park in prime position to challenge series leader Leon Haslam. But instead the McAMS Yamaha rider struggled throughout. After scraping a tenth in race one, the Australian salvaged a decent grid spot for race two and was lying sixth until he was forced to retire with an engine issue. Overall it was a weekend to forget for the former champion. His McAMS squad were one of the only teams on the grid not to have tested at the quirky Lincolnshire circuit prior to the meeting and as a result spent the entire weekend chasing set-up. When quizzed by MCN after having to fight his way through…

To celebrate the completion of their Moto2 engine project and their imminent return to GP racing, Triumph have announced a series of special events around this weekend’s Silverstone GP including a parade lap by their 765 Moto2 bike. Today (Wednesday) a host of Moto2 riders including Luca Marini, Sam Lowes, Danny Kent plus Moto3 rider John McPhee, are due at Triumph’s Hinckley factory. The riders will get to see the final Moto2 bike with the finished Triumph engine being run on the dyno. The next time they get so close to the machine will be when they begin testing later this year. Triumph have also offered two prizes for the Two Wheels for Life charity auction as part of the Day of Champions on Thursday. One top bidder will have…

‘It costs £1.5-£2m to investigate a fatal accident’ SERGEANT TRYSTAN BEVAN ‘Loud pipes don’t cause road deaths!’ Norman Self “In North Wales, a high percentage of bikes involved in fatal collisions had non-EU marked loud pipes fitted and small plates so there is a direct correlation. While I accept these loud pipes and small plates haven’t caused an accident, by stopping these bikes and talking to the riders hopefully we can prevent an accident. Also, you have to think about the residents of North Wales who are disturbed by the sound of a race exhaust. They are anti-social.” ‘A small plate is an easy conviction’ Tim Harvey “Why would you have a small plate aside from avoiding police detection? The law is the law. Our camera vans can’t always…

‘A bloke in a shed made us a sidecar’ R5K MEMBER MATT BISHOP If you’re struggling to hit your 5000-mile target, take some inspiration from British duo Matt Bishop and Reece Gilkes. The pair, both R5K members, are currently 22,000 miles and 10 months into riding a scooter and sidecar around the world. “We’re halfway around now and have been through 26 countries, which is further than we thought we would get,” Matt told MCN from America. “Before this trip neither of us had really ridden a motorcycle so it has been a huge adventure and took 18 months of planning.” But why a scooter and sidecar? “Riding a normal bike around the world has been done loads,” explained Matt. “We wanted to be different. We bought a Honda…

MCN broke summer! Re your article ‘Heat Of The Moment’ (MCN, August 8). Talk about putting a jinx on things. No sooner had that been printed than the heatwave came to an abrupt and rather wet end. How about keeping schtum next time? Greg Young, email Stick your ears in 'ere Reading Richard Newland’s review of the Shark helmet made me smile when he complained of folded down ears. I have a silhouette like the FA Cup and so always use a snood when wearing my helmet which nicely avoids crushed ears. Mark Cooper, Nottingham Why ride an illegal bike? I have just read the star letter from Kevin Stanley (MCN, August 8).What I cannot understand is why, oh why would anyone ride in North Wales if their bike is…

North Wales is blessed with some of the finest roads and most stunning scenery, attracting thousands of bikers. One of the more well-known sections is Horseshoe Pass, which has at its summit the world-famous Ponderosa Café, so with the pass reopened following a spate of wildfires we made the 1400ft ascent to check out the ‘café in the sky.’ The Ponderosa is centred around a no-frills self-service restaurant which caters for hundreds of bikers every weekend. Although there are often queues, the turnaround is surprisingly speedy. “It’s always really quick,” says Andrea Goodier, while sprucing up her visor at the cleaning station, “but it’s also nice to have a chat and meet people while you’re waiting.” Husband John agrees and adds: “It’s much better than your average greasy spoon. Plus…

‘BRITS MOVING UP NEVER GET ENOUGH OF A CHANCE’ It’s a massive shame we’ll only have Cal in the premier class next year. It’s a pity to see Scott Redding and Bradley Smith go, but they’re obviously not fitting-in. Smith seems to be getting there with KTM but it’s too late isn’t it? Maybe it’s time for a change of direction for Scott. He could be ready for World Superbikes or going back to Moto2. He’s been in MotoGP for so long now and he’s not delivering and when you’re in that place it’s a really s**t place to be in. He can’t be happy. He’ll be wanting to do better for himself. We seem to be in a bit of a rut with young British talent at the moment.…

It’s Britain’s best road test route. A tough 250-mile mix of A and B-roads, a stretch of busy motorway, plus plenty of towns, villages, blind corners, ballistic straights, and a huge range of grippy to slippy tarmac. There are two cafés, an off-road section for adventure and trail bikes, track time for sportsbikes, and Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and the dyno for hard and fast data when needed. You want answers? We’ve got ’em. WEATHER WATCH 1 The key to success Both bikes boast keyless ignition and both work well, while there’s something slightly more pleasing about the BMW’s procedural push-button positivity. Once used to both though, there’s little to separate them for ignition action. The BMW does step ahead with a keyless locking fuel cap, while you have to get…

These aren’t big enduro bikes, their primary function is to keep going when the tarmac runs out and that usually means gravel fire tracks and green lanes. Each boasts Enduro and Enduro Pro modes, altering the power delivery, ABS and traction control settings, as well as offering bespoke semi-active suspension settings, too. Beware the Tiger’s big glitch though. Opt for Enduro mode, ride, then switch the ignition off. And it defaults to Road mode again. A potentially dangerous faux pas. Select full electronic support on both bikes, and you’ll be drifting through corners on full throttle before you know it. Their ability to find and deliver drive and braking control other bikes would miss is truly impressive. But the Tiger’s mass is carried high, making it feel like an overladen…

‘You can’t fail to be amazed at the riders’ bike control’ Riding a speedway bike shouldn’t be that hard. All you have to do is remember to turn left and you haven’t got to worry about gears or brakes because there aren’t any. However, there is something called a ‘dead man’s switch,’ which is never a good thing to be presented with before you take to a track. I’ve always had a strange attraction to speedway. While flat-track racing has gone a bit trendy, speedway is still very much a grassroots sport. But that doesn’t make it any less competitive and if you have ever watched it live, or on TV, you can’t fail to be amazed at the riders’ bike control as they wrestle their machines four-abreast into and…

THE STUDENT Patryk Trojanowski, 30, London Patryk has been riding for seven years, and has just bought his first sportsbike. Now he wants to know how to corner faster. Dan’s riding problem “I’m struggling to get into corners fast and get the maximum corner entry speed. I’m new to the track and don’t know if I’m doing it right.” THE TUTOR Michael Neeves, MCN Road Tester Neevesy has been testing bikes at MCN for over 15 years, instructs at the Ron Haslam Race School and races a BMW S1000RR. Neevesy’s action plan “I will concentrate on Patryk’s off-throttle cornering and body position. He needs to adapt his style and throttle input on track.” THE LESSON 1 Hang off to get more grip Patryk isn’t leaning off the bike and is…

1 Check for wear Most bikes transfer power from the engine to the rear wheel via two sprockets and a chain. All three of these components have a service life that varies based upon the type of bike, style of riding and most crucially the correct amount of maintenance they have received. Signs of a worn sprocket include hooked or broken sprocket teeth and excessive transmission noise. 2 Count your teeth When ordering new sprockets, it is essential to get the one with the correct number of teeth to maintain your final drive ratio (it is possible to use larger or smaller sprockets for more top speed or acceleration). Deviating from the standard spec can change the bike’s acceleration performance, cause a drop in fuel efficiency and cause speedo inaccuracies.…

MCN understands that MotoGP star Alvaro Bautista has been offered a factory Ducati WSB ride for 2019, if he wants it. The 33-year-old Spaniard is still trying to secure his MotoGP future, but with just one place on the grid available he could instead be set to line-up against Jonathan Rea and co. aboard the new V4 Panigale. Eugene Laverty is also still pushing for the Ducati seat and current rider Chaz Davies has yet to be confirmed.…

‘I’ve still got no energy which is not great around here’ Peter Hickman moved himself into a vital top six position despite still suffering from the effects of the kidney infection that hospitalised him at Thruxton two weeks ago. The Smiths BMW rider rode to two heroic podiums at the Hampshire track but was in hospital again before winning two races at the Ulster Grand Prix and while he’d recovered further for Cadwell, he was visibly still lacking in energy. That lack of energy was less than ideal for Hickman at one of the most physically demanding circuits on the Bennetts BSB calendar, but he still managed to finish seventh and fourth in Sunday’s two races to overtake Danny Buchan in the battle for the sixth and final Showdown spot…

Glenn Irwin made things difficult for himself at Cadwell after a crash at the end of the first practice session saw him sustain a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. Hitting the deck at the bottom of the Mountain, Irwin took a heavy bang to his shoulder which would hamper his performance for the rest of the weekend. While he battled through to a fourth place in race one and fifth in race two, he admitted that his championship chances had been dented. “We’ve lost points to Leon, which is frustrating but we have strengthened our Showdown spot,” he said. “There’s a long way to go and anything can happen but I’d say we are now certainly an underdog and out of the main race for the title at…

Some big names look set to miss out on this year’s Showdown. As the final Silverstone triple-header approaches, the fight for the final, sixth, Showdown place looks to be between Peter Hickman, Danny Buchan and Christian Iddon with Jason O’Halloran and Michael Laverty having an outside chance. James Ellison is just 15th in the standings on the TAG Yamaha despite starting 2018 on the podium at Donington. JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s Luke Mossey is another big-name casualty as he’s struggled to find form this year, as is Honda Racing’s Dan Linfoot whose 2018 season has been blighted throughout by injury.…