Table of contents for August 29th 2018 in MCN

How I laughed inside my crash helmet as I sauntered serenely between the gridlocked traffic on the A1. With steam coming out of car bonnets and drivers’ ears, I was able to weedle my way through with a supreme sense of smugness. An hour or so later, as the rain attacked me from what seemed like all angles, I was not feeling quite so pleased with myself. And I swear some of the earlier, frustrated drivers were laughing out loud as they passed me, stereo on, heater on and a steaming mug of coffee in their special cup-holder. There are times, when a car makes more sense than a motorcycle. Although I think those times are getting rare. With more and more traffic clogging UK roads, bikes do make more…

Few bikes are as famous as Mike Hailwood’s 1978 TTwinning Ducati NCR 900F1 and now, 30 years on, 12 replicas, to be made as close as possible to the historic racer, are finally to be built, each with a whopping price tag of £110,000! Updated internals The bikes are to be built by Vee Two USA, a new collaboration between Australian bevel-drive Ducati specialists Vee Two (headed by Brook Henry) and race fabricators TaylorMade Racing of Los Angeles (headed by Paul Taylor). The key to the project is the Ritorno engine; an externally faithful reproduction of the factory NCR race motor used by Hailwood, but now made by Vee Two with Ducati’s permission to an updated spec. Vee Two will supply the engines while Vee Two USA will assemble the…

Sinnis’s new £2499 Terrain 125 is a mini adventure bike that costs less than the price of a couple of ticks on a BMW R1200GS options list. The Terrain 125 comes with a full set of luggage, a screen, handguards, very beefy-looking crashbars and a front beak, just like a GS. Climb aboard, and the illusion is maintained, with the wide bars giving a roomy riding position, just like the real thing. Except that the 800mm-high seat allows short riders to get one foot flat on the ground; try doing that with a GS. Another giveaway comes when you press the start button and the Terrain’s air-cooled single chuffs into life like the well-mannered 125 it is. Sinnis claim 11.5bhp. That’s enough for reasonable progress around town. Thanks to its…

Ever since the CG125 swung into view in 1976, Honda have cornered the market in affordable entry-level bikes. The new CB125R is slightly different; it’s the halo model of Honda’s 125 class, £1000 more expensive than its CB125F cousin, it competes with the lesser-equipped Suzuki GSX-S125 and has a similar spec sheet to the more expensive Aprilia, KTM and Yamaha options. 2018 CB125R What is it? As it uses the same forks and frame design as the CB300R, the CB125R has got more road presence than a lot of learners. MCN says “Quality touches like beefy 41mm USD forks, ABS, a four-piston radial caliper and an LCD dash give the CB125R an added layer of sophistication.” Want one? £3989, £766 deposit £59 per month on a three-year PCP deal. 2015…

Footage has emerged on the UK Motorcycle Protest Facebook page of two would-be bike thieves getting instant come-uppance. The two can be seen riding down a dimly lit street before approaching a bike parked between two cars. A passerby appears in a car and challenges the men, asking what they’re doing before he speeds off. Then out of nowhere the car reverses back into shot, ramming the moped to the ground. The thieves simply scarper.…

‘Chemicals and electricity create images via pixels’ As the world of electronics evolves, more and more bikes are gaining full-colour TFT dashes. First seen on the Ducati Panigale in 2012, they’ve filtered down the biking pecking order until some now appear on 125s. And with last year’s sports touring H2 SX featuring a similar item, it isn’t a surprise that the H2 has followed suit this year. Digital, LCD ‘seven-segment’ displays have been around for over 20 years, but TFT (Thin Film Transistor) takes things to another level. These full colour-displays employ the same kind of high-resolution screens that we use every day on our mobile phones and can display any information you want, in any format, without being restricted like a normal digital display. The TFT system is an…

There’s some great riding to be had in the Lincolnshire Wolds and as a county Lincolnshire has a particularly enthusiastic biking population. This week we take a ride to Market Deeping, to get the lowdown on one of the more popular meet-ups and hangouts, the Iron Horse Ranch House. With a row of steeds parked outside, the Iron Horse certainly looks the part and a friendly greeting from the staff makes for a warm, home-style welcome. The décor is pure Americana, giving the Iron Horse an authentic transatlantic diner feel. It’s more restaurant than café, boasting a bar, bands and a weekly bike night. Owner Richard Swinscoe got his inspiration from the thousands of miles he’s ridden throughout the US: He said: “When I hit 50 I decided to do…

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. 1 Fuelled up and ready You expect sports tourers to have a decent tank size, but while the MV swallows a huge 21.5 litres of fuel the Ducati disappointingly only takes 16 litres, which is less than most sportsbikes. Trips reset, which is pretty intuitive on both bikes, we are ready to hit the MCN250. Only one…

Right at the end of the run on the A435, just before we turn off and cut around the outskirts of Cirencester at Bagdon, there’s a series of 50mph sweepers that are absolutely magical and are a point I always look forward to on the MCN250. And on these two sports tourers they certainly didn’t disappoint. Riding the SuperSport through this one-mile flowing section with the sun shining and dappled light escaping through the tree canopy was very special and reminded me why I love Ducati motorcycles. The SuperSport has the same lazy power delivery as my 916 and its chassis also feels similar. With the V-twin revving nice and low you can roll from apex to apex and just enjoy the sound and feel of a Bologna desmo. And…

THE STUDENT Ian Craddock, 54, Northants Honda CBR600F rider Ian does 2000 miles a year, has toured Italy and done trackdays at Mallory, Cadwell and Silverstone. Ian’s riding problem ‘I ride too fast into corners, don’t give myself enough time to see what’s going on and it puts me in the wrong place on the road.” THE TUTOR Mark Edwards, Rapid Training A police motorcyclist for 18 years, Mark has been training people to be faster, safer, better riders on the road for 20 years. Mark’s action plan ‘Ian tries to put too much pace into his ride and doesn’t give himself time to assess the road. I’ll show him how to make every ride better.’ THE LESSON 1 Information gathering Ian is very smooth, uses all the controls well…

1 Give your chain a health check When a chain needs replacing it displays various symptoms that should catch your attention. You’ll notice it’s more noisy than usual when you ride, despite lubing it. Also when you try and adjust it, there are severe tight spots and/or seized links. These are all signs that the chain is ready for the bin. It is good practice to replace the chain and sprockets as a set. 2 Get tooled up You will need a chain-splitter tool and a riveting tool. Sometimes both tools come together as a kit. When it comes to buying one, don’t be tempted to go for the really cheap items as these are just not robust enough to do the job properly. Anything in the mid-price bracket is…

Lee Johnston really appreciated what makes the Classic TT so special after winning the Lightweight race on the Padgett’s Honda RS250. He said: “I just wish this was 20 years ago, that this was a real TT podium and we could ride these bikes at the actual TT.” Johnston beat rising roads star, Adam McLean (Binch Yamaha) by 29 seconds with veteran Ian Lougher third. The Lightweight event was marred by an opening lap crash at Ballaspur involving Dan Sayle. Manxman Sayle, the TT’s most successful sidecar passenger, was airlifted to hospital where he is described as ‘serious but stable.’…

An incident involving Bennetts British Superbike series leader Leon Haslam and rival Jake Dixon on the last lap of the second Cadwell Park race ten days ago caused much debate after Dixon claimed Haslam’s leg waving was the reason he ran on at the end of the Park Straight. Dixon went for a pass on Haslam on the brakes at the entry to Park corner, but ended up running on and losing out on second position to Bradley Ray. After the race Dixon criticised Haslam, suggesting the ‘dangerous’ dangle had caused him to let off the brakes and that’s why he couldn’t make the turn. MCN can reveal that race direction did look into the incident following Dixon’s complaint, and while they believe Haslam’s dangle is on the threshold of…

Bradley Smith said that he’s more disappointed for the British fans at Silverstone than he was for himself after track conditions meant he missed the chance to ride in what could be his last ever home GP. Unable to ride due to the treacherous conditions, he told MCN that the response he got from fans over the weekend more than made up for missing the race. Going into the weekend unsure about his future plans and confirming that he’s unlikely to be on the grid next season, at least in a full-time role, the 27-year-old says that it was still one of the best weekends of his MotoGP career thanks to success on the track and the reception off it. He said: “I had a hell of a weekend. I…

There were warning signs that Silverstone was in difficulty as early as Friday evening with riders commenting that the new surface hadn’t got rid of its notorious bumps. Aleix Espargaro said that had the riders tested on the new surface prior to the event, the race wouldn’t even be taking place in the dry with Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso describing the surface as ‘a disaster’ and ‘very bad’. Things got much worse after Saturday’s FP4 incident where Tito Rabat was injured and riders said the circuit would be unrideable in the wet. So it was no surprise to see many shaking heads as they lined up on the grid at 11.30am on Sunday with a growing amount of standing water across the 3.6-mile track. MARQUEZ ‘Bumps are the issue’…

‘We’ve taken away all concerns around range’ HARLEY COO MICHELLE KUMBIER When Harley-Davidson showed the pre-production electric LiveWire in August alongside its new middleweights, there was one question left hanging: why now? In an exclusive interview with MCN, H-D’s Chief Operating Officer, Michelle Kumbier, tells us what Harley are looking to achieve with the LiveWire and how they’re going to do it. How do you convince people to be first adopters? “When we did the LiveWire tour back in 2014, we had demonstrator vehicles that toured the globe. We put thousands of people on those bikes and the feedback was that people thought they were awesome. Of course there were people who thought ‘yeah, thanks, but this isn’t for me’ and then sat on it and couldn’t believe it.…

OUR FAVOURITE FIVE BIKES 1 2013 FTR-KAWASAKI GP113 – MOTOGP Featuring a 230bhp, highly-tuned Kawasaki ZX-10R engine in a prototype MotoGP chassis, this bike can hit 0-60 in 2s and its highest top speed recorded top speed was 207.1mph at Mugello. 2 2003 DUCATI DESMO GP3 – MOTOGP This ex-Loris Capirossi racer is one of the most aggressive bikes of all time, with 240bhp in a chassis that struggled to contain it. It’s the loudest bike you’ll hear at the show. 3 2008 SUZUKI GSX-R1000 – BSB With full electronics and unlimited tuning, Tom Sykes’ GSX-R is still more advanced than the bikes that race in BSB today. Tom recorded his first wins and 11 podiums on the bike. 4 1986 GROWLER SUZUKI – ISLE OF MAN TT Far more…

Seven thousand people have now signed up for MCN’s #ride5000miles challenge and over the last two weeks 93 of them have broken through the mileage barrier. “It’s given me the incentive to get my bum off the sofa,” says Honda rider Rob Dickman. “I’m just 120 miles from the total and it’s been great. I started off with a 100-miler to blow away the cobwebs and get some practice in for a trip to Ireland when I did 1633 miles in six days. “Then at the end of May I did another 1632 miles in six days on the NC500. Chuck in another 460 miles for the Honda day at the Ace Café in July and a few other ‘sightseeing’ trips along the way and I’m there. I’ve had a…

Sunday's British MotoGP was only the second GP cancelled since 1980, the other being a US GP abandoned due to a hurricane. Sunday's weather was typical of a British Bank Holiday, certainly not a hurricane, yet Silverstone's recently resurfaced track could not cope with the volume of water. What a national embarrassment. Foreign fans will have been watching TV shaking their heads in bafflement about how rainy old Britain was incapable of running a wet race. One can only hope that civil engineering is not one of the British exports to the wider world that we're relying on post Brexit, because on the evidence of Sunday, nobody's going to be buying.…

Winning the Classic Senior TT was an unbelievable feeling. Really, really special after all the ups and downs I’ve had since the big crash at the North West in 2017. I thoroughly enjoyed those four laps on the Paton and it never missed a beat. It is probably the best bike on the grid, but we had to stop for fuel and you have to hit all your marks and get it to the finish. I didn’t rev the bike over 10,000rpm, just short-shifted it everywhere. But you have to be careful not to make a mistake when you are doing that. I was pretty tired because these bikes don’t half take it out of you. They are really small and cramped. ‘I NEARLY CRIED COMING OVER THE MOUNTAIN AT…

1 Tube and rod cutting Dave, who’s worked for Hagon Shocks for 44 years, cuts shock tubes and damper rods on a specialist Sinico multi-head machine cutter sourced from Italy. 2 Damper rod threading The damper rods are then threaded and cross-drilled using a CNC lathe. 3 Bar machining These classy-looking monoshock tops are made in a CNC lathe from a solid aluminium bar. 4 Full assembly Sam assembles shocks from start to finish, following a works order sheet with all the bespoke information required. The shock bottoms are machined in a CNC machine from billet aluminium. 5 Charging the shock Danny charges a shock with nitrogen. Basic shocks can be assembled in only 15 minutes. 6 Packing and despatch As Hagon build shocks to order, packing and despatch takes…

‘It’s a vision of black leather and patches’ Of all the images of classic British biking over the decades, and of all the motorcycling events of the 1960s, none are more powerful, infamous even, than that of the Rocker riding a café racer Triton (or similar) from the Ace Café to Brighton; perhaps having a ‘dust up’ with some mods on the way. It’s a vision of black leather biker jackets and studs and patches; of Brycreemed quiffs and ’50s rock n’ roll and of ace-barred British twins and burn-ups to the coast. And it’s an image, a whole culture in fact, that remains so popular today that you can still live it, as I did, at the annual Ace Café Reunion Run from the north London café to Brighton…

DANGER ZONE With corners, it’s all about what you can’t see. Parked cars, slippery surfaces and oncoming traffic are all hazards. 1. INFORMATION Assess the corner using things like road curvature, the speed of oncoming vehicles, warning signs and surface. 2. PICK A LINE Position yourself to get the best view through the corner, looking for nearside and offside hazards and your best path. 3. SETTING SPEED Assess how much speed you need to lose and adjust as necessary, whether it’s just throttling-off or braking. 4. GEAR ASSIST Select a suitable gear before you enter the turn. You’ll normally be downshifting to give you more throttle response. 5. POWER OUT You’ve got everything done before the bend, so you can concentrate on your path to the exit and when to…

‘I used to race a 2000 R1 years ago, but the tyre costs were just insane,” says veterinary surgeon Chris Furniss. “I was never that quick but I really enjoyed it while the money lasted.” Superstock-spec race bikes have an insatiable appetite for tyres, and as Chris found that his rears were lasting as little as eight laps the time came to let his race licence lapse. But that didn’t mean he was ready to give up on sportsbikes. “I bought a 2008 Yamaha R6, which I put on a bit of a pedestal. It was immaculate and didn’t have a spot of muck on it,” he said. But the lure of litre bikes was still strong and when Yamaha launched a revised R1 in 2015 it turned Chris’ head…

Naked bikes used to be fairly mundane commuters. Devoid of soul, they were the workhorses of the two-wheeled world whose purpose in life was to hack through traffic or provide stress-free commuting. Aside from a set of bar muffs and a topbox, modifications were rare and a loud pipe generally meant rot had caused it to spring a leak. But in the mid 1990s all that changed. £3891 2007 APRILIA TUONO 997cc | 184kg | 131bhp | 820mm seat height • Dealer price £4000-£5500• Private £3000-£4500• The one £3891, 17,840 miles The original Tuono is essentially a stripped-back RSV with a set of flat bars. The Tuono’s thumping V-twin motor and sportsbike chassis make it hysterical to ride. There are two generations of V-twin Tuono; the single pipe and updated…

‘There was a bit of fumbling about in the pits’ The tears flowed after John McGuinness made a winning comeback to the Isle of Man’s Mountain course by taking victory in the 500cc Senior race at the Classic TT. The 23-times TT winner, who has missed the last two TTs after smashing his leg in a practice crash at the 2017 North West 200, was overcome with emotion as he claimed a start-to-finish win on the Winfield Paton. “I never ever thought I’d be able to pull into this winner’s enclosure after I was lying on my backside in a field with my back in four pieces, ribs all broken and my leg snapped in half,” McGuinness said. “I’ve worked hard and all my family and sponsors have kept faith…

‘You want to race, you want to win the title on the track’ The cancellation of Sunday’s race helped MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez, who was able to maintain his commanding 59-point series lead at a circuit which looked likely to favour his title rivals. With one less race for the chasing pack to hunt Marquez down, Silverstone could prove to be a pivotal point in the 2018 title battle. Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso were quick from the off in both wet and dry conditions and were due to line up first and second on the grid. But it wasn’t just the Desmosedicis that looked strong this weekend with Yamaha’s rear-end grip issues less prevalent around the fast and flowing 3.6-mile Silverstone circuit. Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi…

‘The plan is already for three or four days in Malaysia’ Scottish rider John McPhee will have the chance of a lifetime to lift the Moto3 world crown in 2019 after announcing at his home race that he has signed for the Petronas Sprinta Honda team for next season. Joining Ayumu Sasaki at the Sepang Circuit-based squad, the deal represents a move into one of the best-backed squads on the lightweight grid. With McPhee struggling in recent seasons to put together a strong pre-season campaign and failing to get the momentum he needs to start off the season, he’s positive that the strengths of the Petronas team mean that he can start the year as a genuine title contender. He said: “For the last three or four years, I’ve just…

‘I’m saying it like it is even though it’s getting expensive now!’ Scott Redding says that the British fans have helped him get through another tough weekend on the Aprilia. Becoming more outspoken in what he’s accepted will be his final year in the class, he says that even the threat of further fines from his employer like the one he received after his Austrian outburst won’t change him. “It was great being at Silverstone, because I don’t have fun on track at the minute and I’m able to put that aside and enjoy the reception I get. I got to see how much I’ve meant to them over the past few years, and that means a lot because I’ve been having a hard few races. “A lot more people…

It’ll take some time for the dust to settle, but the cancellation of Sunday’s race could mean troubled times ahead for the future of the British Grand Prix. With race control implying that the future of the race is in doubt without serious remedial works but with Silverstone in contract for another two years, it could leave the race hanging in the balance. Riders and organisers are already locked in battle over an ever-increasing number of races on the calendar and there are plenty of places keen to host a race. There’s no worse time for questions to be raised about the British GP’s place on the schedule.…

‘The existing guidance could be encouraging higher speeds’ CHIEF CONSTABLE ANTHONY BANGHAM Motorcyclists could be penalised for very small strays over the limit if national roads policing top dog Chief Constable Anthony Bangham gets his way. In a report leaked by the Daily Mail,the West Mercia police chief stated that the current guidelines make road users think that it is “okay to speed”. The long-standing rule of thumb applied my police forces is 10% + 2mph, meaning that it’s possible to ride at 78mph on a motorway without censure. The rulings were brought in from a period where vehicles had mechanical speedos subject to wear and variations in tyre circumference which could affect speedo readings, but with many cars and bikes now having gps satnav showing an accurate speed, the…

How often are we told the only way to fix problems is to get out and do it yourself? Now a group of bikers have decided enough is enough, so they’re organising a mass patrol to show the bike thieves we will not be beaten. Working as a team “Bikers stick together and support each other,” says Shane McDonald of theft awareness group Biker Biker. “It’s just what we do. We’re trying to prevent thefts because it feels like the police just aren’t interested.” Biker Biker already organise theft patrols, where they make their presence felt in the hope that it will ward off thieves, however they’ve kept them inside a closed group. Now they’re opening them up to the public to help increase support. The ride is scheduled for…

KTM’s 1090 Adventure is an accomplished machine, especially the off-road focused R, but sales have struggled in the face of competition from KTM’s own 1290 Adventure. With the parallel twin 790 Adventure incoming, many thought the 1090 would be scrapped but spy shots suggest the mid-capacity twin is getting big changes. Growing potential The current 1090 is actually a 1050, as it still has the old engine; it just had a power increase to 123bhp. Our sources suggest the new model will get a capacity increase up to 1150cc, with a power boost to match. It’s possible KTM will bump up the electronics to cope with the new power figures, especially with the technologically advanced 790 snapping at its heels. The current 1090 is available in a low-powered (47bhp) configuration…

What started out as a small, local gathering has grown into the largest annual HOG meet in Europe. The sensational Thunder in the Glens now attracts thousands of Harley riders from all over the world. “It’s all about the atmosphere, the freedom, getting away and just having a laugh,” says John Craft, who comes back year on year with son Jai. “It’s just a great place to mingle with likeminded folk.” Despite a record number of registrations, the event is still hosted by the Dunedin HOG Chapter (in partnership with Edinburgh Harley-Davidson) and its continuing success is a credit to the hard-working team of volunteers. We spoke to Event Coordinator George ‘Mad Dog’ McGuire. “It’s a great coming together of the local community and the biking fraternity,” he said. “As…

MATCHLESS 350 My dad with my mum astride his Matchless 350 before I was born. I now ride a Fireblade thanks to him. Richie Young TRIUMPH TIGER CUB My sister Cherrill had come home on leave from the WRAC and I took her for a spin around the block to show off my Tiger Cub. Nigel Maplethorpe SUZUKI GSX-R600 My girlfriend booked me a trackday session on my first bike. “You aren’t going to go fast are you?” Steven Proctor SUZUKI TS125X AND YAMAHA DT125 Me and my pal Craig in 1985 (we’d just left school). I’m riding the yellow TS125X. Great times! Joe Bleach DOUGLAS 350 This is my Douglas in 1945. John Dury YAMAHA RD250 My first bike and first girlfriend. It was 1977 and the RD had…

The Ducati’s LCD dash is visually a little bit basic but it does manage to display all the information you need in a clear and easy-to-read way with a gear indicator, fuel gauge, large speedo plus the usual trips and average speed/fuel indicators. All of its functions are controlled via a simple up/down switch on the left-hand bar, however the indicator doubles up as the power mode selector, which is annoying as it makes the mode flash should you tap it to double check the indicators are cancelled. DUCATI DUCATI SWITCHGEAR There’s a slight Lego feeling here, but it is easy to use. Visually unappealing, but very functional and almost Germanic in its design. MV AGUSTA MV AGUSTA SWITCHGEAR Nothing special here although the large ABS button is odd. Everything…

Essex-based Hagon celebrate their 60th anniversary this year and longevity is part of the reason the name has become one of those long-established biking brands everyone’s heard of. And, like many UK aftermarket bike parts businesses, their origins lie in racing. But not road racing. Martin Hagon, boss and son of company founder Alf, explains: “My dad was a successful grass track racer and because of that everyone wanted to buy the frames he was making. “So it was a hobby that grew into a business. Dad raced in the last ever grasstrack meeting at Brands Hatch and also the first-ever road race there once they Tarmaced it. So it was a short step into making tubular steel frames for speedway and drag racing and then ultimately aluminium monocoque frames…

Honda describe the CB300R as a stepping stone bike, a naked roadster that provides a natural progression from a 125 without too much of a jump in terms of capacity, weight or power. Such a bike has been missing from the firm’s model range. The sporty, fully faired CBR250R evolved into the CBR300R and has been around since 2011, but you have to go way back to the CB250, which was discontinued in 2003, to find a naked model. For 2018 Honda have produced the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle with the CB300R. 1 What’s the motor like? Taken from the CBR300R, the 286cc single is surprisingly punchy. Its performance is certainly helped by the bike’s meagre 143kg weight, but it still has an impressive turn of pace. It…

‘I want to have another go at winning the Senior TT when I’m 50’ Flying Kiwi Bruce Anstey returned to action at the Classic TT after being forced to miss the 2018 season because of his battle with cancer. Shaven-headed following several bouts of chemotherapy, the 49-year-old completed a parade lap of the Mountain course on the Padgett’s RC213V-S Honda before Saturday’s Senior race. He said “I’m knackered after that. But it was great to be back out there. I feel a lot better for being here and the bike is awesome.” Anstey is still awaiting the results of tests to see if he is in remission, but the 13-times TT winner is adamant he still wants to win the one TT race that is not on his CV. “I…

Before the Silverstone weekend kicked off, LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow made no secret of his intention to win. Classed as the dark horse by many at his home GP, Crutchlow himself had higher aspirations and claiming a maiden Brit GP victory was at the forefront of his mind. Having already won in Argentina this season and coming to his home race on the back of a string of impressive front-running rides; his belief was not misplaced. In FP2 he topped the timesheets before going on to qualify fourth, only pipped in the dying seconds of the session by Johan Zarco for a place on the front row. Crutchlow looked well placed. Speaking after qualifying he said: “I felt good in the dry, really good and if it is a…

Tito Rabat has begun his long road to recovery after suffering a badly broken leg in practice at Silverstone. The 29-year-old Spaniard underwent surgery in a Coventry hospital on Saturday night and by Sunday afternoon was already back on his feet as he plots his return to the Avintia Ducati. Badly breaking all three bones in his right leg, he looks set to face potentially months of physiotherapy and recovery. Rabat was one of a number of riders to fall in quick succession during the fateful FP4 session. Despite the session being red-flagged he was struck by Franco Morbidelli’s bike while lying in the gravel at Stowe Corner seconds after crashing himself.…

‘I am sincerely sorry to all the fans who have come here today’ Silverstone have promised a full investigation into the fiasco that became the 2018 British Grand Prix after both race direction and the riders slammed the new surface. While Silverstone put the conditions in Saturday’s disastrous FP4 down to a freak ‘deluge’, the same could not be said on Sunday as constant, steady rainfall led to the same, if not worse, conditions around the entire track. Admitting on Sunday that the water wasn’t draining, Silverstone Managing Director Stuart Pringle said he is determined to get to the bottom of the situation. “If you think there are people disappointed by the performance of the track today you can be assured that I stand at the front of that queue,”…

MotoGP bosses blame track conditions ‘We’ve got to expect rain around here’ Sunday’s British Grand Prix has become the first MotoGP race in over 30 years to be cancelled, after unsafe track conditions at Silverstone saw racing called off without a wheel turning in anger. After a series of delays, the decision was eventually taken out of the hands of the organisers when riders decided that the Northamptonshire circuit’s new multi-million-pound track surface was too dangerous to ride on due to the amount of standing water. Red flags were first raised (both figuratively and literally) during Saturday’s wet free practice session, when a series of almost-instantaneous crashes at Stowe corner left Tito Rabat with a badly broken leg. Speaking afterwards Alex Rins described how terrifying it was to hit water,…

THE SOUTH Home Counties heaven 100miles TunbridgeWells-Hailsham-Sissinghurst-TunbridgeWells This route has broad, well-surfaced roads with few 30-40mph limits or convoys of 4x4s. From Tunbridge Wells head towards East Grinstead on the A264 before swinging south to Maresfield on the B2026. Pick up the A272 and then the A267 to Hailsham, heading east on the A271 to Battle. From there it’s north on the A21. Look out for the Route 1066 café on the left, before turning onto the cracking A229 to Hawkhurst. Next it’s cross-country on the A268 and A28 to Tenterden, before picking up the A262 through Sissinghurst, all the way back to rejoin the A21. Stop for refreshments at the 50s and 60s themed 1066 Café on the A21. Good food and music guaranteed. Explore some Essex tarmac 49…