Table of contents for 25 November 2020 in MCN

‘I was in the hurt locker for the race’SAM LOWES, MOTO2 MOTOGP HEROES Sam’s brave battle was captivating Will he? Won’t he? Will he? Won’t he? It was spellbinding stuff as Sam Lowes edged closer to a dream title win. The hard-charging Brit was close enough to smell victory a couple of times, but we all knew the pain he was battling with a double break in his right hand. Most of us would struggle to get off the sofa with that injury, let alone contest a Moto2 title. Amazing. FULL STORY 70 NEW BIKE SPECIAL The tide just keeps on rising Another week, another tide of new bikes floods out into the market to wow and woo us in an attempt to loosen our grip on abstinence. Leading the charge…

We’ve teamed up with expert riding trainer Andy Ibbott to give away ten signed copies of his new book, MotoGP Performance Riding Techniques - The MotoGP manual of track riding skills. The book has been written by former MCN road tester and racer Ibbott who went on to run the UK arm of the pioneering California Superbike School. It includes a foreword by US legend Keith Code - the man behind the original CSS. As well as being essential for anyone wanting to improve their racing, the book has plenty to offer road riders because it will encourage you to consider all aspects of your riding. How to enter Simply visit www.motorcyclenews.com/win-motogp-book and enter your details to be included in the prize draw. Good luck! Terms and conditions The prize…

Triumph’s new Trident uses a 660cc three-cylinder engine. Don’t be mistaken into thinking this is the motor from the 660cc Street Triple S, however. What Triumph have actually done is dust off the 675cc engine from the Daytona sportsbike, distinguished by its shorter cylinder head bolts and 74mm bore diameter. Engines in the current Street Triple range (and Tiger 900s) use ‘dry’ cylinder liners. These are thin sleeves that slide into holes in a lightweight aluminium cylinder block, allowing tighter cylinder spacing for a more compact and lighter engine. The 675cc engine used in early versions of the Daytona and Street Triple has ‘wet’ liners - cast iron tubes that stand in the middle of the block and are in direct contact with the coolant. Hence the ‘wet’ bit. Wet-liner…

THE PLAN ● Reader Greg Flisek ● The Ride Isle of Skye adventure on my Ducati Scrambler 1100 ● Time taken Two days ● Don’t miss this The views were amazing the whole way round and got better and better as I got past Fort William. I lost count of the number of times I stopped to take it all in. Plus there was a breakfast to die for at my B&B for the overnight stop in Uig. It was a great two days on the bike and a proper adventure. THE BIKE TUCK IN SKYE HIGH LOVED IT…

Q ‘Can I hop on Q a bike as an older car driver?’ I have decided to get my first bike and wondered what the licence rules are? I don’t have a bike licence yet, but have heard that I may not need one depending on the power of the machine. Is this correct? I have had a car licence for many years. Sonja, Reading A The rules depend on A whether you passed your car driving test before or after February 1, 2001. If you passed before this date then you can ride a moped with a maximum power of 50cc and without L-plates. If you want to ride something between 50cc and 125cc then you will need to take the Compulsory Basic Training (CBT). To remove the L-plates…

Russ Stevenson Age 55 Height 5ft 8in How long have you been riding? 40 years Occupation Motorcycle instructor Current bikes Zero SR/S Premium, Honda Pan European, Yamaha RD250LC, Yamaha RD350F2, Honda CX650 Turbo, Yamaha GTS1000, Honda VFR750 First bike Yamaha FS1-E Dream bike Already have them! Biking history Been riding all my life and instructing since 1984. Own two schools and two motorcycle shops. “There’s loads about electric bikes that appeals to me. They’re fast, they’re cheap to run and they’re different. I test-rode the Zero SR/F - the naked version - and the only things I didn’t like about it were the lack of wind protection and the high footpegs. The SR/S, with its fairing and lower pegs, is better in both these areas. I considered an Energica too,…

If you’ve ever been on Instagram and followed high-profile British, American and World Championship racers, chances are you’ve seen at least one ripping around a kart track on an Ohvale. From Richard Cooper, to Sam Lowes and Alex Rins to Toni Elias, they’ve all had a go. But what makes them so useful to pros? Hicky reveals all… “It’s as close to what I do as a job as I can get, without doing my job. Most people look at these bikes and see them as a bit of fun and a bit of a toy but they’re really not. They’ve been designed as a race bike, so when you ride them, they react like a race bike. “They don’t like being ridden slow and the faster you ride, the…

Crystal Palace, London Few today realise that Crystal Palace Park was a famous motor racing circuit for motorcycling and non-championship F1 racing right up to 1972. Much of the track and supporting infrastructure can still be identified today. Montjuich Park, Barcelona Alternating venue of the Spanish F1 GP to 1975 and home to a motorcycle 24-hour race until it closed in 1986. Most of the track can still be identified and a memorial plaque is located near the old start/finish line.…

Alpinestars Vega v2 Drystar gloves £109.99 ‘A great blend of sensible and sporty’ Tested by Michael Neeves for five months, 2500 miles I’ve been wearing these gloves for MCN250 testing duties, commuting and big road rides. They’ve also racked up hundreds of miles around Donington on Honda Fireblades, instructing at the Ron Haslam Race School. They’re CE Level 2-certified and mix the practical with the racy. A Softshell textile outer with reflective detailing and Thinsulate thermal lining ticks the touring glove box and the cuffs, padded fingertips and palm sections are leather for crash protection. Plastic sections to the knuckle and the base of the thumb mimic the Italian firm’s racing gloves. You’d want something thicker for mid-winter, but they’re warm enough for chilly autumn days and for sporty riding…

This is my fifth bike in four years, but I’m certainly in no rush to sell this one - it’s a keeper. Yes, I was new to it at the beginning, but over time I’ve found that I need something that does it all and in my opinion this is the best all rounder you can get. It’s fun to ride, comfortable over distance, proven to be reliable and has more than a little hooligan inside it, which is something that I’m all about. HOW GOOD IS THE RUBBER? OE Pirelli Angel GT A good all-round tyre and I can’t really criticise them at all. I got around 7000 miles out of the first set, but my tyre fitter suggested I try Roadtec. They’re more expensive, but give a lot…

‘Save yourself a full £850!’ Part of the pleasure of restoring a bike is having the ability to reverse the ravages of time. Although it’s quite satisfying to be able to source brand new bits for older bikes, ultimately all you are doing is bolting on a new part; the real challenge for restoration purists is making that worn-out and tired looking original component appear like new again - and of course there’s the significant cost savings too. The kit used in this guide cost ust £15 - and took it only took a couple of hours to bring back the as-new look to our VFR’s headlights. If we’d bought a brand-new Honda headlamp unit it would’ve set us back £850 for the pair! But it’s not just about cosmetic…

We’re exploring the Dales and the beauty of the Buttertubs Pass. From the busy services at Scotch Corner take the A6108 from Scotch Corner through Richmond to pick up the B6270 for a fabulous run up Swaledale to Thwaite. Turn left at the sign for Hawes onto Cliff Gate Road and a 20% climb over the Buttertubs Pass - be sure to stop just before the top to find out why it’s so named. The climb over the Buttertubs Pass is truly sensational, you’ll see some of the best views in the Dales. Turn right in Hawes and head to the Penny Garth Café, for a quick cuppa, before taking a left spur to begin the B6255, a stupendous ride that snakes across Ribblehead to Ingleton. Turn right on the…

The old mantra of ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ seems to be drifting further from the truth than ever. The number of UK riders buying brand-new sportsbikes now totals just 8.1% of the whole market - and continues to slip backwards. As someone who grew up on an exclusive diet of sportsbikes (ok, and rather too many pies), I find it a little heartbreaking. Just look at the new Kawasaki ZX-10R over the page… It’s a stunning proposition: Brutish looks and aggression married to phenomenal performance and control on road and track (Johnny Rea’s done ok on it after all). But race success no longer seems to drive sales. Whichever was the chicken to the other’s egg, they’re now both chickens. Or eggs. It’s hard to say which is…

‘Based heavily on the latest, greatest RR’ BMW’s all-new, eagerly anticipated S1000R is lighter and more sophisticated than ever. It replaces the old S1000R, introduced in 2014, which was based on the original S1000RR superbike, although its engine was detuned from 193bhp to 160bhp (rising to 165bhp in 2017). Six years on, however, its star was starting to fade in the face of improved competition and, following the arrival of BMW’s all-new 204bhp S1000RR last year, a new R was only a matter of time. And here it is, based heavily on the latest and greatest RR, but significantly reworked. The 5kg lighter (non-ShiftCam) engine has been retuned to maximise midrange and produces an unchanged peak power of 165bhp at 11,000rpm. Peak torque is an arm-stretching 84lb.ft at 9250rpm and…

£23,999 Honda Gold Wing Tour HGB Motorcycles in north west London are doing a Black Friday deal for one week only on this red, manual Gold Wing Tour, chopping three-and-a-half grand off the list price of Honda’s premium grand tourer. That cash will help towards some big touring exploits. • www.hgbmotorcycles.co.uk 01895 676451 SAVE £2375 £11,999 MV Agusta F3 800 This red Italian triple from Moto Corsa comes with a pulse-raising saving. • www.motocorsa.co.uk • Engine 798cc • Power 148bhp • Weight 173kg • Seat height 805mm SAVE £749 £7499 KTM 790 Duke With KTM’s 890 attracting a lot of attention, the 790 can be picked up at an incredible price under KTM’s latest deal. • www.ktm.com • Engine 798cc • Power 105bhp • Weight 189kg • Seat height 825mm…

RST GT CE leather jacket £149.99 jeans £129.99 ‘A huge discount on two-piece gear’ Sportsbikeshop have taken delivery of a huge range of RST GT CE leather jackets which, thanks to a £100 discount (40% off the recommended price), look certain to fly off the shelves. Not only that, you can match them to a set of RST GT CE leather jeans which at £129.99 are discounted by £80, or 35% of their RRP - a total saving of £180. The GT jacket is CE certified to Level-2 and is constructed from full-grain drum-tanned cowhide with perforated zones for air flow and CE Level-2 armour in the shoulders and elbows as well as a CE Level-2 certified back protector. Available in sizes S-5XL in black, black/red and black/white they can…

WEDNESDAY 25 November 7pm, EUR2, Motorcycling: Scarborough Gold Cup. Part 2 at 8pm 9pm, ITV4 New: The Motorbike Show FRIDAY 27 November 1.30pm, BTS2, MotoE 2020 Season Review SUNDAY 29 November 10am, EUR1, World Superbikes from Sepang 2015 TUESDAY 1 December 6pm, Eur2, Motorcycling: Macau GP KEYTO CHANNELS: DRT-DISCOVERY REAL TIME DSC-DISCOVERY CHANNEL DHD-DISCOVERY CHANNEL HD EXS-EXTREME SPORTS CHANNEL EUR1 (2, HD)-EUROSPORT 1 (2, HD MOT-MOTORSPORT.TV CH4-CHANNEL 4 CH5-CHANNEL FIVE BBC BBCI-BBC INTERACTIVE ESPN-ESPN CLASSIC CHANNEL ITV DST-DISCOVERY TURBO SHED-DISCOVERY SHED INST-INSIGHT SS1 (2, 3 OR X)-SKY SPORTS 1 (2,3 OR EXTRA) QUEST BTS1-BTSPORT 1 BTS2-BTSPORT2TVL-TRAVELUK…

‘Time to make that date with a Daytona’ A year or two ago, I cast an eye over the early Hinckley Triumphs, reckoned they were something of a bargain, and put my money where my mouth is this year by slapping down £1500 on a late 900 Trophy. That didn’t actually materialise – long story, but it was a combination of lockdown and the DVLA taking six months to get the V5 back to the seller (it had belonged to his late father). The time to bag an appreciating bike is when it’s at the bottom of its depreciation curve, before people start hunting them out. And for Hinckley Triumphs, that time is right now. Reasons? It’s 30 years since Triumph’s resurgence and that timespan starts the period when people…

mcn.letters@motorcyclenews.com motorcyclenews motorcyclenews MCNnews Bike thieves? Lock ’em up! It comes as no surprise that thieves are using covert cameras (MCN, November 18), because even when caught they are given such trivial penalties (I know from experience when my T150 Trident was stolen in 80s. I did some of investigating myself and identified the suspect who was convicted and got a soft punishment). They need locking up for a long time. Minimum seven years, nick two bikes then get 14 years. Not enough room in prisons? Build more then. P Cousins, Watford High time we fought back All the science, and common sense, shows the huge benefits that bikes and scooters can provide in reduction of traffic congestion and improvement in air quality. Years of engaging with the UK’s political…

£20,090 (£24,282.51 AS TESTED) Zero SR/S Premium • Air-cooled electric motor • 110bhp (claimed) • 266kg (measured, as tested) What features define practicality? A centrestand? Hard luggage? Heated grips? That’d be a good start. Belt drive? A definite bonus. Full fairing to fend off foul weather? Relaxed riding position? Rock- bottom servicing costs? Yes please. The bike beneath me ticks every box on that checklist… and plenty more. Its seat is plush and spacious. Suspension is fully adjustable. Tons of usable torque and over 100bhp at the back wheel. Lean-sensitive rider aids for safety. Vibration-free handlebars, a motor that stays cool in traffic, crystal-clear mirrors and a fuel cost less than 3p a mile. Sounds good so far. Ah… sound. That’s one thing it lacks. The SR/S is the latest…

FRANCIS BARNETT In his early days Mike raced this ex-works 197 with BSA forks. Note the size of the crowd at a mid-week scramble GREEVES 250 Mike ditched the Francis Barnett when its frame snapped in the Italian motocross GP. He rode Greeves machinery for a decade, competing in over 1000 races. AJS STORMER In America Mike used the AJS 250 Stormer to compete in desert races. He came 14th out of 3200 riders in the Barstow to Vegas event. DREER NORTON 880 In 2007 Mike got a ride on a Kenny Dreer VR880 Commando (the basis for Garner’s later production 961): “It was nowhere near as refined as it looked...”…

As a road bike the MV Agusta Rush 1000 is no better to ride than a super-naked costing half the price, so if you can’t stretch the 32-grand don’t worry, you’re not missing out. But that isn’t the point of exotica like this, it’s all about the exhaust-spitting drama, the luxury, promise of monstrous speed and a sense of occasion from the moment you wheel it out of the garage. It does all those things beautifully, but best of all it also rides like a proper, well-sorted motorcycle that’s as happy to cruise as it is to tear up a challenging backroad. THE FACTS £32,280 MV Agusta Rush 1000 Engine 998cc 16v inline four Frame Tubular steel trellis Suspension (F) Semi active 43mm Öhlins forks. (R) Semi active single Öhlins…

Nigel Bowers, BMW R1250GS TE rider from Staffordshire “I have been taking groups of riders over to the Somme for a few years now, and was looking for an alternative to the World War theme. That’s when I came across Le Circuit de Reims-Gueux. The remains of the circuit are located on the D27 road from Reims to Gueux in the Champagne region of France. It’s a good four-hour run from Calais on non-toll roads. “When the remains of the pits and grandstands come into view along the start finish straight, you get engrossed in the atmosphere of the place. Park up outside the pits where the Grand Prix racers of their day - Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorn, Stirling Moss and Jim Clark to name just a few -…

Cardo Freecom 2 £150 “It has great battery life. It also has Bluetooth and can pair link one other rider and both a phone and satnav, if you want to be paired.” Jack Wills, Watford Schuberth C4 Integrated System £249.99 “I can pair it with mates on trips. Awesome!” Ian Bennett, Sutton Coldfield Vnetphone V6 Motorcycle Interphone £60 “I use it for chatting with pillion. It is cheap and works a treat.” Olly Gibson, Teynham Packtalk Slim £314.99 “It has taken a little while to get it set up properly, but other than that I wouldn’t be without it.” Joe Duffy, Hinckley Sena SRL-01 £259 “I’m an IAM National Observer so use the intercom with associates. I also use it when riding with friends.” Simon Greenwood, Glastonbury REVIEW YOUR KIT…

BRUCE DUNN MCN’S expert technician Restore your vision With the darker months upon us, a clear headlamp is vital 1 Getting all misty-eyed The headlight on most bikes is exposed to the worst of the weather and elements. As well as sustaining the obvious damage from large bits of debris, over time some units suffer yellowing or lack of translucence - this is oxidization caused by long-term effects from the sun’s UV rays. Let it get too bad and this lack of clarity can be an MoT fail. 2 Try the DIY option You have two choices - replacement or a DIY repair. With the cost of a new headlamp unit running into hundreds of pounds, a DIY fix will cost dramatically less, and could be just as effective. Headlamp…

PORTIMAO CIRCUIT STATISTICS • Length 2.85miles • Corners 15 - 6 left, 09 right • Longest straight 0.602 miles 16 Bagnaia 47 17 A Espargaro 42 18 Crutchlow 32 19 Bradl 27 20 Lecuona 27 21 Smith 12 22 Rabat 10 FINAL POSITIONS MOTOGP Fastest lap Pole lap Circuit record lap POSITIONS Gains & losses (grid v finish ) LAPS LED TOP SIX MOTOGP FINAL POSITIONS MOTO 2 TOP TEN CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS 1 Bastianini 205 2 Marini 196 3 Lowes 196 4 Bezzecchi 184 5 Martin 160 6 Gardner 135 7 Roberts 94 8 Nagashima 91 9 Schrotter 81 10 Vierge 79 FINAL POSITIONS MOTO 3 TOP TEN CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS 1 Arenas 174 2 Arbolino 170 3 Ogura 170 4 Fernandez 159 5 Vietti 146 6 Masia 140 7 McPhee 131 8 Binder…

Jack Miller feels he’s ready to follow in the footsteps of Aussie legend Casey Stoner and fight to win Ducati’s first MotoGP title in 14 years Successive second places in the final two races saw Miller secure Ducati’s first Constructor title success since 2007 when Casey Stoner dominated the first season of the 800cc era. Ducati haven’t won the rider title since Stoner’s stunning success either, and the Bologna factory have now placed their trust in Miller to end Japanese domination of MotoGP. A late attack to secure second from Franco Morbidelli in Portimao was the perfect way for Miller to wrap up his apprenticeship at Pramac Ducati. Asked if he felt like he was now ready to shoulder the pressure and expectation of leading one of the biggest factory…

Boston is a diverse and rather cosmopolitan old port on the edge of the Wash with a fascinating history. Getting there from the A1 means skirting Peterborough and following the arrow-straight A15 past Spalding. But north of Boston is where the fun properly starts. Pick up the B1183 flashing across the flat miles through New Bolingbroke towards Revesby. At Horncastle, head west onto the A158 for a couple of miles, signposted Lincoln - although Cadwell Park is only a few miles from here and the A153 north from Horncastle is a fun road (policed with mobile speed cameras during many weekends). Back on the A158 out of Horncastle, then peel off onto the B1225 heading towards Caistor for 20 miles of hectic bends and fast, flowing romps across the rolling…

Aerostich Transit 3 two-piece leathers £745 (jkt), £677 (trs) Aerostitch have released the Latest version of their all-weather, waterproof Leather two-piece. The suit is constructed from 1.2mm microperforated Leather that keeps the water out without making you sweaty. You also get elbow, shoulder and knee armour and a 270-degree zip to join the two parts together. www.aerostich.com Oxford Original riding jeans £119.99 These new lightweight riding jeans from Oxford use Armourlite denim where a polyamide fibre, originally developed for parachute cords, is mixed into the weave. A two-way stretch helps mobility and comfort while quick-dry tech draws sweat away while increasing water resistance. The jeans are CE-approved with an AA rating. www.oxfordriderwear.com Tucano Urbano Technomerino thermals £54.99/£44.99 Cosy thermals made from a blend of merino wool and polyester. This combination…

Every week we give a different rider a wodge of fictional cash and ask them to ‘buy’ the bike that sets their soul on fire. This is John’s pick... John Burrows has been at Ducati Coventry, which also includes JHP Racing, for 16 years and is the firm’s Service Manager. He has seen just about everything when it comes to Ducati models and is an absolute expert on their maintenance and upkeep. Given his vast knowledge of Bologna bikes, how would John spend our £7500 budget? “There is no question, it would have to be the 1098, and the S version - if you are buying your dream bike you might as well spend the extra to get the range-topping version. And with a set of Termi pipes, naturally. “The…

It’s Britain’s toughest road test route. A fun but punishing mix of A-and B-roads, busy motorway, towns and villages. It’s all Britain’s road types compressed into one route. There are three sections and we combine the two that best test the bike’s character. On average we ride 450 miles per bike, per test. ROUTE 1 122.73 miles of fast-flowing A and B-roads ROUTE 2 126.94 miles of open A and B-roads and towns ROUTE 3 117.88 miles of big A roads and motorway…

The Zero SR/S is, by an enormous margin, the most versatile electric bike yet. But can an electric bike truly be practical? Yes… and no. It depends how you use your bike. If you do a lot of touring then a one-hour charge every 70 miles, plus having to plan routes around charging points, clearly won’t cut it. As a leisure bike the Zero can make sense - it’s fun, fresh, fascinating and freaky, especially that eerie acceleration - but only for riders whose typical trip and riding style fall within its range. Commuting is where it really excels. Ride to work and back, plug in overnight, repeat from full the next morning. Lug your laptop in the luggage, warm your hands when it’s chilly, no chain to maintain, no…

Reims is two and a half hours from Calais on the toll roads, or around four hours if you take a more meandering route. The location itself won’t occupy you for a whole day, but is worth a detour as part of a larger tour, perhaps of WW1 battlegrounds, Champagne country or D-Day landing sites. The desolate roads of northern France and a few derelict buildings may not sound that photogenic, but we promise you’ll be blown away by what you see, so don’t forget to take your camera. ● For more info, check out: amis-du-circuit-de-gueux.fr…

‘I wish I’d bought the Adv Sports’ GAVIN MARCHANT I had a 2017 Africa Twin that I’d covered just over 27,000 miles on, and decided to trade-up this year to the new 1100 - just as Covid hit. I thought I knew what I wanted so I didn’t even take a test ride and just ordered the ‘standard’ model. I’ve not ridden it as much as I’d hoped to because of the lockdowns, but now I’m wishing I’d bought the Adventure Sports instead. When the situation is better across Europe I’m desperate to rack up the miles, so the bigger fuel tank and more touring focus of the AS model would make a lot more sense. Maybe I’ll trade-up again in Spring while mine’s mint and low mileage!…

‘Hard to spot things you can’t see...’ Supersport 400 was a popular race class in the first half of the 1990s, with big-name riders like Fogarty, Whitham and Moodie delivering hard- fought racing. It was popular for club racers too, with bikes like the Yamaha FZR400RR and Kawasaki ZXR400 being the go-to machines. In fact, they often still are. This means you’ve got to have an eye out when nosing around a preloved bike. In theory there’s nowt wrong with buying an ex-race (or trackday) bike - they’ll have had regular servicing and maintenance. But they’ll also have been thrashed, and perhaps parked upside down in a gravel trap. The usual warnings apply: look out for bikes with very tidy bodywork on an abused chassis, signs of gravel rash and…

Keen riders Caz and Chris Rogers had tidied up this crash damaged Yamaha Fazer and were piling on the miles when disaster struck. Chris explained: “We were coming back from Squires café, down the A1, just pootling along at 65mph and having a natter on the intercom when the revs shot up, we lost drive and then the engine died.” They could see the chain was broken at the side of the road, so took the bike over to Doncaster Motorcycles (DMC) for a replacement chain and sprocket set. But the actual state of the chain, shocked experienced DMC boss Kev Hollingsworth. He said: “Any bike over 250cc should have a rivetted link, but this bike had two split links! Not only that, but the open ends of both clips…

‘I’m happy I could use this anger in the right way’ Franco Morbidelli inflicted one final humiliation on Yamaha stars Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi in Portimao. He was the least fancied of Yamaha’s star-studded quartet going into the 2020 season after he was overlooked for the latest spec factory YZR-M1. But a tenacious third place in the finale meant the former Moto2 champion comfortably finished top Yamaha on a hand-me-down 2019 M1. A stunning end-of-season blitz of three podiums in the last four races, including wins in Aragon 2 and Valencia 2, meant he scored just two top-three finishes less than Quartararo, Vinales and Rossi put together. And no Yamaha rider won more races. The 25-year-old admitted he channelled his anger and frustration at missing out on…

Miguel Oliveira believes his promotion to KTM’s factory squad will turn him into a regular threat in MotoGP next season. A fairytale victory in his home round in Portimao was the perfect conclusion to a stunningly successful fourth season for KTM, who’ve gone from minnows to serious contenders in 2020. Long gone are the days when KTM celebrated top six finishes like victories. Such has been the dramatic transformation of the RC16 that it’s now a major shock if KTM finish outside of the top six. KTM enjoyed arguably their best weekend in Portimao, with Oliveira grabbing pole and the fastest lap before dominating the first Portuguese GP since 2012 from start-to-finish. Such domination would have seemed far-fetched going into the condensed season back in July. But Oliveira admitted his…

Nestled in the centre of the Malvern Hills, the Cotswolds, the Brecon Beacons, the Forest of Dean and on the English/Welsh border, Hereford is blessed with stunning scenery and riding roads to match. We start from the centre of Hereford and take the A438, along the valley of the River Wye to the A4111, towards Eardsley. At Kington, hang left on the A44 and the Welcome to Wales sign beckons. It’s a roller coaster ride that twists and turns through Old Radnor, Llanfihangel-nant- Melan and through a series of switchback bends to Crossgates. Head due north to Llanbister on the A483 and in Newton, a short hop west on the A489, to Caersws. Aim for Llangurig on the A470, at the roundabout head into town, past the Village Tea Room…