MCNの 17 April 2024 の目次

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Suzuki shocked global motorsport fans in July 2022 by announcing that they were pulling out of both MotoGP and the Endurance World Championship at the end of the season to focus more on sustainability, despite winning both titles since 2020. “One of the reasons was to reinvest in carbon neutrality,” MCN was told at the time by Motorcycling Marketing Group Manager for Europe, North America and Oceania, Nobuo Fujii. “Carbon neutrality is not only electrification. At the moment, Suzuki is considering various possibilities, depending on the engine capacity.” Guess who's back This stance has now led to Suzuki returning to endurance racing in an official capacity, entering an experimental GSX-R1000R superbike to the 2024 Suzuka 8 Hours using a number of greener components and a more sustainable blend…

THIS WEEK BEATING BIKE CRIME SAVE OUR BIKES! A white Husqvarna enduro bike stolen back in 2019 has been recovered by South Yorkshire Police after officers were goaded – and one was assaulted – by a group of aggressive off-road riders. Police were dealing with a collision between two cars in Rotherham when a group of off-road riders came across from nearby woodland and began provoking officers. “They had come from Listerdale Woods giving it the beans across farmers’ fields,” the force said. “One of the riders showing off failed to negotiate a ditch. The officers at the collision attempted to detain the male, seeing the bike had no plate.” According to the force, when officers were attempting to make the arrest, the rest of the group of riders began trying…

Almost 6000 motorcyclists have come together to honour the life of Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers, and raise money for Cancer Research. Myers was one half of the muchloved culinary TV duo, and died in late February 2024 aged 66 following a two-year battle with cancer. The news of his death lead to an outpouring of sympathy from the motorcycling community. Biker Escorts East Yorkshire arranged the meet up and ride out, which took place on Sunday, April 7. Just a week before only 800 people had been expected to attend, with thousands more then flooding into Beverley town centre to pay their respects on the day. ‘Astounding… Dave would've loved it’ The event generated £2500 on the day, with donations continuing to pour in online afterwards. “As the morning…

Laser Digital Multimeter £43.44 Tracking down electrical gremlins can be frustrating to say the least, but add a multimeter to your armoury and you'll soon pinpoint the problem. This Cat III device from Laser can be used to test both DC and AC voltages, DC current, resistance, diodes and continuity, and comes with test leads, a PVC cover and 9V battery. lasertools.co.uk Oxford Dakar D2D Air jacket £169.99 Oxford's fully vented CE AA-certified adventure jacket has gained two new colourways: a stealthy black and this rally ready desert version. Ideal for summer, it has large mesh panels for copious airflow, plus a removable waterproof liner for when the weather turns in that typically British fashion. Matching trousers are available at £149.99. oxfordproducts.com Caberg Duke EVO £259.99 The latest addition to…

Send your first bike pics to: yourpics@motorcyclenews.com Me on my new LC. 40 years later, still love the bikes and the music. Not so much the more tummy, less hair. Darren Hall December 1980, first day at work. 30 miles every day! Got a Honda SS50 as I couldn't afford an FS1-E. Carl Olsson This is me in 1978 on my first big bike – third from left, with my mates Andrew, Martin and Howard. Martyn Davies You don't forget your first bike and mine was a Yamaha DT. Summer 1983 with double denim de rigueur… Vincent Guillon I'd been riding on my car licence but when the law changed, I bought this for my CBT. It wasn't fast but it was pretty! Dee 1959, aged 16. How do you…

April 20-21 International Classic Motorcycle Show Love classics? Get down to the Stafford County Showground this weekend. Guy Martin is the star guest. Tickets are £20.  www.classicbikeshows.com April 20 Run What Ya Brung Get on track at Santa Pod. Sign-on fee is £45, admission is £18 (plus £3 booking fee) with discounts for single runs. santapod.co.uk April 21 The Big Tour comes to Sammys The Big Tour 24 (a charity ride event covering 3225 miles) is heading to Sammy's this weekend. They are hoping to be with the museum from 11am. sammymiller.co.uk April 20-21 Historic racing Lydden Hill will be alive with the sounds and smells of bikes from yesteryear as British Historic Racing takes to the track for the first time this year. britishhistoricracing.co.uk…

What's happening? BikeFest24 is kicking off the summer show season with a whole world of motorcycling in one place. The Somersetbased show features bikes through vintage to retro as well as trade stalls, autojumble and, of course, plenty of food, drink and entertainment, there's loads to see, eat and do! It's a familyfriendly affair, so bring the gang along to marvel at some special metal. The essentials The Fest has a new home – the West Woodlands Showground (BA11 5ES) – which also has camping available so you can make a weekend out of it. An adult day pass is just £5.50, and if you want to add camping (without hookup) it's £10.50 and with electric it's £17.50. Doors open at 9.30am, but if you want to display then you…

It's fair to say that MV Agusta aren't a brand that are renowned for speedy delivery of spare parts and dealer support, as we've seen in owners’ reviews across a number of different models. However, with the Pierer Mobility Group acquiring a majority stake in the Italian brand earlier this year, the company behind the likes of KTM, Husqvarna and GASGAS are looking to turn that around and put things onto a much firmer footing. Not only do MV Agusta now have Hubert Trunkenpolz (a member of the executive board of Pierer) as their CEO but the group have big plans for MV Agusta, covering everything from additional development and technology, to the availability of spare parts globally. As a show of confidence, the new Enduro Veloce comes with a…

HONDA KAWASAKI ROYAL ENFIELD…

The motorcycling world lost a true legend when Pat Hennen passed away on April 7 at the age of 70. Hennen opened the doors for the flood of American riders who would dominate 500cc Grand Prix racing. And so unexpected was his win at the 1976 Finnish Grand Prix that the race organisers didn't even have a copy of the US national anthem to hand for the podium ceremony and had to use the British one instead. Hennen got his point across by wearing a Stetson on the podium. Born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1953, Hennen moved to the San Francisco Bay Area as a youngster and made his racing debut on his friend's Honda C90 at the age of 14. He bent the chassis landing a jump but came…

MAN ON A MISSION… Ross Clark-Raee is SHARP's Technical Lead, a role he gravitated to after having his life saved by wearing a SHARP five-star-rated helmet. “In 2015, I was riding to my job in music management when a van crossed in front of me. I had nowhere to go except into oncoming traffic or into the side of his van. I hit the van. “When I came to, I found I'd broken both arms, dislocated my thumb, broken all the bones in my left foot and had a couple of other dislocations. It turns out that I'd also broken my back, but because my arms were pointing in the wrong direction, they fixed those first. “After looking at the state of my lid and speaking to witnesses, the helmet…

9 months ON TEST Simpson Venom Carbon £499.99 The original Simpson Bandit design did for the world of helmets, what the Ducati 916 did for motorcycles, it is an icon of its era. The Simpson Venom Carbon has brought the essence of the Bandit bang up to date. The Carbon version weighs in at a mere 1528g and the visor is a substantial 2.5mm thick, which helps with rigidity when opening and closing. It also comes with a Pinlock Max Vision ready to fit. The visor is kept clear with anti-fog air flow and is very easily removed and refitted, with a useful flip-down sun-visor operated by a sliding catch on the side of the helmet. There are six vents at the front, with a further four on top and…

A demoralising weekend for CoTA expert and two-time Texas GP winner Alex Rins only served to highlight the problems with the Yamaha M1. Rins won this race a year ago on a Honda RC213V but crashed out of Sunday's GP while teammate Fabio Quartararo finished 12th, that's a debilitating 22.8s behind the winning Aprilia. Rins was 16th in the Sprint. Rins also won at CoTA on a Suzuki in 2019. There is no doubt that he knows how to be fast here. It's fair to say the M1 is a write-off this season and Yamaha are clearly focusing on 2025 with the Texas GP a three-day test outing. Rins said he tried multiple bike specs as Yamaha search for future solutions but an experimental race set-up was a “big mistake”.…

Last year, Glenn Irwin played a huge part in one of the most thrilling BSB title races in recent memory, dramatically losing out on the title by half-a-point. He lost to teammate Tommy Bridewell, but Irwin enters 2024 as the sole rider at the newly named Hager PBM Ducati squad, run by Jordan and Frank Bird following the death of team owner Paul Bird, Jordan and Frank's father. The team is built around Irwin, and continuity could be key. MCN spoke to the 2023 runner-up ahead of the new campaign. How do you reflect on 2023? “It was an amazing season, one full of success for me. For the spectators it was one of the best seasons ever – it had two teammates going at it in rivalry that we…

8 Only eight of the 13 circuits that have hosted BSB are still on the roster. The ones no longer visited are Croft, Mallory Park, Mondello Park, Rockingham and Silverstone Did you know? Knockhill is the only circuit on the current BSB calendar where Josh Brookes hasn't won BSB titles have been won by English, Scottish, Australian, Japanese and Spanish riders 19 Most wins in a season (Leon Camier, 2009) ON THE PODIUM 57 Total number of race winners in the modern era 83 Total number of podium finishers 23 Most podiums in a season (John Reynolds, 2001, Shane Byrne, 2014, Josh Brookes, 2015 and Bradley Ray, 2022) 10 Most number of winners in a season (1998 and 2022) 16 Most number of podium finishers in a season (2017) 50%…

‘It's captured the imagination’ The bike, with its aggressive, aerodynamic fairing from CRC, is stunning to behold. “It heralds back to the original ZXR-400, which for me personally was and still is an iconic bike,” says Nick Morgan. “I think this new bike, which has so many similarities to the ZXR-400, will accelerate these young riders’ learning curve. “When they move on from this to a 600cc/next-generation Supersport bike or a 1000cc, it will be a much more fluid transition.” It takes Morgan and his team roughly two days to turn the road bike (right) into a racer, including use of the dyno and a running-in period to get the performance to where it needs to be for the racers. For each rider and team the engine must be completely…

WELCOME Timing is a cruel thing. Careers have been made, and ruined, by it. Racers who would have been dominant if it weren't for one other rider; genius engineers who are side-lined by corporate politics or team closures… The sliding doors of fate give and take in equal measure. And we might well be sitting in a lull right now where the interest in MotoGP is waning amongst fans thanks to a couple of years of post-Rossi malaise. The racing's been good, the stories equally good – but the spark has been missing. It can be the best thing ever when one rider dominates – so long as everyone loves that rider. Equally, it can be the hammer that smacks the nails into the series’ coffin if the rider induces…

Goodwood's 2024 motorsport calendar kicked off last weekend, with stars of the Sidecar World Championship taking centre stage in the first ever Sidecar Shoot-Out. The April 13-14 Members’ Meeting is a much more relaxed affair than September's Revival, which features two- and four-wheeled racing with pre-1966 machinery only. Instead, the Members’ Meeting opens its doors to more modern machinery, with the 2024 sidecar races being the most modern to date. For the first time in over 50 years, contemporary motorsport was held at Goodwood, with eight of the best names in three-wheel racing going head-to-head in a series of sprints commemorating the 75th anniversary of the World Championship. TT aficionado Ben Birchall was on hand to provide one of the biggest shocks, beating eight-time Sidecar World Champion Tim Reeves in…

‘People can hold local authorities to account’ Britain's roads are set to receive an injection of cash as the Government commits £8.3 billion to improving local transport networks. The project is made possible by a reallocation of funding recovered from HS2 and this payment represents the first tranche of several planned instalments. Since announcing the preliminary plans last November, the Government have delivered £150 million. Plans for the full budget have now been firmed up, with a fresh news release from the Department for Transport revealing that 102 out of the 119 authorities allocated funding have now responded with plans outlining the work they intend to carry out. “Alongside this unprecedented funding, which is already being used to improve local roads, we're making sure people can hold their local authority…

The ‘Dapper Do’ is heading to Glasgow's West Coast Brewery for the first time ever on Saturday, May 11, and will be raising money for a men's mental and physical wellbeing charity, Movember. Multi-franchise dealership West Coast Glasgow are supporting the event, which is being organised by the team behind the city's Distinguished Gentleman's Ride. Just like the annual DGR charity ride out, 100% of the proceeds raised will go to bolstering the charity fund's pot. The event aims to offer an enhanced, and more accessible DGR experience, opening up the scene to those who may be unable to attend the ride itself. Guests are invited to don their fineries – the more tweed the better – and enjoy a 1920s-inspired gala evening, brimming with live music, food and raffle…

WHAT'S NEW IN TECH? When Metzeler announced the Roadtec 02 sports-touring tyre was on its way to replace the Roadtec 01, expectations were high. Since its arrival in 2016, the 01 has been a standout tyre in its class and won MCN's 2017 Tyre of the Year Award. It continues to impress, with a slightly sportier SE version added to the range in 2020. At the time, Chief Road Tester Michael Neeves reported: “A good sports or trackday tyre will always be more agile than all-weather rubber, but the Metzelers have a lightness about them that lets you flow easily from side to side with the lightest of steering inputs, similar to the German/Italian firm's own Pirelli Angel GT 2.” Cleaner future The Roadtec 02 aims to continue that trend…

OUT AND ABOUT Ride further in 2024 with a little help from our one-stop event guide JUST BREW IT Ride out to Britan's best biking cafés THE DETAILS •Mon-Fri 10am-3.45pm; Sat-Sun 9am-4pm •Horseshoe Pass, Llangollen, LL20 8DR There's nothing quite like riding in Wales, and the Horseshoe Pass is no exception. The only thing that makes this route that bit sweeter is that once you get to the top, you get the views, the exhilaration… and a great cuppa. There has been a food outlet on top of the pass for as long as anyone can remember, and a picture of a shack dated 1934 proudly sits in the restaurant. Current owner Simon Clemence's parents bought the Ponderosa in 1983, and he has worked there since he was 18. “When…

What about the US and Europe? If you are willing to splash the cash, Harley-Davidson's Softail Standard (£14,695) and Sport Glide (£17,494) can be made A2-legal and so can the Nightster (£13,295). Indian can restrict down any of the Scout range (prices start at £12,995 for the stock bike, £13,695 for the Bobber, £14,495 for the Bobber Twenty and £13,995 for the Rogue). Dropping down the price bracket, the Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber (£9600 or £10,540 for the Special Edition) can be made to conform, as can Kawasaki's Vulcan S (£7229 with paint schemes and model variants costing more). Already compliant are the Benelli 502 Cruiser (£5499) and the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 (£7299) and Meteor 350 (£4219). The Honda Rebel comes in standard (£6399) or SE (£6799) forms…

Pat Hennen won three Grands Prix in his brief career but it was his debut win in Finland in 1976 that made history. Aged 23, and on a privateer Suzuki RG500, Hennen had to fend off Giacomo Agostini, and local hero Tepi Lansivouri to become the first American rider to win a GP. Due to an engine seizure, Hennen only managed 15 laps of practice on the notoriously dangerous Imatra circuit, and later credited Lansivouri with helping him win the race as he had towed him round in practice to show him the correct lines to take. After a great start, Hennen found himself leading the race on the first lap. “European riders seem to take a couple of laps to warm up,” he said, “so I thought ‘I'm going…

For the past 17 years, SHARP stars have been a guiding light for motorcyclists looking to buy a new helmet. By subjecting lids to a series of tests more stringent than the minimum regulatory standards then rating them between one and five, the government-funded scheme has been providing unique insight into the relative protective performance of full-face and modular helmets, allowing us to get the best protection whatever our budget – regardless of whether that's £100 or £800. Plenty has changed since SHARP's inception in 2007, including the helmet regulations themselves, which is why MCN made an exclusive pilgrimage to the SHARP testing facility at TRL (formerly the Transport Research Laboratory) in Berkshire to find out the impact of the scheme so far, and how it's about to help to…

Ring RTC4000 Tyre Inflator £59.99 The Ring RTC4000 is the lighting specialists’ second most powerful cordless tyre inflator, with a 120W output and 120PSI maximum inflation pressure. The unit is pretty small (150mm x 95mm x 61mm) and isn't particularly heavy either (757g) so you can pack it in a big backpack or a pannier, but it's too chunky to keep under a seat. You charge it through a USB-C port on the base and a full charge was more than enough to inflate the completely flat 200/55 x 17 rear tyre on the MCN fleet BMW M1000R after a puncture repair. Quality Value ringautomotive.com 12 months ON TEST…

Going behind the headlines from the American round The 2024 season is just three rounds old, but the superlatives to describe Pedro Acosta are already running dry. Showings in Qatar and Portugal were special. But the class rookie was even better around CoTA, the most challenging track on the calendar, as he qualified and finished second, and led a premier class race for the first time. “It's almost hard to find the words,” said Tech3 Team Manager Nico Goyon. For the third weekend running, Acosta was so good he defied description, as he led six of the 20 laps, fought with and passed Marc Marquez, Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia, and pushed Maverick Viñales in the closing laps. “It's not normal,” said Team Owner Hervé Poncharal of his new rider.…

Tommy Bridewell became the Bennetts British Superbike Champion for the first time in 2023 after a gruelling season-long battle with teammate Glenn Irwin. Bridewell secured top spot by just half a point and put Paul Bird Motorsport back on top in BSB for the first time since 2020. He's since moved on to pastures new with Honda Racing UK and will ride the 2024 Fireblade. Nobody knows what to expect heading into the season, but MCN caught up with the current BSB No 1 to discuss the campaign that lies ahead. You've ridden the 2023 and, mostly, the 2024 Superstock bike. What has most impressed you? “The 2023 bike wanted more corner speed, so you had to keep the bike up and going, and keep the corner speed high. The…

‘I need to become more aggressive and take risks’ Lee Jackson returns to where it all began this season after re-joining the Hawk Racing-run MasterMac Honda squad. It was the family-run team, owned by Stuart and Steve Hicken, which signed Jackson aged 17 in the Superstock 1000 class, before promoting him to their Superbike effort alongside Ryuichi Kiyonari in 2015. Jackson's uncle, also called Lee Jackson, raced for the team in 2003. Jackson returns after spending the last four British Superbike years with FS-3 Racing Kawasaki, a partnership which saw him finish fourth for the last two seasons and claim his maiden victories in the class. A tricky start last season morphed into a ridiculously consistent campaign, with Jackson the only rider to finish all 33 races. He was told…

Did last year's title fight lead to increased viewership and attendances? “Viewing and audience figures are quite fickle and can be influenced by all sorts of things – not just economically, but by other events and, ultimately, the weather. “There was a purity and rawness to this, which caught everyone's attention, and we certainly saw an energy and connection with the audience that hadn't been seen for a long time. With any sport, you don't have to be an aficionado – if you catch wind of something going on, whether it's a rivalry or certain personality, it hooks you in. “What we saw with Tommy and Glenn is that they also have very partisan fan bases, which creates its own energy, too. There was a lot of passion around it.”…

Three-time British Superbike champion and 500cc Grand Prix podium finisher Niall Mackenzie has been honoured with a road named after him at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Scotland. The road leading into the 1.3-mile Fife racing venue will now be known as Mackenzie Drive and was launched following the Stirling rider's 40-year connection with the track. “The very existence of Knockhill paved the way for my fantastic life, never mind the incredible fun and memories over the past 40 years with you guys,” Mackenzie said during the road reveal. “The family is blown away and chuffed to bits with ‘Mackenzie Drive’ so this really is the icing on the cake.” Niall attended the opening ceremony alongside son and former British Superstock 1000 champion, Taylor. He was also joined by circuit Managing…

Norton are dipping into their rich heritage and sponsoring the 2024 Lansdowne Classic Racing Series. A championship designed for pre-1965 classic Grand Prix machinery only, it's been popular with competitors favouring the thumping Manx Norton single since the inception of the class in 1998. The season kicked off on April 6-7 at Pembrey in Wales, with other events taking place at Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park, Darley Moor, and more. “We are delighted to have Norton join the series,” Lansdowne Classic Series Organiser, Gordon Russell said. “It will help raise the profile of the series and classic racing.”…

French trials and enduro specialists, Sherco are offering a learner-legal trials bike with a mild-mannered twist. The air cooled 125 TY Long Ride offers casual riders a relaxed experience miles away from the hyper-focused world of flighty competition bikes. Sherco have pitched the Long Ride at a broad customer base, opting for usability over performance. Versatility is the name of the game here, and Sherco have created a bike that should be equally at home tackling a short morning commute as it is splatting away over some seemingly impossible off-road terrain. The 123.7cc motor propelling the TY is good for a claimed 7.3bhp and, thanks to frugal fuelling, its 4.2 litre fuel tank should just about squeeze 100 miles of gentle use. Although hardly a powerhouse of performance, the Sherco…

Ever since MV teased the biking world with the notion of a new adventure machine back in 2021, we've been itching to see the finished article. Of course, they had the utterly gorgeous, limited-edition run of the £26,700 LXP Orioli last year but with only 500 on offer, the chances of riding, or even seeing, one of those in the wild are slim at best. That's all changed with the arrival of the new Enduro Veloce – a machine built for a full production run, with a slightly more modest price. Packing a 21in front wheel, a new 931cc triple motor and a sporty stance, MV say (and I quote) that ‘this a bike that can go from performing admirably on a race track, to trekking up a mountain on…

FIRST RIDE Triumph's premium road-biased adventure bike – both 20-litre tank Pro and 30-litre tank Explorer versions – were fully overhauled in 2022. A retuned 148bhp Speed Triple motor with an off-balance T-plane crank gave the normally smooth engine a dose of lumpy character. But for some it was too lumpy, turning into unpleasant vibration at cruising speed. Worse, the motor could stall at low revs. For 2024, Triumph say engine mods have cured both issues – and they've added a push-button preload reducer to drop seat height at low speed and standstill, all to make the Tiger GT tamer day-to-day. 1 No bad vibes now To reduce the T-plane engine vibration (which even shook bolts loose) engineers have re-distributed counterweight mass in the balancer shaft to smooth vibes by…

Five HG Prime GTX heated gloves £359.99 The Five HG Prime GTX gloves are packed with tech, comfort and build quality. They cost a packet, but have a hunt around and there are attractive discounts available, lopping nearly £100 off the RRP. From the moment I put them on, I was impressed by the comfort. The liner is brilliant, feeling soft but it never tries to escape the gloves if the sun magically appears and your hands start sweating. The membrane is Gore-Tex and bonded to the goatskin palm. During my time with them they've proved completely waterproof. They're also highly adjustable, with a double-closure system to get them comfortable with your existing kit, and an over-size cuff zip that meant I could still wear my watch underneath it all.…

As you can see this caliper conversion kit was supplied by Hel Performance, who are a UKbased manufacturer and supplier of brake products. One of the great things about this is that when you order anything from these guys there is a solid and knowledgeable source of technical support to help you out if you are unsure. In fact, I needed some slightly thinner spacers for the caliper mounting. I got them ordered online and they were with me first thing the next day, firstclass service or what? As well as the enclosed fitting guide, there are plenty of other tips included in the package. There are some troubleshooting ideas if you're having issues bleeding the air out of the system, and a couple of paragraphs explaining the final checks…

Going behind the headlines from the American round Liberty Media's multi-billion pound acquisition of MotoGP in early April has generated mixed reactions from fans of the sport. Many fear the deal could make racing's premier class uncomfortably like Formula 1, a series also run by the American company. But what does this acquisition, which Liberty hope will go through at the end of 2024, really mean for the average race fan? And how will it change MotoGP and World Superbikes, which both fall under Dorna Sport's control? What will stay the same: It doesn't need fixing When Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta informed teams of MotoGP's sale during the first two rounds of the season, he stressed there would be no dramatic change to how things are run. “He told us…

ROUND 3 COTA | MOTOGP While Jorge Martin maintained his championship lead and Enea Bastianini surged to a daring Texas podium, the end of Ducati's commanding winning streak triggered a warning signal. Does the GP24 version of Ducati's all-conquering Desmosedici have a weakness that has the potential to threaten its dominance? Especially with the growing menace of both Aprilia and KTM. It is way too early to call an end to Ducati's superiority but both Martin and Ducati's two-time MotoGP champion Pecco Bagnaia have raised ongoing concerns around chatter and vibration from the bike. Bagnaia said the issue spoiled his winning potential and forced him to ride “defensively” for his fifth place in the main race. He said: “I had a lot of vibration on the left side, and it…

‘I need to be right at the sharp end at a few more tracks’ Las year was an impressive campaign for Kyle Ryde. After upping his game during the off-season, Ryde went on to enjoy his best season yet in the superbike class and rolled into the final day of his campaign with a chance of becoming champion. The OMG team are now the factory-supported Yamaha outfit and as is well documented in BSB, continuity is king. Ryde is entering his fourth campaign with the team, and his third onboard the R1. With that comes expectation and many are naming him as one of, if not the favourite for this year's crown. Ryde was quickest at the Donington Test and the team are certainly giving it 110%, with both Ryde…

How would you sum each other up as opponents on track? Max “Rory is a hard but clean. He's really aggressive but I have a lot of trust in him and that's a key thing. He always has been from go kart circuits to now. I have full confidence that he's going to make a clean move.” Rory “I'd say we both have similar styles. There's nothing mad you have look out for with Max. I'd say we're both quite predictable to an extent, we can ride safely with each other. We've always had great battles and whenever we have, it's been at the sharp end.” Do remember the first time you raced each other? Max “It was at Whilton Mill. Rory was on a Polini MiniMoto and I'd just…

Honda Racing UK will enter the Quattro Group British Supersport Championship (BSS) this year following the return of the iconic CBR600RR to the UK market. It's the first time Honda has been in the class as a full factory effort since 2009, a season that ended with Steve Plater winning the title with the 600. Overall, the CBR600RR has celebrated nine World Supersport and six British championships. Honda have hired recordbreaking four-time BSS champion, and 59-time BSS race winner, Jack Kennedy to ride the bike. The Irishman returns to the class after a single season in BSB. MCN caught up with Kennedy to discuss the year ahead. You've been out in Spain testing the bike – what are your thoughts on it? “First impressions are really good. It brought back…

‘Whoever wins, we'll know they were the best rider’ A familiar class will return to the British paddock this season following the creation of the Tracker Kawasaki British Superteen Championship. The new one-make series takes the place of Junior Supersport and sees riders aged 15-20 riding the new Kawasaki ZX-4RR. Each bike will be built by Nick Morgan and MSS Kawasaki. Of course, the Superteen name brings back memories of the old Aprilia series of the same name. Casey Stoner won that title in 2000, and Cal Crutchlow, Sam and Alex Lowes, Tom Sykes, Leon Camier and Chaz Davies are some other well-known names to have competed in Superteen racing. MCN visited Kawasaki UK HQ to learn more about the series, the bike and the Affinity Academy, which will run…