A deaf and blind stunt rider has been outlayed from doing 150mph pace runs, cage flips and two-up wheelies due to his insurance cover increasing by £250 per day.

Graham Hicks, who competes at events and airfields with a passenger offering instructions through touch, has endured three months applying for cover in 2009.

“My broker said the underwriter had looked into the background info and come up with £1000 for public liability cover for four days of riding,” he states.

“How can that be justified? In four days it would be a grand up the spout. I’ve been riding 12 years and haven’t made a single claim.”

Hicks, who employs himself as a bike maintenance mechanic, talks normally but can only ‘hear’ by using finger spelling, a structure of spelling words out on his hand.

He is so adjusted to touch that he once propelled up a nitrous Blackbird-motored quad bike at around 150mph, he still thrashed the clutch in prior to a busted con rod stabbed out of the crankcase.

He believes the sponsor’s choice after his clean record arrives at discrimination.

“How does it compare with the average biker? Many of them have made one or more claims in that time and can still get insurance.”

The British Grand Prix was filled with amazements and only a little would have guessed a podium arrival of Andrea Dovizioso, champion rider Colin Edwards and the much improved Randy de Puniet.

LCR Honda recently agreed that their practical package is much brighter this season than 2008, but the biggest jump taken by the staff has been in the consistent riding performance De Puniet’s which was missing in a disappointing 2008 campaign.

The Frenchman’s only DNF of this season so far arrived at Sachsenring, the week before Donington, and De Puniet quickly came back with a steady and strong performance to come to an unexpected stage finish, much to the joy of his boss Lucio Cecchinello.

The Italian team chief said, “It is very special for us because we haven’t ‘jumped’ onto the podium since the Turkish Grand Prix in 2006 and in particular this was a really tough race because of the conditions. Everyone in the pitbox was shaking and nervous as the conditions were so hard, so many riders crashed, but finally we had good luck and Randy did an excellent job.”

Adding what such a placing means to his crew, Cecchinello explained, “I believe that the results from this weekend are very, very important for the MotoGP World Championship. These kind of results make it possible for a satellite team to convince sponsors, convince our supporters and gain credibility in front of our public. Hopefully this will also help us get better technical material from our suppliers too.”

An innovative XR1200X leads a four novel model upgrade for Harley-Davidson in 2010 with an advanced Electra Glide, Fat Boy with a Dyna Wide Glide existing as the sole all-new model.

Vice President of Harley Davidson, Bill Davidson states “This new-product roll-out is simply an expression of our enthusiasm for motorcycling.

“Like everyone, we are working and living in a challenging environment these days, but our passion for creating and riding great bikes is still at full throttle.”

As the novel head of the Harley-Davidson Touring column, the Electra Glide Ultra Limited motorbike offers the performance update of a Twin Cam 103 motor, and includes characteristic traits previously obtainable only as extras on regular production Harley Davidson Touring replicas.

Wet weather dampened James Toseland fans, they hope his sixth placing at Donington will be ample to keep him on the grid next season.

The Yamaha competitor has been unable to bring the results this season, creating speculation he will be pushed to change rides with Ben Spies next year.

However his fans anticipate that today’s result (which is his career best), will up his confidence and create a turning point for the remainder of the year.

His sixth placing was the most excellent result ever for a British rider at Donington on a four-stroke engine.

Toseland was very happy with the placing and expressed his gratitude to high-five fans who bombarded the track afterwards and impress them with a few burnouts.

Andy Taylor, 27, from Skegness stated: “He has done really well. It is a shame he didn’t get the fifth place, but if you are going to miss out it is best if it is to Rossi. He has certainly done better than I expected today, I just hope this is the start of things to come.”

Kevin Taylor, 37, from Skegness explained: “Seeing Toseland come sixth has made the weekend, this has easily been the second best race of the year. We want Toseland to stay in the Grand Prix, we need a British rider in it.”

Paul Miller, 42, from Skegness, commented: “Toseland has to stay in MotoGP, he has proven today he can get the results and perform.”

Graham Patrick, 32, from Warminster adds: “I was a bit disappointed with his qualifying position, but when the rain came I thought he could do well, but then he looked like he was going to start dropping back mid-race.

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We have seen BMW’s S 1000 RR four-cylinder sportsbike in reality which only adds to the urgent anticipation following the official arrival in Australia in 2010.

BMW Motorrad Australia has based a model from its counterpart in Germany, with only premier media able to attend to its quality dealer, Southbank Motorcycles, to inspect it as a display.

The engine will now move to Eastern Creek for round four of the Australian Superbike Championship from early August, where previous road star Mark Willis is due to finish a few demo laps on the bike, the race version is being promoted this year in the world superbike title by Aussie Troy Corser and Spanish star Ruben Xaus.

Willis is no novice to the BMW group, he rode one of the K 1200 R Power Cup race bikes a while back.

The S 1000 RR is superb. It includes some signature BMW styles, but is definately not a quick departure like some other German contributions. It is expected to appear in Europe at the end of 2009, then to Australia in the first half of 2010. Price is still to be advised.

BMW is also looking into the possibility of incorporating a powershifter as a standard element. The clutchless system has been a grand success as a factory option on the fresh K 1300 group.

100 – Lukas Pesek is due to make his 100th Grand Prix beginning. He will only be the second Czech rider to gain this milestone – the first rider being Jaroslav Hules who concluded 100 GP beginnings in his racing career.

100 – Mike di Meglio is due to make his 100th Grand Prix beginning at the British GP. Di Meglio has been a consistent Grand Prix competitor since having his debut as a 15-year old at the opening race in Japan and will be the second youngest competitor after Jorge Lorenzo to gain the milestone of 100 GP starts.

37 – Gabor Talmacsi ended 15th in Germany to be the first Hungarian to add points in the premier-class while Arpad Juhos completed 9th at the East German GP in 1972.

33 – Qualifying day at the British GP will enhance the 33rd anniversary of Barry Sheene who was victorious at the Swedish GP at Anderstorp in 1976 to grab his very first 500cc title and the very first 500cc title for Suzuki.

16 – Julian Simon was the 16th pole this year for Spanish riders; he is the first Spanish rider to be victorious from pole this year.

5 – After Randy de Puniet’s crash in Germany, now there are only five riders in the class to make points at each and every race so far this year: Casey Stoner, Colin Edwards, Marco Melandri, Chris Vermeulen and Alex de Angelis.

5 – The first five riders to cross the line in the 125cc race in Germany were all Spanish. This is the only time in any event of Grand Prix racing that Spaniard riders have made the top five places.

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Yamaha has developed its 2010 YZ250F with the precise demands of motocross set in mind.

With all the feedback and responses received, Yamaha’s engineers have taken these into account to ensure they develop a better handling bike, the fresh YZ250F incoprorates early acceleration from corners and a minimal tiring travel.

Yamaha have put their efforts into making a purpose-built machine rather than adapting a current 450cc frame, a stand-alone frame is erected around the torque and weight characters of a 250cc engine.

The compressed and lightweight frame ensures a better balanced motorcycle with lower driver feedback required.

Sean Hawker from Yamaha has stated that no current date has yet been confirmed, the YZ250F should present in Australia approximately late September to early October. Pricing will also be confirmed closer to launch date.

Watch this space for more news.

Marco Simoncelli has reserved his title challenges with a win placing in the 250cc Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.  This will be his second triumph of his World Championship attack.

Similarly in 2008, he broke free of charge from the group early on. However, he did have Álex Debón along for the competition. Simoncelli was unable to shake the Spaniard even with his best attempts, but he had just enough ample breathing room to stop any overtaking moves.

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BMW has confirmed today that an updated version of the F800 will be in Australian territory by September.  The all new F 800 R will take a seat next to other exhibitionists, the K1300 R and R1200 R.

“We are ecstatic to be able to bring the F 800 R to market this year, which will certainly assist in continuing our strong sales position,” states Cameron Cuthill, GM of BMW Motorrad.

“Gauging by the early interest in the F 800 R, this urban and sporting style of riding is sure to appeal not only to existing BMW customers but also to those that may not have considered a BMW before.”

The fresh F 800 R is available early in three different colours - two-colour finish in Alpine White non-metallic with Black Silk gloss, Fire Orange non-metallic, and White Aluminium metallic.

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59 – Sachsenring, Valentino Rossi is due for his 159th successful premier-class GP without losing a race. This will bring the record for successful premier-class begins from Alex Barros, who commenced 158 successful races.

61 – Holding a tenth placing at Laguna Seca, Marco Melandri has collected 61 points from the initial eight races this year. Four extra than Kawasaki rider John Hopkins who collected throughout the whole 2008 season.

18 – Dani Pedrosa’s victory at Laguna Seca concluded an 18 race succession with no win for Honda, from then Pedrosa also won in Catalonia the prior year, the longest line of races in the upper-class with no Honda win since they came back to Grand Prix racing in 1982.

16 – Rossi has been on the stage sixteen times during the seventeen races since placing second in Germany last year. The only time he has not ended on stage during this time frame was when he smashed at Le Mans and re-commenced to finish 16th.

15 – Spanish riders have commenced from pole fifteen times over the three classes in 2009. Neither of these competitors have gone on to victory after commencing from pole.

11 – Race event in Germany will be the 11th anniversary of the initial Grand Prix competition to be evented at the freshly built Sachsenring circuit in 1998.

3 – Sachsenring is only one of three circuits where Rossi has not commenced from pole in the high-class; the remainders are Laguna Seca and Misano.

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Ducati is developing a new presentation scooter and BMW is also developing an electric scooter, says a magazine tabloid in Spain.

The exposure of Ducati’s preparations to go into the twist-and-go market arrives from Warren Lee, CEO of Australian Ducati importer NF Importers, in a meeting with the Courier Mail.

He explains to the newspaper: “Ducati is looking at a scooter, but a high-performance model, not a 50cc price driven thing. It’s on the backburner at the moment. Maybe after 2010. It’s just simmering at the moment.”

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Ducati is developing a new presentation scooter and BMW is also developing an electric scooter, says a magazine tabloid in Spain.

The exposure of Ducati’s preparations to go into the twist-and-go market arrives from Warren Lee, CEO of Australian Ducati importer NF Importers, in a meeting with the Courier Mail.

He explains to the newspaper: “Ducati is looking at a scooter, but a high-performance model, not a 50cc price driven thing. It’s on the backburner at the moment. Maybe after 2010. It’s just simmering at the moment.”

It is also alleged that the hugely rumoured BMW scooter, will actually be motorised by an electric engine,

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Andrea Dovizioso smashes Sachsenring off a big dip in energy this weekend, after two races in which DNFs next to his name have ensured highly for his World Championship placing. The Honda rider seems to have been passed by teammate Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha rider Colin Edwards in the complete classification, and is eager to regain positions and prove his growth with the RC212V.

“I’m very motivated to show my potential and the potential of the machine in Germany because at the last two races we have improved a lot, without getting the results to match,” states Dovizioso.

“The race results in Assen and Laguna were disappointing, but the recent signs have been encouraging, especially in Laguna where we were very close to the leaders and I had a good race pace and a package that meant I was capable of fighting for the front positions. Unfortunately I made a mistake, but it’s just something you learn from and move on,” he explains.

“I wouldn’t say the Sachsenring racetrack is one of my favourites of the year but I’m looking forward to the challenge. It is quite short, with a very slow first section followed by a very fast second half. The team is getting stronger all the time and I’m confident we can have a good weekend.”

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Testing from support

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Honda’s all new 2010 CRF250R places a more elevated standard than ever for its imposing power and handling, all combined into one contest-ready parcel.

Honda have become more accustomed to many of the same impressive features located on the Pro Open style-leading CRF450R.

Boldness shows an all-fresh, more influential compact engine with Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI) mixed with an innovative Twin Spar Aluminum Frame and the characteristic Honda Progressive Steering Damper (HPSD), the 2010 CRF250R carries on Honda’s ancient position of class supremacy.

In general, the modifications to the engine, incorporates a mechanical variation of fuel stream and ignition timing, whilst mechanism ratios have also been amended to adjust the refurbished engine. The bike also includes bigger radiators as well as tougher pistons and valves.

With new enhanced bodywork borrowed from the CRF450R, Honda’s miniature version moto-crosser presents better steering response and in particular handling through a relocated front wheel.

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Sergio Gadea is a knowledgable candidate in the 125cc class, establishing himself as a steady ‘second tier’ rider in this category over the previous seasons. With a disappointing year in 2008 and a back seat battle between Gabor Talmacsi and Héctor Faubel, the Spaniard has left some tough questions being asked about his future in the Grand Prix.

The fresh star is now in the midst of battle for the 2009 World Championship. A victory at the Alice TT Assen congeald his record and put him 20 points at the rear of series leader Julián Simón, and Gadea is back enjoying being a competitive rider.

“I’m not thinking about the title at the moment,” he states.  “My plan is to continue achieving short term goals and at the moment I am enjoying riding as much as a little kid. I’ve got the spark that I lost last year back, and it’s a great feeling. Time will tell if I can win the World Championship and, if not, then I will have at least had a year to remember for the rest of my life.”

If Gadea is to obtain the title, he will have to fight off the contests from his teammates Simón and Bradley Smith, including Italian star Andrea Iannone.

“The atmosphere in the garage is really good. Personally I focus on my job with the mechanics and don’t think about too much else. Julián and Bradley likewise. That’s the only way to get results: work hard and don’t lose concentration,” Gadea mentions.

“All of us in the front four are trying to be as consistent as possible. Smith has proven to be tough, and he knows when to go for the win and how to settle for the best possible finish. Julián is very fast and has adapted to the change in class, and I suppose that the difference between him and us would be bigger had he not made some mistakes. Iannone is as fast as he is aggressive, but has also made some costly errors."

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A total of 55,500 motorcycles, ATVs and scooters were sold in the six months to the end of June.

 

The tough decision had been reached after exhaustive attempts to find a way to continue with two riders, but with the economy the way it is the economic pinch was felt and forced the Team to act due to the increased cost involved in running two riders, combined with a health problem of Yuki, has led the Scot Racing Team to this decision.

Scot Racing Team Manager Cirano Mularoni had this to say "The Team would face a lot of new costs to line up two riders and without the possibility to improve its results with Yuki because he has suffered a slipped disc in his back, most likely caused by recent falls. So our team has decided to stop racing with Yuki and to wait for his recovery before taking any decisions on his future".

Whilst Shuhei Nakamoto, the  vice president of HRC added "For Honda as well as the Scot Racing Team, this is a sad announcement and one we wanted to avoid if at all possible. But we understand the Team's problems with regard to the increased costs of running two riders. Takahashi was the only Japanese rider in the MotoGP championship and of course Honda wanted to see him continue. But in the end the Team made it clear that this outcome was impossible and we respect their decision. Honda will continue to support the Scot Racing Team in MotoGP with Gabor Talmacsi riding".

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He may carry the number four as his racing number aboard his Repsol Honda and that wont not change overnight for Andrea Dovizioso, however the gifted Italian rider has seen enough of the number four this season and now really wants to end his recent series of fourth place finishes at Laguna Seca this weekend.

The Honda star placed fourth at Laguna Seca last year as he made his US debut and has finished in that position on seven occasions since joining the premier class at the beginning of the 2008 season.

Andrea Dovizioso is currently placed fourth in the World Championship standings with three successive fourth place finishes to his name before Assen where he crashed out, the fourth place results came at Catalunya, Le Mans and Mugello.

So far his stay in the premier class has resulted with just the one podium appearance, Dovizioso knows that now is the time to step things up a notch. Looking ahead to the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix he said, “I really look forward to the race in Laguna Seca. The track itself and the whole atmosphere makes coming to Laguna a fascinating experience. Last year was the first time that I had raced in the United States and I was impressed by this track. Some parts are quite dangerous and very different from the European standard of racetracks we are used to, but the whole atmosphere is incredible and I like it a lot. I’m confident that we can have a good race here.”

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