The latest round in the British Mxxis Championship;

Maxxis British Motocross Championship Round 5 Desertmartin, Northern Ireland June 24th

The fifth round of the Maxxis series at Desertmartin organised by the Cookstown club at its Porters Pit Circuit gave the Maxxis Championship a boost as major development work at the circuit including new sections of track, new concrete start area, GP standard wash bay and purpose built toilet and shower blocks showed the influence of the MXGP circus at this popular venue.

The ACU track team had bannered the circuit with it’s normal precision placement ready for the fans and the Greenlight TV production crew to show the circuit at it’s best, the series sponsors Maxxis given prime placement with their bright orange banners complimenting the many series partners and organising clubs banners erected around the track.

Qualification groups for both classes MX1 and MX2 saw Josh Coppins and Ken de Dycker swop positions with De Dycker eventually gaining the edge for pole position. In the MX2 class Tommy Searle came out tops with George Strik coming a close second.

The first Maxxis MX2 championship race picked up where it left off at Landrake in May, the main contenders Billy Mackenzie - Bike It Yamaha, Carl Nunn - EA KTM and Tommy Searle - Molson Kawasaki went into battle again. Mackenzie led the race with Nunn chasing hard. Searle was fighting his way back into contention, Sean Simpson -Wulfsport Honda was in third followed by fast starter Wayne Garrett - KTM, Elliott Banks Brown - RWJ Honda and Tom Church - Molson Kawasaki were chasing the leaders but the gap was getting bigger by the lap.

Mid race and Searle was lapping the quickest having taken Sean Simpson and trying to make the long haul back into contention with new leader Nunn closely followed by Championship leader Mackenzie. Searle brought the gap down to two seconds from Mackenzie who in turn was only 1.5 seconds behind Nunn. As the race came to its final conclusion Nunn looked strong and held on to win from Mackenzie followed home at a reasonable distance by Searle.

The first race of the Maxxis MX1 class welcomed back the 2005 Champion Josh Coppins from Injury. The CAS Honda GP star didn’t fail to impress and won the race comfortably from CAS teammate and 06 series leader Ken de Dycker. Coppins lead from the start followed by James Noble - RWJ Honda, Julian Bill - Bike It Yamaha and Mark Jones - PAR Homes Honda. Coppins stretched out the lead as De Dycker scythed through the field from a slow start, by the time De Dycker made it into second place Coppins was ten seconds clear. De Dycker put the pressure on and posted fastest consecutive lap times pulling back the Coppins lead to just over five seconds, in third place Bill and Jones were having a tremendous battle as Noble dropped back. Gordon Crockard - Wulfsport Honda gave the Irish fans some home cheer as he fought his way up the field into sixth place a far cry from his past victories at the Porters Pit Circuit.

Although De Dycker pushed hard for a while Coppins was looking confident and rode on to win by a considerable distance, back in third however the race was on as Mark Jones and Julian Bill raced wheel to wheel with Jones getting the verdict and a big cheer for his efforts. James Noble seemed out of sorts but finished in fifth place maintaining his championship challenge.

The second leg of the Maxxis MX2 championship race was prematurely halted following a first corner accident involving Lewis Rose, the restart saw Mackenzie lead from Nunn followed by Simpson, Ray Rowson - Molson Kawasaki and George Strik EA Dirt Bike Store.

Mackenzie lost it over the far side of the track and didn’t continue in the race, this left the way clear for Nunn to dominate. Tommy Searle tried to get on terms but although he tried hard this was going to be Carl Nunn’s day and a double victory that takes him to the top of the table on 260 points from Tommy Searle’s 255. Sean Simpson crashed out on the final lap when in third place and in sight of his first rostrum, he went to hospital for a check up, this left the way clear for George Strik to take third in the race and third overall on the day. Jason Dougan rode well to take fourth place followed by Brad Anderson - Pioneer Yamaha.

The final race of the day the Maxxis MX1 gave the crowd a treat as they were given the old CAS one two from the start as Ken De Dycker and Josh Coppins took off from the rest of the field and gave a display of high speed formation motocross riding. Back in third place James Noble stuck to the task on a track that was getting increasingly bumpy and rutting into deep channels, behind him Julian Bill, Mark Jones and the Irish riders Gordon Crockard and Martin Barr trying hard in front of the home fans. At two-thirds distance Coppins made his move and took the lead, perhaps emphasizing his position as the current British number one, De Dycker consolidated his championship lead with James Noble catching him fast at the flag. Irish eyes were smiling as Gordon Crockard came home in fourth place and a deserved fifth place overall, Martin Barr unfortunately suffered a sound penalty which dropped him back from eighth to eleventh.

The Maxxis support race winners overall were 1 Adrian Weatherhead, 2 Steven McCaughhey, 3 Conor Bradley. The winners all received Maxxis tyres.

Full results can be obtained by visiting www.mylaps.com

Team reports will be posted on www.mxgb.com as they arrive. The next round of the series will be at Skelder Bank, Whitby on 23rd July 2006.

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)

The word from Aprilia off-road racing;

Sam Warren and the SR Off-Road Aprilia team produced something of a masterclass at the MotoGB championship rounds at Lydden Hill with six wins from six starts to take a commanding lead in the series SM1 class.

The only minor blip on what would have been a perfect scorecard was missing out on pole position during qualifying at the Kent circuit to former Husqvarna mounted GP rider Jochen Jasinski.

The format for the weekend was for a championship round to be run on the Saturday and then another on the Sunday. Unsure as to just how Jasinski was likely to perform in racing conditions the SR Off-Road Aprilia team approached the first race on the Saturday with a degree of caution.

Warren though got the holeshot over the German and was able to control proceedings from there on despite considerable pressure to win by under a second. In the second race Warren got up the inside of Jasinski on the circuits long corner forcing an error as they approached the chicane on the first lap and was then able to power away to a relatively easy 10 second win.

The Saturday Superfinal saw the best riders from the SM1 and SM2 classes brought together and in the absence of Jasinski it was upto Ady Smith to challenge Warren. In the end though the Derbyshire rider maintained his stranglehold on the round taking the win over Smith and Kinsella.

Sunday saw a repeat of the SR Off-Road Aprilia’s dominance in the SM1 class with Warren cruising to a fifteen second win over Ady and Allen Smith in race one.

In the second race Warren fell in the off-road section but had by that stage built up such a lead that he was able to remount and maintain front position. He did however knock the hand-guard hard enough that it partially engaged the clutch which continually slipped for the remainder of the race. This didn’t slow Warren though as he finished four seconds ahead of Ady Smith.

The last race of the day was a repeat of the Saturday Superfinal. Warren controlled the race from the outset and was able to pick up the pace and back-off at will. He said that it had been a good weekend at the office with little incident.

I couldn’t ask for anymore than six from six. I had a few headaches in the second race on the Sunday with the slipping clutch but was able to ride around the problem. In the Superfinal I used the pitboard to dictate the race pace which pretty much summed up the weekend.

Team boss Mick Spencer said that it had been a fairly clinical display and a slight change of emphasis would now see the Aprilia outfit contest more rounds in the UK.

These things are never easy but Sam and the team were able to control proceedings across the two days. We have been working very closely with Aprilia and I think we have now pretty much sorted all our teething problems and the SXV is really starting to show its potential.

As we are doing so well in MotoGB our emphasis in terms of our racing programme has now shifted a little and we will be concentrating on winning the series here in the UK and fitting in World Championship rounds where we can.

The next outing for SR Off-Road Aprilia will be round four of the MotoGB series which will be held at the Ingliston Showground near Edinburgh on July 16.

(sourced through insidebikes.com)

Make a date in the diary as the Great Yorkshire Bike Show gets set to return for another massive motorcycling extravaganza.

Daredevil stunts, the latest machines from all the top manufacturers and hundreds of trade stands with fantastic bargains are just some of the reasons why the Great Yorkshire Bike Show is a must see for 2006. Saturday 28th July and Sunday 29th July will see thousands of people descend upon Cullingworth in Yorkshire for the biggest show in town.

The two day event will see the top manufacturers displaying the best bikes on the market including Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Harley Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, MV Augusta, Suzuki and Yamaha. Bikers can try out the latest machines with a number of manufacturers offering test rides throughout the day and there are hundreds of trade stands selling everything a biker could ever wish for.

There’ll be no time to get bored with entertainment throughout the day including the chance to catch up with Yorkshire’s favourite racer, turned TV commentator, James Whitham. More famous names and faces will be announced shortly. Don’t miss the action packed and highly choreographed Globe of Death and the awesome balancing skills of the X-Treme Trials Display Team.

Entry costs just £10 for adults, £5 for Under 14s and Under 5s go for free and free parking. No one can afford to miss out on the biggest motorcycling show in town - The Great Yorkshire Bike Show 2006. Open from 10am until 6pm tickets are available on the gate only

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)

Some news from RC2, who have mini sized models of the American Chopper customs, made famous by the Teutuls;

Wrap-up the perfect Father’s Day gift with American Chopper Miniatures from Discovery Channel and RC2

With Father’s Day just around the corner, what better way to show him your love than with a collectible bike from American Chopper, one of Discovery Channel’s most-watched programmes. Available exclusively through RC2 and carried by all good retailers, the model bikes are available in three scales, 1:18,1:10 and 1:6, and range in cost from £6.99 to £34.99.

Working exclusively with Discovery Channel and Orange County Choppers (OCC), the custom bike-building company run by the Teutul family in the American Chopper series, RC2 has replicated and reproduced miniature models of the actual bikes featured on the programme. Fourteen bikes from the series have been reproduced in 1:10 scale, including the Old School Chopper, Mikey’s Bike, Black Widow Bike, Jet Bike, Lucy’s Bike, Comanche Bike, and Jet Bike. Each model features brake and clutch action, foot pegs flip, wiring detail and even the drive belts rotate. The 1:10 scale bikes retail for SRP £19.99.

Available in 1:18 scale are Black Widow, Liberty Bike, Christmas Bike, Fire Bike and Dixie Bike. These models come complete with free rolling wheels, front steering, rotating drive belts and retail for £6.99.

The 1:6 scale models are created with intense details and sound effects, including a rumbling engine. Available models include Jet Bike with screaming jet sound effects and Fire Bike with siren. Both retail for £29.99.

One of Discovery Channel’s most popular programmes worldwide, American Chopper highlights the craft of building some of the most intricate, custom-made motorcycles ever in the Orange Country Chopper garage, located about 80 miles from New York City. The series has built a solid fan base documenting the real-life tirades and triumphs of the eccentric Teutul family as they manage the shop and struggle to meet seemingly impossible deadlines for building incredible customised choppers.

American Chopper airs on Discovery Channel in the UK on Mondays at 9:00pm. Launched in 2004 in the UK, the American Chopper licensing program has grown from its initial line of home video and toys to include numerous categories including publishing, interactive games and calendars.

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)