Croft reduces track days for 2009 after court ruling

Croft racing circuit has axed 80% of its motorcycle track days after a devastating High Court ruling over noise.

The circuit has pulled the plug on 19 of 23 bike track days set for 2009 following an order to cut noisy events from 140 a year to just 40.

Circuit Manager Tracey Morley told said : “There has been an adjustment to our calendar and sadly events have had to be cancelled.”

She said race meetings had also been cancelled and that more details would be released next week.

The axed dates had been organised by track day firms No Limits and Hottrax. Both said customers had been offered alternative dates.

Hottrax’s said: “We had 11 dates at Croft and we’re now down to two. It’s our favourite circuit to work at so not good news for us.”

Croft lost an appeal in January against an order to pay three local residents up to £150,000 compensation over noise.

Richard Jones QC, representing Croft Promosport Ltd, told the Appeal Court the ruling exposed the company to an "uncertain number" of claims from other neighbours and had serious implications for its future.

Fantasy Road Racing - win a Yamaha R6

Now is the time to pick your team for the free to enter MCN Fantasy Road Race competition in association with MCE Insurance.

The rules are simple - you have a budget of £10 million to spend on 6 riders- 2 each from MotoGP, WSB and BSB.

• Register your team for free now

You can enter a team for free right now and by registering you will be in with a chance of winning this year's top prize, a Yamaha R6 worth £7,799. Alongside the top prize for the overall winner, there will also be prizes for the winners of the eight rounds that make up the competition.

The deadline for entries is February 28th, so make sure you register your team before then.

British World Superbike riders Leon Haslam, Tommy Hill, Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes are as competitive off track as they are on it and have all got their entry in to MCN’s Fantasy Road Race competition in early.

To test your racing knowledge and find out if it is better than the WSB Brits, enter your team for free online now.
Once you have registered join the BikeWise Private League (Pin number 400) and 'race' against your BikeWise friends

Fantasy Road Racing - win a Yamaha R6

Now is the time to pick your team for the free to enter MCN Fantasy Road Race competition in association with MCE Insurance.

The rules are simple - you have a budget of £10 million to spend on 6 riders- 2 each from MotoGP, WSB and BSB.

• Register your team for free now

You can enter a team for free right now and by registering you will be in with a chance of winning this year's top prize, a Yamaha R6 worth £7,799. Alongside the top prize for the overall winner, there will also be prizes for the winners of the eight rounds that make up the competition.

The deadline for entries is February 28th, so make sure you register your team before then.

British World Superbike riders Leon Haslam, Tommy Hill, Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes are as competitive off track as they are on it and have all got their entry in to MCN’s Fantasy Road Race competition in early.

To test your racing knowledge and find out if it is better than the WSB Brits, enter your team for free online now.
Once you have registered, join the BikeWise Private League (Pin number 400) and 'race' against your BikeWise friends

Now learners can split new test

Learners will be able to take the two parts of a new motorcycle test on different days following an announcement by roads minister Jim Fitzpatrick.

From April 27 new riders must pass a ‘manoeuvres’ examination at new test centres as well as an on-road riding section. Fitzpatrick’s announcement means they won’t have to cram both into a single appointment.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) had faced criticism for building too few of the new ‘multipurpose’ test centres and accused of asking learners to ride hundreds of miles to the nearest one.

Yesterday’s announcement also means candidates can do the on-road part at an existing test centre without having to travel to a new one.

Fitzpatrick said the move would “provide more delivery options, from a greater number of locations, enabling better utilisation of the current test centre estate and thereby offering improved geographic coverage”.

“It will offer an improved level of customer service for motorcycling candidates and reduce the travel-to-test distance for some candidates,” he said.

Rider groups welcomed the news but pointed out the manoeuvres part would still have to be done at one of the limited number of new test centres.

Chris Hodder, of the British Motorcyclists Federation, said: “There’s still going to be large parts of the country where people will have to travel a long way.”

Hodder also attacked DSA plans to charge £10.50 more for the new test, after already putting the price up by £20 in September to cover the extra cost.

The charge went from £60 to £80 at the end of September, when the new test was originally supposed to come in. The introduction of the test itself was deferred by six months due to a lack of test centres but the DSA did not do the same with the new fee intended to pay for it.

Now bookings for the new test taken from March 30 will cost £90.50.

Hodder said: “It’s a 50% increase within a year.”

Now learners can split new test

Learners will be able to take the two parts of a new motorcycle test on different days following an announcement by roads minister Jim Fitzpatrick.

From April 27 new riders must pass a ‘manoeuvres’ examination at new test centres as well as an on-road riding section. Fitzpatrick’s announcement means they won’t have to cram both into a single appointment.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) had faced criticism for building too few of the new ‘multipurpose’ test centres and accused of asking learners to ride hundreds of miles to the nearest one.

Yesterday’s announcement also means candidates can do the on-road part at an existing test centre without having to travel to a new one.

Fitzpatrick said the move would “provide more delivery options, from a greater number of locations, enabling better utilisation of the current test centre estate and thereby offering improved geographic coverage”.

“It will offer an improved level of customer service for motorcycling candidates and reduce the travel-to-test distance for some candidates,” he said.

Rider groups welcomed the news but pointed out the manoeuvres part would still have to be done at one of the limited number of new test centres.

Chris Hodder, of the British Motorcyclists Federation, said: “There’s still going to be large parts of the country where people will have to travel a long way.”

Hodder also attacked DSA plans to charge £10.50 more for the new test, after already putting the price up by £20 in September to cover the extra cost.

The charge went from £60 to £80 at the end of September, when the new test was originally supposed to come in. The introduction of the test itself was deferred by six months due to a lack of test centres but the DSA did not do the same with the new fee intended to pay for it.

Now bookings for the new test taken from March 30 will cost £90.50.

Hodder said: “It’s a 50% increase within a year.”