BikeWise News: February 2015

Todays meeting CANCELLED (BWMBC)

We’ve taken an early decision to cancel todays BikeWise Mini Bike Club meeting at Carville (Sunday 22^nd February 2015)

There is a heavy frost in the Durham area with no sign of the sun to ‘burn it off’ due to cloud cover.

Rain is also forecast just before dinner time time and the wind chill factor is just above freezing point – not a day to enjoy riding motorcycles !!

We’re going to try & run a meeting next Sunday (1st March) so hopefully it might be warmer & drier Smile

Next meeting of the BWMBC : Sunday 22nd February

Hi everybody
Sorry for the short notice, Carrville is now booked and we have a permit from the ACU so we are going to try and run a meeting (weather permitting) this Sunday
Sunday 22^nd February at Carrville Park & Ride, Durham.
Usual start time of 1030hrs with signing on from 1000hrs.
If you can help to set up the track or take it down at the end it would be appreciated.
If anybody can marshal , see the girls at the signing on desk, sign the form and then well tell you what to do :-)

Weather forecast at the moment looks unsettled for Sunday, possible rain !!, so keep your fingers crossed
Check website / Facebook / Twitter if you have any doubt about the weather.
Any cancellation will be posted by 0915hrs.

ACU Licence Renewals 2015 – Most of you will now have received your ACU licenses through the post - Thank You...
However there are still quite a few of our 'regular club' members who have not renewed their licenses.
Your ACU licence is renewable now every year on the 1^st January and if you haven't applied for a licence then you are not able to ride at ACU events (BikeWise meetings) or receive your club discount at Warden Law.

PLEASE don't turn up on Sunday with your application form and expect us to allow you to ride – we cannot, ACU rules do not allow that
PLEASE if you wish to remain in the club, print a form off, fill it in and send it to me so that I can get you licensed with the ACU
Rider Registration can be downloaded /printed from here
We'll need a passport photo and either complete the form (card details), include a cheque for £5 made payable to the ACU or put £5 in the envelope.
Hopefully see you on Sunday, with plenty of warm clothing for us 'oldies' who are standing around !!
Bob

‘Southern’ Superbike Championship dates for 2015 (BSB)

Sad to see that Croft is not on the BSB calendar for 2015

Oulton Park once again has two(2) rounds and Brands Hatch three (3) rounds

Cadwell, Donington, Knockhill or even Assen (with a ferry from Newcastle) look like being the closest we’ll get to seeing some BSB racing in the North East

North East Motorcycle Racing Club are holding a meeting at Croft on the 28^th & 29^th March and the Vintage Motor Cycle Club hold a meeting there on the 13^th & 14^th June

BikeSafe Durham 2015: Dates now available

Since its inception in 1995, the BikeWise approach to reducing the risks that motorcyclists are exposed to has hinged upon Durham Police Motorcyclists engaging with riders on our roads.
Our success over the years resulted in BikeWise as a casualty reduction strategy being awarded the Highways Magazine Excellence Award, as Road Safety Scheme of the year in 2008. This was followed up in 2009 when BikeWise was awarded the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.
Since it started in 2008 until the end of 2012 BikeWise Training was delivered to approximately 500 riders by ex -Durham motorcycle officers Bob Brown and Mick Alder.
Many of these riders went on to gain IAM and RoADAR qualifications.

From 2013 officers from Durham Constabulary Motorcycle Section have been successfully providing BikeSafe workshops, and the feedback up to now has been excellent.

BikeSafe is a national police led motorcycle project that is run by most forces throughout the UK. The main aim is to reduce motorcycle related road casualties and by improving skills, knowledge and hazard awareness it will hopefully make riding safer and more enjoyable.

The BikeSafe workshop’s which we run, explore the main issues facing today’s bikers. It also explores the principles of advanced riding through the on-road element. The BikeSafe Durham Police observer will give assessment and feedback which will highlight areas where the rider needs to develop. BikeSafe is about starting on the right path to development as it "Bridges the Gap".

All motorcyclists in possession of a category A, A1 or A2 licence are welcome on our workshops provided they have passed their test, but If you have only just passed your test you would benefit from getting at least a few months of riding experience without ‘L’ plates before attending your BikeSafe workshop. BikeSafe workshops are not aimed at riders who have passed an advanced motorcycle test already.
Most types of motorcycle are welcome ie. Category A1 light motorcycle, Category A2 restricted motorcycle, or category A unrestricted motorcycle. BikeSafe is not suitable for mopeds or 125 cc learner bikes. Category A1 bikes that are not learner and are capable of national speed limits are welcome. Whatever bike you bring it must be in a legal roadworthy condition.
Our 2015 courses are being run between 9am and 5 pm from our new base at Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, Spennymoor Police Office, Wesleyan Road, Spennymoor, Co. Durham DL16 6FB.
The format of the day consists of an interactive presentation by Advanced Police motorcyclists in the morning, followed by an on road assessed ride in the afternoon.
The cost for your BikeSafe Durham workshop is £20. For this you will get the workshop presentation and assessed ride as described, a copy of Motorcycle Roadcraft and the Highway Code, plus refreshments including lunch will be provided during the day.
During your day you will get the option to enrol on an IAM ‘Skills for life’ riding course in the weeks ahead with Durham Advanced Motorcyclists (DAM), and provided you work through their package to test standard then you will receive a £75 refund towards your training from the Durham Road Safety Partnership. You will have an opportunity during your day to speak to someone from DAM about this great offer, and even enrol on the day if you wish.
By providing feedback via the BikeSafe website you will also receive a BikeSafe certificate. Gift vouchers are also available if required.
If you are now ready to ‘Bridge the Gap’ with a BikeSafe Durham workshop, then you can book your 2015 place straight away by clicking the National BikeSafe button above, where you will also find all relevant workshop information. Hope to see you in 2015!

Dates for the 2015 Durham BikeSafe workshops are :

Saturday 21^stMarch
Saturday 18^th April
Saturday 9^th May
Saturday 30^th May
Saturday 15^th August

There will be ten (10) places on each workshop so please contact BikeSafe and book your place as they will quickly be taken.

MCN Fantasy Road Racing : Join the BikeWise League (It’s free)

Back for 2015 with Moto Gp. WSB & BSB all included again this year.

So… pick a team from the worlds racing stars, join to BikeWise league and lets have a bit of fun during 2015

Once you’ve registered and selected your team, join the BikeWise league using the Pin Number : 19892

The free-to-play MCN Fantasy Road Race 2015 game, in association with Bennetts.co.uk, offers you the opportunity to manage the ultimate motorcycling team. Select from the cream of the crop in MotoGP, World Superbikes and British Superbikes and compete to win some fantastic prizes.

Team Selection

Simply select a team consisting of six riders - two from each classification (MotoGP, World Superbikes and British Superbikes) all from your budget of £10 million.

Register your team by 04:00 GMT on Saturday, 21 February (the scheduled start time for the WSB Superpole session in Australia) to ensure that your team starts scoring from the very first race weekend.

Once you've registered, your team will score points from the start of the next scheduled race or qualifying session onwards. This means you can miss qualifying but still get points when the riders speed away from the start line!

Don't worry if you're short of time - the Lucky Dip facility can select you a team in an instant. With unlimited changes allowed right up to the start of the season, you can register your team today and then delay your final selections until just before the start of the game if you wish.

Scoring

Your riders will then score points based on their performances in qualifying and race results from all races during 2015 and help you mount a challenge for some fantastic prizes!

Game Rounds

The season is broken down into six different scoring phases, also referred to as Game Rounds. They also determine when team changes can be made.

Team Changes

Online team changes are unlimited until 04:00 GMT on Saturday, 21 February, allowing for any of last minute changes of heart. After that, you can make a maximum of three team changes per transfer window, all free of charge. For more details on changing your team,click here.

The entrant who tops the overall leaderboard at the end of the competition will win a VIP trip to a European round of MotoGP in 2016, courtesy of Bennetts.co.uk.

NMRRC Championship 2015 (Watch it on Motor TV)

Calendar of events for the NMRRC (which is televised and shown on Motors TV) has been released, with a ten round championship starting on Sunday March 8th. All these events (and more) can be viewed on the ‘Whats On’ page of the website or by clicking on the image below

BikeWise Mini Bike Club members had a fantastic season in this championship in 2014 in the following categories :

Metrakit GP 50 : Jake Hopper was 2^nd

Metrakit GP 70 : James Alderson was 1st & Franco Bourne 2^nd

Mini Moto Junior Production : James Alderson was 1st & Franco Bourne 4th. Other points scorers were Charlie Farrer, Andrew Thornton, Owen & Dylan Mellor, Cody Johnson & Rishon Hickey

Mini Moto Junior 4.2 : Franco Bourne was 3^rd. Other points scorers were Jake Hopper, Owen & Dylan Mellor, Cody Johnson & Rishon Hickey

Looking forward to seeing our local riders riding in a National Championship and being able to watch them racing on Motors TV Smile