Photo’s & Video now online

Photos are now online from the meetings of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club at Carrville on Sunday 9^th June & Karting North East on Monday 10^th June 2013.

Many Thanks to all who helped with the set up and taking down of the track, signing on of riders & marshalling.

Our own BikeWise North East Mini Moto Championship in conjunction with Karting North East, will be held on the morning of Sunday 23rd June (this Sunday) – get ready for some fantastic racing from our club members.

Plenty of tarmac parking and its FREE for spectators. Cafe on site if you need a coffee or burger.

Qualifying starts at 0900hrs with racing starting approx. 1030hrs and going through till approx. 1245hrs

Have a ride out and support our local riders in the inaugural NE Mini Moto Championship which is supported by the Durham Agency Against Crime & HM Plant Ltd

To view the photo’s please visit the club website by Clicking Here

To view the latest video from Karting NE on the 10^th June  click here  (Why not subscribe to our You Tube video Channel and then you’ll always see the latest videos)

National BikeSafe Show : 8th & 9th June

The National Bikesafe show is being held at

Doncaster Racecourse 8/9 June

the show offers something for all bikers and their families

FREE ENTRY AND FREE PARKING
manufacturers’ latest models to see and ride
over seventy five exhibitors and trade stands expected
2 different stunt riders (including our own Dave Coates)
free assessed ride-outs with advanced police riders
lots of family attractions
real motorbike rides for 5-11 year olds
‘Have a go’ at riding a bike in safety for non-riders
discover the limits of your skill on the moto gymkhana
something for every motorcycle and scooter enthusiast

If you go down try and look up our own PC’s Jim Gratton & Tony Richmond from the motorcycle section who will be representing Durham Constabulary

For further details please visit : http://www.bikesafeshow.co.uk/

Get a sticker for your car

DFT are once again supplying the THINK BIKE, THINK BIKER stickers for your cars.

They are free and the DFT will send you one if you click on this link :

http://shop.dft.gov.uk/THINKShop/Product.aspx?ProductID=04cc108e-573c-43b8-bb46-21b1d27294d8

Click on the order button, then checkout and fill in your details and soon you'll have your sticker delivered free to your door. Only one sticker per household

.

So place your order and display your sticker to try and promote the message when you're out in your car

Photos online from Sundays meeting of the BWMBC

Photos are now online from Sundays meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club at Carrville.

The weather stayed dry, although it was damp and we managed to have a great meeting.

A warm welcome to new cub member James Ward (Photo above right) who was 6yrs earlier in the week. James has been watching his brother Matthew for the last couple of years and was really excited to finally be out on track.

Many Thanks to all who helped with the set up and taking down of the track, signing on of riders & marshalling.

Our own BikeWise North East Mini Moto Championship in conjunction with Karting North East, will be held on the morning of Sunday 23^rd June – get ready for some fantastic racing from our club members

To view the photo’s please visit the club website by Clicking Here

Next meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club

The next meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club will be on  Sunday, 19^th May at Carrville Park & Ride.

Usual start time of 1030hrs with signing on from 1000hrs.

Weather forecast for tomorrow looks good but if you have any doubts about the weather then check the website before travelling as we will post any cancellation by 0900hrs

Karting North East (Warden Law) will be running their fortnightly sessions on  Monday 20^th May   (1700hrs - 2000hrs).

North Yorks Police appeal for witnesses for two fatal motorcycle collisions

Motorcyclist killed in A171 collision

Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic collision between Whitby and Scarborough.

The collision, which occurred on the A171 at the Falcon Pub at around 10.20am on Sunday 12 May 2013, involved a silver Nissan X-trail and a white Yamaha motorcycle which was travelling towards Scarborough in company with another bike.

As a result of the collision, the rider of the white Yamaha, a 47-year-old man from Stockton, was seriously injured and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers are appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision or saw either vehicle prior to the incident to contact them with information.

Anyone who can help officers with their enquiries is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 - select option 2 - and ask for Traffic Constable Paul Moon or Scarborough Roads Policing Group.

Please quote reference number 12130076094 when passing information about this incident.

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Fatal road traffic collision on A169 at Lockton

Police are appealing for witnesses after a motorcyclist died in a collision near Pickering.

The collision, involving a red Honda motorcycle and a silver Vauxhall Astra, occurred on the A169 Pickering to Whitby Road, at the Junction with Lockton Lane, in Lockton, at around 1.10pm on Sunday 12 May 2013.

At the time of the collision, the motorcycle was travelling from Pickering in the direction of Whitby.

The motorcyclist, a 51-year-old man from Redcar, was seriously injured in the collision. He was taken to Scarborough General Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Officers are appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision, or saw either vehicle prior to the incident, to contact them with information.

Anyone who can help officers with their enquiries is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 - select option 2 - and ask for Traffic Constable Neil Cholmondeley.

Alternatively, information can be emailed toneil.cholmondeley@northyorkshire.pnn,police.uk

Please quote reference number 12130076154 when making contact about this incident.

BT Sport confirmed for MotoGP deal in 2014

It’s been confirmed that BT Sport will have the rights to MotoGP coverage next year – leaving existing channels and their viewers potentially out in the cold.

The deal will see Eurosport and the BBC lose their rights to live MotoGP coverage for all three classes. And it means unless you’ve got access to BT Sport – either through BT Vision or Sky, although Virgin is also expected to do a deal – there may be no way of watching live GP coverage. Whatever your solution, it’s unlikely to be free.

Here’s BT Sport’s official line:

The five-year agreement will see MotoGP in the line-up of top sports on the new BT Sport channels. Motorcycle racing’s premier Championship will be part of BT Sport alongside other great sport, including Barclays Premier League and Aviva Premiership Rugby.

MotoGP fans won’t miss a minute of the action as race weekends will be covered in full starting from the free practices on the Friday and including full coverage of Moto2 and Moto3 as well as the elite category MotoGP. Coverage will be hosted on-site with additional studio coverage from BT Sport’s state of the art facilities at the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. Fans will also be able to see races from the riders’ perspective and with more interactive features showing off the most technologically advanced bikes, giving UK fans a whole new MotoGP viewing experience, immersing them in every aspect of the Championship.

Manel Arroyo, Dorna Sports, Managing Director, said: “We’re proud that MotoGP will be part of such a huge and exciting project as BT Sport.”

Simon Green, Head of BT Sport, added: “The agreement with MotoGP is really exciting. We want BT Sport to offer a wide range of sports that appeal to many different audiences and MotoGP is a thrilling sport with a massive and committed fan base in the UK and Ireland.”

This is British Eurosport’s reaction to the deal:

British Eurosport is disappointed that MotoGP series rights holder Dorna has decided to change its strategy from 2014 onwards in the UK  We are proud to have covered MotoGP for many years and thank our respected commentary team of Toby Moody, Julian Ryder, Neil Spalding and Steve Day along with the team behind the scenes for making that coverage so popular with bike fans.  At British Eurosport we are passionate supporters of motorcycle racing and it continues to be a cornerstone of the channel's output. In 2013, we added the Speedway European Championships and FIM Speedway Grand Prix to our offer of the MCE British Superbikes and World Superbike Championship. We will show every round of these four series live, in full and in HD until at least 2015 and we hold the exclusive live rights to those series in the UK.

The BBC said:

We believe that we have brought the sport to a new, wider audience. We would like to thank our production teams for the contribution they have made in raising the profile of the sport in the UK.  We are very proud of our Moto GP coverage and submitted a competitive bid to retain the broadcasting rights beyond our current contract. We will continue to bring great content to our audiences for the rest of this season.

HM Plant Honda by Padgett’s Motorcycles

Two of the highest profile companies in international motorcycle sport are coming together for the 2013 North West 200 and Isle of Man TT.

Long time BikeWise supporter, HM Plant and Padgett’s Motorcycles are joining forces in their quest for further successes in the ultimate tests of teams’ and riders’ commitment to speed.

Under the official title of HM Plant Honda by Padgett’s Motorcycles, the team will be running 19 times TT winner and fastest man round the Island, John McGuinness in Superstock and Supersport alongside another multiple TT and NW200 winner, Bruce Anstey, who will also represent the team in the Superbike and Senior TT classes.

HM Plant Chairman John Jones said: “We’re delighted to be back in the paddock, this time with the supremely successful Padgett’s team and it’s going to be incredibly exciting to support them as they attempt to do the impossible and repeat their phenomenal clean sweep of the TT in 2010.”

Padgett’s Motorcycles team manager Clive Padgett was even more positive than usual about the team’s chances as a result of the new partnership: “HM Plant have a fantastic history of supporting top flight motorcycle teams and Padgett’s are proud to be their partner of choice for the 2013 North West 200 and Isle of Man TT. We are, and always will be, a family operation, but carrying such a great name on the fairings will be a massive boost to the team and we can’t wait to go out there and repay John’s faith in us by achieving further sporting success for his company.”

“Morecombe Missile” John McGuinness is a former HM Plant rider and an intrinsic part of the Padgett’s team, so much so he’s considered family. The announcement of the new partnership is a major boost to his aspirations for 2013: “HM Plant and Padgett’s are a dream team and I’m really looking forward to riding a black and orange bike again at the North West and the TT. It’s great to see a major corporation getting behind the Padgett’s team and recognising the unbelievable level of success they’ve achieved with limited resources.” McGuinness holds the TT lap record of 131.578mph, set in 2009 and the organisers have honoured his achievements by naming a section of the 37 and 3/4 mile circuit after him.

As a holder of 23 TT podiums and the only man to achieve at least one top-three finish at every TT, NW200 and Ulster GP held in the last ten years, New Zealand’s Bruce Anstey is the most successful roads racer in the last two years and one of a very select group whose record bears close comparison with McGuinness’: “Nobody has more experience of building a race winning bike for the roads than Clive and the team. With the backing of HM Plant the opportunities for winning in 2013 are better than ever.”

NW 200 Race Schedule :

Tuesday 14th May
Practice session 1
Roads close 9.30am to 2.30pm
Thursday 16th May
Practice session 2
Roads close 9.30am to 2.30pm
Evening racing
Roads close 5.15pm to 9.00pm
Supersport race 1 - Sponsored by Ballymoney Borough Council
Supertwin race 2 - Sponsored by Vauxhall
Superstock race 3 - Sponsored by LiveWire AV Ltd
Saturday 18th May
Vauxhall International 2013 Race Day
Roads close 10.00am to 6.30pm
Supersport race 4 - Sponsored by McKendry Fabrications fm Ltd
Superbike race 5 - Sponsored by EventServ
Supertwin race 6 - Sponsored by Anchor Complex, Portstewart
Superstock race 7 - Sponsored by CP Hire
NW200 Superbike race 8 - Sponsored by Vauxhall
BBC Northern Ireland will also provide live HD coverage which begins with the first practice session on Tuesday, followed by the practices and races on Thursday, and further races on Saturday, with television highlights following.

Photos & Video now online from Monday’s meeting of the BWMBC

Photos & video are now online from Mondays meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club at Karting North East.

Some great track time on our normal short circuit and some quality time also on the big track.

Many Thanks to Karting North East & to Stu Menzies for affording us the opportunity.

Thanks to club member James Alderson for taking the excellent video footage of the short circuit.

Quite a few of our of our riders (and parents) had just returned from the long journey up to Kirkcaldy, Scotland, where they had been competing in Round 1 of the Scottish Mini Moto Championship and it was good to hear how successful they had been.

 

To view the photo’s of Monday nights meeting please visit the club website by Clicking Here

Photos online from Sundays meeting of the BWMBC

Photos are now online from Sundays meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club at Carrville.

The weather stayed dry, although it was very cold and we managed to complete our first outdoor meeting of the year.

Many Thanks to all who helped with the set up and taking down of the track, signing on of riders & marshalling.

Thanks also to John Attle & Alison Coatsworth for the photo’s and to Craig Cummings for putting together a video montage of the day.

A large number of our riders were up in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, competing in Round 1 of the Scottish Mini Moto Championship and once again we’re hearing that we brought  a lot of good results and trophies back home – we’ll post the results on the website when we get them.

To view the photo’s and videos please visit the club website by Clicking Here

Easter Egg Runs 2013–Photo’s Online

At Last .. some of you might be saying.

We can only apologize for the delay, as there have been software problems with the company (Photobox) where we hold our galleries.

But, now you can be as ‘square-eyed’ as we have been, viewing the Three Thousand & Sixty (3,060) photo’s in nine albums from various locations around the route of the ride.

Many Thanks to the photographers from Durham Photographic Society & our own BikeWise ‘team’ for recording the ride in such great detail.

Photo’s can be viewed & bought from this link : http://www.photoboxgallery.com/bikewise

When you buy a photo the watermark is removed and any profit that we receive from Photobox go towards the running of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club, where young (6-17yr old) local motorcyclists are given the opportunity to get on the first ‘rung of the ladder’, riding their mini moto’s in a lawful environment, so please get yourself a few photographic memento's of the event and you’ll be helping the BWMBC at the same time.

Safe Riding and hope that you can perhaps visit the BikeWise Mini Moto Championship on the 23rd June or the main BikeWise show at Police HQ on the 28th July.

Best Wishes

The ‘BikeWise team’

BikeWise Mini Moto Championship

The last two years the BikeWise Mini Bike Club has hosted two rounds of the Scottish Mini Moto Championship at Karting North East (Warden Law).

This year we will be once again hosting a round of the Scottish Championship on Sunday 22^nd September.

The championship is well supported by our club members and we have been very successful in these championships (CLICK HERE for last years results)

This year with the support of the Durham Agency Against Crime (DAAC), HM Plant Ltd & Karting North East (Guy Wilkes) we have been able to organize our own :

BikeWise & Karting North East Mini Moto Championship which will be held on Sunday 23^rd June from 9am –1pm.

Signing on will commence at 8am, followed by a riders briefing at 8.40am.

Practice will commence at 9am (2 x qualifying sessions), followed by 3 x 6 lap races for each class.

Classes are same as in the Scottish Championship :

Junior A, Junior B, Junior C, Production Class  (Featherweight, Lightweight, Middleweight & Heavyweight) & Open Class

Spectator entry to the circuit is free and there is good tarmac parking and also a cafe on the site.

Please put the date in your diary and come along and watch the racing. If you think Moto GP is exciting then you are in for a treat as our young local racers will be really turning on the style.

You can download a poster by clicking on the image above.

Further details of the championship can be obtained at meetings of our BWMBC which are advertised on this site, or by emailing us at : durham.bikewise@gmail.com

The video below shows a couple of laps of the Warden Law circuit taken last year by club member Kai Simpson :

McGuinness’s–IOM TT circuit

A section of the iconic TT Mountain course has been named in honour of TT Legend & BikeWise supporter, John McGuinness, who lies second behind Joey Dunlop in the list of racers with most wins.

The newly named course point came as the Isle of Man Government redesigned and replaced the existing directional boards and mile markers around the 37¾-mile course.

McGuinness first competed on the Isle of Man in 1996 and has 19 race victories to his name, including two last year. He is also the outright lap record holder with a lap of 131.578mph, he set in 2009.

McGuinness joins other great names from motorcycling history in having sections of the course named after them, including Giacomo Agostini, Geoff Duke, Jimmy Guthrie, Mike Hailwood and Joey Dunlop. The new-look signs featuring names of famous TT riders also include some individual artwork reflecting the rider's iconography.

The point of the course which will now be known as McGuinness's is at Shoughlaigue, the fast run down from Handley's Corner before the top of Barregarrow.

It is his favourite part of the course and one where he believes he can gain time on his rivals.

The sign at McGuinness’s features the infamous voodoo artwork that has adorned his helmets for many years.

Photo’s online from last nights meeting of BWMBC

Good turnout last night at Karting North East, even though it was freezing cold.

These events are running every two weeks on a Monday night 5pm-8pm. (They are run by Karting North East and not by the BWMBC)

We will be getting some track time on the big track and will try and notify in advance so that you can change your gearing.

Photo's from last night can be viewed online on the BikeWise Mini Bike Club website or click on the image to go to the Gallery

BikeWise Mini Bike Club : Photo’s & Video online

Photo’s and video are now online on the club’s website : www.bikewiseminibikeclub.org.uk from Saturdays indoor meeting at QC Space, Peterlee.

Once again ‘THANKS’ to all who helped with the signing on, marshalling, etc and to John Attle for taking the photo’s – without your help we would not be able to run the club…

A great days riding for our members with plenty of track time on a slippery track.

Next meeting will be outdoor at Carrville and we will hopefully see the benefits off riding indoor on a slippery track when we get outdoor again, on a surface with plenty of grip.

The next  meeting will be held on Sunday 21^st April 2013.

Next Meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club

The next meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club will be on  Saturday, 6^th April at QC Space, Peterlee

We would have preferred to run outdoor at Carrville but have had to make a decision dependant upon the weather and the forecast is not good, so we've gone for the safe option of running indoors

  Usual start time of 1030hrs with signing on from 1000hrs.
(We will not be able to train any new starters indoors at QC Space,  as we do not have the facilities.)

Karting North East (Warden Law) will be running their fortnightly sessions on  Monday 8th April (1700hrs - 2000hrs).

In view of this weekends weather forecast and the location of Karting NE, we would advise you to ring the centre on 0191 521 4050 if you have any doubts about the weather before travelling. (These events are not run by the BWMBC)

Appeal for witnesses to fatal motorcycle crash

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a motorcyclist died in a collision yesterday (April 3).

Officers were alerted to the incident on the B6301 road at Low West House, Hedleyhope near Tow Law, County Durham, by the ambulance service shortly before 1pm.

The motorcycle, which was travelling in the direction of Tow Law, was in collision with a Mitsubishi 4x4 motor vehicle heading in the opposite direction. The collision occurred at the junction with Hedley Hope Wind Farm.

The victim, who was confirmed dead at the scene, is believed to be a 60-year-old man from the Wearside area.

He was riding a blue BMW 600cc machine.

The driver of the white Mitsubishi was a 50-year-old man from the Durham area.

He was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and taken into custody at Durham City Police Station.

The road was closed at its junction with the A68 and reopened at 4.55pm.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact investigators on 0191-3752159

Police Motorcyclist killed in road crash in Southampton

A Police officer has died after his unmarked motorcycle was in a collision with a BMW in Southampton.

The accident occurred yesterday around 2pm outside the Shell garage on Thomas Lewis Way in Swaythling. The officer's motorcycle collided with a BMW which was leaving a Shell petrol station. The driver of the BMW, a 35-year old man, sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries and was taken to Southampton General Hospital for treatment.

PC Steve Rawson, 40, was on-duty but not involved in a pursuit or responding to a 999 call, Hampshire Constabulary said. He was taken to Southampton General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire, Simon Hayes said: "This is a very sad day for Hampshire Constabulary and a tragic loss of a police officer in the course of his duty. This tragic incident highlights the fact that police officers regularly put themselves at risk in performing their duty and in protecting the public. Our thoughts and sympathy go to his family and colleagues at this very difficult time."

Chief Constable Andy Marsh said " PC Rawson was a totally dedicated officer and larger than life character who always made a positive contribution to his team and to the force.
"His death is a massive blow to the constabulary and his loss will be felt throughout the organisation.
“We are supporting his wife and family and our thoughts are with them at this devastating time. He will be missed by all who knew him.
"The response from the public has been overwhelming. We have had messages of condolence from across the country and from other organisations and we thank everybody for their support."

The thoughts of the BikeWise team are with PC Rawson's family and colleagues.

‘Thank You’ from the BikeWise Team

Well that's another successful Easter Egg Run despite the uncertain cold weather!
Over 500 of you registered online and the weather was playing games right until the last minute. It was -5C when we made our way into work, it was the coldest Easter on record but at least it was dry so we were a little uncertain as to how many of you would join us in the freezer!
We weren't to be disappointed numbers were no less than on any other recent Easter Egg Run and as usual we had our normal selection of rabbits and chicks astride their bikes, the eggs were being loaded onto the van and the charity buckets were clanking away.
One particular trend is for people to bring in eggs and cash donations raised from workplaces and it would be great if you can feed it back to you colleagues that their generosity is very much appreciated!
And so at half nine we were off police bikes closing the roads and the Durham Advanced Motorcyclist (DAM) as supporting marshals. What's particularly striking is how our communities are engaging in the run with hundreds at the sides of the roads waving and cheering. Indeed one family in Aycliffe Village deserve a special mention as every year they're out with their deck chairs and Union Jack flags at the ready. Despite it being a miserly 2C we weren't to be disappointed they were out once again in all their glory!
The eggs were delivered to our children's wards in Darlington and Durham hospitals, photos and Tweets were sent for all to see and so we ended back at Police HQ. Following a hot drink, some warmth and a short presentation another successful Easter Egg Run came to a close.
We've counted your donations and they came to a fantastic grand total of £940.90 which will once again go to the Meningitis Research Foundation, meanwhile other hospitals, children's homes and special schools will be visited with the remaining eggs!
There's no doubt that the police bike section couldn't put this event together without volunteer helpers to collect the eggs, drive the BikeWise van, make the hot drinks, take photos sort the websites, the list goes on. So to those volunteers we extend a big thank you, it is very much appreciated!
Neither could we safely escort such a huge group of bikes without the support of the DAM observers who act as the marshals. So I also extend my sincere thanks to them. Indeed they're always looking for new riders so why not join them? You'll get more out of your riding and we'll get our marshals, we all benefit!
Finally all of you that took part yesterday acted as first class ambassadors for biking and have made a real difference to our communities who have really embraced the event, to the children who have to spend time away from home this Easter and towards helping eradicate the scourge of Meningitis a disease that hits the young and their families particularly hard.
So from myself and the whole BikeWise team thank you all very much.
Enjoy your bikes this year please please don't learn by accident, ride safe and we'll see you at BikeWise!
Sergeant Iain Rodgers

BikeWise Easter Egg Run 2013 : Videos now online

Video’s from yesterdays BikeWise 2013 Easter Egg Run.

Please double click to view on You Tube.

Photographs are being prepared and will be uploaded in the next few days. Please keep checking the website and we will post a news item with links when they are done.

South Road,Durham	A167, North Road Darlington (Nearside)
A167, North Road Darlington (Offside)	Greenfield Way, Newton Aycliffe
A691, Exit from Sniperley Roundabout at Durham	A691, Exit from Sniperley Roundabout at Durham