MAIDS Report - In-depth Investigation of Motorcycle Accidents

Take a look at the MAIDS website and read the interesting conclusions of this exhaustive study.  In the quote below PTW means Powered Two Wheeler and OV means Other Vehicle.

The PTW accident data collected in this study indicated that the object most frequently struck in an accident was a passenger car. The second most frequently struck object was the roadway itself, either as the result of a single vehicle accident or of an attempt to avoid a collision with an OV. Whilst each sampling area contained both urban and rural areas, the majority of the accidents took place in an urban environment.

Travelling and impact speeds for all PTW categories were found to be quite low, most often below 50 km/h. There were relatively few cases in which excess speed was an issue related to accident causation.  The cause of the majority of PTW accidents collected in this study was found to be human error. The most frequent human error was a failure to see the PTW within the traffic environment, due to lack of driver attention, temporary view obstructions or the low conspicuity of the PTW.

Diary of a Goldwinger Part 8 - Spain 2008

by Steve

June the 10th saw Lorna and I setting off to Lloret De Mar to attend the 15th Anniversary Treffen with the GWAE, just a short trip of approx 6 hrs.

Because the weather had been so bad here we decided not take the trailer and camping kit, we booked a mobile home at the camping site.

The trip up saw us hitting very heavy rain around Valencia and caused us to pull over for a coffee to give it a chance to ease off.

Due to the lorry drivers strike the motorway was very quiet and because of the lack of lorries we did not get the spray that you normally get from the trucks.

We had arranged to meet our friends from England, Tony and Helen and their daughter Holly, they ride an 1800 outfit, in yellow it really is a beauty, with music , DVD and a microphone in the sidecar to keep holly amused on the long trip from Yorkshire.

We arrived on the campsite, booked in and were shown to our mobile, we then booked out due to the state of the place, it was disgusting and completely bare, you were supposed to hire everything from the campsite shop. Tony, Helen and Holly had arrived, they had booked a log cabin, they to booked out of their shed, as they called it, we then contacted Malc and Carol who had travelled down with Tony, Helen and Holly and were staying in a hotel just 5 minutes from the campsite, checked if the hotel had rooms, the end result being 6 nights in a very nice hotel for us all.

On the Thursday we rode down to the Treffen and inscribed, there was a lot of unhappy people there due to the state of the accommodation, the camping area was ok and a few tents were up or being erected.

Friday was the parade of nations , an area on the sea front had been dedicated as a Goldwing area with disco ect, as the 200ish goldwings left the campsite it started to rain and within 5 mins we were completely soaked, we rode down through the town and then straight back to the hotel to dry off, it was a bloody shame as the area was very nice right on the beach and would have been a perfect setting.

Saturday night was awards night, 17 countries were represented at the Treffen, GB won the attendance award with 32 bikes, furthest distance went to a rider from Sweden, numerous awards were handed out , 215 bikes attended, a beautiful white 1800 from Russia won the light show, see attached photo.

What a fantastic machine to see it fully lit up at night was unbelievable, like it not it must have taken hours and hours and is one of the best we have seen. We met up with some old friends over the week and enjoyed some great company, we did the beach thing with Holly and she, as always kept us amused, we went to a local marine world park and had a great day out.

All in all, another great time with some great people and some great bikes, I have heard that a new two litre is planned for September, so watch this space, ride safe and enjoy,

Steve and Lorna

Simoncelli - Assasin or Skilled Rider?

Or maybe a bit of both.

Is it me or is Marco Simoncelli bumping in to a lot of people just as they seem to be overtaking him on the last lap of the 250cc championships?

At Donington it was Alvaro Bautista and in which race was it that he took out, sorry bumped in to, Hector Barbera?

1. M. KALLIO FIN Red Bull KTM 250 42'14.410
2. M. SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 0.353
3. A. BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 1.237

Redding Shows the Way - MotoGP Donington

15 year old Scott Redding gave James Toseland a salutory lesson in how to behave in front of your home crowd by winning the 125cc class at the British MotoGP in Donington Park.  Redding rode his way to being the youngest ever winner of a MotoGP and the first rider to win at home since  1986.

In contrast James Toseland, who had been having problems with rear grip, finished the 800cc MotoGP in last position after losing the back end of his bike on the first corner and crashing out and then re-mounting.  Toseland has raced on the Donington circuit many times and knows the track well whereas Redding had never raced there before today.

Toselands performances had been more than respectable in his races to date and maybe the pressure of pulling off the miracle podium in front of the home crowd was just too much.

Photo from Scott Redding Web.

Hot, Hot, Hot.

The strange wet stuff has finally finished falling from  the sky.  This picture is taken today, 20-06-08, just outside Biar village in the Alicante Province of Spain.  That's the Castle on the sky line.  I was on the way back from showing a family around an old Bodega in Fontanars Dels Alforins for Cactus Casas.

The  route takes you along some beautiful mountain roads which lazily wind their way from Castalla northwards to the vinyards of Fontanars.

By the way, Fontanars is holding it's 2nd bike rally on 28th June - the weekend after this.  More information here: Penya Motera de Fontanars dels Alforins.

I also got a good excuse to go out for a ride yesterday to show another couple around a country house near Torremanzanas.  Have a search on Google Maps and you'll see the roads that I enjoyed.

Gibernau returns to action in Mugello test

Former MotoGP World Championship runner-up Sete Gibernau completed 20 laps of Mugello on the first of three days of testing for Ducati. Sete Gibernau in the Ducati Marlboro team garage in 2006 After more than 18 months away from 800cc riding, and indeed any kind of MotoGP activity, Sete Gibernau was reunited with the world of two wheels on Tuesday in Mugello. Participating in a hastily-arranged test for Ducati alongside regular test rider Vittoriano Guareschi, Gibernau rode twenty laps of the Italian circuit with the Desmosedici GP9 prototype, and only stopped on account of some unwelcome rainfall. The former MotoGP World Championship runner-up recorded a fastest time of 1'53.7, but the experience itself was more the attraction of the day.

Gibernau returns to action in Mugello test | The Official MotoGP Website

Win grandstand weekend tickets to Donington MotoGP

Visordown Motorcycle news : General news

You could win grandstand tickets to this weekend's Donington MotoGP round thanks to Hilton Racing

HILTON Hotels and Visordown have teamed up to offer you an amazing prize. We're giving two lucky readers a Friday, Saturday and Sunday ticket to watch the racing, including a Redgate Grandstand ticket for the race itself on Sunday.

Hilton Racing offer weekend packages to watch the best bike racing in the country. Their packages include a 2-night stay at the Hilton reserved for each event, a full English Breakfast, weekend ticket passes to the racing and selected events include a private dinner where you'll get to meet and chat to past and present racing stars.

To enter this competition, all you have to do is send an email to visordown.beta@gmail.com with the answer to the following question, your contact number and your address:

How much does it cost, per person, for Hilton's Brands Hatch World Superbike weekender.

See Hilton Ad on Visordown

Competiton closes at 1pm on the 18th June. The draw will be made and tickets will be posted the same day. So be quick!

Your chance to quiz James Toseland

BBC - Your chance to quiz James Toseland

XIII RUTA MOTOTURISTICA “POR LA VIDA” MURCIA-LORCA - 08-06-08 - Photo's and Reports

More photo's at La Verdad website.  A report of the event is also available here.

If you attended the event add your comments below.

MotoGP Cataluña 2008 Report

OK, I know I should have written the report earlier but I've been busy digging a very long trench over very rocky ground for my new mains water pipe.

Or bugger it - it's too late for my review of the race so take a look at the thought provoking Race Report over on MotoGPMatters.com, part of which I've included here:

Ask a dozen riders what their favorite race was, and you'll get a dozen different answers. But as different as those answers may be, in the end, they divide out into two camps. On the one hand, there are the Racers, the riders who love nothing more than to battle with their rivals all race long, only to pass them in the final corner and go on to take the win. On the other, there are the Winners, the riders who only care about getting away from the pack and dominating the opposition. The Racers love to win by fractions of a second, the Winners love to win by minutes.

This issue doesn't just divide racers, it also divides fans. Some enjoy nothing more than watching their favorite rider put in lap after perfect lap, gapping the competition by a second or more every time the cross the line. To them, their pleasure in racing is in watching a motorcycle being ridden as fast as humanly possible, the rider attempting to ride the bike at its very limit every inch of the track. For these fans, riders are like brain surgeons, exercising their skill to the utmost of their ability.

Other fans come to see combat, and want to see as many riders as possible dicing for the lead throughout the race. For them, the perfect race was one where the lead changed twice at every corner, only for their favorite rider to triumph in the end, edging their front wheel over the line ahead of the competition by just the thickness of the tire. To this kind of fan, the riders are gladiators, the winner decided in mortal combat by a mixture of skill, cunning and brute force, in varying proportions.

Read more ...

Lorenzo Out of Cataluña MotoGP

Jorge Lorenzo will miss his home Grand Prix at Barcelona this weekend after a crash in this afternoon's free practice.

The Spaniard lost the front of his M1 at turn 11 just four laps into the afternoon session and slid into the gravel, before being stretchered off and taken to the circuit clinic. After undergoing an initial check-up at the track, which confirmed that there were no further injuries to the ankles which he fractured in China, the decision was made to take him to hospital in Barcelona for further examination.

Doctor Xavier Mir of the University Institut Dexeus in Barcelona commented as follows: "I can confirm that Lorenzo will not be able to compete this weekend after the tests done here at the Institut Dexeus have confirmed the following injuries:
"1. He suffered head trauma and lost consciousness. We made a neurological examination with a CAT scan and an MRI scan and from this we can confirm that there is no cranial haemotoma or haemorrage. However, he now needs to stay under observation for between 48 and 72 hours to see how this develops.
2. He sustained an injury to the 4th and 5th finger on the right hand, where he has lost some skin. He also has an abrasion of the extensor tendon. We need to see how this develops but it could be possible that he needs a small skin graft.
3. Various other bruises and grazes."

Rossi Rides 'Azzurri' Style in Cataluña

Valentino Rossi’s YZR-M1 will carry a one-off livery for the Grand Prix of Catalunya this weekend in celebration of the European Football Championships, which begin on Sunday. The championship leader’s bike has been specially painted in the style of the shirts of the Italian national team, the ‘Azzurri’, ahead of their opening game against Holland on Monday. Rossi will also wear leathers designed in the same vein and even his famous number 46 has undergone a change for the weekend.

• On MotoGP
• On Yamaha Racing

Dani Pedrosa ran the best times in the morning and afternoon free practices.  Second fastest in the combined results was Loris Capirossi, followed by Rossi and Stoner.  The top four were seperated by less than 1 tenth of a second.

Bad news for Jorge Lorenzo again with another fall which seems to have fractured one of his fingers and done more damage to one of his ankles.  It can't be put down to Lorenzo's previous injuries that he came off again as almost half the riders had falls in the two practice sessions.

TV Coverage

• UK - BBC
• Watch MotoGP Live on Internet Uk only - BBC
• Spain - TVE
• Watch MotoGP Live on Internet - TVE

User Manuals

SafeManuals.com

Mike Werner over on Bikes in the Fast Lane pointed out this really useful site to find FREE user manuals for almost anything.  There are some motorcycles on there but lots need adding which you can do by adding yours.

Give Blood

Message from Mega Scooter Club, Alicante:

V CAMPAÑA NACIONAL MOTERA DE DONACIÓN 2008

Estimados Amigos:

Por quinto año consecutivo, la Asociación Mutua Motera lanza su Campaña de Donación. En esta edición, la Semana Motera de Donación será del lunes 16 al sábado 21 de Junio.

En Alicante del 16 al 20 será en el centro de transfusiones del Hospital de San Juan y el sábado 20 será en el Hospital de Elche.

Os rogaria que, a ser posible, indicarais la intencion de ir a donar y el número aproximado de donantes, para hacer una prevision de personal en los puntos de donación.

Como ya sabéis, somos un colectivo especialmente afectado por la siniestralidad en carretera y, conscientes de la importancia de que existan reservas de sangre y hemoderivados en los hospitales, así como de la trascendencia de la donación de órganos para mejorar la calidad de vida e incluso salvarla, reivindicamos el espíritu motero de generosidad y solidaridad y volvemos a la carga con otra llamada a todos los moteros y a la sociedad en general para que acudan a donar a su centro de transfusión más próximo.

Este año, por cortesía de LUMA, a todo el que acuda a donar se le regalará un llavero-monedero motero personalizado con el logo de Moteros Donantes.

Personal Signed Photo - Dani Pedrosa

 

Here's a nice idea from Repsol and Dani Pedrosa for all his fans.  Go to the Dani Pedrosa Fan Wall and add your name and in return you can download this signed photo with your name on it, or the name of someone you know is a fan and would appreciate the photo.

You write your name or nickname directly under "Dame tu nombre de pila".  Once you've signed the wall click on "Consigue el autógrafo de Dani" and download the photo.

The Price of Petrol - Campaign

I recently received this e-mail for a campaign in Spain to lower the price of petrol and if it is genuine it does seem like an effective way to put pressure on Repsol and CEPSA to lower their prices.  It will bring a windfall to the smaller companies in Spain but I suppose that is part of the attraction of the campaign.  Does anyone know if any of the motorcycle campaign groups in Spain or around the globe are supporting this or similar initiatives?

I found these stories, in English, relating to the campaign:

• Auto Trader UK
• Ban The Pumps UK
• In Depth Discussion on South African Board
• Migweb UK Discussion Board

El Precio De La Gasolina - Campaña

World SuperBikes 2008 Round 06: U.S.A.

World Superbike Round 06 - Miller Motorsports Park U.S.A.

Carlos Checa won both of the races by a clear margin.  He said, “It’s been fantastic to take a double win here in the USA. Just at the start of the first race I had some problems with my number one bike and had to use the second one. I felt I had a good start, but then saw the other riders in front of me I knew I had to work hard. When I saw Neukirchner in front I knew I could overtake him and take the lead. In the beginning it was difficult to make a gap, but then I made enough ground. It then was more difficult to control my mind than control the tyre. At the end of the race Corser was catching up and I had to concentrate and improve my pace. The last time I won a race was ten years ago and these are my first wins outside Spain. I would like to dedicate them to my friend Wayne Rainey.”

Superbike Race 1

1. C. CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR)
2. T. CORSER (Yamaha YZF-R1)
3. M.FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F08)
4. M.NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
5. F. NIETO (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
6. J. SMRZ (Ducati 1098 RS 08)
7. K. MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR)
8. Y. KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
9. M.BIAGGI (Ducati 1098 RS 08)
10. R. KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR)
11. L. LANZI (Ducati 1098 RS 08)
12. K. SOFUOGLU (Jr. Honda CBR1000RR)
13. G.LAVILLA (Honda CBR1000RR)
14. R. XAUS (Ducati 1098 RS 08)
15. R. HOLLAND (Honda CBR1000RR) Carlos Checa

Superbike Race 2

1. C. CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR)
2. M.NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
3. M.FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F08)
4. M.BIAGGI (Ducati 1098 RS 08)
5. Y. KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
6. N.HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1)
7. R. KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR)
8. F. NIETO (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
9. R. LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R)
10. L. LANZI (Ducati 1098 RS 08)
11. K. MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR)
12. A. BADOVINI (Kawasaki ZX-10R)
13. M.TAMADA (Kawasaki ZX-10R)
14. K. SOFUOGLU (Jr. Honda CBR1000RR)
15. G.LAVILLA (Honda CBR1000RR)

Rossi, Rossi, Rossi - 3 GP's in a Row

Valentino Rossi took his third consequtive MotoGP at Mugello this afternoon and his seventh consecutive win on the Mugello Circuit in the MotoGP category.  In fact Rossi is the only MotoGP winner ever at Mugello since the circuit started hosting the race.  That's some riding.  That is also some sense of humour, did you see his helmet?

Stoner has now entered back in the race for the world championship coming in second ahead of Dani Pedrosa.

 

Now for an evening of World Superbikes.