Bikechannel Announced as Official Partner for Bulldog Bash!
Ah yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! We are going to the Bulldog Bash!!

Not just to see some of the awesome bands and race bikes either, oh no my friends, we are going to be the official media partner of this amazing Biking music festival.

So expect us to be behind the scenes, chatting with bands such as the Damned, Status Quo, Bad Manners, Godsized and many many more, plus we will bring you all the hottest action from the Drag strip, custom shows, dance tents and so much more.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be getting to hang out backstage at the Bash, The Damned were the first ever British band to release a punk single (New Rose) and album Damned Damned Damned in the 1970’s, and let’s be honest you can’t get much more legendary than Status Quo, plus Bad Manners will bring the party when the play the main stage!
We aim to truly capture what makes this such a unique family friendly festival, and can’t wait to do so, so grab your tickets, and see you at Shakespeare County Raceway from the 11th-14th August!

World Superbike Rookie, Eugene Laverty, put on a sensational display of race craft today to take a well earned double victory on his team’s home track in Monza. Today’s success signified not only Laverty’s maiden win but also his first podium finish to date in the 2011 World Superbike Championship.

Laverty got off to a perfect start from second position on the grid to immediately take the lead in race one. The World Superbike rookie temporarily surrendered the lead in lap six on entering the “ Prima Variante” but hastened to repossess first place on exiting the “Biassono curve”, leaving Max Biaggi second. Race two saw a masterful display of race craft. Laverty initially fell back to ninth position after encountering a three rider collision in the early stages of the first lap. Putting his head down, he got straight to work, making his way through the bunch of riders ahead to sit behind team-mate Melandri until the final lap where he snatched the chequered flag.

Eugene Laverty
Yamaha World Superbike Team - 1st, 1st
“I can’t believe I got a double victory today. I came here aiming for a podium and now I’m coming away with two incredible race wins. It’s fantastic. I didn’t get off to a good start in the second race. I had to avoid a collision on the first corner, causing me to lose time. I also struggled a little with the tyres in the hot conditions. When it came to the last few laps, I couldn’t believe my luck that it was just me and Marco in the lead. This double victory was particularly special to me, being the team’s home track.”

Monza (Italy), Saturday 7th May 2011: a taxing day for the Althea Racing team and rider Carlos Checa at the “Autodromo Nazionale di Monza” today; the Spanish rider closed a hard fought Superpole in eleventh position, meaning he will line up on the third row of tomorrow’s starting grid.
In the second qualifying session, which took place this morning on a fairly hot track (34˚C), Carlos was able to make good progress during the 45 minutes available to him. With the harder tyre solution, Althea’s flagbearer was able to lower his best time set yesterday by seven tenths, making his fastest lap in the final seconds of the session. He closed qualifying with the ninth fastest time overall, easily qualifying for the afternoon’s Superpole session.
Superpole 1: in this first phase Checa went out first with a soft race tyre, managing to record his quickest lap of the weekend thus far (1’43.001). To be sure of safe passage to the next phase he made a second exit with the first of the two qualifying tyres but was unable to improve on this time, concluding this session in twelfth position.
Superpole 2: with the second qualifier Carlos unfortunately lost precious minutes when he cut the chicane and had his lap time deleted as a result. In the few minutes that were left he did not manage to lower his best time, closing with a best of 1’43.116 that leaves him in eleventh place on tomorrow’s starting grid.
Carlos Checa
"It’s not easy here for us. We know that we are lacking some speed but tomorrow I think that if I can improve through the first sector we can defend ourselves well. Of course it wouldn’t be very realistic to think we can reach the podium but I am confident that we can stay with the front group and we’ll try to take the best possible results. It’s hard to say how we’ll finish but I’ll do my best as always and we’ll see.”
RISULTATI (SUPERPOLE): 1. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1’41.7; 2. Laverty (Yamaha) 1’42.3; 3. Rea (Honda) 1’42.6; 4. Corser (BMW) 1’42.6; 5. Melandri (Yamaha) 1’42.7; 6. Haslam (BMW) 1’42.7; 7. Fabrizio (Suzuki) 1’42.9; 8. Haga (Aprilia) 1’43.0... 11. Checa (Ducati) 1’43.1

Triumph dealers across the UK are opening their doors on the weekend* of 7 / 8 May to showcase the UK motorcycle manufacturer’s range of classic and cruiser bikes. The event is designed to encourage both longstanding and new riders to experience the noise, feel and look of the iconic British made bikes.

Taking place at all of Triumph’s UK dealerships, the Classic and Cruiser Weekend will provide opportunities to test ride the iconic Bonneville, Scrambler and café racer Thruxton. Also available in most dealers will be the newly upgraded America and Speedmaster models, plus the meticulously considered Thunderbird Storm and the awe inspiring 2.3 litre Rocket III.

Those with an eye for the classic biker look can also explore Triumph’s stylish range of retro jackets, jeans, T shirts and other accessories, offered with an exclusive 20% discount for the weekend. Riders will also have the opportunity to win the loan of a brand new Bonneville for the rest of the summer.

Guy Masters, general manager at Triumph UK, said: “We are seeing a real take up in sales of classics and cruisers, which is being driven by both seasoned and young riders. While many experienced bikers are migrating from sports bikes to more comfortable cruisers, a lot of new bikers are attracted to the stylish look and handling of the Bonneville range. Riders are often surprised at just how well the classics and cruisers perform both round corners and on the straight. These bikes look great, but also cut the mustard when it comes to delivering the goods! We really hope people take the opportunity to visit their local Triumph dealer and take a fresh look at this style of bike, which combines looks with performance to be a lot of fun to ride.”

The latest versions of the 890cc America and Speedmaster have been generating high praise from reviewers in the specialist press, while the 1700cc powered Thunderbird Storm has been lauded as a class leader on both sides of the Atlantic, by riders and reviewers alike.

To find your nearest Triumph dealer, please visit: www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk