2009

Joshua and the MCN Babes

Joshua and the MCN Babes

This is my son (Joshua Tarrant) with the gorgeous MCN babes. Josh is 13 and has battled cancer since the age of 9, absolutely loved his day at Brands on good Friday. Loads of pics with Stalker, Glen...

Top BSB rider Josh Brookes refused entry into England

Top BSB rider Josh Brookes refused entry into England

Factory HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes will NOT be racing at this weekend’s opening race after immigration officials refused him entry and sent him back home to Australia due to visa problems. MCN...

British Superbike Technical Chief killed in crash

British Superbike Technical boss, Doug Barnfield has been killed following a motorcycle accident on Monday April 6. Barnfield who worked for the Motorcycle Racing Control Board (MCRCB) was a key player in drawing up the technical regulations of the British Superbike Championship and worked closely with series race director Stuart Higgs. The 63 year old, riding a Harley-Davidson Sportster collided...

Airwaves Yamaha BSB livery revealed

Airwaves Yamaha BSB livery revealed

GSE Racing have unveiled the Airwaves Yamaha livery that they will run in the 2009 British Superbike Championship. GSE Racing begun a three-year partnership with Yamaha in 2009 to run the all new...

Chris Walker fan

Chris Walker fan

my mate dave is a bit of a stalker fan!

THINK! Academy at Brands Hatch BSB

THINK! Academy at Brands Hatch BSB

The 2009 THINK! Motorcycle Academy will be unveiled at the Brands Hatch circuit on Monday 13th April.  The Academy is an interactive bike safety stand that will be present at every round of the...

Laverty and Palmer

Laverty and Palmer

Just snapped John Laverty and tristan Palmer at Oulton park today on the Buildbase Kawasaki bikes. See them at www.bikesinweaverham.piczo.com

Crescent Suzuki to be sponsored by Worx

Crescent Suzuki to be sponsored by Worx

Crescent Suzuki are no longer blue. The last-minute announcement by Crescent Suzuki today that they’ve secured a two-year title sponsorship deal with professional power tool brand Worx means Sylvain...

Meeting Michael Rutter

Meeting Michael Rutter

Mr Rutter and Myself at R1 Launch at Motorpoint in Derby.

Chris Walker at Motorpoint

Chris Walker at Motorpoint

Chris walker and Myself at Motorpoint R1 Launch in Derby.

Simon Andrews sidelined after Mallory crash

Simon Andrews sidelined after Mallory crash

MSS Kawasaki rider Simon Andrews missed today’s BSB test at Brands Hatch and will also miss Friday’s test at Snetterton after crashing at Mallory yesterday. The 24 year-old from Evesham crashed on the...

Watanabe first test on Relentless Suzuki

Watanabe first test on Relentless Suzuki

Atsushi Watanabe got his first laps in on the Relentless by TAS Suzuki today at Kirkistown but any chance of meaningful testing was wrecked by torrential rain and freezing cold temperatures. The...

MSS Kawasaki test at Brands Hatch

MSS Kawasaki test at Brands Hatch

MSS Colchester Kawasaki have ditched plans to test in Spain this week and instead new signings Simon Andrews and Julien DaCosta are heading to Brands Hatch on Thursday for the initial shakedown of...

Ian Lowry rides TAS Suzuki superbike

Ian Lowry rides TAS Suzuki superbike

BSB rookie Ian Lowry gave the 2009-spec Relentless by TAS Suzuki GSX-R1000 its first shakedown test at Kirkistown last week and is out again at the same venue this week. Plans to test the new...

BSB blog:The battle of the BSB Yamahas

BSB blog:The battle of the BSB Yamahas

I’m not surprised that GSE racing issued a press statement, saying they’ve ‘postponed’ their planned testing schedule in Europe. Things have been very quiet on the Airwaves Yamaha front this winter...

Young finds new Triumph BSS backer

Young finds new Triumph BSS backer

TAG Racing will field a new-look two-man Triumph team in British Supersport in conjunction with Paul Young Racing and Hinckley-based Triumph Motorcycles. Young will again challenge for British...

Airwaves Yamaha cancel testing

Airwaves Yamaha cancel testing

Reigning British Superbike Champions, GSE Racing, the team running the Airwaves Yamahas for Leon Camier and James Ellison in BSB this year, has announced the postponement of their European test...

KTM offer race bike hire for RC8 Super Cup

KTM offer race bike hire for RC8 Super Cup

KTM are giving racers the opportunity to hire a bike and support package to compete in the Focused Events KTM RC8 Super Cup on a round by round basis. Riders will get a race ready KTM 1190 RC8,...

McConnell ready after Raceways Spanish test

McConnell ready after Raceways Spanish test

Map Raceways Yamaha’s three-man team has returned from a successful four-day test at Cartagena, with their supersport star Billy McConnell saying he is ready to give the competition a run for their...

Chris Jones Riders Fund buys safety barriers

Chris Jones Riders Fund buys safety barriers

The Chris Jones Riders Fund (CJRF) and BSB series organisers MSVR have secured the long-term supply and installation of soft barrier protection at BSB events. Since 2005 BSB has rented up to 300...

First BSB test battered by high winds

First BSB test battered by high winds

The first major BSB test of 2009 was battered by high winds yesterday when the HM Plant Honda, Hydrex Honda and Crescent Suzuki teams took to the Almeria circuit in southern Spain. The difficult...

Positive first test for Walker and Rutter onboard Rob Mac Racing Yamaha

Positive first test for Walker and Rutter onboard Rob Mac Racing Yamaha

While their rivals HM Plant Honda, Hydrex Honda and Crescent Suzuki are being battered by high winds during testing in Spain, Rob Mac Racing’s decision to carry out shakedown trials of their new R1 at...

High winds batter BSB Almeria test

High winds batter BSB Almeria test

The first major BSB test of 2009 was battered by high winds yesterday when the HM Plant Honda, Hydrex Honda and Crescent Suzuki teams took to the Almeria circuit in southern Spain. The difficult...

Blog: Can Hydrex Honda step up a gear?

Last Friday’s Hydrex Honda launch was an impressive show of team owner Shaun Muir’s long-term commitment to the sport. The team’s new workshop facility in Guisborough is by far one of the most outstanding all new facilities in BSB and the fact that Muir has a three-rider team and is building seven bikes is an impressive display of the team’s determination to succeed on all fronts. It’s not only...

Hydrex boss: BSB does it for us

Hydrex boss: BSB does it for us

Andrew Simcox is the Managing Director of Hydrex. The company specialises in the rental and sale of mobile plant equipment with the rail, industrial and construction industries – some of the worst...

Hydrex Honda HQ tour

Hydrex Honda have shown everyone they mean business this year by unveiling their all-new purpose built headquarters. Hydrex Honda have signed Karl Harris, Stuart Easton and held on to infamous road racer Guy Martin, so it’s one serious race effort. Team owner Shaun Muir is confident: “We’ve no excuses. We’ve got the best bikes, the best team and the best riders. There’s no one on the grid we...

New-look Hydrex Honda

New-look Hydrex Honda

The new-look Hydrex Honda team was unveiled this morning at their lavish new workshops in Guisborough. Team owner Shaun Muir has pinned his and the team’s hopes of lifting the BSB title on Karl Harris...

Tuxworth talks BSB cost-cutting

Tuxworth talks BSB cost-cutting

In this week’s MCN we go behind the scenes at the HM Plant Honda team workshops in Louth to talk to the team about their 2009 race bikes. We also talked to team boss Neil Tuxworth about what he thinks...

Let it shine says Suzuki’s top technician

Let it shine says Suzuki’s top technician

Crescent Suzuki’s chief technician Les Pearson has a great theory on the forthcoming BSB season. He reckons the weather runs in three-year cycles, two bad ones and one good. And here’s how he worked...

Valentine’s BSB future

Valentine’s BSB future

In this week’s MCN (Feb 18) we reveal the full story behind Crescent Suzuki’s one-man British Superbike team with Sylvain Guintoli and talk to team manager Jack Valentine about the new Suzuki...

Ulster GP backs British Supersport team

Ulster GP backs British Supersport team

The Ulster Grand Prix has followed the precedent set by the North West 200 and backed a race team in the British championship. The Ulster Grand Prix Bikeweek Race team, will consist of three Yamaha R6...

Tom Grant gets Centurion Honda reprieve

Tom Grant gets Centurion Honda reprieve

Tom Grant made his track debut for the Centurion Honda team this week when he joined regular rider Dan Cooper for the team’s three-day test in Calafat, Spain. 20-year-old, Grant from Melbourne, Derby...

Official GSE Racing history

Official GSE Racing history

GSE Racing, the most successful British superbike race team of all time, has released a limited edition book, ‘From Diggers to Ducatis,’ charting the history of the team since its inception in...

BSB bikes under development

BSB bikes under development

I’ve had the privilege to go behind the closed doors of some British Superbike team workshops this past couple of weeks, namely Relentless Suzuki, Cresent Suzuki, and Rob Mac Racing Yamaha and it’s...

Race tuning and the Yamaha R1 crossplane crank

Race tuning and the Yamaha R1 crossplane crank

In the February 4 issue of MCN Rob Mac Racing’s technicians revealed their development plans for the new Yamaha R1. After reading the feature, an engineer (who asked not to be named but works for a...

Crescent Suzuki test at Calafat

Crescent Suzuki test at Calafat

Crescent Suzuki continue to steal a march on their British Superbike rivals. While most of the teams continue to labour in the workshops, building new bikes, the Verwood-based  team have  just...