Gino Rea's day by day Diary - Day 3

The breakfast is China is amazing! They have about everything you can think of, including rice and noodles!!

We headed over to the track again and waited for the teams bikes and equipment to be unloaded from the storage cargos. The chinese are quite slow at things like this, they seem so relaxed and dont rush things. I, on the other hand was getting edgy and just wanted to be riding! Me and my two team riders set up all the boarding in the pit box, while my manager Andy and Yamaha guru Torlief built up the bike and set it up for me. They worked hard all day and as im sat here writing this, ready for bed, they are still working on it now. So a big thank you to them.

I attended some riders briefings and signed on, having to apply for a UAM licence. Luckily, everyone seems to speak good english so I didnt have to try my hand at Chinese.

Me and one of my team mates went for a run around the track for one last look before we ride it tomorrow. I have watched a video from last years race here and the top riders look real quick. It seems the man to beat is a 7 time Chinese and Asian supersport champion, who obviously knows the circuit like the back of his hand. I dont really know what to expect of the pace of the riders but we will just wait and see.

Tomorrow's free practice will just be about learning and getting used to everything. I have a new bike (Yamaha R6) and new track to learn, along with the older Dunlop spec tyres which I have never used. But I cant wait to get out there! Hopefully I can tag on to a fast rider like my team mate who knows the circuit to help me learn it quicker. We have one free practice in the morning then a qualifier in the afternoon. This is the same on Saturday, then on Sunday we have two 18 lap races! I've also managed to get my old race number which I had when I last worked with Andy, no. 44!

Its 8 hours ahead here and im still so jet lagged, I get tired around midday and keep thinking it would be 4am in England and i'd be tucked up in bed! So I might have to take a power nap between sessions!

I'll update on how the practice and qualifying goes tomorrow!

For more information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk

Gino Rea's day by day Diary - day 2

After the spicy food from last night I decided to wake up early and hit the gym. Still well jet lagged, we headed for a big breakfast with the team to discuss plans for the day.

We went to the track to walk around it and discuss lines, gearing, suspension etc. with the team. By this time it was afternoon so we went for food then just done a bit of shopping to get some bargains! Back to the hotel to get showered up and down to the restaurant for some food, a bit of Italian this time, some lovely spaghetti!

Back to the hotel room for a go on the internet, to find out that Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are banned in China! So no updates there then. An early night for me as im pretty jetlagged, plan is to go back to the track tomorrow to sign on and help team set up. Think it will be a long day considering how much I want to go out and ride!

For more information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whayarai.co.uk

Gino Rea to Race in FIM Petronas Asia Road Racing Championship - his diary!

Gino will be sending us his account of his time in Asia - giving us an inside view as to what it's really like to be a racer, what he feels, thinks etc! Enjoy..

Day 1- Tuesday 8th December

I haven't seen much yet but it's been amazing so far! After a long 13 hour flight where me and Andy struggled to sleep we arrived in Hong Kong Tuesday 4pm (8 hours ahead of UK time). The team that I will be riding for- Yamaha Red Rooster Racing met us at the airport and took us to the ferry, which took us across the water to Zhuhai, mainland China. The first thing I noticed was how built up the area is, the buildings are huge and it’s fascinating to see.

We went back to the hotel with the team and got ready to go out for food. We turned up at a seafood restaurant, seafood has never been my thing but this was something special, something you don't get to see in the UK. Before going into the restaurant you walk to the end of the building, where there is an aquarium-like area.

There were loads of fish tanks, with every variety of fish you could imagine. There's a woman who politely asks you which type you want. You pick the fish you like and if you really want, you can watch them kill and cook it. That wasn't the big surprise for me, it was when I saw the other choice of food you can have, ranging from Crocodile, live Tortoise, live crabs, a choice of 6 chicken running about in a small cage, live eels, live frogs. You name it, it was there. I just opted for some rice and chicken! For an extra £1, a group of us (13) had a private room to ourselves to dine in. We finished up the meal and headed back to hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Lots for Gino to experience! more coming soon..

Arai NEC Auction Items Confirmed

Impressive list of motorsport memorabilia on offer in charity auction

Phoenix, the UK importer for Arai helmets, has released an impressive list of ten items that will be auctioned off at the NEC International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at 12pm on Saturday December 5.

The money raised will go to the MotoGP charity, Riders for Health. Since 2006, Phoenix and Arai have already helped raise over £15k for the award-winning social enterprise that strives to make sure all health workers in Africa have access to reliable transportation so they can reach the most isolated and vulnerable people with regular and predictable health care.

Items in order of auction:

White Arai baseball cap
Signed by Kevin Schwantz, Shinya Nakano, Noriyuki Haga, John Hopkins, Jakub Smrz

Arai tables and chairs with Arai espresso cups
4 x director chair complete with brushed aluminium table and Arai espresso cups

Jonathan Rea huge signed graphic
480cm x 275cm image ideal for a garage or workshop

2009 World Supersport Champion Cal Crutchlow signed side pods and picture

Arai 25 year signed TT flag
Signed by Arai’s TT riders

Arai RX-7 GP signed by Colin Edwards
Edwards replica (size M) signed by the MotoGP star at Donington 2009.

Noriyuki signed side pods and picture

Signed Steve Plater picture
A2 frame image of Plater kissing his daughter after winning the Senior TT

Freddie Spencer signed side pods and picture

25 year Celebration helmet
One-off, two-sided design helmet created to celebrate 25 years of Arai in the UK and 25 years of TT support. Worn by Gary Johnson in the 2009 Superbike and Senior TTs.

Crutchlow: World Supersport Champion! - 26 October 2009

Arai Racer Cal Crutchlow rode an intelligent race at the Portimao circuit, Portugal, in order to clinch the World Supersport title for Yamaha.





Crutchlow’s only title rival, Eugene Laverty, was on blistering form, setting the pace and taking the lead early on. Despite this, Cal’s point advantage meant that he did not need to try and stay with the Irishman but simply finish high up in the results.Having started well the Coventry man settled into a fourth position spot behind Lascorz until the third lap when the Spanish rider crashed out, promoting him to third.



He maintained his position until lap seven where he let Gary McCoy through at the end of the start finish straight and dropped back into fourth again. Crutchlow then tucked in behind McCoy and followed him home to the finish line for victory and the title of World Champions for himself and the Yamaha World Supersport Team.



Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Champion 2009:


"Fourth is the worst finish I've had this year! Obviously I've had a couple of DNFs but when I've finished fourth has been the worst. I just wanted to bring it home. I didn't need to push Eugene. He's been riding really well all weekend and keeping the pressure on me.


I didn't want to get into any battles, I followed Kenan at the start but his pace was just too fast so I let him go. I let Gary past then settled in behind him and let him bring me home for the race so thanks to him.


It's been a tough season and all credit to Yamaha they've done a fantastic job, I'm elated! I want to thank the team and all my sponsors for their support, and my family, my dad and my mum and Lucy my girlfriend who has put up with me!"



Cal will graduate to the World Superbike class next year, riding alongside fellow Brit James Toseland in the factory Yamaha team. WhyArai wishes to extend its congratulations to Cal, a thoroughly deserving champion.



For more Arai Helmet related news and information please visit http://www.whyarai.co.uk/

Gino Wins Superstock Title - 26 October 2009

Arai racer Gino Rea has clinched the European Superstock 600 Champion at the final round by a single point.Rea (pronounced Re-a) and his Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR entered the showdown at the Portimao circuit, Portugal, with just a three-point lead.

The race revolved around a duel between the main title protagonists, who throughout the race exchanged positions many times.

Despite Marci Bussolotti and Vincent Lonbois finishing ahead of him at the flag, Rea’s third place was enough to secure the title.

WhyArai congratulates Gino on a deserved championship.Follow Gino’s progress at www.ginorea.com

For more information and news associated with Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk

ARAI FIVE YEAR COMPETITION WINNER ANNOUNCED

William ‘Arthur’ Taylor will receive a brand new Arai motorcycle helmet every year for the next five years after winning a national competition.

With a fantastic prize value of £2,950, Phoenix, the UK distributor of Arai helmets, launched the competition in March 2009 for any customer who bought an Arai from its motorcycle range at either a Five Star dealer or a Hein Gericke store.

Mr Taylor, 60,(pictured, centre) a self-employed ground worker from Hornsea, was entered into the competition at his local Hein Gericke store in Hull when his wife bought him a helmet as a birthday present.

On receiving his new helmet, the lucky man said: “I was very surprised when I got the call. You enter competitions but never expect to hear anything back – I never win anything. To win a new Arai helmet for the next five years is just super. I’ve had Arais for the last 20 years and have always been impressed with them.”

Arthur, who rides a Honda CBR600RR, chose the range-topping RX-7 GP Aoyama replica as his first of the five annual prizes. This was presented to him by Hein Gericke Hull’s store manager, Mark Mitchell, and Phoenix’s assistant marketing manager, Luke Brackenbury.

For more information on Arai products or to find your nearest dealer, contact 01782 569 800 or visit www.whyarai.co.uk

Arai Wins RiDER Power Survey - 15 October 2009

Arai helmets have come top of RiDE magazine’s colossal 2009 RiDER Power survey.



The recent survey, taken part by 5000 readers of the pro-consumer motorcycle magazine, placed three helmets from the Arai range in the overall top 10, with the RX-7 Corsair at number one.

Arai was also king of the comfort category with the Corsair, recently superseded by the RX-7 GP, rated first again, followed by four other helmets from the Arai range placed in the top seven.

Started in 1998 and now the biggest biking consumer survey of its size in the UK, RiDER Power has become respected by the industry and used as a trusted tool for many riders to find the best motorcycle products and services available.

RiDE’s editor, Colin Overland, commented: “This is a huge thumbs-up from RiDE’s readers for the Arai range. Our readers aren’t swayed by fashion, and they’re first and foremost road riders, not too bothered by what’s happening on the racetrack. They’re out there all year round, in all weathers. So if they say something’s good, it’s good.”

The full results of the 2009 RiDER Power survey can be found in RiDE’s November issue.

More information and news visit www.whyarai.co.uk

Steve Plater: 2009 British Supersport Champion - 13 October 2009

HM Plant Honda’s Steve Plater was crowned the 2009 British Supersport champion after taking a commanding victory at Oulton Park (October 10, 2009).



Plater entered the final round of the season with an 11 point lead over title rival, Billy McConnell. Despite claiming pole position, Plater was forced to follow McConnell’s Yamaha for the early part of the race before gathering his momentum and forcing his way to the front. A mistake from McConnell dropped him out of the points, easing the pressure off the popular Lincolnshire man but still determined to take the title in a winning fashion.

After taking the race victory, Plater said: "I really wanted to win the race, as well as to win the championship. It's ok to finish in the points or on the podium but it's not really my way. There is nothing better than to stand on the top step and obviously Billy had three wins, I had three wins and Westy (James Westmoreland) had two, so if Westy won it would have given us three wins apiece. As it is now I have had more podiums than anyone else, more wins and now the championship so that's nice."

"It's mega to put the championship to bed here at Oulton Park and it's a big relief as much as anything else as for the last four or five rounds it's been a closely fought thing. It's also mega for HM Plant Honda and all my family, fans and all the people who have been ringing and texting me this last few weeks, who I'd like to thank for their continued support."

For more news and Arai Information please visit www.whyarai.co.uk

Boast Crowned 2009 Short Track Champion – Twice! - 13 October 2009

Arai racer Pete Boast ended his 2009 season with no-less than two national championship titles under his belt, after being crowned UK Short Track and UK Thunderbike Champion at the final round of the series at Rye House Speedway Stadium, in Hertfordshire at the weekend (October 9-10).


Going into the final round of the series with a 14-point advantage, the Team Suzuki Short Track racer needed to make the Short Track final and finish inside the top-nine, but with the world's most successful rider, seven-times US Grand National Champion, Chris Carr in attendance, Boast would have his work cut-out.

In his heat race Boast stormed to a comfortable second place finish, before a strong ride in the semi-final saw him lead Carr for four laps, before the american legend made his move and relegated Boast to the runner-up spot, with reigning champion Marco Belli in third. Come the final, Boast's plan to ride a comfortable race was soon forgotten after the RM-Z450 rider made a strong start and began trading places early-on with Carr and championship contender Aidan Collins.

But, in what has proven to be a typical pattern for Boast, disaster struck when Tom Woolley collided with the back of Boast on lap eight, almost taking the pair out. Thankfully, Boast remained on-board and recommenced his attack, to eventually cross the line in third and take the 2009 title.

Boast: "What a weekend. If the last round wasn't eventful enough, this one didn't make my life easy. Being able to race alongside Chris Carr is a fantastic experience and of course to clinch the championship on the same day is tremendous. The new fuel-injected RM-Z450 was fantastic straight from the crate, improving as the season has gone on. I'd just like to thank Suzuki GB and all of my sponsors for their continued support."

In the Thunderbike Class, Boast decided not to ride the final round after realising he'd actually clinched the title at the penultimate round of the series.

Gino Rea retakes the championship lead at Magny Cours

Gino Rea and Ten Kate Honda had a great outcome at Magny Cours (October 4, 2009) finishing second in a hard fought race and retaking the lead in the WSBK Superstock 600 championship.



Arai racer Gino, 20, enters the last race of the season at Portimao, Portugal, on October 25 with a three point lead in the championship.

In Gino's words:

"Magny Cours went pretty much to plan and we have come out leading the Superstock 600 championship. The start of my race didn’t go how I wanted it to, I was a little eager and pushed a bit too much in the first couple of laps, I ended up going backwards to eighth place," said the Londoner.

"I regrouped and settled down but was having small problems with my clutch, I made my way back up to the front and finished the race in second. It was perfect for my championship, I lead by three points and the final race is Portimao. Last year I won there, so I hope I can have the same success and clinch the championship title this year."

Keep up with Gino at www.ginorea.com

WSB: Haga Back On Top Of The World - 5 October 2009

Arai racer Noriyuki Haga took his Ducati Xerox 1098R back to the top of the World Superbike championship table after a 2nd and 1st place at the penultimate round at Magny-Cours, France.


Despite only just losing out to his arch title rival, Ben Spies, in the first outing, Haga capitalised on the Yamaha riders’ machine issues in the second race of the day to take a commanding win. Haga now enters the last round at Portimao, Portugal, with a 10 point advantage. It was a solid performance from the Arai-wearing British riders. Hanspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea was holding a comfprtable 2nd place in the first race until he had to retire with a mechanical issue, allowing Max Biaggi to take the young Irishman’s fourth place overall in the championship. Rea made up for his disappointment by taking the final podium in the second race. Leon Haslam put the problems surrounding the future of his Stiggy Racing team behind him to score two solid 5th places.

Noriyuki Haga - Race 1 – 2nd , Race 2 - winner “In Race 1 I really enjoyed myself, it was a fantastic race. I didn’t make the best start and then it took a lot of laps before I was able to pass Max. Once I got past him I realized I didn’t have many laps left in which to catch Ben; if I’d had just one extra lap, I think I’d have won. On the last lap I was waiting for Ben to make a mistake and when he did so, I managed to get up alongside him but unfortunately the next corner worked in his favour and he got past me. Then, in the second race, we made some small changes to my bike and they worked, giving me more confidence. This victory is truly a great result as we have regained a small advantage. Now we go to Portimao where Ben and I will fight for the 2009 title – I can’t wait.”

Jonathan Rea – DNF & 3rd “All weekend we’ve had a good pace but it just seems that, come the first race, we couldn’t put it together. I’m really sorry for the team because I take a lot of the blame for that. It put me out of my rhythm and then I got a bit of arm pump towards the end of race two. I was running with the guys at the front until about five laps from the end because the package we had here was as strong as at Imola last week. We’ll regroup back at the workshop and come back strong for Portimao.”

Leon Haslam - Race 1 - 5th, Race 2 – 5th “We had a little problem in race one that held us back from the leaders. In race two, in the early part of the race, we had a lot better set-up. But after about lap six or seven the bike was surging a bit so I reset the electronics. A few minor things held us back from challenging for a podium or two but I am pretty happy to get a couple of fifths.”

For more news and Arai information, latest helmets etc visit www.whyarai.co.uk

WSS: Crutchlow Homes In On Title - 5 October 2009

Arai racer Cal Crutchlow has seen his World Supersport championship lead dramatically increased at the French round at Magny-Cours this past weekend (October 4, 2009).


Crutchlow started well from his pole position on the grid, momentarily taking first going into the second lap before dropping to second again behind Kawasaki rider, Joan Lascorz, with a comfortable pace below his proven race pace. Rival Laverty came past on the second lap before going wide a lap later allowing Crutchlow back through. Laverty then came back through, but low-sided on lap 12, rejoining in 15th position.

Crutchlow then began to close in on Lascorz, and was gaining ground for a pass when the race was red flagged with another rider dropping oil, giving the win to Lascorz. Crutchlow goes to Portimao for the final race on 230 points, leading rival Laverty by 19. Cal Crutchlow.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team (2nd) "It was a good enough race in the end, I felt like I could have won it, and it was about time we had some more luck. Eugene crashed but he was no real problem during the race, the pace was really slow and I knew I could go to low 1'41s towards the end of the race if I needed to. We did what we needed to do, and we got a good second place which was nice. The team has worked really hard, so we're all looking to keep it going for the next one at Portimao."

For more news and Arai information, latest helmets etc visit www.whyarai.co.uk

Haslam Looking for French Success

Leon Haslam is hoping to take a step forward from his recent consistency when he challenges for a first win of the year in the 13th and penultimate World Superbike Championship round of 2009 at the Magny-Cours circuit in France on Sunday.

Haslam has taken the Stiggy Racing Honda machine to 12 top six finishes this year, including four podium finishes, and is looking for further podium success in the last four races in France this Sunday and then in Portugal on October 25.

The 26-year-old is sixth in the World Championship points standings and is the leading private team rider of 2009, an impressive 64 points ahead of the next non-factory rider.

"Weve certainly found some consistency in recent races and its all credit to Stiggy and the team that weve been able to get those results, said Haslam. The team has had a turbulent time of late but there was a really genuine team spirit in Imola last weekend and Im sure that will carry us through the final two rounds.Haslam is also looking to add to his two front row starts in Holland in April and in Germany three weeks ago with an improved qualifying performance in France this weekend".

Haslam continued: "Again, I missed out on challenging for the front row by just 0.05s in Imola last Saturday so were very close to being there on a regular basis now and I just need to ensure I get the clean, fast laps when I need to on the two qualifying tyres were allowed.Magny-Cours provides a technical test for us in terms of set-up but Im pretty confident that with the team I have behind me that we can again find the race setting and be near the front in Sundays two races".

Haslam Consistency Continues in Italy

Leon Haslam finished in sixth and eighth places respectively in Sundays two races of round 12 of the World Superbike Championship at the Imola circuit in Italy to retain his sixth place in the Championship.


Haslam started from 10th place on the grid in the two 21-lap races and was quick to make up ground once the action got under way. In race one Haslam charged through to fifth place and looked certain to retain that place to the chequered flag but was relegated to sixth in the final corner, crossing the finish line in sixth place.

"I made a pretty good start but my lap times were not good", said Haslam. "I got stuck behind Troy Corser and Shane Byrne in the early laps and the leaders got away. I was then struggling to change direction and had problems under braking.

Ryuichi Kiyonari had got past me at the last chicane for the previous three laps but I got him back each time out of the corner and before the finish line. When he did it on the last lap I then missed a gear on the run to the line and ended up losing out and finishing sixth".

The 26-year-old Stiggy Racing Honda rider gambled on his rear tyre choice for the second encounter of the day and was left struggling for rear grip for the second half of the race, eventually finishing eighth. "I made a good start again but was pushed off the track by Marco Simoncelli and when I came back onto the track I had trouble selecting gears for some reason, reported Haslam. I then got a good rhythm going and ended up in a battle with Jonathan Rea. But he put me on the grass and into the gravel more times than I have been all year.

We both made some hard moves on each other but the pace and lap times werent that bad. Then, for the last 10 laps, the rear tyre went off and I knew wed made a mistake with the gamble we made. Overall I suppose I should be reasonably happy with two top eight finishes but its all credit to the Stiggy Team, they put in a great weekends work for me again".

For more news and Information on Arai please visit http://www.whyarai.co.uk/

Arai – Helping the Heroes

Arai and Phoenix have backed Centurion Racing in helping raise awareness of the charity 'Help for Heroes' and the dedicated work of the medical staff of Headley CourtThe British Supersport team is organising a fantastic day out at the BSB round at Silverstone Circuit on September 27 for service personnel undergoing medical rehabilitation at Headley Court, following injuries sustained while on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

SMR - Hydrex Honda (www.hydrexhonda.com) has generously offered to support the initiative by providing free hospitality throughout the day for the visitors and their medical staff while Silverstone (www.silverstone.co.uk) has kindly donated The Brooklands Suite as a viewing area for the day's racing activities.

We’ve donated two Chaser helmets, which have received Help for Heroes artwork by specialist race helmet design artist Richard Stevens of RichArt Concepts www.richartconcepts.co.uk.

These unique helmets will be worn during the British Supersport race by Centurion’s riders Dan Cooper (#20) and BJ Toal (#36) and following the race they’ll be signed by Superbike and Supersport riders and auctioned to raise money towards the rehabilitation work of Headley Court.

For more information go to: www.helpforheroes.org.uk . See more Arai news / information at http://www.whyarai.co.uk/

WSB: Up And Down Weekend For Arai Riders - 7 September 2009

Round 11 of the World Superbike championship at the Nurburgring, Germany, was a weekend of mixed fortunes for the Arai riders.

Xerox Ducati’s Noriyuki Haga entered the round with a slim points advantage over arch title rival, Ben Spies, but a second place in race one and a race two crash following a collision with Jonathan Rea damaged his title chances as Yamaha-mounted Spies romped to a double victory.

Jonathan Rea just missed out on a podium in race one after a battle for third with Hanspree Ten Kate Honda team mate, Carlos Checa. The young Irishman more than made up for his disappointment with a stunning victory in race two and now sits 45 points behind Michel Fabrizio for third place in the championship.

Stiggy Honda rider Leon Haslam was disappointed after collisions in both races damaged his chances for a podium. The Derbyshire man was involved in the first lap incident in race 1, pushing him back to 11th place. In his true, gritty style, Haslam clawed his way back up the order only to lose out on 5th place at the line behind Max Biaggi.

In Race 2, Leon was holding second before a hard move from Spies pushed him off track and onto an eventual fifth place. John Hopkins suffered more bad luck after being knocked unconscious following a multiple bike incident on the first lap of race one. The popular American was taken to hospital but was later discharged without serious injury.

Haga now trails Spies by 18 points but there is still 150 points up for grabs with three rounds to go.

Race one:

1 Ben Spies, Yamaha

2 Noriyuki Haga, Ducati (Arai)

3 Carlos Checa, Honda

4 Jonathan Rea, Honda (Arai)

5 Max Biaggi, Aprilia

6 Leon Haslam, Honda (Arai)

Race two:

1 Jonathan Rea, Honda (Arai)

2 Ben Spies, Yamaha

3 Carlos Checa, Honda

4 Max Biaggi, Aprilia

5 Leon Haslam, Honda (Arai)

6 Troy Corser, BMW

World Championship points after 11 of 14 rounds:

1 Spies 364

2 Haga 346 (Arai)

3 Fabrizio 289

4 Rea 244 (Arai)

5 Biaggi 224

6 Haslam 201 (Arai)

7 Checa 177

8 Sykes 165

9 Byrne 140

9 Smrz 140 (Arai)

13 Nakano 86 (Arai)

20 Hopkins 17 (Arai)

More news and information: http://www.whyarai.co.uk/

BSB: Seeley Crowned 2010 British Superstock Champion - 1 September 2009

Arai racer Alastair Seeley has secured the 2010 Metzeler British Superstock championship at Cadwell Park (August 31).

Seeley, riding for Relentless Suzuki, wrapped up the championship with two rounds to go, incredibly having won all nine races so far this season.His closest rival, fellow Arai rider and the previous Superstock champion, Steve Brogan, crashed his Padgetts Honda on lap 1 at the hairpin and consequently losing his mathematical chance of retaining the red-backed no.1 plate.

It is unclear whether ‘The Wee Wizard’ will continue to retain his unbeaten form in Superstock or step up to the Superbike class for the remainder of the year.

Congratulation to Alastair from WhyArai.

More news and information: www.whyarai.co.uk

Bath anyone?

Arai will be at Matlock Bath Motorcycle Festival – Sunday August 23 2009








Motorcyclists are invited to celebrate the art of motoring on two wheels at Bike Plus 09. Organised by the Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership, the event on Sunday 23 August will offer visitors to Matlock Bath the opportunity to admire the latest machines, test their skills on a motorbike simulator and pick up a free copy of The Bikers’ Guide to Derbyshire.



Arai will be taking its helmet service vehicle along so that owners of the Japanese brand can receive a free helmet service and inspection along with the opportunity to ask its technicians any questions.



Visitors can also learn about discounted training, enjoy a virtual tour of the nation’s best roads by watching Highways Agency movie Great Roads Great Rides2 and enter special prize draws.Along with Phoenix Distribution, Derbyshire motorcycle dealers B&M Honda, CMC Motorcycles, Triumph World, Pidcocks and Minions are among those who will be exhibiting bikes at the event.



Rob Hill, the manager of the road safety partnership said: “Hopefully Bike Plus 09 will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship! We want to build strong relationships with the motorcycling community and work with them to cut the number of riders coming to grief on our roads.



The bikers’ guide on offer at Bike Plus 09 is a free pocket-sized booklet containing advice from the partnership about how to survive the fourteen countryside routes which they have identified as crash hot spots. The guide also includes an application form for Bike Plus - the subsidised rider development course after which this month’s festival of motorcycling is named.



Thanks to Derbyshire County Council, bikers can usually take advantage of the training for as little as £50 if they live in Derbyshire or £90 if they live outside the county. Bike Plus instructors are approved by the Driving Standards Agency.



They teach bikers to spot hazards and tackle challenges such as cornering and overtaking with greater confidence.Staff from the partnership’s member organisations will be on hand at the event to talk to visitors about their road safety work.Bike Plus 09 is taking place in the Derwent Gardens in Matlock Bath and will be open between 11am and 4pm. Admission is free.



To read more Arai news and information please visit http://www.whyarai.co.uk/

British MotoGP - Edwards podium , Pedrosa cautious, Hayden luckless -

Held at Donington Park for the final time, the British MotoGP provided a dramatic race with unexpected results.

Colin Edwards took a surprise podium in round 10 and looked very close to getting his first premier class victory after scything through the field from a slow start to finish in second place.



The Monster Yamaha rider and long-time Arai racer had a very cautious start, taking his time to get heat and confidence into his tyres. With early leaders Elias, Lorenzo and Rossi all crashing out, the two-time World Superbike champion used his experience to reel in eventual winner, Andrea Dovizioso.



Though Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa featured in the early leading group, the 2006 Donington victor chose a cautious approach having narrowly avoided Toni Elias following the fellow Honda rider’s high speed crash, finishing in 9th.



Nicky Hayden’s gamble of fitting wet weather tyres to his factory Ducati failed to manifest as the 2006 champion continued his luckless season to finish a lowly 15th and last behind team mate Casey Stoner.



Colin Edwards, Monster Yamaha – 2nd



"That was a pretty intense 48 minutes but at the start there was no way I thought I was going to be on the podium. I'm not sure what happened at the start but I just had guys coming by everywhere. I was using a front tyre I'd not used all weekend and it took me a while to get a feel for it. Once I got some momentum going and I started to understand how the front tyre was feeling I started pushing my way through. But with about seven or eight laps to go I started having some big moments because it was hard to know where it was raining and where it wasn't. And all the time you're trying to figure out where there's grip and where there isn't. It was easy to mistake and the left side of the rear tyre was pretty cold and that just helped make it even more mentally draining because you need to concentrate so hard. I could see I was catching Randy really quick and we got into a good battle. He was faster than me in some parts and I was better in others but luckily I passed him on the last lap and made it stick. By that time though Andrea was too far ahead to think about pushing on for that first win, but second is a great way to finish at Donington."



Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda - 9th



“First I have to congratulate Andrea on his win because he rode a great race from beginning to end in very difficult conditions. For me, the result today is obviously disappointing and the team because I have been fast all weekend and I couldn’t keep that up during the race. At the beginning I was feeling good on the Bridgestone slicks and was able to judge my pace well according to the conditions. As the rain came however, I couldn’t maintain the temperature in the tyres and when this happens the grip really goes away and I wasn’t able to control the bike as I wanted. On the grid I was sure my tyre choice was correct, but with 10 laps to go I thought that maybe I should go into the pits and change to wets, but it wasn’t worth losing 20 seconds for the bike change because the lap times of the riders on the wet tyres were the same as the times on slicks. It was a frustrating race in strange conditions, but we’ll still have confidence going into the next race in Brno because we’ve been making progress recently and I’m feeling strong on the bike.”



Nicky Hayden, Marlboro Ducati – 15th



“We took a big gamble, it backfired and it’s frustrating because we made a big change to the bike for warm-up this morning and I had a great feeling with it in the wet. The track was damp for the sighting lap and it was spitting with rain on the grid and since my pace on slicks hasn’t been great all weekend we took a big gamble. I had nothing to lose so we rolled the dice. The odds were against me but it was so close to paying off. It rained throughout the race but the track was so warm the moisture wasn’t accumulating on the ground and unfortunately that spelt disaster for us. I take full responsibility for the decision. We agreed on it together with the team but it was my shout, I thought ‘let’s try and be a hero here!’ The tyre was pretty much destroyed after seven or eight laps but there was no point coming in to pit and it came apart five laps from the end. To be honest it’s amazing how it held together for that long! I don’t want to say it was a mistake; it was just a gamble that didn’t pay off and we’ll learn from it.”



The next MotoGP round is on August 16 from Brno, Czech Republic, more news, reviews and products to view at www.whyarai.co.uk and www.phoenixnw.co.uk

Buying Arai - why the UK is the only way..

Like everything in life there are ways to get things cheaper. Look on the Internet, bet you can find what you would usually buy from your trusted supplier for less money.

But, saving yourself a few pounds now may not always be wise- Here's 10 reasons why you should always buy your Arai helmet from an authorised UK dealer, points 3 and 4 are particularly sobering:

1. Over 60 Dealers nationwide
2. Full Arai range in-store
3. Guaranteed genuine UK helmets – models imported from other countries have no UK warranty so a helmet would have to be returned to the country of origin for any warranty issues
4. Helmets purchased through internet sources could be imported from the US or Asia and therefore will be manufactured to different standards and will be have a different internal shape e.g. US will be larger inside and Asia fit will be smaller and rounder inside.
5. At least 1 Arai technician per store
6. Free custom fitting on new purchases – not available from internet purchases
7. Free maintenance kit and service card with any Arai helmet purchase
8. Free 6 month service
9. Special offers and promotions
10. Access to our exclusive Arai 5 star clothing range

To find out more information, more Arai racing news, dealer lists etc visit www.whyarai.co.uk

Amor-vellous weekend

Arai racer Keith Amor's winning streak continued on Saturday when he took two victories at the demanding Skerries 100 road races, near Dublin, Ireland. The Wilson Craig Honda rider crossed the line first in both the Open and Grand Final races on his Superbike machine and backed this up with a solid third in the Supersport 600cc race.


After lapping comfortably inside the lap record during dry qualifying, Keith was feeling strong heading in to the races but a rain shower saw him settle for third in the damp Supersport 600cc race, his opening ride of the day. The circuit had dried up in time for the Open race though and Amor led from the off and was still leading on the sixth lap when the red flag came out due to an incident.

The result was subsequently taken at the end of the fourth lap so Amor got the verdict by 0.615s from Ryan Farquhar. That just left the Grand Final where Amor again led from the start and despite coming under extreme pressure from Farquhar he held on throughout and got the verdict at the end of the 9 laps by 0.421s. The duo also broke the outright lap record.

"It's been a good day for me here at the Skerries and we got the small handling issues with the Superbike sorted out, which allowed me to push that little bit harder," said the Scotsman.

"I felt really comfortable on the big bike and it's nice to get back to winning ways in the Superbike class. I felt really strong in the 600cc class too, where we had the 2009 bike at our disposal once more, but when the rain came down I got a couple of slides so backed off a little bit as the conditions weren't really for me."

"It's a shame the weather spoilt that race but, overall, it's been a really enjoyable day's racing. I'm really looking forward to Walderstown now and although I've never been there before, I'll be looking to give a good account of myself whilst it will also be the perfect build-up for the Kells meeting the following weekend."

Story from www.bikesportnews.com

Visit www.whyarai.co.uk to see the full range of Arai Helmets available in the UK