ARAI RIDERS WIN BIG AT ADELAIDE IRISH RACER AWARDS NIGHT!

2010 deemed a vintage year for riders from the Emerald Isle…

The great and the good of Irish, British and International motorcycling gathered for the eighth annual Adelaide Irish Racer Awards on 14th January, 2011. The gala black tie event is the brainchild of Irish Racer magazine publishing Editor Paul Lindsay and BBC Sport NI’s Stephen Watson, and is regarded as the most prestigious motorcycling awards ceremony on the Emerald Isle.

Arai’s racers – from WSB, BSB and Road Racing – all looking forward to and training hard for the start of the 2011 season, did very well on a night spent looking back at 2010 and one late, great legend of motorcycle racing also received an honour from Arai itself;

Arai Lifetime Achievement – Joey Dunlop

The Arai Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded posthumously to the late Joey Dunlop MBE OBE. It was presented by Phillip McCallen and fittingly collected by his youngest daughter Joanne, on behalf of the Dunlop family. She received a rousing reception and a standing ovation from the appreciative and respectful crowd.

Adelaide Irish Motorcyclist of the Year – Jonathan Rea

WSB star Rea impressed the Irish Racer magazine judging panel after a magnificent 2010 in the hotly contested World Superbike Championship, scoring four wins and ten podiums, which included a double at Assen on his way to fourth place in the series.

The 23-year-old from Ballyclare, now based in the Isle of Man, becomes the first rider to win this prestigious award for a third time. In fact Rea has won every award available to a short circuit rider in the eight years the Racer Awards have been in existence. Rea also won the Blackhorse Short Circuit Rider of the Year Award.

Jet2.com Fans’ Race of the Year – Alastair Seeley

Seeley’s outstanding North West 200 Superbike race victory, the first Superbike race win for a local man since Phillip McCallen thirteen years ago, was voted for by the Jet2.com fans.

IFS International Racer of the Year – Ian Hutchinson

Hutchy won the IFS International Road Racer of the Year award after taking an unprecedented, ten International Road Racing victories last season. This included another major milestone, becoming the first rider ever to win all five solo races during a TT.

Arai Europe’s Managing Director Ingmar Stroeven was delighted at the news of their sponsored riders’ accolades, and for Arai to support the Adelaide Irish Racer Awards themselves; “This is truly great recognition of all the efforts our racers make across many disciplines. Racing is fundamental to everything at Arai, and always has been so to do so well on the night is great for us. It’s also a pleasure for us to award the Arai Lifetime Achievement Award to Joey; he did so much for our brand and for the sport of motorcycle racing itself.”

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

2011 Arai's now in - Click the pic for a bigger view

Cal Crutchlow Interview on Arai stand.mpg

WIN A DAY WITH LEON HASLAM AND THE BLADES!

For anyone wanting to experience the adrenaline rush of airborne speed, a new text competition could be right up your street.

The RAF Association is offering the chance to win a day with World Superbike rider Leon Haslam, following the launch of a competition at the NEC’s Motorcycle Live Show, held recently.

Not only will the lucky winner get the chance to spend the day with Leon but they will share with him the experience of an aerobatic flight with the UK’s premier civilian aerobatic team – The Blades.

Throughout 2010, The Blades performed their jaw-dropping displays at airshows across the UK, proudly displaying the RAF Association and Wings Appeal livery.

The Blades are made up of former Red Arrows pilots and have flown over 300 displays in front of more than 18 million people over the last three years.

As well as the flight, the winner will have an opportunity to fly a helicopter and take a front row seat as The Blades perform a private air display for their guests – the perfect way to end a perfect day!

Anyone who wants to be in with a chance to win can now enter the competition by texting the word WINGS to 70007. This will give one entry into the draw for a flight in a Blades aerobatic aircraft.

Your support will cost £2 per text, plus your standard network message charge, with at least £1.54 from each donation going to the RAF Association, depending on your network operator.

Term and conditions apply.

The text entries must be received by midnight on December 31st to be admissible and entrants will receive a text message reply as proof of entry.

For full details of terms and conditions, visit www.rafa.org.uk and follow the link to The Blades.

Terms & Conditions… Players must be resident in the UK. Minimum ages for entries is 16 years or over. The prize can be taken up by any persons older than 12 years old subject to terms and conditions. Licensed by the Gambling Commission under the 2005 Gambling Act. Contact: Neil Everall, 0116 268 8756.

Arai newsletter NEC Special

Click here for the Arai Newsletter NEC Special!

Vettel World Champion, Arai 1-2-3 on last podium of 2010

ARAI 1-2-3 ON LAST PODIUM OF 2010, VETTEL WORLD CHAMPION!

Congratulations to Sebastian, Lewis and Jenson on a fantastic result!

After a tense 55 laps of the final Formula One race of the year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel emerged on top winning both the race itself and taking the championship lead. At 23 he is the youngest world champion ever.

Second and third on the podium were McLaren-Mercedes team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, while Vettel’s main championship rivals, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and RBR’s Mark Webber finished 7th and 8th respectively; both having been mired in high-speed traffic after ill-timed pit stops.

Arai’s clean sweep of the Abu Dhabi podium is noteworthy but perhaps not a surprise; Jenson Button recently switched to Arai and, like Vettel and Hamilton wears Arai’s GP-6 RC, the iconic Japanese brand’s top-spec car racing helmet. Featuring an extremely stiff and light carbon fibre outer shell, reinforced with Arai’s Peripherally Belted construction and Hyper Ridge strengthening, the GP-6 RC is fully ventilated and its 3mm thick two-dimensional visor is factory-prepared for the use of tear-offs. Emergency release tab cheek pads are matched to a fire resistant lining and Kevlar chinstrap and, the GP-6 RC is F.I.A. approved for use with the HANS® system (and factory-drilled for HANS® use).

Obviously, this technology does not come cheap, and the Arai GP-6 RC has a retail price of £3,171(inc. VAT) but, unlike a lot of racing technology, Arai has made its top flight products available to the general public, and there really is no difference in the Arai helmets that Vettel, Hamilton, Button – and many others – wear to the Arai that can be bought off the shelf.

Arai will have a select display of very special motorsport helmets – including some of their top driver’s helmets -  on show at this year’s Carole Nash Motorcycle Live event which takes place at Birmingham’s NEC from the 27th November to 5th December.

For more information on the Arai GP-6 RC or the rest of the Arai range call 2724UK on 01782 569800, or visit www.whyarai.co.uk 

Carole Nash Motorcycle Live runs from 27th November – 5th December 2010. Tickets are £15 in advance for adults, £10 for Seniors, £5 for children aged 11-16 – kids under 10 go free. Go to www.motorcyclelive.co.uk for details.

Motorcycle Live is coming!

The trailer says it all, folks!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYvHHbKL6M0