The Althea Racing team leaves for Phillip Island next week, for final test sessions and preparations for the first round which takes place over the weekend of the 24th-26th February.

Genesio Bevilacqua, Manager of Althea Racing: “I’m very happy to present our 2012 line-up. As you know, our confirmed riders are SBK champion Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano, a rising talent. We thank all of our sponsors, and particularly Unibat, SNAI and TIM, as it is thanks to them that we are able to embark on this adventure. We start the season with high expectations, having won in both the Superbike and Superstock categories last year. We know it won’t be easy as the competition is very strong but we will do our best to repeat last year’s incredible performance, knowing that we can count on the experience gained by our men in the field during 2011. We hope that this experience will help us to do even better than last year.”

Carlos Checa: “I prefer not to say too much, it’s impossible to make predictions when it comes to racing! We do know that this coming season will be tough, there will be stiff competition and we will fight with more or less the same bike as in previous seasons. Having said that, I am confident and can’t wait to get back on track with my team – it goes without saying that we will do our utmost to defend the title!”

Davide Giugliano: “I hope to be strong right from the start. I’m riding the championship winning bike and am part of the championship winning team so I don’t have any excuses really! I realize that I need to get straight down to work and learn fast if I want to start seeing the results.”

Rutter has to be the most experienced rider in the BSB paddock, having made 370 starts since his debut almost two decades ago. He proved that he’s still got it by coming close to the Title Showdown in 2011 aboard a Ducati. He’s confident he can pull off one of his best seasons yet aboard the Kawasaki ZX-10R

Michael Rutter: “I’m really looking forward to getting on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R for 2012, I know the power is good and having watched the riders clocking up podiums last year, I could see the whole machine is a good package.

“I also think the new ‘Ten’ is a good bike for UK tracks with the way it steers. It’s true when I rode for Nick in 2007 we struggled a bit with set-up but the bike is completely different now and to be fair to them it was MSS’s first go in the main BSB class, whereas now they have great pedigree and are a much stronger team all round.

“I do like Nick [Morgan], we go back a long way and I know I’ll be able to get on with the job without all the messing around too. In terms of expectation it’s hard to say how it will all work but my aim is to get into that top six and by then I know we’ll be firing on all four cylinders. With the way the points work- anything could happen! I can’t wait to get out on the new bike and show there’s still some life in the old dog yet!”

Hickman, on the other hand, signs for MSS Colchester Kawasaki following his breakthrough season in 2011 aboard the Tyco Honda. With an impressive 17 top ten finishes including a podium at Thruxton, Hickman beat off strong competition to end the season in ninth overall place, thus giving him this golden opportunity to ride the ZX-10R.

Peter Hickman: “I’ve been talking to Nick for a couple of years but it came together for 2012 over the winter and I’ve got to say I’m really chuffed to be with such a professional team. I keep coming back to Kawasaki; I won the Superstock Cup in 2004 on one and raced one again in Superstock in 2005 before two years on the Hawk Kawasaki bike in 2006-7 with some really good results in the first year.”

Kneen will be riding GSXR1000 and GSXR600 Suzuki machines during the season and will receive technical support from TAS Racing. Although having ridden GSXR- both a K7 and K9 Superstock in previous years, this will be his first time on the 600cc version.

He has become something of a regular in the top ten at the Isle of Man TT with a best result to date of 5th in the 2010 Supersport A race.

Dan Kneen: “It’s great to have everything all in place so early and I can’t wait for the new season to start. Having new machinery is a terrific boost to all of us and we should be able to raise our game considerably. I’ve ridden Suzukis before and gone well and receiving technical support from the TAS Racing team will only strengthen our cause.

“I want to go quicker at the TT and improve my results so I’ve been doing more homework on the course and concentrating on learning it a bit more. I’ve done good lap times so far but it was a bit of a struggle on the big bike last year and I had to roll off in places so there’s definite time to be gained. I’ve had my best results in the 600cc class but I was a bit unlucky last year as I was running 4th in the first race before it got stopped and 3rd in the second before the same thing happened but these things happen. It will be nice to be on a new 600 machine and if I could get a podium, that would be superb.”

Paul Phillips, TT and Motorsport Manager, Isle of Man Government: “Dan is definitely one of the up and coming riders at the TT and it’s great to have another high profile Manxman along with Conor for the locals to support. He’s building his performance well and isn’t that far away from a podium place- it could even come this year.”

Ducati fans will have waited with anticipation to see where Valentino Rossi finished- this time last year, the Italian was over two seconds behind the pacesetters, but this time the gap was only 0.735s, thus faster than his recorded times at any stage on this track during the GP weekend back in October.

The fit-again Nicky Hayden came in tenth, but Casey Stoner was only 14th after an injured muscle whilst warming up restricted him to four laps.

MotoGP Testing: day one results, Malaysia

1- Jorge Lorenzo, SPA, Yamaha Yamaha Factory Racing, 2:01.657
2- Dani Pedrosa, SPA, Honda Repsol Honda Team, 2:02.003
3- Cal Crutchlow, GBR, Yamaha Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 2:02.221
4- Ben Spies, USA, Yamaha Yamaha Factory Racing, 2:02.234
5- Valentino Rossi, ITA, Ducati Ducati Team, 2:02.392
6- Andrea Dovizioso, ITA, Yamaha Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 2:02.751
7- Hector Barbera, SPA, Ducati Pramac Racing Team, 2:02.773
8- Katsuyuki Nakasuga, JAP, Yamaha Yamaha Factory Racing, 2:02.829
9- Alvaro Bautista, SPA, Honda San Carlo Honda Gresini, 2:02.869
10- Nicky Hayden, USA, Ducati Ducati Team, 2:03.151
11- Stefan Bradl, GER, Honda LCR Honda, 2:03.668
12- Karel Abraham, CZE, Ducati Cardion AB Motoracing, 2:03.781
13- Franco Battaini, ITA, Ducati Ducati Team, 2:04.986
14- Casey Stoner, AUS, Honda Repsol Honda Team, 2:07.163
15- Colin Edwards (CRT), USA, Suter-BMW NGM Mobile Forward Racing,2:08.240
16- Jordi Torres (CRT), SPA, BQR-FTR Avintia Racing, 2:10.671
17- Ivan Silva (CRT), SPA, BQR-FTR Avintia Racing, 2:11.267

The HRC team returned to the Sepang track on Sunday for the first time since the tragic death of Marco Simoncelli on 23rd October. To show their respect, the whole team held a minute’s silent vigil in the corner where Marco so sadly lost his life and laid a wreath of flowers in his memory.

Casey Stoner: “The off season has been really good, we got to go back home and spend some time with family and friends in Australia over Christmas which was great. Then we came back to Switzerland to get everything in order for the baby’s arrival, Adriana’s due in just a few weeks and so we’ve been preparing as best as possible!

“After such a strong season in 2011, we remain focused and don’t expect to be on top form immediately. I am sure Honda have done a fantastic job with the new 1000cc machine over the winter break and I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike and seeing what we can do. We know there will be a lot of serious competition out there, Ducati have been putting a lot of effort in as have Yamaha so it will be interesting to get out on track and see what everyone’s got. However, it is early days and I think we’ll have to wait until the race in Qatar before we really know, but we’re ready for it.”

Dani Pedrosa: “It’s nice to be back with the team for the first Sepang test. I’m really excited to get on the bike again after the test in November. Sepang is a good track for testing and we still have many things to discover about the new bike. At the first test it’s always important to get the feeling back, the first sensations. We will have three long days here to work with the team and HRC and it’s important to be very focused in order to get good information to move forward for the second test. I guess the main target in this test will be to know the bike and the new Bridgestone tyres.”

Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Executive Vice President: “We start this new 2012 season with a clear target: to work stronger than ever to defend our MotoGP World titles in this new 1000cc category. We finished the 800cc era winning the triple-crown and we will fight to win this again in 2012. We trust in our riders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa to deliver this big challenge and we will give them all our support.

“The RC213V is an evolution of the last version of the RC212V based on the same concept. The machines we have brought here to Sepang are basically the same machines we tested in Valencia back in November- only a few differences. In fact, Casey and Dani will have one machine the same as Valencia, and the other one with a slightly different chassis, based on their own requests. This is the first time back to Sepang since we lost Marco Simoncelli last October, on Sunday we visited the scene of his accident and laid some flowers and said a final ‘Ciao’ to him. I believe starting this season strong will be a fitting tribute to Marco.”

Bridgestone will also be providing on-site support at the upcoming tests and has sent technical engineers to both Spain and Malaysia. These engineers will also focus on the acquisition of tyre data and rider feedback, which will be sent back to Bridgestone’s Technical Centre in Japan for deeper analysis.

Tohru Ubukata, General Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department: “For the upcoming season we have focused on further enhancing the safety aspects of our MotoGP tyres. To achieve this, our technical aim for the new specification tyres was to make their grip characteristics easier to manage, improve warm-up performance and increase their operating temperature range. The positive reception received at the Valencia post-season test showed we are well on track with development, and we have continued our progress over the winter break.

“At Sepang we will introduce new specification tyres for testing, while for the Valencia test we will continue to evaluate the tyres we debuted there last November. Apart from examining performance data during the tests, we will work closely with Safety Advisor Loris Capirossi and the riders to gauge their perception of the new tyres. This is all part of our goal to ensure optimal tyre performance for all motorcycles on the grid in 2012.”

Guy Martin: “It’s taken a while, but it was always on the cards. I’m happy to be back with the team for a second year and I love the new Tyco Suzuki colours. Great job! I couldn’t knock last year to be honest; the only thing we didn’t do was win a TT, but hopefully we’ll put that right in June. That’s the box we want to tick. The North West and Ulster GP are great events but it’s a TT win I really want. The team is good enough, the bikes are good enough; and I believe the rider is good enough, so it’s time to go out and win one!”

Philip Neill, Team Manager: “After all the speculation it’s nice to finally be able to officially announce that Guy Martin will continue to race for TAS in 2012 in the new Tyco Suzuki livery. I think we both knew that it was going to happen. We made a verbal agreement to each other last August at the Ulster Grand Prix, but all the speculation has brought lots of publicity for our sponsors, the team and Suzuki, which is great. But I suppose when Guy gets out of bed these days he gets media coverage!

“He’s not just the most popular rider in the UK these days, but also very popular outside the sport, which is good for motorcycling in general. Everyone at TAS, Suzuki, Tyco and existing sponsors like Ian Glen from Beacon are delighted to see him stay for a second year. And as I said before, along with Conor and our BSB duo of Seeley and Brookes, I feel it can be a successful season for Tyco Suzuki.”

The Enkalon Club team award was also received by the all-new Tyco Suzuki squad, and collected by TAS Racing owners Hector and Philip Neill.

Team Manager Philip Neill: “It’s always nice to be recognised for your achievements and the local events are always special as we never forget our fan base at home.

“Alastair had a great year in 2011 taking the British Supersport title and the Supersport race at the North West, but it’s a team effort and these awards are as much for all our team members as they are for my Father and me. It’s a great boost for Alastair before he kicks off his British Superbike campaign in 2012.”

Imperial Hotel Hythe (Kent)

Friday 9th/ Saturday 10th March

Tickets: £85-£250

£250 ticket package includes: two nights bed, breakfast & evening meal (Gala Dinner on Saturday), half hour Spa treatment or a round of golf on Saturday afternoon, live music in Kazzbar Friday night, live band and disco Saturday night. There’s also a Question and Answer session with GSE Riders, plus a complimentary GSE Racing book and there will be a memorabilia auction in aid of Riders for Health.

£85 ticket package includes: Saturday Gala Dinner, live band and disco Saturday night, Question and Answer session with GSE riders, complimentary GSE Racing book and the memorabilia auction in aid of Riders for Health.

Famous guests include: Neil Hodgson, James Toseland, Leon Haslam, Leon Camier, and Chris Walker. (Shane Byrne TBC)

HM Consul General and Director General for Trade & Investment, Mr. Vic Annels, presented the award to Ducati Motor Holding’s President, Mr. Gabriele Del Torchio.

Gabriele Del Torchio: “I am very proud to receive this award on behalf of everyone at Ducati. Ducati is achieving important and significant results in this country, in terms of both sales and image, and this is a reward to our products and to our strategic management.”

Vic Annels: “We are happy to award Ducati with the Brand Recognition Award and we are honoured that such an outstanding and innovative brand has decided to increase its investments in the United Kingdom. Ducati boasts a long and successful racing history in our country, and we are pleased to see that this fact is mirrored by its commercial policy.”

The team tested the 2012 version of the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, which is in fact the 20th anniversary model of Honda’s iconic sportsbike. Testing gave the team a chance to develop its electronic ride-by-wire throttle system which was introduced in the 2011 World Superbike campaign.

No lap times were actually released, but manager Ronald ten Kate said that he was very happy with the ongoing development of the new machine. The team returns for an official two-day test on 20th-21st February.

Jonathan Rea: “We’ve had a great three days, completed a lot of laps and tested a whole heap of new parts. We’ve also done quite a few long runs and race simulations which, to be honest, was really good – for the simulation we did today, we even used the lights! The full race-run allows us to see exactly where we are, even though the disadvantage of testing on your own is that you’ve got no-one to measure yourself against. But the whole team is working really well and I’m really enjoying riding the bike again. I think we’ve got a bike with a good base setting to go into the 2012 season with.”

Hiroshi Aoyama: “I’ve really enjoyed the first test of the season on the new 2012 bike. I had some good feelings from the test in Qatar in December, but the feeling here at Phillip Island was quite different. We had to do a lot of work on the first two days but I learned a lot and on each day the feeling got better. We did a race simulation today and it was very interesting to experience the deterioration of the tyre. For sure, I need to ride a lot more to try to learn the bike and the tyres because everything is still very new. I’m sure I will need a couple of races to get familiar with everything.”

Ronald ten Kate – team manager: “We had high track temperatures, which is something we struggled with during last year’s event, so it was a very useful test. The new chassis and suspension parts that we brought here were all working well and we were able to reconfirm some of the parts we tested before. The overall package as part of the 2012 Fireblade is definitely a step forward and the new fairing has improved stability. It was properly tested too, because there was a strong wind coming up the straight on the first day! With both riders, the bike has been able to give them a single fast lap time. Honestly, we couldn’t have wished for more from this test.”

Supersport World Championship 2012:

3 – Jed Metcher – RivaMoto Team – Yamaha YZF R6
8 – Andrea Antonelli – Team Lorini – Honda CBR 600RR
9 – PJ Jacobsen – PTR Honda – Honda CBR 600RR
11 – Sam Lowes – Bogdanka PTR Honda – Honda CBR 600RR
13 – Dino Lombardi – Team PATA by Martin – Yamaha YZF R6
19 – Pawel Szkopek – Bogdanka Racing – Honda CBR 600RR
20 – Mathew Scholtz – Bogdanka PTR Honda – Honda CBR 600RR
22 – Roberto Tamburini – Team Lorini – Honda CBR 600RR
23 – Broc Parkes – Ten Kate Honda – Honda CBR 600RR
24 – Eduard Blokhin – RivaMoto – Yamaha YZF R6
27 – Thomas Caiani – Kuja Racing – Honda CBR 600RR
28 – Giacomo Micheli – VFT Racing – Yamaha YZF R6
31 – Vittorio Iannuzzo – Suriano Racing Team – Triumph Daytona 675
32 – Sheridan Morais – Kawasaki Deltafina Lorenzini – Kawasaki ZX-6R
33 – Yves Polzer – Team MRC Austria – Yamaha YZF R6
34 – Ronan Quarmby – PTR Honda – Honda CBR 600RR
40 – Martin Jessopp – Honda Riders PTR – Honda CBR 600RR
52 – Lukas Pesek – Prorace – Honda CBR 600RR
54 – Kenan Sofuoglu – Deltafina Lorenzini Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-6R
55 – Massimo Roccoli – Bike Service by Ten10 WTR – Yamaha YZF R6
61 – Fabio Menghi – VFT Racing – Yamaha YZF R6
64 – Joshua Day – Team GoEleven – Kawasaki ZX-6R
65 – Vladimir Leonov – Yakhnich Motorsport – Yamaha YZF R6
69 – Ondrej Jezek – SMS Racing – Honda CBR 600RR
71 – Thomas Berghammer – Team Berghammer – Honda CBR 600RR
73 – Oleg Pozdneev – RivaMoto – Yamaha YZF R6
95 – Robert Muresan – East European Racing – Honda CBR 600RR
98 – Romain Lanusse – Step Intermot Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-6R
99 – Fabien Foret – Step Intermot Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-6R
119 – Jason Chrobak – East European Racing – Honda CBR 600RR

Salom joined the Pedercini Team in 2009 for the Superbike World Championship, but in 2010 he returned to Supersport- closing the 2011 championship in second place with Kawasaki. Mercado joined the Pedercini team in 2011, competing in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and Stock 1000 Italian Championship.

Donato Pedercini: “I’m extremely satisfied with the agreement reached with David Salom and Tati Mercado and I’m very happy to have the possibility to work with them again during the 2012 World Superbike championship. I know both of them very well and I appreciated their riding qualities and determination. Mercado is young and talented. He’s full of enthusiasm and has a real passion for racing. I think he’ll be the youngest Superbike rider this year and we will do our best to help him to adapt to our Kawasaki Superbike. Salom is still young but already has some experience. He’s strongly motivated and is on our wavelength in terms of projects and targets. We are now working hard to be ready for the first test in Phillip Island and also for the first races of the season. We are expecting a very busy season but one full of great professional satisfaction.”

David Salom: “I’m very happy to say that I will join the Pedercini Team for the 2012 World Superbike championship. I know all the Pedercini team and they are professional, enthusiastic and ambitious. I want to thank the Pedercini family as they are giving me the opportunity to compete once again in the World Superbike category. I’m really looking forward to this new adventure, as staying on a Kawasaki motorcycle was very important to me. I know that, compared with 2009, the bike is now more competitive and the team also has more experience so I can’t wait to get started!”

Leandro “Tati” Mercado: “I am really happy to have made this choice and proud to be competing with Team Pedercini in World Superbike. Right from the start of my career, I always considered Superbike to be the premier class and my main goal. I am honoured to remain a part of this fantastic group of people and to be joining them as part of an ambitious project. I’m also very happy to have David Salom as a teammate. I know he’s an expert rider and I’m sure he’ll help me as I start this new adventure in such a difficult world championship. I’ll do my best to pay back the faith Pedercini family have shown in me with some good results and technical development.”

A move to the new, purpose built Silverstone headquarters and the introduction of the hugely successful ‘Ducati Days’ meant that 2011 was an even busier year for Ducati.

In 2012, Ducati UK is already getting into its stride, with strong New Year sales and the highly anticipated launch of the 1199 Paniagle which has been voted ‘the most awaited bike of 2012.’ In fact, many UK dealers are already asking for increased numbers of the 1199 in order to help cope with this unprecedented demand.

Tim Maccabee, Ducati UK Managing Director: “These results reflect not only the hard work of the Ducati UK team, but also the fantastic product and support from our colleagues in Bologna. Delivering the result in the UK would be impossible without our first class dealer network and of course and a big thank is due to every Ducati fan and customer in the UK”

In 2011, the team entered the BSB series with just a single EVO entry for Scott Smart, but new 2012 regulations mean that the Moto Rapido entrants will be on a far more level pegging with their rivals than last year.

Moto Rapido will launch their Ducati efforts with brand-new Ducati machinery and direct support from the Italian manufacturer. Riders are yet to be confirmed.

Steve Moore: “It has been a massive shift for us in the past two years. We’ve come from being a small dealer team to a Ducati supported effort in BSB. I am so proud of what we have achieved in the past couple of seasons and long may it continue. The technical support from Italy has been excellent and we are looking forward to working closer with them this year.

“With Ducati’s help and the backing of our two main sponsors Solent Scientific and Key2 Group, there is no reason we can’t be giving last year’s front-runners a hard time. In the history of the series the playing field has never been as level as it is now for 2012.”

The new engine system technology also improves fuel economy and reduces emissions, so much so that the scooter already meets the stricter requirements for Euro 4 approval- which haven’t even been enforced yet.

At 5kg lighter than a Gilera GP800, road tests have demonstrated that the SRV850 has a coefficient of stability similar to that of a motorcycle- and almost twice as high as that of a conventional scooter. Handling is improved further by a lightweight 16” wheel at the front and a 15” wheel at the rear.

Stopping power is provided by Brembo Gold Series 2-piston floating calipers. Factory fitted, braided metal brake hoses give the rider precise braking control and the front and rear brake levers are both adjustable.

The SRV850 will be available in the UK in February, at a retail price of £7,799.

It was Katie’s keyboard player, Jim Watson who played matchmaker last year, after he spotted the racing star in the audience of her concert at Sheffield City Hall.

James: “Katie has been great. She had no interest in me whatsoever because I was a motorcycle racer. She hadn’t heard of me. She wouldn’t even know what Valentino Rossi looked like.

“It was only because her piano player was such a fan that he kept talking about it on the tour bus after he’d met me. It was nice and a relief for someone so established to be attracted to me because of my personality.”

The team president, Aurelio De Laurentiis invited Marco Simoncelli’s parents and Fausto Gresini to watch the game.

Before the game, dedicated to the late champion, a gift was presented to Paul and Scarlett Simoncelli by the Naples players. It was a team jersey personalised just for Marco, with autographs of all players. Emotions from all around the audience at the Stadio San Paolo showed how sorely Marco is missed and how he lives on in their hearts.

While motorcyclists’ use of bus lanes will help to ease congestion and reduce CO2 emissions in the city, trial studies have shown a slight increase in accident and collision rates- so be careful!

Institute of Advanced Motorists chief executive, Simon Best: “This change will improve congestion and journey times for motorcyclists. Safer motorcycling in busy cities will encourage more moped and motorcycle use- which can only be a good thing for traffic flow. But the evidence does show that motorcyclists will be at more risk.

“This decision doesn’t just affect Londoners. With thousands more people visiting London for the Olympics this summer, everybody needs to be aware of the risks. Bus drivers and cyclists need to be vigilant and get used to sharing the space with motorcyclists, but there is a lot that motorcyclists can do to protect themselves.”

Safety Tips:

• Always assume that other road users may not have seen you.
• When travelling in a straight line position yourself where you are easily visible to other road users- don’t sit right next to the traffic beside you, or hug the kerb.
• Bright, block coloured clothing is better than highly patterned clothing- and always remember to have your headlight on.
• Give cyclists space and time to avoid startling them.
• Don’t use the extra space in the bus lane to speed unnecessarily.
• Be careful of traffic crossing the bus lane at junctions as other road users are probably expecting a bus, not a bike.
• Look well ahead to avoid needing to make sudden changes in direction for potholes etc as uneven surfaces are the norm in bus lanes.

Provisional line-up:

1 CASEY STONER AUS – HONDA TEAM, HONDA
4 ANDREA DOVIZIOSO ITA – YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA
5 COLIN EDWARDS USA – FORWARD RACING, SUTER*
6 STEFAN BRADL GER – LCR HONDA MotoGP, HONDA
8 HECTOR BARBERA SPA – PRAMAC RACING TEAM, DUCATI
9 DANILO PETRUCCI ITA – IODA RACING PROJECT, IODA*
11 BEN SPIES USA – YAMAHA FACTORY RACING, YAMAHA
13 ANTHONY WEST AUS – SPEED MASTER, ART*
14 RANDY DE PUNIET FRA – ASPAR TEAM MotoGP, ART*
17 KAREL ABRAHAM CZE – CARDION AB MOTORACING, DUCATI
19 ALVARO BAUTISTA SPA – HONDA GRESINI, HONDA
20 ALEIX ESPARGARO SPA – ASPAR TEAM MotoGP, ART*
22 IVAN SILVA SPA – BQR, BQR-FTR*
26 DANI PEDROSA SPA – HONDA TEAM, HONDA
35 CAL CRUTCHLOW GBR – YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA
46 VALENTINO ROSSI ITA – DUCATI TEAM, DUCATI
51 MICHELE PIRRO ITA – HONDA GRESINI, FTR*
68 YONNY HERNANDEZ COL – BQR, BQR-FTR*
69 NICKY HAYDEN USA – DUCATI TEAM, DUCATI
77 JAMES ELLISON GBR – PAUL BIRD RACING, ART*
99 JORGE LORENZO SPA – YAMAHA FACTORY RACING, YAMAHA