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PETER Collins, Belle Vue's 1976 World speedway champion

Is continuing to improve in hospital following his recent brain haemorrhage.
His wife, Angela, said: "Peter is making good progress, he has got his appetite back and is going to the hospital gym every morning. Now he just wants to get home as soon as possible.
"We have been inundated with cards and messages and would like to thanks everyone for their support

Gollob is the global champ - mirror.co.uk

Gollob is the global champ - mirror.co.uk: "Tomasz Gollob ended his 20-year wait to be crowned the oldest ever f i r s t -t i m e wo r l d champion.
The Pole, 39, wrapped up the title when he pipped Great Britain's Chris Harris to win the Italian Grand Prix.
Gollob, who has an unassailable lead going into the final round in his hometown Bydgoszcz next month, said: 'I'm very happy to be world champion after 20 years of racing - that has been a very long time"

Max Biaggi clinches World Superbike crown as Britain's Leon Haslam lets it slip - Telegraph

Max Biaggi clinches World Superbike crown as Britain's Leon Haslam lets it slipBiaggi entered the weekend with a 58-point lead in the championship with only 100 left to race for, and Haslam’s DNF ensured the Italian left his home round with an unassailable 63-point advantage heading into the final round in France next week.

The 39-year-old Aprilia Alitalia rider was running ahead of Haslam at the time of the Briton’s retirement with an engine failure in the second race, leaving Biaggi to cruise to fifth place and secure his status as the first ever Italian WSBK champion.

While Biaggi’s has been the story of the season, the day belonged to Spain’s Carlos Checa, who claimed victory in both races on the weekend he penned a new two-year contract with Althea Racing Ducati.

The wins were Checa’s first since the opening round of the season in Australia back in February, and lift him to fourth place in the riders’ standings.

Checa was forced to fight for his first win of the day after coming under sustained pressure from Haslam in the closing laps, but the Briton ran wide at Rivazza on the final lap and could only manage fifth at the flag.

Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Corse Ducati) finish second while Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) completed the race-one podium in third.

Jakub Smrz (Pata B&G Aprilia) snatched fourth from Haslam while surprise pole-sitter Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) came home in sixth.

Biaggi could manage only 11th in race one, a result which left Haslam with a slim chance of taking the title race to a decider at Magny Cours in a week’s time.

Race two was a less fraught affair at the front, with Checa setting a new lap record as he comfortably led home from Haga and Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda).

Sykes came home fourth with fellow Briton Shane Byrne (Althea Racing Ducati) finishing sixth just behind Biaggi, whose title victory was confirmed when Haslam’s engine let go on lap 11.

The British Superbike Championship title race will go down to the wire after Michael Rutter and James Ellison took the victories at a rain-affected penultimate round at Silverstone.

Rutter got the better of Josh Brookes and Michael Laverty in an absorbing battle for supremacy in the opener, but his title aspirations suffered a setback when he crashed out in race two.

Ellison’s race-two triumph was his first win since the opening round at Brands Hatch.

Worx Suzuki rider Tommy Hill finished eighth and fifth to retain top spot in the riders’ standings by 11 points from HM Plant Honda rider Brookes, who showed good consistency in difficult conditions to take a second and a third.

Brookes goes into the final round four points ahead of his team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari, who took fifth and second places.

The final round takes place at Oulton Park on the weekend of October 8-10.
- Telegraph

Tom Sykes celebrates double British Championship success at Brands Hatch

Tom Sykes celebrates double British Championship success at Brands Hatch
Tom Sykes gave himself and the factory Kawasaki team a massive confidence boost ahead of the final three rounds of the World Superbike series as he made a triumphant one-off return to the MCE Insurance British Championship at Brands Hatch."

The Huddersfield rider had flown back from Japan, where he had been checking out the bike he hopes to race in next year’s world series, in time for practice on Friday.

Sykes, who had won three of the 52 races he had started in the domestic series prior to his graduation for the 2009 season, was given a tough time, by the weather and the regulars in the series on a wet Saturday evening.
Seeley won the opening race, his first in the championship, for Relentless Suzuki. Sykes finished fifth but his team worked hard overnight, dialling in improvements.

“We made big changes to the bike after that race, so fair play to the team who worked so hard,” explained Sykes. “It was hard and challenging but I loved it. We stuck to doing our own thing and it worked well for us.”

The first of Sunday’s races threw the British title chase wide open.

The leader in the points, Josh Brookes, crashed out at Druids on the third lap, and then the race was red flagged after Seeley crashed on the exit of Surtees and Motorpoint Yamaha’s Andrew Pitt collided with Seeley’s bike.

Both riders escaped serious injury.

Michael Rutter set the early pace when the race was restarted before Sykes took charge, heading off two-times British title winner Ryuichi Kiyonari.

Next time out the Japanese rider grabbed the lead on his HM Plant Honda but by the fifth lap Sykes had overtaken him and the British rider went on to win his second race of the day by half a second.

“That was even sweeter – we are struggling a bit in the World Championship, but we are working hard at it and to be out there and take these wins shows where we are at,” said Sykes, who is 16th in the World Superbike series.

“That has helped us so much now for the rest of our season, [it’s] the booster that we all wanted.”

Kiyonari was not complaining too much about coming off second best again as he moved 249-242 ahead of Worx Suzuki rider Tommy Hill in the British title stakes. Hill could only manage a sixth and fourth-place finish.

WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS

WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS: "Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) was the undisputed star of the Silverstone show as he added two race wins to his Superpole triumph on Saturday. He is also the new lap record holder, thanks to a 2'05.259 lap in race one.

Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) lost a small amount of ground at the top of the championship, with his fifth and sixth places today as Leon Haslam scored a second and a fourth on his Suzuki Alstare machine. Biaggi now has 373 points, Haslam 313, a difference of 60 with three rounds and six races left to run."

The 65,000 weekend crowd saw Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) take two strong second places, consolidating his third place overall in the series on 243 points. Leon Camier, Biaggi's team-mate was third in race two, his first podium since Miller Motorsport Park in May. The all-British podium in race one was the first since Assen this year, and five British riders filled the top five places in race two, the first time this has happened for UK riders in WSBK history.


Fourth place rider in the standings, Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) was seventh and tenth today and is on 2004 points, with Crutchlow moving up to fifth overall, on 188 points. James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda) had to settle for eighth and fifth places today, remaining sixth in the rankings, nine points behind Crutchlow. For some fancied runners raceday was hard, with Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) dropping down the order to finish tenth in race one, then crash after passing Biaggi early in race two.

Belle Vue: Peter Craven Memorial Trophy

BRITISH speedway champion Chris Harris pipped former Belle Vue favourites, Simon Stead and Joe Screen, to win the Peter Craven Memorial Trophy at Kirkmanshulme Lane last night.
Harris was disqualified from the second of his five heats for causing the race the be stopped but won his other four rides in brilliant style to finish on 12 points with Stead and Screen. Then he stormed to victory in an exciting run-off for the title after exchanging places with Stead.
Harris and Stead had raced back from Denmark for the meeting, having been delayed by the World Cup final being put back from Saturday to Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, however, Aces and Denmark captain Hans Andersen didn't make it.
Belle Vue chief David Gordon said: "Hans had taken his Belle Vue bikes to Denmark with him for the final. He sent me a very apologetic e-mail saying he'd had a problem with a ferry and was stranded. It was a pity because be missed an excellent meeting in front of a good crowd."

Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo extended his championship lead with a flawless performance from pole position to win the Dutch MotoGP in Assen.

The Yamaha rider finished well clear of Honda's Dani Pedrosa with Australia's Casey Stoner third on a Ducati.

Randy de Puniet, second on the grid, started poorly and ended in sixth.

Lorenzo, the winner at Silverstone last Sunday, now has four wins in six GPs and leads the championship by 47 points from his compatriot Pedrosa.

The 23-year-old Lorenzo, runner-up to his injured team-mate Valentino Rossi in the championship last year, was briefly challenged by Pedrosa, who had the best start of any rider, having started from seventh.

Stoner, who was seeking his first podium finish this year, also applied pressure and for a while the leading trio were separated by about one-third of a second.

I was surprised by the times Casey and Dani were posting and I had to up it a gear or two to stay out in front and win

Jorge Lorenzo
But Lorenzo methodically worked his way through the laps, gradually increasing his times, and gave his pursuers little chance to catch him.

Lorenzo's closest title challenger before the race, Honda's Andrea Dovizioso, was not in the mix and with 11 laps to go was over five seconds in arrears and in no position to reduce the gap of 37 points between himself and the Spaniard.

Dovizioso, second at Silverstone last weekend, was pushed all the way by American rookie Ben Spies, who overtook the Italian with 10 laps remaining of the 26-lap race to seize fourth position in his Yamaha.

"This race has been a little bit more difficult than Silverstone," said Lorenzo afterwards.

"I was surprised by the times that Casey and Dani were posting and I had to up it a gear or two to stay out in front and win the race."

Pedrosa said: "I am surprised with the result as practice was a nightmare where we tried everything and nothing worked.

"I would like to thank the team as they worked a miracle to get me this result and let us just hope that it is easier in the Catalan MotoGP next weekend."

606: DEBATE
Is it just me or is Ben Spies the real deal?

CowboyBillyBoom
Italian Marco Melandri missed the race, the sixth of the 18 this season, after he dislocated his shoulder in a crash on Friday.

The seventh round of the series takes place in Barcelona - Lorenzo's home race - next weekend.

Earlier, Italy's Andrea Iannone dominated the Moto2 race to snatch his second win of the season. The Fimmco Speed Up rider had championship leader Toni Elias of Spain back in second.

Spanish rider Marc Marquez on a Derbi won the 125cc Grand Prix. The 17-year-old is the youngest rider since Italian Marco Melandri to have won three successive races in this category.



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Dutch MotoGP results:
1. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 41 minutes 18.629 seconds
2. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 41:21.564
3. Casey Stoner (Australia) Ducati 41:25.651
4. Ben Spies (U.S.) Yamaha 41:31.894
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 41:33.953
6. Randy de Puniet (France) Honda 41:34.401
7. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Ducati 41:44.496
8. Colin Edwards (U.S.) Yamaha 41:47.620
9. Marco Simoncelli (Italy) Honda 41:54.287
10. Aleix Espargaro (Spain) Ducati 41:54.466
11. Mika Kallio (Finland) Ducati 42:15.398
12. Hector Barbera (Spain) Ducati 42:15.519
13. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Suzuki 42:19.244
14. Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Suzuki 42:26.703
15. Kousuke Akiyoshi (Japan) Honda one lap behind

HUTCHINSON MAKES HISTORY WITH FIVE WINS IN A WEEK AT THE ISLE OF MAN TT RACES

Ian Hutchinson made history on Friday when he became the first man to win 5 TT Races in a week after clinching a shortened 4-lap Dainese Senior race in what was a dramatic day’s racing on the Isle of Man. Hutchinson took the lead from the start and when close challengers John McGuinness and Conor Cummins retired and crashed respectively he was able to ease off in the closing stages to come home 37.77 seconds clear of Ryan Farquhar and Bruce Anstey. He beat the record of 11 time champion Phillip McCallen who was previously the only man in the races 103 year history to win 4 races in a week, which he achieved in 1996.

The initial 6-lap race got underway under blue skies and beautiful sunshine again and spectators were set for a thriller as Hutchinson, McGuinness, Cummins and Guy Martin went head to head over the first two laps. With all four lapping at over 130mph, there were less than six seconds splitting the quartet after the first pit stop, McGuinness leading the way from Martin, Cummins and Hutchinson.

However, Martin was reported as missing at Glen Helen third time around and news came through that he had been involved in an incident at Ballagarey. With the bike having caught fire, the hedge was also alight and the race was red flagged with the fire brigade dispatched to the scene as the whole Island held their breath in concern for one of the sport’s most popular stars. Fortunately, news filtered through that the 29-year old was conscious and talking to medics, a later statement confirming that he had bruising to his lungs and minor fractures to his spine, a huge relief to all concerned.

With the race stopped, the circuit had to be cleared before racing could commence again and, when it was, at 3pm, it was reduced to 4 laps. On the restart, Hutchinson again stole the early initiative but it was close and his advantage over McGuinness at Glen Helen was just half a second. Cummins was only a tenth further back in third with Donald in fourth and Michael Dunlop and Ryan Farquhar in fifth and sixth - just three seconds splitting the top six.

By Ramsey Hairpin, Hutchinson had edged 1.14s clear and McGuinness held a similar advantage over Cummins, the gap between those two 1.5 seconds. As the riders flashed across Glencrutchery Road for the first time, Hutchinson led with an opening lap of 131.487mph but it was close with McGuinness only 0.61s adrift, the 15-times winner having clawed back some time over the Mountain. Cummins was still in contention, only two seconds behind in third whilst Keith Amor was now up in to fourth closely followed by Farquhar and Anstey, both of whom had retired from the earlier abandoned race.

Hutchinson eked out a further two seconds on the second run to Glen Helen but no sooner had he passed the timing beam than McGuinness was out, the HM Plant Honda having coasted to a halt just on the exit of the left hander. This promoted Cummins up to second but he found himself 3 seconds behind as they reached Ramsey. Amor, Farquhar and Anstey were all promoted up the order with Ian Lougher now in sixth but there was further drama when Cummins had failed to reach the Bungalow. The local hero had crashed at the Verandah although he too was conscious and talking to the medics, reported as having arm and leg injuries.

This allowed Hutchinson’s lead to rocket up to 27 seconds, another 131mph+ lap helping him on his way. Amor was close to his first ever 130mph lap in second with Farquhar, Anstey, Lougher and Michael Rutter now occupying the leading six positions.

After the pit stop, Hutchinson’s lead over Amor had increased but the Scotsman was still trying and he reduced the deficit steadily around the third lap although the Bingley man was seemingly in control of everything, still over 21 seconds to the good as they went in to their final lap.
At Glen Helen, the gap had increased to 31 seconds but Amor’s hopes of a Superbike podium were dashed when, remarkably, he too coasted to a halt after passing through the timing point, joining team-mate McGuinness on the sidelines. Farquhar and Anstey now found themselves in second and third, both looking to end their week’s on a high.

Hutchinson was able to almost cruise round his final lap of TT2010 and he crossed the line standing on the footpegs, adopting a Superman stance for what is truly an amazing feat. Farquhar and Anstey were celebrating too, the former recording his first ever Superbike podium at the TT and the latter ending a difficult week on a positive note.

RECORD BUSTING HILL SCORCHES TO POLE

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship ROUND THREE – OULTON PARK – 2/3 MAY
Tommy Hill, the leader in the chase for the MCE Insurance British Superbike title, shattered the four year old Oulton Park lap record to put his Worx Crescent Suzuki onto pole start for the Holiday Monday third round.

He enjoyed a scorching finale to the Swan Combi Roll for Pole session as he headed off the challenge of Flying Scot Stuart Easton to claim his second successive pole, bouncing back, as he had in the previous round from a spectacular high-side in free practice.

“I wasn’t prepared to settle for second so I pulled my finger out and went for it,” said Hill after his 1m 35.214secs charge around the 2.692 mile Cheshire circuit. “The team have got my bike working really well – it is mega so now I feel good to score more good points, keeping chipping away and staying consistent.”

Easton, fully recovered from the leg injuries sustained in pre-season testing, was not too disappointed as he settled for second best aboard his Swan Honda, running 0.394secs down, and reflecting: “That was a fairly typical qualifying session for me – I know my limit and didn’t want to push any harder than that.

“Importantly, I know what I can do in the race, so second on the grid is not a bad result. Now is the time for me to start winning races or taking podium finishes,” added Easton who goes into the races in third place in the standings.

Michael Rutter put his RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati, into third place on the starting grid, just ahead of Josh Brookes, whose win last time out moved him into second place in the title stakes, 34 points down on Hill.

“I’m bit surprised really to be on the front row,” admitted HM Plant Honda riding Brookes who put in a late surge up the placings. I gave it hell and got through, really stepping it up on the final laps.”

Alastair Seeley, a winner at the circuit last year en route to the National Superstock title, headed up the second row for Relentless Suzuki with a lap in 1m 36.113secs, to be ahead of former two times title winner, and six times race victor here, Ryuichi Kiyonari. His compatriot Yukio Kagayama lined up alongside with John Laverty eighth fastest on the Buildbase Kawasaki.

Michael Laverty and Quay Garage Honda rider Tommy Bridewell completed the top ten qualifiers while Aussie David Anthony, the leader in the chase for the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class title, set the pace in that category, running nineteenth fastest overall on the MIST Suzuki with a lap in 1m 38.402secs

Hudson Kennaugh, riding the MAR Kawasaki ran him close with Alex Lowes third fastest on his debut into Superbike action with the Redline KTM team running a third of a second up on Craig Fitzpatrick on the Close Print Finance Honda.

For the record

Swan Roll for Pole, top ten qualifiers
Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 1m:35.214s
Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +0.394s
Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +0.408s
Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +0.733s
Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.899s
Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +1.010s
Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +1.145s
John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +1.198s
Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +1.368s
Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +1.576s

Superbikes on track
Monday 3 May
09.20 – 09.35 Warm-up practice
13.00 Race One – 18 laps
16.40 Race Two - 18 laps

Motogp Lorenzo rains in Spain

Jorge Lorenzo branded today's Gran Premio bwin de España at Jerez "a beautiful race" after edging out his compatriot Dani Pedrosa to take the win in front of an enthusiastic Spanish crowd.

Pedrosa brought his Repsol Honda home in second place, to make it a Spanish one-two, with reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi rounding out the podium in third. The 25 points secured today move Lorenzo to the top of the championship standings.

His traditional lightning start to the race saw pole holder Pedrosa lead into the first turn, with Rossi making up two places from the grid to move into second place. Nicky Hayden also got a good start from the second row of the grid to slot into third place as the field headed towards turn two.

Loris Capirossi's race ended at the last turn on lap three, as the veteran Italian pushed just a little too hard, lost the front and crashed uninjured. Aleix Espargaro also crashed shortly after, but was able to return to the race following running repairs in pit lane.

Ben Spies was the next casualty, pitting and retiring from the race after struggling with a front tyre problem on his Yamaha M1 while running in the top ten.

As the midway point of the race approached Pedrosa was leading well at a second-and-a-half ahead of Rossi, with Lorenzo a further two seconds back. The fight for seventh place was a close one, with San Carlo Honda Gresini team-mates Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli battling one another amongst a group of five riders.

At the same time Lorenzo was closing the gap on Rossi and on lap 21 passed his teammate before turning his focus to fellow countryman, Pedrosa. From there a superb duel developed between the two Spaniards.

With two laps to go Lorenzo caught up with the factory Honda rider and made his move to pass, but Pedrosa held his line and the two almost touched as the excitement continued to increase.

In the end it came down to the last lap and as Pedrosa drifted wide at the Dry Sack corner while trying to defend his line Lorenzo swept through to assume the lead, which he held to the chequered flag. Crossing the line the Fiat Yamaha rider was 0.543s ahead of Pedrosa, with Rossi placing third to complete the podium.

Lorenzo promptly celebrated his win by jumping fully clothed into the lake in the centre of the Jerez circuit…

"I saw the lake on Thursday and thought it would be funny to jump in. I think the fans liked it, but I didn't really think about how heavy I'd be with wet leathers and for a minute I thought I wasn't going to get out," declared Lorenzo. "The dream nearly turned into a nightmare."

The Fiat Yamaha rider was eventually rescued by marshals and returned to pit lane to continue the victory celebrations.

"After a bad start I rode like a demon to get the front and I had a great fight with Dani when I eventually caught him. When I tried to pass him the first time we nearly crashed, but I knew I had to try again on the final lap. I know it's better to win races calmly from the front; today I had to fight on every lap," concluded the new Championship leader.

Completing the top five were Ducati Marlboro riders Nicky Hayden, who repeated his fourth spot from Qatar, and Casey Stoner, with Andrea Dovizioso taking sixth place.

Mika Kallio completed an impressive rise from last place on the grid to take seventh, with Melandri, Randy de Puniet and Álvaro Bautista also placing inside the top ten.

Bellevue roar in to second spot

BELLE Vue team boss Chris Morton has fired off a salute to his tail-end gunners who have played a magnificent part in the club's superb start to the season.
The Autogate Aces had their fourth win in five matches when they beat Ipswich 55-37 at Kirkmanshulme Lane on Monday to jump two spots into second place in the Elite League. They face a tough trip to Swindon this Thursday before returning home next Monday to face Essex club Lakeside.
Morton has been faced with a series of problems with the cloud of volcanic ash stranding his Scandinavian big hitters, Hans Andersen, Peter Karlsson and Patrick Hougaard at home because of the flight ban.
But he has been able to bank on real power at the bottom end of the team where reserves Leigh Lanham, William Lawson and Ricky Ashworth have been doing their support roles in fine style.
Lanham has piled up 29 points in three home matches with young Scot Lawson collecting 15 and another seven at Wolverhampton.
And Salford-based Ashworth made a crucial eight-point contribution in the win at Coventry, Belle Vue's first success at the midland track for five years.
Morton said: “It makes such a difference when your reserves are going well. It is crucial to score good points at the bottom end of the team and that is something we have not always managed to do in previous seasons.
“Also, having reserves in form gives a team manager so many extra options to make tactical substitutions during a match.
“Lanham has been brilliant. He is sharing a place with Ashworth as they are doubling up with Premier League clubs but Ricky's chances have been limited with Leigh doing so well. “Ashworth did a great job for us in the win at Coventry and would have got the place at Swindon because he is strong on big, fast tracks.
“But Sheffield had first call on him so Lanham stayed in the team and he'll be in against Lakeside next Monday as well.
“He has proved himself to be very strong on our smaller and tighter track and, in any case, I couldn't leave him out against Lakeside where he rode for so many seasons.” Morton added: “Lawson has won the second race in two of our three home matches to date and he was second to Lanham in the other so he is doing his job.
“He does have the occasional race where he misses out but then he goes out and turns things round again in his next outing.
“There is no doubt that he can make good starts and he can race. He's not off the pace. He has looked impressive on occasions and very good on others.
“There hasn't been a time when I have looked at him and thought 'he's doing it wrong.' I have been very encouraged by the start he has made with us and I am pleased for him because it was a brave decision to move up from Premier League racing.” Morton is hoping Karlsson and Hougaard can find a way of meeting up to travel over together for Thursday despite the problems with flights.
Andersen will be away for the first Grand Prix of the 2010 World championship in Leszno, Poland on Saturday as he needs to be there in time for practice on Friday afternoon. Morton will operate rider replacement for Andersen if Karlsson and Hougaard can make it but another cloud on that scenario is that Hougaard has to be back for a Danish fixture in Vojens on Friday.
The Aces' boss also has a new Ace up his sleeve in German signing Tobias Kroner who made a ten-point debut against Ipswich in what was only his second meeting of the season.
Morton said: “I was interested in signing Toby when Ipswich said they couldn't fit him into their side pre-season. We couldn't manage it either at that time but he was to the front of my thoughts when we needed a replacement for the injured Charlie Gjedde. He is a ride of great potential.”
The Aces are still trying to rearrange their home match against Coventry which was rained off on March 29.

MotoGP Japan cancelled due to Volcano Dust !

The Japanese MotoGP at Motegi has been called off because of air travel problems caused by the cloud of volcanic ash in Europe.

Organisers said the race scheduled for Sunday 25 April will take place on 3 October as championship round 14 before events in Malaysia and Australia.

"Although the situation is beyond our control, we sincerely apologise to fans," said spokesman Hiroshi Oshima.

The next round will now be at Spain's Jerez circuit on 2 May.

While most of the freight will have been flown straight on from last weekend's season-opener in Qatar, the cloud of ash has created a no-fly zone over much of northern and central Europe and made it impossible for many team personnel to reach Japan.

606: DEBATE
Give your reaction to news of Motegi being postponed
Formula 1 teams, a majority of them British-based, and international media have faced significant difficulties in returning from China after Sunday's grand prix in Shanghai.

Mobilityland Corporation, the Japanese operator of the Motegi venue, north of Tokyo, said it hoped MotoGP fans could attend the event later in the season.

"Due to the Icelandic volcanic eruption causing flight cancellations by aviation operators, we have decided to postpone the MotoGP scheduled for this weekend," said company president Oshima.

"We hope that fans will look forward to the added attraction."

BSB THRUXTON, HILL AND BROOKES SHARE THE VICTORIES

Tommy Hill extended his lead in the early season chase for the MCE Insurance British Superbike crown with a first race win but in this second round at Thruxton Josh Brookes emerged as a real contender for honours as he enjoyed his maiden victory in the series.

In the opening race at the Hampshire circuit, HM Plant Honda rider Brookes had the edge over Hill until the penultimate lap when the decisive move came on the fast approach to the Club Chicane.

Hill nosed his Worx Crescent Suzuki into the lead, and headed off Brookes by 0.818secs to complete his second victory of the season, and afterwards he reflected: “It was a case of having a chance and taking it. I decided to go for it, everyone was moving around, sliding a bit, then the opportunity came. I made the move and pushed on to take the race.”

It was the perfect ending to a bitter-sweet weekend for Hill who had taken a bruising in a heavy tumble in practice, then bounced back to claim pole start at record pace. “It certainly feels good to be ahead in the points. The team have done a top job for me again.”

Yukio Kagayama enjoyed his first podium finish in that race, relegating Swan Honda’s Stuart Easton, who had led the first half of the race, into fourth place ahead of the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati duo of Michael Rutter and Martin Jessop who was rewarded for his race pace with pole start for the second race, Read More

Aces beat the Dust !

BELLE Vue have been given unique permission to use three guest riders tonight in order to beat the Icelandic volcanic dust cloud and ride their Elite League match at Coventry.
The lockdown of flights into Great Britain means that Danish riders, Hans Andersen and Patrick Hougaard, Swede Peter Karlsson plus new German signing, Tobias Kroner, were unable to jet in for the meeting.
Prolonged efforts to bring in the riders by road, ferry and train have proved unsuccessful.
The Autogate Aces have been given permission by the Promoters' Association to bring in Scott Nicholls, of Ipswich, and Peterborough's Niels-Kristian Iversen as heat leaders.

All the latest Raceware coming soon, incl Rizla Suzuki, Monster Tech-3,Rocksport, Monster Energy