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Rainy BSB tests are nothing new

THE combination of bad weather in the UK and a European testing ban means that most BSB teams will now start the season with very little track time. This sounds like a disaster for the top teams but history has proved this isn’t necessarily true and it sometimes doesn’t matter how much pre season preparation has taken place.  Back in 2002 Sean Emmett won on the IFC Ducati at the opening Silverstone round after first riding it in unofficial practice the same weekend. Steve Hislop took the other win on Pauls Bird’s well sorted Ducati. More recently in 2009, Leon Camier took an untested new model R1 Yamaha to victory at the Brands Hatch opener after GSE took delivery of the bike just the week before. Sylvain Guintoli won the other race on a well developed, well tested Crescent Suzuki. You could argue if no one has had testing then it is a level playing field but you have to feel for riders moving up to the superbike class in the world’s toughest national series.  Tyco Suzuki’s PJ Jacobson is one such rider but having spent some time with him over the past few weeks he seems to be taking it all in his stride. It may be the confidence of youth or maybe the fact he has won in every other class he has entered in his short BSB career, but I suspect he fancies at least standing on the Superbike podium at Brands (He also does a bit of ice racing which is not dissimilar to the this year’s UK testing).  The testing ban was implemented with all the best cost cutting intentions and if it had been any other year in the past decade all would be well. The teams may be feeling frustrated but the fans should be excited. With so many unknowns, the 2013 BSB opener at Brands Hatch could be the best ever!

AMA to Combine Daytona Sportbike and Supersport Classes in 2015

AMA Pro Racing announced plans to combine its Daytona Sportbike and Supersport classes into a single category by the 2015 season. The two classes currently share many similarities including engine displacement regulations, minimum weight limits and eligible machines. The Supersport class has more restrictions on modifications and are limited to a maximum top speed of 165 mph while Daytona Sportbike machines are allowed to reach speeds up to 170 mph.

Used: Alpinestars Joey Canvas shoes review

The brief I gave to my girlfriend before packing for our little California road-trip was simple: “No hair straighteners, no high-heels and no hand bags!” So, I had to honour the whole ‘packing light’ thing too ...or risk a week of abuse. I picked up these shoes as I thought they’d double as decent riding gear for the Yamaha XVS650 and Ducati Diavel we had lined up but they also looked perfect for wearing with jeans when we’d dumped the bike and were heading out to explore the sights. They don’t feature any ‘real’ armour but they are made from a tough yet flexible canvas and they feature additional protection around the ankle.