Alex

Yeah I wish, I'm English so am on the receiving end, apparently I have to dress up as Kylie Minogue... Hmm is it still doing it? It's working fine here. I can only think this is a caching issue left over from the CDN.

Hi guys, happy new year to you all, hope you had a good break. Trust this to happen when I was on holiday, I even made sure every patch and update was setup before going away Sorry it took a while to fix, I only got back from NZ yesterday, and I couldn't work out what the problem was and had to rely on external support. We pay for a CDN service which speeds up the site by making pages load faster no matter where a user is. The site is cached on local servers around the world and when you request content the content is served from the nearest server so the data doesn't have to travel as far. The CDN service keep copies of the static files, e.g. the CSS style sheets which are needed for the page styling. But this service was suspended, the company providing it are no longer operating the product, which is why the pages were loading without styling as they couldn't be found. Annoyingly I didn't get any emails to tell me in advance that their service would be abandoned, so I need to find a new service which is compatible. I'm hoping for the majority of us that the page load time increase will be negligible, but let me know if you have any issues. Cheers Alex

Thanks for your help everyone, although expected this is perfect

Hi, I'm doing some work with the government on motorcycle road safety and had a few quick questions I'm hoping you can help with. What could car drivers do better to make the roads safer for motorcyclists? Where do you get riding tips from, other riders, forums, government advertising? List 5 words which would describe how you think car drivers see you? How would you like them to see you? What’s the best part about riding? What’s the best part of the riding community? If you could tell drivers 1 thing, what would it be? If you're in Australia, is there anything specific you'd like to add about road safety here? It'd be great if you can copy and paste the questions and answer underneath each one. Thanks in advance. Alex

Well done Tommy you've won the off road motorbike course! Hope you have an awesome time Cheers Alex

I'd like to go, but Sydney's a bit far from Scotland

WIN! A one day, introduction to off road motorbiking training course at Motoscotland.com! It's competition time!! We have an amazing prize for one lucky winner: A one day, introduction to off road motorbiking training course (midweek only) worth £227.00 at the recently opened Motoscotland.com, Scotland’s premier off-road motorcycle training centre! MotoScotland.com, based near Inveraray – the gateway to the Highlands and Islands, opened in June 2013, offering customers exclusive access to some incredible tracks and trails on a stunning 50,000-acre Highland estate. Riding is open to anyone with a full motorcycle licence and the company is offering a variety of courses suitable for riders of all abilities from total novices to experts looking for a new challenge. A full range of one-or two-day packages, run by highly trained and experienced instructors, is also available. The one day, introduction to off road motorbiking training course, which is up for grabs, is normally sold at £227.00 and includes : - · off-road/enduro style motorbike hire · fuel · clothing and safety kit · a safety briefing · expert tuition from A.C.U. qualified coaches · road risk insurance · accompanied access to 50,000 acres of stunning scenery · lunch & refreshments · a certificate of completion · low coach to rider ratio for more personal attention. The course is aimed at people who wish to develop their road riding skills and confidence while venturing into off-road riding skills. You will learn: - · Off-road motorcycle controls and familiarity · The basics of handling an off-road motorcycle · How to pick up a dropped bike safely · The correct riding position · Where to look/vision · Clutch control · Slow speed manoeuvres · Riding while standing on the foot pegs · Steering using foot pegs · Correct braking techniques · An afternoon of trail riding on suitable tracks and trails to practise your new skills · General motorbike confidence For more information about the courses available, please go to www.motoscotland.com Please note, competition prize must be used before 31st February 2014. Furthermore, a customer review of at least 500 words to be sent to [email protected] and will be posted on the club website/magazine. Terms and conditions apply – for details, the winner should contact MotoScotland.com). To be in with a chance to win this fantastic course, simply answer the following question: Where is Motoscotland.com located? Please send your answers by email to [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it The closing date for this competition is 15th November and the lucky winner will be announced on the club’s website no later than 22nd November, so good luck and watch this space! Please note, this competition is only open to Yamaha Owners Club members. The winner will be chosen randomly from all correct entries received - MotoScotland’s decision on all matters related to the competition is final.

Lorenzo rose to the occasion, firing off the start line like a bullet in front of Yamaha’s home crowd to lead the race into the first laps. The Mallorcan was able to build a gap of nearly two seconds in the first three laps then saw it cut as championship rival Marc Marquez closed in. Marquez and Dani Pedrosa were able to get onto the heels of Lorenzo but unable to pass. The defending champion held on to the line to score his 51st Grand Prix victory, crossing the line just over three seconds clear of Marquez. Teammate Valentino Rossi made a great start to the race from the second row and tucked in behind Lorenzo in second position as the Japanese Grand prix got underway. Unfortunately a lack of braking power on turn 11 of the second lap caused him to run wide, allowing Marquez and Pedrosa past. He then got back on track but suffered the same issue the following lap, dropping down to 11th in the process. In typical Rossi fashion he then put his head down and made several passes as he fought back up the field to finish in sixth position. The stunning victory by Lorenzo brings him five points closer to Marquez. 13 points separate them now as they head to the final round in Valencia. Rossi increases his point score to 224 and remains in fourth place in the standings. Click here to view the news

This incredible success story goes back to 1973, when British rider Chas Mortimer took the first ever 500cc victory in the class that would become the modern day MotoGP Championship. Yamaha is still only the second manufacturer to achieve this milestone. The greatest MotoGP legend of all-time, Giacomo Agostini played a key part in writing Yamaha’s story of race success, taking six 500cc wins in the 1970s to add to the score. Later on in the story it was the Americans who wrote their piece of Yamaha history with three in particular, Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey racking up the victories. Roberts was the first, the pioneer of knee dragging wild riding, taking three back-to-back 500cc championships from 1978 to 1980. Eddie Lawson followed, adding 26 wins to the total and claiming three titles for Yamaha in 1984, 1986 and 1988. The last of the three, Wayne Rainey, then took up the challenge, scoring an impressive 24 race victories on his way to taking the world title in 1990, 1991 and 1992. A tragic accident in 1992 brought an end to Rainey’s racing career, and the focus returned to Europe with riders Luca Cadalora and then Max Biaggi taking up the charge. Biaggi ironically was challenging against the then rival Rossi for the eight victories he scored. It was in 2004 that Valentino Rossi arrived in the Yamaha garage, forming a love affair with the YZR-M1 that has endured to this day, creating an almost impossible to believe success that has won the hearts of fans worldwide. By 2007 Rossi had made it 150 wins for Yamaha at the historic Assen TT races, his own 28th MotoGP win. 2008 saw the arrival of another remarkable talent in the Yamaha garage. Stepping up to join Valentino on the YZR-M1 was hotheaded Mallorcan Jorge Lorenzo. The pairing proved unbeatable, adding two further world titles with Yamaha and an amazing 30 race wins to Rossi’s haul. Kouichi Tsuji YMC Motorsport Development Division, General Manager “We can be very proud and happy to witness this incredible achievement today here in Motegi. Jorge delivered a perfect performance to give us our 200th Grand Prix victory, continuing in the long tradition of success that we have enjoyed now since 1972. For Yamaha it is also very special to be able to enjoy this victory here in Japan for our home Grand Prix.” Lin Jarvis Yamaha Motor Racing, Managing Director “It’s absolutely fantastic to be able to celebrate our 200th Grand Prix victory here in Japan at our home race with such an incredible performance from Jorge Lorenzo. He totally dominated, not just the weekend, but also the race today under extreme pressure from his rivals. I’d like to say thanks to all of the riders and teams and all of the sponsors and partners and everyone involved in bringing us these memorable victories over the years. May we go on to 201 in Valencia!” Jorge Lorenzo “It's a very special day, to be the rider to get the 200 wins is a great honour. To win at Honda’s home race is even more special! It was a very difficult race today, they were very close but I never gave up and tried to be even faster, brake harder and open the gap more. Finally I was able to make a little gap. We are very proud of this victory, for the result, for the circumstances and for the championship, it couldn’t be better.” Source: yamaha-racing.com Click here to view the news

Welcome aboard mate. That's one very good looking bike

Sam Lowes The title comes just two weeks after British rider Sam Lowes took his Yakhnich Yamaha YZF-R6 to World Supersport title glory at the penultimate round of the championship in Magny Cours. Having taken the title Lowes kept the pressure on last weekend for the final round, taking victory in Jerez with his sixth win of the season yesterday to wrap up the year in style. The two wins are just part of the Yamaha YZF-R6 story of supremacy in 2013, the World Supersport and British Supersport titles added to an impressive haul of global honours. The 2013 AMA Daytona Sportbike Championship in the USA was dominated by R6 rider Cameron Beaubier who won 12 of the 13 races, including the Daytona 200, on his Yamaha. On the other side of the world in Australia Daniel Falzon claimed his second consecutive 2013 ASBK Supersport Championship on the 9th October in Phillip Island, keeping the Yamaha on top down under. Back in Europe and the story was the same in France. Yamaha France’s Dark Dog Academy Yamaha rider Mathieu Gines completed a storming season to take title honours, an impressive 59 points clear of his closest rival Valentin Debise. Across the borders in Germany Kevin Wahr was doing the same, taking nine race wins to secure the IDM German Supersport Championship title on his R6. Source: www.yamaha-racing.com Click here to view the news

Further disaster was also narrowly avoided when Marquez exited the pits just as Lorenzo passed down the straight at high speed, the two making contact into turn one. Luckily both were able to stay upright and continue. Lorenzo kept the pressure on and held the top spot for the remaining nine laps to claim the race win. Rossi enjoyed yet another intense race long battle with rivals Cal Crutchlow and Alvaro Bautista. The three swapping positions in the fight for the last podium spot throughout the first ten laps and again in the following nine. Rossi completed a super fast pit stop, beating both out to gain two positions. As one of the most successful MotoGP riders of the modern era in Phillip Island it was never going to be easy for them to beat him, and they couldn’t. The Italian claimed third at the line to make it another double Yamaha podium. The result leaves Lorenzo now on 280 points, 18 behind Marquez as they head to Motegi for the final of the triple-headers. Rossi stays secure in fourth position on 214 points, 35 ahead of Crutchlow in fifth. Jorge Lorenzo 1st | 29'07.155 | 19 Laps “I’m really happy with this win, we’ve also been lucky because Marc made this mistake. Without that he would have been second or first because he was really fast today. So we’ve been lucky but we were unlucky in the middle of the championship so today is a balance. When I was entering the first corner Marc was exiting the pit at exactly the same time, the situation was almost impossible to avoid. I was braking a little later to open the line and I don't think he was looking so much entering the corner so it was both our fault. Now we have options, if Marc keeps constant on the podium then it is impossible to win the championship but there are a lot of laps to go so anything could happen. It’s unbelievable to have 50 Grand Prix victories at 26years old. It seems like only yesterday when I won in Brazil in 2003 but it’s been ten years. I’m very proud of it and hope to win some more in the future!” Valentino Rossi 3rd | +12.344 | 19 Laps “At the end the result was good, I’m so happy to be on the podium here at Phillip Island because it’s always a great pleasure and a great atmosphere. I tried to give the maximum, the race was very thrilling and I enjoyed it very much, especially because with the team we were able to do a very good job in the pit and gain two positions. I had a great battle with Cal, when I understood it was for the podium I tried to give the maximum. In the last half of the lap it started to rain which was very scary but at the end it was ok and a good result. We still need to work and improve to be faster for the next race.” Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager “A perfect result, winning here is a dream for us after two tough races. With Marc making the mistake it opens the championship a little more as well. 18 points is a completely different story to nearly 40. We are very pleased with that.” Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director “It has been an incredible race, Jorge didn't make any mistakes and led from the first to the last lap, always pushing hard. It was also nice to have the flag to flag in dry conditions and we got a lot of points to close the gap. There is only 18 points between them now so the championship is more open. We are looking to Motegi now to keep going and close it more. Vale did another great race, another double podium which is a great result for Yamaha. We had some doubts before the start of the race on grip but we got a great result.” Click here to view the news

Whilst the dirt and the tarmac require very different machines to be competitive Yamaha retains the same philosophy of development in both areas, exemplifying the company’s spirit of development in the quest to create not only Championship dominating machines but also innovation for the customers of the future. Akrapovic The 2013 YZR-M1, the M1 standing for ‘Mission One’, is the latest incarnation of an incredible machine that first broke cover in 2002 as MotoGP made the move from 500cc bikes. Yamaha’s design philosophy has continued to move forward and evolve at the cutting edge of design off-road, most notably with some serious ‘forward’ thinking. When the current engine design development reached its limits Yamaha stepped outside the box and made a bold move. A revolutionary design change saw rearward and backward facing cylinders move the mass centralization, bringing the heaviest part of the bike closer to the middle for flickability. The development doesn’t stop in Japan; Yamaha is very flexible in its approach to the advancement of the YZ off-road machines. A partnership with Michele Rinaldi in Italy started in 1992 has earned numerous victories and consistently class leading bikes. In 1995 the Yamaha Rinaldi Research and Development program (YRRD) was founded, developing race-winning parts for the then two-stroke machines. Working to maximise the regulations in the racing class that opened up different possibilities for development, Rinaldi were able to develop a completely new crankcase for the YZ450F, gaining valuable performance benefits at the track during the 2001 season. The collaboration to develop race-winning machines delivered Yamaha the first ever four-stroke world title in 1999 with Andrea Bartolini and is further exemplified by Stefan Everts total domination over six seasons from 2001 to 2006, including four back to back YZ450FM titles. Everts has since been joined by David Philippaerts who stormed to Championship victory in 2008 on the YZ450F. YZ450F Yamaha’s cutting edge design philosophy in racing remains very much focused on benefit not just on track but for future customers on the road. The OWP3 M1 engine developed for the 2004 MotoGP season featured the crossplane crankshaft for the first time. Valentino Rossi won the opening race with the bike at Welkom in South Africa, going on to win the title with a further eight victories. The MotoGP legend would cement the M1’s place in history with a further three premier class world titles. Current world champion Jorge Lorenzo would then add another two titles to this, giving Yamaha six MotoGP titles in the last ten years. Between them they helped Yamaha make history, taking the triple crown of rider, team and manufacturer titles for three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010. The YZR-M1’s technology has filtered to Yamaha’s production machines and the YZF-R1 appeared in 2009 with the crossplane crankshaft technology. American rider Ben Spies took Yamaha’s first World Superbike Championship victory with the new R1 in the same year, crowning the development journey from MotoGP prototype in 2004 to production dominance in 2009. For a full range of photos from this unique photo shoot please check out http//www.yamaha-racing.com/Racing/motogp/photo/ Click here to view the news

Teammate Mickael Metge completed today’s stage in sixth position after a good ride to move up to sixth in the overall standings. The two Yamaha riders started the Rally in good form with the prologue event on the 26th July in the city of Goiania, Metge completing the day in third with Despres just behind in fourth position. The Rally proper got underway the next day with stage two, an 84 kilometre ride between Goiania and Pirenópolis. The two were again not far from the front and repeated the first day with Metge taking third place and Despres fourth. Mickael Metge By the third stage it was clear to see Despres had adapted well to the Yamaha as he picked up the pace on the 287km trial between Pirenópolis and Uruaçu, finishing in second behind Coma and setting the scene for the following day’s stage victory. Metge had a less fortunate third stage, the French rider missed a waypoint so doubled back, adding an extra 10km to his ride and finished in eighth as a result. The Rally, which runs for nine days in total and covers 4,115km, will continue for a further six stages as it winds its way to Palmas before returning to Goiania on 3rd August. Cyril Despres “Today we were rewarded for the months of hard work the team have put in with a first stage victory here in Brazil on the Rally dos Sertoes. It’s a great boost for all of us, not only for those of us present on the race but also for everybody at Yamaha who believed in the project and who have been so solidly behind us. Obviously it isn’t a Dakar stage victory, let alone an outright Dakar victory, but it is an important milestone on the road to that ultimate ambition and I must admit today’s result has a special flavour to it. Not that we have much time to saviour it! Tomorrow is the first leg of a particularly tough 900 kilometres marathon stage and we have a lot of work to do, both on man and machine, to make sure we are in good shape for the challenge.” Mickael Metge “My result isn’t too bad and I’m really pleased for Cyril and the rest of the team, but the actual stage itself was a little frustrating for me. Yesterday evening they changed my GPS after it cut out on the special but it didn’t solve the problem and it cut out 7 times again today. In addition I rode much of the time in the dust, especially over the last 50 kilometres after the refuelling. Hopefully starting 6th on the road tomorrow it will be less of a problem and a new GPS antennae will solve the cutting out problem.” Mickael Metge Source www.yamaha-racing.com. Click here to view the news

Potisek earned a top ten finish at Maggiora for the Italian round of the series last month and held the red plate early in the year in the competitive French national MX1 championship; a contest in which he today remains less than thirty points from first position. He is also a beach race specialist and was runner-up in the prestigious Enduropale Le Touquet event in February. Frossard is aiming to be back on his factory YZ450F for the British Grand Prix next month after successful surgery on his left foot last week. The Frenchman had pins inserted in the two fractured metatarsals and the procedure enabled the bones to be closely set. Frossard, the 2011 MX1 world championship runner-up, suffered the breaks during the Grand Prix of Finland last week and now must enter a period of convalescence and rehab to be strong enough to remount his works YZ and close-out a disrupted and desperately unlucky 2013 campaign. Click here to view the news

Jorge Lorenzo successfully completed his weekend of damage limitation with an exhausting ride to sixth place. Still physically compromised following his two surgeries to his collarbone the Laguna race proved to be a big challenge for the world champion. Starting from sixth on the grid he initially made up two places to fourth, diving inside Dani Pedrosa on turn one for position. The race became a war of attrition for Lorenzo, battling to stay focused for the 32lap stint, eventually bringing it home in sixth place after a testing ride. The podium finish leaves Rossi on 117 points in the standings in fourth position, 20points behind teammate Lorenzo. Lorenzo holds on to third place, now on 137 points, ten behind Pedrosa in second. The teams now take an extended break before returning to the USA for Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday 18th August. Valentino Rossi 3rd “At this track with the Yamaha we suffer a little more than the Hondas, but we worked very well in the practice, we tried everything and I could keep a good pace in the race until the end, not far from Bradl. I fought with Bautista but always stayed in front so I could take the third podium in a row. I am quite competitive and I am happy, it is a good result. Now we take some rest, we go on holiday and we try to take some rest for the second half of the season. Regarding the pass, I tried to resist but today wasn't the right day, Marc was too strong for me. Before the end of the season we will have another battle where I will be faster and I will give back the overtake for sure!” Jorge Lorenzo 6th / 1'21.453 / 9 laps “This was a difficult race because I am not in shape, one month or more without training and two general anaesthetics. I felt quite dizzy from the middle of the race to the end so my performance was getting worse. The bike was also not working the same as in warm up. Maybe with more temperature the tyres were working differently and I couldn't stop the same in the braking zones so I didn't have the same feeling and I was half a second slower. The important thing is that we saved a very dangerous situation because if I crashed again I might have finished my championship. We have one month to rest and train now to get back in shape which will be important for Indianapolis. I hope to be in almost perfect condition there and have the same performance as before the crash.” Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager “A very crazy race, to do this with so few days recovery after twice breaking your collarbone is very inhuman. This is one of the most physical race tracks in the world. He clearly struggled in the race but he found a rhythm to not throw away too much energy in the beginning and try to keep a decent pace. It was a little bit up and a little bit down at times. Of course the result is great, we lose some points to Marc and Dani but this race was about damage control. We need to come back very strong for the last nine races.” Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director “Overall a good weekend. We put a lot of effort in to find a best set up. Laguna is not the most suitable circuit for Yamaha. To get a podium with Vale is an important step for us. We have improved the bike which is very good for the coming races. Jorge I think proved again that he is really tough and determined. He could manage to finish sixth even with a lot of pain after his surgeries. I think we can leave here satisfied that we have done the best job possible in the circumstances.” Click here to view the news