News Archive 2007

Regalia Update

Here's your chance to do some Christmas shopping from the comfort of your armchair/garage! Lots of new stuff with a wide range of sizes up to XXXL in some garments and ladies sizes too! Hope you like what Sue our regalia secretary has come up with.

She ensures us she hasn't forgotten about the new T-shirt designs that were mentioned at the AGM, and plans to get some of those ready for the spring.

To see the new range visit the Regalia section

In the meantime, all orders received in time, will be sent out in time for Christmas. The last order date is 17th December, so any orders must be received on or by then. Sue won’t be able to send anything after that date.

Two new models announced

Moto Guzzi introduce the Stelvio utilising a reconfigured 4Valve engine and the V7 Classic, a sophisticated, retro-design machine.

Guzzirider wins a trophy in the Thunderbike UK series

Congratulations are due to Moto Guzzi Club GB member Gyles Fairclough, who was awarded the 'Thunderbikes Rookie Champion 2007' title and collected the hard earnt trophy.

It's especially impressive as at the first race of the season he found that his Daytona needed some more modifications to make it a little more track friendly.

For more info please visit the Daytonatastic section of the forum.

Racing Legend and Honorary Club President Bill Lomas has passed away

It's our sad duty to inform you all that Bill Lomas aged 79 died late last night, having been submitted to Hospital on Sunday with a suspected heart attack. For the full MCN article please follow the link www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/mcn/2007/august/aug13-19/aug1507racinglegendbilllomaspassesaway/?R=EPI-93612 

Plea for June/July 2007 Issue Gambalunga

If you do not collect Gambalunga, could you please find it in your heart to send your June/July 2007 Issue to Bryan Peck, so that he can pass it on to one of the unfortunate souls, who never received theirs this time.

The thing is percentage always gets lost by Royal Mail and this time there has been an additional problem with the printers sending it to some old address list instead of the one they were given. This unfortunately means that we are a few short.

Events Update

The event listing have been updated. For up-to date information please click on the link in the top navigation. 

Summer Camp in Upton upon Severn is cancelled

Hi to all,

As most of the calls, e-mails and web posting seem to suggest a cancelation of this weekend I think it best if we cancel.

My replies to various e-mails state the following:

"The Summer camp weekend in Upton upon Severn is cancelled. Could all those who have booked please hold on to your tickets. They can be used for possibly an alternative event at a latter date or to reduce the cost of tickets at another camp at a later date."

As the weather has still not settled, along with the problems of riding and road closures or drinking water I think it best if we view the situation when things get back to normal.

Regards
Bob.

Summer Camp location change or cancellation

Dear Moto Guzzi Club Summer Camp Ticket Holder,

As you may be aware the site at Upton upon Severn is flooded and is under 5ft of water, the site owners canoed past the Club house on Sunday 22nd July to check out the situation and have informed me that it will be unusable for some weeks.

Due to the possibility of contaminated water as well as finding dry ground to pitch I am informing all ticket holders that this location is CANCELLED.

However we may have an alternative site on the Malvern Hills some 5 miles away, as yet I have not negotiated a price or found out what facilities they have but hopefully it will be similar to the Upton site but may not have showers, the Toilets will be Porta Loo's. It is 10 minutes from a good Pub what will cater for us.

Should you wish to attend then please contact me by phone from Wednesday 25th onwards or by e-mail bobmotoguzzi@btinternet.com
Home phone (after 7.00pm to 10.00 pm ) 01935 472739, you may leave a message saying “Summer Camp update” and your number
or similarly by mobile at anytime, I will get back to everyone who calls.

Should you wish to give it a try then enjoy the ride and be careful of any standing water that may be deep on route.
Should you decide not to attend the please hold onto your tickets and a refund will be made in the way of a reduced or free camp at the next or convenient time.

Hopefully a suitable location will be found.
The Moto Guzzi Club GB tries to cater for most situations but “acts of God” are not on the agenda.

Regards

Bob Smith
Assistant Social Sec.

Summer Camp washout?

Please do check here before embarking to the summer camp location as the current weather might well put a stop to the summer camp.

I am awaiting news regarding waterlevels at the location and will put information on here as soon as I have an update. Meanwhile, let's keep fingers crossed that it brightens up and it can all go ahead as planned.

Linda 

Gallery Update

The 2007 Events Gallery has now been updated with more photos.

If you have any photos to be added, please contact the webmaster.

Mobile cameras

The White Dalton website points out that:

As a result of recent changes the police are no longer to receive the revenue from mobile speed cameras. They are therefore exempt from the requirements to publicise them.

The first police force to follow this is Cumbria, but others are likely to follow suit.

You cannot rely on a Road Angel or other similar device to provide you with accurate and up-to-date information on camera locations.

Mallory Park - Club Parade is now fully booked

Applications for the 1000 bikes Moto Guzzi Club parade are now closed. If anyone still has a form to submit, sadly, they have lost their chance to do so now. The response for track events has outstripped the capacity. So those that have aready registered are the lucky ones! 

South Wales Banch Camp is cancelled

This is a notice to inform anyone who was thinking of attending that the SOUTH WALES BRANCH CAMP has been CANCELLED.

Apologies to anyone who may have been thinking about visiting us, but due to the fact that the camp site is a very popular one and there has been no interest from anyone we thought that it would be a more feasible if the landlady of the campsite got her bookings in now rather than lose out on a good income.

Safe riding one & all,

Martin Vermeire
(South Wales Branch)

More Fun on the website

The fun page has been expanded into a small fun section. You can find this via the sitemap navigation link. 

Rally Booking Form now available on the website

The Rally Booking Form is now available on the website in the Events section. 

Help needed for Scottish Rally at Guildtown

After last year's blow-out we are back to basics.

We have found a great site with plenty of room for camping with good new facilities and at a very fair price. However we will be running the show i.e. the bar, breakfasts and cleaning.

We will be assisted by our friends from the Blairgowrie M/cycle Club in running the bar but could do with a couple of extra helpers/stewards/glass collectors.
We have two breakfast chefs and a toastmeister but need a cashier and a couple of general assistants.

Finally we have undertaken to leave the place as we found it so we need volunteers happy to wield a broom, mop and a bog brush and with the ability to replace loo rolls in order to keep the place sparkley clean!

Competition for these jobs is likely to be keen as everyone knows it's always a lot more fun when you get stuck in and take part. So please email Dave (dave@davebreeze.plus.com) and let him know of your preferences regarding day/time/preferred task asap.

Thanks

Apllecross Campsite fully booked Jun 9-10 - change of venue

The campsite at Applecross is already fully booked for the weekend June 9-10 and there is no space there at all. It seems that the Seafood festival is a victim of its own success. Anyone who was interested in going to the Applecross weekend should phone Ronnie Leadbitter on 01250 872125 to discuss an alternative venue. 

New Moto Guzzi Bellagio

Moto Guzzi has announced a new bike the Bellagio, which Moto Guzzi promises combines the comfort of a custom and the agility of a naked for a unique riding experience aboard the legendary Moto Guzzi 940cc V twin.

Furthermore the new motorcycle boasts a tubular steel twin cradle frame connected to a single-sided aluminium swingarm fitted with a fully adjustable shock absorber, the CARC system (the Moto Guzzi patented reactive shaft drive), sturdy 45 mm adjustable forks, Brembo calipers acting on the twin 320 mm front discs and a single 282 mm rear disc and 120/70 (18) tyres up front and 180/55 (17) at the rear on a classic custom-style wheel.

The legendary transverse V 90° twin on the Bellagio measures 935.6 cc and puts out 75 CV at 7,200 rpm with an evenly spread power curve where the maximum torque level is 8 Kgm at 6,700 rpm and meets all Euro3 requirements. The performance is enhanced by additions like twin spark plus and having the injectors positioned directly over the inlet manifolds.

A Brit on his Guzzi racing in the ThunderbikeUK series.

Gyles Fairclough, a Moto Guzzi Club member, is racing his Daytona in the Thunderbike events this year.

He makes up half of his very small team of 2 and they are on a small budget, but he is nonetheless determined to give it his very best. Having just completed the first of this years Thunderbike races at Brands (see the picture on the left) he has updated us with an entertaining report. This you can read on the Daytonatastic section of our Club Forum, where you can also chat to Gyles and keep track of his racing adventures and experiences.

For more information please read Gambalunga Issue Feb/March 07 issue and visit Gyles racing website.

Moto Guzzi wins Motosprint magazine competition

Moto Guzzi wins Motosprint magazine competition.

The 1200 Norge wins the 2007 tourer category in the Motosprint weekly magazine leading with 17,7%, closely followed by BMW 1200RT with 11.6% and the Kawasaki 1400 GTR in third place with 11,3% of the votes.

The Moto Guzzi 1200 Sport also secured third place in the Street category getting 9.8% of votes.

For more information please read the article on the Moto Guzzi website.

Guareschi wins the battle of twins 2007

Gianfranco Guareschi confirms Moto Guzzi's superiority by winning both races in the Battle of Twins 2007 at Daytona. This latest one is his second consecutive triumph. The victory takes Moto Guzzi to a grand total of 3332 wins in international competitions. The success celebrates the 50th anniversary of the last world title won by Keith Campbell for Moto Guzzi in 1957.

For more information visit the Moto Guzzi website's news section.

Membership News

Bryan Peck, our membership secretary has got some membership news that didn't make it into Gambalunga. To read the article please log into the members only area, using the login function at the top right of this page. 

Former Guzzi Moto GP rider Bruno Ruffo died aged 86

Born in Verona, Italy, on 9 December 1920, Ruffo made his Motorcyle racing debut in 250 machinery at the comparatively (by today’s standards anyway) old age of 25 in 1946.

Riding for the Moto Guzzi team with which he would become synonymous throughout his career, he started the first race of the 250cc World Championship – the 1949 Swiss Grand Prix – and won.

A consistent run that season landed him the inaugural 250 world title and he added another in 1951 – the same year in which he finished fifth in his only top-class Moto GP race at the Grand Prix of Nations – also on a Moto Guzzi.

Scared of just making up the numbers, a winless season in 1952 – in which he still managed to finish sixth in the championship – signalled his retirement from top-class racing.

He retained his involvement in the sport, and was awarded the Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito – Italy's highest honour – in 2003.

In all, Ruffo competed for only four seasons at world championship level, wining three races in 250s and one in 125s

Want to take your Guzzi round Mallory Park? Here's your chance!

1000 Bike Festival 2007
The 2007 event will include "Club Only" parades of the Mallory circuit. This means about 40 of our club members will be able to enjoy the parade laps of this Historic British Circuit on their Moto Guzzis. If you wish to find out more about taking part on this parade on Saturday 14th July 2007 please read the members only news article by loggin into the members area. 

Have your say about the proposed 'Pay as you go' Road Tax

Another tax increase through the back door? Time to take action? Here's your chance!

Now is the time you can make a difference and there are only a few days left to register your objection to the 'Pay as you go' road tax. On the 10 Downing St website is a petition, which closes on the 20th February 2007 and they didn't tell anybody about it. Therefore at this time only 671,354 people have signed it so far and 750,000 signatures are required to stop them introducing it.

Once you've given your details (you don't have to give your full address, just house number and postcode will do), they will send you an email with a link in it. Once you click on that link, you'll have signed the petition.

Democracy in action? The government's proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you having to purchase a tracking device for your car and paying a monthly bill to use it. The tracking device will cost about £200 and in a recent study by the BBC, the lowest monthly bill was £28 for a rural florist and £194 for a delivery driver. A non working mother who used the car to take the kids to school paid £86 in one month.

On top of this massive increase in tax, you're movements will be tracked. Not only will it state where your vehicle is at all times, they will also know how fast you have been going, so even if you accidentally creep over a speed limit in time you can probably expect a Notice of Intended Prosecution with your monthly bill.

If you are against this type of road taxing scheme, please sign the petition on No 10's new website (link below) and pass this on to as many people as possible.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax/

Gwen Crellin tribute night

Manx Grand Prix Riders Association & Cotton Owners & Enthusiasts Club Present

No Limit to Gwen Crellin

Film & Tribute Evening to celebrate the life of: - The Lady in White at:

February 10th 7.30 till late
Tickets £5. Food available to buy at hotel

An evening to pay respects the lady who started the MGP supporters Club & funding the rescue helicopter 30 years ago! The 1st lady marshal on the TT course, a great friend to the Manx GP & TT races.

Riders already agreed to come: - Neal Tuxworth, Dave Kirby, Bill Swallow, Gordon Pantal, John Stevens, Steve Spencer, Phil Landeg, Mick Burcombe, Dave Pither, Bob Price & many MGP & TT riders

Open to anyone wishing to pay respects to this remarkable lady, many MGP/TT riders attending, all Motorcyclists & Isle of Man enthusiasts
To enjoy the Classic 1935 Film No Limit & Duke 2006 MGP?

For info or tickets send SAE to George Ridgeon, Past President MGPRA,
3 Chosen Drive, Churchdown, Glos GL3 3 2QS. Tel: 01452 857160. george.ridgeon.bowls@blueyonder.co.uk
Or COEC Martin Grindrod 07774 457667 mail@cotton-motorcycles.net

Some donations: - Red Arrow signed Poster, Norman Wisdom Signed Autobiography, Leathers of Barry & Ian Lawton, Cooper/Agostini signed photo, Duke DVD 2006 MGP, David Jefferies Tribute T/Shirt, Team Honda Polo, 2007 TT/MGP posters: - Plus to many more to mention!

Moneys raised to MGP Helicopter & Joey Dunlop Injured Riders Motel

Membership Special Offer - save £s

Take advantage of the current Membership Special Offer, which is only available this year (1.Jan - 31 Dec 2007).
Pay for two years membership now and pay a reduced price. The following rates apply.

I.O.M trip to the TT in June

If you have always fancied a trip to the TT races on the Isle of Man, this is your chance. Please visit the membes only news section for more details. To get there please use the club member's login function at the top right of this page. 

Events Page Update 2007

The Clubs Event page has been updated with the 2007 information currently available. Click here to find out what's going on in 2007. 

Current News

Visit the main News page to read current news stories.