that obviously loved his bike and everything it stood for. Good lad! Unfortunately I was dropping off a bike so I had to go in my van. But I can’t wait for the summer so I can ride down with my mates and spend some time soaking up the ambience of this iconic

was vital. Unfortunately Thruxton wasn’t kind to Leon and to make matters worse new teammate Cal Crutchlow, with only one year of superbike experience under his belt, had 2nd and 1st places making him joint championship leader. And as I put this column

.For the last two years he has visited Whitham and myself on our stand at the NEC for a chat on what’s hot and what’s not at the show. I have only ever seen him ride Harleys on telly but he tells me there is more than one Ducati in his shed. He really is a top

Niall’s been lying around this month with a ruptured appendix, so he ponders the design of modern exhaust systems (as you would) and observes how Stoner cut his teeth on British tracks...Occasionally, I lose sleep wondering what manufacturers might