M40 minibus crash

On Thursday 18 November 1993, just after midnight, a minibus was involved in a fatal collision with a maintenance vehicle on the M40 motorway near Warwick, England. The minibus was transporting 14 children home to Worcestershire from a school trip to The Royal Albert Hall in London when it veered into the rear of the motorway maintenance lorry which was stationary on the hard shoulder. Twelve of the 14 children and the driver of the minibus, their teacher, were killed in the crash, one of the worst on the British road network. The two survivors sustained minor injuries as well as the occupants of the motorway maintenance lorry.
Circumstances.
The driver of the minibus, 35-year-old teacher Eleanor Fry, had driven the 14 children to London during the afternoon of the previous day (Wednesday 17 November), then watched a concert of young musicians with them at the Royal Albert Hall, and was driving back afterward. Fry had driven the 1982 Ford Transit, which had passed its MOT test two weeks earlier, several times before both in the United Kingdom and abroad, and was described as a competent and experienced driver by the education officer for Hereford and Worcester.
Shortly after midnight, the vehicle struck a 12.5-ton Bedford motorway maintenance truck parked on the hard shoulder of an unlit stretch of the M40 near junction 15. The truck's safety lights were flashing. The minibus, which was estimated to be travelling at 73 to 84 mph at the time of the collision, exploded shortly after the crash and the bodies of several victims remained trapped in the wreckage. Some of the injured and dead were pulled from the wreckage by passing motorists who stopped to assist. A pathologist later found evidence that the driver was either taking off or putting on her spectacles at the time of the crash.
Fry and ten of the children died at the scene. Two other children died later in hospital from their injuries and two who survived the crash recovered from relatively minor injuries. The two occupants of the lorry also suffered minor injuries. Three men who were in the maintenance lorry were unhurt and pulled seven of the minibus occupants clear of the wreckage. All of the children involved were aged between 12 and 13 and were pupils at Hagley RC High School in Hagley, near Birmingham.
A second minibus carrying another group of pupils from Hagley RC High School who had also attended the London concert passed the crash scene and made it home safely to Worcestershire. Its driver Bernard Tedd, another teacher at the school, later told how he had a "feeling of dread" that the crashed vehicle on the hard shoulder was the other minibus, but had decided to continue driving as the emergency services were already there and he did not want to worry the pupils travelling in his minibus. A Warwickshire Fire Brigade public relations officer said Tedd had "saved those children from witnessing the worst accident any of us has ever seen."
Aftermath.
The day after the crash, journalists gathered outside the school in Hagley, documenting the reaction of staff and pupils. The news media were managed by the authorities, with journalists corralled off from the school, in exchange for being provided with human interest information for their stories. Most national newspapers carried a photograph of two grieving schoolgirls, who were clearly identifiable from the picture; readers complained in writing that they considered this to be insensitive and an invasion of the girls' privacy.
Some newspapers were criticised for sensationalism and invasion of privacy, but the BBC was criticised by journalists for the opposite: the BBC's evening news programme on the day, the "Nine O'Clock News" carried the story about the crash as its third item.
Several memorials were unveiled at Hagley RC High School, including a stained-glass window (commissioned from Art of Glass, a stained-glass painting company in Solihull, shortly after the crash) and a music suite (constructed by Thomas Vale, in a new school building that was later built). The stained-glass window on the school's stairway measures 14 ft by 3 ft, and includes an inscription listing the victims and a musical score and instruments.
A public memorial was also erected by the district council in Brinton Park, Kidderminster. Senses Garden was constructed, free of charge, by local builders, landscape architects, and plant experts. A memorial plaque in the garden, a wood carving by local artist Catherine O'Kell, commemorates those who died in the crash.
A charity record was issued in 1994, to commemorate the victims of the crash. The song "Perpetual Light" was performed by ELO Part II member Eric Troyer and the Hagley R.C. High School Choir.
Subsequent events.
It was reported that Fry had fallen asleep at the wheel moments before it crashed into the lorry on the hard shoulder. An inquest into the crash in June 1994 recorded a verdict of accidental death on each of the victims. The inquest's most significant findings were that the minibus was not fitted with seatbelts, as legislation did not require minibuses or coaches to be at the time. The law was changed in 1997 to make seat-belts standard equipment on all minibuses and coaches as well as outlawing the "crew bus" – a minibus in which two opposing benches face towards each other – and promoting the forward facing coach.
After the crash a bus safety training package called Belt Up School Kids (BUSK) for pupils and teachers was established. It comprised safety training, in-class training for pupils, teachers, parents, voluntary personnel, and governors, and driver training, as well as advice to drivers on how to progress towards passenger-carrying vehicle (PCV) driving standards.
Several charities were formed in the wake of the collision. One was Brambles Trust, offering support to bereaved children, which was set up by the parents of Claire Fitzgerald, one of the victims. By 2002, four years after the charity was founded, it had helped 129 families across Worcestershire and the Black Country. That year it was awarded £75,000 by Children in Need and £270,000 from the Community Fund.
On 20 May 2001, the central carved panel of the plaque in the memorial garden in Kidderminster was stolen by thieves who cut through steel bands that had secured the carving to a steel spike fixed to the ground. O'Kell stated that it was irreplaceable because of the age of the wood.


A433 road

The A433 road is an A road and primary route in Gloucestershire, England. It starts at a junction with the A46 at Dunkirk north of junction 18 of the M4 and northeast of Chipping Sodbury. It runs northeast for to a junction with the A429 just west of Cirencester On its way to Cirencester the road passes the spectacular Westonbirt Arboretum, and runs through the villages of Westonbirt and Doughton, and the town of Tetbury; then to the north of both Cotswold Airport (formerly RAF Kemble) and Kemble village.
The last follow the route of the Fosse Way. In this section the road passes the "Thames Head" pub (named for the source of the Thames) before rising over a crest and descending into a steep-side cutting to pass under the Golden Valley Line, through a narrow bridge which has no pavement for pedestrians.
History.
When the route was first designated in 1922, it finished at a junction with the A429 on the Fosse Way just west of Kemble near Jackaments Bottom. When RAF Kemble was built, circa 1937, the A429 was diverted south of the airfield to follow an upgraded existing road through Kemble village, and the section of the A429 north of the airfield became a continuation of the A433.
In the 1930s or 1940s the route was extended from Cirencester to the A40 just west of Burford, on the former route of the B4425. In the 1980s this section was downgraded to become the B4425 again.


Siegfried Bettmann

Siegfried Bettmann (18 April 1863 - 23 September 1951) was a bicycle, motorcycle and car manufacturer and initiator of the Triumph Motorcycle Company. In 1914 he established the Annie Bettmann Foundation to help young people start businesses. Triumph became one of the most famous motorcycle trade-names of the world. Bettmann was also Mayor of Coventry from 1913-1914.
Early life.
Born in 1863 in Nuremberg, Germany, Siegfried Bettmann moved to Britain in 1885, and settled in Coventry, Warwickshire. He found work with Kelly & Co. compiling foreign directories for their publications. After six months, he obtained a job with the White Sewing Machine Co. as a translator and worked as the company's sales representative in northern Europe. Fluent in several languages, he perfected his English, and married a local woman, Annie Meyrick (known as Millie).
Business.
Bettmann founded S. Bettmann & Co and started selling bicycles by the name 'Triumph' from premises in London. In 1886, Bettmann sought a more general name, and the company became known as the Triumph Cycle Company. A year later, the company registered as the New Triumph Co. Ltd., with funding from the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company. In that year, Bettmann was joined by a native from Papenburg named Johann Moritz Schulte, as a partner. Schulte encouraged Bettmann to transform Triumph into a manufacturing company, and in 1888 Bettmann purchased a site in Coventry using money lent by his and Schulte's families. The company began producing the first Triumph-branded bicycles in 1889. In 1896, Triumph initiated a subsidiary, Orial TWN (Triumph Werke Nuremberg) a for cycle production in his native city.
In 1902 the company diversified into making motorcycles at their works in Much Park Street. The first Triumph motorcycle in 1902 was a strengthened bicycle with a 2.25 bhp Minerva engine. Once the business grew, the purchased engines were replaced with their own and in 1907 the company expanded into a new factory in Priory Street, in premises of a former mill.
At the beginning of World War I the War Office called a meeting of Coventry industrialists at St Mary's Hall and asked them to put their resources at the disposal of the military. Two weeks after Britain had declared war on Germany, Bettmann received a telephone call from Capt. C. V. Holdsworth of the Army Service Corps (who later became Triumph's managing director) with an order for a hundred Triumph motorcycles for the BEF who were soon to go to France. Despite being a Saturday afternoon, Bettmann and his staff worked non-stop to crate the required motorcycles and by Sunday evening they were delivered to the Coventry railway station in time for the evening train. The British Army subsequently placed large orders for the Triumph 550 cc Model H and by 1918 Triumph were Britain's largest motorcycle manufacturer.
In 1921 Bettmann further diversified into car production and bought the Dawson Car Company to produce the Triumph 10/20. In 1927 he developed the Triumph Super 7 which sold well until 1934. In 1930 the company changed its name to the Triumph Motor Company and produced the Triumph Southern Cross and Gloria ranges. In 1936 the company had financial problems, and in 1936 the Triumph bicycle and motorcycle businesses were both sold. The motorcycle business was bought by Jack Sangster of Ariel Motorcycles to become Triumph Engineering Co Ltd.
Later life.
Siegfried Bettmann's success enabled him to become President of the Coventry Liberal Association. A Freemason and founder member of Coventry's Chamber of Commerce, he was also a Justice of the Peace and in 1913 became Mayor of Coventry, the first non-British subject to have the position.
Bettmann was a naturalised British citizen, but his German origins resulted in him being removed from this position on the beginning of the First World War.
In 1914 Siegfried Bettmann founded the Annie Bettmann Foundation with his wife to help young Coventry people between the ages of eighteen and forty who wished to start a business. Preference was given to ex-servicemen and the fund, which is still in existence, was extended subsequently to include grants for further education. Bettmann also commissioned a memorial for the 66 employees of the Triumph company killed in action during the First World War, built in Coventry's London Road cemetery in 1921.
The Triumph Motorcycle Company became one of the most famous motorcycle marques of the world and Bettmann retained an association with the company until his death. Siegfried Bettmann died on 23 September 1951. In 2015 the Coventry Society installed a Blue Plaque onto this residence.


Brian Collins (speedway rider)

Brian Collins (born 13 May 1948 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a former motorcycle speedway rider in National League (speedway)
September 1975 The National League Riders Championship at Wimbledon.
After two unbeaten rides, Collins came out against the only other unbeaten rider – Paul Gachet of Eastbourne Eagles. In their third heat, both Collins and Gachet were cut up before the first bend, Gachet's wheel being struck and, in holding his machine steady, the young Eagle found himself at the back. As he managed to pass Collins, his bike reared on the notorious second bend of Plough Lane and both he and Collins fell. Gachet was carried off and, in the re-run, Collins scored 3 points.
Collins went out in the final heat needing only 1 point for a run-off and 2 for the Crown. Lying second behind Les Rumsey, he fell on the third lap, remounted, but was too far behind to catch up. Then, Brian Clarke, in third place, fell off in the same spot and Collins went past him for the vital 1 point.
Just two riders in the run-off and Laurie Etheridge rode across Collins before the first bend and Collins picked himself up from the track and watched from the centre green as Etheridge completed four laps to become Champion
Results:
Champion: Laurie Etheridge, Crayford, 13
Runner up: Brian Collins, Coatbridge, 13
Third: Arthur Browning, Birmingham, 10
Rode 4 times for Scotland in internationals


Nikki Coates

Nikki Coates is a Grand Prix motorcycle racer from Great Britain. , he competes in the FIM CEV Moto2 European Championship for Team Stratos aboard an .
Career statistics.
2004- Irish 125cc Championship #65 Honda RS125R
2005- 32nd, British 125cc Championship #29 Honda RS125R
2006- 18th, British 125cc Championship #65 Honda RS125R
2007- 5th, British 125cc Championship #65 Honda RS125R
2008- 17th, British National Superstock 600 Championship #65 Honda CBR600RR
2009- 10th, British National Superstock 600 Championship #65 Yamaha YZF-R6
2010- 11th, British National Superstock 600 Championship #65 Yamaha YZF-R6
2011- 34th, CEV Moto2 Championship #65 AJR EVO 2011
2012- 15th, British Supersport Championship #65 Yamaha YZF-R6
2013- 26th, British Supersport Championship #85 Kawasaki ZX-6R
2014- NC, British National Superstock 1000 Championship #65 Kawasaki ZX-10R
2015- 27th, CEV Moto2 European Championship #65


Dot Cycle and Motor Manufacturing Company

The Dot Cycle and Motor Manufacturing Company was established by Harry Reed in Salford, Lancashire, a city near Manchester, England, in 1903. By 1906 they had built their first motorcycle, using a Peugeot engine.
Harry Reed years (1903–1926).
Dot Motorcycles were a northern manufacturer founded by Harry Reed in the pioneering days of motorcycling, famed for a succession of sporting machines which gave many a clubman the opportunity to ride on a competitive basis with every prospect of success. Reed was initially involved with the manufacture and sale of pedal cycles in Salford, and the early association with motorcycles is unclear, although he won an international motorcycle sprint at Blackpool in 1906 on a "Swallow-Peugeot" and is recorded on a "Dreadnought" before the first mention of Dot motorcycles in 1907, by which time the company had relocated to larger premises in nearby Manchester. It was on a Dot motorcycle that Reed competed in the first motorcycle races at Brooklands in 1908 and, in September 1908, won the Twin Cylinder Class in the Isle of Man TT beating international competition from larger and better-established manufacturers. Although Dot never repeated that TT win, there was considerable success in the TT and other road racing events over the next 20 years. Reed actively rode in top level competition until 1924, when he took part in the sidecar event at the Isle of Man TT meeting.
Depression and World War II (1932–1945).
In 1932 motorcycle production ceased, and did not resume until 1949. Contract engineering work allowed the firm to survive.
Burnard Scott Wade years (1932–1984).
In 1920 Thomas Sawyer joined the business. After Reed's departure from the company in 1925, Sawyer oversaw further success for the Dot marque in competition, but with the onset of the 1930s depression production slowed and ceased in 1932.
Sawyer passed control of the company to a young Burnard Scott Wade, who kept the company going through the 1930s with a line of pedal-powered 3-wheel delivery trucks developed for the niche markets of milk-delivery and ice cream vending. With the onset of World War II the government awarded Dot a contract for the production of these economical delivery vehicles, which were shipped around the world. During the tedious "fire watching" duty during the Manchester Blitz, Wade sketched out ideas for a similar vehicle powered by a small two-stroke engine, and successfully developed this into the Dot Motor Truck, which could be produced in various guises to meet the market for a cheap, powered delivery vehicle. Such was the demand that a profitable Dot Company was able to re-enter the motorcycle market in 1949 with a utilitarian two-stroke machine with a 200 cc Villiers engine which sold well in the export market. Many exist today in Scandinavia, Canada, and Australia.
The temptation for Dot to produce a sporting machine was strong, and Wade developed a small, cheap 2-stroke machine which could be ridden on the road on an everyday basis, but with minor alternations such as removing the lights, could compete in scrambles and trials events. The "Trials Scrambler" was introduced in 1951, and in a short time riders of the calibre of Bill Barugh and Terry Cheshire and hundreds of club riders had realised that such nimble lightweight machines had the beating of the larger machines previously predominant in the sport, and ushered in the modern lightweight competition bikes.
By coincidence, 1951 was the year that the Dot founder Harry Reed died. Dot also put some effort into developing a lightweight road racing machine, again entering the TT and won the team award in the 1951 Ultra Lightweight 125 cc TT, the only such win by a British manufacturer. However, the real demand was for trials and scrambles, and throughout the fifties and into the early sixties Dot were a considerable force in scrambles and trials events. Dot was dominant in both the top events with works riders such as Eric Adcock, Jonnie Griffiths, Ernie Greer and Pat Lamper and in many local events where the ordinary clubman could afford to ride similar machines to those campaigned by a factory team.
Eventually, Dot found it increasingly difficult to compete with the larger motorcycle manufacturers. Further, the demise of their main engine supplier, Villiers, and the increasing number of foreign imports, spelled the end of large scale production. Burnard Wade developed and marketed motor cycle suspension units, sold spares and undertook general engineering work to keep the company viable, but always hoped to return to motorcycle manufacture. In 1978 he revealed a new design of machine for clubman use, but few were built, as the time had passed when a small factory like Dot could compete against the large Japanese mass producers.
Aftermath.
The Dot factory still exists at Ellesmere Street, opposite St. George's Church in Hulme, Manchester, and the company produces and sells a range of spares for postwar machines. The "Dot Motorcycle Club" actively caters for owners and enthusiasts, publishes a magazine, and attends most major classic motorcycle events. Much of the material for this article comes from "Devoid of Trouble", the history of Dot Motorcycles written by the Official Dot historian, Ted Hardy.
Michael Scott Wade died on 14 September 2010, and thus ended the Scott Wade era for Dot Motorcycles started in 1932 with Burnard Scott Wade.
The factory will continue under the guidance of those who work there.
See next section for more up to date information.
Present and Future.
The Dot motorcycle company sold the land and buildings to a building company. Houses & business will be built on the land & existing building. Additional land was acquired by the said company and a residential tower block will be built on the site of the brazing shop, ie the very end of the old factory. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/freddie-flintoff-unveils-plans-build-13726829


Monks Trod

Monks Trod is a byway open to all traffic in Wales, developed originally by Cistercian monks between the twelfth century abbeys of Cwm-Hir, near Llandrindod Wells, and Strata Florida, near Tregaron, Ceredigion.
Monk's Trod runs for more than in Powys as a byway across the Cambrian mountains, and then crosses into Ceredigion, becoming a stretch of unclassified road. The section between Pont ar Elan beside the Craig Goch Dam reservoir, and Strata Florida passes over a natural peat moorland, designated as a National Nature Reserve Claerwen (NNR)), Site of Special Scientific Interest (Elenydd SSSI), Special Protection Area (Elenydd - Mallaen), and a Special Area of Conservation.
In 1990, as a result of widespread damage to the SSSI section, a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) was placed on the Monks' Trod, banning four-wheeled vehicles only. In 2002 a temporary TRO was imposed, banning all motor traffic, including motorcycles.
The councils are considering closing the trail to all users, including walkers, cyclists, horse riders, and horse-drawn carriages. It is estimated that it would cost in excess of £300,000 to repair the route.


Les Harris (businessman)

Leslie Frederick Harris (1939 – 17 February 2009) was a Torquay businessman and motorcycle enthusiast who resurrected the Triumph Bonneville for a few years in the 1980s. Born in 1939, he was described as the "saviour of the British motorcycle industry". Invited to Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament, in 1987 he was visited by the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He died in February 2009, aged 69.
L F Harris International Ltd.
Harris began his own business in 1974 manufacturing and selling spare parts for classic motorcycles. As the leading British manufacturers such as Norton Motorcycles, BSA and Triumph went out of business, Harris bought as many spare parts as he could and set up L F Harris International Ltd at a warehouse in Newton Abbot. The venture was a success and he expanded by purchasing an engineering company in Leighton Buzzard and a retail shop in Paignton, Devon.
Triumph motorcycle production.
When Triumph's Meriden motorcycle factory closed in, 1983 Harris bid for the rights to the Triumph name and the opportunity to build the Triumph Bonneville T140 with the former Meriden Triumph engineer Brian Jones as well as a number of former personnel from Meriden.
Instead, under a renewable five year licence starting from 28 November 1983 granted by the successful bidder, John Bloor, the new owner of Triumph, Harris manufactured 750 cc Bonnevilles (and some of the 750 cc single-carburettor TR7V Tiger models also used by the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team) until 1988.
The announcement of Harris restarting Bonneville production was made on 25 June 1985 at Forde House with local member of parliament Patrick Nicolls and motorcycling personalities such as Bert Hopwood in attendance.
Harris eventually moved to a bigger factory and warehouse and because of these 'Devon' Bonnevilles, Triumph can claim to have been in continuous production of motorcycles since 1902, making Triumph the oldest continuous production motorcycle manufacturer in the world - This is incorrect, as Royal Enfield have been manufacturing uninterrupted since 1901, albeit in different countries. There was no mutual agreement between Harris and Bloor to renew the manufacturing licence.
There was a lot of media interest in the venture and Harris was described as the "saviour of the British motorcycle industry". In fact, the Triumphs manufactured by Harris were distinct from Meriden-made models in having significantly more German and Italian component parts (such as Italian Brembo brakes, Paioli front suspension and Lafranconi silencers, German Magura switchgear, Varta battery and Merit horn) as the British motorcycle component industry had shrunk massively by the 1980s.
The Matchless G80.
In 1988 Harris decided not to re-licence the rights to the Triumph and began to design his own version of a motorcycle, the Matchless G80. Fitted with a Rotax 494 cc air-cooled engine, there was also a Harris Matchless G80 built with a twin front disc brake and an electric starter. These were produced until the recession of 1990 when the business returned to producing much sought after spare parts for classic motorcycles. Harris also built eight Matchless G80s for trial with the White Helmets Display Team.
Funeral.
Harris died at Torbay Hospital on 17 February 2009, aged 69, from a long term illness of more than ten years. His company built the Triumph Tiger motorcycles used by the White Helmets Motorcycle Display Team, part of the Royal Corps of Signals. At his funeral at St Matthias Church, Torquay, six soldiers from the team carried his coffin and provided a 'throttle roar' in his memory.


A449 road

The A449 is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from junction 24 of the M4 motorway at Newport in South Wales to Stafford in Staffordshire.
The southern section of the road, between Ross on Wye and Newport forms part of the trunk route from the English Midlands to South Wales, avoiding the Severn Bridge
Route.
Newport - Ross-on-Wye.
The A449 starts on the M4 at the Coldra Interchange (J24) in Newport and is dual carriageway all the way to Raglan. The section from the A40 junction at Raglan to the A472 junction at Usk, known as the "New Midlands Road", was one of the first sections to be dualled, opening on 16 October 1970. Between Raglan and Ross-on-Wye the A449 is concurrent with the A40.
Ross-on-Wye - Worcester.
The road becomes quite twisty on departing Ross-on-Wye, but straightens out a little before arriving at Ledbury. The road turns northwards upon crossing into Worcestershire at Little Malvern and skirts the eastern slopes of the Malvern Hills through the town of Great Malvern. It then crosses Worcester's ring road, the A4440, at a roundabout near Powick.
Worcester - Wolverhampton.
North of Worcester, a spur road of the same number heads towards the M5 Junction 6, while the main route continues towards Kidderminster, concurrent with the A442. Between Claines and Hartlebury the A449 is once again dual carriageway, but much tinkering has left the road with a single lane each way and speed restriction. The road becomes urban again while passing through Kidderminster. It then heads north into Staffordshire, passing between Kinver and Stourbridge and crossing the A458 at Stourton. The A491 meets it just north of Kingswinford. Continuing northwards, it passes Wombourne (becoming dual carriageway once more) being joined by the A463 before turning sharply north-east into the outskirts of Wolverhampton and meeting the Ring Road.
Wolverhampton - Stafford.
The road resumes its journey northwards, passing Molineux Stadium (home of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.) and leaving the city just south of Junction 2 of the M54. It originally ran through the centre of Wolverhampton until the 1970s, when all roads within the new ring road were declassified. Around the same time, the section of Waterloo Road on which Molineux Stadium stands was declassified and the A459 Upper Stafford Street and Lower Stafford Street became part of the A449.
From there it forms part of the link between the M54 and the M6 North. It crosses the A5 at the near the village of Gailey, a short distance west of M6 Junction 12, at which point it reverts to a single carriageway. It passes through Penkridge before crossing the M6 at Junction 13, reaching its terminus at its junction with the A34 in Stafford.
Originally turnpiked under an Act of 1760, the Wolverhampton-Stafford road was part of the historic London-Liverpool coach route. Notoriously narrow in the 19th century, much of it was turned into dual carriageway between the world wars. The Gailey Roundabout was improved in 1929 and again in 1937, removing parts of the churchyard and the historic Spread Eagle Inn (although the latter was replaced by a new building). Widening at Penkridge between 1932 and 1934 reshaped the western part of the town, resulting in the demolition of many ancient buildings. The dual carriageway between Wolverhampton and Gailey was constructed between 1936 and 1939. This section of the road was featured in Citizen Khan episode "Alia's University".


Scott Redding

Scott Christopher Redding (born 4 January 1993) is a British motorcycle racer and former MotoGP rider.
In 2019, he competed in the British Superbike Championship riding a Ducati Panigale V4 for Paul Bird's PBM team. He won the championship on his first attempt.
In 2020 he will compete in the Superbike World Championship riding a factory Ducati Panigale V4 for the Aruba.it Racing team.
He was the youngest rider in Grand Prix motorcycle racing to win a race, breaking Marco Melandri's ten-year record, until Can Öncü broke this record in 2018. He is also the youngest rider to contest both 50 and 100 Grands Prix.
Career.
Early career.
Born in Quedgeley, Gloucester, Redding started racing Mini Motos in 2001, winning the 2004 FAB-Racing Metrakit 50cc British MiniGP championship and then switching to the 80cc Metrakit "Calypso Cup" in 2005 in Spain, where he won all six rounds of the series.
In 2006 he tested for the Red Bull sponsored MotoGP academy cup and was immediately offered a ride. However he had a mixed season with only one podium finish at the last round in Jerez.
For 2007 he signed for team BLU:sens Aprilia riding in the Spanish CEV 125cc championship finishing second overall to Stefan Bradl with a difference of eight points, taking a second place at round four and winning at the final rounds of five, six and seven.
125cc World Championship (2008–2009).
Redding left the CEV championship in 2008, being entered by team BLU:sens Aprilia in the 125cc Grand Prix World championship.
Redding made a sensational start at the opening round of Qatar, by being the youngest ever rider in the 125cc class to qualify on the front row of the grid, in fourth place. He went on to take fifth place in the race setting the lap record for the 125cc class of 2'05.635 in the process. He was also on the front row in Spain.
On 22 June 2008 Redding became the back then youngest ever Grand Prix winner, aged 15 years and 170 days, when he won the 2008 British 125cc Grand Prix at Donington Park. Redding took the lead with six laps remaining after pressuring Andrea Iannone into pushing too hard and going off at Craner Curves. Redding held off Frenchman Mike Di Meglio and Spaniard Marc Márquez to win in only his eighth 125cc outing. He became the first British winner of a 125cc race since Chas Mortimer won the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix and the first British winner of a British motorcycle Grand Prix in the 125cc class since 1973, when Tommy Robb won at the 1973 Isle of Man TT, which was then the British round of the world championship. He is also the first British rider ever to win a British round of any Grand Prix class since the British motorcycle Grand Prix moved to Donington Park in 1987. In the first ever two-wheeled race at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway in America, Redding secured 4th place, having been in that position when it started to rain due to Hurricane Ike and Red Flag brought the race to a premature end.
Redding also won Rookie of the Year for being the highest placed new rider, finishing the season in eleventh overall.
For the 2009 125cc Motorcycle Grand Prix season Redding rode a factory Aprilia machinery and remained with team BLU:sens Aprilia.
Redding had a difficult season, suffering from mechanical issues and handling difficulties. He got on the podium at the 2009 British Grand Prix, his second career podium.
Moto2 World Championship (2010–2013).
Redding signed with new team Marc VDS Racing Team in the Moto2 600cc class for 2010, having grown too big to continue competing in the 125cc class. He struggled in the initial pre-season tests, but was more competitive in later ones. Redding struggled at the beginning of the season, but improved to finish fourth in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and became the youngest rider ever to score a podium finish in the 250cc/Moto2 class by finishing third in Indianapolis.
At the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano, Redding was involved in an accident which resulted in the death of Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa. After Tomizawa fell from his bike on the twelfth lap of the race, he was immediately hit by Redding and Alex de Angelis, who were unable to avoid him. Redding received ten stitches for a back laceration but escaped major injury.
On 29 September 2010, Redding signed a two-year contract with Marc VDS, keeping him in Moto2 until .
Redding finished the season in 15th place with 63 points, with a best result of fifth place, obtained on three occasions: at Silverstone, Indianapolis and Misano.
Redding finished in fifth position with 165 points, with four podium finishes, all third places.
Riding again for Marc VDS, Redding finished a close second in the championship after a season-long battle against Pol Espargaró. During the season, Redding obtained three victories, three second places, a third place, and three pole-positions. With three races left in the season he held a lead of 10 points over Espargaró; however, Redding crashed during qualifying in Australia, fracturing his wrist and could not participate in the race. In the following Japanese Grand Prix, Redding collided with the motorcycle of Esteve Rabat who had crashed in front of him in the second turn of the race. The race was red-flagged and restarted without an injured Redding; this second incident took him out of contention for the title, which Espargaró won by winning the race.
MotoGP World Championship (2014–2018).
Gresini Racing (2014, 2018).
Redding switched to MotoGP with the GO & FUN Gresini team on a Honda RCV1000R production racer. His teammate was Álvaro Bautista. He was consistent over the year, finishing every race except in Austin. His best result was a seventh-place finish, on two occasions, at the season-opening round in Qatar and at Phillip Island. He finished 12th in the championship, scoring 81 points. He was also runner-up in the "Open" class, albeit 45 points behind Aleix Espargaró.
Marc VDS Racing Team (2015).
In 2015 Redding remained in MotoGP, re-joining his former team Marc VDS. He was riding a factory-specification Honda RC213V. At the San Marino Grand Prix, Redding achieved his maiden MotoGP podium with a third-place finish despite crashing early in the race. With Bradley Smith finishing second, the duo became the first pair of British riders to finish on a premier class podium since Barry Sheene and Tom Herron did so at the Venezuelan Grand Prix in .
Pramac Racing (2016–2017).
On 30 August 2015, the morning of his home race at Silverstone, it was announced that Redding would join Pramac Racing for the season, replacing Yonny Hernández alongside Danilo Petrucci.
Scott Redding has been a supportive role model and has supported young rising stars from minimotos, setting up the Scott Redding Academy 2012 to Moto3 within the British Superbike series. In 2017, Charlie Nesbitt will be competing in the FIM junior world championship by joining forces with the Monlau group. Monlau managing group is supporting young riders and mechanics to reach top level of motor sport.


Dutton Cars

Dutton Cars, based in Worthing, Sussex, England, was a maker of kit cars between 1970 and 1989. In terms of numbers of kits produced, it was the largest kit car manufacturer in the world.
The company was founded by Tim Dutton-Woolley and run from a small workshop in which a series of cars named P1 were built. In October 1971 the B-Type appeared with a more or less standard specification and based on Triumph Herald components. A move was also made to a larger factory in Tangmere, Chichester.
Products.
Most Duttons depended on a ladder frame chassis built from steel profiles, which held the various parts taken from the donor car. After originally using Triumph Herald parts, Most Duttons built used Ford Escort Mk 1 or Mk 2 components.
The B-Type eventually evolved into the Dutton Phaeton. Later versions of the Phaeton were based on Ford Escort components and were produced until 1989. These were also available as fully built-up cars, in which case they received a 1.6 litre Ford Crossflow engine with .
In 1979 Dutton launched the Dutton Sierra, an Escort-based estate car with off-road looks. Three years later the Ford Motor Company decided to use the Sierra name on their Cortina/Taunus replacement and served Dutton with a legal writ demanding that they stop using the name. But at a case in the High Court in London, Dutton won the right to continue with the name on kit cars, as the judge ruled that they were a separate category from assembled cars. The case was popularly portrayed as a "gritty David and Goliath battle", and provided Dutton with some welcome publicity. The Sierra was Dutton's best seller for many years, production reaching a peak of 22 cars a week. The model was withdrawn in 1989. A further move to larger premises back in Worthing was made in 1982 with glass-fibre body making at a separate works in Lancing.
On the usual rear-wheel drive Ford Escort underpinnings Dutton placed the body of the new Rico. It made its debut in October 1984, at the Birmingham Motor Show. It used the mechanical parts and doors from a two-door Escort but had a Dutton-developed glassfibre body over a steel tubular frame. The Rico was a compact and aerodynamic two-door saloon, long and much lighter than the donor car.
By 1984, 80 people were employed spread over four factories and a large showroom in Worthing – production topped 1,000 a year. By 1989 Tim Dutton had got bored with the kit-car scene and all the designs were sold. A new model had been developed called the Maroc, a heavily modified Ford Fiesta with a convertible body. Initially it was available as a factory-finished car but prices became too high and from 1993 kit versions were made available. The design has been sold on to Novus of Bolney, Sussex; availability continued until at least 2006.
After leaving the kit car business Tim Dutton operated as a consultant but returned to the automobile-making business in 1995 with the Dutton Mariner and Dutton Commander, amphibious cars based on the Ford Fiesta and Suzuki Samurai. The Dutton Surf, based on the current Suzuki Jimny, was introduced in 2005. Tim Dutton is now a record holder as the only person to have crossed the English Channel twice in an amphibious car.
Early Dutton kits are now hard to come by. Most Duttons have already been assembled and are only available to purchase as second-hand cars, usually in need of some restoration. When a Dutton is purchased in kit form the person building it will require a donor car. The donor car is used to provide the engine, gearbox and many other essential components. Fords are the most common donor cars, especially for Duttons. Most people use donor cars that would no longer be roadworthy and use the spares to create a new kit car.
References.
Citations
Bibliography


Ajax (motorcycle)

The Ajax was a motorcycle manufactured in England between 1923 and 1924, using 147cc, 247cc, 269cc and 346cc engines from Villiers Engineering and Blackburne.


James Comet

The James Comet was a 98 cubic centimeter (cc), two-stroke, motorcycle manufactured by the James Cycle Co. and announced on 21 October 1948. A post-World War II design, the Comet went into production in late 1948.
Comet J11.
The Comet J11 was manufactured from 1954–1955.
Comet L1.
The Comet L1 was manufactured from 1956–1964.


A803 road

The A803 is a road in central Scotland. It runs from Glasgow to Champany Corner, due north-east of Linlithgow).
Route.
Beginning at Springburn in Glasgow as a dual carriageway, the A803 passes through the towns of Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch, Kilsyth, Banknock, Haggs, Bonnybridge, Falkirk, Laurieston, ending east of Linlithgow.
It connects to the M80 at Haggs. It also joins onto the A801 which goes to Bathgate, Livingston, and Lanark.


James Young (coachbuilder)

James Young Limited was a top class British coachbuilding business in London Road, Bromley, England.
Mr James Young bought J. K. Hunter's business in 1863. It built a full range of high quality carriages including landaus but was most famous in James Young's time for its lightweight Bromley Brougham.
Their first car body was made in 1908 on a Wolseley chassis for the local Member of Parliament. During the First World War they made ambulances, lorries and armoured cars on Darracq and Hudson chassis. In the 1920s and early 1930s standardised bodies were built for Sunbeam and Talbot along with individual commissions often on Bentley and Rolls-Royce chassis.
James Young Limited joined the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in 1922 and first set up their own stand at the SMMT's 1925 London Motor Show at Olympia. They displayed two bodies: a Chrysler all-weather and a Lanchester saloon.
In 1937 James Young was bought by London Rolls-Royce dealer Jack Barclay and he persuaded Scotsman A. F. McNeil (1891–1965), 'Mac', to leave J Gurney Nutting & Co to become James Young's chief designer. These two events combined with the end of the depression to produce a sharp rise in James Young's sales.
During the Second World War James Young built aircraft components, mobile canteens and canvas covers. The factory was destroyed and all records lost in 1941, the second year of the Blitz. Rebuilt it was hit again, this time by a V-1 flying bomb but production continued.
Coachbuilding resumed after the war and a stand was taken at the 1948 Motor Show.
By the early 1960s 50 or 60 new bodies were being built each year mostly for export. By that time the only Bentley bodies were for Continentals, the last S3 Continental went to its owner in early 1966. Mac McNeil died in 1965.
Some thirty-five Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow (and 15 Bentley T) fixed head coupés were created in 1966 and 1967 by removing rear doors from standard unitary construction production cars and extending the front doors. Lacking McNeil's touch they were not a success. Rolls-Royce subsidiary Mulliner Park Ward with more technical information and resources made their coupés at least handsome.
James Young's last bodies were made on Rolls-Royce Phantom V chassis in 1968.
External links.
Drawings of James Young designs:


Velocette Viper

The Velocette Viper is a British motorcycle made by Velocette between 1955 and 1968. Built using traditional methods and materials, it struggled to compete against more modern machines, so from 1960 the designers added new glass fibre enclosure panels, making the Viper one of the first enclosed production motorcycles.
Development.
Introduced in October 1955, the single-cylinder "Viper" was developed from the 500cc Velocette MSS which also led to the almost identical 500cc Venom. . Designed by Charles Udall, the Viper's 349cc engine had a bi-metal cylinder with a cast iron liner, high compression piston and a light alloy cylinder head. Using the same bottom end as its sister bike the 500cc Velocette Venom, the Viper had a lot of chrome plating and was offered in a choice of black or "willow green" paintwork. The Viper was also ahead of its time in being one of the first to have glass fibre enclosure panels from 1962. These panels proved unpopular with the traditional buyers of Velocette singles, as they extended from the front of the engine, level with the top of the crankcase, to the rear pillion footrests.
Viper Clubman.
From 1960 Velocette produced the Viper in a "Clubman" racing version, fitted with TT Amal carburettors, a BTH racing magneto and a close ratio gearbox, with the compression ratio raised to 9.3 to 1. The Clubman dispensed with the unpopular glass fibre enclosure and instead made a feature of its highly polished crankcase and gearbox castings. Supplied with "rearset" controls, lowered handlebars and a steering damper, the Clubman also had a range of optional accessories including a "megaphone" exhaust silencer, a rev counter and light alloy wheel rims.
Viper Scrambler.
In December 1958
the Velocette development team built 25 off-road Vipers, which were sent to the United States for evaluation in enduro events. Built to the Viper Clubman standard, the Scrambler had a specially lightened frame and high level enduro style exhaust pipes.
Viper Special.
The Velocette Viper Special was introduced in November 1962 and featured a three gallon tank, pressed steel full width hub and the Velocette MSS rear hub as well as a '100 mph' speedometer in a modified headlamp nacelle.


Leon Haslam

Leon Lloyd Haslam (born 31 May 1983, in the London Borough of Ealing) is a motorcycle road racer based in Derbyshire, England. After the 2019 World Superbike season with the factory Kawasaki team, for 2020 he is contracted to ride the new Honda CBR1000RR-R in World Superbike Championship, with the team being run for the first time under full HRC control.
Between the 2016 and 2018 seasons, he was contracted to race in the British Superbike Championship aboard a Kawasaki ZX-10R. He won the 2018 British championship at the final event held at Brands Hatch in late October, having previously signed to join the Kawasaki Superbike factory team in World Championship from 2019 as team-mate to Jonathan Rea.
He began racing at an early age and by the time he was in his late teens, he had raced in most of the significant British and international championships. After the 2004 season on a Ducati in World Superbikes with teammate Noriyuki Haga, between 2005 and 2008 he was a regular front-runner in the British Superbike Championship. For 2009 he returned to the Superbike World Championship, riding for Suzuki, BMW, Honda and Aprilia. Haslam is nicknamed 'Pocket Rocket' and is the son of former road-racer 'Rocket Ron' Haslam.
Career.
Early career.
Haslam was first exposed to motorcycle racing as a baby, often travelling with his parents to his dad's races. He was 1995 and 1996's National Youth Motocross champion, and 1998's MCN Young Rider of the Year after finishing 7th in the British 125cc Championship. He did an assortment of 125cc races in 1999, but quickly advanced into international racing after that. Leon spent the 2000 season with the underprepared Italjet team on their return to the 125cc world championship, then racing a privateer Honda NSR500V in 2001 (scoring five points finishes, as the youngest rider ever to compete in the series), and a 250cc Honda in 2002 (again scoring points five times).
At this stage, having never ridden on competitive machinery, he had valuable experience but little in the way of results, leading him to return home. For 2003 Renegade Ducati signed him to ride in the British Supersport championship, but he was promoted to the full blown Superbike after the departure of Sean Emmett, also riding in six World Superbikes races with a best finish of sixth at Assen and Magny Cours.
World Superbike Championship (2004).
For 2004 he did the full WSBK season for Renegade alongside Noriyuki Haga. He was 8th overall with a best of 3rd, finishing as the rookie of the year. Haslam also had an impressive victory in a British Superbike race at Brands Hatch on one of the team's 3 ventures into the series. In torrential rain, this was the only Ducati win in the series all year, even though this was the title-winning bike in both 2003 (Shane "Shakey" Byrne) and 2005 (Gregorio Lavilla).
British Superbike Championship (2005–2008).
With Renegade switching to Honda machinery and cutting to one rider Haslam moved to BSB with the reformed GSE Racing Squad, now known as Airwaves Ducati. Haslam finished 4th overall behind only teammate Lavilla and the two HM Plant Hondas of Ryuichi Kiyonari and Michael Rutter.
2006 saw Leon once again on the Airwaves sponsored GSE Ducati 999, partnering Lavilla. In the first 12 races of the 2006 season he finished 2nd no less than 8 times, without winning a race but taking 3 poles and lying 2nd overall. The wins came later; he was particularly proud of a win in the wet at Croft.
He managed to push for the title all the way to the last race of the season at a rain soaked Brands Hatch where Leon, Lavilla and Kiyonari all had a chance to win. Leon was running second to Kiyo in the first race when it was stopped after Byrne crashed heavily, and despite storming to victory in the second race, he ended the season in second place and Lavilla (who crashed in race one) was third. Leon did however drive off in the £50,000 Audi convertible which was his prize for scoring the most points in the Audi pole position competition.
While Lavilla won the first four races and lead the championship after eight, Haslam struggled to match these results. However, two-second places at Oulton Park in round four moved him up to fourth overall. He ultimately finished 3rd, behind Kiyonari and Jonathan Rea's Hondas but ahead of a fading Lavilla.
Haslam was released by Airwaves Ducati for 2008, when they initially withdrew from the series over questions about the legality of the Ducati 1098 under the new BSB tuning rules. He joined Airwaves' rivals HM Plant Honda, but the Ducati proved to be the faster bike, with Shakey Byrne dominating the championship. Haslam struggled early in the season and was generally outpaced by younger teammate Cal Crutchlow, and was excluded from race 2 at Oulton Park after a racing incident with Tom Sykes. Despite several podium finishes his first win did not come until round 8 at Knockhill, when race leader Byrne crashed heavily. He then took a double win at Cadwell Park, despite not starting on the front row
Haslam also made two wild card appearance in the World Superbike Championship at Donington Park and Portimão. A competitive showing at Donington ended with disappointing results. In race one he ran with the leaders after a red flag, but eased off after seeing a white flag with a red cross, which means the surface is slippery in WSBK, while in British Superbike, that indicates a safety vehicle is on course (typically a full-course caution period to neutralise the race with the deployment of the safety car). The time he lost here proved costly, as he was taken out a lap later. In race two he crashed out of fourth place with just three laps to go. At Portimão he finished third in race two, with a German flag above him on the podium, implying that the officials expected Max Neukirchner to overhaul him.
Return to Superbike (2009–2015).
WSBK remained his target for 2009, and he joined the Stiggy Honda team for their first World Superbike campaign, starting the year strongly with a third-place finish at the first round at Phillip Island in race two. The Dutch Grand Prix at Assen was also a very successful weekend as Haslam finished on the podium in both races with a third place in race one and a second place in race two. He finished the season 6th overall, comfortably the top privateer.
Haslam's impressive results for Stiggy led to Alstare Suzuki signing him to partner Sylvain Guintoli for the 2010 season. He took his first WSBK pole in the 2010 season opener at Phillip Island. He then went on to win his first World Superbike race in race one, narrowly beating Michel Fabrizio by 0.004 seconds at the line in the closest finish ever recorded in a World Superbike race. Haslam was also in control of race two until 3 turns from the end he was overtaken by the eventual winner Carlos Checa. He took two-second places at round 2 in Portugal. These strong results continued in the early part of the season, before a run of four successive wins for Max Biaggi's Aprilia. This led Haslam to publicly ask Suzuki Japan for more resources, to prevent their title challenge from faltering. Haslam beat Biaggi in both Silverstone races, to trim Biaggi's championship lead to 60 points. The championship went down to the penultimate round at Imola with Haslam needing to win, in race one both Haslam and Biaggi made mistakes, Biaggi ran straight on at turns 3 and 4 the Villeneuve esses cutting across the track right in front of the competitors and was lucky not to be hit or fall off, he recovered to finish 11th while Haslam was 2nd going into the final lap, coming into rivazza one Haslam tried to go underneath race leader Carlos Checa, Haslam however could not stop the bike and ended up in the gravel and could only manage a 5th place, in race 2 Biaggi made a much better start and was right at the front from the start, with Haslam. Haslam made a mistake on lap 7 which dropped him back to 5th place, trying to make his way back up the field going through the Villeneuve esses his engine blew up, this was the Suzuki's first mechanical failure of the year. This handed the title to Max Biaggi who came home 5th, with wild celebrations on the slow down lap.
On 27 September Haslam was released from his two-year contract with Alstare Suzuki by mutual consent, team manager Francis Batta citing the lack of response to the call for help from the Suzuki factory.
On 28 September 2010, Haslam signed a two-year contract with the BMW team to ride in the 2011 Superbike World Championship season, and for the 2013 season he joined Ten Kate Honda Fireblade WSB operating as "Team Pata Honda", with Ulsterman Jonny Rea as teammate.
In July 2013 Haslam won the prestigious Coke Zero Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in Japan, partnered-up for the race with Team Pata World Supersport rider Michael van der Mark – debuting at Suzuka – and 2010 winner Takumi Takahashi in the MuSashi HARC Pro Honda team. The trio repeated victory for the 2014 Coke Zero Suzuka 8 Hours.
After a disappointing 2014 season on the Ten Kate Pata Honda with injuries and average results, Haslam signed to race Aprilia for "Red Devils Roma Team" in 2015, together with Spanish teammate Jordi Torres.
Personal life.
Leon has two sisters, Emma and Zoe. In 2010, he married his long term partner, former glamour model turned TV presenter Olivia Stringer in Sweden, who gave birth to their daughter Ava May in December 2011 and Max Peter on 11 August 2013.
Haslam owns the snooker cue that Peter Ebdon used to win the 2002 World Snooker Championship, and has it framed on his wall. He also enjoys playing poker, pool and golf, and supports Manchester United F.C.. His training partners include his wife, and the Formula Renault front-runner Riki Christodoulou. At Mallory Park he also made his debut in the British Rallycross Championship in a Suzuki Swift, for which he then stated he had plans to run in the series part-time in 2010.


A90 road

The A90 road is a major north to south highway in eastern Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh, through Dundee and Aberdeen.
Background.
The creation and development of the A90 road has to be understood in terms of the development of the economy of the North-East of Scotland which had resulted in an increase in traffic along the route between Perth and Aberdeen. In recognition of this, in 1979, the British government announced that it was giving priority to the upgrading of the route to dual carriageway standard. It had already been decided that the trunk route between Dundee and Stonehaven which, previously, had followed the same route as the railway line between the two towns, would now follow an inland route through Forfar and Laurencekirk. The new route would incorporate the A85 from Perth to Dundee the A929 between Dundee and Forfar, the A94 between Forfar and Stonehaven, and the A92 from Stonehaven to Aberdeen; in 1994, the confusion of numbers was resolved with the renumbering of these roads and the creation of the A90 (M90) Edinburgh to Aberdeen trunk road. The coastal route from Dundee to Stonehaven was detrunked in 1978, at the same time as the inland route was trunked. The overall cost of the change was put at £139 million.
Route.
From Edinburgh, the A90 travels west and connects to the M90 motorway bypass route that leads to the M9: however, it is only possible to travel northbound when reaching this connection. After connecting with the M90, it runs as a short section of A-road before turning into the M90 properly at the Queensferry Crossing. At Perth, the M90 again becomes the A90, now running north east to Dundee and through the Kingsway road system. It then passes Forfar, Brechin and Stracathro (the site of an ancient Roman Camp).
After crossing the Cowie Water just north of Stonehaven, a new (2019) junction takes the A90 road north as part of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), bypassing the city to its west past the suburban developments of Peterculter, Milltimber, Westhill and Kingswells, turning east past Aberdeen Airport and Dyce. Meanwhile while the road previously known as the A90 continues as the renamed A92 via Newtonhill, Portlethen, Cove Bay, the urban area of Aberdeen and Bridge of Don), rejoining the A90 at the village of Blackdog where the AWPR terminates. Proceeding north, the route crosses the Ythan Estuary near Ellon, skirting Peterhead (and crossing Balmoor Bridge) on its way to Fraserburgh. The A952 road via Mintlaw serves as one of Aberdeenshire's principal freight routes.
The Dundee to Aberdeen stretch of the A90 has many speed cameras. Previously, the trip from Dundee to Aberdeen along the A90 entailed over a dozen speed cameras including a majority of fixed Gatso types as well as locations used by mobile camera vans. These cameras were found on long fast stretches of road, and shortly before dangerous junctions, such as at the Laurencekirk junction where a speed limit is in force. This was introduced due to this junction's appalling safety record. A similar speed restriction was imposed at Forfar until two new grade-separated junctions were built, after which the restriction was lifted. In 2017 Average Speed Cameras were erected between Dundee and Stonehaven, with 15 per side, spaced approximately every 5 miles for a total of 30 cameras. BBC News reported in January 2018 that speed limit compliance had increased from 2 in 5 to 99 in 100 drivers.
The section of the A90 between Balmedie and Tipperty was upgraded to dual carriageway in 2018.
A short stretch of the A90, from the southern terminus of the M90 to Barnton Junction (a junction with the A902), is part of Euroroute E15, which runs from Inverness to Algeciras in Spain. The E15 continues northwards on the M90, and southwards on the A902 leading to the Edinburgh City Bypass.
The A90 ran along the coast and through Aberdeen until the city was bypassed with the opening of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route in 2018. The former stretch of A90 from Stonehaven through to just north of Aberdeen is now part of the A92.
Future.
Ground investigations were carried out in 2019 in preparation for upgrading the flat junction between the A90 and the A937 to a flyover after a number of deaths. However, in 2021 it was announced that work had been delayed. The proposed flyover would require the closure of a flat crossing at Oatyhill which is now the sole access point to some properties after a nearby bridge crossing the Dundee–Aberdeen line was closed to road traffic in 2020.
River crossings.
A90 bridges span numerous rivers, estuaries and burns including:


Zenos Cars

Zenos Cars is a British automotive company that produces high-performance, light-weight sports cars. Based in Wymondham, Norfolk, UK, the company designs, manufactures and sells three variants of the Zenos E10 car. In January 2017 Zenos went into administration with staff made redundant but the assets were purchased by a consortium in March 2017.
Background.
The company was founded in Norfolk in 2012. The founders, Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, had worked together before at Lotus Cars and later at Caterham Cars.
Edwards and Ali believed there was a gap in the market for lightweight, contemporary high-performance sports cars that were affordable to purchase and to run. Before the company’s first product line, the E10 series, was designed, the founders agreed on a price point that would be attractive to potential customers, and determined if a clean-sheet design could be produced and sold at such a level.
The development phase of Zenos’s first series of models included driving days with deposit-holders and potential customers, with the aim of ensuring that drivers and passengers would be both comfortably accommodated and fully engaged.
Matt Windle, Operations Director, joined the company in October 2015, bringing production expertise gained during a seven-year spell as Principal Engineer at Tesla, as well as through his role as Chief Engineer, Body at Caterham Technology and Innovation (CTI), and positions at Lotus Cars, Nissan, Volvo and Daewoo. Chris Weston, Head of Development, played a key role in engineering the car and readying it for production.
On 16 January 2017, following a string of cancelled export orders, Zenos was placed into administration. Begbies Traynor (London) LLP, the administrators, stated they are open to speaking with parties interested in securing the future of the company, and in March 2017 a consortium led by Alan Lubinsky's AC Cars acquired the company and assets.
Name.
The name Zenos is said to be a combination of ‘zen’, representing purity, and ‘os’, which is loosely Latin for 'vertebra' or spine – reflecting one of the key architectural elements of the company’s products.
Partners.
Zenos Cars has used a number of partners in the design and development of its products. They include: Drive – exterior and interior design; Multimatic Technical Centre Europe (MTCE) – chassis design; Ford and Hendy Power – powertrain package supply; Specialist Control Systems – ECU development; Avon Tyres; Alcon Components – brakes and clutches; OZ Racing – wheels; Titan Motorsport – design and production of key components; Bilstein – shock absorbers; and Tillett Racing Seats. Zenos Cars has also received support from the Niche Vehicle Network, and from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership through the Growing Business Fund.
Factory and production.
Zenos Cars are hand-produced in the company’s factory in Wymondham, Norfolk, UK. Production of the Zenos E10 and E10 S began in January 2015. The Zenos E10 R was announced in November 2015, with production starting in January 2016. In September 2016, the company announced that it had built its 100th vehicle, which was an E10 R finished in custom Soul Red colour.
Following the reorganisation of the company in 2017, production ceased in the UK and is planned to move to South Africa and the engineering centre remaining in Norfolk.
Sales and network.
Zenos sports cars are currently sold in the UK, USA, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Italy. Non-UK markets account for 50% of Zenos production.
Models.
Zenos produced the E10 between 2015 and 2016.


Frazer-Nash Research


Arash Motor Company

Arash Motor Company is a Supercar & Hypercar manufacturer based in Newmarket, Suffolk, England. It was originally established by Arash Farboud as Farboud Limited in 1999 and changed name in 2006.
The company has made four models to date - the AF-LM (a prototype Le Mans tribute car), the Farboud GTS (a super sports car), the AF-8 (their first supercar) and the AF-10 (their attempt at a hypercar).
Currently only the AF-8 & AF-10 are in production but a new car is due to be released in 2021.
The company is an ultra-low volume manufacturer, producing less than 3 cars per year. Sales are equally low, having recorded fewer than 80 sales over the entire existence of the company.
History.
The company began developing the Farboud GT in 1999 under the name Farboud Ltd. This was launched at The Autosport Show held at the Birmingham NEC in 2001. He went on to design the Farboud GTS which was officially launched at the British Motorshow in London in 2004. At that time Chris Marsh was working with Arash as a Sales Representative. His background was that he was the son of Jen Marsh who founded Marcos cars with Frank Costin (Marsh+Costin=Marcos). Marsh became enthusiastic about the Farboud GTS and Arash subsequently granted him a licence to use the shape of the car and assist with the development in exchange for shares in the new car company.
Marsh subsequently simplified the design by substituting the Audi RS4 based racing engine with a Ford V6. He also changed some cosmetic features including the doors, windows and interior parts. After a dispute in 2005, Marsh renamed the car "The Farbio". This was to announce the Farboud car link to "biofuel" and fitted more with the brand rework. He originally attempted to call the car "The Fangio", but there was push-back from the deceased Formula 1 driver's Argentine family regarding remuneration.
Arash sold his shares of Farbio to Michael Simmonds. Arash continued as 100% shareholder of Farboud Ltd. This later became Arash Motor Co.
The design and concept was later sold to Laurence Tomlinson of Ginetta fame who kept the design and renamed the car the G50.
Models.
Farboud GT.
The Farboud GT was the company's first model, announced in 2002 at the Autosport International show in Birmingham. It featured a 2.8-litre V6 twin turbo engine producing 620bhp.
Farboud GTS.
The Farboud GTS was shown as a concept car at Autosport International in 2003. Three cars were built before the design was sold to Farbio Sports Cars and production started in 2007 with the car sold as the Farbio GTS. Following the merging of Farbio with Ginetta, the GTS was further developed as the Ginetta F400.
Arash AF10.
In 2009, Arash displayed the AF10, featuring a Chevrolet Corvette-sourced 7.0-litre V8 engine producing at least 500bhp. The car was not put into production but Arash later revealed a revised model in 2016 with a hybrid drivetrain and a horsepower claim of 2080 HP.
It also features in the car racing game as the fastest car in game.
Arash AF8.
The AF8 was designed by Arash and revealed at the Geneva Motor Show 2016. It featured a carbon/steel tubed chassis and a mid-engined 7.0-litre V8 engine producing 505bhp. It later went up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2015 and 2016.


Mellor Coachcraft

Mellor Coachcraft is a British bus manufacturer based in Bolton, Greater Manchester, with a factory in nearby Rochdale. Founded in the 1960s, Mellor have primarily produced bodywork for various different minibus chassis throughout its history.
History.
Mellor Coachcraft was founded in the 1960s by Tom Mellor with a factory in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Initially, Mellor specialised in providing bodywork for commercial vehicles including ambulances, before later moving into minibus manufacturing. Following a period of growth spurred on by the move into the minibus market, Mellor moved into a new purpose-built factory in Miall Street, Rochdale which they still occupy today, although the company headquarters have relocated to nearby Bolton.
Throughout the 'minibus revolution' of the 1980s in the United Kingdom, Mellor provided bodies for a number of different chassis, with a large number of deliveries going to Transit Holdings and their various subsidiaries.
In 1989, the company was sold by Henlys Group to Plaxton. In February 1992, the company's assets were transferred to a new entity, Deckglade Limited, in preparation for a management buyout by the Woodall Nicholson Group that was completed in May 1992, with the company name reverting to Mellor Coachcraft in July 2003. Success was found in the late 1990s and early 2000s with a bodywork for the low-floor Iveco Daily chassis, with a capacity of between 16 and 25 passengers; fitted with an optional rear lift, the body was popular with the early access bus market. Later, bodywork was launched for the Fiat Ducato, Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz T2, Vario and Sprinter chassis, with many minibuses being sold to local authorities in the access bus market.
Mellor purchased rival minibus manufacturer Bluebird Vehicles in July 2014, after the latter company had entered administration, taking over manufacture of their successful Fiat Ducato-based Orion and Volkswagen Transporter-based Tucana minibuses. Mellor later launched the updated Tucana II and an updated version of the Orion, sharing features with a number of Mellor's own products.
In 2016, Mellor launched the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter-based Strata minibus, with a capacity of up to 22 seated passengers. The Strata has sold well in the market of the United Kingdom's 'second minibus revolution' of the mid to late 2010s, winning orders from a number of operators including Arriva North West and Bus Vannin.
The Strata was followed by the Maxima on high-floor Iveco Daily chassis, aimed at local authorities for the access bus and community transport markets, with a capacity of up to eight wheelchairs or 30 seated passengers. In August 2017, Mellor signed a distributorship arrangement deal in Germany and Austria with E-Vade as part of plans to expand into the mainland European market.
On 1 November 2017, Mellor's owner Woodall Nicholson Holdings completed the purchase of the Villmount Group, which owns rival UK-based minibus manufacturer Treka Bus. Mellor Coachcraft and Treka Bus will continue to trade separately as Woodall Nicholson subsidiaries.
Products.
Current.
Additionally, Mellor also provide various custom-built access bus and community transport minibus bodies for mid-floor Fiat Ducato and high-floor Iveco Daily 50C17, 65C17 and 70C17 chassis, as well as van conversions for a variety of chassis including the Volkswagen Transporter.
Former.
In the past, Mellor have also produced bodywork for Ford Transit, Iveco Daily, LDV Convoy, Mercedes-Benz T2, Mercedes-Benz Vario and Renault 50 chassis; however, early bodies were not given names.


Val Page

Valentine Page (1891–1978) was a British motorcycle designer, who worked for several of the UK's leading marques, including Ariel, Triumph, and BSA. Page was an innovator whose radical designs include the Triumph 6/1, BSA Gold Star, BSA A7 and BSA M20, the J.A.Prestwich engine of the Brough Superior SS100, and the Ariel Leader.
J.A Prestwich.
Val Page served his apprenticeship as a motorcycle engineer and designer with J.A. Prestwich. Page designed the engines used in the Brough Superior SS100 and SS80 luxury motorcycles, and developed the racing motorcycles which made riders such as Bert le Vack famous.
Ariel Motorcycles.
Page spent most of his career with Ariel Motorcycles, which he joined in 1925. Eventually, he became chief designer and developed a new range of motorcycles for the 1926 season. Starting with an advanced engine, Page had to wait until 1927 before a suitable frame and cycle parts were designed. These formed the basis for what was to be the Ariel Red Hunter, which continued successfully until Ariel ceased production of four strokes in 1959.
Triumph.
Page left Ariel in 1932 to become chief designer at the rival Triumph Motorcycles where, with Edward Turner, he developed Triumph's first parallel twin, the model 6/1,<ref name="Davis Triumph 6/1"></ref> and a range of singles, including a 150cc two-stroke and 250, 350 and 500cc four-strokes.
BSA.
Moving to BSA in 1936, Page designed all new models (except the V-twins) including the Empire Star, which was developed into the high performance production BSA Gold Star, named in celebration of Wal Handley's 100 mph lap time at the Brooklands circuit. The innovative Gold Star had a single cylinder 500 cc engine with twin pushrods operating double-coil springs and overhead valves. The pushrod tunnel was an integral casting in the cylinder block. Page also designed the dependable BSA M20 motorcycle, of which 125,000 saw wartime use.
Return to Ariel.
After the war he returned to Ariel where he designed the monocoque Ariel Leader in 1958.


A345 road

The A345 is a secondary A road in Wiltshire, England running from Salisbury to Marlborough and the A4. The road is a main south–north link across Salisbury Plain, which is renowned for its rich archaeology, and passes many ancient points of interest along its way.
Route.
The road begins in Salisbury at the Castle roundabout and travels north out of the city, passing close to Old Sarum castle, taking a predominantly straight line to Boscombe Down and then Amesbury before meeting the A303 at Countess roundabout where it shares Countess Services with the major road. At this point it passes within of the World Heritage Site at Stonehenge. Continuing north, the road passes near to Woodhenge and the Ministry of Defence Royal School of Artillery base at Larkhill. This part of the route can be hazardous as there are often tanks crossing and the road is susceptible to subsidence. The next significant places are Netheravon, and then Upavon where the road briefly separates into a one-way system around the village, running concurrently with the A342 to Devizes. From here the A345 goes to Pewsey, where the Pewsey White Horse is best viewed, and then continues on to Marlborough, ending at a roundabout leading to the High Street which is the A4 road.
History.
Originally the A345 extended north from Marlborough to a junction with the A419 at Commonhead, south east of Swindon. From there it went through Swindon to meet the A419 again at Blunsdon.
When the M4 motorway was opened, the section from Marlborough to the motorway junction 15 became a northern extension of the A346. From the motorway to Commonhead, the road became part of the A419, and the route through Swindon was renumbered A4259 and A4311.
Between Amesbury and Durrington a section of the A345 was realigned further east away from the Woodhenge scheduled monument in 1968, crossing to a further west alignment and incorporating a new roundabout at its junction with the A3028.
The southern terminus was originally further south along Castle Street at Salisbury market square, but with the opening of the Salisbury Inner Ring Road in 1969 the southern section was declassified.


Norton Commando

The Norton Commando is a British Norton-Villiers motorcycle with an OHV pre-unit parallel-twin engine, produced by the Norton Motorcycle company from 1967 until 1977. Initially having a nominal "750 cc" displacement, actually , in 1973 it became an "850 cc", actually . It had a hemi-type head, similar to all OHV Norton engines since the early 1920s.
During its ten years of production, the Commando was popular all over the world. In the United Kingdom it won the "Motor Cycle News" "Machine of the Year" award for five successive years from 1968-1972. Given that its engine was an old pre-unit design, even Norton's chairman, Dennis Poore, expressed surprise at the Commando's remarkable success.
Background.
The origins of the Norton Commando can be traced back to the late 1940s when the Norton Model 7 Twin was designed by Bert Hopwood. The twin-cylinder design evolved into 600 cc, then the 650 cc "Manxman" and Dominator until superseded by 750 cc Atlas before being launched as the 750 cc Commando in 1967. As well as having a radical new frame, the Commando's engine was tilted forward. The previous featherbed framed models like the Atlas had vertically mounted engines. This forward leaning of the engine was relatively easy as the engine was "pre-unit", that is, the gearbox was not integral with the crankcase, and the change gave three benefits: (i) the centre of gravity was moved further forward; (ii) this allowed more space behind the carburettors for the airbox; and (iii) it gave an attractive raked appearance to the motorcycle.
Isolastic system.
The revolutionary part of the Commando, compared to earlier Norton models, was the award-winning frame developed by former Rolls-Royce engineer Dr. Stefan Bauer. He believed the classic Norton Featherbed frame design went against all engineering principles, so Bauer designed his frame around a single top tube. Bauer tried to free the Commando from classic twin vibration problems, which had severely increased as the volume of the basic engine design expanded from the "500 cc" of Edward Turner's 1938 Triumph Speed Twin. He, with Norton-Villiers Chief Engineer Bernard Hooper and assistant Bob Trigg, decided that the engine, gearbox and swing-arm assembly were to be bolted together and isolated from the frame by special rubber mountings.
This eliminated the extreme vibration problems that were apparent in other models in the range, as it effectively separated the rider from the engine. Named the Isolastic anti-vibration system, the system's patent document listed Hooper as the lead inventor. Although the Isolastic system did reduce vibration, maintaining the required free play in the engine mountings at the correct level was crucial to its success.
Models.
Mk1 750 cc.
The Norton Commando was introduced in 1967 at the Earls Court Show.
The original model, called the 'Fastback' was joined by the scrambler style 'S Type' which had a high level left-side exhaust and a 2.5-gallon (11 L) petrol tank. The first Commandos had a twin-leading-shoe front drum brake.
Production of the machine was initially complex and located across different parts of England, with the engines produced in Wolverhampton, frames in Manchester, while components and final assembly was at Burrage Grove, Plumstead. In late 1968 Plumstead works was subject to a Greater London Council compulsory purchase order, and closed in July 1969. With assistance of a Government subsidy, the assembly line was moved to North Way, Andover; with the Test Department in an aircraft hangar on Thruxton Airfield. Frame manufacturing was transferred to Wolverhampton, where a second production line produced about 80 complete machines each week. Components and complete engines and gearboxes were also shipped overnight, from Wolverhampton to the Andover assembly line.
The production racer, featuring a tuned engine, front disc brake and finished in bright yellow, was known as the 'Yellow Peril'. In March to June 1970 the updated S called the 'Roadster' had the "750 cc" engine, low-level exhaust, upward-angled silencers with reverse cones. September 1970 saw the introduction of the classic 'Fastback Mk2', which had alloy levers with modified stands and chain guards. The ‘Street Scrambler’ and the ‘Hi Rider’ were launched in May 1971, with the ‘Fastback Long Range’ with increased petrol tank capacity from July 1971.
The ‘Combat engine’ engine was introduced in January 1972 saw the appearance of the ‘Mk4 Fastback’, updated ‘Roadster’ and the ‘750 Interstate’. The ‘Combat’ delivered at 6500 rpm with a 10:1 compression ratio, but the stressed "750 cc" twin proved unreliable, with main bearing failures and broken pistons. The 'Combat' engine's quality control problems exacerbated the company's troubles. By the middle of 1972 BSA Triumph group were in financial duress. The UK Government offered a financial rescue package, providing it would agree to merge with Norton Villiers. Norton Villiers Triumph was duly formed.
The last of the 750 series, the MkV was produced from November 1972 to mid-1973 as a 1973 model and featured improved crank bearings and the standard grind camshaft. Compression was reduced to 9.4:1.
Interpol.
After some police forces expressed interest in the Commando, Neale Shilton was recruited from Triumph to produce a Commando to police specifications. The end result was the 'Interpol' machine, which sold well to police forces, both at home and abroad. The 750 cc machine was fitted with panniers, top box, fairing, radio mountings, police lights, and auxiliary equipment. The 'Interpol' name was retained for Norton's later Norton Interpol 2 rotary engined Police motorcycle.
1973 Mk1 850 cc.
In January 1973 the ‘Mk.5 Fastback’ was launched and the ‘Long Range’ was discontinued, foreshadowing the first 850 cc machines launched in April 1973. The ‘Roadster’, ‘Hi Rider’ and the ‘Interstate’ all began to use a new 828 cc. engine, which had similar power to the 750 cc models but were less stressed.
In late 1973 redundancy notices were issued at Andover, followed by a sit-in at the works. The Conservative Government withdrew the subsidy in early 1974: it was restored after a General Election by the new Labour Government. So NVT decided to concentrate production of the Commando at Wolverhampton and Small Heath, causing unrest at Meriden which resulted in a workers’ sit in and stopping production at Small Heath. By the end of 1974 NVT had lost over £3 million. The company continued to produce new Commando models, with 1974 seeing the release of the fully faired, Roadster-based ‘JPN Replica’ (for "John Player Norton") and also the ‘Mk.2a Interstate’.
Mk3 850 cc.
The 850 cc MK3 Commando was launched in 1975 with an improved specification – electric starter, isolastic head steady for improved vibration absorption, left side gear change and right side foot brake to comply with United States vehicle regulations, and a rear disc brake.
An updated model, the 'Norton 76' was planned for 1976 but never reached production. The model featured cast wheels, twin front disc brakes and a new tank and seat. A prototype '900 Commando' was also produced. It used a Triumph T180 triple engine (a T160 Trident engine increased in capacity to 870 cc) in Commando cycle parts. An 8 valve version of the engine was also in development.
The range of models was reduced to just two machines, the ‘Mk.3 Interstate’ and the ‘Roadster’. The specification remained unchanged until October 1977 when the last machines were made, although few Roadsters were made in the end due to the higher cash sales value of the Interstate.
In 1975 the Industry Minister recalled a loan for £4 million and refused to renew the company's export credits. The company then went into receivership and redundancies were announced for all of the staff at the various sites. At Wolverhampton an action committee was formed in an effort to continue production and develop the ‘Wulf’ engine - but the works was closed anyway.
NVT was saved when the Small Heath/Meriden part of the company was subsidised by Industry Secretary Tony Benn as Industry Secretary, but this did not include Commando production. Ironically, the new company bought the gates from the demolished Tong Castle and erected them at the works entrance in Marston Road.
Product Issues.
The first production machines completed in April 1968 had frame failure problems, which were resolved with the introduction of an improved frame in January 1969.
There were numerous other design problems which were gradually addressed over the years, although some persisted to the end. The early clutches could not handle the engine torque, and two small internal pins would shear off, leading to severe slippage (later resolved). The side-stand tended to break off, particularly if the owner insisted on starting the machine on the side-stand, leaving a hole in the frame beneath the engine, while the center-stand was too short to provide good support for the motorcycle, dragged on the pavement, and tended to break in half (both later improved). The engine rubber mounting system, which isolated the rider from vibration very well, left the engine to its own devices, and it shook like a commercial paint can shaker at idle.
Because the rubber-mounted engine was not restrained by the frame, it shook a great deal and parts that had worked well on previous Nortons were damaged. The rocker arm oil supply line had always been made of copper tubing, but on the Commando it would fracture from vibration. The line was later changed to nylon. The head steady would also fatigue and fracture from vibration (later improved). The Amal carbs had float needle leakage from vibration, which led to flooding and fires, exacerbated by having the ignition points located under the right hand carb (relocated to the right side of the engine after the first year). The carburettors themselves also wore out prematurely from vibration (persistent problem).
The main bearings were of two types at first, ball and roller. In 1972 both bearings became roller-type, and the crankcase was stiffened. These main roller bearings in the now stiffer case would gall at high revs, leading to main bearing failure. This was resolved after the Combat model debacle, firstly using an R&M/RHP 6/MRJA30 special bearing designated "Superblend". This was superseded by an extra high capacity FAG NJ306E standard bearing early in 1973. Images of the bearings are available on Wikimedia Commons. The threaded aluminum knobs holding the seat would strip, leaving the seat loose (never resolved). The chain guard mount would fracture (later improved).
The exhaust pipe manifold nuts were problematic to the end, loosening from vibration no matter how tightly they were fastened, leading to a ruined cylinder head and constant rattling of the header pipes. The brake light switches were unreliable, leading at times to no brake light indicator (front was improved with disc brake). The steering head bearings were ball-type, and took a permanent set under the bearing pre-load, leading to weaving at speed (later switched to roller bearings). There was a rear chain oiler which covered the rear wheel in oil, and had to be pinched off by the owner.
The speedometer drive mechanism operated from the rear wheel, with a long cable to the speedometer. This drive mechanism wore out very quickly, as did any replacement, leading to no speedometer reading (never resolved). The early tachometer drive jutted from the right side of the engine, and was vulnerable to being struck and snapped off (relocated to front of engine). The primary chain tensioning bolt tended to loosen at inconvenient times. The rear chain adjusting bolts pushed, rather than pulled, the rear axle, and would bend, making them difficult to turn. Nor were there index marks to allow equal axle positioning on the right and left side of the swing arm. The ignition switch mount would break from vibration (later relocated).
Racing.
From its 1967 beginnings the Commando took part in racing events. After successes in 1969 by dealer-entered machines like Paul Smart's second and Mick Andrew's 4th places in the Isle of Man TT Production class and a win in the Hutchinson 100 Production Class by Mick Andrew on the Gus Kuhn entered Commando and 4th by Peter Williams' Arter Bros machine, the company decided to produce a racing model, hence developed the S and "Yellow Peril" models.
In the early 1970s, with sponsorship from John Player Special cigarettes, Norton went factory racing. The new race bikes were based on the Commando, and in 1973 Peter Williams won the Formula 750 Isle of Man TT on a semi-monocoque framed "JPS Norton" special which he designed as an integrated package with a Peel-type fairing incorporating handlebar blisters which helped to reduce the drag coefficient to 0.39.
Shortly afterward there was a merger of Norton Villiers with BSA-Triumph (to form NVT). This event led the factory to abandon racing; and a Norton factory team did not resume racing until the Wankel-engined Nortons of the 1980s.
Commando revival.
In light of its "last of the classic British twins" tag, and the fact that many of the trade marks were disputed and patents expired, a number of new Norton companies began to emerge. These were based on production of new parts sourced from various manufacturers, and the legal battle over the Norton name between Germany (whose Norton was based on the Rotax 650 cc engine that powers the smaller BMW motorcycles), Canada and North America. Many used the Commando name for their lead model, or included the prospect of a Commando twin at a later date.
However, the most interesting development for original Commando fans was the development of re-manufactured original motorcycles. These mainly came from Norvil in the UK and two companies in the United States, Colorado Norton Works and Kenny Dreer's Vintage Rebuilds based in Portland, Oregon. From 1995 onwards Vintage Rebuilds began restoring vintage British and Italian motorcycles, with Dreer showing a "new" Commando based Norton VR880 Sprint Special in 1999 with newly cast and manufactured parts, but using a bored out 880 cc twin engine with some modern developments. Kenny Dreer progressed from restoring and upgrading Norton Commandos to producing whole machines. He modernised the design and in the early 2000s went into series production of the Commando 961 SS, which combined traditional Norton cafe racer styling with new technology including carbon fibre wheels to reduce weight and a chro-moly tubular steel frame. Dreer was forced to suspend production in April 2006 following funding problems.
The Norvil Motorcycle Company was formed to build replica models of some classic Norton models. The company acquired some Norton trademarks, including the hybrid name of 'Norvil'.
New Commando 961.
UK businessman Stuart Garner, owner of Norton Racing Ltd, acquired the rights to the Norton Commando brand. His company, Norton Motorcycles (UK) Ltd, established a new factory at Donington Park, Leicestershire in 2008 to manufacture a new Commando model, designed by Simon Skinner. There are three models in the new Commando range: a limited edition of 200 Commando 961 SEs, a Cafe Racer and a Sport model. In March 2010 Norton shipped the first new Norton Commando for over 30 years; and by mid-April 2010 the Company was shipping 5-10 new machines per week. The engine is a 961 cc fuel-injected air-cooled ohv 270° parallel-twin that produces 79 bhp (59 kW). The short-stroke engine is oversquare, with an 88 x 79 mm bore and stroke. At the bike's front are inverted (USD) forks and twin disc brakes. The engine (rather like the BSA A7) is "semi-unit", in that the 5-speed gearbox is a separate casting, but is bolted directly to the primary chaincase. Some styling is reminiscent of the original Norton Commando, especially the engine and petrol tank. The new Norton has received favourable press reviews. In a March 2012 interview, Garner revealed that Norton was receiving support from the UK Government's Export Credit Guarantee service, which should alleviate cash-flow problems and enable a significant increase in factory output. Garner added that Norton now makes an increasing number of components "in-house", reducing reliance on outside suppliers.


Triumph Adventurer 900

The Triumph Adventurer 900 is a British motorcycle that was made by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd at the Hinckley factory. Launched in 1996, the 'Adventurer' name came from a 500 cc parallel-twin trail bike from the early 1970s. The water-cooled, 12-valve triple engine was the same 885 cc as the Triumph Thunderbird 900, as were the steel spine frame and other cycle parts including front forks, rear shock, wheels and brakes. Modifications included raised handlebars and a single seat option. The most prominent features are the large rear fender, extra chrome-plated engine, cam and radiator covers, and the megaphone-shaped silencers. The Adventurer had pre-load adjustment on the rear mono-shock suspension. It was one of the best selling bikes in the Triumph line-up.


Tommy Wood

Tommy Wood (17 February 1912 – 21 January 2003) was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competed in his first Manx Grand Prix in 1937. His best season was in , when he won two races, including the 1951 Isle of Man Lightweight TT, and finished second to Bruno Ruffo in the 250cc world championship.


Brough Superior SS80

The Brough Superior SS80 was a motorcycle designed and built by George Brough of Brough Superior in Nottingham, UK from 1922 to 1939. Described by "The Motor Cycle" as "The Rolls-Royce of Motor Cycles", production ended with the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
Development.
The SS80 (Super Sports) model was developed in 1920, soon after George Brough set up Brough Superior. The SS80's model designation was based on Brough's guarantee that it could reach . Finished to a standard that put it well beyond the reach of most motorcyclists, the SS80 set out the key features of all Brough Superior models to follow. Thirty-two SS80s were built in 1935. Early models used the J.A.P. sidevalve engine which was expected to be superseded by the overhead valve Brough Superior SS100 when it was introduced at the end of 1924, but SS80 sales continued well and in 1935 the SS80 was fitted with the Matchless V-twin engine, similar to the one fitted to the Matchless Model X but with Brough's modified big end arrangement. Before production ended with the outbreak of World War II in 1939, 1,086 SS80's were manufactured in total, of which 460 were Matchless-engined.
SS80 De Luxe.
The SS80 "De Luxe" specification included a fully sprung rear wheel, bottom link front forks, a patented rolling stand, pillion footrests and a specially tuned engine.
Racing success.
George Brough used a specially-tuned SS80 he nicknamed 'Spit and Polish' (so called because of the immaculate finish he always maintained) to become the first sidevalver to lap the Brooklands track at over . The same motorcycle went on to win 51 out of 52 races. The only time it failed to win was due to a puncture.
Brough became famous as a competition rider and only retired from racing following a serious crash which left him recovering for eight months in hospital receiving skin grafts, as he never wore protective clothing.


Buckover Road Cutting

Buckover Road Cutting () is a 1.7 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near the town of Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, notified in 1967.
The site shows an unconformity between Silurian rocks and quartz conglomerate of the Devonian period.