ELLISON RETURNS TO THE TRACK AT MALLORY PARK TEST

Swan Honda’s James Ellison returned to the track at Mallory Park yesterday (Thursday) just seven weeks after sustaining a broken femur in a practice crash at Thruxton earlier this season.

Ellison completed around 50 laps of the circuit during the test and used the track time to personally test his fitness and he now feels confident that he will be in a position to return to the championship for the next round at the Leicestershire circuit in two weeks’ time.

Ellison said: “I wasn’t sure what to expect before I got back on the Swan Honda so I arrived at Mallory Park with no expectations. I was happy though that I was able to complete around 50 to 60 laps of the circuit. I haven’t obviously been chasing lap times as the focus was just to get me back out on the track, but although I am not completely back to full fitness I feel good and really want to be back out on the grid at Mallory Park to try and get my championship back on track.”

Swan Honda team manager Shaun Muir concluded: “The focus of the test was to re-acclimatise James with the feel of the bike and work the body in places where you cannot reach in the gym. Conditions were not ideal, but he worked his way into the test and he has come away with a huge boost of confidence ahead of the next round. We will discuss the situation with the BSB medical team and hopefully satisfy them that James’ is fit enough to race in two weeks time.”

For more information visit www.swanhonda.co.uk

New lap record and two top six finishes for Amor at TT

Knox protected Keith Amor enjoyed a strong day of racing on the Isle of Man when he set a new lap record and finished 4th in the Supersport race on the Kojak Racing Honda, despite hitting his left shoulder on the railings at Braddan Bridge on the opening lap. To round out a good day on the Island, he also finished sixth on the WA Corless/Jackson Racing BMW in the Superstock race, recording a hugely impressive 189mph through the speed trap.

Conditions around the Mountain Course were perfect for some high speed racing and the day got off to a record breaking start in the 4-lap Supersport race although it was almost over before it had begun for Keith due to the aforementioned collision with the railings. As a result he found himself down in seventh place at the end of the opening lap but, despite an extremely painful shoulder, he increased his speed on lap two to 124.608mph to close in on the riders in front of him. A good pit stop saw him make up even further time and by the end of lap 3 he was up to fifth. Now firmly in his stride, Keith and the Honda were really flying on the final lap and with a new lap record of 126.909mph he was able to claim fourth at the chequered flag.

There was little rest for Keith and, after a quick trip to the medical centre to get his shoulder checked over, he was back out in the 4-lap Superstock race. An opening lap of 128.179mph saw Keith slot in to fifth place, with the times incredibly close between the top ten riders and with a near identical lap time second time around, 128.194mph, he was able to maintain his position. On the third lap, Keith and the BMW were pushed back to sixth by Guy Martin and although he lapped quicker than his Honda rival on the final lap, he missed out on fifth by just 0.21s after over 150 miles of racing!

Pictures by Mark 'Wally Walters

Handroid debut in Moto2 at Mugello

Xavier Simeon is the first rider to race wearing Knox Handroid in motorcycle prand prix, competing in the Gran Premio d'Italia TIM at Mugello. Riding the Holiday Gym Racing Moriwaki the young Belgian finished a creditable 19th in a closely fought race that saw five riders crash out and a similar number retiring.

Xavier will also race the Silverstone and Assen Moto 2 rounds.

Follow his progress at www.motogp.com

New look Knox Dry Inside base layer

Knox has given its Dry Inside base layer a fresh new look for 2010. Designed to keep the wearer dry and comfortable throughout the seasons, this technical collection of base layers combines the natural comfort of cotton with the wicking properties of synthetic fabrics.

Made from 95% cotton (and 5% lycra for a comfortable fit), Dry Inside is unlike normal cotton base layers because it wicks moisture away, leaving the wearer feeling dry and fresh. It achieves this because the material is treated with 3XDry® from Schoeller - The Feelgood Technology.

So the uncomfortable stickiness of a normal T-shirt or pants on the skin is diminished and unattractive perspiration marks are practically invisible from the outside. Added to this, the natural cooling-effect makes the wearer feel really good and energised.

Ideal for motorcycling, mountain biking, hiking, horse riding and most outdoor sports, Knox Dry Inside is easy to care for as it is machine washable. To refresh its 3XDry® properties simply turn inside out and iron.

The range includes long and short sleeve tops (at £29.99 and £27.99) and matching long and short pants (selling for £24.99 and £19.99) respectively, all in sizes XS – XXL.
Call 01900 825825 or visit www.dryinside.co.uk

What is 3XDry®?

1. Dry on the inside: moisture resulting from perspiration is quickly absorbed from the inner side of the textile with 3XDRY® treatment and distributed over a large surface area, before and escaping to the outside. This stimulates a cooling effect.

2. Dry on the outside: the 3XDRY® treatment reliably repels moisture, reducing the effect of dirt and stains. As only the inside of the textile absorbs moisture, perspiration marks are practically invisible from the outside.

3. Dry in a flash: the distribution of the moisture over a large surface area ensures rapid evaporation. Therefore, textiles with 3XDRY® dry noticeably faster.

Top six all round at Cadwell for Cummins

Knox-protected Conor Cummins got back into Championship contention at Cadwell Park when he finished in 6th place in round 4 of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship. The Team Blackhorse Kawasaki rider overcame a tough first qualifying session to steadily increase his pace over the course of the weekend and he was rewarded with a fighting sixth place in the 15-lap race to move into fifth place in the title race.

Following slight problems with the handling in Friday's opening qualifying session, Conor made a few changes to the set-up of the bike and he was able to shave over a second off his time in qualifying on Saturday, jumping up to 8th on the grid, which was good enough for a third row start.

With extremely warm temperatures on Sunday, it was going to be a tough race for the 36-strong field but a good start by Conor saw him move up to sixth straightaway and when the safety car came out on the sixth lap he was up to fifth and more than handily placed. Two laps later, the car pulled in and for the second half of the race Conor was embroiled in a fine seven-rider battle for fourth place, a position he briefly held having overhauled Luke Quigley before the Suzuki rider fought back. With the leading three riders clear, fourth place was still anyone's but Quigley manfully resisted all challenges Conor made and in the run in to the line he slipped back to sixth as Glen Richards just sneaked by. Nevertheless, after crashing out of the last round at Oulton, it was good to be back in the top six and the ten Championship points picked up by Conor see him well placed in fifth overall.

Talking later, the 23-year old said: "I'm really happy to be back in the top six again and it's been nice to move back up to fifth in the Championship table. With the TT so close, it's important to stay out of trouble but you've also still got to give 100%. I'm really looking forward to the TT now and can't wait for it to begin!"

Handroid 100mph crash test report

"After seeing a good friend and close rival crash at croft and suffer serious hand injuries I decided to invest in some quality race gloves" writes Jamie Harrison (race no. 90). "After studying the market I decided on the very impressive Knox handroids".

"During the next race meeting at Cadwell Park on the 2nd May, shortly after taking the lead, I had a big off at the Gooseneck travelling around 100mph, which destroyed my bike, snapping the frame in half. After bowling over four or five times I came to a halt. My new Knox handroids and Knox back protector had done their job brilliantly and to everyone’s amazement I got up and walked away without a mark on me. Big thanks to Knox for another great product and I won’t be racing without my handroids on!!"

These close-ups show how effectively the sliders have worked, protecting the leather from serious abrasion. Read all about Hand armour at http://www.knox-lab.com/

Draggin Jeans choose Knox for their unique CE-approved riding jeans

Australia's Draggin Jeans are the first producer of denim motorcycle jeans to receive full European CE-approval and British-made Knox protectors are part of their success story.
Only a handful of leather and textile motorcycle garments has reached this level of approval to date and it has never previously been granted to a street fashion jean. CE tests are applied by scientific laboratories and strictly impose minimum safety requirements, so gaining CE-approval means that a product has successfully satisfied all of those imposed standards. Draggin Jeans passed the European standards regulating the protective qualities of motorcycle clothing, EN 13595, which ensures the product offers real protection.

To gain CE-approval clothing must have CE-approved impact protection fitted at key impact areas – for trousers that means the knees and hips. Draggin Jeans have been long-term users of Knox body armour and chose the company's Air V2 protectors for its CE-approved jeans.

Grant Mackintosh, founder and CEO of Draggin Jeans, said: "This is a fantastic result. We have always maintained absolute faith in our product and its amazing safety features. We have always had the safest lining in the market, however, the requirements for CE approval are very strict, so we are elated."

The CE jean named C-Evo will immediately go into production and be available by the end of May. Knox protection is the choice of many leading clothing brands and their V2 protectors are also available for riders to retro-fit to existing clothing.
For more information on Knox protection call 01900 825 825 or visit www.knox-armour.co.uk. Draggin Jeans can be found at www.dragginjeans.net