Motorcycle Racing in the UK

Motorcycle racing is perhaps the most adrenaline pumping sport, including road racing and off road racing, but also open circuits and track racing. Of all four types of motorcycle racing, road racing is the best-regarded adrenaline motorcycle sport by combining knee-down action, huge straight-line, and speed with high levels of concentration, skilled machine-control and fitness. In the UK, British Motorcycle Grand Prix and British Superbike Championship are highly anticipated by adrenaline aficionados, while other motorcycle championships are also taking place throughout the year.

British Motorcycle Grand Prix

Formerly known as The Isle of Man, the British Motorcycle Grand Prix is part of the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (MotoGP), the premier category of motorcycle road racing. Being a road racing event, the British Motorcycle Grand Prix is conducted on custom made racetracks, converted airfields and on closed public roads and employs four-stroke engines, i.e. internal combustion engines in which the piston concludes four separate strokes to form a single thermodynamic cycle.

The Grand Prix includes three different classes, MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto 3. In 2010, 250cc two-strokes were replaced by 600 cc four-stroke class for Moto2. In 2012, the engine capacity for MotoGP increased from 800cc to 1,000cc. Additionally, the 125cc two-strokes were replaced by 250cc four-strokes for the Moto3 and the age restriction for the riders was raised to 25 years for newly signed riders and wild card entries and 28 years for all riders. The Grand Prix employs custom made racing motorcycles, which cannot be publicly ridden and are not available for purchase to the general public. Since 1977, the event has been held at the Silverstone Circuit

British Superbike Championship (BSB)

Unlike MotoGP, Superbike Racing does not employ custom made motorcycles, but highly modified production models, which meet the legal requirements for use on the public roads. Superbike racing motorcycles have four-stroke engines with a capacity between 850cc and 1200cc for V-twins, and between 750cc and 1000cc for four-cylinder machines. The first Superbike Racing was launched by Ross and Ralph Hannan in the late 1970s. Today, the Superbike World Championship is the official world championship series, which is held in the UK, the United States, Japan, Australia and Canada.

The British Superbike Championship (BSB) is the major Superbike event that takes place in the UK. Organized by the MotorSport Vision (MSV), one of the leading motorsport organizations around the globe and the leading operator of motor racing events in the UK, BSB is sponsored by MCE Insurance and continues to attract top manufacturers, including Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and BMW. In fact, this thrilling event features an extraordinary line up - James Ellison, James Westmoreland, Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell to name a few. Some of the best riders around the world are all expected to offer some of the most thrilling racing action in upcoming events, in all 3.660 miles of competition, which will be concluded in twelve rounds usually held from April to October.

Other Motorcycle Championships

There are several championships taking place at Brands Hatch & Oulton Park every year.

Thundersport GB Club Bike Championships: Thundersport GB, one of the most prominent race clubs in the UK, features all four types of motor racing circuits in a spectacular championship. The event will be held at Brands Hatch.

Hottrax Club Bike Championships: Featuring MotoGrande 600, MotoGrande 1000, Michelin Power Cup 600/1000, and MiniTwins, Hottrax is one of the most anticipated motor racing events every year in the UK. The Championship will be held at Brands Hatch.

BMCRC Club Bike Championships: Organized by The British Motorcycle Racing Club, one of the largest and best-regarded race clubs in the UK, BMCRC features Thunderbikes and Superstock 1000. The event will be held at Brands Hatch.

NG Road Racing Club Bike Championship: Featuring legendary riders such as Neil Tuxworth, Roger Burnett and Steve Parrish, the NG Road hosts the esteemed 250GP ACU National Championship, the competitive Yamaha's TZ250 lining up vs Honda's RS, but also 400cc and 600cc motorcycle to compete in the Thunder and 600 classes, and National 600 Supersport. The event will be held at Oulton Park.

Bikes and Accessories

There are so many ways to go about purchasing a motorcycle and gear from spending a fortune buying it all new to the thrill of hunting down an old classic and spending the time to lovingly restore it by hand.