Held Racer Report: ZOEK RACING BEGIN 2018 CAMPAIGN

ZOEK RACING BEGIN 2018 CAMPAIGN

The two Zoek Racing riders Sean Neary and Craig Currie begin their 2018 campaign at Donington Park over the Easter weekend where they will once again compete in the Ducati TriOptions Cup.

Sean Neary

The series is a closely contested one make series comprising of eight rounds at prestigious UK circuits plus one round at Assen in the Netherlands.

Prior to that Neary from Lymm in Cheshire and Currie from Newark in Nottinghamshire will take part in some testing in Spain culminating with the official British Superbike test at Donington Park on March 20 to make final preparations for the upcoming season.

Neary completed the 2017 season in fifth place after securing a win at Thruxton plus three runner up spots and two third places to finish on 177 points.

Currie completed the majority of his races within the top 15 including two eighth places and one ninth to pick up 56 championship points on his way to an 11th place overall.

Craig Currie

Both riders will be chasing strong results for the coming season with Neary chasing the elusive championship title which has eluded him over the last few years.

Neary commented: “ I'm working harder than ever and make no mistake I want that title. Wanting and getting are obviously two different things and I'm going to have my work cut out that's for sure. With a one make series it's always going to be close at the front. We had a lot of bad luck last year but as cheesy as it sounds it's definitely made me stronger and even more determined. I'm really happy to be staying with the Zoek Racing Team alongside Craig Currie. We are all good mates within the team and we have a great laugh which is important. 

“Craig rode with a badly damaged shoulder last year however after surgery in November he is in great shape. Having a shoulder injury is one of the worst injuries you can have in motorcycle racing so he did well to complete any races last season! He was running eighth in the Championship until his shoulder deteriorated so he should be pushing towards the top five this year.

“We head out to Cartagena shortly for the Pro Test and we have some new things to try which should make us stronger come round one.”

The championship dates are:-

Round 1 - March 31/April 2 - Donington Park
Round 2 - April 13/15 - Brands Hatch Indy
Round 3 - May 5/6 - Oulton Park
Round 4 - June 15/17 - Snetterton 300
Round 5 - July 20/22 - Brands Hatch GP
Round 6 - August 17/19 - Cadwell Park
Round 7 - September 7/9 - Silverstone
Round 8 - September 28/30 – Assen

Held UK are looking forward to the season and 

are proud to be associated with Zoek Racing!

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM SCHUBERTH

MOTORCYCLE CLOTHING SPECIALIST HELD ENTRUSTS ITS NEW HELMET COLLECTION TO SCHUBERTH TECHNOLOGIES

Two well-established companies with strong traditions are intensifying their collaboration. For its 2018 helmet collection, Held Biker Fashion will be drawing on SCHUBERTH’s technology and design. No less than five new Held helmet models are based on the successful SCHUBERTH sports, adventure and touring helmets.

Held helmets made by SCHUBERTH – bikers can look forward to this double promise of quality in the coming season. 2018, five SCHUBERTH helmet models will be added to the collection of the prestigious Held brand. The helmets “made by SCHUBERTH“ will be available in 14 different versions and will be perfectly matched to other Held products in terms of colour, decoration and features. The choice of models perfectly supplements Held’s current range in the fields of sports, adventure and touring. Based on SCHUBERTH’s R2 and SR2 helmets, Held will be offering its H-R2 Ride and H-SR2 Race versions. The Held H-E1 Adventure helmet draws heavily on the successful SCHUBERTH E1. The H-C3 Trip and H-C4 Tour touring models from Held are based on the SCHUBERTH C3 Basic flip-up helmet with a proven track record as demonstrated by over 100,000 helmets sold worldwide and the ultramodern SCHUBERTH C4 flip-up helmet.

Like all of its products, SCHUBERTH will also manufacture the new Held helmets exclusively in Germany. “Held and SCHUBERTH share the passion for highest quality and top service. We are extremely delighted that these two well-established brands will be marketing this attractive new helmet collection together. Every discerning motorcyclist, who is not prepared to compromise in terms of quality, safety and design, can look forward to Held helmets made by SCHUBERTH,“ said Jan-Christian Becker, CEO of SCHUBERTH. Markus Held, Managing Director of the Allgäu-based clothing specialist, commented: “We collaborate specifically with manufacturers who strive for the same high standards of quality we do and complement the Held product range in a way that makes sense. We are very pleased that, with SCHUBERTH, we have a perfect partner. The visually and technically modified Held models fit perfectly into our 2018 collection and round off the portfolio of high-quality Held products.“

The new “Held made by SCHUBERTH“ helmet collection celebrated its world premiere at the EICMA in Milan from 7 to 12 November 2017. From the start of the 2018 season, the new helmets will then be available from specialist retailers



About SCHUBERTH: Helmet manufacturers SCHUBERTH are based in Magdeburg, Germany. They have been designing and manufacturing high-end head protection systems since the early 1950s. With its wide range of innovative products, the company is a world leader in motorcycle and motorsports helmets as well as in protective helmets for industrial, fire service, police and military use. For more information please visit www.schuberth.com


FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HELD IN THE UK PLEASE VISIT WWW.HELD-UK.CO.UK

Funeral details for Daniel Hegarty

For anyone wanting to know about Daniels funeral, the details are....

Wednesday 20th December

The Hearse and cars will be leaving Radcliffe on Trent at 10am and driving through the village towards Bingham for anyone wanting to show there respect from the streets.

People have a choice of either meeting at Dans workshop RTR (NG13 8GG) at 10.15am and following the hearse on foot
(ZERO PARKING AT THE CHUCH)
Or people could meet at the church, the funeral will start at 11.30am.
The church address is,

St Mary and All Saints Church
East Street
Bingham
Nottingham 
Ng13 8DR

After the funeral we ask that people let just close family and friends go to the burial please

The wake will be at,

The Manvers Arms
22 Main Road
Radcliffe-On-Trent
Nottingham
NG12 2AA

Everyone who knew Daniel is more than welcome to come and celebrate Daniels life

All donations and flowers can be sent to Michelle and Anthony Mills funeral directors

38 Main Road
Radcliffe on Trent
Nottingham
Ng12 2AA
01159336906

Please can you all respect the family’s wishes and have zero motor bikes following the hearse. It’s not a problem if people come on motor bikes, we are wanting Daniel to be remembered as Daniel Hegarty the person not Dan the racer. Any bike/racing clothing is fine.

A word from endurance racer Dai Benyon

**SPONSORSHIP**

A BIG thank you to Guy, Loz and everyone else at Held Rider Equipment for the leather and accessory sponsorship for the coming 2018 season.

I first approached Held last season as I always struggled with ill fitting gloves, the palm would get too loose and the fingers were always that little too long and if I went down a size they would be too tight.

I first met Guy and Loz at my local Held supplier, GT Superbikes. Great blokes to talk to and we got down to designing and measuring my hands for the perfect fitting gloves! The leather is very supple and the fit is to the mm. 

I have worn these gloves for nearly a full season and they are as good as the day I recevied them.

Buzzing with my gloves I rang Loz to talk leathers and he came back with a great offer and free stuff :). Our last round of the 2017 season was at Donington Park and Loz made a 4 hour round trip to come and get me measured for next season's suit.

4 weeks later and the suit is on my door step protected in one of Held's brand new travel boxes. The box is fantastic, it will hold all you'll ever need - From your leathers to your spare toe sliders!

Now the suit - Again Loz has pulled it out of the bag! Mm Perfect. The leather is so supple, there's no need to wander around the house for days breaking the suit in. I put it on and sat around for a bit to check i could move and it felt like a suit that I had worn for years! Extremely happy with the service and the product!

So.. if anyone is looking for perfect made to measure kit for the 2018 season - give me a shout and Ill pass on Loz's number

Thanks Dai, and good luck for 2018!

To learn more about Held in the UK please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Order a made-to-measure leather suit and get a FREE HELD TRAVEL BOX

FREE HELD TRAVEL BOX WORTH £200!!

Winter Promotion till 30th November 2017

Full-Speed / Slade made-to-measure suit.

Create & order your tailor-made leather suit and get a great gift as a free thank you!

For each Full-Speed or Slade made-to-measure suit ordered by your Held retailer during the promotion period, you will receive a travel box (item 4692) free of charge.

Create and configure your own leather suit according to your exact look, specification and measurements!

The philosophy of Held – Always offer the customer the perfect product. Standard suit sizes can't always provide an optimal and therefore safe fit. Our Made to Measure service provides the opportunity for the perfect fit and ultimate protection for you.

Especially with leather suits, it is extremely important to have a perfect fit. Your suit needs to be comfortable, but also needs to provide a snug fit and it is imperative that external hard shells and internal protectors are in exactly the right place so as not to cause any pressure points. Only this way can your suit guarantee you the maximum protection.

• handmade in Italy / Hungary
• exact fitting
• individual design
• innovative hardshells
• innovative protectors for neck, coccyx, chest, hip and ribs

Your custom made suit is a handcrafted and unique item, delivering each of your requirements, imaginations and colour wishes to create the optimal combination between rider and bike.

To offer you a suit just like a "second skin" we tailor your individual leather suit exactly to your needs and wishes.

How it works:

-Create your suit here (scroll down after clicking)
-Follow the instructions to send us the request

This is a great offer- go and check out the configurator and see what you can create!

Held Racer Report: Wigley Racing, Brands Hatch British Supersport

Brands Hatch GP Race Report 

The final round of the British Superbike season took place at Brands Hatch on our third visit to the Kent based circuit of the year. The weekend began on a good foot as we hit the damp circuit for free practice 1. Kurt took the first stages of the session steady due to the unpredictable conditions but then began to increase the pace as the dry line appeared leaving himself in P4 for the opening session.

 Free practice 2 proved to be somewhat of a challenge for the team as an incorrect gearing change meant that Kurt was struggling to get the power on the exit of the turns, despite this, we began developing the suspension setup for the demanding circuit so that it did not go to waste.

The challenge with finding a smooth bike setup continued into the qualifying session as each lap Kurt was on the limit of losing the front entering the first and final turn, along with this, we continued to search for a solution to the bike running excessively wide on the exit of fast turns. Kurt improved on his lap time throughout the session but unfortunately it was only enough to leave him in P15 for the grid in the afternoons sprint race.

The opening race of the final round was tense as several changes was made in a bid to reach where we aimed to be. As the lights went out, Kurt immediately began to make up positions, however, it wasn’t long before the bad luck struck and it became apparent Kurt was suffering with progressive brake fade. On the entrance to turn 4, Kurt failed to slow down enough but attempted to make the corner nevertheless. This resulted in him losing the front and crashing out. Kurt was unhurt nor was the bike severely damaged but frustration arose with how the day had panned out.

Due to Saturdays race being cut short for the team, we started the feature race back in P19 but determined to make the most of a bad situation. With nothing to lose, we made a further gearing change along with alterations to the front suspension and engine braking. As the lights went out for the second time, Kurt headed to the outside of the circuit aiming to keep a smooth line and carry the momentum. Over the course of the race, Kurt moved up to P11 for the finish.

Despite a series of DNFs and technical issues at the beginning of the year, we concluded our rookie season with a P15 in the British Supersport series and totaling eight top 10 finishes. We would like to greatly thank everyone who has been involved throughout the season as we could not do it without you. 2018 plans will soon be confirmed as we aim to continue our progression. 

We're pleased to supply Wigley Racing over the years with Held. They are currently using Held Phantom II gloves! www.held-uk.co.uk

Held Racer Report- Wigley Racing, Assen Superstock 600

Assen TT Race Report

We had the long journey over to Holland last weekend for the 11th round of the season as we attended the famous TT Assen circuit. The first free practice session of the weekend proved to be somewhat of a learning curve as it was the first time Kurt has seen the circuit in 6 years. We had a progressive session catching up with those who attended the circuit last year and improving lap times right down to the last lap.

Held Gloves wearer Kurt Wigley

 FP2 proved to be better still, following a change of gearing and amendments to the suspension setup after the initial session of the weekend. This weekend we had the support again of Mupo who worked with the team between sessions and in pit lane helping to find the best setup and overcome any problems that arise. The session came to close with a P11 finish and a new personal best lap time 2.5 seconds faster.

After FP2’s big steps in the right direction, we were all feeling confident for the Saturday morning qualifying session. The session began in damp conditions so we hit the track on wet tyres to get started, after the first stint Kurt had made his way up to P2 and with a dry line rapidly appearing he was forced to pit and change to drys. Following a 4 minute pit stop, Kurt headed back out at which point he had fallen back down to mid-teens. The lap times began to drop and Kurt moved up into P10 where he then began his fastest lap of the session. After a green first two sectors the session was brought to an immediate stop in the final stages as on the exit of a fast left turn he hit the damp edge of the circuit launching him over the handle bars. Kurt didn’t sustain any major injuries, however, the bike had rolled several times on the tarmac smashing the rear wheel and ripping off the clocks.

Race 1 was later that day therefore the team worked flat out to get the bike fixed within 3 hours in a bid to make the start. It was close but they pulled through just in time for a very wet sprint race. After a delayed start due to the downpour, the race was soon under way. Kurt made his way up to P6 on the opening lap but as the race progresses he began to struggle and lost a few positions due to the beating he withstood earlier that day. As Kurt began to regain the lost positions, an overtaking maneuver put him off line for the hairpin resulting in him crashing out on the exit when the rear broke traction. The incident was minor and the only damage was a dented pride as Kurt picked up his own bike off the track side and pushed it through the gravel.

Kurt was determined not to let the weekend conclude on a bad note despite qualifying P15 after the unfortunate end to race 1. As the red lights went out he headed straight to the inside of the circuit for the first turn and began to push forward whist everyone was bunched up. As the field began to spread out, Kurt battled through to the front of the group he was in before bridging the gap to those in front. After a tough race the day came to a close with a P8 finish even following a position penalty due to exceeding track limits.

Want to see more about Held motorcycle gear in the UK? Visit www.held-uk.co.uk