A round-up of this week's other stories in brief
New Ducati set for launch
There's a rumour circulating the motorcycle grapevine that a new Ducati motorcycle is about to be launched. The Ducati Hyperfighter, based on the Ducati 1098R, claims to be the ultimate fun road bike. It will have a brand-new Ducati Integrated Exhaust System (DIES), where the exhaust box is integrated with the supporting frame of the seat in magnesium, to make it more lightweight.
And to ensure protection from the heat, it has adopted an insulating technique used by Nasa on the Space Shuttle.
The motorcycle should be on show at this year's EICMA, the International Motorcycle Exhibition in Italy, from November 10th to November 15th.
Saturday start for Manx TT
The Manx Grand Prix gets under way on Saturday August 16th to Friday 29th.
The race for amateur riders consists of six four-lap races of the 37.73-mile TT circuit in the Isle of Man.
The classes include the Newcomers Class, Lightweight/Ultra Lightweight Class, Junior Class, Senior Class and the Junior/Lightweight and Senior Classic races for Classics. For more information, visit manxgrandprix.org.
Annual Across Ireland run
Time is running out to register for the Annual Across Ireland 2008 motorcycle run in aid of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Places are filling up fast, so register now online for this year's run. Log on to annualacrossireland.com.