The offseason officially began today. We completed a three day test at Jerez this week and fortunately we got sunshine throughout. I circulated almost 250 times but I would have been happy to do another 250. We continued to evaluate different swingarms and fork settings to see what works best with the new for 2013 17 inch Pirelli tyres and we made some good steps forward. In the end we lapped really quick, not just by superbike standards but even in comparison to MotoGP. The Aprilia has been going from strength to strength ever since we turned a corner in the midseason at Aragon. Tom Sykes was looking good at Jerez too so I expect him to start the season strong down under in Phillip Island. I’ve spent the best part of November at home in Northern Ireland and managed four good weeks of base training. Unfortunately the trials bike hasn’t often left the garage as I’ve been trying to play some golf before the weather puts a stop to it. I’ve mentioned golf a few times in my blogs over the past year which may lead you to believe that I can actually play the game but I’m horrendously bad! Just ask Leon Haslam or Jeremy McWilliams, they’ve witnessed my prowess. Truth be told I just enjoy being out in the fresh air walking and talking with friends. A few weeks back I enjoyed some days cycling in Monaco with a few of the pros. It was nice to have the sun on my back and thankfully they went easy on me! Aside from that my only other trips away from home were Aprilia’s championship winning party and a brief visit to the Motorcycle Live show in Birmingham en route to Jerez. I enjoy catching up with race fans at bike shows as I never get a chance at race meetings. As with most riders I’m in a different frame of mind during a race weekend and when I’m riding my scooter in the paddock I’m usually on my way to put my leathers on or take my leathers off! At bike shows I’ve got time on my hands so I’m happy to sit back and yarn. Yesterday it was confirmed that Sylvain Guintoli will be my teammate for the 2013 season and I believe Gigi Dall’Igna has made a good choice. I get on with Sylvain and rate him as a rider so it’ll be nice to share a garage with a top rider once again. Some riders feel threatened by a fast teammate but I look at it in a positive light. Even in Jerez we were able to spot weaknesses in our riding by overlaying our laps and comparing them corner by corner. I know of a rider that requested a ban on data sharing with his teammate last year when he felt he had the upper hand but then he came back begging once his teammate started beating him again! And before you jump to conclusions it wasn’t inside the Aprilia garage but another factory team. The way I see it everything to my advantage; there’s twenty other riders I’ve got to beat and not just the one guy sat opposite me. I’m looking forward to starting the 2013 season strong now that I’m in my second year on the RSV4. In 2010 I put together a fantastic season in the World Supersport Championship as I had the benefit of remaining with the Parkalgar team for a second successive season. I’m in a similar position once again with the factory Aprilia team and I feel that I understand the bike much better than I did at this point last year. The World Superbike Championship is so competitive now that to win a championship in your first year with a manufacturer would be an incredible feat. Carlos Checa illustrated this better than ever in 2011 by winning the title in his second year aboard the outdated 1198 Ducati. Continuity is key in this championship. It’ll be two months before I get to put my leg over the RSV4 again and it’s true what they say: absence makes the heart grow stronger. I’ll enjoy Christmas at home with my family but I’ve no doubt that I’ll be itching to get riding again once the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. 2013 may be unlucky for some but I hope that it’s a good one for me. Eugene

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Eugene Laverty: Continuity is key

Round three of the Irish Rallycross Championship turned out to be unlucky for both drivers in Sportchip.ie Team. It initially started very well for John Kelly in the Mitsubishi Evo 7 winning the first heat, but unfortunately in the second heat the gearbox let go, making it impossible to continue and forcing him to withdraw from the event. Grzegorz Kalinecki in his Lancia Delta HF Integrale had serious problems with the brakes in early morning practise, and then at the start of the first heat, broke a rear driveshaft, also finishing his day. “This weekend turned out to be unlucky for us but still we’re happy because it turns out that failure didn’t discourage our sponsors and fans.” said Kalinecki afterwards, “We have had a great season up to this and our sponsors have continued to support us at this round and we would like to thank them for it: Turbo-Tech (www.turbo-tech.ie) Mactronic (www.mactronic.ie), TKCCC (www.tkccc.ie) Cottage Cafe Restaurant (www.cottagecafe.ie) and our media patonage Gazeta Polska (Polish weekly in Ireland). It’s really nice to know that we can count for their support in the good and bad times! Despite this unfortunate weekend the 2012 season was very successful for us because we won the first ever title of Driver of the Year 2012 in British Retro Rallycross! Also, the Irish Rallycross Championship is only just starting so we are still in the game to win it!”

Continued here:
Unlucky day for the Sportchip.ie Team

Satellite TV is a Good Game Plan For Sports Bars

As the average sociable sports fan has probably noticed, over time the concept of the “sport bar” has changed dramatically. Whereas one used to think of a bar themed around one type of athletic event or another as a dingy beer slinging joint full of tough old men, today audiences of all kinds head to the bar to cheer on their favorite teams. This is partially due to the rising enthusiasm for college and city teams felt by all alumni and/or residents. People are passionate about their roots, and there’s no better way to say it than donning your home team’s colors and heading out to show your pride. Even if you happen to live far away from where you might catch a home game right at the field or arena, it’s possible to catch every minute of the action with satellite TV. From football to soccer, baseball to basketball, cricket to hockey, and even rugby league, never miss a minute of the action. Even if you don’t have a subscription to satellite television, it’s a sure bet there’s a bar near you that’s just your style and showing the game.

As stated before, neither age nor gender is a reason to steer clear of the local sport bar anymore. Today, the average city will still have the rough and tumble sport bar, but also the impeccable lounge style bars with imported beers, fine wine lists, and excellent cocktail menus. Some bars even declare their loyalty to a certain team, whether professional or college level play, so you’re sure to not be the only one rooting for the enemy (unless of course you wander in unaware)! The problem today can be that even with thousands of such bars to choose from in a city, just installing an HD TV, and advertising this week’s game or playoff tournament has made them so popular it can be hard to get in!

Not to worry, a bar with a big screen TV doesn’t always necessarily have to show athletics, but can show basically any athletic match in the world with the right channels package. Choose from NFL Sunday Ticket, NCAA Mega March Madness, NASCAR HotPass, just to name a few. Even if you’re up for a multi-day cricket match, with satellite television it’s more than possible to find a bar in your area showing the big game (even if it does air at 4 in the morning!). People are extremely dedicated to their teams, so let the world of modern entertainment technology help you show your hometown (or home country even) pride.

If you are a bar owner and want to increase business by showing the ‘big game’ each week, no matter what the top teams are in your area adding a satellite television to your amenities is sure to draw in the crowd. Carefully paired with food and drink specials, you may be in for more than you bargained for. Nearly every bar that adds satellite service experiences a dramatic increase in foot traffic. Now that sounds like a smart business strategy, and a solid game plan.

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Costa Mesa, CA (PRWEB) February 3, 2005

Planetwide Games, the publisher and distributor of the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) “Risk Your Life: Path of the Emperor,” announced today that it is sponsoring the Porsche Sigalsport racecar at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, February 3-6, 2005. The sponsorship coincides with the North American launch of the worldwide “Risk Your Life” video game which currently has over 8.2 million players. The launch follows a successful North American Beta Test of over 200,000 registered players. In 2003, 88 million people played online video games worldwide, a number that is expected to grow to at least 200 million by 2008.

“Planetwide Games is thrilled to be a part of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and our sponsorship of the Sigalsport Race Team,” states Kevin Donovan, President of Planetwide Games. “Both Video Gaming and Auto Racing are adrenaline rush, high octane forms of entertainment. Worldwide players of “Risk Your Life” tell us there’s no greater rush than conquering steadfast warriors steeped in battlelands with the ultimate achievement of the Emperor of our virtual kingdom. I challenge gamers to experience RYL for themselves at http://www.ryl.net, where they can view the trailer, download and play the game for free.”

The 2005 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona 62-car field includes drivers that have won more than 100 major auto racing championships, a record 29 Daytona prototypes, and 33 GT machines will make up one of the strongest fields in Sports Car racing history. Drivers such as five NASCAR-NEXTEL Cup Series champions – Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Bobby and Terry Labonte, open-wheel stars Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti and 2004 Indianapolis 500 Winner Buddy Rice. For the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona the Sigalsport car will run the #04 Porsche GT3 Cup car, driven by team owner/driver Gene Sigal, Nikolas Konstant (former F3), Jay Wilton (Ferrari Challenge), Troy Hanson (former Team Lexus), and Miroslav Konopka (Porsche Super Cup).

About Planetwide Games

Based in Costa Mesa, CA, Planetwide Games (a Bluetorch On-Line Games, Inc. company) is establishing itself as a provider of leading online video game entertainment. Planetwide Games also develops proprietary online technology and is building a worldwide network of affiliates to distribute their games. Visit http://www.RYL.net or http://www.PlanetwideGames.com.

About RYL

“Risk Your Life: Path of the Emperor” is a beautifully rendered MMORPG, creating increasingly difficult and challenging game play that will excite multiplayer online game fans. Path of the Emperor is a persistent universe or role-playing game (RPG). In the game, players assume the role of a Warrior, Cleric, Wizard, or Thief (over 20 classes) and explore the many exotic locations within the game where they meet other players, complete quests together, fight monsters and other players. Massively multiplayer online games are computer games in which thousands of players can play simultaneously through the Internet.

About Rolex 24 at Daytona

The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona is the most prestigious sports car race in North America, drawing top-name drivers from around the world and every racing discipline, including the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, the IRL Indy Car Series and Formula One. Speed Channel will broadcast more than 14 hours of the historic 24-hour race live from Daytona, with coverage kicking off at noon on Saturday, Feb. 5. Live timing and scoring from the race will be available throughout the entire 24 hours online at http://www.grandamerican.com. Additional information on The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona is online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

Planetwide Games Media Contact: Rita Tennyson, Terpin Communications Group, 310-821-6100 x104 E-Mail: Rita@Terpin.com

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Discover the Great Game of Cornhole

Get ready for some football! Thank God, I’m getting tired of all the reality shows. If it was not for football I could probably live without TV. With football naturally comes tailgate parties and cookouts so get ready. Make yourself a check list with all the essentials, chairs, beer, soda, more beer, BBQ grill or turkey fryer, pop-up canopy, food, and snacks. Add in a little extra fun, excitement, and competition by bringing your Cornhole Game along! Like horseshoes Cornhole can be played singles or doubles. The major difference is that the bean bags are not going roll and damage anything, whether your car at a tailgate party, or your home, fence, lawn, shins, etc. Cornhole boards are also much easier to pick up and move when its time to mow the yard, not to mention the maintenance issues with horseshoe pits.

With tailgate parties naturally comes beer but don’t forget to pack the Cornhole game to make a good party even better. You may even find yourself being challenged by other tailgaters for bragging rights. Whip them good and make them buy the beer. We have even gone as far as having a tailgate party at home before the big game. Have some friends over, get the bbq going, crack a beer, break out the Cornhole boards and bean bags, and there you have it.

Some nachos or cheese sticks as we settle in front of the wall mounted big screen TV and all is well for a great Sunday afternoon game. Maybe a little more Cornhole at half time or after the game. Many folks enjoy creating their own custom Cornhole boards with logos of their favorite team or Nascar. For the artist in you a custom paint job looks great and adds that personal touch. For me I would add team decals then several coats of poly as I’m not very artistic.