THREE days before Election Day, the leaders of the three main political parties have been invited to address a huge gathering of motorcycle owners at the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May. More than 25,000 two-wheel riders will be in attendance. The leaders – Prime Minister Tony Blair (Labour), Michael Howard (Conservative) and Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrats) – have been invited by the reigning Superbike Championship winning Rizla Suzuki team and Oulton Park circuit owner, MotorSport Vision. With an average of 7,600 motorcycle licence holders in each UK constituency, new research has found that 51 per cent will be influenced by the attitudes of each party to motorcycling issues.*1 “This is the last chance the main parties have of addressing a key audience ahead of the Election,” explains Oulton Park circuit owner and former F1-driver, Jonathan Palmer. “The votes of more than 1.2m bike riders across the UK will be influenced by the attitudes of the parties towards motorcycling issues. It is a close-knit community, and by default, they are very vocal about matters which affect them personally.” The British Superbike Championship is the pinnacle of two-wheel motorsport in the UK with the opening round at Brands Hatch attracting more than 50,000 fans during the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend. Rizla Suzuki British Superbike Champion John Reynolds said: “Motorcyclists deserve to be taken seriously by the main parties. I hope the party leaders can to come to Oulton Park and meet real motorcyclists and discuss the issues that affect us. “Road safety, car driving standards, exemption from bus lanes, horsepower limits and dark visors are just some of the issues I personally would like to hear their thoughts on before making up my mind who I will vote for.” The Motorcycle Industry launched its 44-point ‘Manifesto For Motorcycling’ at the beginning of April with the express aim to develop a sustainable future for motorcycling in the UK. *1 Research conducted by Tickbox.net among 3,721 men and women on behalf of the Motorcycle Industry.