The holiday period is near and this season you can aid to help save lives in Africa with Riders for Health, the official charity of MotoGP, by sending one of their Xmas presents to a friend.

With a Christmas present you can assist Riders for Health use consistent motorbikes to place health workers in Africa on the road, so they can offer constant lifesaving care to even the most remote villages.

Riders for Health also has a brochure of gifts that you can post this Christmas. By selecting to send a present, you will help provide a health worker with safety clothing so they are able to ride their motorcycle without hazard, or a set of tools they may use to carry out regular maintenance which will ensure their bike never breaks down and never miss an appointment.

For only £10 this will provide for two weeks of petrol for a health worker, which will allow them to spand over 300km providing care to many families. £55 may offer training in safe riding and service for a health worker so they may deliver their services consistently.

Each present arrives with a card detailing your purchase and an explanation on how lives are saved. You will receive a Riders Christmas card that you are able to personalise and send to the receiver.

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Hiroshi Aoyama, who will compete in MotoGP with the Interwetten Honda MotoGP squad next season, visited RCD Espanyol’s Copa del Rey match with Getafe in Barcelona on Wednesday.

Acknowledged earlier in the week for his 250cc World title with an official personal letter of honour from the Prime Minister of Japan, Aoyama showed off his FIM trophy to Espanyol spectators at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat.

Austrian brand Interwetten.com, (Spanish version Interapuestas.com), is the major sponsor of the Interwetten Honda MotoGP squad for next season and also of RCD Espanyol, Wednesday’s event gave the perfect opportunity for Aoyama and Nakamura to meet.

Aoyama appeared before commencement in the kit clad by Nakamura for Espanyol along with his World Champion medal, as 20,000 spectators produced a warming atmosphere.

Following the game, a press conference gave Aoyama the chance to present his World Championship winning helmet to Nakamura, taking an honorary membership to the club in return.

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Moving up from the 250cc session as World Champion, Japanese competitor Hiroshi Aoyama made his MotoGP test debut on Monday at Valencia,  the 28 year-old comments the experience was very enjoyable.

Aoyama has teamed up with Daniel Epp to race a satellite Honda in MotoGP next season as a newly formed outfit - Interwetten MotoGP – and Monday gave the racer and his new squad their initial opportunity to work together.

Aoyama tested steadily as he finished 40 laps, claiming the slowest time of his fellow 250cc rivals, five seconds off Casey Stoner’s pace. Nonetheless he comments, “It was the first time to try the MotoGP bike and it was a great experience for me”.

“Compared to 250cc there was a big difference on the brakes, so I could not get such a good feeling today, but it was ok for a first try. I still have two more days testing this week so the target will be to get the right feeling.”

Aoyama adds, “We decided not to put any control on the acceleration, for spinning, engine braking or wheelies, so it was all manual.

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After his smash on lap five of Sunday’s 250cc event at the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, Roberto Locatelli was operated on in San Marino to heal a scaphoid fracture in his right hand.

The surgery was claimed as successful by the same surgeon who operated on Marco Simoncelli earlier this season, Dr. Oliviero Soragni, amongst Clinica Mobile’s Dr. Claudio Costa.

Metis Gilera racer Locatelli, who won the 125cc World Champion in 2000, will now undergo physiotherapy on his hand over the ensuing days

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