In the Superstock 600s, Tim was all revved up for a good performance at his home grand prix, no more than thirty miles from his home in Scotland. The picturesque Knockill circuit saw almost 10,000 people squeeze in for a great weekend of racing, but Tim’s problems started before there. Multiple gearbox changes minimized his time on track and for qualifying, the heavens opened just for him, meaning he started down in 20th place for the race. Being in the midfield is always a difficult place to race, but Tim was doing well in getting through the field, and was unfortunate to be collected (knocked off by a stray bike) by a rider who fell off the bike in front of him.

In the Formula 4 races at Snetterton, Matt was fast and qualified third for race 1, but after a mistake at one corner and suffering some damage to the front wing, he finished in ninth place. This was elevated to seventh after a steward’s decision, but in race two, he collided with Sennan Fielding and retired from the race on the first lap. The car was fixed just in time for the third race, but a fuse failure led to him retiring.

There was something to smile about, as E-Lites-sponsored British Superbikes rider Pete Hickman finished 10th and 9th in his two races at the Scottish track, but even then, having set podium-pace in the practice sessions, he was hampered with a couple of bike problems also.

All in all, a tricky weekend for our guys, but every racer has a weekend like this. Time to put it behind us and focus on the next race and bounce back. The next race weekend is 5-7 July, which sees Tim Hastings going to Snetteron, and Matt Bell going to Oulton Park.

Photos from the event are available on the E-Lites Facebook page: Click here!

Step forward Alex Fuell, a young Redditch-based professional golfer currently playing on the PGA EuroPro Series. E-Lites are once again lending a hand to see a talented youngster rise through the ranks. Turning pro only three years ago, Alex started playing golf at the relatively late age of 16, but within two years he’d won the St. Andrew’s Eden Series, an annual golf tournament formed of almost 300 amateurs, which saw Fuell rise to the top in 2008.

At the moment he plays in the PGA EuroPro series, which is roughly two pyramid steps behind the PGA European Tour, and Fuell’s ambition is to one day win that illustrious trophy. Despite other tour players taking up the game as young as 4 or 5, Alex says golf is the sort of game that anyone can get into at any age, saying the sport is unique.

“Golf is different every time you play. It doesn’t matter if you play the same course every day – whether it’s windy, sunny, or rainy, or if you’re feeling good or bad about your golf, every time you go out to play it’s a new challenge.”

As ever, we will bring you all the news and action from our man on the course on our Twitter account and catch all photos and videos on Facebook. In the mean time, check out our short introductory video, with plenty more to come!

The media and various newspapers picked up the story of our recycling and our CEO, Adrian Everett, told them: "As the UK market leader, E-Lites want to set the precedent for ensuring that used e-tips are disposed of responsibly. The e-cig category is currently experiencing phenomenal growth, so it is vital that measures are put in place now to recycle the large numbers of used E-Tips being generated by the increased demand. By incentivising our customers to return their used E-Tips, we can not only reward them for their loyalty to the brand, we can also make sure that as few of our E-Tips as possible end up in landfill."

All E-Lites used E-Tips will be recycled by Williams Environmental. The company will deconstruct the E-Tips using a furnace with the resulting metal, known as ally-iron (aluminium iron mix), being harvested into ingots ready to be re-used by the metals industry.

Thanks to our customers sending back their tips and caring as much for the environment as we do.

To help you understand the nature of World No Tobacco Day that little bit more, we’ve created the cool interactive timeline below that details the origins of the day, and how it has grown over the years.

Click to view the history of No Smoking Day in a seperate tab.

As a tobacco-free alternative to traditional smoking products, we realise that many of you will be aware of the dangers and issues surrounding tobacco, but how much do you actually know about it? Why not take our World No Tobacco Day quiz and compare your results against your friends and fellow E-Lites electronic cigarette users.

1. In what year was World No Tobacco Day first held?
A. 1978
B. 1988
C. 2000

2. How often is World No Tobacco Day held?
A. Fortnightly
B. Annually
C. Biannually

3. What percentage of an E-Lites electronic cigarette is made-up by tobacco?
A. 15%
B. 0%
C. 76.4%

4. Which organisation set up World No Tobacco Day?
A. World Heart Organisation
B. World Health Organisation
C. Welsh Hospitals Operative

5. According to the World Health Organisation how many people die through exposure to tobacco each year?
A. 5 million
B. 6 million
C. 56 million

6. Tobacco was first used on which continent?
A. Asia
B. America
C. Antarctic

7. According to the WHO what percentage of the world’s population have access to comprehensive services to treat tobacco dependence?
A. 2%
B. 5%
C. 25%

8. In which year was the ban on smoking in public places introduced in the UK?
A. 2004
B. 2007
C. 2012

9. Scientists claim that the average tobacco smoker will lose how many years of their life due to smoking?
A. 10
B. 14
C. 3

10. According to WHO approximately what percentage of cigarettes sold around the world are smuggled?
A. 20%
B. 25%
C. 4%

So, how did you fair? If you answered;

Mostly As
Well, you’re not quite an expert, but you’re not far away! Close, but no cigar… not even an E-Lites e-cigar.

Mostly Bs
Then you were bang on the money; have you ever considered working for the World Health Organisation? You could be their new World No Tobacco Day expert.

Mostly Cs
The Welsh Hospitals Operative, seriously? Way off the money, I'm afraid.

Nevertheless, if you want to know more - visit our dedicated page for more on World No Tobacco Day and E-Lites electronic cigarettes.

Following Matt Bell’s second trophy of the season in Brands Hatch, Tim Hastings, in the Superstock 600 class, crossed the line third at Donington Park and took another podium place for the team.

The weather in Leicestershire was terrific for racing, and a good crowd had gathered at the historic circuit for World Superbike action, and they were treated to a tense and close race with Tim’s support race.

The opening laps were nose-to-tail between the riders with nothing to separate the leaders, and Tim, who started third on the grid, made his way up to second in the opening laps. He was chasing down the leader, Luke Hedger, when the safety car was brought out after a crash further down the field, bunching the pack up. This allowed Joe Collier to whip around Hastings and Hedger at the penultimate corner of the final lap to take the win.

It leaves the top of the Championship table close; Tim Hastings trails Joe Collier by six points, who trails leader Jordan Simpkin by a further six points. Our next race is on the 16th June at Knockhill, Tim’s local track up in Scotland.

Across Europe the picture is quite blurred in terms of where, when and how electronic cigarettes can be used, as a number of governments are still trying to get their head around just where the alternative to traditional smoking products sits. In a handful of countries across the continent the products are banned outright as part of strict laws on all types of smoking. So if you’re heading to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Norway or Turkey on your summer holidays, or Sweden or Finland (where partial bans will include E-Lites products) you may have to leave the E-Lites electronic cigarettes at home unfortunately.

Other countries though are much more open to electronic cigarette usage, particularly in central and Eastern Europe and so you will be free to use your E-Lites in Moscow’s Red Square, or whilst traversing Prague’s famous Charles Bridge. Similarly electronic cigarettes are permitted throughout Poland, Latvia, and Estonia, whilst in Ukraine they are permitted to be used, but not in public places.

It will perhaps be of no surprise to learn that the ever open-minded Netherlands also permits the use of electronic cigarettes, although only after an attempted blanket ban by the government was overturned by the Dutch Courts. Similarly in Germany electronic cigarettes are permitted from Berlin to Bavaria, and they are also currently legal and allowed in France too, although be aware that the French Government is currently looking at legislation, so this could change.

If you’re heading to the Mediterranean for a touch of summer sun, then you’ll be glad to hear that you will be free to relax with your E-Lites electronic cigarette in Italy, Malta and Spain. And though there is some confusion over electronic cigarette usage in Greece, at the time of writing, the products are currently legal.

It is also worth noting that many airlines enforce their own regulations on the use of electronic cigarettes on board their aircraft, and so if you are thinking of ‘vaping’ on the way to or from your destination always check the airline’s policy on electronic cigarettes ahead of checking-in.

Qualifying didn’t go the way he would have liked, though, and he would start the first race of the weekend in eighth place. Brands Hatch is a perennial “old-style” racing circuit, with little room to overtake on its narrow corners. Despite getting up to seventh, Matt dropped back to eighth on the last lap of race one.

This could have been with one eye on race two, perhaps. Finishers 1st-8th of race one get reversed for the start of the second race, so Matt lined up on pole position for Sunday’s race. The Formula 4 series was supporting the DTM (Deutsche Touring Masters) at Brands Hatch, so there was a decent crowd out in force, and were treated to an exciting race, with the safety car having to come out following a Seb Morris crash. But Matt was undeterred, and drove an excellent race to take the win!

He followed this up with a seventh place, having started race three from lowly 12th, but it was a very good drive to get past the cars he did. But the shining moment was when he stood on the top step of the podium for the second time this season, proudly cheered on by his dad and team manager Trevor, and his girlfriend Amber.

Once again, Team E-Lites come out on top. Between our two teams, we have two pole positions and three race wins, and we’re proud to call them our racers.