Six men have appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow accused of attempting to murder three motorcyclists.
Ian Ewing, 44, of Newtonhill; Patrick Noble, 52, of Aberdeen; Kyle Urquhart, 22, of Aberdeen; Ian Yeomans, 57, of Peterhead; Lewis Ross, 36, from Insch and Steven McSeveney, 33, from Alford, are alleged to have committed the offences on the A98 Fochabers to Banff Road at Cullen, Moray, on September 8 last year.
It is alleged that while acting with others they drove a vehicle at biker Alistair Thompson and attempted to knock him off his motorcycle in a murder bid.
They are also accused of driving a vehicle at Colin Sutherland, causing him to fall from his bike and lose consciousness before assaulting him with a claw hammer, tyre iron, baseball bat, kicking him on the body, cutting his clothing with a knife and attempting to murder him.
The six are further alleged to have attempted to murder John Sutherland by causing him to fall from his bike and striking him with a claw hammer, tyre iron and baseball bat.
They are also accused of assaulting two other bikers, Edward Forrest and Nicky Syratt, to the danger of their lives.
Finally, they are charged with a breach of the peace in which, while acting with others and with their faces masked, they brandished weapons and acted aggressively and repeatedly struck motorcycles with them.
All six deny the charges against them.
Judge Lord Matthews set a trial date for January next year.
The road was closed for 24 hours as investigations took place.
