This release came in early Wednesday morning (1:50 a.m. EDT), from Ducati:

HMC DUCATI RACING

Scott Russell won’t be in the line up for Sears Point, and although he is recovering well from his injuries, it is impossible to say when the former World Champion will return to the grid. His teammate, Steve Rapp, will stay on and former Pro Superbike Champion and top World Superbike privateer, Andreas Meklau, will join him. Meklau brings with him his long time sponsor, Remus, which has come on board as one of HMC’s major sponsors. Remus is the world’s largest producer of racing exhaust systems and has sponsored many European motorsport teams.

Team Owner, Mitch Hansen, says with certainty that Russell is not being replaced: “Scott’s bikes will be waiting for him if and when he’s ready to come back this season. We will restructure the team to run three riders if necessary.

“We had some bad luck at Daytona, but I’m confident Steve and Andreas will rapidly turn things around. I’m proud of the team we’ve put together and have no doubt that the rest of the season will produce the results we’ve been looking for.”


COMPETITION ACCESSORIES DUCATI

There are no big announcements from the Competition Accessories Ducati–yet! Team Manager, Tim Pritchard, says there are sponsorship developments in the pipeline, but certainly nothing he is ready to disclose.

In his second season with Competition Accessories Ducati, Larry Pegram has high hopes for the second round of the AMA Chevy Truck Superbike Championship and as the sole rider, he certainly has the best technical help he could possibly ask for. “The key ingredient,” says Pritchard, “not just for Sears, but for the rest of the season, is having the best team structure possible. I’m confident that we have two of the best technicians in the world and when this confidence is carried over to our riders, the results show.”

HMC DUCATI RACING TEAM
Mitch HansenTeam Owner
Alistair WagerTeam Manager
Owen ColesCrew Chief/Engine Builder
Vittorio BolognesiData recording Engineer
Stig PetterssonSuspension Engineer


Steve Rapp’s crew
Anthony ‘Slick’ BassChief Technician/Chassis Specialist
Richard BoydTechnician
Patrick NephMechanic

Andreas Meklau’s crew
Charly Putz Chief Technician/Engine Builder
Mark SuttonTechnician
Mike NephMechanic

COMPETITION ACCESSORIES
Tim PritchardTeam Manager
Tom PavoniPress Officer
Pietro ComandiniData Technician

Larry Pegram’s crew
Kazuhiko MatsumotoCrew Chief
Massimo Capanna Technician
Claudio PeirretiTechnician/Engine Builder
Scott Orehek Mechanic

DUCATI NORTH AMERICA
David RoyRacing Manager
Gary Schmidt PR Manger
Jim ViolaNational Marketing Manager
Wendy HoggRacing Press Officer


A press conference has been scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 4 in the Sears Point Raceway pressroom. Any credential-holding journalists wishing to interview Meklau, Rapp, Pegram or Mitch Hansen will have the opportunity to do so during this 15-minute conference.