Bridgestone GP Briefing Round 5: France Tuesday 15 May 2007 MotoGP personnel will reconvene at the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans this weekend for the French GP, round five of this year’s championship. The race will be the first of six European events in quick succession as the series takes a whistle-stop tour of France, Italy, Spain, Britain, the Netherlands and Germany in just a two month period. Casey Stoner took his third win of the season on Bridgestone tyres at the last race in China, while Suzuki’s John Hopkins claimed a well deserved maiden podium in Shanghai to join Stoner, Ducati team-mate Loris Capirossi and Honda Gresini’s Toni Elias as Bridgestone-shod podium scorers so far this season. Loris Capirossi finished in second place in last year’s French GP, while John Hopkins displayed a typically spirited ride. The Anglo-American led the early stages of the race before crashing out and set the third quickest lap of the GP. Tyre Talk with Hiroshi Yamada Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Sport Department Visions of Euro Contest “The French GP kick-starts an intensive period of European events which will demand a lot from the teams, riders, tyre manufacturers and all the staff in MotoGP. We have six races in about two months so we have to keep well prepared ahead of each European weekend, while looking longer term at the forthcoming races. After the technical challenges of Istanbul and China, we return to a few tracks where we had good results last year. We saw positive race performances from some of our riders in Le Mans last year, but as we have seen from the opening races of this season, results from 2006 do not necessarily translate accurately to 2007.” Taking the Soft Option “We have relatively softer specification tyres available for our teams in Le Mans. The climate condition is not expected to be as high as at recent events and the circuit layout is also made up of mainly slow corners, placing less stress on the tyre. These factors allow us to run softer compounds. Because of the stop-go nature of the track, we must consider braking stability and traction as key areas for tyre performance. In keeping with recent races, we will again bring our most recent generation of compound to Le Mans, but the compounds have been fine-tuned for the different demands of the French track.” The Weekend Ahead “We learned a lot of important lessons from last year’s French GP and were finally able to see some encouraging results from John and Loris in the race. The weather is usually unstable, so we will again have our latest specification of wet tyres on standby. Randy has his home GP, so we hope that the French fans cheer him on during the weekend. Of course it is also the home race for one of our tyre rivals, so we are sure they will be strong this weekend. We are sorry to hear that Olivier’s injuries prevent him from taking part in his home race and we wish him a speedy recovery.” Riding Perspective with Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet “Le Mans is such a special Grand Prix, not only because it is my home race, but I also had a lot of fun racing there in the past. 2006 was my first year at Le Mans with Bridgestone tyres and it surprised me how well they worked. The qualifying tyres were perfect – I got the fourth spot on the grid, which remains my best MotoGP qualifying position so far – and so were the race ones, allowing me to put in really fast and consistent lap times. This year, I arrive there quite confident after the progress that both the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR and the Bridgestone tyres showed in Istanbul and Shanghai. The first corner is perhaps the most critical point. We arrive there at 260 km/h and it is really tight. After a steep slope, the back part is quite fast but the chicane and the last corner makes the last split slow and challenging again. All these stop and goes, slopes and fast and slow parts combined makes of Le Mans a technical circuit, also for the tyre manufacturers. The Bridgestone technicians are doing a great job, bringing highly competitive tyres and giving us a lot of advice to make the right choice among them. The atmosphere at Le Mans is fantastic and, even though it could add some kind of pressure, the support of all the French is going to give me a boost.” 2006 Flashback Race Winner Marco Melandri Honda 44m57.339s Top Rider on Bridgestone (2nd) Loris Capirossi Ducati 44m59.298s Qualifying Pole Position Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m33.990s Top Rider on Bridgestone (2nd) Shinya Nakano Kawasaki 1m34.201s

HAYES AND HAYDEN BATTLE ATOP AMA SUPERSPORT PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 14, 2007) Josh Hayes is hoping to return Honda to prominence in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei. So far, so good for the Gulfport, Mississippi rider. Hayes, of Erion Racing Honda, leads the series standings coming into round four at Infineon Raceway, in Sonoma, Calif., on Sunday May 20. A few weeks ago Hayes was tied for the series lead with Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Roger Hayden, but after scoring a runner-up finish last month in Fontana, Calif., to Hayden’s third, Hayes has opened up a narrow four-point gap on his rival. Both riders are seeking their first Supersport win at Infineon. After the opening round of the series at Daytona International Speedway in March, it looked as if the AMA Supersport class was going to be a Kawasaki benefit, after Hayden and teammate Jamie Hacking dominated the rest of the field. Hayes and Honda responded by running away with round two at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. It was two-time series champ Hacking then who roared back with authority at California Speedway to earn the victory, making it three winners in three rounds leading up to this Sunday’s race. Hayes says it’s a major accomplishment to be leading a series with so much talent. “You’ve got Jamie [Hacking] who is a two-time champion of this class,” Hayes said. “And Roger Lee [Hayden] who’s won a ton of races in the last few years, not to mention his brother Tommy who’s won this thing twice as well. There’s so much depth in this field I have no doubt that it’s going to be a long a tough season. It sounds like PR, but Honda really has stepped up to the plate this year with its new bike and given me a really good weapon to go out and try to win this championship.” Honda has more Infineon Supersport wins than any other manufacturer, but hasn’t won the title since 2000 when Kurtis Roberts took the honors. Roger Hayden hopes to join his brothers Tommy and Nicky as former Infineon Supersport winners. “This track is a lot more physical and a lot tighter with more elevation changes than most other tracks,” Hayden said. “You have to be pretty aggressive to pass here and it’s not easy, so that can be pretty exciting.” Jamie Hacking, who won this race in 2003, survived a spectacular crash at Barber Motorsports Park and is hoping to continue his momentum on this West Coast swing of the series. “All I can do is go out there and win races at this point,” said Hacking, who comes into Infineon sixth in the standings 26 points out of the lead. “The good thing is that we have a lot of racing left in this championship and a lot can happen. I’ve always really liked this track configuration and the lines here [at Infineon]. I’ve really come to like this track even more over the years and it’s become one of my favorites. I like a track with a lot of rolling hills, so this suits me.” Steve Rapp, who learned to road race at Infineon as an AFM club racer, comes to his home track third in the standings. He scored a podium at Barber and is hoping to do the same Sunday. A local rider has won this race only once before in 1988 when David Deveau from Sebastopol, scored the upset win. Rapp, originally from Lafayette, is hoping to become the second. Tommy Hayden won the Supersport race at Infineon in 2005. He’s the top Suzuki rider in the class, ranked fourth. Floridian Michael Barnes is the veteran of the class, but even at 38 he’s still one of the best in the series. Barnes is fifth in the series on his M4 EMGO Suzuki and is aiming to earn his first podium of the year this weekend. There will be a number of Bay Area riders competing in this weekend’s Supersport race including Chris Siglin, of Bay Point, riding for Arclight Suzuki; Bobby Fong, of Stockton, racing with Safety First Suzuki and Grant Riggs of Burlingame racing the Jelly Belly Suzuki to name a few. The race will be shown on SPEED on Tuesday, May 22 at 1:00 pm Eastern. The Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei race at Infineon is part of the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown presented by Supercuts, which runs May 18-20. Tickets for the event are still available. Visit www.InfineonRaceway.com for addition information.

Safety First Suzuki’s Bobby Fong sets unofficial 600 track record at Blackhawk Farms Raceway. Team Safety First Suzuki showed up for the CCS round at Blackhawk Farms Raceway in Rockton, IL this past weekend for additional testing before the AMA Infineon Round. Team owner Kevin Hanson stated that the team utilized Friday practice and the GT races on Saturday to sort through some suspension settings they found at the last AMA Fontana round. “Obviously what we found worked because Scotty went faster than he had ever gone at Blackhawk before and Bobby set the fastest 600 time on his Suzuki GSXR600 during his first visit at the raceway,” commented Hanson. The existing overall track record at Blackhawk Farms is currently held by Mark Junge on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 at a 1:09.6 lap time. The fastest either, habitually fast contingency expert Robert Jensen or Larry Denning has gone at Blackhawk on a 600 was a 1:10.6 lap time. “Bobby turned a 1:10.3 lap and several 1:10.6 laps during the GTO race Saturday on a Michelin Medium Soft rear tire. The great thing about that time is it was done on a regular Michelin tire that any club racer can get from any local Michelin vendor”¦it wasn’t a special tire,” explained Hanson. The team packed up the semi Saturday afternoon and it headed west for Infineon Raceway for the next AMA Round. Checkout www.SAFETYFIRSTRACING.com to see the Safety First Suzuki line of apparel and casual wear. Kevin Hanson continues to educate elementary school aged children nationwide about the importance of helmet usage. Safety First Racing was formed in 2004 by police officer/racer, Kevin Hanson, based out of Chicago, IL. And now some reader comment: FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I saw the press release from Safety First racing about Bobby Fong’s Blackhawk Farm lap times this last weekend. Last June I ran a 1:10.008 on my R6 during the Yamaha contingency weekend there. Brian Hall and I have both run numerous 1:10.5/4s, both of us have gone faster then Larry Denning and Mark Junge on 600s. Just FYI I’m still recovering from injuries I got at Road Atlanta last year but I was out at BHF yesterday watching, Jason Farrell ran a 1:10.3 chasing Brian Hall. Both of them ran a bunch of mid/high 1:10s. I just wanted to let you know. I know Keven Hanson likes to do his press releases but I would think your readers would like accurate info. Thanks, Dan Ortega CCS #966 McHenry Illinois More, from a press release issued by Speed Tech Racing: Speed Tech Racing / Team Green Kawasaki riders Jason Farrell & Brian Hall had a splendid weekend at Blackhawk Farms Raceway this past weekend. Owner/Rider of Speed Tech Racing, Jason Farrell set the fastest time of the weekend on Sunday with a low 10.3 while running an average of low to mid 10’s during the Unlimited GP race on Sunday. This was Jason’s first weekend out this season as he prepares for the rest of the season of ASRA & AMA events. Jason finished 2nd behind teammate Brian Hall in several races, & also won the Middleweight Supersport race. 2006 Midwest CCS Regional Champion rider Brian Hall had a great weekend riding his Speed Tech Racing prepared ZX6R’s. He won several events and also ran the fastest laps he ever ran @ Blackhawk Farms Raceway. Brian further extended his points lead this weekend with his finishes. Brian also had a great weekend in Topeka, KS at Heartland Park 2 weeks ago where he won over 6 races & placed 4th in the ASRA Superbike event. We look forward to Brian’s continued success this season on our team. Brian is a very good rider & has really come up the ranks in the past couple years. Look for Brian to do well at AMA Pro Supersport & Formula Xtreme races. Weather conditions worked out great for everyone this weekend as it seemed the times have dropped with further technology advancements on the new ZX6R’s. Speed Tech Racing put on a great show of finishing 1-2 in many races and battled for the lead. With Brian running on Dunlop tires & Jason running on Pirelli tires it was interesting to see how the tires might make the difference in lap times. Jason riding hard to catch Brian who started on the front row each race couldn’t make it past Brian once he caught him. Both tire manufactures did an awesome job on tires for us. Brian has been a Dunlop supported rider & Jason has been with Pirelli for years. Neither one wanted to change tire manufactures so we let them bring on their own tire sponsors. We’ll let them duke it out that way! Jason said, “I really like the new 2007 ZX6R! The thing turns so fast and handles like it on a rail. It’s my first time riding this year & I came out this weekend to practice for the AMA round get the bike set-up. I felt a little rusty on practice Friday plus I was riding on 3hrs of sleep! Saturday was a bit better for me as I was doing flat 11’s. I managed to run low to mid 10’s on Sunday with ease. I never put a wheel wrong and I couldn’t throw the bike into the turns fast enough! The Pirelli tires were unreal how they hooked up. I was running a Green compound front & rear which aren’t the softest compound and they held up awesome! I can’t wait for the AMA National at Road America; I’m definitely shooting for top 10’s for sure! Brian was running great right from the beginning of the weekend. I was a bit behind playing catch up and I’m glad I got my groove back by the end of the weekend. It was great running with my new teammate & battling for the lead. I got killer starts every time starting from rows 3 & 4 but just didn’t have enough to pass Brian. I look forward to the rest of the season with Brian & hope we continue this great success.” Look for Jason Farrell & Brian Hall to be contesting in the AMA 600 Supersport & Formula Xtreme races at Road America. Local team supporters are welcome to hangout in our Hospitality center during the weekend. Prior to the Road America, team Speed Tech Racing will be attending the NESBA event on May 28th & 29th helping other who ride NESBA with their riding skills. Speed Tech Motorsports is a High Performance Motorsports shop based out of Oshkosh, WI.

Three podiums at North West for Martin. Guy Martin and his Hydrex Honda team got their road racing season off to a superb start at the Kennedy International North West 200 in Northern Ireland. Martin scored three podium finishes and two top tens at the high speed pure road race which was attended by 150,000 strong crowd. The first race of the day was the DeWalt Performance Tools Superbike race and Martin finished in 4th. The race was heavily interrupted with two red flags one of which was caused by Bruce Anstey high siding. Despite his crash he was still included in the results which didn’t please Martin. “Bruce caused the red flag so I don’t think he should be in the result and there are a few folk who are thinking the same. I got fourth which is alright; we had a bit of trouble with the bike over heating as they held us a long time on the grid, so maybe it was a good thing the race getting stopped. I wanted a third but that is how it goes,” he said. The next race out was the Club SOI Supersport race and Marin took a fighting 3rd place. He was thrilled with the result saying, “That race was spot on really, I had to battle for it, I had to do some do or die manoeuvres on the last lap but it all paid off and I got a podium.” The CP Hire Limited Superstock race didn’t get off to a good start as Martin explained, “Finnegan put his hand up as he had a problem so I thought it was going to be stopped so I pulled the clutch in and next thing everyone was away. So I tried to rev it off the line and nearly stalled it like Finnegan and I went backwards to about twentieth.” However he pulled it back to finish in 3rd place. “I was going steady and plugging away, I wasn’t really riding the wheels off it. There were all these boys who couldn’t keep up with my Honda. It handles well, we’ve had Javier from Pro-Shock in Spain over and he has it set up so well. What we lack on speed we make up on handling,” he explained. The second Superbike outing of the day the Blackhorse Finance NW200 feature race saw Martin battle hard with the leaders to take 2nd place. This race was also interrupted with a red flag when Cameron Donald crashed out. “I thought I could win it, I lead it from the start, couple of boys came passed me into University and I sat and watched what they were doing. Then Plater made a break on McGuinness,” he said, “I was trying to pass McGuinness as Plater was getting away so on last lap I did a do or die move on him into the Corona Chicane and by then it was too late to get passed Plater. I caught him towards the end of the lap but it was too late, I could have used another lap. I’m happy enough with second.” The last race of the jam packed day was the Ballymoney Council Supersport race where Martin finished in 8th. “I’m a bit gutted. It went off song and just petered out. We are learning and need to tweak the electrics for the TT. The motor is good it is just the electrics letting it down but we will get there with it.” The North West is a good indicator for the TT and that is Martin’s aim this year. The next stop for the Hydrex team is the Snetterton round of the Bennetts British Superbikes where Martin will compete in the Supersport class, “I just want to go and learn a bit more and get ready for the TT that is what it is all about. Everything is in place for a good job at the TT,” he concluded. The fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and the Metzeler National Superstock Championship will take place on the 18th 20th May at Snetterton. DeWalt Performance Tools Superbike race 1. John McGuinness Honda 123.01 4:22.401 2. Bruce Anstey Suzuki 122.38 4:23.748 3. Steve Plater Yamaha 123.28 4:21.834 4. Guy Martin Honda 122.51 4:23.464 Club SOI Supersport race 1. Bruce Anstey Suzuki 118.41 4:32.598 2. Steve Plater Yamaha 118.22 4:33.038 3. Guy Martin Honda 116.51 4:37.045 CP Hire Superstock race 1. Bruce Anstey Suzuki 121.90 4:24.785 2. Alastair Seeley Yamaha 121.03 4:26.688 3. Guy Martin Honda 119.65 4:29.764 Blackhourse Motorcycle Finance NW200 Superbike race 1. Steve Plater Yamaha 124.02 4:20.268 2. Guy Martin Honda 123.66 4:21.023 3. Michael Rutter Kawasaki 123.53 4:21.300 Ballymoney Borough Council Supersport race 1. Bruce Anstey Suzuki 118.98 4:33.352 2. John McGuinness Honda 117.75 4:34.128 3. Michael Rutter Kawasaki 117.87 4:33.844 4. Steve Plater Yamaha 117.32 4:35.134 5. Ian Lougher Honda 117.59 4:34.483 6. Ian Hutchinson Honda 116.27 4:37.617 7. Stuart Easton Kawasaki 116.25 4:37.654 8. Guy Martin Honda 115.96 4:38.360 More, from a press release issued by publicist Phil Wain: Podium glee for Martin at NW200 Kirmington’s Guy Martin put in a series of superb performances at Saturday’s International North West 200 road races and claimed no less than three podium finishes from his five races. The Hydrex Honda star had never stepped onto the rostrum before at the 8.9-mile Triangle circuit but with both rider and machines working to their optimum, he was in contention in each and every race. With the meeting blessed in sunshine, confidence was high after strong qualifying performances but the first Superbike was interrupted with a series of stoppages and the result was eventually declared at a lowly two laps. A sluggish start meant that Guy was in the process of working his way through the pack but he was still placed fourth when the results were declared. Jumping straight on to the Supersport machine he was able to claim his first ever podium finish and a fine ride into third meant he was also the first of the Honda riders past the chequered flag. In the Superstock race, he had, arguably, his finest ride of the day as he was outside the top fifteen on the first lap but a series of high speed laps saw him work his way through to third by the end of the 5 laps for another brilliant podium finish. Another red flag in the feature NW200 race meant it was a straight three-lap race and Guy was involved in a superb four-way battle for the lead. Although he briefly snatched the lead on the final lap, Steve Plater managed to squeeze by on the final run along the coast road and Guy had to settle for second, just 0.955s adrift of Plater but ahead of Michael Rutter and John McGuinness. A hectic days racing was concluded with Guy taking 8th in the second Supersport race. Speaking afterwards, a delighted Guy commented: “It’s been a good day’s racing and having not had a podium before today, to now have three to my name is pretty satisfying. I enjoyed all of the races and we were competitive in all of them so we’ve been rewarded for a lot of hard work. The Superbike races were a bit short but were fun, although very tough, races and I think we proved we were as competitive as anyone out there. The likes of Plater, Rutter and co are tough competitors but we stepped up to the plate today and got our rewards.” “I didn’t even realise I was on the podium in the Superstock race as I had such a bad start I just concentrated on passing as many people as I could so to get ushered into the winners enclosure was a nice surprise! Everything felt good today and although it would have been nice to have got our first win, we beat some of the top boys and are in excellent shape heading to the TT. The team have put in a tremendous amount of effort this week and they deserved the results as much as anyone so let’s hope we can make it on to the top step of the box at the TT.” Prior to the Isle of Man TT Races, Guy will be out again in the British Supersport Championship at Snetterton, this coming weekend, May 18-20.

WERA National Cancelled The WERA National Challenge and National Endurance co-sanctioned by AMA scheduled at Jennings GP on May 18/19/20 has been cancelled due to wildfires in the area which are causing dense smoke and poor visibility as well as posing health hazards. The Florida Highway Patrol has periodically closed large sections of Interstates 75 and 10 due to these fires and have requested that anyone planning on travel into Florida postpone those travels. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing will make every attempt to re-schedule the Bridgestone/WERA National Endurance and Michelin/WERA National Challenge Sprints for another date later in the season. For further information contact WERA at (770) 720-5010.

Dorna teams up with Magellan to measure television exposure Dorna Sports, the exclusive holder of the MotoGP World Championship’s commercial and television rights, have teamed up with Applied Image Recognition Ltd to use the pioneering Magellan System to measure television exposure for advertising and sponsorship partners. Magellan is a piece of automatic image recognition software developed by advanced technology suppliers Omniperception Ltd in collaboration with the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. Distributed world-wide by Applied Recognition Limited, Magellan sets the global standard for brand logo exposure analysis and reporting. Magellan gives Dorna Sports the capacity to provide their commercial partners with increasingly reliable and consistent data measuring brand exposure in their International Programme Feed (IPF) broadcasts, which are produced entirely by Dorna’s television team. Analysis will take place of the IPF stream of every Saturday Qualification Practice in all three of the 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP classes, the Sunday MotoGP Warm Up session and the Sunday races in each class. David McIntosh, Director of Applied Image Recognition Limited, commented: “Dorna Sports’ use of Magellan for MotoGP will give their sponsors new higher levels of accuracy in brand exposure assessment during televised races. We are delighted that this increasingly popular sport is joining the Magellan community of world-wide sports sponsorship analysis and reporting.” Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, commented: “OmniPerception’s Magellan System allows us to improve the accuracy of our reporting on the data we produce to demonstrate to each of our partners the levels of exposure and return on interest they receive as a result of their presence in MotoGP.” MotoGP is the world’s premier motorcycling championship consisting of 18 Grands Prix around the globe and featuring the world’s top motorcycle manufacturers and the world’s best riders. There are now around 200 countries and territories receiving live or same-day-delayed broadcasts of each Grand Prix, with an average of over 304 million spectators each race weekend. The total annual television audience for MotoGP is over 5,100 million, while more than 50 networks show live or SDD broadcasts of the races. About AIR Applied Image Recognition (AIR), is the exclusive global distributor of OmniPerception’s unique Magellan technology for sports marketing analysis. AIR is now bringing the advanced capabilities of this technology to sponsorship, advertising and brand management customers worldwide. About OmniPerception OmniPerception is one of Britain’s most advanced computer vision company, specialising in unique facial biometric technology and other highly advanced image processing. Originally founded by top research engineers from the University of Surrey’s Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing and still closely linked with the Centre’s innovative output, the company is now established as a leading supplier of facial biometrics and advanced image processing solutions for customers world-wide. Magellan is the world’s leading system for the automated measurement of brand exposure in broadcast streams. It has become the standard for the measurement of sports sponsorship, and is also being used by Government organisations for security applications. About MotoGP MotoGP is the world’s premier motorcycling championship, with a calendar recently expanded to include 18 events across the globe, all bringing together the world’s top motorcycle manufacturers and the top riders in racing today. The sport is a unique combination of the highest level of technology and riding skill, with incredible overtaking manoeuvres, rear-wheel slides, and riders pushing the laws of science and engineering to the very limit. About Dorna Dorna Sports was established in 1988 as an international sports management and marketing company. Headquarters are in Madrid, with offices in Barcelona, London and Tokyo and over 150 dedicated staff. The company is owned by Bridgepoint Capital and its management. Dorna has been the exclusive holder of the commercial and television rights relating to the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (MotoGP) since 1992. Dorna’s focus involves a 360° event management philosophy with direct involvement in all areas of the MotoGP World Championship: sporting (Relations with the FIM the championship’s rights owners, local promoters, supervision of technical rules and relations with manufacturers and teams), media (TV production, TV coverage rights and all communications issues of the Championship) and commercial (commercial, licensing and corporate hospitality rights). Dorna also has involvement in other top motorcycling events such as the Spanish National Championship (CEV) and the British Superbike Championship (BSB)

MotoGP’s European leg begins at Le Mans Alice Grand Prix de France Monday 14th May Race preview MotoGP MotoGP returns to mainland Europe for round five of the 2007 World Championship, as the action hits the world famous Le Mans circuit at the Alice Grand Prix de France. The track once again marks a debut visit for the 800cc machines, with no preseason testing having been undertaken there by any rider. Things are already hotting up at the top of the standings in the MotoGP class, where Casey Stoner continues to lead the way after three victories from the opening four races of the season. The Australian was the winner of the most recent round, held at the beginning of the month in China, with another assured display onboard the Ducati Desmosedici GP7, and leads five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi by fifteen points. Stoner has not put a foot wrong when leading a race thus far in 2007, going especially well at tracks where he had already shown promise in his rookie season. He finished fourth last year in France, an ominous sign for his title rivals who if they hadn’t already- will be taking Stoner very seriously indeed as a championship contender. Valentino Rossi lies second in the standings, and his season so far has been a big improvement on the start to 2006. Avoiding the tyre problems which affected him in China last year and most recently at this year’s race in Turkey, ‘The Doctor’ was able to keep the gap between himself and Stoner to a minimum after the visit to Shanghai. He returns to the scene of one of his worst moments of his title-relinquishing year this week, and few MotoGP fans will have forgotten the sight of a distraught Rossi being driven back to the Yamaha garage after his bike broke down at Le Mans in 2006. The Italian has been on pole for five of the last six races, and has twice taken victory on French soil. 2006 Rookie of the Year Dani Pedrosa was supposed to be former 250cc star to shine on the 800cc machines, and watching former quarter-litre rival Stoner snatch away the limelight is sure to provide the Honda factory rider with extra motivation. The Spaniard is on a run of twelve races without a win, his longest barren spell since he won his first 125cc race in 2002, and will need to return to the podium spots after two races away if he is to keep touch with the leading two riders who are already beginning to open up a gap in the standings. Last year’s winner at Le Mans, Marco Melandri has picked up the pace in the last two races as he continues his adaptation to the Honda RC212V. The Italian is a proven race winner on his day, and the French track seems ideal for a rider who thrives on late braking and has suffered from a lack of power in recent Grands Prix. After achieving his first podium finish in Shanghai, John Hopkins’ stock is at an all-time high in MotoGP. The Rizla Suzuki rider had been on the brink of breaking the ‘curse’ on many occasions, and now leads Toni Elias and Colin Edwards in the classification. Loris Capirossi, Nicky Hayden and Chris Vermeulen complete the top ten; level on 30 points. There will undoubtedly be another packed house at the ever-popular Le Mans venue, especially given the French presence in MotoGP. Randy de Puniet impressed in China during qualifying, and equalled his best race result with eighth on the factory Kawasaki. A question mark still hangs over the presence of his team-mate Olivier Jacque however, with the former 250cc World Champion having suffered a grisly injury to his right arm which required immediate attention. It remains to be seen whether he will be fit to race in Le Mans, but there will be a place for MotoGP’s rookie rider Sylvain Guintoli. The Dunlop Yamaha Tech3 rider has impressed with his steady debut performances this year, and will hope to make further progress at his home track. The Alice Grand Prix de France takes place on May 20th, with practice starting on Friday 18th May. 250cc After ending his perfect 2007 record in Turkey, Jorge Lorenzo bounced back in style at Shanghai to once again take pole and victory in 250cc. The Spaniard has won three of the opening four races of the season, and leads nearest rival Andrea Dovizioso by 23 points as he threatens to run away with a second successive title. Dovizioso has shown an aggressive attitude as of late, a lack of which critics had cited as the reason for his being unable to take more victories in previous races. The Italian was himself on the receiving end of some ‘roughing up’ in China, courtesy of reigning 125cc World Champion Alvaro Bautista at the end of the race. Dovizioso’s reaction is sure to be interesting, with Bautista also breathing down his neck in the classification. Separating the two, a new-found consistency from Alex de Angelis has meant that he has less podium finishes but also less crashes to his name in 2007. The Aspar team rider has taken fourth from the last three races to put himself ahead of team-mate Bautista in the standings, and on course for a successful first half of the season. Hector Barbera and Thomas Luthi complete the top six in the class, with the latter impressing in his rookie year. 125cc Lukas Pesek’s maiden victory at Shanghai, a long time in coming for the talented Czech, put him at the top of the tree in 125cc. The Derbi racer holds a two point advantage over Gabor Talmacsi in an extremely tight top three completed by Hector Faubel. One rider finishing ahead of the other almost guarantees their leapfrogging in the classification, with Simone Corsi also waiting for any slip up in the top five. Rookie Pol Espargaro continues to attract plaudits in the category, and he completes the top six and continues his quest to become the youngest Spanish podium finisher of all time. Circuit Info Built in 1965 around the existing 24-Hour track, the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit lies 5km south of the city of Le Mans and 200km south-west of Paris. The venue has hosted Grand Prix since the late sixties but a serious accident to Spanish rider Alberto Puig in 1995 saw it struck off the calendar until 2000 whilst stringent safety improvements were carried out. Le Mans is a tight track dominated by first gear corners that place the emphasis on late braking and hard acceleration, whilst rear end traction is also a key area. With the capacity to comfortably accommodate up to 100,000 spectators, the Bugatti circuit is always an extremely popular venue with fans. More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda: MELANDRI RETURNS TO LE MANS LOOKING FOR REPEAT OF 2006 VICTORY PREVIEW GP OF FRANCE The MotoGP World Championship returns to Europe this weekend for the Grand Prix of France, round five of the season, at the historic circuit of Le Mans, constructed around a section of the existing 24 Hour track in 1965. Famous mainly for its car races, the Bugatti circuit is located around 200km south-east of Paris and is a special event for motor sport fans from across the north of Europe. With events at the last round in China now firmly behind them, the Team Honda GRESINI riders are looking ahead to France with renewed optimism. Marco Melandri and Toni Elias, and indeed the entire team, are keen to improve both performance and results after their Shanghai disappointment. MARCO MELANDRI: “It’s nice to be going back to Le Mans, a circuit where I have a lot of nice memories after my victory there last year. I like the circuit and it should suit our bike a little more. It’s still a little early to be making predictions and we’ll have to wait until we get there to check out the weather conditions, which can change quickly. The Bugatti track is full of hard braking and it needs a riding style that favours braking and opening the gas with perfect timing according to each particular corner. There are a couple of hard acceleration points but there are no really long straights and that should help. It’s good fun to ride here – especially when you win, like I did last year! The technical conditions we find ourselves in now are a little different to how they were last season but if we give it everything then nothing is impossible. It will be important to work well from the first free practice session in order to find a good base that will allow me to squeeze everything I can out of the Le Mans track.” TONI ELIAS: “Le Mans is a track I like and I’ve had some good results there in the past. I actually scored my first podium here back in 2001 when I finished third in the 125cc race and I also won the 250cc race in 2003. Last year we suffered a lot with the tyres because I couldn’t get them up to the right temperature. This year the tyre situation is completely different and we should be in the right shape to challenge at the front of the field again. The bad luck at Shanghai is behind me now and I can’t wait to get back on track at Le Mans – it could be a decent chance to register a good result.” THE CHALLENGE: The 2007 World Championship is proving, more than ever before, to be a battle between the tyre manufacturers. Bridgestone have beaten Michelin three times out of four races already this season, even dominating at circuits where they hadn’t traditionally done well in the past. But Sunday’s race is an even bigger challenge for the Japanese brand, with the Le Mans circuit being just a short drive from their rivals’ Clermont Ferrand factory. In fact, it is Michelin who have triumphed at their home circuit some 11 times from the past 12 premier class races here – including last year’s win with Marco Melandri. Interesting fact: FAUSTO GRESINI was himself a winner at the Grand Prix of France back in 1987: “It was a wet race. The track was really slippery, there were different types of asphalt and a lot of guys were crashing but I managed to escape from the group and win,” he recalls about his wet weather win. Gresini’s curious memory of Le Mans, however, comes from 1985 when he clinched his first 125 title: “It was the first and last time in my career that I made an agreement with another rider. I was fighting for the title so Gianola said he would help me, but he didn’t – he tried to win the race! It was a lesson for me because I had the potential to win it on my own anyway. That was the day I learned that a rider must focus only on himself and his own team.” CIRCUIT Inaugurated: 1974 Latest modification: 2002 Length: 4,180 m Width: 13m Pole position: Left Right corners: 9 Left corners: 4 Longest straight: 450m

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP aims for more silverware in Le Mans Rizla Suzuki MotoGP travels back to Europe for the French Grand Prix, determined to build on the strong team performance in China last weekend. John Hopkins scored his maiden podium at the Chinese circuit and will be pushing to continue with his early season form that sees the Anglo-American in fifth place in the MotoGP World Championship. He qualified on the front row at the 4,180m long Le Mans track last year, and then led the race early on before crashing out when in a podium position. Hopkins will certainly be resolute in his quest to follow up his last race performance with one of an equal or better position. Team-mate Chris Vermeulen is still carrying a slight injury from his crash during qualification in China, but is fit to race in France. He damaged a couple of toes in the incident but the tough Australian still showed his true racer spirit in Shanghai by finishing seventh from 15th on the grid. Vermeulen finished 10th at last season’s French GP his first ever race there and will certainly be looking to improve on that when the 28-lap race gets underway on Sunday 20th May at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT). Le Mans is the ultimate ‘stop-and-go’ circuit on the MotoGP calendar and an optimum set-up for the many hard braking corners – that are such a feature at this physically demanding track – will be extremely important. The circuit also features one of the fastest corners in the world where riders will be seen going through the first turn almost flat out in sixth gear. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to the track on Friday for two hour-long free practice sessions and that will be followed by another hour on Saturday morning. Grid positions for Sunday’s race will be decided in the all-important qualifying hour on Saturday afternoon. Sunday’s race is round five of the MotoGP World Championship and signals the start of the busiest period in the calendar with seven races taking place over the next 10 weeks. John Hopkins: “I really like the Le Mans circuit and it suits both the Suzuki and my riding style so I am hoping that I can follow up last week’s podium with another. The Bridgestone tyres are working so well this year and they should give us the grip we need to be as competitive as we have been so far this season. The result in China took a huge weight off my shoulders and I’m looking forward to France I really like the track and I think we can have “Le Monster” race!” Chris Vermeulen: “My toes are still a bit sore from China, but that won’t hold me back. I liked Le Mans last year even though I didn’t get much dry time there. I still need to get my qualifying right so I can give myself a chance of getting on that podium. The bike and tyres have been awesome this season and I am sure that they will be a big feature this weekend. The whole team are on a high and we need to keep that up as we embark on this long run of races over the next couple of months. There are a few tracks in there that should suit the Suzuki so we are hoping for some good results.”

THIRD WIN AT NORTH WEST 200 FOR STEVE PLATER Steve Plater overcame the disruption of a red flag situation to secure his third Superbike race win at the North West 200 races on Saturday. After finishing third in the first Superbike race he went on to take second in the Supersport event before securing the win in the big race of the day, the Black Horse International North West 200 Superbike race. Following that came the most exciting and close run race of the day, the Ballymoney Council Supersport race where Steve rode through to finish in fourth place. The first race was halted after less than a lap because of a start-line incident and, after a lengthy delay it was decided to run a complete new race over three laps instead of the planned six. At the start Steve moved straight into third place behind Bruce Anstey, with John McGuinness ahead in the lead. Steve remained in third place, lurking just behind Anstey waiting for a chance to overtake but on the final lap Anstey went down after hitting a kerb promoting Steve to second place. Unfortunately the red flag then brought the race to an early end and a result was subsequently called at positions on lap two, with Steve being awarded third place. “I had to swerve to avoid hitting Anstey when he crashed and lost loads of time,” said Steve. “It is a shame the race was stopped as I was just getting into my stride and felt I could have won.” The second race out was the Club SOL five-lap Supersport race, which Steve began from a front row grid position. He was second into the first corner and led briefly on the opening lap before being overhauled by Bruce Anstey. By lap three Anstey and Plater had stretched out a massive lead over the chasing pack and after pulling out of his slipstream, Steve again hit the front and tried to make a break. He put in the fastest lap of the race on lap five and both he and Anstey were running very close to lap record pace. The pair exchanged places throughout the final lap but with three corners to go Anstey retook the lead and crossed the finish line just a fraction ahead leaving Steve to claim the runner up spot. The big race of the day was the Black Horse Superbike race, scheduled for six laps but again unfortunate to be run over three laps after a red flag situation. From the off Steve moved straight into third place at York Hairpin and up to second on the brakes at Metropole. He took the lead on lap two and managed to hold off the attention of McGuinness, Guy Martin and Michael Rutter, who were all challenging for his position. As McGuinness ran wide Steve made the break and shot away from Martin and Rutter to head towards the chequered flag and take the win, his second in the big race and the first for AIM Yamaha. “I am over the moon with that result,” said Steve. “I came to the North West 200 this weekend with the intention winning this race and have done it. It was a hard-fought affair but it all came together and I set the fastest lap of the race, just a fraction of a second away from the lap record I set here in the same race last year.” The final outing for Steve was the Ballymoney Council Supersport race, which was undoubtedly the closest and most exciting race on Saturday’s programme. Run over five breath taking laps Steve slotted straight into second place behind Anstey with McGuinness on his back wheel. The lead was exchanged between the three riders all the way around the nine mile public road course until, with just three corners left to race, Steve took the outside line and went for the lead. He overcooked it and was forced to run off down the escape road leaving Anstey to take the win from McGuinness with Rutter inheriting third place and the unlucky Steve Plater taking fourth. “I wasn’t going to settle for second place,” said Steve. “I made that last effort but it didn’t work out so I ended up in fourth. All things considered we have had a good weekend, a win, and two more podiums and then fourth I can’t complain at that!” Steve returns to domestic action at the weekend when he will contest the fifth round of the British Superbike championship at Snetterton. Free practise is on Friday followed by qualifying on Saturday and two 22-lap races on Sunday at 1.15pm and 3.40pm. More, from a press release issued by AIM Yamaha Racing: STEVE PLATER TAKES FIRST WIN FOR AIM YAMAHA AT THE NORTH WEST 200 Steve Plater overcame the disruption of a red flag situation to secure his third and AIM Yamaha’s first Superbike win at the North West 200 races on Saturday. After finishing third in the first Superbike race he went on to take second in the Supersport event before securing the win in the big race of the day, the Black Horse International North West 200 Superbike race. Following that came the most exciting and close run race of the day, the Ballymoney Council Supersport race where Steve rode through to finish in fourth place. The first race was halted after less than a lap and after a lengthy delay it was decided to run a complete new race over three laps instead of the planned six. At the start Steve moved straight into third place behind Bruce Anstey, with John McGuinness ahead in the lead. Steve remained in third place, lurking just behind Anstey waiting for a chance to overtake but on the final lap Anstey went down after hitting a kerb promoting Steve to second place. Unfortunately the red flag then brought the race to an early end and a result was subsequently called at positions on lap two, with Steve being awarded third place. The second race out was the Club SOL five-lap Supersport race, which Steve began from a front row grid position. He was second into the first corner and led briefly on the opening lap before being overhauled by Bruce Anstey. By lap three Anstey and Plater had stretched out a massive lead over the chasing pack and after pulling out of his slipstream, Steve again hit the front and tried to make a break. He put in the fastest lap of the race on lap five and both he and Anstey were running very close to lap record pace. The pair exchanged places throughout the final lap but with three corners to go Anstey retook the lead and crossed the finish line just a fraction ahead leaving Steve to claim the runner up spot. The big race of the day was the Black Horse Superbike race, scheduled for six laps but again unfortunate to be run over three laps after a stoppage. From the off Steve moved straight into third place before taking the lead on lap two and managed to hold off the attention of McGuinness, Guy Martin and Michael Rutter, who were all challenging for his position. As McGuinness ran wide Steve made the break and shot away from Martin and Rutter to head towards the chequered flag and take the win, his second in the big race and the first for AIM Yamaha. The final outing was the Ballymoney Council Supersport race, which was undoubtedly the closest and most exciting race on Saturday’s programme. Run over five breath taking laps Steve slotted straight into second place behind Anstey with McGuinness on his back wheel. The lead was exchanged between the three riders all the way around the nine mile public road course until, with just three corners left to race, Steve took the outside line and went for the lead. He overcooked it and was forced to run off down the escape road leaving Anstey to take the win from McGuinness with Rutter inheriting third place and the unlucky Steve Plater taking fourth. STEVE PLATER “I am happy with that set of results and delighted I could bring Team AIM Yamaha their first win here at the North West. It was a shame we didn’t get to run full distance in either Superbike race as I feel I was in with a chance of the double win. “Also I could have won that second Supersport race, it was a do or die situation on the last lap and I really wanted to win it. I wasn’t prepared to settle for second place and took the chance, but I overcooked it and ran off down the escape road. “All in all I am happy with the outcome, a win, two podiums and a fourth place – can’t complain at that can I!” ALISTAIR FLANAGAN “Needless to say I am delighted that Steve has given the team its first North West 200 Superbike win here today plus a third place in the first race. I thought he was in with a chance of the win first time out but the race was ended early putting paid to his challenge. “The two Supersport races were hectic and full of action, Steve was not far away from the win in the first one and would have finished second again in the final race of the day if it was not for that mistake three corners from home. “The bikes have been spot on all week and the team have worked hard to give Steve the best opportunity possible and he has repaid us with our first win plus two more podiums and a fourth place.” Team AIM returns to domestic action at the weekend to contest the fifth round of the British Superbike and Supersport championship at Snetterton. Free practise is on Friday followed by qualifying on Saturday and two 22-lap Superbike races on Sunday at 1.15pm and 3.40pm. Richard Cooper will be again be contesting the Supersport championship and his 20-lap race is scheduled for 2.05pm on Sunday.