We are pleased to announce a partnership between TrackAddix, Inc. and Motion Motorsports, Inc. to provide Bridgestone tire support at all Central Roadracing Association (CRA) events at Brainerd International Raceway (BIR). Motion Motorsports is owned and operated by CRA racer Jess Moeding (CRA #36) and will act as the TrackAddix Bridgestone representative for CRA race events and TrackAddix track day events at BIR. Jess will be assisted by Aaron Anderson (CRA #225), and they will have the full range of Bridgestone race tires available for sale as well as offer mounting and balancing services trackside at all events. “We are long time customers of TrackAddix and feel that they are a quality organization that offers top products and services. We have had great success racing on Bridgestone tires and are proud to be associated with TrackAddix and the Bridgestone race tire program,” said Moeding. Dean Rumfola, President of TrackAddix said, “As our business has grown we have encountered the inevitable date conflicts between our events and the events of other organizations. This partnership will ensure that Bridgestone riders will receive total support at all CRA events”. Motion Motorsports will be at the following 2007 BIR events- CRA Races May 4th-6th June 15th-17th July 20th-22nd August 24th-26th September 14th-16th TrackAddix Track Days June 18th July 23rd August 27th Bridgestone offers over $52,000 in contingency payouts over the course of the CRA season. Motion Motorsports can be contacted at (651) 283-5905, or email [email protected]. TrackAddix is headquartered near Denver, Colorado, and provides motorcycle track days, riding schools, Bridgestone tire sales and support, as well as the sales of parts and accessories for sport motorcyclists. In addition, TrackAddix operates a motorcycle road racing series, known as the TrackAddix GP SuperBike Championship, under a sanctioning agreement with the Championship Cup Series. For additional information visit www.TrackAddix.com

MV Agusta and Fogarty join forces Two iconic names in motorcycle racing, MV Agusta and Carl Fogarty, are to join forces for an assault on the Superbike World Championship. The Italian manufacturer is set to enter the championship in the 2008 season with Fogarty’s British-based team as their factory-supported outfit. “We are happy to race with Carl Fogarty’s team in 2008 and see this as a long-term relationship,” says MV Agusta President Claudio Castiglioni. “We always targeted 2008 as our debut year in the World Superbike series, when we will have sufficient resources to fully support such a challenge. “When MV Agusta returns to World Championship competition, it must be with the ability to be competitive from the very first race, and to challenge for victory throughout the season. “Everyone was impressed by the professionalism and dedication of Fogarty’s team during their five years with Petronas and we are confident they can deliver the results we expect.” The partnership recreates the relationship Castiglioni and Fogarty enjoyed when the rider won the first of his two World Superbike titles in 1994 and 1995 for Ducati, then owned by Castiglioni. Fogarty, four-times World Superbike champion, said: “This is a very exciting opportunity and one which is sure to capture the imagination of racing fans around the world. “Claudio shares my desire for success and it will be great to work with him again. “Our initial aim was to continue racing in 2007 but it soon became clear that a start date of 2008 made much more sense for this project. “My team is now committed to finding sponsorship for next year in order to start preparations for the 2008 season as soon as possible.” The team will run the new 2008 F4 R 312, which Fogarty is expected to ride during a special Parade of Champions on Friday, June 8th, as part of the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Isle of Man TT. MV Agusta last appeared there in 1972, when Giacomo Agostini recorded his last of 10 race wins on the island.

After scoring its first podium of the season at Silverstone last weekend, Rizla Suzuki travels to Oulton Park for this Bank Holiday Monday’s fourth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire, wanting more of the same. Chris Walker won the hearts of the fans at Silverstone with his gutsy performance in the opening race to finish third and taste his first champagne of the year. He followed it up with a strong fourth in the next race, demonstrating how competitive the GSX-R1000 really is and lifting the entire Rizla Suzuki team’s spirits in the process. “Standing on the podium was just brilliant,” smiled ‘Stalker’. “We have shown what we are capable of and have been getting more competitive every time we have taken to the track. I’m looking for another step forward at Oulton Park and approach the meeting happy that we have my Rizla Suzuki performing better than ever before.” Team mate Cal Crutchlow matched his best-ever British Superbike finish with a seventh place at Silverstone in the second race. He was unlucky that the race was stopped early as his lap times suggest he could have challenged the riders in front for a top-six finish if it had gone full distance. Crutchlow said: “I’m buzzing with excitement about Oulton Park; it is one of my favourite circuits and I have won several times there in the junior classes in the past. My Rizla Suzuki is well set-up for me and I really want to show what I am capable of – I’ll be doing my best to get into the top six on Bank Holiday Monday.” Superbike racing starts at 1300 on Bank Holiday Monday, May 7th, at the picturesque, flowing, 2.69mile Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire.

DANI AIMING FOR REPEAT PERFORMANCE IN CHINA Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) who memorably won his first premier class race here last year will be aiming to repeat that victory here on Sunday and propel himself up the points table in pursuit of his rivals. The young Spaniard was brought down in Turkey two weeks ago, but is fit enough to compete here. Last year he qualified on pole and then won setting the fastest lap of the race as he did so. His team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) finished second giving Repsol Honda a perfect race weekend. There has been no winter testing here and so riders will approach this track with only last season’s data to work from with new machines and new tyre regulations to cope with. The wildly variable weather will also be a factor. This race, the fourth of an 18 event series, will be pivotal in terms of the points tallies riders take back to Europe when the World Championship frequency intensifies. One man in good form at the moment is Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) who has accumulated 80 points over the last six races (two at the end of 2006). This is the shape of a rider in Championship form Elias lies 4th overall on 35 points and a win here would establish him among the title contenders. His team-mate Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) is a rider who is just shy of his best form at the moment and he’ll be looking use China as a springboard from which to launch a title challenge. The Italian currently has 30 points and needs a big score. And here at this impressive but not particularly well-liked track could be the place to start. The Shanghai International Circuit is situated 40km outside Shanghai and was designed by Hermann Tilke, also responsible for Istanbul Park in Turkey. Shanghai may not be quite as challenging as Istanbul Park, but it makes its own particular set of demands on riders. At 5.281km in length it is among the longer tracks and at 14.4m wide the tarmac leaves plenty of room for imagination when taking racing lines on entry and exit to the 14 turns, seven of which are lefts and seven right-hand corners. The main straight is the longest in MotoGP at 1175m and this puts a premium on top speed. But acceleration out of the many tight turns is equally vital, as well as stability under the exceptionally heavy braking on the entries. Couple this with two turns that double back on themselves at almost 360 degrees and here is a track that requires the utmost work in set-up. Dani said, “I’m looking forward to racing in China because I want to put Turkey behind me as soon as possible. I’ve still got a bit of a stiff neck and some discomfort in my chest, but I’ll be OK to begin first practice on Friday. I have very good memories from my first MotoGP race win there last year. The weather can be very wet here so we’ll just have to hope that it stays dry this year. It will be interesting to see how the 800s feel and perform on this circuit I think the straights could feel very long!” His team-mate Nicky said “I had a pretty decent result in China last year and we certainly need to put in a strong performance this time. My favourite part of the track is probably the long right-hander heading onto the back straight. And even at 200mph that back straight goes for days, before you hit the hardest braking corner on the circuit. Obviously though, long straights are not our strongest point right now so I hope we can make some progress there.” Marco Melandri said, “I’m going to China feeling confident after the race in Istanbul not so much for the result but for the way we fought back after a difficult weekend. In the race we recovered the feeling I lost during practice and I was able to ride my Honda in the way I like. Now the objective is to find the right way forward with the set-up from the first session and get a qualifying position that will allow me to fight for a top position in the race.” His team-mate Toni Elias said: “I have to thank my team for the work they’ve done on the set-up and Bridgestone, who have come up with a tyre which is perfect for my riding style. This has raised my confidence in my potential and allowed me to progress. The job still isn’t finished though and we still have margin for improvement. I’m pleased to see that my riding style, which many people said would be too aggressive for the new 800cc bike, can be effective and allow me to challenge for victories.” Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) said, “I came from Japan to Shanghai to prepare for this race following the Honda Suzuka 8-hour test, to avoid jet lag from going back to Europe. I’ve done a lot of riding and travelling in the past two weeks. For me the Shanghai track is nothing special, it is more for Formula 1, but I will work at 100% with the team to prepare for the race. On the long straight we will have some handicap with acceleration and top speed, and hopefully Honda can assist us in that area. The positive from the Istanbul test was a step forward with the Michelin qualifying tyres, eliminating chatter from the front.” Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) “The Shanghai track has some fast sections where top-speed is important especially the main straight so I’m hoping we won’t be too far behind the other teams and machines on top speed. Whatever happens the Team and I will be working hard to find a good setting for the new 800cc Honda RC212V from the first session and try to improve things further as the weekend goes on. My aim as ever is the reach the chequered flag and get some good points.” Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR212V) said. “We had a very good test the day after Turkey and got the bike working a lot better with the new stiffer swing arm. In race practice we had to change a lot of settings to suit the new parts but we lost most of the track time on day one with the rain and stuff and struggled to get the best out of the bike in a short time. But I’m happy with going into Shanghai the tyre situation will be interesting this weekend. We had a tyre issue at Turkey but that was a one off, I’m sure Michelin will come up with the tyres we need or Sunday.” In the 250cc category Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) leads Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW) by 18 points. After Dovi’s encouraging pole-to-podium win in Turkey, he has the momentum to upset the series leader again here. One of the most consistent riders in the World Championship Dovi has now scored points in 23 consecutive races the last time he failed to score was way back in 2005 in Malaysia some record. Dovi said, “The win in Turkey has been very important for us, now we’ll go on to China more confident and stronger than before. I like the Shanghai track, I just hope the long straight will not penalize us too much.” His team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Scot Honda RS250RW) said, “I’m really sorry for the crash in Istanbul because I was confident of putting in a good performance and gaining some points, but now I don’t have to think about the past. In China I hope to be luckier, last year I got a fifth place and I hope this bodes well.” Rising Thai star Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing Honda RS250RW) said, “Obviously, it won’t be easy with the very long straight which doesn’t really suit us. On top of that I’ll have to learn the track and find the best lines. Anyway I knew what to expect when the season started so I can’t really complain, I know what I will have to do this weekend in Shanghai.” Eugene Laverty (LCR Honda RS250RW) said, “Shanghai is another new track but I think I can learn it pretty quickly, even if it looks more difficult than Istanbul. I’m hoping to make up for the tyre problems I had in Turkey and finish in the points here.” In the 125cc category Honda riders will be hoping for a better overall performance than in Turkey where only Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) finished in the top ten. Smith said, “I’m looking forward to China especially after the race in Turkey although I’m taking nothing for granted. Battling for a podium position was great but I’m not getting carried away. The Repsol Honda was quick in the race but as the team pointed out to me, I was getting out of the corners quicker and consequently hitting the straights with more speed which we’ll definitely need in Shanghai.” Mike di Meglio (Scot Honda RS125R) said, “I’m feeling much better, the shoulder is improving day by day thanks to rehabilitation and I’m itching to race again. I’m really sad about the Turkey race because I would have liked to be there considering that the pace wasn’t very fast and I think I could have been competitive. Even though I don’t like the Shanghai track, we can have a good result here.”

USGPRU East Round 1 Jacobsen and Welsh Take Kansas by Storm! ODENTON, MD Fifty-seven USGPRU racers traveled to Topeka Kansas (nearly doubling the state’s population) this weekend for the first round of the eastern region championship. The CCS/ASRA series hosted the USGPRU at the newly renovated Heartland Park Raceway. Saturday morning qualifying for the 125GP class saw 27 riders line up to vie for the podium spot. The bar was set early on with defending 125 National Champion PJ Jacobsen, ripping off a 1:51.614 lap. Nobi Iso was the next closest qualifying at almost a full 2 seconds back. Hayden Gillim and Scott Smallwood charged on to claim the remaining spots on the front row. The 250GP qualifying was equally tense as the Canadians Eddy Brunett and Alex Welsh duked it out for the top spot. Eddy rode his Honda RS250 to set the best lap of 1:49.590 with defending 250GP National Champ, Welsh close behind him. PJ Jacobsen and his teammate Mark ‘Bigman’ Kelly rounded off the front row on their Celtic Racing machines. Sunday morning the riders were greeted by hundreds of spectators lining the stands around the 2.5 mile track. They all wanted to see some great racing, and the USGPRU and ASRA racers did not disappoint. The 125GP event favorite was clearly the 13-year-old champion, PJ Jacobsen. He nailed the start and led the field into turn one. At the end of the first lap, Nobi Iso on his Spiros and Orr tuned Aprilia RS125 motored past the youngster across the starting line. But PJ wouldn’t give up and tucked a little harder and chased down the wily veteran. On lap four Jacobsen re-passed Iso for the lead, and kept his head down and started clicking out fast laps. Iso tried to hang on but couldn’t keep pace. Meanwhile Kris Turner and Hayden Gillim were having a battle of their own for third place. Their fight didn’t slow them down either as by lap 9, they had actually reeled in Iso and both riders made the pass. Iso dug deep, and gave his Aprilia a kick in the tail. He charged hard and the three-way battle for second place was on. Iso charged back past both youngsters (whose combined ages still were less than his age) to reclaim the second spot. Young Hayden Gillim hung in to claim a fourth place finish. Iso was able to hold off Redbull Rookie Cup contender Turner for another lap to claim second. All the while, PJ had stretched his lead to almost 8 seconds over the rest of the field to take the win and the lion’s share of the purse. The 250GP race started out where the qualifying left off with Brunett and Welsh in a dead lock for the lead. But that only lasted about 3 laps before Welsh started to stretch his Honda’s legs and started to slowly put a gap between him and Brunett. The battle for third place was a bit closer as former AMA 250 contender Chris Pyles had his hands full with the young PJ Jacobsen. Chris clearly had a major horsepower advantage, but PJ kept chipping away at him and finally wore Chris down and made a pass stick with only 2 laps to go. While this battle raged on, Welsh managed to put almost 14 seconds between his bike and Brunett. Welsh easily won the race and took his share of the purse back to Canada with him. The USGPRU would like to thank the staff of the CCS/ASRA for allowing us to join them this past weekend. We’d also like to thank Heartland Park for such a wonderful facility. We all really enjoyed the weekend. The next round of the USGPRU Western Region is to be held at the Streets of Willow, 5-6 May. The next Eastern Region event will be over Memorial Day weekend at the always popular Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia. Come on out and watch some of the stars of tomorrow as they learn the art of Grand Prix racing! 125 GP Results: 1. Patrick Jacobsen 2. Nobi Iso 3. Kris Turner 4. Hayden Gillim 5. Mike Orien 6. Aaron Risinger 7. Tom Swager 8. Leon Cortes 9. Miles Thornton 10. Federico Cortes 11. Robert Johnson 12. David Celento 13. John R Klaras 14. Scott Thompson 15. Tony Wang 16. Hector St. John 17. Allen Campbell 18. Brian McLaughlin 19. Tomas Bohm 20. Brandon Kovach 21. Merle Eschman 22. Scott Smallwood 23. Rebecca Henn 24. Marcus Matthews DNS John Hjelm DNS Jeff Chen 250 GP Results: 1. Alex Welsh 2. Eddy Brunet 3. Patrick Jacobsen 4. Chris Pyles 5. Sean Wray 6. Kris Turner 7. Daniele Lenarduzzi 8. Patrick Dowd 9. Mark Kelly 10. Bruce Lind 11. Chris Quillman 12. Dale Murphy 13. Aaron Risinger 14. Mark Stiles 15. Tom Swager 16. Chris Manfrin 17. Allen Campbell 18. Tony Wang 19. Kory Gill 20. Jim Bergey 21. Daniel Qualtire 22. Michael Rajotte 23. Aaron Stein 24. Leon Cortes 25. Brandon Kovach 26. Michael Danielson About USGPRU The USGPRU is the officially recognized Motorcycle 125 Grand Prix National Championship ® and 250 Grand Prix National Championship TM series. The USGPRU emulates true World MotoGP racing experience and serves to attract young riders to gain experience in a professional environment and provide a path to world-class motorcycle racing. The USGPRU structures events with extended length grand prix racing exclusive to the GP machines, timed qualifying and strong contingency and sponsor support. For additional details, visit www.USGPRU.net More, from a press release issued by RMKR: Pueblo Motorsports Park, Pueblo, CO The Rocky Mountain Kawasaki Race Team’s first race weekend with the Motorcycle Roadracing Association went very well with multiple podium finishes. In the premier class, Race of the Rockies GTU, Ricky Orlando and Pedro Bravo, team mates, aboard Dunlop shod Kawasaki ZX6R’s were disputing second place for most of the race. On lap twelve Orlando got inside Bravo exiting turn one and made it stick. Making it a mostly RMK occupidied podium. Orlando commented that after working together on preparing for the weekend, it was ironic to be battling with your team mate. Jon Glaefke aboard a Kawasaki EX650 also spent his time on the box with a second place in Lightweight Gran Prix and Super Twins GTO. A third place in Super Twins GTU rounded out Glaefke weekend. Orlando also worked his way up from a last row start to finish third in the Middleweight Supersport class. More, from a press release issued by MotoSix Motorsports: MotoSix Wins Big at MRA Season Opener Team Riders Aaron Clark and Dave Gallant of MotoSix Motorsports won big in Colorado this past weekend at Pueblo Motorsports Park. Under sunny skies in hot conditions, Aaron Clark drew first blood in the early morning Open Supersport class riding a Fay Myers 2007 Suzuki GSXR 1000. Riding a stock motorcycle fitted with GP Suspension Components, Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa DOT tires, and Leo Vince exhaust, Aaron took the hole shot and led every lap of the morning race. Aaron quickly followed that performance by gridding up on his MotoSix 2006 Suzuki GSXR 1000 superbike for Open Superbike, and once again leading the field every lap for the win. To complete his hat trick for the weekend, Clarkie won the Race of the Rockies unlimited event gapping the whole field over the entire 14 lap race making his bid for the number one plate clear to the entire region. “Setup is crucial for our bumpy Colorado tracks, and is totally different than for our tracks in Nebraska or Utah. I really want to thank Dave Rose of Single Track Mind for his suspension support this weekend. We took a relatively stock Suzuki GSXR 1000 and got it working almost as good as my fully developed 2006 Suzuki GSXR 1000 superbike in just a few days time. The difference in handling from how I rolled it off the trailer on Friday to how it is today is amazing. Between the amazing power of the new Suzuki GSXR 1000, the GP suspension, and the new Pirelli DOT tire, I had a hard time believing I was on a Supersport bike because the whole package was so good. Overall, I am pleased with the data we collected this weekend and how well we already stack up against the stiff competition here in Colorado, and really look forward to the Hastings round where we can really let the new GSXR chassis show what it has got” commented Clarkie about his weekend. Riding a newly developed 2007 Suzuki GSXR 750, Dave Gallant of MotoSix Motorsports was able to bring home one win and one close second place finish over the weekend of racing. Dave’s win came on Saturday afternoon during the Expert Heavyweight Endurance race and saw Dave swapping the lead with a previous season’s class championship winner throughout the entire endurace race. Dave Gallant and the talented class champion broke away from the field immediately, and by mid-race distance had lapped well into the first wave of liter bike competition. With 3 laps to go, Dave made his move and held onto for the win at the line. Saturday’s race foretold of Sunday’s Heavyweight Supersport sprint race action. Dave Gallant and the same rider broke away from the field early, but could not break each other’s draft. Lap after lap both rider’s tested each other pleasing the crowd and the announcers alike. At the white flag Dave Gallant was in second place, but only inches off the tail of the lead rider. Dave made his calculated move in turn two, but missed a shift and couldn’t make the pass stick. At the line Dave Gallant was a few feet short of the win and brought home a strong second place finish. “I have very little time on these Suzuki GSXR 750s, but I really love the chassis on these new generation bikes. Like Aaron, without Dave Rose of www.FixMyBike.com I would not have been fighting for the win this weekend in the Heavyweight Supersport class. That race also made it very clear just how much better my Pirello Diablo Supercorsa DOTs are over the competition. I could get on the gas so much earlier in a few key corners that these tires are almost an unfair advantage. Although second place isn’t good enough, I am pleased with how quickly we were able to get the bike up to speed and am confident we can do the same in the next few weekends” commented Dave Gallant. MotoSix riders Aaron Clark and Dave Gallant will compete next at the double header round of the MRA series at Hastings Motorsports Park on May 26th, 27th, and 28th. More, from a press release issued by Foothills Racing: The MRA held its first race of the 2007 season at Pueblo Motorsports Race Track this last weekend in Colorado. AND WE HAVE GREAT NEWS! Due to class regulations (which the MRA was not willing to flex) the BMW Motorrad/Foothills BMW 2007 R1200S was placed in the Supertwins GTO class up against the Ducati 1098S, 999R, 998R and the Aprilia Mille (all 150+ hp machines). There was also a Ducati 749 in the race piloted by the #1 plate holder, since his 999R had blown an engine. Brad Hendry, on the #616 BMW R 1200 S started at the back of the pack (position 8) having not run in the class last year. At the end of the first lap he had passed a couple of the slower guys and was up to 6th position….all good riders in front of him. He then began to pick away positions, one by one. First, the Ducati 749, then on the next lap, a 999R. The total race was 7 laps and in each lap Brad managed to pass a competitive rider. The front group of six guys were pretty close together, and when Brad was finished with them he had passed two Ducati 999Rs, an Aprilia Mille, and a Ducati 749 to place himself in a strong second. On the white flag lap Brad passed the first rider on a Ducati 1098S, three corners before the finish line and held him off to take the checkered flag! This was a great close race and the people in the stands were cheering each time he passed somebody. Brad comments “The greater horsepower competitive machines would pull away from the R1200S on the VERY long back and front straights, but the R1200S out-performed them in the infield.” Brad puts his success down to the superior braking of the R1200S particularly into the corners and then the great torque of the boxer engine on exiting the corner. Brad exclaimed at the end of the race “I love my BMW!” Needless to say the pits were buzzing with the fact that the heavier boxer had beaten the higher horsepower and heavily touted new Ducati 1098S! Also present at the race were 33 BMW riders that had joined the Foothills BMW Motorcycles sponsored ride down to Pueblo to witness the R1200S in it first competitive race here in Colorado”¦.. AND WHAT A WIN! To follow Brad’s progress on the awesome new R 1200 S, go to his Xplor page for more pictures and news on this years race season! (http://bmwxplor.com/riders/Racing616)

Good Road Racing vibrations ahead of Shanghai In Istanbul, Red Bull KTM 125cc rider Tomoyoshi Koyama scored his first podium finish of the year – and is now glowing with confidence for the coming world championship road races. Koyama clocked best top speed at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez and would have also out-paced his competitors at the next round in Turkey had his crew not anticipated strong headwinds. The gearing was therefore a touch short, giving the best Aprilia bikes a slight edge on that occasion. For the next round in China, with a 1.3 kilometre long main straight on the impressive Shanghai circuit, it’s once again safe to assume a slight speed advantage for Koyama. The sheer top-end power of his Red Bull KTM 125 FRR with reed valve intake can match the power output of the competition with their rotary valve intakes. And the 24-year-old, diminutive, 155 cm tall Japanese rider can tuck in behind the KTM fairing very easily to transform himself into an integral part of the ideal, streamlined shape that was developed in extensive wind tunnel testing. But superior top speed is not the key to Koyama’s success. As in the larger Grand Prix categories, it’s all about handling and rideability. After years on Honda and Malaguti, Koyama only joined KTM at the beginning of this season and needed just two races to fully adapt to his new machine. “The bike is very good. Especially the chassis is getting better all the time,” beams Koyama, glowing with confidence. At the first race in Qatar, Koyama experienced a small problem with the idle system of his carburettor. This upset the smooth power delivery of his bike and caused some chassis chattering, but the problem has long been identified and corrected by Technical Director and KTM road racing constructor Harald Bartol. “Koyama has used the revised version of this carburettor very successfully in Istanbul. For the next race in China, the new carburettor will also be available for his team-mates Randy Krummenacher and Steve Bonsey,” explains Harald Bartol. KTM’s 125 FRR features a unique and exclusive fuel injection system that is not designed to replace, but instead to work in conjunction with the carburettor. It allows fine tuning of the fuel supply and lubrication under extreme circumstances — such as over-revving whilst back-shifting with closed throttle — and it does it with unparalleled precision. The engine can be set up to run lean at any rev range and under any load, without the dangers of piston seizures. With the right set-up, the KTM engine is not only very fast, but also strong in acceleration, with smooth, easily controllable power delivery. “Riders aren’t robots. And if the power kicks in too aggressively, they will feel a risk factor at the exit of each turn. It’s like shying at an abyss. They will open the throttle later and more cautiously, and inevitably lose time,” explains the Red Bull KTM 125 Team. “Therefore, we won’t stop working on our carburetion until our engines run like electric motors, with a very linear and predictable power curve.” Suspension settings are obviously another big factor for the rider’s well-being and comfort. In Koyama’s case, the set-up of the front fork and rear shock is especially crucial. With just 55 kg of body weight, or 68 kg with full riding gear, Koyama doesn’t create as much weight transfer on the bike as other riders and he needs more overall height of the bike and softer suspension settings to compensate. If the right feedback and feeling from the bike still aren’t quite there after working on engine and chassis settings, then it’s all down to the Dunlop tyres. The choice is usually down to just two different compounds on the front and the rear, not much at all in comparison to the varieties available in the MotoGP category. But still, there is the choice of air pressure. A front tyre with a softer compound might just develop the right stability under brakes with a little more air pressure. A harder compound might, in return, give the rider just this little bit extra feel if the air pressure is lowered. Sometimes it’s a minute adjustment that can make all the difference. And sometimes, there is no adjustment necessary at all. “Tomoyoshi likes the bike more and more, but there is another, very simple reason: He is getting used to it. The more he rides our KTM, the more he learns about the way it reacts and where the limits are. And the more he knows about it, the quicker he will go,” says the Red Bull KTM 125 Team. A first success in Turkey, growing confidence for the bike and good vibrations in the team: This all translates into great perspectives for the coming races — no matter how long the straights might be.