Specialists in fashion steel jewellery, Rochet has opened new horizons and concepts for the growing need for male fashion jewellery by signing a global agreement with MotoGP commercial rights-holders Dorna Sports S.L with the aim of developing an exclusive jewellery line. Engraved with the MotoGP logo this “fashion” jewellery range is dedicated to performance, technology, research & constant innovation. Patrick Brunet President of Zuccolo Rochet & C° that owns Rochet jewellery said, “Rewarding customers with exclusive products has always been the main target of our partners and employees. Thanks to their dedication, Rochet has finally reached a worldwide leadership position. Our agreement with Dorna will help us go further and illustrate our complicity on technical innovation and designs”. “We intend to strengthen our collaboration with Dorna,” said Georges Brunet, Rochet general manager. Rochet is the brand when talking about performance men’s jewellery and we look forward to developing the MotoGP Official Products as a complete programme of the prestigious MotoGP World Championships. The enthusiasm around this project is at a high, with the tough challenge of developing jewellery lines inspired from a technological world where the riders involved are truly at the pinnacle of their profession. When talking about engines, tyres, chassis or electronics MotoGP riders only know the best, and they push the limits on board their extremely impressive prototypes, which travel at over 345 km/h. Rochet is a brand dedicated to creating a fusion between fashion and this technological world which is always seeking for perfection. The new Rochet MotoGP range will have its Official presentation at ‘Baselworld’ this weekend, the world’s leading watch and jewellery show which takes place at Basel in Switzerland from April 12-19.

TOSELAND OUT TO MAINTAIN CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) enters the fourth round of the Superbike World Championship still in possession of the championship lead he has enjoyed since leaving Qatar after round one, despite the misfortune of a retirement in the most recent round. A measure of just how effective the start of his season has been comes from the fact that he is the only rider in the top five to have suffered a no-score, but yet he still leads second place rider Max Biaggi by five points. With the latest electronics working in harmony with his well-proven machine, Toseland’s confidence in the run-up to Valencia is still high, and he fully intends to leave Valencia with his championship lead intact. Toseland, the 2004 World Champion, has started from the front row in every one of the three rounds so far, and has scored three wins and two second places. The Donington round on April 1 was a positive one for Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and he is the second highest placed Honda rider in the series. Valencia is well known to him, despite the fact that he did not test there in March, during the official sessions called by the series organisers. Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) is looking forward to the Valencia race after Donington, with the former Superstock champion keen to get back to the sort of form that delivered him three podium finishes for Honda in the 2006 season. Currently 14th overall, Fabrizio heads up a running flush of Honda riders, down to his team-mate Steve Martin (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) in 17th. Joshua Brookes (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) and Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) are buoyed by their recent points scoring rides at Donington, with Muggeridge now much recovered from the foot and ankle tendon injury he suffered in practice for the Australian round in March. For Toseland, Valencia will present another opportunity for the youngest ever champion of the class to score his first career double win, after he looked in a good position to do it at Donington in the last round. He is, understandably, even more intent on defending his championship lead. “It was tough in Donington to go from the joy of winning the first race to not finishing the second, but I’ll be putting in all behind me and concentrating on the job we have to do in Valencia,” stated Toseland. “I’m still leading the championship and that is where I said I wanted to be after Donington. I’ll say the same again – I want to leave Spain as the series leader and that is the goal for the whole team.” Rolfo’s improvement in form was easy to see at Donington, and he expects to make further strides at Valencia. “I had a much better feeling on the bike at Donington and although I had bad luck once again in the Superpole, I feel like I have made really good progress,” said the Italian. “I am looking forward to Valencia – it is a track we have tested so we have already done some good work towards the set-up of the bike. I know that I can do better and I will be looking to prove that in Spain.” Fabrizio’s Valencia weekend will be particularly busy after the team came into possession of new electronics for one of his machines. As the team’s favoured test venue, Valencia is the perfect place at which to do back-to-back evaluations of any new equipment. “For me, Valencia will be an important event because we have done a lot of kilometres on this circuit,” affirmed the rider from Rome. “I hope that with the new electronic parts on motorcycle will help us to be competitive, like the best Hondas in the World Championship.” Martin’s approach to Valencia has also been given a boost with the addition of some new electronics to try on one of his CBR1000RR race machines, on a circuit which the team has a lots of data about. “Valencia is where we’ve done all our winter testing and so we should have a good advantage there,” said Martin, with a touch of realism added. “The bikes are being taken straight to Valencia from Donington, and so any development work will now have to be done during practice and qualifying for race weekend. But we will work hard in the team and in Valencia you will see our best.” Brookes has scored points in all but one of the 2007 races so far, and but for a tyre choice gamble at Donington that didn’t pay off as expected, he may well be even higher up the order than his current placing of 15th. “We are looking a bit stronger now,” said Brookes. “We have tested at Valencia so we have got some data from there and we know which direction to go in now.” Muggeridge, who scored two good finishes at Donington after being unable to start in the previous Phillip Island round due to injury, now looks forward to Valencia. “We found out a lot about how our bike worked in race situations at Donington,” said the 2004 World Supersport Champion. “We are looking forward to Valencia because we will be able to concentrate more on the rear suspension there.” The next stop after the Valencia weekend is Assen, where round five of the WSS and SBK championships take place between 27 and 29 April.

HONDA RACING INFORMATION World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2007 Round 4, Valencia Spain Spanish Race Preview 13 April – 15 April 2007 World Supersport Round 4 of 13 SOFUOGLU TAKES STRONG CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD TO VALENCIA The start of the 2007 season could hardly have been better for Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) with two wins and one second place to his credit. His fabulous early run of form on the new-for-2007 CBR600RR has propelled him to a 27-point advantage at the top of the championship table, with two other Honda riders, Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) and Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RRR) in second and third places respectively. After overcoming serious pelvic and collarbone injuries in the 2006 season, to score a historic second straight championship in Supersport, Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) has seen his fortunes wane in the early part of the 2007 season. A recent crash in the first practice session at round three in England caused him to re-fracture his pelvis, albeit in a much less serious way than in 2006. He is working flat out to be fit for the Valencia round, trying to make it three wins in a row at the 4.005km Circuito Ricardo Tormo. ‘Seb’ was not the only top rider to be injured at Donington, and at least two other regular championship contenders are also fighting to be fit. Lorenzo Alfonsi (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) had enjoyed a good start to his first Honda season in World Supersport, prior to being taken out by another rider in the Donington race, but the former European Superstock champion is determined to get back into the points at a track he has scored four podium finishes at during his Superstock years. Sofuoglu has been thriving in the role of championship leader, having won the first round at Qatar and the most recent one at Donington. Sofuoglu and his team-mate Charpentier were not present at the official Valencia tests in March, but after a strong showing earlier in the winter months, he is understandably keen to get back to Valencia. “I was really happy with the win at Donington and it has given me a good lead in the standings,” said the 23-year-old Turkish rider. “We have tested in Valencia and I recorded some good lap times there so it’s a track I feel quite comfortable riding. Of course, I am hoping for a podium finish and think I have a good chance of achieving that. I am looking forward to racing with my team-mate again and I wish him and the other injured riders all the best in their recoveries.” Charpentier is determined to get his championship back on track at Valencia, despite his recent injury. “Obviously I was very disappointed not to be able to race at Donington, but these things happen and you have to concentrate on the future,” said Charpentier, who displayed astonishing mental and physical toughness to come back from injury to win the series in 2006. “I’ve been working really hard with my medical team in France to recover in time for the next race. My injuries are healing well and I am looking forward to getting back on the bike and racing again in Valencia.” Fujiwara has been an omnipresent force at the front again this year, and feels that Valencia will be one of his best circuits. “I am really ready for Valencia because we had a good test there in March,” said Fujiwara. “We made good changes to the bike set-up during the Donington weekend, having never tested there, but we already have good information about our new bike at Valencia. It is good to be going there second in the championship so I will try my best to make as many points as possible.” Alfonsi’s early 2007 form and excellent sixth place qualifying result at Donington are not the only elements that contribute to his positive Valencia race outlook. “We made a lot of kilometres in testing at Valencia in the most recent official sessions and the results were quite good, so I want to continue my season in a strong way,” said Lorenzo. “I think it helps me that the team knows the bike very well and I think we found the tyre for the Valencia track back in March. We know we should have a good solution for the set-up and I feel pretty good about racing at Valencia.”

The fourth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship takes place at the Spanish Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia and is a track both Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Max Biaggi and Yukio Kagayama know well. Both tested at the 4.005 kilometre circuit last month, although Kagayama probably should not have done so as he was still suffering the affects of his high speed crash during the Phillip Island race weekend just two weeks before. Last year Kagayama finished sixth in race one and was on course for a good finish in the second until a fall after seven laps. Biaggi hasn’t done a WSBK race at Valencia but he finished sixth there in his last ever MotoGP race in November 2005. Max Biaggi: “Riding a Superbike around Valencia is a very different to a MotoGP bike but I am enjoying riding my Alstare Suzuki K7 and at least I have already put in some laps of the Valencia on it. I don’t find the circuit so technical but it is a circuit where you have to have a good bike set-up if you want to make fast, consistent laps. There are many left hand turns so finding a tyre that has good grip and will last is always a balancing act. I am optimistic of good results and looking forward to two more hard races.” Yukio Kagayama: “My last time at Valencia during testing was not so easy because my shoulder was still very painful and sore from the crash at Phillip Island, but I wanted to help test as much stuff as possible so I put in as many laps as I could. My season so far has not gone the way I expected – too many crashes! At Donington I had another crash – in practice – and, because I knocked myself out for a few minutes, the doctors would not let me race. Also, a few days later, my ribs felt a bit sore. “At the moment I have missed four races and I don’t like that. Practice and testing is ok but I am missing race action. Valencia has mixed memories for me, but what is important is what happens next weekend. I will make a check on how my ribs are before I decide to race because I know Valencia is a very physical track and if my ribs are a problem it may be not possible for me to race. We shall see what happens when we get there. 2006 results: Kagayama: Race 1 – 6th, Race 2 – DNF Biaggi: Race 1 – DNS, Race 2 – DNS

Compton in the points at Brands Superstock Cup Round 1 28-year-old Dijon Compton made a welcome return to racing this weekend at Brands Hatch Circuit in the competitive Superstock Cup class. Compton who has not ridden since June 2004 due to personal reasons gained a strong 15th place in the Cup race at the technical 2.3 mile circuit. Having very few opportunities to test the Astro Racing Kawasaki, he had to learn the bike and also the circuit again. Settling in well through the weekend Compton improved on his times in each session and slowly progressed up the time sheets. Eventually qualifying in 22nd position out of 55 riders he knew that he had his work cut out for the race to get a strong finish and in the points. A positive start saw Compton move up two places by the end of the first lap and each lap he moved higher up the results sheet. By lap four he was up to 15th and locked in a tight battle with Suzuki rider Steve Heneghan. The cheeky Yorkshire man commented in his best Italian accent “In the race I make good laps and find a good widum!!” It was a welcome start for him and he went on to say “I’m glad to be back racing again and I’d like to thank all those who have helped me at the weekend, a big thanks goes to Matt at Shoei and Kevin at K.S Performance. It was good to start the season off in the points and hopefully as I settle back into the swing of things I will be able to get some stronger results as the season progresses.” The next Superstock Cup race is at Thruxton Race Circuit this weekend 13th 15th April.

New Riders to Handle Winning Aprilia at Homestead DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. The winning team from last month’s opening round of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series will feature a couple of new faces as it goes for two in a row at Homestead-Miami Speedway April 13-14. The Aprilia Tuono 1000 of the Aprilia USA team scored a stunning victory in the DAYTONA USA 300 with Italian riders Federico Aliverti and Giancarlo De Matteis handling the riding duties. Although the pair had never raced at Daytona before, they claimed a 20.2-second victory over the RoadRacingWorld.com Suzuki SV1000S ridden by Chris Ulrich of Lake Elsinore, Calif. and Lee Acree from Greenboro, N.C. Aliverti passed Acree for the lead just nine laps from the end of the 106-lap race. At Homestead, however, the bike will be in the hands of Henry Wiles and John Francis. Wiles and Francis were due to ride the whole season for the Aprilia USA squad, but Wiles broke his wrist in a SuperMotard racing accident and had to give Daytona a miss. That led to the last minute arrangement that saw Aliverti, a journalist for the Italian magazine Motociclismo, and De Matteis called in as replacements. “The magazine wanted a story on the bike, so the riders were talking about coming over anyway,” said David Lloyd of Lloyd Brothers Motorsports, which runs the two-bike effort for Aprilia USA. “It all came together pretty late. I guess we nailed it down in February.” Lloyd said that Wiles, whose background is in flat track racing, and Francis should be set to go for this weekend’s second round at Homestead. “Henry’s been down to Texas and we’re getting up to speed,” Lloyd said. Based in Johnstown, Ohio, Lloyd Brothers Motorsports is fairly new to motorcycle endurance road racing. The team’s background is in flat track, and last year it ran an Aprilia-powered bike in the AMA Grand National series, with Wiles handling the riding. The team’s second entry, shared between Ty Howard and Troy Green, suffered an unlucky outing at Daytona when its dry break refueling system broke and the crew had to replace the gas tank on the Tuono. Despite that setback Howard and Green placed eighth overall. If the Aprilia USA outfit is going to make it two wins in a row, it will have to contend with the RoadRacingWorld.com Suzuki crew that placed second at Daytona. Despite running with a stock engine in its SV1000 and having to call in Acree as a last-minute partner to Ulrich, the team almost snatched victory in the season opener. The bike had been mixing it up with the leaders all race and took over the top spot when the San Jose BMW R1200 of Brian Parriott and Nate Kern retired with a broken cam chain sprocket just 14 laps from home. Team owner John Ulrich also faces a rider dilemma. He hopes to have Venezuelan Robertino Pietri partner son Chris on the Suzuki. Pietri was unable to make it to Daytona to race in the season opener. “The problem is Robertino needs time to learn the track,” said Ulrich, arguably the most successful motorcycle endurance racing team owner in North American history. “Lee can’t go, so we will have Michael Barnes as a back up.” Barnes rode with Chris Ulrich and Geoff May to second place in last October’s inaugural SunTrust MOTO-ST Series event at Daytona. The San Jose BMW team will also have revenge on its mind after its setback at Daytona last month. Parriott and Kern led all but 18 of the 92 laps the bike completed, and seemed poised to claim a second straight Daytona MOTO-ST victory. Parriott, Kern and Belgian Stephane Mertens won last October’s inaugural eight-hour. As for last month’s Daytona winners Aliverti and De Matteis, Lloyd is hoping to have them come back for this year’s season-ending eight-hour and try for a repeat at the fabled Speedway. In addition to Homestead-Miami Speedway, the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series will also include the VIR 500K, April 27-29 at Virginia International Speedway, the Road America 500K, July 7-8 at Road America, the Iowa Speedway 500K at Iowa Speedway July 12-13, 2007 and the 8 Hours at Daytona Finale, October 19-20 at Daytona International Speedway. MOTO-ST is organized and sanctioned by Professional Motorsports Productions (PMP) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the Grand American Road Racing Association, based in Daytona Beach, Fla., provides the series with administrative and commercial support. The MOTO-ST advisory board features some of the most respected individuals in the world of motorsports, including Hall of Fame members, respected motorcycle racing journalists and renowned officials from various forms of road racing. Learn more about MOTO-ST at www.moto-st.com. Tickets for the Homestead 500K can be purchased at the Speedway Back Gate. Admission is free on Friday and admission on Saturday is $10.

2007 SBK CORONA EXTRA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP® VALENCIA – 4th ROUND – 13rd, 14th and 15th APRIL PREVIEW Valencia, Tuesday 10 April 2007 POPULAR SPANISH VENUE READY TO HOST FOURTH ROUND VALENCIA TRACK LAYOUT WELL KNOWN TO ALL The second of five SBK rounds in relatively close succession is the fourth round of what has been an exciting championship season so far. With four different race winners in only six individual races, the tight and twisty 4.005km Circuito Ricardo Tormo will be good venue for another potential winner to present his credentials, as virtually every top rider has ridden at the Spanish circuit in the last few months, most at an official SBK test between 17 and 19 March. TOSELAND STILL LEADING AFTER DRAMATIC DONINGTON Despite suffering the desperate bad luck that robbed him of a finish in race two at Donington, James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) still took his third win of the season at his home event, in race one, and thus holds onto his championship lead even now. His leading advantage was cut to five points, over Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), with the Italian rider looking for SBK career win number two at Valencia, having taken the first race of the year at Qatar. Some 27 points behind Toseland, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) has also installed himself as a winner now, having taken race two at Donington. Only seven points behind Haga is his team-mate Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) winless so far in 2007. He has, however, won at Valencia on both twin-cylinder and four-cylinder machinery, and is looking to the Spanish venue to push himself and his points total ever upwards. DUCATI PAIRING LOOKING FORWARD TO VALENCIA A somewhat lacklustre 2006 season for Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) was punctuated by Valencia’s twin peaks – his only two podiums of the year. Having already scored third in Qatar race one, he is now looking for wins at a circuit he tested particularly well at recently. His team-mate and double SBK champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) has recovered well from injuries to his little finger and groin at Donington, and he fully intends to race. He will thus be presenting himself for medical checks as soon as he gets to Valencia. Lanzi is currently fifth overall, after solid points scores in every race, with Bayliss overall sixth after a win and a second place in round two in Phillip Island, and a Donington raceday which was injurious both to his body and points score. NEUKIRCHNER’S CONSISTENCY PLACES HIM SEVENTH Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) has been the most consistently fast privateer in race trim this year, despite riding a 2006 machine, and his six strong points scores place him at the head of a very close battle for the last few top ten places. Right behind him, by only a single point, is the top placed Spanish rider so far, Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) riding a 2006 factory spec machine. Another few points behind is Toseland’s team-mate Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) now gaining confidence since his swap from a privateer big twin to a full-on four-cylinder. NIETO HEADS HOME FULL OF DETERMINATION The last place in the top ten thus far is held by Spanish superstar Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) but after a great ride at Valencia last year he expects to be in the mix and up the order by close of play on Sunday night. Ironically, the nature of the Spanish circuit will not help his cause too much, as the big Kawasaki is not best suited to the tight Valencia circuit. Nonetheless, both he and his team-mate Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse, 11th overall), are expected to get the most out of their machines at a track they have tested at recently. The factory four of Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) will be at Valencia, with the Japanese rider hoping to be fit once more after another big crash at Donington, following on from his misadventures at the Phillip Island meeting. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) will be hoping to make better ground up than he did during recent Valencia tests, when he was unhappy with his general machine set-up. PRIVATEERS READY FOR VALENCIA Jakub Smrz (SC Caracchi Ducati) has been a quiet revelation in the midfield since his move to World Superbike, and now sits 13th, having scored two top ten finishes at Donington Park, and having netted points five times in six attempts. Just behind Smrz, Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda) is out for two solid finishes to get his top-ten challenge on track again, while his team-mate Steve Martin hopes to get his machine performance up to meet his expectations. Alto Evolution Honda riders Karl Muggeridge and Josh Brookes were among many of the midfield riders who rode at the Official Valencia SBK tests in March, and like many others they also hope that the technical circuit in Spain will level the playing field somewhat up to the top runners. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – SOFUOGLU IN THE CLEAR With two wins and one second place to his credit thus far in 2007, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) has scored an immediate jump on his many rivals, and such was the effect of a pivotal Donington Park meeting that no fewer than three of his main rivals left the UK injured and another two left with no points and one point respectively. Thus Sofuoglu has a 27-point lead already, over the rejuvenated Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda) and a 31-point advantage on second place Donington finisher Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda). Gil Kawasaki’s two top runners, Fabien Foret and Pere Riba look to get their championship challenges back on the straight and narrow after disastrous Donington outcomes, ruining the good work of pole for Riba and a PI race win for Foret. The almost traditional big WSS two of Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Kevin Curtain (Yamaha SSP Racing) are each trying to be fit for Valencia after crashes in qualifying, finding themselves in the same boat as another modern-day great of Supersport racing, Broc Parkes (Yamaha SSP Racing). SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP – ROUND TWO SET TO THRILL Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox 1098) won the first race of the 2007 season at Donington Park, but it had been a closely contested affair, with Claudio Corti (Team Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha) second and 2005 champion Didier Van Keymeulen (TTSL MGM Racing Yamaha) third. Had leading riders Michel Pirro (Team Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha) and Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) not clashed and fallen at Donington, it would have been an even more closely contested outing. With Valencia a favourite test ground for all, the Valencia race in the big Superstock class is expected to be another thriller. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – MAGNONI 1st Michele Magnoni (Bevilacqua Yamaha) won at Donington in round one, but with Andrea Antonelli (Team Italia Megabike AX) and Domenico Colucci (Ducati Xerox 749) third, each less than a second behind, it was a close run thing, and cosmopolitan in terms of the machinery in the podium places. At Valencia, few expect any less from the youngest riders in the paddock, most in their first full season of international competition. MASCALZONE LATINO-CAPITALIA TEAM WELCOMES SBK America’s Cup contenders Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia team will welcome the top SBK competitors on board their new Ita 99 racing yacht on Thursday 12 April, at 5pm. The following riders will be present, and also will be available for a photo shoot afterwards: Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati Xerox Team Max Biaggi Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra James Toseland Hannspree Ten Kate Honda Team Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse Noriyuki Haga Yamaha Motor Italia Ruben Xaus Team Sterilgarda ASSEN NEXT UP FOR 13-ROUND CHAMPIONSHIP With Assen moving up in the calendar from its usual autumnal outing this year, to 29th April, the Netherlands is the next destination for the SBK masses, followed on 13 May by Monza, for the first of three Italian rounds in the season.

Klaus Klaffenböck and his sidecar passenger Christian Parzer won a round of the IGM (International Sidecar Championship) held at Most in the Czech Republic during the Easter weekend. Practice was held on Easter Sunday and it was the first roll out of the team’s new LCR Honda Sidecar. The IGM runs an open championship for all classes of sidecar and the Klaffi pair knew they would be up against many strong teams from the German international championship. The weekend at Most was an important one for Klaffi and Parzer and it was their opportunity to run in the new sidecar. They also needed to take part in this race to qualify for their license for the Isle of Man TT. It wasn’t an easy weekend for the team as they used the F2 and had to compete with sidecars of the long F2 version, which run with plus 400ccm. Commenting on the weekend Parzer said, “On Sunday the whole day was very busy. We optimised the suspension and run in a new engine. Now it is perfect. The sidecar is a masterpiece of Louis Christen!” Klaffi also said, “We couldn’t open the throttle on Sunday which made our lap times not so good. It meant we had to start in the middle of the grid for the race on Monday.” Once the racing began Klaffi and Parzer got into the thick of the action as Klaffi explains, “When we were fired up during the race, we passed all the sidecars in front. We beat Eilers/Freund and Centner/Helbig with their F1 sidecars.” The Klaffi Honda team will take part in two more races before heading for the Isle of Man TT races. They are the Mountain Course Landshaag/Upper-Austria on Sunday 15th April Sunday, and Superside Championship Schleiz/Germany on 12th 13th May.

Confident Start for Centurion Brands Hatch GP 7th 9th April www.centurionracing.net Centurion Racing got their 2007 season off to a fantastic start this weekend at the first round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch, 7th 9th April. Rookies James ‘Westy’ Westmoreland and Dan Cooper secured a strong 10th and 11th place respectively in the overall Supersport Championship with Westy taking the Supersport Cup victory in the process. The dramatic race which included two red flag incidents and the safety car having to be dispatched onto the circuit gave the youngsters and sharp taste of what could lie ahead for the season. Both handled the situations well and remained focused throughout the cut short 10-lap race. Westy qualified in a strong 12th position for the scheduled 18-lap race and was looking strong and confident throughout the weekend, setting consistently fast times. Commenting he said “It’s great to finally get the season underway and I’m happy that I managed to secure the Cup win and also a top ten finish in my first appearance. The race was full of incidents, I didn’t get a great start in the first part of the race and I got boxed in going into the first corner. I was working my way back through the field when the first red flag came out. Things went better in the re-start and I got off the line well, I could see Ian Hutchinson and Steven Neate in front of me and was working hard to try and catch them when the second red flag came out and cut the race short. I can’t wait for Thruxton now and hope I can get another strong result there.” After qualifying in his debut Supersport race in 20th position Cooper was eager to get a good start and work his way through the pack saying “This was only my second time out on the bike this weekend and my second time on a Supersport bike, it was a huge learning curve and I’m really pleased with the result that I gained. There were a number of different elements to learn and a lot of information to take in but I feel that I made huge progress this weekend and hope I can carry on that form for the rest of the season. I was improving each time I went out on the bike and I just wanted to get myself and the team a decent finish. It took me a while to settle into the race, being my first Supersport race it was a little daunting but I really enjoyed it. The team have worked really hard all weekend, they did a fantastic job and I’m looking forward to Thruxton as it’s Centurions and my own local circuit, so I’m eager to get another positive result there next week. Team Manager Gary Stubbington was delighted with the progress of the two youngsters saying “It’s been a great weekend for us, everyone has worked incredible well and Westy and Dan have had a great start to the season. They have both been on an intense training schedule and that showed today, the full team are very happy with them. Each had their own minor problems but dealt with all obstacles confidently and they both showed a great deal of character in all the situations which occurred. The main thing was that we got two finishes and to have both of them in the top 15 is fantastic. I’m hoping Thruxton will be just as good.” Centurion Racing’s next appearance is at Thruxton Circuit, Hampshire next weekend 13th 15th April. The super fast 2.36-mile circuit will be a strong test for the pair and will hopefully prove to be as successful for them as Brands was. With the teams headquarters being situated in Southampton, this will provide a good opportunity for the team to showcase themselves to their local sponsors and media. More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater Racing: STEVE PLATER IN THE POINTS AT BRANDS HATCH North West 200 hero Steve Plater got his season off to a good start at Brands Hatch when despite lack of testing time he brought the AIM Yamaha home safely in each of the two British Superbike races at Brands Hatch on Monday to claim 18th place in the opening round and bag two championship points for 14th place in the second encounter. “My lap times improved by one and a half seconds from first free practise to final qualifying but I still was only able to finish in 26th place for a seventh row start,” said Steve. 26th is definitely not where I wanted to be but we are struggling a bit at the moment and although we have been able to move forward in various areas it hasn’t shown on the stop watch. It has been a bit frustrating really as we really needed some serious testing time but the bikes were late arriving from Yamaha and we just ran out of time. We are just having to plug away here at Brands this weekend making further adjustments each time we go out on track.” As the opening race of the new season got underway Steve made steady headway to eventually take the chequered flag in 18th position. “I shaved a further half a second from my qualifying times in that race so we are making progress,” said Steve. Race two saw the Woodhall Spa rider get away to a better start and he quickly moved into the top twenty. His progress was stalled when the safety car took to the track but it worked in his favour as he was able to make ground on the riders ahead and when the car left the track Steve was poised to make a further move forward. He passed Aaron Zanotti on lap 18 and continued to make progress to 14th place when the red flag brought the race to an early end with two laps remaining. “Although I finished further up the field that time my lap times didn’t improve. We move on to Thruxton now and will again be using the track time as a test to further develop the bike.” With less than a week between Brands and the next round at Thruxton there is little time for Steve to catch his breath. The weekend begins with two free practise sessions on Friday followed by a further free session on Saturday morning. Qualifying is set for 2.40pm prior to racing on Sunday with the first Superbike race on track at 1pm and race two at 3.25pm. More, from a press release issued by the Samsung Superbike Team: Solid start for Samsung Superbike Team. The Samsung Superbike and Superstock Team got off to a steady start at Brands Hatch for the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and the Metzeler National Superstock Championship. Dean Thomas who is riding the Samsung Suzuki in the Superbike class qualified well in tenth place and proceeded to bring home a sixteenth and tenth in the two races. His team-mate Jon Kirkham who is contesting the Superstock Championship on the all new Ducati 1098 qualified twentieth, unfortunately he failed to finish the race due to a technical fault. “Race one was a bit of a hard one, we were on the pace at the beginning running with the guys in the middle of the pack, where we feel we should be at this stage,” said Thomas, “After about six or seven laps we just started to chew the tyre up and we had taken a gamble on the soft compound. We just drifted back, mid race the tyre had gone off and that mixed with a slight fuelling issue the power comes on quite strong and solid making the problem worse.” Race two saw a big improvement as Thomas went on to explain, “Second race at least was a lot better, we smoothed a few things out, had a harder compound tyre and went forward. Our lap times were much better but we need to do a little bit of homework now and set the rear shock up or up grade it.” Although Kirkham didn’t complete the Superstock race he wasn’t down hearted as he learned a lot during the time he had on track. “I got a good start but on the run into Graham Hill bend I hooked the wrong gear as I’m still getting used to the Ducati. I picked third instead of second and just got mugged by about ten guys! I also suffered some brake fade, so when the Safety Car came out I thought ‘Great I can adjust my brake and catch a few people.’ But once the Safety Car went in my bike started making a strange engine noise, so I had to come in game over.” As it transpired the exhaust manifold had split along a weld, “These things do happen, I’ve experienced it before,” said Kirkham, “I’m really pleased with the new bike; I went into a few corners a bit hot due to the brake fade and I was waiting for the front to tuck but it didn’t. I just need miles on this bike I need to get used to the v-twin engine and the Superstock tyres.” The Championships now move to the high speed circuit of Thruxton and both Samsung riders are looking forward to the challenge it presents. “I’m pleased with this weekend, the Samsung Superbike team have been great and it is good to be back with the team and back on a bike that I’m comfortable with and a bunch of guys I’m enjoying working with. I’m really looking forward to Thruxton next weekend,” commented Thomas. Kirkham echoed his sentiments saying, “My Ducati is quite fast, it is smooth out of turns and doesn’t spin up. I’m looking forward to taking it to Thruxton, I enjoy it there,” he concluded. The next round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and the Metzeler National Superstock Championship take place on 13th 15th April at Thruxton in Hampshire. More, from a press release issued by Hydrex Honda: Healthy start for Hydrex Honda at Brands Hatch. The three man strong Hydrex Honda team got off to a good start at Brands Hatch for the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and the Metzeler National Superstock Championship. Karl Harris and pure road specialist Guy Martin are riding in the Superbike class, while young South African, Allan Jon Venter, is racing in Superstock. Harris scored a thirteenth in race one but followed that up with a superb and closely fought sixth place finish in race two. “In race one, we had a clutch problem which we have had all weekend but we managed to figure it out for the second race. We changed the clutch and it improved. I want to be finishing further up the field but it is a start and we can work on it,” said Harris. Looking on the positive side Harris scalped some of the factory riders to take sixth place as he went on to say, “We passed the Rizla boys so to beat some factory boys out there is fantastic, and hopefully by Thruxton we will be up there. I like Thruxton so bring it on!” Road racer, Martin is getting up to speed for his assault on the roads, mainly the Isle of Man TT centenary. He was unlucky in race one suffering a technical problem as he explained, “My head gasket went in race one which was a shame. I was catching James Haydon and Marty Nutt, just following them and watching their lines. I managed to catch them and then I noticed some water on my visor, I watched my engine temperature and it was going up so I came into pits that was that.” However he made up for that in race two with a seventeenth place finish, “I got an average start then a couple of people dropped out and I moved up passing James Haydon. I was lucky the race was red flagged as I almost ran out of fuel as the race was extended due to Safety Car coming out for a few laps. I’ve a lot to learn but I have learned a lot this weekend,” said Martin. AJ, as Allan Jon is known, made good progress at a race track he didn’t know. He qualified in twenty ninth but finished eighteenth, making up eleven places during the frantic Superstock race. “My start wasn’t too bad but I got boxed in at turn one and turn two! There was no where to go, it was just mayhem out there. The Safety Car came out and it took a while for everyone to bunch up, then a few laps from the end I got by the guy who was holding me up and then I started to really make up some ground,” he said. “I’m chuffed with the result; the team are really moving me forward. Thanks to everyone at Hydrex Honda for all the hard work and late nights, I hope I can reward them with a podium. The next round is Thruxton and I’ve never been there so all I can do is rely on advice from Karl Harris and Mick Shanley. I’m looking forward to it, I hear it is very fast,” he grinned. Both Championships now head for Thruxton on the 13th 15th April where the Hydrex Honda team hope to secure more points for all three riders. More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki: Points for Hickman at Brands Brands Hatch GP Round 1 It was a mixed weekend for the Hawk Racing Team at the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch Circuit, Kent. Superbike riders Peter Hickman and Scott Smart gained varied results in the two races. Hickman secured two encouraging finishes with a 15th and 12th but Smart struggled throughout the weekend and after a huge crash in morning warm up he found it difficult to gain the results he would have like and finished the races in 21st and 20th place respectively. In front of a huge 41’000 spectators who were baking in the Kent sunshine, Hickman was eager to gain some positive results after qualifying in a strong 12th place. A poor start saw the youngster drop down to 15th after the first lap and soon he was locked in a battle with Tommy Bridewell for the final Championship point. In the second race he was battling with the reigning British Champion Kiyonari for 11th place. Commenting he said “I’m reasonably happy with the way the weekend has gone, I have left Brands in 14th position in the Championship which is a fair start to the year. I had a few problems during the race and seemed to be struggling with tyres like most people. I’m pretty happy with the second race result and hope we can improve things at Thruxton.” Scott Smart suffered a number of problems through the weekend and could only salvage 25th position in qualifying. A 167 mph crash in morning warm up saw the Maidstone based rider heading into the two races a little sore and worse for wear. A disappointed Smart said “It’s been a long weekend and I’ve been struggling with a few issues, which I know can be rectified and I have confidence that we can sort it out. I’m not happy with my results but I also haven’t had much time on the Hawk bike and hopefully things will improve as the season progresses and I get used to riding the ZX10 again. We have a few things to sort on the bike and I know the team are working hard to get some problems sorted before Thruxton at the weekend.” The Hawk Junior Teams got a harsh introduction to the fiercely competitive British Championships at Brands and young 18-year-old Jak Wright just missed out in qualifying for the Supersport Cup race by 0.1. 20-year-old David Hallett qualified in 26th position in the tough Superstock Cup Championship but struggled with arm pump during the race and he gained a 31st place overall. More, from a press release issued by Stobart Racing: Solid Points Start for Team Stobart 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Rounds 1 & 2 Brands Hatch, Kent. Monday 9th April 2007 Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport riders Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Tom Sykes recorded a top five finish apiece at a drama packed opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in the Brands Hatch sunshine today. Riding the VK backed Honda Fireblades, Byrne fought his way through the pack in race one to end up in a fine fourth place with Sykes doing likewise in race two to end up in fifth as the most hotly contested championship in recent years was played out in front of over 40,000 fans at the Kent circuit. In an incident strewn second race, Byrne was looking good for a podium finish when he was edged out at the 150mph Hawthorn Bend but luckily stayed aboard and rejoined the track to finish the race in thirteenth position. Meanwhile, twenty one year old Yorkshireman Sykes also scored good points in race one when he brought the Paul Bird Motorsport machine home in seventh place and now lies in fifth in the Championship with Byrne unfortunate to leave Brands in seventh place. Shane Byrne: “In the first race I did exactly what I needed to do but the second race was really frustrating because I did exactly the same and I thought I had it in the bag and then the pace car came out and put a stop to it. I had a coming together with another rider and ran straight on and lost a lot of places but I’m looking forward to Thruxton now as we should go well there.” Tom Sykes: “After the first race we went for the safe option with our set up but unfortunately from the word go I struggled with grip. The pace car came out and I just thought it was my chance to do something so I got my head down and managed to get up to fifth. To get a seventh and fifth place in that company is quite pleasing but obviously I’m looking to improve as the season goes on. I’m looking forward to next weekend and I’d like to thank all the team for everything they’ve done for me this weekend.” Paul Bird: “It’s nice to see that both riders are competitive and are racing for rostrum places. We’re chuffed to bits with Tom, he did exactly what we knew he was capable of. Shakey was a bit unlucky in the second race but it shows that both the bikes and riders are more than capable of running at the front. It’s a good start to the year.” The Stobart Team has only three days to prepare for the next round which takes place next weekend (13-15th April) at Thruxton whereby the two riders will be looking to continue their great start to the season and clinch the team’s first podium of the year also. More, from a press release issued by Tom Tunstall Racing: Tunstall’s season starts on the podium Superbike rookie Tom Tunstall kicked off his 2007 season with a solid performance at the weekend. Coming away with two Superbike Cup [championship within main championship for privateers and independents] podiums, and also gaining much valuable experience on the highly powered 1000cc machine. The opening rounds of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship were staged on the legendary 2.3 mile Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit over the Easter weekend. And for the Huddersfield rider in his first ever Superbike race aboard the Hardinge Ice Valley Honda CBR1000RR it was to be a steep learning curve throughout the weekend. The consistent near perfect weather conditions that bathed the Kent track in sunshine throughout the event helped Tom and Hardinge Ice Valley team [who were also new to the superbike class] to continue learning, and building upon the progress gained from pre-season testing. However a mechanical problem in the final free practice session saw Tunstall miss virtually all of the 50 minute session, missing out on vital track time. “It’s always frustrating when you miss out on track time, but it’s even more important at the moment. I’m still struggling with the bike especially stability and we had also planned to sort out our race tyres in the session” commented the Yorkshireman. With only one qualifying session for the British Superbike class, it was another new experience for the former World Supersport rider with the availability of the super-sticky one lap qualifying slicks. Using the early part of the session to catch up on race set up, a singular “qualifier” was utilised leading to Tom’s best lap with an average speed of 92.76mph and the third fastest of the Cup riders. “I’m happy with how the session went. We got some good data on potential race tyres. Plus I managed to work with the qualifier. I tested one in Spain testing but couldn’t get anything from it. It’s yet another area where I’m learning.” The grid for the race saw Tunstall lined up alongside former superbike winners Scott Smart and Steve Plater. In the first of the days two races Tom got away well but was soon embroiled in a battle with Superbike cup stalwart Malcolm Ashley. The pair regularly swapping positions allowing other riders to get away. By lap 10 Tunstall got clear and immediately gapped Ashley by up to a second a lap whilst chasing down the rider ahead Aaron Zanotti. In six laps the determined Tunstall had closed down a gap of 4.5seconds to last years Superstock runner-up, but was unable to pass before the flag. However with the demise of Irishman Marty Nutt on the last lap Tunstall was promoted to 2nd place in the Cup, behind former cup champion James Buckingham. The second race of the day another new experience for Tom – followed a similar pattern with Tunstall losing time early in the race before getting into his faster rhythm. However the intervention of the pace car adding an extra three laps to the race meant Tunstall – now in a safe second place – decided to ease his pace to ensure he had the fuel to complete the distance. The race was again won by James Buckingham. “It’s been an incredible weekend there’s just been so much to learn. I still haven’t “clicked” with the bike. The superbike is very powerful and I still don’t know which issues I have can be ironed out with set-up changes and which are just superbike characteristics” “We made some changes overnight which helped the stability of the bike, but brought issues to corner entry and mid-corner grip. My confidence on the bike still has room for improvement and that showed at the start of the races. That said I think it’s been a great start to our championship, to come away with two 2nd places and a lot more experience I can’t wait for the next race now!” Tom and the rest of the British Superbike Championship riders won’t have long to wait with the next race this weekend [13th – 15th April] at Thruxton in Hampshire the fastest track in the UK.