Odenton, MD. The USGPRU converged this weekend at the rustic Oak Hill Raceway in Henderson TX, to decide the Southeast Region Championship. The winding 1.8-mile Oak Hill track demands supreme concentration and nerves of steel as its narrow and weathered surface twists through the Texas hills. Local racers hold a substantial advantage over the many out-of-town racers that traveled from across the country. But with the Championship Final at Miller only a month away, every point was a critical one to each and every National contender. Canadian Alex Welsh has used Oak Hill Raceway as his test track on several occasions, and showed that local knowledge by setting the fast Rising Sun Cycles 125GP qualifying time on Saturday of 1:27.644, besting local racer, Derek Wagnon, by a mere .05-second. Other local racers, Kent Moffitt and Bill Syfan rounded out the top four positions. 13-year-old, New Yorker, PJ Jacobsen had a flyer of a last lap that would have been enough to put him on the front row of the grid, but time expired and he had to settle for a 5th place starting spot. In the Motion Pro 250GP qualifying session, Alex Welsh dominated again as he set a fast time of 1:26.638. His Infinity Racing teammate, Ryan Ferris, was just behind Alex, and closely followed by Bill Syfan and Jon Schendel. Sunday’s Rising Sun Cycle 125GP event saw a small 16-bike grid take to the track. The drop of the flag had Alex Welsh driving to the front, followed closely by Jon Schendel and Stewart Aitken-Cade. The rest of the ravenous pack quickly devoured Aitken-Cade and made short work of Schendel. PJ Jacobson got a terrible start and was left in 8th place in turn one. But once he got into a rhythm, he started to plow through the field on his Celtic Racing RS125. The front pack of riders, Welsh, Jacobsen, Wagnon, Schendel, and Ryan O’Donnell started to gap the rest of the field. On lap 8, Ryan O’Donnell tucked the front in turn 4 and would have to watch the rest of the race from the side of the track. On lap 10, Alex Welsh crashed on the second to last turn, but was able to pick the bike back up and ride out the race with a smashed finger and bent bike. The fans were on their feet as PJ made a last lap dash for the win and bested local, Derek Wagnon, to take the win. Derek was followed by Jon Schendel and Bill Syfan. Mike Orien and Stewart Aitken-Cade had a smashing duel that was decided on the last lap as Mike rode a supremely smart race, holding off Aitken-Cade’s last lap charge. . In the Motion Pro 250GP race, the odds were in favor of points leader, Welsh, but apparently Ryan Ferris doesn’t look at odds as he led every lap from flag to flag to take his first ever National GP win. Schendel held a steady second place until about lap 8 when he started to slow up and was eventually passed by local, Bill Syfan. Lurking just behind them was Ryan O’Donnell, who charged late in the race to pass Schendel and Syfan, Ryan O’Donnell set his sights on Ferris, and actually started making steady progress catching him, closing at almost .5-seconds per lap. But eventually he ran out of time and luck. Alex Welsh struggled all race with his damaged hand, and was able to battle back from 6th place to make a last lap pass for second over Ryan O’Donnell. The Southeast Regional Championship was dominated by Alex Welsh. His consistency combined with several race wins was enough in both classes to put him clearly ahead of the pack. He finished the 125 class with a solid 30 point lead over his next closest competitors. Second place was a tie as Scott Smallwood and Mike Orien both ended up with 124 points. Smallwood was awarded second place based on higher finishing orders in the races he scored points in. In the 250 class, Alex Welsh simply crushed the competition as he walked away with 230 of a possible 250 points for the year! Matt Cooper held on to second place with 140 points and in a last minute leap-frog move, Jerry Berkey was able to jump from 7th place to 3rd, relegating Daniele Lenarduzzi to fourth place. Full race results as follows: Rising Sun Cycles 125GP 1. PJ Jacobsen Hon RS125 2. Derek Wagnon Hon RS125 3. Jon Schendel Hon RS125 4. Bill Syfan Hon RS125 5. Mike Orien Hon RS125 6. Stewart Aitken-Cade Hon RS125 7. Alex Welsh Hon RS125 8. Kent Moffitt Hon RS125 9. Brandon Warren Hon RS125 10. Michael Santelia Hon RS125 11. Ryan O’Donnell Hon RS125 12. Tony Wang Hon RS125 13. Garrett Tomlinson Hon RS125 14. Pierson Callahan Apr RS125 15. Tomas Bohm Hon RS125 DNS 16. Ryan Ferris Hon RS125 DNS Motion Pro 250GP 1. Ryan Ferris Hon RS250 2. Alex Welsh Hon RS250 3. Ryan O’Donnell Hon RS125 4. Bill Syfan Hon RS125 5. Jon Schendel Hon RS125 6. Jerry Berkey Hon RS250 7. Christopher Corder Apr RS250 8. Kent Moffitt Hon RS125 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

Tyler McDonald, Dustin Dominguez, Randall Kienast, Ty Howard and Chase Vivion shared the spotlight as multiple expert-class winners at round nine of the CMRA Championship Series held at Oak Hill Raceway, near Henderson, Texas, this past weekend. McDonald and Dominguez turned in perhaps the best performances of the group with three expert wins apiece. McDonald claimed wins in the Komodo Racing C Superstock Expert race, which pays a $250 purse; the Motorcycles Unlimited C Superbike Expert race, which pays a $150 purse; and the B Superbike Expert race. Meanwhile, Dominguez’ wins came in the South Central Race Center D Superbike Expert race, which pays a $150 purse; the Lightweight Twins Expert race; and the D Superstock Expert race. Kienast won the Pace American Trailers Formula 1 race, which pays a $1000 purse, leading McDonald and Kevin Pate to the checkers in a hotly contested eight-lap event and then later won the RaceworX A Superbike Expert race, beating Bryan West to the finish by a half a second. Howard topped the field in the Racing Performance Services B Superstock Expert race, which pays a $150 purse; and in the Sum of all Parts A Superstock Expert race, which pays a $150 purse. Crashes kept Howard from being competitive in two other races. Chase Vivion also took two expert wins, those coming in the Super Motard and Unlimited Motard races, both of which are sponsored by Space City Laser Tag. Ryan O’Donnell ran down early leader Bill Syfan to win the Northwest Honda 125 GP race and claim the lion’s share of the $150 purse paid for that race, while Chris Romeo won the Roadracingworld.com Formula 2 Expert race, which pays $150 purse to the top five finishers. In Saturday’s Shogun Motorsports Mini Endurance Series race, Team K&N claimed their fifth win on the year and by doing so claimed the overall and Formula 4 championship titles in the 2006 Shogun Motorsports CMRA Mini Endurance Series. The battle for second overall went down to the wire, with Venom Racing passing Team Sidewinder during the final five minutes of the race to take the runner up position by a mere 18 seconds. Fourth overall went to Team Hambone, while Trinity Too Racing brought their Honda RS85 home for fifth, after running as high as third overall during the early stages of the race. Sixth overall and first in the Formula 5 division went to Factory Derbisaki, riding a Derbi 50, with a sixth overall finish. STD Racing won the Formula 6 class with a 15th overall finish. The win moved the Honda NS50R-mounted team past SDM Racing in the final standings, giving them their third-straight class championship. OnRoad OffRoad Racing claimed their fourth win of the series in the Formula 7 division and wrapped up the class title The CMRA finishes out the season with the 10th and final round at Texas World Speedway on October 7-8 with a full slate of sprint-racing action and the final round of the Shogun Motorsports Endurance Series race of the year.

ARNCHU ‘LIGHTS IT UP’ AT WERA NELSON NATIONAL WITH 12 PODIUM POSITIONS This past weekend at Nelson Ledges Road Course, ARNCHU Racing won the Heavyweight Superstock Endurance class and its riders placed with honors in multiple classes during the National Challenge Sprints. The team’s focus for the weekend was the 8-hour endurance event lasting into (complete) darkness on September 9th. Randy Sherman, Mark Crozier and Nathan Dressman all provided consistently fast times to allow ARNCHU.net a first place finish in the Heavyweight Superstock class and second overall. All told, the three riders rode 794 miles at race pace during the 8-hour event on their PIAA-sponsored Michelin-shod ARNCHU Suzuki GSX-R1000. “Without a doubt, the amount of lighting you can create makes a dramatic impact on the kind of pace you are able to maintain. Plus, WERA staff graciously solicited feedback from our team before the race because we organized a night-time test here and worked with a company called GROTE Industries to get the exact reflectors used at the test for everyone’s safety,” said Dressman. Sherman, on form, started the race from the second row and quickly jumped into the lead lasting the first stint, running consistent 1:08-9s. Sherman also rode quickly at night in the dark Ohio farmland with 1:11s. Mark Crozier topped the timesheets on lap 194 with the fastest team lap, a 1:08.128. On Sunday during the National Challenge 10-lap sprints, ARNCHU riders took home first place in 600 Superbike and 750 Superbike. A slew of podiums followed in the superstock classes, including in the novice ranks, where ARNCHU novice Allan Pett was on the podium in 5 classes. ARNCHU.net leads the WERA Heavyweight Superstock Endurance Championship with two rounds to go. The team heads to Barber Motorsports Park in 2 weeks. For details and blog, visit www.arnchu.net. More, from a press release issued by Beowulf Racing: BRIGHTON RACER GOES INTERNATIONAL From British R6 Cup to European Superstock 600 Championship There’s been a new face in the World Superbike paddock recently. 18-year-old Brighton racer Leon Hunt linked up with the Somerset-based Beowulf Racing team to contest the European Superstock 600 Championship support races in Holland and Germany, finishing in 22nd place at both meetings. Previously, Leon was a front-runner in this year’s British R6 Cup championship until a series of mechanical letdowns led to his sponsors suggesting that he look for another arena in which to shine. An approach to Beowulf Team Manager Andy Stone resulted in a frantic round of last-minute negotiations and suddenly Leon found himself on the international stage up against some of the most promising young riders in the world. Making an excellent start from 29th position in the Dutch race, Leon jumped up seven places on the opening lap. In the top twenty by the midway point, Leon was still having to get used to the handling characteristics of his new R6 Yamaha which he is riding for the first time at these international events, which led to him slipping back two places in the closing laps. The German race, held at the Eurospeedway circuit in Lausitz, turned into a “Battle of the Brits” against series regular Chris Northover from Tonbridge in Kent. After another good start, Leon was on the tail of Northover’s Suzuki for much of the race. Towards the end, the pace of world-series competition took its toll forcing Hunt to fall back slightly. In a bizarre twist, it had been Northover who had paint-sprayed Leon’s new machine just a few weeks earlier. Although he was disappointed in himself not to have finished higher up the field, Leon was realistic about what he could have achieved afterwards. “The pace of the racing I’ve done before is nothing compared to this,” he said. “These two events have been a real eye opener and I’d like to thank my regular sponsors, Charterhouse Consulting, Adams Creative and Southern Electrical Trade Suppliers, along with Beowulf Racing, for giving me this fantastic opportunity.” Beowulf Manager Andy Stone is a veteran of the international race scene and his verdict was upbeat: “Riding a new bike, up against factory-backed competition and on the world stage for the first time what more could you honestly expect?” he said. “Leon’s gone faster in every practice and qualifying session, he listens to advice and his attitude is first-class. He’ll be finishing in the top twenty soon enough, I can assure you.” Well and truly bitten by the overseas racing bug, Hunt is planning to contest the final two rounds of the European Superstock series in Italy and France next month with a view to making a full-scale assault on the series next year. You can learn more about Leon Hunt and Beowulf Racing by visiting www.beowulf-racing.com RACE RESULTS EUROPEAN SUPERSTOCK 600 CHAMPIONSHIP Rd 7 3rd September 2006, Assen, Holland 11 laps 1st Niccolo Canepa (Ducati) 2nd Xavier Simeon (Suzuki) 3rd Davide Giugliano (Kawasaki) 22nd Leon Hunt (Yamaha) EUROPEAN SUPERSTOCK 600 CHAMPIONSHIP Rd 8 10th September 2006, Eurospeedway, Germany 12 laps 1st Niccolo Canepa (Ducati) 2nd Davide Giugliano (Kawasaki) 3rd Xavier Simeon (Suzuki) 22nd Leon Hunt (Yamaha)

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN AIM TO KEEP RUNNING STRONG The Ducati Marlboro Team flies into Australia this week hopeful of another strong race following last Sunday’s Marlboro Malaysian GP where Loris Capirossi finished a close second and Sete Gibernau took fifth in his comeback race following a lengthy layoff. Capirossi’s sixth podium of the season, which followed a brilliant win at last month’s Czech GP, moved him to within 43 points of the World Championship lead with four races to go. The Italian, who missed last year’s Australian GP through injury, goes well at the track, having finished third and established a new lap record in 2004. Gibernau also loves the spectacular seaside venue – he took pole in 2004 and finished that race a very close second. The weather will be a big topic of conversation this weekend because while temperatures hovered in the mid 30s at Sepang last weekend they may struggle to reach ten degrees on the island. LORIS CAPIROSSI, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 4th overall, 171 points “The points gap is still big but the bike and tyres are good and I am feeling strong, so it’s not impossible to win the championship. As they say, it’s not over till it’s over, we will do our best and see what happens. People talk about pressure but the pressure doesn’t worry me. I’ve been racing in the World Championships for 17 years now, so I am used to this kind of situation! Normally when I’m under some strong pressure I become stronger, so I don’t care about the pressure, it just makes me more focused. Phillip Island is a good track for us. I got the lap record in 2004 and although I got injured there last year I watched the rest of practice and all the racing from my hospital bed and I could see that Carlos (Checa, Capirossi’s 2005 team-mate) was going really well. It’s a very technical track where a good rider can really make the difference. I’m expecting a close and exciting race, but I know that we have a lot of hard work ahead of us over the last four races.” SETE GIBERNAU, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 11th overall, 69 points “The weather is going to be very different from Sepang, but then you always expect to be surprised by the weather at Phillip Island. Hopefully I’ll be a little bit stronger than I was last weekend and I’m really looking forward to getting some results at the last four races. We did preseason testing at the track which will help. It’s one of those places where if I click it right away and feel comfortable I have a good weekend, but if I start without that boom I can struggle. It’s a set-up thing, you need to have a good feeling for all those fast corners. If I’m not confident with the bike it’s difficult to ride around the problems whereas at other tracks I can ride well even if the bike isn’t perfect. You need a stable machine because there are a lot of direction changes, with the front wheel always in the air. There are some really fast corners and some heavy braking. The last corner is always important because it’s where I judge whether I’m going to be okay for the whole lap.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “The weather looks like it will be pretty cold, though I hope not much colder than last year because otherwise things could be tricky. Race tyres need a minimum track temperature of around ten degrees to work properly and last year it was 12 degrees. We were very fast at Phillip Island last year and the year before. Even without Loris last time we got third with Carlos. We got into this race feeling confident, with Loris on incredible form and Sete feeling good after his superb comeback last Sunday.” THE TRACK Phillip Island is the fastest MotoGP track and demands much of man, machine and tyres. There are three essentials for a good result at the Victorian state venue: guts, determination and a sweet-handling motorcycle. Most riders count the track as one of their favourites because unlike many modern circuits that have been built to contain the speed of F1 cars, the Island is dominated by super-quick curves that test rider skill and daring to the limit. The Australian GP’s only negative is the area’s unsettled early spring weather that can whip up dangerously strong winds off the nearby Bass Strait. Situated 130 kilometres south east of Melbourne, Phillip Island hosted its first motorcycle races way back in the 1920s, when riders competed over a dusty 12-mile street circuit and the only access to the island was by boat! The circuit fell into disrepair but was redeveloped in the late 1980s and hosted Australia’s first bike GP in 1989. Since then the circuit has been renowned for creating ultra-close racing action. Lap record: Marco Melandri (Honda), 1m 30.332s, 177.266km/h, 110.148mph (2005) Pole position 2005: Nicky Hayden (Honda), 1m 29.337, 179.244km/h DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 33 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 244 (74xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) GP victories: 27 (5xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) Pole positions: 40 (7xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Phillip Island 2005 results: Grid: DNQ. Race: DNS SETE GIBERNAU Age: 33 (born December 15, 1972) Lives: Switzerland Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 170 (75xMotoGP, 76×500, 19×250) GP victories: 9 (8xMotoGP, 1×500) First GP victory: Valencia, 2001 (500) First GP: Spain, 1993 (250) Pole positions: 13 (12xMotoGP, 1×500) First pole: South Africa, 2000 (500) Phillip Island results: Grid: 3rd. Race: 5th More, from a press release issued by Pramac D’Antin: THE TEAM PRAMAC D’ANTIN DISEMBARK IN THE ISLAND OF PHILLIP ISLAND It’s on the Australian circuit of Phillip Island that will take place the second of the three extra-European races of these three weeks of September. The German ALEX HOFMANN, in the points again during the last competition in Malaysia, wants constancy to end the season in the best manner. Himself and the Spanish JOSE LUIS CARDOSO have done Winter Test on this track and this will surely be very useful to make a good race with the DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP06 “Sat.” of the TEAM PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP. The first session of free practice will be on Friday 15 September at 10.00 a.m. I n Australia, GMT+10. LUIS D’ANTIN (Team Manager): “We are at the second of three weeks of intensive work. In the first race in Malaysia, we managed to be in the points with ALEX HOFMANN, we will continue making our maximum to be constant and to go on improving. Thanks to the Test that were done here this winter on this circuit, we already have a lot of information to start the free practice. I’m confident and we’re all enthusiast to improve and make a good race on Sunday”. ALEX HOFMANN #66: “Phillip Island is in the list of my favourite track, it’s one of the most beautiful ones! Besides, in 2004, I made here my best result, a good 8th position on the grid. I really like to ride on this track, the temperature also is fresher than it was in Malaysia and these conditions will surely allow us to work better. I’m really motivated, to obtain a good result here is very important for me and I hope everything will work in the best way. During the Winter Test, things already went quite good and I hope to go on with the improvements to make a good race”. JOSE LUIS CARDOSO #30: “This is already the second race, this time in Australia! Let’s hope that the lower temperature will help us! I really want to make a good race, there are 4 left in the 2006 calendar and I would like to conquest more points in the classification, my Team deserves it, they’re working very hard to put me in the best conditions every time. I will do my best to obtain a good result”. CIRCUIT DETAILS Il circuito di Phillip Island ha ospitato il primo Grand Prix dell’Australia in 1989. Dal 1991 al 1996, Il campionato del Mondo si è trasferito ad Eastern Creek, prima di tornare in maniera definitiva a Phillip Island. The circuit of Phillip Island, Australia, is situated 70 miles south of Melbourne, on an Island linked to the mainland by a bridge. Its track is one of the fastest and most fluid of the MotoGP World Championship, more than being one of the most beautiful. With its view on the Ocean, it’s long 4448 metres and has got 13 corners (7 on the left and 5 on the right). The only drawback can be the weather. Often the rain and high winds can batter the Island in September-October but it’s a small price to pay for such a magnificent race track. In the past, there had been racing on the roads of the holiday Island for many years but it was only when it was modified to its present day 4,448 km configuration in 1988 that it gained international recognition. The track and facilities were completely revamped for grand prix motor cycle racing and the result was a circuit that is the favourite for the majority of the MotoGP stars. The track simply flows through a series of undulating bends finishing in a long downhill start and finish straight. The circuit staged the first Australian Grand Prix in 1989 and to the delight of the whole nation was won by Australian Wayne Gardner riding the Honda. Gardner won the next year but then the Australian Grand Prix venue was switched to Eastern Creek near Sydney. It returned to its original home in 1997 and has remained ever since. Longest Straight: 900m Width: 13m Pole Position: Left Direction: Unclockwise MotoGP – Lap Record: 1’30”332 (Marco Melandri – 2005) MotoGP – Fastest Lap: 1’29”337 (Nicky Hayden – 2005) 2005 MotoGP Race: 1st Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2nd Nicky Hayden (Honda) 3rd Carlos Checa (Ducati) More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone Motorsport: BRIDGESTONE AIMS TO EXTEND COMPETITIVE STREAK IN AUSTRALIA Following a sensational head-to-head battle between Bridgestone rider Loris Capirossi and his compatriot Valentino Rossi at Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix, MotoGP barely has time to exhale before this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix gets underway at the renowned Phillip Island circuit. Bridgestone Motorsport heads ‘down under’ buoyed by strong performances at the last two rounds of this season’s MotoGP calendar in the Czech Republic and Malaysia, where the Ducati Corse team has scored a dominant victory and a tantalisingly close second place in succession. Bridgestone’s three teams, Ducati, Kawasaki and Suzuki, have amassed two podiums and six top eight finishes between them over the last two events, a competitive streak that the team hopes will be extended this coming weekend in very different conditions. The tropical rainstorms and sweltering heat that pervaded the Malaysian GP weekend are in stark contrast to the cooler weather expected in Phillip Island. Last year’s Australian GP took place in mid-October as temperatures were gradually on the increase but with this year’s event some four weeks earlier, MotoGP teams, riders and tyre manufacturers could well find themselves dealing with new challenges in the form of the Antipodean winter. Last year’s race rewarded a strong performance from the Ducati team with a third place for Carlos Checa, but an accident in free practice sidelined Loris Capirossi for the duration of the event. Similarly, Kenny Roberts was unable to take part in his Suzuki, leaving four riders to fly the Bridgestone flag. Shinya Nakano and John Hopkins both claimed top ten results in what was an encouraging weekend. Eleven months later and with valuable data from a test in February, Bridgestone is confident of continuing its most competitive season in MotoGP to date. Hiroshi Yamada – Bridgestone Motorsport – Motorcycle Racing Manager “Phillip Island is a traditional high-speed circuit which requires a unique and challenging approach to tyre development. The track is unlike any other venue on the calendar and, as such, we have produced special tyres which have been shipped directly from our plant in Japan to Australia. We must develop harder compound tyres to cope with the increased temperatures caused by the high-speed nature of the circuit which sees riders reach an average speed of around 175kmh over the 4.445km circuit layout. However, we will face some of the lowest ambient and track temperatures of the season as we head into the cooler Australian climate at this time of the year. The track reached 27°C in last year’s race which took place one month later in mid-October, so we must brace ourselves for even cooler conditions in mid-September. The long, high-speed final corner is crucial to the overall lap at Phillip Island. Our tyres will need to work in unison with the bike to allow the rider to carry the speed through the corner and to build up a good rhythm and momentum coming into the next lap. We carried out an important test at the circuit back in February that yielded some promising results from which we have created this year’s race tyre selection. Bridgestone tyres helped Ducati to third place last year with Carlos Checa, so we will be hoping to improve upon that result, particularly in light of our recent high level of competitiveness and positive podium results.” Bridgestone’s 2005 Australian GP Race Results Pos. Rider Motorcycle Race Time Gap P3 Carlos Checa Ducati 41m12.757s +4.215s P7 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki 41m53.597s +45.055s P10 John Hopkins Suzuki 41m58.802s +50.260s P16 Olivier Jacque Kawasaki 41m56.837s +2 laps Neither Loris Capirossi nor Kenny Roberts Junior started the race following accidents in practice

ROBERTS STORMS TO ANOTHER SECOND IN EUROPEAN SUPERSTOCK 21-year-old Australian Brendan Roberts gained a superb second place in the European Superstock Championship at the EuroSpeedway Circuit, Lausitz (Germany, 8th – 10th September). He again impressed everyone on his debut to the physical 2.8-mile track, not only taking a fantastic second place in the race, he also moved to sixth position in the overall Championship Standings. Roberts riding for the HP Suzuki Racing Team has only completed four of the eight rounds so far after being drafted in as a replacement early in the season. Due to his National Superstock commitments in the UK he also missed the round in the Czech Republic in July. Since having won the National series in Britain he is now able to concentrate his efforts on the final rounds of the European Championship. The Grantham based rider spent his time wisely at Lausitz and clocked up a number of laps during the practice and qualifying sessions. Using the limited time to learn the bumpy circuit and get a good bike set up for the GSXR-1000 Suzuki. Eventually qualifying on the front row in fourth place he was eager to gain another good result for the Italian Team. Like Assen, the race was once again delayed, after completing one lap it was Red Flagged after a horrifying crash involving Championship leader Alessandro Polita and Ilario Dionisi. The delay meant that the race was reduced to nine laps and run straight after the World Supersport Race. As the lights went out Roberts charged from the line only to run wide on the exit off turn one, allowing Ayrton Badovini and Claudio Corti to pull a slight gap. Roberts was struggling for grip as he settled into third, then on lap six Badovini crashed out leaving him with a 3.2-second disadvantage on new leader Corti. With three laps remaining he got his head down but was unable to catch the Yamaha rider as he narrowed the margin by over two seconds. Roberts was very happy with his result commenting “That’s what I call a result, from being down and out Friday morning to standing on the podium on Sunday, it has been a really tough weekend. The team have been working hard to help me as I’ve struggled everywhere, the set-up from Assen was so far out for this circuit we had to start from scratch. Although I didn’t have the pace to stay with the leaders early on, I found as the tyres started to slide I was coping better than most.” Roberts will next be riding in the National Superstock Championship at Silverstone Circuit, 15th – 17th September on board the Astro Van Centre Kawasaki. European Superstock Race Result – Lausitz C. Corti Yamaha B. Roberts HP Racing Suzuki L. Napoleone Suzuki D. Lammert Suzuki L. Scassa MV Agusta Overall Championship Points Polita 137 Scassa 118 Corti 115 Badovini 109 Rocamora 68 ROBERTS 62 More, from a press release issued by Hardinge Ice Valley Motorsport Team: LAUSITZRING RACE ENDS IN DISAPPOINTMENT FOR TUNSTALL Tom Tunstall left the tenth round of the World Supersport championship at Lausitz, in Germany a disappointed man after tyre problems prevented him the chance of securing championship points. Tom, riding the Hardinge Ice Valley Motorsport Honda CBR600RR arrived in Germany in positive mood after his strong ride in Assen last weekend, but excessive tyre wear made it impossible for Tom to show what he was capable of. Qualifying for the 23 lap World Supersport race took place in dry, sunny conditions and with no previous knowledge of the technical German track, Tom and the Hardinge Ice Valley Motorsport team worked hard to find the optimum set-up for the bike. Despite numerous changes and improvements to the bike set-up, which enabled Tom to slash nearly five seconds off his time from the opening practice session to final qualifying, Tom was left down in 30th place. Tom elected to make a further change to the Hardinge Ice Valley Motorsport Honda CBR600RR for the morning warm-up and again for the race, in an effort to improve the bike. From the eighth row of the grid, Tom made a brilliant start and decided to run around the outside of the 36 strong grid through the fast turn one. His commitment paid off and Tom was able to pick up a handful of places on the opening lap. Unfortunately with just eight laps complete, Tom began to lose rear wheel grip and soon began spinning up the rear tyre on the Hardinge Ice Valley Motorsport Honda CBR600RR. The experienced 27 year old was able to adjust his riding style, but ten laps later the tyre was still losing grip and Tom was forced to enter the pits to change the tyre, ruining any chance of a point scoring finish. “We tested a number of tyre options for the race and decided to go with the slightly harder option because it gave me a little more stability. I felt we had a good set-up, but eight laps in to the race and the tyre went off and the bike started moving around a lot. I tried to continue to race and I was riding as smoothly as possible but in the end I had to pull in to the pits to change it.” explained Tom. “It’s been a tough weekend all in all. The track seems hard to set the bike up for and with no previous knowledge of the place it took us a long time to get the bike competitive. We’ve made some good progress with the bike though and our times have been improving all weekend, it’s just a shame we never got the chance to really go for it in the race due to the lack of grip.” he continued. Tom and the Hardinge Ice Valley Motorsport team now have a two week break until the penultimate round of the 2006 championship at the famous Imola circuit in Italy on 29th September to 1st October 2006.