Round 8 Brands Hatch Great Britain 4 – 6 August 2006 CHARPENTIER MAKES A STAND TO DEFEND CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD Despite some recent misfortunes with injury, and an erosion of his previously commanding points lead, Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) makes his second comeback ride in a two week period with the same levels of determination which he exhibited before his testing crash. Having broken his pelvis and collarbone on 12 June at Brno during tyre testing duties, Charpentier was back in action at Brno again in late-July, finishing 11th – enough to keep him ten points ahead in the approach to the forthcoming Brands Hatch. Having won races at Losail, Phillip Island, Valencia and Silverstone, and also scoring third at Monza, Charpentier has once more been the unquestioned star of the series, as he was during his championship-winning season for Honda in 2005. A resurgent force at the previous Brno race was Charpentier’s team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) who overcame some previous disappointments to score his second podium finish in his rookie full-time WSS season. Buoyed by his latest trip to the rostrum, Sofuoglu will once more be out to score a place in the top three. Brands is a well known quantity for Sofuoglu, having won the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race there in 2005, on the way to overall runner up spot in the World Superbike support series. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR) will once again be replaced by Simone Sanna (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR) with Sanna having scored strong points in the past two races. Class rookie Yoann Tiberio (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR) may find Brands Hatch a difficult venue at which to replicate his brilliant Monza race win but, traditionally, French Supersport riders have a strong pedigree in their adventures across the English Channel. Currently sixth overall, Tiberio was fourth at Brno. Charpentier, now in better physical condition than during his first comeback ride at Brno, is confident that he can perform like his old self in Brands. “I feel good, better than Brno because I have had the opportunity to work very hard on my physical condition in the past ten days,” said the 2005 champion. “Now my body is better, and my mind is OK even if Brno was not so easy for me. Now the gap in the championship is ten points – but for me ten points is the same as 20 or 30 or any other number. I am still first in the championship and I will work very hard to not only keep my championship lead, but to make it bigger.” Sofuoglu, now a holder of two third place finishes in World Supersport races, is looking to Brands as another place to consolidate his return to top form. “At Brno I gained more good experience in running at the front in World Supersport,” said Sofuoglu. “I think from now on I can keep riding to a good level and in all the races I will be aiming for a podium. My team has worked very hard for me and I want to show that I appreciate it. Brands Hatch is my favourite track; fun, technical and aggressive, and it suits my riding style. It’s really fantastic.” Tiberio knows that he must put in a strong qualifying performance and then capitalise on it in the early laps of the race to have a chance of a podium finish once more. “My target for Brands is just the same as all the other tracks – to finish the race inside the first five positions,” said Tiberio. “At Brno I achieved my target after quite a good race, but I had a problem with the tyres in the end, simply because I stressed the bike too much at the beginning. I don’t want to repeat that mistake in England.” Sanna looks to his two previous races in the Megabike team (second at Misano and ninth at Brno) as motivation for another strong top ten finish. “After a fantastic experience at Misano I took another top ten at Brno,” said Sanna, “and I am aiming for at least another top ten finish at Brands Hatch, although it is a very difficult track. It’s so fast, with such a great variety of corners and cambers. I want to thank the Megabike Honda team for giving me the vote of confidence again.” TOSELAND LEADS HONDA CHARGE ON HIS HOME CIRCUIT A flurry of recent strong results, added to his win in the opening race of the season at Qatar, has pushed James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) to within one point of a share of second place in the approach to his home round at Brands Hatch. The 2004 World Champion has yet to win an SBK race on this particular home circuit, but has never been better placed to fend off all the opposition in this resurgent season for World Superbike racing. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) has used Honda power to win at Brands Hatch twice in the past – in 2000 and 2004 – during his previous career as a World Supersport rider. Yet to break into the podium elite in Superbike, he approaches the Brands Hatch round with renewed confidence at a circuit he clearly enjoys racing at. Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) has spent all of his inaugural World Superbike season on a steep learning curve, after a successful career in Grand Prix racing. The immensely tricky and undulating Brands Hatch layout is notoriously difficult to learn, but for a rider with Barros’ proven track record, it may well offer high-scoring opportunities on even his first visit. Michel Fabrizio (DFX Honda CBR1000RR) found the spark of brilliance which was to light a path to two podium finishes at Brno recently, making a breakthrough in his rookie season that has now promoted him to ninth in the championship. His previous best had been fifth at the opening Losail round in Qatar, making his Brno results of third and second all the more impressive. To cap the magnitude of his Brno successes, 24 days earlier he had crashed and broken his right collarbone at the British Grand Prix, while standing in for the injured Toni Elias. Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Honda CBR1000RR) is one of the most popular Superbike riders to have ever competed at Brands Hatch. He is also the last Italian Superbike rider to have won at Brands, in 1996. In his latest SBK season, he sits 19th, having been forced to miss three rounds, due to a pelvic and shoulder injury. Toseland, who has raised cheers from a British crowd already this year, after two podium-scoring rides through the field during round five at Silverstone, is ready for another home race. “It’s been a good year so far,” said Toseland, “and the best thing is that we have been consistently quick in races. Brands Hatch has not been the kindest track for me in recent years, but I aim to reverse that this weekend. Ticket sales for the race have been strong so far so there should be a great atmosphere. The aim at Brands is to make up more ground to the championship leader Bayliss, and we did that at Brno. There are still a few rounds to go so I just want to go out and take as many points as possible, and be in there with a chance of the championship at the end.” Barros, fifth overall so far, acknowledges that Brands will not be an easy venue for him, but likens it to another undulating circuit in an English-speaking country. “Brands Hatch is a new race track for me and I have no concrete idea of what it is like yet,” said Barros. “But its style is similar to Laguna Seca, and that is a track I like very much. I feel confident that the bike will be well prepared and I’ll do my very best. Only after my first laps will I know how Brands Hatch really is.” Muggeridge was disappointed with the recent race outing at Brno, but is confident in the potential of his machinery at Brands. “Brands is a good place to race,” said former British Supersport championship rider Muggeridge, “It should be OK for us because we’ve done good work on the bike and the set-up since Brno. If it all works the way we have planned it, then it’s going to be good. My back injury is causing me no drama any more, so that helps as well.” After his recent experiences at Brno, Fabrizio knows his full potential can once more be unleashed if things work out for him in qualifying. “Now I am in ninth position in the standings and the next few circuits should be favourable for me,” said the Roman rider. “Everyone spoke about how fast I was at the end of the race at Brno but that’s because I can still ride the bike fast, even when the tyres start to slide. I know very well that the Brands Hatch races will be very difficult, so I hope to earn a good grid position to get away near the front.” Chili went tenth in race one at Brno, but muscle fatigue, due to the lingering effects of injury, put him out of race two. He should be much improved at Brands, after a two-week gap in the calendar. “I was happy for the result of race one in Brno, even if I was very tired at the end,” said Chili. ” I was confident for race two but I had a problem with strength in my right arm, so I decided to stop. After Michel’s fantastic rides at Brno I am very happy also for the DFX Treme team, because it shows how good the bike is now, and that is good news for the next few races.” After the excesses of Brands Hatch, Assen provides the backdrop for another significant WSS and SBK race weekend, between 1 and 3 September.

UNMISSABLE BRANDS NEXT IN LINE FOR WORLD SUPERBIKE – THRILLERS EXPECTED AT THE AMPHITHEATRE With the pitlane and main straight surrounded by gently rolling hills, Brands Hatch is arguably the greatest naturally formed Motorsports amphitheatre in the world. The fact that Brands is also the biggest event on the World Superbike calendar is subject of little argument, with the enthusiastic and knowledgeable local crowd helping to make Brands the highlight of the 12-round championship trail. The magnificent 4.197km circuit, first used for cycle races in the 1920s, is stunning mix of undulations and variety of corners. From the up and down hairpin at Druids, to the high speed sections in the woodlands towards Hawthorn and Westfield, Brands offers a unique challenge to every level of rider, in this its 14th appearance on the SBK calendar. Such is the importance of this meeting that when an additional venue had to be found to complete the scheduled 2000 season, Brands got the nod, and therefore hosted two SBK events in the same season – one in August and the other in October. CHAMPIONSHIP OPENS UP AS BRANDS APPROACHES Despite championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) having blasting his way to an impressive mid-season lead after the sixth round at Misano (including an eight-race unbeaten record only one short of the all-time best) the fates have now skewed the plot – in favour of everyone outside the official Ducati Xerox pit garage. Bayliss still enjoys a more than useful 73-point lead, but compared to the previous run of events, the last two rounds have certainly shuffled the face cards in the SBK pack. Seldom is the World Superbike series predictable for any length of time, and the surprise beneficiary at the most recent round at Brno proved to be the mercurial Japanese Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Robbed of a chance of an early season win at Qatar, Kagayama hit the bull’s-eye not once but twice at Brno, scoring his first SBK double ahead of a host of more fancied riders, including his own team-mate Troy Corser, the 2005 season race winner, who now sits fourth overall. HAGA COMING ON SONG AT THE RIGHT TIME Of the riders still active in World Superbike, none can challenge the recent Brands Hatch record of Yamaha Motor Italia rider, Noriyuki Haga. Winner of the three of the last four SBK races at Brands (two on Ducatis in 2004 and one on a 2005 Yamaha) Haga was pole man at Brno, and still sits second in this year’s championship fight overall. His team-mate Andrew Pitt has gone one better than Haga in race trim thus far, and despite sitting sixth overall, was a race winner at the second Misano leg, in late June. Two Brno retirements, from strong front-running spots, have merely fed his hunger for more wins and podiums, on what is a spectacularly resurgent Yamaha R1. TOSELAND GOING FOR GOLD AT HOME James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) enters his home round with the knowledge that he has returned to podium-scoring form, and that his much-desired improvement in qualifying has already paid dividends in terms of recent points scores. The 2004 champion has proven already that he can win in 2006, and alongside the ever-improving Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) he will be a force to be reckoned with in front of a partisan home crowd. BARROS DETERMINED AT ANOTHER NEW TRACK World Superbike may be a long-term dance partner with Brands, but for the hugely experienced ex-MotoGP rider, Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda), it is a step into the latest unknown during his rookie SBK season. Having never raced at Brands Hatch, he will possibly find it the steepest of all his learning curves this year, but after two disappointing races at Brno, plagued by technical problems, he and his determined team are sure to bounce back into podium contention. Another top rider without a win so far, Barros is certain to show why he is such a highly rated player in SBK, irrespective of the obstacles he may have to overcome on the way. FABBY FABRIZIO THE LASTEST DISCOVERY IN SBK™ Having amassed experience in many forms of racing over the past three years, 2003 European Superstock Champion Michel Fabrizio (DFX Honda) scored not just his first but a pair of podium finishes at Brno, setting himself up for two more strong showings at the rigorously-challenging Brands Hatch circuit. His first two podiums since his move up from World Supersport were audacious in the extreme, proof that being partnered with the vastly experienced Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Honda) is now paying dividends for Fabrizio and his entire Honda team. LANZI LOOKING TO GET BACK INTO CONTENTION After a breathtaking debut SBK season, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) has had to summon up every splinter of self-belief in 2006, and has occasionally approached the heights of his two wins in 2005. His pair of third places at Valencia were notable highlights, and Brands offers him two more chances to display his unquestioned abilities on the factory 999F06 Ducati. NIETO AND WALKER LEAD KAWASAKI PSG-1 PUSH Only two points separate the PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse pairing of Fonsi Nieto and Chris Walker (in 10th and 11th places respectively) as Brands approaches, with third team-member Regis Laconi (16th) having suffered greater misfortune in races, despite his obvious speed. Some brilliant qualifying and early race performances from each rider have yet to be turned into podium consistency, but at Brands, where Walker scored fourth place in race two last season, anything could be possible for the PSG-1 triumvirate. Kawasaki Bertocchi rider Josh Brookes is approaching Brands with the intention of scoring his first points since his move to Superbike from what was scheduled to be a rookie season in World Supersport. LAST BRITISH HURRAH FOR ANGLO-MALAYSIAN FP-1 The unique three-cylinder Malaysian Petronas FP-1, run from a British base by the Foggy Petronas Racing Team, will bow out from British track action in front of the same Brands Hatch banking that witnessed its first public track outing in 2002. Riders Steve Martin and SBK rookie Craig Jones will be out to make the race a memorable one for both team and fans, despite the machine’s 100cc disadvantage to all other competing machinery. MIDFIELD BOLSTERED BY KURTIS ROBERTS The list of strong talent in the midfield of any SBK race this season is impressive to behold, but the likes of Ruben Xaus (Berik Sterilgarda Ducati, Roberto Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi), Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) et al will be strengthened by former AMA Supersport Champion and MotoGP rider Kurtis Roberts, who has joined the Pedercini Ducati squad to replace the outgoing Max Neukirchner. TOMMY HILL BACK FOR MORE SBK GLORY Regular British Championship runner Tommy Hill (Virgin Mobile Yamaha) proved that the wildcard concept is far from over in World Superbike when he scored a remarkable pole position during the first British SBK round of 2006, at Silverstone. Out to repeat that feat and then build on it at Brands, Hill is back in SBK action once more, ready to make the regulars take note. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP After a series of dramatic changes in fortune, and the re-emergence of some early season talents, the World Supersport championship is once more completely wide open as Brands Hatch approaches. 2005 Champion Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) could only finish 11th at Brno in the most recent round, having also missed the previous Misano outing after suffering pelvic and collarbone injuries in testing. Despite his misfortune he still leads the championship, thanks to his four previous race wins and a third at Monza, but he now heads Brno race winner Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) by only ten points. A run of three successive podium finishes for Curtain’s team-mate Broc Parkes has pushed him to a relatively comfortable third, ahead of top Honda privateer Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports). In a good year for rookie riders, Misano race winner Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia) is in fifth place overall, with another WSS race winner in his inaugural season in the category, Yoann Tiberio (Megabike Honda) sixth. After a difficult period of late, another full season newcomer, Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) scored his second podium of the year at Brno. The most recent formbook at Brands makes comforting reading for Charpentier, who won the race in 2005. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP Alessandro Polita (Celani Suzuki Italia) saw his previously impressive championship lead slashed to a mere two points after Brno, where his main rival Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) scored his first win and Polita scored zero. With Luca Scassa (EVR Corse Ormeni Racing) second at Brno, and now only 24 points from the championship lead, the top three riders will have much more than the other 35 riders to consider when action starts this coming weekend. Richard Cooper (MS Racing Honda) will be out to show his home crowd that his recent third place at Brno was no isolated incident, as he goes for another podium. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) has shone brightest in the junior Superstock class this season, taking three wins and two seconds so far, with another five races to go. His main competitors in the points table are also the only other riders to have taken a race win so far, second placed rider Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox) and Davide Giugliano (Lightspeed Kawasaki). SBK™ MARKS DOUBLE TIME AFTER BRANDS With Brands marking the two-thirds distance in the championship, the ninth round of 12 will take place at the newly remodelled Circuit van Drenthe in Assen, between 1 and 3 September. One weekend later EuroSpeedway Lausitz hosts the German round between 8 and 10 September.

Championship Cup Series and BSR Racing Inc. have reached an agreement to allow any CCS licensed rider free track time on the Shenandoah Circuit at Summit Point Motorsports Park, August 26 and September 8. This agreement was reached in an effort to allow CCS riders more time to get to know this challenging race course, a goal that is shared by both BSR Racing, owner of Summit Point Motorsports Park, and the Championship Cup Series. The Shenandoah Circuit is the newest track at Summit Point Motorsports Park, designed as a more challenging course for the skilled racer, this course features 15 quick turns over a freshly paved 1.6 mile course for the riders to conquer. “Parts of the course have five or six turns linked so you have to keep your speed up through all of them.” said Ryan Patterson, current lap record holder for the Shenandoah course at 1:30.667. “It’s a workout, the course is not as fast, but it is very technical.” Each free track day will be followed by a regular CCS race event; August’s date is followed by a race on the Shenandoah course, so those riders who attend will get a chance to become familiar with the track before competing and get a leg up on the competition for future events.. The September date is the Friday before the final CCS race on the main course for the 2006 season, so you get a chance to warm up on the Shenandoah Circuit before tackling the SPR Circuit on September 9-10. In order to participate, all a CCS licensed rider has to do is purchase a weekend gate pass for the race event that follows. With a 40 bike track density, riders are being asked to give advanced notice to the main CCS office if planning to ride on the free track day by dropping an e-mail to [email protected] so we can judge the number of groups need to accommodate everybody. Either way free track time is something few can afford to miss, so on behalf of Summit Point Motorsports Park, BSR Racing and the Championship Cup Series, come on out and enjoy this special offer. More information on how to become a Championship Cup Series licensed racer can be found at www.ccsracing.us. CCS has been promoting amateur and expert motorcycle racing since 1984 and has grown to be the largest club level motorcycle racing organization in the country with 60 sanctioned events in 2006.

The wild-card riders who will race in the Superbike and Supersport World Championships and Superstock FIM Cup rounds scheduled on the circuit of Brands Hatch on August 6 next, are the following : Number/Rider/Bike/Team/Nomination SUPERBIKE 81 Tommy Hill (GBR-Yamaha YZF R1) Virgin Mobile Yamaha ACU SUPERSPORT 53 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Honda CBR 600RR) Northpoint Ekerold Honda ACU 56 Leon Camier (GBR-Honda CBR 600RR) Northpoint Ekerold Honda ACU SUPERSTOCK 48 Jon Boy Lee (GBR-Yamaha YZF R1) NVIDIA ACU Maximum number and nomination of wild-cards riders: Superbike: 4 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation); 2 nominated by the FIM. Supersport: 2 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation). Superstock: 2 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation). – A compulsory briefing will be held for all the riders who will be participating for the first time in the current Championship, at 17h00 on the day preceding the day scheduled for the first practice session.

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Yukio Kagayama and Troy Corser are set for this weekend’s World Superbike Championship eighth round at Brand Hatch fresh from their double victory in the Czech Republic. Kagayama took Brno by storm, winning both races – his first ever WSB double. And despite problems in qualifying, World Champion Corser put in a couple of solid finishes taking a fifth in race one and a fourth in race two. The duo are ready to carry on the good work at Brands Hatch, an event that is now much more than just another round in the calendar. The British circuit’s unique setting and layout always provides close-quarter action and it is arguably the best-attended event in the calendar. Last year Corser won the first race and finished second in the other with Kagayama scoring a lowly pair of ninths. But this year, both riders will be going all-out for podium places, with Kagayama particularly eager to do well in front of all his British fans. Troy Corser: “Brands is not just another round of the championship anymore – it’s an event! The place has a fantastic atmosphere because the crowd are so close to the track and sometimes you can almost feel them breathing down your neck! It’s quite a technical track and not the easiest place for overtaking, so a good grid place is pretty much crucial. I wasn’t happy with Brno so Brands will be a good chance for me to get some good results and keep up the momentum in the championship. Obviously we all need Bayliss to make a slip-up or two, but otherwise there’s going to be a very big battle for second spot.” Yukio Kagayama: “I was so happy after Brno and now I am looking forward to Brands Hatch so much because of the years I raced in England. I have many British fans and I want to do well for them – not like last year! Brands is a special place and maybe the best WSB event of the year because of all the fans and the big atmosphere. Now that I am almost back to full fitness I want another couple of good results at Brands Hatch. I am not sure that it will be possible to do another double, but I will be trying my hardest – as usual.” 2005 results: Race 1: 1 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 Laconi (F-Kawasaki), 9 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Race 2: 1 Haga, 2 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 3 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda), 9 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). ALSTARE AND FORET SPLIT After an amicable meeting on 31st July, Team Alstare Suzuki and Fabien Foret have decided to end their partnership for the 2006 Superbike World Championship season with immediate effect. Foret and Team Alstare feel that the results, to date, did not reflect either of their aspirations: Foret had some problems adapting to the different nature of a Superbike and, because further development of the bike has already been planned, it has been decided that Max Neukirchner will ride the GSX-R1000 from Assen onwards.

Yamaha Austria’s first in class and tenth place overall finish at Sunday’s Suzuka 8 Hour round of the FIM World Endurance Championship has dramatically closed the gap between them and championship leaders Suzuki Castrol. Before the Japanese race, 2005 World Endurance Champions Suzuki Castrol had a commanding 44 point lead; they effectively had a race in hand over their rivals. That lead has now been reduced to just 21 points after Yamaha Austria brought home the full 30 points available at Suzuka, while Suzuki Castrol scored just seven points. Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se finished third in the points at their first Suzuka 8 Hour race to consolidate their third place in the championship standings and to continue their perfect record of scoring points at every race this season. Yamaha Phase One Endurance’s second in the points finish has lifted them to fourth in the championship, ahead of Kawasaki Bolliger and within one point of third place. All of the top five teams now have a mathematical chance of winning the championship. With two tough 24 hour races still to be run and 70 points still to be scored, the World Endurance Championship is wide open. FIM WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS TOP 10 Position/Number/Team Nationality/Bike/Class/Total/Zolder/Suzuka 1 1 Suzuki Castrol Team FRA Suzuki GSX-R1000 SBK 115 25 7 2 7 Yamaha Austria Racing Team AUT Yamaha YZF-R1 SBK 94 20 30 3 12 Team Fagersjo-el Suzuki SWE Suzuki GSX-R1000 SBK 68 13 19 4 3 Yamaha Phase One Endurance GBR Yamaha YZF-R1 SBK 67 11 24 5 8 Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki SUI Kawasaki ZX10R SBK 58 16 0 6 55 National Motos Honda FRA Honda CBR1000RR SBK 35 0 0 7 100 Team Endurance Moto 45 Suzuki FRA Suzuki GSX-R1000 STK 28 2 5 8 666 Diablo 666 Bolliger Kawasaki GBR Kawasaki ZX10R SBK 26 0 11 9 44 Suzuki No Limits & R.T. Suzuki ITA Suzuki GSX-R1000 SBK 24 0 0 10 94 Yamaha GMT94 FRA Yamaha YZF-R1 SBK 22 0 0