EDWARDS WOWS THE CROWDS IN HOLLYWOOD Camel Yamaha Team Rider Colin Edwards played his part in introducing MotoGP to Hollywood yesterday ahead of this week’s United States Grand Prix, joining fellow MotoGP riders in a spectacular parade up Hollywood Boulevard. Edwards, riding a specially-prepared YZF-R6 in the famous yellow, white and black ‘Anniversary’ livery carried by Yamaha at last year’s US Grand Prix, joined Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner (Honda), Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki), John Hopkins (Suzuki), and Sete Gibernau (Ducati), as well as ex-racer Randy Mamola on-board Ducati’s two-seat MotoGP bike, to ride up the famous street and perform for the crowds in front of the Chinese Theatre. The riders then took part in a press conference and interviews for the US media at the Roosevelt Hotel, before attending the first screening of the new MotoGP movie, The Doctor, The Tornado and The Kentucky Kid at Paramount Studios. The movie is centred around last year’s United States Grand Prix and both Edwards and team-mate Valentino Rossi play a starring role. “It was quite strange to be riding a bike up Hollywood Boulevard, but it was fantastic how many fans turned out to see us!” commented Edwards. “The turnout yesterday showed how MotoGP is growing in popularity here in the US and it was really special for us American riders to come home and get that kind of welcome. The movie is great, I really enjoyed it and re-living last year’s race again has just brought home to me how much I want to win this year! We’ve got to build on last year’s result and the only way we can do that is by winning! I can’t wait till Sunday; I’m putting on my boxing gloves and I’m going come out fighting the second those lights go out!”

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MICHELIN LOOKS TO MotoGP’s 800 ERA MotoGP is all set for its second big technical regulations change in half a decade. Following the shift from 500cc two-strokes to 990cc four-strokes in 2002, next year’s bikes will be reduced to 800cc in a bid to reign in performance. All the manufacturers involved in bike racing’s biggest series are designing all-new motorcycles for these new rules. But while engine capacity is being cut by almost 20 per cent, the bikes won’t be dramatically smaller because minimum weight limits will barely change. Michelin is already preparing for the switch, with its first tests with MotoGP partners Honda and Yamaha scheduled after the summer. “The last big change we had, from 500s to MotoGP bikes, was a huge step,” says Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “Long before we began testing the new MotoGP bikes in 2001 we knew that we were looking at a huge increase in horsepower and we knew the torque characteristics would be very different. So we worked on our MotoGP tires for more than a whole year before we started racing the bikes. “Looking at the 800s, the bikes will stay pretty much the same but they will make slightly less horsepower and torque, which should make the bikes less demanding on tires. It’s difficult when you have to develop a tire to handle more horsepower, but when you’re going the other way, it should be easier. “We will soon start testing with the 800s, evaluating the new bikes with our partners, mainly in Japan. But we have been thinking about 800s for a while. We keep them in mind even when we are working with the 990s at the moment. If we think of some new development which might be useful for the 990s, but would take six months to get right, we don’t continue with that development. But if we are working on something that we think will be useful for the 800s, we obviously keep working in that direction. “Everyone says the 800s will be more agile than the 990s, though I’m not absolutely sure about that because the bikes will weigh about the same. True, the engines should be slightly lighter which should allow the designers to put the mass where they want it, which may make the bikes slightly easier to handle, but it certainly won’t be a huge difference, it won’t be like going back to 130-kilo 500s. “We expect the bikes to produce a little bit less horsepower than the 990s, but for how long? One year, two years? For sure we won’t be making bigger tires for the 800s, there won’t be any dramatic change in profiles, but I’m not convinced that we’ll be making smaller tires for these bikes. “Less horsepower should put less heat into the tires but the 800’s torque output could be more brutal than the 990s, so it’s difficult to predict how they will wear the tires. If the torque is more brutal, it could mean that the predictability of the tires will become more important, but the fact is that the latest electronics are so sophisticated that torque delivery may not be an issue. We will see when we start testing…”

Suzuka 8 Hour – Ten Days to Go Packed Schedule for Japanese World Endurance Race The Suzuka 8 Hour Japanese round of the FIM World Endurance Championship takes place in ten days time, on Sunday the 30th of July. The provisional schedule shows five days of non-stop action: Practice It all begins at the circuit on Wednesday the 26th, with scrutineering and the draw for practice groups. The teams are split into two groups to reduce the number of bikes on track at any one time during practice and qualifying sessions. Previous years have also seen a free practice session on Wednesday afternoon. Riders’ briefings, technical inspections and free practice sessions for the Suzuka 8 Hour World Endurance and Suzuka 4 Hour support race competitors take place on Thursday 27th, and there will also be the first pit walk of the event during the lunch break. Qualifying Qualifying for the Suzuka 8 Hour and 4 Hour teams takes place on Friday the 28th. There are two sessions for each rider from each team in each group, meaning virtually non-stop track action between 8:00am and 6:45pm. Then it’s night practice, between 7:00pm and 8:15pm. There’s another pit walk at lunchtime. SuperPole Special Stage and Suzuka 4 Hour The 4 Hour endurance support race for 600cc bikes takes place on Saturday morning. There’s a pit walk after the podium ceremony, then it’s straight into the warm up for the 8 Hours Special Stage. This is a two hour double-jeopardy SuperPole for both riders from the top 20 qualified teams, to decide start positions. The evening ends with a night-time pit walk and the 8 Hours Eve Festival. Race Day There’s a pit walk at 7:30am, for the early risers. Warm up is between 9:00am and 9:45 am, then there’s another pit walk, the start line “attractions” and the race start procedure which kicks off at 10:50am. The Suzuka 8 Hour race starts at 11:30am local time (3:30am BST / 4:30am CET) and finishes at 7:30pm local time (11:30am BST / 12:30pm CET), 30 minutes after sunset.

Four-time British Superbike race winner Steve Plater will join Rizla Suzuki as a replacement rider for the injured James Haydon at the ninth round of the Championship at Oulton Park this weekend. The 2006 North West 200 winner who lives in Lincolnshire will join regular Rizla Suzuki racer Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne at the 2.69-mile long Cheshire circuit. It is the Championship’s second and final visit to the picturesque Oulton Park venue this year. During the team’s first visit to the track in May Shakey scored two podiums and was just a whisker away from winning a race despite suffering from a severe stomach bug. James Haydon continues his road to recovery and will be at Oulton Park lending his support to both Byrne and Plater. Superbike racing starts at 1315 on Sunday July 23rd. Shane Byrne: “Last time we visited here I finished second and third despite suffering from the most horrendous gastro enteritis. I like the circuit; my Rizla Suzuki fits me like a glove; and I want to win and make up for earlier in the year. “I’m enjoying my racing and having fun at the same time. I’m relaxed and really happy after the win at Knockhill. Life is good in my world and the only thing that could improve it is a victory at Oulton Park so that’s what I’m going for.” Steve Plater: “The chance to race the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Oulton Park this weekend is a dream come true. I have been down to the team HQ and been measured up for the bike and I am champing at the bit to get racing. “I’ve won at Oulton Park twice before in 2002 and 2003 and know the Rizla Suzuki is a very quick bike round the circuit. It’s a huge opportunity for me to show what I can do on a competitive bike. My collarbone is completely healed and I can’t wait to get out in first practice on Friday.” * To hear Steve’s thoughts on joining Rizla Suzuki visit www.rizla-suzuki.co.uk and select Multimedia and then the audio option. Robert Wicks – Team Manager: “The euphoria of Shakey’s race win at Knockhill is still fresh in our minds but with back-to-back races for the team there is a great deal of preparation to get through before heading off to Oulton Park. “Steve is a welcome addition to the team and I know he is looking forward to the opportunity of riding the GSX-R1000. He’s a tremendously capable rider, very professional and brings a great sense of humour to the garage. We look forward to working with him at the weekend and putting him in the best possible position to achieve a good result for Rizla Suzuki.” More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki: Hawk Kawasaki Gearing Up For Oulton Park Round 9 – British Superbike Championship The two Hawk Kawasaki riders are heading for the picturesque track of Oulton Park, Cheshire this weekend (21st 23rd July), for round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Craig Coxhell (23) and Peter Hickman (19) and looking forward to tackling the 2.7-mile circuit. Coxhell gained two strong results last weekend at Knockhill Circuit, Scotland and is looking to add a few more positive results to his tally. Last time at Oulton Park in May the young Australian was recovering from a serious injuries to both of his shoulders after a crash at Donington Park earlier in the season. Coxhell is looking at following on from his confident sixth place at Knockhill at the technical circuit at the weekend. Craig commented “I’m feeling very relaxed and happy after Knockhill and hope that I can better them at Oulton. The team is working really hard and now we are starting to get the results that we deserve. My injury at the start of the season really set me back and it has taken until now to get things back on track and feeling more confident.” Youngster rider in the British Superbike Series, Peter Hickman is keen to go back to Oulton Park saying “I’m glad we are going back to a circuit that we have been to before and that I know my way round a little better on a Superbike. I’m hoping that I can make progress there and get back in the points this weekend. The Hawk bikes handle pretty well round Oulton so I hope that will work in my favour. It’s an extremely tough series but I am very much enjoying this opportunity that I’ve been given.” Third Hawk rider Dean Thomas is still absent from racing due to injury. After sustaining a punctured lung and four broken ribs at Snetterton Circuit when he was hit by James Haydon at the bottom of the one of the fastest straights in the country. Speaking with Thomas he said “I’m slowly getting better but it is taking a lot longer than I first hoped or expected. I’m still in a lot of pain and continue to take a number of pills to try and help me sleep and get through the days. The ribs are giving me the most grief at the moment, however, I am still getting out of breath very quickly with the after effects of the punctured lung. I thought about riding at Oulton this weekend but it won’t be physically possible, I am now aiming for Croft which gives me another month to get myself fit again. I’m eager to get back out on a bike as it’s very frustrating sat at home watching it on the TV.”

2006 MotoGP World Championship, round 11 United States Grand Prix, Laguna Seca July 21/22/23 SPECIAL CHALLENGE FOR MICHELIN AT LAGUNA This weekend’s United States Grand Prix presents an extra-special challenge for Michelin’s MotoGP team. Laguna Seca was resurfaced just a few weeks ago, so Michelin goes into this event ‘blind’, creating a broader-than-usual range of tires that should offer its nine MotoGP riders winning grip, whatever the characteristics of the new surface. So far this season Michelin has provided winning grip at nine of the first ten races, with its riders filling 25 of a potential 30 podium places and holding the top four positions in the current World Championship standings. Series leader Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) will be looking for a repeat of his sensational 2005 Laguna victory to stretch his points lead, which shrunk slightly last Sunday when Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) won the German GP to move into second overall. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) is currently third with Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V-Michelin) fourth. Just 35 points cover the top four riders. MICHELIN’S RESPONSE TO THE CHALLENGE OF LAGUNA SECA “It’s great to go to the States because obviously it’s a very important market for us,” says Michelin’s motorcycle racing director Nicolas Goubert. “This will be an interesting weekend because the track has been resurfaced, so that probably means a big change in its characteristics. In fact it will be almost like going to a new track for us. In theory, the grip level should be a lot higher than before, but until we get there we won’t know exactly what kind of effect the new tarmac will have on tires. On top of that, the surface will probably change a lot during the course of the weekend because it’s brand new, which will make it a difficult event for all the tire makers. “To be prepared for such unpredictable conditions we will take more than our usual supply of tires to Laguna. For most races we take around 1000 tires for our nine riders, this weekend we’ll have about ten per cent more than that. We will offer slightly more choice than usual, but there’s no point in having too great a choice because there simply isn’t enough time for riders to test too many different tires. The main thing is to have tires that will cover a larger range of conditions. “The old surface was quite easy on tires because it wasn’t too grippy or aggressive. That’s why finding traction used to the key point at Laguna. The new surface should make it easier to find traction, but we’ll have to wait and see if it will cause any problems on tire temperature and tire wear. We still don’t think the circuit will be too tough on tires, because the layout, with no long corners or long straights, isn’t demanding. “We are very happy with the latest version of our narrow-profile front, which won two of the last three races, at Assen and Donington. This tire uses a new construction which helps in corner entry, allowing riders to keep the brakes on for longer into the turns. “Preparing for Laguna Seca required some extra logistics because the event follows so soon after last Sunday’s German GP. Some of our tires left Clermont-Ferrand last Thursday, others were sent from the German GP, leaving Frankfurt on Monday, and a final batch, produced according to what we learned at the Sachsenring, left our factory the same day.” LAGUNA SECA DATA Lap record: Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 1:23.915, 154.871kmh/96.232mph) Pole position 2005: Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin), 1:22.670 Recent winners of the US GP 2005 Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin), 45:15.374 MICHELIN MotoGP RIDERS 2006 Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) Toni Elias, Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V-Michelin) Casey Stoner (Honda LCR RC211V-Michelin) Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V-Michelin) Kenny Roberts Jr (Team Roberts KR211V-Michelin) Colin Edwards, Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: United States Grand Prix Preview The next race on the 2006 Moto GP world tour takes Bridgestone Motorsport overseas to Monterey, California for the second consecutive United States Grand Prix. Barely has the chequered flag been waved at Germany’s Sachsenring circuit – with five Bridgestone riders frequenting the top ten – than the entire Moto GP operation has to relocate at the other side of the world to take on the might of the Laguna Seca track this weekend. The 2006 event will be the tenth United States Grand Prix and the eighth to be held in Monterey, but it will be only the second time that Bridgestone has competed at the Californian course, placing additional constraints on the Japanese tyre manufacturer in only its fifth year at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. Since its lauded return to the calendar last year following extensive renovation, the 3.61km Laguna Seca circuit has seen further development with a complete resurfacing of the asphalt, which could play an integral role in the outcome of this weekend’s event. Hiroshi Yamada – Bridgestone Motorsport – Motorcycle Racing Manager “We head to the United States for only the second time, so we will still be playing catch-up in many respects. However, recent revisions to the circuit, including a total renewal of the asphalt could level the playing the field, as data collated from last year’s event may no longer prove entirely accurate. We will of course not know until the first practice sessions on Friday, but it is also likely to be quite oily as liquid seeps through the new tarmac. If the new circuit surface is quite sharp we will have to keen an eye on degradation and wear, but if the track is smooth we will be on the search for grip. Therefore, we are taking a variety of tyres to Laguna Seca this year as pre-emptive measure, including some compounds from Sachsenring and some newer compounds directly from Japan. The track layout is also quite challenging in itself. We have to tackle 11 corners, seven left and four right, including arguably the world’s most challenging corner, the Corkscrew, and the undulating nature of the circuit, which all combines to place a particular importance on cornering ability. We will be looking closely at the consistency of our Bridgestone tyres over the full 32-lap race distance in an effort to allow our riders to keep the pressure on right up to the chequered flag. We left with an eighth-placed best with John Hopkins in his home race last year, which as rookies was quite a reasonable result for Bridgestone, but we hope to improve on that in 2006 to help all of our riders’ add to their point tallies.” Bridgestone’s 2005 United States GP Race Results Pos. Rider Motorcycle Race Time Gap P8 John Hopkins Suzuki 45m38.522s +23.148s P9 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki 45m38.999s +23.625s P10 Loris Capirossi Ducati 45m41.497s +26.123s P12 Alex Hofmann Kawasaki 46m06.331s +50.957s P14 Kenny Roberts Suzuki 46m29.123s +1m13.749s NC Carlos Checa Ducati 11m28.318s +24 laps