Although marking the culmination of the MotoGP triple-header of three races in as many weekends, the teams and riders can’t afford to look ahead to a well deserved break just yet. Last week’s race in Assen has made the championship even more thrilling, and there are surely more surprises to come this weekend at the historic Donington Park circuit. Nicky Hayden heads to Great Britain in the World Championship driving seat, courtesy of a first Grand Prix win of 2006 in a breathtaking duel with Colin Edwards at Assen which ended in last corner mayhem. The Kentucky Kid leads the standings by 42 points, with team-mate and rookie sensation Dani Pedrosa moving up into second after a third place in Holland. The third, fourth and fifth places in the classification are occupied by some of MotoGP’s walking wounded. Loris Capirossi, Valentino Rossi and Marco Melandri were all doubts for the race last time out, Capirossi and Melandri as a result of a huge crash in Catalunya and Rossi after breaking bones in his hand and ankle following a nasty looking tumble in the first Assen practice session. That they were able to race at all at the Dutch track was a testament to the heart and desire of a MotoGP rider, showing the depth of talent present in the premier class. Rossi however is the “King of Donington,” with five premier-class wins under his belt at the British track, but will have to recover quickly from his injuries to make it six this weekend. A former British championship competitor, Casey Stoner’s tremendous debut year continues to impress, with the young Australian taking fourth at the A-Style TT Assen after a tremendous battle with former 250cc title rival Pedrosa. Colin Edwards suffered heartbreak on the final corner last weekend, a daring manoeuvre to push for the victory seeing him crash just metres from the finish line. With the Texas Tornado hungry for victory, could Donington Park be his opportunity for redemption? He lies six points ahead of Shinya Nakano in the overall standings, the Japanese rider benefiting from Edwards’ misfortune to take second place. Kenny Roberts Jr and Makoto Tamada complete the top ten. Sete Gibernau will miss his second consecutive race as he recovers from collarbone surgery, once again being replaced by Alex Hofmann behind the bars of the Desmosedici GP06. Ivan Silva will in turn continue to replace Hofmann in the Pramac d’Antin outfit. Toni Elias is another absentee after his shoulder injury was scanned back at home in Barcelona and he was ruled out until the German race in two weeks time. With Britain being an hour behind mainland Europe, there will be a change to the schedule for the races on Sunday. MotoGP will take place at 1pm local time (2pm CET), with 250cc at 11.15am and 125cc at 2.30pm. 250cc The title race is hotting up in the 250cc category, with Andrea Dovizioso just sixteen points ahead of the in-form Jorge Lorenzo. Dovizioso has been on the podium at every race this season, whilst Lorenzo’s runaway victory last weekend gives his rival little margin for error. Third-placed Yuki Takahashi heads a close pack of consistent performers in the standings, with Hiroshi Aoyama, Alex de Angelis and Roberto Locatelli all within 8 points of each other. Better news for British fans is that Chaz Davies will make his return to the 250cc category for the Molenaar Racing outfit, having cycled to Donington from his home town in Wales on the Tuesday in aid of MotoGP’s official charity Riders For Health who once again celebrate their ever-popular Day of Champions event on Thursday. 125cc Mika Kallio’s crucial victory in Assen aided his championship cause somewhat, although he still trails Alvaro Bautista by 47 points. Bautista’s mathematical domination of the category doesn’t reflect the tightness of the 125cc races, which have been a guarantee of close races throughout the first half of the season. The Master MVA Aspar team are willing to battle amongst each other for the victory, with Sergio Gadea, Hector Faubel and Mattia Pasini all in the top five, with Derbi’s Lukas Pesek just behind. The Track Built in 1931 to stage motorcycle events, but closed down during the Second World War, a derelict Donington circuit was bought in 1971 by local businessman and motor sport enthusiast Tom Wheatcroft. It was re-opened in 1977 after huge investment and is now regarded as one of the best circuits in Britain, with a recent facelift to the pits, race control and media centre complex hoping to make sure the off-track experience is as good as on it. Located in beautiful countryside near to the village of Castle Donington in the English Midlands, the circuit is set in a natural amphitheatre that facilitates excellent viewing possibilities. Its flowing layout is broken up by a slow second-half of tight corners meaning a combination of smooth racing and good corner speed must be combined with last-gasp braking and hard acceleration.

Eight teams will compete for national honour at the Suzuka 8 Hour Japanese round of the FIM World Endurance Championship next month. The FIM Endurance Cup of Nations will be awarded to the highest placed team from the following list: · Austria: Yamaha Austria Racing Team · Belgium: Acropolis Zone Rouge 199 Yamaha · France: Suzuki Castrol · Great Britain: Yamaha Phase One Endurance · Italy: No Limits & RT Suzuki · Japan: Seven Stars Honda HRC · Sweden: Team Fagersjo-el.se Suzuki · Switzerland: Bolliger Team Kawasaki The teams were selected based on their positions in the current World Endurance Championship standings, except for Seven Stars Honda who only race at the Suzuka 8 Hour. They are Japan’s leading endurance team, however, and are undoubtedly the team to beat at Suzuka. The other seven teams pack a real punch when it comes to endurance experience. Both Suzuki Castrol and Yamaha Phase One Endurance are previous multiple World Endurance Championship winners, while Yamaha Austria and Bolliger Kawasaki are currently second and third in this year’s championship and are podium regulars. Fagersjo-el.se Suzuki are the most improved team this season, holding fourth place in the title chase after a run of good results, and No Limits (7th in the standings) and Acropolis Zone Rouge (8th in the standings) are also carving a good name for themselves in the results sheets. The Suzuka 8 Hour race takes place on July 30th.

Odenton, MD. Virginia International Raceway track specialist, Brian Kcraget, came out of pseudo-retirement to decimate the field of 125GP qualifiers in the sweltering summer sun. He set a blistering qualifying time of 1:35.561, nearly a full 2 seconds faster than his closest competitors Nobi Iso and Alex Welsh. In the 250GP qualifying, Canadian Alex Welsh, proved unstoppable as he set the fastest time of 1:34.441, almost a full second ahead of Nobi Iso, and Bill Himmelsbach. The 125GP race started with Nobi Iso nailing the start and gapping the field into turn one. Kcraget got a very un-characteristic bad launch and had to do some turn one braking heroics to catch back up to second place. Brian was able to pass Nobi late in the first lap and it appeared like he would pull another disappearing act at his home track. But the horsepower advantage that Nobi has aboard his Aprilia RS125, proved to be more than enough to keep up with Brian’s Honda. During lap 5 of 12, Kcraget was forced to retire as his motor expired in turn 3. Nobi kept his head down and maintained about a 4 second gap over the injured Alex Welsh. John Hjelm and Mike Orien battled for the final podium position, with Hjelm winning that honor in the end. By far, the best battle of race was between Dave Celento, and Scott Smallwood. Scott had crashed in the CCS GT Lights race on Saturday and was riding injured on a bike held together with duct tape and safety-wire. But he was #2 in the National points chase and had to go for it. Dave and Scott were perfectly matched and came across the line dead even almost every lap. Dave led out of the final turn, and appeared to have the advantage when Scott popped out of the draft and narrowly beat Dave to the line by a half a wheel to claim 5th place overall and put himself in the lead for the national points. At the start of the 250GP race, an approaching dark cloud loomed ominously on the horizon. The starter threw an extremely fast flag and caught most of the field off guard. But Canadian Alex Welsh was quick on the draw and leapt out to a substantial advantage over the rest of the field. Bill Himmelsbach put his sights on young Alex, and was able to reel him in on lap 3. Just when Bill appeared to have the advantage he suddenly started fading and Alex opened the gap to about 2 seconds. Nobi Iso had a terrible start and was in 5th place into turn 1 but rode his Yamaha TZ250 masterfully to work his way up to 3rd by lap 3. He then started closing the gap to the leaders by about 2 tenths per lap. On lap 8, he passed Bill for second place and closed the gap to Alex to less than a second. Just then, the winds picked up, and the rain started falling. And just as Nobi was exiting the final turn, the back end stepped out and threw him over the top. Unbeknownst to Nobi, the ASRA race director very wisely stopped the race due to the winds picking up several canopies and throwing them toward the front straight. A few brave spectators jumped on the runaway canopies, narrowly stopping them from blowing in front of the rapidly approaching race pack. That red flag meant that the prior lap race order would be the final for that event. Nobi retains his second place finish behind Welsh, and ahead of Himmelsbach. 125GP Results 1. Nobi Iso (Apr RS125), 12 laps 2. Alex Welsh (Hon RS125) 3. John Hjelm (Hon RS125) 4. Mike Orien (Hon RS125) 5. Scott Smallwood (Hon RS125) 6. Dave Celento (Hon RS125) 7. Steve Scott (Yam TZ125) 8. John Klaras (Hon RS125) 9. Glen Pison (Hon RS125) 10. Richard Kjar (Hon RS125) 11. Merle Eschman (Hon RS125) 12. Michael Santelia (Hon RS125) 13. John Lemak (Hon RS125) 14. Mark Dennis (Hon RS125) 15. Brian Burton (Hon RS125) 16. Scott McNew (Hon RS125) 17. Chris Vest (Hon RS125), -1 lap 18. Rebecca Henn (Hon RS125), -1 lap 19. Marcus Matthews (Hon RS125), -1 lap 20. Allen Campbell (Hon RS125), -1 lap 21. Ryan O’Donnell (Hon RS125), -4 laps, DNF, mechanical 22. Bruce Lind (Yam TZ125), -5 laps, DNF, mechanical 23. Brian Kcraget (Hon RS125), -7 laps, DNF, mechanical 24. Christopher Terheyden (Hon RS125), -10 laps, DNF, crash Motion Pro Cables & Tools 250GP Results 1. Alex Welsh (Hon RS250), 6 laps 2. Nobi Iso (Yam TZ250) 3. Bill Himmelsbach (Yam TZS250) 4. Matt Cooper (Hon RS250) 5. Bruce Lind (Yam TZ250) 6. Thomas di Nardo (Yam TZ250) 7. Jim Bonner (Yam TZ250) 8. Daniele Lenarduzzi (Yam TZ250) 9. Mike Wright (Yam TZ250) 10. Dave Celento (Hon RS125) 11. Jim Bergey (Hon RS250) 12. Michael Schafer (Apr 250) 13. Joseph Melchionda (Yam TZ250) 14. Jerry Berkey (Hon RS250) 15. Chris Mann (Apr 250), -1 lap The 2006 USGPRU National Series sponsors include Roadracingworld.com, Rising Sun Cycles, Revit Leathers, Bridgestone Motorsport, CCS, AGVSport, EBC Brakes, Hjelm Motorsports, Ian Emberton Engineering, Motion Pro Cables and Tools, Dunlop, Power Stands, Redline Cycle Imports, Regina Chain, Repsol YPF, and VP Fuel. 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

Donington Park this year celebrates 20 years as home to the British motorcycle GP and Michelin riders are aiming to continue their dominance of the event. Michelin has won all but four of the premier-class races held at the track since 1987, including a clean sweep of the last seven British GPs. Michelin’s nine riders are also ruling this year’s MotoGP series, winning seven of the first eight races and holding nine of the first 11 positions in the current points standings. Winner of last Saturday’s Dutch TT, Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) leads the series ahead of Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin), with Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1- Michelin) fourth and Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V-Michelin) fifth. Donington hasn’t always been Britain’s bike GP venue. The Isle of Man hosted the country’s world round from 1949 (when the Island hosted the first-ever premier-class GP) to 1976, Silverstone taking over from 1977 to 1986. Donington is an unusual circuit. While football is a game of two halves, the Midlands venue is a racetrack of two halves, with two very different sections: fast and open from Redgate to Coppice, slow and tight from Foggy’s Esses to Goddard Hairpin. It is the job of riders, engineers and tire technicians to use a riding style, bike set-up and tire choice that can cope with the different demands of both sections. MICHELIN’S RESPONSE TO THE CHALLENGE OF DONINGTON PARK “We know Donington quite well, because even though we never really test there, we’ve been racing there for a long time,” says Michelin motorcycle racing director Nicolas Goubert. “Years ago it used to be quite tricky because it was very slippery, but it’s much better since they resurfaced it in 2004. The surface is more grippy, so it’s easier to find compounds that are good for the entire track. “It is a very varied track that contrasts flowing corners with slow hairpins, which makes it quite special. From a tire point of view, that means you need a bit of everything good warm-up, good traction and good edge grip. But the layout isn’t particularly tough because there are no really long corners, so it doesn’t put a lot of heat into the tires. Our biggest priority is creating good traction out of the hairpins, so the riders can get on the throttle early. “This run of three-back-to-back races makes things tough for everyone. Although we can make new tires from one weekend to the next, we can’t make everything we might like to make when we’ve got several back-to-back races. Let’s say we had good results with a new construction tire at Assen, we wouldn’t have time to make that construction in a full variety of compounds for Donington. “We usually bring about 1000 tires to each race for our nine riders. When we have races on successive weekends, some tires come from the previous race, usually wets and fronts, and some come direct from the factory, usually the rears, which are designed for that particular track. So for this race more than a third of our tires have been brought from Assen, while the rest have come from Clermont-Ferrand.” MICHELIN IN THE UK Michelin has been in the UK for more than a century and currently employs 3,500 people in the region. Sports bikes dominate the market (nine of the current ten top-selling bikes are sports bikes!) so Michelin’s Pilot Power and Power Race tires both developed with MotoGP technology are in big demand. Further info at www.michelin.co.uk. DONINGTON PARK: 4.023km/2.500 miles Lap record: Colin Edwards (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211VMichelin), 1:29.973, 160.968kmh/100.021mph (2004) Pole position 2005: Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 1:27.897 Recent winners of the British GP 2005 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 52:58.675 (wet race) 2004 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 45:30.473 2003 Max Biaggi (Honda Camel Pons RC211V-Michelin), 46:06.688 2002 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 46:32.888 2001 Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500-Michelin), 46:53.349 2000 Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500-Michelin), 52:37.246 (wet race) 1999 Alex Crivillé (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 47:06.290 1998 Simon Crafar (Red Bull WCM Yamaha YZR500), 46:45.662 1997 Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda-Michelin NSR500), 46:55.378 1996 Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda-Michelin NSR500), 47:11.135 MICHELIN MotoGP RIDERS 2006 Colin Edwards, Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) 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)

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: How many riders will it take to get hurt before they fix the curb at VIR? I was one of the fortunate to find the curb in Turn 10 last year. Busted my knee wide open,no big deal, some stitches and I’ll be fixed up in no time. Wrong, on the table I went Two months of laying up and rehab. Insurance bill was $15,000 and my out of pocket was $4500. Next day same turn same injury to another rider (CCS/USGPRU weekend). I was shaking my head when I heard about DiSalvo’s same incident the AMA weekend three weeks later. Now another knee bites the dust. Unreal. Steve Wenner Pompano Beach, Florida FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: VIR Knee-buster: I hit my left knee on the left hand gators going down the roller coaster and cut my leathers and my knee open during FX qualifying in 2004. It has been two years and the scar is still visible. Pretty much the same place as DiSalvo I believe. The problem is if you get close enough (as you should be) to the apex, your knee will be over the gator (inside) portion of the curbing. It is going to permanently injure someone one day, I think. Dafan Zhang Upper Darby, Pennsylvania This just in from VIR: FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I saw Frank Pate’s posting about curbs at VIR and wanted to respond. After Jason DiSalvo’s brush with the curb at VIR during the 2005 Superbike event, we redesigned and rebuilt the curb where Frank’s rider hit his knee this past weekend. After hearing of this latest incident, we will take another close look at the curbs. Coincidentally, we have the AMA Superbikes testing at VIR this week in preparation for the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals August 18-20, and I just toured the track with several riders and came away with several ideas for track improvements. We always want to hear from our participants at VIR. Contrary to what Frank said, this is not a money issue and our goal at VIR is keep our participants (in both cars and bikes) as safe as practicable, recognizing that racing does have some inherent dangers. Josh Lief General Manager & Counsel VIRginia International Raceway Alton, Virginia

The 2006 MotoGP World Championship moves past half-distance at Donington Park this weekend with Loris Capirossi still third in the points chase despite the injuries he sustained in the big turn-one crash at Catalunya on June 18. Unluckily that race was the first of three back-to-back MotoGP events, so the determined Italian contested last weekend’s Dutch TT with painful chest injuries, finishing the race a valiant 15th. Last Monday he underwent further chest scans and should be in better shape for Donington. Team-mate Sete Gibernau, who broke his left collarbone in the same accident two weeks ago, will once again be replaced by Alex Hofmann, who took 12th place at Assen in his first ride with the Ducati Marlboro Team. Gibernau’s broken collarbone was plated in an operation at Barcelona’s Dexeus hospital on June 20. Latest x-rays, taken on June 26, suggest that the injury is healing well, so the Spaniard is already in training and hoping to return to action at the German GP on July 14/15/16. LORIS CAPIROSSI, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 3rd overall, 100 points “Last weekend was really, really tough for me, so we are hoping that Donington will be better. I rode in a lot of pain at Assen, every bump felt like the stab of a knife, even though I used pain-killers. But I have had further check-ups since then and they confirmed that I am basically okay. I am currently taking painkillers and when I get back onto the bike on Friday morning I will finally be able to see how efficient the treatment and the rest have been. I am still third overall, so the championship isn’t over yet and every point could be vital at the end of the season. I am looking forward to Donington. It’s a special place to me because I won my first GP there in 1990. I really love the circuit because it’s a great challenge to ride it well. The important thing is having useable power delivery because there are a lot of part-throttle sections. We have made many improvements to our power delivery over the past few months so I’m looking forward to feeling the performance of the GP6 at Donington. My favourite part of the circuit is the fast, flowing section, downhill through Craner, then uphill to Coppice.” SETE GIBERNAU, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 13th overall, 44 points “I’m still aching but my head no longer hurts and the collarbone operation was a success. Before fixing the collarbone with a plate, the surgeons had to remove an old plate which affected my shoulder muscles. It still hurts but I am now training again. We are working in the swimming pool to get the shoulder muscles moving again and to make sure the wounds drain as quickly as possible. I want to get better quickly and get back on track with my team.” ALEX HOFMANN, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 16th overall, 16 points “What I learned at Assen will help me a lot at Donington. I feel more confident now because I have completed a race with this bike and tyre package, so I can start the weekend a good step ahead of where we were this time last week. I won’t have to start again from zero, plus I know the track quite well, so things should improve for us. We already have some ideas to adapt the set-up to suit me better because the four hours of practice we had at Assen weren’t enough to find my perfect settings. We analysed the data from the race and that will make us stronger. I usually find my way around Donington pretty well, I just hope it’s not as wet as it was last year! Like any racer, I like the first part of the track but I’m not so keen on the second part. Anyway, I can’t wait to get started on my second weekend aboard the factory GP6.” THE TRACK Donington Park is dominated by fast, sweeping corners that crucially interlink with each other. Through these sections a fluid riding style and high corner speed are much more important than brute horsepower. But just to complicate matters, the Melbourne loop section (added in 1986 to bring the venue up to minimum GP length) features three dead-stop turns where last-gasp braking and vicious acceleration are all-important. Getting a MotoGP machine to work through these two contrasting segments requires engineers to find a compromise in chassis settings. Donington has hosted GPs since 1987, taking over from Silverstone, which became Britain’s World Championship venue after the notorious Isle of Man TT circuit was deemed too dangerous. Lap record: Colin Edwards (Honda), 1m 29.973s, 160.968kmh/100.021mph (2004) Pole position 2005: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m 27.897s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 33 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 238 (68xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) GP victories: 26 (4xMotoGP, 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) Donington 2005 results: Grid: 11th. Race: 6th ALEX HOFMANN Age: 26 (born May 25 1980) Lives: Switzerland Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 85 (43xMotoGP, 41×250, 1×125) First GP: Germany, 1997 (125) Donington 2005 results: Grid: 15th. Race: 8th

After a difficult time at the historic circuit of Assen last weekend, when Toni Elias was forced to return home early through injury and Marco Melandri made an heroic charge to second place just six days after being involved in a first corner pile-up at Barcelona, the World Championship continues this Sunday in Great Britain. It is a second home Grand Prix for Marco, who lives just two miles from the Donington Park circuit in the heart of old England and just a stone’s throw from Sherwood Forest. Having flown straight there from Amsterdam, Marco has enjoyed a short but precious few days’ rest at home. MARCO MELANDRI: “I needed to put my feet up for a couple of days because since the Barcelona crash everything has happened really quickly: hospital, the trip to Assen, the medical checks and then the race. Now I’ve been able to relax a little and start to get back into my normal routine. Hopefully I will have recovered a lot of strength before Sunday’s race because Donington Park is a place I love and it is a real challenge for a rider. It is technical and fast in the first two sections of the track, a little slower towards the end. Its characteristics make it hard going on your arms, there are so many direction changes and it will really test my physical condition. At Assen I found it really hard work in the direction changes and under braking.” A forced recovery continues for Toni Elias, who underwent a medical examination on Monday at the Dexeus Institute in Barcelona with Doctor Xavier Mir, who confirmed that the injury is recovering well. The crack in his shoulder is recovering, but if he returns to action too soon it could slow the recovery process and cause further damage to the tendons and nerves. The Spaniard is therefore out of action for a further three weeks and hopes to return in time for the German Grand Prix on the 16th July. TONI ELÍAS: “The pain is still really strong. I really hoped to have recovered already but the tests on Monday showed that it was still too early to get back on the bike. The fracture still needs time and that is without considering the fact that Donington is really demanding and tiring and you have to be at 100% fitness to deal with that. I am really disappointed not to be there and I hope to be back as soon as possible.” MARCO MELANDRI ON DONINGTON PARK: “The track is characterised by a fast opening section, which is really fun to ride, and a slower second section. It is important to be smooth and have good corner speed, maybe even closing the gas a little and just getting the right line through the corner. A lap of Donington has to be done decisively and with courage – especially when going through Craner Curves on qualifying tyres. The track requires great flexibility because you have to be prepared for the fast corners at the start and the slow corners at the end – the last three in particular. So the secret to a good lap is to have a good compromise between hard braking skills and good corner speed.” DONINGTION PARK – THE TRACK HISTORY: Constructed in 1931, the track underwent major modifications after several years without being used. The most significant change was in 1985, which is when the current layout was completed: a 4,023 metre circuit featuring eleven corners. LOCATION: Donington is located around 60km from Birmingham and 200km from London. The closest major cities are Derby, Leicester and Nottingham. Constructed: 1931 Latest modification 1985 Length: 4.023 m Width: 10 m Pole position: Left Right corners: 7 Left corners: 4 Longest straight: 564 M Circuit record: 2004 Edwards (Honda) 1’29″973 pole position: 2005 Rossi (Yamaha) 1’27″897 Race 2005: 1st V.Rossi (Yamaha) 2nd K.Roberts (Suzuki) 3rd A.Barros (Honda) FOCUS: THE CLINICA MOBILE, GUARDIAN ANGELS Never before the past few races has the role of this crucial part of the World Championship paddock come into sharper focus. Founded by Doctor Claudio Costa, the Clinica Mobile was borne by the passion of Checco Costa for motorcycle racing, which was transmitted to his young son. HISTORY: The Clinica first appeared in 1977 and the first operation took place at Salzburgring, when five 250 riders crashed in the same corner and all were seriously injured. The Clinica staff saved the life of Franco Uncini. In ’81 the second clinica appeared and saved the life of Graziano Rossi in 1982 at Imola. The third Clinica emerged in 1988 and was transported to all manner of competitions, including European road racing, motocross and kart racing. The fourth, inaugurated in 1997, now operates in the Superbike series whilst the fifth was opened in spring 2002 and currently follows the World Championship. THE STAFF: 107 people work in the Clinica Mobile including doctors, physiotherapists, technicians and drivers.There are 16 to 18 members of staff at the MotoGP races alone. THE EQUIPMENT: The Clinica Mobile hosts a reception area, therapy room, x-ray machine and storage for x-ray plates and archives. All the equipment is designed to provide rapid and urgent treatment. A SECOND HOME: The Clinica Mobile is designed to provide the riders with further treatment once they have already been checked out at te circuit Medical Centre. However, as well as receiving therapy the riders are also made to feel that first and foremost they are among friends – almost like a second family. THE INJURIES: Every year sees around 700 crashes. The most injuries occur to the back, wrist, metacarpals, metatarsals and fingers. THE RECOVERY: The riders always show amazing will to recover as soon as possible. Motivated by their great passion for racing they often recover with simply incredible speed.

British Grand Prix Donington Park Circuit, Great Britain Tuesday 27th June 2006 – PREVIEW Third and last of three consecutive races in Europe, the British Grand Prix, that will take place at Donington Park this weekend, will be the ninth round of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. Real feat of strength, this appointment in England is significant for both riders of the Team PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP. JOSE LUIS CARDOSO wants to confirm the good result he obtained in the incredible race of Barcelona, and the young, determinate and promising IVAN SILVA, already wants to amaze at his second apparition in the MotoGP class, on the DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP06 “Sat.”. For ALEX HOFMANN, continuity on the Official DUCATI replacing the injured Sete Gibernau. Conviction, engagement and tenacity are the watchwords of the Team PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP to aim at a good performance during the British Grand Prix. The first session of free practice will be on Friday 30th June at 10.00 a.m., English time. LUIS D’ANTIN (Team Manager): “ALEX HOFMANN will still replace Sete Gibernau and we will still have the Spanish IVAN SILVA with us. After a very positive debut at his first ever race with a MotoGP bike, I’m sure that he will be able to aim at a better result here in England, he’s learning very quickly and we do trust his capacities. About CARDOSO, our aim is to get more points for the Championship general classification”. JOSE LUIS CARDOSO #30: “It’s been a very long time since I was at Donington for the last time. I think it will be as a new track for me, with a very different motorcycle. Anyway, I’ve got very good memories about this track, I remember I liked it a lot. I can’t wait to go on track, there is a lot of work to do and I’m really motivated, I want to get some more points for the classification, after the ones I obtained in Barcelona. My whole team deserves it”. IVAN SILVA #22: “Donington is a new track for me, I never rode there. With the whole team, we will go on working very hard, with a lot of motivation and engagement. I need to learn the most possible to demonstrate what I’m worth to everybody, I would like to have the opportunity to take part to the next World Championship season in the MotoGP class. In the meanwhile, I would like to thank once again everyone, Luis d’Antín, PRAMAC, all the sponsors and the whole Team, for this great opportunity they’re giving to me”. CIRCUIT DETAILS The circuit of Donington was built in 1931 to stage motorcycle events and closed down during the Second World War. Left derelict, it was bought in 1971 by a local and motor sport enthusiast businessman, Tom Wheatcroft. The circuit was reopened in 1977 after huge investment and always remained one of the best circuits in Britain. Located in the beautiful countryside of Leicestershire, in the English Midlands and near to the village of Castle Donington, its natural amphitheatre facilitates excellent viewing possibilities to the spectators. The track is 4023 meters long and has 11 corners (7 right and 4 left corners). It’s quite fast and has a flowing layout broken up by a slow second-half of tight corners. A combination of smooth racing and good corner speed that has to be combined with last-gasp braking and hard acceleration. Longest straight: 564m Wide: 10m Pole Position: left Direction: clockwise MotoGP – Circuit Record: 1’29.973 (Colin Edwards – 2004) MotoGP Fastest Lap: 1’27.897 (Valentino Rossi – 2005) MotoGP 2005 Race: 1° Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2° Kenny Roberts Jr. (Suzuki) 3° Alex Barros (Honda)