After the disappointment of the Grand Prix of Catalunya last weekend, Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet head for Assen determined to resurrect their respective championship campaigns with a strong performance in Saturday’s 26-lap Dutch TT. Both Nakano and de Puniet lost places in the World Championship standings as a result of not finishing the Catalunya race, but both riders remain confident that the advances made in Spain with the Ninja ZX-RR during practice and qualifying make a good result in Assen a realistic target. Formerly the longest circuit on the MotoGP calendar, the Assen track has been reduced in length from almost six kilometres to just 4.750 kilometres, as a result of major changes to the famous North Loop over the winter months. Gone are the old S-Curve, Witterdiep, Madijk, Haarbrocht and Ossebroeken corners, although the names Haarbrocht, Ossebroeken and Strubben are used for turns on the new, shorter and tighter section of track that replaces the old North Loop. The reduction in length means that, instead of racing over 19 laps as they did last year at Assen, the MotoGP riders will complete 26 laps of the new circuit during Saturday’s Dutch TT race. Always considered a riders’ circuit, Assen features highly on any list of favourite tracks, but whether the new North Loop will retain the distinctive character of the old layout remains to be seen. To familiarise themselves with the new circuit layout, the MotoGP riders will receive an additional 30 minutes of free practice time on Thursday morning, with the opening session scheduled to start earlier than normal at 09.25 local time (07.25 GMT). Shinya Nakano: #56 “For sure we need to make an improvement here in Assen, after the problems we had in the race at Catalunya, but still I’m confident in our ability to secure a good result. This season our performance in qualifying has been good, but the races have sometimes been difficult. But at Catalunya last Sunday, both in morning warm up and in the one lap we managed to complete before the race was stopped, the bike felt good and I felt confident of a good result. So, I arrive in Assen this weekend with the same aim that I went with to Catalunya; to push hard and to try and improve upon our best result of the season so far.” Randy de Puniet: #17 “Catalunya was a big disappointment, because I crashed out of a race that we should have come away from with a good result. In Catalunya I got a bad start and did not such a good first lap, and that resulted in me being held up for too long by slower riders. Once I got past them I had a lot of ground to make up, and I ended up pushing too hard to close the gap and crashed out of the race. So, I need to think about my start this weekend, and also about my strategy for the all-important first lap. If you allow the leading riders to get away on the opening lap then it is very difficult to close the gap later in the race. I like the Assen track, but I’m not sure about the new section they’ve built over the winter. The old North Loop was very technical, while the new section that has replaced it doesn’t look to have the same character. It seems a lot tighter, which I think will make overtaking through this section difficult. I guess we will see for sure when free practice starts on Thursday.”

World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2006 Round 6 Misano Adriatico Italy 23 25 June 2006 World Supersport Round 6 of 12 CHARPENTIER OUT BUT SOFUOGLU BACK ON FORM Reigning World Champion Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) has been forced out of contention for the Misano round of the World Supersport Championship, after a crash in tyre testing at Brno, but such is his current 40 point championship lead he will remain well ahead in the push for his second title in as many years, regardless of the result on Sunday. Charpentier has already undergone surgery to fit plates to his broken collarbone and pelvis, and should be fit to ride at the Brno round, on July 23. His place at Misano will be taken by Ten Kate satellite team rider, Arie Vos. After a disappointing Silverstone round last month, the second regular Winston Ten Kate rider, Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) was back to full form at the recent Brno tests, and is expected to challenge for podiums once more. Injury has been unkind to one half of the Megabike Honda squad, with team regular Katsuaki Fujiwara (Megabike Honda CBR600RR) also declared unfit to ride after injuring his already broken left scaphoid at the previous Silverstone round. Former WSS regular Simone Sanna, a rider who still holds the best Supersport lap of Misano, set in 2003, will replace him. The last time the WSS championship was held in Italy, at round Monza, championship rookie Yoann Tiberio (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR) scored a famous race victory, a feat that is not beyond his precocious talents to repeat. With his team-mate out of the race, the responsibility of keeping the riders chasing Charpentier on as few points as possible falls to Sofuoglu, a competitor who believes he has regained the x-factor which was missing at the previous round. “After the Brno test I feel stronger,” said Sofuoglu. “In Silverstone I didn’t feel strong enough but now I can say I am back. This will the first time in Misano for me because last year I had a broken hand, but I am sure that after Friday, which I will use mainly to learn the circuit, I will be ready to compete with the fastest in final qualifying and the race. I am confident in what I can do, and I can’t wait to go to Misano.” Vos is an experienced rider and has already gleaned valuable data about Misano. “Last year I raced on this track for the first time and I really enjoyed it,” affirmed Vos. “It’s fast and it suits to my style of riding. I am also working a lot on fitness because I know it will be a very hot weekend and therefore it will be very important to be at a peak of physical condition. I already know the bike quite well because I compete on a similar bike and I tried the 2005 Winston Ten Kate Honda last year at Magny-Cours. I also know the team well and I am sure we will work together in a really good way. They are great people and true professionals.” With Fujiwara out, Tiberio hopes to be the team’s talisman of hometown victory once more, especially after a disappointing 14th place at Silverstone. “I know that the last race was not good for me and the team,” admitted Tiberio. “Silverstone is a track that I do not like so much but now we will be at Misano, a track that the team knows very well. Of course it will be difficult to repeat the Monza win, but I know that I do not want to repeat the English race. My consistent target during this season is to finish all races in the first five and I will fight for that from Misano Adriatico.” For Sanna, currently a rider in the Italian championships, a return to WSS is another chance to show what he can do. “I want to say thanks to both Honda and the Megabike Team for this opportunity,” acknowledged Sanna. “I can run well at Misano, and I’m very happy because I will have the possibility to return to World Supersport Championship with a high level machine; one of the best of the class and with the help of a well-proven team. Misano is, for me, a good circuit and I will push hard to take an important result. Not just for me but for the whole squad.” World Superbike Round 6 of 12 MISANO CRUCIBLE AWAITS HONDA’S STRONG SUPERBIKE ENTRY After a recent test at Brno, to evaluate a new electronics package and try out the latest spec control tyres, James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) can both approach the forthcoming Misano race meeting full of confidence and hunger for success. Toseland has already landed a single win this year but, like the rest of his peer group, he is looking to end Troy Bayliss’ run of seven straight victories in the class. Muggeridge was also in impressive form in the recent Brno tests, setting fast times in preparation for Misano, and the subsequent round at Brno in late July. Misano was the venue where Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) had his first rides of a true Superbike spec machine since entering the championship this year, during the official test in mid April. This will be the first round at which he already has prior knowledge of the exact track layout on his current full-spec machine since the start of the year. A three rider DFX Treme Honda squad will be present at Misano, with team rookie Michel Fabrizio (DFX Honda CBR1000RR) being joined by wild card rider Gianluca Nannelli (DFX Honda CBR1000RR) and returnee from injury, Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Honda CBR1000RR). Chili’s recent pelvic and shoulder injuries were suffered at the Misano circuit, during the aforementioned Misano official tests, but his record recovery, and the fact that Misano is his home circuit, has keyed up Chili to make a return at the first possible moment. Toseland, who has already shown some of the qualities this season that made him champion in 2004, feels Misano may not be the best circuit for the team, but the entire package has improved yet again. “I like the Misano track although I’ve had some bad results in the last couple of years there, so I’m looking forward to erasing them with two strong results,” said Toseland. “It’s a great race track in a great area. It’s going to be a good weekend of racing, and my family will come along, so I don’t want to disappoint them. Last year I could have taken a win, but I didn’t qualify too well and that prevented me from challenging. After the Brno test, where we tried lots of new things, I believe we are going to Italy even stronger than before, so we will try our best to bring home as many points as possible.” Muggeridge, still shaking off the hangover of a spinal injury suffered earlier in the season, during testing at Valencia, is a fan of the Misano circuit. “I’m always happy to go to Misano, it’s a beautiful place,” said the Aussie rider. “The test in Brno was quite successful for me and I am sure we will carry all the things we learned from the Czech republic to Italy. In the three days of work at Brno we tried lots of new solutions and they have made us confident for Misano; I am sure we’ll have a good couple of rides. My physical condition has also improved and this gives me even more hope for Sunday’s races.” Barros knows that Misano will be an opportunity to score more podiums especially given that he will be at little disadvantage in terms of set-up or equipment. “We tested here in April, when we had some new suspension and engine specs, and it was not so bad.” said Barros. “We made big improvements in top speed compared to the factory bikes, but Misano is a tricky place to gauge things like that. It is a very short track, very special. The top factory riders had different tyres from us at the Misano test earlier in the year, but for the race everyone will have the same tyres, so the conditions should be more even.” Pierfrancesco Chili is not back to his normal levels of fitness after his recent injuries, but the legendary SBK figure wants to race at Misano, to say thanks to his legion of local fans. “I am ready to go fast in Misano even if my body isn’t OK,” stated Chili. “I have an ache in my shoulder but I believe in the abilities of the Clinica Mobile. I will go fast for my public and for my fans because this will be the last time for me in Misano.” Michel Fabrizio took part in a test session at the Eurospeedway Lausitz circuit in Germany recently, and posted respectable times as he ironed out some set-up issues with chatter. “The development work we did in Lausitz was very important,” said Fabrizio in the run-up to the Misano weekend. “Chattering, my big problem at the Monza and Silverstone races, disappeared after that test. I am still a little nervous about the effect of the hot temperatures and relative lack of grip at Misano, but will give 200% to take a very important result.” Nannelli is ready for another ride on the DFX Treme Honda, after his stand-in duties while Chili was injured. “My thanks go to Pierfrancesco Chili and my team because originally there was no possibility for me to ride at Misano,” said a grateful Nannelli. “I am at Misano to help Chili and it will be important to achieve a result.” Both World Supersport and Superbike classes will cross over the halfway barrier of the season at the next round, Brno, on July 23.

CIRCUIT OF CONTRASTS IS A POPULAR VENUE FOR ALL The Santamonica Circuit at Misano Adriatico is a perennial favourite on the World Superbike calendar, the seaside venue offering a holiday atmosphere to both fans and teams alike – away from the intensity of competition at the racetrack at least. The San Marino round takes place in its traditional mid-summer slot once more, with high expectations of seasonal sunshine blessing the 4.060km circuit throughout race weekend. Misano offers a wide contrast of corners over its relatively short 4km length, with the triple lefts leading onto the back straight posing a unique challenge for all riders, and juxtaposed with long hairpins at Tramonto, Curva de Rio and Curva del Carro. Races have been won and lost on the approach and exit of the final chicane, the Variante del Parco, and the exceptionally high track temperatures mean the left hand side of the tyres will undergo a severe workout over full race distance. One of the toughest challenges of the year; one of the most enjoyable for the fans. BAYLISS CHASED BY TRIO OF TALENT Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) is the man for the rest of the 28 regular SBK competitors and three wildcards to beat, sitting as he does with a clear lead over his peers after five rounds and ten races. Having won seven in-a-row so far, Bayliss returns to another of his team’s home tracks with expectations of more wins, but right behind him are two riders who have already beaten him this season, and another who is capable of beating anyone on his day. This far 2005 Champion Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) has scored two wins, but two non-finishes have left him some 76 points behind Bayliss. James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) has scored one win thus far, and is likely to begin the Misano weekend with a new electronics package on his Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, after recent test at Brno. Currently fourth overall, Toseland is only four points down on Yamaha’s leading light of the 2006 year so far, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia). Four times a podium finisher already, Haga will be pushing for a win on his team’s native soil, partnered by another proven podium finisher in ’06, Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia), currently sixth overall. BARROS READY FOR LATEST CHALLENGE IN ROOKIE SBK SEASON Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) has entered World Superbike at a very high level, and has already taken a trio of podium finishes. He hopes for even more from the Misano weekend, as he has tested a full race spec CBR1000RR at Misano already this year, a luxury he has not previously enjoyed since his move over from MotoGP. In a one-man team, Barros can only improve as his SBK experience grows, and he looks to the second half of the season with confidence of scoring consistently high points throughout. The aforementioned Pitt lies sixth, with two heavy hitting Ducati riders immediately behind. Lorenzo Lanzi’s form has been changeable in his first full factory season for the Ducati Xerox team, but he sits in seventh place, six points ahead of Ducati privateer Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati). Having just missed out on a podium in race one at the most recent Silverstone round, Xaus looks to Misano as another opportunity to show his outstanding prowess, especially around the triple lefts of the Curva Grande. ABE AND WALKER ON EQUAL POINTS The second year of SBK competition for Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) has been another mixed bag, with injury interspersed by some great individual performances, most notably at Valencia where he scored a brace of fourth places. He currently ties on 51 points with top Kawasaki runner Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse), with the Englishman still looking for his first podium of ’06. Walker’s classy team-mates, Fonsi Nieto and Regis Laconi now sit 11th and 14th respectively. The Kawasaki Bertocchi squad once more features their latest recruit Joshua Brookes, after the exit of Franco Battaini before the previous Silverstone round. The championship top 12 is currently rounded out by another former MotoGP rider of great skill, Roberto Rolfo (Team Ducati SC Caracchi) who has nonetheless found the challenge of World Superbike every bit as tough as any he has faced before. Injury and bad luck are capable of holding back the championship push of many a top rider, so don’t be surprised to see big names like Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda, currently 13th), Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki, currently 16th) and Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda, currently 15th) reasserting themselves this weekend. Returning to the fray at his home track is SBK legend Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Treme Honda), back from recent pelvic and shoulder injuries. PRIVATEERS LOOK TO PROGRESS IN ITALY Other names with a proven Misano pedigree include former WSS champion Fabien Foret (Alstare Engineering Suzuki), and Marco Borciani (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati), not forgetting the factory Petronas rider Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1), who may find the Misano circuit one of the better ones for his 900cc triple. His team-mate Craig Jones is looking to score his first points of what has been a tough and demanding year. WORLD SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP Championship leader by 40 points Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) will miss the Misano round after breaking a collarbone and his pelvis in a testing crash at Brno recently, and his place will be taken by Dutch rider Arie Vos. He will partner regular Winston Ten Kate rider Kenan Sofuoglu, but Charpentier’s misfortune could be Yamaha Motor Germany rider Kevin Curtain’s opportunity to make up for the bad luck he had in Monza, when he was forced to retire. Fourth highest points scorer Broc Parkes, Curtain’s team-mate, was also fast in recent Brno tests, not to mention second at the recent Silverstone race. Pick of the privateer bunch this year has to be Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda) who currently sits third in the overall series. A strong Honda entry will feature Monza race-winning rookie Yoann Tiberio (Megabike Honda) but team regular Katsuaki Fujiwara (Megabike Honda) misses the Misano round through injury, and will be replaced by Simone Sanna. Once more British privateer rider Stuart Easton will ride for the team Manila Grace SC Ducati squad. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP Alessandro Polita (Celani Suzuki) has scored two wins and a second place in the three rounds of the 1000cc Superstock class thus far, but had to give best at the most recent Silverstone round to young Italian charger, Claudio Corti (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni), who took his maiden win in the series, and third place overall. With three consecutive third place race finishes on his scorecard, Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) ensures that three different types of machine fill the three top spots at present. EUROPEAN 600 SUPERSTOCK CHAMPIONSHIP The 600cc Superstock class has seen Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) dominate the championship, but not dominate the most recent race. At Silverstone, the Ducati Xerox machine of Niccolo Canepa took the spoils of victory, to earn third place overall. Second on points Davide Giugliano (Lightspeed Kawasaki) is looking to narrow the gap to Simeon by taking his first victory of the season, on home tarmac for all the top contenders. OPEN PADDOCK HERALDS START OF RACE WEEKEND The third Open Paddock of the season will take place at Misano on 22nd of June. The new SBK Paddock Show will be the heart of the riders’ autograph sessions, where the Italian public will come face to face with the top competitors. Access to the paddock and the circuit itself will be free of charge on Thursday 22nd and the opening hours will be from 2.00pm to 6.00pm. FGSport is also organising a charity auction in support of Onlus Work in Progress. All Superbike teams and riders have accepted the invitation to take part and have already proved their generosity by supplying many items of memorabilia to be offered for sale. Onlus Work in Progress was established in 2005 by a group of Italian doctors in order to help construct maternity hospitals in rural areas in Gambia and Senegal. The auction will be spread throughout the weekend, on Thursday 22nd June during the Paddock Show, Saturday 24th June (after the Superpole press conference) and on Sunday 25th June, after the race two press conference. BRNO STARTS OFF SECOND HALF OF SBK SEASON A month after the Misano race, on Sunday 23 July, Brno in the Czech Republic hosts the seventh round of the year, starting off the long haul to the end of the season in France, on October 8.

June 2006, Misano (Italy) After a long pause the Championship approaches Misano, in Italy, for the sixth round of the season. A pause four weeks long, but during which few remained idle. Development teams know this better than most, as they were testing in Brno with Pirelli, trying out new tyres which offered incredible results in terms of lap times, as Bayliss comprehensively destroyed the previous records, both with race and qualifying tyres. It also had less welcome aspects. Corser was not there because of a bout of chickenpox, while Supersport leader Charpentier suffered a crash that will put him out for Misano. June in Misano means that the paddock and the track action will be as hot as a crucible. In Superbike Bayliss is aiming to extend his impressive series of victories, while in Supersport the Team Yamaha Germany riders will try to exploit the leader’s absence. These are the major series, but together with the 50-plus degrees of temperature on the tarmac, it will be the races for the Superstock 1000, Superstock 600 and Suzuki Cup classes that will act as warm-up acts for the main events. This weekend there will be a total of 180 riders in the paddock, which for Pirelli means almost 7,000 tyres to be transported and organized at Misano. Superbike riders will count on a selection of 3 front and 4 rear tyres. Many are new, evaluated and approved by the development teams in the previous tests sessions at Brno and Misano. The “A” front is one of these, as well as the two specs of 200mm rear. The presence of the “big tyre” at Misano is nowadays a certainty, after its debut on this track in 2005. Together with these two choices there will also be two “standard size” tyres, known quantities for the riders, and a new qualifying rear tyre (of 190 section), which at Brno allowed Bayliss to set a new track record. The most important news pertains to the World Supersport Championship, in which the new Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa meets the Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa Pro. After the introduction of a new tyre to WSBK in Qatar (Pirelli Diablo SBK) and a new tyre in the European Superstock 600 Championship at Valencia (Pirelli Diablo Corsa III), after a lot of work it’s now the time for the World Supersport Championship to receive its new tyre. The process of development is constant and never-ending, and the results are clear, with lap times improved at every race. This improvement in the Supersport class now has a name, a new tyre debuting at Misano after convincing endorsements of its track performance by the WSS riders. The new Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa enters then into the Supersport arena, and Pirelli has provided a special occasion for such an exciting event. On Monday 26th, after the SBK Round, a few selected journalists will have the chance to test this new tyre in its real environment. That is, the test will occur using the very bikes that are racing in the 2006 World Supersport Championship, and naturally they will do it at Misano, a true World Championship track.

MECHANICAL WOES FOR WOOD AND KERN AT 2006 HEART OF AMERICA CYCLEFEST IN TOPEKA KANSAS Fathers Day weekend CCS and ASRA traveled to Heartland Park for the fourth of eight stops on the National series tour. The very warm and windy weekend began in usual fashion with the ASRA Team Challenge Series and ended with a few upsets in the ASRA Sprints. The Friday Team Challenge races concluded with Moons Cycle winning GTO, Fastlane Racing winning GTU, Team Fatboy Racing winning GTL and the A&J Recognition Solo Challenge went to Kris Pippin Racing. LB United’s Rob Lombardi took a spill in the Solo Challenge causing him to fall to second place in the race for the championship. Lombardi, 2005 Solo Challenge Champion, suffered an early season injury causing him to miss a round of competition. It is reported that Lombardi has broken a few ribs. Arclight Suzuki’s Jeff Wood still leads the ASRA Sportbike and Superbike classes however an uncommon mechanical failure in the Factory Pro Sportbike race allowed Mike Himmelsbach on the Triumph to temporarily dethrone the 2005 Champion. Himmelsbach got to the top of the box this weekend but Wood has a cushion in the point standings so no change to the top running order for the championship. ASRA Thunderbike never disappoints those looking for a close race. This weekend was no different, for most of the race Dave Estok led with Nate Kern, Brian Beminsderfer, and Ed Key fighting over the following spots. Kern got a good lead off the start but slipped back to fourth as the race progressed. Bemisderfer was running in the third position with Kern close behind when he lowsided in turn 8. Kern passed Bemisderfer only to have a driveline failure just two turns later causing him to bow out of the rest of the race. Bemisderfer was able to recover for a fifth place finish. Final finishing order for Thunderbike was Estok on a XB12, Key on a SV 650 and Walt Sipp on a XB12. This was a first national podium appearance for Sipp. Estok’s win brought him up to third place in the championship running and in good position to make a charge for repeat title. Kern slips to second place trailing the new leader Bryan Bemisdefer by only five points. Four rounds in the ASRA Thunderbike championship and it is still anyone’s title. CCS and ASRA head to Virginia International Raceway for round five of the ASRA Sprints. The upcoming race will guarantee some close racing as these riders compete in the big money races. More, from a press release issued by RRSW: HOT ACTION AT FIREBIRD RACEWAY FOR RRSW/CCS RACERS With temperatures in the 105-degree range and it being Father’s Day weekend, the turn out for this weekend’s event was smaller than usual, but the racing action was not. Saturday started with the Tracktime GT Lights class and the Mongrel Racing entry of Wayne Neilson taking the win over the young Aron Weiss and the not as young Jack O’Keefe. Aron returned the favor on his AZTracktime.com SV during the Cobbs Restaurant LW Supersport race with Bob Russell second and Neilson third. Sunday got off to a rough start with a first turn crash from Joe Dawson who “used too much throttle” coming out of the kink of turn two during the AJ’s Performance/TintWizard Expert Unlimited Superbike race. “Ironman” Ivan Garza started with a win on his Mezcal Beneva Kawasaki ZX10-R. Lenny Beckman came in second on his J6Racing.com Suzuki ahead of Kevin Wehner. The small bikes got after it again during the Value Pools and Spas LW Superbike event with Bob Russell topping he box on his Shelly’s-the-Best SV 650. Weiss and Neilson finished second and third. The Moto Services Expert MW Grand Prix saw Eric Bartlett finish tried behind the Hotbodies Kawasaki of Nick Terrell and race winner Ivan Garza’s Evan Steel Performance powered 600 Kawi. The three would finish in the same order for the Racer’s Edge Expert MW Supersport race. Ivan yet again took his Bridgestone shod 1000 to a win in the Heatwave Cycles Unlimited Supersport race. The amateurs got their turn for some contingency during the Jim Cox Racing MW Supersport. Ray Thibedeau won on his Vortex Sprockets R6 but Kyle Klein got the Dunlop certificate with his second place. Will Harfert won the Powerstands prize in Amateur MW Superbike on his North Valley Honda CBR 600RR ahead of Rick Bucher and Klein. Garza won the expert Powerstands race. The Pirelli Suzuki of Joe “Eight Ball” Dawson who borrowed the bike from his teammate after his first race crash spoiled Garza’s bid for a perfect weekend. The two took off from the start of the RoadraceSW.com Unlimited GP and battled until the end, leaving Lenny Beckman to fend for himself in third. When asked about racing at such intensity in the very hot weather, Joe replied, “This is nothing, we are just racing”, in deference to the conditions faced by U.S. troops overseas. Overall, the weekend went very smoothly and there were no serious injuries. RRSW/CCS races next on Labor Day weekend in Las Vegas with the USGPRU joining in for the fun. Complete results, lap times and up to date points can be found at www.roadracesw.com as well as all forms and the complete rulebook.

WERA BBS Auction for the Action Fund still going strong. To date, the WERA BBS auction has raised over $4000 for the Roadracing World Action Fund. Thanks to generous donations made by race fans, industry suppliers, team owners and the WERA family of racers the auction has been successful and is still going strong. Such items as a Ben Spies owned-and-worn HJC helmet, an Eric Bostrom used-and-signed Alpinestars knee puck, a Hooters Suzuki tailsection, an Isle of Man Trophy won by Shaun Harris have brought in some much appreciated cash for Airfence deployment. But it’s not over. Through generous donations such varied items as a full Moto-R GSX-R1000 “fast pack”, KWS crew shirts, a set of John Haner’s KWS Komodo leathers and many other items continue to go up for auction. To check out the ongoing auction, please go over to WERA.com and click the link to the WERA BBS.

Rojo Racing’s Jason Perez consulted with his Orthopedic Surgeon today after injuries sustained in a crash at Miller Motorsport Raceway last weekend. Dr. Emma Woodhouse is the surgeon responsible for the reconstruction of Jason’s shattered elbow as a result of a crash he had in April 2005. Although there is massive swelling to the tissue surrounding his elbow and hand, there are no signs of any broken bones. The plate in his left elbow is still well attached with no signs of damage to any of the surrounding bones. Dr. Woodhouse has given Jason the green light to proceed with physical therapy and with a little luck he’ll be ready for round seven at Laguna Seca Raceway.

SIPP SHINES WITH A PODIUM AT HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA Topeka, KS Blue Springs Harley-Davidson rider Walt Sipp finished 3rd at round four of the ASRA Thunderbike Championship, held at the newly renovated and repaved Heartland Park Topeka circuit. After missing the first two rounds of practice on Thursday and Friday due to a late arrival at the track, Sipp had to rely on his home track knowledge to get up to speed. Qualifying went well even with very little practice time. Walt qualified on the front row (4th) with a 1:51.519. Sipp said, “I pretty happy with how things are going. I haven’t run this configuration before, but its fun. It feels good to be on the front row at my home track!” For the race on Sunday, Walt was confidant he could run the pace at the front. “I’m sure I can run the pace of everybody except Estok that is as long as I can get a start. My starts have been horrible this season” said Sipp. As it turns out, his fears were realized when he got another disastrous start which saw him fall behind the majority of the field. He fought his way back through and slowly started gaining back valuable lost positions. Walt said, “Man, I don’t think I could have gotten away worse! I got hung pretty bad on the first lap once I recovered, by then everyone was gone. I just tried to catch and pass as many people as I could, but on the last few laps I backed my pace down trying to save my stuff. As it turns out some people had some problems and that allowed me to make the podium. I’m really excited about getting on the box at my home race and putting on a good show for all my fans that came out from KC to cheer me on. It kind of takes some of the sting out of Daytona.” If you remember, Sipp had a sure podium locked up at Daytona, but crashed on the last lap from 2nd position. Look for Walt and the Blue Springs crew to be back fighting for another podium at the next round; VIR June 24-25th. Find out more at www.waltsipp.com.

World Championship leader Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) (4th 2005) arrives at Assen for Saturday’s race with a 20-point advantage over second-placed Loris Capirossi (Ducati). The super-consistent American, who has now scored 10 podium finishes in the last 11 races, knows that a win at this stage of the season would heap pressure on his rivals as the halfway stage of the season looms. With seven of 17 races already run, Hayden’s lead is still slender enough for the Kentucky Kid to know that the hard work is yet to come. If he can register a first win of the season here at Assen, it would send out a strong signal that he is riding at peak form at just the right time. After the first turn chaos at Catalunya a week ago, three riders were hospitalized, but, incredibly, it appears two of those riders are likely to appear at Assen. Capirossi is scheduled to ride although his team-mate Gibernau is not. And Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) is receiving intensive therapy on his injured neck and shoulder in a brave bid to make the grid. The Italian superstar lies fourth overall in the World Championship standings on 89 points and he will do all he can to add to his tally of two wins so far this year. He finished a fine second here last year in the 250cc class and has won a Dutch TT on board both a 125 in 1998 and on a 250 in 2002. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V), who finished second here on a 250 last year, is eager to make amends for his failure to score In Catalunya and the dynamic Spaniard knows he will have work to do getting to grips with a 990cc machine on what amounts to a ‘new’ track. The entire ‘Northern Loop’ section has been bulldozed to make way for a hotel and conference centre complex, reducing the lap distance from 6.027km to 4.555km. How much this affects the riding (and viewing) experience will shortly be witnessed. One hundred miles north of Amsterdam, Assen is a fearsomely demanding track. A former ‘road’ circuit, with some of the old layout retained, the track is very narrow in Camber, essential for drainage on a highway, gives the track a significant crown and this is one of the features of a classic track that catches many riders out. The track can ‘drop away’ owing to negative camber on entries to turns, and perhaps more significantly, many exits are plagued with the same condition. Just as a rider needs maximum drive the asphalt conspires to deprive him. And this is only one element that makes Assen so challenging. The turns almost merge into one here and riders are painfully aware that one small mistake can have severe repercussions in terms of overall lap time. Much will depend on how the teams and riders wrestle with getting these 250bhp machines adapted to the specific demands of the Circuit van Drenthe. A certain amount of stability is vital for the swooping turns, yet quick-steering is essential for the ultra-fast back section where rapid changes of direction at 170mph are the requirement. But the extensive modifications may have significantly changed the character of this historic circuit, which has hosted a Grand Prix since the series began in 1949. Nicky said, “It’ll be interesting to get to Assen on Thursday morning and see what the new track’s like. I used to really like the old layout, it still had that old-school feel and I always went well there. I’m not complaining though as long as it’s still a good track I’ll be ready to go. It’ll be a challenge not only for the riders but also for the teams. The transmission will be different, the bike set-up will be different, so it’s just another curve ball we’ve got to be ready to hit.” Dani said, “There are two main issues. First, it’s a modified track so we’ll have to see how different it is to ride. And the other thing is the weather, which is normally very unstable with a good chance of rain. Of course we hope it stays dry. I got my first 125cc Grand Prix win at Assen but this year they have modified the track a lot, so effectively it’s going to be a new track to learn. Plus I’m going to be riding a MotoGP bike there for the first time so I think we’ll be very busy in the practice sessions.” Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V), a splendid third in Catalunya, said, “Catalunya was a good race for the team and I’m going to Assen confident we will make more progress with the bike. I heard the track has changed a lot so I can’t say how it will suit our bike. We have a few small things we can do to improve my number one bike and we’ll work to bring the second bike up to the same level. I just hope we get the dry track time we need.” Melandri said, “My neck hurts a lot and I think this will be the main problem. Anyway the final decision will be taken before the first day of practice. I’ve seen the layout of the modified track and they’ve changed the most technical and difficult part, so this is a positive in terms of my current physical condition.” “It’s a shame about the crash in Catalunya,” said Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V), who fell while in contention for the lead. “But this is another race and another chance to get back on terms. I’ve had a podium here on a 125, but it’ll all be very different here on a MotoGP bike, especially with the changes made to the track.” Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) said, “Assen is one of my favourite tracks, it’s technical, fast and demanding. I still can’t ride exactly as I’d like as I need to improve my feeling with the rear and find the traction we need. I really look forward to racing at the Dutch TT. I hope that the changes at the Northern Loop haven’t changed the beauty of this track too much. But before arriving in Assen, I’d like to wish Marco, my team-mate a speedy recovery.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) said, “Assen is very technical, very fast and not very easy. It’s difficult to pick out reference points and any error in your racing line affects you on the next part of the track. The weather is often unpredictable and it can rain. And I’m curious to see what the new track modifications are like in some places the track seems to have changed a lot.” In the 250cc class, it’s Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) setting the pace after his commanding maiden 250 win in Catalunya. The Italian has now extended his World Championship lead to 25 points over Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia). After the retirement of Argentine star Sebastian Porto, hungry Colombian Martin Cardenas now steps up into the Repsol Honda 250 team from the Würth Honda squad. Porto enjoyed 12 years in the 250 class, reaping seven wins and 19 podium finishes in his long career. Cardenas said, “This is the best chance I’ve had in my career and I’m still a bit surprised. Now I have to make good use of this big chance and respond to the trust Repsol, Alberto Puig and the team have put in me. The only thing I can say is that I’ll do everything I can to achieve a good result and make good use of this big opportunity.” Dovi said, “Finally I clinched my first victory in 250 and I really enjoyed the way I got it, I felt emotions that I wasn’t used to anymore! I like Assen even though last year I struggled a lot here. But, this year we are more competitive and after my success on Sunday we are all motivated. Now I look forward to seeing the new TT track.” Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) said, “I am not happy about Catalunya, because I crashed twice during practice and my feeling with the bike wasn’t very good in the first part of the race. But, then, in the final part I was able to run the same lap times as the top riders. For this reason, I feel motivated for Assen, even though last year I didn’t get a good result.” Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) knows he has work to do here if he is to get back on terms with the men at the top of the 125cc World Championship points table. The reigning World Champion currently trails series leader Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) by a massive 90 points. Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R), winner here last year, trails Luthi by two points overall. The Hungarian flier is confident he can get his machine set up right here and challenge for the top placings on Saturday. Luthi said, “I can’t say too much about Assen yet because of the changes they’ve made. If a big part of the circuit is still the same I know I will like it. I always enjoy racing here, it’s simply a fantastic track to race on, all the riders like it here. Assen will suit us better than Catalunya where I had to use the slipstream to stay with the top group down the long straight.” Talmacsi said, “Last year I won the Dutch TT, but this year the circuit has been changed, so I look forward to seeing how it is. In Barcelona, the bike set-up was OK, but I suffered in acceleration and I couldn’t do better than eighth position. Anyway, I’m confident we can get a better result here at Assen.” Rookie Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) said, “I’m looking forward to Assen. We had a good result in Catalunya so hopefully we can take it on to Assen. They’ve changed the layout, but it won’t make any difference to me because I’ve never been there before. It’s a fast track. I’ve played it a few times on the Playstation. I’m looking forward to it and hope to learn the track pretty quickly and set some good lap times.”