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.”

Sete Gibernau underwent an operation to fix the fracture in his left collarbone today. The Spanish rider now needs a period of recovery and he will be replaced by Alex Hofmann at the Dutch TT. Loris Capirossi, undergoing physiotherapy to get back in shape as soon as possible, is already on his way to Assen. Sete underwent surgery at Dexeus Hospital in Barcelona, where Dr Xavier Mir and Dr Ignacio Ginebrera replaced the metal plate already present in his collarbone from a previous incident with a new one in titanium. Dr Mir declared that a recovery period of 3-5 weeks will be necessary before the Spanish rider can return to the track. “The operation went well”, declared Dr Mir. “We removed the plate covering the old injury to Sete Gibernau’s left collarbone and repaired the new fracture by applying a new titanium plate. The rider will now have to wait between 3 to 5 weeks before being able to race again”. Thanks to the Pramac d’Antin MotoGP Team and its sponsors, Luis d’Antin, Paolo Campitoti and Alex Hofmann, the Italian team will however be in a position to race both its Desmosedici GP6 machines at the imminent race in the Netherlands, despite the short period of time between Barcelona and Assen. For the Dutch TT, Sete Gibernau will be replaced by the German rider. Loris Capirossi (2nd place in World Championship with 99 points) After being kept in overnight for observation on Sunday at Catalunya General Hospital, Loris returned to Monte Carlo with his physiotherapist Roberto Brusi. Both men immediately got down to work with a massage therapy aimed at eliminating as quickly as possible the effects of the bruising Capirossi received during the horrific first-corner incident at Barcelona. The gutsy Italian rider is now on his way to Assen for the Dutch TT race. “That was a big crash but luckily I got off quite lightly. I received a nasty blow to the chest, which is still bothering me. My physiotherapist Roberto has been with me all the time and we immediately began to work on rehab, with a series of massages to help the bruising go down. I’d like to thank the Clinica Mobile and Dr Costa, whose assistance as always has been absolutely priceless. I’m not yet 100% fit but the important thing is to get back on the bike as soon as possible and see how it goes: I’m going to Assen with even more fighting spirit than usual!” Livio Suppo (Ducati MotoGP project leader) “I am relieved to see that the consequences of last Sunday’s crash are being resolved relatively easily. Loris is undergoing rehabilitation and is now on the way to the Netherlands in his usual determined frame of mind. Sete has just come out of the operating room and the doctors confirmed that the operation was successful. We are very sorry that he has to miss the next two GPs, but it could have been worse so we must breathe a sigh of relief and hope that Sete completely recovers as soon as possible. I would like to thank Alex Hofmann, Luis D’Antin, Paolo Campitoti, all the Pramac D’Antin MotoGP Team and their sponsors for the availability they have shown towards us. Although the Assen race comes just 6 days after the incident at Barcelona, we will now be in a position to line up with both of our bikes”.

After sustaining injuries at the recent Brno tests, world championship leader Sebastien Charpentier underwent an operation last Thursday, during which doctors in Paris inserted one plate in his collarbone and one in bone three of his pelvis. Seb is recovering well after his restorative surgery and should be back for a Lausitz tyre test session, just a week before Brno race on 23 July. Arie Vos will take Charpentier’s spot during the Misano weekend. The Dutch rider is back again with the Winston Ten Kate Honda Team after last year’s experience outing at Magny-Cours. Arie knows the bike, the tyres and the track very well and should be able to achieve a positive result on the Italian circuit. For the team’s regular second rider, Kenan Sofuoglu, it will be the first time with his Honda CBR 600 on this circuit, and last year a broken hand prevented him from competing in the Superstock Championship. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “Obviously it’s quite sad to lose Sebastien in the middle of the championship, even for a race. The crash in Brno made him suffer extensive injuries, but he is now in good hands in Paris. For sure he will be back for the Brno race or even one week before for the Lausitz test. We know he can lose some points this weekend but hopefully not too many. His position on the bike will be taken by Arie Vos, who already knows the bike and the track and could, for sure, ride for a good placing at Misano. Arie is the rider from our satellite team in Holland and is already doing quite a lot of test work on parts for us. For Kenan, after the disastrous weekend in Silverstone, he bounced back fully during the Brno test and he was the quickest guy of all Supersport riders. This was pretty good because we could see his confidence was right back. We are looking forward to this Misano race because we know our bikes work quite well, even if we didn’t share the test with other teams last month. However, the conditions on the track will be much different. They tested there with 16 or 18 degrees of air temperature while we will experience probably more than 30 degrees.” Kenan Sofuoglu Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider “After the Brno test I feel stronger. 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.” Arie Vos Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider “Last year I raced on this track for the first time and I really enjoyed it. 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. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I’ll try to use it in the best way possible. I still hope that Sebastien will be back soon because he still has a championship to conquer.”

After a recent test session at Brno the Winston Ten Kate Honda Superbike squad approaches the halfway point of the 2006 season at Misano with spirits high at the prospect battling for top placings once more. New electronics packages were tested at Brno, and may be used at Misano, to help riders James Toseland and Karl Muggeridge move further up the championship table. A regular venue on the SBK calendar, Misano is a circuit of contrasts, with ultra-fast left hand corners leading onto the back straight, mixed in with a plethora of tighter corners and two chicanes. Hot Adriatic weather is expected to add to the intensity of the challenge, with track temperatures often the highest encountered all season. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “We had a very good Brno test where we played with the new electronic system on the bike. We still have to decide if we’ll use it for the first time in Misano but so far it looks like we will, as the first impressions have been quite positive. We also tested many news parts on the bike to further improve chassis set up. We also tried out a lot of tyres and all the work went very well. We proved to be consistently fast, although we didn’t work too much on qualifying tyres, mainly concentrated on full race settings like we usually do during testing.” James Toseland Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider “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. 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 one win, but I didn’t qualify too well and that prevented me from winning. 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.” Karl Muggeridge Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider “I’m always happy to go to Misano, it’s a beautiful place. The test in Brno was been 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 many 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.”

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will be in Holland this weekend for the Dutch Grand Prix, looking to carry on from last Sunday’s best team result of the season – so far – in Catalunya. John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen finished in fourth and sixth places respectively at Barcelona, and both will be aiming to continue their good form into this Saturday’s race. The famous Assen TT circuit is the only racetrack to have staged a motorcycle Grand Prix since the beginning of the modern World Championship in 1949. It has been newly configured for this season with track length being reduced from 5,997m to 4,555m. This will enable fans the chance to get more action as the race has increased to 26 laps from 21. The circuit has kept its characteristic banked curves and high speed corners and the new additions to the layout are designed to keep Assen as a true riders’ and fans’ favourite. Practice will begin on Thursday and all riders will be given an extra half-hour in the morning session to assist them in learning the new layout. Two more hour long sessions will be held on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, before the all-important qualifying session on Friday afternoon. The Dutch TT is traditionally held on the last Saturday in June and this year is no exception. The flag will drop to signal the start of round eight of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Saturday 24th June. Paul Denning Team Manager: “The team and riders did a great job last weekend, but this is a new race and we must begin all over again and build on what we have started. All the riders are coming to Assen without prior knowledge of the new layout so it will give us a good idea of how Chris has come on as a GP racer – as everybody will be learning the circuit from scratch. Assen was traditionally one of the fastest circuits on the calendar, with its many high-speed corners and we hope that the new layout will favour the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R and both riders. John is still searching for that illusive first pole position and podium and I have no doubt that both are within his grasp over the next few races, he knows it is coming it is just a matter of when! Holland is an important market for our title sponsors Rizla, and we will certainly be aiming to put on a good performance for them.”

After the terrible incident that last Sunday on the Catalan track of Montemelò involved 6 riders, Marco Melandri’s physical conditions are improving and this morning he left the General Hospital of Catalunya in Sant Cugat (Barcelona) where he underwent treatment and CAT scans and was treated for a dislocation of the acromion-clavicular and mild concussion. Strong and determined, Marco left the Hospital this morning and together with Doctor Claudio Costa from Clinica Mobile, he took a flight to Amsterdam and then reached Assen by train. Marco’s neck still hurts a lot but the young Italian rider hopes to go back on track, if possible already in Assen. The Fortuna Honda rider is optimistic. At the moment his participation to the Dutch TT is still uncertain. The decision will be taken only on spot after the medical check. MARCO MELANDRI: “Thanks to the therapies I feel better. I’m recovering and yesterday I could make a short walk. This morning Doctor Costa of Clinica Mobile has reached me in Barcelona and together we flew to Amsterdam and then to Assen by train. My neck hurts a lot and I think this will be the main problem. Anyway the final decision will be taken later on before the first day of practices. I have seen the layout of the modified track in Assen, they have changed the most technical and difficult part, so in this moment this can be positive for my current physical conditions.” Also Marco’ team-mate, the Spaniare Toni Elias looks forward to race in Assen. Toni hopes to solve the problems he is suffering in the last races and to start to conquer some good results. TONI ELIAS: “Assen is one of my favourite track, it’s technical, fast and demanding. I hope to make a good race there and do a real step forward. I still cannot drive as I would like to as I need to improve my feeling with the rear and find the traction we need. I really look forward to race at the Dutch TT. I hope that the changes at the North Loop haven’t changed too much the beauty of this track. But before arriving to Assen, I’d like to wish Marco, my team mate a prompt recovery.” DUTCH TT- THE TRACK Built :1955 Modified: 2006 Length: 4.555 m Width : 10-14 m Pole position:left Right turns:6 Left turns :11 Longest straight: 560 m RECORD: track Record: modified track pole position: 2005 Rossi (Yamaha) 1’58″936 2005 race: 1° Rossi (Yamaha), 2° Melandri (Honda), 3° Edwards (Yamaha)