This weekend’s Grand Prix of Catalunya marks the start of a busy period for the Kawasaki Racing Team, with three races in as many weekends, starting in Spain and finishing in Great Britain, with the Dutch TT at Assen in between. Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet both arrive in Barcelona determined to get this run of three important races off to the best start possible, with a strong performance in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Catalunya. After the disappointment of both riders finishing outside the top ten at Mugello, Kawasaki engineers have been working overtime to ensure that both Nakano and de Puniet have a competitive package in the Ninja ZX-RR for the 4.727 km Circuit de Catalunya. Both Kawasaki riders will test a new exhaust system on their Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machines this weekend, which has been designed to improve driveability out of the corners; critical around the 13 turns at Catalunya, the majority of which are right-handers. This predominance of right-hand corners is also important in terms of tyre selection, and the Kawasaki Racing Team will again be working closely with Bridgestone this weekend to ensure that, come race day, Nakano and de Puniet have a tyre that will provide consistent performance throughout the 25-lap Grand Prix of Catalunya. After intensive dynamometer testing in Japan, Kawasaki engineers have also increased the upper rev limit of the Ninja ZX-RR for this weekend. As well as offering more flexibility on both gearbox ratios and gear selection, the additional revs should make it easier for Nakano and de Puniet to pass out of the slipstream along the 1.047 metre main straight at Catalunya. Having won twice in the 250cc World Championship class at the Circuit de Catalunya in the past, Randy de Puniet arrives in Barcelona fully fit and determined to improve upon his previous best result in the MotoGP class this weekend, at a track he rates as one of his favourites. The Circuit de Catalunya is also a favourite of de Puniet’s Kawasaki teammate, Shinya Nakano, and the 28-year-old Japanese rider is confident that, if he and his crew can find a good set-up in practice and qualifying, then a good result on Sunday is a distinct possibility. Shinya Nakano: #56 “Like Mugello, the Circuit de Catalunya is a fast circuit, but unlike Mugello there is no secret to going fast here. We need to find a good set-up during practice and qualifying, and we also need to test the new exhaust system that Kawasaki engineers have brought to this race in a bid to improve the driveability of the bike out of the turns. Theoretically the increased rev limit should also make passing out of the slipstream on the main straight easier, but we will only see how much easier once practice gets underway on Friday. I think if everything comes together as we expect during practice and qualifying then we can be competitive here in Sunday’s race.” Randy de Puniet: #17 “We had a good test here at Catalunya during the build up to the start of the season, so I know how to ride the Ninja ZX-RR at this circuit. I have won here on the 250cc machine twice, and I like this track a lot, so I think this could be a good weekend for us. I arrive for this race fully fit, and I think I’m now starting to realise the full potential of the Ninja ZX-RR on track, so hopefully I’ll be able to put in a strong performance in the race on Sunday and leave Spain with my best result of the season so far in the MotoGP class. Anyway, that’s my aim for the weekend ahead.”

Rizla Suzuki is hoping to make the most of the top speed advantage of its GSX-R1000s at this weekend’s seventh round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk, an ex- airfield circuit boasting a kilometre- long straight that sees the bikes touch 200mph. The Rizla Suzuki race bikes of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and James Haydon have consistently been amongst the fastest through the speed traps at all the previous rounds of the Championship. Shakey secured a fourth and fifth place at the previous round at Mallory Park while James was forced to miss the action following a shoulder injury sustained during the Friday practice session. He has been undergoing intense physiotherapy to be ready for Snetterton. Superbike racing starts at 13:15 on Sunday, June 18th at the popular 1.95-mile long Snetterton circuit. Shakey Byrne: “My Rizla Suzuki is a missile and at just about every track we have visited it’s been the fastest bike out there. That is encouraging for Snetterton as the circuit is basically two long straights linked by some quick and not so quick corners. I think we have the bike and experience to be competing for the podium at Snetterton. In truth I think we can compete for better results than just podiums”¦” James Haydon: “The Revett Straight at Snetterton has to be ridden to be believed. You come on to it at around 60mph and get up to 190-200mph before braking as hard as you possibly can for the Esses and scrubbing 120mph off to make the turn. It’s exciting and last year I just missed a podium finish. My shoulder is on the mend and I hope to be competitive this weekend.”

The first of two mid-season Pirelli tests took place around the magnificent topography of Brno between Monday 12 and Wednesday 14th June, with records broken before the third day had even started. After his devastating recent form it came as no surprise that Troy Bayliss was the man out in front once more, eventually taking his Ducati Xerox machine to a best ever Superbike lap of 2’00.0s on the latest qualifying tyres, and 2’00.8s on race spec Pirelli rubber. For comparison, during the 2005 SBK race weekend the qualifying lap record was 2’02.694 (set by current Brno test absentee Troy Corser on a Suzuki) and the best race time 2’03.747 (from the Yamaha of Noriyuki Haga). Haga and Corser would go on to take one race win apiece at Brno in 2005. BAYLISS BUOYED BY HIS QUICK PACE Bayliss acknowledged that despite an early crash, he could draw little but positives from his latest outing on the 999F06 twin. “It’s been a good three days”, he stated. “I did some good times this morning both on qualifying and race tyres and my long-run was 39 seconds quicker than last year’s time, so I’m feeling pretty good about things. I’m in good spirits and looking forward to racing at Misano next week.” Bayliss’ race simulation was made on an exceptionally hot track surface, with maximum ground temperatures reaching 49°C. WALKER SECOND QUICKEST ON QUALIFIERS Chris Walker (PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki) continued his development work on the 2006 ZX-10R with a 2’01.0 best lap on qualifying rubber, while Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) scored third best time of all, with a 2’01.2. His team-mate, James Toseland set his best time on race tyres, as other riders hampered his qualifying lap in his lone outing on non-race tyres. Both Winston Ten Kate riders spent most of their time working with a new electronics package, which includes traction control, and are expected to use it in the forthcoming Misano race. SUPERSPORT In the Supersport Championship tests Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) scored the best time on race tyres (the only kind of tyres available in this class) with a 2’06.0, just ahead of his own team-mate Broc Parkes (2’06.1). Runaway leader Sebastien Charpentier fell on day one and broke his collarbone and hip, and is undergoing surgery to insert plates in the broken bones. The fracture in his pelvis is on the rear side, and has been deemed by his Winston Ten Kate Honda team as being not as serious as it could have been. In the championship race, Charpentier currently leads Curtain by 40 points. Times 1st day Monday 12 June Superbike World Championship Bayliss 2’01.5 Walker 2’02.2 Haga/Muggeridge 2’02.7 Nieto/Pitt/Toseland 2’03.0 Lanzi 2’03.7 Kagayama 2’04.7 Martin 2’04’7 Jones 2’06.7 Supersport World Championship Charpentier 2’06.4 Parkes 2’06.6 Curtain 2’07.1 Chambon 2’07.8 Soufouglu/Zeiser 2’08.1 Berger 2’09.1 2nd day Tuesday 13 June Bayliss: qualifying tyres 2’00.8 race tyres 2’01.6 Walker: 2’02.1 race tyres Muggeridge: 2’02.2 race tyres Lanzi/Toseland: 2’02.5 race tyres Haga/Pitt 2’02.5 race tyres Nieto 2’03.0 race tyres Martin 2’03.7 race tyres Kagayama 2’04.0 race tyres Foret 2’04.4 race tyres Jones 2’05.1 race tyres Supersport World Championship Curtain/Parkes 2’06.3 Zeiser/Soufoglou 2’07.3 Chambon 2’08 Berger 2’08.4 3rd day Tuesday 14 June Superbike World Championship Bayliss: qualifying tyres 2’00.0 race tyres 2’00.8 Walker: 2’010 qualifying tyres 2’02.7 race tyres Muggeridge: 2’01.2 qualifying tyres 2’02.1 race tyres Lanzi: 2’01’6 qualifying tyres 2’02.6 race tyres Toseland: 2’01.7 qualifying tyres 2’01.7 race tyres Haga : qualifying tyres 2’01.6 race tyres 2’01.5 Pitt: qualifying tyres 2’01.7 race tyres 2’01.2 Nieto 2’02.0 qualifying tyres 2’02.7 race tyres Martin 2’03.1 qualifying tyres 2’03.2 race tyres Kagayama 2’03.2 race tyres only Foret 2’02.6 qualifying tyres 2’03.2 race tyres Jones 2’04.0 qualifying tyres 2’03.8 race tyres Supersport World Championship Curtain 2’06.0 Parkes 2’06.1 Soufoglou 2’06.2 Zeiser 2’06.9 Chambon 2’07.8 Berger 2’07.9 More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Racing: ALSTARE WRAPS UP BRNO TESTS Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Yukio Kagayama and the team have concluded three days of World Superbike testing at Brno in the Czech Republic and left the track with masses of useful information. Throughout the three days, Kagayama concentrated on trying out a huge variety of development parts and settings instead of chasing any lap times, but he and the team were very happy with what they achieved and will now analyse all the information before making improvements to the bike. Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Fabien Foret was a late addition to the test, having been called up at the last minute when Troy Corser was forced to stay at home with chickenpox. Although he only had two days, Foret managed to put in a lot of laps and he too left Brno content with the work done. Yukio Kagayama: “Generally I am very happy with these three days because of all the work we have done. My focus here was to test all the material I had to test, not to set quick lap times. Many times in the past when I have ridden and pushed hard and made fast laps, I have not been able to give a lot of information to my team. This time I concentrated on getting lots of information and then letting my team know what was happening and how the feeling was. This afternoon the track temperature was nearly 50 C, and when it is this hot it is impossible to set a quick lap time anyway, so I only tried a qualifying tyre once. At the end of all three days – and especially today in the heat – my wrist was a little sore and my back also hurt a little. It was not so bad I couldn’t test properly, but it was another reason I didn’t push very hard for a lap time because I didn’t want to crash and do further damage. I know the team are happy with these three days so that means we did a good job!” Fabien Foret: “I only got the call to come here late on Sunday. I was lazing around when I the telephone rang asking me to come to Brno. Normally, only two riders from each of the top teams can test, but I got the call because Troy was not able to test. I missed the first day, but then we had two really good days and I found a really good front suspension setting which made me feel much more comfortable in the corners. There were lots of other things for me to test and we managed to do a lot of good work here in the two days. Also, it was good to be back on the bike after a long lay off. With Misano just one week away, I was so happy to be on the bike again and carry on my learning of the Superbike. Also, my time on the Superbike here will pay off when we race here in July, so all round it’s been good for me.”

Tooele (Utah): The Parts Unlimited Ducati Team will compete in the inaugural Miller Motorsports Park AMA Superbike race in Utah this weekend. Racers Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom will race their Ducati 999 Superbikes on the brand new 3.06-mile course located near Salt Lake City. The riders, who have finished every 2006 Superbike race thus far in the top ten, have completed a promising test the test at the circuit last month. Ben Bostrom was the quickest rider at that two-day test at Miller Motorsports Park. The Californian seemed to find his form on the European-style circuit. “It’s a nice circuit and suits both the bike and me well,” said the former AMA series champion. “It’s a ‘real’ racetrack for sure. We hope to do well out there. We’ve improved the bike a lot at the last few races and tests and for sure we are getting closer to where we want to be. I think we’re actually a lot closer than people think right now and I’m looking forward to a good weekend.” Neil Hodgson is in the midst of a consistent season. Apart from one sixth place finish at Barber, the hard-charging former World Superbike champion has finished fourth or fifth in every AMA Superbike race this year. Hodgson has earned fourth place in AMA Superbike points in the ultra-competitive AMA class so far in 2006. Hodgson says he enjoys the Miller Motorsports Park circuit. “The track is absolutely brilliant. In my opinion, the track is the best layout in America. The facilities are very nice. It’s very safe, a long lap with a bit of everything for the rider,” said Hodgson. “We were very close on lap times when we tested here and feel good about our setup going into the race. As always, the competition in the series is tough, but we feel up to the challenge.” The Superbike doubleheader will feature races on Saturday and Sunday. The Circuit: The Miller Motorsports Park course has several variations, but the AMA Superbike stars will race on the 3.06-mile (4.9-kilometer) “Outer course” that promises to be one of the fastest road courses in North America. Featuring 15 turns and flowing sections, the track designers have added several elevation changes to the track’s natural topography. AMA Superbike points (after nine races): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 322 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 301 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 251 4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 236 5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 229 6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 220 7. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 215 8. Jake Zemke, Honda 214 9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 192 10. Larry Pegram, Honda 170

Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk is the setting for round seven of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Hawk Kawasaki riders Dean Thomas, Craig Coxhell and Peter Hickman are eager to tackle one of Britain’s fastest circuits this weekend, 16th – 18th June. After some encouraging results at Mallory Park a few weeks ago the three riders are keen to improve at the 1.95-mile track. Riding the Dunlop-shod ZX10-R’s the trio will be looking at some strong Championship points. With the Hawk team working hard and continuously making improvements to the Kawasaki’s plus a two day testing session at Darley Moor earlier this week they are keen to put the changes into play at the weekend. Sheffield based Thomas said “We made some steps forward at Mallory a couple of weeks ago and also made some alterations to the bike this week whilst testing so I am hoping we can move things forward at Snetterton. It will be difficult there as it is such a fast circuit and will favour the factory machines but it is necessary for me to keep my head down and try and score some good points. There is still a lot to play for in the Championship.” His fellow Australian team-mate Coxhell commented “Things are certainly improving within the team and each time I am feeling more comfortable with the bike and the set-up. It’s really important for me to start getting some good results and pushing things forward. I need to get myself some more Championship points in the bag as I lost out on a few when I was injured. I’m settling in well with the bike and hoping that the testing we had the other day will help us this weekend as I’m desperate for some strong results.” Rookie of the team Peter Hickman gained a boost after Mallory Park and hopes to continue it at Snetterton saying “I gained my first points at Mallory which was a relief as I’ve been working hard all year to get into the top 15. It has certainly been a struggle and a very steep learning curve but like Craig I am feeling more relaxed each time I go out on the bike. It will be an extremely fast and demanding race but I hope that I will be able to get in the points again. I’m enjoying the Superbike experience and the team are working very hard to help me achieve my goals.” The Superbike races will be shown on Men & Motors on Sunday 18th June at 15:00 – 16:30, it will also be shown on Sky Sports 1 at 22:30 – 02:00 and repeated again on Sky Sports 1 on Monday 19th June at 16:00 – 19:30.

Ford QC’s Chris Carr Set To Defend Syracuse Mile “Anytime you go to a mile race, you can’t count out the guys that are 40 and older,” says Carr, winner of last year’s Inaugural Aaron Creamer Memorial Syracuse Mile FLEETWOOD, Pa., (June 14, 2006) Seven-time AMA/Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship champion Chris Carr coming off his biggest win of the year so far in Springfield (Ill.) is set to defend his title this Saturday with the second running of the Aaron Creamer Memorial Syracuse Mile (June 17). Carr, who won the opening round of the 2006 AMA/Ford QC Flat Track “Twins” Championship in a thriller over Jay Springsteen at the Springfield Mile a few weeks back, says that this weekend’s race will most certainly go right down to the wire like it did in Springfield. “Any time you go to a mile race you can’t count out the guys that are 40 and older,” said the 39-year-old Carr. “(Rich) King, (Jay) Springsteen and myself are the guys to beat and there’s facts out there that will support that.” Note: King’s 43 and Springer’s 49. Carr points to the evolution of the sport and the fact that when he was the age of Jared Mees, Jacob Johnson and Bryan Bigelow there were nine to 11 mile races and five half miles. “Now the opposite of that is true,” said Carr, who figures he’s had between 190 to 200 mile starts over his 22-year career. “It would take them 15 years to experience what I did at their ages in three years.” The race itself will be extremely intense as the Syracuse Mile differs from that of the Springfield Mile in that it’s far more narrow something akin to the style of horse racing this track was built for back in the late 1800s. “The Syracuse Mile has a whole lot of history behind it,” said Carr. “But it’s nothing at all like Springfield. At Springfield, if you manage to get behind, you can burn a couple laps and catch right back up to the lead pack. Syracuse doesn’t allow for that. It’s a very, very narrow track which makes things much more difficult. “Like the area from turn two to turn three. You feel like you’re in a tunnel on I-80.” It’s because of this Carr wanted to remind everybody that he and the other racers are for sure thankful for the Roadracing World Action Fund, a non-profit entity that secures (along with Ford QC and the IMDA) the finances to purchase Airfence Safety Systems protective barriers for the flat track championships. “I don’t think we thank John Ulrich and the people that help out with the Roadracing World Action Fund enough,” said Carr. “It’s because of their efforts to deploy the Airfence that the racers feel like they have that much more confidence on the track, entering corners at greater speeds than ever. And this definitely makes for better racing.” The 2nd annual running of the Aaron Creamer Memorial Syracuse Mile takes place this Saturday (June 17) at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York. Prior to that on Friday, June 16, Chris Carr will be appearing at Performance Harley Davidson of Syracuse to sign autographs and hang out with the fans from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information on Carr’s event on Friday and the Springfield Mile, check out www.performancehd.com or call (315) 471-1157. The current AMA/Ford Quality Checked Flat Track champion, winningest active racer in the sport with 73 wins and seven AMA/Ford QC Flat Track championship titles, the Chris Carr legend continues. For more information on Chris Carr, visit his website at www.chriscarr.com. Combining the sport’s heritage with absolutely mind-bending speeds, this is one event motorcycle racing fans have to see “Live.” But if you can’t make it to Syracuse, the race will be broadcast on a pay-per-view basis over the Internet through LiveISports. The cost of the Springfield flat track weekend is $8.95. For more information flat track fans can check out www.liveisports.com. Also, donations can be made to the flat track racing Airfence fund through http://actionfund.roadracingworld.com/ Please specify “Flat Track” on your donation. *Airfence is a trademark of Airfence Safety Systems

18-year-old sensation Pete Spalding will be heading to Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk this weekend 16th 18th June. The Bournemouth based rider who has achieved five race wins from the five Supersport Cup races so far this season will be looking for race victory number six. Spalding who achieved a best overall position of eighth place at Donington Park is certainly proving to be an exceptional talent, having only been racing a road bike since 2003. With a brief spell in the Aprillia Superteen Series in 03, moving into the MRO 400 Series in 04 gaining fifth position in the overall Championship, he then moved into the British Supersport Cup series in 2005. A number of positive results last season and a run of impressive wins this season has seen Spalding come on leaps and bounds during 06. With the help and support of new sponsor Centurion (www.centurionsafety.net), he is certainly on a mission to dominate the British Supersport Cup Championship. The young rider is feeling confident as he heads to Snetterton this weekend commenting “Things have been fantastic for me so far this season and I hope that I can continue the way I have been riding and end up on the podium again. Snetterton is a super fast circuit and also fairly technical but one I am looking forward to getting there and trying to get a good result for myself and the team. Everyone has worked so hard so far this year and it has very much been a team effort to achieve the results that we have so far. I’d like to thank everyone that has stood by me and supported me this season, and hope that I will continue to build a fan base and also attract potential sponsors for the future.” The Supersport Race will be shown on Sky Sports 1 on Sunday 18th June at 22:30 – 02:00 and repeated again on Sky Sports 1 on Monday 19th June at 16:00 – 19:30.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Earlier this season it appeared the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series would be a two-rider battle between Graves Motorsports Yamaha rider Jason DiSalvo and Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes, but with the resurgence of DiSalvo’s veteran teammate Eric Bostrom, who has scored the three most recent victories, the battle for the crown has suddenly become a three-rider affair as the series moves to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, on Saturday, June 17. Bostrom, who had a rocky start to the season, appeared to be out of the championship picture. Then, after finishing a lowly 22nd at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., Bostrom rather unexpectedly won the California Speedway round on April 29. He not only won, he did it convincingly. Since then Bostrom has gone on a tear, having scored his third straight at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., on June 3. “It seems like our bike set up suddenly came around,” Bostrom said of his Yamaha R6. “I’ve got confidence now and everything is falling into place. I’m pretty far down in the standings, but chipping away at it. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going our way and get within range of Jason and Josh by the end of the season.” Bostrom has the opportunity at Miller to tie Miguel Duhamel for the top spot on the all-time Formula Xtreme wins list. Bostrom has 12-career wins to Duhamel’s class leading 13. DiSalvo, who appeared to have a wide-open path to this year’s title, suddenly finds himself being chased by a red hot teammate. “Definitely Eric’s come on strong in the last couple of races,” says the series leader, who has a race win to his credit this season. “It’s almost like we might’ve counted him out a little bit too early. But it’s good for him and it’s good for the team. All the Yamaha guys are going well. I’m going well, and just trying to work on that race performance still, and getting that dialed in. I think we’re getting closer.” While DiSalvo is trying to hold off Bostrom in Formula Xtreme, his Graves Yamaha teammate Jamie Hacking is attempting to do the same with Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates in the Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series. Yates’ win at Road America pulled him to within nine points of Hacking in the standings. It marked the second victory of the season for the defending champ and he now feels he has a good shot at catching Hacking. “I’ve struggled a bit making the bike work like I want it to,” Yates said. “It seems like I’m starting to get it going now and the win at Road America put us right up there in the points. Now that I’m so close it makes me want to work even harder to get up there and battle. We’ve never raced on this track [Miller Motorsports Park] before so we’re all going to be starting from scratch other than what we learned in testing.” Hacking, who also leads the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei standings, says he realizes Yates is going to be tough to hold off. “I thought I had him [Yates] at the last race and I just made one little mistake and that’s all it took,” Hacking said. “Aaron’s wearing that No. 1 on his bike for a reason. He’s not going to give it up without a fight, but we’ve got a great bike and I’m riding as well as I have in my career so we’re going to try to not make it easy for him.” The Miller Motorsports Park Formula Xtreme race can be seen on SPEED on Tuesday, June 20 at 4:00 pm eastern. The Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme and Repsol Superstock races are part of the Honda Summit of Speed that runs June 16-18 at Miller Motorsports Park. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Visit the website www.millermotorsportspark.com for additional information.

As three vital races approach Honda has three riders in the top four places of the overall MotoGP points standings. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) shares the lead on 99 points with Ducati’s Loris Capirossi. Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) sits third on 89 with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) fourth on 86. This is shaping up to be a tough, tight title fight and the next three races, all on consecutive weekends, here in Catalunya, at Assen in The Netherlands less than a week later, and then at Donington Park in England, will be key in establishing who has the will to grind out an advantage in this enthralling World Championship. In recent years the direction of the title has been strongly indicated at this stage of the season. But this year could not be more different. Four different winners of the six races so far compared to just two winners of the equivalent races in 2005 tells its own story. The meteoric arrival of Honda’s race-winning and rostrum-grabbing rookies is perhaps the biggest change to the old order in 2006. Dani Pedrosa has already won in China in only his fourth race on a 990cc machine, and it is not in the least far-fetched to suggest that he could win his second race here at his ‘home’ track. If he does it will be Honda’s 200th win in the premier class. Dani won here last year on a 250 and he also triumphed on a 125 in 2003 who would now bet against him completing a clean sweep of the categories with a MotoGP victory on Sunday? His team-mate Nicky Hayden would. Hayden has been a model of consistency so far this year. Continuing the rich vein of form with which he ended 2005, the American has now achieved eight podium finishes from nine starts. Impressive though this statistic is, Hayden knows he needs wins to cement his title bid, and whether it comes here, in Holland, or in England it needs to be happen before race winners eat away at his points tally. Melandri won here on a 250 in 2002 and placed third here last year on an RC211V and in 2004 on a Yamaha. The Italian, who has won two races this season, must be among the favourites to shine this weekend. He is only ten points behind the series leaders and knows another victory would be of crucial importance both numerically and psychologically. Whatever transpires in terms of the long haul of the 17-round World Championship, the Montmelo circuit is highly likely to provide a captivating race. The track lies 20km north of Barcelona. It is 4.727km long and features two long straights. Speeds of more than 210mph are attained on the main start/finish straight by the 250bhp MotoGP machines. Two of the 13 turns at this track feature negative camber, making lean angle increase for a decrease in tyre grip. The rest of the corners are largely constant radius and hard on tyres especially the longer right-handers. Chassis set-up requires good front/rear balance so that the bikes are easy to turn-in under hard barking and also so they have enough weight transfer under hard acceleration to allow the rear tyre to ‘hook-up’ and drive the bike out of turns without too much wheelspin. A relaxed ‘flowing’ style from riders is the key to a fast lap here. Nicky said, “I quite like the Catalunya circuit. It’s quite fast, it’s got some quick corners and I’ve gone OK there in the past so I’m looking forward to it. This weekend starts off three back-to-back races so we’re going to have to get it on because there’s a lot at stake. We know how important it is to start these three weeks off strongly. I’ve tested at Catalunya and raced there so I know the track well, and the Spanish crowds always get really into it too.” His team-mate Dani said, “I don’t really have more pressure being at home I always want to get the best result I can but it’s not a secret that a lot of people will come to the circuit for us and I would like to thank them for their support with a great race. I think we’re doing a good job with the team and Honda and we need to keep our concentration to continue this way.” “I can’t wait to get back on track after the excellent results we had at the Mugello test,” said Marco Melandri. “Over the race weekend we worked hard to find better traction and on Monday we concentrated on speed through the corners and the results were positive. I’m feeling very confident about going to Barcelona the track is similar to Mugello and with the good base setting we found there I should be able to do well also in Spain.” Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) said, “Racing in front of your home crowd is an incredible feeling and this time even more so because it can help you get over your difficulties. We had hoped to be arriving at this event with better results behind us but unfortunately we are still suffering from problems that have dogged us for the last three races. The days of tests at Mugello were useful and we studied a few alternative set-up solutions which I am sure will have good results in Barcelona.” Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) said, “We had a very good test at Mugello on Monday after the race. We have nothing new for Catalunya because we have found a good base set-up to work from. We will now try to get the second bike working as well as my number one machine. Generally we are in a good place going into practice and I like Catalunya more than Mugello.” “I’m looking forward to this race,” said Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V). “I’ve got to make up for my crash at Mugello and this is as good a place as any to do it. The bike’s going well and I got a second here last year on the 250, so we’ll see what happens.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) said, “I love the Catalunya circuit, it’s cool and fast. Michelin has made a big step in helping me find the feeling I need with my bike, and I feel confident to be able to fight with the leading group in Catalunya.” The 250cc category will be a fierce arena where Spaniards Jorge Lorenzo and his team-mate Hector Barbera (both Aprilia) will be aiming to claw back points on series leader Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW). Dovi, incredibly, is still searching for his first win in the class, and he would dearly like to do it here as the halfway point of the season approaches. “I really like Montmelò and I’ve always done well here,” said Dovi. “I have good memories from last year, where I finished third, after a bad crash during practice. It’s not a bad track for the Honda, even though there is a quite long straight. I’m a bit disappointed for not having taken my first 250cc victory at Mugello in front of my Fan Club and thousands of Italian fans. But then again, I have a 20 point lead in the World Standings.” His team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) said, “I’m happy with my fourth place at Mugello as I have showed again I’m a consistent rider. Last year in Barcelona I didn’t do well, but this year I’m confident I’m going to be more competitive, because I was fast during the winter IRTA test at Montmelò. Last Sunday I won the “Road to 8 hours” Suzuka 300km, held at Suzuka, with Ryuichi Kiyonari riding a Seven Star Honda CBR1000RRW. I’d like to win this year’s 8hrs race for Honda. If we win, it will be Honda’s 10th win in a row.” Reigning 125cc World Champion Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) desperately needs the points a win would bring as he bids to atone for a poor start to the season. The Swiss lies 75 points adrift of current leader Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia). Luthi said, “Barcelona is a track I have done well at and with my bike running so fast now I hope for a good result. I am not thinking about the World Championship now, just winning races.” Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) who is equal on points with Luthi said, “At Barcelona we’ll have some new suspension parts so I hope we can find a better set-up on my Honda. The engine is competitive but we need to improve the chassis. I like the Montmelò track and I know it well as I rode here many times even with production bikes. So I am confident I can be competitive again in Spain.”

Sebastien Charpentier will miss Misano race after the fall during the first day of testing in Brno. Supersport World Champion suffered two broken bones, his collar bone injured in the same place last season and in his pelvis. Sebastien will go under surgery Tomorrow and will rest for a few days before going thru rehabilitation to be back at his top for Brno race at the end of July (21st-23rd). In both bones two metallic plates will be inserted to make sure he will be able to recover soon and he will not find other problems in the rest of his career. Dutch rider Arie Vos will step on Charpentier’s CBR600 of the Winston Ten Kate Honda Team for Misano. Kenan Sofuoglu on the other side made it to finish all three days of testing on the Czech circuit achieving a best lap time of 2’06.1, which puts him among the quickest Supersport riders. The Turkish rider looks confident and ready for Misano Race in a week time. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “It is a pity that Seb will not make it to race in Misano, but thanks to the great start of the season he had, he will come back for Brno race still as leader of the Championship and hopefully at good physical condition, as he will have more than a month to fully recover. Arie Vos will take his place for Misano race. Kenan had a good three days of work. He started slowly to check if everything was going well and to get the right confidence back, and in the last day he pushed his bike at the top, achieving a very good lap time. I think these three days have been very important for him as he had the opportunity to get back on the right track. He is now ready again to fight for the top positions.” Kenan Sofuoglu Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Best lap time 2’06.1 213 laps) “I am very sorry for what happened to Sebastien and I hope he will recover as soon as possible. We started Monday morning from zero as Silverstone race was really bad. The first day lap times weren’t so good. During the second days we kept working hard to reach an acceptable setting of the bike. Finally this morning the lap times came and in the afternoon I could mainly concentrate on race distance to check if also on long distance the bike and the tyres were performing well. I am really satisfied on how these three days went.” Sebastien Charpentier Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Best lap time 2’06.4 68 laps) “I am really disappointed. Immediately when I was down on the ground I realized something was wrong. The strange thing is that I was not even pushing for a quick lap time or anything, I mean it was just the first day of our test. Anyway, I’m in good hands with my doctors in Paris and I will be back soon. I wish Kenan, Karl and James good luck for the Misano race and I am sure the substitute rider will enjoy his ride on MY machine!!!” Top 4 lap times: 1. Curtian (Yamaha) 2’06.0 2. Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 2’06.1 2. Parkes (Yamaha) 2’06.1 4. Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 2’06.4