16 year old Gold Coast racer Blake Leigh-Smith will be mixing it with the world’s best at the 125 GP at Donington the first weekend in July, having been granted a wild card entry. The British Grand Prix will be Blake’s fourth overseas race this year, following promising performances at Albacete and Jerez in the highly competitive Spanish 125 Championship. In January, he won his class in a round of the New Zealand road racing championship. Blake has been riding since age 5, graduating from dirt track to competing on a Moriwaki 80cc junior road race machine in 2003. Last year, Blake began racing a Honda RS125, winning three rounds of the 125 class in the Australian Superbike Championships. With the backing of his parents business, Runaway Bay Riviera, Cut Graphics, Shoei Helmets and Sidi boots, Blake took the plunge to start his overseas racing career. In his second race of the Spanish Championship, Blake finished 26th from 53 entrants at Jerez. Blake will make his UK racing debut on his Keen Racing Preparations RS125 in a class widely seen as prep school for budding MotoGP riders. His appearance at Donington was facilitated by Motorcycling Australia.

TOPEKA, Kan. – The return of professional motorcycle road racing highlights a week with five event days using both the road course and drag strip at Heartland Park Topeka. Events begin Wednesday, June 14 with the third Heartland Park Topeka All Levels Motorcycle Track Day. This program is designed to provide riders with a safe and controlled environment to learn practical and advanced sport riding and road racing techniques. Novice riders can enroll in Visionsports Riding Schools to learn proper technique that will enhance riding savvy. Gates for the Heartland Park Topeka All Levels Motorcycle Track Day open at 7 a.m. Bikes will be on course from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no admission charge for spectators. The track will transition from motorcycles to street cars Wednesday night as the fourth Heartland Park Topeka Wednesday Road Warriors Lapping Day presented by Driven Performance Equipment hits the asphalt. The Wednesday Road Warriors program is designed for street car drivers who want to learn the skills of high-performance car control. Gates open at 4:30 for the Wednesday Road Warriors lapping day. Admission is $5 for spectators. Thursday, June 15 is another day for two wheels on the road course. In preparation for the American Sportbike Racing Association-Championship Cup Series Heart of America Cyclefest, riders will be on course Thursday for a test and tune race practice session. Riders get the weekend started on Friday, June 16 with practice and a Team Challenge Endurance Event as part of the ASRA/CCS Cyclefest. Teams of riders are on track at high noon for the 62-lap Team Challenge Endurance Event, with CCS sprint races scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Tickets for Friday are $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Gates open for the day at 7 a.m. Saturday’smotorcycle schedule includes CCS Great Plains and Midwest Region sprint racing and ASRA qualifying. Gates open at 7 a.m., with admission for adults $15 and $5 for children 12 and under. The Heart of America Cyclefest comes to a close on Sunday, June 18 with professional riders running for contingency payouts in competitive categories like ThunderBike, SportBike, and SuperBike. Practice sessions and CCS Great Plains/Midwest Region sprint racing highlight the morning schedule, with the professional ASRA classes getting underway at 1 p.m. Gates open Sunday at 7 a.m. Admission is $15 for adults, children 12 and under are $5. Friday and Saturday nights are also filled with drag racing at Heartland Park Topeka. The future stars of drag racing continue their 2006 schedule Friday, June 16 as the track hosts the fourth of nine MX2 Junior Drag Race Series events. Racers will compete all season in three different classes based on age: Junior Dragster (13-17 year olds), Junior Dragster (10-12 year olds), and Junior Dragster (8-9 year olds). The MX2 Junior Drag Race Series at Heartland Park Topeka competes as part of the NHRA O’Reilly Auto Parts Junior Drag Racing League. Using a five-horsepower, single-cylinder engine, a junior dragster can go as fast as 85 MPH and as quick as 7.90 seconds in an eighth-mile race. Competition is equalized by a handicapped starting system. Racers earn points throughout the season at Heartland Park Topeka, with top finishers in the standings earning the right to represent Heartland Park Topeka at the NHRA O’Reilly Auto Parts Junior Drag Racing League Western Conference Finals, July 27-29, in Denver, Colo. Gates open this Friday at 5 p.m. for the MX2 Junior Drag Racing Series at Heartland Park Topeka. There will be open time trials beginning at 5:30 p.m., with the first round of eliminations set for 8 p.m. Admission for the MX2 Junior Drag Race Series is $10 for spectators or crewmembers. Children ages 12 and under will be admitted for $1. The big cars of the Heartland Park Topeka E.T. Drag Racing Series are on the drag strip Saturday night, June 17 for the sixth of ten races for 2006. Gates for the Heartland Park Topeka E.T. Drag Race Series open at 3 p.m., with time trials scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Eliminations are scheduled to commence at 7:30 p.m. Racers will compete in three classes (Muffler Shop Super Pro, Diamond House Pro E.T., and Sportsman) and will be racing for over $5,000 in total payouts. This Saturday’sdrag racing is sponsored by The Diamond House of Topeka. Spectator admission is $10 for adults, with children ages 12 and under admitted for $1. Additional dates for the 2006 Heartland Park Topeka E.T. Drag Race Series include June 17, July 8, July 15, Aug. 12, and Aug. 19. THIS WEEK AT HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA Wednesday, June 14 *Heartland Park Topeka All Levels Motorcycle Track Day. Gates open 7 a.m. Motorcycles on course 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No admission for spectators. *HPT Wednesday Road Warriors Lapping Day presented by Driven Performance Equipment. Gates open 4:30 p.m. Street cars on road course 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for spectators. Thursday, June 15 *Heartland Park Topeka Motorcycle Test and Tune/Race Practice Day. Gates open 7 a.m. Motorcycles on road course 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed test session, no spectators. Friday, June 16 *ASRA/CCS Heart of America Cyclefest. Practice, ASRA Team Challenge, and CCS sprint races on the road course. Gates open 7 a.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under. *MX2 Junior Drag Series Race #4. Junior drag racing on the drag strip. Gates open 5 p.m., time trials begin 5:30 p.m., eliminations begin 8 p.m. Admission is $10 for spectators and crew, $1 for children 12 and under. Saturday, June 17 *ASRA/CCS Heart of America Cyclefest. Practice, ASRA qualifying, and CCS sprint races on the road course. Gates open 7 a.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under. *Heartland Park Topeka E.T. Drag Series Race #6. Local and regional sportsman drag racers on the HPT quarter-mile. Gates open 3 p.m., time trials start 5:30 p.m., eliminations at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $1 for children 12 and under. Sunday, June 18 *ASRA/CCS Heart of America Cyclefest. Practice, CCS sprint races, and ASRA professional motorcycle racing on the road course. Gates open 7 a.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under.

ARNCHU RACING ENDURANCE TEAM WINS CLASS, THIRD OVERALL This past weekend at the new Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, Utah, ARNCHU Racing rode to an impressive first in the Heavyweight Superstock Class of the WERA National Endurance Series on a Michelin-shod Suzuki GSX-R1000. The team, based in the Midwest, made the 30-hour drive to Utah, and was able to practice for 3 days prior to the event due to scheduling changes made by WERA and MMP. Record WERA attendance for the inaugural race event at MMP drew over 14,000 spectators, who all witnessed close racing action displayed by many talented privateers and semi-pro riders. The paddock saw the team’s lap times drop sharply overnight as negotiations took place that will see ARNCHU Racing on Michelin tires for the rest of the 2006 season. The Michelin tires dropped the team’s lap times close to three seconds per lap and allowed the team to ride the entire race on only one front PRC tire and 3 rear Medium Compound tires. The team rode to third overall, besting a host of teams that employed the services of pro and semi-pro riders. Nathan Dressman started the race and hole-shot from the second row numerous times after two red flags during the race. Dressman rode 93 of 139 laps, with a best time of 1:59.8. His strong consistent pace left the team with over a lap on the next placing team. The days was not without drama, as ARNCHU pilot Randy Sherman crashed, though fortunately not causing any serious losses to the team. He was able to hold onto the bike and save the equipment from serious damage. Sherman finished the race riding conservatively to maintain the gap to the fourth place team. You can learn more about ARNCHU Racing’s effort and be a part of the action at http://www.arnchu.net. More, from a press release issued by WERA: LOCAL RACERS SHINE DURING WERA NATIONAL SERIES WEEKEND AT MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK TOOELE, Utah The WERA National Series and WERA West heralded the grand opening of Miller Motorsports Park last weekend, topping 475 race entries over two days of competition. Saturday marked round four of the WERA/Michelin National Challenge Series, and while a handful of series regulars took home first-place trophies, the day really belonged to the WERA West racers. In the expert ranks, Jason Perez was the top 600 racer with wins in 600 Superstock and 600 Superbike. Robert Jensen was one of the series regulars who excelled, taking home top honors in Open Superstock, 750 Superstock and Formula 1. Zoran Vujasinovic beat series regular Jeff Walker by 0.3 second in Formula 2, but Walker got his turn at the top of the podium in Lightweight Twins Superstock. Alan Schmidt, another local racer, took the win in 750 Superbike. In the novice National classes, Mario Bonfante scored wins in 600 and 750 Superstock. Other local novices who won twice included Jay Millhiser, who won Formula 1 and 750 Superbike, and Blake Dircks, who led the way in Formula 2 and Lightweight Twins Superstock. Mark Bartley won Open Superstock novice, Monte Pascuzzo led the way in Heavyweight Twins Superstock and the 600 Superbike victory went to Ryan Regaldo. Sunday featured the six-hour WERA/Bridgestone National Endurance Series race, where local team Rave Yamaha Racing upset Vesrah Suzuki’s perfect win record for the season. Jason Perez, Shane Turpin and Jay Tanner crossed the finish line less than five seconds ahead of Vesrah on their Heavyweight Superbike Yamaha YZF-R1. Vesrah’s Tray Batey, Lee Acree and John Jacobi wound up second overall and in the Heavyweight Superbike class on their Suzuki GSX-R1000. ARNCHU Racing not only got onto the overall podium, but the third place finish for Randy Sherman, Nathan Dressman and Troy Meikle gave the team the Heavyweight Superstock win on their Suzuki GSX-R1000. The Mediumweight Superbike class victory went to Matsushima Performance, with West Coast racers Danny Eslick, Blake Young, Kim Nakashima, Garry Combs and Liko Miles on a Suzuki GSX-R600. The team finished fourth overall. L.O.C. Endurance claimed the Mediumweight Superstock victory, with Joe Hayes, James Van Derhaar and Chris Carr finishing 11th overall on a Yamaha YZF-R6. In the Lightweight Superbike class, Neighbor of the Beast was back at the top of the podium. Melissa Berkoff, Scott Fisher and Bruce Stanford shared the Suzuki SV650. The next event for the WERA National Series will be Cycle Jam at Road Atlanta, June 29-July 2. The annual event combines the National, Sportsman and Vintage Series and features three days of racing. More information about WERA, including updated championship points and the event schedule for Cycle Jam, can be found online at www.WERA.com. More, from a press release issued by Dalke Motorsports: Dalke Motorsports traveled to the 4th round of the WERA National Endurance for the grand opening of Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, Utah. This was and will be an absolutely first class facility, easily coined as “southern hospitality gone west”. The big story of the weekend was tire wear. The new surface was really abrasive on front tires and many teams could barely go 1 hour without tearing up tires. Our strategy actually put us on the same lap at the end as 2nd and 3rd place teams that elected to try to run the race at a slower pace without tire stops but an extended pit stop in the second hour made the difference. Finishing 4th in class and 15th overall allows Dalke to maintain the class points lead ahead of early season competition TVR II and steadily improving L.O.C. Ecdurance.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking, of Denver, N.C., brings a two-race winning streak to Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Hacking’s victory earlier this month in Elkhart Lake, Wis., pushed his lead to 32 points over Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May. That makes his lead in the series this year much more comfortable than the 10-point advantage he held over Damon Buckmaster at this same point in the season in 2003, the year Hacking won his first AMA Supersport championship. Hacking credits his crew for giving him a motorcycle that is fast from the first lap of practice. “My Yamaha R6 has been fast right out of the truck,” Hacking said. “We don’t really have to work on the bike really that much, and just makes for nice smooth races. We’ve been getting good clean starts and that’s allowed me to settle into my own pace.” The only thing that worries Hacking coming into Utah is the eagerness of his competitors to make a name for themselves by finishing in front of him. “Right now I’ve been pretty much in control,” he continued. “The rest of the riders have nothing to lose at this point. The starts are the time when I have my guard up. That’s when things are most likely to happen.” While Hacking has made Supersport his domain this season, the Team M4 EMGO Suzuki pair of Geoff May and Michael Barnes are the best of the rest of the field at mid-season. May scored a runner-up finish to Hacking at Road America, while Barnes has earned consecutive podium finishes. May is second in the standings and is staying focused on being steadier in the second half of the season. “I’ve been up and down in Supersport,” May said. “I’ve been good enough to be second in the standings, but I’m still not happy with my consistency. That’s what I want to concentrate on for the rest of the season, staying up there on the podium in every race.” Barnes, the veteran of the series, is in the middle of a strong rally after suffering a crash in the opener at Daytona that resulted in knee surgery. “I’m really happy with the way things have been going since my return,” Barnes said. “Sometimes it seems like we’ve been chasing the best settings for the bike during race weekends, but when the green flag drops I’ve had a great bike under me and that’s all I can ask.” Matsushima Performance Suzuki’s Danny Eslick has been outstanding at times in the series this season. At Road America the Oklahoman actually made a pass on Hacking early in the race. He’s hoping to find that kind of speed for an entire race at Miller. Pre-season favorite Roger Lee Hayden looks to be improving in spite of riding with a broken leg suffered in a Superbike crash in Alabama in April. At 42 points down in the standings with six rounds remaining Hayden’s hope of catching Hacking are remote, but the hard-riding Kentuckian is not the kind of rider to give up. He’s counting on another strong second half of the season as he had in 2005 when he won four of the last six races to give him a shot at chasing down the series leader. The Miller Motorsports Park Pro Honda Supersport final will air on SPEED with same-day tape delayed coverage starting at 5:00 pm Eastern, Sunday, June 18. The Pro Honda Supersport race is part of the Honda Summit of Speed. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Visit the website www.millermotorsportspark.com for additional information.

L.O.C. Endurance Takes Mediumweight Superstock Victory at Miller Motorsports Park Using a single set of Bridgestone DOT tires, LOC Endurance took the class win and finished 11th overall in the fourth round of the WERA/Bridgestone National Endurance Series this weekend. The grueling 6-hour race was the grand finale to the first major event ever held at the beautiful new Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. The race started with lead rider Jimmy Vanderhaar launching the team’s EBC shod Yamaha YZF-R6 from the middle of the 7th row of the grid. When the pack came around after the first lap, LOC sat in 14th place overall, 3rd in class behind Team Velocity Racing II and Dalke Motorsports. On the 11th lap, the team turned its fastest lap of the race at 2:04.34, ironically, just as class leader TVR II pulled in to fix a flat tire. 3 laps later, LOC caught and passed Dalke Motorsports to move into the lead in Mediumweight Superstock. When Vanderhaar pulled in to the pits at the end of the first hour, LOC sat in 9th position overall, 1st in class. The team took on a full tank of fuel and switched riders as Joe Hayes took over for the second hour & then again as Dan Carr rode for the third hour. Running in the 2:08’s and 2:09’s, Hayes and Carr kept the LOC team in the overall top ten for the next two hours. The team’s initial strategy was to run the hard compound Bridgestones until the 4-hour mark if possible and then mount a new set of medium compound tires to complete the final 2 hours. LOC knew that would be a stretch on the abrasive new track, but the tires held up well in practice and a fresh set would be ready to go sooner if necessary. Due to a red flag incident, the race was almost halfway into the fourth hour as Vanderhaar prepared for his second stint on the bike and the team faced its decision on when to do a tire change. With Carr still turning good lap times, the decision was made to keep going without a tire change at this point. The tires continued to hold up amazingly well with Vanderhaar on the bike when a red flag caused another race stoppage shortly after the 4-hour mark. At this point, the team decided to try and finish the race on the first set of tires and to extend the next fuel stop by one lap in order to try to avoid a splash-and-go pit stop in the 6th hour. The green flag dropped again at the 4:40 mark and Vanderhaar finished his stint at 4:54, still in 9th overall position. Hayes then took over to try and finish the race on one tank of fuel and tires that were, by this time, beginning to finally slow the team down a little. With a 2 lap lead in hand, though, the team was confident going into the last hour that the race win was theirs if they didn’t throw it away in the final hour. The fuel light came on with about 3 laps left in the race, but the team finished… exhausted, out of gas, and completely out of tire grip… in first place.

With less than two weeks in which to catch their breath after the spectacular Gran Premio d’Italia Alice in Mugello, MotoGP fans will be treated to what is sure to be another heart-stopping race at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya. It marks the first in three consecutive weekends of action, with the paddock set to move on from Spain directly to the Netherlands before a third race in as many weeks in the United Kingdom at the beginning of July. This weekend’s race is MotoGP’s second visit of the season to the Spanish track, the scene of the first MotoGP Official Test back in March. That time around, rain blighted the teams’ fine tuning, whilst Colin Edwards went home with a brand new BMW M ZX Roadster after clocking the fastest time in a specially organised qualifying session. Loris Capirossi heads into the race at the top of the classification, level on points with Nicky Hayden but ahead by virtue of having won a race this season. The Ducati rider rode a phenomenal race in Mugello after starting badly, and will look continue to produce the goods in order to extend the championship lead. Hayden meanwhile returned to his consistent form in Italy, finishing on the podium for the eighth time in nine races. Coming back from a performance-affecting bout of bronchitis which broke his rostrum streak in Le Mans, the Kentucky Kid took third place at Mugello and appears more eager than ever to go to the next level and win for the first time in 2006. Although a run-off left Marco Melandri worse off after an outbraking gamble at his home track, the Italian still remains high up in the standings. Having won two races already this season and having fought for the lead one week ago, Melandri could put himself at the top of the classification with a good result at the Catalunya Circuit. Dani Pedrosa’s homecoming is sure to be an intense affair for the Catalan. The Repsol Honda rookie has already taken his first win and two poles this season, and with the support of some of the world’s most passionate racefans he will want to add more to his tally. Last year he became the first Spanish winner of the 250cc race at Montmelo, and can complete an historic double with success next weekend. Having taken an essential victory in front of his home crowd, Valentino Rossi is on a mission to put himself back in the title chase. Lying in fifth position after his worst start to a premier class season, the charismatic Italian will be looking to repeat his success at last year’s race in Montmelo, where he won to make it five wins from the opening six races of the 2005 season. Level on points with the reigning World Champion, Casey Stoner is another rider to have had 250cc success in Catalunya last year where he took second place. The Australian rookie’s highside in Italy left him outside the top six for the first time this season, also marking his only DNF of 2006, so he will be aiming to bounce back from that disappointment. Toni Elias lies in seventh overall, and the home Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya would be the perfect time for the Spaniard to elevate his position after a somewhat inconspicuous start to the season. Colin Edwards meanwhile is yet to earn a pole position or victory in MotoGP, but he came out on top at the Official Test to take home a brand new car, proving that he has what it takes to ride fast around the Montmelo track. He is just five points ahead of Sete Gibernau heading into his home race, and nine ahead of tenth place man Makoto Tamada, who this week proclaimed his happiness with testing carried out with his Michelin tyres. Nicky Hayden leads the overall BMW M Award for overall qualifying times in the season, with an advantage of nearly three seconds over early leader Colin Edwards. Rizla Suzuki riders John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen lie in third and fourth respectively ahead of Valentino Rossi by a the narrowest of margins. 250CC In 250cc, Andrea Dovizioso continues to lead the way in the championship. The Italian is still yet to win a race in the quarter litre category, but having been on the podium for every race this season consistency has been the key for the Humangest Racing rider. Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo ended his win drought in Italy, and with the extra motivation of a home win should feature prominently in the 250cc race. Yuki Takahashi lies in third overall. Testing in March threw up a few surprises in the quarter litre category, which have served as indicators for two of the season’s unexpected success stories. Czech rider Jakub Smrz seemingly came from nowhere in testing to put himself amongst the frontrunners, and earned a provisional pole in Mugello. Roberto Locatelli was another unexpected protagonist in preseason at the Catalunya Circuit, and has earned plaudits for his excellent riding this season. Home hopes of victory have been dealt a severe blow however with the news that Hector Barbera, teammate to Jorge Lorenzo and race winner in China, has broken his arm in an bicycle crash near his home. Barbera has been taken to the renowned Dexeus hospital in Barcelona and is a certainty to miss this weekend’s race and the Dutch event. 125CC Alvaro Bautista remains the runaway leader in the 125cc class, 31 points ahead of nearest rival Mika Kallio. The Spaniard was pipped to the line in Mugello by team-mate Mattia Pasini, but second place was enough to further extend his lead whilst moving the Italian up to third place overall. In 1989, through the joint collaboration of the Catalan Autonomous Government, the Montmeló Town Council and the Royal Automobile Club of Catalunya (RACC), work began on giving one of Europe´s most beautiful cities a state of the art race track to match. The Circuit de Catalunya opened on the doorstep of Barcelona in September 1991 and welcomed its first international event that same month, hosting the Spanish F1 Grand Prix. It went on to host the European Motorcycle Grand Prix for 4 seasons and in 1995 became home to the Gran Premi de Catalunya. Considered to be one of the best designed circuits of the recent era, the Circuit de Catalunya won the much coveted IRTA ´Best Grand Prix´ trophy in 2001 and has a general admission capacity of 104,000 spectators. The Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya will take place on Sunday June 18th at 2pm local time.

Millennium KWS Suzuki rider John Haner will return to action at the Miller Motorsports Park round of the AMA Superbike Championship, June 16-18, after missing nearly eight weeks of the season due to a serious shoulder injury. Haner suffered a torn rotator cuff and ruptured tendons in his right shoulder when he crashed in the AMA Superstock race April 23 at Barber Motorsports Park. He had surgery at the hands of Dr. Arthur Ting May 1 to repair the damage. Calling from his Pearland, Texas home Tuesday, Haner told Roadracingworld.com, “My shoulder still hurts, but I have full range of movement. My sponsors have told me to just take it easy, and that’s what I’m planning on doing. I just want to go out, get some laps in, do the best I can, make some money and try to get ready for when we go to Laguna Seca next month.” Lee Acree raced Haner’s Pirelli-shod Suzuki GSX-R1000 while he was recovering.

A true ‘tour de force’ gets underway at the Grand Prix of Catalunya as the MotoGP teams and riders prepare for the first of five races in six weekends in Europe and the United States. Such an intense run doesn’t allow for even the slightest of distractions and the TEAM FORTUNA HONDA riders are ready for the upcoming ‘marathon’. The fun starts in Barcelona, a home race for Toni Elias, who lives just thirty kilometres away from the Montmelò in the town of Manresa. TONI ELIAS: “Racing in front of your home crowd is an incredible feeling and this time it is 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 was useful to try and understand the bike more and find some kind of direction to work in. Within the team we have studied a few alternative solutions which I am sure will have good results in Barcelona. I’m feeling confident and motivated. I want to get back to enjoying myself and give my fans something to celebrate. Barcelona is a demanding track, an F1 circuit, but I’m ready to give my maximum and take a good result home with me.” MARCO MELANDRI: “I can’t wait to get back on track after the excellent results we had at the Mugello test. Over the race weekend we had 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. I like the track and I’ve had a lot of satisfaction there in the past. I know the podium well at Montmelò because I have already been there twice in MotoGP over the past two years. I have missed the taste of champagne and I want to sample it again.” THE TRACK: The Barcelona track itself is fast, although not quite so much as Mugello, very technical and requires good set-up in the cycle part of the bike due to the mixture of fast and slow corners. It is also a very challenging track for the MICHELIN technicians and tyre choice is fundamental because grip levels are constantly changing (it has been known to offer good grip during morning free practice only to drop dramatically in the afternoon). Tyres and suspension also have to work together to offer stability and flexibility through the varying land levels of the Catalan track. MOTOGP 2006: A MEDIATIC PHENOMENON The arrival of the MotoGP era has not simply signified a technological revolution. The spectacle of the world’s premier motorcycle sport has captured the imagination of the public and the media, seeing an incredible upturn in general interest over the past few years. The sight of great champions doing battle on track, beamed onto television screens all over the world, has turned it into one of the most fashionable sports on the planet. The recent Grand Prix of Italy was enjoyed by 90,000 spectators onsite, whilst national television figures almost hit record highs, with 7,902,000 viewers and a 50.9 % share. This figure is second only to last year’s Grand Prix of Catalunya, which was followed by an incredible total of 8,446,000 people in Italy. This level of success has been possible thanks to the enormous efforts of DORNA and national TV stations to transmit the passion of motorcycle racing. In Italy the event is broadcast by MEDIASET, who have spectators hooked all year round – from the preseason tests right the way through qualifying practice sessions and the races. Each race weekend is given nine hours of coverage by ITALIA 1 with 30 members of staff onsite including journalists, technicians, production staff and four cameras (2 in boxes and 2 in the studio), which add to the coverage provided by Dorna. For their home GP this effort was increased to 40 members of staff, including 10 cameras in the studio, box and paddock. Overall the Grand Prix of Italy was followed by 90 cameras between Dorna and Mediaset. Not a single centimetre of the track or paddock was left uncovered, with footage from the track feed complimented by onboard cameras and action from the boxes, pit-lane, paddock and studio. The Italian event was broadcast by a total of 107 television stations from 36 countries, who are able to follow the entire championship and enjoy the passion of motorcycles from home. In 2005 the MotoGP World Championship was seen by a total of 5 billion and 290 million viewers – averaging at 311 million per event. A total of 3,790 hours of coverage was broadcast on the MotoGP class alone. TV IN NUMBERS -5 billion and 290 million MotoGP television viewers, with an average of 311 millionper race (2005 season) -3,790 of televised coverage of the premier class in 207 countries – 142 of which show lives races. -107 television stations in 36 countries following the championship, as well as 112 radio stations from 22 countries. -184 countries broadcasting live coverage of the MotoGP races. -10,020 accredited journalists for the season from 59 countries with an average of 589 per GP -1243 newspaper headings from 55 countries. Italy has the record of 773 journalists present throughout the 17 race championship

Hawk Kawasaki rider Carl Rennie had a fantastic week at the Isle of Man TT achieving some great results for the Hawk Team. The 36-year-old shone in the two Superbike races scoring a seventh and sixth place respectively and gaining a 17th and 14th position in the Supersport and Superstock races. The Lancashire based rider had a near perfect week despite losing his gear lever in the Supersport Junior TT forcing him to lose a number of places and relegating him the 17th position, his worst result of the week. Rennie pulled out all the stops in the Superbike races, competing on the 04 ZX10. The bike which took John McGuinness to runner-up place at the 2004 Ulster GP and also the same machine which took Scott Smart to his maiden victory at the British Superbike race at Mondello Park. Rennie’s fastest lap time was an average speed of 124.876mph, which puts him the 13th fastest rider in the history of the TT, faster than TT legends such as Joey Dunlop, Jim Moodie and Phil McCallen. Rennie’s results in the Superbike, Saturday 3rd June and in the Senior, Friday 9th June, were an excellent achievement and certainly no easy task. Starting with number 16 meant that he had a great deal of traffic to contend with to gain the results he did. The Senior race was recorded as the fastest ever TT race and therefore, for Rennie to finish in sixth position was a true credit to him and the team. Team Manager Stuart Hicken is delighted with Carl’s results commenting “It’s been a fantastic week on the Island for the team and they have worked exceptionally hard to get the results they achieved. Carl only took delivery of the bikes a couple of months ago and to get two top ten places in the Superbike is a superb achievement. I would like to thank the following for all their dedication and commitment; Paul Rennie, Adrian Brown, Blake Adams, Debbie Rennie, Andy Davis, Derek Rennie and of course Carl, who without him this wouldn’t have been possible. They’ve done a marvellous job and I thank them all for that.” Carl was also extremely happy commenting “It’s been a very good week for me. I’ve had very few problems and everything has gone well. I was disappointed with the Superstock and Supersport results, but the two Superbike results made up for that. I lost my gear lever in the Supersport race and so had to bring the bike home and salvage what results I could. I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in making this possible, especially Stuart Hicken and the Hawk Kawasaki Team.”

Brno (Czech Republic) The development teams of the Superbike and Supersport classes are running the second day of testing at Brno. Pirelli finds once again in the formula of the development teams a strong driver in terms of development and evaluation of its new solutions. For the two classes the teams chosen by the bike Manufacturers and FGS test the new tyres which are then available for all the contenders at the races, when considered an improvement for the different bikes. This is a way of developing that assures the new tyres to be equally good for the different bikes, adapting at the best to the whole grid. This second day of activity has already offered an outstanding result: Troy Bayliss testing the new qualifying tyre brought by Pirelli has scored the new lap record. The new tyre will be brought at Misano for the whole grid, and its first verdict is quite impressive: the Ducati Xerox rider set the time of 2’00.8, that deletes every previous reference time improving the 2005 Best Lap time scored by Chris Walker of more than 2 seconds (Walker: 2’03.064) Development teams for the SBK: – Suzuki: Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra – Ducati: Ducati Xerox – Honda: Winston Ten Kate Honda – Yamaha: Yamaha Motor Italia WSB – Kawasaki: PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse – Petronas: Foggy Petronas Racing Development Teams for the SS: – Ducati: Ducati LBR Ducati Racing – Honda: Winston Ten Kate Honda – Yamaha: Yamaha Motor Germany – Kawasaki: Gil Motor Sport More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Bologna (Italy), Tuesday 13th June: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox Team) demolished the outright Superbike lap record on the second day of testing at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic. The Australian, whose has raced at Brno before but only in MotoGP, improved last year’s best lap time set by Chris Walker by over two seconds to leave the unofficial record at 2m00.8s. Bayliss’s time was set in the morning on the new qualifying tyre brought by Pirelli to the Brno development tests which on the basis of its performance here will now be provided to the entire grid at the forthcoming round of the championship in Misano Adriatico. Rain after the lunch break brought a temporary halt to proceedings but the riders present were able to complete the second day of testing on a dry track in the afternoon. “Today went much better than yesterday because I didn’t crash!” declared Troy. “Overall the day went well, I did a good time on a qualifying tyre but then it rained after lunch and we only got going again at around 4 o’clock. But I had a couple of good race tyres and did a 2m01.6 on them so I’m feeling confident. I’ve been on the podium here in MotoGP so it’s a pretty good track for me.” Lorenzo Lanzi made a good step forward today, moving up from eighth to fourth place. “This morning I did a lot of laps to try and find a good feeling,” declared Lorenzo, “and I think I achieved that because my race pace was not bad at all. In the afternoon it rained and then they closed the track early so I was unable to make the best of the qualifying tyre. However it’s a good step forward over yesterday.” TIMES: 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 2m01.6s; 2. Walker (Kawasaki) 2m02.1s; 3. Muggeridge (Honda) 2m02.2s; 4. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 2m02.5s; 5. Toseland (Honda) 2m02.5s; 6. Haga (Yamaha) 2m02.9s; 7. Pitt (Yamaha) 2m02.9s; 8. Nieto (Kawasaki) 2m03.0s; 8. Martin (Petronas) 2m03.7s; 9. Kagayama (Suzuki) 2m04.0s; 10. Foret (Suzuki) 2m04.4s. More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Steve Martin and Craig Jones made solid progress on the second day of a three-day test at the Czech Republic circuit of Brno, despite torrential rain hampering track time for much of the afternoon. Both riders were able to make strides forward with engine development and tyre evaluation, as well as chassis set-up of their PETRONAS FP1s, in preparation for the Brno round of the Superbike World Championship on 23 July. Craig Jones was immediately on his pace from the first day of the test yesterday and worked comprehensively through his set-up and tyre testing programme. And although the young Brit experienced niggling electrical difficulties during the morning, he was able to knock another second off his lap time to finish the day with a time of 2:05.22. Team-mate Steve Martin spent much of his track time evaluating new engine development parts and fine tuning his FP1’s set-up for the undulating Brno circuit. The experienced Australian rider continued to make steady progress throughout the day, also reducing his lap time by a second on yesterday and therefore lapping an impressive two seconds quicker than his best race lap time from 2005. Steve commented, “I’m pretty happy with the day and everything ran smoothly. My lap times are slowly improving as we’ve adjusted the bike settings, but there’s still more to come tomorrow as I’m not yet 100% happy with the handling, but we have a good direction to go in. I hope to be able to use a qualifier tomorrow as well. The tyres are a definite improvement on last year so Pirelli have been doing a great job. I’ve been getting a good feel for the engine developments that we’ve been testing, but there’s still more work to be done in that area, which we’ll continue tomorrow.” Craig said, “I went pretty well this morning and got straight on to my times from yesterday. A few niggling electrical issues hampered my progress a bit, but we got those sorted just before lunch. Unfortunately it then rained over the lunch hour and into the afternoon, so that stopped play for most of the afternoon and meant we had to change the focus of the test. A dry line started to appear towards the end of the day, and although the track was still quite slippery and greasy, we tested what we could at that pace and I’m happy with how it’s all going.” The three day Brno test, which concludes tomorrow, has been organised by the sole WSBK tyre supplier, Pirelli. It is being attended by all the tyre development teams representing each World Superbike manufacturer, along with most of the top riders in the championship, apart from Troy Corser, who had to remain at home after contracting chicken pox. Overall times from today (race tyres unless otherwise stated) 1. Bayliss (Ducati) 2:00.8 (qual), 2:01.6 2. Walker (Kawasaki) 2:02.1 3. Muggeridge (Honda) 2:02.2 4. Lanzi (Ducati) 2:02.5 5. Toseland (Honda) 2:02.5 6. Haga (Yamaha) 2:02.9 7. Pitt (Yamaha) 2:02.9 8. Nieto (Kawasaki) 2:03.0 9. Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:03.7 10. Kagayama (Suzuki) 2:04.0 11. Foret (Suzuki) 2:04.4 12. Jones (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:05.22