PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI’S HODGSON TO FIGHT FOR REPEAT ELKHART LAKE VICTORY Elkhart Lake (Wisconsin): Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin is the site of this weekend’s AMA Superbike doubleheader and the Parts Unlimited Ducati team will return to the track for the eighth and ninth races of the year. Riders Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom will compete on their Ducati 999 Superbikes at the 4.0-mile circuit, considered one of the best in America. The Road America circuit boasts each type of turn, from slow 90-degree bends to long sweepers to high speed sections. There are long straights which allow for drafting, including the run to the start-finish line that has seen a considerable number of close finishes in the 50-plus years of racing at the circuit. Several Ducati-mounted riders have won at Road America over the years, including Doug Polen, Pascal Picotte, Anthony Gobert, and Neil Hodgson. Hodgson won in Elkhart Lake last season with a thrilling ride in the wet. Neil braved a torrential downfall to win on his Ducati 999 Superbike, using his skills to tame the mighty L-twin horsepower in what he described as the worst conditions he has raced in during his illustrious career. “Last year was a great win for the team and me, but I hope it stays dry this time,” laughed Hodgson, the 2003 World Champion. “The test at Utah went well for us, too. I’m not sure exactly how much of that will translate to Road America because no two circuits are exactly the same. I do like the Road America track and am looking forward to the races.” Ben Bostrom says he is more confident after the successful test at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. Bostrom was quickest at the test and says he and the crew benefited greatly. “It was good to get the track time, to try some different settings on the 999 that we really don’t have a chance to try during a hectic race weekend. For us, it’s on now. We feel we can be much more competitive,” said Bostrom, the 1998 AMA Superbike champion. “I’ve never been that lucky at Elkhart before, but we feel good about things.” Getting Bostrom and Hodgson plenty of track time in recent weeks should help the team’s fortunes, says Team manager Tom Bodenbach. “We had the Fontana and Infineon races, then the test in Utah. The boys have been able to ride pretty much every week for a while and that’s good,” said Bodenbach. “This weekend, we’ll try to see how what we’ve learned translates to Road America. We’re excited about competing.” The AMA schedule calls for 16-lap Superbike races on Saturday and Sunday. The Circuit: Located in the Wisconsin countryside, the 4.0-mile (6.43 kilometer), 14-turn Road America circuit is in many ways a European-style track. There are several long straights for the powerful Superbikes to reach top speeds, each with a 90 degree turn at the end that prove to be great passing zones. Road America also features turns like The Carousel and The Kink, which was altered several years ago to improve safety. AMA Superbike points (after seven races): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 257 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 227 3. Miguel Duhamel, 198 4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 183 5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 179 6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 173 7. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 168 8. Jake Zemke, Honda 156 9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 148 10. Larry Pegram, Honda 133

Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore and Steve Rapp and Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich gave rides on GSX-R1000s to members of the local media and V.I.P.s with the Champ Car series during a joint media day Wednesday at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The media event was a cross-promotion of this weekend’s AMA Superbike event at Road America and the Champ Car event at the Milwaukee Mile. It included a press conference with Pridmore, Rapp, Ulrich and Champ Car drivers Nelson Philippe and Will Power and rides in the Champ Car series’ Ford Mustang pace cars (with Champ Car’s normal pace car drivers at the controls), rides as passengers on sidecar rigs and rides on Pridmore’s STAR School Suzukis and Ulrich’s two-seat Superstock racebike. Media attendance at the event was light, but Pridmore had the opportunity to give John Pipines, Sports Director for WITI FOX-TV Milwaukee, a one-lap ride. “I just had the ride of my life,” Pipines told Roadracingworld.com. “It gives you such appreciation to go out with a professional (like Pridmore).” Ulrich gave several guests rides, including Champ Car pace car driver Kelly Williams, “The Face of Champ Car” Brandi Latimer and Champ Car racers Philippe and Power. All came away with excited comments and a new respect for motorcycle road racing, but Philippe and Power said they felt an even greater appreciation and stronger attraction to the sport. “It was really a lot of fun,” said 19-year-old Philippe, who drives a Ford/Cosworth-powered Lola for CTE Racing – HVM. “To be honest with you, the braking did not impress me, because it is around the same thing we do. Maybe we brake a little more. But the acceleration, you can’t compare. I don’t know how much the bike weighs. Compared to the car, the power-to-weight ratio is amazing. The acceleration is pretty amazing. It made me want to own a bike. I want to go and race with them now. I rode with him, but now I wish I could ride by myself. I used to do a little bit of riding, so it makes me want to go out.” “It was good, good fun,” said 25-year-old Power (who drives a Ford/Cosworth-powered Lola for Team Australia and is currently ninth in the Champ Car Championship) after rides with Rapp and with Ulrich. “I really enjoyed it. I think I’m going to have to get a bike now. I’ve got to do it myself. It was really, really good. “In our cars, you get a lot of braking G(-force)’s, but these have acceleration G’s. Being a passenger you have to hold on, so I guess you exert more energy. And I’m not used to not having anything around me.” Power pointed out that having Ulrich’s teammate Robertino Pietri ride his GSX-R1000 Superstock racebike in close proximity enhanced the experience. “It was good to have the other bike out there, too, just to get the experience of what it’s like when they race,” said Power. “He came up and brushed past me at maximum speed on the straight. That was a bit scary, but it was good fun.” Ulrich’s team has been doing media rides using two-seat racebikes for about five years. Because Pridmore is holding a STAR-school session at the track next week and the Jordan team’s race shop is located relatively nearby, Road America asked the Jordan team to also participate.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 31, 2006) — The following information is in response to recent media reports regarding the status of traction control rules in AMA Superbike AMA Pro Racing remains committed to the enforcement of all rules specified in the AMA Superbike Championship Rulebook. As stated on page 36 of the 2006 rulebook, Telemetry and Traction Control are prohibited (Section E, General Equipment Standards, subsection 23). AMA Pro Racing technical staff will continue to perform routine pre- and post-race technical inspection of selected equipment. Any machine suspected of utilizing prohibited traction control devices is subject to impounding for further technical evaluation at AMA headquarters (Section C, Equipment Offenses and Penalties, subsection 2, page 61.) AMA Pro Racing also remains committed to the proactive governance of new and emerging technology as it relates to its racing disciplines. The newly formed AMA Racing Standing Committee will evaluate such technology on an ongoing basis and provide strategic counsel to the AMA Board of Directors. Additionally, as part of AMA Pro Racing’s new rulesmaking procedures announced in February, all new rules and changes to existing rules will be scrutinized by discipline-specific rulesmaking committees before being forwarded to the AMA Board of Directors for ratification. Any changes to traction control regulations fall under this procedure.

Pfeifer Wins Big in Vegas! Well three CCS Southwest races anyway! Jack Pfeifer on his Pirelli equipped Kawasaki ZX10R created quite a stir with the regular CCS competitors who attended the races on the Las Vegas classic course when he won the Unlimited GP race on Saturday and in doing so breaking the Unlimited GP race win streak of Mark Ledesma who had gone undefeated this season at all the previous CCS Southwest rounds held so far this year. Jack was unable to follow up with another win during Sunday’s double-header event. Jack said he had chosen the wrong compound rear tire and knew from lap two that it wasn’t going to happen again, but Jack was just as happy to finish second and seemed to be overjoyed just being at the races. Jack also won both Unlimited Supersport races of the double-header weekend. Competing on his Kawasaki ZX6RR and starting from the back of the grid Jack finished the weekend with two 2nds and a 3rd in Middleweight Supersport and Superbike.

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 31, 2006) Only one week remains to register for the additional allotment of paddock passes recently released for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix July 21-23 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, featuring the MotoGP World Championship and the AMA Superbike Championship. Continuing through Tuesday, June 6 at 5:00 p.m. (PST), motorcycle fans may register for up to 6 paddock passes, equal to the number of general admission tickets that person has purchased. At the conclusion of the registration period, orders will be drawn and filled randomly until the allotment of paddock passes has been sold. All entries will require a valid credit card to enter the selection process. The card will not be charged, however, until that purchaser has had their reservation slip selected. The random selection process will bring the total number of paddock passes sold equal to the 2005 event, the largest event in the history of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Entries may be made on-line at www.laguna-seca.com/paddockpasses or during normal business hours at (800) 327-SECA. Only one entry per person, per address, per credit card will be accepted. Duplicate entries will void all previous entries by that individual. Entries will be drawn at random beginning at 9:00 a.m. (PST) on Wednesday, June 7 by an Independent Contracted Auditor. Complete rules are available at www.laguna-seca.com/paddockpasses. A number of spectator amenities have been announced to improve the 2006 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. A new traffic flow plan is in place to also help to increase the fan experience. Highlights of the plan include all general admission parking off-site, with spectators transported via shuttle bus; a motorcycle-only entrance; and increased staffing and directional signage. Additionally, the number of concession stands has been increased dramatically, the official souvenir store will now be housed in an 8,000 square foot tent in Yamaha Marketplace, and more and better located restrooms will be available throughout the facility. More information is available at www.laguna-seca.com. Tickets are on sale now for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s 50th Season of Racing including the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix July 21-23, the 33rd Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races August 18-20 and the Monterey Sports Car Championships featuring the American Le Mans Series October 20-22. Tickets and more information are available by calling (800) 327-SECA or on-line at www.RedBullUSGrandPrix.com.

Team Motorrad Suzuki Motorrad has decided today to revoke the contract of the Australian rider Anthony Gobert. During the present season the rider has not performed at the expected level in the Spanish National FX championship, and, as a result, after various consultations with suppliers and sponsors. It has been decided to dissolve the contract that united the parties. The Coronas Suzuki Motorrad team wished Anthony Gobert every success in his professional and personal future. The team, although currently competing with four riders, two in FX and two in Supersport, is negotiating the possibility of including an additional rider in its FX structure. This rider would take Gobert’s place and have at his disposition the support and material originally designated to the Australian. Although the conversations are at an advanced stage, there will not be time to resolve the matter prior to the Jerez round of the Spanish National Championship to be held on June 10 and 11.

TORONTO, ON Jordan Szoke and the Canadian Kawasaki factory team head into this weekend’s second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant hoping history will be on their side. Szoke was the winner the last time the national tour visited the daunting 4.27km, 15-turn circuit while riding for Honda in 2004. The previous year, on the Canadian series’ first visit to Le Circuit Tom Kipp rode his Kawasaki ZX-7RR to victory. Those respective wins were the last for Szoke and Kawasaki until two weeks ago at the 2006 Parts Canada Superbike series opener at Shannonville Motorsport Park, where Szoke rode his new Kawasaki ZX-10R to an impressive victory to take the early lead in the standings. Szoke is aiming to become just the third rider to win three Canadian Superbike titles since the inception of the national championship in 1980. The select group includes Steve Crevier, who has won six championships, and Michel Mercier. Szoke was previously the Canadian champion in 1998 for Kawasaki and 2002 with Suzuki. The Brantford, ON racer will face many challengers in his bid for a second straight win at Mont-Tremblant. Chief among them could be his own teammate, Kipp, who qualified on pole for the season opener at Shannonville and finished fifth in the race. Another threat will be the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot squad of Francis Martin and Clint McBain. Martin, from Rock Forest, QC, is the defending Parts Canada Superbike champion and placed third at Shannonville. Calgary’s McBain is coming off a nasty fall at the season opener, but should be ready for action this weekend and won two races last year. Another rider nursing injuries is Picotte Performance / Yamaha Canada / Toyota Yamaha’s Pascal Picotte. The two-time champion from St-Cecil Milton, QC finished fourth in round 1 despite racing with broken vertebrae, a broken toe and banged up knees sustained in a crash in the U.S. in April. His teammate Kevin Lacombe of Granby, QC finished second at Shannonville and was also a race winner last season. Darkhorses this weekend include Armour Bodies Honda’s Erick Beausejour of Val Senneville, QC, Riders Choice Suzuki’s Matt McBride of Mississauga, ON, Z1 Yamaha’s Andrew Nelson of Kars, ON and Kahuna Kawasaki’s Frank Trombino of Kleinburg, ON. Szoke will also be looking to stretch his lead in the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike support class. He won the season opener at Shannonville comfortably over McBain and Lacombe. This weekend’s action also features the second rounds of the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike, Canadian Thunder and Suzuki SV650 National Cup divisions. Karl Daigle of Roxton Pond, QC rode his Honda to victory in the Amateur 600 opener two weeks ago, while defending champion Darren James of North Vancouver triumphed in Thunder on a Buell and Brantford, ON’s Rob Busby took the SV Cup win. Official practice for the Parts Canada Superbike Championship will be held Friday, with qualifying for the national classes on Saturday afternoon. Feature races will go Sunday.

John McGuinness heads the entry for the 99th annual running of the Isle of Man TT races and having already warmed up with a high speed lap of the demanding 37.73 mile Mountain Course during practice, the Lancastrian is brimming with confidence. The winner of eight races on this unique public roads course, that takes the action on a round trip of the picturesque Island, starting and finishing in Douglas, and charging through towns and village, open countryside and then high over Snaefell Mountain, McGuinness has factory backed HM Plant Honda machines as he bids for glory in all four solo races. On three wheels, local favourite Dave Molyneux, a record eleven times sidecar race winner, passengered by Craig Hallam, also has the benefit of Honda power as he bids for another winning double in the two events for the ‘chairs’, on Monday and Wednesday, that are a vital part of the TT tradition. The racing programme begins with the TT Superbike race, decided over six laps, on Saturday, with McGuinness firmly focussed on achieving an ‘action-replay’ of his success of last year, in both that and the ‘blue-riband’ Senior race the following Friday. He has already lapped the course at an average speed of 125mph during his preparations, and is feeling confident: “I’ve won the previous three big races here, and have the top package to race with and with Honda I am feeling relaxed and ready to race. “I know that I have a target on my back for the others, and it is good to see more young riders challenging, but I am not feeling any stress. Everything is shaping up to be very good,” added McGuinness who holds the outright record, with a lap of 127.68mph, though he admits speed is not everything. “The important thing is to be smooth and consistent, get going and enjoy, riding within your limits, keeping safety margins that do not push you over the edge. The event is just so different, totally unique.” Ian Lougher, seven times a winner, could pose problems for McGuinness. He is riding a similar Honda CBR1000, but in the colour of British Superbike team Stobart Motorsport, as he bids for his first ‘big-bike’ win on the Island. “For some reason, success in these races has always eluded me for one reason or another, but this year I feel I have the ammunition to go out there and win,” he said after consistently fast lapping, at an average of 123mph, in early practice. Cameron Donald and Martin Finnegan adds to the Honda challenge, but they are all well aware of the threat posed by Guy Martin, keen to taste maiden TT glory, and looking strong on the AIM Racing Yamaha R1, while New Zealander Bruce Anstey, riding the TAS Suzuki GSX-R1000, and Ian Hutchinson, aboard the Kawasaki ZX-10R cannot be ruled out. Lougher, who admits: “I’ve always been referred to as a small-bike rider” expects to add to his collection of victories with a repeat of last year’s triumph in the Junior race for Supersport 600 machines. He will be riding a Honda CBR 600R, in Blackhorse Finance colours, in Wednesday’s four lap race, as he duels with McGuinness, aboard the official Honda CBR 600R entered machine, with both Guy, riding Yamaha, Hutchinson aboard the McAdoo Kawasaki and Jason Griffiths on a Yamaha certain to be on the pace. Griffiths, eleven times a podium finisher on the Island, but so far still chasing that elusive first TT victory, could achieve that ambition in Monday’s four lap Superstock race he has adopted the Island as his home and is keen to impress the locals aboard the Yamaha R1, and has topped 123mph in practice already. Martin is hot on the charge, but McGuinness is running with them aboard his Fireblade. “I have a chance to match the record of four wins a week held by Philip McCallen that would really be something special,” said McGuinness, but nothing comes easy in this event, with top riders including Anstey, riding Suzuki, and Kawasaki’s Hutchinson equally hungry for glory. The sidecar races are expected to fall to Molyneux. Last year he took his eleventh win in style, trimming an astonishing 30 seconds off his own lap record and already he is lapping at almost 115mph, but with Manx duo Nick Crowe and Darren Hope expected to push him hard ironically, they are riding a sidecar outfit built and prepared by Molyneux. For World champion Klaus Klaffenbock and Christian Parzer are back for more aboard their LCR Honda, but the real test for Molyneux and Crowe is expected to be provided by Gary Bryan/Colin Hardman and Phil Dongworth/Stuart Castles aboard Yamaha powered machines. The timetable for TT Race Week is: Saturday 3rd June 13:00 TT Superbike Race (6 laps) Monday 5th June 10:45 TT Superstock Race (4 laps) 13:15 Sidecar TT Race A (3 laps) Wednesday 7th June 10:45 Supersport Junior TT Race (4 laps) 13:15 Sidecar TT Race B (3 laps) Friday 9th June 10:45 Senior TT Race (6 laps) 14:00 Lap of Honour and Classic Parade

No matter how much riders insist they ride equally hard at every track there is usually a ‘home’ track factor that counts in favour of riders competing in their own countries. Italian Giacomo Agostini won the first race held here in 1976 and Valentino Rossi has won the last four races here too. In between those years there have been multiple wins for Honda legends Freddie Spencer and Mick Doohan but the last five podiums have featured at least two Italians. The 2005 rostrum was a clean sweep for Italian riders. Current World Championship series leader Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) knows he has to stem the tide of Italian winners here on Sunday to give his title challenge fresh impetus after he failed to make the rostrum in France two weeks ago. The American had, until Le Mans, shown the consistency that marks out true title contenders with eight rostrum finishes on the trot. He needs to rediscover that form and a successful weekend in the backyard of the reigning World Champion would be a perfect tonic for the Kentucky Kid. His team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) has tasted success here in the 250cc class with a win last year and his rapid acclimatization to MotoGP in his rookie season suggests that similar success is by no means out of the question. He now knows precisely how to achieve it after his victory in China. Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) will be aiming to repeat his win in France and the Italian will rank among the pre-event favourites to score maximum points here. He is so far the only man this season to have scored two wins and his second place overall in the World Championship points table is fully deserved. He won here in 2002 on a 250 and just missed out on a podium place in 2005 on his first season on a Honda RC211V. He will be highly motivated both by legions of fans and by the prospect of taking control at the top of the World Championship standings if he wins. Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) rides here for the first time on a 990cc machine and the genial Aussie has the added spur of representing his Italian-run team at their home race. He finished second here in 2004 on a 125. For Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) this is a race where his season could either take a huge leap forward or condemn the buoyant Spaniard to the middle ranks of the points table. After five rounds he lies seventh with just under half the points tally of his team-mate Melandri. But he has finished as high as fourth in the opening round in Spain and only once been out of the top ten finishers. He has the talent for a podium here and it would be no less than his Italian-run team deserves. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) has been showing signs of improved form lately with a sixth and a seventh at the last two races. Again, his Italian-based team would like nothing more than another leap forward in form from the Japanese ace. Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) will again be looking to take development of his Honda-powered machine forward here. With three races this month closely followed by three in July, now is the time when big improvements in chassis performance will pay dividends. All riders will under the gaze of more than 70,000 hardcore Italian race fans who flock to the Tuscan hills to cheer on their ‘home’ riders. In a sea of colour, various troupes of fans camp out in specific areas to cheer on their riders. Just 30km north east of Florence Mugello is a high-speed carousel of a track, with rolling, cambered turns and a 215mph 1141m main straight. At 5.245km it’s among the longer tracks too. Racing here tends to be close with spectacular slipstreaming action along the main chute and epic close-quarter fights in the turns, nine of which are right-handers, six left. Rhythm is the key to a fast lap here and a race rhythm over the 23-laps of the MotoGP contest will be crucial. It is also a ‘power’ circuit and so the Honda riders need have no worries about being short in that department here. “I’m really excited about going to Mugello because it’s an awesome place to race,” said Hayden. “The Italian fans really love their Grand Prix racing and it’s just an exciting place to be. The track is really good to ride and with that long straightaway drafting comes into play which usually makes for a close race. It’s an important one too, going into the summer, because we’ve got a lot of races coming up.” Dani said, “Mugello is one of the most complicated circuits we race on. It has a lot of variation: slow corners, fast corners, elevation changes and there are quite a few bumps that make the suspension set-up critical. It’s a really challenging track and was very physical to ride on a 250, so on a MotoGP bike I think it will be very tiring. But I’m really looking forward to it.” Stoner likes the layout and said, “Even though this is LCR’s home race I’m not feeling any extra pressure and Mugello is a track where I’ve always been fast I rate it as one of two best tracks in the world, up there with Phillip Island. The Italian Grand Prix is always a tough race because of the warm weather and the physical demands of the track, but I’ve been training hard.” Marco Melandri said, “The victory at Le Mans was a huge emotion, the best possible ‘antipasto’ before my home race. To head back to Italy straight after a win is fantastic even though Mugello will be a completely different story. My home race in front of so many supporters will be difficult because there are so many potential winners but I am one of them and I am ready to fight for the podium.” His team-mate Elias sai, “Mugello is a very technical track that requires good physical preparation because of the frequent changes in direction. In terms of riding it’s one of the most difficult tracks on the calendar. This year will be my first time there with a MotoGP bike last year I was unable to take part because of the broken wrist I sustained at Le Mans. I don’t have any references so hopefully I can find a good base setting quickly and adapt well to Mugello.” Tamada said, “The Mugello track is for sure one of my favourite. The endless front straightway and fast bends make it fantastic to ride at. The data we got during the last two Grands Prix gave us interesting information and I think we are very close to reaching the best technical balance on our RC211V. I feel the Italian Grand Prix as my second home race and I can’t wait to get on track.” Roberts said, “We have been working to finish the last modifications we have to make to the new chassis we brought to Le Mans. We are getting there I can run deeper into the turns with this bike. We are at maybe 80% of where we need to be but I think we will be closer this week at Mugello. If it doesn’t rain again.” In the 250cc class series leader Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) takes to the track with massive support and the Italian will be aiming to increase his points advantage over closest rival Hector Barbera. But Mugello is also home track to the Aprilia factory and it will be going flat out to provide its riders with as much speed as possible here. This race should prove an intriguing factory and individual battle between the in-form Honda riders and the Aprilia men. Dovi said, “The start of the season has been positive so far, even though I haven’t won yet, but it’s very important to lead the World Championship with a 14 points advantage. Honda dominated the whole podium at Le Mans, but it will be harder at Mugello as it’s a fast track and favours the Aprilias. But, as always, I’ll do my best with my bike, which is a competitive machine.” Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW), currently tenth in the standings said, “After the podium finish in France we have to continue to follow the same working line in Italy. I don’t know the Mugello circuit, only from video games, but everybody is telling me that it’s a very difficult and demanding circuit, both as regards the mechanical aspects and the rider. I hope to be able to make another good weekend to thank for the excellent job my team is making. The most important thing will be practice.” Dovi’s team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) said, “This is not a favourite circuit for Honda, but my team and I are very motivated after the victory at Le Mans. After the race in France, I went back to Japan where I celebrated my first success along with my family and friends. I feel well and in good shape and the atmosphere inside the box is perfect, so there are all the ingredients for a good result even at Mugello.” Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) is now back on top form in the 125cc class after a turbulent start to his season. He won in France two weeks ago and the Swiss World Champion is upbeat about his chances at a track where he finished second last season. He said, “I like the track at Mugello and with the bike working so well we hope for another good result after Le Mans but it will be tough I think any one of eight riders could win in Italy.” Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) said, “Last Thursday I was shooting an advertisement with a Honda production bike, when I crashed out at the first curve. It’s strange as there wasn’t grip and suddenly I was high-sided. I hurt my left shoulder but, luckily, nothing broken. I feel pain, I’m doing lots of physiotherapy and I hope Doctor Costa will help me to be 100% ready for the Italian race.” Rookie of tender years, 15-year-old Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) said, “It looks like a difficult track lots of hills, lots of bits and pieces. I’ve been on the Playstation, watching DVDs and trying to get an overall feeling before I actually go. It’s never the same until you’ve ridden it but you get an overall idea.”