EAST TROY, Wis. Buell Motorcycle Company has selected Sentry Insurance as the preferred insurance provider for Buell owners in the United States. Buell worked closely with Sentry over the last two years to find the best way to lower insurance rates on Buell motorcycles. As a result, many Buell owners will pay significantly lower premiums on their motorcycles insured through Sentry. “We’re excited to work with Sentry Insurance to provide Buell owners lower insurance rates. This is the most comprehensive alliance we are aware of between a manufacturer and an insurance company with the common objective of reducing the costs of ownership and insurance,” says Jon Flickinger, President and COO of Buell Motorcycle Company. Sentry has developed a special process for calculating insurance quotes for Buell motorcycles which does not use other sportbike insurance losses as part of the formula. Now Buell owners who receive a quote from Sentry should get a more competitive quote based on the lower claims costs for Buell motorcycles. “Insurance premiums can represent one of the highest costs of owning a motorcycle,” says Nick Fiore, Motorcycle Product Manager, Sentry Insurance. “With Sentry Insurance, the costs of owning a Buell motorcycle can be considerably less than owning any other sportbike on the market.” Sentry Insurance will provide quotes on older Buell models as well as new models. Additional coverage can be purchased for Buell optional equipment. Sentry motorcycle insurance is available through Harley-Davidson Insurance and is offered in 42 states. To receive a competitive quote, Buell owners and customers can call Harley-Davidson Insurance at 866-816-5816. Sentry is one of the top 10 insurers of motorcycles in the United States. Sentry and its property and casualty insurance subsidiaries are rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company, the country’s most authoritative insurance rating and information service. With 70 percent of Buell owners currently choosing Sentry as their preferred provider, Sentry is the fastest growing insurance carrier for Buell motorcycle owners. Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure street fighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. Pull into www.buell.com for the Buell dealer nearest you.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has traveled back to Europe for the fifth round of the MotoGP World Championship planning to carry on the impressive form from recent weeks. John Hopkins qualified second and finished fourth his best career result so far at Shanghai last weekend and team-mate Chris Vermeulen took pole-position and a very creditable seventh in Turkey two weeks before that. Now Rizla Suzuki MotoGP moves onto the Alice Grand Prix de France eager to follow up on its strong performances. The Le Mans circuit is one of the most famous motorsport venues in the world. The riders will race on the 4.1km long Bugatti Circuit, which shares a part of the front straight with the historic 24-hour track. The layout is of a stop-start nature with tight corners joined by straights and sporadic chicanes. It also includes the fastest first corner in the world, where riders will go through at speeds in excess of 290km/h. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will begin practice for the fifth round of the MotoGP World Championship on Friday morning followed by further practice sessions in the afternoon and on Saturday morning. The qualifying practice will be held on Saturday afternoon as both riders will attempt to get the best starting positions for the race on Sunday 21st May at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT). Paul Denning Team Manager: “It was really exciting to see John racing the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R at the front of last week’s race. It shows how far we have come in a short space of time and added to Chris’ performance in Turkey it has been a real bonus for all the team. “We will be trying as hard as we can to make sure both the guys can be competitive this weekend. Chris is coming to Le Mans for the first time and will need to learn the track as quickly as possible to be on the pace. John had a good qualifying here last year and the Bridgestone tyres worked very well so that all points in our favour for this weekend. “Shanghai showed that the bike has improved dramatically both in wet and dry conditions John’s second place during qualifying in the dry and his third in the wet practice, added to his race performance proved that – but Le Mans is a track that requires high acceleration and we are under no illusions that we will have to work hard to find the best set-up for race day.”

Polish Road Racing Motorcycle Championship Round One Final Report Poznan circuit Superbike and Superstock 1000 Total dominance! Team’s Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav Racing System riders finished one and two in Sunday’s Polish Superbike season opener in Poznan, 4083meter racetrack hosting round one of the eight race championship. Just as predicted, Saturday’s pole-setter 27-year-old Andrzej Pawelec was out of reach right from the word go, finishing the 16’lap race in 26 minutes, five seconds and 443 tents, almost 23 seconds ahead of the rest of 24 men field. Starting from the second place on the grid, Slawek Grausam took the lead coming in to the first corner but his superb launch off the line left the 29-year-old with a slipping clutch which made it impossible for the rider from Lodz to keep in touch with Pawelec after being passed already on turn two. In the end, Grausam crossed the finish line in second, 27 seconds ahead of Piotr Stachowiak who completed the all-Yamaha Superbike class podium. It was the first race held at the “Poznan” circuit after its recent repavement with Pawelec, a Nowy Tomysl resident, setting a new track record already on lap three with a fantastic 1:36.104. Unfortunately it wasn’t such a good day for the Wallrav boys in the Superstock 1000 category. Starting from the third place on the grid as the first Superstock 1000 rider in the combined race of the two 1000cc classes, last years vice champion Ireneusz Sikora lowsided his Yamaha YZF-R1 already on the second lap of the race after comfortably following the reigning champion, 23-year-old Bartek Wiczynski. The 35-year-old from Mikolow, who spend last season gaining experience in the MotoGP’s support class series – the BMW Power Cup, was left without any points but Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav’s RS second Superstock 1000 rider wasn’t even allowed on the grid after qualifying on 9’th place on Saturday. Jaroslaw Rejmann bravely battled with pain during the whole weekend after injuring his hand two weeks ago during testing and was unable to take part in the race after a post warm-up decision of the team. Fortunately the 38-year-old from Zielona Gora is likely to be fully fit before round two of the Polish Championship which takes place in Poznan between 10 and 11 of June. The Superstock 1000 race was won by Pawel Szkopek (Kawasaki), last year’s World Supersport permanent rider who finished nine seconds ahead of Wiczynski (Suzuki) and younger brother Marek Szkopek (Yamaha). Andrzej Pawelec, grid: 1, race: 1’st, 1’st overall “It was a good and a rather uneventful race for me after running away from the rest of the field and comfortably leading until the checkered flag. I would like to thank all the people involved in creating such a professional team for this season. Everbody in the Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav RS squad hope that we’ll be able to keep this pace going until the end of the season and take the Superbike championship that I could add to my four national Supersport crowns and one Superstock 1000 title.” Slawek Grausam, grid: 2, race: 2’nd, 2’nd overall “I’ve had a good start but Andrzej soon got by me and I simply couldn’t keep up with him after damaging my clutch on the grid. It was a shame but anyway he was very fast and I’m happy with my result. Lets wait for round two.” Ireneusz Sikora, grid 1’st (3’rd overall), race: DNF “After the start I took it easy and was following Bartek Wiczynski on the opening laps when all of a sudden I’ve ended up lowsiding in the gravel after absolutely no warning at all from the front of my Yamaha. It was very strange but I really want to put this disappointment behind me and concentrate on round two.” Jaroslaw Rejmann, grid: 9’th (13’th overall), race: DNS “Unfortunately I couldn’t start the race at all which is very disappointing but with my recent injury still being an issue it was not safe for me to go out on the track today. Hopefully I should be fully fit for the next race. I would like to thank all the fans who cheered our team during the whole weekend.” Superstock 600 Double podium for Kaczor Round one of the Superstock 600 Polish Road Racing Championship saw Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav RS team’s rider Piotr Kaczor qualifying on the front row and finishing both races of the double header in the second place. The 34-year-old from Poznan started both races from the second position and finished them in the same fashion following Yamaha’s reigning champion Marcin Kaldowski to the flag (the Superstock 600 class was introduced this year replacing the Supersport category). Piotr Dobrowolski on a Kawasaki and Maciej Kubacki on a Triumph provided a breathtaking duels for the final spot on the podium in both races eventually sharing the two third place trophies. With Dobrowolski getting the upper hand on Saturday before Kubacki’s revenge the following day. Both are now 11 points behind Kaczor in the overall standings of the Superstock 600 class after two races. Piotr Kaczor, grid: 2’nd, race 1: 2’nd, race 2: 2’nd, 2’nd overall “My Yamaha YZF-R6 still isn’t fully prepared as it’s a new model on the market and not everything is ready for it but we plan to get the bike fully tuned and set-up before the second round of the season. I couldn’t keep up with Marcin this weekend but once we get the bike sorted I belive we’ll give a good show. Anyway this weekend I was in a comfortable second in both races and after almost outbraking myself a few times trying to chase Marcin down I’ve decided to take the bike home in once piece and earn some very important championship points. Good weekend overall.” Yamaha YZF-R1 Cup Mixed fortunes for Walilko Rafa Walilko, Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav RS sixth rider had mixed fortunes in two of this weekends “Yamaha YZF-R Cup” inaugural races, finishing fourth on Saturday and seventh on Sunday after a post jump start drive-thru penalty. Happy with his performance in the opening race, the 32-year-old from Zielona Gora, who qualified in third on the grid, was eager on get on the podium on Sunday but the jump start penalty made it impossible. Walilko now fourth in the general standings with 22 points, the Chairman of the team’s main sponsor Wallrav, a sole producer of motorcycle accessories including rear sets, crashpads, stands etc., anyway declared himself happy with the performance of the whole squad during the weekend. Both Yamaha YZF-R1 Cup races were won by Robert Kowalski, now a series leader, twice finishing 12 seconds ahead of Przemyslaw Janik with Michal Klejnot and Szymon Dziwer lining up the top three in the first and second race respectively. Rafal Walilko, grid: 3’rd, race 1: 4’th, race 2: 7’th, 4’th overall “Of course I’m not happy at all with the final result of the second race, especially after my Saturday’s top four finish but that’s racing. I’ve made a jump start and had to take penalty. Another rider who made the same mistake decided not to do a drive-thru and was disqualified after finishing in fourth and after having a good dice for the podium with him on Saturday I know I could have been right with him in the second race as well looking for a top three finishing. I’ve learned my lesson and looking forward to do so in the next round. As a chairman of Wallrav I’m really happy with our performance on the race track this past weekend. I really hope that our products will grow together with the Yamaha Pawelec team which will make both our fans and customers, satisfied.” Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav Racing Systems Team”¦ “¦is new to the Polish Motorcycle Championship but its line-up consists of the most talented and succesful names in the history of polish road racing. Andrzej Pawelec, being just 27-year-old has already five consecutive national titles to his credit with four Supersport and one Superstock 1000 crown to his name and World Superbike/IDM Superbike/World Endurance experience under his belt. The Yamaha rider for his whole career this year is also responsible for the highly entertaining “Yamaha YZF-R1 Cup” a Championship support class where another member of the team Rafal Walilko, races. Pawelec is also well known for posting the record pace laps on Poland’s sole circuit in Poznan riding a 600cc Yamaha R6 was faster than any of the Superbike rider and usually finishing the races with a 20 seconds+ advantage. Slawek Grausam has always been one of the most impressive Superbike rider in Poland, taking multiple top 3 finishes in the class final standings on an underpowered and privately run hand-me-down bikes. This year the 29-year-old races with a professional team on a full spec. Superbike Yamaha YZF-R1 machinery, on a Dunlop tyres, and is looking forward to pressure his team-mate in a battle for the Superbike national crown that’s almost certain to be won by one of the Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav RS Team’s riders. Ireneusz Sikora is another established rider in Poland with international World Endurance experience. Just as Grausam, Sikora, now 35-years-old, was usually a top rider in his class the Superstock 1000, riding an underpowered bikes. This year, after taking second place in the title hunt last year, he looks forward to secure the national title and helping his teammate Jaroslaw Rejmann in his rookie season the Superstock 1000 category. Piotr Kaczor being 34-years-old has already ten years of national racing experience, most with Yamaha and multiple victories in the 600cc classes to his credit. The rider from Poznan is looking forward to winning even more of them in his bid to take the Superstock 600 title away from last year’s champion Marcin Kaldowski. Team’s main sponsor, Wallrav is a sole polish company that produces motorcycle racing and road accessories including rear sets, crashpads, bike stands etc. For more informations check out the company’s website at www.wallrav.com. Yamaha Pawelec other sponsors include: PPG, Dunlop, AC-Schnitzer, Castrol, Dabex and Intermotors. 2006 Calendar National level of racing in Poland consists of six round, eight race championship for each of the three classes taking place across three race tracks. Amongst those circuit there’s only one situated inside Poland, this being the “Poznan circuit”. The home of fours rounds is situated just outside Poznan, one of Poland’s most picture-square cities, just a couple of hours away from Berlin. 4083’meter long circuit consists of seven right and five left hand corners with no elevation changes but all sort of corner types from the ultrafast right-hander at the end of the start/finish straight to the superbly tight and slow turn two one of the best passing place on the track. With the recent repavement of the track, the Poznan circuit looks set to become the most favorite destination of the racers from the middle Europe. Two remaining rounds take place in the Czech Republic on a world class, MotoGP standard race track in Brno and Most. Round 1 13-14.05 Poznan Round 2 10-11.06 Poznan Round 3 15-16.07 Brno (Czech Republic) Round 4 29-30.07 Most (Czech Republic) Round 5 5-6.08 Poznan Round 6 2-3.09 Poznan Polish Motorcycle Road Racing Championship – Round One Races Results: Superbike 1. Andrzej Pawelec Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav RS, Yamaha YZF-R1 26:05.433 2. Slawek Grausam Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav RS, Yamaha YZF-R +22.658 3. Piotr Stachowiak, Yamaha +49.541 4. Piotr Kaminski, Suzuki +1:18.845 5. Adam Kropiwnicki, Suzuki +1.21.238 6. Mariusz Grandys, Suzuki +1:38.157 7. Igor Nowacki, Yamaha +1 lap 8. Uve Kantimm, Suzuki +1 lap 9. Hubert Tomaszewski, Suzuki +1 lap 10. Marek Szwarc, Kawasaki +1 lap 11. Maciej Serafin, Yamaha + lap Superstock 1000 1. Pawel Szkopek, Kawasaki 26:27.061 2. Bartek Wiczynski, Suzuki +9.097 3. Marek Szkopek, Yamaha +9.186 4. Janusz Oskaldowicz, Yamaha +23.206 5. Alek Dubelski, Kawasaki +27.556 6. Adam Badziak, Suzuki +47.723 7. Filip Andrzejewski, Yamaha +57.240 Superstock 600 Race one (Saturday) 1. Marcin Kaldowski, Yamaha, 25.21.024 2. Piotr Kaczor, Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav RS, Yamaha YZF-R6, +10.513 3. Piotr Dobrowolski, Kawasaki +19.483 4. Maciej Kubacki, Triumph +19.615 5. Monika Jaworska, Suzuki +56.940 6. Jakub Glaser (Cz), Yamaha +1:00.000 7. Dariusz Malkiewicz, Yamaha +1:09.747 8. Krzysztof Troszczy ski, Yamaha +1 lap 9. Wojciech Swierczynski, Yamaha +1 lap 10. Tomasz Pukmiel, Kawasaki +1 lap 11. Krzysztof Howil, Honda +1 lap 12. Miroslaw Beznoska (Cz), Suzuki +1 lap Race 2 (Sunday) 1. Marcin Kaldowski, Yamaha 25:15.984 2. Piotr Kaczor, Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav RS, Yamaha YZF-R6 3. Maciej Kubacki, Triumph +13.858 4. Piotr Dobrowolski, Kawasaki +14.175 5. Monika Jaworska, Suzuki +49.601 6. Jakub Glaser (Cz), Yamaha +50.550 7. Michal Pernach, Suzuki +51.782 8. Dariusz Malkiewicz, Yamaha +1:25.977 9. Tomasz Pukmiel, Kawasaki +1 lap 10. Krzysztof Howil, Honda +1 lap 11. Miroslaw Beznoska (Cz), Suzuki +1 lap Yamaha YZF-R1 Cup Race 1 (Saturday) 1. Robert Kowalski 8:51.640 2. Przemyslaw Janik +12.332 3. Michal Klejnot +18.465 4. Rafa Walilko, Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav RS +21.302 5. Szymon Dziawer +21.325 6. Pawel Stachurski +31.275 7. Pawel Kusyk +33.003 8. Henryk Kwasniewski +44.293 9. Marek Drgas +1 lap 10. Michal Piatek, +1 lap 10. Artur Ptaszkiewicz +1 lap Race 2 (Sunday) 1. Robert Kowalski 12:22.156 2. Przemyslaw Janik +12.804 3. Szymon Dziawer +14.146 4. Pawel Kusyk +18.774 5. Pawel Stachurski +21.707 6. Henryk Kwasniewski +25.929 7. Rafa Walilko, Yamaha Pawelec Wallrav RS +33.031 8. Marek Drgas +1:28.164 9. Artur Ptaszkiewicz +1 lap 10. Micha Piatek +1 lap

TORONTO, ON – There are plenty of questions surrounding the opening round of the 2006 Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park this weekend. Can Francis Martin win a second straight national Superbike crown? Who will succeed the legendary Steve Crevier as king of the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike class? And just how effective will former champion Pascal Picotte be as he recovers from nasty preseason injuries? Martin will certainly be in the spotlight as the bikes take to Shannonville’s 4.0km, 15-turn ‘Long Track’ this weekend. The Rock Forest, QC native parlayed an opening round win last season into his second Canadian national Superbike title, and his first for Suzuki. Martin remains on Suzukis and the potent GSX-R1000 for 2006, but has switched from the now-disbanded Diablo squad out of Montreal to Calgary’s Blackfoot Motosports team. The scenery is familiar to Martin, however, as he raced for Blackfoot Suzuki from 2001 to 2003. Among those chasing Martin will be his Blackfoot Suzuki teammate Clint McBain. The Calgary rider is coming off a banner year in 2005, as he won his first two career national Superbike races and placed a close third in the final standings. Picotte is an unknown quantity heading into this weekend. The Granby, QC rider suffered a crash at Barber Motorsports Park last month in which he broke three veterbrae, a bone in his foot and banged up both knees. Picotte is reportedly planning to ride but it is unclear how effective he will be on the Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1. Yamaha hopes may well rest on the shoulders of Picotte’s teammate and fellow Granby racer Kevin Lacombe, who finished fifth in Superbike points last year with the Blackfoot Suzuki team. The Kawasaki forces shouldn’t be underestimated this weekend. American star Tom Kipp returns to the factory team aboard the updated ZX-10R. The Chardon, OH racer was quickest in last autumn’s Pirelli tire evaluations at Shannonville and was second to Picotte in testing in Jennings, FL this spring. Pirelli has become the spec tire supplier for the national tour this season. Joining Kipp in the factory Kawasaki team is Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke, who returns to the squad for which he won his first of two national Superbike crowns in 1998. A Kawasaki darkhorse is Kleinburg, ON’s Frank Trombino, who will be running a privateer ZX-10R with support from Kahuna Kawasaki. Trombino placed a close second to McBain at Shannonville’s RACE Ontario Superbike opener earlier this month. Honda Canada’s efforts will be led by defending HJC Pro Rookie of the Year Erick Beausejour of Val Senneville, QC, who will campaign a CBR1000RR. Defending Pro 600 Sport Bike champion Crevier doesn’t have a regular ride for 2006, so the title chase is wide open to begin the season. Suzuki’s McBain finished second in points last year and won the title in 2002, while Andrew Nelson won the opening round of the RACE series on his Yamaha. Teenager Karl Daigle marked himself out as one to watch in this year’s International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike battle as he won the RACE opener on his Honda CBR600RR. This weekend also sees the openers for Suzuki SV650 National Cup and Canadian Thunder. Qualifying for national classes will take place Saturday afternoon with feature races on Sunday. All Time Shannonville Motorsport Park Superbike Win Leaders Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge, BC) 10; Michel Mercier (Thetford Mines, QC) 5; Pascal Picotte (Granby, QC) 4; Rueben McMurter (London, ON) 3; Francis Martin (Rock Forest, QC) 3; Miguel Duhamel (Repentigny, QC) 2; Jeff Gaynor (Toronto, ON) 2; Michael Taylor (Toronto, ON) 2; Don Munroe (Halifax, NS) 2 Shannonville Motorsport Park Fast Facts -A trio of Canadian road racing legends was recognized among the first inductees into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Shannonville track builder John Nelson, former racer and current aftermarket icon Lang Hindle, and two-time Superbike champ Don Munroe were honoured at the May 6 gala. -This season’s Parts Canada Superbike Championship schedule features a twist, as the season is now opening on Shannonville’s Long Track and will conclude on the 2.46km ‘Pro Track’ in September. Traditionally the campaign has opened at the Pro Track and wrapped up on the Long Track. -Last year marked the first time since 2001 that the winner of the opening round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship has gone on to claim the title as well. On that occasion Steve Crevier turned the trick for Honda. 2005 Final Point Standings Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Francis Martin (Suzuki) 315; 2. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 310; 3. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 289; 4. Jordan Szoke (Honda) 279; 5. Kevin Lacombe (Suzuki) 276 Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike: 1. Steve Crevier (Honda) 371; 2. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 304; 3. Chris Peris (Yamaha) 265 International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike: 1. Mark Douglas (Yamaha) 212; 2. James Collins (Yamaha) 210; 3. Stephan Chabot (Yamaha) 137 Canadian Thunder: 1. Darren James (Buell) 219; 2. Bill Card (Buell) 205; 3. Derek Vammus (Ducati) 202 Suzuki SV650 National Cup: 1. Karl Daigle 277; 2. Norm Tang 227; 3. Alain Lefebvre 175 Provisional Weekend Schedule Saturday May 20 1:20 p.m.-1:40 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Qualifying 1:45 p.m.-2:05 p.m. Thunder Qualifying 2:10 p.m.-2:55 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Qualifying 3:25 p.m.-4:05 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Qualifying 4:15 p.m.-4:35 p.m. Suzuki SV650 Cup Qualifying Sunday May 21 (First event at 12:20 p.m.) Event #1 Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 12 laps Event #2 Thunder Race 10 laps Event #4 International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Race 10 laps Event #5 Parts Canada Superbike Championship Race 14 laps Event #7 Suzuki SV650 Cup Race 10 laps For more series information, visit ~http://www.cdnsuperbike.com~

After resounding Repsol Honda success in China, the form riders of the World Championship Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) and his unstoppable rookie team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V), return to Europe to begin an demanding series of races at the ‘classic’ tracks. With Nicky heading the points standings by 13 points from Ducati’s Loris Capirossi, and with the mercurial Dani just two points behind the Italian, the result of this race will begin to shape the middle stages of what is proving to be a compelling World Championship. The Bugatti circuit at Le Mans is by no means a favourite of all riders in the way that say Mugello, Assen or Brno might be, but it is nevertheless a ‘name’ track with a rich recent history and it’s a racing environment capable of producing entertainingly close racing. The 4.180km track is a compact circuit and although few riders claim to enjoy riding here, they all have huge respect for it. Le Mans requires courage in parts, a delicate throttle hand in others and absolute commitment in the many heavy braking areas. The track was built in 1965, modified and shortened in 2003 and then totally resurfaced in 2004 to the general relief of most riders. Located 150 miles south-west of Paris, the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans employs some elements from the longer public roads circuit but remains modestly within its own confines. Turn one is a blisteringly fast uphill right with a following chicane that requires expert judgement to get right. Many rookie riders overshoot or brake too early allowing rivals past. Much of the rest of the track is a succession of hard braking and tight exits that put a premium on machine balance. It might not be that technical but it is a challenge. In all it comprises nine right hand turns and four lefts with two tight complexes before the flat out start/finish straight into turn one. Machine set-up requires stability on the brakes and chassis settings that allow quick turn-in but not at the expense of having to tame a wheelie-prone machine on the throttle out of the many slow turns. Many of the overtaking opportunities here are afforded under braking. Dani, who has qualified on pole and won here on a 250 for the last two years, is perhaps best qualified to talk about the track. He said, “Le Mans is very different from Shanghai. This circuit has a lot of hard acceleration, a lot of hard braking sections and a very fast, long corner at the end of the straight. Having good drive at the exit of the corners is fundamental to making a fast lap. And the gearbox has to be very well set up. It has been a tough start to the season but I’m happy with the results so far.” Nicky, who has now enjoyed eight consecutive podium finishes will be looking to improve on his sixth place here in 2005 with a win on Sunday. He said, “Since they repaved Le Mans the track’s got a lot better. I can’t say there’s one part that’s my favourite and there’s a lot of stop and go stuff nevertheless, I quite like the track. In the past I’ve gone well here but I’ve had some bad luck and haven’t had great results so I’m looking forward to going there and putting that right.” Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V), who’s had two rostrum finishes here on a 250, said, “The Bugatti circuit is characterised by a lot of hard braking and it requires a riding style that favours good braking on the entry and fine throttle control on the exit to make the most of each corner. Le Mans is notorious for hard braking. It is a really demanding layout but I actually quite like it because it can be fun to ride. It’s not one of the most technical circuits in the world but you can enjoy yourself there.” His team-mate Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V), who managed a ninth place here in 2005 in MotoGP, has won here on a 250. But he also crashed heavily here last year in testing. He said, “I’m sure when I get to that first chicane for the first time this weekend the crash that broke my right wrist will come into my mind, but that certainly won’t prevent me from giving it my very best. I’m feeling highly motivated and my team is doing a great job.” Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) continues to thrive in the premier class and the Aussie rookie is looking forward to getting to grips with his RCV here. “I’ve just missed out on podiums here on a 125 and on a 250, so we’ll see if I can go better on the RC211V. I’m really enjoying riding it.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) will be aiming to continue the vastly improved form that saw him finish sixth in Shanghai after a run of poor results. He said, “I’m happy to go to Le Mans, the circuit is medium fast and I love this kind of track. In the last Grand Prix, I was finally able to effectively express my riding style. I’m finding the feeling with my Honda RC211V again and I think everything’s in place for a good race on Sunday.” Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) has not enjoyed much success here, but remains as upbeat as ever about his chances with a new chassis for the latest version of his RC211V-powered machine. He said, “This series of European races will really help our development as we can respond faster to any changes we need to make. This race should be the start of a steep improvement curve for us.” Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) heads the points table in the 250cc class and the intense Italian who won here on a 125 in 2004 and scored a podium last year in his debut season on a 250 will be looking to hammer home an advantage here on Sunday. He said, “I’ve had a podium finish in the last four races and this shows that I’m a consistent rider. But I’m not completely satisfied as my aim is to win a 250 cc race and in Shanghai I missed it. I’ve always been fast at Le Mans. Last year I finished third after a great battle with Pedrosa and De Puniet. It’s a slow track so the gap with the Aprilias will be smaller for sure.” His team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) is eager to race here. He said, “This circuit doesn’t feature long straights like in Shanghai, where we saw a gap with the Aprilias. It’s a slow track where we can fight on equal terms with our rivals. I’m not looking at my position in the World Championship, for me it’s important to finish the races and try to do my best.” Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) is raring to go and Sebastian Porto (Repsol Honda RS250RW) is looking to register a huge improvement in his performance at a track he knows well. The Argentine’s best results here so far were a 10th place in 1997 and 1999. In the 125cc class new recruit Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) is currently the best of the Honda men taking the challenge to series leader Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia). But the genial Hungarian has a lot of work to do if he is to overhaul the 50 point advantage over him that Bautista currently enjoys. He said, “I’m happy because we found our competitiveness in Shanghai and now we go to Le Mans, which is a good track for Honda machines. The set-up of the bike is almost OK, we still have work to do on the suspension, which didn’t allow me to take the lines I wanted to in Shanghai, but we are in the right shape. We can go a further step ahead in France.” Reigning World Champion Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R), who has had a troubled start to his title defence believes he is now on the way to clawing back some ground on his rivals. He said, “Le Mans is not so bad for us, completely different to Shanghai. The bike is really good now and I’m confident. We had a great weekend at Le Mans last year so we hope for a good result on Sunday to forget our bad luck at Shanghai.”