The final entry list for the Albacete 8 Horas Nocturnas round of the FIM World Endurance Championship has been announced today. A record 38 teams have entered, including seven Spanish squads making wildcard appearances at Albacete. Spanish Teams Two of the most competitive entries for the race will come from the Folch Endurance Yamaha R1s, now with confirmed rider line-ups of Alex Hervas, Josep Sardá and Xavier Lara on the No.23 bike and Antonio Salom, Josep Monge and David Salom on the No.31 machine. Box 21 Racing have also entered a Yamaha YZF-R1. The sole Spanish Kawasaki ZX10R entry is the strong Escuderia Autoferro Kawawsaki, while TR Torpon Racing will campaign a Honda CBR1000RR. The remaining Spanish teams TMM Racing, Team Encuentros EPS Racing will ride Suzuki GSX-R1000s. Other Wildcard Entries Other teams making an appearance at Albacete include the French “Sapeurs Pompiers” fire brigade team, Suzuki Fabi Corse who are now racing out of the Republic of San Marino, and Belgian team Yamaha DB Racing 78, Permanent Teams The closest competition at Albacete is expected to be amongst the permanent teams who have signed up to compete in the full championship. Most will run the same rider line-ups we saw at Assen and Le Mans, but Kawasaki Bolliger currently lying third in the championship have been testing revised suspension since Le Mans. 30 Points Available With 30 points available to the winners of the Albacete 8 Hour race, the teams who failed to score at Le Mans will be seeking to improve their position in the standings, while those who have had good results at both races so far will be aiming to capitalise on their success. The race will start at 6:00pm on Saturday May the 20th and run through until 2:00am on Sunday the 21st.

Hot on the heels of an action-packed race in China, the MotoGP teams and riders head back to Europe this week for the Alice Grand Prix de France. The fifth date on the World Championship calendar, this weekend’s race could prove to be the turning point of the season, with the next seven races taking place in just ten weeks, and six of them on the same continent. American Nicky Hayden heads the overall classification, and finds himself on a run of eight consecutive podium finishes. The Repsol Honda rider was second in Shanghai, but his main worry is that the top step of the podium is proving elusive to him. Kentucky’s finest has a thirteen point advantage that he will be looking to extend in Le Mans with his first victory since his maiden win at Laguna Seca last year. Ducati Marlboro’s Loris Capirossi is the nearest rival in terms of points for Hayden, finishing off the podium in China but still adding valuable points to his tally. However Hayden’s eyes will be looking towards an adversary closer to home than the Italian. With his first victory in the premier class, his team-mate Dani Pedrosa heads to France on a high, having become the joint second-youngest winner ever of a MotoGP race. The star of last Sunday’s thrilling contest, the Spaniard is now third overall in the standings, and travels to Le Mans with a certifiable pedigree, having won there in all of his last three visits, including last year’s 250cc race. Despite an inauspicious start to the 2006 season, the victory in Turkey pushed Marco Melandri up the standings, however there was more disappointment to follow after he came home seventh in China. The 2005 season’s second placed rider, Melandri still has serious title aspirations. Meanwhile rookie sensation Casey Stoner has shown incredible form since his jump to MotoGP and trails Hayden by just twenty points. The Australian rounds off a tight top five on the leaderboard having never finished outside the top six in the premier class so far. Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi lies in sixth overall, having missed out on the opportunity of earning valuable points at both Jerez and China. A damaged tyre curtailed his race last weekend, and the French date will be the chance for redemption for the charismatic Italian, who won there last season in a classic battle with Sete Gibernau. Although yet to place on the podium this season, Toni Elias has had a strong start in the World Championship. Fortuna Honda’s Spanish rider continues racking up points, part of a second trailing pack of riders. Le Mans is the home of some rather unhappy memories for Elias, as last year he suffered a injury during tests at the circuit which kept him out of the following three Grands Prix. With his first podium of 2006 in China, Colin Edwards was boosted up the standings. The ‘Texas Tornado’ commented before the race that the chattering problems suffered thus far depended heavily on the circuit, so will be hoping that Le Mans’ tight downhill braking zones are kind to the M1. Shinya Nakano and Sete Gibernau complete the top ten in the overall classification. In the BMW M Award, the prize given to the rider with the fastest qualifying times throughout the season, Nicky Hayden currently lies ahead of nearest rival Colin Edwards by just under one and a half seconds. Australian Chris Vermeulen lies in third, over another second off the two Americans. 250CC In 250cc, Andrea Dovizioso continues to lead the series. Despite still not having a win to his name in the quarter litre category, Humangest Honda’s Italian star has shown his consistency so far this season to head the standings. There is no room to breathe for Dovizioso however, as Hector Barbera’s is just three points behind after victory in Shanghai with Jorge Lorenzo and Hiroshi Aoyama’s close attendance also increasing the pressure on the top two. 125CC With only four races gone, Alvaro Bautista looks unstoppable in 125cc. The Master MVA Aspar rider is thirty points ahead of nearest challenger Mika Kallio, despite the Finn being victorious last weekend. Bautista completed his fourth consecutive podium finish of the season at Shanghai, and will be hoping to better his best finish of ninth at the French track, whilst Kallio will draw on the experience of his third place there last year. Built in 1965 around the existing 24-Hour track, the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit lies 5km south of the city of Le Mans and 200km south-west of Paris. The venue has hosted Grand Prix intermittently since the late sixties. Now the host of the French GP consistently since 2000, Le Mans is a tight track dominated by first gear corners that places the emphasis on late braking and hard acceleration, whilst rear end traction is also a key area. With the capacity to comfortably accommodate up to 100,000 spectators, the Bugatti circuit is always a thrilling occasion for racefans.

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau return to Europe from a run of three ‘flyaway’ races to contest the French GP, the first of a crucial run of six events at classic European racetracks. Both riders travel to Le Mans hoping for some decent weather after ever-changing conditions plagued their progress at the last two GPs, in Turkey and China. But despite a difficult day at Shanghai last Sunday, Spanish GP winner Capirossi still holds second overall in the World Championship while Gibernau is still tenth. With Ducati and Bridgestone tyres improving the team’s technical package step by step, the team is aiming to get back up front in Europe, with a little help from the sun! LORIS CAPIROSSI, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 2nd overall (59 points) “Now we return to Europe, to racetracks that everyone knows, so we’re entering a very interesting part of the season. It’s going to be exciting because the championship is very tight, there are a lot of riders close on points and a lot of fast new riders. We just hope for some sun! Our bike continues to improve, as always. We have done a lot of work on engine management, so it is more rider-friendly in wet conditions. When the tyres suit the track, we have an incredible bike. We just need keep on believing and working hard. I don’t like the Le Mans track, it’s not one of my favourites, even though I’ve won the 250 race there. The layout isn’t at all technical, so it’s not much fun to ride, it’s just gas, brake, gas, brake. But we will see, because they have made some changes to the first corner and the first chicane, so maybe it will feel different to ride.” SETE GIBERNAU, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 10th overall (25 points) “Le Mans is a weird track because although I don’t really enjoy it, my results there have always been pretty good. And I guess I’d rather have good results at a track I don’t really enjoy than have bad results at a track that I do enjoy! I’ve won at Le Mans in the dry, I’ve won there in the wet and I was second last year, so maybe I am starting to like the place a bit. Everyone knows it’s a stop-and-go kind of a circuit, so you need good acceleration and good braking performance. We go there hoping to be competitive and hoping for better weather because we are entering a crucial part of the championship, with races at tracks which everyone knows well. Looking at the season so far, we need to keep our heads down, keep learning, maybe trust in our own instincts a little more and try to have a better weekend than we had at the last two races. Ducati and Bridgestone are working very hard, so we know our time will come.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “Of the four races so far, the weather was consistent throughout practice at two races, where we picked up a win, a third and a fourth place, and kept changing from wet to dry at the other two in Turkey and China, which affected our results. Like us, if you only have two machines with the same tyres on track, this is maybe a bit of a handicap when you have so little dry practice time, because the more bikes you have, the more feedback you get, so the easier it is to find the right set-up, something which we were unable to do on the last two occasions. Apart from this, the team and all of our technical partners, Shell Advance in particular, are doing a great job, Bridgestone too, with many new tyres on the way for Le Mans. So now we hope for some consistent weather in France; either rain, where we were quick in qualifying both in Turkey and China, or sun, which will allow us to chose the tyres for the race in the best conditions!” THE TRACK Situated in the Sarthe region a few hours south west of Paris, Le Mans is one of the world’s most famous motorsport venues, legendary for its 24-hour races. The Bugatti circuit – very different to the longer 24-hour car track – returned to the bike GP calendar in 1999, since when the event has built a huge following in bike-mad France. The circuit layout is very stop-and-go, with plenty of slow turns where braking and acceleration performance are primordial. Riders and their engineers therefore concentrate on honing their machines’ braking stability, as well as improving rear-end traction for the numerous hairpin exits. Lap record 2005: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m 33.678s (160.635km/h, 99.814 mph) Pole position 2005: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m 33.226s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 33 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 235 (64xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) GP victories: 26 (4xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) Pole positions: 40 (7xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Le Mans 2005 results: Grid: 10th. Race: 7th SETE GIBERNAU Age: 33 (born December 15, 1972) Lives: Switzerland Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 164 (68xMotoGP, 76×500, 19×250) GP victories: 9 (8xMotoGP, 1×500) First GP victory: Valencia, 2001 (500) First GP: Spain, 1993 (250) Pole positions: 12 (11xMotoGP, 1×500) First pole: South Africa, 2000 (500) Le Mans 2005 results: Grid: 4th. Race: 2nd.

The Graves Motorsports Yamaha semi-truck is currently parked on the side of northbound Interstate 5 just past the Fort Tejon rest stop with California Highway Patrol cars in attendance. From the appearance of the trailer, it looks like it caught fire in the area of the left wheel well. The back of the trailer was open when Roadracingworld.com’s Chris Ulrich drove past it just before 8:30 a.m., en-route to Infineon Raceway. It’s unknown at this time whether or not the incident will delay the arrival of the Graves Motorsports machines at Infineon Raceway for this weekend’s AMA Nationals.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 16, 2006) — Eric Bostrom’s victory in the AMA Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series last month in Fontana, Calif., marked the third different winner in three races. When Formula Xtreme comes to Infineon Raceway on May 20, part of the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown presented by Supercuts, there will be a host of riders hoping to make it four winners in four rounds. Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo leads the Formula Xtreme standings with three podium finishes, including a win at Barber Motorsports Park last month. DiSalvo wants only to win in Formula Xtreme and he was frustrated by when he felt rival Josh Hayes was holding him up at Fontana last month. “I was hoping to get in second place and tow Josh along with me, but it was like he didn’t want to let me by and work together,” DiSalvo said after losing to Bostrom at Fontana race. “If second place is like a win for you that’s cool, but I like to go for the win.” Hayes, who rides for Erion Honda, said he was simply racing for position at Fontana and wasn’t about to let anyone by him, especially the guy he’s battling for the overall series lead. Bostrom served notice at Fontana that he could be a factor in the series before the season is out. He dominated the race to earn his first Formula Xtreme victory since 1998, the year he won the championship. He moved to third on the all-time Formula Xtreme wins list. He could tie last year’s Infineon Formula Xtreme winner Jake Zemke for second all-time with a win this Saturday. Bostrom won the race at Infineon in 1998. DiSalvo is also leading the AMA Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series after taking his first win of the season in Fontana aboard a Graves Yamaha. The victory tied DiSalvo with teammate and 2004 Infineon Superstock race winner Jamie Hacking in the standings. Like in Formula Xtreme, three different riders have won in Superstock this year. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates is a close third in the series. The defending champ could tie Jason Pridmore with three Superstock victories at Infineon with a victory. Pridmore will be the other former race winner in the Superstock field Sunday. He is encouraged by the progress being made with his Michael Jordan Suzuki and hopes to be more competitive at Infineon, where he has won three times. Pridmore is ranked sixth in the series. The Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme and Repsol Lubricants Superstock races are part of the weekend’s Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown presented by Supercuts. Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling 1.800.870.RACE or visiting the website www.infineonraceway.com. Camping is available and children under 12 are free. The Infineon Formula Xtreme final will be televised nationally on SPEED at 5 p.m. EST Tuesday, May 23.

French Grand Prix Le Mans, France 19, 20, 21 May 2006 The Camel Yamaha Team get back to European territory this weekend as they look to bring their MotoGP World Championship points quest back on track in France, following a disappointing run of races on unfamiliar shores. The legendary Le Mans circuit, which has intermittently played home to the MotoGP World Championship since 1969, has been a fixture on the calendar for the last six seasons and this year plays host to the fifth round of an incredible campaign that has already seen four different winners. Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi is one of those – his sole victory so far coming in the second round at Qatar but he is aiming to put an end to the parity this weekend as he aims to recover from a largely disappointing run of early season results. A first-corner crash at Jerez and technical problems in the last two rounds at Istanbul and Shanghai mean the Italian lies 32 points adrift of current leader Nicky Hayden (Honda), but the most pressing issue for Rossi is to finally overcome the problems that have restricted development of the 2006 version YZR-M1 machine so far. The 4,180m track holds happy memories for the Camel Yamaha Team, with Rossi having taken pole position and the lap record on his way to victory last season, when he was joined on the podium by his team-mate Colin Edwards. A repeat result is the target for both riders this Sunday, with Edwards having recorded his first top-three finish of the season just days ago in China, when he also extended his run of points-scoring finishes to 25 a number only previously achieved by Grand Prix legends Mick Doohan, Wayne Gardner, Eddie Lawson and Valentino Rossi. VALENTINO ROSSI: A CRITICAL TIME MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi knows that the time is right to turn around his early misfortune and start picking up serious points in his bid to defend motorcycling’s premier-class crown for the fifth successive season. The Italian currently lies sixth in the general standings but he is well aware that a change in fortune can spark a good run of results over the next few weeks and dramatically improve his situation. “Sunday was the second time in the first four races that we’ve scored virtually zero points and on both occasions it hasn’t been our fault,” reflects Rossi. “Luck has definitely not been on our side but the most important thing now is to sort our problems out as soon as possible because we have a run of important races coming up starting at Le Mans. The next four or five rounds in Europe are the ‘main course’ of the season and it is a critical time for us. “We have got some new things to try at Le Mans so hopefully they can help us find a good base set-up but still have enough room for improvement to keep the pace with our rivals over the weekend. We are up against good riders on good machinery and we have to be at our maximum level to be able to beat them. I am already a few points behind the leader but the championship is very long, I have a lot of confidence in my team and we have time to put things right. “Le Mans is not one of my favourite tracks but last year it was very good for us. I took pole position, the fastest lap of the race on the final lap and the victory and Colin was also on the podium, so it was a perfect weekend for us. We hope this weekend can be the same.” COLIN EDWARDS: REPEAT PODIUM THE TARGET Colin Edwards has his sights firmly set on consecutive podium finishes following his first top-three result in nine months at China on Sunday. Edwards also scored his maiden rostrum of 2005 in round four, which took place at Le Mans one year ago, when he led the race for several laps before eventually conceding positions to Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau. The Texan is hoping that can be a good omen for a repeat success this time around. “I seem to like round four of the season and I was really pleased it came good for me again in China,” smiled Edwards. “Last year’s podium at Le Mans was the kick-start to a decent run of results for me so I hope that can prove to be the case this time around. It’s no secret that we’ve been having problems with the bike but we’re working hard and if we’re capable of winning races and taking podiums when we’re in trouble then just think what we can do when everything is running smoothly! “I don’t mind Le Mans as a circuit too much it’s a real ‘stop and go’ track, as everybody says, with hard braking, tight corners and hard acceleration. We’ll have some work to do with the set-up of the bike but this track was good for us last year so hopefully it can prove a little bit easier to adapt to and not as critical in terms of the problems we’ve had at the last few circuits.” DAVIDE BRIVIO: KEEPING OUR HEADS DOWN Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is looking forward to the relative normality of life on the road as the MotoGP World Championship returns for a seven-week spell on European shores. After a gruelling start to the season including flyaway trips to Qatar, Turkey and China, the team’s trucks home to their travelling workshops and offices – will roll into Le Mans this week to provide a focal point for the hard work to begin. “After such a difficult start, which nonetheless has given us one win with Valentino and Colin’s recent podium, I hope the next few weeks in Europe will be like a new beginning to the season for us.” says Brivio. “The races coming up are crucial but all we can do is keep our heads down and continue to work hard on solving the problems we have found this year. There is clearly a lot of room for improvement but we know from the performances of Valentino and Colin already this season that the bike has real potential, so we are excited about finally seeing it performing to its maximum. Hopefully that can be at Le Mans. “The engineers at Yamaha have been working very hard to make sure that is the case and Valentino will have a new chassis available from the first practice session on Friday. We will compare it with the current one and will decide later if we will use it or not. We will also remain there for a test on Monday to continue with our development. Last year we had a very good weekend at Le Mans, which finished with both of our riders on the podium, so it would be nice to repeat that result! If we can shake off the bad luck that has been following us around the world recently then we have plenty of reason to be confident.” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: LE MANS ACCORDING TO JEREMY BURGESS Le Mans is an archetypal stop-go track, with the added complication of one of the highest speed turns on the calendar, just after the short start-finish straight. There are several hairpins and chicanes, calling not just for balance and control under hard and repeated braking, but a neat and swift transfer from full braking to full acceleration on the exit of the corners. With nine right-handers and only four lefts, the track is also particularly hard on one side of the tyres, but according to Valentino Rossi’s Chief Mechanic Jeremy Burgess there are no hidden secrets to the track in terms of machine set-up. “Le Mans as a circuit is probably the least technical on the whole calendar it doesn’t really have any stand-out features or characteristics that set it out from the rest, certainly not in a positive way,” says Burgess. “You need good acceleration out of the slow corners, which is why we struggled there on our first visit with the M1 in 2004 because we were trying out new engines before tackling the true horsepower tracks like Barcelona, Mugello and Assen. “Last year we had a fully-developed bike so we were able to make the minor adjustments that this circuit requires and both Valentino and Colin were fast. Clearly with so much hard braking you need firmer fork settings and spring rates on the front, and then a slightly softer spring on the rear so that the rider can hold his line on the exit. That’s it really there are no secrets to Le Mans!” VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 80 (54 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 161 (101 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 40 World Championships 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 52 x MotoGP World Championships – 2 World Superbike Le Mans Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005 1’33.678 Le Mans Best Lap: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005 1’33.226 2005 Results 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Yamaha, 44’12.223 2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Honda, +0.382 3. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, +5.711

After the long haul trip to China the MotoGP World Championship returns to Europe this weekend as the series lands in France at the legendary Bugatti circuit of Le Mans, built in 1965 around the existing 24 Hour circuit. Located 200km south-west of Paris, Le Mans always brings together motorsport fans from all over central and northern Europe. With a tough Grand Prix of China now behind them, the Fortuna Honda riders are looking forward to the Grand Prix of France with renewed optimism. Marco Meandri and Toni Elias, and indeed the rest of the team, are determined to resolve the problems they found at the Shanghai circuit as they prepare for another huge challenge. MARCO MELANDRI: “Every race is a different story and for that reason I am looking forward to the GP of France with confidence. We have the knowledge and resources to analyse the problems we found at Shanghai and we will do our best to find the adequate solutions. It will be important to start well in the first free practice session and find a good base setting that will allow me to adapt the bike as best as possible to Le Mans. 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 throttle control on the exit to make the most out of each corner. Le Mans is notorious for the hard braking, it is a really demanding layout but I actually quite like it because it can be fun to ride. It is not one of the most technical circuits in the world but you can enjoy yourself there.” TONI ELIAS: “I like Le Mans and I have a lot of good memories of it. I actually scored my first ever Grand Prix podium at this track in 2001 when I finished third in the 125cc race and I won here in the 250cc class in 2003. In fact, I’ve been on the podium here four times in the last five years. Unfortunately the thought of my crash here during testing last year counterbalances the good memories. 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 I hope that the GP of China can serve as a point of reflection to analyse the problems we have had and start off on the right foot this Friday. My team is doing a great job and I will also give my best to take another step forward.” THE TRACK The history of Le Mans is most famously linked to car racing, with the Bugatti circuit annually hosting the world famous 24 Hour race. Two-wheeled machines, however, only use a part of the legendary track – the permanent short course – sharing the start line to the Chapelle corner with the cars, who then head out into the countryside to following the 24 Hour route. The bikes continue around a tortuous design that is riddled with first gear corners, followed by hard acceleration and long straights. The most impressive section is without doubt the extremely fast right-hander at the end of the start-finish straight, which is followed by a chicane which requires a nimble change in direction at high speed as well as lots of courage and cold blood. Interesting fact: The Le Mans circuit can be considered a home track for MICHELIN, the French tyre manufacturers, who have won ten of the past eleven races held at this venue. FOCUS: TYRE WARMERS MotoGP is developing more and more into a battle of the tyre manufacturers. In order to go fast you must be wearing the best ‘shoes’ and in this aspect the Fortuna Honda team can count on the support of MICHELIN, French brand leaders in the tyre sector. Thanks to the quality of Michelin products and the use of tyre warmers, which have developed from a simply way of heating up the rubber into instruments of the highest technology, a rider is able to rely on maximum grip from his tyres from the moment he leaves his pit box. But how do the tyre warmers work? Heating rubber is not a casual occurrence – the appropriate materials have to be used and, above all, the right temperatures reached in accordance with the compound and construction of the tyre. The job of the tyre warmers is not to “cook” the tyres but to bring them up to the right temperature without affecting their original characteristics. Here are some facts to allow a better understanding of tyre warmers and their function. Thermal curve: A standard tyre warmer reaches up to 80°C, taking between 50 and 60 minutes to bring the tyre up to the required temperature. On the inside there is a sensor that works as a thermostat, interrupting the heating process once the tyre has reached the right temperature and then restarting when it starts to cool. Materials: The construction of the tyre warmer is a kind of sandwich consisting of five different kinds of material. In contact with the tyre is a layer of transparent polyester, behind which are the carbon filaments that transport the electrical current. On top of another layer of polyester is a layer of thermal material, which limits the dispersion of heat, followed by the outer layer of hydro-repellent polyurethane. Fabrication: It takes six people around 120 minutes to make a standard tyre-warming cover and around 180 minutes for a custom version. The cost to the public varies from 600 to 800 euros. The key numbers 80°C – the ideal temperature 24 – the amount of tyre warmers required by a MotoGP team 2,300 cm² – the area of fabric required 4,000 cm – the length of carbon wire required for each tyre warmer 0,800 kg – the weight of the front tyre warmer 1,200 kg – the weight of the rear tyre warmer Team Fortuna Honda’s tyre warmers are provided by TT Thermal Technology, a specialist Italian company in the sector. TT tyre warmers have been produced in conjunction with the world’s leading tyre manufacturers and engineers from Team Gresini.

Rizla Suzuki goes to the fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Mondello Park in the Republic of Ireland this weekend ready to tackle the highly technical twists and turns that make the circuit the slowest the series visits. The average lap speed at Mondello Park is less than 80mph thanks to the technical and bumpy nature of the track, placing huge demands on the handling set-up of the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000s of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and James Haydon. The team approaches Mondello Park in good spirits after achieving its best results of the season at the previous round at Oulton Park and a solid full day test session at Croft last week. Superbike racing starts at 13:40 on Sunday, May 21st at Mondello Park in County Kildare. Shakey Byrne: “I have said many times I want to be winning races and after getting so close with a second place at the previous round I want more than anything to top the podium this weekend at Mondello Park. “I love the Irish; they are a great crowd and know their bike racing. They also party hard and that sits well with me; I hope to have a couple of good results and reasons to be joining them on Sunday night after the racing!” James Haydon: “I had an epic race at Mondello Park last year on my Rizla Suzuki and really enjoyed myself. It is a track that rewards good handling and aggressive commitment to corners and that suits me down to the ground. “After the last round we tested at Croft and spent time working on the high and low-speed cornering on the GSX-R1000. We are in a strong position right now and with a little bit of the luck of the Irish I feel I can challenge for the podium at Mondello Park.”