Following the pencil trail of Hermann Tilke, the MotoGP World Championship heads east this week towards Shanghai – another circuit designed by the German architect Built in 2004 to host the Formula 1 World Championship, Shanghai is an ultra-modern facility with a spectacular infrastructure and a demanding track. Following on from the success of Marco Melandri’s first victory of the season in the Grand Prix of Turkey at Istanbul, the riders of the Fortuna Honda team heads toward a track that holds special memories for them. Marco Melandri feels in strong shape after his Turkish win and he is looking forward to the Grand Prix of China, where he climbed onto the third step of the podium to crown a very positive weekend, having lapped second fastest in free practice and qualifying, last year. “I’m going to China feeling fully charged after that great win in Istanbul and the fantastic job done by the team. As in Istanbul the track in Shanghai last year was also to my liking straight away. In 2005 I was fast in the dry during practice and also in the wet during the race. So I’m feeling relaxed, I feel good and I know that we’ll be starting out with a good base set-up. I’m ready for another evenly-contested race. The front straight is really long and it should be really good fun to watch.” The visit to China also represents a return to a happy hunting ground for Toni Elias. “I really like the Shanghai circuit,” says the Spaniard, who has shown flashes of his speed and potential already this season. “Last year I got a good feeling from it virtually straight away. I went well in practice and it looked like being a good race for me but then we had a torrential downpour. I was doing well on wet, I was third when for a mistake on the starting grid I had to do a ride through loosing important positions. In 2005 Shanghai was completely new but this time I’m approaching it in a different way. I really like the bike, I know we have a good base set-up and I hope I can put the experience I have gained over these first few races into good use and come out with a good result.” 2006 World championship 1. Nicky Hayden (Usa/Honda) with 52 points 2. Loris Capirossi (Ita/Ducati) with 51 points 3. Marco Melandri (Ita/Honda) with 45 points 7 . Toni Elias (Sp/Honda) with 32 points THE TRACK Built in 2004 to host the Formula 1 World Championship, Shanghai is an ultra-modern facility with a spectacular infrastructure: huge grandstands with capacity for 150,000 fans and offering views of almost the whole circuit, and two imposing seven-story VIP and hospitality towers From a technical point of view the track features two extremely fast and long straights, a series of tight corners and two curves that turn almost 360°. at each end of the paddock. Designed initially for F1, Shanghai is long and wide and offers plenty of overtaking opportunities. Marco discusses the track:“It is a very particular circuit with two long straights – one measuring 1202 metres, which is the longest in the championship. The first corner is probably the strangest I have seen because it is really long and you have to change gear whilst lent over and there is a dramatic change in level. It is important to have a smooth line through turns 3, 4 and 5, and a really good exit from turn 7 in order to get plenty of speed up for the straight. Then you have to prepare yourself for a hard braking zone at the end of the straight (the hardest in the championship), which is fundamental for a good lap.” FOCUS: how the world championship paddock is transported In Europe all the team’s material travels in the trucks, which also serve as offices but as if by magic are able to transport the paddock from one country to another. But how is that material moved outside of Europe? It’s a tough one. The team’s material is packed into boxes and shipped out on a special charter flight. There is a lot of red tape to get through the border control and it requires a lot of organisation to get the boxes through customs – firstly at the airport and then at the circuit itself. In China the whole customs process can take up to 48 hours. TRAVELLING BY NUMBERS: 3 – the amount of Boeing 747 aircraft that carry the materials for the teams, Dorna and the TV. 260,000kg – the total weight of the material transported. 200kg – the total weight of all the documents, bound in 194 books. 40 – number of trucks used to transport the boxes from the airport to the circuit. IN DETAIL: 90,000 kg – only MotoGP material 10,600 kg – TEAM FORTUNA HONDA material, packed into 33 boxes (4 for the bikes alone, 5 for spare parts, 2 for telemetry equipment, 11 for garage structure, 2 for wheels, 6 for engines, 1 for office material and 2 for the riders) 8,000 kg – material provided by MICHELIN (tyres and equipment) The costs vary from one circuit to another. For example, the trip from Istanbul to Shanghai is around 3 euros per kilo, whilst the return from Shanghai to Le Mans is more than double that. The most difficult customs are in China and the easiest are in Malaysia.

This weekend, the PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP Team will be in China for the fourth race of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship, at the Shanghai International Circuit. It will be the second MotoGP event on the Chinese circuit after last season’s first time. None of both PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP riders ever rode on this track: ALEX HOFMANN because he injured himself in Portugal last year, and JOSE LUIS CARDOSO as he was riding in the Superbike World Championship during the 2005 season. It will be a new experience for both of them, on the recent Chinese track, with the DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP06 “Sat.” (DUNLOP tyres). The first sessions of free practice will be on Friday morning at 10.00 a.m. in China (GMT+8). Weather forecast for this week show a high risk of rain, with heavy downpours for the weekend. Last year’s race already suffered from wet conditions. LUIS D’ANTIN (Team Manager): “After the debut in Istanbul, this track will be new for both our riders as well. It won’t be easy but we all will work a lot to give the best to Cardoso and Hofmann and allow them to make a good race with our DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP06 “Sat.”. We will go on concentrating ourselves on the development of the tyres, one of the most important and demanding thing right now. There has been small improvements in Turkey, let’s hope to go on like this in China”. ALEX HOFMANN #66: “Last year I didn’t take part to the race in China and it really was a horrible feeling seeing my replacement rider going to the podium. So I have not good memories of the GP of Shanghai! Anyway I’m happy to get the opportunity to get to know a new country as China and to race on a new track. The opinions about the track were not all positive for motorcycles, but I like new circuits so I can’t wait to go to this place”. JOSE LUIS CARDOSO #30: “It seems to be a very impressive track, also very modern but maybe more adapted for Formula One than for motorbikes. Anyway, it will be the same for every rider and so that’s not a problem for me. Personally I do prefer the fast but at the same time technical tracks and this one is surely very fast. I Hope to be able to make a good result in China”. CIRCUIT DETAILS Shanghai International Circuit is situated outside China’s prosperous metropolitan city and hosted its first MotoGP race in 2005. After only one event, it’s already acknowledged as one of the most impressive track on earth. As well as the Istanbul track, the Shanghai one also was designed by the famous architect Herman Tilke. Besides, its stands are ready to welcome up to 200.000 spectators. The track is 5281 meters long and has 14 corners (7 to the right and 7 to the left). There are two particularly fast straights, where the MotoGP bikes exceed 320km/h, and a series of tight corners including two long right-handers that almost take the riders through 360 degrees. An important fact is that the longest straight of this track is also the longest of the whole MotoGP World Championship, being 1202 meters long. Width: 14m Pole Position: Left Direction: Clockwise MotoGP – Lap Record: 2’13.716 (Wet Race) (Alex Barros – 2005) MotoGP – Fastest Lap: 1’59.710 (Sete Gibernau – 2005) 2005 MotoGP Race: 1) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2) Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki) 3) Marco Melandri (Honda)

Noyes sits out CEV with injured hand, prepares for World Endurance American Kenny Noyes had a high speed crash at Albacete at a Michelin test the week before the opening round of the Spanish National Formula Extreme Championship and suffered a fractured metacarpal in his left hand. After sitting out Friday he tried to take part in the first qualifying session on Saturday, but was unable to ride, in spite of a pain-killing injection. Kenny will be fully fit to join team mate Josep Monje as the two, with David Salom in reserve, are participating as a wild cards on the Folch Endurance R1 Yamaha in The Eight Hours of Albacete, the Spanish round of the World Endurance Championship. Last year Noyes, Dani Ribalta (who rode the wild card National Motos Honda CBR1000RR to victory two weeks ago in the 24 Hours of Lemans) and Cabana were second to the Castrol Suzuki team that went on to win the World Endurance Championship. Ribalta has a Dunlop contract which does not allow him to ride a Michelin-shod machine in Spanish events, even through the French Honda team is not expected to take part in the Spanish race. “Last year Meliand, the director of Castrol-Pirelli Suzuki, after seeing the pace of our riders, decided to go with only their two fastest riders, Kitigawa and Philippe. This year we are doing the same and running this as an eight hour sprint, with young David Salom ready to take a turn if either rider has a problem.,” said team owner Josep Folch. “This is our one chance a year to take on the world teams. We were third in 2003 and second in 2005, so there is just one place we haven´t been on the podium. Last year we had the handicap of a malfunctioning pitlane speed control device and our riders lost a lot of time entering and exiting pitlane in order to avoid a penalty.” Folch Yamaha will also enter a second R1 to be ridden by Hervas, Cabana and Lara. The race is run mostly at night under the lights, starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday and finishing at 2 a.m. Sunday morning.

Province Blocks Road and Cancels The Festival of Speed. After 12 months of planning and organization with the knowledge and tentative support of the provincial department of tourism as a signature event, the Cape Breton TT Festival of Speed has been cancelled with official news from the Provincial government that the government will not permit the event to happen on the 53km course. According to Maureen Carroll, the chair of the Cape Breton Festival of Speed Association, “The official word delivered by the province came as a devastating blow and without notice after almost a year of work and official filings for sanctioning and insurance were completed”. She said, “The province has been well aware of the event and designated it as a Signature Event with no indication that they had fundamental issues beyond the understandable need to pass the public safety requirements which were being organized by a professional technical team and race director. It appears that the process of proper and formal evaluation and communications were flawed within the departments.” Carroll stated, “The cancellation news is regrettable and disappointing for all of the volunteer members of the community who have acted in good faith and invested in the development of an event which promised to deliver significant economic return for the region.” The Cape Breton Festival of Speed was initiated by the Membertou Development Corporation. Under the leadership of Bernd Christmas, Membertou brought forward the opportunity for an international event which offered benefits for the entire Island and province. The Cape Breton Festival of Speed Association was created to operate and manage what had the potential to be a major annual event. To date there have been 5000 room-nights booked 6 months ahead of the event just on the prospect and rumor it would occur. These advance bookings alone represent a welcome addition to many tourism operators across the Island during what is a slower period in the early fall. The economic impact has been forecast to reach $15 million dollars. The event had the support of the municipality and federal government and the economic development agencies on Cape Breton Island along with enthusiastic participation of community groups and organizations that are essential for the staging of an international event. The TT Race is an international spectacle attracting audiences and visitor interest across North America and Europe including all of the key strategic markets for the Nova Scotia and Canadian Tourism industry. National and international media have been following the planning for the race and many have committed resources to visit Cape Breton Island to cover both the race and the destination. Carroll said, “As a community based volunteer organization, we are very disappointed to have to cancel the event. The abrupt decision is being forced by the Provincial government in what can only be described as a very heavy-handed manner.” She ended, “The province allowed the time, effort, expectations and investment of the community to continue to build for the best part of an entire year without a formal response from all departments until now.” Community meetings planned for May 6 and 7 along the race course were cancelled. More, from a press release issued by the Nova Scotia Provincial Government in response to the above: Race Did Not Have Approval to Proceed Organizers of the Cape Breton Festival of Speed were told in writing on Nov. 15, 2005 and Feb. 24, 2006 that their race did not have approval to proceed, primarily for safety reasons. The Cape Breton Festival of Speed, a motor sport racing event based on races on the Isle of Man, UK, was proposed for Sept. 20-24. Staff from the Department of Transportation and Public Works informed organizers that the Motor Vehicle Act does not support the racing of vehicles on public highways and that the department could not give approval to close roads for the event. “There have been numerous deaths associated with this event elsewhere in the past,” said Angus MacIsaac, Minister of Transportation and Public Works. “Our first priority is to ensure safe access to public roads and highways and this race would put the public and racers at risk of serious injury or death.” Staff from the Department of Transportation and Public Works and the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, met with organizers again this week to reiterate government’s position. “In spite of being informed of the department’s position on the race, organizers continued to plan and promote the event. The news this week should not have come as a surprise,” Mr. MacIsaac added. The proposed race would have taken place on a 53 kilometre route through Port Morien, Birch Grove, and Albert Bridge. The race would have directly affected over 500 residences, two elementary schools, two churches, six cemeteries, numerous small businesses, and many private lanes. It would have required extended road closures and affected travel times to the regional hospital. “We understand that the organizers have worked hard on this event and that many people are disappointed,” said Judy Streatch, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. “We also recognize the potential tourism and economic benefits, but the province had to make safety our top priority in this case. How do you measure economic benefits against even one life lost?” The event was listed as a signature event in the 2006 Doers and Dreamers Guide and other tourism publications. As a marketing agency, the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage does not approve events. The onus is on the organizers to ensure all the necessary permits and approvals are in place. Because of the early publishing deadlines for the Doers and Dreamers Guide and other tourism publications, the department must often list events that are in the planning stages. Some event changes or cancellations are made every year and they are communicated through all tourism promotional channels. Ms. Streatch has asked staff to meet with the Festivals and Events Council to review the process for listing signature events.

Shinichi Nakatomi confirms his good beginning of the season with a 10th and a 12th positions that give him good points for the championship. Norick Abe and Sébastien Gimbert had a difficult weekend, with the 12th place for the Frenchman in race 1 and a courageous 16th place for Abe in race 2. “I am happy with my progression, said Shinichi Nakatomi. Monza is a unique track which is not easy to discover. I would like to thank my team for providing me with a very reliable Yamaha R1. Learning this championship for me has been so far very positive.” Norick Abe, who crashed heavily on his head during practice, received the green light on Saturday morning from doctor Claudio Costa (Clinica Mobile). Unfortunately, the first race was not a lucky one as an other rider hit him and he had to retire. He did his best in race 2, finishing 16th. Sébastien Gimbert scored the points for 12th position in race 1, but could not finish the second heat when he retired in the pits. Race 1: 1- Bayliss (Ducati) ; 2-Barros (Honda) ; 3-Corser (Suzuki) ; 4-Haga (Yamaha) ; 5-Pitt (Yamaha)”¦ 10-Nakatomi (Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone)”¦12-Gimbert (Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone) Race 2: 1- Bayliss (Ducati) ; 2- Corser (Suzuki) , 3- Haga (Yamaha) ; 4- Barros (Honda) ; 5-Toseland (Honda)”¦12- Nakatomi (Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone)”¦16-Abe (Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone) World Championship standings: 1- Bayliss (175 points) ; 2-Corser (139) ; 3-Toseland (97) ; 4-Barros (95), 5-Haga (93)”¦ 9-Abe (40)”¦17-Nakatomi (18)”¦ 22-Gimbert (7) More, from a press release issued by Beowulf Racing: 2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, Rd 2 Monza, Italy Race, Sun 7th May The pressure of racing at international level finally got to Beowulf Racing’s Nick Henderson (Suzuki) at Monza today. The former Australian Superbike Privateer Championship runner-up is desperate to make an impression on the world stage, but the pressure he is putting himself under is hindering his performance. Riding in the second round of the 2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, Henderson finished 23rd from a sixth row start following a series of run-offs and overshoots at the high-speed Italian track. Italian Allessandro Polita (Suzuki) followed up his victory at the previous round in Spain to win the race. It had all looked very promising. During practice and qualifying Henderson had been enjoying riding the flowing curves of the historic circuit, the fastest on the Superstock 1000 calendar. After early forecasts of rain, the track was blessed with glorious sunshine. Following the morning warm-up, Henderson reported himself to be happy with the overnight adjustments made to his Beowulf Suzuki and looking forwards to the race. Getting through the first chicane unscathed on an opening lap at Monza always requires a degree of luck. As the bikes barged through for the first time there was the usual dose of fairing and elbow bashing for which the track is famed. Henderson held his own and by the end of the first lap had climbed two places to 19th. It was now that his problems began. Trying too hard, Henderson ran off the track and dropped to 28th place on the second lap With his rhythm now lost, Henderson suffered a series of overshoots and additional run-offs on the following laps. Despite this Nick had pulled himself up to 23rd place by the time he reached the chequered flag. Normally an amiable character, the Australian simply wanted to be left to himself afterwards. Team Manager Andy Stone was more forthcoming: “There’s no questioning Nick’s level of ability” he said afterwards. “Beowulf has been racing at international level for the past four years, but to Nick everything here is new. He’s happy with the team and the machine we’ve prepared for him so it’s just a case of helping him to find his feet in this new environment.” Probably the only solace both could take from the 11-lap race was that the Beowulf Suzuki had recorded the 4th highest speed through the traps, clocked at 181mph. It’s a figure which would have placed the machine within the top 18 in the blue-riband World Superbike races held later in the day. The FIM Superstock 1000 Cup heads to Silverstone in the UK for its next round in three weeks time. With the championship now on home soil for the Shepton Mallet-based team, Beowulf Racing will be looking forwards to a better result. To learn more about Nick Henderson and Beowulf Racing, visit ~www.beowulf-racing .com~ FIM SUPERSTOCK 1000 CUP, RD 2 MONZA Race result 11 laps 1 Allessandro Polita (Ita) Suzuki 20:31.118 2. Riccardo Chiarello (Ita) Kawasaki +00:00.357 3. Ayrton Badovini (Ita) MV Augusta +00:09.079 23. Nick Henderson (Aus) Suzuki +00:51.964 Championship standings after 2 of 10 rounds: 1 Allessandro Polita (Ita) Suzuki – 50pts 2. Ayrton Badovini (Ita) MV Augusta 32pts 3= Riccardo Chiarello (Ita) Kawasaki 22pts 3= Luca Scassa (Ita) MV Augusta 22pts

The whirlwind start to the 2006 MotoGP World Championship continues next weekend as the paddock’s globetrotting journey heads eastwards across Asia to the Shanghai International Circuit in China. After visiting Spain, Qatar and Turkey in the opening three rounds of the series, the Camel Yamaha Team take their points quest back to the skies for another ‘flyaway’ race, before returning to start a European road trip that covers seven races in nine weeks – starting at the Le Mans circuit in France only seven days after the Chinese event. Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards arrive in the country known locally as ‘The Big Land’ with a mixed bag of results under their arms after an unpredictable start to the campaign. Rossi followed up a first-corner fall at Jerez with victory in Doha before battling to fourth place in Istanbul after a weekend dogged by technical difficulties and bad weather. It has been a similar story for his Texan team-mate, who has shown excellent pace in practice but has yet to find a set-up package that will enable him to compete for race victories and podiums. The Shanghai circuit was designed by architects Hermann Tilke and Peter Wahl and its layout was inspired by the shape of the Chinese character ‘shang’, which stands for ‘high’ or ‘above’. Other symbols represented in the architecture of the circuit facilities originate from Chinese history, such as the team buildings, which are arranged like pavilions on a lake to resemble the ancient Yuyan-Garden in Shanghai. One of the circuit’s most impressive features is the extraordinary main grandstand, which holds capacity for 29,000 spectators and provides a spectacular view of almost 80 percent of the circuit. VALENTINO ROSSI: TIGHT AND TECHNICAL After taking a surprise wet-weather victory at this circuit last season, Valentino Rossi is hoping for an identical result in different conditions this time around. The torrential rain that fell during the inaugural event at Shanghai one year ago set the scene for one of the most impressive performances of Rossi’s career but, given the choice, the World Champion is hoping for a much more straightforward way to demonstrate his superiority next Sunday. “Out of all the victories in my career, China last year was the one I least expected because of the problems we had with the bike during the weekend and with the rain on race day,” explains Rossi, who became the all-time record points scorer in Grand Prix history thanks to his fourth place finish in Turkey last week a result that outs him fifth in the championship. “It was the first time I had won in the wet on the Yamaha, so it was a special victory, but this year I would definitely prefer a dry race. The 2006 version M1 didn’t work as well as we had hoped in the wet practice sessions in Turkey and we need as much dry track time as possible to get the bike setting as I like it.” Like Turkey the Shanghai circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, but it is much more similar to the German architect’s other effort at Sepang in Malaysia, with tight bends and long straights that, according to Rossi, make the rider’s skill in setting the bike up even more important. “My first impressions of the circuit last year were very good but then it wasn’t as much fun as I expected,” explains the Italian. “It is actually quite tight and technical and is very much a Formula 1 track, so all the riders have a lot of hard work to do finding the right setting for the bikes. It is not ideal for MotoGP it is a very demanding circuit and it will test the riders and the bikes to the maximum.” COLIN EDWARDS: EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED Colin Edwards says he is unsure about what to expect in China after experiencing such mixed fortunes at each of the opening three rounds this season. Like his team-mate, the American is hoping for favourable circumstances from the opening practice in order to gather crucial set-up data for the 2006 version YZR-M1 machine. “Because we had so little dry time at Shanghai last year I think there is a big question mark for everybody about what is going to happen,” says Edwards, who currently lies ninth in the championship on 19 points. “It will be important to find a good setting for the bike as quickly as possible so that we can get some endurance testing in before the race and make sure we don’t have the problems we’ve struggled with in previous weekends. This is a very important Grand Prix for us and we simply have to end it with a decent result before the championship heads back to Europe. “The test at Istanbul on Monday was quite beneficial because it gave us an idea of the lap times we could have done in the race if we weren’t interrupted by the rain on Saturday, which was encouraging, although it didn’t win us any points back! We got a lot of laps in, which is what we need right now, so the engineers have some good data to work on over the next week before the race and I’m confident they can come up with something for us in China.” 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: 160 (100 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: 51 x MotoGP World Championships – 2 World Superbike DAVIDE BRIVIO: POSITIVE THINKING Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is looking towards the Grand Prix in China as a major opportunity to turn around the team’s early-season fortunes. Having enjoyed a particularly fruitful weekend in Shanghai at this stage last season, the Italian is hoping the event can prove to be a turning point for the team at the start of a critical phase of the championship. “Last year’s race in China was very important for us because we won, and won well, in the wet and this helped us to find the solutions to some problems we had with the dry setting, so we are hoping it can be the same this time,” says Brivio. “It has been a difficult start to the season but despite the bad luck of Valentino’s crash in the first round at Jerez he is still very close to the top. We’re looking forward to seeing what both he and Colin are capable of when the problems are solved and hopefully that can start in China. “Now we have eight races in eleven weekends, which is a lot and puts pressure on everybody. For example our drivers will be going straight from China to pick up the trucks and driving them to France without a break, but I think it is worse for the riders because they have no time to rest. In any case the next three months are the core of the season and a period where the situation regarding the championship becomes much clearer. The conditions are the same for everybody so we have to make sure we work to the best of our abilities and come through with a good share of the points.” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: COLIN EDWARDS’ SUSPENSION TECHNICIAN ROBERT GRONLUND Despite being drawn by the same hand as the Istanbul Circuit in Turkey, Shanghai has different characteristics that draw closer comparisons to the other Herman Tilke circuit of Sepang. Combining fast straights and hard braking zones with a series of slow and difficult corners, bike set-up is again a question of finding a compromised balance, whilst the big unknown this weekend will be the conditions with last year’s mixed bag of weather and the typically hot and humid climate making grip levels a complete mystery until Friday morning practice. “In some ways Shanghai is similar to Turkey but in other ways it is very different,” explains Robert Gronlund, Colin Edwards’ Ohlins suspension technician. “For instance, it doesn’t flow as much as that track but it does have a mixture of fast corners and very hard braking zones, so in terms of the set-up the key is again to have a good compromise especially with the suspension. The bike needs to turn well into the slow corners because, like with the final section in Turkey, you can lose a lot of time there. “The thing about Shanghai is that we have only been once and it was sometimes wet and sometimes dry, so we have a very limited amount of data. Really we’re not worried about that though because we feel we made an important step during the test in Turkey. We have reduced the vibration problems we had at Jerez and Qatar and found a solution to the difficulties we had at Istanbul just generally making the bike easier to ride. A lot will depend on the grip levels at Shanghai and it certainly won’t be easy, but we are looking forward to it.” CIRCUIT INFORMATION Pole Position left Length: 5451 m Width: 12 m Right corners: 7 Left corners: 7 Constructed in: 2004 Shanghai Lap Record: Alex Barros (Honda) 2005 2’13.716* Shanghai Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005 1’59.710 Shanghai 2005 Results*: 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (Yamaha) 50’02.463 2. Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki) +1.700 3. Marco Melandri (Honda) +16.574 8. COLIN EDWARDS (Yamaha) +31.033 * Wet Race

Former World Superbike and Supersport Champion Fabrizio Pirovano won the second round of the Suzuki GSX-R European Cup at Monza today in comfortable fashion in front of a huge crowd. Pirovano, on his home circuit as a non points-scoring ‘Wild Card’ entry, rode smoothly and controlled the race from the second lap. Belgian Xavier Simeon made a good start and led Pirovano at the end of the first lap. But he decided not to play around and charged into the lead on lap two. From then on in he was never headed on the way to the chequered flag. Simeon was way ahead of third-placed Philipp Hafeneger, so settled into second spot in the race, safe in the knowledge that although Pirovano would win, his ‘Wild Card’ status meant that he wouldn’t score any points. Fabrizio Pirovano – 1st: “I just had to win here – my home track – and even though I don’t race regularly, the feeling when you win is something special. As I said before, Monza is special, so winning here is very special. The youngster Simeon rode well all weekend and he is going to be a real star very soon. He’s fast and aggressive, but he has an old head on his shoulders and he knows what to do on the race track.” Xavier Simeon – 2nd: “It is no disgrace coming second to Pirovano, because he’s a racing legend. And he’s been around Monza more than any other racer for sure. I enjoyed the race today and I’m happy with the 25 points, but it would have been nice to beat him. Maybe I’ll do it the next time we are in the same race.” Race Result: 1 Pirovano, 2 Simeon, 3 Hafeneger, 4 Van der Marel, 5 Delhalle, 6 Castellani, 7 Mahr, 8 Junod, 9 Beretta, 10 Seidel. Championship Points: 1 Simeon 50, 2 Hafeneger 33, 3 Mahr 30, 4 Van der Marel 25, 5 Delhalle 21, 6 Castellani 21.

FIM Superbike World Championship Monza, Italy May 7 Race Two Results: 1. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06), 18 laps, 32:17.705 2. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000), -1.916 seconds 3. Noriyuki HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1) -6.479 seconds 4. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR), -10.227 seconds 5. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), -11.910 seconds 6. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1), -17.551 seconds 7. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR), -17.720 seconds 8. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), -17.825 seconds 9. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R), -22.873 seconds 10. Roberto ROLFO (Duc 999F05), -31.603 seconds 11. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06), -31.610 seconds 12. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), -34.282 seconds 13. Fabien FORET (Suz GSX-R1000), -35.273 seconds 14. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), -35.306 seconds 15. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F05), -40.522 seconds 16. Norick ABE (Yam YZF-R1), -51.516 seconds 17. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Suz GSX-R1000), -56.396 seconds 18. Gianluca NANNELLI (Hon CBR1000RR), -58.679 seconds 19. Lorenzo ALFONSI (Yam YZF-R1), -59.135 seconds 20. Norino BRIGNOLA (Duc 999RS), -60.991 seconds 21. Marco BORCIANI (Duc 999F05), -72.581 seconds 22. Lorenzo MAURI (Ducati 999RS), -86.383 seconds 23. Franco BATTAINI (Kaw ZX-10R), -86.954 seconds 24. Ivan CLEMENTI (Duc 999RS), -13 laps, DNF, crash 25. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), -15 Laps, DNF, mechanical 26. Steve MARTIN (Foggy Petronas FP1), -16 laps, DNF, mechanical 27. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), -16 laps, DNF, mechanical 28. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Duc 999RS), -17 laps, DNF, mechanical 29. Craig JONES (Foggy Petronas FP1), -18 laps, DNF, crash FIM Superbike World Championship Point Standings (after 8 of 26 races): 1. Bayliss, 175 points 2. Corser, 139 points 3. Toseland, 97 points 4. Barros, 95 points 5. Haga, 93 points 6. Pitt, 79 points 7. Lanzi, 59 points 8. Rolfo, 46 points 9. Abe, 40 points 10. Nieto, 37 points 11. Fabrizio, 36 points 12. Xaus, 34 points 13. Walker, 33 points 14. Laconi, 31 points 15. Muggeridge, 30 points 16. Kagayama, 24 points 17. Nakatomi, 18 points 18. TIE, Pierfrancesco Chili/Foret, 10 points 20. TIE, Borciani/Neukirchner, 9 points More, from a press release issued by FGSPORT Group: BAYLISS TAKES THE DOUBLE AT RECORD PACE BAYLISS PLAYS PATIENCE AND TAKES BOTH POTS With the Monza weather proving to be gloriously sunny, it shone brightest of all on Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) as he scored the wins in race one and two. He had serious problems from Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga on occasion, but taking the new lap record of 1’46.815 in race two to boot, he performed immaculately once again. RACE ONE The opening 18-lap race at Monza was the personal property of Bayliss, who won by over three seconds from eventual second place man Alex Barros, who had to work through the pack in assured fashion. Troy Corser took a close third, with Noriyuki Haga just squeezed off the podium in fourth. A last gasp attempt to get on terms with this trio resulted in James Toseland crashing at the Parabolica on lap 17. A multiple rider first corner pile up, involving 7 riders in total, reduced the midfield and allowed the top riders to make a clean break at the earliest possible opportunity, as the rest picked through the fallen bikes and riders. No riders were seriously hurt in the crash. RACE TWO Bayliss had a three rider fight with Corser and Haga in race two, before stretching the legs of his loping Ducati twin to secure his second win of the day, and his fifth SBK race in a row. A slower starting Barros claimed fourth place, when a battle between himself and Toseland was terminated by Toseland slowing as his bike ran out of fuel. Toseland was clear of the following pack when trouble struck, and took fifth. BAYLISS EXTENDS LEAD BUT CORSER STILL IN TOUCH Bayliss now sits on a meaty 175 points from a possible 200 so far, while 2005 champion Corser is still well in the hunt with seven rounds remaining, having scored 139. A close battle is developing for third, with Toseland on 97, Barros on 95 and Haga on 93. AUSSIES COME ON LEAPS AND BOUNDS On another good day in SBK for Australian riders, Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) scored a fifth and a sixth, putting smiles on the faces of his team, which is based only a couple of kilometres from Monza. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) finished one place behind Pitt in each race, an encouraging pair of results for a rider recovering from recent spinal injuries. KAWASAKI RIDERS UP AND DOWN Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) ran with the leading bunch in each 18-lap race and enjoyed his team’s best individual finish of the weekend, with seventh in race one. He was forced out of race two with an electrical problem, and his team-mate Fonsi Nieto scored the top Kawasaki slot, in eighth, one place up on Chris Walker. Nieto was one of the unlucky seven who crashed in the first chicane of race one, an event in which Walker finished 11th. ROLFO MAKES THE TOP TEN, ABE RACES AND NAKATOMI SHINES Robby Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi) scored an eighth and a tenth place at Monza, in front of his home fans, and was the best scoring home rider of the weekend. Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) raced on Sunday despite his huge crash of Friday, and also missing all of Saturday’s practice. Taken out by the melee on lap one of race one, he rode to 16th for pride’s sake in race two. His team-mate, Shinichi Nakatomi, had two good rookie rides at Monza, taking tenth and 12th places. LANZI TOP TEN AND THEN 11th Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) did not have his best home weekend, running to a ninth and 11th place finish. A miserable Monza for Michel Fabrizio only gave him two points for 14th in race two, while Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik) was one of the first corner fallers in the opener, and took the last point on offer in race two. WORLD SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP Monza’s WSS race provided the best race of the Supersport season so far, and delivered a new winner, 19-year-old Yoann Tiberio (Megabike Honda). Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) made his usual incredible start and scored an early lead, but this time around his start was simply too fast, and he was penalised with a stop-and-go penalty. He recovered from this – and a further unplanned off track excursion while braking – to score an incredible third, and take a new lap record of 1.51.403 along the way. Rising star Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda) scored a strong second place, after Tiberio’s main rival for the win, Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany), suffered a dramatic machine failure on the start/finish straight of lap 13. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston ten Kate Honda) clashed fairings on the final corner, with Roccoli claiming the fourth place on offer. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Megabike Honda) crashed out of contention, alongside Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha team Italia). Wildcard rider Stuart Easton scored a magnificent sixth on his first ride on the SC Caracchi Ducati. Charpentier’s astounding ride to third, and Curtain’s no score, conspired to give Charpentier a 31 point lead with four races gone, with Harms third on 52 and Tiberio fourth, with 48. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP Alessandro Polita (Celani Suzuki) jumped to the immediate lead in the Superstock 1000 race, with Danilo Dell’Omo (TCM Team Cruciani Corse) and Ricardo Chiarello (Lightspeed Kawasaki) in the second podium slots. At the end of lap three Chiarello had pushed through to second and was closing on the championship leader from then on. He was unable to match the speed of the Suzuki man, but took a close second, only 0.357 from the win. Badovini made it a good day for the local MV factory, taking third on his Biassono Unionbike F4. In the championship Polita leads Badovini, with 50 points to Badovini’s 32 and Chiarello third on 22. SILVERSTONE NEXT UP FOR SBK HORDES Silverstone, on May 28th, will form the first of two British races for the SBK field this season. More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) suffered a crash in the opening race, after fighting for a top five finish, and despite running low on fuel on the last lap he scored fifth in race two, to keep his third place in the overall championship chase. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) made an assured comeback from his recent spinal injury to score a sixth and seventh, only losing out places as the final laps unfolded and his energy levels dipped. In the first race Toseland saw an opportunity to make his race long high pace count after losing touch with the leaders in the first stages of the 18-laps. After a big wobble had disrupted his braking power, he fell after entering the Parabolica corner too quickly, when trying to make up ground and find the slipstream of the group in front. He ran off, lost the front on the grass and landed on his head and neck as he tumbled through the gravel. His team-mate Karl Muggeridge almost led the race at one point, but dropped back slowly to score a top six on his return from injury. In the second 18-laps race Toseland, despite the discomfort of his sore neck, was battling for fourth with fellow Honda rider Alex Barros, but ran out of fuel and had to concede the points to his closest championship rival. Muggeridge had his second good race of the day, but had to give ground to his countryman Andrew Pitt, and did well to hold off Fonsi Nieto over the line, ending his second race seventh. Toseland sits third overall, on 97 points (two ahead of Barros) with Muggeridge 15th, on 30. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “To be honest the weekend didn’t really bring us what we were hoping for. We worked hard all the weekend to make the bike better and better. The crash for James in the first heat didn’t help him, in terms of confidence for the second and his number one bike was destroyed, so we also had to move to his number two bike, which was just a little bit different. For Karl I am just glad that he brought in two solid results, good strong top tens. It shows he is recovering and the result is something we can build on for the future.” James Toseland SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Race 1: DNF Race 2: 5th Championship Position: 3rd with 97 points) “I’m not happy with the crash in race one, and not happy with the conclusion of the race in race two. We ran out of fuel and that allowed Barros to come by. Enough said about that. But we’ve got some work to do, to try and get the power down. This circuit was better for us for sure but we have a lot more work to do. But I am prepared, and the team is prepared, to do the work required. So we can only move onwards and upwards from here. It’s not over yet and we will battle to the end. I’ve got confidence that we can improve.” Karl Muggeridge SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Race 1: 6th Race 2: 7th Championship Position: 15th with 30 points) “We had a pretty good weekend, all things considered. I’m just a bit disappointed that I am not a bit fitter and I had quite low energy. I had good speed, so that was a positive thing after being out for a while. We have a good break to Silverstone now, so I can work on myself. All in all, I’m satisfied with my comeback rides.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Monza (Italy), Sunday 7 May: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) extended his World Superbike winning streak to five as he notched up another two wins at Monza to add to his race 2 triumph in Australia and his double at Valencia. The 37-year-old, whose return to the championship this year after three years in MotoGP, has been nothing short of sensational, now leads the table by 36 points from his closest rival Troy Corser (Suzuki), who twice finished on the podium today. The wins were Troy’s fifth and sixth at the high-speed Autodromo, and his third double win at Monza to go with the same results in 2001 and 2002. “I love coming to Monza and I’ve got fond memories of the place ever since I first arrived here with Ducati in 2000 but to win like I did today is pretty special. Ernesto Marinelli, my main man, had a few solutions this morning to solve the bike’s stability, he’s normally right and we didn’t really have any problems at all” declared Troy after race 1. “The second race was a bit harder, because the guys got a bit of a jump and Corser and Haga made a good first few laps, while I was with James for a bit and it was difficult to get past. Eventually I caught the two in the front. Troy and I played a bit of cat-and-mouse but the most important thing was that we got away from Nori and it came down to us two in the last few laps. I love to do well here in front of all the Italians, there’s just something special about the place, I’ve done the double here today and the last time I was here I was lucky enough to get the same result. I think I’ve got the best team in the paddock and a big thanks to everyone for these wins today”. Two disappointing races for Lorenzo Lanzi, who was unable to repeat his Valencia form after struggling to get to grips with the Monza circuit from Friday onwards. “After the excellent results at Valencia, I thought I could do better at Monza because I had always done great races here with the Superstock and the 749″ commented Lorenzo. “But the fact that I had never been here before on a Superbike maybe conditioned my entire weekend. I tried to be the best Italian on the track, and came close but it wasn’t to be. I clearly had problems right from the Friday morning and I had to struggle. We will now try and get back to the front at Silverstone”. RACE 1: 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox); 2. Barros (Honda); 3. Corser (Suzuki); 4. Haga (Yamaha); 5. Pitt (Yamaha); 6. Muggeridge (Honda); “¦ 9. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox). RACE 2: 1. Bayliss; 2. Corser; 3. Haga; 4. Barros; 5. Toseland (Honda); 6. Pitt; “¦ 11. Lanzi. POINTS (after 4 of 13 rounds): Riders 1. Bayliss 175; 2. Corser 139; 3. Toseland 97; 4. Barros 95; 5. Haga 93; 6. Pitt 79; 7. Lanzi 59; 8. Rolfo 46. Manufacturers 1. Ducati 176; 2. Suzuki 149; 3. Honda 124; 4. Yamaha 113; 5. Kawasaki 57; 6. Petronas 4. More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: Sunday May 7 the first heat of World’s Superbike Championship at Monza. Alex is third in the front row of the grid and here he goes! A good start for Alex but then he is blocked by some other riders in the first corner. Alex is on the brake and he comes back from the first lap on 12th position. But there are only 23 riders still on the track. Seven riders were involved in an immense crash in the first lap. Alex attacks! In the third lap he is already 8th and does with a 1’47.027 the best lap of all the riders in the race! He is ultra fast and he needs his full concentration. Kagayama crashes just in front of him. Alex manages the situation and goes on and on. He passes Laconi and Muggeridge and rides on 4th position. Bayliss is leading. Haga and Corser are in front of Alex and the Brazilian is hunting them. Alex catches the slip stream and starts a great fight against these both. And Alex gets them. After some breath taking laps Alex finishes second after Troy Bayliss. Alex Barros: “This was a real good race! In the first corner I had a problem because there was too much traffic. And the worst moment in the whole race was, when Kagayama crashed just in front of me. I really had to struggle to miss him. After this things turned very well for me. The slip stream games were great. I’m very happy and thanks to the Klaffi Honda Team. They gave me a great machine this weekend!” Superbike II At 15.30 Alex Barros starts again from the first row in the grid. And as in the heat before Alex is in the traffic jam in the first corner. Hard work again for Alex. Fighting and passing the riders in front of him takes a lot of time. Finally he is on 5th position behind Toseland and puts pressure on him. And Alex has success. In the last lap he passes Toseland and finishes 4th in the second heat today. Alex Barros: “The second heat today was very similar to the first one. But this time I caused a problem by myself. I lost about two seconds in the 5th lap after a manoeuvre with Muggeridge. After this I had no chance to close the gap and I finished 4th. We changed a little bit the suspension today and the Fireblade was perfect for Monza. I know that have to improve the start and I will concentrate on this during the next test.” Team Manager Klaus Klaffenböck: “After the podium in the first race we expected an excellent result like this again in the second heat. All in all the weekend was okay. Alex was the best Honda rider. But we head always straight for a top three position.” Superbike I 1. Bayliss (Ducati) 2. Barros (Klaffi Honda) 3.982 3. Corser (Suzuki) 4.218 Superbike II 1. Bayliss (Ducati) 2. Corser (Suzuki) 1.916 3. Haga (Yamaha) 6.479 4. Barros (Klaffi Honda) 10.227 Championship Standings 1. Bayliss 175 2. Corser 139 3. Toseland 97 4. Barros 95 5. Haga 93 6. Pitt 79 7. Lanzi 59 8. Rolfo 46 9. Abe 40 10. Nieto 37 More from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) secured a superb second place finish in the first SBK race at Monza, and then went on to underline his return to form with a fourth place in race two. His race results in Italy bring him closer to James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) in the championship chase, with Toseland crashing out of race one while fifth and then scoring fifth in the second race. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Honda Ten Kate CBR1000RR) had a more than respectable comeback to action after his recent back injury, qualifying one place ahead of Toseland in seventh and then posting sixth and seventh place finishes. A not so happy day for Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda CBR1000RR) and Gianluca Nannelli (DFX Treme Honda CBR1000RR) saw them both involved in a seven rider crash at the start of race one, with Fabrizio the only points scorer in race two. In the opening race fine weather allowed the 30 starters a clean holeshot, but after a crash involving Gianluca Nannelli, Michel Fabrizio and five others, the field was almost immediately reduced to 23. Alex Barros played a superb game of slipstreaming and patience, passing riders until he reached his eventual second place finish, behind winner Troy Bayliss. He had qualified third in Superpole. Toseland’s attempt to get back into contention on the final lap saw him fall from fifth, at the Parabolica on the 17th lap. His brake pads had been shaken loose after a violent wobble exiting the Ascari chicane, and reduced his immediate braking effort at a key time. His team-mate Karl Muggeridge enjoyed an instantly rewarding return to action, scoring sixth place. In the second race Troy Bayliss secured the win, his fifth straight victory, with Barros the highest placed Honda rider again, in fourth. Toseland was fighting with Barros for this position, but his machine began to run out of fuel on the last lap, and he had to slow over the line. Muggeridge was a tiring seventh after so long out of action, and Fabrizio battled hard to finish 14th. Bayliss enjoys a lead of 175 points to Troy Corser’s 139, with Toseland third on 97, and Barros fourth with 95. Fabrizio is 11th on 36, Muggeridge 15th on 30. Barros, who has not raced at Monza since the mid eighties, was happy with his Monza efforts, and those of his team. “In the first corner I had a problem because there was too much traffic,” stated Barros after the first race podium ceremony. “The worst moment in the race was when Kagayama crashed right in front of me. I really had to struggle to miss him. After that things went well for me and the slipstreaming games were great. The machine was also great this weekend. Because of my start in race two it took me a lot of time to get to the leading positions, which probably stopped me challenging for another podium.” Toseland was understandably disappointed by his race results, but happy to still be third overall. “I’m not happy with the crash in race one, and not happy with the conclusion of the race in race two,” said Toseland. “We ran out of fuel and that allowed Barros to come by. Enough said about that. But we’ve got some work to do, to try and get the power down. This circuit was better for us for sure but we have a lot more work to do.” Muggeridge had every reason to be happy with his comeback at Monza, and was only let down by his strength and stamina in the final laps of the races. “We had a pretty good weekend, all things considered,” stated Muggeridge. “I’m just a bit disappointed that I am not a bit fitter and I had quite low energy. I had good speed, so that was a positive thing after being out for a while. We have a good break to Silverstone now, so I can work on myself. All in all, I’m satisfied with my comeback rides.” Fabrizio had his second difficult weekend in succession, multiplied by it being at his home circuit. “In the first race the crash was an incredible thing, because I fell without knowing what had happened,” said Michel. “In race two from the start the bike was OK, until half of the race was finished. After that, the tyres started to go and it was difficult to ride in the corners. I’m not happy because this was a big weekend.” Nannelli was involved at the start of the first corner, first race fall, having already suffered a hard crash in qualifying on Friday, which helped to keep him out of Superpole qualifying. “In race one I crashed out in the first corner,” said Nannelli. “I don’t know why you never remember your own crashes. In race two the bike was very good in terms of the suspension and the tyres. When Clementi crashed I went off the track and lost some time. Afterwards it was impossible to get back to the same position as before.” Silverstone hosts round five of the Superbike and Supersport championships, and runs between 26 and 28 May. More from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser rode his heart out at today’s World Superbike fourth round at Monza to take two well-deserved podiums on his GSX-R1000. The reigning world champion showed his ‘never give up’ spirit in both 18-lap races: He had front brake problems in race one and nearly crashed twice, but still managed third place behind Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and Alex Barros (Honda). And in race two, he and Bayliss traded the lead for most of the 18-lapper, but his Suzuki could not quite match the Ducatis’ acceleration out of the turns and when Bayliss pulled out a small advantage Corser could not push any harder and catch up. Bayliss crossed the line to take his second win of the day, with Corser second and Noriyuki Haga third. It was an unlucky day for team mate Yukio Kagayama: In the first race, he got taken out when James Toseland highsided next to him and crashed. And in the second, he was forced to retire with clutch problems. Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Fabien Foret finished 13th in both races and scooped six points. Troy Corser – Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 2nd: “Today, like at Valencia, I rode as hard as I could and when you do that and don’t win, you just have to reach out and shake the hand of the winner. In race one, I had some front brake problems. The lever was inconsistent and sometimes it’d be ok and sometimes it would come nearly all the way back to the bar! That made it a bit entertaining, I can tell you! I nearly crashed a couple of times, so in the end I was happy to get on the podium. “There were no real problems in race two and there was just no way I could have ridden any harder. The Ducati can accelerate out of the turns like no other bike – especially the four cylinder ones – and their traction control allows Bayliss to get on the gas hard when the bike is still leant over. We cannot do that, and that is where we lose ground and time. It’s a little frustrating to ride so hard and not win, so we’ll have to figure out what to do and try and get our own back in Silverstone.” Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: DNF: “Today I am not a lucky man. Really, it’s not that I had no luck, I did have luck, but it was all bad luck! In the first race I was next to Toseland when he highsided and we touched. I went down and crashed but the impact of my bike helped to stay on his bike and recover, so he was a lucky man. In race two, I had clutch problems and it was impossible to continue so I had to pull in. I hope for better luck next time.” Fabien Foret – Race 1: 13th, Race 2: 13th: “I was not so happy with my result in the first race because we had some small problems, I made a good start but then a little problem with my front tyre meant I couldn’t push hard and so I didn’t enjoy the race. I was much happier with race two because I was involved in a good battle with Lanzi, Nakatomi and Fabrizio. We used the same bike as race one, but just changed the settings a little and it felt much better. Also, my lap times were much more consistent. I am a little disappointed overall because before this weekend I wanted to get into the top 10, so now I will try and do it in the next round in Silverstone.”

FIM Supersport World Championship Monza, Italy May 7 Race Results: 1. Yoann TIBERIO (Hon CBR600RR), 16 laps, 30’14.618 2. Robbin HARMS (Hon CBR600RR), -1.924 seconds 3. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Hon CBR600RR), -4.255 seconds 4. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yam YZF-R6), -7.224 seconds 5. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Hon CBR600RR), -7.499seconds 6. Staurt EASTON (Ducati 749 R), -9.015 seconds 7. Broc PARKES (Yam YZF-R6), -9.117 seconds 8. Johan STIGEFELT (Hon CBR600RR), -10.866seconds 9. Javier FORES (Yam YZF-R6), -10.997 seconds 10. Sebastien CHAMBON (Kaw ZX-6RR), -21.842 seconds 11. Tatu LAUSLEHTO (Hon CBR600RR), -25.332 seconds 12. Stefano CRUCIANI (Honda CBR 600RR), -25.478 seconds 13. David CHECA (Yamaha YZF R6), -26.654 seconds 14. Vesa KALLIO (Yamaha YZF R6), -34.012 seconds 15. Kai Borre ANDERSEN (Suz GSX-R600), -38.406 seconds 16. Maxime BERGER (Kaw ZX-6RR), -39.084 seconds 17. Mauro SANCHINI (Yam YZF-R6), -45.191 seconds 18. Tomas MIKSOVSKY (Honda CBR 600RR) -49.322 seconds 19. Miguel PRAIA (Hon CBR600RR), -49.345 seconds 20. Chris PERIS (Yam YZF-R6), -51.732 seconds 21. Andrea BERTA (Yam YZF-R6), -53.567 seconds 22. Vladimir IVANOV (YZF R6), -56.480 seconds 23. Greg LEBLANC (Hon CBR600RR), -1’31.254 seconds 24. Kevin CURTAIN (Yam YZF-R6), -12 laps, DNF, mechanical 25. Sebastien LE GRELLE (Hon CBR600RR), -12 laps, DNF, mechanical More, from a press release issued by Winston Media: Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) lost his perfect record of 2006 season race wins after 18 laps at Monza, but in finishing third he arguably had his most impressive performance of the year. His team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) survived a first lap incident and a last lap clash with another rider to finish fifth, scoring valuable championship points. Charpentier’s race saw him penalised for a jump start from pole position, meaning that he had to return from a clear lead to enter pits to take a ride-through penalty, losing some 11 places on the way. He took his already brilliant level of riding to a new plateau of excellence on lap eight, with a 1’51.403. Once again drama unfolded as Sebastien ran on at the chicane, but despite losing more places again, he battled back to finish an incredible third. In doing so he extended his championship advantage to 31 points, as his main championship rival Kevin Curtain failed to finish. Sofuoglu was not part of the early leading group as he was held back in 20th place after a controversial first lap. His progress through the field was equally impressive to his team-mate’s and he would have taken fourth but for a contact with another rider on the final time around the Parabolica. His finish puts him ninth overall. Ronald Ten Kate – Team manager “That was probably the most exciting race for a couple of years in the Supersport category. Sebastien clearly jumped the start so I don’t even want to discuss it. He had to take his ride through and we made an organisation in pit lane to tell him when to go again. Immediately afterwards he broke the lap record twice with an amazing 1.2 seconds over the old record. I am sorry that he again lost time at the chicane when he ran on, and as the timesheets tell us, it was a further five seconds. He could even have won the race if it was not for that. I am very happy for Seb because he is now 31 points ahead, and it was good to see Tiberio winning. When we cannot win it is good to see another Honda win. Kenan also had a difficult race, and he almost had to start the first lap from last position after the big crash at the first chicane. He almost finished fourth but he shifted one too many back before the last corner, so he ended up fifth. I am happy with him, he showed himself to be a very good racer. Despite the lack of a win this race will live in my memory for a very long time.” Sébastien Charpentier WSS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (3rd Championship Position: 1st with 91 points) “It was a very long story today. An incredible 16 laps. After taking the jump start penalty it was necessary to try very hard to come back to the front. After some very hard braking I ran on at the chicane so it was more difficult again. A very tough race. But I am very happy to finish third after all that and my package was fantastic today. My Honda was incredible and the Pirelis were so good. A blown engine for Kevin Curtain was a very good development for me in the championship. I am also very happy for Tiberio, who had a difficult start to the championship.” Kenan Sofuoglu WSS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (5th Championship Position: 9th with 27 points) “The comeback was not so bad, but at the start I made a mistake. The real problem was in the first chicane, when a rider crashed and took some others out. I completely lost my exit there again and I was, 24th, and then 20th at the end of the first lap. I thought maybe I could get some points after that happened. Lap by lap I overtook many riders and then I realised that I could overtake a few more. I could have had fourth but another rider bumped me and took me out of my line on the last corner. Fifth was good but it should have been better.” More from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: Honda riders continued their domination of the 2006 World Supersport Championship, but unlike the first three races of the season, world championship leader Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) was not the winner. That honour went to WSS rookie Yoann Tiberio (Megabike Honda CBR600RR) who turned an eighth place qualifying performance into an impressive victory in front of a sun-drenched Italian crowd. Honda riders have won every race this season and Monza delivered the first all Honda podium of the season to boot. Honda now leads the Manufacturers’ Championship by 27 points, from Yamaha. The 19-year-old Frenchman scored his win in dramatic fashion, when early leader Charpentier was punished with a stop-go penalty for a jump-start. Tiberio thus found himself in an eventual two-rider battle for the win until his rival Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) was forced out of contention. He only had to keep a safe distance between himself and eventual second placed rider Robin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) to take a final margin of victory of 1.924 seconds. Behind the leading battle, pole winner Charpentier had dropped to 11th place, broke the lap record immediately after his stop/go, ran off track down an escape road soon after and still returned to the action to score a remarkable third place. With Curtain not scoring, he extended his championship lead to 31 points, with Harms overall third on 52 and Tiberio fourth with 48. Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) was 20th on lap one, having qualified seventh, but fought back to a fine fifth place, entering the top nine overall with 27 points. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR) had the great misfortune to be involved in a crash with another rider, and was taken out on lap three, when lying in fifth place. He had qualified third and was in a good position to compete with all except the runaway early leader, Charpentier. Tiberio could not dream of a win before raceday but once he got his chance he took it with both hands. “I had a strange race today,” said Tiberio. “I started not so well but I made some good laps and passed some riders, and when Fujiwara and Vizziello crashed I pushed hard. I had a beautiful battle with Harms and Curtain and when I saw that Harms was two seconds behind, I kept the gap with a clear focus, especially when I saw that Charpentier had to return to the box. I was happy with the bike and thanks for the work of the team from Phillip Island onwards. I want to continue in this way.” Charpentier once more missed out on a Monza win, but was relieved to make amends for his early mistake, and even extend his series lead. “It was a very long story today, an incredible 16 laps,” said Charpentier. “After taking the jump start penalty it was necessary to try very hard to come back to the front. After some very hard braking I ran on at the chicane so it was more difficult again. A very tough race. But I am very happy to finish third after all that and my package was fantastic today. My Honda was incredible and the Pirellis were so good. A blown engine for Kevin Curtain was a very good development for me in the championship. I am also very happy for Yoann Tiberio, who had a difficult start to the championship.” For Sofuoglu, Monza’s result was a disappointment but after his early race demotion to 24th on the track, his fifth was a similarly impressive result to Charpentier’s. “The comeback was not so bad, but at the start I made a mistake,” said Sofuoglu. “The real problem was in the first chicane, when a rider crashed and took some others out. I completely lost my exit there again and I was, 24th, and then 20th at the end of the first lap. I thought maybe I could get some points after that happened. Lap by lap I overtook many riders and then I realised that I could overtake a few more. I could have had fourth but another rider bumped me and took me out of my line on the last corner. Fifth was good but it should have been better.” Fujiwara was largely uninjured in his crash but hugely disappointed by the result of his fall, as it leaves him only 12th overall, on 16 points. “It’s very hard to accept this result after all the hard work we have put in. I am very disappointed, but pleased for Yoann and the team.”