FIM Superbike World Championship Monza, Italy May 5 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1) 1:47.007 2. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06) 1:47.043 3. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:47.591 4. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:47.751 5. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:47.763 6. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:47.769 7. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1) 1:47.793 8. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F05) 1:47.852 9. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:48.070 10. Roberto ROLFO (Duc 999F05) 1:48.334 11. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:48.530 12. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06) 1:48.575 13. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Duc 999RS) 1:48.712 14. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:48.828 15. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1) 1:48.871 16. Ivan CLEMENTI (Duc 999RS) 1:49.226 17. Lorenzo ALFONSI (Duc 999RS) 1:49.357 18. Nicole BRIGNOLA (Duc 999RS) 1:49.475 19. Norick ABE (Yam YZF-R1) 1:49.497 20. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:49.578 More, from a press release issued by FGSport: MONZA 4th ROUND MAY 5th, 6th and 7th First Qualifying Practice Haga Fastest After Challenging First Day At Monza LIGHT RAIN AFFECTS AFTERNOON QUALIFYING SESSION With just the merest drizzle of rain appearing at the Ascari chicane section of the 5.793km Monza circuit, shortly after the start of the first timed session, the hour long Friday qualifying for the World Superbike riders proved to be a difficult affair. It was headed up by the impressively fast Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia), with a 1’47.007 faster than the previous lap record on race tyres, but only 0.028 from the absolute track best, despite the increasingly damp sections at Ascari and the Parabolica. Closest to Haga was championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox), only 0.036 seconds from the rapid Japanese rider. CORSER THIRD QUICKEST WITH TOSELAND ON HIS TAIL Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) was the closest rider to the Haga/Bayliss battle, with the 2005 champion third fastest, just over half a second from Haga’s best. The provisional front row was completed by James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda), riding with a small degree of caution, as the track was damp enough to hold back a full attack. The top five was completed by PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse’s Regis Laconi, pushing hard on the big Kawasaki and making it five different machines in the top five positions. ALEX BARROS IMPROVES TO GO TOP SIX Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) used his Honda power to record the sixth best lap of the opening day’s qualifying session, finishing only 0.006 seconds from Laconi’s fifth place Kawasaki. An incredibly tight provisional second row was completed by Haga’s team-mate Andrew Pitt and the privateer Sterilgarda Berik Ducati of Spanish star Ruben Xaus. The latter’s 999 was the fastest bike through the speed trap, at a whopping 310kmph. ROOKIES TO THE FORE, EVEN IN TRICKY CONDITIONS Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda) and Roberto Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi 999) are both first year SBK riders, but each local man showed a good grasp of Monza’s early challenges to finish inside the top ten. Two more experienced riders followed them home, with Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) completing the top 12 places, and the third provisional row. NEUKIRCHNER IN PROVISIONAL SUPERPOLE PLACE Should day two dawn wet for the final qualifying session, then today’s times will count towards Superpole qualification. In those circumstances German youngster Max Neukirchner (Pedercini Ducati) will have already qualified for Superpole, as will the rest of the provisional fourth row, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) and Team Pedercini rider, Ivan Clementi. ABE CONCUSSED AND NANNELLI INJURED Yamaha Motor France Ipone rider Norick Abe, who had two impressive races at Valencia, fell exiting the Ascari chicane and suffered a heavy concussion during his tumble. He is currently in the Monza medical centre, undergoing observation. Gianluca Nannelli, Pierfrancesco Chili’s temporary replacement in the DFX Treme Honda team also fell at Ascari and suffered a light concession, plus an injured hand. WORLD SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) left the first day of qualifying at Monza with a new track best, in what is becoming perennially impressive fashion. In both unofficial practice and timed qualifying Charpentier bettered the previous best, finally running out with a 1’51.061, shortly before the rains started after the end of the 45-minute session. Megabike Honda rider Katsuaki Fujiwara was second fastest and the only other rider within the 1’51 bracket, with his personal best of 1’51.844. Yamaha Motor Germany rider Kevin Curtain scored third quickest effort of the timed session, followed by Winston Ten Kate Honda second rider Kenan Sofuoglu. Another young Supersport sensation, Yoann Tiberio (Megabike Honda) scored fifth best time, ahead of local Yamaha rider, Gianluca Vizziello, on his Yamaha Team Italia R6. With one more session to count towards overall qualification, but with pessimistic weather predictions being made for the rest of the weekend, Friday’s times may be the ones which determine the shape of the final grid. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) headed off the opening qualifying challenge of Valencia race winner Alessandro Polita (Celani Suzuki) at Monza, running to a best time of 1’52.431. Ilario Dionisi (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) was third fastest, well down on the leading duo. Local rider, albeit with a season long remit in the PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse team, Denis Sacchetti, was fourth fastest. The top 11 riders were all Italian, proving his important local knowledge is for the big bike riders at Monza. EUROPEAN 600 SUPERSTOCK CHAMPIONSHIP Andrea Antonelli (Junior Team Italia Honda) took provisional pole in the 600cc Supersport class, ahead of proven Superstock entity in 2006, Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Lightspeed Kawasaki rider Davide Guigliano posted the third fastest time, in a field of 35 entrants. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Corser On Front Row At Monza Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra’s Troy Corser put his GSX-R1000 into provisional third place for Sunday’s fourth-round World Superbike Championship round at Monza in Italy. Although the rain didn’t fall heavily in this afternoon’s timed qualifying session, it was enough to make the track slippery in places and make the riders exercise caution. The morning untimed session had taken place in the dry, but the heavy cloud cover threatened rain later in the day. When timed qualifying began, all the riders tried to get out on the track and put in a fast time before the light drizzle turned to rain and the first 10 minutes saw heavy traffic. Most of the fast times were set in this period, with reigning champion Corser posting a lap of 1:47.591 – the third quickest. Corser’s team mate Yukio Kagayama’s right hand was giving him problems in the three Monza chicanes and that, together with the rain in the afternoon, was enough to prevent him from pushing hard. He finished with the 14th fastest time as Fabien had a disappointing day and could only manage 26th best time of the day. Troy Corser – 3rd, 1:47.591: “The conditions this afternoon were pretty tricky and a lot depended on how brave you wanted to be on a damp track! We changed the set-up from the morning and the lap times came pretty comfortably in the afternoon, but there was no point risking anything and crashing, so I just took it fairly steadily. When the afternoon qualifying began we all had the same idea – to get out quickly and put in a fast lap. This track is the kind of place where you need to find another fast rider so that you can pull each other along, but throughout the session I couldn’t find anybody to do that with me. ” Yukio Kagayama – 14th, 1:48.828: “I don’t have much to say really because I didn’t push hard at all today. My right hand is still sore from the crash in Valencia and it was difficult for me to change direction in the chicanes. The slightly wet conditions made it hard for all of us and I didn’t want another crash so I rode steadily.” Fabien Foret – 26th, 1:50.711: “I am very disappointed with myself today and I just couldn’t relax on the bike in the afternoon when it was wet some of the time. The problem was that it wasn’t wet all the time, but it was difficult to know how hard to push and where. I would like to forget about today and start afresh tomorrow when I hope it will be dry. Friday Qualifying: 1 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:47.007, 2 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:47.043, 3 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:47.591, 4 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:47.751, 5 Laconi (F-Kawasaki) 1:47.763, 6 Barros (Bra-Honda) 1:47.769, 7 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha) 1:47.793, 8 Xaus (E-Ducati) 1:47.852, 9 Fabrizio (I-Honda) 1:48.070, 10 Rolfo (I-Ducati) 1.48.334. 14 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra)N 1:48.828. 26 Fabien Foret (F-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra) 1:50.711. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Xerox Team: Bayliss Second Quickest For Ducati Xerox Team In Opening WSBK Session At Monza Monza (Italy), Friday 5 May: Troy Bayliss set the second quickest time for the Ducati Xerox Team in the opening World Superbike qualifying session at the Autodromo di Monza. The 37 year-old Australian, who knocked four-tenths of a second off his own circuit lap record, set way back in 2002, was just a fraction behind provisional poleman Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). “I haven’t been to Monza for four years but the first exit hit the memory button and I remembered the place pretty well. Also the bike felt pretty good straightaway” declared Troy. “After the first session I was a couple of tenths under my old lap record from 2002 so it was nice to go faster than that. This afternoon we tried a few things but the track wasn’t in great condition because there was a bit of rain, but I did a race simulation and was really fast. I had Nori sitting on me the whole way which made me go a little faster because he was in the slipstream but honestly I expect a few more people to do that pace if they are with me as well. It’s only Friday anyway so we’ll see what tomorrow brings”. Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi, who was riding a World Superbike machine for the first time at the high-speed Monza circuit, was relatively satisfied with his twelfth-quickest time but confident there was more to come as he gains more experience with the track. “It’s the first time for me on this track with a Superbike, so I spent much of the day on a learning curve” commented Lorenzo. “It wasn’t easy because this is a very fast track and you have to have a keen eye. In the afternoon I was improving but then it started to rain. I stayed out and in the last quarter of an hour I was the only rider to lap at a quick pace, together with Corser. I didn’t improve much but all the others had done their times in the first ten minutes when I didn’t have the right choice of tyres on. All things considered I’m quite satisfied. I did a lot of laps despite the light rain and I’m in Superpole which is always a good thing. Tomorrow let’s hope it doesn’t rain, but if it does, it’ll rain for everyone”. TIMES: 1. Haga (Yamaha) 1m47.007s; 2. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1m47.043s; 3. Corser (Suzuki) 1m47.591s; 4. Toseland (Honda) 1m47.751s; 5. Laconi (Kawasaki) 1m47.763s; 6. Barros (Honda) 1m47.769s; 7. Pitt (Yamaha) 1m47.793s; 8. Xaus (Ducati) 1m47.852s; “¦ 12. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 1m48.575s. TV COVERAGE. Eurosport (Pan European): Sunday 7 May, 1400 Race 1 (as live); 2300 Race 2 (delayed). La7 (Italy): Sunday 7 May, 1615 Races 1 & 2 (as live). More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: Toseland On Provisional Front Row At Monza James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) and Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) found light smatterings of rain to be the main problem in the opening session of qualifying action at Monza, when a smattering of light rain first fell at the Ascari chicane, to be followed by spits on other parts of the track. The difficult conditions claimed a few riders as the speeds increased, but Toseland still managed to set a best of 1’47.751, less then a second from the existing fastest lap, and good enough for an overall fourth best ranking. He is now guaranteed a Superpole start if the final timed session on Saturday morning proves to be fully wet. Muggeridge, making his return to competitive action after a recent back injury, qualified 22nd fastest, finding that the changeable conditions of the opening qualifying session at the fastest circuit of the year detrimental to his good early pace in the dry untimed morning session. Weather forecasts for the rest of the Monza weekend indicate further rains are a high possibility over race weekend. Ronald Ten Kate – Team Manager “That was a difficult situation due to the conditions on the track. It was hard to do the first qualifying like that. James did very well to get into the top four, and this morning, when it was fully dry Karl was going really well. He was even mixing it with the top ten guys. In the afternoon those conditions didn’t help him get his confidence back. But the performance he showed this morning was very good. Let’s hope it will be dry tomorrow, at least for one of the session, to get things worked out for his set-up and get him even further up the field.” James Toseland Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (4th position 1’47.751) “A pretty good qualifying session but I just had to be careful with the rain. There wasn’t enough to wet the track but just enough to make you think about it. Fourth on the grid is pretty good but the weather outlook for the weekend doesn’t look so good. We have good dry settings, just a couple of little things on the bikes, and the package is very strong here, so all things are pretty good. Around here is not so bad in the wet, quite a lot of grip.” Karl Muggeridge Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (22nd position 1’49.764) “Not the way I wanted to finish the day. It started OK but with some spots of rain out there I just didn’t feel comfortable on the bike. I tried and tried and then I missed the gap when the track was driest. I should have gone quicker then. At this point I just have to see what tomorrow brings. The forecast is rain, which won’t help!” More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: After Not Riding At Monza For Years Barros Finishes 6th In Qualifying For Alex Barros it is nearly a new race track, because his last ride at Monza is years ago. But no problem for Alex. Already in the free practice session this morning he did a 1’48.168 lap time and finished 8th. In the first qualifying in the afternoon only 8 riders are faster than 1’48. Alex achieves position 6 with a 1’47.769 lap time. Alex Barros: “The weather was a little bit tricky today. It didn’t look so promising. Everybody expected some rain and so all the riders tried to do some fast laps already in the beginning of the qualifying session. When there were first rain drops some of the corners became immediately slippery. Additional to this the surface of the track is also not so rough. Position 6 today is quite okay and don’t forget I’m a newcomer on the track. I did some mistakes but I like this ultra fast track very much. We have a very high potential and if it will be dry tomorrow the chances are really good.” Team Manager Klaus Klaffenböck: “The first day at Monza was promising. The engine of the Klaffi Honda Fireblade works very well and Alex achieved an impressive top speed today. The conditions for the weekend are perfect. Only the weather is something you can not calculate. May be it becomes a real roulette on Sunday.” More, from a press release issued by Beowulf Racing: Damp Start For Beowulf’s Henderson At Monza 2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, Rd 2 Monza, Italy Qualifying session 1, Fri 5th May At the end of a damp and dismal opening qualifying session (weather-wise), Beowulf Racing’s Nick Henderson lies in 27th place for Sunday’s second round of the 2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup at the Italian circuit of Monza. Despite several off-track excursions, the Australian admits to liking the historic track but his progress has been hindered not only by the weather but braking and suspension problems as well. Italian Claudio Corti (Yamaha) currently tops the time sheets although Henderson is confident about closing the gap tomorrow if the weather will co-operate just a little more! After the first round of the series at Valencia a fortnight ago, Henderson commented he was looking forward to the high-speed turns of the 3.6-mile Italian track. During this morning’s free practice session, Nick had no trouble blasting the Beowulf Suzuki to a top speed of 176mph, but problems with his brakes meant that he overshot several chicanes. A further heart-stopping moment occurred when another rider braked suddenly in front of Henderson, forcing him to travel the length of the back straight on the grass although he was able to keep his machine upright and rejoin the session. At the end of the practice, Nick lay in 31st place with a time of 1:57.956. Henderson also has to contend with the fact that eight riders from the series were here at a national Italian Superbike round last weekend, gaining valuable additional track time. With the rain just beginning to spit down lightly as the gate opened for this afternoon’s first timed qualifying session, Nick decided to circulate the track very much on his own rather than with a pack of other riders and risk being involved in a multi-bike pile-up. The weather kept changing during the 45-minute session, sometimes being clear, sometimes spitting and towards the end raining lightly. This led to several periods of inactivity as riders pitted and waited for conditions to improve and the session ended with not a single rider on the track. Although Henderson appeared to be one of the most stable riders on the circuit, he later revealed he had been fighting against a rear suspension problem. Despite this, he recorded a best lap time of 1:57.220 to bag 27th place on the timesheet out of a field of 37 riders. Claudio Corti, who won the Superstock 600 race at Monza last year, tops the list with a time of 1:52.431. “I’m more at home here than at Valencia, that’s for sure” said Henderson afterwards. “The Suzuki can handle the fast corners really well, but you have to brake so heavily for the chicanes. The trick to a fast lap seems to be to do a bit of slipstreaming and I’ll need to work on that tomorrow. Realistically, I think I can drop two seconds in tomorrow’s sessions which still doesn’t take me where I want to be but should be good enough for the front four rows to start Sunday’s race, and we’ll take things from there.” Saturday will consist of a further free practice session and a second timed qualifying period, lasting 30 and 25 minutes respectively. Sunday’s race will be an 11-lap affair which, weather permitting, should serve up the usual frantic battle this Italian circuit is famed for. To learn more about Nick Henderson and Beowulf Racing visit www.beowulf-racing .com From another a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Pirovano Sets GSX-R Cup Pace Wild Card entry Fabrizio Pirovano proved that he is still the ‘Master of Monza’ in the opening qualifying session for the Suzuki GSX-R European Cup at Monza. Pirovano, who retired from top-level competition a few years ago, used his considerable circuit knowledge to post the day’s fastest lap. But he didn’t have it all his own way throughout the 45-minute qualifying session, because he was pushed hard by Belgian Xavier Simeon – winner of the opening round in Valencia. Qualifying took place on a damp track and the conditions were far from ideal for the regular Suzuki Cup riders – many of whom had never ridden at Monza before. Pirovano has won in the wet at Monza – in his World Superbike and Supersport days – but Simeon certainly did enough to give him a real fright until the last few minutes of the session. Third quickest today is Italian Simone Castellani ahead of Frenchman Anthony Delhalle and Spaniard Augustin Perez. German Phillip Hafeneger rounded out the top six. Fabrizio Pirovano – 1st, 2:04.991: “I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to race here again and have been looking forward to it since the start of the season. Monza is a very special place for me because it is my home circuit and also because of all the successes I have had here. It can be quite a hard track in the wet and you have to know where you are going in order to put in a fast lap. That’s where my circuit knowledge came in. “But the young kid – Simeon – was a real threat this afternoon. He made me go faster and faster and it was only in the closing stages that I was able to pull out a bit of a gap. As a ‘Wild Card’ I know I will not score any points if I win the race on Sunday, but I would still love to win it because Monza is my track.” Friday GSX-R Cup Qualifying: 1 Pirovano 2:04.991, 2 Simeon 2:05.528, 3 Castellani 2:07.085, 4 Delhalle 2:09.189, 5 Perez 2:11.253, 6 Hafeneger 2:11.769.

FIM Supersport World Championship Monza, Italy May 5 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Hon CBR600RR) 1:51.061 2. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Hon CBR600RR) 1:51.844 3. Kevin CURTAIN (Yam YZF-R6) 1:52.038 4. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Hon CBR600RR) 1:52.313 5. Yoann TIBERIO (Hon CBR600RR) 1:52.444 6. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Yam YZF-R6) 1:52.460 7. Broc PARKES (Yam YZF-R6) 1:52.602 8. Christian ZAISER (Duc 749R) 1:52.706 9. Johan STIGEFELT (Hon CBR600RR) 1:52.861 10. Robin HARMS (Hon CBR600RR) 1:53.021 11. Stefano CRUCIANI (Hon CBR600RR) 1:53.221 12. Tatu LAUSLEHTO (Hon CBR600RR) 1:53.307 13. Sebastien LE GRELLE (Hon CBR600RR) 1:53.479 14. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yam YZF-R6) 1:53.501 15. Barry VENEMAN (Suz GSX-R600) 1:53.526 16. Maxime BERGER (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:53.662 17. Stephane CHAMBON (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:53.722 18. Vesa KALLIO (Yam YZF-R6) 1:53.755 19. David CHECA (Yam YZF-R6) 1:53.863 20. William DE ANGELIS (Hon CBR600RR) 1:53.882 28. Chris PERIS (Yam YZF-R6) 1:55.100

Bret Milan of Shoei broke his C7 vertebrae when he crashed while riding a motocross bike at Perris Raceway in Perris, California Wednesday. Milan did not suffer paralysis and is currently hospitalized at Riverside County Regional Center in Moreno Valley, California. Milan is the Shoei Racing Coordinator and works as the service rep at AMA National road races. Besides motocrossing, he also is an avid track day rider.

Michael Jordan Motorsports’ secret swing arm Aurora – Most people may know that Michael Jordan Motorsports’ rider Jason Pridmore is formidable on the track in the AMA Superbike and Superstock classes. What they may not know, however, is that Jason is also a force to be reckoned with off the track. Jason, 36, may use state-of-the-art swing arms on the Jordan Suzuki backed race bikes, but it’s his arm swing off the track that has him competing in the 95th California Amateur Championship June 19-24 at Pebble Beach Golf Links; Poppy Hills Golf Course on the Monterey Peninsula. Pridmore tied for 2nd in the 23rd SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Bear Creek Golf Club earning him the right to play in the California Amateur and the 107th SCGA Amateur Championship July 7-9 at Bakersfield Country Club, without the requisite qualifying rounds. “I didn’t even know,” states Jason. “The scorers table showed that the top five guys are automatically exempted into the Amateurs and the Mid-Am in 2007.” He added, “This is huge for me because on an 18-hole qualifier anything can happen!” Jason should know that anything can happen at the track too as he injured himself last season, but was able to start hitting his Titleist before his doctor released him to ride his Jordan Suzuki race bikes. “Golf motivates me to improve on everything,” says Pridmore. Jason said he doesn’t even think about golf when he’s at the racetrack. Pridmore, who often travels via motor home between races never leaves home without his clubs, “you never know when a good opportunity is going to come, so I take my clubs everywhere with me. Golf has done a lot for my career, not just through MJ, but through a lot of different people that I have met over the years it has opened a lot of doors for me.” Jason does get the opportunity to play with his boss, Michael Jordan, on occasion. As with most activities, the more you practice the better you get. “So by the end of the summer, I am giving him (Michael) two strokes a side.” Jason who started playing golf at the age of 16, momentarily dreamed about turning pro until he had the opportunity to play a round with Luke Donald. Donald ranks top 10 in the world and has a list of golf accomplishments as long as an umbrella girl’s legs. In referring to the day Jason played with Luke, he said, “I decided I was never turning pro as a golfer, it was unbelievable!” And for the past two years when visiting Valencia Spain for Moto GP, Pridmore has also played golf with Severiano (Seve) Ballesteros, two-time U.S. Masters champion. Pridmore may not be a professional golfer, but he is a professional motorcycle racer who has won two AMA National Championships and one FIM World Endurance title, but still aspires to win a Superbike championship. Admittedly he says, “This year is really tough. With nine factory riders filling the grid, unless you are on the best equipment it makes winning the championship still a bit of a dream. Right now, we are trying to do the best for MJ and just trying to get his name out there and gain more exposure.” Pridmore’s best opportunity to win an AMA Championship in 2006 is in the Superstock class which features lightly modified 1000cc based machines. At the end of April, the AMA series enters a three week break between races. Jason who stays fit by riding a bicycle, said he can’t wait to get home and ride. He chuckled when asked if there is anyone he’d be too nervous to play golf with “no, but it’d be hard for me to go for a bicycle ride with Lance Armstrong.”

Atlanta, GA – Ducshop NCR Racing will make its debut this weekend at WERA’s Heavy Weight Twins Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park with rider Mike Smith aboard their hand built NCR Millona R. Though the 298lb Ducati powered Millona arrives track-ready from the factory, Ducshop Performance Center will use this season to develop the bike by perfecting its Ohlins suspension and using the Ducati 1000DS engine to develop a Ducshop line of performance pistons. Mike Smith was chosen to develop the bike because of his wealth of experience and Ducshop hopes this will translate into some good results throughout the season. This will be the second season Mike Smith has raced a Ducshop prepared bike. The duo won five of the seven races they entered in the 2000 AMA Pro Thunder championship on a Ducati 748. For more information on Ducshop Millona Racing visit www.ducshop.com/ducshop_racing_ncr.php or for information on the NCR Millona visit www.ducshop.com/ncrmodels.php

BUELL XBRR PRODUCTION BEGINS Revised Components Developed to Improve Reliability EAST TROY, Wis. (May 4, 2006) Buell Motorcycle Company announced today that the production of XBRR race bikes, based on the Firebolt XB12R, has begun. A total of 50 XBRRs will be built in the production run. Buell announced last month that XBRR production had been delayed as engineers analyzed and refined components based on what was learned from the XBRR’s AMA Formula Xtreme racing debut at the Daytona 200 in March. Redesigned parts include new driveline components and a new timing trigger wheel, as well as a switch from a high-contact to a coarse-pitch 5th gear, according to Chairman and Chief Technical Officer Erik Buell. A larger oil cooler was also developed for the XBRR. Some of the new components were tested on XBRRs during the American Sport Bike Racing Association (ASRA) 250km Team Challenge endurance race at Road America in April, during which Veatch Motorsports rider Dave Estok and Deeley H-D/Buell Canada’s Steve Crevier finished 1-2 (with Estok crossing the finish line first overall) in the Solo Challenge class. Crevier also set a new ASRA Superbike Road America track record aboard the XBRR during the event. “The XBRR was designed to be an affordable, turn-key race bike for privateer racing teams competing at a professional level,” said Buell. “Reliability is critical, and we’re confident that the improvements we’ve made since Daytona will ensure that.” Buell said XBRR-equipped privateer teams may choose to re-enter the AMA Formula Xtreme series as early as the AMA’s next round at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA, May 19-21. The Buell XBRR is a limited-edition production racing motorcycle based on the Firebolt XB12R and designed exclusively for closed-course competition. It offers private racers a professional-level, race-ready, production-based platform. Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. Pull into www.buell.com for the Buell dealer nearest you.

SYRACUSE MILE TO HOST 41ST AMA NATIONAL THIS SUMMER PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 4, 2006) — The New York State Fairgrounds mile dirt track, better known to racing fans as the Syracuse Mile, will host its 41st AMA national on Saturday, June 17, when it plays host to the 2006 AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship. The Syracuse Mile is a track that links past greats of the Class A era of motorcycle racing in the 1920s to the stars of today and in its heyday was one of the tradition-rich venues in all of motorcycle racing. David Sedlack, owner of Performance Harley-Davidson in Syracuse, is reviving that tradition by bringing back the Syracuse Mile. Sedlack is unwavering in his dedication to restoring the prestige of the event. AMA racing archives show that some of the all-time greats of the Class A racing era competed for national championships on the Syracuse Mile dating back to the 1920s. Fred Ludlow was part of Harley-Davidson’s talent-laden ‘Wrecking Crew’ when in 1921 he dominated on a September weekend, winning all five nationals held on the Syracuse Mile averaging 75 mph on what was little more than a bicycle frame with a motor. In those days a track might host a 5-mile national, followed by a 10-mile national and so on. Ludlow swept the boards on his Harley racer winning the 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50-mile nationals during the weekend’s events. Ludlow bested other future Motorcycle Hall of Famers that year such as Jim Davis and Ralph Hepburn. Throughout the 1920s Harley-Davidson and Indian riders vied to take top honors at Syracuse. Sedlack has seen photos of even earlier races on the classic old Mile and they show massive crowds attending the Syracuse races. “There are even photos of motorcycle races dated 1912,” Sedlack says. “You can see the fairgrounds and the lake in the background. The lakefront was a lot different back then before industry changed it. It looked like a beautiful racetrack even then.” Racing continued unbroken in Syracuse through the rest of the ’20s and survived the lean Depression years of the 1930s. Joe Petrali and Fred Toscani were the dominant riders of the 1930s, with Petrali riding Harleys and Toscani often on the British-made JAP. By the mid-1930s the ultra expensive Class A factory-backed racing was giving way to the production-based Class C racing, which opened up competition to hundreds of new riders. Syracuse clung to tradition and stuck with the withering Class A bikes until 1939 when the bigger, heavier but more popular Class C bikes finally got a chance to turn a wheel on the Mile. The Class C production-based formula that first raced Syracuse is basically the same rules structure of the bikes raced today. World War II brought an end to racing not only at Syracuse, but the rest of the country as well. Factory Indian rider Bobby Hill won the Syracuse Mile when it finally fired back up after the War in 1952, but the event wasn’t able to produce the crowd it had decades before and AMA national racing at Syracuse ended in 1953, not to return for over 20 years. In 1974 Don Brymer, who also promoted the popular road races in Loudon, N.H., revived the race. Rookie Hank Scott won the Syracuse Mile that year over fellow Harley rider Rex Beauchamp and Canadian Dirt Track champ Doug Sehl. Sedlack remembers those races as very well attended events. “The stands were packed in the 1970s,” Sedlack said. “A lot of Canadians came down to watch riders like Jay Springsteen and Kenny Roberts. The race was going really strong before they had a couple of years of bad weather.” With a few breaks the race continued through 1993. That year the late great Ricky Graham won the Syracuse Doubleheader en route to winning that year’s AMA Grand National Championship. Little did anyone know then that it would be 12 years before another national would be held at the track. Sedlack and fellow Harley-Davidson dealer Pat Moroney attempted to bring back the Syracuse Mile in 1996 and 1997, but the weather gods were not with them. “Our hopes of bringing back the race at that point just crumbled,” Sedlack recalls. “Pat didn’t want to mess with it after those two rainouts and it took me a few years to regain my composure before I was ready to try again.” Last year the race was finally revived. The race ran on Sunday afternoon and Chris Carr took the win in a photo finish over Rich King. It was Carr’s first win on the historic circuit. “I think I’ve finally learned how to deal with the unique dirt this track has after all these years,” Sedlack said. “The dirt is made up of clay that was imported and the original stone dust. It makes for a loamy track, but it tends to hold water. When it’s hard packed it’s just like concrete and I hope that’s the way we run it this year. It makes for good racing once the groove gets wide enough.” Chris Carr likes the track and said it’s one of the trickiest Miles the series visits. “Syracuse though fast, is also highly technical,” says the defending champ. “Turn three is its signature turn 130 mph into a portion of track that only about ten feet of it is worth riding on. It can reach out and bite you.” So mark June 17 on your calendar and get a taste of history as the AMA Grand National Championship returns to the Syracuse Mile at the New York State Fairgrounds. For ticket information call (315) 471-1157 or visit the website www.performancehd.com.

FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 4 MONZA, ITALY- 4 MAY 2006 Pre-event release May 2006, Monza (Italy) This weekend World Superbike returns to its spiritual heartland of Italy, to the incomparable circuit of Monza, located close to the industrial powerhouse of Milan. The parkland circuit exudes history from every pore, and is once more set to provide a unique emotional experience to all comers, as it has done for lovers of two and four wheel sport since the 1920s. Winning at this circuit is a special thing for any rider, with the memory of each win resonating throughout his career in an unquenchable fashion. The Monza circuit is famous throughout the world, and it presents a unique challenge to the competitors. After the first few races of the season it is easy to predict that there will particularly tough competition for the wins. To meet the challenge of Monza, the motorcycles have to adopt set-ups which are peculiar to the parkland track, with engine tuning set for the fastest venue of the year, suspension set up and chassis geometry altered to handle the high speed corners at full lean, and also allow for heavy braking and quick changes of direction while approaching and then negotiating the Ascari and della Roggia chicanes. Over the weekend a total of 174 pilots will take to the track at some stage, compared to 137 at the same stage of the season in 2005. An incredible entry which once more shows the status and importance of SBK racing in the modern era. For this event, close to Pirelli’s headquarters in Milan, some 6000 tyres will be transported to Monza, with diverse solutions for both Superbike and Supersport classes. In Superbike (Pirelli Diablo Superbike is the chosen tyre) there will be 3 fronts and 3 rears, plus qualifying tyres. Pirelli technicians and engineers have put in place a structure which turns development and research into the best tyres possible, and so all three of the different rear solutions for Monza will exhibit some innovations. The initiative which has produced a 200mm rear, the ‘big tyre’ which made its debut at Misano last year, delivers its latest version. The other 2 rears will be in the classic 190 size, but to suit the demands of the fastest corners at Monza, multiple compound tyres will be adopted. Multi-compounds will also be available on the qualifying tyres in Superpole, when the top 16 pilots will have their best chance to set their ultimate best time. In Supersport (using Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa PRO SC) there will be two tyres featuring new carcasses, to add to the most favoured existing tyre, each of which was proven in recent Valencia official tests and are thus available to everyone in the class. As well as Superbike and Superstock there is Superstock 1000 (on Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa PRO SC2), and Superstock 600 (running with Pirelli Diablo Corsa III), plus the Suzuki Cup (using Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa PRO SC2). A weekend of important engagements for Pirelli, and one that will not cease with the podium ceremonies on Sunday but carries on until monday. At that time the Monza Autodrome will be theatre for the international presentation of the Pirelli Diablo Corsa III, which will make its second appearance in race trim this season on Saturday, during the Superstock 600 race. The Previous Year: Superbike Race 1: Rider Bike Team Race time 1 Corser Suzuki GSXR Alstare Suzuki 32’40.906 2 Kagayama Suzuki GSXR Alstare Suzuki +0.985 3 Toseland Ducati 999F05 Ducati Xerox +1.040 Superbike Race 2*: Rider Bike Team Race time 1 Vermeulen Honda CBR 1000 RR Winston Ten Kate 30’49.758 2 Laconi Ducati 999F05 Ducati Xerox +0.582 3 Corser Suzuki GSXR Alstare Suzuki +2.458 * shortened by one lap More, from a press release issued by FGSport: 2006 SBK CORONA EXTRA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP® MONZA 4th ROUND 5th, 6th and 7th MAY CURIOSITY Monza, Thursday 4th May 2006 THE TROY’S IN MONZA World Championship leader Troy Bayliss is back in Monza after a 3 years absence, but comes back as a winner. In his last 4 starts he racked up 4 wins (in 2001 and 2002) that out of 6 total starts make him one of the riders with the best performances on the italian track. Bayliss is the most successful winner of all times in Monza together with Fogarty, Pirovano and Chili. Only one win and 5 retirements out of 18 starts for Troy Corser in a circuit he like much. It’s one of the few tracks in which Corser hasn’t scored a pole position and for a rider that obtained 35 poles in 16 different tracks, that looks a bit strange. It’s worth remembering that in 2005 in Monza Corser ended a 5 wins streak started in Phillip Island race 1 when he finished third in race 2, and he wasn’t able to find his way to the top step of the podium until Brno race 1, 5 races later. LESS THAN A SECOND It’s the gap race recorded at the end of 17 (out of 28) races run in Monza, a fotofinish track. The 5 thousandths of a second in race 1, 1997, and in race 2, 1999, are the minimum gap ever recorded in the whole history of the World Championship. These are the 10 closest finishes. Year Race Winner Second Gap 1999 2 Fogarty Edwards 0’00″005 1997 1 Kocinski Slight 0’00″005 1996 2 Chili Slight 0’00″007 2000 1 Chili Edwards 0’00″028 2000 2 Edwards Chili 0’00″031 2003 2 Hodgson Lavilla 0’00″044 1993 1 Slight Russell 0’00″045 2001 1 Bayliss Edwards 0’00″066 1990 2 Pirovano Monti 0’00″070 1998 1 Edwards Slight 0’00″083 The 2 races in 2005 ended respectively with a gap of 0″985 in race 1 (Corser in front of Kagayama) and 0″582 in race 2 (Vermeulen on Laconi) 2005 SUPERPOLE™ – In 2005 Yukio Kagayama with the Suzuki obtained the pole spot with only 0″007 over team-mate Corser, the third gap in qualifying in the history of the World Championship behind the 0″002 that separated Akira Yanagawa by Wataru Yoshikawa in Sugo 1997 and the 0″005 that have been recorded in two races: Estoril 1993 (Aaron Slight – Carl Fogarty) and in Laguna Seca 1999 (Corser – Anthony Gobert). LACONI AIMS 1000 POINTS The french rider misses only 11 points to become the 16th rider in the history of the series to have scored at least 1000 points. The all-time leader is Fogarty with 3020. WEEK ANNIVERSARIES – May 2 1994, Donington, first presence in the front row, first podium and first fastest lap for Troy Corser – 1999, Donington, 50th fastest lap for Honda by Colin Edwards – May 4 1997, Donington, first pole position for Neil Hodgson e 50th race start for Pierfrancesco Chili. – May 7 1995, Hockenheim, first presence in the front row for Pierfrancesco Chili, first pole position for Troy Corser. MILESTONES IN MONZA 1992 first podium for Piergiorgio Bontempi. At the time the italian rider was at his 43rd start. Up to the end of his career (in 2004) Bontempi will pick up 2 other podium finishes (Spain and Portugal 1993) but he will never be able to win a race. At the moment he is the rider in SBK™ history with most race starts (194) without a win. 1995 100th race start for Carl Fogarty (that will end the career with 221), first win and first fastest lap for Pierfrancesco Chili and first podium for Colin Edwards; 1996 10th fastest lap for Troy Corser, at the moment the australian counts 40; 1997 150th race start for Carl Fogarty; 1998 100th race start for Scott Russell, first win for Colin Edwards; 1999 150th win for Ducati by Carl Fogarty in race 2; 2000 25th pole for Honda (Colin Edwards); 2003 200th win for Ducati by Neil Hodgson, first fastest lap for Regis Laconi; 2004 10th podium for Regis Laconi; 2005 10th pole position and 25th fastest lap for Suzuki (Kagayama), 25th podium for James Toseland, first presence on the front row for Karl Muggeridge. HIGHS AND LOWS OF 2005 IN MONZA – Best race career result for Karl Muggeridge, a fourth in race 2 that he will repeat in Magny Cours race 1; – Best season race result for Marco Borciani, a 12th place in race 1 (scored also in Losail in race 1); – Worst season race result for Noriyuki Haga, 11th in race 1 (scored also in Losail in gara 2); – Double retirement for Steve Martin, during last season the aussie recorded a double DNF also in Phillip Island. A bad weekend for Martin, that in Monza recorded the worst qualifying performance of 2005: a 24th spot scored also in the following race in Silverstone. HONDA’S SEQUENCES The series of amazing streaks by Honda continues in the Supersport Championship, before Monza the situation is as follows: 28 pole positions, 30 front rows (absolute records) and 84 races in the points (3° record of all times). CHARPENTIER In the Supersport Championship Sebastien is only one win short of becoming the all-time winner. He misses only a win to reach Casoli and Muggeridge at 11. If he wins in Monza he will also equal the all-time winning sequence of 4 wins, that now belongs to himself (Silverstone 2005-Brands Hatch 2005) and Karl Muggeridge (Brands Hatch 2004-Magny Cours 2004). Same situation also for the pole positions count, with Charpentier that has 14 and Muggeridge, all-time leader at 15. The performances of the french rider are astonishing: during 2006 he ran in the lead for 90% of the total championship distance and the last time that he crossed the line during a race in a position above 3rd was in Brno 2005, lap 1, a race he eventually won. If we exclude the retirement at Eurospeedway Lausitz in 2005, Sebastien climbs on the podium since Brands Hatch 2004. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Xerox Team: World Superbike Leader Bayliss Looks For Another Good Result At Monza While Teammate Lanzi Seeks Third Podium Finish Monza (Italy): The Ducati Xerox Team riders Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi come to the legendary Autodromo Nazionale di Monza on the crest of a wave following sensational results in the recent round 3 of the World Superbike Championship at Valencia. The 37 year-old Australian Troy Bayliss racked up a full haul of points at the Spanish Round to increase his lead over reigning champion and fellow Aussie Troy Corser (Suzuki) to 22 points. He returns to Monza with two double wins and two fourths already under his belt at the high-speed parkland circuit. “Last time I was at Monza I had a double win!” declared Troy. “I’m very fond of the place and I just love racing there. Out of all the races I’ve done, I’ve done six at Monza and I’ve always had great results there. It’s going to be very important for me to do a good job this weekend and it’s not going to be easy. Every race is difficult but I’d like to shine there. “Things are going quite well so far this year, although strange to say, I feel the season has been a little bit below expectations. Judging how well the tests went in the winter the first two races were a little bit of a reality check actually and we expected a little bit more. We’ve always been right at the front but we haven’t done exactly what we thought we’d do”. His 24 year-old Italian team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi kicked his 2006 season into gear at Valencia with two gritty races that earned him two third places and his first podiums of the year. “The two races at Valencia were very positive, and we came back on form in a big way” declared Lorenzo. “The two podiums, especially the one in race 2, gave me a lot of satisfaction. Now we are here determined to do well, just like in every race, because we know that I can run up at the front with the leaders. “Monza is a place that I like, I’ve always had a good rapport with this track. The variante Ascari is my favourite point of the circuit, but you have to work to get a good setting for the entire track because at Monza it’s difficult to get a break and get away. You get the classic group of the quickest riders, and the second group of those who are unable to keep the slipstream. I want absolutely to stay with the leading group so as to be able to fight it out for the win at the end”. CIRCUIT HISTORY: Construction of the Autodromo di Monza was decided in January 1922 by the Milan Automobile Club, started in May of the same year and the work was completed in a record 122 days. Today Monza is one of the most functional and safest tracks in the world with a history that is incomparable. The WSBK round has been held at the Autodromo since 1990 and Troy Bayliss holds the circuit win record of four victories, on a par with Carl Fogarty, Pierfrancesco Chili and Fabrizio Pirovano. THE CIRCUIT: Name: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. Length: 5.793 km. Pole Position: left. Corners Left/Right: 5/8. Longest straight: 1195 metres. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: (after 3 of 13 rounds). Riders 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 125; 2. Corser (Suzuki) 103; 3. Toseland (Honda) 86; 4. Haga (Yamaha) 64; 5. Barros (Honda) 62; 6. Pitt (Yamaha) 58; 7. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 47; 8. Abe (Yamaha) 40. Manufacturers 1. Ducati 126; 2. Suzuki 113; 3. Honda 91; 4. Yamaha 84; 5. Kawasaki 40; 6. Petronas 4. STATISTICS: Best lap: Hodgson (Ducati) 1m46.981s (2003). Lap record: Bayliss (Ducati) 1m47.434s (2002). Superpole: Hodgson (Ducati) 1m46.981s (2003). Race distance: 2 x 18 laps/104.256 km. 2005 RESULTS. Race 1: 1. Corser (Suzuki); 2. Kagayama (Suzuki); 3. Toseland (Ducati Xerox). Race 2: 1. Vermeulen (Honda); 2. Laconi (Ducati Xerox); 3. Corser.

The Ducati Marlboro Team travels east to the booming city of Shanghai for round four of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship: the team is looking forward to China. Both men are particularly keen to get back into action at this unusual racetrack after a challenging Turkish GP on April 30. Capirossi finished sixth at Istanbul but is still a close second in the World Championship, just one point off leader Nicky Hayden. Gibernau meanwhile led half the Turkish GP on his Desmosedici GP6, proving that when things go his way, he has the pace to win races. China is the last of a series of three ‘flyaway’ races before the MotoGP circus returns to its European heartland for six Continental GPs, commencing with the French round at Le Mans on May 21. LORIS CAPIROSSI, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 2nd overall (51 points) “It’s been an amazing start to the season with two fantastic races in Spain and Qatar, even though Turkey didn’t go quite so well for us. The good thing is that we scored some useful points there, so we are still just one point off the championship lead. It’s a very long season, so every point counts, especially since there are so many strong riders this year. “Although I know I am fast at Shanghai, the track isn’t much fun to ride, especially the first section. The first turn is really, really long, in fact it’s more like a roundabout than a corner! Shanghai isn’t a technical track, it doesn’t have the kind of corners where a good rider can really make a difference. Also, the weather seems very changeable, which complicates everything. It’s difficult to say how good the track will be for us because we had so little dry track time there last year, but at the moment I’m very confident in my GP6 and my Bridgestone tyres.” SETE GIBERNAU, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 10th overall (18 points) “The team is working perfect, so sooner or later we’ll get the results we deserve. Ducati and Bridgestone are also doing an outstanding job and we know that when things go right we are very competitive in both the wet and the dry. Racing is always a learning process, so we have to take it step by step and look forward to China where we’ll be working as hard as ever to get the results we know we can achieve. “I have to say that Shanghai isn’t my favourite racetrack, even though I got pole there last year. It’s not the kind of racetrack where you have a lot of fun, it’s just not a great motorcycle circuit. The first corner is weird, but then the whole track is weird! You’ve got a couple of really fast straights and then some really tight corners, so you never get into a real rhythm.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “We know that both our riders are fast at Shanghai because Sete got pole there last year and Loris was third in qualifying, plus we think it will be a better track for Bridgestone, so we go there feeling quite confident. We just hope the weather will be nicer and more consistent than it was last year here and at Istanbul a few weeks ago. “Overall, we know that our bike, rider and tyre package is good. We won the first race of the year, got a third and fourth at the next race and although we didn’t get the best of results in Turkey we came away in positive mood because we were fast in wet qualifying and in the dry morning warm-up. This year’s championship is very, very tough. We’ve had three races with three different winners and three different pole sitters. This is good news for the fans and I think we can be very proud to be an important part of this show.” THE TRACK China hosted its first MotoGP race last May, the brand-new Shanghai circuit’s massive infrastructure outshining all other MotoGP venues. But the track itself isn’t so popular with riders, who mostly complain that it doesn’t provide the kind of riding-skill challenges they seek. The layout is dominated by the ultra-long Turn One and Turn 13 right-handers and by two long straights, the fastest of which is currently the quickest in MotoGP. Last year the Ducati Marlboro Team achieved the highest top speed of the season – at 342.9km/h – on the long run towards Shanghai’s Turn 14. Lap record: Alex Barros (Honda), 2m 13.716s (wet race) 2005 pole position: Sete Gibernau (Honda), 1m 59.710s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 33 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 234 (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) Shanghai 2005 results: Grid: 3rd. Race: 12th SETE GIBERNAU Age: 33 (born December 15, 1972) Lives: Switzerland Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 163 (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) Shanghai 2005 results: Grid: 1st. Race: 4th