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

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced that Georgia, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma have enacted laws supporting the goals of the AMA’s “Justice for All” campaign, and that Ohio motorcyclists successfully blocked an attempt by bureaucrats to raid that state’s rider-education fund. The new Oklahoma law, signed on April 25 by Governor Brad Henry, adds a fine of up to $1,000, in addition to any other fines or penalties, for drivers found guilty of right-of-way violations that cause serious injury or death. New Hampshire law now mandates 45 minutes of motorcycle-awareness classroom instruction as part of all driver-education courses. Last Friday, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed a new law that adds a fine of at least $250, in addition to any other fines or penalties, for drivers found guilty of right-of-way violations that cause serious injury or death. “Thanks to individual motorcyclists and state-level organizations, the seeds we planted two years ago are starting to take root,” said Edward Moreland, AMA Vice President for Government Relations. “Motorcyclists working at this grassroots level have built on ‘Justice for All’ to get laws passed, state by state, and momentum is still building.” In Ohio, the Office of Budget and Management recently proposed transferring $750,000 from the state’s Motorcycle Safety and Education Fund for other purposes. AMA members, using the AMA’s online Rapid Response Center, along with members of motorcyclists’-rights organizations throughout Ohio, were successful in persuading the Ohio Controlling Board to deny the raid on this rider-supported fund. The state-level organizations instrumental in these latest victories include ABATE of Georgia, New Hampshire Motorcyclists’ Rights Organization, ABATE of Oklahoma, and virtually every motorcyclists’-rights organization in Ohio. Two New Hampshire legislators, Senator Robert J. Letourneau (R-Derry) and Representative Sherman A. Packard (R-Londonderry), both AMA members, also demonstrated the value of having motorcyclists within the legislative process. Georgia, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma join nine other states in passing legislation that supports the goals of Justice for All: Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. For more information about the AMA’s Justice for All campaign, visit www.AMADirectlink.com/justice.

Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Ron Ayers Motorsports found out Wednesday that John Haner unfortunately would not be able to compete at Fontana due to the shoulder injury he sustained at Barber Motorsports Park. John had surgery on Monday, and will hopefully be ready to compete at Road America, June 2nd – 4th. With Haner out with an injury, 21-year old Matt Lynn was tasked with the job of carrying the flag on the Millennium/KWS Suzuki GSX-R1000’s and what a job he did! Matt Lynn shocked the paddock on Saturday morning with a lap time of 1:25.270 on his Pirelli shod GSX-R1000 in Superbike qualifying. This placed him 10th on the grid, which is his best qualifying position in his short AMA career. “We put on some 16.5 inch wheels and some sticky Pirelli rubber on my Superstock bike and went for it,” said Lynn. “Those tires just flat hooked up!” Lynn continued this trend in Superstock qualifying by running a fast lap time of 1:26.445 for 12th position on the grid. The first race of the weekend for Millennium/KWS Suzuki was Superbike Race 1. The team was very upbeat after Lynn’s qualifying performance and was hopeful for a good result. Lynn got a great start from the third row and was leading factory Ducati rider Neil Hodgson when Lynn lost the front and crashed on the second lap. Lynn was unhurt and thanks to quality parts from Vortex and tough bodywork from Catalyst Racing Composites the bike was unhurt as well. Lynn immediately picked up the bike and rode hard to a 22nd place finish. The Superstock class is Matt Lynn’s focus this year and when the green flag dropped on Sunday morning he was ready to go. Lynn got another great start and was in a battle for 11th with Ben Thompson when the red flag came out on lap seven for a downed rider. While the AMA officials cleaned up, the Millennium/KWS Suzuki crew opted for a slightly softer compound rear Pirelli tire for the ten lap sprint to the finish. Again, Lynn got a great start and found himself in a battle with Erion Honda rider Aaron Gobert. Matt stalked the factory supported rider for five laps and then made his move going in to the tight infield section on the last lap to finish an outstanding 10th place, his best AMA finish to date. After Lynn’s great ride in Superstock, the team felt that they were ready for a good result in the second Superbike race. Lynn got another great start but immediately had trouble with front end grip. Despite struggling with the motorcycle, Lynn rode a smart race and was able to bring the bike home with a 15th place finish, tying his best ever Superbike finish. Matt Lynn: “The weekend went really well. Qualifying for both Superbike and Superstock was incredible. I made a mistake in the first Superbike race and fell down, but I was able to recover and finish the race. In the second Superbike race we didn’t have the set up right due much high track temps on Sunday afternoon and I had to ride pretty conservatively to bring the bike home in one piece. I am really happy with the Superstock race as I got my best AMA finish to date. The team worked really hard this weekend and I couldn’t do it without them. Thanks to Rick Matheny, Michael Godin, and Brian Stricker, those guys are the best!” Kevin Hunt (Team Owner): “If this was easy then everybody would be doing it! We are very upset about John Haner being injured, but Matt is doing a great job for such a young rider. I was very impressed by his performance this weekend. The team missed the set up for Superbike race 2 because it was so much hotter on Sunday afternoon and Matt showed a lot a maturity by not over riding the motorcycle and bringing it back in one piece. The team really pulled together this weekend to get a good result. Although John was in pain he showed up at the track to support the team and help Matt. This shows what kind of person John Haner is and I would like to thank him for it, we can’t wait to have him back!”

Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Craig Jones and Steve Martin have realistic expectations going into the fourth round of the Superbike World Championship at Monza this weekend. At an Italian circuit steeped in history, the FPR team will be hoping recent history does not repeat itself. The venue, with its famous long straights, is known to favor the most powerful bikes in the field and has not previously rewarded the sweet-handling characteristics of the PETRONAS FP1. So, although Steve qualified on the front row of the grid at the previous round in Valencia, the team is prepared for an uphill battle to secure valuable points. Craig, in his first season on the world stage, will be making his first appearance at Monza. He said: “I don’t feel any pressure this weekend because I have never been to the circuit before. It is going to take a day to learn the place so I just want to go out and enjoy myself. Carl has said that it is not the hardest place to learn, and hopefully he will be able to give me plenty of advice. It is a tough circuit for us but we need to keep that in mind and not panic. I am a lot more upbeat following the second race in Spain. Despite the problems we had it was good to be up there racing again.” Steve said: “This is probably going to be a tricky weekend for us. Everyone knows that Monza is a power circuit, and last year was a disaster for us. It is full of long straights and the fastest bike usually wins the race. So if we can finish both races in the points I think we will have done extremely well. I have also not started behind second row on the grid so I will be giving everything for Superpole again. It is hard approaching a weekend thinking that way, but that does not mean I will not be giving it 100 per cent, and we will also be using the track time for the continual development of the PETRONAS FP1 for future rounds.” Circuit information: Monza, Italy Pole position: Left Circuit length: 5.793km Corners: 5 left, 8 right Corner radius: 610m maximum, 12.5m minimum Maximum slope: 2.4 per cent

SuperStock Suzuki Team Endurance Moto45 head the World Endurance Championship SuperStock standings after the first two rounds of the championship. A class win at Assen and a class second place at Le Mans have secured an 18 point lead for the French Suzuki team (on 53 points), in front of Le Mans winners Kawasaki Maccio Racing (35 points) and Suzuki Team ABG Performance (27 points). Aprilia Motociclismo Test Team have moved into fourth place in the SuperStock standings after taking fourth in class at Le Mans. Endurance Moto45 are also in seventh place in the overall championship standings. 1. Team Endurance Moto45 Suzuki (Suz GSX-R1000) 53 points 2. Maccio Racing Kawasaki (Kaw ZX-10R) 35 points 3. Team ABG Performance Suzuki (Suz GSX-R1000) 27 points 4. Aprilia Motociclismo Test Team Aprilia (Apr RSV1000) 22 points 5. Team LTG Yamaha (Yam YZF-R1) 18 points SuperProduction Yamaha Team Acropolis Zone Rouge 199 are leading the SuperProduction standings, backing up their Le Mans class win with a sixth in class at Le Mans. The Franco Belgian team’s 39 points leave them just 4 clear of Suzuki Infini Team with the French Sapeurs Pompiers Suzuki team (28 points) in third, Team Raffin Motos Kawasaki in fourth and Team SRK Suzuki in fifth. Acropolis Zone Rouge are in seventeenth place in the overall championship standings. 1. Team Acropolis Zone Rouge Yamaha (Suz YZF-R1) 39 points 2. Infini Team Suzuki (Suz GSX-R1000) 35 points 3. Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers Suzuki (Suz GSX-R1000) 28 points 4. Team Raffin Motos Kawasaki Kawasaki (Kaw ZX-10R) 27 points 5. Team SRK Suzuki Suzuki (Suz GSX-R1000) 20 points Manufacturers Suzuki hold the lead in the World Endurance Championship manufacturers standings after the first two rounds of the championship. Suzuki Castrol’s first place at Assen and second at Le Mans have given Suzuki an excellent start to the season. Honda have moved up to second place, with the Le Mans win by National Motos building on the seventh place Assen finish by RMT21 Racing Honda. Yamaha are in third place after podium finished by Yamaha Austria at Assen and Yamaha GMT94 at Le Mans, and Kawasaki are in fifth place following Bolliger Kawasaki’s fifth at Assen and fourth at Le Mans. Aprilia Motociclismo Test Team’s 12th place overall at Le Mans puts the marque fifth in the standings. Manufacturer Point Standings: 1. Suzuki, 53 points 2. Honda, 44 points 3. Yamaha, 42 points 4. Kawasaki, 29 points 5. Aprilia, 6 points The next round of the World Endurance Championship is the Albacete 8H night race on May 20th.

Sebastien Charpentier’s perfect title defense has brought him three race wins and three pole positions thus far, and as a fan of Monza, he will be given very short odds to make it four from four at the classic 5.793km Monza layout. His astounding form has delivered him a 15 point lead over Yamaha rider Kevin Curtain, who has finished second to him three times in three attempts. With a fine podium finish at Qatar new Honda signing Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) started the season in fantastic fashion, but a pair of crash-inspired DNFs have pushed him down the championship table somewhat. Monza is thus a chance for the Turkish rider to progress more rapidly to the overall position his obvious pace would suggest. Having partially recovered from an early season wrist injury in time for the previous round in Spain, Katsuaki Fujiwara (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR) has been grateful for a further two weeks of convalescence. Fatigue in his hand may have slowed his final pace in Valencia but third, what was his only race finish of the year, was an indication of how the perennial WSS force can perform when fully fit. Yoann Tiberio (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR) added an eventual seventh place in Valencia to his fourth place finish in Australia, and the 19-year-old French rider now sits fifth overall. Charpentier, second at Monza in 2005, wants to go one better, and feels confident about his chances. “Last year’s second place behind Fujiwara is still burning inside of me: I want to win at Monza, this is my only objective for the upcoming weekend,” said the Frenchman. “Last year the Winston Ten Kate Honda Team took a great team result, with a first and second place and I hope to be able to repeat this with Kenan. I would like to see him with me on the podium, like in Qatar. He deserves it because he has always been fast in every circuit.” For Sofuoglu Monza will bring back memories of his win in the FIM 1000 Superstock Cup last year, as he sets his sights on a podium finish in his rookie SBK year. “I am still sad about how things went in Valencia, but I have to look forward and learn from my mistakes,” stated Sofuoglu. “I want to thank the Winston Ten Kate Honda Team because they have always been close to me and I hope to give them a great performance: I have at my disposal a winning technical package therefore I am in the right condition to do well. The objective is to remain with the leading group and fight until the last turn. It would be fantastic to step back onto the podium.” Fujiwara draws on memories of last year’s race victory to bolster his pre-Monza preparations, not to mention his strong Valencia comeback race only two weeks ago. “During the Valencia race I understood that I could run for the podium,” said Katsuaki. “I raced with my left arm still not completely OK, but I earned a third, so my confidence for Monza is high. The bike is fast, very fast, and we made a good general set-up during the recent test of Misano. I want to win in Italy, especially to help with my championship position.” Tiberio’s start to the season has been impressive, despite the young Frenchman having missed out on the first race in Qatar. He knows Monza already, having scored second in the European Superstock 600 Championship race there last season. “Monza is a fast circuit and with the help of my bike, I will fight for an important result,” said Tiberio. “My immediate target is to gain experience with the bike at a fast circuit like Monza. The podium may be a difficult goal to reach at this stage but I can possibly speak about this when the official practices are complete.” World Superbike Round 4 of 13