Team M4 EMGO Suzuki will field both Kurtis Roberts and Michael Barnes in this weekend’s AMA race event at Barber Motorsports Park. Barnes suffered a knee injury when he crashed his GSX-R600 during AMA Supersport qualifying March 8 at Daytona International Speedway. The injury was serious enough to require surgery and exclude Barnes from the Supersport and Formula Xtreme races at Daytona and a team test at Barber in March. With Barnes out of action for an indefinite period of time, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki hired three-time AMA Champion Roberts to test its Formula Xtreme bikes at Barber and, when that test went well, to race the bikes at the Barber Motorsports Park and California Speedway rounds of the AMA series. Barnes’ knee has fully recovered, however. And as a result, he will also race at Barber but in the Supersport class only. “As this whole thing progressed, Barney’s knee was progressing,” said Team M4 EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry. “We didn’t know if he would be ready. He didn’t know if he would be ready. We were just trying to cover all our bases. Now we have two great riders and not enough bikes for them both. But there’s worse problems to have.” “It feels good,” Barnes said of his knee during Thursday’s promoter practice at Barber Motorsports Park. “This is such a physically demanding place. You’re always weighting the pegs. I was a little worried, but it turned out OK. I just did a long, seven- or eight-lap stint without an issue. I’ve got a couple of muscles in there that I haven’t used in a while and didn’t get to work out in re-hab, but it should be good to go for race day.”

After an official two-day test at JenningsGP earlier in the week in Florida, the top stars of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship will race this weekend in the AMA Superbike Championship series event at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Picotte Performance Yamaha’s Pascal Picotte and Kevin Lacombe, Kawasaki Canada’s Tom Kipp and Jordan Szoke and Team Suzuki Blackfoot Racing’s Francis Martin and Clint McBain tested April 17-18 at JenningsGP. Picotte was the fastest rider at the test, according to www.cdnsuperbike.com. Riding his YZF-R1, shod with the Parts Canada Superbike series’ new spec Pirelli tires, Picotte lapped the flowing, 2.0-mile, motorcycle-only circuit in 1:15.444, faster than the old track record of 1:15.51, set by Robert Jensen in 2005. Rather than truck their gear all the way back to Canada, the three teams decided to also participate in the AMA race event in Alabama, continue working on baseline set-ups for their 1000cc Superbikes and 600cc Sport Bikes and continue learning their new Pirelli control tires. All of the Canadian series racers participated in Thursday’s promoter practice. Pirelli engineers who will be working with the Canadian series, attended the test in Florida and are also at Barber Motorsports Park. Unofficial Best Lap Times From The JenningsGP Test (courtesy of www.cdnsuperbike.com): Superbike: 1. Pascal Picotte (Yam YZF-R1) 1:15.444 2. Tom Kipp (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:15.505 3. Francis Martin (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:15.950 4. Clint McBain (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:16.166 5. Jordan Szoke (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:16.483 6. Kevin Lacombe (Yam YZF-R1) 1:16.950 Sport Bike: 1. Pascal Picotte (Yam YZF-R6) 1:16.478 2. Tom Kipp (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:17.061 3. Jordan Szoke (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:17.556 4. Francis Martin (Suz GSX-R600) 1:17.625 5. Clint McBain (Suz GSX-R600) 1:17.818 6. Kevin Lacombe (Yam YZF-R6) 1:19.061

Le Mans First Qualifying: Suzuki Castrol One-Two Yamaha GMT94 Third, Team Kawasaki France Fourth Suzuki Castrol have taken first and second places on the provisional grid after the first round of qualifying for this weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hour round of the FIM World Endurance Championship. At the end of the session for the first riders, Yamaha GMT94’s Sebastien Gimbert and Suzuki Castrol No.2’s William Costes were split by just 3 hundredths of a second. The session for the second riders saw Da Costa for Suzuki Castrol No.2, Checa for GMT94 and Riba for Kawasaki France all improve on their team mates’ times; only Suzuki Castrol No.1, with Vincent Philippe, was faster in the first session than the second. In the third riders’ session, Suzuki Castrol’s Matthieu Lagrive put the No.1 Suzuki Castrol ahead of the No.2 machine for the first time today; it had started to look as though Suzuki Castrol’s biggest challenge might come from their team mates. Yamaha Austria’s Gwen Giabbani improved on the times of both his team mates Igor Jerman and Sebastian Scarnato in the third riders’ session, to secure fifth place. Permanent team Yamaha Endurance Moto38 ended the day in 9th place, ahead of Yamaha Team Power Bike. The fastest Superstock bike today was the No.83 Maccio Kawasaki in seventh place overall, just in front of fellow Superstock team No.72 Suzuki LMS. All the teams will be back out on track tonight for the two compulsory night practice sessions and final qualifying will take place tomorrow morning. Provisional Top Ten Qualifying Positions 1st 1 – Suzuki Castrol Team – FRA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – M.Lagrive – 1:38.354 2nd 2 – Suzuki Castrol Team – FRA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – J. Da Costa – 1:38.663 3rd 94 – Yamaha GMT94 – FRA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – D.Checa – 1:38.699 4th 111 Team Kawasaki France – FRA – Kawasaki ZX10R – P.Riba – 1:39.769 5th 7 – Yamaha Austria – AUT – Yamaha YZF-R1 – G.Giabbani – 1:40.047 6th 55 – Honda National Motos – FRA – Honda CBR1000RR – O.Four – 1:40.495 7th 83 – Kawasaki Maccio Racing – FRA – Kawasaki ZX10RR – F.Moisan – 1:40.930 8th 72 – Junior Team Suzuki LMS – FRA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – T.Metro – 1:40.979 9th 38 – Yamaha Endurance Moto38 – FRA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – D.Bouan – 1:41.216 10th 68 – Yamaha Team Power Bike – FRA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – F.Auger – 1:41.232

PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI TEAM BACK IN ACTION AT BIRMINGHAM Leeds (Alabama): Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom of the Parts Unlimited Ducati team return to AMA Superbike action this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama. The second round of the series will see both riders pilot their Ducati 999 Superbikes as part of the 28-lap Superbike races on both Saturday and Sunday. Bostrom said he is ready to race, having last ridden the Ducati Superbike at a test in Birmingham last month. “I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike. I’ve been off it for three weeks and it seems like forever,” said Bostrom. “We’re looking forward to improving our results from the test. We weren’t able to go as quick as we would have liked then. I’m anxious to get some laps in, work with the team to maybe change some things with the setup, and just ride better. We have two races ahead of us and like I said, I just want to get back out there on the track.” Neil Hodgson also says he is also looking forward to the Alabama races. “Last year, we raced with some guys for a position on the podium but ended up fourth on Sunday,” said Hodgson. “Birmingham is a nice track and the Ducati 999 is working well, but this circuit will always be a special challenge for us due to its nature. We know we are going to have to push to the limits to do as well as we’d like. We’re up for the challenge, though, and are looking for good results in both races.” In addition to seeing the Parts Unlimited Ducati Team race Saturday and Sunday, Ducatisti will have an opportunity to check out the Finale of the Monster Challenge. THE CIRCUIT: Barber Motorsport Park, 2.3 miles (3.70 kilometers), 16 turns with 80 feet of elevation changes. AMA SUPERBIKE POINTS (after 1 round): 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 38 2. Ben Spies, Suzuki 32 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 29 4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati, 27 5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 26. 6. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 25. 7. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati, 24 8. Jake Zemke, Honda 23 9. Jake Pridmore, Suzuki 22 10. Jake Holden, Suzuki 21

FPR riders aim to validate test results in Spain Foggy PETRONAS Racing start the European section of the Superbike World Championship season at Valencia this weekend hoping to turn encouraging test performances into race results. Valencia is a happy hunting ground for the team and Australian rider Steve Martin recently finished the official WSBK test at the Spanish circuit in fifth place with a time of 1:35.178 two seconds faster than his previous best at the circuit on the PETRONAS FP1. And, having had a chance to test further engine developments at Misano, Steve is hopeful of transferring fast qualifying times into championship points in the third round races. Steve said: “The test at Valencia last month was really positive and I think we have a really good set-up for the race at a circuit that suits our bike. We have also made some improvements since that test so I am 100 per cent charged up. The recent test at Misano has also made me even more hungry for results, as I was able to do some race-distance work and hopefully everything will come to fruition this weekend.” Team-mate Craig Jones also made great strides forward at the Misano test and is looking to build on those set-up developments Craig said: “I am looking forward to getting back on the bike having had a positive test at Misano. We found a good base set-up there and I’m keen to see how that works at Valencia. But I still have to be realistic about my goals at this stage of the season. Now I feel that I am ready to start trying to finish each session in the top 20 and I want to try and get into Superpole. If I could start on the first four rows I think that would give me a better chance of putting my race skills into practice.” Circuit facts: Valencia, Spain Circuit length: 4.005km Pole position: Right Corners left: 9 Corners right: 5 Corner radius: Min 30m – Max 250m Maximum slope: Downhill 5.33 per cent, Uphill 3.58 per cent

BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) IS MAN ON A MISSION FOR VALENCIA AFTER POSITIVE FGSPORT TESTS Valencia (Spain), Thursday 20 April: After dominating the recent FGSport official tests at Valencia and Misano Adriatico, championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) will return to the Ricardo Tormo circuit this weekend as a man on a mission. The 37-year-old Australian unofficially broke both long-standing lap records at the Spanish and the Italian tracks and his aim is now to increase his slender one-point lead over James Toseland (Honda) at the top of the table. “I’ve been saying for some time now that ever since I hopped on the bike, it’s been going really good” declared Troy. “The only thing that seems a bit strange though is that at every test we’ve ended up fastest and everything looks so good, but when it comes down to racing we’ve only had one win, although we’ve always been up at the front. Here we’re quietly confident of doing well but maybe we expected a little bit more at this point of the season. But after the last two tests we’re in a good situation and looking forward to this weekend at Valencia. I’ve done plenty of laps round here in Superbike and MotoGP and know the circuit so well so if we look at everything on paper, it should all go well but you never know with racing!”. Lorenzo Lanzi is still suffering from an incident in training shortly before the recent test at Misano, when he tore a muscle in his ribs. “I feel OK, the problem is when I get on the bike” declared Lorenzo. “I always try and train as much as possible, sometimes these things happen in training. However the last two tests went really well, we are close to the frontrunners, so tomorrow we’ll try and start off on the right foot and do a good job in view of the race. For me Valencia is OK as a track, maybe the first part of the circuit is where I have a bit of difficulty. Both Troy and I are counting on doing a good race here, but as we saw in the tests the Suzukis and the Yamahas are both very competitive”. DUCATI XEROX 2-SEATER: The first European round of the season will also mark the first appearance of the Ducati Xerox 2-Seater, in collaboration with the team’s title sponsor, Xerox. The bike is an exact replica of the 999F06 used by Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi, and it will be present at every round of the season to provide a sensational experience for a selected group of clients, sponsors, media and VIPs. The rides will be provided by expert Italian racer Dario Marchetti, chief instructor at Ducati’s DRE (Ducati Riding Experience) riding school and the first pillion passenger on the two-seater at Valencia will be the SBK producer for Spain’s World Superbike host broadcaster Telecinco. ‘MASCALZONE LATINO’ GREETS WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONS. The Spanish Round of the Superbike World Championship taking place this weekend at Valencia will have an enchanting prologue with a press conference organized by FGSport together with the ‘Mascalzone Latino’ America’s Cup yachting team. The conference will take place at the America’s Cup Port on Thursday afternoon. FGSport, the Mascalzone Latino team and the Valencia circuit management, together with top SBK riders such as Troy Bayliss, Troy Corser, Alex Barros, James Toseland, Steve Martin and Andrew Pitt, plus Spanish heroes Ruben Xaus and Fonsi Nieto, will all attend the event. At the end of the press conference the Superbike riders will transfer from the vessel hosting the conference to Mascalzone Latino Ita 77 and will have an opportunity to meet the crew. CIRCUIT HISTORY. Since its opening by King Juan Carlos I in September 1999 the Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo Circuit has become a firm fixture in the world of motorsport. The track is located in the Spanish town of Cheste, on the outskirts of Valencia, and it hosted its first SBK round in 2000. The designers based the 4km course on American circuits, enabling spectators to view the entire track. It has a maximum capacity of 110,000 spectators and has excellent transport links, being just a few hundred meters away from the Valencia-Madrid A3 motorway and a ten-minute drive from the airport. THE CIRCUIT. Name: Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo Circuit. Length: 4.005 km. Pole Position: right. Corners Left/Right: 8/5. Longest straight: 876 metres. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 2 rounds of 13): (Riders) 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 75; 2. Toseland (Honda) 74; 3. Corser (Suzuki) 63; 4. Barros (Honda) 55; 5. Pitt (Yamaha) 45; 6. Haga (Yamaha) 42 “¦. 11. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 15. (Manufacturers) 1. Honda 78; 2. Ducati 76; 3. Suzuki 73; 4. Yamaha 58; 5. Kawasaki 22; 6. Petronas 3. STATISTICS: Best lap: Bostrom (Ducati), 1m34.649s (2002). Lap record: Hodgson (Ducati), 1m35.007s (2003). Superpole: Bayliss (Ducati), 1m34.814s (2002). Race distance: 2 x 23 laps/92.115 km. 2005 RESULTS: Race 1 1. Corser (Suzuki); 2.Vermeulen (Honda); 3. Kagayama (Suzuki). Race 2 1. Corser; 2. Vermeulen; 3. Walker (Kawasaki).

The MotoGP world seams always in action following a frenetic calendar of practices, races and test sessions, but sometimes it is important to stop and today Fausto Gresini and his team stopped their normal activity to commemorate the third anniversary of Daijiro Kato who lost his life in Suzuka during the opening Grand Prix of the 2003 season. “It’s a sad moment for all of us” comments Fausto Gresini who grew the young Japanese rider in his team at his arrival in Europe. “The relationship with Daijiro was special and there is no words to describe this loss. Kato was a dear person before being a great champion. We still are very close to his family and today I called Daijiro’s father, Takashi Kato and I spoke with Makiko, Daijiro’s wife to share with them this sad day.” Daijiro Kato was a special person and a champion. He surprised when he was racing as wild card in the home GPs of Suzuka and Motegi in the 250 class conquering two victories and a second place. In 2000 he entered officially the World Motorbikes Champion with the Gresini Team. He showed his talent since the first year finishing 3rd. In 2001 he conquered the 250cc World Title with 11 victories. In 2002 he switched to the 500/MotoGP class with 2 second places and a pole position. 2003 was the year of the tragic incident in “his” Suzuka.

Ready for Valencia Last year, Norick Abe was fighting on the Valencia race track for third position, before he crashed unfortunately. This season, the Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone comes to the Spanish circuit with confidence after two good testing sessions. Shinichi Nakatomi and Lorenzo Alfonsi (who is replacing Sébastien Gimbert for this race) are also ready to do good. World Superbike speed: An incredible progression The majority of the riders is so much quicker this year than last year that it is unbelievable. Between 2005 and 2006, the difference is huge. Let us look at the first two races, not the lap times during Superpole or the races (depending too much on qualifying tyres or slipstream) but the total race time of the rider who finished for instance in 5th position. With the same weather conditions, the total race time of the rider who finished in 5th in Qatar in 2005 would allow him to finish only 15th this year. The total race time of the rider who finished in 5th in Phillip Island in 2005 would only allow him to finish 20th this year. This is a situation that is not seen very often in motorcycle racing, all categories included (For instance in the MotoGP class, the 5th total race time in Jerez in 2005 would allow again the 5th place this year). Lorenzo Alfonsi to replace Sébastien Gimbert Sébastien Gimbert will race this coming weekend the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Yamaha Motor France with David Checa and Garry McCoy. Before he is back with us for the Monza race on May 7, Gimbert will be replaced at Valencia by the Italian rider Lorenzo Alfonsi who took part with our team in the previous test session on the Ricardo Tormo circuit. Lorenzo Alfonsi was Italian Champion in 1995 (minibikes) and 2000 (250cc, under 21), then finished 4th in the 2003 European Superstock Championship riding a Yamaha, behind Michel Fabrizio, Lorenzo Lanzi and James Ellison. In 2004, he won magnificently this 1000cc European Superstock Championship, still racing a Yamaha R1. The Valencia circuit The first Valencia World Superbike race was held in 2000. The circuit is next to the town of Cheste, 25 km from Valencia, 320 km from Madrid and 370 km from Barcelona. The “Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana – Ricardo Tormo” is 4,005 km long and between 12 and 13 meters wide. It has 9 left-hand turns and 5 right-handers, with radii ranging from 30 to 250 meters. The start-finish straight is 876 meters long. Maximum downhill camber is 5.33% with 3.58% uphill. Paddock area is 49,066 m2. Maximum seating capacity for spectators is 60,000, with room for a further 50,000 on the hills surrounding the circuit. Valencia is a fascinating but tricky circuit. It’s easy to get caught out by the many slow turns. It’s certainly not the kind of track where a Superbike rider can really use his machine’s power and speed. First gear has to be used several times and that always means extra care has to be taken. The track heats up the left hand side of the rear tyre. Especially in the double left-hander that leads down onto the start-finish straight and really puts the edge of the tyre under pressure. Valencia is a real stop-and-go circuit where the front tyre has to be good for hard braking and fast cornering. An easier engine A lot of work has been done since the Qatar and Phillip Island races. «The engine is now easier to use for the riders,” says team principal Martial Garcia. “Regarding the top speed, we are now in the middle of the result page, which is kind of logical for standard bikes with kits. Now our riders have more comfort when they use the engines of our R1s.” February 6 and 7 test unofficial results (courtesy of Pirelli): 1. Bayliss (Ducati) 1’34.4 ; 2. Lanzi (Ducati) 1’35.6 ; 3. Toseland (Honda) 1’35.8 ; 4. Muggeridge (Honda) 1’35.9 ; 5. Neukirchner (Ducati) 1’36.4 ; 6. Abe (Yamaha Motor France-Ipone) 1’36.4; 7. Clementi (Ducati) 1’36.6; 8. Rolfo (Ducati) 1’36.6; 9. Borciani (Ducati) 1’36.7; 10. Foret (Suzuki) 1’36.9. March 27 to 29 test unofficial results: 1- Bayliss (Ducati) 1’33.758 ; 2- Xaus (Ducati) 1’34.659; 3-Lanzi (Ducati) 1’34.848 ; 4- Corser (Suzuki) 1’34.933 ; 5- Martin (Foggy Petronas) 1’35.178 ; 6- Haga (Yamaha) 1’35.295″¦ 19-Abe (Yamaha Motor France-Ipone) 1’35.967 ; 23-Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France-Ipone) 1’36.737 ; 24-Alfonsi (Yamaha Motor France-Ipone) 1’36.900 World Championship standings : 1-Troy Bayliss (Ducati) 75 points, 2-James Toseland (Honda) 74, 3-Troy Corser (Suzuki) 63, 4-Alex Barros (Honda) 55, 5-Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) 45″¦12-Norifumi Abe (Yamaha Motor France-Ipone) 14, 21-Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France-Ipone) 3. Valencia Stats : Practice record (2003) : 1’34.633 Hodgson (Ducati) 152,360 km/h 2003 2005 Yamaha Motor France practice times: Norifumi Abe : 1’36.862 / Sébastien Gimbert : 1’38.203 Race 1 results 2005: 1-Corser (Suzuki), 2- Vermeulen (Honda) 3- Kagayama (Suzuki) 4- Walker (Kawasaki) 5-Haga (Yamaha) 6- Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) 2005 Yamaha Motor France race 1 results: Sébastien Gimbert : 6th Norifumi Abe : DNF Race 2 results 2005: 1- Corser (Suzuki), 2- Vermeulen (Honda) 3- Walker (Kawasaki) 4- Haga (Yamaha) 5-Abe (Yamaha Motor France) 2005 Yamaha Motor France race 2 results: Norifumi Abe : 5th Sébastien Gimbert : 11th Lap record (best race time 2003): 1’35.007 Hodgson (Ducati) 151,760 km/h Round 4 of the Superbike World Championship : May 7, Monza (Italy)

World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2006 Round 3 Valencia – Spain Valencia Race Preview 21 – 23 APRIL 2006 World Supersport Round 3 of 13 HONDA’S SUPERSPORT EFFORT BACK TO FULL STRENGTH AT VALENCIA Round three of the 13-round World Supersport championship starts a ten-race run of European action, and despite recent injuries for two of Honda’s supported riders, the CBR600RR contingent is back to its usual size, shape and strength. The Valencia race offers Winston Ten Kate CBR600RR Honda star Sebastien Charpentier the second chance to lift Spanish silverware in two years, and he is also going for three race wins in three 2006 starts. His victories at Qatar and Phillip Island were masterful displays of front running and already give him a ten-point advantage over his closest challenger Kevin Curtain. 2006 season Honda signing Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) has had one podium finish and one crash-induced DNF thus far, but after a largely positive test at Valencia in late March, he is ready to add to his third place from the Qatar weekend. With the Ten Kate riders sitting out the most recent official SBK test sessions at Misano, it was left to the returning Katsuaki Fujiwara (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR) to test some new development parts, as well as ascertain the condition of the hand injury he suffered in Qatar. It held up well, and with more time to recuperate before taking his second race start of the year, the Japanese rider could show well in Spain. Fujiwara’s team-mate Yoann Tiberio (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR) is going through his rookie season in World Supersport, and despite suffering his own injury worries early in the year, he is back and ready for the fight. For Charpentier, Valencia is a happy hunting ground, and another chance to continue his goal of taking an unprecedented second straight WSS Riders’ Championship. “Until this moment things have gone perfectly for me and I hope I can continue on this road in Valencia,” said the 2005 champion. “In the Valencia test I was always fast, we never had any problems and therefore I expect great things from this race, which I won last year. I want to thank the team and Honda because this year they have put me in the best condition to race.” The long break between round two (on March 5) and the forthcoming race at Valencia has given Sofuoglu a chance to reappraise his up-and-down rookie season. “I have finally spent some time at home in Turkey with my family and this has been really good for me,” said Sofuoglu in the run-up to Valencia. “It helped me to relax and recharge. I really needed it, especially after the hard fall in the last test in March. I am learning the bike more and more; the third position in Qatar has made me understand that I can easily end every race in the top five. In Valencia I am ready to be one of the main competitors. Sebastien seems unreachable, but with the rest it should be a great contest.” Fujiwara is ready to race, and was encouraged both by his performances in the recent Misano tests, and how his wrist reacted to the physically demanding Misano circuit – not dissimilar to the one he will race around this weekend. “I only got my cast taken off of my wrist a few days before the Misano tests,” said Fujiwara, “but it seemed to be OK. With even more time to train and get back my strength before Valencia I think it will be OK for the race. I tried two different specifications of machine in Misano and we should have both again in Valencia.” Nineteen-year-old Tiberio missed out on the first race of the year but his excellent performance in the most recent Phillip Island race, and the Misano test has bolstered his confidence in the run-up to round three. “I’m very satisfied after the Misano test,” said the Frenchman. “We tried many things, especially with the suspension and I have confidence for Valencia race because I made a lot of laps with a good race rhythm. In Spain I will try to start from the first or second row because is very important for the final result of the race.” World Superbike Round 3 of 13 EUROPEAN THEATRE OF OPERATIONS WELCOMES SUPERBIKE QUINTET James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) enters the third race weekend of the year in second position overall, just a single point from leader Troy Bayliss. The 2004 World Champion has tested at the 4.005km long Circuito Ricardo Tormo recently, and was in the upper echelons in simulated race conditions. James goes for his second race win of the 2006 season, and will have two opportunities to do so on Sunday 23 April. Joining him in Spain will be his temporary new team-mate, Giovanni Bussei, brought in for a single race to deputise for injured team regular, Karl Muggeridge. The Australian rider’s crash in testing at Valencia has ruled him out of this race, as the result of suffering two compressed vertebrae. Now in possession of a recently enhanced race spec Honda CBR1000RR, Phillip Island double podium finisher Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) relishes the prospect of racing on another circuit he knows well from his days in MotoGP. Tight and twisty, the Ricardo Tormo Circuit should offer the SBK rookie another chance to battle for the top places, to back up his second and third race finishes in Australia. Currently fourth overall, Barros has settled into the Klaffi Honda set-up in assured fashion since his relatively late inclusion into the 29-strong SBK ranks this year. For such a young rider Michel Fabrizio (DFX Honda CBR1000RR) has amassed a variety of experience thus far, and riding at Valencia will offer another novelty, albeit an unwanted one. In Spain he will be riding without his countryman and legendary figure in the SBK firmament, Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Honda CBR1000RR). Chili broke his pelvis and two ribs in a heavy fall at recent official tests in Misano, and is expected to be out for four race weekends in total. Another fast Italian, Gianluca Nannelli, who first rode Chili’s DFX CBR1000RR Honda on the final day of the official Misano tests, will replace him for the next few races. Toseland, who confesses that Valencia may be the toughest test for his machine during the entire season, is nonetheless confident after a stellar start to what many consider to be the toughest championship season to date. “I really believe in our chances at this race, even if I know Bayliss will be just as fast as he was in the recent tests,” said Toseland. “Corser and Haga will be another two strong riders at the front, as usual. But I am really motivated and focused and I want to continue to get important results after the great start of the season I’ve had. Bayliss only has one point on me and I don’t have any intention of letting him get away. I am sorry Karl didn’t make it to the race at Valencia, but I wish the best of luck to my new team-mate Giovanni.” Bussei is no stranger to World Superbike, having competed on a wide variety of SBK machines in the past. Given the chance to replace Muggeridge at Valencia, he willingly agreed, and is sure to provide more than just back-up for Toseland during the tyre testing and machine set-up stages of race weekend. “I am really happy to be able to compete with the Winston Ten Kate Honda Team and I am aware that I will ride one of the top bikes in the entire series,” said Bussei. “It will be hard because I have to get used to the race rhythm but of course I will do all I can to payback the trust that has been placed in me. It will be nice to be James’ team-mate, even if only for one weekend, and for this I want to thank the team and the sponsors.” The influence of Barros on his Klaffi Honda team has been a positive one, and for Barros it’s been the latest in a long line of challenges to his adaptability. He knows his machine has been given a boost, just in time for round three, and aims to capitalise on it. “We tried a lot of things at the test at Misano and we made real progress,” said Barros. “We have more power, more than during the first and second rounds. I have three different specs of rear shock to try again at Valencia, where I think I can be a lot more competitive. I know the track very well so there should be no problems.” Michel Fabrizio, who scored a startling fifth place in his first ever World Superbike race at Qatar, is ready to make his fifth and sixth SBK starts, and was buoyed by his recent testing run outs at Misano and Valencia. “I am very happy after the winter in March at Valencia and the more recent one in Misano,” said Fabrizio. “Both the chassis and engine on my bike improved. In Misano, for the first time, we got the set-up of the EFI and electronics package working perfectly, and that made the bike very easy to ride fast. It was just a shame about Frankie injuring himself, I am sorry for him, I hoped to have him with us in Spain.” Chili’s misfortune has allowed Gianluca Nannelli the chance to shine under a Spanish sun, albeit not in circumstances that Nannelli would have wished for. “For Frankie; my best wishes. It is very difficult to speak about this situation. I am very grateful to Honda and Team DFXtreme because I was a rider without motorcycle in this World Championship. Now, thanks to them, I will ride a very important CBR1000RR for a good team. I did only 30 laps in Misano but the potential of the bike is very high. I will be careful for the next race in Spain but at Monza the “Nanna” will be very, very fast!” The next stop for the WSS and SBK train is at Monza, on 5 – 7 May.