This coming May 14th the MotoGP World Championship returns to Shanghai for only the second ever Grand Prix at the Chinese circuit. Italian company Polini Motori have secured the naming rights to the race, as they continue their long association with MotoGP. Polini Motori is a world leader in the manufacturing of cylinders and special parts for scooters, 2 and 4-stroke engines, minibikes and minicross bikes. The company already has an extensive history of collaboration in MotoGP. Not only have Polini been title sponsors for Grands Prix in the past, it also formed part of the set-up that bought Loris Capirossi two 125cc titles, and three titles for Valentino Rossi (125cc, 500cc and MotoGP). Currently Polini is a partner with the Fortuna Honda Team of Marco Melandri and Toni Elias in MotoGP. The fourth round of this season’s MotoGP World Championship will therefore be known as the Polini Grand Prix of China, and Polini will enjoy all the benefits of being the title sponsor for the event.

Superbike World Championship: round three – Valencia Track length: 4005m Year opened: 1999 Last year’s winner: Troy Corser (Suzuki) Superbike lap record: 1:35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) The Spanish round of the Superbike World Championship takes place at the Ricardo Tormo circuit on the outskirts of Valencia. The modern venue is well known to all the superbike riders, as it is a favourite location for winter testing and the host of the first official FG Sport test, held between round two at Phillip Island and this weekend’s third round of the championship. Valencia is a tight and twisty circuit built with spectators in mind. Surrounded by grandstands, fans can see almost the entire circuit from their seat. The favourable winter weather conditions and modern facilities, including sprinkler systems to simulate wet conditions, mean that the circuit is in use throughout the year by everything from trucks to Formula One cars, MotoGP to national championship riders. Perhaps because of this, grip levels can be unpredictable, causing conditions to change by the hour and requiring constant adjustments to the set-up of the bike. Yamaha Motor Italia has been busy since the opening rounds of the series at Qatar and Australia, attending official tests at Valencia and Misano. Valencia was the venue for the first of those tests, ensuring that the Yamaha Motor Italia squad goes into this weekend’s race with good settings for their YZF-R1 machines. Haga ended that test sixth overall, testing a whole range of chassis, suspension and electronics parts for his bike. Currently lying sixth in the championship, the Japanese ace was in sensational form in Qatar – finishing third in race two after crashing out of the opener while challenging for the lead on the last lap. Valencia is a favourite of Haga, who has won there in 2000 and 2004, and he is looking forward to this weekend’s races. Team-mate Andrew Pitt is currently fifth in the championship. Finishing third in Qatar’s opening race, Pitt has been the epitome of consistency with two fifth places also to his credit. The 2001 supersport world champion ended the Valencia test just a few places behind his team-mate, setting the eighth fastest time at the end of the three days. Like Haga, the Australian completed a comprehensive test programme and is confident he has found a good set-up for the weekend’s race. With the first two rounds taking place seven weeks earlier, many people see the Valencia round as the ‘real’ start of the season. Having worked out of flight cases at the fly-away rounds in Qatar and Australia, the teams will have the added advantage of having their full accompaniment of trucks and hospitality units to help them settle in for the main European season. This year sees the championship take in a total of 13 rounds of two races each. Valencia marks the start of 10 European races, with the series due to end with a final flyaway round to South Africa, most likely at the Kyalami circuit, in October. Valencia also plays host to round three of the Supersport World Championship and the opening round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. In supersport, Australian Kevin Curtain lies second in the championship having finished in that position in the opening two races of the season. In superstock, last year’s 600cc champion Claudio Corti makes his debut in the 1000cc class as Yamaha looks to make it a hat-trick in the championship. The third-generation YZF-R1 has won the series every year since the bike was introduced for the 2004 season.

AMA LOCKHART-PHILLIPS USA FORMULA XTREME TITLE WIDE OPEN Graves Yamaha’s Hacking heads up Repsol Superstock coming into Barber PICKERINGTON, Ohio (April 19, 2006) — The AMA Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series has been the domain of factory Honda rider Miguel Duhamel over the last couple of years, but now that the two-time champ has moved on to concentrate on AMA Superbike it leaves the class wide open. Honda has dominated Formula Xtreme and hopes to keep that going with Erion Honda riders Josh Hayes and Aaron Gobert, but Yamaha has thrown its hat in the ring with a potent pair of riders in Jason DiSalvo and Eric Bostrom. This weekend, April 21-23, at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. the battle for the championship gets back underway after an early season break. Honda’s Jake Zemke won the opening round of the series, the Daytona 200, last month, but Zemke, like his teammate Duhamel, is not contesting the rest of Formula Xtreme schedule. That leaves Erion Honda’s Hayes as the de facto leader of the championship coming into this weekend’s event. Hayes is no stranger to Formula Xtreme or leading a championship series. The Gulfport, Miss., native has contested Formula Xtreme on and off since 1998. He knows how to win championships, having earned the AMA Superstock title in 2003. Hayes is rebuilding his life after losing his home to Hurricane Katrina last year. He sees his opportunity with Erion Honda in the Formula Xtreme Series as a new beginning. He also likes the idea of being somewhat of an underdog in the class. “With Yamaha coming in with such a strong effort I think a lot of people sort of forgot that Honda is still in the class,” Hayes said. “I’m very happy with the team and our bike and I think we have a very good chance of keeping the Formula Xtreme championship in the Honda camp. I think maybe we came in under the radar before the season started, but after our Daytona performance I know we are going to be sort of a target. It could be an interesting season-long battle for the championship. I see it as a great opportunity for me to win another AMA championship.” Hot on the heels of Hayes in the standings are the factory Yamaha riders of Jason DiSalvo and Eric Bostrom. Yamaha has been a leading manufacturer in Formula Xtreme in past seasons, but 2006 marks the return of the factory Yamaha team for the first time in three years. Yamaha sees Formula Xtreme as a perfect showcase for its redesigned R6 and putting DiSalvo and Bostrom in the class shows just how serious they are about winning its first Formula Xtreme title. DiSalvo is considered one of the top up-and-coming riders in America and Bostrom is a former champion of the class. Barber’s Formula Xtreme will mark the return of two-time Formula Xtreme champ Kurtis Roberts. Roberts tested at Barber with the M4 EMGO Suzuki squad as a possible temporary replacement for the injured Michael Barnes. Barnes is recovering from his Daytona knee injury quicker than expected and hopes to race at Barber. Roberts is going to race for the team in any case. The addition of Roberts to the mix will bring a depth of talent to the class not seen for several years. In the Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series a healthy Jamie Hacking is a dangerous Jamie Hacking, so say some of his main competitors. After suffering injuries over the last few seasons Hacking is healthy and ready to go coming into the Barber Superstock race. Hacking earned a breakthrough victory in the Superstock final at Daytona International Speedway last month. It marked the first pro victory for Hacking at Daytona and was a major milestone in the Graves Yamaha rider’s career. The last time Hacking had a similar breakthrough was in 2003 when he finally won the Supersport race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., a track that prior to that had been a nightmare for him. Hacking went on to win the Pro Honda Supersport title that year and he hopes the Daytona breakthrough is a precursor to another championship run. “You can’t get off to a better start than I had at Daytona,” said Hacking, who also won the Barber Superstock race in 2004. “Hopefully I can stay healthy this season and make a strong run at the championship. The class is loaded with talent so it’s going to be a battle, but I know my team is ready for the challenge.” Hacking’s teammate Jason DiSalvo finished a very close second at Daytona and is hoping to even the score at Barber. Defending Repsol Lubricants Superstock champion Aaron Yates injured his shoulder in pre-season testing and was a question mark on whether or not he was even going to be able to ride in the season opener last month. But instead of sitting out the race, Yates gritted his teeth and rode with the broken shoulder and it paid off richly with a solid third-place finish. “That was important to get through Daytona and come out with some points,” Yates said. “I guess I was a little surprised at how well I did there and now I’m not that far behind in the championship and I feel like I still have a good shot at defending the title.” Other riders high in the standings coming into Barber include M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May, who is ranked fourth; Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes; Attack Kawasaki’s Damon Buckmaster and Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Robertino Pietri, the Venezuelan who surprised a lot of people with his strong seventh-place showing at Daytona. The Pro Honda Oils Supersport race is part of Barber Motorsports Park’s Honda Superbike Classic that runs from April 21-23. The Barber Formula Xtreme final will be televised nationally on SPEED at 3 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 25. To obtain tickets for the Honda Superbike Classic call 800-240-2300 or visit the website www.barbermotorsports.com. About AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com. More, from a press release issued by No Limit Motorsports: No Limit Motorsports will compete in the remaining rounds of the 2006 AMA Superbike series beginning with round two in Alabama. The team has arrived in Birmingham and the Barber Motorsports Park for the second race of the series. They are riding NLMS prepared Suzuki GSX-R1000s for the season. Rider Jason Curtis returns to the AMA series after missing almost all of last year with a badly broken shoulder suffered at a pre-season test in California. He is 110% healthy this year, and expects to be more competitive than ever. Tuner Poncho Rangel and Race Technician Ryan Landers have spent the entire off-season building the bikes for the ’06 series, and both feel as though the bikes are as competitive as any in the paddock. Stop by the pits and say hello to Jason, Poncho and Ryan…and sample some RED HOTS CANDY…Our treat.

Aprilia-Ducati of Oceanside, one of Southern California’s premier Aprilia, Ducati, and Husqvarna dealers, is moving to a new facility in Escondido, California. The doors will open at the new location on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006. Aprilia-Ducati of Oceanside, sponsor of multiple Willow Springs Champion Kenny Kopecky, will also change names to MOTO FORZA. The new shop is located at 572 N. Tulip St., Escondido, CA 92025. New contact numbers are: phone (760)746-6001; fax (760)746-6002. Website remains the same: www.motaliausa.com

WSMC racer Brienne Thomson was released from Kern County Medical Center last night. Thomson suffered a Grade III concussion and facial bruising when she crashed her SV650 at top speed in turn eight at Willow Springs Raceway Sunday. She was airlifted to the hospital, which is the closest Trauma Center to the racetrack.

AMA PRO RACING ON SPEED APRIL 18-25, 2006 (All times Eastern) Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan Tuesday, April 18, 2 p.m. Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas Tuesday, April 18, 3 p.m. Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Lites, Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas Tuesday, April 18, 4 p.m. Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas Tuesday, April 18, 11 p.m. AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama (Superbike Race 1), Sunday, April 23, 4 p.m. AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama (Superbike Race 2), Sunday, April 23, 5 p.m. Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, Texas Stadium, Irving Texas Sunday, April 23, 6 p.m. Lockhart- Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series, Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama Tuesday, April 25, 2 p.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama Tuesday, April 25, 3 p.m. Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, Texas Stadium, Irving Texas Tuesday, April 25, 5 p.m. Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, Texas Stadium, Irving Texas Tuesday, April 25, 11 p.m. All times subject to change. Check local listings.

FASTRACK RIDERS California Speedway AMA Practice Fastrack Riders announces riding rotation for the upcoming Suzuki Privateer Appreciation Practice at California Speedway on Thursday, April 27th presented by Team Hammer, Fastrack Riders, and California Speedway. “We are pleased to be promoting the Suzuki Privateer Appreciation Practice at California Speedway” states David Pyles, “and want to have a format that will give all privateers a real opportunity to gain valuable track time experience and really get their bikes dialed in for the AMA National event. Without the support of Suzuki, California Speedway, and Team Hammer there would be almost no practice time available for the privateer riders.” 600cc Supersport and Formula Extreme bikes will be in Group One with 1000cc Superstock and AMA Superbikes in Group Two. This year the first half of the day there will be half hour riding sessions broken up between the two groups. In the afternoon starting at 1:00 PM each group will get two separate one hour practice sessions. Riders or teams can register on line at www.fastrackriders.com by going to the lower right hand corner and clicking on the AMA logo or call 877-560-2233.

CHARPENTIER READY FOR ANOTHER WIN. SOFUOGLU WANTS THE PODIUM Valencia, and the Ricardo Tormo circuit, welcome the third race of the Supersport World Championship which sees the Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider, Sebastien Charpentier, unquestioned leader after the first two victories in Qatar and Australia. The World Champion has therefore confirmed the great preseason, where he has always been the fastest in the tests, and also in Valencia he will be the favorite, looking for his third victory which would allow him to take a further step towards his second Title, which is of course the objective of the strong French rider. Also Kenan Sofuoglu is looking forward to the Spanish race, after his promising start of the season. The Turkish rider has done well to step on the podium in Qatar while in Australia he crashed while conquering the top positions. Now in Valencia he can demonstrate to be able to steadily fight with the top five, also to take home important points for the constructor’s classification. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “Winter test went well and the good start of the season allowed us to concentrate with more tranquility to work on the bike. In Valencia we have some new things to test and the first practice session on Friday will be fully dedicated for this. Of course I know that Charpentier will start as the favorite but for this reason we will work even harder and with more determination, because we want to continue winning. I am also convinced that Sofuoglu could repeat the good result conquered in Qatar and this could be really important for us.” Sebastien Charpentier Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider “Until this moment things went perfectly for me and I hope I can continue in Valencia on this road. In the test I was always fast, we never had any problems and therefore I expect great things from this race, where I won also last year. I want to thanks the Team and Honda because this year they put me in the best conditions to race. For this race I will have a completely new design for the Helmet. It’s fantastic!” Kenan Sofuoglu Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider “I have finally spent some time at home in Turkey with my family and this has been really good for me. It helped me to relax and regenerate. 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 in every race in the top five, and therefore in Valencia I am ready to be between the protagonists. Sebastien seems unreachable but with the rest it will be a great challenge.”

TOSELAND WANTS THE LEADERSHIP. DEBUT FOR BUSSEI After a month and half of break, the SBK World Championship restarts from the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, the first of ten races which will be raced in Europe. The Winston Ten Kate Honda Team will present in Spain after the strong results obtained in the first two races of the season, which have placed James Toseland at the second position of the standing, only one point behind the leader Troy Bayliss. On the 4005 meters at the Valencia track, a insidious track that doesn’t allow a minimal mistake, which present 9 left turns 5 right turns, the English rider is ready to attack the leadership. Wonderfully supported by his Honda CBR1000RR, which has demonstrated strong since the beginning of the season, and having already won on this track in 2004, the year he conquered the World Title, Toseland is surely between the favourites for the final victory, having fully recovered after the fall in the test in March. In Valencia there will be Giovanni Bussei’s debut with the Winston Ten Kate Honda Team. The piedmont based rider has been chosen to substitute injured Karl Muggeridge for the Spanish race, who will be back in Monza at the beginning of May. Bussei, who will try the bike for the first time in the weekend of race, declared himself really eager to jump into this adventure and will do his best to take home a solid result. Ronald Ten Kate – Team manager “We decided to not participate the Misano test because we needed to work on the bike and the engine in our racing department. In the pre-season test on the Valencia circuit we already obtained positive feedbacks, constantly in the top four or five positions with a race setting, therefore we preferred to concentrate on other priorities. I am sure that James will be one of the protagonists in the race while I am sorry Karl will not be with us: he has been with us for four years and it will be strange to not see him around the box. But I fully believe in Bussei, who could give us a nice surprise.” James Toseland Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider “I really believe in this race, even if I know Bayliss will be really fast like in the Test, and Corser and Haga will be as usual two strong clients. But I am really motivated and concentrated and I want to continue to conquer important results after the great start of the season I had. Bayliss only has one point of advantage and I don’t have any intention to let him go away. I am sorry Karl didn’t make it to race in Valencia and I wish the best of luck to my new team-mate Giovanni.” Giovanni Bussei Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider “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. 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 has been given to 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.”