WERA National Series Ready for Round Two at Talladega Oxford, Ala. The WERA National Series has a busy start to the 2006 season, with round two at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway scheduled just two weeks after the season opener. Teams are readying to head to the shortest track on the schedule the weekend of April 7-9. Friday’s practice day will include qualifying for the Expert Superstock classes and Formula 1. WERA first implemented the new qualifying system during the season opener at Jennings GP. “We were really pleased with how competitive qualifying made the races at Jennings,” said WERA owner Evelyne Clarke. “In the past, we have gridded riders according to points, but since WERA is a stepping-stone to AMA Pro Racing, it’s a benefit for riders to be familiar with the qualifying format.” The four-hour WERA/Bridgestone National Endurance Series will have a four-hour race at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Vesrah Suzuki won round one, and the team is anxious to retake the championship from Team Velocity Racing. Meanwhile, Team Velocity Racing is looking forward to defending their 2005 win at Talladega. At Jennings, Vesrah’s closest competition was Mediumweight Superbike entry Red Star. Talladega’s tight configuration gave Red Star’s 600cc motorcycle an edge last year, allowing the team to lead the opening laps, eventually finishing second overall. Sunday will feature the WERA/Michelin National Challenge Series sprint races, which begin at 12:30 p.m. As always, the three Superstock classes- Open, 600 and 750- are expected to feature some of the toughest competition of the day. Each class had a different winner at Jennings. Robert Jensen got two victories at Jennings, as did 600 racer Josh Herrin. Both riders did well at Talladega last season, with Jensen taking two victories. Heavyweight Twins Superstock will be worth watching, as well, with Taylor Knapp challenging Tray Batey’s title as the top big twin rider. Tickets for the WERA National Series weekend at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway will be $30 for all three days, $20 for Saturday and Sunday, and $15 for Sunday only. Driving directions to Talladega can be found online at www.tgprace.com. More information about WERA can be found online at www.WERA.com.

TT 2006 Not to be missed! If you thought last year’s Isle of Man TT Races were special, then the word from the organisers of this year’s event is quite simple you ain’t seen nothing yet! From World Champions to British Champions, British Superbike riders to American Superbike riders and from European stars to some of real road racing’s finest, this year’s entry list has it all and will serve up a treat, arguably the best quality of talent ever to have been assembled on the Island. Heading the formidable entry list is the current outright lap record holder and eight-time winner John McGuinness. Having taken three of the last four Superbike races, the Morecambe rider has been snapped up by the official HM Plant Honda team and he will start as favourite in all four of the solo races. However, there’s a long queue of riders eager to knock him off his pedestal. Honda has a strong presence with Ian Lougher riding for the returning Paul Bird-run Stobart Honda team, the second of three BSB teams competing at this year’s event whilst one of the bright young stars, Martin Finnegan, lines up for the Austrian Klaffi Honda squad, one of the leading lights in World Superbike. Japan’s Jun Maeda is a fourth Honda rider capable of glory and having excelled last year, much is expected of the Kyoto man. Yamaha also have three riders capable of winning with young sensation Guy Martin replacing McGuinness at AIM Racing few will be surprised if a first TT win comes the way of the exuberant Lincolnshire rider this June. Two-time Senior race winner Adrian Archibald has switched to Team Racing and having been on lap record pace last year, the Ballymoney ace is a definite contender for honours. Ramsey based Jason Griffiths completes the trio and the consistent Welshman is sure to feature in each and every race. Meanwhile, Raymond Porter is a dark horse for honours and having stepped on the podium in the Junior race of 2005, the Lifford man could well get in amongst the ‘works’ Yamaha riders. The all conquering TAS Suzuki squad are back for more with Kiwi rider Bruce Anstey being joined by Ryan Farquhar and with six wins between them already, there’s a great chance that this tally could increase. Meanwhile, the fourth of the Japanese manufacturers, Kawasaki, are represented by the welcome return of McAdoo Racing with another of the young stars, Ian Hutchinson, on riding duties. In addition, the Hawk Kawasaki British Superbike squad have sensationally become the third team from the country’s premier series to enter the TT fray with team principal Stuart Hicken, himself a former Manx GP rider, signing experienced TT rider Carl Rennie. As well as the works boys, there’s a whole host of privateers eager to prove themselves with the impressive Uel Duncan Racing squad securing the services of two of the stars of 2005, Cameron Donald and Les Shand. With machinery to match their talent, the pairing have the potential to mix it with the factory stars and they are backed up by other leading lights Mark Parrett, Rob Frost, Ian Armstrong, Dean Silvester, David Bell, James McBride, Ian Pattinson, Dan Stewart, Phil Stewart, Paul Owen and Kevin Mawdsley. Both Northern and Southern Ireland have traditionally proved to be comparable to a conveyor belt as they continue to produce some of real road racing’s finest and the likes of Seamus Greene, Davy Morgan, Ken Doherty, John Donnan, Keith Stewart, John Burrows and Victor Gilmore are all capable of lapping in excess of 120mph. The locals will have plenty to cheer about as well with the fastest ever Manxman, Paul Hunt, leading the charge whilst there is strength in depth with Chris Heath, Gary Carswell, Nigel Beattie, John Barton, Paul Duckett, Derran Slous and David Madsen-Mygdal. The Island also has one of the most interesting entries with Chris Palmer competing on a factory MV Agusta, the Italian giant making a welcome return. As well as entries from the British Isles, the rest of the world are represented by, amongst others, the fastest American rider ever, Thomas Montano, Italian Stefano Bonetti, Belgian Michael Weynand, New Zealand riders Daniel Jansen and Paul Dobbs and Germans Dirk Kaletsch, Thomas Schonfelder and Manfred Vogl. 2005 also saw an influx of newcomers pitting their wits against the Mountain Course for the first time and this trend will continue with an impressive array of new talent travelling over to the Island. Mark Miller and Jeremy Toye are two of the leading riders in American Superbike racing and the duo have excelled on the roads of Macau in the past, with Miller stepping onto the podium, having only been beaten by TT greats David Jefferies and Michael Rutter. Italian rider Angelo Conti is a former European Supersport Champion who has also scored top ten results in the World Championship class whilst the name of Dunlop is sure to create intrigue and stir memories from years gone by. Twenty-year-old William has already made a name for himself in his own right and his debut is one of the most eagerly awaited and anticipated for many years. Scottish rider Mark Buckley has been taken under the wing of the best teacher of them all, Ian Lougher, and is part of the Black Horse Finance team whilst Englishman James Edmeades represents the youngsters and at just 22 years old, the current British Superstock rider has a bright future in front of him. Likewise, Conor Cummins who at 19 will not only be the youngest rider at this year’s event but also one of the youngest ever to compete on the Mountain Course. The progress of the Ramsey rider will be eagerly noted. And that’s just the solos! The F2 sidecars see an equally impressive line-up, if not better, with World, European and British Champions on the grid. Local hero Dave Molyneux is the man they all have to beat and such is the dominance of the Regaby driver, it will take something special to do that. Moly has taken 11 wins and 18 podiums and having moved the outright lap record up to a staggering 116.04mph, surely no one can stop the most successful driver ever. He is reunited with Craig Hallam and having already taken wins in 1999 and 2003, it’s a formidable partnership that will get the races underway at number 1. Fellow Manxmen Nick Crowe and Darren Hope will be trying their utmost to spoil the party and the duo have been a picture of consistency in the last three years, taking 1 win and 6 podiums in the last six races. They are also the second fastest pairing ever and will ensure the official HM Plant Honda outfit of Moly doesn’t have it all his own way. The third of the current ‘Big Three’ is Steve Norbury and the Castleford driver will be gunning for a first ever victory. Denied in 2005, he already has seven podiums to his name and with Scott Parnell in the chair, he is sure to add to that this time around. Fellow Yorkshireman Simon Neary was superb in 2005 becoming only the sixth driver to lap in excess of 110mph and having made the breakthrough, the youngster is well placed to step onto the podium for the first time. 2001 World Sidecar Champions Klaus Klaffenbock and Christian Parzer will be back for their third attempt and having finished 7th in 2005, the duo will be aiming for a first ever podium on their all new LCR outfit, one of only two in the world. The second LCR will also be at the TT in the hands of the returning Andy Laidlow and Patrick Farrance who themselves have been chasing World Championship glory. They finished 2nd overall in 2003, their last appearance, and are sure to be pushing for top five positions. Another World Championship refugee is Tom Hanks who last drove on the Island back in 1999. An overall winner in 1997, and still the 9th fastest driver ever, Hanks will have Phil Biggs in the chair, and adds pure quality to the line-up. Meanwhile, Tom’s Uncle, Roy, returns for an amazing 40th successive year of competition, again partnered by fellow veteran Dave Wells. The supporting cast, like the solos, is stronger than ever with Ben Dixon, Phil Dongworth, Gary Bryan, John Holden, Tony Baker, Allan Schofield, Greg Lambert, Roger Stockton, Nigel Connole, the evergreen Bill Currie, Kenny Howles, Mick Harvey and Conrad Harrison all challenging for top ten positions, at least. The reigning British Champion, Tony Elmer, will be back for his third attempt and he’s been getting quicker as his knowledge increases so expect to see the Leeds driver higher up the results this year. Glyn Jones, Brian Kelly, Neil Kelly and Alan Langton add to the Manx effort whilst Dylan Lynch, the reigning Irish champion makes his debut, as does leading American driver Doug Dano. The final word was left to David Cretney, Chairman of the TT Co-Ordinating Committee and Minister for Tourism and Leisure on the Isle of Man: “We have seen an amazing transformation over the past two years with this event, and the 2006 TT looks like being one of the best ever thanks to the hard work of a lot of people. The entry is the strongest I can remember is all my years of following the event and this should provide the fans with an amazing spectacle of close and exciting racing. One of the biggest changes is the support from the manufactures to such a degree, plus the involvement of other large teams from World Superbike, British Superbike and Irish Road Racing. The level has been raised significantly, which can only be a good thing, and makes our event stand out from others, with an amazing cross section of talented riders and quality machinery. Personally I can’t wait for it all to start.” So, the message is clear and simple between the 27th May and the 10th June there’s only one place to be, and that’s at the Isle of Man TT Races.

FIRST LAPS AT MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK Saturday April 1st saw the first commercial event ever held at the Miller Motorsports Park main track when ApexTrackdays hosted a two session trackday event on the 2.2 mile, 12 turn West Track ~http://www.millermotorsportspark.com/trackOverview.cfm~ (the East Track was still under construction, receiving final touches like curbing paint and runoff prep). Club racers and trackday enthusiasts from Portland to Denver to Las Vegas attended the inaugural event. While much of the $80 million facility was still under construction, the excellent staff at MMP were able to make some of their finer amenities available to APEX customers and crew. Chief among these was the use of the Day Garages. The two open bay structures, each about as long as a football field, are divided into individual garage stalls. Each stall, about the size of a one car garage, comes with its own roll up door. The stall itself is marked on the concrete floor with yellow lines. A center “aisle” runs the length of the bay leading to a small common area at each end with bathrooms. Power is available in each stall at no extra charge. APEX found the format of the Day Garages created a buzz and camaraderie among the riders that contributed profoundly to the overall success of the sold out event, both in terms of enjoyment and safety. A Day Garage (one stall) rents for $75 a day and can hold up to 4 bikes. The 24 individual Grand Prix garages will also be available for club race and trackday use for $125 a day. They’re equipped with private restrooms and showers (MotoGP style). Second on the amenities list was the use of the West Track race control tower. It provided a commanding view of the entire 2.2 mile circuit for the APEX staff, the Utah Sport Bike Association officials who were conducting race certification as part of the event, and the EMS crew (who of course were never paid because they never left the tower”¦no work, no pay, right?). The morning sessions saw laps under mostly cloudy skies and cool temperatures (mid-50s F). Lunch brought some light rain showers and lapping in the damp (not really wet) until 3 pm when the skies cleared. The remaining diehards were able to ride the last 2 hours of the day in bright sunshine on a dry track in low 60 degree temperatures. Here are some preliminary impressions of the counter clockwise circuit. It’s wide”¦very wide. Because of the topography, Turn 1 (of not just the West Track, but the Full Track too) appears when you still think it is 200 yards away. From this fast and sneaky left hander the speed builds and builds along with the elevation (though not as dramatically as the speed) through turns 2, 3, and 4 and onto the back straight. By lunch time some of the faster club racers were taking turn 4 at a buck twenty. Turn 5 is a first gear hairpin that opens up, 6 is almost a mirror opposite and closes down. The 7-8-9 complex is a “triple apex” that begins off camber and finishes on camber while dropping noticeably in elevation throughout. The AMA may never see this turn(s). They have not yet decided between the Full Track and the Perimeter Track for their event in June. It would be a shame for them to miss this complex of turns by choosing the shorter Perimeter configuration. 10 is a sweeper that leads down a little further to the generous but decreasing radius turn 11. 12 is a hairpin much like 5 that leads back onto the front straight. The fastest rider on the day was MRA Champion Shane Turpin (finished 11th in AMA Superbike last year at Pikes Peak) who laid down a few relatively uninterupted laps in the high-1:30s late in the afternoon aboard his 2006 Yamaha R6. A full turn for turn, gear for gear analysis of the MMP West Track from a trackday perspective will be posted next week at www.ApexTrackdays.com when their new website comes on line. Riding opportunities abound throughout the month of April, most notably with Racing 2 Save Lives charity trackday event held Thursday through Sunday, the 13th through the 16th (www.Racing2SaveLives.org). They are followed immediately with the first school event of the year hosted by STAR Motorcycle School (www.StarMotorcycle.com).

MotoGP HEADS TO QATAR FOR SECOND RACE OF 2006 Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar – April 3rd 2006 After an action-packed season-opener in Jerez which saw reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi knocked to the ground at the very first corner, the MotoGP World Championship heads out of Europe this week for the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar . With the race taking place on Saturday, it promises to be yet another thriller in intense heat at the Losail circuit, with riders and teams looking to either continue their good form or rectify problems from the first Grand Prix of the season. Loris Capirossi, victorious in Jerez, will be hoping to carry on from his glorious triumph in southern Spain. Having qualified on pole and led from the start right up until the chequered flag fell, the Italian will be hoping to firmly establish his title candidature with a second win. He started at the front in last year’s race in Qatar, and with the new Desmosedici GP06 performing well the odds are favourable for the experienced Italian. “I had a perfect bike and perfect tyres at Jerez and we have a simple target for Qatar – to do the same all over again. We are quite confident but we know it won’t be easy. The toughest thing in Qatar can be the weather. Two years ago it was almost 40 degrees C, which made riding really tough. I hope it will be cooler this time because we’re there in early April, not early October. The most important thing for this track is to have a well-balanced bike that changes direction well. As always, tyres will be important and the Bridgestone rear has improved a lot since last year, it’s got a much better contact feeling.” Team-mate Sete Gibernau was also an impressive qualifier in Jerez but was forced to retire early on through electronic problems. The Spaniard has already seen the potential of the Ducati and will be expecting a decent finish to kick-start his year in Losail. Spain’s young sensation Dani Pedrosa had an excellent MotoGP debut in Jerez, earning second place and challenging for the lead in his first race on a four-stroke machine. The reigning 250cc World Champion has shown no fear upon his introduction to the premier class of MotoGP, and a continuation of the performance would perhaps fuel talk of title contention for the rookie. Finishing third in Spain, and lap record holder in Qatar, Pedrosa’s team-mate Nicky Hayden is out to continue his streak of podium finishes. The run extends back to last year’s Grand Prix at the Losail Circuit in October, where he completed the rostrum places in third. All eyes, though, will undoubtedly be on seven times World Champion Valentino Rossi, as he looks to regain ground lost after his 14th place finish in the season-opener. A victim of a first corner collision with Toni Elias, who in turn rode well to finish fourth, MotoGP’s charismatic champion has seen the recurrence of a chattering problem on the 2006 Yamaha M1 stifle his progress, and both he and team-mate Colin Edwards will be keen to solve the problem and get back amongst the points in the Saturday race. With both Pedrosa and Casey Stoner moving up to the premier class of MotoGP, the 250cc category is witnessing a new generation of stars trying to take the vacant crown. Jorge Lorenzo was impressive at his home circuit last week, earning his first win in the quarter litre category. Competition for the Spaniard in Qatar could come from any one of a number of riders, including second placed Alex de Angelis, Italian Andrea Dovizioso and Yuki Takahashi. Lorenzo is also sure to be looking over his shoulder for his Aprilia team-mate Hector Barbera, regarded another of the favourites to take the 250cc crown in 2006. The ever tight 125cc class is jam-packed with contenders this season. With last year’s champion Thomas Luthi still suffering the ill effects of a fractured collarbone in the Official Test in Catalunya. He crashed out of the first Grand Prix of the season after qualifying 16th, and Alvaro Bautista took it upon himself to become the title frontrunner. The Spaniard took victory over Lukas Pesek, the first Czech on the podium since 1971, and Mattia Pasini. However any one of a number of riders have a case for winning in Qatar. Mika Kallio, last year’s championship runner-up, will be hoping to make amends for last year’s loss on the line to former team-mate Gabor Talmacsi, whilst Spanish trio Julian Simon, Hector Faubel and Sergio Gadea will all be hoping to improve on their top six finishes at the Losail Circuit. Losail International Circuit- Dominated by a 1.1km straight, the remainder of the 5.4km Losail track is a sinuous high-speed switchback, with most corners leading into one another, rather than separated by straights. The circuit was designed using elements of other famous tracks. Windblown sand made the circuit treacherously slippery during the inaugural 2004 Qatar GP but the track has since seen vast improvements, and grip is no longer the main worry. Heat is the main factor in Qatar, with last year’s race getting underway amidst temperatures of nearly 50 degrees C. With the Grand Prix being an April affair this year, cooler conditions are expected. More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing: GP OF QATAR – PREVIEW LOSAIL, A STEP INTO THE DESERT The World Championship circus is now well underway. After the opening round of the 2006 season at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Spain, the bikes, parts and equipment have been boxed up and transported to Qatar, where the second race of the campaign will take place on the 8th April. LOOKING FORWARD TO QATAR MARCO MELANDRI: “I am really confident about the next GP. The day of testing after the race in Jerez was important to understand the direction we need to go in. I am focused and motivated. The track is complete and challenging. I’ve got good memories of Losail – the race last year was a real turning point in my season.” TONI ELIAS: “I’m arriving feeling very motivated. The Spanish GP gave me a real injection of confidence – not just because fourth place was my best result so far in MotoGP but also because I have overcome a mental limitation. Now I know I am in the right shape to battle with the front guys. Qatar will be a different kettle of fish because the track conditions don’t allow for errors. We didn’t test here in the winter so we’ll only have four hours available to find the best possible set-up.” THE TRACK Located 10km outside the capital city of Doha, the Losail International Circuit is surrounded by desert landscape. Built in record time, the track was met by the immediate approval of the riders not only for the excellent safety features (the run off areas are more than adequate in an area where space is not an issue) but also for the challenge it proposes. The track has only one true straight, measuring 1068m (the second longest on the World Championship calendar) followed by a series of varied corners which are all linked together and give the riders little chance to rest in the searing heat. A distinctive feature of the track is the sequence of three fast right corners. Another characteristic is how difficult it is to overtake – not because there aren’t enough suitable points but because of the danger of running off the racing line, due to the conditions of the track. The main unknown factor this year will be the level of grip, which will depend on the temperature and the amount of sand that has been left on the track surface by the wind. Qatar 2005 : The GP of Qatar 2005 represented a real turnaround in fortunes for Marco Melandri, who had come through a period of tough races following his injury at Motegi. He started from the second row but Marco soon became the protagonist of an intense head to head with the World Champion, Valentino Rossi. The battle went down to the final lap and saw Marco finish in second place, moving up to third in the championship, just two points behind Max Biaggi. TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS Circuit name: Losail International Circuit Opened: 2004 Latest modification: 2004 Length: 5,400m Width: 12m Pole position: Left Right corners: 10 Left corners: 6 Longest straight: 1068m RECORDS Circuit record: 2004 Edwards (Honda) 1’59″293 Pole position: 2005 Capirossi (Ducati) 1’56″917 Race 2005: 1st Rossi (Yamaha) 2nd Melandri (Honda) 3rd Hayden (Honda) MotoGP World Championship Loris Capirossi (Ita/Ducati) 25 points Dani Pedrosa (Sp/Honda) 20 points Nicky Hayden (Usa/Honda) 16 points Toni Elias (Sp/Honda) 13 points Marco Melandri (Ita/Honda) 11 points

Camel Yamaha Team Preview Qatar Grand Prix Losail International Circuit, Qatar 6, 7, 8 April 2006 ROSSI AND EDWARDS AIM FOR QATAR REPRISE The Camel Yamaha Team move on to the Middle East next weekend with the objective of making up for lost points and pride following a disappointing start to the season in the opening round at Jerez. The Grand Prix of Qatar represents the ideal opportunity of a reprieve, with Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards having performed well in pre-season testing at the Losail International Circuit in February. A further day of testing following the Jerez race provided the team with another opportunity to work on the vibration problems that hampered the riders in Jerez, and the day produced some positive results. Such problems were at a minimum when the team tested at Qatar in February, so Yamaha is hopeful of starting out positively for the second race of the season. Based on the outskirts of the capital city of Doha, Losail hosted the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in 2004 after an incredible round-the-clock project that took a little over a year to complete, with an investment of around $58 million USD and 1,000 full-time workers. During its short history the event has brought famous results for both Camel Yamaha Team riders, with Edwards storming to second place in the inaugural race and Rossi clinching victory after an exciting battle with Marco Melandri last year. Having been held in October for the past two seasons, it was expected that this year’s spring race would see slightly cooler conditions but, with early weather forecasts predicting ambient temperatures of around 30ºC, it promises to be an equally gruelling weekend for the riders. As usual the Grand Prix will be held on Saturday as opposed to Sunday and the MotoGP race will start one hour later than normal at 1500h local time, in order to coincide with its regular CET slot of 1400h. ROSSI: GETTING BACK ON TRACK Valentino Rossi can’t wait to get back to action this weekend after the anti-climax of his worst ever premier-class finish at Jerez. After being brought down by another rider at the first corner, Rossi was denied the chance to defend a record of five consecutive first round wins in the MotoGP class, but knows that the best way to make up for it is to bounce back with a good result in Qatar. “After a bad start to the season, I am looking forward to going to Qatar and erasing the bad memories!” said Rossi. “Our bike worked really well when we went to Qatar for pre-season testing, so we hope that this will be the case again. It’s true that we also had a tiny bit of vibration there, but it was only in a couple of places and it was quite manageable. Anyway our bike was very fast in Qatar from the first day, so this is a good sign. “Last year my victory in Qatar was probably the most exciting race of the season for me, the whole race was at ridden at the maximum and I had a great, great battle with Melandri. I hope that we can have another good race this year, and of course I hope that I can win again and get our championship defence ‘back on track!’ Qatar is a hard race and very tiring because of the heat, but it’s a great track and I enjoy riding there.” COLIN EDWARDS: ONWARDS AND UPWARDS Colin Edwards also has plenty of reasons to look forward to Qatar after riding himself into a spin with the set-up problems at Jerez. The Texan Tornado is keen to get back to a track where the YZR-M1 excelled during pre-season tests and says he expects to return to the personal form that saw him drive away with a new car after setting the fastest time at the Official Tests in Barcelona in early March. “To be honest I couldn’t wait to get out of Jerez on Monday evening, it was a nightmare weekend for us really,” said Edwards, who has finished in the points at every race since that second place at Qatar in 2004 – a run of 21 consecutive top fifteen finishes. “Things didn’t work from the start and our luck couldn’t have been worse in the race but it’s time to turn the page now. I’ve got belief in the bike and the team and I know we can turn it around in Qatar. I only have to look across the garage at Valentino to know it is not my riding that is at fault so personally my confidence is still at a premium and I feel ready to ride to the best of my ability. “Losail is a very smooth circuit, with slight camber changes, where you have to keep a good line and a nice flow to your riding. The grip has obviously got better over the past couple of years but you still have to be careful about getting off line when overtaking because of the sand that blows onto the track. It’s a pretty nice circuit considering it’s in the middle of the desert!” DAVIDE BRIVIO: WE WILL BOUNCE BACK Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio says the team’s morale has not been dented by events at Jerez last week and stresses that their only focus now is on turning their fortunes around in Qatar. The extra day of testing in Spain provided a welcome chance to gather extra data that Brivio believes will provide vital set-up alternatives when the track action gets underway on Thursday morning. “The test on Monday was very useful,” says Brivio. “We made a slight improvement to the set-up but more than that we were able to gather information that will be useful for us to start with in Qatar. We go there with a couple of different options. One is to use the base setting we found in the pre-season tests, although we missed many of the other teams then so it will be interesting to compare the performance of our competitors on Friday morning. The other is to try the different settings we found at Jerez as a solution to the chatter. “We know it will be another tough weekend for the team but the morale is still very good. Of course it was a shame to lose so many points in the first race but we are not feeling sad about that now, only focused on the job we have to do. We are keeping our heads down and working hard, studying the data until we find a solution and we will continue to do that every weekend until we are back on top. The mood is optimistic and we are confident that when this problem is solved we can fight to be at the top of the points standings.” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: MATTEO FLAMIGNI ON QATAR Following the recent problems at Jerez, data gathered at pre-season tests and during last year’s race in Qatar will be even more crucial than usual this weekend. The 5.4 kilometre track features sixteen corners, ten to the right and six to the left, with a series of fast sweeping sections and several hard braking areas which are unique to any other circuit in the world. “Qatar is a difficult track because you have some very slow corners which come immediately after a change of direction,” explains Matteo Flamigni, Valentino Rossi’s Data Engineer. “At most circuits the hard braking follows a long straight but at Qatar this happens only once. For example, turn six is a tight hairpin that comes with a quick right-left change under braking, so the bike needs to be very stable but also very agile for a good performance in that section. “The most important section for set-up is probably the three fast rights at the end. You need good stability at maximum lean angle so that the rider feels confident enough to open the throttle, because this is where he can make up the most time. At Jerez the final two fast rights before the last hairpin are very similar and I could see on the data that Valentino did not have the confidence to open the throttle there in the way he had done the previous season. At Qatar we will have to find this compromise between stability on the brakes and stability at maximum lean angle so that our riders can perform to their full potential.” VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 81 (42 x MotoGP, 13 x 500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 158 (66 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 40 World Championships 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 50 x MotoGP World Championships – 2 World Superbike Qatar Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 1’57.903 Qatar Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 1’56.917 2005 Results: 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 43.33.759 2. Marco Melandri (Honda) +1.670 3. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +5.336 4. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +14.737

There will be a Thursday, April 27 promoter practice for AMA-licensed riders entered in the April 28-30 National at California Speedway in Fontana, California. The event is known as the Suzuki Privateer Appreciation Day Presented by Team Hammer, California Speedway and Fastrack Riders. More information is online at ~http://www.fastrackriders.com/~ . Click on the Register button and then click on the April 27 date. Sessions will be 30 minutes in the morning and 60 minutes long in the afternoon. Two groups will run, 600cc Supersport/Formula Xtreme, and 1000cc Superstock/Superbike.

The new 2006 Jordan Suzuki team site has been launched… ~http://www.23race.com/~. Which can also be accessed from AOL at ~http://sports.aol.com/racing~. The Jordan Code: “Nothing of VALUE comes without being EARNED.” “There are NO SHORTCUTS to true success.” “Great LEADERS are those who lead by example.” “Never under estimate the power of TEAMWORK.” “Be AUTHENTIC and true to your passion and yourself.” “Be UNCOMPROMISED in your demand for excellence.” “ASPIRE to be, and do, more than what is expected.” “Its not about celebrating the RESULTS, but more understanding the PROCESS.” – Michael Jordan

Dan Schmitt’s Team Chicago has launched a website at ~http://www.teamchicago.tv/~.