Superbike World Championship Round 2 Phillip Island, Australia March 5, 2006 Race One Results: 1. Troy CORSER, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22 laps, 34:33.545 2. Alex BARROS, Honda CBR1000RR, -0.450 second 3. James TOSELAND, Honda CBR1000RR, -7.974 seconds 4. Noriyuki HAGA, Yamaha YZF-R1, -15.121 seconds 5. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati 999F05, -16.292 seconds 6. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati 999F06, -17.120 seconds 7. Ruben XAUS, Ducati 999F05, -17.192 seconds 8. Fonsi NIETO, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -22.457 seconds 9. Andrew PITT, Yamaha YZF-R1, -22.490 seconds 10. Chris WALKER, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -23.176 seconds 11. Lorenzo LANZI, Ducati 999F06, -28.347 seconds 12. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -28.413 seconds 13. Regis LACONI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -28.833 seconds 14. Steve MARTIN, Foggy Petronas FP1, -28.977 seconds 15. Michel FABRIZIO, Honda CBR1000RR, -29.122 seconds 16. Pierfrancesco CHILI, Honda CBR1000RR, -30.825 seconds 17. Norick ABE, Yamaha YZF-R1, -30.955 seconds 18. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Ducati 999RS, -35.417 seconds 19. Ivan CLEMENTI, Ducati 999RS, -46.919 seconds 20. Franco BATTAINI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -68.373 seconds 21. Shinichi NAKATOMI, Yamaha YZF-R1, -6 laps, DNF, crash 22. Karl MUGGERIDGE, Honda CBR1000RR, -7 laps, DNF, mechanical 23. Fabien FORET, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -10 laps, DNF, mechanical 24. Craig JONES, Foggy Petronas FP1, -12 laps, DNF, crash 25. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -13 laps, DNF, crash 26. Marco BORCIANI, Ducati 999F05, -14 laps, DNF, mechanical 27. Sebastien GIMBERT, Yamaha YZF-R1, -18 laps, DNF, mechanical 28. Lucio PEDERCINI, Ducati 999RS, -19 laps, DNF, mechanical More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: First Podium for Alex Barros at Phillip Island “At Phillip Island we will see Alex on the podium!” This was Klaus Klaffenböck’s forecast and already in the first race today it came true. Alex was 5th in the grid, Bayliss, Corser, Toseland and Martin in front of him. A good start was important and Alex did it. When the riders came back from lap one Alex was on 5th position. Only a few laps later the Brazilian started his first attack. He passed Haga, moved forward to position 4. Bayliss was ahead having a big lead over his followers, Corser and Toseland. Alex put the screws on Toseland and passed him in lap 8. Bayliss, Corser and Barros the parts seemed to be assigned for the rest of the race. Everybody expected Bayliss to be winner of the first heat. But there were still 6 laps to go the Australian lost speed. He had a tyre problem and Corser and Barros passed him. Now Alex was on second position just behind Troy Corser. In the last laps he tried to challenge the Australian but it was not possible to pass him. – Alex Barros finished second in his third race of World’s Superbike Championship. Alex Barros: “The team worked very hard and so I had a perfect adjustment of the Klaffi Honda Fireblade in the race. I organised my tyres very well to have enough grip even at the end of race. When I was chasing Corser I planned to attack him in the last lap. But then in the crucial moment I was not close enough to him. It was too risky and it was better to assure the second position. The first heat was quite okay. I hope the second race today will be as good as the first.”

German rider Rico Penzkofer, 30, became the first man to win a race on a Buell XB-RR with a victory in the CCS Supertwins race at Daytona International Speedway Saturday. Penzkofer took the lead on the first lap of the six-lap contest but was passed mid-race by Dario Marchetti, a former World Superbike regular who was riding a Ducati 999RS Superbike. Thanks in part to the top speed advantage of his motorcycle, Marchetti led the second half of the sprint, but Penzkofer was able to stay close. On the final lap, Marchetti led into and out of the chicane and looked sure to hold his lead to the checkered flag. Marchetti was forced to back off, however, when his helmet visor began fogging as he approached a group of slower riders on the run from NASCAR Turn Four to the finish line. This allowed Buell of Hanover’s Penzkofer to sneak through and take the XB-RR’s first victory in its debut race weekend. “I hope it is not the last win for this bike – or for me,” Penzkofer told Roadracingworld.com. The race at Daytona was Penzkofer’s first competitive event in the U.S. Penzkofer has previously tested twice at Daytona, the first time in December 2005 and the second time in January. Earlier in the day, Penzkofer qualified the Buell XB-RR eighth for the ASRA Superbike race, which is scheduled for Sunday. Penzkofer turned a 1:47.202, about five seconds slower than polesitter Jason DiSalvo and his factory Yamaha YZF-R6 at 1:42.290. Steve Crevier, also riding a Buell XB-RR, qualified first for the ASRA Thunderbike race, turning a 1:49.695 but was disqualifed because he had not actually entered the race. The lap times turned so far by Penzkofer and Crevier may indicate that wild Internet speculation that the two-valve, pushrod, air-cooled twin-cylinder Buell XB-RR will steamroll next week’s AMA Formula Xtreme race against four-valve, DOHC, water-cooled four-cylinder 600cc machines is somewhat premature.

Catalunya MotoGP test Day two, Saturday March 4 2006 GIBERNAU IMPROVES, CAPIROSSI RECUPERATES Ducati Marlboro Team riders Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi had very different days at Catalunya today. While Gibernau was able to ride 82 laps and improve on his Friday best by 0.772s, Capirossi spent most of the day recuperating from a nasty stomach virus. In cloudy and slightly cooler conditions, Gibernau was happy with progress, improving the consistency of his Desmosedici GP6 by careful work on set-up and tyres. This allowed him to ride his fastest lap at the end of the day when track conditions were past their best. Capirossi only completed 15 laps after a sleepless night. Despite severe stomach pains he did ride two outings, immediately improving his best time by 0.672s and verifying the front-end geometry adjustments made to his GP6. Test rider Vittoriano Guareschi focused on engine braking to better understand yesterday’s engine-braking issues. FILIPPO PREZIOSI, Ducati Corse director “Loris wasn’t able to do much today but he did try different front-end geometry for more high-speed stability. My thanks to him for testing even when he was sick. Sete meanwhile worked his way through many different things. He tried different front-end geometry for more stability and better front feel, plus different rear-shock settings, different handlebars and, of course, different tyres. Most importantly the bike is now more consistent on lap times. We solved our engine-braking problems by going back to the set-up we used at the previous test for Loris, while Sete was able to test some new software which worked to his satisfaction. Loris will try this software tomorrow when we also hope to continue our set-up work because we still have a lot more things to try.” SETE GIBERNAU, 82 laps, 5th fastest, 1m 43.784s “Today was a tough, tough day, very physically and mentally demanding but it’s been good. We went through a lot of stuff and I’d like to thank the team and Bridgestone for giving 100 per cent and doing a great job. We are still working hard on the bike, we’ve still a way to go but we’re definitely chipping away. We worked on geometry, electronics, tyres, everything. We are making the whole package better, more predictable, more consistent, and the tyres are giving me more driveability now, which is the whole ballgame.” LORIS CAPIROSSI, 15 laps, 13th fastest, 1m 44.581s “What a bad day. I didn’t sleep all night, I was sick and had stomach pains, probably because of a virus. This morning the Clinica Mobile put me on a drip, but they advised me not to ride. Anyway, I wanted to test the set-up changes we’d made. I did just two outings and that was enough to realise we had taken the right direction because I faster straight away, even though I’m sick. This is very important for tomorrow. If the dry weather stays and I’m feeling better we will be able to fully exploit our last day here.” Temperatures: Ambient: 19 degrees C. Track: 20 degrees C More, from a press release issued by Dorna: Rossi and Checa continue to impress at MotoGP Official Test Valentino Rossi was once again the fastest rider at the MotoGP Official Test, with a dominant display at the Circuit de Catalunya. Already yesterday’s fastest on track, he took just under twenty minutes to top the timesheets today, with a fast lap of 1’43.704 coming at 1pm local time. Amongst those to take to the track early this morning were Sete Gibernau, Alex Hofmann and Hopkins, with Rossi the last to make an appearance at the Spanish circuit. Weather conditions all day were gloomy and overcast but luckily no rain fell, although the cloudy skies caused temperatures to drop from yesterday on the track. With many riders breaking for lunch, Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa crashed out on turn four. The incident left the Spaniard uninjured, but forced him to ride on his second bike for the rest of the session. Rossi continued to ride fast, but later in the afternoon the top spot on the leaderboard was exchanged rapidly between four riders. Colin Edwards set a lap of 1’43.388, but just minutes later Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano put in a flying lap of 1’43.245 to snatch the position. Carlos Checa continued his tremendous preseason form by breaking the circuit record. The Spaniard has so far been the surprise story of the Official Test, yesterday completing an all-Yamaha top three and today going one better. Fifteen minutes after setting his fastest lap though, Checa saw Rossi break the 1’43 second barrier and pip him to first place. Behind the top four of Rossi, Checa, Nakano and Edwards, there were three other riders to lap quicker than 1’44: Ducati’s Sete Gibernau, French rookie Randy de Puniet on the Kawasaki and Suzuki’s John Hopkins. Completing the top ten were the three fastest Honda riders of the day. HRC rider Nicky Hayden clocked the eighth fastest lap of the day ahead of Makoto Tamada and Dani Pedrosa. Some light rain is predicted for tomorrow, which will be both the final day of the Official Test and the scene of the BMW M Award competition, which starts at 2pm local time and will see the riders compete to earn the fastest lap in a 40 minute session. The winner of this action-packed race against the clock will receive a brand new BMW Z4 M Roadster. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: TOP THREE FOR NAKANO IN CATALUNYA Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano mastered difficult conditions today, at a cold and windy Catalunya, to finish the second day of the annual IRTA test with the third fastest time overall. Nakano started the day with shakedown tests on the latest specification Ninja ZX-RR engine, before switching to his second bike, and an earlier version motor, to continue tyre testing with Bridgestone. The 28-year-old Japanese rider lapped consistently throughout the day, rarely dropping outside of the top six, before securing third position on the timesheet with his final flying lap. Despite still suffering from the effects of a heavy landing after highsiding his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR yesterday, Randy de Puniet also made significant improvements to his lap time, eventually finishing sixth fastest and ahead of a number of more experienced factory MotoGP riders. Like his Kawasaki teammate, de Puniet also dedicated most of today’s session to tyre testing, as the 25-year-old Frenchman and Bridgestone worked to complete their test schedule in the dry, but cold, conditions. Today saw a strong performance from both Kawasaki riders, and one that stands Nakano and de Puniet in good stead for tomorrow’s traditional qualifying competition. The fastest rider during a timed, one hour session tomorrow afternoon will leave Catalunya with a brand new car, courtesy of series sponsors, BMW – a prize both Kawasaki riders have said they would be happy to collect! Shinya Nakano: #56 – 3rd (1’43.245) “This is a new experience, both for me and the team. In the past we have struggled to achieve a good result at this first European test, but today everything came together and we finished top three on the timesheet. For sure, we have to do the same tomorrow during the last day, but this result has provided a real boost to the team, all of whom have worked so hard to get us to this point. And we think there is more to come, because we still have a further evolution of the Ninja ZX-RR engine to test in Jerez next week. I also managed to do some tyre testing for Bridgestone today, but it is difficult to evaluate tyre performance when the track temperature is so low. Hopefully we can continue to improve tomorrow, although it looks like the rain that we managed to avoid today will definitely make an appearance for tomorrow’s qualifying session.” Randy de Puniet: #17 – 6th (1’43.847) “This morning I was a little bit sore from my big crash yesterday, but the only place it was really noticeable was through the first split, where I was losing a little bit of time. This morning we concentrated on tyre testing with Bridgestone; with most of the tyres we tried offering some improvement despite the cold track conditions. Last thing this afternoon I tried a couple of laps on a qualifying tyre, and I’m happy with the lap times, but again I was losing a little bit of time on the first part of the track because of the soreness in my lower back and my ankle. I hope that it stays dry for tomorrow, as I’m confident that I can make further improvements before we head for the next test at Jerez.” Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager “Today we ran shakedown tests with Shinya and Randy on the latest specification engine, with positive results, and we’ll continue testing with this engine when we move on to Jerez for the second IRTA test next week. Conditions today haven’t been ideal for testing, but both riders are happy with the base set-up on their respective bikes and we have managed to collect development data for Bridgestone, despite the low track temperature. We’ve pushed to complete our test schedule as quickly as possible because of the threat of rain, so tomorrow we have a few things to evaluate, but the main focus will be on the qualifying session in the afternoon.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: FORTUNA HONDA COMPLETE SECOND DAY OF OFFICIAL TESTS MOTOGP TEST CATALUNYA, day 2 FORTUNA HONDA riders Marco Melandri and Toni Elías completed their second day of official testing duties at the Circuit de Catalunya in cold weather conditions today. The two riders worked hard throughout the day although at the end they were forced to settle for twelfth and seventeenth position respectively. Marco was able to complete the programme he had for today although he was unable to reach the desired results. The Italian, who produced a stunning run of form at the end of last season to seal second place in the championship, knocked a fraction of a second off his time from yesterday but that was not enough to leave him satisfied at the end of the day. His team-mate Toni Elías, who is riding a MotoGP bike for the first time at this track, was unable to improve on the 1’44.672 he clocked yesterday. Tomorrow the riders will have the opportunity to demonstrate their potential in front of thousands of spectators, who will flock to the track to enjoy the timed BMW Award session which runs from 14:05 until 14:45. MARCO MELANDRI (76 laps, 1’44.512) 12th fastest: “They’ve been two very tough days for us but we’ve still got a long way to go. I’m struggling to find the ideal feeling to enter the corners comfortably and I still need to improve my corner speed and line. Fortunately we’ve still got four days of tests left before the first race at Jerez. I’m disappointed we are not at the level we would like to be at but I still look forward to this season with optimism.” TONI ELIAS ( 70 laps, 1’45.782 ) 17th fastest “Yesterday we saw one side of the coin and today we saw the other. This wasn’t a great day for us even though we worked really hard to make it that way. We had a few grip problems and the track temperature didn’t help much either. We can’t use that as an excuse though because it was the same track for everybody. We tried a few different tyres without finding the ideal one but I’m sure we will find it through hard work. I actually felt more comfortable on the bike yesterday.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: YAMAHA MEN CONTINUE TO DOMINATE ON SECOND DAY AT CATALUNYA Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi clocked the fastest time once again on the second day of MotoGP Official Test at the Catalunya Circuit in Spain, after another encouraging session for Yamaha. With Rossi again setting the pace for much of the day, closely followed by his team-mate Colin Edwards, the pair took advantage of the warm afternoon conditions to continue to run through their pre-season testing programme at an impressive rate. Edwards ended the day with the fourth fastest time after briefly leading the time sheets in the closing stages, shaving seven tenths of a second off his best time from yesterday and making continued progress with the race set-up of his YZR-M1 machine. Rossi lapped 1.2 seconds faster than he had managed yesterday, closing in on lap record time as both riders prepare an assault on tomorrow’s timed 40-minute session, which will reward the fastest lap with the prize of a new car. Meanwhile, Yamaha Tech 3 rider Carlos Checa continued his impressive pre-season form with the second fastest time of the day. VALENTINO ROSSI (1st, 1’42.477, 72 laps) “To go so fast so early in the test yesterday was the big surprise to us, so today we have just built on that and continued to make improvements. We completed some more important tests and the base setting is good now – we had a few problems with chatter earlier in the pre-season but we seem to have solved those now and today the lap times became faster and faster. I’m also really happy because, to me, this bike feels like my daughter and now I can see it is going well for other riders Colin and Carlos both love it. Looking at the time sheets this evening of course I am in with a good chance for the new car, but tomorrow is another day and we will have to see what happens. Hopefully the weather will stay as it has done for the last couple of days and we can complete the whole programme we had planned for this test in a positive way.” COLIN EDWARDS (4th, 1’43.388, 65 laps) “We had a few things to test today and every step we made seemed to take us in a positive direction, so I couldn’t be happier really. The bike is getting better and better and we just keep improving so that is all I can ask for. The cool track temperatures mean that we can’t do much for Michelin here so we’re just focusing on the bike and refining the setting as much as we can before Jerez. We played with the suspension and the engine mapping a little today but we had no major dramas and the 65 laps went by really quickly. Right now I feel we’re ready to go racing so it’s just a case of adding the finishing touches.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “Another good day for Yamaha! It is nice to see our bikes at the top end of the time sheets the riders are doing a great job and the team are able to stick closely to the testing programme. We had some items to test for Michelin and Yamaha today mainly with the chassis setting to try and improve the variables of the bike. We got some good information together and now we’re ready for the challenge tomorrow. Really the car is not so important but it would be nice to start the year in a positive way and both our riders are ready to compete for it.” Lap Times 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’42.477 2. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’43.142 3. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’43.245 4. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’43.388 5. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1’43.784 6. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’43.847 7. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1’43.970 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’44.029 9. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda, 1’44.246 10. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’44.369 11. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts, 1’44.407 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda, 1’44.512 13. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team,1’44.581 14. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1’45.001 15. James Ellison (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’45.488 16. Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) D’Antin Pramac, 1’45.582 17. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Honda, 1’45.782 18. Alex Hoffman (GER) D’Antin Pramac, 1’46.185 19. Vittoriano Guareschi (ITA) Ducati, 1’48.205 Catalunya Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005 1’43.195 Catalunya Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005 1’42.337 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: MotoGP test Catalunya. Day two of three-day test, March 4, 2006. Nicky Hayden again fastest RCV rider at IRTA Catalunya test. Repsol Honda rider was again the fastest Honda RC211V rider of the day at the IRTA test at Catalunya. Hayden shaved two-tenths of a second off his best time of yesterday despite struggling to find rear wheel grip in the cold and blustery conditions at the 4.727 km Spanish GP circuit, close to Barcelona. American Hayden is putting in a mammoth stint each day of testing as he runs through a heavy HRC test programme with the 2006 RCV. Despite the low temperatures and high winds Hayden managed to get in a staggering 107 las today. Dani Pedrosa, on the second Repsol Honda, improved his time by over half a second but crashed just after lunch. The youngster lost the front end of his RCV entering turn four but escaped injury and was quickly back on track and up to pre-crash speed. The Fortuna Honda riders experienced mixed fortunes with their efforts to improve performance. Italian Marco Melandri was faster than yesterday but he struggled to come to grips with the new Michelin rear tyre. Melandri had been the Honda man to catch during the winter test series but the ideal RCV set up on the previous best Michelin rear proved to be way off the mark for the latest upgraded product from the French tyre supplier. Melandri’s team-mate, Toni Elias was a full second off his best time of yesterday struggling from a lack of rear wheel grip. The young Spaniard tried a range of Michelin tyres but was never comfortable on his RCV today. Japanese star Makoto Tamada improved his performance on the Konica Minolta Honda taking half a second off his best time of yesterday. Tamada tried the new Michelin rear tyre but found he needed to do a lot of work on the base set up of his RCV before he began to get the best out of he tyre. Despite some improvement Tamada feels he still has a lot of work to do if he is to get the best out of the new tyres. Team Roberts had an up and down day with the KR211V. The team started the day with the all-new third generation Roberts chassis but struggled to find grip in the morning and decided to test the old chassis in a bid to determine where their problem lay. They made progress with finding grip around mid-day transferring the data to the new chassis and ended the close to where they need to be at this stage of the three-ay test. Honda rider lap times and quotes. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 44.029s 107 laps. “We spent a lot of time working with the new chassis today and testing some improved parts that Honda has brought from Japan. The bike’s now really stable on the brakes and turning into the corner is much better, so we’re getting there. It’s still moving around a bit on the exit of corners and better traction is something we’re working on. We’re moving forward though and we’ve still got a lot of stuff to try.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 44.369s 71 laps. “Today was good and not so good because we were making some progress, I was getting a better feel with the bike on this track, and then I crashed. Physically I’m ok but I think the bike is not in such good shape! I lost the front entering turn four and I think maybe it’s because I was using too much brake into the corner. I went out again and I was able to get up to speed again so I feel ok.” Makoto Tanaka Repsol Honda Team Manager “We had quite a busy and a hard day today. Nicky did a very good job, especially working on the frame, and he did a lot of laps just like yesterday. Dani, I think he learned a lot today! He continued to build up his MotoGP experience and tried some chassis set-up work today. His speed improved well but unfortunately he fell off this afternoon when he tried to up the pace. But I’m happy because he is ok. We are not totally satisfied with the result today but we did some good testing here and I’m looking forward to seeing both Nicky and Dani ride well tomorrow.” Marco Melandri, Repsol Honda: 1m 44.512s 76 laps.”They’ve been two very tough days for us but we’ve still got a long way to go. I’m struggling to find the ideal feeling to enter the corners comfortably and I still need to improve my corner speed and line. Fortunately we’ve still got four days of tests left before the first race at Jerez. I’m disappointed we are not at the level we would like to be at but I think I can still look forward to this season with optimism.” Toni Elias, Repsol Honda: 1m 45.782s 70 laps. “Yesterday we saw one side of the coin and today we saw the other. This wasn’t a great day for us even though we worked really hard to make it that way. We had a few grip problems and the track temperature didn’t help much either. We can’t use that as an excuse though because it was the same track for everybody. We tried a few different tyres without finding the ideal one but I’m sure we will find it through hard work. I actually felt more comfortable on the bike yesterday.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 1m 44.246s 63 laps. “The performance of today has got better, but we are still far from the top standing positions. It seems the fastest riders have found the right setting to obtain the best performances of the new 2006 tyres. Today, we have started testing the new rear Michelin tyres but, to be effective as I would like to be in the central phase of the corner, I still have some little problems to solve. At this juncture, the bike behaviour is completely different from last year and we need much more time to find the best configuration. Anyway, I am satisfied because I could verify that the global potential of our technical package is definitely high.” Giulio Bernardelle Konica Minolta Honda Technical Director “Today, for the first time in 2006, we could use the new rear Michelin tyres. For sure, a good step ahead in the global performance has been done but the first impression is that the bike needs an absolute specific setting in order to obtain all its potential. In the second half of this afternoon, we have only been able to start this work getting a first improvement in performances. The problem to be solved is that the grip increase of the rear tyre leads to a non-perfect balance of the bike up to the corner central phase. For this, we should attain to adjust our Honda RC211V bike.” Kenny Roberts Junior, KR Honda: 1m 44.407s 71 laps. “We just couldn’t find grip with the new chassis early this morning and went back to the chassis we ran at the last Sepang test. That chassis has been modified and brought up to close on new bike spec. We got it too work pretty good and used the data on the new bike and ended the day with both chassis’ working pretty much the same. But I don’t think we will have two bikes with the same frames and performance before we get to the Jerez race.”

Superbike World Championship Round 2 Phillip Island, Australia March 4, 2006 Superpole/Final Qualifying Results: 1. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati 999F06, 1:32.159 2. Troy CORSER, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.373 3. James TOSELAND, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:33.003 4. Steve MARTIN, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:33.206 5. Alex BARROS, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:33.373 6. Karl MUGGERIDGE, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:33.571 7. Andrew PITT, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:33.598 8. Norick HAGA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:33.631 9. Lorenzo LANZI, Ducati 999F06, 1:33.791 10. Chris WALKER, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:33.928 11. Pierfrancesco CHILI, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:33.998 12. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:34.111 13. Fonsi NIETO, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:34.158 14. Regis LACONI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:34.492 15. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati 999F05, 1:34.719 16. Ivan CLEMENTI, Ducati 999RS, 1:35.032 17. Norick ABE, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.269 18. Fabien FORET, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:34.513 19. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Ducati 999RS, 1:34.559 20. Michel FABRIZIO, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:34.632 21. Sebastien GIMBERT, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.666 22. Ruden XAUS, Ducati 999F05, 1:34.790 23. Marco BORCIANI, Ducati 999F05, 1:34.944 24. Shinichi NAKATOMI, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:35.039 25. Franco BATTAINI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:35.316 26. Craig JONES, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:35.886 27. Lucio PEDERCINI, Ducati 999RS, 1:35.931 28. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:36.202 More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: Phillip Island – Alex Barros Fifth in the Grid A thrilling second day at Phillip Island! Yesterday Alex Barros finished second in Qualifying I. This morning the Brazilian improved his lap time again. But Alex tested a different setting of his Klaffi Honda Fireblade. This solution was not so perfect and with a 1’33.749 Alex achieved 9th position. So he had to push in Superpole. And Alex managed this job! In the Free Practice before the pole he did a 1’33.471 lap time. In Superpole Alex covered the 4.445 m of the track in only 1’33.373. Faster than Muggeridge, Pitt, Rolfo and Haga he finished 5th. Tomorrow Alex starts from second row in the grid. Alex Barros: “The conditions are perfect here at Phillip Island. I like the hot and sunny weather very much. And there are no gusts of wind from the seaside which may attack you sometimes here. But beside this we took a big step forward since Qatar. We have a very good adjustment for the race tomorrow. I start from the second row. Position 5 in the grid is not so bad at all. Bayliss and Corser, the two Australians, are in front. They are fast but it is not impossible to catch them!” More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: TOSELAND TO START FROM FRONT ROW AT PHILLIP ISLAND Having set the fourth fastest time in regulation qualifying, James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) improved both his time and his starting position in Superpole, slashing half a second off his previous best outing on race tyres, with a 1’33.003. Only his fellow former World Champions, Troy Bayliss and Troy Corser, set times faster than Toseland in Superpole, with Bayliss on pole thanks to a 1’32.159. In the second timed qualifying session, which determines the Superpole qualifying order, Toseland set a 1’33.548. Toseland will be going for win number two of the season in Sunday’s two 22-lap Superbike races, having won the opening leg of the year in Qatar. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) will start from a second row grid position, having qualified sixth fastest with a time of 1’33.571, also beating his regulation qualifying time. Muggeridge is the fourth Australian rider in the top six places, proving how much of a boon local knowledge and support means at this fast and sun-drenched track. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “We knew that it was going to be an epic battle between the two Troys to grab pole here and so we have been concentrating on race settings. They seem to be quite consistent on race tyres. We also had messy Superpole laps, with some small mistakes and slides, but what happens, happens, and we are happy for James to make a front row start. After we saw how things went for Karl yesterday, it was pretty good for him to get onto the second row today. I think he had some things on his mind, like his little boy back in Switzerland. Now he is fully focussed back here. We are sure he can do well here tomorrow, because on a race set-up he is running quite a constant pace. Tomorrow morning we will make use of warm-up to define race set-up. With James we are really close, for Karl we maybe have to do a bit more to play catch up, because we almost lost yesterday. I’m happy, we are looking good, and I don’t think anyone can make five or six laps into the 1’32s. I would be very surprised with that.” James Toseland SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (3rd position 1’33.003) “I’m happy to be on the front row again, it’s hard out there because the two Troys are going particularly well this weekend and I didn’t expect anything else. I’ve got a good race setting for tomorrow, so I’m happy enough. I’m also confident I can be consistent and everybody is going to have a few tyre issues tomorrow, so we’ll be spinning towards the end of the race. But we’ll have the same as everybody and we’ll be in with a shout. I’m learning every time out there, I’m doing a lot of laps, and the bike is a great package. I’ve qualified on the front row here and in Qatar, then won and took a fourth, and now I’m tied for second in the championship. If we can build on that, I’ll be happy.” Karl Muggeridge SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (6th position 1’33.571) “Not so bad, considering that yesterday was such a disaster. We had to chase like hell today to make everything in a better direction. I wasn’t extremely happy with my Superpole lap but we made some big changes between yesterday and today, but it has worked. We still have stuff to do in warm-up on Sunday but I feel much better on the bike today.” More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone Getting ready for the race Norick Abe, Se©bastien Gimbert and Shinichi Nakatomi did not qualify for Superpole and worked hard this Saturday so their Yamaha R1s have the best settings to perform as well as possible during the races. The level of the 2006 Superbike World Championship is very impressive: After the qualifying sessions, there were only 1.5 seconds between the riders from 4th to 24th position! In this context, Norick Abe missed the 16th and last qualifying spot for the Superpole by only 0.08. Sebastien Gimbert was 21st and Shinichi Nakatomi 24th. It is interesting to see that we could have a great starting grid with the riders who did not qualify for Superpole : Abe, Foret, Neukirchner, Fabrizio, Gimbert, Xaus, etc. The temperature in Australia is quite high, with 37° Celsius for the air and 53° for the track on Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, it was already 26° and 37°. This makes it difficult for the technicians to find the right settings because the grip is changing a lot. Norick Abe : “There is less grip than during the January tests, probably because of the higher temperature, and I had to change my settings. We tried to find some grip, but with little success. My engine lacks power. This is the second time in a row that I do not qualify for Superpole so I am not very happy.” Sebastien Gimbert : “I am not satisfied because this grid position is definitely not mine. During my fast lap, I had to avoid one rider exiting the pit lane and I lost between 3 to 4 tenths of a second. So I shall have to start from the back of the grid. The front of my bike moves a little bit too much so we shall try to find the right settings for the race. I am 20 kph (13 mph) slower than the fastest guy so I lose roughly 2 tenths in the main straight. The positive points are that my brake problems have been solved and there is less chattering.” Shinichi Nakatomi : “I am so-so satisfied with my qualifying practices. There is a chattering problem that appeared with the new tyres, and there are many little things we have to improve. We shall try to find the best settings for the race.” Martial Garcia (team-manager): “Our riders did the same lap time than in January, which is positive, but they could not improve. Setting the bikes up is difficult because the new tyres have more grip, then more chattering. The opposition is very strong and we did not qualify for Superpole. Abe had an engine problem. Because of lack of time, we are using the 2005 engines.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX TEAM) SMASHES SEVEN-YEAR-OLD PHILLIP ISLAND LAP RECORD TO GRAB SECOND POLE OF THE YEAR ON THE DUCATI 999F06 Phillip Island (Australia), Saturday 4 March: Troy Bayliss smashed Phillip Island’s seven-year-old record lap time to take a second successive pole position of the year on the Xerox-backed factory Ducati 999 machine. In scintillating form throughout the weekend, the 36-year-old Australian was quickest in every practice and qualifying session and clinched pole with a time of 1m32.159s, a full second faster than Troy Corser’s 1999 mark. Bayliss’s Superpole lap also made it three world champions in the top three positions as he lines up with Corser (Suzuki) and James Toseland (Honda) alongside him, while Steve Martin completed the front row for the Petronas team. “It’s very nice to be on pole back here at Phillip Island, at the moment I’m having a bit of a dream run” declared Troy. “Everything’s gone well today, my lap was good enough to take pole, but honestly I thought I was going to do a little bit better. It was messy and I had my feet in the wrong place in a few spots, but I’m happy. I’m not kidding myself however because I realise how hard tomorrow is going to be, with two long races and plenty of heat out there. I really need to get a good start if I want to try and do something special, but Phillip Island makes for great racing and it tends to bring the top few guys together and you end up having a race and then it gets sorted out at about two-thirds distance”. Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi made progress in the morning’s second session, when he qualified 15th, and the Italian followed that up with ninth quickest time in Superpole, which was good enough for the third row of the grid. “It has been a very difficult weekend for me” said Lorenzo. “We started off well on Friday morning then we encountered a bit of difficulty. I made a few changes on the bike, which didn’t take us in the right direction but now it seems that I have got it more to my liking. I made a few errors in Superpole, without them I might have been able to get on the front row, or at least the second. So all things considered I’m in a better position than I was this morning. Hopefully I can get a good start, because the most important thing is to start with a win in mind or at least a good placing. It’s going to be tough seeing as the two Troys are in such great form on this track, but my aim is to stay in the second group and do a good race starting from the third row”. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser will start tomorrow’s second-round World Superbike Championship round at Phillip Island, Australia from the front row after taking second place in today’s Superpole. It was a mixed day for Alstare Suzuki riders Yukio Kagayama and Fabien Foret: Kagayama crashed in regular qualifying and bruised his right hand and the base of his spine. Then, on his Superpole lap, he ran wide exiting Siberia, went over the white line and hit the dirt. He stayed on the bike, but he lost time in the process and ended up with only the 12th fastest time overall. Foret continued his Superbike learning process, but failed to make Superpole by the narrowest of margins. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) topped the time sheets with James Toseland (Honda) third and Steve Martin (Petronas) fourth. Troy Corser – 2nd, 1:32.373 “We struggled a bit yesterday with grip and the clutch, so we made some adjustments to the set-up and changed the clutch today. It was definitely an improvement – though not perfect yet. I think we’re all going to have some sort of grip problems tomorrow if the weather stays as hot as it has been these two days. Most of us are all on the same tyres so it’s going to be a very long, hard day tomorrow. I would’ve liked to win Superpole – in front of all the Aussie fans – but being on the front row is what counts. There are quite a few guys in with a chance so it’s going to be a fantastic day’s racing for all the fans.” Yukio Kagayama – 12th, 1:34.111: “We changed the front and rear set-up from yesterday but I don’t think there was any improvement so we will probably go back to our original set-up tomorrow. A couple of mistakes today for me: First a crash in the last corner and I hurt my hand and the bottom of my back. Then in Superpole, I ran wide and nearly lost it when my bike went on to the dirt. Because of that, I lost time and that means I am on the third row of the grid. I need a very good start, otherwise I will get held up in a group and I don’t want that to happen. I hope my back is not too sore tomorrow because I need two good races and many points. Fabien Foret – 18th, 1:34.513: “We made some changes to the front end this morning and the bike felt a bit better. But in the afternoon, we could not make any improvement, so we’ll try another change in the tomorrow morning’s warm-up. The bike is very sensitive and I am not finding it so easy to ride as fast as I would like, but I am confident that I will get there. We’ll try and make it handle better over the bumps and be a bit easier to ride. At the moment I am still learning about the difference between a Supersport bike and a Superbike and I think I must change my style of riding if I want to make good progress.” Final WSB Qualifying: 1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:32.159, 2 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:32.373, 3 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:33.003, 4 Martin (Aus-Petronas) 1:33.206, 5 Barros (Bra-Honda) 1:33.373, 6 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda) 1:33.571, 7 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha) 1:33.598, 8 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:33.631, 9 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 1:33.791, 10 Walker (GB-Kawasaki) 1:33.928. 12 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:34.111. 18 Fabien Foret (F-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:34.513. More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Martin on front row for Foggy PETRONAS Racing at Phillip Island Steve Martin will start from the front row of the grid on the PETRONAS FP1 for the second season in succession at Phillip Island tomorrow. The Australian qualified in fourth place for the second round races in the Superbike World Championship, alongside James Toseland, Troy Corser and Troy Bayliss. Having qualified in fifth place in the morning session, Steve posted his best lap time of the weekend of 1:33.206 to claim his front row place. He was also able to complete extensive race simulation runs during afternoon free practice, in which he finished sixth fastest. Craig Jones continued to gain valuable knowledge of the circuit, in only his second visit to Phillip Island, and sliced more than half a second off yesterday’s best time during morning qualifying. Steve said: “I have gone progressively quicker all weekend and to do my fastest lap when it counted was great. It was just about as quick as I could go, while knowing that I would be returning! So we have given ourselves every chance for the races tomorrow, as being on the front row is a great asset for us. I have been practising starts all weekend and think I have them nailed now, so I can be nice and aggressive into the first corner. I might not be able to run the top guys but I should be able to race for the points this weekend and I am really hoping for a top ten finish, which should be achievable. The level of competition in the Superbike World Championship has always been high but to be on the front row this year, with the addition of the MotoGP riders, is a real achievement and a measure of how much progress we are continually making with PETRONAS.” Craig said: “I made a little bit of progress with the bike towards the end of morning qualifying and tried other things in the free practice which didn’t make a massive difference. Trying to make the bike suit me and go fast at a track that I don’t fully know is difficult. I have a setting I am reasonably happy with but circuit knowledge is important round here, but tomorrow I will be riding as hard and as fast as I can with the package I have.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: WELL ROBY IN AUSTRALIA, BUT FAILS THE SUPERPOLE (Phillip Island 2006, March 4) To play all the work done during qualifying sessions in a “dead live lap” could be exiting, but sometime could also get you angry. That what happen today at Phillis Island for Superbike qualifying. After having recorded at the end of qualifying a fantastic seventh fastest, just a tenth of second behind the third position, in the afternoon Roberto said to fly away the possibility of a prestigious starting grid position due a wrong performance in Superpole that fling him in the fourth row. SC Caracchi 999F05 Ducati rider looks confident for tomorrow races. “Unfortunately I made a wrong lap during Superpole session.” admits Roberto Rolfo, but not very disappointed for what has happened. “Still the lap start I’ve been not very fast, but I could repair at that mistake, then in the central sector of the track I made several mistakes, I’ve lost the pace and I finished the lap with a bad lap time. We used qualifying tyres, but I’ve not been able to use them at the best. However I’m confident that the bike with race set up is good, as shows by the seventh fastest this morning with race tyres. I believe that I have still to coordinate my job on this bike to have some improvement more. During those couple of days we always improved our performance, more and more looking at the Qatar week end, so it’s going all at the best, I just have to forget this wrong Superpole lap.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Italia duo Andrew Pitt and Noriyuki Haga bagged second row starts during today’s superpole qualifying session for round two of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island in Australia. Having ended combined qualifying with Haga third and Pitt sixth, the pairing was a little disappointed at being unable to maintain their positions on the soft tyres used for superpole but satisfied with their performances in race trim. After struggling to find a good balance for his R1 in yesterday’s opening qualifying session, Pitt’s crew completely revised the machine’s settings for today’s practice. Their work paid dividends with the Australian carving a massive 1.3 seconds from his Friday time in the Saturday afternoon, lifting him from 16th to sixth in the timesheets with a 1:33.567 lap time. However, on his grid deciding superpole lap, Pitt was one of the few riders not to better his time from the two one-hour sessions, losing one place with a fractionally slower 1:33.598. Team-mate Haga was another rider unable to improve his lap. His 1:33.631 superpole lap was two-tenths of a second slower than his time from regular qualifying, dropping him five places on the grid – from third to eighth. The Japanese rider had made many changes to the rear suspension on his machine in a bid to improve traction in the sweltering conditions and, despite his team working late into the night and trying many different shock and swingarm combinations, Haga was unable to find a perfect setting for his qualifying lap. The team is expected to make further adjustments this evening ahead of tomorrow’s two 22-lap races. Yamaha Motor France rider Norick Abe starts tomorrow’s races from 17th position after missing out on superpole by less than a tenth of a second. The Japanese rider continued to experience set-up problems, as did team-mates Sebastien Gimbert and Shinichi Nakatomi. Gimbert ended the day 21st after being baulked on his flying lap, while world championship rookie Nakatomi took over a second off his Friday time to end the day in 24th. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) took pole position with a 1:32.159 lap time. Troy Corser (Suzuki), James Toseland (Honda) and Steve Martin (Petronas) complete the front row. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “We’ve improved a lot today although we’re still not quite there yet. It’ll be a hard race as we’re struggling for traction but, with the exception of Bayliss and Corser, I think everyone’s in the same boat. We can do six or seven quick laps and then it drops off, so we’ll try to improve it further overnight. I thought I did a pretty good lap, so I was a bit disappointed when I saw my time. It could be a lot worse though. Second row’s not the end of the world and we can get a good start from there.” Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “We did a good job today. We tried many different things today although the feeling is still quite similar to yesterday and we couldn’t quite get a good setting for the superpole. I made a small mistake on my superpole lap but it is ok. Tomorrow we will try a few more things. It will be hard but I know that we are always stronger in the race than in qualifying.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “We have less grip than when we tested here in January. Probably this is down to the increased temperature but it means that we must change the settings of the bike. We are still looking for grip. I am disappointed to miss out on superpole for the second week in a row. We are a little down on power and must try to find some improved settings overnight.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “I am not happy because 21st is not my normal position. A rider exited the pits and cut in front of me as I attacked my fastest lap and this probably cost me about four-tenths-of-a-second, so I am sorry to be so far back on the grid. We made some improvements today. We changed the brake discs and this was better, and we managed to reduce the chatter. We have to work and improve the set-up overnight though, as we have still to match our performance from our test here. The front is still moving around a lot and I am down on top speed compared to the fastest riders.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) “I’m not happy to end the day so far down. We have a problem with chattering, as well as some other small things. We changed the settings in the afternoon and I hope we can find some more improvements this afternoon.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “After our strong performances in Qatar we have found it a little bit more difficult than expected here. I am still confident about tomorrow though. We know what Nori can do in the race while Andrew will have a boost from riding at his home track.” Martial Garcia (Team Manager – Yamaha Motor France) “When we tested here in January we were using the 2005 tyres and although the new specification Pirellis perform better, they also create more chatter with these settings. As a result we have been almost able to match our performances with from the test but not improve on them. Because of the early start to the season we have had to use 2005-specification engines and because the level is much higher this season we have not been able to make the superpole today.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: FRONT ROW FOR TROY Troy rode a superb Superpole lap at Phillip Island today but ended up second quickest behind his fellow countryman Troy Bayliss (Ducati). Just two tenths of a second separated them at the end of the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out and now the scene is set for a tremendous day’s racing tomorrow. Third fastest today is James Toseland (Honda), with Steve Martin (Petronas) alongside him on the front row of the grid. TROY – 2nd, 1:32.373 Superpole would’ve been good, especially as I have my family and friends here, but the front row is all that matters and I’m ready to race. We had some problems yesterday with grip and the clutch and the bike seemed to be spinning a lot instead of giving good traction. So we made some changes to both and there was an improvement today. I can’t say it’s fully OK, but it’s better than yesterday for sure. Tomorrow is going to be another long, hard day and I’m sure we’re all going to feel tired after two 22 lap races. There’s going to be quite a riders in with a chance of a win and that’s going to mean really good racing. With good weather and good racing, the fans are in for a treat.

Supersport World Championship Round 2 Phillip Island, Australia March 4, 2006 Final Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER, Honda CBR600RR, 1:35.616 2. Kevin CURTAIN, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.436 3. Broc PARKES, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.548 4. Robin HARMS, Honda CBR600RR, 1:36.672 5. Christian ZAISER, Ducati 749R, 1:36.741 6. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Honda CBR600RR, 1:36.865 7. Anthony GOBERT, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.929 8. Yoann TIBERIO, Honda CBR600RR, 1:36.992 9. MaximeBERGER, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:37.147 10. Johan STIGEFELT, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.190 11. Barry VENEMAN, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:37.311 12. Tatu LAUSLEHTO, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.405 13. Josh BROOKES, Ducati 749R, 1:37.533 14. Dean THOMAS, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:37.567 15. Kai Borre ANDERSEN, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:37.682 25. Chris PERIS, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.785 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: CHARPENTIER ON POLE AT PHILLIP ISLAND AS SOFUOGLU CONTINUES ON STEEP LEARNING CURVE For the second 2006 race in succession Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) scored pole in World Supersport, adding to his recent success in Qatar. It was the 28th consecutive pole position for a Honda rider in World Supersport, since Assen in 2003. On a warm track Charpentier was the only rider into the 1’35 bracket, setting a best time of 1’35.616. Second quickest rider Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) set a 1’36.436, just under 0.8 seconds from Charpentier. As the race winner in 2005, Charpentier is out to repeat the feat, to add to his Qatar race victory in round one and extend his championship lead. Charpentier’s team-mate, Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) secured a safe sixth place on his first visit to Phillip Island, earning a second row grid placing with a 1’36.859. Sofuoglu was fourth fastest on day one, and despite the mass of more experienced riders making improvements around him, he was less than 1.249 seconds from his team-mate’s pole time, improving on his opening day best by 0.703 seconds. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “Very happy to take pole once again with Sebastien. Because we already had quite a gap yesterday, we concentrated on possible race set-ups for tomorrow, to prove our consistency. It will be a hard and long race in this heat, but everything is going well. Towards the end we threw in more of a fast lap set-up and he did quite a good lap time, but the track conditions were not as good as yesterday. But we are happy with pole. For Kenan to get a second row start, and sixth position, is a good result for him in his first visit here. And we know what kind of a racer he is, so he will be up there in the leading group. Tomorrow morning in warm-up we are going to confirm a couple of things, especially on Kenan’s bike, and I think we are ready for it.” Sébastien Charpentier WSS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Pole position 1’35.616) “I’m happy because we are in good condition for the race tomorrow. This morning we had a small disappointment; nothing important and it actually helped us understand the bike a bit better. The mechanics had good ideas and we went in a good direction, so our best work was in the afternoon. I think for tomorrow we have more good possibilities to finish on the podium. Many people went fast this afternoon so it was difficult work, also for Kenan, as we can see from the sheets. I hope we can have the same conditions in the race, and our tyres are good. It will be hard tomorrow, lots of laps in hot conditions, which is normal for Australia.” Kenan Sofuoglu WSS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (6th position 1’36.865) “For me this track is quite difficult because in most corners I am capable of setting second best time, but on the last corner I lose a lot of time and positions on the grid. If I can make that last corner as good as the rest then my lap time would be much better. In the race it should not be as difficult, as we are all in a group and I am better in race conditions. I wanted to start on the front row but first time here it is not easy. In some corners you cannot see what is coming next. But the gap between me and the other riders in front is not so bad, not two seconds or anything like that. So we should hopefully be better in the race. I am positive and I believe I can score a podium.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: STILL DIFFICULTIES IN SUPESPORT FOR JOSH AND LUKA (Phillip Island 2006, March 4) As we told on his home track Joshua Brookes would have a fantastic result. Unfortunately the promising Australian rider will start only from the fifth row, with the 13th fastest lap time. “During the week end we made some progress, studying the data we collect in Qatar round.” said a bit disappointed Brookes at the end of qualifying. “We worked today too on the suspensions, but I cannot find a good solutions to improve the package. However we made several adjustment, not all get a good result, but overall the bike is better and the performance has increased every session. So at the end I’m not satisfied for my grid position, but I have some satisfaction for the progress. For the race I must use the same strategy as in Qatar, have a good start, be careful in the first corners, the most dangerous, and then fight a try to be fast in the final laps to get a good position, maybe in the top ten.” Also Luka Nedog clearly improved his performance, but his bike, very powerful, has not still a good set up, and that a difficult job for a small experienced rider. ” The engine push very hard, in the final qualifying session my bike was the fastest at the speed trap recording 272,3 kph.” commented at the end of qualifying Luka Nedog “Our problem is in the corners where the bike doesn’t close the lines and I must keep the throttle out. For tomorrow’s warm up we’ll try some new setting, I hope to get a positive answer and made a good race. “ More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes will start tomorrow’s second round of the Supersport World Championship from the front row of the grid after a strong showing at Phillip Island today. The Australians, who ride for the Yamaha Motor Germany squad, changed the set-up of their YZF-R6s to improved their times from Friday’s session and maintain the important front row starts. Curtain posted a best of 1:36.436 to end the day second, just ahead of Parkes, who was just over a tenth of a second slower than his team-mate. After experimenting with the settings during yesterday’s session, the squad reverted to the data gained during January’s Phillip Island test for today’s final qualifying. Both riders declared themselves happier with the machine today and confident that they can run with pole position man Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) during tomorrow’s 21-lap race. A third R6-riding Australian featured heavily in qualifying, with Anthony Gobert posting the seventh fastest time on the Yamaha GMT94 machine. A five-time world superbike winner at the venue, Gobert was in impressive form in his second stand-in ride for the injured David Checa. FIM Superstock 1000 Cup champion Didier van Keymeulen ended the day 19th on his R6, ahead of Yamaha Team Italia riders Massimo Roccoli and Gianluca Vizziello. They continued to experience set-up problems and ended up 21st and 24th on tomorrow’s grid.

Superbike World Championship Round 2 Phillip Island, Australia March 4, 2006 Qualifying Results: 1. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati 999F06, 1:32.321 2. Troy CORSER, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.991 3. Noriyuki HAGA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:33.441 4. James TOSELAND, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:33.548 5. Steve MARTIN, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:33.566 6. Andrew PITT, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:33.567 7. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati 999F05, 1:33.658 8. Karl MUGGERIDGE, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:33.702 9. Alex BARROS, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:33.749 10. Fonsi NIETO, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:33.784 11. Chris WALKER, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:33.945 12. Ivan CLEMENTI, Ducati 999RS, 1:34.089 13. Pierfrancesco CHILI, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:34.132 14. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:34.158 15. Lorenzo LANZI, Ducati 999F06, 1:34.174 16. Regis LACONI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:34.182 17. Norick ABE, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.269 18. Fabien FORET, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:34.513 19. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Ducati 999RS, 1:34.559 20. Michel FABRIZIO, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:34.632 21. Sebastien GIMBERT, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.666 22. Ruden XAUS, Ducati 999F05, 1:34.790 23. Marco BORCIANI, Ducati 999F05, 1:34.944 24. Shinichi NAKATOMI, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:35.039 25. Franco BATTAINI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:35.316 26. Craig JONES, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:35.886 27. Lucio PEDERCINI, Ducati 999RS, 1:35.931 28. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:36.202