Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. has offered to buy back YZF-R6 models purchased by customers who are unhappy that the motorcycle does not actually reach the advertised redline of 17,500 rpm. Dyno runs have shown that the bike actually turns about 16,000 rpm despite an optimistic tach reading. Peak power is produced below 16,000 rpm. According to Yamaha Corporate Communications Manager Bob Starr, marketing and advertising plans for the new machine were formulated in the middle of last year based on technical specs sent to Yamaha Motor Corp. by factory product planners, before any 2006 YZF-R6 models had reached the U.S. The 17,500 rpm redline was featured in advertising and marketing materials, and riders at the worldwide press launch reported that the tach did reach an indicated 17,500 rpm. But once bikes reached dealers and were run on the dyno, it became obvious that the engine actually hit the rev limiter at around 16,000 rpm, and would not rev to 17,500 rpm as advertised, despite what the tach read. “We had no idea when we prepared the advertising and marketing materials that the bike would not rev to 17,500 rpm,” said Starr in a conference call with RoadracingWorld.com this morning. “We used that in the materials because no other middleweight (street) motorcycle had ever revved that high and when people saw the tach, they said ‘Wow!’ “As more of this came out, we let the factory know, we let our attorneys know,” continued Starr, “and the attorneys said that this is an advertising and marketing issue, and we need to do something. So we sent a letter out to customers who had purchased R6s telling them that there is a tach error of about 9%. We’re hopeful that they’re satisfied with the bike, but if they’re not, we’ll buy it back. This applies to customers who took early delivery. When anybody buys an R6 from this point on, the dealer will explain that the tach is optimistic and that the bike will only rev to 16,000 rpm.” Yamaha Motorcycle Marketing Manager Mark Dipko, who also participated in the conference call, said “We had one dealer who called and said, ‘If anybody gives them up, I’ll buy them all.'” The text of the letter sent by Yamaha to YZF-R6 purchasers follows: Re: 2006 Yamaha YZF-R6 Motorcycle RPM Limit Dear Customer: Yamaha introduced and marketed the new 2006 YZF-R6 motorcycle with a red line limit of 17,500 RPM, as indicated on the tachometer. After testing production units, we have determined that the actual red line limit is approximately 16,000 RPM resulting in a tachometer error of roughly 9%. This has no affect whatsoever on the performance of the motorcycle. We are extremely confident that, despite this error, the R6 will more than satisfy you in every way. However, if you are not satisfied with your motorcycle because of this discrepancy, we will repurchase it and will reimburse you the entire purchase price, including any setup fees, taxes or interest that you have paid in connection with your purchase of this motorcycle. If you choose to have your 2006 YZF-R6 repurchased, please check where indicated below, sign this letter and return it to Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., Attn.: 2006 YZF-R6 Buyback, 6555 Katella Ave., Cypress, CA 90630 in the stamped envelope provided. Yamaha must receive this letter indicating this choice by March 15, 2006, or we will assume that you have decided to keep and enjoy your motorcycle. Our goal is to ensure your satisfaction, both now and in the future. We would like to sincerely apologize for this error and any inconvenience it may have caused you, and also to thank you for your continued support of Yamaha. Best Regards. Dennis McNeal Vice President Motorcycle Operations Yamaha Motor Corp I would like Yamaha Motor U.S. to repurchase the 2006 YZF-R6 that I recently purchased. Acknowledged and agreed: Signature: Printed Name: Date: Contact Telephone Number: ___________________ Vin Number

DUCATI DESMOSEDICI TAKES TO THE SEPANG TRACK FOR FURTHER TESTING A full house of MotoGP riders present in the final winter testing session at the Sepang circuit. Positive day for Loris Capirossi, who continues development work on the Desmosedici GP6, while a minor mechanical problem slows down the work of Sete Gibernau. Sepang (Malaysia), Tuesday 14 February 2006 – The Ducati Marlboro Team returned to Sepang today for a second three-day test session for all the MotoGP teams at the Malaysian circuit before the start of the World Championship. The day was characterized by suffocating heat in the morning (track temperatures above 50°C) and then disturbed by the rain, which shortly after 4 pm in the afternoon forced everyone back to the pit garages. The light showers were enough to keep the track damp but made any more dry testing time impossible before the closure of the track at 6 pm. Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau took advantage of the dry weather to continue the development of the new Desmosedici GP6. Both riders have an intense testing programme ahead of them, which also includes the new tyres that Bridgestone have developed with the data accumulated at this circuit at the end of January. Loris CAPIROSSI (44 laps – 2m02.64s) “I am pretty satisfied with the way things went today” declared Loris. “We continued development work on the bike, concentrating mainly on the set-up to try and obtain the best compromise between agility and stability. We managed to find something good and tomorrow we’ll focus on the tyres. The team is working well, and the bike seems to be much improved over last year’s machine”. Sete GIBERNAU (38 laps – 2m03.51s) “Today we had a mechanical problem which ruined almost all the time available” said Sete, whose bike suffered a gearbox glitch. “Just before it began to rain I went out on the second bike which was much better, but then the rain brought the test to a halt. We are here to test, and it’s better that the problems emerge here rather than in the race!” Tomorrow and Thursday, weather permitting, testing for Capirossi and Gibernau will revolve around the chassis, the electronics and the tyres. Temperature: air 33° / track 55° More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: Ambient temperature: 37 degrees Track temperature: 54 degrees Humidity: 79% CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM RETURNS TO SEPANG FOR FINAL ‘WINTER’ TEST Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards began their last three-day test in Sepang today, where they rejoined the rest of the MotoGP grid at the popular Malaysian venue. Fresh from their test in Qatar last week, Rossi and Edwards completed more valuable development work with the 2006-spec YZR-M1, both finishing the day in the top five on the unofficial time sheets. Focusing almost entirely on ironing out the small vibration problems they have been suffering from lately, fast lap times were not the aim of the day for the Yamaha pair. Despite this however, Rossi and Edwards were on the pace and well inside lap record time. Edwards was third behind Marco Melandri (Honda, 2’01.66) and Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 2’01.89) with a best lap of 2’02.00 from 54 laps whilst Rossi, who also completed 54 laps, was fifth with a time of 2’02.20. COLIN EDWARDS (2’02.00, 54 Laps) “It was seriously hot out there today and pretty exhausting! Today we concentrated on fixing the little bit of chatter we’ve had and played around with some front fork settings, just trying to dial it in. We made some good progress and we have a new front-end setting to try in the morning; we hope that this will be the final key. Honestly we didn’t really concentrate much on lap times but it seems that they came anyway, so I’m pretty happy! The bike already feels even better than it did here in January, the new stuff we have from both Yamaha and Michelin is great and after Qatar I am feeling really confident, especially with the front-end. It’s all going well so hopefully we can make the final steps we need over the next two days.” VALENTINO ROSSI (2’02.20, 54 Laps) “Today we worked almost entirely on trying to solve the vibration problems that we have had. We changed many things, tried various different settings and collected a lot of important information throughout the day. Now we are looking forward to using all this information over the next two days and we are confident that we are close to fixing the problem. Once we’ve been able to fix it, we will be able to use this bike to its full potential. Yamaha has done a great job and the potential of this bike is very high, it’s a big improvement to last year’s M1 and I am sure that once we’ve solved this one remaining issue, things will be very good.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “Of course fixing this vibration is now our main focus and today we worked a lot with the entire team to try to find the right way forward. We had great cooperation between the two riders and both crews, exchanging information and experience and this is very important for the team’s progress. We’ve been working on data collection today and we will continue tomorrow, trying some new things and gathering more information to help us. We’ve already done many days testing with this new bike and mostly it’s going very well, now we have two more days here to continue with our improvement. “ Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2’01.66 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2’01.89 3. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha 2’02.00 4. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2’02.15 5. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Yamaha 2’02.20 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2’02.64 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2’02.75 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2’02.86 9. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha 2’03.40 10. Casey Stoner (AUS) Honda 2’03’40 11. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati 2’03.51 12. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2’03.52 13. Kenny Roberts (USA) KR Honda 2’03.58 14. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Honda 2’03.66 15. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki 2’04.02 16. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1’04.10 17. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 2’05.40 18. Jose Luis Cardosa (SPA) Ducati 2’05.81 19. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha 2’05.90 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: Day one of three-day MotoGP test. February 14, 2006. Melandri the Honda hot shot on day one of Sepang test. The gruelling pre-season MotoGP test schedule resumed at Sepang, Malaysia today where the grand prix teams began their final three-day winter test in the Southern Hemisphere. All MotoGP teams tested at the 5.542 km Sepang circuit in mid-January and were surprised to find a huge difference in track conditions. Ambient temperatures were close to 30′ today with high humidity left the track slick and a rain shower late in the day did little to improve grip. Surface grip was hard to find on the opening day and consequently lap times were often slower than those set on the first day of the test a month ago. Fastest an of the seven RCV riders present today was again Marco Melandri, runner-up in the 2005 MotoGP World Championship. Fortuna Honda rider Melandri did not have the day he expected at Sepang. The young Italian was surprised by the lack of grip from the track and struggled to get his RCV off the corners due to excessive rear wheel spin. The most positive aspect on the opening day was the improved feel from the front end of the machine, something Melandri had been chasing at the first Sepang test, held in January. Melandri’s teammate, Spaniard Toni Elias, was not happy with his days work and admits he has a lot to learn about the RCV and needs more time on the machine to give his best. The Repsol Honda factory team riders, Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa were both faster than on the opening day of the last test here. Pedrosa was the faster of the two men. Starting off the day conservatively the young Spaniard slowly upped the pace while testing tyres for Michelin and set a fastest lap at 2m 01.89s. Hayden has rear wheel grip problems and admitted the feed-back he gave the team was not up to his usual standard. His best lap time reflected his day as he was almost one second off Pedrosa’s fastest lap. HRC RC211V test rider, former 500cc grand prix winner Tady Okada, is at Sepang with the Repsol Honda factory team. Okada, who has taken over RCV testing from compatriot Tohru Ukawa was pleased with the progress of the latest version of the RCV he tested today. Okada feels there is a definite improvement over the machine 2005 tested at Sepang last month. Kenny Roberts Jnr continued the steady progress his team has made with the Honda powered KR211V, a Team Roberts rolling chassis equipped with the five-cylinder RCV 990cc engine. On the opening day of the test Roberts, on a difficult track surface set a lap time of 2m 03.48s using the latest version of the newly developed Team Roberts chassis. In the prevailing conditions it was an impressive upbeat performance for the new design in the conditions. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda) is playing catch up with his fellow RCV riders. Japanese star Tamada missed the last two MotoGP tests at Sepang and it shows in his lap times but the popular rider remains unfazed and is steadily working up to speed. He concentrated on suspension and chassis settings on the opening day and was quite happy with the progress made today. LCR Honda rider Casey Stoner put in a brief 13-lap appearance before ending his day early suffering from a shoulder strain he picked up during his physical training programme last week. Stoner attended the track medical centre for treatment and will return for more treatment in the morning before deciding if he will test the LCR Honda tomorrow. Honda rider lap times and quotes. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2m 02.92s – 90 laps. “I’m not completely satisfied with the day to be honest with you. At the start I just didn’t have a good feeling with the traction. As the day went on we kept working hard and chipped away and found some stuff and I was able to get into the 2s [2m 02s laps] when it was still really hot, so that was positive, but we weren’t where we needed to be today. I’m not pointing the finger. We’re all in it together and to be honest the rider wasn’t getting around as good as he should have, and my information wasn’t that great. Still, we definitely got some stuff we can build on – we changed some offset settings which helped me with front feeling in the slow corners.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2m 01.89s – 87 laps. “Today was not too bad. At the beginning the track was a little bit slippery but it got better. We were working on chassis and suspension settings in the morning and then after lunch we tested some tyres for Michelin until the rain stopped us. At the beginning my times weren’t so good, but we improved little by little. We have tested here three times and I’m gaining good experience. I still have to work on my strength and fitness, but I think with the time we have we can achieve it. And I’ve now got a riding position I’m happy with.” Makoto Tanaka – Repsol Honda Team Manager “This test is very important for Honda and today the track was very hot which didn’t help the lap times. Again, Nicky had many things to test. His time wasn’t the fastest, but I’m not worried about this, it’s a three day test and we have more new things to try tomorrow. Dani was working on bike settings and he made good progress.” Tadayuki Okada, HRC test rider: 2m 05.89s – 72 laps. “Basically I am here to help the team with the transition from the 2005 RC211V to the eventual 2006 machine the team will race. We are working hard, not just on the settings but also on machine balance and I have to say that so far the machine I tested today is much better than the ’05 bike I tried. Usually when you find several positive points with a newly developed bike you also find negative points but today everything has been positive. Nicky (Hayden) will test the bike tomorrow then we will sit down and discuss which is the best direction to take with in future testing.” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 2m 01 “Today was very strange for us. We lack traction off the corners and the bike is sliding. The feeling I had with the bike is totally different from the last test here at Sepang. Part of the reason is that track conditions are lot different but not entirely. At the moment I don’t really understand this. We tried new tyres from Michelin but they did not work here as well as the tyres we used last time we were here. The positive point about today was the front end, it’s better than before in the fast corners and my lap time was also fast for the track conditions. We have two more days here and we have some work to do.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: “I’m not so happy today. I don’t really have problems to speak of it’s just that I need more time on the bike, run a lot more kilometres. Here at Sepang I have to put in as many laps as I can, I have to feel more comfortable on the bike than I am at the moment before I can be fast.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: “Today I tried various suspension and chassis settings and gained some precise data. Phillip Island is a fast track while Sepang has many tight corners. So today I could see what I couldn’t at Phillip Island. All the other teams testing here have had two more than me to test here since the end of last season so I knew they would go quick from the start of the session and I focussed on my own job today, not thinking about other peoples lap times.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: 2m03.41s – 13 laps. Stoner unavailable for comment. Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: “Things are starting to go good, we are making inroads and we ended the day well running in the mid 2m 03s bracket. We had a small issue with the rear shock towards the end and that gave me a chance to a new shock and swinging arm. The bike now turns into the corners better with this frame than the original one we tested here so we can see the progress we’re making. The lap times are good and I set my best times towards the end of the day. Which is pretty interesting because most of the other guys were faster earlier in the day.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: MOTOGP TEST AT SEPANG DAY 1: MARCO SIGNS THE FASTEST TIME Sepang (Malaysia), Tuesday 14th of February 2006 – The Fortuna Honda riders are back at work for the third round of test in preparation on the 2006 season. There is no doubt that this three-day test session will be very important to confirm the work done so far. The teams have in fact all the reference data on this track as they tested here with the new bike at the end of January. The first day of testing was characterized by hot temperatures in the morning and a light rain in the afternoon that forced the riders to stop in the garage. They could go back on track for only a short time before 06.00 p.m.. A crash without consequences in the morning didn’t stop Fortuna Honda rider Marco Melandri to continue working in the afternoon, signing today’s fastest time (2’01″65). In total, the Italian rider completed 74 laps. His team mate Toni Elias continued to do experience with the RC211V. The young Spanish rider still needs to do as many kilometres as possible in order to feel more comfortable on the bike. MARCO MELANDRI (74 laps , 2’01″65): “We still have a lot of work to do on the new bike. The positive point is that I’m quite fast on the single lap whereas we don’t have enough traction to have the rhythm I’d like to have for the race.” TONI ELIAS (65 laps, 2’03″51): “I’m not happy. At the moment the feeling with the bike is not the one I’d like to have. I need more time on the bike, I need to run a lot of kilometres and to feel more comfortable. Tomorrow I will start working with Michelin technicians for some tyre testing. I’m confident that this will help me a lot to find a better feeling and to improve my rhythm.” Temperature: 29°-34° the air temperature, 33°-45° the asphalt temperature UNOFFICIAL LAP TIMES 1.M.Melandri (Honda) 2 01 65 2. D.Pedrosa (Honda) 2 01 89 3. C. Edwards (Yamaha) 2 02 00 4. J. Hopkins (Suzuki) 2 02 15 5. V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2 02 20 6. L. Capirossi (Ducati) 2 02 64 7. R.De Puniet (Kawasaki) 2 02 75 8. N. Hayden (Honda) 2 02 86 9. C. Checa (Yamaha) 2 03 40 10. C. Stoner (Honda) 2 03 40 11. T. Elias (Honda) 2.03.51 12. S. Gibernau (Ducati) 2 03 51 13. K. Roberts (KR Honda) 2 03 58 14. M.Tamada (Honda) 2 03 66 15. S. Nakano (Kawasaki) 2 04 02 16. C. Vermeulen (Suzuki) 2 04 10 17. Hofmann Ducati 2 05 40

Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada has a historic tradition of motorcycle racing that traces back to the late Trevor Deeley who raced for Harley-Davidson at Daytona in the 1950s, as well as numerous Canadian venues. When the company was a distributor for Yamaha in the 1960s and 1970s, the Deeley organization fielded as many as 12 road race motorcycles in the Daytona 200 with riders including Yvon Duhamel, Barry Sheen, Jim Dunn, Peter Kellond, Mike Duff and Steve Baker, the first American to win a 750cc world championship. This tradition of racing continues today with Canadian Thunder Champion Darren James, sponsored by Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada. The battle for the Canadian Thunder Championship began in 2002 and James has won the Championship for four consecutive years including last year’s 2005 National Thunder Championship. James also won the CCS Thunderbike National Championship at the 2004 Daytona Race of Champions. It has been the ongoing relationship between Darren James and Pascal Picotte that now continues the racing tradition with the new Buell XBRR. Their collaboration, such as James riding a 600cc Yamaha prepared by Picotte Racing in the 600cc expert class in the Parts Canada Superbike Series, has laid the groundwork for Picotte Racing and the first Canadian XBRR rider, Steve Crevier, to compete on the XBRR in the AMA Formula Extreme series for the 2006 season in the United States. Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada, in conjunction with Picotte Racing, will bring championship team experience to the XBRR Team Canada introductory season. Picotte Racing, under the guidance of Pascal Picotte, will be providing the at-track support and management that will provide the competitive advantage for Team Canada. His credits include being Superbike Champion in 2003 and 2004, Supersport Champion in 2003 and 2004, and having the top 5 finishes in AMA Superbike and Supersport. In addition to his racing experience, he brings research and development experience dating back to his involvement with the Harley-Davidson VR project in the early 1990s. Also, a key member of his team is Paul Fournier, a three-time Tuner of the Year as rated by Inside Motorcycles. Steve Crevier, a Canadian legend, has the most wins in Canadian history. He has competitively raced nearly all major motorcycle brands and has been the 2005 Supersport Champion, 2003 runner-up to Superbike Champion Picotte, and is the holder of 15 Championship titles; a phenomenal achievement in Canada. Their 17 year relationship and wealth of experience will be instrumental in advancing and developing the success of the XBRR. The launch of the Buell XBRR will be a multi-national effort with riders fielded by the United States (Mike Cicotto for Hal’s), Canada (Steve Crevier for Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada), Great Britain (Jeremy McWilliams for Warr’s) and Germany (Rico Penzkofer for Hannover).

Today… AOL.com has launched a permanent “Jordan Suzuki” module, which can be found at the below link or by visiting AOL.com, then Sports, then Motor Sports. ~http://sports.aol.com/racing~ The module will link directly with the Jordan Suzuki team’s 23RACE.com website, a team photo gallery, and the 2006 AMA Superbike schedule. The module image will change slightly when the 2006 Jordan Suzuki color scheme is revealed at Daytona. The new 2006 23RACE.com site will also be launched at that time with a whole new look, new team sponsors, new team crew members, news updates, media materials, and team photos. AOL.com will also run Jordan Suzuki press releases with photos from the AOL.com (main) Sports page. The main goal with this partnership is to introduce more mainstream sports fans to the AMA Superbike schedule in the hopes of attracting a higher live-event attendance and provide more value for team and series sponsors.

WSMC General Manager Stephanie Huth and Race Director Larry Cochran have announced that WSMC will launch a new class specifically targeted for Suzuki SV650s and Kawasaki Ninja 650Rs this weekend, February 17-19. The new class is called Formula Twins Lightweight and is limited to twin-cylinder machines with a maximum displacement of 650cc. Other than the displacement limit, the class will run under existing Formula Twins rules. The class will run as a separate wave in a combined race. More information is available from WSMC at 661-256-1234.

CMRA racer Drew Lippolt died from injuries suffered in a crash during an open practice day at Oak Hill Raceway in Henderson, Texas Sunday. Lippolt was 33 years old, and is survived by his wife, Sachi Gahan. Funeral arrangements are pending. Godspeed, fellow racer. More, from a press release issued by Relic Racing: CMRA racer Drew Lippolt suffered a fatal injury while practicing at Oak Hill Raceway outside of Henderson TX. He was going into turn 4 and highsided. His injuries were severe and he was pronounced dead at the scene minutes after paramedics arrived. He raced with Relic Racing based out of Austin, Texas. In 1998 he rode in the WERA National Vintage Series and won the Formula 2 Stroke National Championship. Anyone wishing to express condolences may do so by sending an email to [email protected]. He is survived by his wife Sachi Gahan. She has issued a formal statement that may be viewed at ~http://classv.typepad.com~ Memorial services will be held on Thursday in Austin Texas. A memorial fund will be set up and Formula Smack Pack is organizing a benefit race in his memory… Dates will be announced at a later time. There is a website ~http://jerry.jupiterdog.net/~ that shows a few photos and lists some other stuff he was involved with… Here is another link that has a photo of him and some shots from an event held in Cresson TX. last year ~http://www.pbase.com/realworldracing/drew~

Teams from France, Belgium”¦ and MV Agusta! France and Belgium are back on the FIM World Endurance Championship calendar, encouraging a number of interesting entries to the roster of 2006 teams. From France With France’s long and distinguished history of endurance racing, it should be no surprise that both the 2004 and 2005 FIM World Endurance Champions were French teams. Yamaha GMT94 will compete in World Supersport this year, but Suzuki Castrol are back to defend their crown. Taking them on will be their fellow countrymen Yamaha Endurance Moto 38, Kawasaki Team Raffin Motos, Team SRK Suzuki, Team Endurance Moto 45 Suzuki and Team ABG Performance Suzuki. All of these teams have extensive experience of 24 hour endurance racing, with Moto 38 being recent Oschersleben 24 Hour winners. From Belgium There’s a Belgian race on the FIM World Endurance Championship calendar for the first time since 2001. The Zolder 6 Hour will be held on June the 18th, and its inclusion in the series has encouraged a number of new Belgian team entries. XZ Kawasaki Racing Team, Primo Racing Suzuki and Suzuki Classic Motos Racing Team will all be looking forward to their home round of the championship, and Team Acropolis Zone Rouge Yamaha a name that will be familiar to all fans of long distance racing have two machines entered for the full championship. From MV Agusta Italian manufacturer MV Agusta will also be represented in the World Endurance Championship again this year, with a team run by Davide (brother of Alex) Capirossi’s Riding School. The Racing4Life squad will be run in conjunction with Ayrton Senna foundation. Their MV Agusta 1000F4 Senna (of course) will be ridden by Davide Capirossi, Andrea Artusi and 90’s Grand Prix star Fausto Ricci. The first round of the World Endurance Championship will be held at Assen, Netherlands, on Easter Monday, the 17th of April, with the Le Mans 24 Hour race held a week later on the 22nd and 23rd of April.

CASTLE COMBE CIRCUIT TO HOST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT Following a circuit inspection by Max Deubel, four times World Sidecar Champion, representing the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme), Mick Boddice, nine times TT winner and three times British Champion representing the ACU (Motorcycle sports’ UK governing body) and ten times World Champion Steve Webster offering advice on behalf of the teams and riders, the green light has been given for Castle Combe to host its first ever World Championship event. The British round of the FIM Superside World Sidecar Championship will headline the two day meeting on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June 2006. The meeting will also feature the now established and very popular Castle Combe Superbike Grand National, attracting teams and riders from the prestigious British Superbike Championship. Following the inspection last week, Carsten Sauer, the organiser of the World Series, confirmed that Castle Combe would run the second round of the eight round championship which also visits Germany, Holland, Austria and Sweden. The approach to the circuit came after the event was recommended to the organisers by several of the sidecar drivers and proves that the increasing popularity of the Superbike Grand National event and the escalating reputation the circuit now enjoys with both British and European organisers. Carsten Sauer, the German based organiser of the championship said: “We were looking for circuits to demonstrate an ability to promote our championship. We are expecting riders from several continents to be contesting this year’s championship and Castle Combe Circuit have convinced us that they will put in the necessary promotion that an event of this status deserves”. Graham Marshallsay, Managing Director of Castle Combe Circuit added: “This will be the first world championship event in Castle Combe’s 56 year history and we have demonstrated with our two Superbike meetings that we can attract large crowds and believe that this world class event coming to Wiltshire will generate huge publicity within the motorcycle fraternity and be a wonderful spectacle for our spectators. We are honoured and delighted to have welcomed Max, Steve and Mick and to hear their views on the circuit and look forward to working with them and with the Superside competitors to make this the highlight of their racing season”. Backing up the Superside championship race will be the third running of the Castle Combe Superbike Grand National and already Virgin Mobile Yamaha have confirmed the team will again be supporting the meeting with last year’s winner Tommy Hill hoping to retain his title. Support races include the new ACU Star Championship, dubbed the Pop Idol of motorcycle racing with the aim of the championships being to uncover the next generation of British motorcycling superstars. Other races include the newly announced KTM Bracken Cup and the Ducati Desmo Championship.

DUCATI CORSE FACTORY RIDERS MEET UP IN BOLOGNA On the eve of the start of SBK and MotoGP Championships, the Italian manufacturer’s official riders met up with their fans in the factory and “¦.in the discotheque! Bologna, Monday 13 February 2006 The official Ducati Corse riders all came to Bologna last week for their traditional visit to the factory before the start of the MotoGP and World Superbike Championships, which will see them heading off to the five continents. On Thursday afternoon, Loris Capirossi, Sete Gibernau, Troy Bayliss, Lorenzo Lanzi and Vittoriano Guareschi first met up with Ducati employees, who didn’t miss an opportunity to shake hands, ask for autographs and photos and wish the five riders all the best as they get ready to represent the Italian manufacturers colours in the two championships. It was am extraordinary return home for Troy Bayliss who, after a gap of one year, returned to the Ducati factory to find that he was still one of the employees’ all-time favourite riders. The times set by the Australian during recent tests in Valencia and Qatar demonstrate that the 2001 Superbike champion has not lost the feeling with the twin-cylinder Ducati Superbike. He will be flanked in this Superbike season by the talented youngster Lorenzo Lanzi, the first Italian to ride for the official World Superbike team since Pierfrancesco Chili in 1998; Lanzi was able to feel at first hand the full impact of being a factory rider as he was swamped by numerous Ducati employees. An incredible welcome was reserved for ‘veteran’ Loris Capirossi, the new signing in the MotoGP team Sete Gibernau and test-rider Vittoriano Guareschi. Loris might feel entirely at home in the Borgo Panigale factory, but every time he appears the warmth with which he is greeted within Ducati becomes even greater: for him hundreds of photos, autographs, hugs, complements and words of encouragement for the tough season that lies ahead. A warm welcome was also reserved for the Spanish rider, who immediately felt at ease amidst the passionate climate of his new family, which believes a lot in his potential and talent. Despite the fact that he is not in the spotlights, long-serving test-rider Vittoriano Guareschi was also greeted with affection and esteem by Ducati employees, who are perfectly aware of the vital importance of his work. After meeting up with Ducati employees, the Borgo Panigale ‘Big 5’ were guests of honour in the evening at ‘Rosso di Sera’, the annual party organised by the Ducati Owners Club of Bologna in one of the city’s most popular nightclubs. Together with the 1600 people who had come to the discotheque to see them, Loris, Sete, Troy, Lorenzo and Vito welcomed in the 2006 season. All four have accepted a tough but not impossible challenge and are ready to give their utmost so as not to disappoint the expectations of their fans, obtain good results and to give them the emotions and thrills that only the Borgo Panigale manufacturer is able to offer. From tomorrow onwards Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau will be taking part in the final winter test session outside of Europe, at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia from Tuesday 14th to Thursday 16th February. Ducati Corse’s World Superbike riders have already concluded their winter testing programme and will get their first taste of championship action soon as they head to Qatar next week for the opening round of the championship at the Losail desert circuit on Saturday 25th February.