RAIN DAMPENS OPENING DAY OF VALENCIA TEST The Winston Ten Kate Honda team was restricted to a handful of laps today the first of a two-day Pirelli test at the Ricardo Tormo circuit near Valencia in Spain. However, Britain’s James Toseland did not pass up the opportunity to acquaint himself with the Honda CBR1000 Fireblade that he will ride for the team in the 2006 World Superbike championship. Today also marked an opportunity for Dutchman Jurgen van den Goorbergh to put in some testing laps on the Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR World Supersport machine. Neither Karl Muggeridge nor 2005 World Supersport champion Sébastien Charpentier completed any laps today. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “The weather in Valencia today was not ideal but it gave the team and James a chance to get to know each other and for James to get to know the bike a little. The rain makes it a bit more relaxed because there’s no pressure to go fast straight away. James has made some small adjustments to the riding position and got an early feel for the machine. Jurgen is one of a few riders on our shortlist for the second World Supersport ride and the only one who is available to test this week. We’ve been trying a new specification engine in the CBR and needed to turn the wheels on the bike, so Jurgen is the ideal rider to do that for us.” James Toseland: “That was a good first day, really, in spite of the weather. The team has a good structure and they’re a great bunch of guys. Although it was difficult in the conditions, I also got a feel for the balance of the bike and it feels pretty good. You have to be really smooth in the wet and very sensitive with the throttle so it gives you an idea of how the bike is behaving. Of course, I would have preferred it to be dry for a chance to get up to speed more quickly; but I still did 30 laps today. We’re all hoping for some dry weather tomorrow so we can make a bit more progress.”

Frenchman Regis Laconi, 30, will join British racer Chris Walker and Spaniard Fonsi Nieto on the three-rider PSG-1 Kawasaki team to contest the 2006 World Superbike Championship. Prior to agreeing to ride a Kawasaki ZX-10R in 2006, Laconi rode for the Ducati factory World Superbike team in 2004 and 2005. He missed several races in 2005 due to injury and finished sixth in the final Championship standings with three races wins and eight podium-finishes. In 2004, he finished runner-up to teammate James Toseland in the Championship, winning seven races and standing on the podium a total of 14 times in 22 races. All of Laconi’s World Superbike experience is on V-twin-powered motorcycles, but he raced in MotoGP in 2002 and spent four years in the 500cc Grand Prix World Championship, 1997-2000.

TROY SLIPS AND SLIDES The first of the winter tests was a bit of a washout for Troy. Valencia had not seen serious rain for the best part of nine months, but the first day saw torrential rain in the morning and a soaking wet track in the afternoon. Nevertheless, Troy opted to go out and test three different rear tyres in the wet. After a handful of laps – and a small tip-off in the treacherous conditions Troy decided that enough was enough and pulled in. TROY “It was pretty miserable out there today and the track was very, very slippery. We didn’t really have any new stuff to try, but we wanted to get some info on the different rain tyres and that’s why I went out. I got flicked off the bike in the afternoon and banged my left hip a bit, so I decided not to carry on. My team mate Yukio didn’t even do a lap – that’s how bad the conditions were! Unfortunately, I couldn’t do the second day of the tests, because I had an appointment at the Milan Show, so really it was all not as productive as it should have been. “

Brookes goes the double at sensational Phillip Island finale Honda maestro Josh Brookes has signed off on a sensational year with a double triumph in the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship at Phillip Island on November 13. The 22-year-old, who rides for the factory Joe Rocket Honda team, not only cantered to a second Supersport championship on his CBR600RR, but he also chimed in to win the premier Superbike class in the most breathtaking of circumstances. After winning the second 11-lap Superbike race over Jamie Stauffer (Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R) and teammate Adam Fergusson (Joe Rocket Honda CBR1000RR), Brookes (CBR1000RR) finished the seven-round championship on the same number of points as Team Suzuki’s Shawn Giles (GSX-R1000) 279. However, Brookes was crowned Superbike champion on a countback, courtesy of more chequered flags during the year. Brookes’ win in race two was his fourth in 14 races, vis-à-vis to Giles’ three. “This is an unbelievable feeling,” said Brookes. “I didn’t know until I got back into the pits that I had won the championship, so I’m stoked. “The guys who race in Australia are world-class, and today was much harder work than when I won the world Supersport race here in 2004. “I’d especially like to thank my mechanic, who hasn’t put a foot wrong all year the only mistakes made have been by me.” Brookes will now head overseas in 2006, and is expected to make an announcement on his plans very soon. The factory Honda collaboration has now won both major Australian Superbike Championship (ASC) classes for the second year in succession, after Fergusson claimed the exalted double in 2004. Meanwhile, Giles, who completed his season with 3-4 finishes, was magnanimous in defeat, although coming so agonisingly close to a fourth championship was a bitter pill to swallow. “Firstly, congratulations to Joe Rocket Honda and Josh for taking his first championship,” said Giles, who claimed a hat-trick of titles from 2000-2002. “I couldn’t do anything more than I was doing today. I thought that Jamie (Stauffer) may have got in front of Josh again in race two, but it didn’t happen. “I also want to thank Suzuki for all its help this year. This has been the closest, toughest championship I’ve raced in, and everyone has worked together to achieve a great result. Suzuki is now going to be hungrier than ever to get back the championship crown in 2006.” Giles’ fourth place in race two was the first time in 16 ASC races at Phillip Island that he has failed to finish on the rostrum, allowing Brookes to eradicate the 7pt lead he held after the opening stoush. Giles finished third in that one, behind Stauffer and Brookes, while Fergusson limped home in 15th after problems with his Michelin rear tyre. Russell Holland (Shoei/RK Chains CBR1000RR) was also a leading light in the early stages before highsiding on lap six. That left Glenn Allerton to finish fourth on the second Team Suzuki GSX-R1000, ahead of privateer Shannon Etheridge (Nova Honda CBR1000RR). In race two, Stauffer, Brookes and Fergusson turned it into a three-way shootout, while Giles had a fight on his hands to keep Anthony Gobert (Redwing Honda CBR1000RR) and a slow-starting Holland in check. Brookes’ sheer willpower got him over the line by 0.834sec from Stauffer, while Fergusson, with his own championship hopes dashed in race one, was third from Giles and Holland. Gobert was troubled by cramp in the closing stages, but still finished sixth. Stauffer’s late championship flourish saw him finish third on 254pts, ahead of Fergusson (252pts) and Queensland Robbie Bugden (Northstar Yamaha YZF-R1, 252pts), who again finished another year as leading privateer. In Supersport, Brookes was always in the box seat to add to his previous title in 2001, and that’s how it panned out. In a reprisal of their brilliant finish in a support race at last month’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, Brookes defeated Mark Aitchison (Fraser Motorcycles YZF-R6) by just 0.015sec in the opening Supersport hitout, while Josh Waters (Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-6RR) was a lonely third from outgoing champion Fergusson (Joe Rocket Honda CBR600RR) and Chris Seaton (Ewington Racing ZX-6RR). There were 20 finishers, with West Aussie Bryan Staring (Allect Racing CBR600RR) not one of them after crashing out of second place on lap five. With 19pts up his sleeve over Fergusson, Brookes completed this year’s Supersport harvest with a safe third place, behind runaway winner Aitchison and Staring. After finishing on the rostrum in 12 of the 15 races, including a bank of seven wins, Brookes completed the year on 310pts. Fergusson (288pts) held onto a secure second, ahead of round winner Aitchison (254pts), Waters (235pts) and Staring (221pts). More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: In the closest finish the Australian Superbike Championship has ever seen, Team Suzuki’s Shawn Giles tied on points with arch rival Josh Brookes at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit today but lost out on a tie-break. After an exciting season-long battle between three-time champion Giles and Brookes, the result came down to a count of both riders’ race victories throughout the 2005 season, with three wins to four going in favour of Brookes. Heading into the final event with a ten-point lead over Brookes, the GSX-R-mounted rider needed strong results to secure victory. He qualified in seventh and had his work cut out, placing third and fourth in Sunday’s two 11-lap races which tied him with Brookes on 279 points. Said Giles: “Firstly, congratulations to the Joe Rocket Honda Team and Josh for taking his first championship. “I have to thank everyone at Team Suzuki: 2005 has been the closest, toughest championship I’ve raced and everyone has worked so hard together to achieve a top result. “Even though we didn’t take the title, we finished on equal points so obviously the Suzuki GSX-R1000 has the horsepower and pace to win the Australian Championship. This was a brand new bike for 2005 and now with a year of development under our belts, I’m looking forward to making a strong challenge for next season. Coming this close to the title, Suzuki is going to be even hungrier than ever for the championship crown.” Under the leadership of master tuner Phil Tainton, the Suzuki Team has claimed four Australian titles – three of those with Giles in the saddle. “Winning three of seven rounds, Shawn has come so close to winning this championship for Suzuki,” said Tainton. “Shawn is an incredible talent and a born champion and with the GSX-R1000 he’s been a dominant force in the Australian Superbike Championship yet again.” Giles’ team-mate Glenn Allerton finished the season on a high note finishing in sixth for the year and was awarded the Rookie of the Year title. Final Championship Points: 1. Josh Brookes (Honda) 279, 2. Shawn Giles (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 279, 3. Jamie Stauffer (Kawasaki) 254, 4. Adam Fergusson (Honda) 252, 5. Robert Bugden (Yamaha) 209, 6. Glenn Allerton (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 208, 7.Scott Charlton (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 159, 8. Shannon Johnson (Yamaha) 142, 9. Tony Rees (Yamaha) 142, 10. Daniel Stauffer (Yamaha) 133.

Brookes and Stauffer soar in Superbike qualifying Formidable New South Welshmen Josh Brookes and Jamie Stauffer have started with a bang in the final round of the 2005 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship at Phillip Island on November 12. The duo both eclipsed Brookes’ one-month-old lap record of 1:37.763 during today’s two qualifying sessions, with Brookes (Joe Rocket Honda CBR1000RR) finally stopping the clocks at 1:34.202, just in advance of Stauffer’s 1:34.252 on the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R. It was Brookes’ first pole position on the year, with the bonus point moving him to just 9pts (241 to 232) in arrears of championship leader Shawn Giles (Team Suzuki GSX-R1000). Giles, 35, qualified in seventh with a 1:35.231. “That point could be the difference between winning and losing the championship,” said Brookes. “Now I’ve just got to lead the races and hope that there are a number of guys between me and Giles. “If that’s good enough to win, then so be it. If it’s not, I’ve still given it my best shot.” Hitherto, Brookes has won three Superbike races in 2005, the same number as Giles and teammate Adam Fergusson (Joe Rocket CBR1000RR). Moreover, he whitewashed the Superbike support races at last month’s Polini Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Fergusson, seeking to become just the fourth multiple winner of the Australian Superbike title since its inception in 1987, is still in the hunt on 226pts, and will start from grid position four (1:34.936) alongside impressive privateer Russell Holland (1:34.912) on the Pirelli-shod CBR1000RR. Then it’s multiple world Superbike race winner Anthony Gobert (Redwing Honda CBR1000RR, 1:35.036) and Daniel Stauffer (Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1, 1:35.203). Gobert, 30, sat out session two with mechanical problems, but showed enough in practice and the opening qualifier to suggest that a podium finish may be on the cards tomorrow. Meanwhile, Giles’ attempt at winning a fourth Superbike title will be made harder by a second row start, but the venerable 35-year-old still holds onto a 9pt cushion and his record around Phillip Island is exemplary. Since 2002, Giles has won 50 per cent (seven of 14) of the Australian Superbike Championship races at Phillip Island and finished on the podium in an unnerring 100 per cent of them! Shannon Johnson (Team Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:35.488) completes row two, with 18 machines behind the reigning Australian supermoto champion. That throng includes 2005 race winners Robert Bugden (Northstar Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:35.787) and Glenn Allerton (Team Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:35.842), who will start from 10th and 11th respectively behind the rapidly improving Shannon Etheridge (Nova Honda CBR1000RR, 1:35.695). Budgen, who is tipped to make the ascension to factory rider in 2006, currently leads the privateer class ahead of Scott Charlton (Active Electrical GSX-R1000) and evergreen New Zealander Tony Rees (Bike Biz YZF-R1). In Supersport, 21-year-old Mark Aitchison (Fraser Motorcycles) slotted his Dunlop-shod Yamaha YZF-R6 into pole position after completing only six laps across the two 30-minute qualifying sessions! Aitchison, who defeated Brookes (Joe Rocket Honda CBR600RR) by just 0.001sec in the final Supersport support race at the Polini Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, uncorked a spritely 1:37.269 in this morning’s opening qualifier, which proved to be more than enough to claim his first pole position of the year. Aitchison only completed four laps in that session, and two in the second qualifier simply to scrub in a front tyre for tomorrow’s opening 12-lapper. “I’ve got a really good set-up at the moment, and the Dunlop tyres are working a treat,” said Aitchison. “So far, so good.” When asked if Brookes’ two-year-old lap record of 1:37.111 will be threatened in the races, Aitchison continued: “This morning, we pushed things fairly hard, but we still had a bit left in the tank. I reckon 36s may be possible, but we’ll see how it goes.” Aitchison will be joined on the front row of the Supersport grid by the Honda CBR600RRs of Bryan Staring (Allect Racing, 1:37.990), current championship leader Brookes (1:37.994), and reigning No. 1 Fergusson (Joe Rocket, 1:38.843). Brookes, who won the world Supersport race at Phillip Island in 2004, is currently 12pts (266 to 254) in front of teammate Fergusson, and another searing performance tomorrow will see the 22-year-old add to his sole Supersport title in 2001. Brookes has won five of the last six national-level Supersport races at Phillip Island, including a blitzkrieg of this year’s opening round in April. Meanwhile, Kawasaki Racing Team’s Joshua Waters (ZX-6RR, 1:38.488) and his 125 GP contemporary Jason O’Halloran (Rocket Racing CBR600RR, 1:38.891) were the last two riders to break into the 38-second bracket, and will start on row two alongside former Australian dirt track champion Chris Seaton (Ewington Racing Kawasaki, 1:39.062) and Jeremy Crowe (Rapid Bikes Magazine YZF-R6, 1:39.318). Waters, who won the 250cc four-stroke class at last weekend’s Australian Long Track Championship in Bathurst, is fifth in the standings on 197pts, behind Aitchison (207pts) and Staring (199pts).