STRONG DEBUT FOR PIRELLI SHANNONVILLE, ON Pirelli began the process of preparing for its first season as spec tire supplier to the Parts Canada Superbike Championship by conducting a two-day test with some of the top racers in the series at Shannonville Motorsport Park this week. Representatives from the company’s Milan headquarters, including racing activities manager Giorgio Barbier attended the evaluation, which was held in cool but mostly sunny conditions on Monday and Tuesday. Despite the uncertain weather there was an overwhelmingly positive response from both competitors and Pirelli staff. The Pirelli crew brought a selection of DOT and slick rubber options. Slicks were available in both 17-inch and 16.5-inch sizes. The 16.5-inch tires were similar to those used in the World Superbike and World Supersport Championships, where Pirelli is also the spec tire supplier. Information from this week’s test will form the basis for a new line of 17-inch tires for the Canadian series, which mandates the use of stock 17-inch rims. “We would have liked to have a warm situation to look at the broader range of harder compounds,” Barbier said. “In spite of cold temperatures, we haven’t seen any bad tearing or wearing on the tires, so the colder weather has given us some good information. We are using the same tires used in World Superbike and World Supersport and we are getting the same feedback from these riders as we do in World Superbike.” Canadian Kawasaki Motors rider Tom Kipp set the best time over the two days with a one minute, 44.373 seconds on his Kawasaki ZX-10R. He recorded the time on the first day when conditions were cool (between seven and 14 degrees Celsius) but sunnier than on the second day. “I’m very happy,” said the Chardon, OH rider. “The tires seem to do a lot of things very well. They absorb the bumps well. There’s good grip. I have a good feeling these tires will be durable and last over a race distance. I think they’ll be a good tire for our championship.” The test also included Parts Canada Superbike champion Francis Martin and fellow Suzuki rider Clint McBain, Honda racers Steve Crevier, Jordan Szoke and Andrew Nelson, Yamaha’s Pascal Picotte and Jeff Williams on a Kawasaki. Canadian Thunder champion Darren James, on a Buell and Ducati’s Derek Vammus also evaluated DOT tires on behalf of the Thunder series. Martin recorded the fastest 600 Sport Bike time with a 1:45.730 on his Suzuki GSX-R600 on Tuesday. “I’m pretty impressed,” said Crevier, who won the 2005 Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike title for the Diablo Honda team. “It seems we’re adapting well. The product is good. I think there’s great potential.” Pirelli has signed a three-year deal to provide the spec tires for all five classes of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship.

Ty Howard and Cory Burleson close out 2005 season for RPS Racing Performance Services sponsored riders Ty Howard and Cory Burleson closed out the 2005 season in style at the WERA Grand National Finals. Both riders use custom-valved suspension solutions provided by RPS. Ty Howard earned two podiums in the Suzuki cup finals, while Burleson who hails from Harrison, Arkansas captured 10 race wins out of 11 races entered. Burleson’s win count is believed to be a modern record for the WERA Grand National Finals. Ty Howard Texan Ty Howard ventured to historic Road Atlanta for an opportunity to compete in the Suzuki GSXR Cup finals on his Kinest Homes GSXR’s (600, 750, and 1000). Howard came to the cup races with hopes of solid finishes that would put the Weatherford, Texas rider on the podium for his races and in position for some of the great prize money Suzuki provides for the cup riders. The team knew it would be tough with 3 bikes to setup and no opportunity outside the Suzuki cup practices and races to use for setup data, but if it were easy to compete with some of the best racers in the country then everyone would do it. Howard used Wednesday to get acclimated to racing at Road Atlanta for the first time in several years while Steve Upchurch of Motion Cycles made sure the engines were performing at peak class performance levels. Howard continued to work out small issues until the team had everything working its best for the Saturday timed qualifying sessions. Qualifying went very well despite some teething problems. In the 600 qualifying, Howard went with a soft tire to maximize the opportunity for a quick lap time. Unfortunately the quick shifter malfunctioned for the first lap and by the time everything settled out on lap 3, Howard had already used up his rear tire. Nonetheless, Howard posted a time that would put him 3rd fastest and on the pole for the 600 Suzuki Cup race by virtue of the Cup gridding rules. The 750 Qualifying was a real barn burner. Mike Smith, Brian Stokes, and Howard all ran within a tenth of a second of each other and a great race was sure to be the order on Sunday based on the qualifying times. In the 1000 cup qualifying, Howard posted the 7th fastest time and would start from the third row after a conservative qualifying effort. The 600 Cup race would start the day off for Howard on Sunday. All eyes were on Ty Howard, Mike Smith and Opie Caylor. Howard took a flyer of a start and lead the pack out of Turn one. As the race got ready to heat up, a red flag was brought out. The restart would see Mike Smith absent after suffering an injury from his crash. The restart was the same. Howard lead the pack through Turn one and the race was on. With Smith out, the race on the track was expected to be between Howard and Caylor. After the first lap, Howard crossed the finish line just a few seconds ahead of Opie. The Texan knew he would have to put 10 perfect laps together to beat Caylor on his home track and he put his head down trying to do just that. By lap 5 Caylor was within one second of Howard and the crowd was waiting for Caylor to make his move. Howard still held the point on lap 7 and some wondered if Opie’s hometrack advantage was going to hold up. On lap 8, the question was answered when Caylor slid inside Howard entering Turn One. Ty made a charge to re-take the point on the final two laps, but it just didn’t happen. The final finishing order saw Ty Howard finish behind Opie Caylor. Howard commented after the race, “That was a lot of fun. I hated to see Mike Smith not there with us, but I am glad he is ok. The bike worked great for me, Opie just rode really well and my hat is off to him for the job he did.” In the 750 Suzuki Cup race, more of the same was expected. At the drop of the green flag, a pack of 4 up front saw Jensen leading Stokes, Howard, and Jacobi. With the pace up front so fast (1:27’s), Howard decided to wait this race out until the end and make his move on the final laps. By the seventh lap, Jensen, Stokes, and Howard had distanced themselves from the rest of the pack and a tight finish was expected. On the 8th lap, Ty started to turn it up and picked up his pace. Catastrophe almost struck though as Howard struck one of the rumble strips really hard and looked to have possibly broke something inside the forks. With several seconds over fourth place, Howard cruised home to a third place finish and another Suzuki Cup final podium appearance. Ty looked back at the race, “That was a heck of race. I felt pretty confident that I would be there at the end with those guys, but I hit the curbing really hard. After that the bike didn’t want to turn. I think something got broken. I am still really pleased with how I ran and getting back on the podium again. Stokes and Jensen ran really well and I congratulate them on their race.” The 1000 Suzuki Cup race started off tough for Howard. A poor start left him in 7th place after lap one. Howard’s plan was to let the race come to him and move up over the last few laps, but a red flag brought for a burning bike, left the Texan in 6th position after the race was called. After earning several thousand dollars in Suzuki money on Sunday, Howard reflected on the week, “It was really a fun week. We are leaving here with some great winnings thanks to Suzuki. The bikes ran strong and handled great. I want to thank Steve Upchurch of Motion Cycles and Marcus McBain of Racing Performance Services for getting my bikes working really well. The bikes are still shiny after this weekend of racing and I get to drive home with my fiancé Miranda. It doesn’t get much better than that!” Cory Burleson The Arkansas rider came to the WERA Grand National Finals looking to ride well and hoped to win a few races. Cory had come to Road Atlanta after already winning over a hundred races in 2005 and the “Top Novice” award during the AMA Mid-Ohio Amateur races. Prior to this season, he had raced a total of 14 races after getting his race license during the 2004 season and was very surprised at the success he has enjoyed. At the end of the weekend, the 2nd year rider won 10 of 11 races entered and ran impressively fast. His one loss came by less than one second after the tire pressure on his Suzuki was not checked before the race. Cory was accompanied by his wife Merry and sixteen month old son Isaiah who would also be his pit crew for the first few days. Many challenged Burleson, but he always seemed to be able to step up his pace every time without riding over his head. Burelson came away with the following wins: Sportsman LWT SB LWT SS B Superbike B Superstock C Superstock National Challenge LWT SS 600 Superbike 600 Superstock 750 Superbike 750 Superstock With 6 WERA regional championships, 7 CMRA Championships, and 127 race wins out of 155 races entered, Burleson commented on the season and the future, “This was just a fantastic year. I can’t imagine how you can top this. I am really looking forward to the first race next year. I love to ride and I look forward to the challenges of moving up to expert status next year. Smith Cycle Center will be with me again next year and I can’t tell you how much they have helped me accomplish all of this. Whatever I end up riding next year, I will be glad I have Racing Performance Services Suspension again. The bikes have always handled really well all year and that is 90% of it from what I can see. Lastly, I can’t thank my wife Merry enough. She not only is out here supporting me, but really makes this a lot of fun.” More, from a press release issued by WERA: WERA National Series Champions Crowned at Road Atlanta BRASELTON, Ga. The WERA National Series 2005 season wrapped up over the weekend during the Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta, crowning 23 National Challenge Series and National Endurance Series champions along with the Sportsman Series, Vintage and Suzuki Cup champions. The racing started on Thursday, October 13 with Sportsman and Vintage events. The four-hour WERA Dunlop National Endurance Series finale was held on Friday. Vesrah Suzuki and Team Velocity have been locked in a points battle for the overall championship, but Vesrah crashed early in the race while Team Velocity’s Chuck Ivey, Reuben Frankenfield and Mark Crozier cruised to a finish of second overall. The finish locked up Team Velocity’s first overall endurance championship. The winners of the race were former World Champion Kevin Schwantz, Jamie James and Ted Cobb. The trio rode a second Heavyweight Superbike entry from Vesrah under the team name Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School. Sam Fleming, Scott Fisher, Ben Walters and Chris Peris wrapped up the Mediumweight Superbike championship for Army of Darkness with their class win. Dalke Motorsports clinched the Heavyweight Superstock championship at round nine, and Brian Dalke, Josh Smith-Moore and Wrenn Smith extended their lead with the class win at Road Atlanta. Blue Ridge Performance’s Martin Musil and Mark Biletnikoff won the Lightweight Superbike race, but the class championship went to Ghetto Customs. During the WERA Michelin National Challenge Series sprint races held throughout the weekend, Mike Smith was the only expert to take more than one victory. Smith won both 750 and Open Superstock. In the other expert classes, Matt Lynn won Formula 1, Josh Herrin held out for the win in 600 Superstock, and Opie Caylor beat Herrin to the 600 Superbike victory. Brandon Parrish was the top rider in 750 Superbike and Tray Batey got his usual dominant win in Heavyweight Twins Superstock despite riding with a broken heel. Jimmy Wood won Lightweight Twins Superstock and Avery Clark was at the top of Formula 2. In the novice ranks, Cory Burleson took an astounding five National Series wins, including 600 Superbike and Superstock, 750 Superbike and Superstock, and Lightweight Twins Superstock. Michael Dillion won Open Superstock novice, David Johnson was the victor in Heavyweight Twins Superstock and Matt LaPham won Formula 2. The Suzuki Cup Finals, held in conjunction every year with the WERA Grand National Finals, featured some of the most competitive races of the season as the top Suzuki riders in the country battled for the title of champion. Caylor was the top rider in the GSX-R600 Cup race, starting from the pole and riding to the win. Robert Jensen separated his shoulder in a crash early in the week, but he rallied to win the GSX-R750 Cup nonetheless. Batey took off at the start of the SV1000 Cup race and led all ten laps, holding off his teammate Mark Junge. Lynn was able to pull away from Caylor to win a red flag-shortened GSX-R1000 Cup race, and Jimmy Wood won the SV650 Cup event. The WERA National Series will get the 2006 season started next March with a round at Jennings GP in North Florida. More information about WERA and final points standings can be found online at www.WERA.com.

As Hurricane Wilma strengthens to Category Five status on the Saffir-Simpson scale, packing maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, and forecasters call for landfall somewhere on the Florida peninsula over the weekend, CCS/Formula USA officials are watching the hurricane’s progress closely and preparing to make adjustments to the schedule at the October 20-24 Race of Champions at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). “We’re watching it,” CCS/F-USA boss Kevin Elliott told Roadracingworld.com Wednesday morning at DIS. “We’re still gonna run the event. Once the path (of the hurricane) becomes more defined, we (including DIS officials) will make a decision Friday on what we need to do. Obviously, we want to make sure as many of these Championship races run in the dry as possible. If that means packing as much as we can into Saturday, then that’s what it means.” Hurricane Wilma strengthened from a tropical storm, with 70 mph winds, to a Category Five hurricane, with 175 mph winds, within the last 24 hours, making it the fastest growing and the most intense storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. Current forecasts call for the hurricane to make a sharp turn to the northeast, weaken slightly and make landfall on the southwest coast of Florida sometime late Saturday night. However, the storm could turn later or less sharply and cross central Florida, potentially putting Daytona in its path, or it could turn sooner or more sharply to the northeast than anticipated and skirt the southern tip of Florida before heading out into the Atlantic Ocean.

MotoGP ready to break new borders in Turkey The MotoGP World Championship will land in the 29th country of its 56-year history this weekend as the Istanbul Park circuit in Turkey plays host to the penultimate round of the 2005 season. Just days after Valentino Rossi’s eleventh victory of the year at Phillip Island in Australia the world’s premier teams and riders will arrive at the purpose-built venue, located some sixty kilometres outside of the city of Istanbul, with attention turning to the Italian’s attempt to set a new win record in the series, as well as the chase for second place in the rider championship and the outcome of an exciting battle for 125cc honours. Rossi heads to the exciting new venue, designed by famed German architect Hermann Tilke, looking to conquer new territory as well as continue a season of unprecedented success. Along with Laguna Seca, which returned after a ten-year absence this season, Istanbul Park is one of only two circuits on the current calendar where Rossi has not celebrated victory in at least one of the three Grand Prix classes whilst success in Sunday’s race will keep him on course to beat Mick Doohan’s record of twelve MotoGP victories in a single season. With Rossi having clinched the championship with four rounds to spare in Malaysia last month, the title of ‘best of the rest’ is up for grabs and looks to be heading for a two-way battle between in-form Honda youngsters Nicky Hayden and Marco Melandri. Hayden’s second consecutive podium at Phillip Island, combined with fourth place for Melandri and a crash for Max Biaggi, means that the pair are now level on points in second place, with Yamaha’s Colin Edwards a further eight points further back. One man who is almost certainly out of the battle for the number two plate, however, is Loris Capirossi. The Ducati rider suffered a nasty crash in free practice at Phillip Island and has flown back to Italy for further treatment on his damaged lung. His place this weekend will be taken by test rider Shinichi Ito, the Japanese veteran joining the in-form Carlos Checa at the Italian team, with the Spaniard high on confidence after scoring his second podium finish in three races at Phillip Island. Suzuki rider Kenny Roberts will also miss the race after breaking his left wrist in a similar practice crash although the former World Champion will not be replaced for this race, meaning John Hopkins will be the factory’s sole representative. Elsewhere, Chris Vermeulen will continue in place of the injured Troy Bayliss at Honda after making an impressive MotoGP debut in his home Grand Prix last Sunday. Vermeulen finished the race in eleventh place and gets his second chance to impress this weekend alongside temporary team-mate Alex Barros, who is expected to be fit despite suffering a heavy crash in Australia. With Dani Pedrosa having clinched the 250cc title thanks to his seventh victory of the season at Phillip Island and Casey Stoner some 42 points clear of Andrea Dovizioso in second place, much of the attention in the quarter-litre class will be on Jorge Lorenzo. After a series of second-place finishes the exciting Spaniard has two remaining races before the end of the season as he aims to become the youngest ever winner in 250cc history. The 125cc World Championship is the only title chase still to be decided but Swiss teenager Thomas Lüthi took a major step forward thanks to his comprehensive victory in Australia. The Honda rider now holds a 12-point advantage over Mika Kallio with two rounds remaining.

THE TRACK OF A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS ROUND 16 – GP OF TURKEY – PREVIEW The motoGP circus is moving back to Europe and precisely in Istanbul, Turkey for the 16th round of the season. Besides Shangai, this is the second new track this year and both riders and technicians of the Team Movistar Honda are curious and interested to visit this new Turkish track. SETE GIBERNAU: “L’Istanbul Park is a completely new track for all of us. I have seen the circuit and the layout of the track in TV but we can have a clear idea only the first day of testing. We have no data, this a good chance to use positively. It will be important to understand the track in order to interpretate it in the best way. ” MARCO MELANDRI: “I’m very happy to race in Turkey, a completely new track. This year it happened the same in China, Shangahi was a new track for all the riders, i liked it and i did a good race. I hope to do the same next weekend. In TV the track seems very nice. I look forward to go and see it. Moreover, the GP of Turkey is a very important race if we think at the championship. I have the same points of Nicky Hayden. At the beginning of the season the second place in the championship was just a dream, now it is my target. I really would like to gain the title of vice champion, this would be the best way to thank Fausto Gresini, Honda and HRC that have belived in me.” THE TRACK Right in between East and West, the Istanbul track rises in the Oriental part of the Turkish capital of Istanbul. In a city which is football mad, famous around the world for its teams, Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, the best sporting establishment is that of a racing nature. It is Istanbul Park, a circuit which was built 35km from a city which can already boast a record. It is in fact the only track which hosted three international events in its first year: Formula 1 (21st August) DTM (2nd October) and MotoGP (October 23rd). Built in 2004, Istanbul Park is a futuristic establishment. The track, together with the infrastructures, cost the city more than 200 million dollars (the track is owned by the Chamber of Commerce). According to the paper Zaman, it is around two times the initial planned budget. The Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan justifies this investment. The structure does in fact represent a strong incentive for the economy, the power of the media used during events like F1 and MotoGP are priceless. In a city where tourism is already amongst the strongest industries (in 2005 the tourists will spend in Turkey about 18 million dollars), the return of the expectations during these popular events is huge. For their jewel, the organizers of the Turkish GP entrusted themselves to the experience of Hermann Tilke, the brain behind the tracks of Sepang, Bahrain, and Shanghai. The project phase lasted one year, the realization two. The location of the track was chosen due to its closeness to main motorways and airports. The track does in fact rise in the Asiatic area, alongside the motorway which connects Istanbul to Ankara, close to the International Airport of Sabiha Gokcen, one of the two airports of the capital. Plus the chosen area was particularly good due to its undulated conditions. Working on vast areas, the German architect was able to give freedom to his vast imagination. The end result was a track of 5.333 meters with 14 corners. Corners 1 and 2 may remind you of the Esse Senna of San Paolo. Corner 9 the Spoon corner of Suzuka and corner 11 the Eau Rouge of Spa. The track is just a scarily continuous up and down with the first left corner going downhill 250 meters after the start. There are even two uphill areas: long and steep is the first one which begins after the second corner, the second is very concise, half way through the track. It is a quick track, even though the straight is only 720 meters long. Both the garage and paddock areas are enormous. The two VIP towers are overpowering (7 floors each) and the stands: the main one can hold 30.000 spectators, and the others another 50 thousand. The car parks can hold 12.000 cars and, to help move about, there are 4 tunnels and 3 bridges. THE CIRCUIT IN BITS AND PIECES TRACK length: 5.333 mt long WIDTH: from 14 to 12.5 mt. Number of corners: 14; 6 right ones and 8 left one. Straights: 4, the longest of which is 720 mt. (655.5 the finishing straight) Max inclination: 8.145% SPECTATORS: Main strands, 30.000 other stands 50.000 Natural stands: 50.000 parking spaces :12.000 TOTAL area coverage: 2,215.000 square meters THE PROJECT: 120 Specialists work in the studios of Hermann Tilke, 50 of these worked on the Turkish project. Between 3 and 6 specialists followed the physical construction of the site. The project phase lasted a year and the building 2 years. During the final rush to finish 1,500 workers were used dividing themselves in to two shifts of 10.5 hours each. More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: This brand new Otodrom International circuit was completed in time to stage the very first Turkish Formula One Grand Prix in August this year. The 5.340 kms track is situated 60 kms east of Istanbul and was designed by Herman Tilke who was also the designer of the Sepang and Shanghai circuits. The track runs in an anticlockwise direction and is spread over four levels containing 13 corners, six right and seven left. The start and finish straight is comparatively short at 720 metres and the MotoGP machines should reach a top speed approaching 300 km/h. The event on Sunday will be the first ever MotoGP race in Turkey. FROM THE SADDLE Alex Barros: “When I woke up on the morning after the Phillip Island race I stayed still for a moment, positive that if I had moved I would have seen stars. However things are going a little better than I expected. I find it hard to move around, and my left side is hurting a lot, but I have to say it’s not as bad as I feared. It’s obviously not the best thing to be going to a new track in less than perfect physical condition, but I hope to make a quick recovery in these rest days.” Chris Vermeulen: “With a race under my belt I hope things will be slightly easier this weekend, even though the track is completely new and there’s a lot to learn. The bonus is that it will be new to everybody. Now I’ve got a bit more knowledge about the bike and the tyres, and my objective is to do better than we managed in Australia. I would like to have a good practice and finish the race in the top ten. We’ll see, I’m very calm about this whole experience and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.” CIRCUIT – TURKEY GRAND PRIX – 23/10/05 ISTANBUL Track data: Length: 5.340 kms Pole Position: Left. Width: 14 – 21 m Right corners: Six Left corners: Eight. Longest straight: 720 m Constructed: 2005. New circuit – no records. TECHNICAL INSIGHT – TURKEY GRAND PRIX – 23/10/05 ISTANBUL The Istanbul circuit is one of the few circuits that is negotiated in an anticlockwise direction. Its layout makes the task of finding the right settings for the bike very complicated because there is a mix of very fast corners taken at full throttle and also very slow corners. In addition the constant changes in elevation will make it even more difficult to find the correct suspension settings in the short space of time available in practice before the race. The track starts with a short start/finish straight and the first corner is a relatively slow left-hander which should make for some spectacular braking at the end of the straight. There then follows an impressively long right-hand corner which will be one of the most important points on the track. This corner will affect the type of tyre used because the right side of the tyre must be made of a hard compound to withstand the excessive tyre wear since the rider accelerates from second to probably fourth gear through the corner with the bike leaning over. Three corners follow in a short distance one after the other, two of which are very slow and taken in first gear. After, comes a downhill straight until the rider arrives at another very slow corner, taken in either first or second gear, which is also the point where the track starts to rise uphill. This will probably be a popular overtaking point. After this climb there are three left-hand corners, very similar to the three successive corners in Qatar which gave so much emotion in the last race. There then follows a downhill section which takes the rider up to another slow corner which leads onto a first straight. This straight is followed by an impressive right hander which will condition the top speeds reached on this track. This will probably be in the region of 320 Km/h because after this corner, taken in fourth gear or maybe fifth, there is still 700 metres more straight to follow to build up speed. After reaching this top speed the rider must brake sharply to take a second-gear corner and then three successive corners with two changes of direction. To sum up, the mechanics will have their work cut out in finding the ideal settings for the bike and also the right tyre compound at this circuit. It might be the case too that oversize brake discs are fitted not only because of the heat, but also due to the heavy braking points which stress the normal size discs.

GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM MAKES HISTORIC FIRST TRIP TO TURKEY The Gauloises Yamaha Team heads for uncharted territory this weekend as the MotoGP World Championship visits Turkey for the first time in its 56-year history. The Istanbul Park circuit, located sixty kilometres outside the capital city, was designed by famed German architect Hermann Tilke, the man behind the Sepang, Bahrain and Shanghai circuits, and was used for the first time by the Formula 1 World Championship in August this year. Like Doha in Qatar, several corners are based on famous bends at other circuits such as the ‘Senna Esses’ at Sao Paolo, the ‘Spoon Curve’ at Suzuka and the ‘Eau Rouge’ at Spa. Valentino Rossi arrives at this exciting new venue looking to conquer new territory as well as continue a season of unprecedented success. Along with Laguna Seca, which returned after a ten-year absence this season, Istanbul Park is one of only two circuits on the current calendar where Rossi has not celebrated victory in at least one of the three Grand Prix classes. Furthermore, the Italian is aiming to keep alive his chances of setting a new record for premier-class victories in a single season. The current benchmark of twelve was set by Mick Doohan in 1997 but after Rossi’s eleventh win of the season at Phillip Island, which equalled his own previous best and that of Giacomo Agostini in 1972, the Italian has two races remaining this season in which to make history once again. Rossi’s Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards, meanwhile, has his own agenda as he continues his relentless pursuit of the runner-up spot in the championship. With Rossi having clinched the title with four rounds to spare in Malaysia, much of the attention has been around the chase for second place, which has seen Edwards as a constant protagonist. The American has been one of the most consistent riders in the class this season, and indeed is the only rider in the MotoGP field who has scored points at all races so far in 2005. Edwards currently lies in fourth place, just eight points behind youngsters Nicky Hayden and Marco Melandri (both Honda), who are currently tied on 170 points. Sunday’s schedule will start one hour later than usual, with the MotoGP race set to begin at 1500h local time (CET +1). VALENTINO ROSSI: BREAKING NEW BORDERS Valentino Rossi’s worldwide popularity has been proven beyond doubt this season with armies of fans celebrating each of his eleven victories in every corner of the globe. The Italian has the chance to win over a new audience this weekend as the MotoGP World Championship ventures onto new ground, and he is excited by the challenge, despite it coming at the end of a tiring run of four races in five weekends across Asia and Oceania. “Everybody is very tired after the trip to Australia but it is always nice to visit a new country and we are all interested to see the new circuit in Turkey,” said Rossi. “I saw the F1 race on the television and the circuit looked like a lot of fun but we will have to see on Friday morning. It is a new challenge but also a new opportunity for a lot of riders to be at the front so we will see what happens. “I was very happy with the race at Phillip Island we found a good set-up very quickly even though things hadn’t worked for us in the pre-season test. This is a good sign for Turkey because it will also be important to find the set-up quickly there. I am very sorry Loris Capirossi will not be racing because he is a friend and a great rival, and I think if he was in the race at Phillip Island it could have been an even harder battle. Hopefully he will be back for Valencia.” COLIN EDWARDS: TOP TWO STILL THE TARGET Colin Edwards arrives in Turkey this week after spending some time with family and friends in Australia, taking some time to relax before launching another assault on second place in the championship. The Texan has missed several opportunities to make the runner-up spot his own and has not visited the podium since his home round at Laguna Seca in July, but he is determined to put things right on a level playing field this weekend. “I expected a lot more from Phillip Island but we had problems from the first day,” explained Edwards. “Even though we ironed a lot of things out on Saturday it still wasn’t enough to allow us to fight for the podium and that was disappointing. Hopefully we can get off on the right foot at Istanbul this is still my first season with the bike and we’ve shown at several circuits that are new to us that we can adapt quickly, so I am confident. “It’s amazing that I’m still in with a chance of second place in the championship and I still have two more chances to grab hold of it. Nicky Hayden, Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi seem to have been flip-flopping places all around me but I’ve stayed in there and there’s only a few points in it. Thankfully I can say second place in the championship is still a realistic aim with two rounds to go and that is a credit to the whole team.” DAVIDE BRIVIO: IT’S NOT OVER YET Gauloises Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio heads to Turkey this week in the knowledge that he has helped to spearhead the most successful Grand Prix season in the factory’s 50-year history, whatever happens in the final two rounds. After clinching the riders’, teams’ and constructors’ titles, Brivio’s only remaining target for the team is to help Colin Edwards to the runner-up spot in the riders’ championship although, as he admits, that would merely be the icing on the cake. “Our main objectives for this season have been met but the motivation of the team is still high and we want to help Colin to finish second in the championship,” said Brivio. “We owe it to him to give him all the material and support he needs to meet his goals. For us it was a special emotion to bring the constructors title to Yamaha, for the first time since 2000, and it was a great achievement for Valentino to win his eleventh race but the work has not stopped yet. “The riders and the crew, like everybody in the paddock, are quite tired from the events of the last few weeks but this is our job and we have a lot of experience. The guys know how to get the best out of themselves and they will do just that over the next two races. It has been a wonderful season for us but we want to finish it in the best possible way. Our riders never give up until they see the chequered flag and neither will we!” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING The spectacular 5.378 kilometre Istanbul Park track features fourteen turns – eight lefts and six rights and like Phillip Island has the unusual characteristic of running anti-clockwise. It possesses a wide variety of corners and the challenge is further enhanced by plenty of gradients, with the track built on four different ground levels. The Formula 1 drivers discovered that there are fewer obvious overtaking opportunities than at some other Tilke circuits, as Istanbul does not feature the long straights followed by tight hairpins that characterise the likes of Sepang and Shanghai. However the spectacular improvisation that characterises MotoGP will guarantee plenty of thrills and spills this weekend. Spectators will have ideal facilities to enjoy the action, with seating capacity for around 130,000 fans and an impressive grandstand which can hold up to 25,000. In terms of machine preparation, both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards will start the weekend with a different base set-up on each bike. The initial aim of the engineers is to make both machines as neutral as possible, with average spring rates and gearbox settings, but with potential to take different development routes. On Friday morning the crew and rider will decide which machine feels most comfortable and make minor changes from that point onwards to come up with the ideal setting for the race. VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 26 Lives: London, UK Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 GP victories: 80 (41 x MotoGP, 13 x 500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 154 (63 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 40 World Championships 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 31 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 47 World Championships – 2 World Superbike

Unofficial WSMC Toyota 200 Top-10 Results Official Full Results To Follow When Available 1. Josh Hayes, Attack Kawasaki ZX-10R, Dunlop 16.5, $50,000 2. John Haner, Attack Kawasaki ZX-10R, Dunlop 16.5, $30,000 3. Jason Perez, Rojo Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, Dunlop 16.5, $10,000 4. Jeremy Toye, Roadracingworld.com Honda CBR1000RR, Michelin 16.5, $5000 5. Michael Beck, Yamaha YZF-R1, Dunlop 16.5, $3000 6. Chris Ulrich, Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000, Pirelli 17.0, $3000 7. Cesar Meza, Meza Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, $3000 8. Jeff Stern, Suzuki GSX-R1000, Michelin, $2000 9. Scott Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R1000, Pirelli, $2000 10. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki GSX-R1000, $2000