First ever Turkish MotoGP awaits Hopkins and Suzuki Team SUZUKI MotoGP and John Hopkins are in Istanbul for this weekend’s inaugural Turkish MotoGP at the world’s newest race-track. Hopkins will have a weekend of double firsts, it will be his first visit to Turkey for a MotoGP and the first time this season that he has been the sole-rider for Team SUZUKI MotoGP – Kenny Roberts Jr will not be in Turkey due to the broken wrist that he suffered in Australia last weekend. Hopkins will no doubt be hoping to add to his list of firsts by going all out for his first ever podium. The Istanbul Park Circuit was only opened in August 2005 when the Formula 1 race cars held their Grand Prix there and now it is the turn of the bikes to visit the most modern track on the calendar. The circuit is located on the Asian side of Istanbul Istanbul is the only city in the world to be situated in two continents, Europe and Asia. The track is over 5.3km long and in some places in excess of 21m wide, this should allow for plenty of overtaking and exciting racing as all riders learn their lines on a circuit none of them have ever ridden before. Added to this are some spectacular corners and elevation changes over four levels that will help to make this a fascinating event. The Grand Prix of Turkey is the penultimate round on the MotoGP schedule and the new circuit will be hoping to attract many fans to witness the premier event in motorcycle racing and with a 130,000 seating capacity the organisers are certainly hoping so. Hopkins will take to the track on Friday morning for the first practice session, all riders have been given extra time during this session to familiarise themselves with the new circuit and the quick-learning Anglo-American will be eager to do just that. Sunday’s race will begin at 15.00hrs (local time), 14.00hrs CET. Paul Denning Team Manager: “After all the travelling of recent weeks it seems appropriate to end the fly-away tour in a city covering two continents. I have seen footage of the Istanbul track and it looks both stunning and very technically demanding. John will certainly have to be at his sharpest to make sure he gets to grips with the track as quickly as possible. Nobody will have a clear advantage at this circuit as no riders or teams have raced here before so we are all on a level playing field. Finding our correct set-up and best combination of Bridgestone race tyres as early as possible is going to be crucial to the outcome of Sunday’s race. “It is disappointing that Kenny is not available this weekend as I am convinced he would have relished the chance of riding at this circuit and would certainly have made the most of the new surroundings. We hope he will be back at Valencia next month but for this race we must concentrate on just one rider and give all our support to John.”

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.

Bell’s ARNCHU Racing finishes season with another overall podium. Last weekend at the final round of the Dunlop WERA National Endurance Series, Bell’s ARNCHU Racing took the 3rd overall podium position and 3rd in the heavyweight superbike class. The team stood on the overall podium with GP legend Kevin Schwantz and the Suzuki School Team and Team Velocity Racing. Nathan Dressman and Randy Sherman rode the Michelin shod Bell’s Suzuki GSX-R750 in the superbike class, competing against more 1000cc machines than usual, due to the various team strategies being played out at the final, championship deciding round. Once again, the ARNCHU pilots showed determination and skill by besting a host of 1000cc machines with their stock 750cc motor. Dressman started the race in fifth and chased into third, before he was passed by Schwantz on a 2004 Vesrah Suzuki bike that started from the back row of the grid. “Yes, Kevin came by and had about a tenth in every corner, so I was only able to witness his smoothness for about a lap. I was working to pass all the one thousands because they have such huge straight line speed. It was a good race and we stayed out of trouble, especially in the turn two and three section where Batey unfortunately crashed.” Sherman rode a consistent middle stint and brought the bike in for Dressman to mount the charge to close the gap to Velocity. At the end of the race ARNCHU was 36 seconds behind to capture 3rd overall and in front of Team Velocity Racing 2 on a R1. “The Bell’s GSXR750 was handling good and we only used one front tire during the race. Michelin has a great package for this type of racing. I’d like to thank Ted Sherman and Allen Pett for tirelessly crewing all week,” Sherman said. Bell’s ARNCHU is the up and coming team in the WERA National Endurance Series and has finished 5th overall in their first full season! Class points are TBD, so go to ~http://www.arnchu.net~ for pics and blog. More, from a press release issued by LArace.com: LArace.com Finishes Third Overall in Heavyweight Superbike Class of The 2005 WERA National Endurance Race Series After taking the checkered flag in ALL eleven (11) races for the 2005 WERA Endurance Racing Series, the LArace.com race team has completed its successful rookie season with a third place podium finish at the year end awards banquet. The third place season end finish in WERA’s elite class, Heavyweight Superbike, was even that much more remarkable when the team campaigned a couple of 2004 MZ1000S touring bikes which were originally used as test motorcycles for the press with more than 20,000 miles before being given to the team. The California based LArace.com team campaigned these overweight bikes against the Superbike teams of Vesrah Suzuki and Team Xtreme/Maxxis and besting the Bell’s ARNCHU Racing Suzuki team by 9.2 points for the last podium position in the Championship. Consistent finishes allowed the team to take hold of third place in class at the fourth event of the year, and maintain that position through the final checker flag of the season at the Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta. Team Owners, Matthias Jezek and Victor Bell, Team Manager, James Henderson and Chief Mechanic, Neil Foreman, along with a pickup pit crew from all over the country provided the necessary mix to complete this successful series. In a season which saw 103 teams compete this season LArace.com missed placing in the top 20 Overall Championship by 15.4 points. A rookie season campaigned from California to Virginia and Michigan to Florida, could not have been successful without a plan, a team and a lot of hope for this underdog team. More, from another press release issued by Bell’s ARNCHU Suzuki: Bell’s ARNCHU Racing takes 3rd in Heavyweight Superbike Championship in the Dunlop WERA National Endurance Series. Bell’s ARNCHU Racing’s points totals have not been updated on WERA’s website to show the correct totals, but it is confirmed that ARNCHU has risen to 3rd place above LARACE.com. The team’s switch from Heavyweight Superstock to Heavyweight Superbike after three races means that the team already had technically logged the “throw-away” round rule. “Our season has been incredible, often we were the top finishing Michelin shod team on the podium and it feels good to get the 3rd place for our partners. If we had started the season in Heavy Superbike, I’m sure we would have secured 2nd! It looks like we just nipped LARACE at the end. They were very consistent all year,” said ARNCHU’s Dressman. ARNCHU congratulates LARACE on a consistent season and wishes the team well.

382 is not the loneliest number Racing solo at the 22nd Annual Race of Champions October 21 23 at Daytona International Speedway won’t make #382 lonely, it will make him tired. Rob Lombardi, Brooklyn NY, puts the “I” in Team Challenge for the 2005 Championship Cup Series season. The new motorcycle road race class began as a way for riders without teams to compete in an endurance race. Lombardi will turn 56 laps at Daytona before he can claim his prize as the first Champion in A & J Recognition’s Solo Team Challenge race. Endurance racing is nothing new to Lombardi, who has competed in marathons, and bicycle races for years. He was the over 30 Jersey State Mountain Bike Champion in 1996. Now he is in a good position to win another Championship, this time on a 600cc Suzuki. “I never felt bad on a bike” said Lombardi “If I could ride for 5 hours that would be great”. For now the Team Challenge endurance race takes about 2 hours to complete and for most teams, with 2 riders, that is long enough. Between races Lombardi works as an instructor for Champion Race School and he prepares Race bikes for LB Racing. His biggest supporters are Frank Aluzzo of United Water Mains and Evan Yarnel of Team Yochum Motorsports for his help refueling during the race. See Rob Lombardi at the Race of Champions October 21 -23 at Daytona International Speedway. Tickets are $35 for the weekend and $15 for Sunday only. The Team Challenge event will be held Friday October 21. Championship Cup Series, the nation’s largest sportsman level motorcycle road racing organization, will share the track with Formula USA offering up the chance to see some of tomorrow’s stars looking to move up from the CCS ranks to the Formula USA Championship Series. Each Formula USA weekend brings $90,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs between four premiere classes. Combine that with the CCS cash and prizes, and the racers will be competing for over $200,000 in cash and contingency prizes. Tickets for the event can be purchased at the gate. A weekend pass for Thursday through Sunday will be $50 at the gate. For more information visit www.ccsracing.com. About Clear Channel Entertainment Clear Channel Entertainment, a leading producer and marketer of live entertainment events is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications (NYSE:CCU), a global leader in the out-of-home advertising industry. Clear Channel Entertainment currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books approximately 130 live entertainment venues, including nearly 100 in North America and more than 30 in Europe. Each year, 69 million people attend approximately 32,000 events promoted and/or produced by the company, including live music events; Broadway, West End and touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows; museum exhibitions, and specialized sports and motor sports events. In addition, the company’s independently operated athlete representation business, SFX, provides management, marketing and financial consulting services to many of the world’s top professional athletes. Clear Channel Entertainment operates throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. More information may be found by visiting www.cc.com and www.clearchannel.com.

NASCAR Employee Continues To Make Strides In Motorcycle World Nicole Hoffman Readies For Fall Cycle Scene DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (Oct. 18, 2005) — NASCAR employees are accustomed to visiting Daytona International Speedway during Speedweeks and the Pepsi 400 Weekend for the stock car races on the legendary 2.5-mile tri-oval. But during the upcoming Fall Cycle Scene motorcycle races on Oct. 20-23 at historic Daytona International Speedway, their eyes will be focused on Nicole Hoffman, a NASCAR employee turned motorcycle racer. “Working for NASCAR and Daytona being my home track, everybody around work has said, ‘when are you racing Daytona again?’ ” said Hoffman, who serves as a Manager in NASCAR’s Brand and Consumer Marketing department and races motorcycles on the weekends. “I don’t know if NASCAR is going to allow everybody to take the day off to go watch me over there.” Hoffman, a Palm Coast resident, is excited about the prospect of her co-workers and friends watching her compete in the Team Challenge event as well as two Championship Cup Series sprint races during Fall Cycle Scene. “It’s funny because so many people have asked when can we see you race,” Hoffman said. “Most of our races are at least three hours away so getting people to those tracks is really difficult. This is obviously an opportunity where my co-workers to come and watch me race and cheer me on.” Hoffman has made a couple of transitions during her 2005 motorcycle season. She made the jump from the amateur level to the expert level in CCS as well as moving to a new bike – the Suzuki SV 650. “I’ve been really getting use to this bike and getting it set up this year,” said Hoffman, who captured the 2004 Amateur Ultra Lightweight Superbike championship in 2004 aboard an Aprilia RS 250. “Coming off a championship last year and moving into a new class, you kind of struggle. As a first-year expert, you always hope you’re going to do great things but you’re in a whole different class of riders. There are a lot of fast guys out there so you have to take your time and gradually work your way up.” Hoffman credits teammate and fellow local rider Mark Crozier with helping her make the transitions. “I’ve got a great advantage with Mark,” Hoffman said. “He’s been racing for years and years. He’s been helping me get my bike set up. He’s very knowledgeable about racing and motorcycles. Having him there helping me along has been tremendous.” Riding for Flagler Beach, Fla., residents Tom and Gail Vallely, Hoffman will use the Fall Cycle Scene to prepare for the 2006 season. In the Team Challenge, Hoffman will race with Rhiannon Lucente with hopes of putting together an all-female endurance team. “We’ll test it out and see how we work together and ride together,” Hoffman said. Tickets to any of the motorcycle races at Daytona International Speedway are available online at ~http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com~ or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.

Lockhart Phillips to provide 2004 National Champions with a garage at 2005 CCS Race of Champions. Anyone who has spent a hot day at Daytona International Raceway knows what an important luxury a garage in the paddock can be. Lockhart Phillips’ Team Privateer program along with Arrow Exhaust is providing the free cover to thank all seventeen 2004 CCS National Champions for another great season and to promote their newest exhaust line. Arrow Competition Exhaust Systems. These full titanium systems are a top of the line exhaust geared directly towards competitive racing. The exhaust silencer has a titanium sleevewith conical core that provides the best performance. To order your Arrow Exhaust System contact a local Lockhart Phillips USA dealer. To help locate a dealer in your area please visit www.LockhartPhillipsUSA.com or call 800.221.7291 today! The following racers will be provided a garage free of charge: Carl Cohen, Scott Greenwood, Al Harris, Scott Harwell, Mike Himmelsbach, Nicole Hoffman, Robert Jensen, Ed Key, Barrett Long, Carlos Eduardo Macias, Dave Ellis Maney, Calvin Martinez, Geoff May, Brandon Parrish, Joe Riberio, Steve Wenner, Jeff Wood.