MotoGP flocks south for the Polini Australian Grand Prix The MotoGP World Championship’s intercontinental caravan takes to the skies again this week as the riders, teams and officials make their way to the south coast of Australia for the fifteenth round of the season at the picturesque Phillip Island circuit. After a two-week break since contesting three consecutive races across Asia and the Middle East, the Polini Australian Grand Prix will be the 17th consecutive year that the series has visited the country, with the first two events having been held at Phillip Island, followed by six at Eastern Creek, before returning to the current venue in 1997. Valentino Rossi’s record at the fast and flowing circuit is second to none, with no fewer than six Grand Prix victories there in all classes and an unbeaten MotoGP record that stretches back to 2001. The MotoGP World Champion will be hoping his siege of the island can continue this weekend as he aims to clinch his eleventh victory of the year and match his record total of wins in a season, set in 2001 and 2002 when riding for Honda. A win for the Italian will also secure the constructors’ title for Yamaha, who need just one point more than Honda to make sure of the honour for the first time in five years. A host of riders will be combining duties for Honda this weekend as they aim to halt Yamaha and Rossi’s progress, as well as staking their claim for second place in the championship. Max Biaggi, Marco Melandri and Nicky Hayden are three of five riders separated by just eleven points in the battle for runner-up honours and all have happy memories of Phillip Island. Biaggi took victory, albeit for Yamaha, in the 500cc class in 2000 whilst Marco Melandri has had two wins at Phillip Island in the smaller classes, including a title-clinching 250cc success in 2002. Hayden, meanwhile, stood on the podium for the first time in his career at the Victorian circuit two years ago and will this weekend be aiming to score back-to-back rostrum finishes for the first time this season after finishing in third place at Qatar. The other two riders battling for second spot are Yamaha’s Colin Edwards and Ducati rider Loris Capirossi. Edwards has finished on the podium in World Superbike races at Phillip Island on eight occasions, including a win in 2001, whilst Capirossi took victory in the 125cc class back in 1990 and has had four podiums there in the last five years, including his only podium of 2004. The in-form Italian has won two of the last three races and will be looking for his fourth consecutive pole position when qualifying takes place on Saturday. Dani Pedrosa gets his first chance to seal the 250cc World Championship for the second successive season in Australia despite coming under pressure from his nearest rival Casey Stoner. Pedrosa, who finished fourth at Phillip Island last year to clinch the championship in his rookie season, will take the title if he wins the race and Stoner fails to score more than a single point. However, the Australian is the category’s form rider and after back-to-back victories in the last two rounds he has reduced the gap to the leader to just 26 points ahead of his home round. At the front of the queue of riders looking to stop a potential party for either Pedrosa or Stoner will be Jorge Lorenzo, who has until the end of this year to become the youngest ever rider to win a 250cc Grand Prix and last year’s Phillip Island winner Sebastián Porto, who also holds the quarter-litre lap record. A controversial twist to the 125cc World Championship in the last round at Qatar means Mika Kallio is now leading by just two points from Thomas Lüthi with three rounds remaining. Kallio saw victory snatched from his grasp by his KTM team-mate Gabor Talmacsi on the finish line in Doha and will be looking to take matters into his own hands this weekend at a circuit where he has not enjoyed the best of fortune in past seasons. Kallio, who has finished either first or second at the last five races, has failed to finish in each of his three previous starts at Phillip Island, crashing in both 2002 and 2003 and retiring with handling problems last year. However, Lüthi also has a poor record in Australia, failing to score points there in three previous visits.

A truly great grand prix motor cycle racing circuit in a superb location. They had been racing on the roads of the holiday Island, Phillip Island for many years but it was only when it was modified to it’s present day 4.448 kms configuration in 1988 that it gained international recognition. The track and facilities were completely re-vamped for grand prix motor cycle racing and the result was a circuit that is the favourite for the majority of the MotoGP stars. The track simply flows through a series of undulating bends finishing in a long downhill start and finish straight. The circuit staged the first Australian Grand Prix in 1989 and to the delight of the whole nation was won by Australian Wayne Gardner riding the Honda. Gardner won the next year but then the Australian Grand Prix venue was switched to Eastern Creek near Sydney. It returned to it’s original home in 1997 and has remained ever since. Alex Criville won the first 500cc race back at the circuit which has become the domain of Valentino Rossi. After winning the 250cc race in 1998 and 1999, the Italian has won the MotoGP race for the last four years, twice clinching the world title at the circuit. Max Biaggi won riding the Yamaha in 2000. Phillip Island, which is not really an Island and linked to the mainland by a bridge, is situated 100 kms south of Melbourne. The view from the start and finish straight over the choppy sea of the Bass Straight is almost as famous as the Penguin parade that has made the Island such a tourist attraction. The only drawback can be the weather. Often the rain and high winds can batter the Island in October but it’s a small price to pay for such a magnificent race track FROM THE SADDLE Alex Barros #4: “Phillip Island is a track I really like, it’s one of the best on the calendar; it’s fast, technical, with super-fast corners where the front of the bike is worked really hard, and as such has to be set up perfectly. So I hope that, with Michelin’s help after a week of being able to analyse the problems we have had in the last few races, we can get back to finding a good set-up between the tyre-forks combination. Compared to Qatar and Malaysia, Phillip Island will be a lot cooler, so conditions will be very different. We’ll see, I hope to have a good race.” Chris Vermeulen #77: “It’s especially exciting to be able to ride Honda’s RC211V at Phillip Island. It’s always good to ride at home because we only get one race there each year – nice to have friends and family there to support. Phillip Island is one of the best circuits in the world; it’s fast and flowing and that really suits my riding style. You get a great view of the ocean coming down the start-finish straight, but maybe I won’t get the chance to appreciate that so much on a factory Honda GP machine at something like 320kph! I’ve always struggled a bit on the two hairpins but that’s mostly because of the way I’ve had the bike set up. Because the rest of the circuit is so fast, there always has to be a bit of a compromise. Otherwise I love the place and Lukey Heights has to be one of my three favourite corners anywhere”. CIRCUIT – AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX – 16/10/05 PHILLIP ISLAND Track data: Length: 4.448 kms. Pole Position: Left. Width: 13 m Right corners: Five Left corners: Seven. Longest straight: 900 m Constructed; 1956 Modified: 2005 Pole setting lap record: Valentino Rossi (Honda – 2003) 1:30.068 – 177.785 km/h Record lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 1:31.102 – 175.768 km/h. 2004 Race winner: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 41:25.819 – 173.925 km/h Alex Barros 2004. Barros fifth. TECHNICAL INSIGHT – AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX – 16/10/05 PHILLIP ISLAND TECHNICAL INSIGHT The average lap speed is 177.785 km/h, making it the second fastest track of the World Championship calendar behind Assen. This high speed would seem strange at a circuit with very few straights, however, although the main straight is relatively short at less than 900 metres long, the corner leading onto it and the corner at the end of it are both extremely fast corners taken at more than 180 km/h . The ideal settings would give the bike stability to be able to take the fast corners with as much precision as possible and use the maximum amount of track surface. There are six corners taken at over 180 Km/h and three of these are negotiated at more than 200 Km/h. Given the presence of these high speed corners, and the constant changes of direction at high speed, technicians tend to fit hard springs so that when the rear of the bike is under compression the riding precision is not affected and the rider can maintain the racing line through corners. However, the presence of many bumps on the track surface means that the springs to be fitted cannot be as hard as we would like. To demonstrate the pressure on the springs, the point of greatest compression of the rear of the bike takes place between corners seven and eight where the bike is travelling at more than 230Km/h. This speed creates a force of more than 500kg on the rear springs. Regarding the front suspension, the points in the circuit where there is most movement of the front shocks are the two hairpins taken at slow speeds. The rider must brake hard at these two points, but this is not a circuit where hard front springs are fitted because of hard braking. Due to the bumpy track surface in the fast corners, softer springs are fitted in the front to maintain the precision and the grip, even through these bumpy areas. Some of these bumps are so big that the bikes literally take off as they lose contact with the track in both the front and rear. The best place to witness this is at the end of the straight where the bikes leave the ground at more than 305 km/h. In Phillip Island the gear ratios are a little special since the higher gears are used more frequently than is usual. Most of the corners are taken in third, fourth and even fifth gear. These gears must be set so that there is not too large a step between them and also so that sixth can accommodate speeds of nearly 350 km/h. It is not always easy to find a good compromise. Unlike most other tracks in the MotoGP calendar, there are only two corners taken in first and two taken in second. Another special factor at Phillip Island is rear-tyre wear. As well as being a very abrasive track, the characteristics of the layout of the track put an excessive amount of stress on the rear tyre. The left side of the tyres is critical since the left-handed corner onto the straight is very fast and the rider can open the throttle early, and in doing so heating the left side of the tyre to temperatures that can affect the tyre’s durability. Sometimes we must sacrifice the rear suspension settings and make them softer to prolong the life of the rear tyre so that it lasts the race distance of 120 km. Another important aspect at this circuit is the front brake. There are no hard braking areas around the track so brake discs with smaller diameters are fitted so that they reach the correct working temperatures more easily. At Phillip Island discs of 305mm diameter are fitted compared to a normal diameter of 320mm.

Pirelli Sets World Superbike Track Record At the final round of the World Superbike series, held at Magny-Cours, France, a new Superbike track record was set and reset as riders competing on the world’s fastest 1,000cc Superbikes vied for Superpole and race wins. Friday’s practice saw Suzuki’s Yukio Kagayama blast the previous track record by over two-tenths of a second, lowering the best time ever for a Superbike at Magny-Cours to 1’40.512. In Saturday’s Superpole, Chris Vermeulen rode his Honda CBR1000RR to a new all-time record of 1’39.836, dropping the old record by nearly a full second. By the end of Superpole, the entire front row of Vermeulen, Lorenzo Lanzi, Noriyuki Haga and Karl Muggeridge were all inside the track’s previous record. In Race One, Vermeulen took home the win from his starting place in pole position, setting yet another record for fastest Superbike race lap at 1’40.985. By the end of the race Vermeulen had shaved a cool 26 seconds from the duration of last year’s event. Race Two was interrupted by a red flag and Vermeulen’s day was later cut short by his chain’s weakest link. Nevertheless, winner Lanzi lowered the race lap record again, on the final lap of the race, with a time of 1’40.601. World Supersport saw results just as exciting with third-place finisher Michel Fabrizio of Team Italian Megabike, setting a race lap record for Supersport at 1’44.071. The record-setting results at Magny-Cours are proof of Pirelli’s winning commitment of supplying the world’s best Superbike riders with the world’s best racing tires. World Superbike has added excitement to its program by supplying each and every team, from Ben Bostrom to newly crowned World Champion Troy Corser, the exact same racing tires. This world-class, spec-tire series gives spectators the best possible show of man and machine competing for the championship at equal advantage. With lap records set all the way from practice to Superpole to the final race’s final lap, Pirelli has made a statement about its consistent, predictable and world-leading performance.

CMRA racer Barry Peterson, who went by his middle name Jason, died in a street crash Sunday. Read about it in a local news report here: ~http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/1005/267268.html~

Motorcycle racer Vincent Haskovec was admitted Friday to Long Beach Memorial Hospital in Long Beach, California with a serious infection in his back, at the site of the original surgery he underwent to insert two titanium rods and 10 screws in his spine. Haskovec crashed during the AMA Formula Xtreme race at Infineon Raceway and suffered spinal injuries May 14; he originally underwent surgery May 16 in San Jose, California. Haskovec is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday to address the problem, including removal of infected tissue and bone and possible replacement of removed bone with bone grafts. If the hardware is also involved with the infection, the hardware will have to be removed and Haskovec will be facing several months in the hospital, basically starting over in terms of spinal stabilization. “I was complaining about having seizures at night and a lot of pain,” said Haskovec today. “I thought it was part of the deal, but in my therapy I was talking to some guys I was exercising with and they didn’t have the problems. So I went to a wound doctor Friday and ended up in the hospital. It was shocking to me, I thought I was long enough in the hospital.” Haskovec lives in Lake Elsinore, California. Well wishes can be directed to Haskovec at [email protected] or c/o Team Hammer, Inc., Team M4 EMGO Suzuki, PO Box 183, Wildomar, CA 92595-0183.

The wild-card riders who will race in the Polini Australian Grand Prix, scheduled on the circuit of Phillip Island on October 16 next, are the following: MotoGP class substitute riders 17 – Chris Vermeulen (AUS-Honda) 19 – Olivier Jacque (FRA-Kawasaki) 250cc class 81 – Mark Rowling (AUS-Yamaha) 82 – Mick Kelly (AUS-Honda) 83 – Ben Reid (AUS-Yamaha) 125cc class 69 – Blake Leigh-Smith (AUS-Honda) 70 – Brent Rigoli (AUS-Honda) 81 – Tom Hatton (AUS-Honda) 82 – Candice Scott (AUS-Honda) 83 – Rhys Moller (AUS-Honda)

Race finish and points in Magny Cours Nicky Wimbauer (17), Team Moto1-Racing pilot in the European SuperStock 600 championship finished the race in Magny Cours in 14th. position after an impressive catch-up battle. After a string of bad luck in the previous three rounds of the SBK series, Wimbauer had some difficulties to find a good setup in Magny Cours, France. “The track was new to me and the 30 minute free practice was not enough to find a good setup, that compromises fast and hard-breaking sections including elevation changes,” commented Wimbauer. His qualifying laptime of 1:52:326 earned Wimbauer a spot on fifth row of the strong 36 rider field. After making some more radical changes to the bike before the race, Nicky was able match his qualifying time already in lap two of the race and continued to better the race pace lap by lap passing one rider after another in front of him. Wimbauer finished the last round of the European SuperStock 600 championship in 14th. position and posted the 10th-fastest race lap with a laptime of 1:51:554. “The bike was spewing water and the clutch started to slip but I am just glad to have finished a race again, finally. This season was about learning all European tracks and getting familiar with the environment ” said Wimbauer after the race. “The 4 DNFs hurt my point standings but with an updated bike and the track knowledge now, I could build upon the highlights from this year and run within the top-five of that championship next season. However, I am not sure what we will do in 2006. It was great to have english-speaking Hudson Kennaugh and his suspension technician available to me at this round and I wanted to say thanks again and a big thanks to the team for all their efforts thoughout the season.” The new STK 600 series has turned out to be an extremely competitive race series with many participating riders that have won national championships or posted top-five results in previous World SuperSport races. It is not unusual that the performance index covers 12 riders within one second and many riders on the STK600 grid would have qualified for the World SuperSport races even though the SuperStock class uses Pirelli Diablo street tires. SBK officials plan to maintain the successful SuperStock 600 class for 2006, whereas the 2006 schedule will be available soon.

Team SUZUKI MotoGP heads down under Team SUZUKI MotoGP is on its travels again as the MotoGP World Championship heads to the southern hemisphere for the one and only time this season. The Polini Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island near Melbourne will be round 15 of the 17 event season and Kenny Roberts Jr and John Hopkins will be hoping to add to their points tally and push themselves towards a top-10 championship position. Roberts Jr didn’t race at Phillip Island last year due to injuries he sustained earlier in the season. The 2000 World Champion will be aiming to continue his impressive run of always finishing in a points scoring position at every Australian Grand Prix he has raced in. Hopkins is also eager to add to his current total, the hard charging Anglo-American already has eight more points than the whole of the 2004 season and is still confident that he can better the fifth place that he secured in Japan last month. The Phillip Island circuit is arguably one of the most spectacular in the world and the stunning ocean backdrop just adds to the fantastic spectacle of the Australian GP. The circuit is very demanding on tyres due to many long left handed corners that have to be powered around and the extremes of temperatures that can range from warm spring conditions to chill winds blowing straight up from Antarctica. The new generation of Bridgestone tyres will certainly be put to the test at a track where high average speed – not top speed – is the key to a good lap time and the correct choice of tyre for race day will be vital. Sunday’s race will begin at 14.30hrs (local time), 06.30hrsCET and both riders will be going all out to get the best result for Team SUZUKI MotoGP. Paul Denning Team Manager: “We have just about recovered from the strenuous three-week Asian tour and now have the long trek to Australia. Both Kenny and John are rested and ready to race. They both enjoy the Phillip Island circuit so they are looking forward to Sunday. “Team SUZUKI MotoGP has been working on many exciting behind the scenes projects for next season and we should hopefully have some news soon. But firstly we must focus on the job in hand and that is to continue with the steady development of the GSV-R and the latest Bridgestone tyres. We must work as hard as we can to get the best possible results over the remaining three rounds and try to improve on both the rider’s individual positions and team’s standing in the championship.”

Brand’s Hatch, 9 October 2005, British Superbike Championship racing. Leon Camier was crowned British Supersport Champion Sunday at the Brands Hatch round of the British Superbike Championship series. Camier cruised home in fifth place on his Padgett’s Honda CBR 600 capturing the crown by 13 points. After a very on and off season in 2004, Leon began California Superbike School training at the school’s UK branch. After meeting with the school’s director, Keith Code, in Spain last October Leon decided to come to America and continue his schooling and Code took him on for some private coaching at that time. After being crowned 2005 UK Supersport Champion, Leon acknowledged the school’s help in his interview over British National television. “We’ve been working with Leon at the schools in England, here in the US and long distance coaching over the phone and e-mail. You can’t help but like Leon and want to help him win.” says school founder Keith Code, “There is no question of his talent and ability to learn, I think his performance at the 8 Hour this year proved that. He’d never even ridden a superbike or been to Suzuka. The finish wasn’t all that impressive but his performance was. Rumor has it that some teams here are looking at him for 2006.”