MotoGP gets traditionally warm welcome in Qatar After an intense operation to transport the entire paddock almost 6,000 kilometres across Asia in just three days, the MotoGP World Championship teams and riders were today able to begin their preparations for the fourteenth round of the season in the hot and dusty surroundings of the Losail International Circuit. With midday temperatures touching 40ºC and a strong breeze blowing clouds of sand over the arid land separating the circuit from the nearby capital city of Doha, the Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar looks set to be another tough weekend for the riders after two consecutive races in Japan and Malaysia. With Valentino Rossi yet to arrive in the country from his World Championship celebrations in his native Italy, talk today turned to the battle for second place in the championship, with his team-mate Colin Edwards the centre of attention after his starring role in last year’s inaugural race. The American set the lap record on his way to second place behind Sete Gibernau and currently lies 20-points behind Max Biaggi as he aims to complete a championship one-two for Yamaha. “The fight for second place is almost like a championship within a championship,” said Edwards. “With four races to go this is definitely not the time to be making any mistakes and we’re all pushing very hard. I went well at this track last year and I’m confident about this weekend. At the start of the year I said I wanted to win a race and the next four rounds are all at tracks I like so the top step of the podium is definitely my goal this time.” On current form Loris Capirossi looks like the man most likely to dislodge Biaggi, having taken two consecutive victories in a blossoming relationship between Ducati and tyre partners Bridgestone. Capirossi failed to finish the race here last season but he is currently in the best run of form of his premier-class career and is looking to seal a hat-trick of victories this weekend. “This is my sixteenth year in World Championship racing and I think I’ve shown that my potential is still really strong,” he said. “The big issue this weekend will be the sand – if sand gets blown onto the track, like last year, it’s a big problem.” Capirossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa was one of a group of riders who had the opportunity to take a camel ride today in a host of traditional Qatari activities arranged within the circuit, including henna tattoos and local dancers. Casey Stoner and Thomas Lüthi also joined the camel convoy as they prepared to continue their chase for the 250cc and 125cc World Championships respectively. Stoner took maximum points at the last round in Sepang as the series leader Dani Pedrosa crashed out, leaving them separated by a margin of 38 points. “My main target for each of the remaining rounds is to finish ahead of Dani,” said Stoner. “If I can do that then there’s a good chance I can keep the championship alive until the final round, which would be a big achievement for us. I like this track a lot, it suits my style and I don’t think the sand will be as much of a problem for me as it might be for other riders.” Lüthi also clinched victory at Sepang but the margin from his main title rival was much less, with just 0.002 seconds separating him from Mika Kallio as they crossed the line. The Swiss youngster defends an eight-point advantage from the Finn this weekend. “Of course I know Mika is very close and everything can change in one weekend,” said Lüthi, who has finished with Kallio in the top two for the last four races. “Last year was not good for me in general but I’m in good form right now and looking forward to racing at Qatar again.”

Superbike & Supersport World Championships, Superstock FIM Cup Imola-ITA, 02/10/2005: Wild-card riders The wild-card riders who will race in the Superbike and Supersport World Championships and Superstock FIM Cup rounds scheduled on the circuit of Imola on October 2 next, are the following : Superbike 26 Andrea Mazzali (ITA-MV Agusta F4 1000 MT) Mazzali Racing Team 35 Luca Pini (ITA-Honda CBR1000RR) tba 36 Maurizio Prattichizzo (ITA-Kawasaki ZX-10R) PapaMoto Sport 72 Michele Gallina (ITA-MV Agusta F4 1000 MT) Gallina Team 92 Luca Conforti (ITA-Ducati 999R) Team Guandalini Supersport 57 Sergio Ruggiero (ITA-Yamaha YZF-R6) VMN Racing 161 Simone Sanna (ITA-Honda CBR600RR) Improve Racing Team Superstock 49 Simone Saltarelli (ITA-Yamaha YZF-R1) 44 Racing Team 70 Enrico Pasini (ITA-Suzuki GSX-R1000) Boselli Racing

DESERT SANDS AWAIT NAKANO AND JACQUE IN QATAR The blistering desert temperatures of Qatar will require little acclimatisation by the MotoGP circus, which has arrived directly from the tropical heat of Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix. And the Qatar Grand Prix, to be raced on Saturday October 1st, is eagerly anticipated by Kawasaki Racing Team riders, Shinya Nakano and Olivier Jacque. Both riders were early retirements from the Malaysian Grand Prix, in frustrating circumstances. Going the full distance of the 22-lap race at the Losail International Circuit, at a competitive pace, will go a long way towards erasing those memories. Nakano was unceremoniously bundled out of third place on lap two at Sepang, an incident that momentarily had his frustration level hotter than Qatar’s desert sand. But the Japanese ace has quickly turned his focus to the challenge of this track, where he qualified fifth last year – just 0.3s off pole position. He was then running strongly in third place in the race before a mechanical problem forced an early retirement Based on similarly hot conditions at Sepang last Sunday, Nakano believes the current Ninja ZX-RR and Bridgestone tyre package has a lot to offer this weekend. Jacque was also an early retirement from Sepang because of a minor technical glitch, and he is keen to build his race mileage after limited Grand Prix opportunities this season. The Doha experience will be all new for the Frenchman, who is making his first visit to the Losail International Circuit on the outskirts of Doha. That means learning the circuit and adapting to tricky opening day practice sessions, when sand blown onto the track creates low grip levels and a single, and slippery, narrow racing line. As the track is cleaned and more rubber laid down lap times drop dramatically, with the fastest conditions usually present for MotoGP race time on Saturday. Jacque is again replacing Kawasaki’s injured team rider Alex Hofmann. The 5.3 km Losail International Circuit was opened in 2004, in time to host the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix, bringing world championship motorcycle racing to the region for the first time. Shinya Nakano: #56 “This week I hope to see the chequered flag, if no one bumps into me like at Sepang. I just want the opportunity to race in conditions that I think will suit the ZX-RR and Bridgestone tyres, and I remember last year I was third before my bike stopped in the race. I like the track, especially the fast flowing parts like the long double-right corner after the hairpin, and our new motor specification should help at this track. The most important considerations at Losail are to be careful on Friday when the track is sandy and slippery, almost like rain, and to find a good feeling with the front. Fortunately Bridgestone have made very good steps with both front and rear tyres, as we saw in Motegi and Sepang, so this will be an advantage.” Olivier Jacque: #19 “The Losail circuit is completely new for me so I will take a scooter and try and learn the track before practice, plus study the telemetry map to get an idea of speeds and gears. But ever since I started racing I’ve never had a big problem memorising tracks so it should be okay. The worst part about not finishing the Sepang race is that it robbed me of racing laps on the ZX-RR, that’s what you need at this level, there is only so much practice and testing you can do. So I hope to be more competitive at Qatar and certainly the new Bridgestone tyres will be a big help, especially with the improvement in drive grip and traction.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “I think the Kawasaki team can be very optimistic about the Qatar Grand Prix. The track layout fits our package very well, with Shinya’s fluid riding style combined with the current performance strengths of the ZX-RR. Combine this with the impressive tyre development programme of Bridgestone and it looks like we have a very good opportunity. The circuit does not place high demands on engine power, there are lot of rolling throttle and flowing sections, and I think we saw at Sepang that Shinya is quite capable of racing at the front.”

Team SUZUKI MotoGP ready for Qatari heat Team SUZUKI MotoGP has travelled to the Middle East for what looks likely to be the hottest Grand Prix of the season. Temperatures are expected to be in excess of 40 degrees for this weekend’s Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar, as Kenny Roberts Jr and John Hopkins aim to continue the strong run of form that has seen them score successive top-10 finishes in the last two races and Hopkins start from the front row at both events. Roberts Jr and Hopkins will need to make the most of their brand new Alpinestars chairs that have been installed in their respective pit-boxes to give them a cooling supply of air in the oppressive heat. The Losail track is situated just over 30 kilometres outside Doha, the capital of Qatar. This will be only the second time the MotoGP has visited the circuit which is located in totally flat and empty terrain. The surface can suffer from a lack of grip due to the dusty and dry conditions and both riders will need to get the best from their Bridgestone tyres to make the most of this technical circuit. Roberts Jr will be racing at the 5.380km long track for the first time he missed last year’s race due to injuries sustained at Motegi. Team SUZUKI MotoGP comes to round 14 of the MotoGP World Championship having already scored more points than it managed to secure in the whole of the 2004 season and will definitely be looking to further improve on that total when racing gets underway for the 22-lap race on Saturday 1st October at 15.00hrs (local time), 14.00CET. Paul Denning Team Manager: “We have had some good performances in the past few weeks and need to continue that form here in Qatar. The heat will be a test for all the riders and machinery, but the biggest demand will be on tyres as track temperatures will be higher than anywhere else this season. We will be working very closely with Bridgestone to find the best solution for Saturday’s race. This was a totally new track for everyone last year and a new one for Kenny this – and grip was the most important factor so we know what to expect. The circuit has now had a lot more usage and I’m sure the track surface will not be as slippery as last year but the high winds may churn up the desert sands and turn it into a motocross circuit to begin with. “Both riders are fit, and growing in confidence with the GSV-R race by race, so we hope to see another strong performance from Team Suzuki.”

FLYAWAY It sounds like the advertising agencies dream word to sell sun kissed holidays on white sandy beaches lapped by clear blue seas. First class air travel, long sleek limos and exotic food and wine. Flyaway – makes all your dreams come true. The dream word has a very different meaning to anybody connected with the MotoGP World Championship. Flyway means a race usually outside Europe, always a long way from home with no back-up of trucks, spares and hospitality. For most people certainly no first class air travel, sleek limos and exotic food and wine. Far more time spent in hot sweaty garages and pit lanes than sandy beaches lapped by clear blue seas. We are in the middle of five flyway races in the space of just six weeks. The itinerary that takes us to Japan, Malaysia, Qatar, Australia and Turkey in that short space of time would certainly suit Felius Fog of Round the World in Eighty Days fame more than the MotoGP World Championship. Of course it’s exciting and exhilarating but also exhausting and demanding. The very lifeblood of the sport, the bikes flew out to Japan a week before the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi. They will not return to their home bases, Barcelona in the case of the Camel Honda team, until after the Turkish Grand Prix and before the final race of the season at Valencia in Spain at the beginning of November. Three cargo jumbo jets will transport the bikes, spares and all the television, technical and timing equipment round the World in seven incredible weeks of airports, pit lanes of course not forgetting the real purpose of the journey, races. So that’s the hardware taken care of but what about the human cargo – how do they cope with the travelling, languages, food, climate and from being away from loved ones back home for so long. For some, they love being away from home for so long while others wince when the mobile phone bills arrives on their doormat after the trip. It’s certainly easier for the person away from home, with a great deal of their time taken up with the job which can leave little time to dwell on missing people back at home. I’m sure for those at home it’s much harder, especially as the big times differences make the only contact, snatched telephone calls, in the middle of the night, probably just when the children have finally got to sleep. For those on the road, or in this case the plane, the contrast between the present group of flyaways could not be greater. First stop was Motegi in Japan which around 100kms north of Tokyo in wooded hilly countryside. If you did not stay at the expensive circuit hotel with the obligatory Italian restaurant, you could have been staying a good one hour away from your place of work. Some teams bring their own chef that prepare food at the circuit from makeshift kitchens while many others eat at the very busy circuit restaurant with its limited by pretty tasty menus of curry, curry and curry. Malaysia could not be a greater contrast in all ways. Most people flew to Kuala Lumpur from Tokyo on Monday for at least a week long stay at one of MotoGP’s favourite watering holes. Most of the team stay in the hotel right next to the International airport and very close to the circuit. It certainly can be where the paddock lets off a little bit of steam while the centre of Kuala Lumpur is just 25 minutes by train. KL is a great hot heaving city that you either love or hate. Most MotoGP people love it not only for the Petronis Towers and that good old colonial cricket ground right in the centre but for the World famous markets. Team members arrive with lists from home on what is required and the majority of the time return home satisfied. Suit cases bulging with designer (well it certainly looks like designer) clothing and footwear, watches, DVD’s and cameras make the long time away and Christmas a lot more bearable for those back home. If we thought it was hot in Malaysia we then flew onto Qatar for just our second visit to the country that is reported to be the richest in the World. You just could not imagine a greater contrast to Motegi we left just seven days earlier. Plush hotels more akin to those Flyaway adverts, clear blue sea and more sand than I’d ever seen before. It’s hot and humid in Malaysia but it’s just plain scorching in Qatar and especially at the Losail circuit that is in the middle of nowhere and surrounded, you guessed it, by sand. Out of the sun, the facilities are amazing at the circuit with even our favourite Italian catering company running the circuit restaurant with certainly more than curry on the menu. We fly out of Qatar late on Saturday night to arrive home on Sunday morning. Just time to get everything washed, spend some time with the family, watch a bit of football and enjoy the delights of alcohol again before flying off to Australia a week later for yet another Flyaway. Must be better than a proper job.

2006 AMA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED 2005 season continued strong growth trends due to competitive racing, targeted television package and enthusiastic fan base PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 27, 2005) AMA Pro Racing has released its schedule for the 2006 AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. The 2006 calendar highlights include an all-new event at Miller Motorsports Park, a state-of-the art racing facility currently under construction outside Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as a return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in conjunction with the MotoGP World Championship event. The 2005 racing season produced some of the most competitive racing in years with all four class titles being decided at the final round. Mat Mladin captured his record sixth AMA Superbike championship and Tommy Hayden successfully defended his AMA Supersport title. Miguel Duhamel barely edged teammate Jake Zemke in an epic, last race showdown to capture the AMA Formula Xtreme trophy and Aaron Yates earned his third AMA road race championship by grabbing the AMA Superstock crown. In 10 events in the 2005 campaign, an estimated 551,581 fans witnessed the AMA Superbike Championship first hand. This represents a nearly 25 percent increase over 2004 despite one less event, and also marks the first time in the sport’s 29-year history that event attendance has climbed over the half-million mark. Since 2000 attendance has grown nearly 68 percent. Television ratings also remained strong in 2005 on the strength of SPEED Channel’s live and same-day taped broadcasting schedules and the steadily growing U.S. distribution of the SPEED Channel network now in nearly 70 million North American households. There has also been growth in international television distribution with AMA Superbike being shown in 100 territories around the world and available in nearly 30 million households outside of North America. “We’re pleased with what we’re seeing,” commented AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth about the championship. “By all measurables we’re enjoying success. We’ve got tremendous fan support, a strong television package that’s delivering good ratings and most importantly, a great, on-track product. In 2006 our objective is to continue our aggressive marketing of the series by targeting companies that can benefit from being involved with AMA-branded professional motorcycle road racing. Strong growth supports the notion that we’re going in the right direction and we plan on maintaining this momentum.” The 2006 AMA Superbike Championship schedule is as follows: DATE LOCATION March 8-11 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla. April 21-23 Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (Superbike Doubleheader) April 28-30 California Speedway, Fontana, Calif. (Superbike Doubleheader) May 5-7 Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif. (Superbike Doubleheader) May 20-21 Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain Colo. June 2-4 Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisc. (Superbike Doubleheader) June 16-18 Miller Motorsports Park, Salt Lake City, Utah (Superbike Doubleheader) July 21-23 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. Aug. 4-6 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio (Superbike Doubleheader) Aug. 25-27 Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Va. (Superbike Doubleheader) * Sept. 1-3 Road Atlanta, Braselton, Ga. (Superbike Doubleheader) * Tentative, subject to change About AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the THQ AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Motocross Championship, the AMA Superbike Championship, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.

2006 CMRA RACE SCHEDULE February 11-12 No Problem Raceway, Belle Rose, LA March 18-19 Oak Hill Raceway, Henderson, TX April 22-23 Texas World Speedway, College Station, TX May 20-21 Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, Hallett, OK June 10-11 MotorSport Ranch, Cresson, TX July 1-2 Oak Hill Raceway, Henderson, TX July 29-30 Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, Hallett, OK August 19-20 MotorSport Ranch, Cresson, TX September 9-10 Oak Hill Raceway, Henderson, TX October 7-8 Texas World Speedway, College Station, TX One additional event may be added at a later date. For more information, visit www.cmraracing.com or call 817-377-1599.

Island Racing Services, the south central Michelin race tire distributor based in Galveston, Texas, came out of Hurricane Rita unscathed and will be operational this coming weekend during the CMRA race event at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. David Hirsch, owner of Island Racing Services, was unable to evacuate the island of Galveston because he is a Galveston Police Officer, but his race tire service trailer was towed off the island and to safety in central Texas by racer Ronnie Lunsford. After making minor repairs to his home’s roof, Hirsch e-mailed Roadracingworld.com to report that he cannot ship race tires at the moment, he will receive a new shipment of tires on Thursday, he will be vending and servicing Michelin race tires at Texas World Speedway throughout the weekend and he will be “fully operational” on Monday, October 3.