Circuit: Losail Circuit Country: Qatar Track length: 5400 m Opened: 2004 Fastest Lap Ever: 1:58.988 (Carlos Checa, 2004) MotoGP lap record: 1:59.293 (Colin Edwards, 2004) Last year MotoGP winner: Sete Gibernau 2004 Qatar review Valentino Rossi’s race started the inaugural Qatar MotoGP race from dead last, after being relegated to the last grid position due to a protest made by the competition after his crew cleaned the surface of his original starting position (8th position). After one lap Rossi had scythed through the field to eighth position and continued his scintillating progress until he caught the wrong edge of the track with his rear wheel coming out of the second last turn on lap six and was thrown from his bike, he walked away from the crash unhurt. While Rossi had his worst 2004 race, his current teammate Colin Edwards had his best. Edwards celebrated his MotoGP career best result with a second place, setting the lap record along the way. Set-up report YZR-M1 The Losail circuit is located on the western side of the Persian Gulf just outside of the capital city Doha, and was used for the first time last year. Being a desert location the high air temperatures – averaging around 37 degrees Celsius during the day, with track temperatures approaching 50 degrees – play a determining role in the outcome of the race. The weather conditions are not unlike the last race venue Sepang, so the settings from this circuit could be a proper starting point for Qatar as well. The 5.4km Losail track is of a greater length than most MotoGP venues, and certainly few existing tracks feature quite so many corners, and in such varieties. To their credit the track designers have eschewed the adoption of rhythm-disrupting chicanes, yet have managed to make the layout of the circuit fascinating on paper. Several high-speed corners, plus two tighter hairpins, make Losail a circuit of contrasts. Six left and ten right hand corners are laid on top of a largely flat surface, removing at least one complication to the machine’s set-up, bumps. But in addition to the intricate circuit layout and the high track temperatures another factor comes into play, sand. As the track is located in a desert, the track surface is covered with fine sand which means that grip levels can be deceiving and inconsistent, certainly on coming Thursday when free practice commences (race is held on Saturday). The relatively fast corners will clearly require stability from chassis and suspension set-up. The track will demand an almost constant agility at the same time as offering stability driving off the sides of the tyres. Although there are no real hard braking areas, front-end confidence will again be paramount as the last two races at Motegi and Sepang have proven that this was one of the main determining factors for a successful race. The riders will need to depend greatly on their front tyre giving enough feel and endurance to prevent low-siding out of the race. Another target will be a good stable turn-in characteristic and a set-up that offers easy changes in direction. Weight bias will start of as neutral as possible to prevent the front overloading in the midpoint of the turn, while also ensuring good drive off the sides of the rear. A slightly lower center of gravity could be utilized in an effort to improve the rate of pitching and the bike’s ability to change direction quickly. With only two hard braking areas on the 5.4 kilometer layout, being turn one and the turn six hairpin, fork springs will be chosen to maximize rider feedback, biased slightly towards the softer side. It will also be a similar case on the rear with the monoshock’s spring rate. Power delivery will need to be mapped to provide the best midrange torque and predictability to drive off the turns, while still being able to push the M1 past the 320 km/h mark on the one kilometer long straight.

WINSTON RIDERS HEAD FOR SEASON’S CLIMAX Winston Ten Kate Honda riders Sébastien Charpentier and Katsuaki Fujiwara head to the famous 4.9km circuit of Enzo e Dino Ferrari at Imola in northern Italy this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2005 World Supersport championship. Charpentier secured his champion’s crown at round nine in Assen, Holland but is looking to make amends for slipping out of the following week’s tenth round race at Eurospeedway Lausitz in Germany. The Frenchman has already beaten 2004 champion Karl Muggeridge’s tally of eight pole positions and is looking for victory in the final two rounds to beat Muggeridge’s seven wins last season. Charpentier’s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate Fujiwara slipped from second place in the championship last time out in Germany and is relying on a solid Imola performance to secure another one-two series finish for his Dutch team. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “The last two rounds in Assen and Lausitz were a real roller-coaster for the team. After winning the title at our home round in front of a fantastic crowd and all the team’s guests, we came back down to earth with a bump the following weekend. Sébastien crashed out uncharacteristically at Lausitz and Kats struggled to find a good set-up, allowing Kevin Curtain to take second place in the championship. We’ve made some small changes to the CBR600RR and the whole team is really fired up to show our real strength at Imola and then, the following weekend, at Magny-Cours. Sébastien wants more wins and Kats is very motivated to re-take that second place in the championship.” Sébastien Charpentier championship position 1st, 210 points (World Supersport Champion 2005): “I have already forgotten Lausitz because it was a very bad weekend for me and the team after all the elation of the previous week in Assen. It has been an amazing time since I won the title with a lot of coverage in France and posters all over my département of La Charente! But the job is not finished because I have not yet won a race as world champion. I like Imola and finished third in the race here last year. But of course I am still hungry to show that I’m strong and that I have the best team and the best bike; this is why I won the championship and I want to prove it by winning at Imola this weekend.” Katsuaki Fujiwara championship position 3rd, 140 points: “Lausitz was not a very good weekend for the team so I am very keen to put that right in Imola. It is a circuit I like and I won the Supersport race in 2002 but the last two years have not been so good for me. With the Honda CBR there is no reason why I cannot do well the bike has been amazing since I first rode it before the season started. I have won two races this year but not since Monza in May, so it is time to win again and secure second place again in the championship. First and second place with Sébastien and me is nothing less than my team deserves because they have worked so hard all season.” World Supersport Championship points after 10 of 12 rounds: 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 210, 2 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) 147, 3 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 140, 4 Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) 126, 5 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) 109, 6 Broc Parkes AUS (Yamaha) 89, 7 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) 86, 8 Javier Fores ESP (Suzuki) 60, 9 Gianluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) 56, 10 Tauto Lauslehto FIN (Honda) 56. Imola World Supersport event schedule: Friday 30 September 09.35-10.20 free practice, 13.15-14.00 qualifying; Saturday 1 October 10.00-10.45 free practice, 13.45-14.30 qualifying; Sunday 2 October 09.50-10.10 warm-up, 13.20 race (21 laps 103.593 km).

ROLLERI AND GRUY TAKE WEST COAST TITLES Odenton, MD. September 27, 2005 The USGPRU powered by AlwaysOnline.net met this weekend at the world-class California Speedway to decide the western region championship. In the Dialitintracktime.com 250GP qualifying, local favorite, Bradley Adams, set a blistering pace of 1:34.019 on his Yamaha TZ250 to clinch pole position. East coaster, Garrett Carter, rode a borrowed bike to an impressive second place, followed by ex-AMA 250GP racer Billy Dalu. The 250GP event was led start to finish by Adams. He was clearly in a different race from the rest of the field. The big battle was a 6-way brawl for second place. Mark Watts, Vincent Rolleri, Billy Dalu, Tyler Reiswig, and Stewart Aitken-Cade threw down for the first few laps. Aitken-Cade, riding his little 125, was able to hang with the group for a few laps until their horsepower advantage became too much. On lap 2, Dalu fumbled in turn 2 and spent the next 4 laps catching up to the rest of the pack. Eventually passing Reiswig and closing on Rolleri on the final lap. Watts rode to a solid 2nd place finish, followed by Rolleri. In a last ditched attempt to pass Rolleri, Dalu overshot turn 10 and ended up making the pass by cutting the corner. He was later penalized for the infraction and had to settle for 4th place. The west coast regional 250 championship came down to the wire. Rolleri held a narrow points-lead going into this round and Bradley’s strong finish put him in range of victory. In the end though, it was Rolleri’s day as he narrowly held onto a 10-point lead to clinch the championship. Adams came in second with Tyler Reiswig in third. The Acid Cigar’s 125GP qualifying was dominated by 17 year-old Texan, Will Gruy. Will put his Honda RS125 on the pole at a blazing 1:37.706. He was followed closely by the east coast regional champion Garrett Carter. Tyler Reiswig rounded out the front row of the 24 bike grid. The race was a complete barnburner right from the start. The front pack was a 12 bike pack all dicing for a shot at the $4,000 purse. The leader, Will Gruy was able to hold off all attempts until Ryan Ferris crashed in turn 2 resulting in a red flag and an 8-lap restart. The restart put Gruy back out in the lead, followed by Reiswig. The battle for third was a real paint-swapping free-for-all. Carter was eventually able to break free from the pack and started realing in Reiswig, but ultimately ran out of laps and had to settle for third. The battle for 4th place was a 5-way rumble up until the end. 14 year-old Tommy Aquino ran a superb race to hold off Erik Dadej, Quintero, Aitken-Cade, and Solis. The west coast regional 125GP championship was a slam-dunk for Gruy. He clinched the title by a solid 46 points over Aquino. Tyler Reiswig was able to steal third place from Mike Orien by a mere 5 points. The battle for the 125GP National Championship will be decided next weekend at the Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. Will Gruy leads Garrett Carter by 6 points. Gruy has the home track advantage, but Carter has the horsepower on his side. The 250GP Championship is not quite as close as Floridian Josh Day has a 46-point advantage over Garrett Carter. With 50 points up for grabs, it’s still possible, but Garrett’s got his work cut out for him. With a $10,000 purse up for grabs, everyone will be pulling all the stops out for this final round of the 2005 season. Tune into Two Wheel Tuesday on Speed, as they will be out covering the event. Acid Cigar’s 125GP results: 1. Will Gruy (Hon RS125) 2. Tyler Reiswig (Hon RS125) 3. Garrett Carter (Hon RS125) 4. Tommy Aquino (Hon RS125) 5. Eric Dadej (Hon RS125) 6. Rolando Quintero (Hon RS125) 7. Stewart Aitken-Cade (Hon RS125) 8. Ben Solis (Hon RS125) 9. Mike Orien (Hon RS125) 10. Jay Pilster (Hon RS125) 11. Leonard Mellgren (Hon RS125) 12. Bryce Prince (Hon RS125) 13. Debra Kuick (Hon RS125) 14. Phillip Krenn (Hon RS125) 15. Nicole Johnson (Hon RS125) 16. Kirk Snell (Hon RS125) 17. Jerry Berkey (Hon RS125) 18. Kevin Murray (Yam TZ125) 19. Jon Schendel (Yam TZ125) 20. Jeffrey Lim (Hon RS125) 21. Ryan Ferris (Hon RS125), DNF 22. Blair Sullengren (Hon RS125), DNF 23. Britt Arechiga (Hon RS125), DNS 24. Darryl Boediarto (Hon RS125), DNS Dialitintracktime.com 250GP results: 1. Bradley Adams (Yam TZ250) 2. Mark Watts (Yam TZ250) 3. Vincent Rolleri (Yam TZ250) 4. Billy Dalu (Yam TZ250) 5. Tyler Reiswig (Hon RS250) 6. Stewart Aitken-Cade (Hon RS125) 7. Joji Tokumoto (Yam TZ250) 8. Rolando Quintero (Hon RS125) 9. Derek Dutt (Hon RS250) 10. Kirk Snell (Hon RS125) 11. Brian Lowe (Yam TZ250) 12. Phillip Krenn (Hon RS125) 13. John Lee (Hon RS250) 14. Mike Lytle (Yam TZ250) 15. Christian Fletcher (Yam TZ250) 16. Garrett Carter (Yam TZ250), DNF 17. Alexander White (Yam TZ250), DNS 18. Andrew Edwards (Apr RSV250), DNS About USGPRU The USGPRU, Powered by AlwaysOnline.net, is the officially recognized Motorcycle 125 Grand Prix National Championship ® and 250 Grand Prix National Championship TM series. The USGPRU emulates true World MotoGP racing experience and serves to attract young riders to gain experience in a professional environment and provide a path to world-class motorcycle racing. The USGPRU structures events with extended length grand prix racing exclusive to the GP machines, timed qualifying and strong contingency and sponsor support. For additional details, visit www.USGPRU.net More, from a press release issued by Infinity GP Racing: Last weekend at the VIR round, Infinity GP Racings Alex welsh had the fast lap during the 250 GP. Welsh launched a strong start against Brian Kcraget. By lap two Kcraget gained the lead with Alex staying right on his tail by no more then 2-3 bike lengths. Alex was pushing this pace on Kcraget right up until lap 8 when they encountered lapped traffic. Kcraget demonstrated his talent passing the lapped riders, while Alex whose only been racing this year and hasn’t experienced lapped traffic as yet, became noticeably bogged in the traffic. Kcraget went on to take the win in his traditional fast style, while Alex still took 2nd place and the fast lap of 1:32.16 during the race. In the 125 GP The team struggled with power delivery issues. “Due to engine gremlins earlier this season, The TSR engine was built back to stock with all 2005 parts, and were working on building forward from there, so we were just down on power this weekend runnning a stock set-up” stated James Young, Chief Tech for Infinity GP Racing. ” We just wanted to get a bike under Alex that wouldn’t break, and we accomplished that. Only problem we ran into during the race, was that he was pushing the bike faster (to make up for down power) than the suspension set-up could handle and higsided it in turn one, taking himself out in lap 7. Alex can ride a bike beyond its limitations, and were very interested in seeing him on a fully tuned motor”. More, from a press release issued by WERA Motorcycle Racing, Inc.: Jensen Dominates WERA National at Barber Motorsports Park LEEDS, Ala. Vesrah Suzuki showed that they are still the team to beat in the WERA Dunlop National Endurance Series and Robert Jensen took an impressive four victories in the WERA Michelin National Challenge Series during round ten, held during the weekend of September 24-25 at Barber Motorsports Park. Forty-seven teams took the green flag for the four-hour WERA Dunlop National Endurance Series race on Saturday. There was only one red flag during the race for a single-rider incident despite the high number of teams on track. Vesrah Suzuki’s Tray Batey and John Jacobi took the overall and Heavyweight Superbike win, followed by Ben Walters and Robert Jensen, who gave Army of Darkness the Mediumweight Superbike win. Third place went to Team Velocity Racing’s Mark Crozier and Reuben Frankenfield, who clinched the Heavyweight Superstock victory with their class win. The team’s second entry, TVR2, won Mediumweight Superstock with Chuck Ivey and David Weber at the helm. The Lightweight Superbike class win went to The Notorious P.I.G.’s Stephen Bacon, Nolan Ballew, Chris Ecklund and Melissa Berkoff, who took over the class points lead with one round to go. Sunday’s WERA Michelin National Challenge Series sprint races were windy, but most of the severe weather in the area held off, allowing the ten-lap sprint races to get underway with only a little rain. Kneedraggers.com’s Robert Jensen was the fastest man on the track, winning the expert division in Open Superstock, 600 Superstock, 750 Superstock and Formula 1. In the other expert-division classes, Team EMGO Taiwan’s Opie Caylor won 600 Superbike and Vesrah Suzuki’s Tray Batey dominated Heavyweight Twins Superstock. Troy Meikle won 750 Superbike, Jimmy Wood won Lightweight Twins Superstock and Avery Clark won Formula 2. In the novice division, Thomas Moore was the only multi-time winner with his victories in 600 Superstock and 600 Superbike. The Open Superstock trophy went to Donnie Hendry, Blake Jones won 750 Superstock and Tony Palarie was first in 750 Superbike. Chad Herrmann crossed the finish line first in Lightweight Twins Superstock, while the Heavyweight Twins Superstock win went to Robert Gorst. John A. Lamb ran away with the Formula 2 win. The WERA National Series will have its 11th and final round of the 2005 season during the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta from October 12-16. A complete schedule of the week of racing can be found online at www.WERA.com. More, from a press release issued by Bell’s ARNCHU Racing: Round 10: Barber Motorsports Park, September 23-25, 2005 Bell’s ARNCHU races to 2nd in Class, 5th Overall. Bell’s ARNCHU Racing rode to a podium finish of 2nd in the Heavyweight Superbike class in this past weekend’s WERA Dunlop National Endurance Series at Barber Motorsports Park on their B-bike. Overall the team finished 5th. The team worked through difficult conditions to grid up on time, as rider Rick Knuckles high-sided the A-bike in the pre-race endurance practice. Fortunately, Knuckles escaped serious injury by only spraining his ankle. The team lined up on the grid with a 7.5 gallon fuel tank, lent by eventual winners, Vesrah Suzuki. Dressman rode an iron-man-like 1 hour and 40 minutes, with times in the 1:34s. The low-fuel warning light had not yet turned on, though ARNCHU pitted so that Randy Sherman could take the controls. Randy rode an essentially stock GSXR750 for an hour until a red flag stopped the race as two separate crashes caused both ambulances trips to the local hospital. Vesrah Suzuki was a model of sportsmanship throughout the weekend. First, in lending one of their large fuel tanks to Bell’s ARNCHU, they allowed a fellow competitor to grid up and enjoy the racing. Second, Vesrah Suzuki’s Mark Junge and a technician were seen pushing Team Velocity Racing’s R1 in full running sprint down hot pit lane, as Velocity experienced an electrical issue during the race. Sherman restarted and was able to drop times into the 1:33s, to put the team into a secure 5th overall, “Working at those 1:33’s was a bit bitter because we were doing them with ease on the A-bike. It just takes time to get the settings right on a bike with different spring rates. We rode well enough to pull through some early problems and we’re all anxious to get to Road Atlanta for the final.” The final round is Round 11 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA on October 14, 2005. Visit the team at http://www.arnchu.net

WINSTON’S VERMEULEN TARGETS MORE SUPERBIKE WINS With just four races remaining in the 2005 World Superbike championship, Winston Ten Kate Honda’s Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge head for the penultimate round at the historic Imola circuit in northern Italy this weekend. Vermeulen knows that only race wins will give him the chance of the 2005 title and the most dramatic comeback in the history of the championship. With Vermeulen trailing championship rival, Troy Corser, by 60 points and with a maximum of 100 points available from winning the last four races his Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate and fellow Australian, Karl Muggeridge, hopes that two solid race performances at Imola will help Vermeulen achieve the seemingly impossible. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “We can only hope that we bring our form from the last two rounds at Assen and Lausitz to Imola this weekend and then to Magny-Cours next week. Chris has taken 95 points from the last four races but we really need to take at least another 30 points from Troy (Corser) this weekend to keep the championship alive. Back-to-back races make for an exciting climax to the season but they will be quite hard work for the team. We’ll be doing everything we can to help Chris and Karl collect as many points as possible in Imola. For that, we have some new chassis parts to try, and we hope that we don’t have any mishaps like last year when Chris fell off on the warm-up lap of race two!” Chris Vermeulen championship position 2nd, 329 points: “I’m not feeling any pressure because, as I said after the last round in Germany, this is Troy’s title to lose. The last two rounds were good and we took 50 points out of his lead but we have to do even better than that over the last two rounds. We had a little hiccup at Imola last year but I won the Supersport title here in 2003 and I like the circuit a lot; I think the bike will work here as it really has been getting better and better all season as the last few results have shown. But, as well as Troy trying to wrap things up, there are going to be some other quick guys at Imola the Ducatis were strong last year so Toseland should be in there, and Laconi if he’s fit enough. Haga will be fast for sure and hopefully Karl (Muggeridge) can start to get the kind of results his qualifying form has suggested.” Karl Muggeridge championship position 11th, 111 points: “I like Imola and won the Supersport race in 2003 and again last year on my way to the title. I don’t see any reason why we can’t get a good result on the Superbike this time round. I know the race results haven’t been exactly spectacular this year but I’m actually feeling pretty confident in myself and in the bike. We just need everything to fall into place to unlock this thing. The season’s been pretty up and down I’ve had my share of bad luck and the good things that need to happen to get a good result just haven’t all happened together! Everyone in the team is trying really hard to make it happen and I really believe that it’s a question of ‘when’ now, not ‘if’. I’m looking forward to Imola and Magny-Cours – I like the fact that they’re back-to-back races, and I’m hoping to finish this year on a high.” Championship points after 10 of 12 rounds: 1 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) 389, 2 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 329, 3 Noryuki Haga JPN (Yamaha) 239, 4 James Toseland GBR (Ducati) 215, 5 Regis Laconi FRA (Ducati) 214, 6 Yukio Kagayama JPN (Suzuki) 211, 7 Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha) 137, 8 Chris Walker GBR (Kawasaki) 130, 9 Pierfrancesco Chili ITA (Honda) 125, 10 Lorenzo Lanzi ITA (Ducati) 118, 11 Karl Muggeridge AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 111. Imola World Superbike event schedule: Friday 30 September 10.30-11.30 free practice, 14.15-15.15 qualifying; Saturday 1 October 11.00-12.00 qualifying, 14.45-15.45 free practice, 16.00 Superpole; Sunday 2 October 09.20-09.40 warm-up, 12.00 race one (21 laps 103.593 km), 15.30 race two (21 laps 103.593 km).

This incredible facility was opened last year and staged the very first Qatar Grand Prix. Around $58 million was spent building the state of the art 5.300km circuit in the desert. The facilities were superb while the long circuit provided a variety of bends and a start and finish straight over 1000 meters long. The heat was intense throughout the race weekend but fears that sand would blow onto the surface were largely unfounded. Sete Gibernau won a controversial opening race after Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi had to start from the back of the grid. Rossi crashed in the race but Biaggi was a brave sixth on the Camel Honda, with his team-mate Makoto Tamada tenth. One thing for certain it will be hot and dry over the race weekend. Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world thanks to natural gas and oil and is keen to establish itself as an international sporting venue. The race on Saturday will be only the second MotoGP race to be staged in the Middle East. FROM THE SADDLE Alex Barros #4: “I think that in Qatar we will find a similar situation and so it’s possible that we will find the same problems we had in Malaysia. The track will be dirty and slippery on day one. I remember in last year’s first practice I hardly managed to get my knee down. So we hope that this year it will be a bit better because the track is in fact nice and technical, I really like it. We also hope that Michelin can bring something new, even though we will obviously be trying to do everything possible to get a better set-up for the bike.” Shane Byrne #67: “When I found out I would get this chance to ride the Honda, I thought to myself, “Fantastic, I can get into the top ten, maybe even the top five!,” but after Sepang, I’ve got a better idea of where we are and also how the bike works over a race and what it gives you. I don’t know the Qatar track but we have a programme for setting the bike up there. So I hope that this weekend will see some more progress for us, I hope to be able to battle in the main group and take a few points with a better result.” CIRCUIT – QATAR GRAND PRIX – 01/10/05 LOSAIL Track data Length: 5.300km Pole position: Left Width: 12m Right corners: Ten Left corners: Six Longest straight: 1.068m Constructed 2004 Record lap: Colin Edwards (Honda) 1m59.293s – 162.773 km/h Record Pole Lap : Carlos Checa (Yamaha) 1m58.988s – 162.773 km/h 2004 Race winner: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 44m01.741s – 161.294 km/h Alex Barros/Troy Bayliss 2004 Barros fourth Bayliss dnf TECHNICAL INSIGHT – QATAR GRAND PRIX – 01/10/05 LOSAIL TECHNICAL INSIGHT The Losail circuit is situated in the desert and this means that the climatic condition is a major issue. Track temperature was more 40 degrees at Sepang and it’ll probably be around the same at Losail, up in the 50s. As in Malaysia the bikes must be specially prepared to increase the refrigeration efficiency of the engine and radiators with larger capacities than normal will be fitted again. The track combines a long start and finish straight of 1.068m. with various type of corners but it is very symmetric and not any of them need a lot of throttle. The base setting of the bike will be similar to that used at Sepang, an adequate compromise between the brakes and suspension settings to be able to give stability under braking and also to maintain grip throughout the other parts of the circuit. Grip at Losail is a topic matter speaking about tyres’ performances. The layout of the track isn’t particular hard on tyres. The major concern is the sand blown onto the surface which dramatically reduces the grip. Unfortunately the track doesn’t get used a great deal and the sand has not many chances to get cleared away. If it is sandy, you do everything you can to find grip, but if you use really soft tyres, the sand wears them out quickly, whereas if you use hard tyres you have no grip, which makes tyre choice a tricky task.

A CATHEDRAL IN THE DESERT The MotoGP Championship returns to Qatar where last year the Team Movistar Honda MotoGP riders conquered the first and second steps of the podium. A double success which together with the other twelve obtained in 2004 (four victories and eight podiums) reconfirmed that the team lead by Fausto Gresini deserved to be one of the top runners of the MotoGP Championship. Born in record time, the Losail International was inaugurated last year. The track is 5400 meters long and 14 meters wide. The straight measures 1060 meters: with 20 meters more than Barcelona, it is the second longest straight of the Championship. The track is very peculiar: it is a mixture of medium-quick corners, great braking and various points in which overtaking is possible. There are a total of 16 corners, the last of which is definitely the most interesting as this is the typical track where everything can be decided at the last corner. At 10 km from the capital, Doha, this track is situated in a desert region. The circuit surface was specially studied to resist the very high temperatures, but the main unknown remains the grip as it is often compromised by the high temperature and sand which can easily be blown onto the track form the wind. “It is a very safe track which just happens to be in the middle of the desert.” comments SETE GIBERNAU, winner of the 2004 Qatar GP, first race disputed on this track. “I like the design of this track which offers a bit of everything and is quite fun to ride. A distinctive aspect of this track is the sequence of three right corners. Generally it is difficult to overtake here as, given the track conditions, you cannot go out of your line. The two best place to overtake are the first and last corner. My best memory of this track? My victory in 2004. I look forward to the GP of Qatar. Last year we won and this year we tested in winter. I hope that the data gathered in March in occasion of the pre-season test will be useful for the set up of the bike. I hope that next race will represent a turning pint of such a difficult season. It seems that when things go bad, they go really bad. But mentally I believe in myself more than ever, we just need a change of luck so I’m hoping for a win this weekend.” MARCO MELANDRI returns to Qatar to a track where he already has quite a few miles under his belt with the RC211V during pre season testing. “I did a lot of laps on this track last winter. I am sure that the data we accumulated will be helpful to find a good bike setup. In 2004 Qatar was new for all of us, now we all have had the experience of a race and winter testing, this track will be more familiar for all of us. Now the main unknown remains the wound at the right foot. The wound is healing correctly and I hope to I hope to arrive in Qatar in better shape. In Malaysia I was happy that I could race despite the pain at the foot. For the GP of Qatar I have four additional days to recover”. MARCO COMMENTS THE TRACK “The design of the track is nice, but the conditions are often compromised by the sand which gets deposited onto the track surface. The section I prefer is the one between corners 12 and 16, really nice but above all really quick. In general it is quite difficult to overtake as you cannot lose your line, but one of the best place to try to overtake is during the braking at the end of the straight. The slowest part of the track is between corners 6 and 9, in particular corners 6 and 7. The secret to a good lap? To stay on a clean line! My favourite memory of this track? Last year Losail represented a new experience. I had a good first half of the race until my engine broke and forced me to retire”. THE TRACK – TECHINCAL DATA Name of the circuit: Losail International Opened: 2004 Last modified 2004 Lenght: 5.400 m Width: 12 m Pole position: left Right corners: 10 Left corners: 6 Longest straight: 1068 m RECORD: track record: Edwards (Honda) 1’59″293 pole position: Checa (Yamaha) 1’58″988 2004 race : 1st Gibernau (Honda) 2nd Edwards (Honda) 3rd Xaus (Ducati)

Battle for second place is on at Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar The MotoGP World Championship completes its whirlwind tour of Asia with the third race in as many weekends this Saturday at the Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar. With Valentino Rossi having clinched the title for the fifth successive year in Malaysia last Sunday, the attention now turns to the intense chase for second place, with ten riders still in with a mathematical chance of ending the season as runner-up to the multi-World Champion. The scene of one of the most dramatic races of last season, the Losail International Circuit is preparing to open its doors to the world’s premier motorcycle racing series for only the second time. Located on the outskirts of the capital city of Doha, the purpose-built venue took a little over a year to complete, with an investment of around $58 million USD and 1,000 full-time workers. The winner of the inaugural race there was Sete Gibernau, who took advantage of controversial circumstances to clinch his fourth victory of the 2004 season and keep his title hopes alive as Rossi crashed out. The Italian had been forced to start from the back of the grid, where he was joined by Max Biaggi, as the pair’s Yamaha and Honda teams were accused of tampering with their original grid positions on the eve of the race. Gibernau has not won a single race since that day and currently it is Biaggi who is in pole position to clinch second in the championship. Biaggi has blown hot and cold this season but he has only failed to score points on one occasion this year, helping to give him a seventeen-point cushion over Loris Capirossi despite a stunning run of form from the Ducati man. Capirossi has taken a second place and two consecutive victories to leapfrog Gibernau, Colin Edwards, Alex Barros and Nicky Hayden into third place. Whilst Capirossi will again be one of the favourites to take victory in Qatar, Edwards will be hoping the fourteenth round of the season can be the race that turns his recent fortunes around after failing to make the podium since his home round at Laguna Seca in July. The American finished just 1.3 seconds behind Gibernau as he equalled his best ever MotoGP result of second place at this circuit last year and he currently holds the circuit record lap time, which stands at 1’59.355. Shane Byrne will again stand in for the injured Troy Bayliss at Honda whilst Olivier Jacque will be making his fifth appearance of the season for Kawasaki in place of Alex Hofmann. The German looks certain to miss the rest of the campaign after further tests on the foot injury he sustained nine days ago in Japan revealed that he has broken seven bones. In the 250cc class Jorge Lorenzo will return to action for the thirteenth round of the season after serving a one-race suspension for his part in a last-lap collision with Alex de Angelis at Motegi. The Spanish teenager took victory in the 125cc race in Qatar last season and returns looking to silence his critics with a debut quarter-litre success after making a major impact during his rookie season. Current series leader Dani Pedrosa will be more concerned about the threat posed by Casey Stoner, the only rider with a serious chance of threatening the Spaniard’s grip on the title with four races remaining. Stoner charged to an impressive victory in the last round at Sepang after Pedrosa crashed on the first lap, closing down the gap between the pair to 38 points. Andrea Dovizioso, who finished second to Lorenzo in the 125cc race last year, also crashed out in Malaysia and is now coming under pressure from Hiroshi Aoyama for third place in the championship. The Japanese rider lies just ten points behind as he aims to overhaul the Italian for third place at a circuit where he already celebrated a podium finish behind Pedrosa and race winner Sebastián Porto last season. Thomas Lüthi and Mika Kallio will continue their duel for the 125cc World Championship title in Qatar after leaving their rivals trailing with a remarkable show of consistency of the past four races. The pair have alternated between first and second place since the Donington Park round in July and now have a 50-point gap back to their nearest rival Gabor Talmacsi in third place. Lüthi’s most recent success at Sepang on Sunday means he leads the Finnish rider by eight points with four races remaining.

Race date: 2 October 2005 Circuit: Imola Country: Italy Track length: 4933m Opened: 1953 Fastest ever superbike lap: 1’48.336 (Colin Edwards) Superbike lap record: 1’48.389 (Troy Corser) Last year’s winner: Regis Laconi (Ducati) The penultimate round of the 2005 Superbike World Championship takes place this weekend at the famous Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in the town of Imola, the championship’s third visit of the year to Italy. The technically demanding circuit is steeped in heritage thanks mainly its history as a Formula One circuit but it is also famous as a bike venue too, having hosted the classic Imola 200 events during the Seventies and, more recently, Grand Prix and superbike racing. The circuit’s surface bears the scars of this history, with the old tarmac proving bumpy and providing the bike racers with a tough challenge to find good settings. Despite this, Imola is generally very popular with the riders – it’s challenging layout providing the sort of test that only the old-fashioned classic circuits can. Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt come to the race in good form. The Japanese star has been on the podium in each of the last seven races, taking a win at Brno and Brands Hatch to boost him up to third overall in the championship. “The feeling with the bike is now very good and even though we did not get a perfect set-up in the last race we were still able to make good results,” says Haga. “I have never finished on the podium in Imola but last year I was leading the second race when my bike’s engine broke, so I am confident we can get a good result with the Yamaha this year.” Pitt too has been moving up the points order and goes to Italy seventh in the standings. The Australian has been one of the year’s most consistent riders with his regular top six finishes and Imola is a track which holds good memories for the 29-year-old as it is the venue at which he clinched the 2001 supersport world title. Having recorded a best finish of fourth in his debut season in the class, Pitt is targeting at least one podium finish in the remaining four races. “We’ve been close a few times,” he said. “Imola is an interesting circuit with a lot of blind corners where track knowledge counts. I hope that it will be dry because the surface is old and very slippery in the wet. We’ve got a good base setting for the bike and that is important because it is very important to have good confidence in the bike here. I like the circuit and feel that we can get a good result here.” Helping Pitt and Haga prepare, they are scheduled to test development chassis parts at the team’s local Monza circuit today (Monday). “We want to go to Imola in the best possible condition,” explains team coordinator Massimo Meregalli. “Our test at Monza will concentrate on frame parts and we have three different specification rear arms for both Andrew and Noriyuki to test. Depending on the results they may decide to use the parts in Imola.” Supersport World Championship The Yamaha Motor Germany squad arrives in Imola on a high after their Australian riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes took a one-two finish in EuroSpeedway Lausitz two weekends ago. The result moved race winner and Imola lap record holder Curtain up to second in the championship and, with two races remaining, he plans to stay there. He said: “I’m not the sort of guy to say I’m going to do this or I’m going to do that, but when I race I only race to win and I definitely want to end the season on a high. Charpentier may have already won the championship but there are still two races to go and I would like to at least get a couple of podiums.” Team-mate Parkes was delighted with his second place at Lausitz and feels that he can go one better in Imola. “Germany was the best I’ve felt on the R6. All season we’ve been making changes to make it suit my riding style more and in Lausitz we made a further step forward and I feel that I am now ready to be at least fighting for the win in the last two races.” FIM Superstock 1000 Cup The outcome of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup could be decided in Imola this weekend, although most likely it will be seven days later in Magny Cours before the eventual winner is crowned. Germany looks like the most likely destination for the champion’s trophy, with Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kenan Sofuoglu and Didier van Keymeulen leading the way, but in this unpredictable class anything can and possibly will happen. The racing in the series has been nothing short of breathtaking this year and the drama continued last time out when long-time series leader Sofuoglu crossed the line first but was penalized 20 seconds for cutting a corner. That moved him back to sixth place with his team-mate inheriting the victory, although Turkish rider Sofuoglu still leads his Belgian team-mate by 10 points in the championship – 137 to 127. Three other riders have a mathematical shot at the title. Former Australian superbike champion Craig Coxhell (Suzuki) is third on 109 points while Yamaha rider Massimo Roccoli is fourth on 103. Italian Alessandro Polita (Suzuki) is the other rider with a chance of the title, but he is currently 47 points behind Sofuoglu with just 50 points available from the final two races. Local rider Claudio Corti will be looking to tie up his title in Saturday’s European Superstock 600 race. The Yamaha YZF-R6 tangled with championship rival Yoann Tibero on the last lap at Lausitz as he attempted to win the title in Germany and now the 18-year-old who has dominated the series needs to finish in at least fourth place in Imola to be mathematically assured of the title.