Albacete 8H Race Review Suzuki Castrol took the Albacete 8 Horas Nocturnas race win by finishing three laps clear of second placed Folch Endurance and a further two laps ahead of Yamaha Austria. Further down the field many of the finishing positions were more closely fought”¦ Kawasaki Bolliger vs Yamaha Phase One Endurance Both of these teams had seemed to have a podium position within their grasp for much of the race, Bolliger confident after a second place at Assen and Phase One much improved after testing between races. In the end Bolliger finished a lap behind third placed Yamaha Austria, and Phase One saw third and then fourth place slip from their grasp as an overheating engine forced the team to pit twice in the last hour of racing. Sapeurs Pompiers vs Shell Endurance Academy vs Diablo 666 Bolliger The battle for sixth place ran for the full eight hours of the race, with Kawasaki Diablo 666 Bolliger, Yamaha Shell Endurance Academy and Suzuki Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers taking sixth place in turn every hour as their rivals pitted for fuel and tyres. In the end it was the experienced French Sapeurs Pompiers team that took sixth position at the flag by stretching out their final stint to well over an hour while the two British junior teams made stops for fuel. The Shell Endurance Academy finished just 3.2 seconds behind Sapeurs Pompiers, with Diablo 666 Bolliger less than a minute behind their fellow countrymen. Suzuki No Limits & RT Motor Team vs Suzuki Fabi Corse Two Italian teams fought over ninth and tenth place, with Suzuki No Limits & RT Motor Team eventually pulling two laps clear of Suzuki Fabi Corse after a tough race for both teams. Also in the Points”¦ Suzuki Bridgestone Bikers Profi finished just 37 seconds clear of Ducati Spring Team to take eleventh place, Yamaha Power Bike were thirteenth, MV Agusta Burger King Lust fourteenth, and Projecteam Honda took the final championship point available in fifteenth place.

World Superbike Championship leaders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama are aiming to increase their series lead on their Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000s at this weekend’s British fifth round at Silverstone. The Northamptonshire track has hosted the event twice before, but this year the layout will be different; a slightly shorter circuit – 3.561 kilometres – will be used and fans will see the competitors complete eight more laps than before. Corser currently leads the 12-round series on 182 points with six wins from eight races. Kagayama holds second on 130 points which includes a race win and four second places. Troy Corser: “I am not sure why they have changed the layout ¬unless it is to do with safety issues. There were a couple of ‘so-so’ spots on the track so maybe they have changed the layout because of them. I quite like Silverstone ¬except for the final chicane which is just plain crazy and far too slow. My results last year were not bad so I am really looking forward to racing at Silverstone on the Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 and taking a couple of podiums.” Yukio Kagayama: “Unusually it seems I may be one of the few riders who has raced this layout at Silverstone before. I think I have raced this layout in the past two years in the British Superbike championship. It is quite different to the full circuit but I like it and, as I have been on the podium there in my first BSB season, it has good memories for me. “I was disappointed to DNF in the second race at Monza in the last round and I want to make up for that with a pair of podium finishes in Silverstone. I have many fans in Britain and so it is a bit like a home race for me. I think the Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 will be a good bike for Silverstone and maybe this time I can get the better of my team mate Troy-san.” 2004 Results: Race 1: 1 Haga (Ducati), 2 Vermeulen (Honda), 3 Chili (Ducati). 7 Corser (Petronas). Kagayama DNS. Race 2: 1 Vermeulen, 2 Haga, 3 Laconi (Ducati). 9 Corser. Kagayama DNS.

Safety First Racing press release from Pikes Peak: Shea Fouchek #544 Fouchek continued his AMA learning curve at Pikes Peak this weekend. In Formula Extreme, Fouchek qualified 21st and moved up several positions in the race and finished 14th. Fouchek stated, “I wish I could have qualified better like I did in Supersport, but the race went well and I moved up several spots. I kind of got held up from some guys and lost touch with the group in front during the race and couldn’t make up the gap.” In Supersport, Fouchek qualified on the 4th row 15th and finished a very respectable 17th after encountering rear brake problems in the race. “I almost ate crap in turn three on the first lap!” replied Fouchek. “I went into three hard on the brakes, heard a whack and almost got spit off”¦.I didn’t have any rear brake the rest the race. Coming from a motocross background, I really rely on the rear brake,” explained Fouchek. It was later determined that the rear brake caliper bracket broke. “Then on lap two I had a guy ram me going into three and smashed the mid pipe on the exhaust. It was definitely an eventful race, I was just happy to finish and look forward to Road America,” replied Fouchek J.J. Roetlin #94 Roetlin spent the weekend searching for the right setup. “I didn’t qualify very well in Superbike, however in the morning practice session I found over half a second and got down into the solid 56’s,” explained Roetlin. In Superbike, Roetlin qualified 26th, and finished 30th after crashing and remounting to finish the race. “I just tucked the front going into turn three hard on the brakes. Fortunately, I was able to come into the pits and the team bent the shift lever back around and I was able to get back out there,” replied Roetlin. In Superstock, Roetlin qualified 20th and finished 15th in the race. “The race was going well”¦.I was catching the Hooters guys until the rear tire started to fade about halfway through the race and spin everywhere. At that point I was just trying not to loose any positions. With the heat, this place was just really hard on tires,” explained Roetlin. “I’m looking forward to Road America and improving my results for the team, the last two weekends haven’t gone as well as I would have liked,” stated Roetlin. More, from a press release issued by Jason DiSalvo’s publicist: DISALVO SETS TWO POLE POSITIONS AT PPIR Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha factory racer competed at Pikes Peak International Speedway Saturday and Sunday May 21st and 22nd. With the race schedule being shortened to a two-day session, practice and qualifying were both accomplished on Saturday. Jason was fastest in each practice and set pole position in both the 600cc SuperSport and 1000cc SuperStock. On Sunday, Jason continued his top position in morning practice in both classes. He set a new track record for PPIR BEING THE FIRST RIDER EVER TO HAVE POLE POSITION IN TWO CLASSES. In the SuperStock race, Jason took the lead in the first lap from his pole position only to experience a lack of grip from his rear tire, moving him back gradually to finish 4th at the checkered flag. DiSalvo commented, “From the first lap I had little or no grip spinning the rear tire through the long turn 1 and both front and back straights. It was difficult to try and stay with the front three”. The SuperSport race was televised live on Speed Channel at 4pm Eastern time on Sunday. Jason again starting from his pole position took control of the race from lap one and ran flawlessly for 18 laps at a pace were only the reigning National Champion was in contention. With a constant breaking duel in each passing area, Jason got into turn three to deep on lap 19 and lost the front causing a low side crash which damaged the bike preventing him from being able to rejoin the race. It was disappointing for Jason after having such great times in practice and qualifying. With the season being half over the Championships loom larger than ever. In the SuperStock class Jason is currently tied for second with only two points seperating the top three positions. The SuperSport class finds Jason in sixth place after this weekends DNF. The next race is Road America in Wisconsin June 4th, 5th, and 6th. The PPIR race will be televised Tuesday, May 24th at 1pm, Thursday, May 26th at 4am, and Tuesday, May 31st at 5:30pm. More, from a press release issued by Racing Performance Services: Racing Performance Services PPIR Wrap-up RPS sponsored Ty Howard, Ricky Orlando, and Greg Greenwood took on the fast and tough AMA Formula Extreme class at PPIR. Ty Howard AMA FX #7 Jeff Maloney brought the GP Tech Yamaha to Pikes Peak to continue the pursuit of getting Ty Howard on the podium in the AMA Formula Extreme class. The combination of Ty Howard, GP Tech, and Racing Performance Services working together has netted nothing less than top 10 results since the group started working together at Mid-Ohio last year. Texan Ty Howard started the weekend off with a shake down during Friday promoter practice. Although Howard was able to put in a 56.7, he was having a lot of issues with consistent rear grip. RPS owner Marcus McBain upgraded the valving on the Ohlins shock to solve the issue Friday night while GP-Tech owner Jeff Maloney worked to solve some minor brake issues. Going into Saturday practice, Howard and the team felt confident that the Texan would be able to push ahead with a qualifying performance that would turn some heads. Howard put in a solid 7th fastest time in the Saturday morning practice session and as Qualifying began, it looked like the team hit pay dirt with the setup as Howard used the first 15 minutes of qualifying to test the actual race tire. When Howard came in for a softer tire to better his times for qualifying, he quickly communicated that the rear was spinning up. A quick inspection found that fuel was venting on the rear tire. The team quickly remedied the problem and got Howard back on the track, but time ran out for a fast qualifying lap. Howard still managed an awesome 8th place qualifying run despite the obvious issues. Sunday Morning looked like everything had fallen into place. Ty posted the 4th fastest practice time with a 56.4 and both Howard and the team were pumped up. As the riders went out for the warm-up lap, catastrophe struck. The rear chain adjuster that was used in the quick-change system for the Daytona 200 shattered and the chain immediately came off the rear sprocket as the axle moved forward. Howard and the team were greatly disappointed, as the team could not recover quickly enough for the fast Texan to competitively resume the race. Howard reflected, “It was really disappointing for something like that to go wrong, but I always like the way the team works together and we always seem to have a good opportunity to run up front. Michelin provided some awesome tires this weekend and I really wish we would have been able to start the race.” Ricky Orlando AMA FX #112 AMA veteran Ricky Orlando came to PPIR looking for a top finish on his ZX-6r. After some front end chatter problems at Fontana, Orlando and McBain worked on some setup changes. Orlando used the Friday promoter practice to verify the new setup and all went well. Throughout the Friday afternoon sessions and Saturday morning practice, Ricky put in quick laps, and improve his times. At the end of Saturday, Orlando stood 15th fastest after qualifying and felt he had some more left in himself and the ZX-6r. After completing Sunday Morning practice, Orlando had a solid game plan and commented, “I really need to get a good start. If I can get hooked up with a couple of quick bikes, we can probably make a break and look at a top 10 finish. The chassis and suspension is working well. Marv (Rosencrans) has the motor working well and we have enough hp to stay with some of the faster teams.” At the drop of the green flag, Orlando was on pace quickly. He jumped into 13th place and started to battle with Heath Small. As the race progressed, Orlando stayed tucked in with Small through traffic. As the race progressed Orlando turned up the heat and ran a 57.7, but Small responded with a 57.5. As the race wound down, Orlando found himself in 12th place as the checkered flag dropped. Greg Greenwood AMA FX #193 The 42-Year entrepreneur and AMA Rookie made his professional racing debut at his home track. Greenwood entered the weekend ready for a solid weekend after winning at the previous weekend’s MRA sprint races on his ComCables Yamaha R-6’s with Nick Adams built motors. The weekend started off a bit slow as the team worked to tune-in his suspension that had some new valve configurations. At the close of promoter practice, Greenwood was just hitting his stride and the chassis was tracking well. During the Saturday morning practice, Greenwood found some more speed with a few more adjustments and posted a 59.7 that left the Colorado rider ready to put in some fast laps for qualifying. At the start of qualifying, Greenwood wasted little time and got his Yamaha in the top 20 by posting a time of 58.7 and taking the 17th qualifying position. Greg and the team fine-tuned the chassis even more Sunday morning and Greenwood was ready to assert himself into the top 15 for the actual race after posting some quick laps Sunday morning. The start of the FX race started great for Greg and he quickly moved into 14th and focused on maintaining a good pace that would allow him to move up as the race progressed. Halfway through the race, Greenwood had to change his game plan as he lost 9 positions when he ran off in Turn 3 after a miscue. The AMA rookie gathered himself and gained back several positions to post a very strong 19th place finish. Greenwood also elected to participate in the 600 supersport race on his back-up Yamaha R-6 and finished a very credible 23rd place after qualifying 26th. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS SUZUKI’S STEVE RAPP HAS GREAT FINISHES AT PIKES PEAK Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki rider Steve Rapp finished sixth in both the Superstock and Superbike classes at round five of the AMA Superbike Championship at Pikes Peak International Raceway on Sunday, May 22nd. Rapp fought hard for the 6th place finish in Superstock, and was once again the top rider in the Superbike class on Superstock-spec machinery, managing his tires throughout the 48-lap race. Teammate Montez Stewart raced to a 22nd place finish in Superstock, continuing to make progress on the set-up of his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Jason Pridmore, still recovering from his spleen surgery, was at the event over the weekend and will ride during an upcoming STAR Motorcycle School in the Denver area, in anticipation of racing at the upcoming AMA Superbike Championship event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in two weeks. Steve Rapp Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 6th Place “My Suzuki was good and the Dunlop tires were good, I just got a horrible start,” said Rapp, who had qualified eighth. “This track, it’s really hard to pass on, so once I got stuck behind some guys, I really had to work hard. I think I only had five or six laps away from people. I think we could have been up a couple of more places. The bike was good and the tires were good, so I kind of blame myself.” Rapp is looking forward to the next round at Road America in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin, and returning to a true road racing facility. Rapp’s Suzuki GSX-R 1000 showed its power at Daytona by posting top speeds of over 194 mph, which will be useful at Road America’s 3 long straightaways. Sunday’s Superbike Final – 6th Place “Awesome start,” said Rapp, who came from 15th place on the grid. “I was on Hodgson and I passed (Ben) Spies. Then I hooked up with Josh (Hayes), forever, the whole entire race. I couldn’t pass him. I stayed right behind him and tried to save my tires. Ran like three-quarters throttle around the banking, to keep it from spinning. I was just gonna follow him and save my tire as much as I could. I figured three laps to go and try to make a move. Then (Mat) Mladin passed us, then we got lappers, and it mixed it all up. I was really lucky in that race, because I was right behind (Neil) Hodgson and his radiator blew or something, right in front of me. I thought they were gonna red flag it, because I thought it was a lot of water on the track. I am just really happy with the entire Jordan Suzuki crew, and the support all of our sponsors.” Montez Stewart Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 22nd Place “My race went okay, but I didn’t like my tire choice,” said Stewart after the race. “The tire I tested on Friday in practice that I really liked, we didn’t have any more of that tire. We went with the tire that everybody was going with, that Dunlop selected. My style of riding is different from everybody else, things have to be changed a little, even tire choices are different, just because of my height and I sit so far back on the bike. What works for other people usually doesn’t work for me. That’s the first time I raced a big bike around here. Last year, I fell down in the Supersport race and didn’t get one lap. But I am looking forward to getting back to my home track Road America in two weeks.” Ken Abbott – General Manager / Jordan Suzuki “We are really happy with Steve’s hard work, and he has been carrying the Jordan Suzuki banner well all year. We missed the podium this week, but we’ll be back soon. We are very proud of him. We also look forward to Jason’s return in a couple of weeks at Road America, and showing the power of the new 2005 Suzuki GSX-R 1000s. Our Gatorade sponsorship was a key element this week with the record heat in Colorado. We used so much Gatorade product to keep hydrated and stay healthy, it’s a good thing that we are heading back to our race shop in Wisconsin, since we need to reload. The team is incredible, and a great productive environment for everyone to work, and I look forward to the second half of the season when we return to tracks that both Steve and Jason really like. We are expecting great results from both riders to mix up the championship hunt a bit.” Superstock Results – Round 5 – Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain, CO 1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha 2. Aaron Yates, Yoshimura Suzuki 3. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 4. Jason Disalvo, Yamaha 5. Michael Barnes, M4 EMGO Suzuki 6. Steve Rapp, Jordan Suzuki 7. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki 8. John Haner, Lion Racing Suzuki 9. Geoff May, M4 EMGO Suzuki 10. Jake Holden, Lion Racing Suzuki Superbike Results – Round 5 – Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain, CO 1. Eric Bostrom, Ducati 2. Aaron Yates, Yoshimura Suzuki 3. Ben Spies, Yoshimura Suzuki 4. Mat Mladin, Yoshimura Suzuki 5. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki 6. Steve Rapp, Jordan Suzuki 7. Mark Ledesma, Honda 8. John Haner, Lion Racing Suzuki 9. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 10. Brent George, Corona Suzuki More, from a press release issued by North Valley Racing: North Valley Racing from Phoenix Arizona congratulates our rider Mark Ledesma on his 7th place finish at Pikes Peak in the AMA Superbike race. Mark was the first Honda to cross the finish line. We believe Mark Ledesma is a shining example of what a true privateer can accomplish. Mark works 5 days a week tuning and rebuilding motorcycles in our shop. He took a stock bike off our showroom floor and personally built the engine and dyno tuned it to 205 RWHP, set up his suspension, loaded the trailer, unloaded, worked on the bike, changed tires, qualified 12th, finished 7th, loaded the trailer and then flew home to prepare for work on Tuesday. Mark can also be found at the local Phoenix Firebird racetrack during trackdays teaching the fast smooth lines and helping enthusiasts with their set up. More, from a press release issued by Team MPTracing.Com/JC Baldwin Suzuki: Sporting a new helmet paint scheme representing new sponsor Monster Energy Drink, Team MPTracing.Com/JC Baldwin Suzuki rider Danny Eslick had a strong race weekend at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Eslick got a good start in the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme race moving from his sixth place spot on the grid to fourth going into turn 1. He quickly took third place up the inside of Ben Attard in turn three. Danny was able to hold onto the final podium spot until lap 15 of the 29 lap race. As he transitioned into turn 7 on the tight infield, the back end spun around on him and low-sided his Suzuki GSXR 600. Eslick managed to hold onto the bike as it slid on its right side, keeping it from tumbling as it slid off into the grass. The young Oklahoma rider was able to remount the bike and get back on track in fifth spot were he would finish the race. Even after sliding off the track, Eslick was still able to run a lap time within 10 seconds of his race pace. Coming off the track Danny told crew chief, Grant Matsushima, “I was really happy that the front brake lever was still there, because I didn’t check it till I got into turn 1.” The result gave him valuable points to keep his hold on third place in the overall championship. Danny Eslick returned later in the day with the MPTracing.Com/JC Baldwin Suzuki GSXR 600 Supersport bike, starting 11th on the grid in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race. He had another great start, pushing up to fifth on the opening part of lap one. At the end of the first lap Danny was in sixth place. From there Eslick rode a consistent race and finished in eighth place by the checkered flag. The finish gave him his best Supersport result of his career and helped to maintain his eleventh place in the championship standings. More, from a press release issued by Racers4kids: Zalusky voted “Most Popular” racer at PPIR The results of the “Vote For Charity” event sponsored by Racers4Kids at PPIR indicate that female racers are very popular with the fans. Given the opportunity to donate $1.00 per vote to charity, fans overwhelmingly voted for Jessica Zalusky. Eric Bostrum finished second in the voting followed closely by Miguel DuHamel. PPIR officials were not surprised, stating that female racers in all motorsports at PPIR draw large numbers of fans. The autograph line at Zalusky’s garage was stacked with fans for nearly 2 hours after the Formula Extreme race in which she raced. Zalusky braved the hot sun in her leathers until every fan had been greeted. Proceeds from the “Vote For Charity” Event will be donated to The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Fans can participate in the season long “Vote For Charity” fundraiser and vote for their favorite racer in all forms of motorsports by visiting www.Racers4Kids.com and selecting the “Vote Here” link. More, from another press release issued by Racers4kids: RACERS 4 KIDS RECEIVES SUPPORT OF TOP AMA RACERS AT PPIR Racers 4 kids is helping to enrich the lives of children by supporting children’s charities and other programs which benefit children and encourages children to become involved in motorsports as an alternative to alcohol or Drug abuse. Several top AMA racers including Ben Attard, Michael Barnes, Marty Craghill, Miguel DuHamel, Mat Mladdin, Dan Sallis, Aaron Yates and Jake Zemke lent their name in support. Attard, Barnes, DuHamel, Zemke, and Yates were also kind enough to film video clips which will be included in the Racers 4 Kids promotional video featuring racers from all forms of motorsports speaking to and encouraging children to get involved. The video, still in production, will be released later this year and distributed to schools, libraries and other children’s clubs. Racers and/or teams who would like to join us should visit www.racers4kids.com to learn more. Racers 4 Kids invites racers from all levels to join and take part in our efforts.

CAN-AM CHALLENGE SERIES OPENER MAY 20/21/22 2005 Round #1 On Friday May 20th, the Grand Prix bikes took to the Pro track at Shannonville Motorsports Park for practice sessions in anticipation for the Can-Am Challenge Series opener, sponsored by Infinity GP Racing. The weather was favorable, with the sun shining and cool temperatures. One rider of particular interest, Michele Danese, a 22 year old Italian brought in by Frank Pate of Infinity, was present in the paddock, generating a buzz among the Can-Am riders. Danese brings with him Moto GP experience, along with impressive finishes in both Spanish and Italian Championships. His appearance with the Can-Am was much anticipated, and many were anxious to see what the somewhat elusive Italian would bring to the table. John Dempsey, last year’s 2nd place finisher in the Can-Am championship, set to work immediately, turning a 1:12.300 in the first session. Danese had a rough introduction to the Pro track with an unfortunate get-off after corner 2; he returned later that day to turn laps in the low 1:12s, with the rest of the field following with 1:14s and up. Saturday morning’s weather provided near perfect conditions for these GP bikes; sunny with great temperatures cooled slightly by a mild wind. Practice times for the most part were similar to those from Friday’s practice sessions, with the exception of Danese who served up a time of 1:10.180; the current lap record for Pro GP125 is held by Corey Sherman, at 1:09.99. Dempsey pursued Danese’s time with a 1:11.620, the next best 125 time belonging to Tim Harrington with a 1:13.541. Angela Hiba, 3rd in last season’s championship, made an appearance this weekend after sitting on the retirement fence throughout the winter. Corner marshals soon alerted R.A.C.E. officials that there was smoke coming from her ’99 Honda RS, so the decision was made to show her the black flag. She unfortunately didn’t make it that far, as she suffered a fall just after the chicane, causing a red flag and the subsequent end of that session. Hiba was taken to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a broken collarbone and toe, and a mild concussion. An oil leak was found to be the cause of her fall. Simon Kirby also had the misfortune of crashing in corner two, his half-breed Suzuki RM125 damaged too much for hopes of making the final race on Sunday. After lunch, the last corner coming onto the front straightaway suffered an oil spill during the Group A Amateur 600 Qualifying session. As the clouds rolled in and started to drop rain, the spill turned the corner into an area too treacherous for officials to feel comfortable with continuing the rest of the day’s sessions, despite clean-up efforts of cement dust, soap and pressure washing; neither 125 or 250 got their qualifying sessions. Sunday, with no qualifying to make the final grids with, Can-Am officials used the previous day’s last practice session to grid the field. A decision by the young upstart Alex Welsh to sit out that session resulted in his position at the back of the grid. Morning practice sessions went without incident, with the exception of light drizzle, which would continue on and off throughout the rest of the day, no sun in sight. Danese started the race with the coveted pole position, with Dempsey beside him, and Tim Harrington and Rick Bulmann finishing off the front row. Danese jumped into the lead with a hole shot start, Dempsey quick to challenge going into corners 1 and 2. As the field stretched out, Danese used his European-bred racing talent to lengthen his lead over Dempsey with each passing lap, while Welsh rode unchallenged in third. Christian Rose retired from the race in the fourth lap with mechanical problems. It seemed the gremlins affecting his ride also got to Danese’s Honda; in a disappointing twist, the Italian was seen to be slowing down markedly on the front straight coming into the fifth lap, looking down at the bike. He was forced to pull over at corner two, transmission woes being suspected in the breakdown. Meanwhile, Dempsey took full advantage of his new found lead, and maintained a substantial distance over Welsh, now running in second. Matt Cooper consequently found himself moved up into an unchallenged third place position, Tim Harrington having Cooper in his sights, but not quite enough push to get out of fourth position, and Rick Bulmann rounded out the top five. The race within the race was furiously going on between Joe Melchionda, Frank Pate, John-Ross Mac Rae, and Mark White; this foursome barely had two bike lengths between each other battling for sixth place. An exciting race to watch, especially when Pate added to the drama by low siding in the essess on the last lap, leaving Melchionda, Mac Rae and White to finish the race without him. Dane Walther, Craig Johnston and Don MacPhail took the checkered flag in ninth, tenth and eleventh. Podium presentations took place after a victorious burnout by Dempsey on the front straight and Diablo Energy drinks. The Can-Am Challenge was happy to introduce a new addition to the series for 2005, the 250 GP class. With thirteen riders entered, it was the largest 250 group gathered at Shannonville for quite some time. 125 and 250 riders were able to take advantage of some extra track time, as they were permitted to practice in each other’s sessions. Alain Brault led Friday morning practice sessions with 1:12.326, followed by Nick Colley in the 1:13s, and John Crook in the 1:14s. Saturday’s practice sessions went without incident, with Brault once again coming out on top with his times, this time with a best of 1:11.827. Colley was again behind Brault with a 1:13.260, however Gord Mackay stepped it up a notch to take over Crook’s previous time with a 1:13.55. Frank Pate of Infinity had been entered in both the 125 and 250 classes, but after some deliberation, the decision was made to put some Italian spice into the mix; Michele Danese’s numbers were put on the bike, and he was entered to ride in Pate’s place. As with the 125 grid, the 250s were appointed their positions based on Saturday’s last practice session times. This meant that Danese would start from the back of the grid. Brault started the race from pole position, with Colley beside him. Rounding out the front row was MacKay and Crook. All eyes were on Danese, who sat on the last row with Mark Jaeckle; Jaeckle found himself unfortunately at the back of the grid as a result of having no times for the last practice session the day before. As the light went from red to green, Danese, perhaps looking to avenge his DNF in the 125 final, sliced through the field, passing nearly everyone on the outside of corner one. Crook managed to keep in front of the Italian for the first lap, but was overtaken by him in the second; Rosario Tomaino suffered a mishap in the hairpin on the first lap, but was unhurt. Danese, as he did in the 125 final, began to stretch his lead substantially. Colley was next in line to knock Crook back a position, then Brault took his turn. Gord MacKay found himself unchallenged in fifth, maintaining this position for the remainder of the race. Oliver Brama and Brian Waterman provided some entertainment with their dogfight for sixth position, with Waterman pressuring Brama the entire race. Brault moved up to second on lap 6, and stayed put until he crossed the finish line, with Colley in hot pursuit. Crook finished fourth, MacKay in fifth. Waterman edged Brama out for sixth at the line, followed by Joe Melchionda, with Al Cane, Jaeckle, Jerry Sadler and Laird Shingleton rounding out the finishers. Danese dominated with his first place finish, fifteen seconds ahead of second place, his best lap a 1:09.642. More info and pictures www.canamchallengeseries.com Race results www.mylaps.com More, from a press release issued by Canadian Kawasaki: Nothing but positive results come out of the opening round at Shannonville Motorsport Park Shannonville Motorsport Park May 20-22nd, 2005 This past weekend at Shannonville Motorsport Park launched the 2005 Parts Canada Superbike series. The long weekend was plagued with threatening black skies and scattered showers which left very chilly and partially wet conditions for factory riders Tom Kipp and Matt McBride. Despite the ever changing weather conditions each rider was able to use this opening round to their advantage, showcasing the evolution of the 2005 Ninja ZX-10R and all new ZX-6RR. Following this weekend’s races, Canadian Kawasaki teammates Kipp and McBride were both satisfied with the overall results and are looking forward to round two at Calgary’s Race City Speedway. Both riders commented on the drastic refinements in both the chassis and engine performance of the ZX-10R and ZX-6RR. Leading the Canadian Kawasaki attack this past weekend was Tom Kipp who, after a hard tumble at Barber Motorsports Park, felt extremely confident about his health and entered into the opening round injury free. Kipp qualified 6th in the 600 sport bike and finished a strong 4th place in the sportbike final. Tom left Shannonville pleased with his results in the 600 race and found, “the ZX-6RR to be everything I could have hoped for and more.” Young gun McBride qualified right behind Kipp in the 600 sport bike class in 7th position and after a competitive race finished in 8th position. “The 600 worked really well this weekend but there are still some things we need to work on to get to the front of pack, but this bike is definitely capable of winning races”, commented McBride. Kipp and McBride endured a more difficult experience aboard their ZX-10R superbikes where Kipp qualified in 8th and McBride in 6th position. In the 16 lap superbike finale Kawasaki’s Kipp finished 7th and with McBride in 9th position. The opening round has historically presented challenges of unstable weather and the uncertainty of the progress of the competition, but the team gained valuable information over the course of the event and look favorably towards the future. Crew Chief Karl Steyrer commented that “we learned a lot from this weekend and now we will head to the shop to integrate what we have learned which should translate into improved results.” Next up the Canadian Kawasaki Road Race Team will head to Calgary’s Race City on July 1-3 for the 2nd round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, where both Kipp and McBride look forward to taking the ZX-10R and ZX-6RR to Race City’s long straight-away. Stay tuned for future news and photos regarding the upcoming rounds More, from a press release issued by Team TT Racing: Robert Trottier Recovering From Surgery After Lowside at Shannonville Canadian Thunder Race 1 Toronto, ON — Robert Trottier, seasoned frontrunner of the Canadian Thunder Series, is recovering after surgery to his right hand. Robert suffered a front-end slide causing a lowside in corner 1 during Friday morning practice for the Thunder Series at Shannonville Motorsports Park. During the lowside, Robert’s hand became trapped under the bike sliding on the track. Though the glove offered protection it did disintegrate allowing his hand to come in contact with the track. The back of Robert’s hand suffered skin loss and some nerve and knuckle damage. The red flag stopped the session and Robert was rushed to Belleville Hospital. He was then released to Kingston General Hospital for the surgery. Dr. Watkins of Kingston General Hospital performed the full layer skin graft and some bone repair over the last two knuckles of his hand during the 1½ hour operation. The successful operation puts Robert on the road to recovery over the next 4 weeks. Rest for a short span, followed by therapy, will have Robert competing on TTRacing’s Ducati shortly. Though Robert Trottier did not compete for the remainder of Race 1 for the Canadian Thunder Series he magnanimously offered Team TTRacing’s Ducati 1000 SS DS to fellow competitor Trevor MacDonald of Scorpion Racing. Trevor was able to pilot the TTRacing Ducati to a 5th place finish in the highly contested race. Congratulations Trevor! Robert wishes to thank everyone for their concern, emails, thoughts and prayers. Thanks to the TTRacing Crew; Bill Martin, Joanne Graham and Bob Trottier for all their support. Special thanks to Ducati North America; Mike Taylor and Steve Hicks. Robert also wishes to congratulate fellow Brampton Cycle Sponsored Ducati rider Derek Vammus for his 1st place finish in the race, allowing Ducati to lead the Thunder Series. Fans and well wishers are invited to message Robert at the Team TTRacing website by visiting www.ttracing.ca . Fans are also encouraged to participate in the RacePicks Contest. Robert looks forward to seeing everyone at Mosport for Race 2 of the Thunder Championship on July 15th.

AMA FORD QUALITY CHECKED FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER COMES TO SPRINGFIELD PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 24, 2005) — The Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield will host a doubleheader round of the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship over Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, May 28, round three of the 2005 AMA Grand National Championship will take place on the Springfield Arena TT course. Then on Sunday the action will shift to the historic Springfield Mile for round four of the 17-race series. Defending and six-time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr leads the standings coming into the Springfield doubleheader. He is coming off a win last weekend on the half-mile at Route 66 Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Carr is happy to be carrying momentum coming into this pivotal weekend of racing. “Any time you’re coming off a winning weekend it’s a good thing,” said Carr, who rides for his own Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Ford racing team. “Even though I won in Joliet it’s going to be a completely different ballgame in Springfield this weekend on the TT and Mile tracks. I think we’ll have a really good idea who the riders to beat are going to be after this weekend. After Springfield we’ll have four races in the bag on all different types of tracks.” Carr brings a mixed history to Springfield. He’s won the Memorial Weekend Mile three times, with his last victory coming in 2002. On the Springfield Arena TT course he’s been less successful however, only scoring one podium finish in 2001 and never taking the victory. The TT race combines broad sliding flat track corners, a tight, unforgiving infield section and a high flying jump. The track is the ultimate test of racers’ all-around riding skills. Most riders will use modified motocross bikes to tame the twisting track at the picturesque outdoor Arena. Last year Wisconsin’s JR Schnabel and his Memphis Shades backed Yamaha rode a near perfect 25 laps to win. Carr says he does find one major challenge facing him and the rest of the series riders over the Memorial Day weekend and that’s the speed of the famous Springfield Mile. “This will be the first time we’ve ridden at sustained speeds over 100 mph in seven months,” Carr explained. “It’s been since Du Quoin last year that the series visited a mile. It takes a few laps to get used to, but I’ve been doing this long enough that it’s not a major problem.” Daytona Short Track winner Jake Johnson slipped from first to second in the standings after a ninth-place result in Joliet. Johnson will be looking to regain the lead and he especially likes his chances in the Springfield TT on Saturday. Iowan Rich King is the defending winner on the Mile. King gave retiring Hall of Fame tuner Bill Werner his 150th National win a year ago. A number of events are planned to add extra enjoyment for race fans. The weekend kicks off with a “Meet the Stars” autograph session Friday night at Hooters at 7 pm. Then on Sunday at the Mile a number of Ford race vehicles will be on display at their Ford Tech-Tour Truck. Other hands-on displays will include Yamaha Star Motorcycles, K & N Filters, and SuperTrapp Exhaust. WYMG will sponsor an Infield Party Tent at the Mile with a band, prizes and concessions from 10 am until 2 pm. Infield admission is only $15. The Official Springfield Mile Biker Appreciation Party kicks off at the Orr Building on the Fairgrounds immediately following Sunday’s race. For more information check the web www.illinoismda.com. Tickets are available at participating Illinois Motorcycle Dealer Association members or by calling the IMDA office at 217-753-8866.

JR back in business BRITISH SUPERBIKE Champion John Reynolds is back in business after ending his injury enforced month-long break from riding when he piloted his Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 at the official MCRCB test at Croft today. Reynolds finished sixth in unofficial timing with a 1:27.72 lap time. The wet weather meant that was over six seconds outside his own lap record for the 2.12-mile long North Yorkshire track, but he was less than half a second down on today’s quickest time – a 1:27.33 from Ducati’s Leon Haslam. “Today went really well and I am fully comfortable and confident with my Rizla Suzuki – it’s back to business as normal,” enthused JR, who has been undergoing intensive physiotherapy for his broken right leg since he last rode at Mallory Park on April 24th. “I didn’t record the fastest lap of the day, but was only a couple of tenths away and that gives me big encouragement. “The first session was fully wet and I was fourth quickest. Then in the second session there was only a window of 10-minutes when it was drying out before it rained again – there were still wet patches everywhere and no real chance of running at full dry pace. I got a good feel for my Rizla Suzuki and have asked my crew for a few minor changes to test when we return here to race in a couple of weeks. “I am totally positive and it was great to get stuck back into riding again. I am the happiest man in the world at the minute – I’m back racing and ready to fly the flag for Rizla Suzuki.” Rizla Suzuki racer Scott Smart ended up 15th with a 1:31.51 lap time after missing the driest 10-minutes of the day while working on his suspension settings. Scott said: “The wet session was useful for us as we learnt that our best dry settings do not convert to riding in the rain. We now have an idea how to fix that for the wet and that alone has made today worthwhile. “At the start of the second session I was much faster and in the top six until I came in to make some suspension changes. I missed the driest window of opportunity on track and it rained before I got back out of the garage – ending my chance of posting a quick time. “Everyone was behind race pace today because of the wet conditions, but I still found it useful to get laps under my belt and reacquaint myself with the circuit. I’m looking forward to coming back here to race.” Rizla Suzuki returns to Croft on June 5th for the sixth round of the British Superbike Championship.

Productive pre-Silverstone test for FPR Foggy PETRONAS Racing stepped up their preparations for this weekend’s fifth round of the Superbike World Championship with a productive test at Mallory Park today. Despite showery morning conditions, riders Garry McCoy and Steve Martin both completed just under 100 laps of the Leicestershire circuit. The main area of focus was a new ignition system and both riders noticed immediate results in improving a ‘backing in’ issue that had contributed to early season problems. Team manager Jack Valentine said: “This was a really productive test and we are happy with the way the new ignition system is working and how the changes we have made throughout the day have resulted in improving the deceleration problem. Both riders noticed that corner entry was better and more consistent. So we now have a good base setting to carry into the first practice on Friday at Silverstone.” Steve said: “Everything went well today and I am happy we have found a good direction for Silverstone. In some ways it wasn’t bad that it rained in the morning as it gave us an opportunity to test the new system and parts with both wet and dry set-ups. I also tested a new rear link which gives me more feel. We can now work on all of these improvements over the next few races to try to optimise the FP1 package.” Garry said: “Everything we have tested was positive and is making the bike a lot more rider-friendly and easy to control, although there is still more fine tuning to do and more to come. It was good that the track dried out in the afternoon as what we were here to test wasn’t too noticeable in the wet. I think everyone is now in the right frame of mind for Silverstone.”