The custom-built 450 Honda Dirt Tracker being raffled-off to benefit the Roadracing World Action Fund will be displayed at the Vintage Dirt Track Racers Assn. National event at State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, this Friday and Saturday. The bike is making its final public appearance before the drawing takes place October 1 at the Duquoin Mile. According to Leo Castell, publisher and editor of The Motorcyclist Post newspaper and motorcyclistspost.com, it would cost about $12,000 to put together a custom bike like this one. Castell has helped all season with displaying the bike and selling raffle tickets. “If people don’t think it has value, they don’t know what it takes to build a bike like that. I’d buy that winning ticket for $5000,” says Castell. “It’s worth it anyway just to help the Action Fund.” A total of only 3000 raffle tickets will be sold at $10 each, (so the odds of winning are 1 in 3000) and tickets are still available at http://actionfund.roadracingworld.com and at this weekend’s display. The Roadracing World Action Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to reducing racetrack injuries by encouraging the use of soft barriers. 450 Honda Dirt Tracker Project Participants J&M Frames Concord Honda First Klass Glass Weiss Racing East Coast Wheels SuperTrapp Wakula Racing A1 Cycles.com Bettencourt’s Honda-Suzuki Sideways Promotions ZEKE Design Fast Plates Traxxion Dynamics

It’s very hard to put the highs and lows of an entire season of racing into perspective but here is my best shot… Fernando Peris, Chris’ Dad The year started off with a fleet of new Yamaha R6s. I set out to hire the very best engine and suspension tuners I could find, as my ultimate goal was to spend the least amount of time going from privateer to having a job with a factory team. I hired Willie Vass of Vass Performance to do the engine work and Max McAllister of Traxxion Dynamics to do the suspension and chassis tuning. Both Willie and Max served as Chris’ pit crew, and I did “tire duty” for the team. Other than the three of us, we had no outside help (except for continuous phone conferences with Nick Ienatsch, Chris’ coach). In spite of the fact that Chris and the team were unfamiliar with the bike, as well as each other, our first race outing was tremendously successful (5th in the Daytona 200). We were not allowed to do any preseason testing with the factory teams, and Chris’ very first lap on an R-6 was on the high banks of Daytona. We were competing against teams with riders that had up to three years of development and seat time with the same model of bike. According to Max, “Anytime you go to Daytona, it is hard to succeed. If you can ROLL your bike into the trailer, your rider isn’t injured, and you score even one point, it is a total success. Anything past that is simply icing on the cake.” As far as the team was concerned, the year couldn’t have started any better. As the year went progressed, Chris finished in the top 10 in both AMA Supersport, and AMA Formula Extreme every weekend. He finished as high as 4th in FX and 6th in Supersport. Based on his performance, our hopes were that he would actually get the elusive “Factory Ride”. The stats on Chris’ finishes are no secret, and although he was the best “Non-18-Wheeler-Guy”, with no US factory support, (up until the last two rounds) we decided in the last two rounds to throw caution to the wind and the team told Chris, “Just go for it”. If we finished 5th overall or 10th overall in points, we didn’t care. Only winners show up in the record books! Chris had raced in 42 races (17 race weekends) and up until the last two AMA rounds he had completed 41, the one race that he didn’t finish was due to a rare mechanical failure, (while he was running in 3rd in FX and looked like he would get his first podium) which is totally beyond anyone’s control. The discussions revolved around getting a podium and getting the bike in the “Box” (The Box in this case, is the field of view of the television cameras. This makes it impossible for the TV announcers not to speak about you). Chris rode his heart out and was in the running for a podium both races in the last two rounds (VIR and Road Atlanta). The amount of commentary from the announcers was awesome! The team got a kick out of that, and it was very much appreciated. In FX at VIR he was on his way to a podium when another rider took him out and spoiled his chances. In the Superport race he was also running in the top three for the first half of the race. Later on, Ben Spies and Chris both lost their fronts on what is believed to be, a fluid of some sort on the track. Spoiled again you might think, but in reality, the team was overjoyed to see Chris actually get a look at “daylight” as he attempted to drive around the outside of the Hayden brothers and try to take the lead early in the race. We all knew he could finish 8th, but to see him fall down trying to put it on the box was inspiring. We know there will be more crashes in the future, but once you get to the next level, it takes time to adjust, and we know that will come with a little time. Some people may not know, this is only Chris’ 3rd year in the AMA on 600’s and only his 5th year on motorcycles. Road Atlanta was a bit of a problem for us, since it has a very long straight that goes from 1st gear to 6th gear. We didn’t build superbike engines for the FX class, but opted to run supersport spec engines all season to keep reliability high, and cost low. So we were at a noteworthy disadvantage at this track, but Chris just rode even harder, and impressed us all the more. He ran as high as 4th, got into a 4-way dice, and ended up 6th We thought this was pretty good, but Chris was not happy with his outcome, and came back with a vengeance for the Supersport race Sunday. Once again we told Chris to go ride for a podium, and whatever happened was OK with us. Chris ran a strong 3rd for 6 laps in front of every factory backed Yamaha, and fell behind in 4th for the balance of the race till lap 13 of 15. Chris was pushing his privateer bike beyond its capabilities and tucked the front. He ran every single lap below a 1:27.6 lap time, and a best time of 1.26 975, which is absolutely incredible! On a high note! Our Canadian series was a tremendous success Chris only ran 6 out of the 8 rounds and finished 3rd overall (due to date conflicts with the AMA rounds). Chris was on the podium 100% of the time. He received two 1st place podiums, two 2nd place and two 3rd place podiums. (He said he was doing the Noah and the Ark thing) Some people think he could have won the number one plate if he had gone to all the races. (Congratulations Steve Crevier and Diablo) The Canadian Series is a little different than the AMA. In Canada you have a horsepower rule set at 115 BHP to even out the playing field. The talent at the top is just as competitive as the U.S. Series. The difference is, the equipment is less of a factor. We also had an opportunity to race in a World Supersport event in Misano, Italy. This was an unbelievable learning experience for Chris and although his results may not have shown his talent, you have to understand, to race in a foreign country on a new track, a different bike (Suzuki) with different tires (Pirelli) against the World’s Best and only two hours of practice, is difficult to say the least. Chris finished 25th out of 31 riders. Another interesting fact, from pole position to 31st place only three seconds separated the grid; unbelievable! In an AMA or Canadian event you can have as much as 10 seconds separating the grid and sometimes more. Overall I don’t think our team could have done any better. Chris constantly amazed everyone in the paddock, and certainly did more with less than any of the factory teams. Since I don’t see anyone on a factory team retiring any time soon, I’m not sure where that leaves us for next year. Time will tell. We need to find an outside corporate sponsor or get a belated call from one of the factories. I hope some Team Managers get to read this! I don’t mean to sound discouraged, as we had the most spectacular year in our racing history and Chris has shown he can run with the big dogs. Regardless of how it turns out, Chris will race next year; we’re just not sure in what series or country. Chris has accepted a ride in NEW ZEALAND this “winter”. At that time of year, it’s very cold in Canada, and very warm in New Zealand. Chris will ride for a new team formed by multi-time Champion Shaun Harris, who is starting a new “rider exchange” business, where North American riders can go race where it’s warm to stay in shape for the upcoming races on our continent. Sounds like a great adventure! Thanks for watching us this year and I’ll keep in touch. Bill, Chris, Fernando, Max, Nick and Willie (alphabetically, not by importance) Favourite expression all year .. How Fast Is Your Wallet. Thanks again to all our sponsors!

Because of an unexpected e-mail filtering problem, anyone that pre-entered via the on-line pre-entry tool between 9-6-05 and 9-14-05 should send their original e-mail confirmation (the one sent to them (& AFM) when they complete the on-line pre-entry process) to Paddy & Joan at [email protected] This is necessary because some of the entries sent between 9-6 and 9-14 were unexpectedly/unknowingly filtered as SPAM by their ISP service and otherwise those pre-entries sent during this period will not have been received or recorded. If you can check the “pre-entries received” list for your AFM number prior to sending the e-mail, that would help us… if you are listed on the “pre-entries received” list, then you don’t need to do anything… if you aren’t listed, then you need to act as noted. If you for sure do not have a retain of your original pre-entry confirmation e-mail to send, please re-register using the on-line regtool w/ the same classes/bikes/practices, so it will be registered. And PLEASE REMEMBER, this only applies for on-line pre-entries made between the dates of 9-6-05 and 9-14-04. THANKS!!!

Daytona 500, Pepsi 400 Showcase Busy Year At DIS DAYTONA BEACH, FLA., (Sept. 15, 2005) — For the 48th straight year, Daytona International Speedway will host the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest, richest and most prestigious event, highlight a busy 2006 motorsports calendar for the storied racing facility. “The World Center of Racing” will showcase “The Great American Race” on Sunday, Feb. 19 as well as NASCAR’s most exciting nighttime race – the Pepsi 400 – on Saturday, July 1. Tickets for NASCAR’s signature event, which has been a sell out since the inaugural event in 1959, start at $95. Tickets for the Pepsi 400 begin at $50. Other events on tap during Speedweeks 2006 include: * The Rolex 24 At Daytona, the kick-off event to the international motorsports calendar and is the season-opening event to the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series. The prestigious sports car race, which is traditionally held in the first week of February, will now be held on Jan. 26-29, 2006 – the weekend between the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl. * Budweiser Shootout, an All-Star race featuring the previous year’s Bud Pole winners as well as past Budweiser Shootout champions (Feb. 11). * ARCA 200, the ARCA RE/MAX Series’ kick-off event that features many of the rising stars of stock car racing. (Feb. 11). * Bud Pole Qualifying for the Daytona 500, the front row of the Daytona 500 will be at stake with two high-speed qualifying laps (Feb. 12). * Gatorade Duel At Daytona, a pair of 150-mile qualifying races that finalize the field for the Daytona 500 (Feb. 16). * Daytona 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, a popular 100-lap race under the lights (Feb. 17). * Crown Royal IROC Series, the 40-lap invitation-only All-Star race (Feb. 17). * Hershey’s Kissables 300, the crown jewel event in the NASCAR Busch Series (Feb. 18) and circuit’s richest event of the year. Other historical events on tap at Daytona International Speedway in 2006 include: Daytona 200 Week: On March 2-11, the two-wheel thunder of motorcycles will roar into Daytona International Speedway with competitive racing from the Championship Cup Series, Formula USA, American Historic Motorcycle Racing Association and the American Motorcyclist Association. Highlighting the schedule will be Dirt Track racing at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium on March 8-9, the Daytona Supercross By Honda under the lights on March 10 and the 65th Daytona 200 By Honda on March 11. The Speedway will also be hosting free demo rides and displays as well as Kickstand City, which will have overnight parking and top-notch entertainment. Pepsi 400 Weekend: Preceding the Pepsi 400 on the Independence Day holiday racing weekend will be the NASCAR Busch Series 250 race on June 30 and the Rolex Sports Car Series 250 race on June 29. Fall Cycle Scene: The Championship Cup Series and Formula USA will return to DIS on Oct. 19-22. The CCS Race of Champions brings together hundreds of amateur and semi-pro riders from across the country. The top racers from each region compete all year in their home region to earn the right to race on DIS’ road course. The Formula USA National Road Race Series, which kicked off their season in Daytona in March, will return to DIS to crown their season champions. Daytona Kartweek By Cometic Gasket: On Dec. 26-30, DIS will host the largest go-karting event in the world – Daytona Kartweek by Cometic Gasket. For five days at both the Speedway and nearby Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium, go-karts will compete in a plethora of World Karting Association events. Many of today’s racing stars competed in karting events at Daytona, including former NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champions Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte, 2003 NEXTEL Cup Series Rookie of the Year Jamie McMurray and 2003 Busch Series champion Brian Vickers.

Since the 2000 season, the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia has been the Superbike World Championship’s Spanish home. After six years of fruitful cooperation, FGSport and the Ricardo Tormo Circuit have decided to extend the agreement for the next three years. The Spanish round of the Superbike World Championship will therefore be hosted by the Valencia Circuit through the 2006, 2007 and 2008 WSBK seasons. Eduardo Nogués, Managing Director of Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo Circuit declared: “We believe in WSBK as a Championship that is going to improve his attending quotes in Spain. With this agreement Valencia Circuit is going to hold the most important motorbike races until 2008, this is our goal and the fans desire. In these three years FGSport and us will have time enough to make the championship popularity grow up”. Paolo Flammini, CEO of FGSport, added: “We believe that Valencia is the right venue for the WSBK in Spain. Not only we can count on an outstanding facility, but also on a fantastic management team. We are also firmly convinced that in Spain the Superbike World Championship will gain the same level of popularity that it has already achieved in the rest of Europe, and world. The latest cooperation with the Valencia Circuit will play a key role in this process”.

Japanese GP Preview Good vibrations on Bridgestone Motorsport Day – and high expectations for Motegi weekend The Japanese Grand Prix started with good vibrations for the Bridgestone riders in the MotoGP category: A cheering crowd of several hundred Bridgestone employees and racing enthusiasts welcomed the stars with warm applause and the best wishes for this weekend’s 12th round of the championship. Local hero Shinya Nakano and his Kawasaki team-mate Alex Hofmann, Ducati stars Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa, and Suzuki’s American top-gun John Hopkins were certainly in the limelight at the “Bridgestone Motorsport Day” on front of Bridgestone’s Technical Center in Kodaira, with live interviews on stage, with giveaways to the luckiest members of the crowd, and with a busy autograph session in the shade of a Bridgestone canopy. But it was not all about fun and entertainment at the Bridgestone pre-event. After their public appearance, the riders took the opportunity to experience some of the serious development work in the Tokyo plant, which not only holds production facilities for 3500 employees and for an output of 20000 car, truck and motorcycle tyres per day, but also hosts the top-secret research and development department for both top-categories in international road-racing, the MotoGP class and the Formula 1-championship. Whereas access to the holy heart of the development department is restricted even for most of the Bridgestone Grand Prix staff, the riders had the chance to witness a test session on the drum test facility, where the tyres are pushed through their paces, with speeds up to 350 kph, loads up to 1000 kg, camber angles of 10 to +60 degree, and slip angles of -10 to +10 degrees. “This is one of our most important facilities. Each tyre is tested here for strength and durability, and for its resistance against excessive heat build-up”, says Hiroshi Yamada, Bridgestone’s Motorcycle Racing Manager. “Within the development department, the F1-team and the MotoGP-team work in different groups, but on one level, to ensure a constant exchange of information.” Whereas tyre shape and tyre construction are obviously very different between cars and motorcycles, it is the compounds, the quest for ever more grip and durability, where the transfer of know-how and track experience happens the most. For the twisty and technically demanding Twin Ring Motegi, Bridgestone is especially confident, not only because of Loris Capirossi’s fantastic second place in the Czech Republic Grand Prix two weeks ago, but also because of Bridgestone’s vast experience on this track in other classes such as the All Nippon Championship. In last year’s Motegi Grand Prix, the Japanese tyre giant celebrated his best-ever MotoGP result with victory and third place, and is now aiming to repeat this success.

Japanese riders target home glory as MotoGP launches Asian triple The teams, staff and riders of the MotoGP World Championship convened in the paddock of the Twin Ring Motegi circuit today after filtering west from the Czech Republic onto Japanese shores over the past two weeks. The Grand Prix of Japan gets underway on Friday and is the first of three consecutive races for the series on Asian shores as the 2005 campaign prepares for its traditional end of season climax with a gruelling trip across three continents. Just six rounds remain in total, with the Japan, Malaysia and Qatar triple to be followed by visits to Australia, Turkey and, finally, the Valencia circuit in Spain, giving reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi several opportunities to retain his crown. The first comes this Sunday when the Italian simply needs a top-two result to secure the title, whilst his 132-point advantage at the top of the standings means a lower finish could suffice depending on the results of other riders. “The advantage we have in the championship means that I can ride at each of the remaining six rounds without pressure and try to win every race,” observed Rossi today. “That is the way it has been all season. The championship victory is really near and we have a great advantage. As at every race, we will try to fight for the victory in Motegi. That is the thing I like the most and this will be my main aim on Sunday, even though this track doesn’t suit my style very well.” Whilst Rossi has finished outside the top two only once from the eleven rounds so far this season, on the occasion of his first visit to the Laguna Seca circuit in the United States, his destiny is anything but certain at Motegi, a circuit he earlier admitted is “not the ideal place for a party.” Two riders who would disagree with that theory are Makoto Tamada and Shinya Nakano. The Japanese pair enjoyed the highest point of their respective careers in last year’s race, with Tamada clinching a clear victory over Rossi, his first in the MotoGP class, and Nakano leading Kawasaki back to the podium for the first time in over two decades to trigger joyous celebrations for the home crowd. Things have not progressed as well as Tamada would have hoped after that breakthrough victory, with a wrist injury early in the season putting paid to his hopes of a consistent challenge, but he said today that he was hopeful of recapturing his best form at his home race. “I have been waiting anxiously for this race,” commented Tamada. “Finally my home Grand Prix, where I desperately want an excellent result. It will not be easy given the high level of my rivals but I would really like for things to go back in the right direction for me and for luck to be on my side.” Nakano’s season has been more encouraging, qualifying regularly in the top six and boasting a best finish of fifth in the opening race at Jerez. However, the former 250cc race winner at Motegi is looking to better that performance and even match his result from last year. “I’m chasing my best result of the season, I want to show the potential of the Kawasaki team,” said Nakano, who will be boosted by an upgraded engine specification for the Ninja ZX-RR machine as well as a sell-out grandstand of “Green Team” fans. “The latest engine parts have improved top end power, with more over-rev, and we have also found a good balance with bottom-end power, which is very important at Motegi. My podium last year is a very nice memory but everyone is going much faster now – even a top four result will not be easy.” Nakano added that he was “99% certain” that he would be extending his contract with Kawasaki for another season, on a day that Loris Capirossi also announced a new one-year deal with Ducati. Gunning for home glory in the 250cc class are former Japanese national champions Hiroshi Aoyama and Yuki Takahashi, who both made their names as Grand Prix wildcards on a career path being followed this weekend by their younger brothers Shuhei and Kuoki. “We have been racing against each other since we were boys, our brothers also, we are very good friends and so are our families,” said Aoyama, whose Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa currently leads the series by 59 points from Casey Stoner. “Obviously the pressure is higher at Motegi my brother is racing against me, everybody around me wants me to win and so do I but I feel comfortable with pressure and it motivates me even more. Last year my best race was at Motegi and now I am even more experienced and better prepared so I hope to be fighting for victory.” Whilst local stars seemingly hold the key to potential success for Honda at their own purpose-built circuit in the MotoGP and 250cc class, Swiss youngster Thomas Lüthi has come a long way to impress factory bosses as he looks to strengthen his grip on the 125cc World Championship. Lüthi currently leads by eight points from KTM rival Mika Kallio as he aims to end a record sequence of 49 races without rider taking consecutive wins in the class. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: LORIS CAPIROSSI AND DUCATI TEAM UP AGAIN IN 2006 Motegi (Japan), Thursday 15 September 2005 – On the eve of the Grand Prix of Japan, the twelfth round of the 2005 MotoGP season, the Ducati Marlboro Team wishes to announce that its collaboration with Loris Capirossi has been confirmed for the 2006 season. At the Czech Republic GP, held at Brno at the end of August, the rider and Ducati Corse management dealt with the issue of contract renewal, and a couple of subsequent meetings were all that was required to define the terms of the agreement, which has now been reached, to the evident satisfaction of both parties. After three years of constructive and successful collaboration, Loris and Ducati are now looking to the future with renewed optimism and with exactly the same enthusiasm that has characterized their rapport since the debut of the Desmosedici and of the Ducati Marlboro Team with the Italian rider in November 2002 at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain. The accord helps to strengthen the only all-Italian partnership in the MotoGP World Championship, a partnership that has been capable of taking on the large Japanese companies right from the start. Together, Ducati and Capirossi have experienced moments of great joy and satisfaction, as well as overcoming the inevitable difficult moments, in a partnership that has thrilled ‘Ducatisti’ all over the world. “I am extremely satisfied that we have reached an agreement with Loris for next season” commented Claudio Domenicali, Ducati Corse Managing Director. “He is a real fighter, a courageous rider with the heart of a lion, and in addition he knows the Desmosedici and our method of working inside out. After years of experience in the world of racing, he has been capable of maturing even more with us and has adapted his riding style to the evolution of the bike and to the new Bridgestone tyres: I believe that this is truly a great asset. Loris has given us numerous unforgettable moments, like the victory at Barcelona in 2003, which came just six races after the Desmosedici’s debut, and together we have continued to work with the same commitment as always, even in moments of difficulty. Passion, determination and an ability to never give up are the characteristics that link Loris to Ducati and I am sure that this pairing is destined to give even more satisfaction to our fans”, concluded Domenicali. “I am very pleased with the mutual respect that there has been in this period between Ducati and myself” declared Loris Capirossi. “Of course I cannot deny the fact that I have also had other interesting offers but having seen the creation of this project and this bike right from the start, this made me reflect a lot. As a result I am convinced that the best solution is to continue with Ducati, a decision that makes me really happy. We discussed many interesting points, especially from a technical point of view, and we will try to continue to develop the Desmosedici in view of the 2006 season and to finish this season on a high note. Bridgestone are confirming their excellent work with us. They have also been working hard for the Motegi race, which is vitally important for them, and I am sure that we will continue to improve together. To have another season with Ducati is an honour and a great satisfaction for me and we will for sure give everything to achieve success as we always have done in the past”.

Fastrack Riders will be combining their Level I and Level II groups at California Speedway on Friday, September 23rd so there will be two Level III or Racer Groups on Friday only. Riders must call 877-560-2233 to register. Fastrack is doing this to accommodate the racers who want to get practice time on the AMA Track before the Sunday, September 24th WERA West Sportsman Series / USGPRU races.