American Kenny Noyes, riding his Folch Yamaha R1, came from eleventh on the grid to a seventh place finish in round 4 of the Spanish 1000cc Formula Extreme championship on Sunday at Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain. Traction problems in qualifying were partially solved by some chassis adjustments in the morning warm-up and Noyes was in the thick of the group battling for fourth over the first half of the race, but the problems returned and Noyes dropped back to finish seventh. “In qualifying I was spinning and couldn’t get any drive, but we went to a softer spring on the rear shock and that was a big improvement in the warm-up. In the race I was running a half second under my qualifying time and feeling that I could fight for fourth. But then the rear tire started spinning off the corners again. I tried to go with David Tomás and Josep Sarda but the bike was trying to high-side me,” said Noyes. “We need to look at the data acquisition read-outs and talk to Michelin and Ohlins to see what we need to do.” Team owner Josep Folch believes that Noyes is very close to breaking through to the lead group. “This was Kenny’s first ride on a Yamaha at Jerez after running the last couple of seasons with Honda. We made big progress from Friday when he was stuck in the 48s. On Sunday he ran several 46’s. We have a second chance at Jerez in November.” With most national championships around the world either finished or about to finish, the Spanish CEV still has three races left to run. Former 500 Grand Prix rider José David de Gea won on his BQR Honda CBR1000RR from Josep Monge (Promoracing Yamaha R1) and Carmelo Morales (ZK Pontgrup Suzuki GSX-R 1000. Championship leader Ivan Silva (Laglisse Yamaha R1) was forced to retire with machine problems when running eighth and fourth place finisher Javier del Amor is now second in the points race, 14 back of de Gea. Results from Jerez 1. Jose David de Gea (BQR Honda CBR1000RR) 2. Joseph Monge (Promoracing Yamaha R1) 3. Carmelo Morales (ZK Puntgrup Suzuki GSX-R 1000) 4. Javier del Amor (Laglisse Yamaha R1) 5. Joseph Sardá (d´Antin Yamaha R1) 6. David Tomás (BQR Honda CBR1000RR) 7. Kenny Noyes (Folch Yamaha R1) 8. David Gomez (Megabike Suzuki GSX-R 1000) 9. Victor Casas (ZK Puntgrup Suzuki GSX-R 1000) 10. Julian Mazuecos (PL Racing Yamaha R1) 11. Juan Gomez (RPM Expert Suzuki GSX-R 1000) 12. Roberto Pandilla (Osasuna Saltoki Puro Kawasaki ZX-10) 13. Sergio Fuertes (Reynolds Motor Suzuki GSX-R 1000) 14. Bernat Martinez (Folch Yamaha R1) 15. Neil Rogers (NR Racing Yamaha R1) Fastest lap: Monge (Yamaha) 1’45.789 43 riders took part in qualifying 36 started with seven eliminated by posting times outside the 107% limit 25 riders finished with one rider lapped.

While most Australians who race in AMA Pro road racing series are planning on flying back to their native land later today or soon after, Mat Mladin and Marty Craggill are planning to stay at their race season homes in Southern California a little longer to have surgery performed. At Road Atlanta, Mladin revealed to Roadracingworld.com that he has been racing with two small fractures and floating bone fragments in his left ankle since his high-speed crash during testing at Daytona International Speedway in January. “Unlike some racers, I don’t ask for sympathy for my injuries or use them as excuses,” said Mladin, who said he isn’t affected by the injury while on the bike. However, Mladin has been walking with a noticeable limp in 2005. Mladin plans to have surgery at the hands of Dr. Thomas Bryan of Covina, California, the same doctor Mladin has been going to since he injured his elbow in another crash at Daytona in 2002. During that surgery, which is scheduled for September 9, Mladin will also have work done to improve the range of motion from the ankle, which has been limited since his 1995 ultra-light aircraft crash. Craggill doesn’t know when he will be having his surgery, but it will come “as soon as possible,” said the veteran racer. “I’ve had problems with cramping in my left leg for a long time. Last week I had a full-body MRI, and they found an aneurism in the femoral artery of my left leg. It’s a pretty serious deal.”

Silly season, the time of year when changes in rider line-ups and team plans are rumored, denied, confirmed, etc., is in full force this weekend at Road Atlanta. Saturday, Erion Honda confirmed its 2006 plans, to race Formula Xtreme and Superstock with Josh Hayes and Aaron Gobert and with more involvement by American Honda. This news came following recent announcements that Aaron Yates would continue with Yoshimura Suzuki in 2006, that Neil Hodgson would return to the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin AMA team next season, that Jamie Hacking would continue with Yamaha and that Marty Craggill will again be employed by Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki. There are several issues left to settle, however. It is believed that Yamaha, which plans to run factory teams in Superstock on the new YZF-R1 Limited Edition and in Formula Xtreme on the all-new YZF-R6, will field a third rider. The hot rumor at Road Atlanta is that Eric Bostrom is considering taking that seat rather than stay on the Ducati Austin 999, but Bostrom has also told some reporters that he will be racing a Superbike in 2006. Bostrom’s manager Norm Viano told Roadracingworld.com, “Whatever you are hearing, nothing is definite.” Kawasaki has not announced, or even hinted at, its 2006 racing plans or its riders, other than Tommy Hayden, who is in the middle of a multi-year contract with Team Green. It is expected that Roger Hayden will re-sign with the factory team. Ben Attard is also expected to renew his commitment to Kawasaki and ride for the Attack Kawasaki team for two more years, now that the second seat at Erion Honda (which he thought about taking) has been filled by Aaron Gobert. Who the second Attack Kawasaki rider will be is not known, but Damon Buckmaster has been made available by Yamaha. Sources within Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki have said they are looking to continue with Jason Pridmore, in Superbike and Superstock, and with Steve Rapp, in Superstock only. While Kurtis Roberts hasn’t had the most success over the past two seasons, he may replace Bostrom on the Parts Unlimited-sponsored Ducati Austin team; Roberts has been personally sponsored by Parts Unlimited for much of his career. Failing that, his services could be a great asset to a support-level team (his manager Jimmy Filice has been talking to M4 EMGO Suzuki), or his management team could try to gather sponsorship and run a Superbike team for Roberts. At VIR and Road Atlanta, Roberts’ Honda has sported a custom swingarm and rear suspension linkage made for him by his father’s Team Roberts race shop. These rumors could be confirmed or denied in the coming weeks as the motorcycle manufacturers hold their annual dealer meetings and finalize their racing programs. A new factor in various programs could be AMA Pro Racing plans to add events at various venues, which would increase team costs and could affect how many riders they field. Adding four venues would increase event-related team expenses 40% over 2005 costs.

SHANNONVILLE, ON Pascal Picotte enjoyed a perfect day but it wasn’t enough to prevent Francis Martin from claiming his second Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park Sunday. Picotte led the final round of the 2005 season from start to finish on his Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1, but with a third place result on his Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000 Rock Forest, QC’s Martin was able to snatch the title by five points, 315-310. “It’s easy to make mistakes when you have that much pressure on you,” said Martin, who started the day with a 20-point lead on Picotte. “I must have made about 10 mistakes before I was able to settle down and relax.” The destination of the championship trophy, the Canada Cup was in doubt until the closing stages of the 14-lap race around Shannonville’s 4.0km (2.5-mile) ‘Long Track.’ Martin started the last lap running fourth behind fellow Suzuki riders Clint McBain and Kevin Lacombe, a result which would have left him and Picotte tied on points with 310. Picotte would have won the title on a tiebreaker with three race victories this season to Martin’s one. But McBain went wide in the run between turns 5 and 6, allowing his Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki teammate Lacombe and Martin through. Lacombe finished second on his Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2.630 secs. behind Picotte, with Martin third and McBain fourth. “I just wanted to pull a gap at the start and control the pace,” said Granby, QC’s Picotte after scoring his 16th career national Superbike win. “I just can’t believe it. I came back from an injury at the start of the year and we worked really hard.” Calgary rider McBain took third in the final Parts Canada Superbike standings with 289 points. Lacombe just missed snatching fourth. The Granby, QC racer settled for fifth with 276 points, three fewer than Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke. Szoke placed fifth in Sunday’s race on the Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR, just ahead of the Diablo Performance Honda CBR1000RR of Maple Ridge, BC’s Steve Crevier. The pair ran in close company throughout the race. In other action at Shannonville, Picotte took his first Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike victory of the year on his Yamaha YZF-R6 after passing the Honda CBR600RR of Crevier on the final lap. Crevier had already clinched the title at the previous round at Atlantic Motorsport Park. McBain completed the podium on his Suzuki GSX-R600. Mark Douglas of Warkworth, ON won the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Championship with a fifth place finish Sunday aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6. His closest rival for the title, James Collins of Woodstock, ON, scored the race win on his Yamaha but still came up two points short of Douglas in the final series standings. Darren James of North Vancouver finished third in the Canadian Thunder feature at Shannonville on his Buell to clinch the 2005 series title. Bill Card of Wellesley, ON won his third race of the year on a Buell and finished second in the final standings. Fifteen-year-old Karl Daigle of Roxton Pond, QC locked up the Suzuki SV650 National Cup crown with a second place finish in the final round. Dundas, ON’s Ross Millson scored the race win. Erick Beausejour of Val Senneville, QC wrapped up the HJC Pro Rookie of the Year Award at Shannonville’s final round. Montreal’s Diablo Performance, which oversaw the title winning efforts of Martin and Crevier, was named the Inside Motorcycles Team of the Year. Action from this weekend’s racing will be shown later this year in a one-hour program on The Sports Network. For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com Results of Sunday’s eighth round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park, showing finishing position, rider name, hometown, motorcycle and laps completed: 1.Pascal Picotte, Granby, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 14; 2. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 14; 3. Francis Martin, Rock Forest, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 14; 4. Clint McBain, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 14; 5. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda CBR1000RR, 14; 6. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Honda CBR1000RR, 14; 7. Tom Kipp, Chardon, OH, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 14; 8. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 14; 9. Jeff Williams, Harrowsmith, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 14; 10. Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 14; 11. Brian Nielsen, Edmonton, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1, 14; 12. Erick Beausejour, Val Senneville, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 14; 13. Larry Orde, Peterborough, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 14; 14. Dave Young, Woodstock, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 14; 15. Sean Heydorn, Aurora, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 14; 16. Zenon Nelson, Bowmanville, ON, Suzuki GSX-R600, 14; 17. Jean Paul Tache, North Bay, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 14; 18. Elie Daccache, Ottawa, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 13; 19. Dan Durckovic, Ottawa, ON, Honda CBR1000RR, 13; 20. Marco Alessandrini, Bradford, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 13; 21. Rudy Raposo, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 13; DNF. Stuart Nodell, Ajax, ON, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 12; DNF. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 4 Margin of Victory: 2.630 secs. Fastest Lap: 1:43.651 by Pascal Picotte on lap 3 Final Parts Canada Superbike Championship standings, showing position, rider name and point total: 1.Francis Martin, 315; 2. Pascal Picotte, 310; 3. Clint McBain, 289; 4. Jordan Szoke, 279; 5. Kevin Lacombe, 276; 6. Steve Crevier, 250; 7. Tom Kipp, 170; 8. Frank Trombino, 162; 9. Brian Nielsen, 150; 10. Andrew Nelson, 123; 11. Matthew McBride, 122; 12. Jean-Paul Tache, 100; 13. Erick Beausejour, 80; 14. Sean Heydorn, 63; 15. David Young, 60; 16. Rudy Raposo, 46; 17. Jeff Williams, 38; 18. Larry Orde, 33; 19. Hugo Brisson, 32; 20. Stuart Nodell, 29; 21. Zenon Nelson, 25; 21. Mitch Rathje, 25; 23. Chris Peris, 19; 24. Elie Daccache, 18; 25. Tim Easton, 16; 25. Trevor MacDonald, 16; 25. Todd Scott, 16; 25. Fred Silver, 16; 29. Peter Holzinger, 15; 30. Jeremy Burgess, 13; 30. Guy Tomlinson, 13; 32. Alan Schmidt, 12; 33. Fergus Warwick, 6; 33. Steve Scott, 6; 35. Blaine Pellerine, 5; 35. Rick Langille, 5; 37. Mike Zottmann, 4; 37. Dominic Lavoie, 4; 39. Marco Alessandrini, 3; 40. Dan Durckovic, 2; 40. Shane Kuhn, 2

Sunday’s Provisional AMA Superbike Race Results: 1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 25 laps 2. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -6.248 seconds 3. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, -7.967 seconds 4. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -9.017 seconds 5. Jake Zemke, Honda, -11.873 seconds 6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -27.631 seconds 7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -35.275 seconds 8. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -39.562 seconds 9. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -58.308 seconds 10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -62.067 seconds 11. Jason Perez, Yamaha, -76.807 seconds 12. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -80.721 seconds 13. John Haner, Suzuki, -80.911 seconds 14. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -82.059 seconds 15. Brent George, Suzuki, -82.213 seconds 16. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -1 lap 17. Jeremy Toye, Honda, -1 lap 18. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -1 lap 19. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki, -1 lap 20. Mark Miller, Suzuki, -1 lap 21. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, -1 lap 22. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, -1 lap 23. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap 24. Mark Crozier, Yamaha, -1 lap 25. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -1 lap 26. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -1 lap 27. Chuck Ivey, Yamaha, -1 lap 28. Logan Young, Suzuki, -1 lap 29. James Kerker, Honda, -1 lap 30. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, -1 lap 31. James Stroud, Honda, -1 lap 32. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, -11 laps, DNF, mechanical 33. David Bell, Suzuki, -11 laps, DNF, mechanical 34. Mike Smith, Suzuki, -16 laps, DNF, mechanical 35. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -18 laps, DNF, mechanical 36. Brian Stokes, Yamaha, -25 laps, DNF, crash 37. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -25 laps, DNF, crash Provisional AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (After 17 of 17 races): 1. Mladin, 536 points 2. Spies, 514 points 3. Bostrom, 431 points 4. Yates, 414 points 5. Duhamel, 392 points 6. Hodgson, 384 points 7. Craggill, 331 points 8. Rapp, 305 points 9. Hayes, 302 points 10. Acree, 301 points 11. Zemke, 265 points 12. Wood, 233 points 13. Scott Jensen, 231 points 14. Larry Pegram, 219 points 15. Cory West, 201 points More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: In a stunning end to the Suzuki weekend at Road Atlanta on Sunday, Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin clinched his third record-breaking AMA Superbike Championship by taking an unprecedented sixth title. And team mate Aaron Yates carded his first Superbike win of the season while Ben Spies came in a close second to Yates. “It was a good year for us,” said Mladin. “And Suzuki delivered a motorcycle that made life a lot easier than last year. As I’ve said all along, the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 is an amazing motorcycle.” Mladin had a record-breaking qualifying session in that he not only broke the track record with a time of 1:21.685, but he is also the first AMA Superbike rider to capture every pole position in a single season — that’s 10 for the season and 47 for his career total. His Yoshimura Suzuki team mates qualified closely behind him on the front row, with Spies in the second spot with a 1:23.161 and Yates in third with a 1:23.242. The 25-lap race started late on Sunday afternoon and was almost immediately red-flagged after a rider crashed. The riders were re-gridded for a full re-start and although Spies got the holeshot, Yates took over the lead almost immediately. The duo led the race entirely. “What can I say? Let’s give it up for the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000,” announced Yates from the podium. “It was a good day and a good race. We got a good start out there and I think I was a little stronger in a couple of spots and I just tried to take advantage of the opportunities — then I sort of got into cruisin’ mode. It’s just really great to get the race win for Suzuki.” Spies rode hard and consistently and made a few runs at Yates. But after 25 laps, he maintained a strong second. “I wish there’s been no red flag,” said Spies. “But I just did the best that I could and tried to be conservative and get on the podium.” Mladin got a bad start and worked his way through traffic. With his sixth championship in mind, he rode a conservative race and finished fourth. Mladin’s five previous AMA Superbike titles came aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 in 2004 and 2003 and aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 in 2001, 2000 and 1999. AMA Superbike Top 10 Finishers: 1. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Yoshimura Suzuki) 3. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 4. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 5. Jake Zemke (Honda) 6. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki) 7. Jason Pridmore (Jordan Suzuki) 8. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 9. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 10. Steve Rapp (Jordan Suzuki)

Sunday’s AMA Superbike finale at Road Atlanta was stopped before the third lap was completed due to a multi-bike crash in the turn three chicane that may have been caused by fluid on the track from a blown motor. The two bikes that went down were Brian Stokes (who had the suspected blown engine) and Jimmy Moore. Stokes and Moore were seen walking away from the incident. At the time the race was stopped, Ben Spies was leading his Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Aaron Yates. Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom was third, ahead of Mat Mladin, Neil Hodgson and Miguel Duhamel. Jake Zemke had just pulled into the pits when the race was stopped. Zemke’s crew could be seen working on his clutch during the red flag break. A complete re-start has been called for.

Provisional AMA Supersport Race Results: 1. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, 15 laps 2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, -5.096 seconds 3. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, -9.037 seconds 4. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, -11.504 seconds 5. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -12.860 seconds 6. Robert Jensen, Yamaha, -19.992 seconds 7. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -23.897 seconds 8. Geoff May, Suzuki, -24.805 seconds 9. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -26.330 seconds 10. Blake Young, Suzuki, -32.628 seconds 11. Armando Ferrer, Yamaha, 51.201 seconds 12. Taylor Knapp, Yamaha, -55.138 seconds 13. Chris Siglin, Suzuki, -57.147 seconds 14. Nathan Hester, Yamaha, -57.337 seconds 15. Barrett Long, Yamaha, -58.935 seconds 16. Darren Luck, Suzuki, -59.929 seconds 17. Brandon Parrish, Suzuki, -67.069 seconds 18. Scott Jackson, Suzuki, -67.276 seconds 19. Derek Keyes, Suzuki, -67.480 seconds 20. Keith Marshall, Suzuki, -75.116 seconds 21. Victor Chirinos, Yamaha, -90.176 seconds 22. Tristan Schoenewald, Honda, -92.722 seconds 23. Giovanni Rojas, Suzuki, -92.787 seconds 24. Justin Filice, Honda, -1 lap 25. Chad Lewin, Suzuki, -1 lap 26. Michael Morgan, Suzuki, -1 lap 27. Skip Salenius, Suzuki, -1 lap 28. Johnny Rock Page, Yamaha, -1 lap 29. Ivan Garza, Suzuki, -1 lap 30. Mark Kittel, Honda, -1 lap 31. Mark Brereton, Suzuki, -1 lap 32. Lindsay McGregor, Yamaha, -2 laps 33. Chris Peris, Yamaha, -2 laps, DNF, crash 34. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, -4 laps, DNF, mechanical 35. Shea Fouchek, Suzuki, -6 laps, DNF, crash Provisional AMA Supersport Championship Point Standings (after 10 of 10 events): 1. Tommy Hayden, 328 points 2. Roger Hayden, 308 points 3. DiSalvo, 272 points 4. Spies, 231 points 5. May, 228 points 6. Aaron Gobert, 222 points 7. Buckmaster, 215 points 8. Attard, 201 points 9. Jensen, 199 points 10. Peris, 187 points 11. Blake Young, 166 points 12. Jamie Hacking, 165 points 13. Danny Eslick, 139 points 14. Long, 136 points 15. Hester, 131 points

Provisional AMA Superstock Race Results: 1. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki, 15 laps 2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, -0.008 second 3. Geoff May, Suzuki, -1.991 seconds 4. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -5.352 seconds 5. John Haner, Suzuki, -5.479 seconds 6. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -5.614 seconds 7. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, -10.684 seconds 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -10.871 seconds 9. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -12.363 seconds 10. Jason Perez, Yamaha, -13.790 seconds 11. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -23.709 seconds 12. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, -24.969 seconds 13. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki, -26.894 seconds 14. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -27.097 seconds 15. Blake Young, Suzuki, -27.180 seconds 16. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, -30.457 seconds 17. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, -31.694 seconds 18. Mark Miller, Suzuki, -35.445 seconds 19. Brent George, Suzuki, -37.017 seconds 20. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -39.690 seconds 21. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -51.473 seconds 22. Brian Boyd, Suzuki, -1 lap 23. James Kerker, Honda, -1 lap 24. Rodolfo Ramirez, Suzuki, -1 lap 25. Johnny Rock Page, Yamaha, -1 lap 26. David Loikits, Suzuki, -1 lap 27. Montez Stewart, Suzuki, -3 laps 28. Heath Small, Suzuki, DNS Provisional AMA Superstock Championship Standings (After 10 of 10 races): 1. Yates, 323 points 2. DiSalvo, 314 points 3. Rapp, 255 points 4. Roger Hayden, 241 5. Haner, 222 points 6. Jake Holden, 195 points 7. Buckmaster, 192 points 8. May, 189 points 9. Aaron Gobert, 187 points 10. Tommy Hayden, 168 points 11. Wood, 163 points 12. Acree, 159 points 13. Jamie Hacking, 156 points 14. Moore, 150 points 15. Young, 142 points More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates won the 2005 AMA Repsol Superstock Championship after coming in ninth in the final event of the season at Road Atlanta in Braselton on Sunday. “Thanks to Suzuki for putting together such a great motorcycle because the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 is awesome,” said Yates. “My team has been great all year putting together a good race set-up and Dunlop has given us excellent tyres this season. It’s all because of these guys that I’ve got this number-one plate.” Going into the final round, Yates had a good qualifying session and ended up in third position on the front row with a best time of 1:23.748. “I went out on race tyres and did some good laps and then went out with a qualifier and did a pretty good lap. I tried to go faster and almost crashed, but I ended up with a lap time that’s better than I’ve ever done on the Superstock bike so I’m happy with it.” When preparing for the race, Yates knew that he didn’t have to win to take the title because he was going in with a 21-point lead. His race strategy, however, was undecided. “I’ve been thinking about the race,” he said after qualifying. “But you can’t really make any plans because it just depends on how the race actually goes. It depends on how I feel when I wake up in the morning – whether I want to go for it or just ride around. I really want to finish the race and I don’t want any issues to come up and trouble us. It’s kind of nice to have the points cushion.” He played it safe when Sunday rolled around. He got a pretty good start and went out in eighth place and rode conservatively to a ninth-place finish in the 15-lap race. “It was hard just hanging back there just cruising along,” said Yates. “I usually don’t make a plan for a race but this time I decided to take it easy off the line and see how it goes. I knew I had to get 14th or better and this was the smart thing to do, I reckon.” Superstock Top 10 Finishers: 1. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 2. Jason Disalvo (Yamaha) 3. Geoff May (M4 EMGO Suzuki) 4. Damon Buckmaster (Yamaha) 5. John Haner (Suzuki) 6. Steve Rapp (Jordan Suzuki) 7. Michael Barnes (M4 EMGO Suzuki) 8. Jason Pridmore (Jordan Suzuki) 9. Aaron Yates (Team Yoshimura Suzuki) 10. Jason Perez (Yamaha)

World Superbike Race Two Results: 1. Chris VERMEULEN, Honda, 16 laps 2. Noriyuki HAGA, Yamaha, -0.085 second 3. James TOSELAND, Ducati, -3.318 seconds 4. Troy CORSER, Suzuki, -5.938 seconds 5. Andrew PITT, Yamaha, -6.394 seconds 6. Lorenzo LANZI, Ducati, -16.480 seconds 7. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Honda, -17.255 seconds 8. Karl MUGGERIDGE, Honda, -22.338 seconds 9. Norick ABE, Yamaha, -30.801 seconds 10. Ben BOSTROM, Honda, -34.071 seconds 11. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki, -36.480 seconds 12. Garry MCCOY, Foggy Petronas, -36.658 seconds 13. Sebastien GIMBERT, Yamaha, -37.165 seconds 14. Pierfrancesco CHILI, Honda, -37.888 seconds 15. Giovanni BUSSEI, Kawasaki, -38.414 seconds 16. Steve MARTIN, Foggy Petronas, -40.110 seconds 17. Jurgen VD GOORBERGH, Suzuki, -42.910 seconds 18. Alessio VELINI, Ducati, -76.543 seconds 19. Miguel PRAIA, Yamaha, -76.863 seconds 20. Michael NICKMANS, Yamaha, -96.225 seconds 23. Ivan CLEMENTI, Ducati, -5 laps, DNF, mechanical 24. Jiri MRKYVKA, Ducati, -6 laps, DNF, mechanical 25. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Yamaha, -8 laps, DNF, mechanical 26. Mauro SANCHINI, Kawasaki, -10 laps, DNF, crash 27. Lorenzo ALFONSI, Yamaha, -10 laps, DNF, crash 28. Jose Luis CARDOSO, Yamaha, -10 laps, DNF, mechanical 29. Lucio PEDERCINI, Ducati, -10 laps, DNF, mechanical More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Jurgen narrowly misses out on points at Assen RIZLA SUZUKI wild card racer Jurgen van den Goorbergh took two top 20-finishes at the ninth round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen in Holland today, improving on his qualifying position and narrowly missing out on scoring points. After a brilliant start from 23rd on the grid in the opening race, Jurgen clashed with Kawasaki’s Chris Walker early on while fighting for a top 10 position. Jurgen ran through the gravel trap and rejoined the race to finish a disappointed 20th. In the second race Jurgen enjoyed another good start and battled to the end for 15th place and the final points position, eventually finishing 17th. The 35-year-old Dutch ace was 21 seconds faster over race distance in the second event as he continued to build confidence in the WSB control tyres. Honda’s Chris Vermeulen won both races. Rizla Suzuki now returns to the UK where regular racers John Reynolds and James Haydon will take part in the 11th round of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park next Sunday, September 11th. Jurgen: “The weekend has not gone as I hoped. I would have preferred to race with a tyre and bike that I was more familiar with and our lack of testing showed. I did the best I could with the package we were able to put together through practice and qualification, though I was unable to find complete confidence in the tyres and learn their limits. “I have enjoyed racing here in front of the Dutch fans again, I hope they enjoyed the show. Thank you to Rizla Suzuki for supporting me. For sure, with more time on the GSX-R1000 and a better understanding of the tyres I could have been fighting much further up the field, but for now I am just happy to have brought the bike home safely in both races.” Robert Wicks, Team Manager: “The results have not been great this weekend but given our starting point with the WSB control tyres and with Jurgen, the team has arguably done as well as could have been expected. Jurgen has been one of the most popular riders at the track and I am sure the 80,000 weekend crowd appreciated his and Rizla Suzuki’s efforts. “On a positive note, we have learnt more technically about our GSX-R1000 at one of the best race tracks in the world. Jurgen’s feedback on handling and on launching the bike from the start line has given us some further insights that we look forward to testing at Oulton Park next weekend. “Thank you to Suzuki Netherlands and Rizla for their efforts this weekend. Jurgen is the consummate professional racer and we have really enjoyed working with him over the last three days.” Race One Result: 1: C Vermeulen (Honda) 33:36.029, 2: J Toseland (Ducati) +3.396, 3: N Haga (Yamaha) +4.876, 4 T Corser (Suzuki) +6.815, 5: A Pitt (Yamaha) +10.075, 6: Y Kagayama (Suzuki) +12.526, 7: L Lanzi (Ducati) +12.661, 8: M Neukirchner (Honda) +20.595, 9: K Muggeridge (Honda) +20.872, 10: P Chili (Honda) +27.691, 20: JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH (RIZLA SUZUKI) +1:03.44. Race Two Result: 1: Vermeulen 33:34.053, 2: Haga +0.085, 3: Toseland +3.318, 4: Corser +5.938, 5: Pitt +6.394, 6: Lanzi +16.480, 7: Neukirchner +17.255, 8: Muggeridge +22.338, 9: N Abe (Yamaha) +30.801, 10: B Bostrom (Honda) +34.071, 17 JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH (RIZLA SUZUKI) +42.910. Championship Points after nine rounds: 1: Corser 370, 2: Vermeulen 284, 3: R Laconi (Ducati) 214, 4: Haga 203, 5: Toseland 197, 6: Kagayama 187, 7: C Walker (Kawasaki) 130, 8: Chili 119, 9: Pitt 117, 10: Muggeridge 100. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: TOSELAND (DUCATI XEROX TEAM) SHOWS GREAT FORM WITH DOUBLE PODIUM FINISH AT ASSEN Assen (Netherlands), Sunday 4 September: James Toseland produced some aggressive racing on the Xerox-backed factory Ducati 999 to take two podiums in front of a massive 80,000 crowd at Assen as Chris Vermeulen (Honda) scored maximum points with the two wins. Right on the pace from the start of the weekend, 24-year-old Toseland held the flag high for the factory Ducati Xerox Team after team-mate Régis Laconi was forced to miss this weekend’s ninth round of the championship due to his high-side on Friday. Starting from second on the grid, the reigning world champion was involved in a thrilling five-rider battle in the early stages of the first race. Toseland then fought for the runner-up slot with Haga (Yamaha), eventually getting the better of his Japanese rival in the final couple of laps. “That was hard work, it was a great battle and I’m sure it was exciting to watch” Toseland said. “I always enjoy racing with Nori, we did the same here last year. I knew I could do a good race after Friday and Saturday and I’m just happy to be back on the podium after the disappointment of the last few weeks”. Another fantastic battle in race 2 involving Vermeulen, Haga and Toseland could have gone any way until the final few laps when the first two broke away and Toseland settled for the final podium slot. But Toseland’s early race performance was astonishing as he powered past Kagayama (Suzuki), Pitt (Yamaha) and Haga at the same place, the final chicane, on successive laps to move into the lead. “I’ve just ridden one of the best races I’ve ever ridden to finish third but fair play to Chris and Nori, they didn’t put a foot wrong. I know that because I didn’t make a mistake either!” commented Toseland. “I was pushing right to the end, losing the front, losing the rear, skipping about but I’m happy and that’s the first time I’ve been happy with third for a while because I know I rode hard and stuck my neck out. I’m just happy to have two podiums, which I’d like to dedicate to my manager and close friend Roger Burnett and to the family of young rider Chris Jones, who tragically got killed at Cadwell Park recently”. RACE 1: 1. Vermeulen (Honda); 2. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) ; 3. Haga (Yamaha) ; 4. Corser (Suzuki) ; 5. Pitt (Yamaha) ; 6. Kagayama (Suzuki) ; 7. Lanzi (Ducati SC) ; 8. Neukirchner; etc. (Honda); RACE 2: 1. Vermeulen; 2. Haga; 3. Toseland; 4. Corser; 5. Pitt; 6. Lanzi; 7. Neukirchner; 8. Muggeridge; etc. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 9 of 12 rounds): Riders – 1. Corser 370; 2. Vermeulen 284; 3. Laconi 214; 4. Haga 203; 5. Toseland 197; 6. Kagayama 187; etc. Manufacturers – 1. Suzuki 379 ; 2. Honda 300 ; 3. Ducati 293; 4. Yamaha 244; 5. Kawasaki 145; 6. Petronas 25. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2005 Round 9, Assen Netherlands Spectator attendance: 80,000 (weekend) 2 – 4 SEPTEMBER 2005 CHARPENTIER SECURES TITLE AFTER THRILLING HONDA 1-2-3 Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) entered the Assen race with realistic expectations to leave as champion and after a dramatic 16-lap race with his fellow countryman Fabien Foret (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) he duly took Honda’s fourth Rider’s title in a row – thanks to the 20 points he earned for second place. All four of Honda’s championship wins have come from riders on Ten Kate prepared machinery, including Assen race winner Foret in 2002, when riding a CBR600FS. Since then, the CBR600RR has powered Chris Vermeulen (2003) and Karl Muggeridge (2004) to the title, with Charpentier’s 2005 domination making it a hat-trick of overall victories. This far Charpentier has scored 210 points from a possible 225, scored six wins from nine races, taken eight pole positions, and led for 154 race laps, out of a total of 186 completed to date. The Honda trio on the Assen podium was completed by Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) who rode well despite a gearchanging foot injury, suffered during one of his two qualifying falls. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) is now 83 points behind Charpentier; in second place overall, having finished fifth in today’s race. He twice ran wide when in a podium challenging position. A six-rider fight for the last top ten positions, involving WSS novice Tatu Lauslehto (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR), saw him battle with largely more experienced riders. He finished ninth overall, but second in his own warring group. Charpentier was understandably both relieved and ecstatic about his championship win, and had to show determination as well as speed in the face of a five-rider assault on the podium places for much of the race. “It is difficult for me to realise the situation right now,” stated Charpentier. “The race was great, very hard and Katsuaki passed me, as I thought he would. I think he maybe had a problem changing gears, as he had many rear wheel slides. It was a tough race with Fabien, great fun and it was a perfect day for me. It was also sometimes difficult for me to change gear today, but I was happy to finish second on the final lap. I had realised that Katsuaki was behind, and it was not necessary to push right at the end.” Foret was emotional at his first 2005 race win, but took time to congratulate his friend and countryman on his championship triumph. “I would like to say first of all that Sebastien and I are friends and I am very pleased for him and his win, He was the best this year and deserves his title,” said Foret. “For me this year has been very difficult in places and this was a good moment to bring home our first win. I hope we can do well in the next three races. Our bikes are very close to the Ten Kate ones, and anyway, the bikes are still Hondas, strong enough to win today.” Fabrizio paid tribute to his team for his third place at Assen, with the entire Megabike squad maturing as the season has progressed. “We are a young squad and there was a gap at the beginning of the year because we were racing with the dominant team in the championship,” said the Italian. “Our situation is now good and now there has been the first win with Foret. I think now the team is in a very good situation. And I have to thank them because twice on Saturday I fell and they had to rebuild the bike on two occasions.” Fujiwara was disappointed not to have taken at least a podium finish at his team’s home race, after making a couple of slip-ups at key times. “I had a couple of moments,” said Fuji. “The second time I missed my gearchange, found neutral and almost crashed. First time, I outbraked myself, so a couple of mistakes cost me a place in the podium, which is what I expected to achieve today. It would have been great to be up there with Sebastien. Congratulations to him, he has had a fantastic season.” Lauslehto enjoyed his race, citing it as one of the hardest of his career. “I had the ambition to finish in the top ten this weekend and I did it, after a really hard race against so many different riders,” he said. “This is my favourite track and that helped me but I am exhausted now!” In the overall Championship table, Charpentier has 210 points, Fujiwara 127, Yamaha rider Kevin Curtain 122, with the Team Italia Megabike duo of Foret and Fabrizio fourth and fifth, on 110 and 98 points respectively. Lauslehto is tenth, with 49 points. World Superbike Round 9 of 12 ASSEN THE SCENE OF VERMEULEN’S FIRST 2005 DOUBLE WIN Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) scored a superb double win at the classic SBK venue of Assen, after two very different 16-lap races. He had the perfect start to his race preparations at Assen, taking his and his Ten Kate team’s first Superpole win since each started out on the 1000cc class in 2004, thanks to a superb 2’04.179 lap time. This mark was some 0.7 seconds better than second placed rider James Toseland’s Ducati. In the first race, Vermeulen eventually translated his Superpole supremacy to a comfortable win, having led by over five seconds at one stage, before easing up for his second 2005 season win. Second went to Toseland and third to Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), both of whom Vermeulen had ridden in company with at some stage. Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) fell in Superpole but starting from 12th on the grid, he overcame a fading Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) and his own team-mate Pierfrancesco Chili, with the trio finishing 8th to tenth. Ben Bostrom’s first race of the day put him 18th, still struggling with the lingering after-effects of his testing crash. In the second race, Vermeulen had a less effective start, finishing lap one in fifth place, and taking eight laps to get to the lead. He then had an often-tactile battle with Haga, as they slowly dropped Toseland from the pace. Vermeulen had done enough on the penultimate lap to stop Haga attacking him on the final corners, and he took a popular double win with the Dutch crowd. Max Neukirchner outdid Muggeridge for seventh in race two, with Bostrom a truly gritty tenth – and suffering throughout. Chili had severe set-up problems in each race, despite changing settings from race one, and finished 14th. Vermeulen paid tribute to the team’s effort and his opponents, and refuses to believe that he cannot catch championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki). Corser was fourth in each race, his first off podium finishes all year, leaving the points gap now 86 back to Vermeulen. “James and Nori made me work for it today, but it’s a great weekend for the team, and we took a good double,” said Vermeulen. “From half season onwards we started to get some results and there are six races left. Troy still has a big lead, but I will be trying my best to pull it back.” Neukirchner was the second most effective Honda rider on display at Assen, and was glad to rack up two good points scores, after some recent bad luck. “I am a lot happier because of the points we made this weekend,” said the young German rider. “In practice things were not so bad, even in Superpole, when we had a crash. It was not enough to make too bad an effect on our race weekend. I needed some points and we got them.” Karl Muggeridge was unhappy with his raceday luck, feeling that he could have had better results in different circumstances. “My right hand, the one I broke at Brands Hatch, went numb in race one,” said Muggeridge. “I couldn’t feel the throttle too well, but in race two it was fine. The problem was that the rear traction just dropped off right away and I had no chance to go faster in the race than I did.” Ben Bostrom was in severe pain and discomfort all weekend, his back and digestive system still not functioning properly, making his second race tenth something of a miracle ride. “Things got worse all weekend, as I rode the bike more,” said a drained Bostrom. “By the time I got on the bike in the second race I had never felt so sick in my life. I kept throwing up during the race and that was burning my throat and making my eyes water. That made vision a problem but at least I had someone in front to follow. We got points in one of the races, and that’s why we stayed out. The bike is good now, it was just the condition of the rider that was the problem.” For Pierfrancesco Chili, Assen was forgettable, and he sits eighth in the championship. “Even in Brands we had problems and maybe I am way out in getting the setting of this bike right. I cannot ride like this, for no points, for no enjoyment and we are not in a good situation right now. We tried to make some modifications in the second race but it was just the same. The clutch did not start the way I wanted again either, so we are far away from where I want to be.” Lausitzring hosts the next Championship round, next weekend. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: FRUSTRATION FOR TROY AT ASSEN Troy had his first difficult weeklend of the championship today at Assen, but still leads the points standing by a healthy margin. Problems with wheelspin in both races kept Troy off the podium for the first time this season. Chris Vermeulen (Honda) won both races, which featured wheel-to-wheel action throughout the two 16-lappers. James Toseland (Ducati) took second in race one, with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) third. In the second race, the positions were reversed with Haga taking runner-up spot ahead of Toseland. TROY – Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 4th I knew we were due a duff weekend sometime this season and I guess this was it. But at least I finished both races and didn’t drop too many points. I’m not disappointed – just a bit frustrated. All weekend we had wheelspin problems and yesterday afternoon we changed an engine and I think maybe we lost our way a little. In both races today, I just couldn’t keep with the guys up front because I couldn’t get on the gas whilst the bike was leant over. I had to wait until it was more upright before I could get on the gas properly and that lost quite a bit of time. We changed the set-up of the bike for the second race and it was heaps better, but I still couldn’t gas it like normal. I was really pushing the front end hard in both races and if I’d pushed any harder, I’m sure I would have crashed. It was better to finish the races and take as many points as possible and that’s what I did. Hopefully, things will be back to normal next weekend at Lausitzring. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Noriyuki Haga moved up to fourth place in the 2005 Superbike World Championship with two podium finishes at Assen today. The Japanese rider finished third and second in the day’s two thrilling 16 lap races at the classic Dutch circuit, duelling it out for second place behind world champion James Toseland (Ducati) in the opener and race one winner Chris Vermeulen (Honda) in the second. Race one proved to be an easy win for Vermeulen, but the crowd was thrilled by the battle behind. Toseland and Haga traded places throughout, with the young Englishman pulling away to take second in the closing laps. The second outing proved equally as thrilling with Haga and Vermeulen battling for the lead, this time the Aussie getting to the line less than a tenth of a second ahead of the Yamaha man. Race two marked Haga’s 150th in the class and his 100th racing Yamaha equipment. Following the race, the popular Japanese was reunited with the YZF750 and YZF-R7 machines he rode with such success as Yamaha Motor Italia’s racing manager Claudio Consonni raised a champagne toast to the brand’s most successful world superbike racer. Haga’s Yamaha Motor Italia team-mate Andrew Pitt had his best collective pair of races of the season, taking home 22 points for a brace of fifth places. The Australian rode strongly throughout, battling with the leading trio and championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) in both races, before succumbing to tyre chatter and ending settling for his welcome fifths. Yamaha Motor France pairing Norick Abe and Sebastien Gimbert had differing fortunes, although both left the Netherlands each with seven more points to their name. Abe retired from the opener but came back to take ninth in race two. Gimbert had his best outing since round three in the Valencia with 12th in race one and 13th in the second. Haga’s 36 point haul moves him up to fourth place in the title race, ahead of countryman Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) and just nine points behind third placed Regis Laconi (Ducati), who was absent through injury. Pitt remains in ninth place in the standings, albeit with a reduced gap to eighth. The Australian is just 11 points shy of Pierfrancesco Chili (Honda), with Abe slipping back to 11th. Corser continues to lead the standings, with an 86 point advantage over second placed Vermeulen. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “We made great races with James and Chris. I was a little bit disappointed with the final result of both races because if I had lasted one more lap I would have tried something more to push. It was hot and sweat was already affecting my eyes after three laps. In the last two or three laps I felt like I was going to give up but I didn’t and the result I know is not so bad.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “It’s getting better. We are starting to fight with them now but we’ve just got to get on that podium! We used the regular engine spec, because we know where the position of the bike has to be now and when you’ve got the confidence to just grab the brakes and fire it into corners it really helps. At this moment I don’t want to change too much on the machine.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “In the first race we had a broken engine so we had to change the motors. But I think that the clutch on that engine was already no good. So I could not make a good start. In the race it was very difficult to shift down – so we had some bad luck. Knowing Assen from MotoGP helps a little but when the bike is completely different from the one before, it makes the whole experience very different.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “A good race for me and for my team. I had a little difficulty with the set-up, the balance of the motorcycle, but it was not so bad. The leg is still causing me a little problem but it should be a lot better for next week.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “In Brno we said, ‘ok, maybe we are lucky,’ but to win also in Brands Hatch and be so close to the wins here means we are close to the best. Noriyuki used the new engine, so we were a little bit worried, took a big risk, but in the race it was ok. I am happy for both our riders because Andrew made a good race today, close to Troy Corser and was always trying to overtake him.” Martial Garcia (Team Manager – Yamaha Motor France) “We lost Abe from the first race because of a stone holing the radiator, so the engine boiled. He did not see the increasing engine temperature, unfortunately. We put in the spare engine and the clutch was too hard, so he lost the start – that’s why he stayed in ninth position. Sebastien seems better, took some points and moved up a position. The main thing is that his confidence is coming back.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: GREAT LORENZO LANZI AT ASSEN Once more Lorenzo Lanzi showed at Assen his rigth to the Superbike’s Gotha citizenship clinching two excellent results in today’s races. “I was confident to get something more”. declared Lorenzo Lanzi at the end of the day. “Unfortunately the start position penalized me. At race-1 start all take the start as rockets, as at the holeshot I was just eleventh, the I found Kagayama that is very hard to pass; when I was leading we rode a bit faster, but Yukio is a fighter and when he was leading we lose some space from the leaders. At the end he’s been able to resist at all my attacks and I finished in seventh place. At race-2 start I keep a good start, but at the first corner I was outside of Martin when the Petronas changed his line, nearly setting me out of the track, so at the holeshot I was 1,5 seconds behind. Then I started to recover positions until sixth place, but it was too late for any attempt to do better. Anyway I’m quite satisfied about the week end’s result,with such a crew of champions it’s a good result.” The black week end of Gianluca Nannelli ended in the early laps of morning warm up. Gianluca had a contact with Fujiwara in the fastest point of the circuit and finished in the grass with a bad crash and a heavy landing: the bike is quite destroyed and he suffered a dislocated fracture of the fifth metatharsal bone that forced him to miss the race. “That’s actually a week end to forget.” said Gianluca Nannelli. “During the second lap of the warm up I had a contact at the end of the finish line with Fujiwara and I landed in the grass. It has been a bad shot and the doctors preferred to declare me unfit to race. I’m confident to recover for German round next week.” After the unlucky race in Assen, where Gianluca Nannelli couldn’t start due the injuries suffered in the warm up fall, and where Lorenzo Lanzi showed once more his great potentialities, Stefano Caracchi, owner of the Scuderia SC Caracchi would like to thanks all the people who have been closed to him and to the Team for all this difficult but satisfactory season. “A special thanks to Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Superbike Director, who gave to our Team the highest support. A special thanks as well to GA Ricambi, that supported Lorenzo Lanzi’s season, showing a big affection to Lorenzo and all the Superbike World. I’d like to underline something that make me really happy: the fact to have in my Team two Italian riders. In special way I’m really happy to have given to Gianluca Nannelli the possibility to get the best results of his career in the World Superbike and Supersport series and to have initiate to the Superbike Championship a young and good rider such Lorenzo Lanzi. I must confess that I hope in a final surprise, with a sport “present” for Franco Farnè, the man who made flight Gianluca Nannelli’s bike, giving to the 749R the best results of its life. Franco is a 70’s year old man whi is demonstrating once more his big and never ending talent.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser continues to hold a healthy lead in the World Superbike Championship despite a missing the podium for the first time this season at today’s ninth round at Assen in Holland. The Australian suffered with wheelspin problems that dogged him throughout practice and during today’s two races and that prevented him from putting his GSX-R1000 on the podium, although he still managed to pick up a pair of fourth places and takes an 86-point lead to the next round. Team mate Yukio Kagayama struggled a little from set-up problems in the first race and rear-end chatter in the second and ended up sixth in race one and 11th in race two. Young Aussie Chris Vermeulen won both 16-lappers today, but he was made to fight hard for both of them with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and James Toseland (Ducati). Toseland took runner-up spot in the first race with Haga third, but the positions were reversed in race two. Troy Corser – Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 4th: “Today was a bit frustrating really, but I suppose if you had to have an off weekend, this one was not too bad. All weekend we’ve had problems with wheelspin and yesterday afternoon we changed an engine and that affected the set-up of the bike. Perhaps we lost our way a little then, but in the morning warm-up today things were pretty good, so we thought we’d be ok. But in both races I had problems with wheelspin and I couldn’t get on the gas unless the bike was more or less upright. That cost me a lot of time each lap – enough for me not to be able to stay with the leaders. I pushed the front as hard as I’ve ever pushed it – any more and I would’ve crashed – but at least we got a couple of fourths. I would have liked to have left Assen with a few more points in the bag but that’s the way it goes sometimes.” Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 6th, Race 2: 11th: This is not how I planned the weekend! Before today, I believed that a podium or two was possible, so I am not so happy. In race one, it took me five laps to find my rhythm, but by then the front group had gone. My bike’s balance was not perfect, but I think I lapped as fast as the leaders in the second part of the race, but it was too late. I had big problems in the second race with rear end chatter after five laps. I had started well in third and was fighting hard, but when the chattering started I couldn’t keep my position. In the end, all I could do was keep going and bring my bike home.” Dutch Wild Card rider Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh scored 20th and 17th places on a one-off ride aboard a British Superbike Championship Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000. World Superbike Results: Race 1:1 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda), 2 Toseland (GB-Ducati), 3 Haga (J-Yamaha), 4 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 5 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha), 6 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 7 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 8 Neukirchner (D-Honda), 9 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 10 Chili (I-Honda). 20: Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh (NL-Rizla Suzuki). Race 2: 1 Vermeulen, 2 Haga, 3 Toseland, 4 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 5 Pitt, 6 Lanzi, 7 Neukirchner, 8 Muggeridge, 9 Abe (J-Yamaha), 10 Bostrom (USA-Honda), 11 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). 17 Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh (Rizla Suzuki). Championship Points: 1 Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 370, 2 Vermeulen 284, 3 Laconi 214, 4 Haga 203, 5 Toseland 197, 6 Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 187, 7 Walker 130, 8 Chili 119, 9 Pitt 117, 10 Muggeridge.

Provisional Sunday Morning AMA Superbike Practice Times: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:22.170 2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:23.561 3. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:23.782 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:24.070 5. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:24.181 6. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:24.252 7. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, 1:24.999 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:25.235 9. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, 1:25.273 10. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:25.531 11. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:25.903 12. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:26.142 13. Mike Smith, Suzuki, 1:26.239 14. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, 1:26.256 15. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:27.703 16. Mark Miller, Suzuki, 1:27.430 17. Brian Stokes, Yamaha, 1:27.518 18. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 1:27.534 19. Jeremy Toye, Honda, 1:28.076 20. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, 1:28.326 21. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, 1:28.380 22. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:29.129 23. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, 1:29.140 24. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:29.416 25. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, 1:30.063