AMA racer Josh Hayes said at Road Atlanta that his home in Gulfport, Mississippi was not seriously damaged by Hurricane Katrina, contrary to his fears and despite the fact that the city received heavy damage. Hayes said he received word from friends still in Gulfport; Hayes said that cell phones seemed to work for some calls out of the damaged area, but not into the damaged area. However, Hayes manager Gina Nadeau’s home was seriously damaged (the first floor entirely flooded) and her business (a motorcycle, ATV and watercraft shop) was wiped out. Hayes’ Ford F250 pickup truck, which was parked at Nadeau’s house, was submerged by the storm surge. “She has told me not to expect to come home for three or four weeks,” Hayes said, “because of no water, fuel, sewer, power, or food.” Hayes said he has spoken to WERA racer and longtime friend Louis Gagne of Gulfport, who also survived the storm.

Vincent Haskovec is expected to make an appearance at Road Atlanta this weekend, flying from Ontario to Atlanta Friday with long-time girlfriend Simona Gernay. American Suzuki Motor Corp. has paid for first class plane tickets for wheelchair-bound Haskovec and Gernay, and Road Atlanta has arranged for the couple to be picked up at the Atlanta airport by a limo. Haskovec will be honored during a winner’s circle ceremony on Sunday at the racetrack. Haskovec was injured May 14 during an AMA Formula Xtreme race at Infineon Raceway, hitting a tire wall and suffering paralyzing injuries. He is currently undergoing therapy in California. Since Haskovec’s injury, 28 30-foot sections of deployable Airfence have been added to AMA Pro Racing’s supply of inflatable soft barriers. The sections were provided by the Roadracing World Action Fund for AMA Pro Racing use, and an additional 13 sections were provided to the IMDA for dirt track use and will be deployed at this weekend’s Springfield Mile.

MARTIN LEADS RACE TO THE WIRE TORONTO, ON The Parts Canada Superbike Championship wraps up its 2005 season at Shannonville Motorsport Park this weekend with Francis Martin in a strong position to claim his second national Superbike title. The Rock Forest, QC rider, who first won the Canada Cup in 1999, holds a 22-point lead in the standings over Calgary’s Clint McBain, 277-255. A top three finish in Sunday’s 14-lap feature race around the 4.0km (2.5-mile) Shannonville ‘Long Track’ would be enough to assure Martin of the title. The very consistent Martin has only finished off the podium once in seven races this year, when he came back from a fall to salvage sixth at Mosport International Raceway. Riding the Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000, Martin won the season opener on the Shannonville ‘Pro’ Track in May. Since then he has placed second once, and has added four, third-place finishes to his total. But no fewer than five other racers have a mathematical shot at wresting the championship from Martin at Shannonville. Just one point behind McBain in the standings, with 254 is two-time defending Parts Canada Superbike champion Pascal Picotte. Jordan Szoke lies fourth in points with 250, while Kevin Lacombe and Steve Crevier are fifth and sixth with 231 and 223 points, respectively. McBain has won twice this year on his Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000. He swept the doubleheader on home turf at Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park to claim his first two career national Superbike wins. Picotte spent the first half of the season recovering from injuries he suffered at the season opening round in May. But the Granby, QC rider won both races at Mosport aboard the Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1, proving he can never be counted out of the title battle. Szoke hasn’t won yet this year on the Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR, but the Brantford, ON ace is another two-time Canadian Superbike champion and qualified on pole for this year’s season opener. With a maximum of 56 points available at this weekend’s season finale 50 for the race win, two for leading the most laps and four for nabbing the MPM Array Pole Award it would take a remarkable set of circumstances to see Lacombe or Crevier lift the Canada Cup. But the pair are the most recent winners on this year’s tour. Lacombe claimed the first half of last month’s doubleheader at Atlantic Motorsport Park on the second Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 while Crevier won the back end riding the Diablo Performance Honda CBR1000RR. Another rider who should be in the mix at the front this weekend even though he cannot win the championship is Chardon, OH’s Tom Kipp. The veteran rider sits seventh in the standings with 145 points riding the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R. Shannonville favourite Frank Trombino could also come up with a win on the Trombino Yamaha Racing Yamaha YZF-R1. The Kleinburg, ON racer is eighth in the standings with 139 points after an injury-marred campaign. This weekend’s racing includes the final rounds for four other national classes, three of which still have titles up for grabs. Crevier has already clinched the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike crown for Honda after sweeping the AMP doubleheader, but he will be hard pressed to add to his five class wins this season. Suzuki’s McBain has been on Crevier’s tail almost all season and comes to Shannonville looking to lock up second in the point standings. Kawasaki rider Kipp has been very strong in the 600 Sport Bike class of late, while Trombino will also be a threat for Yamaha. Mark Douglas comes to Shannonville with a 27-point lead over fellow Yamaha rider James Collins in the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike standings. Douglas, from Warkworth, ON, has won the last two races to take control of the title battle. The fight for the Thunder Championship took a big swing at the previous round at AMP as race winner Darren James took over the points lead. The Buell rider from North Vancouver comes to the finale with 180 points to the 157 of Ducati’s Derek Vammus and the 149 of Bill Card, also on a Buell. The Thunder class will also feature the Brampton Chrysler Pole Award for the winner of Saturday’s qualifying heat race. Fifteen-year-old Karl Daigle holds a commanding lead in the Suzuki SV650 National Cup point standings coming into the Shannonville finale. The Roxton Pond, QC rider holds a 42-point edge, 231-189 over Norm Tang, the only other racer with a shot at snatching the crown. Qualifying for the national classes will take place Saturday afternoon with features on Sunday. For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com All Time Shannonville Motorsport Park Superbike Win Leaders Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge, BC) 10; Michel Mercier (Thetford Mines, QC) 5; Rueben McMurter (London, ON) 3; Pascal Picotte (Granby, QC) 3; Francis Martin (Rock Forest, QC) 3; Miguel Duhamel (Repentigny, QC) 2; Jeff Gaynor (Toronto, ON) 2; Michael Taylor (Toronto, ON) 2; Don Munroe (Halifax, NS) 2 Shannonville Motorsport Park Fast Facts “¦Francis Martin should feel good about trying to wrap up the Parts Canada Superbike crown at Shannonville Motorsport Park; the track has been good to him on past Labour Day Weekends. The Rock Forest, QC racer clinched his first title at SMP in 1999 and won the finales in both 2001 and 2003. “¦This weekend’s Shannonville event is the 40th Canadian Superbike national to be held at the storied facility. Maple Ridge, BC’s Steve Crevier is the all-time wins leader at the track with 10 victories, or one-quarter of that total. The 40-year-old wonder notched up his career leading 23rd Canadian Superbike victory at Atlantic Motorsport Park last month. “¦With his sweep of the doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway, Granby, QC’s Pascal Picotte moved into a tie with Jordan Szoke for second place on the all-time Superbike wins list with 15. 2005 Point Standings Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Francis Martin (Suzuki) 277; 2. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 255; 3. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 254; 4. Jordan Szoke (Honda) 250; 5. Kevin Lacombe (Suzuki) 231 Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike: 1. Steve Crevier (Honda) 324*; 2. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 267; 3. Chris Peris (Yamaha) 265 International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike: 1. Mark Douglas (Yamaha) 181; 2. James Collins (Yamaha) 154; 3. Olivier Spilborghs (Yamaha) 109 Canadian Thunder: 1. Darren James (Buell) 180; 3. Derek Vammus (Ducati) 157; 3. Bill Card (Buell) 149 Suzuki SV650 National Cup: 1. Karl Daigle 231; 2. Norm Tang 189; 3. Alain Lefebvre 170 * — Clinched Championship Provisional Weekend Schedule Saturday Sept. 3 1:20 p.m.-1:40 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Qualifying 1:45 p.m. Thunder Qualifying Heat (4 laps) 2:00 p.m.-2:45 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Qualifying 3:10 p.m.-3:55 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Qualifying 4:05 p.m. Suzuki SV650 Cup Qualifying Sunday Sept. 4 12:30 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 12 laps 1:15 p.m. Thunder Race 10 laps 1:50 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Race 12 laps 3:00 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Championship Race 14 laps 3:50 p.m. Suzuki SV650 Cup Race 10 laps

DUCATI XEROX TEAM COMMENCE THE FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP COUNTDOWN AT ASSEN Assen (Netherlands), Thursday 1 September: The legendary Van Drenthe Circuit Assen TT is the venue for the final run-in as the 2005 World Superbike Championship enters its conclusive phase, with four rounds to be held in the space of six weeks. The Assen track has always been favourable for the Italian manufacturer, which has won 18 of the 26 races held there since 1991 and the Ducati Xerox Team pairing of James Toseland and Régis Laconi aim to add to that impressive total this weekend. Ducati Corse Superbike technical director Ernesto Marinelli explains the particular nature of the Assen track, which has been slightly modified in view of major reconstruction work that will radically modify the circuit for the future. This year’s changes involve the De Bult and Ruskenhoek curves, which now bring the lap distance down to 5.997 km. “Assen is a circuit where you need really good handling, there are a lot of important changes of direction during the lap so the bike must be made to handle easily to cope with these changes. It is quite a fast circuit as well because of the esses and long fast curves. We have always gone pretty good here but as always every year is different and we will for sure have to work hard right from the start of the weekend”. With the title virtually in the hands of Troy Corser (Suzuki), who has an advantage of 110 points over Chris Vermeulen (Honda) and 130 over Laconi, the 30 year-old Frenchman wants to score his first Superbike win on Dutch soil to add to the three victories he has claimed this year and will be chasing the young Australian hard for the runner-up slot. “For me the most important thing now is to win as many races as possible and try and catch Vermeulen for second place” declared Laconi. “It’s still possible to win the championship, but I think now I have to fight for second place with Chris. I’ve never won a race at Assen so now is the time to start because these two races are very important for the rest of the season. The best thing about Assen is the grip of the track and the banking of the corners, which is such a good feeling, and some very fast changes in direction. It is a track that we never have anywhere else, one of the best in the world, that’s why it is so unique!” Toseland has already won at Assen, the 24 year-old British rider thrilling the packed grandstands last year with a win in race 1 and a second place in race 2 after a superb scrap with Vermeulen. Toseland is lying sixth in the standings, with one win to his name this season, but a 183 point gap from the leader means that he will have to relinquish the number 1 plate on his Ducati 999 at the end of the year. “I’ve had a bit of time to think about things in August and come to terms with losing my championship. It was difficult after being on a high after winning it last year” commented Toseland. “That’s been a difficult challenge but now all I want to do is concentrate on these last four rounds, starting with Assen. That means coming as high as possible and winning as many races as I can and putting myself in a good position for next year!. It’s been a bit disappointing, Ducati haven’t won the championship either so it’s not been easy. I nearly had two wins here last year so I like Assen. It’s the length of the circuit that I love as well as the banking and the corner speed. All these factors make it a great race circuit, a real motorcycle circuit and all riders enjoy racing around here”. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 8 of 12 rounds): Riders – 1. Corser (Suzuki) 344 ; 2. Vermeulen (Honda) 234 ; 3. Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 214 ; 4. Kagayama (Suzuki) 172 ; 5. Haga (Yamaha) 167 ; 6. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 161; etc. Manufacturers – 1. Suzuki 353 ; 2. Ducati 257 ; 3. Honda 250; 4. Yamaha 208; 5. Kawasaki 143; 6. Petronas 18.

Superbike & Supersport World Championships 2006 Provisional calendar The 2006 Road Racing World Championship Superbike and Supersport provisional calendar is the following: DATES, CIRCUIT COUNTRY 2/25/2006, Doha – Qatar 3/5/2006, Phillip Island Australia 3/19/2006, (*) 4/30/2006, Valencia Spain 5/14/2006, Monza Italy 5/28/2006, Silverstone Great Britain 6/4/2006, (*) 6/25/2006, Misano San Marino 7/23/2006, Brno Czech Republic 8/6/2006, TBA 9/3/2006, Assen Netherlands 9/11/2006, Eurospeedway Lausitz Germany 9/17/2006, (*) 10/1/2006, Imola Italy 10/8/2006, Magny Cours France (*) Dates booked for further events

Motorcycling Australia has selected six riders to compete as wildcards in the 125cc and 250cc classes at the 2005 Polini Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, including 15-year-old sensation Blake Leigh-Smith. Leigh-Smith, an Australian junior long track champion in 2004, recently made his national 125cc debut at Winton Motor Raceway (Vic), and promptly won two of the three races in testing conditions. Subject to final ratification from the FIM and the MotoGP Commission (which applies to all the wildcards), Leigh-Smith will now hit the international arena on October 14-16 less than two months after his Winton heroics! The six wildcards are as follows: 125cc Blake Leigh-Smith, 15, Runaway Bay, Qld, Honda RS125 Brent Rigoli, 16, Mittagong, NSW, Honda RS125 Brett Simmonds, 22, Blackmans Bay, Tas, Honda RS125 250cc Mark Rowling, 33, Turramurra, NSW, Yamaha TZ250 Mick Kelly, 27, Irymple, Vic, Honda RS250 Ben Ried, 28, North Melbourne, Vic, Yamaha TZ250 Simmonds, Rigoli, Rowling and Ried were all wildcards in 2004.

VERMEULEN AND MUGGERIDGE AIMING FOR ‘HOME’ SUCCESS The 2005 World Superbike championship resumes this weekend at Assen in Holland, one of the most popular events on the SBK calendar and the home race for the Winston Ten Kate Honda team that is based just to the south of the historic racing venue. Winston riders, Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge, are looking forward to putting in some strong performances over the weekend in front of some 900 team sponsors and guests. The Australian duo, currently lying in second and eleventh places in the series respectively, will be watched along with the rest of team in the Winston Ten Kate Honda garage from a specially-constructed viewing platform. Ronald ten Kate – team manager: “The home round for the team will also be like a home round for Chris and Karl since they have been with us for such a long time now. Chris won at Assen last year after an epic battle with James Toseland so, with our track knowledge, we’ll be hoping at least for similar results this weekend. The track has been changed but the majority of the corners are the same so I don’t think it will take the riders very long to get used to the new layout. They’ve seen the problems that the changes have created from the MotoGP race there earlier in the year so they’ll know how to approach it.” Chris Vermeulen – championship position 2nd, 234 points: “I like Assen and I’ve had some success there in the past with a win and a fourth in Superbike last year and pole position in Supersport in 2002 and 2003. The track’s good but I’m a little worried about the changes they’ve made – I think it takes away some of the character of the place which has hosted world championship racing for such a long time. It should still be fast and flowing though, which suits my style and the bike’s so I’m looking forward to going back there. We need to get the bike working a little better to beat Troy (Corser) but we all know that we have the potential. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be going for eight wins from the remaining eight races but it’s going to be tough to stop Troy with the points lead that he has. Assen is going to be a really important event for the team, who have a lot of guests coming over the weekend, so I’ll be trying to put on a good show for everyone with some strong performances.” Karl Muggeridge – championship position 11th, 85 points: “Although I haven’t raced the Superbike there, I think Assen will suit the bike. It seems that the faster and more flowing the circuit, the better we can get the bike working. It’s difficult to compare with Chris’s results from last year but at least we should have a good base setting to start from – something we were lacking a little at the beginning of the season. I like all the circuits but I think I’m at last learning what we need to get the bike working properly. I was up there at Brands Hatch, making the kind of progress we’ve been trying to achieve all season. Starting from second on the grid was good but we’re still learning about getting the bike to work over race distance. We certainly learned some in race one at Brands and softened it up a bit for race two but then I messed up and crashed on the second lap. My hand is a lot better after a three week rest though, and I’m in good shape, so looking forward to Assen and to putting in a couple of good results for the team.” Championship points after eight of 12 rounds: 1 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) 344, 2 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 234, 3 Regis Laconi FRA (Ducati) 214, 4 Yukio Kagayama JPN (Suzuki) 172, 5 Noryuki Haga JPN (Yamaha) 167, 6 James Toseland GBR (Ducati) 161, 7 Chris Walker GBR (Kawasaki) 130, 8 Pierfrancesco Chili ITA (Honda) 111, 9 Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha) 95, 10 Norick Abe JPN (Yamaha) 88, 11 Karl Muggeridge AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 85. Assen World Superbike event schedule: Friday 2 September – 10.30-11.30 free practice, 14.15-15.15 qualifying; Saturday 3 September – 11.00-12.00 qualifying, 14.45-15.45 free practice, 16.00 Superpole; Sunday 4 September – 09.20-09.40 warm-up, 12.00 race one (16 laps – 95.952km), 15.30 race two (16 laps – 95.952km). World Supersport Championship – event preview Round nine – Assen, Holland (2-4 September 2005) CHARPENTIER GUNS FOR ASSEN GLORY Winston Ten Kate Honda’s Sébastien Charpentier heads to Assen in Holland for round nine of the 2005 World Supersport championship this weekend knowing that the title is within his grasp. The French rider can clinch his first world championship at his team’s home round and become the first rider in World Supersport championship history to win with three rounds of the series to spare. Charpentier’s Winston team-mate, Katsuaki Fujiwara, still retains second place in the championship, however, and knows he must beat Charpentier to keep his title hopes alive. Both riders will be aiming for good results in front of an anticipated 900 team guests for the home round of the Winston Ten Kate Honda team. Ronald ten Kate – team manager: “Sébastien has the chance to grab the title with three rounds to spare, which, as well as being our fourth consecutive championship, would be magnificent for the team. But we’re not going to let that possibility affect the way we approach this weekend. We will prepare in exactly the same way as we have prepared for the eight rounds so far this season – working to improve the bike in whatever areas we can find over the weekend and aiming for a race win on Sunday. We’ll see how it goes for the race but we have already made the decision that no team orders will apply because Kats is still Sébastien’s biggest rival for the title. Although we’re not focusing too much on the possibility, success on Sunday would be really special for the team and a nice bonus for all the guests we have coming.” Sébastien Charpentier – championship position 1st, 190 points: “I like the circuit at Assen but some of the GP riders were not so positive about the changes for this season so we’ll have to see what the new layout is like. For sure, the championship is possible for me this weekend and I’m in very good physical condition. We know how strong the bike is and how well the team has been working all through the season, so I am hoping for a win or at least a podium finish. My approach to the weekend will be exactly the same as before and, although I cannot help thinking about the championship, when I am inside the box and inside my helmet, there is only one thing I am concentrating on: that is riding as well as I can and trying to get the best from a very good bike.” Katsuaki Fujiwara – championship position 2nd, 116 points: “This is my first time at Assen on the Honda but I think it will suit the bike. Although I know there have been some changes for this year, we will have to see what effect they have on the track’s character. I like the circuit and took pole position for my first Supersport race there in 2001 and finished in third behind Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge a year or so later. My back is much better after my crash in Japan last month; although it was a little sore after the race at Brands Hatch, I don’t expect any problems this weekend. I will have to be in good shape because I know I have to beat Sébastien in Assen to stop him winning the championship; as ever, I will be riding to the best of my ability, especially in front of all the guests that will be there for the team’s home race.” World Supersport Championship points after eight of 12 rounds: 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 190, 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 116, 3 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) 109, 4 Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) 85, 5 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) 82, 6 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) 68, 7 Broc Parkes AUS (Yamaha) 60, 8 Gianluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) 56, 9 Javier Fores ESP (Suzuki) 52, 10 Tauto Lauslehto FIN (Honda) 42. Assen World Supersport event schedule: Friday 2 September – 09.35-10.20 free practice, 13.15-14.00 qualifying; Saturday 3 September – 10.00-10.45 free practice, 13.45-14.30 qualifying; Sunday 4 September – 09.50-10.10 warm-up, 13.20 race (16 laps, 95.952km).