THE CRESCENT 2005 Open Weekend starts tomorrow and promises to be the best celebration of motorcycling ever held at the fantastic Crescent Performance Centre in Verwood, Dorset. With free entry more than 10,000 visitors are expected to attend and there is a host of attractions and entertainment on offer that will satisfy everyone, including: Meet the racers and get close to their bikes: · Meet British Superbike Champion John Reynolds · Meet Rizla Suzuki racer James Haydon · Meet triple British Superbike Champion Niall Mackenzie · Meet Rizla Suzuki team manager Robert Wicks · See the 2005 Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 up close · The 2004 Championship winning Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 on display · Meet Team SUZUKI MotoGP manager Paul Denning · A frank question and answer session with racers and managers each day · See the Team SUZUKI MotoGP GSV-R in the flesh · Many 500cc two-stroke RGV race bikes on display · Selection of Crescent race bikes through the years · Arranged times for rider signings and photographs Enter the MotoGP and BSB race paddocks: · Team SUZUKI MotoGP race transporter on display · Rizla Suzuki race transporter on display · Dynojet mobile dyno test your bike for free · WP Suspension trucks and advice · Free Arai helmet service Visit the stands and displays: · Team SUZUKI MotoGP and Rizla Suzuki replica clothing · Shell Advance Oils · Suzuki GB technical support · Bikesafe Dorset and Hants · Express Insurance girls with free giveaways · Supagard display and exclusive cut-price product offer · Get £10 off your tickets to Round 9 of BSB at Silverstone the following weekend · Fast Bikes freebies · Canon free photo-prints of you enjoying the day Other attractions: · Win VIP passes to Cadwell Park BSB · Win a pillion ride with Niall Mackenzie at Oulton Park BSB · Win signed Team SUZUKI MotoGP kit · Win VIP passes to the final MotoGP race in 2005 at Valencia · Racer’s auction lots of kit up for grabs with proceeds going to Riders for Health · Drag bike demo runs”¦ For the family: · A bouncy castle for the kids · Catering with food, tea and coffee · Ice cream van on permanent stand-by Offers Galore: · Check in store for a host of fantastic offers on clearance lines · Special offers on Alpinestars, RST, Arai, RS Taichi, Yoshimura and many more · New Suzuki bikes order your September registration now and Crescent isn’t afraid to do a deal · 0% finance available on all 650 GSF, SV and DL, 1200 GSF and GSX1400 · Fantastic deals on GSX-R600K5 and GSX-R750K5 (excluding anniversary) · Used bikes huge selection to clear Dainese: · Crescent is proud to announce the official opening of the South coast’s premier Dainese Supercentre in its own store celebratory offers in store The Crescent Open Weekend will run on Saturday August 13th from 9am 5pm and on Sunday August 14th between 10am 4pm at The Crescent Performance Centre, 23 Blackmoor Road, Ebblake Industrial Estate, Verwood, BH31 6AX. Visit www.crescent-suzuki.com or call 01202-820170 for more details.

Suzuki Castrol Pole Position Yamaha Austria Second, Yamaha Phase One Third Provisional pole position for tomorrow’s Oschersleben 24 Hours round of the FIM World Endurance Championship has been taken by Suzuki Castrol’s Matthieu Lagrive with a time of 1:29.960. He beat his team mate Vincent Philippe normally the star of world endurance qualifying by just one hundredth of a second. Second place went to Yamaha Austria’s Gwen Giabbani, half a second behind Suzuki Castrol and just under a tenth of a second faster than third placed Damian Cudlin for Yamaha Phase One Endurance. Tomorrow’s race looks set to be a battle between these three teams, with fourth in qualifying Kawasaki Bolliger fighting for fourth place in the race. Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se were fifth and JLC Ultimateam sixth. The latter bike is a Suzuki engined special with a radical hub-centre-steering front suspension system. Shell Endurance Academy’s Calvin Hogan was seventh, Yamaha Racing Team Hepelmann eighth, Ducati Spring Team ninth and Suzuki Bridgestone Bikers Profi tenth. Only three of the top ten teams’ first riders were fastest this morning, suggesting that the track may have warmed up over the course of the qualifying sessions. Crashers so far have included Fagersjo-el.se’s Paul Young during first qualifying, Aprilia Motociclismo Test Team who have had to source a new frame from a local dealer, and Suzuki No Limits & RT who returned from the first night practice session on the back of the recovery truck. Qualifying Quotes Matthieu Lagrive, Suzuki Castrol, first place: “I’m very happy; I’m doing this for the team and for the championship. I’m just doing my job; I came here for a ride and”¦ For sure I wanted to go faster; it’s very hard here because there is a lot of traffic and I lost time on a lot of laps. I wanted to do a 1:28. The bike is okay for the race, Vincent and Keiichi are okay, we will ride easy for the finish.” Gwen Giabbani, Yamaha Austria, second place: “Qualifying was okay. I aimed for a better result, to be closer to Suzuki Castrol, but second place on the grid is not so bad; I’m happy with that. I am confident for the race because I know the team is good in the pits, for refuelling and everything, and my team mates and I are all doing the same lap times.” Damian Culdin, Yamaha Phase One Endurance, third place: “Qualifying went to plan, really. I struggled a lot with the set-up of the bike when I first turned up here; it’s different to what it’s been all year and I wasn’t here for the testing. We tried something last night in the night practice session, and I found some more speed today. I managed to do the team’s quickest lap of the weekend; I actually feel like I’ve got a 1:29 in my bones, but when I was on a good lap I had to pass people.” Provisional Qualifying Top Ten 1st 2 – Suzuki Castrol Team FRA Suzuki GSX-R1000 M.Lagrive 1:29.960 2nd 7 – Yamaha Austria 7 AUT Yamaha YZF-R1 G. Giabanni 1:30.517 3rd 3 – Yamaha Phase One Endurance GBR Yamaha YZF-R1 D.Cudlin 1:30.608 4th 8 – Bolliger Team Switzerland SUI Kawasaki ZX10R R.Stamm 1:31.128 5th 12 – Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se SWE Suzuki GSX-R1000 M.Christer 1:31.687 6th 45 JLC Moto Ulteamatum FRA JBB Suzuki A.Delhalle 1:31.702 7th 6 Shell Endurance Academy GBR Yamaha YZF-R1 C.Hogan 1:32.368 8th 92 Racing Team Hepelmann GER Yamaha YZF-R1 R.Kraechter 1:32.405 9th 10 Ducati Team Spring ITA Ducati 999RS L.Mauri 1:32.719 10th 5 Suzuki Bridgestone Bikers GER Suzuki GSX-R1000 T. Roethig 1:32.875 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Suzuki Castrol’s Matthieu Lagrive has taken pole position for tomorrow’s World Endurance fourth round at Oschersleben in Germany with a time of 1:29.960 after beating team-mate Vincent Philippe by a hundredth-of-a-second. The World Championship-leading GSX-R1000-mounted SERT team headed Yamaha Austria’s Gwen Giabbani by half a second with third-placed Damian Cudlin of the Yamaha Phase One Endurance squad a tenth-of-a-second further back. Tomorrow’s race looks set to be a battle between these three teams with Kawasaki Bolliger fighting for fourth place. Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se was fifth and JLC Ultimateam sixth riding a Suzuki-engined special with a radical hub-centre-steering front suspension system. Shell Endurance Academy’s Calvin Hogan was seventh, Yamaha Racing Team Hepel-mann eighth, Ducati Spring Team ninth and Suzuki Bridgestone Bikers Profi tenth. Only three of the top 10 teams’ first riders were fastest this morning, suggesting that the track may have warmed up over the course of the qualifying sessions. Crashers so far have included Fagersjo-el.se’s Paul Young during first qualifying, Aprilia Motociclismo Test Team who have had to source a new frame from a local dealer and Suzuki No Limits & RT who returned from the first night practice session on the back of the recovery truck. Said Lagrive: “I’m very happy. I’m doing this for the team and for the championship. I’m just doing my job. I came here for a ride and, for sure, I wanted to go faster. It’s very hard here because there is a lot of traffic and I lost time on a lot of laps. I wanted to do a 1:28. The bike is ok for the race, Vincent and Keiichi are okay and we will ride easy for the finish.” Suzuki Castrol team manager Dominique Meliand added: “We will race for the Championship, not just for a win at Oschersleben tomorrow. The World Endurance Championship is very important for the Suzuki factory.” Provisional Qualifying: 1 Suzuki Castrol Team – FRA – (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – M.Lagrive – 1:29.960. 2 Yamaha Austria 7 – AUT – (Yamaha YZF-R1) – G. Giabanni – 1:30.517. 3 Yamaha Phase One Endurance – GBR – (Yamaha YZF-R1) – D.Cudlin – 1:30.608. 4 Bolliger Team Switzerland – SUI – (Kawasaki ZX10R) – R.Stamm – 1:31.128. 5 Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se – SWE – (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – M.Christer – 1:31.687. 6 JLC Moto Ulteamatum – FRA – (JBB Suzuki) – A.Delhalle – 1:31.702. 7 Shell Endurance Academy – GBR – (Yamaha YZF-R1) – C.Hogan – 1:32.368. 8 Racing Team Hepelmann – GER – (Yamaha YZF-R1) – R.Kraechter – 1:32.405. 10 Ducati Team Spring – ITA – (Ducati 999RS) – L.Mauri – 1:32.719. 10 Suzuki Bridgestone Bikers – GER – (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – T. Roethig – 1:32.875.

2003 World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson is very close to finalizing a deal that would see him return with the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team for the 2006 AMA Superbike Championship. “My priorities are stay in America and stay with Ducati,” Hodgson told Roadracingworld.com during a recent interview at his home on the Isle of Man. “I’m still working on the second one, but it’s looking pretty good.” “It’s very close,” Paolo Ciabatti, Director of Ducati Corse’s Superbike Racing program, told Roadracingworld.com during the World Superbike races at Brands Hatch. “It’s about 90 percent done. We should know for sure very soon.” Ducati has asked AMA Pro Racing for some rule concessions in the 2006 AMA Superbike technical regulations to make their V-twin-powered 999 more competitive, but AMA Pro Racing officals have said they find it hard to give rule concessions to a bike that is still winning races. Ducati has won four AMA Superbike races this year with Eric Bostrom and Hodgson, four British Superbike races with Gregorio Lavilla and Leon Haslam, and four World Superbike races with Regis Laconi and James Toseland.

American Ben Bostrom will race his Pirelli-shod Team Renegade Koji Honda CBR1000RR August 19-21 at the British Superbike Championship round at Silverstone, in England, and will continue with his current team in next year’s World Superbike Championship. “Ben is a lot more comfortable with the bike. We’re changing fewer and fewer things these days. I think the more time we can give him on the bike the more dividends that will pay for us now as we enter the end of the year,” Renegade Koji Honda team owner Mark Griffiths told Roadracingworld.com August 7 at Brands Hatch. “We have four rounds left. We’re doing a British Championship round in two weeks time as a wild card. So we have five events left. Obviously, we’re approaching those with a lot more optimism following Ben’s display this weekend.” Asked if he had given thought to his team’s 2006 plans, Griffiths said, “We have a two-year contract with Ben, so this always was going to be the development year. And, obviously, going into next season, we would expect to capitalize on what we’ve learned this time around and put that to good use in running at the front or the very front next season.” “I’m looking forward to that (British Superbike) race, because it’s a really aggressive series,” said Bostrom, who was third-fastest in a British Superbike test August 2 at Silverstone. “We’re going on the Pirellis, so we’ll be underdogs, but it’s important for us to go there.” Bostrom was 10th-fastest heading into Superpole at Brands Hatch, when his Honda suffered an electrical problem that prevented him from attempting a lap and relegated him to 16th on the grid. After a clutch-related bad start in race one, Bostrom charged from 25th on the first lap to finish 12th. A new clutch and better launch in race two netted him 10th, his second-best result of the season.

Fastrack Riders Association is announcing the transfer of their September 10th and 11th Barber Motorsports track day event to Sportbike Track Time. All Fastrack Rider members can register for this event through Sportbike Track Time and the membership fee will be waived for this event only. The price will be $195 per rider per day or $375 for two days. Lunch will be provided each day at no cost to the paid riders and on Saturday evening there will be a free two hour tour of the museum for all attendee’s compliments of Sportbike Track Time. Fastrack Riders will be taking their trailer to the event and will transport motorcycles out and back from Southern California for only $325 which includes one bike and one gear bag. Spaces are limited and reservations must be made by calling 877-560-2233. No fuel can be transported. Go to www.sportbiketracktime.com to register for the Barber event or call 888-390-4020. This event will be a sell out so do not miss out on an opportunity to ride the awesome Barber Motorsports track.