Friday Afternoon World Supersport Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda, 1:29.174 2. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati, 1:30.034 3. Stephane Chambon, Honda, 1:30.387 4. Katsuwaki Fujiwara, Honda, 1:30.410 5. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha, 1:30.424 6. Michel Fabrizio, Honda, 1:30.472 7. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 1:30.536 8. Alessio Corradi, Ducati, 1:30.627 9. Broc Parkes, Honda, 1:30.838 10. Matthieu Lagrive, Suzuki, 1:31.080 11. Barry Veneman, Suzuki, 1:31.184 12. Javier Fores, Suzuki, 1:31.284 13. Tom Tunstall, Honda, 1:31.328 14. Craig Jones, Honda, 1:31.356 15. Robbin Harms, Honda, 1:31.396 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: CHARPENTIER SETS BRANDS HATCH PACE World Supersport championship leader, Sébastien Charpentier, was straight back into his dominant form today, setting the fastest time in the opening qualifying session for Sunday’s eighth round race at Brands Hatch in the UK. After early morning rain affected this morning’s free practice session, a dry track this afternoon also allowed Charpentier’s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Katsuaki Fujiwara, to take a provisional front row slot with the fourth fastest time. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “Another strong qualifying performance from Sébastien has underlined his recent good form. Although the conditions were the same for everyone, he adapted well to the cool and overcast conditions to set another impressive lap time. I’m also very pleased with Katsuaki’s performance after his long lay off through injury and taking part in the Suzuka 8-hour race last weekend. He struggled a little in the wet this morning but, as soon as the track dried, he quickly found his pace. It’s good to have him back with the team and especially on the provisional front row.” Sébastien Charpentier fastest, 1m29.174s “For me it’s been a good day just very relaxed and working my way back into a good rhythm. We changed the front settings a bit to deal with the dip at the bottom of Paddock Hill but the bike is still not perfect. It was not so easy in the rain this morning so hopefully we’ll get some good weather tomorrow to keep improving the set-up and I’m confident of being able to do a 28.5s lap or better. The important thing is to get a good setting that will put me in a position for another win on Sunday.” Katsuaki Fujiwara fourth fastest, 1m30.410s “It felt very strange this morning riding the CBR600RR again after such a long time away and spending so much time on Michelins with the HRC Fireblade at Suzuka. I went out in the wet first thing using settings from Phillip Island but, when the track dried this afternoon, I was able to make the adjustment and begin to feel comfortable again. The front is still pushing a little in some places here and we are still playing with the gearing but we have tomorrow to try some more changes and improve everything.”

Friday Morning World Supersport Practice Times: 1. Broc Parkes, Yamaha, 1:38.814 2. Barry Veneman, Suzuki, 1:39.140 3. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda, 1:39.599 4. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 1:39.779 5. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha, 1:40.212 6. Stephane Chambon, Honda, 1:40.400 7. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati, 1:40.684 8. Alessio Corradi, Ducati, 1:40.771 9. Cristiano Migliorati, Kawasaki, 1:40.771 10. Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, 1:40.810 11. Michel Fabrizio, Honda, 1:41.089 12. Sebastien Le Grelle, Honda, 1:41.089 13. Robbin Harms, Honda, 1:41.587 14. Tomas Miksovsky, Honda, 1:41.616 15. Jarno Jansen, Suzuki, 1:42.094

World Superbike Championship leader Troy Corser led the first practice session Friday morning at Brands Hatch, in England, with a time of 1:29.923 on his powerful Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki GSX-R1000. During the session, Corser swapped the top position with PSG-1 Kawasaki’s Chris Walker and Renegade Koji Honda’s Ben Bostrom. After riding on hand-cut slicks for most of the session, Bostrom mounted slicks toward the end and turned the second-fastest time, a 1:30.776, on his CBR1000RR. Corser’s teammate Yukio Kagayama ended the session third with a 1:31.406, while Walker stayed on cut slicks and slipped to sixth at the end. The practice session started on a damp track, and Corser’s 1:36.8 led until the track started to develop a dry line in some sections and the lap times began to drop. None of the four classes racing at Brands Hatch had a completely dry track Friday morning. Friday Morning World Superbike Practice Times: 1. Troy Corser, Suzuki, 1:29.923 2. Ben Bostrom, Honda, 1:30.776 3. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, 1:31.406 4. Lorenzo Alfonsi, Yamaha, 1:31.683 5. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, 1:31.788 6. Chris Walker, Kawasaki, 1:32.015 7. Andrew Pitt, Yamaha, 1:32.111 8. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, 1:32.188 9. Steve Martin, Foggy Petronas, 1:32.285 10. Marco Borciani, Ducati, 1:32.419 11. James Toseland, Ducati, 1:32.746 12. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, 1:32.790 13. Regis Laconi, Ducati, 1:33.249 14. Giovanni Bussei, Kawasaki, 1:33.256 15. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha, 1:33.598 16. Pierfrancesco Chili, Honda, 1:33.598 17. Pere Riba, Kawasaki, 1:34.386 18. Norick Abe, Yamaha, 1:34.524 19. Fonsi Nieto, Ducati, 1:34.678 20. Garry McCoy, Foggy Petronas, 1:34.699

MotoGP racer John Hopkins has undergone surgery to plate a break in one of his feet, injured in a highside crash last Sunday in Germany. Details will follow as they become available.

Dear Motor Sports Enthusiast, We would like to invite you to a special Miller Motorsports Park event that will be hosted by Larry Miller on September 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the Delta Center in downtown Salt Lake City. The event is free and open to the public. At the kickoff event on September 7, Larry will announce major developments for 2006 and bring you up to date on this extraordinary new project. We’ll also have information about membership, track and garage rental, volunteer opportunities, and much more. We encourage you to bring your friends and family for this exciting evening of prizes and surprises. Please RSVP through our Web site www.millermotorsportspark.com. For more information, contact Kristie Marshall, Administrative Manager, at (801) 563-4252. Thank you for your interest. With your support, we’ll hit the ground racing in 2006. Sincerely, Alan Wilson CEO / General Manager Miller Motorsports Park Carolyn Ashburn Asst. General Manager Miller Motorsports Park

FOUR-RIDER FIGHT HEADS EAST TORONTO, ON For the second time in the past three years the Parts Canada Superbike Championship is heading for a dramatic down to the wire finale. And once again Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS will be a key battleground in the war for the title. Four riders come into this weekend’s doubleheader event, the penultimate stop on the 2005 tour, with a solid shot at claiming Canada’s biggest motorcycle road racing prize. Francis Martin of Rock Forest, QC leads the standings with 198 points, but just two points behind him is Brantford, ON ace Jordan Szoke. Calgary’s Clint McBain is just another two points behind with 194. Meanwhile, lurking in fourth in the standings with 179 points is Granby, QC rider Pascal Picotte, who shot into contention for the title after sweeping the doubleheader at the previous event at Mosport International Raceway. This weekend’s races are the sixth and seventh rounds of the eight-race series, which wraps up at Shannonville Motorsport Park on the Labour Day Weekend of Sept. 2-4. Picotte is bidding for a third straight Canadian Superbike crown, a feat not managed since Steve Crevier won three in a row from 1991-93. But his championship aspirations appeared to be over after he was injured in a practice fall at the Parts Canada Superbike season opener at Shannonville in May. Picotte was dominant at Mosport, however, qualifying on pole and leading both races lights-to-flag on his Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1. Riding the Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000, Martin won the Shannonville season opener and has two other podium finishes to his credit this season. He has never won at AMP, but is a past national Superbike champion, taking the title for Kawasaki in 1999. Although he hasn’t won yet in 2005, Szoke hasn’t finished lower than fourth in the first five races of the season on his Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR. The Canadian Superbike champion in 1998 and 2002, Szoke has won twice at AMP. McBain has been the other winner this season on the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000. He scored a popular home sweep at the second and third rounds of the series at Race City Motorsport Park but suffered a big crash in the first race of the Mosport doubleheader. He bounced back to claim second place behind Picotte the next day and stay in contention for a possible first Canadian Superbike crown. A succession of challengers will be eager to mix it up with this foursome and the tight 2.56km (1.6-mile), 11-turn AMP circuit has a tradition of serving up the closest races of the season. Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, BC sits fifth in points with 138 on the Diablo Performance Honda CBR1000RR. The six-time national champion has more AMP Superbike victories than any other racer with five. Just a point behind Crevier is McBain’s teammate on the Blackfoot Suzuki team, Kevin Lacombe. The Granby, QC rider won last year’s Superbike feature at AMP. The Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10Rs showed improved form at Mosport. Matt McBride of Mississauga, ON placed a career high fourth in the second race, while Tom Kipp of Chardon, OH was third a day earlier. They come to AMP seventh and ninth in points, respectively. Action this weekend will also include a doubleheader for the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship. Honda rider Crevier leads the standings despite seeing his three-race win streak come to an end at Mosport. He has 216 points to the 193 of Suzuki’s McBain, while another Calgary racer, Chris Peris is creeping up in third after winning both Mosport rounds on his Topline Yamaha YZF-R6. Sunday’s racing will also include features for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike, Canadian Thunder and Suzuki SV650 National Cup competitors. Mark Douglas of Warkworth, ON holds a slim 11-point lead over Woodstock, ON’s James Collins, 125-114 in Amateur 600 Sport Bike after taking his first career series win at Mosport. Vancouver’s Olivier Spilborghs is third in points with 81. All three are aboard Yamahas. Buell rider Bill Card of Wellesley, ON leads the Canadian Thunder standings after sweeping the doubleheader at Mosport, while 15-year-old Karl Daigle of Roxton Pond, QC has won the last three SV650 Cup features to take command of that series. Qualifying for the Parts Canada Superbike and Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike series will take place Friday afternoon with feature races set for Saturday and Sunday. The International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike, Canadian Thunder and Suzuki SV650 National Cup competitors will qualify Saturday for their Sunday features. Action from this weekend will be shown later this summer in a one-hour show on TSN. For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com All Time Atlantic Motorsport Park Superbike Wins: Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge, BC) 5; Don Munroe (Halifax, NS) 3; Rueben McMurter (London, ON) 2; Jordan Szoke (Brantford, ON) 2; Gary Goodfellow (Vancouver, BC) 1; Miguel Duhamel (Repentigny, QC) 1; Michel Mercier (Thetford Mines, QC) 1; Mark Kowalski (Kitchener, ON) 1; Pascal Picotte (Granby, QC) 1; Kevin Lacombe (Granby, QC) 1 Atlantic Motorsport Park Fast Facts Win battle tightens up “¦Pascal Picotte’s sweep of the doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway moved him into a tie with Jordan Szoke for second on the all-time national Superbike win list. Both riders now have 15 career victories, while Steve Crevier leads with 22 wins. Crevier due? “¦Although Steve Crevier has won more Superbike nationals at AMP than any other rider with five, he has been shut out at the east coast venue since 2001, the year he also won the last of his six Canadian Superbike titles. Experience counts “¦When Kevin Lacombe won last year’s Parts Canada Superbike feature at AMP it ended a string of dominance by the three most successful racers in the history of the national series. Prior to that, Pascal Picotte won at the track in 2003, Jordan Szoke in 1999 and 2002, and Steve Crevier in 2000 and 2001. 2005 Point Standings Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Francis Martin (Suzuki) 198; 2. Jordan Szoke (Honda) 196; 3. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 194; 4. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 179; 5. Steve Crevier (Honda) 138 Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike: 1. Steve Crevier (Honda) 216; 2. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 193; 3. Chris Peris (Yamaha) 185 International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike: 1. Mark Douglas (Yamaha) 125; 2. James Collins (Yamaha) 114; 3. Olivier Spilborghs (Yamaha) 81 Canadian Thunder: 1. Bill Card (Buell) 145; 2. Darren James (Buell) 127; 3. Derek Vammus (Ducati) 120 Suzuki SV650 National Cup: 1. Karl Daigle 193; 2. Alain Lefebvre 170; 3. Norm Tang 136 Provisional Weekend Schedule Friday August 5 1:45 p.m. 2:10 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Qualifying 3:15 p.m. 3:55 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Qualifying Saturday August 6 1:20 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 1 16 laps 2:20 p.m. Canadian Thunder Qualifying Heat 8 laps 3:10 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Race 1 22 laps 4:00 p.m. 4:20 p.m. Suzuki SV650 National Cup Qualifying 4:30 p.m. 5:20 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Qualifying Sunday August 7 1:00 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 2 16 laps Canadian Thunder Race 12 laps International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Race 12 laps 3:00 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Race 2 22 laps Suzuki SV650 National Cup Race 12 laps

See it here: ~http://biz.yahoo.com/bizwk/050804/di20050802987207.html?.v=2~ Thanks to reader Louis Fellman (LRRS #995) for sending us the link.

TOSELAND AND LACONI (DUCATI XEROX TEAM) FACE BRANDS HATCH THRILLER IN WSBK ROUND 8 Brands Hatch (UK), Thursday 4 August: With the spectacular Brands Hatch circuit in Kent on the outskirts of London hosting this weekend’s eighth round of the World Superbike Championship, Frenchman Régis Laconi and in particular Britain’s reigning world champion James Toseland will be searching for further victories in this year’s series in front of another massive sell-out crowd. Both riders were on the podium in the last round at Brno three weeks ago, but a second and a third place in race 1 were not sufficient to make much of an impact on the series leader, Troy Corser (Suzuki). Ducati Corse Superbike Technical Director Ernesto Marinelli explains the varied nature of the Brands Hatch circuit: “Brands is a difficult track because there are a lot of ups and downs and, like Laguna Seca, it requires a good set-up for the different parts of the circuit, stiff in certain parts and softer wherever required. For sure the first curve, Paddock Hill Bend, is tough on the bike because you go down hard and then back up. At that point the bike undergoes incredible compression, and that’s the thing that creates the biggest problem, as well as the fact that there can sometimes be contact with other riders at that point.” Both Toseland and Laconi flew in directly to Brands after a two-day private testing session at Mugello, Italy on Tuesday and Wednesday, in which they mainly did development work for Pirelli. Both riders recorded excellent times of 1m54.4s on race tyres at the Tuscany circuit. 24-year-old Toseland is determined to make amends for his poor showing here last year: “It was important to do the tests at Mugello because time on the bike for me is paramount, even though as far as the championship is going, it looks like it’s in Troy’s hands. But all I want to do from now until the end of the season is win races, especially at Brands this weekend. We had problems here last year, it was my worst round, but not everything was my fault. I’ve got to get it together in qualifying this weekend but with the bike now feeling comfortable, I’m ready to go. The first half of the track is very technical, where you need the bike to steer well round Druids to Graham Hill and the second half is basically just fast and a bravery thing. Clearways is probably the most technical corner – off-camber, uphill, tightens up towards the end and you’ve got to get the drive down the straight. For all the fans out there, they have come to see me winning and I’m going to do my best to win this weekend!”. “For me the testing was just a little bit too close to the race but for sure it is a good help because it gets you to arrive at Brands in a good condition” declared Laconi. “I always enjoy racing at Brands Hatch because it is a track where the rider can make a big difference. The most important thing is to have a good feeling with the track because you don’t see many of the corners and you have to know where to go before you go through them. The more difficult place is Dingle Dell where they changed the corner, because you really have to have a good feeling through there. Last year I was fast but this year I am faster at all the corners and riding much better. The rest of the season is going to be tough and we will have to fight race by race, but the title battle is never over until it’s over. I think I will do nothing special in August, just training, a little bit on the beach and relax before the rest of the races.” BRANDS HATCH STATISTICS: Brands Hatch has been a permanent fixture in the WSBK calendar since 1993, and 24 races have been held there. One rider has won both races of the day on numerous occasions, starting with Giancarlo Falappa in 1993 and continuing with Carl Fogarty (1994), Colin Edwards (1999), Ben Bostrom (2001), Edwards (2002), Shane Byrne (2003) and Noriyuki Haga (2004). Edwards has won the most races, 6 compared to Fogarty’s 3, and the Texan also has the most podium finishes (9) and fastest laps (4). Neil Hodgson leads the pole position table, the Brit setting 4 straight poles between 2000 and 2002. Only Ducati and Honda have ever won races at Brands Hatch, the Italian manufacturer taking 18 wins to Honda’s 6. The lap record is held by Shane Byrne (Ducati) with a time of 1m26.755s (2003), and his qualifying mark to beat in qualifying stands at 1m26.248s, while Steve Martin’s (Ducati) Superpole mark stands at 1m27.213s. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 7 of 12 rounds) : Riders – 1. Corser (Suzuki) 299; 2. Vermeulen (Honda) 205; 3. Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 187; 4. Kagayama (Suzuki) 158; 5. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 152; 6. Haga (Yamaha) 122, etc. Manufacturers – 1. Suzuki 308; 2. Ducati 230; 3. Honda 221; 4. Yamaha 163; 5. Kawasaki 119; 6. Petronas 17.

Salinas, California-based West Coast Racing owner Brid Caveney will be racing this year’s Manx GP on the famous Mountain circuit with a WCR-built BSA B50. Caveney, an ex-IOM resident, is looking forward to the challenge of the TT course after a hiatus of 17 years. Since emigrating to the USA some 20 years ago, Caveney has won National (Vintage) road race and trials Championships. “The racing here is great, and I love being out there,” said Caveney, “BUT — the Isle of Man is the pinnacle of worldwide road racing, and there is no bigger challenge than the Mountain course. It is my time to go back and be re-united with my roots. The B50 might not be the most exotic bike in the field; however, it will be well suited to the TT course, and we are hoping–number one–to finish. Over there, that is a big deal. If we get in the top 20 (from 101 starters) and are the first pushrod motor–in a field of cammy exotics–I’ll be a happy camper!” Anybody interested in being part of the show can contact Brid at 831-484-7778 or [email protected] .