Wednesday Afternoon AMA Team Test Times (as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing and scoring): 1. Mat Mladin, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:24.684 2. Aaron Yates, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:25.627 3. Neil Hodgson, Duc 999F05 Superbike, 1:25.931 4. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:25.988 5. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:26.203 6. Jason DiSalvo, Yam YZF-R1 Superstock, 1:26.740 7. Steve Rapp, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:26.988 8. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:27.145 9. Eric Bostrom, Duc 999F05 Superbike, 1:27.231 10. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R Superstock, 1:27.333 11. Vincent Haskovec, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:27.341 12. Aaron Yates, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:27.573 13. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R Superstock, 1:27.676 14. Jason Pridmore, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:27.696 15. Geoff May, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:27.802 16. Jamie Hacking, Yam YZF-R6 Supersport, 1:27.855 17. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR600RR Formula Xtreme, 1:27.937 18. Aaron Gobert, Yam YZF-R1 Superstock, 1:27.997 19. Jason Pridmore, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:28.321 20. Vincent Haskovec, Suz GSX-R600 Formula Xtreme, 1:29.068 21. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR600RR Formula Xtreme, 1:29.333 22. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:29.395 23. Damon Buckmaster, Yam YZF-R6 Supersport, 1:29.435 24. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:29.531 25. Chris Ulrich, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:29.713 26. Geoff May, Suz GSX-R600 Supersport, 1:29.993 Best Overall Test Times, By Class (compiled from information provided by AMA Pro Racing timing and scoring): Superbike (current lap record 1:25.176, Mladin): 1. Mladin, 1:24.460 2. Yates, 1:25.728 3. Hodgson, 1:25.931 4. Spies, 1:25.988 5. Zemke, 1:26.203 6. Duhamel, 1:26.463 7. Eric Bostrom, 1:27.231 8. Pridmore, 1:27.696 Superstock (current lap record 1:26.626, Spies): 1. Yates, 1:26.6* 2. DiSalvo, 1:26.740 3. Rapp, 1:26.988 4. Tommy Hayden, 1:27.333 5. Haskovec, 1:27.341 6. Buckmaster, 1:27.418 7. Hacking, 1:27.504 8. Roger Lee Hayden, 1:27.676 9. May, 1:27.802 10. Pridmore, 1:27.950 11. Aaron Gobert, 1:27.997 12. Ulrich, 1:29.713 * Time supplied by rider. Supersport (current lap record 1:27.635, Tommy Hayden): 1. DiSalvo, 1:27.792 2. Hacking, 1:27.855 3. Buckmaster, 1:28.979 4. Tommy Hayden, 1:29.395 5. Roger Lee Hayden, 1:29.531 6. Spies, 1:29.613 7. Aaron Gobert, 1:29.623 8. May, 1:29.715 Formula Xtreme (current lap record 1:27.793, Haskovec): 1. Duhamel, 1:27.937 2. Zemke, 1:28.954 3. Haskovec, 1:29.068 More, from an e-mail from Aaron Yates: Just looking at your times and wanted to let you know I did a 6-7 lap run on the Superstock bike all in the 26s, with the fastest being 26.6, at around 3:30. Aaron

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin continued to set the pace Wednesday morning at an AMA team test at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Mladin’s time of 1:25.009 on his GSX-R1000 Superbike led all times but was not as quick as his time of 1:24.460, set Tuesday afternoon. Second-fastest Wednesday morning was Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates with a time of 1:25.728. Yates spent all of Tuesday with his Superstock GSX-R1000, before mounting his GSX-R1000 Superbike Wednesday. American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel shaved a few tenths off his best time from Tuesday with a 1:26.463 on his CBR1000RR Wednesday. The fastest Superstock rider Wednesday morning was Graves Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo with a 1:27.089 on his YZF-R1. DiSalvo only rode his YZF-R6 on Tuesday. Likewise, DiSalvo’s teammate Jamie Hacking traded his YZF-R1 Superstock machine for his Yamaha YZF-R6 Supersport bike Wednesday and was the fastest tester in that category with a 1:27.953. The only man listed as riding a Formula Xtreme bike Wednesday morning was Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke, who stopped the timers at 1:28.954 on his CBR600RR. The two-day test will conclude today. Wednesday Morning’s Test Lap Times (as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing and scoring): 1. Mat Mladin, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:25.009 2. Aaron Yates, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:25.728 3. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:26.463 4. Neil Hodgson, Duc 999F05 Superbike, 1:26.560 5. Jason DiSalvo, Yam YZF-R1 Superstock, 1:27.089 6. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR1000RR Superstock, 1:27.142 7. Steve Rapp, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:27.484 8. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:27.722 9. Eric Bostrom, Duc 999F05 Superbike, 1:27.761 10. Vincent Haskovec, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:27.879 11. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R Superstock, 1:27.879 12. Jamie Hacking, Yam YZF-R6 Supersport, 1:27.953 13. Jason Pridmore, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:28.067 14. Jason Pridmore, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:28.187 15. Aaron Gobert, Yam YZF-R1 Superstock, 1:28.411 16. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR600RR Formula Xtreme, 1:28.954 17. Damon Buckmaster, Yam YZF-R6 Supersport, 1:28.979 18. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R Superstock, 1:29.023 19. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R600 Supersport, 1:29.613 20. Geoff May, Suz GSX-R600 Supersport, 1:29.715 21. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:30.031 22. Chris Ulrich, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:31.019

HONDA TEAMS PREPARE FOR AUSTRALIAN OPPORTUNITIES An early start to the 2005 World Supersport and Superbike seasons, at the Losail International Circuit, Qatar on 26th March left the top Honda riders in the 2005 World Supersport series in particularly good shape. Three CBR600RR Hondas filled the top three podium slots, with a 1-2 for the Winston Ten Kate Honda team of Katsuaki Fujiwara and Sebastien Charpentier, and Team Italia Megabike rider Michel Fabrizio third. Race winner Fujiwara and runner-up Charpentier were in simply immaculate form at Losail, the only riders challenging for the win, yet ably pursued by a small squadron of CBR riders. The new-for-2005 CBR has had an immediate impact, and one which is expected to continue for the next round at Phillip Island, on Sunday, April 3. A recent test at Valencia, which will itself play host to the third round of the series on April 24th, was another opportunity for the Honda riders to get to know their machinery more intimately. Nestling in a seaside locale the venue for this weekend’s round, Phillip Island, is a fast and often dramatically furious circuit, with elevations and camber changes aplenty. Hard braking and slow cornering make their presence felt in only two sections MG and Honda corner. A tricky circuit – but a peerlessly enjoyable one according to most riders – it will provide a fair challenge for even the best of the Honda pilots. Charpentier (31) and Fujiwara (29), will once more have 32-year-old Fabien Foret (Team Megabike CBR600RR) and Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) on their tails, plus the new threat from Finland, Tatu Lauslehto (Team Klaffi Honda). Fujiwara, winner of round one after a slow catch-up to Charpentier, followed by a short but rapid escape, is enthused by his early season form. He has a proven pedigree of WSS race winning in his past and has already proved an outstanding acquisition for the Winston Ten Kate Honda team. “It was fantastic for me to win in Qatar but I have also been getting used to the bike and my new team,” stated Fujiwara. “The test at Valencia was another chance to make some progress and we worked mostly on the front of the bike because that gave us some problems in the first race. I’m really looking forward to Phillip Island and, although last year was not so good for me, I still have the lap record from the race in 2003 when I finished second behind Chris Vermeulen. I have spent the last couple of weeks back home in Japan relaxing with my family and with some people from Honda’s R&D department who threw a party to celebrate my win in Qatar.” For Charpentier, Phillip Island is a trial like no other, yet one he intends to come out on top of, especially after the unexpected drop off in front performance at Losail seems to have been resolved. “The Valencia test was very important for me to understand the front end problems I had in Qatar,” said Sebastien. “I was disappointed at the time, to finish second when I led for so long, but it was great for the team to get a one-two finish at the very first race. Now we go to Phillip Island where I finished fifth last year on the 2004-spec CBR600RR. The bike has really been improved for this season though and now I’m on a Ten Kate CBR, so I am confident that I can improve my result and go for a win for this incredible team.” Having tested well so far and raced even better, 2003 European Superstock Champion Michel Fabrizio looks forward to Phillip Island. “It was good to be fast and have a podium finish at Qatar,” said the highly-rated and already fast young Italian. “I really have a good team, we are growing up very quickly together and I think that we will be even closer the front fairly soon.” Foret, the 2002 World Champion with Ten Kate Honda, has found his 2005 challenge difficult so far, still searching for that elusive perfect front-end set-up. “We had some issues with the front over race distance at Qatar, and we worked on that in testing,” said Foret. “I normally like shorter tracks with more corners but we will all be doing our best to finish on the podium at Phillip Island.” After a successful European Championship campaign in 2004, Lauslehto meets his second new challenge of the year, at a second new track. “I have never been to Phillip Island but I have heard a lot about it. I think I can learn tracks quite quickly so I am looking forward to another new experience,” said Lauslehto. World Superbike Round 2 of 12 With one round, two races and a final official Superbike test recently disposed of the five-rider Honda challenge in the World Superbike class is already strong, with more progress expected at the Phillip Island races. The 2003 World Supersport Champion Chris Vermeulen and his 2005 team-mate Karl Muggeridge will compete in the second meeting of the year on their Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RRs. Each rider will be on home ground in Australia, with friends and family adding their support to that of the partisan local masses. Muggeridge, the 2004 WSS Champion for Ten Kate, has deservedly earned his ride in World Superbike this year, and but for a bout of severe fever, which afflicted both Ten Kate riders at Qatar, they would have made an even better start to the year than they were allowed by circumstance. The Klaffi Honda team, up from World Supersport after some sterling performances in the 600cc category, have made diametrically opposite if highly effective rider choices this year. Max Neukirchner (21) is teamed with the elder statesman of the SBK grid Pierfrancesco Chili (40). Their latest delivery of race parts for the CBR1000RR is expected at Phillip Island, but even without their latest mods each was a force to be reckoned with in the first round. In a single rider team, Ben Bostrom (30) has teamed up with proven SBK race winners Renegade, now on CBR1000RR machinery, after a season running Ducatis in 2004. Not quite ready to race at full strength at Qatar, and suffering a big crash in testing at Valencia, the Bostrom/Honda/Renegade Koji partnership will be at a higher level of strength in Australia, and at a track Bostrom knows well from previous SBK experience. For Vermeulen, the forthcoming race will be a chance to prove himself once more, after an outstanding rookie CBR1000RR-mounted SBK season in 2004. “I like Phillip Island a lot – it’s one of my favourite circuits and I’ve had some good success there in the past couple of years,” he affirmed after Valencia testing. “I won the World Supersport race there on my way to the title in 2003. Then, last year, I took two second places – my first World Superbike podiums – and left with the most points from the weekend. After the test in Valencia, we finally got a bit more quality time on the bike and started to make some real progress – so I think we’ll be pretty competitive by the time we reach Phillip Island.” Muggeridge, who is due to be married shortly after the PI race, is determined to make up for the disappointments of his illness-affected outings in Qatar. “I like Phillip Island, although I’ve never really been very successful there,” said the Queensland rider. “The move up from Supersport isn’t really anything more than I expected. As far as riding he bikes goes, the 1000 is pretty similar to the 600 – they’re a similar weight but I’ve got an extra 70-odd horsepower to play with, which is nice! It’s finding the strong base setting that we haven’t really had a chance to do yet. I was overall fifth after the two days of testing at Valencia, which wasn’t too bad and it was great to put some laps in on the bike, so there’s definitely lots more to come.” Fifth place in race two at Qatar, Chili showed his grit and experience, and should be in an even better position for the Australian round. “We must concentrate our energies on working to make the most of our expected new parts when we get to Australia,” said Chili. “I am a rider who needs grip for my riding style so not to have the grip I need to go fast was frustrating at the Valencia tests. Phillip Island is a very different track.” Neukirchner showed his true and yet still-developing talent at Qatar, running with the leaders for long periods. His Phillip Island experience has been limited, but it will still prove highly beneficial to him. “I had my first rides at Phillip Island last year, on a Supersport bike, affirmed Max, “but I learned the circuit quite fast. After the Losail races, especially race two, I am confident that we can have some good results.” It has been a tough early season for Bostrom so far, but he is unbowed in his quest for competitiveness in the championship which first brought him to global attention. “We’ll be in much better shape for the Phillip Island races,” said Bostrom. “Qatar did not go anything like the way we had hoped it would, especially when raceday came around. We will be ready for Australia, and I want to get some good points.” After Phillip Island, the championship circus returns to Europe for the remainder for the year, starting with round three, at Valencia, on 22-24 April.

PHILLIP ISLAND A POPULAR STOP OFF FOR LATEST SBK WORLD TOUR Australia Beckons: The magnificent environs of the Phillip Island Circuit will be the sometimes-interactive backdrop for the second round of the 2005 World Superbike Championship, with raceday taking place on 3 April. One of the most popular tracks and destinations in World Superbike, Phillip Island boasts an outstanding layout, undulations aplenty, and some of the biggest rider challenges on the whole SBK tour. Situated on the coast of the gorgeous holiday destination of Phillip Island, two hours south of Melbourne, the circuit has played a pivotal role in many a World Superbike title race of yesteryear. 2004 Formbook: Ducati ruled the PI roost in 2004, with first Regis Laconi and then Garry McCoy winning races. Laconi continues in the factory Ducati squad for 2005, now running Xerox sponsorship, but McCoy has embarked on a new adventure for 2005, in conjunction with the Foggy Petronas squad. James Toseland (Xerox Ducati 999F05) is the reigning World Champion, and continues his 2004 partnership into a new season with Laconi. Out of luck and suffering crashes in testing during the opening Losail event in 2005, Toseland nonetheless scored two good finishes under race conditions in Qatar, underlining the tough character and determination that earned him the 2004 crown at the very last race of the season. 2005 Formbook: After an excellent start to the 2005 campaign at Losail, the factory Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki team are best placed of all on the eve of round two. Current championship leader, after a superb win and a second place, is SBK new regular rider, Yukio Kagayama. Alongside him in the Suzuki squad is Qatar podium finisher Troy Corser, the 1996 World Superbike champion and a former Phillip Island race winner in his own right. Variety of Options: Ranged against the top Ducati and Suzuki entrants in Australia will be an astoundingly strong line up of competitors, equipped with machinery from a total of six manufacturers. The top four-cylinder runner in 2004 was 2003 WSS champion Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and he is back again to make an even bigger impression than his overall fourth in last year’s contest. Karl Muggeridge, 2004’s WSS champion, is his team-mate, in what is his own first season of Superbike competition. Yamaha Forces Amass: Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) has had to take some time to adapt at the forefront of the 2005 Yamaha challenge but yet another Aussie with a World Supersport championship in his trophy cabinet, Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia), has shown his true pace already. On home tarmac, Pitt has always been a force, but he is only one of a whole raft of quick R1 riders collecting at Phillip Island. Jose Luis Cardoso (Yamaha DFX Extreme Sterilgarda), Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) and Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) have already unveiled glimpses of their pace and power, and that of the 2005 R1. In numerical terms, the R1 predominates in SBK this season, with Yamaha riders into double digits on the grid. Kawasaki On the Up: Chris Walker and Mauro Sanchini (PSG-1 Ducati) are two of the main driving forces for the Kawasaki concern, riding the awesome ZX-10 Superbike. Walker showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with now he is back on a four-cylinder machine, but after luck deserted him in Losail he is not as high up the points charts as his obvious speed would indicate. The Bertocchi squad, represented by Giovanni Bussei and Ivan Clementi, has one more year of experience of the ZX-10 Superbike, having taken advantage of the 1000cc ceiling for four-cylinder Superbikes, first introduced in 2004. More Honda Hopefuls: Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda) rode his heart out to almost earn a podium finish in race two at Qatar, in his latest SBK incarnation as a Honda rider. His young team-mate Max Neukirchner joins him in the Klaffi Superbike squad, having already made a swift transition from WSS rookie in 2004 (still in the Klaffi squad) to SBK rookie in 2005. Another new team in SBK 2005, the Klaffi outfit has already made a double-barrelled impact. Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji) had extreme misfortune at Losail, but with more time for his team to prepare the machinery, he can expect greater things in Australia. Big Names On Big Ducatis: The factory Ducati squad for 2005 remains as was in 2004, but in the privateer ranks there have been big name signings in the off season. Fonsi Nieto and Lorenzo Lanzi, each from the Scuderia Caracchi team, had challenging first outings on their Superbike steeds in Qatar, but each has shown talent in other categories of racing; talent that is expected to shine under an Aussie sun. Petronas Perspective: The aforementioned Garry McCoy is teamed with a fellow Aussie in 2005, the experienced and versatile Steve Martin. Their Petronas FP-1 is unique in several ways, its design featuring a 900cc, three-cylinder engine, but with the usual configuration reversed. The exhausts thus exit from the rear of the engine, while the intake is at the front. At the fast Phillip Island circuit, it may be a particularly tough challenge for the Petronas boys, but in front of their home crowd, the interest in their progress will be immense. Supersport: Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Katsuaki Fujiwara headed off what appeared to be a certain disappearing act from his team-mate Sebastien Charpentier in Qatar, taking his first win for Honda in WSS. Hondas are well represented in WSS 2005, with Team Megabike runners Fabien Foret and Michel Fabrizio, plus WSS rookie Tatu Lauslehto (from the Klaffi Honda team), all on fully supported machinery. Aussie pairing Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes, from the Yamaha Motor Germany team, will feel strong support from the understandably partisan Phillip Island crowd. In the Ducati camps, Gianluca Nannelli had the best showings at Losail, on his Scuderia Caracchi 749. With two days of qualifying culminating in the exciting Superpole discipline on Saturday 2 April, World Superbike racing itself gets underway on Sunday 3rd, with two SBK rounds sandwiching a single Supersport outing.

ODENTON, MD. – The United States Grand Prix Riders Union (USGPRU) today finalized an agreement with AlwaysOnline.net, a leading provider of internet service and hardware, to be the title sponsor for the USGPRU in 2005. “The support of AlwaysOnline.net turbo-charges the momentum that the USGPRU is enjoying while attracting new and top talent to the sport of Grand Prix road racing here in the USA,” said Stewart Aitken-Cade, President of the USGPRU. “The addition of AlwaysOnline.net to our growing list of sponsors shatters the $100,000 mark easily, and gives us the level of support we need to further promote the series.” “The USGPRU offers one of the premier Grand Prix motorcycle road racing events in the United States,” said Jason Silva, Chief Operating Officer of AlwaysOnline.net. “The decision to support the USGPRU this season stems from the shared love of racing and a shared philosophy that both in business and racing speed, attention-to-detail, and reliability will put you on the podium. The GP style racing is speed in its purest form, and AlwaysOnline.net provides speed and reliability to our clients through our services and our superior support. ” The AlwaysOnline.net sponsorship results in minimum cash purses of one thousand dollars for each class at all USGPRU events this year. The title sponsorship also increases the cash purse to five thousand dollars for each class in the National Championship Final scheduled at Texas Motor Speedway in College Station, Texas on October first and second this year. AlwaysOnline.net will also be providing advanced dedicated web hosting services for the USGPRU.net website. About AlwaysOnline.net AlwaysOnline.net is the fastest growing provider of web hosting solutions for customers of all sizes from small businesses to large enterprises. Founded in 1999, AlwaysOnline.net has built a solid reputation in the industry for speed, reliability, and superior support. Operating a wholly-owned Class A datacenter in Annapolis, Maryland, AlwaysOnline.net offers services from server colocation to leased dedicated servers. For more information please visit www.AlwaysOnline.net or call 800-699-9748. About USGPRU The USGPRU is the officially recognized Motorcycle 125 Grand Prix National Championship(r) and 250 Grand Prix National Championship TM series. The USGPRU emulates true World MotoGP racing experience and serves to attract young riders to gain experience in a professional environment and provide a path to world-class motorcycle racing. The USGPRU structures events with extended length grand prix racing exclusive to the GP machines, timed qualifying and strong contingency and sponsor support. For additional details, visit www.USGPRU.net