VICTORY: AMA APPLAUDS CONGRESS FOR FUNDING MOTORCYCLE STUDY — Off-highway riders also benefit from transportation bill — PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is applauding Congress for funding for the first nationwide motorcycle-crash study in almost 30 years. U.S. House and Senate conferees agreed to a compromise version of the $286.4 billion transportation bill, which was passed by both chambers late last week, reauthorizing transportation spending through September, 2009. The bill, which President Bush is expected to sign this week, includes nearly $3 million for a study of motorcycle crashes. It specifies that the research grants be provided to the Oklahoma Transportation Center, located at Oklahoma State University. “After more than a decade of decline, motorcycling fatalities have increased in recent years, and those increases have prompted endless speculation about the reasons why,” said AMA President Robert Rasor. “We’re pleased that Congress agrees that we need answers, not theories. We’re anxious for the study to begin, to help us understand how to prevent crashes and save lives.” “I’m happy we were able to include the provision providing grants to the Oklahoma Transportation Center for this important study,” said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “It’s an important step in helping to improve motorcycle safety.” “I was pleased to work with the American Motorcyclist Association to update these statistics,” said Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri), who introduced the motorcycle-study language into the bill. “It has been over 20 years since we last studied what causes motorcycle accidents and now is the time to take another look.” The last comprehensive study on the subject, commonly called the “Hurt Report” after University of Southern California researcher Dr. Harry Hurt, was published in the 1970s. The AMA notes that the bill also preserves motorcycles’ access to High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, and that it specifies that local governments will continue to be prohibited from excluding motorcycles from roads maintained with federal funds. In addition, the bill calls for motorcycles to be included in research on Intelligent Transportation systems, and makes available $25 million to individual states for motorcycle-safety training and awareness programs. Off-highway motorcyclists and ATV enthusiasts will benefit from the transportation bill as well, through $370 million in gasoline taxes earmarked for the Recreational Trails Program.

Superbike World Championship preview – round eight: Brands Hatch Race date: 7 August 2005 Track length: 4221m Year opened: 1926 2004 winner: Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) Lap record: 1:26.755 Shane Byrne (Ducati) Fastest lap ever: 1:26.248 Shane Byrne (Ducati) The Superbike World Championship visits one of its spiritual homes this weekend as the series moves to the demanding Brands Hatch circuit in the heart of England. The British circuit is always one of the best attended rounds of the year and holds good memories for Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga. The popular Japanese rider won both races at Brands Hatch last year and returns on the back of giving Yamaha its first world superbike victory of the season at Brno three weeks ago. Winning at Brno provided a huge boost to the team in their first season of competition at superbike level and the squad travels to Brands Hatch this weekend looking to build on the Czech result. “There’s certainly a slightly different feeling among the team,” said team co-ordinator Massimo Meregalli. “We always knew that the first half of the season would be very difficult as we developed a new bike and we always felt that it would be the second part of the season before we could challenge for wins. Noriyuki has been on holiday since Brno, but in the two or three days before he left he was a different person. Both he and Andrew (Pitt) know Brands Hatch very well and we looking forward to this weekend.” Haga is naturally enthusiastic about returning to Brands, commenting: “It was great to be back on top of the podium again and I hope to make another good result for the Brands Hatch fans. We’re still a little bit down on power but at Brno we found the perfect setting for the bike and if we can find good settings at Brands then we can be competitive. Since Brno I’ve been back in Japan to spend some time at home with the family. I’m feeling relaxed, fit and ready to go this weekend.” Team-mate Andrew Pitt had a weekend to forget in Brno, with tenth and a retirement seeing him slip back to tenth in the overall standings. The Australian is no stranger to the British circuit and finished second there on his way to the 2001 supersport world title, when Yamaha rider Jörg Teuchert pipped him on the line in a memorable photo finish that saw the top three riders covered by just 0.016 seconds at the flag. “At Brno we were up there in practice but the races didn’t turn out as well as expected,” said the 29-year-old. “But on the positive side, we were more competitive than at the previous two races. Noriyuki showed the potential of the bike and I just want to get out there and aim for a podium this weekend.” Brands Hatch technical guide Make no mistake, Brands Hatch is one of the most demanding circuits on the world superbike roster when it comes to finding a good bike set-up. It is always about finding a good compromise setting but here at Brands, with its fast blast up Hawthorn Hill, the curved start/finish ‘straight’ and difficult elevation changes at Paddock Hill and Surtees, the compromise is so much more than at other circuits. The natural elevation changes can cause the suspension to bottom out, especially at the end of the long Hawthorn Hill straight but riders must avoid the temptation to stiffen things up too much as this will sacrifice performance at many of the other corners. Riders will probably look for a good set-up through the more conventional fast corners, like Hawthorn, Stirling’s and the Clark, and use their body weight muscle the bike through the less than perfect set-up for the rest of the course. The track also features a lot of blind corners which can make it difficult for the riders to gain complete confidence in the circuit. Circuit knowledge can count for a lot here and the riders will have to make the most of the practice sessions if they are to find the optimum lines for what is usually a hectic race. Supersport World Championship – Yamaha Germany look to regain lost ground Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes head to Brands Hatch in a positive mood despite a nightmare race last time out in Brno. The Australian duo both failed to finish in Czech, Curtain crashing out while contesting the lead and Parkes retiring. The lack of points failed to reflect the team’s pace in Brno and since that last outing the team has been busy with a two day test at the German Eurospeedway circuit. Coming to Brands, the target for both riders is to improve their championship placings. Curtain is the top YZF-R6 rider in the championship, in third, with Parkes currently sixth. FIM Superstock 1000 Cup – R1 riders prepare for another thriller Fans visiting Brands would be well advised to go early and catch Sunday morning’s FIM Superstock 1000 race. The championship, for riders aged up to 24 years and riding virtually stock 1000cc machines, has produced consistently stunning racing throughout the year and, as the season reaches its climax, expect nothing less this weekend. The series has been a tale of three Yamaha riders, Massimo Roccoli, Kenan Sofuoglu and Didier van Keymeulen, and the Suzuki of Australian Craig Coxhell. Roccoli leads the series by just four points from early points leader Sofuoglu, who returned from injury with a second place to Coxhell last time out in Brno. Van Keymeulen goes to Brands Hatch fourth in the championship but still right in contention thanks to his supreme consistency. This one looks like going to the wire.

Kawasaki Looks For Repeat Success at Atlantic Motorsport Park Parts Canada Superbike racing resumes August 4th, when the Canadian Kawasaki Team heads to Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia for rounds 6 and 7 of the series. Team Kawasaki hopes to repeat their past success after finishing rounds 4 and 5 at Mosport International Speedway with three podiums in the 600 supersport class. “Our team is getting stronger and closer to achieving our goals as each round progresses. I’m happy with our results and our programs continue to move forward. Both riders have proven they will be contenders in the upcoming round,” said Jeff Comello, Team Manager. It is undeniable that the team is feeling good and building momentum, leading into the races at Shubenacadie. Both Tom Kipp and Matt McBride are hungry for the coveted first place position in both the superbike and supersport classes, and will prove to be a force to be reckoned with at Atlantic Motorsport Park. A late season addition to the Canadian Kawasaki Road Race Team, is seasoned veteran and ex-Kawasaki rider Jeff Williams. After his efforts at Mosport and his desire to return to Canadian racing competitively, Williams and Kawasaki have agreed to terms for rounds 6 and 7. “Williams has proven his ability to master the technical and physically demanding track at Shubie. And as a past winner, we have high hopes for him at this event,” continued Jeff Comello. Be sure to catch the Canadian Kawasaki Team August 4-7th, 2005 at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS.

ALSTARE AIMS FOR BRANDS PODIUM Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama are looking forward to the eighth round of the World Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch this weekend and both have podiums in their sights. The 4.221 kilometre circuit is well-known to both of them and it is also one that they count amongst their favourites. The twisty, undulating circuit is a regular on the calendar and is one of the few tracks where the spectators are close enough to feel part of the action! Current World Championship leader Corser had one of his best results on the Petronas FP1 there last year with fifth in race one, but crashed in race two after being hit by another rider. Kagayama did not take part, but raced there in the British Superbike Championship, taking a fourth and a third. Troy Corser: “Brands Hatch is a great circuit and the atmosphere there is usually tremendous. It is one of the few tracks where we can actually feel the presence of the spectators because they are very close to the action. It is an old style circuit and very demanding because there are some blind approaches and changes of camber and it is easy to get caught out if you are not careful. I like the track a lot and I will be going into the event completely relaxed on all fronts. “I am particularly happy that Sam gave birth last week to a beautiful baby girl because at one time it might have happened during the Brands Hatch weekend! That might have caused me a little less then 100% focus, but now I don’t have to worry about that at all. It was good to get back to winning ways in Brno and I can’t see any reason why I will not be on the podium at Brands Hatch – it’s what I’ll be chasing for sure.” Yukio Kagayama: “I am happy to be going to Brands Hatch – a circuit I know and like – after two circuits I did not know. Because I know Brands Hatch, I can be a bit more relaxed and just concentrate on getting a good set-up early on in practice. Brands is not an easy circuit but it is fun to ride. I think it is a circuit that suits my style and so I will be trying my best to end my run of bad luck and get a podium or two. Also, I will have many British fans there, so I am determined to do well and chase that second place in the championship.” 2004 Results: Troy Corser (Petronas FP1) – Race 1: 5th, Race 2: DNF. Yukio Kagayama – DNS.

OFFICIAL RESULTS AMA SUPERMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP USA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, SHAWANO, WISCONSIN JULY 30, 2005 AMA Supermoto Results (Race 1) Pos. No. Rider name Hometown Bike Laps Pts Team name 1 19 Doug A Henry Torrington, CT Yamaha YZ450F 15 25 Graves Motorsports Yamaha 2 28 Troy Herfoss San Diego, CA Husqvarna TC450 15 22 GP Husqvarna 3 45 Benjamin T Carlson West Bend, WI KTM 450SMR 15 20 Team HMC / Generations of Sonoma 4 5 Jurgen Kunzel Temecula, CA KTM 450SMR 15 19* Red Bull KTM 5 210 Massimiliano Gazzarata San Carlos, CA Honda CRF450R 15 16 JST Racing Motostrano.com ABMedic / AeffeM 6 1 Jeff Ward Newport Beach, CA Honda CRF450R 15 15 Team Troy Lee Designs Honda 7 11 Christopher S Fillmore Oxford, MI Honda CRF450R 15 14 Team Troy Lee Designs Honda 8 8 Kurt P Nicoll Temecula, CA KTM 450SMS 15 13 Red Bull KTM 9 128 Andrea Bartolini Richmond, CA Honda CRF450R 15 12 Team X3 LeoVince USA Calhoun Honda Yamaha 10 125 Max Verderosa Richmond, CA Honda CRF450R 15 11 Team X3 LeoVince USA Calhoun Honda Yamaha 11 428 Josh W Chisum Bakersfield, CA Honda CRF450R 15 10 Joker Machine QTM Warren 12 357 Gary R Trachy Orange, CA Honda CRF450R 15 9 CHM Exhaust Pro Honda Oils 13 73 Steve Drew Costa Mesa, CA Suzuki RM-Z450 15 8 Two Brothers Racing Suzuki Kawasaki 14 319 Justin Ross Hesperia, CA KTM 450SMR 15 7 Joker Machine QTM Warren 15 35 Cassidy J Anderson Provo, UT Honda CRF450R 15 6 CHM Exhaust Pro Honda Oils 16 55 Leonardo Bagnis Lodi, CA Husqvarna TC450 15 5 GP Husqvarna 17 415 Al Salaverria San Francisco, CA Honda CRF450R 15 4 Al Salaverria Racing Honda 18 22 Willie Reiter , KTM 450SMR 15 3 Red Bull KTM 19 60 Clay A Hoenshell Arlington, TX Honda CRF450X 15 2 Team Rockwall Honda 20 399 Alex McElyea Cave Creek, AZ Honda 450 14 1 Red Baron Racing 21 32 Nick Daniels Mattoon, IL Honda CRF450R 14 Scotty`s Speed Shop 22 232 Eric Bostrom Cary, NC KTM 450SMR 6 Red Bull KTM 23 23 David Baffeleuf Cournon D Avuergne, France KTM 450SMR 1 Team HMC / Generations of Sonoma 24 47 Alex Thiebault Antibes, France Honda CRF450R 0 CHM Exhaust Pro Honda Oils RACE TIME: 22:46.249 min. WINNER’S AVG. LAP TIME: 01:31.1 AMA Supermoto Results (Race 2) Pos. No. Rider name Hometown Bike Laps Pts Team name 1 19 Doug A Henry Torrington, CT Yamaha YZ450F 16 25 Graves Motorsports Yamaha 2 5 Jurgen Kunzel Temecula, CA KTM 450SMR 16 22 Red Bull KTM 3 125 Max Verderosa Richmond, CA Honda CRF450R 16 20 Team X3 LeoVince USA Calhoun Honda Yamaha 4 1 Jeff Ward Newport Beach, CA Honda CRF450R 16 18 Team Troy Lee Designs Honda 5 23 David Baffeleuf Cournon D Avuergne, France KTM 450SMR 16 16 Team HMC / Generations of Sonoma 6 47 Alex Thiebault Antibes, France Honda CRF450R 16 15 CHM Exhaust Pro Honda Oils 7 8 Kurt P Nicoll Temecula, CA KTM 450SMS 16 14 Red Bull KTM 8 128 Andrea Bartolini Richmond, CA Honda CRF450R 16 13 Team X3 LeoVince USA Calhoun Honda Yamaha 9 232 Eric Bostrom Cary, NC KTM 450SMR 16 12 Red Bull KTM 10 11 Christopher S Fillmore Oxford, MI Honda CRF450R 16 11 Team Troy Lee Designs Honda 11 73 Steve Drew Costa Mesa, CA Suzuki RM-Z450 16 10 Two Brothers Racing Suzuki Kawasaki 12 22 Willie Reiter , France KTM 450SMR 16 9 Red Bull KTM 13 428 Josh W Chisum Bakersfield, CA Honda CRF450R 16 8 Joker Machine QTM Warren 14 357 Gary R Trachy Orange, CA Honda CRF450R 16 7 CHM Exhaust Pro Honda Oils 15 415 Al Salaverria San Francisco, CA Honda CRF450R 16 6 Al Salaverria Racing Honda 16 35 Cassidy J Anderson Provo, UT Honda CRF450R 16 5 CHM Exhaust Pro Honda Oils 17 210 Massimiliano Gazzarata San Carlos, CA Honda CRF450R 15 4 JST Racing Motostrano.com ABMedic / AeffeM 18 399 Alex McElyea Cave Creek, AZ Honda 450 15 3 Red Baron Racing 19 32 Nick Daniels Mattoon, IL Honda CRF450R 15 2 Scotty`s Speed Shop 20 60 Clay A Hoenshell Arlington, TX Honda CRF450X 15 1 Team Rockwall Honda 21 45 Benjamin T Carlson West Bend, WI KTM 450SMR 15 Team HMC / Generations of Sonoma 22 28 Troy Herfoss San Diego, CA Husqvarna TC450 10 GP Husqvarna 23 319 Justin Ross Hesperia, CA KTM 450SMR 8 Joker Machine QTM Warren 24 55 Leonardo Bagnis Lodi, CA Husqvarna TC450 3 GP Husqvarna RACE TIME: 22:38.963 min. WINNER’S AVG. LAP TIME: 01:24.9 *Superpole Earns 1 additional point

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Valentino Rossi are delighted to announce that Valentino will stay with Yamaha for a further year. Rossi will continue to race in Yamaha’s MotoGP line-up riding the Yamaha YZR-M1 in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. Rossi won the 2004 MotoGP World Championship with Yamaha and is currently competing in his second season with the Japanese manufacturer’s factory team. The 26-year old Italian leads the 2005 MotoGP World Championship by 120 points, following his 8th victory at last weekend’s German Grand Prix. Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, Lin Jarvis, stated, “Since we announced the signing of Valentino Rossi at the end of 2003 we had an astonishing first year with him, and are now enjoying great success again in 2005. This year is the 50th anniversary for Yamaha and is therefore a very special year for us. We hope our MotoGP efforts will culminate in a second world title for Valentino with Yamaha. We are obviously very happy to have Valentino with us for another year and to keep him with MotoGP in 2006. The partnership with Valentino is the key point that will now allow us to proceed with our total MotoGP strategy for 2006.” “I am so happy to be able to announce the continuation of my relationship with Yamaha” commented Rossi. “Last year was magic, to win my first race with Yamaha, and then to win the championship. I have a fantastic relationship with this factory and my team crew, who have worked so hard to make the M1 as competitive as it is now, and it just made sense to stay with Yamaha for another year.”

Racer Jack Pfeifer, the privateer who made his name finishing 4th in the 2004 Daytona 200 and was seriously injured during an AFM event at Thunderhill Raceway July 17th, has returned home to Las Vegas. Pfeifer spent 11 days in a hospital in Chico, California after his bike stalled coming off the starting grid, setting off a multi-bike pileup; his injuries included 4 fractured vertebra in his back, a broken right forearm and 4 broken ribs. Pfeifer is wearing a neck and back brace but is walking around at home. He cannot yet look down far enough to see a computer keyboard and cannot type anyway, with his right arm in a cast. However, Pfeifer is reading e-mails sent to [email protected] . “I’m actually doing pretty well,” Pfeifer told Roadracingworld.com Monday afternoon. “I’m looking forward to healing up and getting back out to the racetrack. They say I’ll be in this back brace for another four weeks, and they say there’s a 60% chance this ulna bone will heal on its own, or they’ll need to put in a plate and some screws. I’m hoping to get back out there. We need to figure out why that bike died, before I can ride it again. “I’m definitely looking forward to getting back on a bike and doing some riding. I have a brand new Kawasaki ZX-6RR sitting in the garage, and I want to get it ready for Daytona.”

By Shan Moore Typhoon Racing’s Ty Howard overcame challenges from Logan Young, Shane Kuehler and Heath Small and survived a crash with Danny Eslick to take top billing at round seven of the CMRA Championship Road Racing Series at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. In Howard’s first race of the day, the Racing Performance Services B Superstock Expert race, which features a $150 purse, he and the Suzuki-mounted Eslick locked horns over the first-place position on lap three after Eslick had worked his way up from the rear of the starting grid. After the two riders took a turn at the front, Eslick attempted to go under Howard in a rough corner on the back side of the track, but lost the front end, taking both riders out. Eslick recovered for the second place position, behind Yamaha YZF-R6-mounted Shane Kuehler, while Howard was not able to finish the race. “I was going for a pass in turn seven and he was going above some bumps and I was going below them,” said Eslick. “We were running two different lines and I wasn’t being too aggressive, but got in there and lost the front and took Ty out. I’m sorry Ty, but that’s racing, it’s sometimes a contact sport and I apologize.” Despite the crash, Howard rebounded to win five races on the day, including the C Superstock Expert, which features a $500 purse, the Unlimited A Superbike Expert Race, which features a $150 purse, the Pace American Trailers Formula 1 Expert, which features a $1000 purse, the Sum of all Parts A Superstock Expert, which features a $150 purse and the RaceworX C Superbike Expert, which features a $150 purse. And while Eslick was shut out of the win department, he did manage to grab the Mr. Corder Racing Fast Lap Award, which pays $150 for the fastest sprint lap, a 1:44.836 which he turned during his race with Howard in the B Superstock Expert event. Other money winners included Dane Westby, who won the Twins Expert, which features a $500 purse and the South Central Race Center D Superbike Expert, which features a $150 purse; Will Gruy, who claimed the lion’s share of the $250 purse for winning the Super Motard class; Heath Small, who won the Komodo Racing B Superbike Expert, which features a $250 purse; Jon Francis, who won the AF1 Racing Heavyweight Twins Expert race, which pays a end-of-the-year purse; and Tyler McDonald, who won the 125 GP, which features a $250 purse. Cory Burleson and Brandon Spradling wrecked havoc in the Novice divisions, with Burleson adding four class wins to his resume and Spradling taking three. In round five of the Shogun Motorsports CMRA Endurance Series, held on Saturday, Northwest Honda Racing survived a battle of attrition to take the win. The Houston-based team extended their lead in the series title chase win the win and now sits 270 points ahead of KNMotorcycles.com, who finished third overall and top C Superstock team on Saturday. Second overall in the 6-hour event went to GMAN Racing. 2Wheelz.com finished fourth overall and third in the Formula 1 division, while Desert-Rats.net won the A Superstock class with a fifth overall. Lone Gunmen was tops in the C Superbike class with a seventh overall and Fireball Racing finished ninth overall and won the Formula 2 class. In Saturday’s Mini Sprint action, Tyler McDonald set a lap record for Formula 4 machines with a 1:21.110, en route to the Formula 4 class win over Nick Gruy and Zac Chapman, while Conner Blevins topped the Formula 6 division, ahead of Dennis Dudley and Pat Brown. Jesse Davis topped Derek Wagnon and Brandon Warren for the Formula 5 win, while Conner Blevins returned to take the Formula 7 win over Dirk Anderson and Pat Brown. Despite temperatures that neared the 100 degree mark, 543 sprint entries and 52 endurance entries graced the grids for the seventh round of the CMRA series. The club returns to action for round eight of the series at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, near Hallett, Oklahoma, on August 19-21.

Öhlins USA, Inc. in partnership with the Frank Kinsey Racing School and Mike Fitzgerald of Thermosman Suspension will be hosting a two day suspension clinic and track day at Barber Motorsports Park on October 8 & 9 of this year. This will give motorcyclists of all skill levels a chance to learn about proper suspension set-up regardless of what brand they are currently riding on and the opportunity to apply what they learned on the famous Barber Motorsports Park road course. The track day portion will be conducted by Frank Kinsey, an experienced racer and instructor and will offer riding groups for beginner, intermediate and expert level riders. AMA Superbike Champion Jamie James will be on hand with his new JJP Yamaha R1 to guest ride in the expert group. A technical seminar will be presented on Saturday evening with Öhlins technicians available throughout the event to offer individual advice and set-up. Öhlins products will be available for purchase and personalized set-up for those not currently riding on Öhlins. For more information contact: Mike Hensley at 800-336-9029 or [email protected]