Rossi takes giant lead to Germany for Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland The MotoGP World Championship winds up for a month-long summer break this weekend as the Sachsenring circuit in Germany prepares to host the tenth round of the season, the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Traditionally one of the highest attended events of the MotoGP season, a crowd of over 100,000 people is expected for this Sunday’s Grand Prix, where Valentino Rossi will defend a mammoth lead of 104 points in the championship. Rossi’s seventh win from nine races just two days ago at Donington Park was also the 75th of his Grand Prix career in all classes and a repeat performance at the Sachsenring would see him go level third in the all-time winners’ charts alongside the legendary Mike Hailwood. However, the Italian struggled to find a set-up for his Yamaha M1 machine at the tight and twisty German track one year ago and could only manage fourth place one of only three occasions he actually finished a race without making the podium last season. The only rider ever to win at the Sachsenring on a Yamaha is Max Biaggi, who also took victory there last season riding the Honda. It was Biaggi’s only success of 2004 and the Italian has not won since a seventeen-race dry spell that matches his longest ever run without a victory since he made his Grand Prix debut back in 1992. Biaggi’s crash in the wet race at Donington Park last Sunday also saw him lose third in the championship to Colin Edwards, who now lies just one point behind Melandri in the chase for second place. Melandri will also be looking for a change of fortune in Germany after only completing one full lap out of the last two races, with successive crashes at Laguna Seca and Donington Park bringing his early-season form to an abrupt halt. Whilst Rossi is now seemingly out of reach at the top of the standings, Melandri will be keen to hang on to second place before the season takes a four-week summer break. The Italian youngster has won at the Sachsenring three times in the 125cc and 250cc classes, including his maiden quarter-litre success in 2001, but has crashed out of the MotoGP race there for the past two seasons. Kenny Roberts and Alex Barros arrive at the tenth round of the championship on top confidence after their morale-boosting podium finishes behind Rossi at Donington. Both riders have previously won the premier-class race at the Sachsenring and will be looking to turn their impressive wet performances into a dry result this weekend. Sete Gibernau won the MotoGP race there two years ago but crashed out last season and has now failed to finish in three rounds of the current campaign after sliding out of the lead in Great Britain. One more previous Sachsenring winner will be added to the mix this weekend, with former 250cc World Champion Olivier Jacque returning to the MotoGP field as a wildcard entry for Kawasaki. Jacque scored a memorable podium finish for the factory in China earlier this season and has a strong record at the German circuit, with his only premier-class pole here on a Yamaha in 2002 adding to his 250cc victory in 2000. Current 250cc World Champion Dani Pedrosa saw his championship lead reduced by Casey Stoner last Sunday but the Spaniard is still 34 points clear of the Australian and will be boosted by the confidence of his best ever wet result after taking fourth place at Donington Park. Pedrosa secured his first Sachsenring win last year and he will be looking for a repeat success with a number of his rivals coming into form. Third place for Stoner last Sunday was his fourth podium of the season whilst Randy De Puniet was back to his best with a victory that could prove to be the turning point to the Frenchman’s season. Sebastián Porto has started from pole for the last two years in Germany and finished on the podium both last year and in 2002, whilst Pedrosa will also be keeping an eye on Anthony West after a stunning debut by the KTM machine at Donington Park that saw the Australian finish second. The 125cc World Championship could not be closer with just eight points separating the first four riders. Joint series leaders Mattia Pasini and Gabor Talmacsi both left Donington Park empty-handed after the Italian crashed on the warm-up lap for the second race and the Hungarian slid out twice once the red lights were out. Thomas Lüthi now lies just one point behind the pair with Mika Kallio a further seven points back. Meanwhile Julián Simón, the only rider in the 125cc class to have scored points at each of the first eight races of the year, now lies eighth in the championship after becoming the sixth different winner of a 125cc race this season with his maiden success at Donington.

Vermeulen and Brookes lead Aussie 8-hour charge The world’s biggest motorcycle race, the Suzuka 8 Hour, will be held in Japan this Sunday, with dynamic duo Chris Vermeulen and Josh Brookes leading the Aussie offensive. Vermeulen, who is currently running second in the Superbike World Championship behind compatriot Troy Corser, will be making his first appearance in the iconic 27-year-old event, as will the Australian-based Brookes, who is desperate to put on a good show in front of the Japanese factory bosses not to mention the 150,000-plus spectators! With conditions again expected to be extremely humid, Vermeulen will ride one of only two factory Honda CBR1000RRs in the race, alongside Japanese world Supersport campaigner, Katsuaki Fujiwara. The duo will compete under the Seven Stars Honda 11 umbrella, with Vermeulen a strong chance to become the seventh Australian winner of the 8-hour, and the first since Wayne Gardner and Daryl Beattie prevailed in 1992. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Brookes, who first hit the big time with a spectacular victory in the 2004 world Supersport round at Phillip Island, will also be CBR1000RR mounted for the wait for it – Team Yoshiharu & Idemitsu Maido Plus collaboration. That’s a mouthful, but with some recent testing at Suzuka behind him and a capable teammate (Yoshiyuki Sugai) on board, Brookes will be in a position to showcase his full repertoire. Sugai finished sixth in 2004, in association with another Australian Robert Bugden. Eighty teams are entered this weekend, with the race also doubling as round three of the 2005 Endurance World Championship. The British-based Phase One Endurance (YZF-R1) competes full-time in the endurance title, and its Suzuka roster will be filled by three Australians Warwick Nowland, Damian Cudlin and Paul Young. Nowland, a two-time world endurance champion, and 22-year-old Cudlin are the regular incumbents at Phase One, while Young is in career-best form with his current leadership of the 2005 British Supersport title. “Suzuka is without doubt a very strange and difficult race,” said Nowland. “The humidity is tough, the temperature is high and the local riders are under pressure from the factories and/or themselves. Chris Vermeulen told me when he first met with the Honda bosses, they explained HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) will have bikes number seven and number 11 and they will finish first and second in the Suzuka 8 Hour. No pressure! “Damian and I are now getting synchronised with bike set-up, which has been a bonus. And Paul has a lot of experience, so I’m looking forward to us all working together. I think we are a strong team.” Phase One is currently equal fourth in the endurance standings on 26pts, 29 in arrears of runaway leader, Castrol Suzuki (Keiichi Kitagawa, Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive, GSX-R1000). There are three rounds remaining, with events at Oschersleben (Germany) and Vallelunga (Italy) after Suzuka. Last year’s Suzuka 8 Hour was won by the Seven Stars Honda 7 entry, with former 500cc rider Tohru Ukawa and Hitoyasu Izutsu in the saddle. Ukawa has been retained in the same outfit for 2005, while Izutsu has been replaced by Ryuichi Kiyonari. Meanwhile, last year’s second and third placegetters will also return for more Yoshimura Suzuki (Atsushi Watanabe, Yukio Kagayama, GSX-R1000) and Weider Honda Academy Boys (Toshiyuki Hamaguchi, Shogo Moriwaki, CBR1000RR). The Suzuka 8 Hour was first held in 1978, and became a part of the fledgling Endurance World Championship in 1980. A year before that, Honda-backed Australian pairing, Mick Cole and Tony Hatton, claimed the honours. It was then a six-year wait before an Australian rider again emerged with the spoils – Wayne Gardner in 1985 on Honda’s then all-conquering RVF750 Formula One machine. Gardner then defended his title the next year, before another imperious two-year stretch in 1991-92. In an era where Australia’s 500cc GP riders regularly took time out from their busy schedules to race in the 8 Hour, Kevin Magee (1987-88), Mick Doohan (1991) and Daryl Beattie (1992) also won the event. Moreover, former New Zealand great Graeme Crosby dominated the 1980 event on a Suzuki. Honda hasn’t been defeated in the 8 Hour since 1996, when Colin Edwards and Noriyuki Haga won on a Yamaha. In all, Honda has 20 wins, ahead of Yamaha (four), Suzuki (two) and Kawasaki (one).

Attention, Fans: Here’s Your Chance to ‘Race the Racers’ at VIR! Alton, Va. (July 26) Think you’ve got what it takes to go wheel-to-wheel with the big guys? Think you’re fast enough to take on the superstars of Superbike? Here’s your chance to find out: As part of the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at VIRginia International Raceway featuring the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, scheduled for the weekend of August 26-28, race promoters Race Promotion Management (RPM) are announcing a Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge for Thursday, August 25. Here’s the concept: There will be 10 single-engine, 200cc Zip karts ready to race at VIR’s Plantation Valley Kart Track on Thursday, August 25, at 5:00 pm. Each kart will have four drivers: one Superbike racer, one media celebrity, one staff member from either AMA, VIR, RPM or event sponsor Suzuki and one fan. Each driver will get 10 laps of the 5/8-mile, 24-foot-wide road racing kart circuit, and then pit for a driver change to one of their teammates. At the end of 40 laps, the kart with the fastest cumulative time is declared the winner. Following the race there will be a reception for all the participants, where trophies will be presented and fan participants will receive a CD of photographs taken during the race. Here’s the deal for fans: All fans who purchase an advance ticket to the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals by the end of the day on August 12, 2005, will have their name entered in the eligibility drawing. Nine names will be drawn, and those picked will be invited to compete in the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge. In the event that any of those picked will not be able to attend on August 25 (which is a private test day for the teams, with the general public not allowed), we will continue to pick names until we have one fan driver for each of the nine teams. Racers who will be participating in the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro include the following superstars of the sport: Eric Bostrom, Roger Lee Hayden, Aaron Yates, Neil Hodgson, Ben Spies, Jamie Hacking, Aaron Gobert, Kevin Schwantz and a rider to be named later. An additional, 10th team will be fielded by Triangle Cycles of Danville, with pro racer Larry Pegram anchoring the driver line-up. “VIR is a unique, multi-faceted facility,” said RPM vice-president Cameron Gray, “and we wanted to do something special for the fans that would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and also showcase what a great place VIR is. We are determined to make the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals ‘the race of the year’ for fans, and the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro is just another of the ways in which we going to do that. VIR’s Plantation Valley Kart Track is a fantastic and challenging karting circuit, and we’re going to have a lot of fun with this event. The bragging rights alone are going to be priceless! We’re really looking forward to it.” There are a number of advance ticket packages available for the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at VIR. Advance packages include the Flag Room (three-day admission, paddock access, car parking pass, official event program and hospitality on Saturday and Sunday), for $140; Youth Flag Room (5-12 years of age) for $50; the Big Kahuna Super Ticket (three-day admission, paddock and pit walk pass, lap of track, car parking pass and official 2005 Big Kahuna t-shirt) for $99; three-day general admission with paddock access for $55; and pit walk passes (limited availability, good for all practice and qualifying sessions, requires closed-toe shoes) for $30. At the gate, ticket availability will be limited to three-day passes for $60, single-day tickets (Friday only) for $10 and pit walk passes for $40. To purchase advance tickets, visit www.virclub.com or www.rpmcolorado.com. The event schedule for the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals will include three days of racing action, including two feature races for the headlining AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited as well as feature races for the supporting classes including the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, AMA Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series and Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series. VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Va., and just north of historic Milton, N.C. In addition to its 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit (designed to be operated as two autonomous, full-service courses), VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America’s first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park; the VIR Gallery, which is a sales showroom for high-end collector and racing cars; the VIR Safety and Security Institute, which provides specialized training for U.S. Government and military groups; The Lodge at VIR, a 27-room hotel overlooking the track; and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse. VIR made history from 1957 to 1974 and is doing so again. The 2.25-mile VIR North Course circuit on which the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals will take place has 17 challenging turns and 130 feet of elevation change. In addition to spectator events, the track is also available to rent for testing, driving schools and club days. For more information on VIRginia International Raceway, visit the track’s website at www.virclub.com or contact VIR at 434-822-7700. For more information on Race Promotion Management, visit their website at www.rpmcolorado.com or contact them via telephone at 303-377-3278. For more information on the AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited, visit their website at www.amasuperbike.com.

AMA SUPERMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP SET TO FIRE UP AGAIN IN SHAWANO Riders from across the globe to converge on Wisconsin’s USA International Raceway PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 25, 2005) — After an early summer break, the AMA Supermoto Championship is set to get back underway at USA International Raceway in Shawano, Wis., on Saturday, July 30. Round two of the six-event championship will see top American and international Supermoto riders coming to Shawano for the first time. Shawano marks the second national event hosted in Wisconsin. The series will also visit Colorado and Tennessee, before moving to the annual Red Bull Supermoto A-Go-Go in Reno, on Oct. 1. World Supermoto Champion Thierry van den Bosch and American star Doug Henry split wins in the opening round at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Van den Bosch, crashed and broke his leg in a World Championship round in Austria last month and is not expected to race this weekend, so it is German ace Jurgen Kunzel, of Red Bull KTM, who emerges from round one with the series lead among riders who will participate in Shawano, after taking a pair of third-place finishes. Kunzel has been one of the fastest riders in the championship since AMA Supermoto launched in 2003, but he’s yet to score a victory in the premier class. “For sure my goal is to win races and most importantly the championship,” said Kunzel. “We had a good beginning in Elkhart Lake and now I need to keep my momentum going in the Shawano race. I’ve had the opportunity to win many times, but things haven’t gone my way. I’ve trained very hard to be ready for this season and I am expecting to do well.” Kunzel’s primary competition at Shawano is sure to be Elkhart Lake race two winner Doug Henry and defending AMA Supermoto Champion Jeff Ward. Henry was teammates with Ward last year with Honda, but has moved to the newly formed factory Graves Yamaha team. Henry won the second race in Elkhart Lake with a dramatic last lap, last turn pass on van den Bosch. He expects more of the same close racing action at Shawano. “The track will be new to most of the riders,” said Henry, a former AMA Motocross Champion. “Fortunately we’ll have a couple of days to practice, so we should be good to go by race day. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the track in Shawano. We often race on parking lot or street courses, so it will be good to race on a track that was specially built with supermoto racing in mind.” Henry comes into Saturday’s race three points behind Kunzel and he’s happy about this year’s new two-race format. “With two races per round it’s going to give you the chance to make up ground,” he said. “I think it’s exciting for the fans also to be able to watch two shorter races. It’s definitely intense for the riders.” Wisconsin’s own Ben Carlson, of Team HMC/Generations of Sonoma is tied with Henry for third in the standings. Carlson has a lot of race experience on USA International Raceway and that could give him the edge he needs to get his first Supermoto victory. He’s keyed up about racing on the new racing circuit. “It’s a world class supermoto track,” said Carlson, who is concentrating solely on the premier Supermoto class this year. “It has everything from first gear turns to fourth gear sweepers. It flows really well and it’s wide so there should be plenty of passing going on. I’m really excited about having a national round there.” The mile-long, 24-turn USA International Raceway was constructed last summer and state-of-the-art asphalt was used with special polymers that give the racing surface not only durability, but also makes it tremendously smooth. Defending champ Jeff Ward has been busy this summer doing everything from racing in the Indianapolis 500, to trying to keep the No. 1 plate on his Troy Lee Designs Honda. Even at 44, the veteran Ward is expected to be among the favorites to win the championship this year. Shawano fans will be treated to the appearance of a couple of non-series regulars, but big stars nevertheless. AMA Superbike contender Eric Bostrom is slated to race this weekend, as is X-Games star Travis Pastrana and 1999 World Motocross champ Andrea Bartolini from Italy. Bostrom is on somewhat of a roll coming off a pair of wins in AMA Superbike. In front of an enormous crowd at the combined MotoGP/AMA Superbike weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca two weeks ago, “E-Boz” took a dramatic victory then followed that up with a flag to flag win this past weekend in Superbike race two at Mid-Ohio. “I think it’s great to have these guys coming into the series,” said Doug Henry of Bostrom, Pastrana and Bartolini. “Anytime you have riders of that caliber coming to race it only adds to the visibility of the series. Plus, Bostrom, Pastrana and Bartolini are great riders, so it really gives the series regulars a major challenge. I think it’s going to make this race one of the best of the year.” In addition to the main Supermoto class, Wisconsin fans will also see the Unlimited and new Lites Supermoto classes at Shawano. Ohioan Mark Burkhart leads the newly formed Lites class after his win at Elkhart Lake last month. Frenchman David Baffeleuf leads the Unlimited class. The Shawano races will be nationally televised on OLN. It will air on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. EST. Advance tickets for Saturday’s race can be purchased online at www.ticketstaronline.com. For additional information call USA International Raceway at 414-234-8230 or visit www.usainternationalraceway.com. Editorial Note: Eric Bostrom will ride a KTM during his Supermoto racing appearances. Gary Medley will tune Bostrom’s Supermoto bikes. In addition to being Bostrom’s current AMA Superbike Crew Chief, Medley was previously a Crew Chief on the HMC factory KTM AMA Supermoto team.

by Lisa Theobald Jim Pihokken ran undefeated at Moroso Motorsports Park, winning all three of the heavyweight classes he entered on the Prieto Racing GSX-R1000. Pihokken started his winning streak with the first race of the day, beating Darren Luck to the finish line in the GTO event. Halfway through the day, he was out front again in the Unlimited Superbike race and simply dominated the race. Pihokken quickly opened a gap on second place and never looked back. He ran all six laps, unchallenged. At the end of the day, Pihokken was back for the Unlimited Grand Prix. The no muffler bonus payout for this class was doubled and the stakes were increased even higher as it started to rain during the warm up lap for the race. Dave McEnery nabbed the holeshot with his GSX-R1000 and led the first two laps of the race. But, Pihokken was on a mission and charged his way to the front. By lap three he was in the lead and breaking away on slicks and a wet track. Behind him Jones Conception’s CBR1000RR challenged for second place and a battle began behind the leader. Conception pulled ahead in the final lap. Pihokken took the final win of the day, followed by Conception, McEnery, Scott Cunningham, and Michael Rouleau. After the race, Pihokken commented, “It’s the fastest I’ve ever gone in the wet, and that was on slicks. I was going as hard as I possibly could go in the back and then tiptoeing through the rest.” Pihokken dedicated his wins to teammate Scott Ritchey, who was injured during a practice session on Saturday. “I made a promise to myself that I was going to win all three and I just went for it,” Pihokken stated. “I was lonely out there without him.”

GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM CARRY MOMENTUM TO SACHSENRING The Gauloises Yamaha team heads to Germany for the tenth round of the MotoGP World Championship this weekend just days after sealing its seventh victory of the season at Donington Park. All of those wins have come at the hands of reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi, but the recent form of his team-mate Colin Edwards has suggested that a victory for the American is not too far around the corner and the pair will be looking to carry their momentum to the Sachsenring a circuit that promises to be a major challenge for the 2005 version of the Yamaha YZR-M1. The German venue’s tight and twisty characteristics gave Rossi some unexpected problems with the 2004 bike last season but this new machine has already proved that it is a more complete package. The base set-up that the team has found for both riders has allowed them to be quickest out of the blocks at five of the last six circuits, where either Rossi or Edwards has set the fastest time in the first free practice session, and helped Rossi to take victory in wet conditions as well as dry. Early practice form has also translated into race results for the pair, with Rossi in particular demonstrating why he is now a clear favourite for his fifth consecutive MotoGP World Championship crown. Victory at Donington Park on Sunday took his season-tally to seven wins, a second and a third place from the opening nine races of the season and extended his advantage at the top of the standings to 104 points just three points less than nearest challenger Marco Melandri’s current total. Meanwhile, consecutive podium finishes for Edwards followed by a steady fourth place in the treacherous conditions at Donington Park have propelled him to third place in the championship, just one point short of Melandri in second place. The American is now targeting another top finish as he aims to overturn the Italian and provide Yamaha with a championship one-two ahead of the four-week summer break before the eleventh round of the season at Brno in the Czech Republic on August 28th. There is a slight change to the race day schedule again this weekend, with the MotoGP event taking place at 12:30pm local time after the 125cc race, which kicks off the action at 11am, but before the 250cc race at 2pm. VALENTINO ROSSI: A SCORE TO SETTLE Valentino Rossi says he is ready to put last season’s disappointment at the Sachsenring behind him as he chases another victory to put the seal on an incredible first half to the season. The Italian struggled with set-up problems with the 2004 version M1 at the German track and finished fourth, but has more confidence than ever in the current bike’s capabilities particularly after his victory at Donington Park on Sunday. “Donington was a very special win for me because there were two or three times when I almost didn’t make it to the end of the race,” says Rossi. “When I saw the big ‘casino’ at the beginning I thought to myself: ‘I do not want to crash today.’ Of course, I was lucky but I also rode very strongly. I am not as fast at Sachsenring as I am at Donington, especially last year when we had some problems with the M1, but I think we are more competitive this season and will be able to fight for the podium. “Things have gone very well in the first half of the year but we have some tracks coming up that I don’t like especially Sachsenring and Brno. I won an important race against Biaggi at Brno in 2001 but I don’t like the track. Also Sachsenring will be very difficult but hopefully it will be dry and we will be able to find the best set-up for the bike very quickly, like at the past races. “Before this season I had never won in the wet with the Yamaha, but this year we have managed it more than once. I am happy and also surprised with the amount of points we have scored. My team has worked brilliantly and I hope that continues in the second half of the season. My aim is to finish on the podium at every race until the end of the season. Also, my record number of victories in a season is eleven so I would like to beat that!” COLIN EDWARDS: SECOND PLACE IN SIGHT Colin Edwards’ recent form has given him plenty of reason for optimism for this weekend, with second place in the MotoGP World Championship now a realistic target ahead of the holiday period, even at a circuit that holds one of his worst racing memories. On his first visit to the Sachsenring riding for Aprilia two years ago Edwards was forced to leap from his bike when it burst into flames, famously turning the American into a high-speed fireball. “The Sachsenring”¦ that’s the place we had the barbecue a couple of years ago!” laughs Edwards. “Actually, despite that, I don’t mind the track at all and I finished fifth there last year, which wasn’t too bad under the circumstances. It’s a strange circuit with two very different parts one where it’s very difficult to overtake and another which requires a massive physical effort because it works the left-hand side of your body really hard. “The tyres are under a lot of strain and it’s vital to make the right choice so they don’t overheat on the left-side. Then there’s the downhill right where you have to be careful in the first few laps, because that side of the tyre takes a bit more time to get up to temperature. Generally I get along pretty well with the layout and there are always a lot of fans so it should be a good weekend. “Fourth place at Donington was definitely not the result we wanted but the momentum from Assen to here has been fantastic and I’ve moved into third in the championship. I’m only one point behind Melandri and it would be nice to go home for the summer holidays in second place. That’s definitely the goal.” DAVIDE BRIVIO: ANOTHER BIG EFFORT Gauloises Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio says he is looking for one more big effort from his team before the summer holidays, after an intense first half of the season that has reaped rewards on all fronts. Not only does Rossi lead the riders’ standings, but Yamaha and Gauloises Yamaha have extended their advantages in the manufacturers’ and teams’ championships respectively. “This is the tenth race of the season so over half of the championship is gone and we have a good advantage,” reflects Brivio. “We had some problems with the M1 at Sachsenring last season but if that happens again we know Valentino is in a position where he can control the race because of the cushion he has in the championship. Of course, our intention is to see both Valentino and Colin at the front again, as they have been so many times this season, but we will have to wait and see. “I am very interested to see how well Colin does in Germany because for the last three races he has been on top form and his team are working very well. So far it has been a very exciting season for Yamaha in general so we hope that can continue in the second half of the year. Everybody in the team has worked so hard all season but now we have to give one more big effort before taking a well deserved holiday.” BLAST FROM THE PAST: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF YAMAHA GLORY The Sachsenring circuit has featured intermittently on the MotoGP World Championship calendar since 1961 but Grand Prix racing in Germany has a rich and colourful history at a variety of legendary circuits. The Solitude, Nürburgring and Hockenheim circuits all played host to the series before it moved back to its current venue in 1998, and it was at Hockenheim that Yamaha enjoyed most success. Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey all took famous victories there, but perhaps the most remarkable was that of Christian Sarron in 1985. After winning the 250cc title for Yamaha with fifteen wins the previous year, Sarron stepped up to 500cc racing in impressive style, finishing on the podium in the second round at Jarama and then ending a 30 year premier-class victory drought for France with a masterful wet display that left Lawson and Freddie Spencer trailing in his wake. “For some people it was a surprise that I won but for me it wasn’t,” recalls Sarron, who scored a total of 18 podiums for Yamaha in the premier-class. “I had won a lot of wet races in the 250cc class and also on a 750 at Hockenheim so I expected to do well. The only surprise was that I got a really bad push-start and ended up in last place. It was so hard to see in all the spray but I just kept passing people and passing people. I didn’t even know I was at the front until my team held out the pit board! “Of course it was a great feeling and I will always remember my only 500cc win, although to be honest I don’t think it was my best performance and it isn’t my best memory as a rider. That would be the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp in 1989. It was a similar performance but it was in the dry and I came through to take second place behind Eddie Lawson. In my opinion, the performance is always more important than the result. “I have a lot of happy memories from my career with Yamaha and I am so glad to see them on top of the World Championship again. I think they took a lot of unfair criticism when the M1 came out but I always believed it was a good bike it just needed a rider with the confidence and skill to push it hard enough to find the right setting. Valentino Rossi has shown himself to be exactly that man and I am so happy that they found each other.” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Located in the heartland of the former East Germany’s once glorious motorcycle racing industry, the Sachsenring is built right next to the old road course, a characteristic the track shares with Brno in the nearby Czech Republic. The current circuit could not be more different, its ultra-modern nature showing in its relatively slow lap times, with a surfeit of slow corners juxtaposed with some dazzlingly fast ones. The 3.671km circuit has already changed its layout since it was first used for MotoGP in 1998, with the addition of a super fast downhill right hander in 2003, an awesome challenge which has already proved to sort out the best from the rest. With a relatively short 780m pit straight, running sharply uphill from the long Queckenberg hairpin, and the throttle only fully open for 10% of the lap, outright power is not the key at Sachsenring. Some riders use only four of the possible six gear ratios on a flying lap. The ability to set-up the machine to deal with the disparity between fast and slow corners is one main goal and as the track is relatively new, bumps are not that much of a concern in relation to other circuits. The main consideration in preparation for Sachsenring is the fact that the track features only four right handers, but has no less than ten lefts, meaning that the machine is heeled over to that side for half of the entire lap distance. Premature wear on one side of the rubber can be minimised by the use of dual compound tyres, but the section from Omega corner onwards has no less than seven left hand corners, one after the other, the next right being the dramatic downhill right hander of the new section. One of the main overtaking possibilities follows immediately after the aforementioned fast right, the Sachsen corner being a favourite place to put in a pass before the uphill dash to the finish line. VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 26 Lives: London, UK Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 GP victories: 75 (36 X MotoGP, 13 X 500cc, 14 X 250cc, 12 X 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 149 (57 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 40 World Championships 6 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 3 x MotoGP) Sachsenring 2004 Results (Yamaha): Grid 2nd, Race 4th COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 31 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 41 (MotoGP) World Championships – 2 World Superbike Sachsenring 2004 Results (Honda): Grid 11th, Race 5th Sachsenring MotoGP lap record: Alex Barros (Honda), 1’24.056 – 2004 Circuit best lap: Max Biaggi (Honda) 1’22.756 2004

Alex Barros condemned to pay Altadis USD 2,9 million. Award from the Paris Court of Arbitration dated July 18, 2005 At the end of the 2002 MotoGP season Altadis and Alex Barros signed a two year contract for the duration of the 2003 and 2004 MotoGP seasons. At the end of the 2003 MotoGP season Alex Barros decided to abandon the project and unilaterally breach this contract. This breach of contract caused Altadis to take legal action and sue Alex Barros before the Paris Court of Arbitration, not only to protect its own interests but also for the good of the sport itself. The decision issued by the Arbitral Court on this procedure is definitive and without any possibility of appeal. The Arbitral Court made the following Award: 1. Mr Barros to pay to Altadis the amount of USD 2,900,000, plus interest at the rate of 3.85% on the amount so awarded from November 2003 until payment. 2. Orders that Mr Barros bear 70% of the costs of this arbitration fixed at USD 150,000. 3. Orders that Mr Barros pay to Altadis the amount of USD 180,000 as contribution to Claimant’s costs and expenses incurred for this arbitration. 4. Declares the present Award immediately enforceable. Altadis wants to express its full satisfaction with the contents of the award, which considers as a recognition by one of the most respected Courts of Arbitration on the necesity for the parties to respect the contractual terms.