For the third year in succession, the support class action at the Phillip Island-hosted Polini Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix will be the province of Aussie 125 (125 GP), Supersport and Superbike competitors. Each class will have three, eight-lap races during the October 14-16 event, while practice and qualifying will be held on October 13. Entries are now open, and will close on Friday, August 26. Entries must be sent to Event Secretary, Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, PO Box 577, South Melbourne, Vic 3205, or faxed to (03) 9699 3727. For queries on entries, contact Laura Whelan at the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, tel (03) 9258 7100 or email [email protected]. For queries on Motorcycling Australia licences or General Competition Rules, contact Daniel Hutchinson at MA, tel (03) 9684 0555 or email [email protected]

The June 27, 2005 issue of People Magazine listed Nicky Hayden as one of its “50 Hottest Bachelors of 2005,”stating: “In his third year of racing for Honda on the top international circuit, the ‘Kentucky Kid’ will compete in July’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.” When the July 25, 2005 issue of People Magazine hit newsstands this week, however, its coverage of the U.S. Grand Prix was all but nonexistent. Instead of a story or even a note on how ‘hot bachelor’ Hayden had won the first MotoGP race of his career in storybook fashion, at the first U.S. Grand Prix in 11 years, People Magazine ran a Dorna Sports-supplied photo of Brad Pitt (also one of People’s 50 Hottest Bachelors of 2005) posing with the Yamaha MotoGP team umbrella girls. The caption for the photo read: “At the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix motocross championships, motorcycle enthusiast Brad Pitt brakes for a group of spokesmodels. The actor watched the race with pal and fellow racing fan Matt LeBlanc.” Seeing as Pitt has since checked into a Southern California hospital suffering from viral meningitis, we hope the girls didn’t get too much closer…

In the July 12 online edition of the Birmingham (Alabama) News ( ~http://www.al.com/search/index.ssf?/base/sports/1121159896202310.xml?birminghamnews?sauto&coll=2~ ), Gene Hallman, President and CEO of Zoom Motorsports, which manages Barber Motorsports Park, was quoted as saying, “We do believe at some point in the next two to four years, we will be given an opportunity to host the U.S. Grand Prix, or a second American Grand Prix.” Yet a Dorna spokesman says that the agreement between MotoGP rights holder Dorna and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (or technically SCRAMP — Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula) gives the California track exclusive rights to host the only U.S. Grand Prix through 2007 with an option for two more years, through 2009. While the possibility of a U.S. Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park does exist beyond 2007, Dorna Director of Communications Paco Lattore told Roadracingworld.com that no one from Barber Motorsports Park or Zoom Motorsports has contacted Dorna since the U.S. Grand Prix July 10. Meanwhile, SCRAMP/Laguna Seca officials are already talking about long-range plans with Dorna. “We’ve certainly been in discussion with Dorna for the future, and they were so thrilled with the show this past weekend that they’re wanting to extend our options,” Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca General Manager Gill Campbell told Roadracingworld.com. “We haven’t quite got to that point yet. We’ve got further discussions scheduled with them. I can tell you if we continue doing a good job, I don’t think there’s any reason to believe that it’s (U.S. GP) going to go anywhere else.”

LOCKHART PHILLIPS USA FORMULA XTREME SERIES BATTLE COMES TO MID-OHIO Yates and DiSalvo in tight Repsol Superstock Series race PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 19, 2005) — A year ago Miguel Duhamel came into Mid-Ohio Sports Car course protecting a 17-point lead in the Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series over teammate Jake Zemke. This year the two riders have traded places Zemke comes to the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire on July 22-24, sporting a seven-point lead over Duhamel as the series enters the homestretch. It’s a two-rider race in the Repsol Superstock Series as well. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates has scored three wins in the last four rounds and taken over the series lead, but Graves Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo is keeping in contention with solid podium performances. Last year’s Mid-Ohio Formula Xtreme race proved to be a turning point in the series. Honda’s Duhamel and Zemke traded the lead until Zemke crashed out in the infamous Keyhole section of the track. Duhamel went on to win, building an insurmountable lead in the championship. Duhamel comes into the race this year needing to defend his victory of a year ago. If he’s able to do so he could virtually tie the points race with two rounds to go and would become the first rider to win back-to-back Mid-Ohio Formula Xtreme races. Zemke, on the other hand, is looking to redeem himself after losing his shot at the title with his Mid-Ohio crash last year. The Californian rider has won four races in six rounds and knows that he’ll have to keep that pace if he’s to score his first AMA championship. “The season has gone really well so far,” said Zemke, who has been runner-up in AMA road racing championships four times. “Now that the series is coming into the final few rounds I have to really keep my concentration high. I don’t have a big enough lead to relax. The bottom line is that I’ll still probably have to win two of the last three races to win the championship and I know it’s going to be a tough battle.” While the Zemke/Duhamel battle was expected in Formula Xtreme, young Oklahoman flat tracker turned road racer Danny Eslick has been a surprise in the series. Eslick is third in standings on his MPTracing.com Suzuki after tallying four top-five finishes. Eslick hopes to hold off Erion Racing Honda’s Alex Gobert in the closing stages of the season. Aaron Yates won the Mid-Ohio Superstock race (then called 750 Supersport) back in 1996. The veteran Georgina rider is back in the series for the first time since ’96 and a strong surge in the second half of the season has given Yates the series lead coming into Mid-Ohio. There have been five different winners in the seven Superstock races so far this year, but Yates is the only rider to manage more than a single win. He has three wins so far and a victory at Mid-Ohio would move Yates past the legendary Hall of Famer Fred Merkel for fifth on the all-time AMA Superstock wins list. Graves Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo is the only rider who has been able to hang with Yates in the course of the grueling championship chase. DiSalvo scored a win in the series at California Speedway early this season and followed that up with four other podium finishes. DiSalvo is the defending race winner at Mid-Ohio and a repeat win could move him even closer to his goal of winning the Superstock title. If DiSalvo scores a repeat victory he would be the first rider to defend a Mid-Ohio Superstock win since Scott Russell completed a three-peat at the track in 1992. The Lockhart-Phillips Formula Xtreme and highlights of the Repsol Superstock races will air on Tuesday, July 26 at 2 p.m. EST as part of SPEED Channel’s Two Wheel Tuesday. For additional information contact Mid-Ohio at (614) 793-4600 or visit www.midohio.com.

AMA PRO RACING ON TV THIS WEEK (July 24-July 29, 2005) (All times Eastern) AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited (Superbike Race 1), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Sunday, July 24, 2 p.m. (SPEED Channel) AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited (Superbike Race 2), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Sunday, July 24, 3 p.m. (SPEED Channel) AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Sunday, July 24, 4 p.m. (SPEED Channel) AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Tuesday, July 26, 2 p.m. (SPEED Channel) AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited (Superbike Race 1), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Wednesday, July 27, 4 a.m. (SPEED Channel) AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited (Superbike Race 2), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Thursday, July 28, 4 a.m. (SPEED Channel) AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Friday, July 29, 4 a.m. (SPEED Channel)

Round 9: Donington Park, United Kingdom Track length: 4023 m Opened: 1977 Fastest Lap Ever: 1:29.973 (Colin Edwards, 2004) MotoGP lap record: 1:29.973 (Colin Edwards, 2004) Last year MotoGP winner: Valentino Rossi 2004 MotoGP Race Summary Threatening rain in the early laps of the 2004 British Grand Prix could not stop Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi from picking up his fifth win of the year in commanding fashion. In front of 82,091 spectators Rossi’s one-man charge at the Donington track increased his championship lead to 22 points ahead of Honda riders Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi. Rossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa made a determined ride to sixth place. Rossi took control of the British MotoGP from pole position into the first turn as he attempted an early breakaway. Passes from Loris Capirossi (Ducati) and Gibernau prevented him from such a tactic until the second lap, when he managed to pull out a short gap of 0.7 seconds. The distance between Rossi and the rest of the pack increased until half race distance, and his cushion of time had grown to over two seconds. The Italian continued his race domination to build a four second gap which he guarded throughout the final laps. Having eased off to enjoy a victory celebration he crossed the line with a margin of 2.945 seconds over his current 2005 team-mate Colin Edwards. 2005 Set-up report YZR-M1 Donington was a circuit born with a reputation for being challenging on both rider and machine, a reputation that only gained further strength with the 1987 extension – carried out to allow Donington to form part of the GP calendar. It’s this ‘modern’ extension that has added to the complexity of the circuit layout, which can be separated into two contrasting components. The first, from the start finish line to the right-hander called Coppice Corner, is a flowing sequence of medium to high-speed corners that drop down Craner Curves into the Old Hairpin before climbing back out on the approach to Coppice. In an extreme contrast the circuit is completed with a sequence of stop-and-go switchback and hairpins between Fogarty Esses and Goddard Corner. This one feature alone makes setting up a motorcycle chassis difficult, as a fast lap will come down to a compromise in all-round set-up. Add to that the lack of grip, which some say is due to the jet fuel residue left by the nearby East Midlands airport, and the best result will be achieved by the rider who can make the most of the situation. The main aim is to find a chassis that offers a good pitching balance during braking and acceleration – to increase the much needed grip levels. However too much and you lose stability under brakes in the second half of the lap; not enough and the bike will be difficult to turn through the faster sweeping opening sequence of turns. The catch is that the first half of the circuit lends itself to a fast lap-time, while a good set-up for the second half – the stop-and-go addition – is where many riders can make an easy pass. What also needs to be taken into consideration is that the undulating layout of the first part of the circuit pushes the front of the bike a great deal, while the second half is pretty much ‘highside’ territory. With this in mind softer spring rates front and rear will be used, with the fine-tuning left to the spring preload. This approach will improve drive and front-end feedback, although it will come at the expense of a little braking stability into the two hairpins. As for the YZR-M1’s in-line four-cylinder engine, its linear character will prove ideal for the slick layout. Still it will be tuned to offer a strong midrange and a progressive and predictable delivery. Confidence to use that power on a slippery surface infested with changing cambers is the key to success here.

MotoGP returns to Europe for betandwin.com British Grand Prix After a groundbreaking first Grand Prix on American soil in over a decade two weeks ago, the MotoGP World Championship returns to more familiar territory this weekend as the Donington Park circuit in England opens its gates to the series for the 19th consecutive season. The betandwin.com British Grand Prix is the ninth round of this year’s championship and sees Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi leading the standings by 79 points, with an intense battle taking place behind him for second place. After crashing out of the last round at Laguna Seca, Marco Melandri is now being closely chased by Honda colleagues Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau and Yamaha’s Colin Edwards, who are all within 14 points of the youngster. Edwards, in particular, will be looking to make up further ground at a circuit where he took his best result of last season with a second-place finish behind Rossi and set the lap record. The American scored consecutive podiums for the first time in his MotoGP career in the last round at Laguna Seca and is now aiming to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Nicky Hayden by taking his first victory in the series to complete the hat-trick. Hayden’s debut win will no doubt see the Honda youngster arrive in Great Britain on top confidence and determined to prove that victory in his home Grand Prix was no fluke. Hayden finished fourth in last year’s race at Donington, only six seconds down on Rossi, and is looking to become the first rider to follow up his maiden win with another victory since his compatriot Kenny Roberts in 1999. However, whilst the competition for honours this weekend is sure to be tough, the man to beat again looks certain to be Rossi. The Italian took his debut win at Donington Park in 2000, following up previous successes there in the 125cc and 250cc classes, and has only failed to win on one occasion since, when he was stripped of victory after the 2003 race for overtaking Loris Capirossi under a yellow flag. Biaggi was consequently handed his first and only premier-class victory at the circuit to follow up 250cc success in both 1995 and 1996, and would like nothing better than a repeat result as he chases his first victory in almost a year. Whilst Biaggi hasn’t won since the Sachsenring last season, Gibernau has now gone eleven races without a Grand Prix victory since winning the inaugural race at Qatar last October. The Spaniard has endured his worst start to a season since joining Honda in 2003 but will be looking to turn things around at Donington, where he has finished on the podium for the last two years. The betandwin.com British Grand Prix also sees the return of the 250cc and 125cc classes, with MotoGP having been supported in Laguna Seca by the national AMA series. A four-week break will ensure that some of the most exciting young riders in the world will be doubly motivated at Donington Park, the first of two consecutive Grand Prix weekends before the summer break. In the 250cc class Dani Pedrosa continues his title defence with a 37-point advantage over Casey Stoner. Pedrosa’s current score of 143 points is the highest total any rider has amassed after seven rounds of the series since Max Biaggi in 1996 but Stoner will be one of several riders looking to halt his progress at Donington. The Australian knows the circuit well having competed there in the British Championship before making his Grand Prix debut at the track in 2001 and will be out to make up for his disappointment last year, when he missed the 125cc race with a broken collarbone. That particular race was won by Andrea Dovizioso, who led from start to finish after qualifying on pole. The Italian lies just four points behind Stoner in the championship and is targeting his debut victory in the class. Meanwhile, Sebastián Porto will be looking to follow up victory in the last round of the season at Assen with his first ever back-to-back success. In the 125cc class Gabor Talmacsi will be aiming to end a record sequence of forty-six races without a rider winning back-to-back races since Arnaud Vincent won at Donington and then Sachsenring in 2002. The Hungarian is tied on points with Mattia Pasini at the top of the championship, the first rider from his country to do so and the fifth rider to have headed the standings so far this year after Pasini, Marco Simoncelli, Mika Kallio and Thomas Lüthi. The minor category gets Sunday’s race action underway at the later time of 12:30 local time, with 250cc and MotoGP action to follow at 13:45 and 15:30 respectively.

Donington Park has hosted the British Grand Prix since 1987 when it took over from the Silverstone circuit which had been the venue for the previous ten years. Before then the British round of the World Championship was staged at the famous 60.721 kms TT circuit on the Isle of Man which was deemed too dangerous in 1977 and hence the switch to the mainland and Silverstone. To accommodate the grand prix, Donington Park was extended in length to its present day configuration of 4.023 kms which resulted in two completely different sections. The first part through the magnificent Craner curves and McLean’s and Coppice corners is loved by the riders while the new stop and start section, including the Melbourne hairpin and Goddards is not so popular but provides some fantastic finishes. Max Biaggi brought the Camel Honda team success at the circuit two years ago after Valentino Rossi crossed the line first but received a time penalty for overtaking under a yellow flag which relegated him to third place. Alex Barros has a good record at the circuit which is situated right next to East Midlands airport. The Brazilian, who rides the Camel Honda this year, has finished third on the podium in 1997, 2001 and 2002. His team-mate Australian Troy Bayliss has good memories of Donington in his British and World Superbike Championship days. He will get big support from the British crowd following his success in the British Superbike Championship. Perhaps Team Principle Sito Pons has the happiest memories of the track. He completed his 100th grand prix in 1989, won the 250cc to clinch his second world title. Unfortunately the facilities at Donington have not kept abreast with the track improvements. Cramped garages and the threat of the paddock flooding in heavy rain have caused the teams major problems in the past. A new pit complex will be built in time for the race next year. Traffic is another problem especially for the teams hoping to get away quickly for the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring the following weekend. FROM THE SADDLE Alex Barros 4: “I really like the Donington track, it’s got its very own character, fast at the beginning, then stop-and-go at the end, with some of the most crucial braking points in the championship. I’ve already had some good results there and I want another there now, especially now. At Laguna Seca I was very frustrated, angry even, but I cleared things up with Melandri, and now I want to get over it with a good result in England. After the crash in America I took another blow to the back which limited my movements for a few days, but I should be ok by Friday.” Troy Bayliss 12: “At Laguna Seca we did some brilliant work in practice, but in the race I couldn’t get the same feeling in the race. We did however show that we can be quick, now we need the consistency. I would love to have a good race in Britain, my first country after I moved from Australia to take part in the British Superbike series.” —————————————————————– CIRCUIT – UK GRAND PRIX – 24/07/05 DONINGTON PARK —————————————————————– Track data: Length: 4.023 kms Pole Position: Left. Width: 10m Right corners: Seven. Left corners: Four. Longest straight: 0.350 miles Constructed: 1931 Modified: 1985. Lap record: Colin Edwards (Honda) 1:29.973 – 160.968 kph Pole record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1:28.720 – 163.242 kph. Race winner 2004: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 45:30.473 – 159.124 kph 2004 results Troy Bayliss and Alex Barros. Bayliss fifth. Barros ninth. —————————————————————– TECHNICAL INSIGHT – UK GRAND PRIX – 24/07/05 DONINGTON PARK —————————————————————– In the present-day Donington track layout there are two distinct sections: the first is a fast, snaking section where the bike must be stable in the front to negotiate the fast downhill corners “Hollywood” and “Craner curves”, which are taken at more than 200 kph. This first section is all downhill and taken in fifth gear until the legendary “Old Hairpin” corner, where the braking is very delicate since it is the lowest point in the circuit and taken in third gear. After this corner the rider moves through the “Schwantz curve” in fifth gear and on to the “McLean’s Corner”. This is followed by the “Coppice Corner”, taken in third gear and where we often see riders sliding out of the exit of the corner, and then on to the longest straight on the circuit. On this straight, speeds do not normally exceed 275 kph because the straight is on the crest of a hill and when the bikes pass over it they literally take off causing a sudden boost in engine revs which momentarily stops the engine ignition. At this point in the straight each rider has his own particular way of reducing the time lost: some riders change from fifth to sixth at the take off point; others change their line slightly on the crest so that the bike is leaning slightly and this stops the front wheel leaving the ground, although the accelerator must be closed a little and speed must be reduced at the end of the straight. Directly after this straight comes the slowest section of the track with three corners taken at less than 70 Kph followed by three straight taken in fourth and fifth gear. One of these corners is the famous “The Esses”, a very slow chicane, and also the “Melbourne Hairpin”, a hairpin taken at 60 Kph and the slowest point of the track. With this amount of sharp braking the set up of the engine brake with the four-stroke bikes is crucial in allowing for late braking when overtaking. Ideally, at Donington, the riders would need two different chassis geometry’s for the different sections of the track. One would provide stability with a low centre of gravity to allow for rapid changes of direction. Another where the bike would be shorter with a higher centre of so that the bike can turn quickly through the slower, tighter corners. As usual, we must look for an adequate compromise which helps the bike through certain sections and does not lose too much time through the others. Donington is also a circuit with little grip which makes the set up work be even more complicated. There is a saying that this lack of grip is due to the fuel deposited by the aeroplanes that take off and land at the nearby East Midlands airport. Some teams claim that on rainy days you can see the fuel forming a fine film on the track surface making it very slippery. It is difficult to find an ideal setting for the gear ratios since all the gears are used. Since the gear ratios are very short and the lower gears must be used a lot, we find a problem with an excess of power delivery where the bikes do “wheelies”. Just like the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit, at Donington the rider changes gear many times in one lap, on average 33 times per lap, or nearly 1000 during the race. Donington is one of the circuits where there is a high degree of front tyre wear. The first section of the track which is downhill, with seven hard braking points, creates a lot of wear on the front during the race. Normally hard compounds are used in the rear, especially on the right side, mainly to counter the increased wear due to the fast acceleration and sliding when exiting the “Coppice Corner”.

HAYDEN HOPING TO HOLD ON AT MID-OHIO Defending AMA Supersport champ will ride with broken hand PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 19, 2005) — Tommy Hayden comes to the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 24, hoping to hold on figuratively and literally to his series lead. Hayden suffered a broken right hand in the Laguna Seca Repsol Superstock race on July 10 and underwent surgery the next day to plate a broken bone. Nevertheless, he plans on racing at Mid-Ohio and hopes to nurse his hand and points lead in the series with three rounds remaining. Hayden, whose brothers Nicky and Roger Lee have both won the Mid-Ohio Supersport race, will likely have to wait another year before he experiences a victory at the challenging circuit. He was uncharacteristically caught off guard while passing a rider at Laguna Seca during the Superstock final a week and a half ago and took a hard tumble. His injury means he will come to this weekend’s race looking to score some valuable points if he can’t challenge for the win. “It was just one of those things that happens every once in awhile in racing,” Hayden said of his crash. “I’ve made that kind of pass a hundred times before, but I cut it a little too close there and it got me.” Hayden expects to race at Mid-Ohio, but fortunately for the defending champ he has a large enough cushion in the standings that even if he finds he can’t race he would not lose his points lead. The maximum a rider can score in a single round is 38 points and Hayden’s lead is 41 points. Still, Hayden wants to maintain his comfortable margin. Second in the standings is fellow Kawasaki teammate and defending Mid-Ohio winner Roger Lee Hayden, Tommy’s youngest brother. Roger Lee rebounded from a terrible start of the season at Daytona and has rallied with a string of podium finishes, including a victory at Pikes Peak International Raceway in May. “I hate to see Tommy get hurt like that,” said the younger Hayden, who won last year’s red-flag-shortened race. “Even though it gives me a little bit of a chance for the championship, it’s not the way I wanted things to turn out. I’d like to defend my win at Mid-Ohio. The team has given me a really good bike and I think I have a good shot to repeat.” Roger Lee has the opportunity to become the first rider since 1988 to win back-to-back Mid-Ohio Supersport races. Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo moved to third in the standings with a victory at Laguna Seca. It marked DiSalvo’s first win of the season and he hopes to get on a roll with a follow-up win at Mid-Ohio. Yamaha has not won the Mid-Ohio Supersport race since 1994. Ben Spies is another rider to watch at Mid-Ohio. The Yoshimura Suzuki rider is strong on the technical road course and is eager to give Suzuki its first Supersport win of the year. The Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei race is part of the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire. The race will be televised nationally on SPEED Channel beginning at 4 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 24. For additional information contact Mid-Ohio at (614) 793-4600 or visit the website www.midohio.co