Racer Vincent Haskovec, a 31-year-old Czech immigrant who settled in Lake Elsinore, California, suffered spinal injuries and was paralyzed from the chest down when he crashed and hit a wall during an AMA Formula Xtreme motorcycle road race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California on May 14. After spending four days in a local trauma center where he underwent surgery to stabilize his spine, Haskovec was transferred to Santa Clara Medical Center in San Jose, California. Last week he was released from ICU to begin rehabilitation. Haskovec’s medical bills are fast approaching $500,000, of which 70% is covered by his medical insurance. He faces a long rehabilitation and will have to find a new way to make a living, since he worked in construction before he became a professional racer. The team he rode for, Lake Elsinore-based Team Hammer, Inc., racing as M4 EMGO Suzuki, has continued to pay Haskovec but his contract expires at the end of this season. Fundraising efforts are being coordinated by the Wegman Benefit Fund, a 501(3) c non-profit dedicated to helping injured road racers, and an online auction of racing gear and memorabilia donated by racers and people in the motorcycle industry appears at ~http://www.rpmcolorado.com/auction.asp~ . Vincent can be contacted via e-mail, [email protected] and updates on his condition can be seen at www.teamhammer.com . To bring people up to date on Vincent’s current status, we asked Vincent how he was doing. Q: What’s going on? Vincent: First I want to thank everybody who sent me an e-mail or a letter. I can’t believe it, how many people are wishing me well and are trying to help me. It’s amazing, man, and even though I can’t understand why this happened to me I really appreciate that so many people contacted me. I always tried to be nice to people and now they are being so nice to me it’s unreal. In the hospital, I’m now on a different level. On Monday the 11th I made it into the section that I was heading for. That’s why I came here to San Jose. I got out of there and now I’m in the rehab center on the first floor and those people in the rehab center are really cool. It’s the first people in the hospital that give me some hope. Q: You got to sit up for the first time, when did that happen? Vincent: That happened on the Friday before the 11th, so that was like the eighth. Over that weekend I got to sit up. Now I can do therapy and be in the wheelchair. Q: So the more time you spend in the chair the better it is? Vincent: Exactly, because the circulation and the movement is very important. Q: How’s your left arm doing? Vincent: That’s slowing me down on the progress here because it can move but it’s not as strong. I can do the things, but for a very short time. Q: Overall, now that you are up and in your chair and starting rehab, how do you feel about all that stuff? Vincent: It’s much better because I can go out and see people so I’m really happy. I can be in the chair at least and go around. I’m in the chair and I have to have like four hours of rehab through the day, but I have rest in between those hours. Q: How’s your overall feeling so far? Vincent: I’m pretty happy to make that move and finally do some activity. I’m not laying in bed all the time, laying on my side. Q: What do they have you doing for your activities? Vincent: We’re doing weights. I do normally that for one hour. Another hour they try to teach you about regular life; like you going in the shower, how you’re going to transfer yourself to the bath, how you’re going around the kitchen, how you’re going to open the door. All the basic stuff, you know? Another hour is physical therapy, they are teaching me about the wheelchair. And they are teaching me how to get up myself from the chair. And the last hour is going around a course in the wheelchair. This week they are going to have a bus with a ramp and on next Sunday they are going to take us to Santa Cruz. We can hang out, be outside, eat, and other stuff. Q: Are you looking forward to that? Vincent: Yeah, that will be the first time that I am going to be out of the hospital.

MID-OHIO’S WISECO SUPERBIKE 100 DOUBLEHEADER IS WIDE OPEN PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 18, 2005) — Any of a number of the leading AMA Superbike riders are expected to contend for victories in the upcoming pair of Wiseco Superbike 100 races, July 22-24 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. A total of five former winners will be on the grid at Mid-Ohio for rounds 12 and 13 of the 17-race AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. Jake Zemke, Aaron Yates, Miguel Duhamel, Eric Bostrom and series leader Mat Mladin have all tasted victory on the challenging 2.4-mile, 15 turn circuit. The pair of Wiseco Superbike 100s are part of the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire. This year’s race is the 23rd annual Mid-Ohio Superbike event and has long been one of the best-attended races on the AMA Superbike calendar. Riders will be greeted this year by continued circuit safety improvements. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin comes to Mid-Ohio with a 31-point lead over teammate Ben Spies. Mladin, the all-time AMA Superbike wins leader from Australia, is looking to add to his 2005 tally of seven wins. He is the only four-time Mid-Ohio Superbike winner. “I’m happy with the progress we’re making this year,” said Mladin, who is shooting for his sixth AMA Superbike Championship. “Suzuki came in with the strongest bike in the championship this year and our team has only made it better.” Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates swept the first Mid-Ohio Superbike doubleheader in 2000 and previously won the race in 1998. Yates has seven podium finishes to his credit so far this season, but is looking to score his first victory. He could join Mladin as a four-time winner, or even become the first five-time winner of Mid-Ohio this weekend. Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom is hot coming off his victory at Laguna Seca, on July 9. Bostrom is hoping to score his second career Mid-Ohio AMA Superbike victory. If he wins it would mark the first win for Ducati at Mid-Ohio since Doug Polen took victory on the Italian-made machine in 1992. “We’ll see what the coming races bring,” Bostrom said. “I know we’re improving and I’m getting more confident with each race, but at the same time it’s going to be tough to beat the guys who have it dialed in and have been running up front all season.” Honda teammates Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke have both scored wins at Mid-Ohio, but the two have yet to win this year. Time is running short for Honda if it is to avoid being shut out in AMA Superbike for the first time since 1994. Mid-Ohio fans will get their first opportunity to see Ben Spies and Neil Hodgson on AMA Superbikes. Spies is a Superbike rookie from Texas, who is second in the standings to Suzuki teammate Mladin. Mid-Ohio is a homecoming of sorts for Spies, who raced in his first AMA Pro road race at the track in 2000. Hodgson is the former British and World Superbike Champion who is making his debut in the American series this year. Already the Brit has scored a win last month in Elkhart Lake, Wis., and could be a major factor in his first visit to Mid-Ohio. Three riders from independent or privateer teams are ranked inside the top 10 in AMA Superbike coming into Mid-Ohio. Marty Craggill (Mladin Motorsports Suzuki), Lee Acree (KWS/Millennium Suzuki) and Steve Rapp (Michael Jordan Suzuki) are eighth though tenth in the standings, respectively. Mid-Ohio was the site of the last privateer victory in AMA Superbike. Privateer Dale Quarterley won Mid-Ohio in 1993 on a Kawasaki. Both Wiseco Superbike 100s will be televised nationally on SPEED Channel with Saturday’s Superbike beginning at 2 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 24, followed by live coverage of Sunday’s Superbike final at 3 p.m. For additional information contact Mid-Ohio at (614) 793-4600 or visit the website www.midohio.com.

WANTED: A GOOD DICE Munroe Motors/Tag Team/Harmon Bros Racing’s Eric Gulbransen takes home a well-fought second place at Thunderhill Raceway during the 5th AFM round aboard his Ducati 749R. Thunderhill Raceway, CA July 17th, 2005 – The thermometer was soaring, the parking lot asphalt was melting and the sweat was pouring. Eric “GoGo” Gulbransen and the team from Munroe Motors/Tag Team/Harmon Bros Racing were chillin’ in the shade of their Ducati EZ-Ups at Thunderhill Raceway in Northern California, scene of the 5th round of the nine round AFM Championship Road Race series. The topic of discussion was what makes the perfect road race. Racer Tom Goetze, put it perfectly about his Formula 40 race on his T-&-G/Munroe Motors sponsored Ducati 996 “¦man, I had a great dice”. “That’s it!” the team decided. All racers want “a great dice” and, ironically, winning comes second. If you’re going to risk it all, then you want to have the best possible time doing it. The Open Twins race provided GoGo the ideal opportunity to test the new theory his 749R was clearly the best handling bike on the grid, but the extra power of the big-bore 1000cc competition was a real threat on the long and fast straights of Thunderhill. The green flag dropped to start the race, and for once GoGo was not the first to stuff his bike through turn 1. “I blew the launch. My fault. The bike wanted to go, but I screwed it up.” he explained later, “That entire first lap I was out to lunch. Pfeiffer got the hole shot and then Long squeezed under me going into turn six. That 749R is a weapon when you’re on your game. And for that first lap, I wasn’t.” Out front, Jack Pfeiffer on his Aprilia 1000 was easing away from the pack, and by lap two he pulled a 2 second margin over GoGo who worked his way past last year’s Open Twins champion Brian Long into second place. “By lap two we were jammin’ again. The bike felt like I grew up on it. Jack had gapped us a bit, so I kept my head down and hit my marks harder and faster than ever before” said GoGo, as he raved on about the little Ducati. Each lap GoGo went a little faster, until he dipped under his 749 personal best time at Thunderhill, by just under a second, to record a 1:55:01. “Once I caught him I nudged my way under him on lap five, cresting the hill out of turn nine, and then drag raced him to turn ten but I was on the outside. He says he had no idea I was there, and I’m sure he’s being honest because he drifted to the edge of the track once we got into the brakes and pinched me right out of the fight. That lost us some time, and now I only had one lap to get back on him. I tried the same move on the white flag lap, only this time on the inside. And this time we made it stick… Once I had the lead, I started looking for things to throw over my shoulder at him, because I knew we’d be in trouble once we hit the long straight to the checkered flag. If I could have tucked inside that gas tank I would have, but Jack shot by and took the checkers by a bike length. We both shouted and high-fived each other all the way around the cool-down lap”¦what a race!” Back in the pits, the crew judged that GoGo must have had a good time by all his hootin’ and hollerin’ thereby proving our new theory that “a good dice”, not to forget a strong second place, is the best way to spend a rather warm Sunday afternoon at the racetrack. More, from a press release issued by Traxxion Dynamics: Young Gun Peris Unbeatable in Hindle Pro 600 Racing at Mosport Young Gun Chris Peris had the best weekend of his professional racing career at the Parts Canada double header weekend at Mosport International Raceway last weekend. It started with a stunning pole position run that saw Peris complete only the first five laps of qualifying. Peris set the pole time of 1:23.9 on his third lap, and then ran two more laps within tenths, and came into the pits and parked his bike. “That was a perfect lap. I can’t duplicate it, and I can’t go any faster. Nobody will beat that lap”. He took his helmet off, and sat down to watch the rest of qualifying. To the astonishment of the officials and spectators, he was right and his pole time remained unbeaten. The television crews were aggravated, since Peris’s qualifying effort was to be filmed as part of the “featured rider” coverage throughout the weekend. “We had just started to roll cameras, and were set up to film Chris, and then he never came around again!” proclaimed an amazed cameraman. In Saturday’s race, conditions were hot and dry, and the competition was close and fierce. Peris got off the pole behind the front row, and had to work forward. At the white flag he was 20 bikelengths behind Clint McBain, whose lead seemed insurmountable. Peris however, showed a new level of determination, and “Rossi’d” McBain by making up the gap, passing the leader, and putting in the fastest lap of the race on the last lap! Peris’ father Fernando was extremely proud of Chris and the Topline Printing Yamaha Team. “Chris made several draft passes throughout the race, and it was clear that our Vass Performance Racing Engine was faster than anything else on the track. Our second advantage is our Traxxion Dynamics suspension. To set the fastest lap by almost a second on the last lap speaks for itself; our Dunlop tires looked perfect even after that blistering lap. Chris never ceases to amaze me, and I am really happy for Max McAllister and Willie Vass, since they have worked so hard this year to put Chris on the box!” Peris passed all post race inspections including a tear down and inspection of the front fork system. The weather took a dramatic turn on Sunday, and it rained so long and so hard that officials continually delayed the start of the feature events. When the race finally did start, the track was “full wet” and rain continued to drizzle lightly. Peris led the race and a three rider breakaway of Peris, Tom Kipp, and Matt McBride quickly distanced the field. Then disaster struck as Peris approached the slow and slippery turn 5 area. A rider had fallen and a debris flag was waving. Peris was trying to sight the problem and ran wide of the apex, and fell on the concrete patch. Luckily, he stayed with the bike and was able to pick it up and re-enter the race. The right handlebar had bent in, but Peris continued on anyway, and actually maintained a third place position, 10 seconds off the leader. To everyone’s amazement, Peris worked his way back past McBride, and then passed Kipp for the lead coming to the white flag. He never looked back and took his second win to complete a perfect weekend. According to McAllister, Peris’ suspension tuner, “Chris stepped to another level here this weekend. I have been watching racers for a long time, and I have not been that impressed with a rider since John Hopkins came from behind to win the AMA FX Championship at VIR. I think the fans can expect to see Chris competing closer with the leaders than ever at Mid-Ohio this weekend.” Peris and the Topline Printing Yamaha Team are headed to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the upcoming weekends AMA National. More information is available at www.peris.ca. More, from a press release issued by Kenny Kopecky: Willow Springs Motorcycle Club Round 7 – July 17, 2005 Rosamond, CA On the hottest race day of the 2005 season at Willow Springs, Ducati Oceanside’s Kenny Kopecky took four race victories along with a well fought third place to remain atop the WSMC Overall Track Championship standings and solidify his hold on several individual class Championships. The wins included back-to-back races in BOTT Heavyweight and 750 Superbike early in the schedule. Kenny said “The heat didn’t seem too bad in the first couple of races but later in the day we saw 109 in the shade at our trailer and decided to skip the Formula Two race to wait for our next pair of consecutive events in 650 Superbike and Middleweight Twins. The 650 Superbike race went well…I had a fun battle with Mickey Lane throughout the event and came up just a little short at the end finishing 3rd. The wind was getting a little gnarly in turn 8, so I think we rode a little on the conservative side.” Jason Perez easily won over a field that was somewhat thinner then usual. Kopecky won his 3rd straight WSMC 750 Superbike event and has now moved into a tie in the class point standings with Ritchie Thorup, who finished a close third just behind Karl Lowry Jr. on Sunday. Kenny added “We ran hard for a few laps to get a gap…I knew the other guys would remain strong all the way and we feel our strategy worked out really well today. We managed to sweep the Ducati contingency races again this month and our 749, the 999 and the Dunlops held up really well in the desert blast furnace.” Kopecky also leads the BOTT Middleweight, BOTT Heavyweight and Formula Twins class standings and is ranked top 5 in Formula Two and 650 Superbike. The next WSMC roadrace is Round 8 on August 19-21, 2005. More, from a press release issued by Bell’s ARNCHU Racing: Bell’s ARNCHU Racing rises to 5th overall in points! This past weekend during Round 6 of the Dunlop/WERA National Endurance Series, Bell’s ARNCHU Racing (#15) scored another overall podium position of 3rd overall. The team also scored 2nd in the Heavyweight Superbike class, on a largely superstock Suzuki GSXR750. The team rose to 5th in points with a string of lately impressive finishes in the series. Riders Nathan Dressman, Randy Sherman, and Bojan Milkovich all rode with times in the 1:23/24 range. Dressman put in the 3rd fastest lap of the race at 1:22.1 on lap 7 of 230. Considered a “local track” by the riders, the team understood that weather at Grattan is a curious thing, often with it’s own atmostphere. ARNCHU played a calculated risk during the final 45 minutes of a wet Grattan 6 hour race. As the closing hour came with rain on the western half of the course, ARNCHU was running P4. Randy Sherman, riding, was told to stay out in the damp conditions as teams began to funnel in the pits for rain tires, including Team Redstar in P3. This was the chance the team needed to overtake for P3 by over a minute. Soon the track began drying and Sherman increased the lead into P3 by over a lap! “It was the most intensely focused I’ve been on a bike and it felt incredible. The seams at Grattan were so slippery so I chose completely different lines. We ran the whole race on one Michelin front slick and two rear DOTs!” said Sherman. Our team thanks the dedicated crewmanship of Ted Sherman, Tom and Kathy Dressman, and Jim Sheldon of Trackoholics.com. Bojan Milkovich, our guest rider, rode extremely fast and consistent on bike a bit too soft for him. More, from a press release issued by Rojo Racing: Jason Perez pulls off five wins for five starts at the seventh round of WSMC race event. Prior to Sunday’s races Jason ran the GTO on Saturday experimenting with 16.5″ rear wheel technology. Being that there was a lack of set up time, the attempt was unsuccessful having to pull in on two consecutive laps then pulling out of the race. On the other hand Sunday was a different story. After Saturday’s mishap Jason opted to stay with the 17″ rear wheel on his Yamaha R1, which has worked great in the past. Despite the 108 degree heat in the high desert, Perez was able to keep his competitors behind him the entire day. With lap times in the mid 21’s of the first race “Open Superbike” Jason was off to a good start with a win. Jason went on to win Open Superstock, 600 Superbike, 600 Superstock, and the premier Formula One class. Jason said “the bikes were working great, despite the heat.” “During the Formula One race I started with a couple of easy laps but noticed my pit board was not giving much of a gap so I picked up the pace a little while taking care not to cook my tire, Once I saw that I had a bit of a gap I maintained that pace and every thing turned out ok” “the bike felt a little loose towards the end but it worked fine”. Tire choice was crucial this week end due to the extreme heat conditions, we have to hand it to Dunlop for getting Jason and his Yamaha R1 on the top box! Rojo Racing team will be taking their show on the road next weekend at the Mid Ohio AMA Superstock race.

FANS GET TO LAP TRACK DURING 15TH ANNUAL MID-OHIO DEALER RIDE DUBLIN, Ohio (July 18, 2005) Taking to the highway on a motorcycle is a thrill to be sure, but getting to lap America’s most competitive road course on one is something else entirely. That’s exactly what motorcycling enthusiasts can do when they attend the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire and sign up for the Mid-Ohio Dealer Ride. Now in its 15th season, the Mid-Ohio Dealer Ride provides spectators the opportunity to hit the track on their own two-wheeler and get the pros’ perspective of the challenging Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The Dealer Ride takes place throughout the lunchtime break on Sunday, July 24, during the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire. With more than 132 motorcycle dealerships participating in this year’s event, over 600 riders are expected to experience an on-track tour of Mid-Ohio’s 15-turn, 2.4-mile road course. In addition to the lunchtime lap on Sunday, participants also will receive VIP parking in the track’s infield. Bike owners interested in taking part in the Dealer Ride can simply visit their nearest participating motorcycle dealership, including all Ohio Honda dealerships, during normal business hours to sign up. All participating riders and passengers must be 18 years of age or older, carry a valid operator’s license, and wear helmets throughout the ride. Along with the Dealer Ride, the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire will feature an AMA Superbike doubleheader. Miguel Duhamel, Ben Spies, Jake Zemke and the rest of the Superbike superstars will go head-to-head in two Wiseco Superbike 100s one each on Saturday, July 23, and Sunday, July 24. These thoroughbred bikes reach speeds over 170 miles per hour on Mid-Ohio’s famed backstretch before battling side by side into the Esses. Also featured during the weekend’s events will be fast-paced, two-wheeled action in the Supersport, Superstock and Formula Xtreme classes. Tickets and information are available by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or visiting www.midohio.com. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a 2.4-mile, 15-turn permanent road racing circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers. Mid-Ohio’s 2005 schedule features six spectator events, including the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days (July 15-17), Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire (July 22-24), EMCO Gears Classic and Unlimited Audio and Accessories presents the Triple Crown Tuner Challenge (August 26-28), and SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Kohler (September 19-25). Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Inc. is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year.

Racer Jack Pfeifer was injured Sunday during an AFM racer at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, California. According to his friend Travis Ryan, “Jack was in his second race of the day at the AFM at Thunderhill. He won his first race of the day. During the second race his Aprilia died and he put his hand up. The first group behind him saw the hand and went around him, but the second group didn’t. Jack’s handlebar was clipped and he was thrown from the bike, then run over by another rider. Two other riders were injured but only one went to the hospital and the doctors said he would be fine. “Jack is at the Chico, California Enloe Medical Center, Room 192, Neuro Trama Center ICU. His arm and wrist are broken and his T4, T6 and T8 vertebrae are cracked. His T5 is crushed. He has no spinal cord injury and he has feeling in his feet and hands; at first he didn’t but now he does. “We are going to try and get Jack back to Las Vegas ASAP so he can see an associate of Dr. Paul Canale, Jack’s former sponsor who is now a spine surgeon in Alabama, ~http://www.spineuniverse.com/mdpage.php?doctorID=3228~ Dr. Canale said Jack is extremely lucky it’s not worse and that he has some feeling. “I have set up a website where Jack’s friends, fans and family can e-mail him, it’s [email protected]. Jack is very much an e-mail reader and anything will help him recover.”

GAULOISES YAMAHA TARGETS PODIUM REPEAT AT DONINGTON PARK The 2005 MotoGP World Championship reaches its halfway stage this weekend as the Gauloises Yamaha Team heads back to Europe for the British Grand Prix at Donington Park. After consecutive podium doubles for Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards in the last two rounds at Assen and Laguna Seca, both riders are confident of continuing their form at a circuit where they claimed the top two steps of the rostrum one year ago. After taking third place on his first visit to Laguna Seca last week, Rossi’s podium run now stretches to an impressive eleven races. The Italian has made Donington Park his own over the past few seasons, taking victory in all but one of the MotoGP races there since 2001, adding to previous successes in the 125cc and 250cc classes. He now returns to the scene of his debut premier-class victory with a 79-point lead at the top of the championship standings. Edwards will again be counting on huge local backing, with his army of British fans following up the excellent support he received at his home Grand Prix last week. The American managed successive podiums for the first time in his MotoGP career at Laguna Seca and moved up to fifth place in the championship. He is now looking for a podium hat-trick as he chases down second place in the championship, with just 14 points now separating him from Rossi’s closest pursuer Marco Melandri (Honda). The Donington Park circuit is known for its vastly contrasting sections, which require a competitive overall machine set-up to cope with the combination of fast, flowing corners in the opening half of the circuit and the stop-start chicanes towards the end of the lap. Last year’s YZR-M1 machine proved to be more than competent, with Rossi winning the race by a comfortable 2.945 second margin over Edwards, but the 2005 version has already shown that it is a more complete motorcycle with six wins from the opening eight rounds of the season, and it should adapt perfectly to the demands of the Derbyshire circuit. After a revised weekend timetable designed to accommodate a host of support events and provide extra track time for the MotoGP riders at Laguna Seca, normal service is resumed for practice at Donington Park, although the race-day schedule has been altered slightly. The red lights will go out for the 30-lap MotoGP event at 15:30 local time on Sunday. VALENTINO ROSSI: HOME FROM HOME As well as being his favourite venue on the calendar, Donington Park is also the closest circuit to Valentino Rossi’s home city of London. The flamboyant Italian moved to the English capital in 2000 as he looked to avoid the constant glare of the media and fans in his own country and is aiming to use his local familiarity to bounce back to the top step of the rostrum after taking third place on his first visit to Laguna Seca in the last round. “I was very happy to finish on the podium at Laguna Seca because it was my first time at the track and we knew it would be hard to battle with the Americans there,” said Rossi, who will be addressing the British press at a special event in an Italian restaurant on Park Lane, London, on Wednesday. “We didn’t have time to learn everything about the track and find the perfect setting for the bike, but I was close to the winner and that is important because now we go to Donington Park, a track I know well. “I always look forward to riding at Donington because it is close to my house and now it is like a second home Grand Prix for me. It has been one of my favourite tracks ever since I rode the 125 and I have a lot of good memories especially my first win with the 500 in 2001. “Last year also was a good race with the Yamaha. It was an important time of the season, just before the summer, and we were making a lot of progress with the bike so I was able to win. Anyway, Colin was very strong in that race and I know he will be strong again this weekend. Marco Melandri is fast at Donington and also Nicky Hayden is in a very good moment, so I think it will be a big battle.” COLIN EDWARDS: THREE, TWO, ONE? For Colin Edwards there is only one target this weekend as he sets his sights firmly on a first MotoGP victory to go with third and second place finishes respectively in the last two rounds. The American has plenty of experience at the British circuit, thanks to his regular appearances there in the World Superbike series, and he will also be looking to make local knowledge count in the same way he did at Laguna Seca. “I had a good result last year, ending up second, and at the time I was riding a bike I wasn’t completely comfortable with,” recalls Edwards. “Now I’m going there on the back of a third, a second”¦ I’m guessing it must be time for a first! I like Donington, I always get along with it and it’s been one of my favourite tracks for a long time, so we’re rolling up there looking to win.” Edwards is currently in his best run of form since joining the MotoGP series two and a half seasons ago and, with just 14 points separating the three riders in front of him, the Texan says he is keen to keep the ball rolling as the team define their objectives for the rest of the season. “With everything going on around Laguna, all the hype and concerns about the track and everything else, I think it just became one of those pivotal weekends. Barros and Melandri crashed out of the race and the points have scrunched up a lot. As far as the title race is concerned”¦ I’m not saying it’s over yet but basically Valentino is gone! So our target is to finish second in the championship, to get a one-two for Yamaha, and we’re approaching the rest of the season with that attitude.” DAVIDE BRIVIO: BACK TO EUROPE Gauloises Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is looking forward to every Grand Prix at the moment, with both his riders in excellent form and the 2005 YZR-M1 machine consistently showing improved levels of consistency and performance over previous models. The Italian returned straight home from Laguna Seca to lead operations as the Team prepares for two European rounds in consecutive weekends at Donington Park and Sachsenring. “This is a very positive moment for us Laguna Seca was the third time we have had both riders on the podium this season and the second in a row so we are all feeling confident,” says Brivio. “It was great to see both yellow, white and black bikes on the podium in America for Yamaha’s 50th Anniversary but now we are back to our standard colours to continue the job in Europe. “Valentino wants to confirm his leadership in the championship again and he likes the track very much, as does Colin, who has a lot of experience at Donington Park. Last year both our riders were on the top two steps of the podium so our target is to repeat that, whichever way around they are! It won’t be easy because our competitors are strong at the moment; it’s going to be another tough race! “Donington is a special track because it combines a section of very fast and flowing corners with a slow section full of chicanes, so you need to have a bike that is good in all conditions. Last year Valentino ran the race on his own so we know the M1 works there and in theory it should be better this year because so far this season the 2005 bike has been much easier to set-up. That is the theory but we’ll see what happens when we get there!” BLAST FROM THE PAST: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF YAMAHA GLORY For many fans and journalists in Britain, the arrival of the MotoGP World Championship conjures up memories of one of the most exciting motorcycle races of all time. The 1979 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was the first to be screened live on national television and became one of the most talked about races in history, after a thrilling clash between national hero Barry Sheene and his American Yamaha nemesis Kenny Roberts, who had wrestled the title from the Londoner the previous season. The pair went head-to-head in a breathtaking battle over 28 laps, famously exchanging gestures and hand signals throughout the race before a final corner dash to the line which saw the Yamaha rider take the flag by just 0.3 seconds. “There are two races from my career that people will come up to me and say: ‘I was at the race’, and I instantly know what they mean” says Roberts, who won a hat-trick of 500cc World Championship titles for Yamaha from 1978-80. “In America they mean the Indy mile that I won on the two-stroke Yamaha in 1975 and in Britain they mean Silverstone 1979. It’s just one of those races that sticks in people’s minds. “It was a race where every lap or two we changed positions. Barry would get in front and slow me down and then I’d get in front and pick the pace up and we’d leave the other three guys behind. Then he’d get in front again and I’d be saying: ‘Hey! Get going!’ I knew I couldn’t outrun him but I didn’t want him slowing us down and letting everybody else catch up. So initially I was just telling him to get a move on, but Barry took it the wrong way. “They got the classic picture when he gave me a sign behind his back! We both knew it was going to come down to the last lap because I couldn’t outrun him and he couldn’t outrun me. Sure enough, it ended up last lap, last corner and I was just able to pull it off. “Of course Barry was one of my biggest rivals and at the time our relationship wasn’t the best, but we respected each other and we since became close friends he was one of the sport’s greats and he is missed by everybody. We were close on the track but Silverstone was one of the circuits that was very fast and it just suited my style. There were other races where I had to ride harder or be more clever, but the one everybody remembers is the British Grand Prix in 1979.” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Donington Park is a track of two halves. One section is slow and less interesting for the riders and spectators alike, the other is faster and more flowing. Machine set-up is also therefore something of a compromise, with strong front fork springs and sharp steering the ideal solutions for hard braking and swift flick-in at the chicane and last two hairpins, while the rest of the undulating fast and medium corners require suppleness from the front suspension and a high degree of stability mid corner, and a firmer set-up on the rear to help with corner exit traction. Horsepower is less of a factor at Donington than some circuits, but clean engine response and exact gearing choices are essential to handle such a variety of corners, as the track runs downhill from the start to the Old Hairpin, then back uphill to the flat section behind the pits. Working conditions at the ageing Donington track are far from ideal but the track layout is the type that provokes either love or hate, such is its individuality. The prevalent off-camber nature of Donington is one of the main factors at play during any British GP weekend, with a large tendency for the front tyre to push, making the right, left, right flick down the Craner Curve section something of a high tension rollercoaster ride. A dramatic viewing experience, Donington sits inside an amphitheatre style setting, with the spectator bankings ringing around the outside. VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 26 Lives: London, UK Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 GP victories: 74 (35 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: 148 (56 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 39 World Championships 6 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 3 x MotoGP) Donington 2005 Results (Yamaha): Grid 1st, Race 1st COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 31 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 40 (MotoGP) World Championships – 2 World Superbike Donington 2005 Results (Honda): Grid 5th, Race 2nd Donington MotoGP lap record: Colin Edwards (Honda), 1m 29.973s – 2004; Circuit best lap: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1m 28.720s 2004.

PICOTTE BACK IN THE HUNT MOSPORT, ON Pascal Picotte jumped back into contention for a third straight Parts Canada Superbike title by winning the second half of the weekend doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway Sunday. After dominating Saturday’s event on his Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1, the Granby, QC rider repeated the performance on Sunday as he led every lap from pole. Calgary’s Clint McBain finished second on his Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000, 5.460 seconds behind Picotte after making a dramatic last lap pass of Jordan Szoke. Szoke, from Brantford, ON settled for third aboard the Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR. The results dramatically tightened the Parts Canada Superbike Championship point standings after five of eight rounds. Rock Forest, QC’s Francis Martin retains the lead with 198 points after fighting back from a crash to finish sixth in Sunday’s race on his Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000. But Szoke is now only two points back with 196, while McBain is just another two points behind in third. Picotte, meanwhile, leaps up to fourth with 179. “This is what we had to do,” said Picotte, who also swept the Mosport doubleheader last season and has five Superbike national wins at the track. “We had to get the most out of the weekend. There’s no other way to turn the championship around. Now we’ve put some pressure on the other guys.” Picotte was a heavy preseason favourite for the Parts Canada Superbike crown but broke some ribs and his wrist in a practice fall at the season opener in May. His best finish before the Mosport doubleheader was a fifth at the previous round at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary. Chardon, OH’s Tom Kipp challenged Picotte early in the race on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R but crashed on lap 6 of 10, leaving Picotte alone at the front. Kipp’s exit left McBain, Szoke and Kevin Lacombe battling furiously for second. McBain dove inside Szoke at the end of the backstraight then held his ground as the pair raced side-by-side through the next turn. Lacombe crossed the line fourth on the second Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 but the Granby, QC rider was penalized for a jump start, relegating him to eighth in the final results. Matthew McBride of Mississauga, ON took fourth on the Canadian Kawasaki ZX-10R and Kars, ON’s Andrew Nelson completed the top five riding the Nelson Racing Honda CBR600RR. The series resumes with another doubleheader at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS Aug. 5-7 before concluding at Shannonville Motorsport Park on the Labour Day Weekend. In other action at Mosport, Chris Peris of Calgary completed a sweep of the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike features on the Topline Yamaha YZF-R6. Despite a fall on the third lap of the 14-lap race, held in wet conditions, Peris recovered to pass Kipp two laps from the end. Kipp settled for second on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-6RR while teammate McBride placed third. Mark Douglas of Warkworth, ON won the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike round at Mosport. Oshawa, ON’s Stephan Chabot was second and James Collins of Woodstock, ON third. All three Yamaha riders engaged in a racelong battle for the win. Bill Card of Wellesley, ON led all the way to win his second Canadian Thunder feature of the weekend on a Buell XB12R. North Vancouver’s Darren James was second on a Buell XB9R, holding off the Ducati SS1000 of Brampton, ON’s Robert Trottier. Fifteen-year-old Karl Daigle of Roxton Pond, QC scored his third straight win in the Suzuki SV650 National Cup race Sunday. Rouyn-Noranda, QC’s Alain Lefebvre was a close second while Ottawa’s Derek Bowker finished third. Action from this weekend will be shown later this summer in a one-hour show on TSN.

Noyes Seventh for Folch Yamaha in Calalunya Folch Yamaha’s Kenny Noyes took a promising seventh place at the third round of the Spanish National Formula Extreme Championship today at the Circuit of Catalunya. Noyes started eighth off the second row but was balked by a faller going into the first corner and had to come back from 12th to hook up with the Suzukis of Ribalta and Morales for a race long battle for fifth. “I was having some traction problems from about the fourth lap because I guessed wrong on set-up after the morning warm-up. I was spinning up way to much out of the fast Renault and SEAT right-handers and after I had a couple of warnings I had to accept seventh. It was a step in the right direction and I was only 14 seconds back of the winner after a half hour, so we are progressing fast,” said Noyes The race was won by former 500 and MotoGP rider Jose de Gea by .067 of a second over his Wurth Honda BQR teammate David Tomas, but de Gea was relegated to third by a five second penalty for passing under yellow on lap two. That meant that Grand Prix 250 veteran Tomas took his first win since the spring of 2002. It was the second time in three races that de Gea has crossed the finish line first only to en stripped of the win due to passing under yellow. Ivan Silva was in the thick of the Tomas-de Gea battle until his Yamaha R1 refused to select fifth and sixth gears at the start of the penultimate lap. He managed to hang on to finish fourth and left Catalunya leading the Championship by four points over de Gea. The Spanish Championship now adjorns for five week summer holiday before resuming at Jerez de la Frontera at the end of August. 1. David Tomas Wurth Honda BQR 29′ 17.691 16 laps 2. Javier del Amor Laglisse Yamaha 29´21.533 -4.042 3. Jose de Gea Wurth Honda BQR 29´22.524 -4.933 4. Ivan Silva Laglisse Yamaha 29’25.595 -8.368 5. Dani Ribalta ZK Pontgrup Suzuki 29´26.436 -8.825 6. Carmelo Morales ZK Pontgrup Suzuki 29´30.714 -13.123 7. Kenny Noyes Folch Yamaha 29´32.287 -14.696 8. Josep Monge Promoracing Yamaha 29´37.786 -20.195 9. Jose Oriol Reynolds Suzuki 29’38.849 -21.258 10. Julian Mazuecos PL Motoracing Yamaha 29´40.224 -22.633 11. Victor Casas ZK Pontgrup Suzuki 29´40.282 -22.691 12. Davis Gomez Meggebike Suzuki 29’41.276 -23.685 13. Juan Gomez RPM Expert Suzuki 29’42.147 -24.556 14. Roberto Pandilla Osasuna Saltoki Kawasaki 30’04.022 -46.431 15. Marc Vellida PRT Kawasaki 30’08.111 -48.520 There were 35 starters and 27 finishers, all but two finishing on the same lap. Fastest lap: Ivan Silva (Yamaha) 1’48.531

World Superbike Race Two Results From Brno: 1. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha YZF-R1, 20 laps 2. Troy Corser, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -3.233 seconds 3. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, -11.012 seconds 4. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZF-R1, -12.268 seconds 5. Pierfrancesco Chili, Honda CBR1000RR, -12.361 seconds 6. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 999RS, -13.511 seconds 7. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F05, -14.141 seconds 8. James Toseland, Ducati 999F05, -16.439 seconds 9. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR1000RR, -16.820 seconds 10. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -19.737 seconds 11. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -24.777 seconds 12. Fonsi Nieto, Ducati 999RS, -25.244 seconds 13. Ivan Clementi, Ducati 999RS, 26.700 seconds 14. David Checa, Yamaha YZF-R1, -28.119 seconds 15. Giovanni Bussei, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -42.082 seconds 16. Steve Martin, Foggy Petronas FP1, -43.952 seconds 17. Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha YZF-R1, -48.776 seconds 18. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR1000RR, -54.908 seconds 19. Alessio Velini, Ducati 999RS, -56.372 seconds 20. Lorenzo Alfonsi, Yamaha YZF-R1, -56.694 seconds 21. Miguel Praia, Yamaha YZF-R1, -83.029 seconds 22. Michel Nickmans, Yamaha YZF-R1, -124.091 seconds 23. Milos Cihak, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -1 lap 24. Jiri Trcka, Ducati 999RS, -1 lap 25. Andrew Pitt, Yamaha YZF-R1, -2 laps, DNF, mechanical 26. Adam Badziak, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -8 laps, DNF, crash 27. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR1000RR, -8 laps, DNF, mechanical 28. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 999RS, -10 laps, DNF, crash 29. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZF-R1, -15 laps, DNF, crash 30. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, -16 laps, DNF, mechanical 31. Gianluca Vizziello, Yamaha YZF-R1, -18 laps, DNF, mechanical 32. Jiri Drazdak, Yamaha YZF-R1, -20 laps, DNF, mechanical World Superbike Championship Point Standings (After 14 of 24 races): 1. Corser, 299 points 2. Vermeulen, 205 points 3. Laconi, 187 points 4. Kagayama, 158 points 5. Toseland, 152 points 6. Haga, 122 points 7. Chili, 108 points 8. Walker, 106 points 9. Abe, 83 points 10. Pitt, 76 points 11. Muggeridge, 75 points 12. Neukirchner, 52 points 13. Lanzi, 50 points 14. Bussei, 46 points 15. Nieto, 32 points 16. Sanchini, 27 points 17. Gimbert, 26 points 18. Bostrom, 23 points 19. Clementi, 21 points 20. Checa, 16 points More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: VERMEULEN MAKES AMENDS WITH CZECH PODIUM Winston Ten Kate Honda rider, Chris Vermeulen, made up for a disappointing race one result at Brno with his seventh podium of the 2005 World Superbike campaign in race two. The Australian fought back from a difficult start to take third place after 20 laps of the 5.4km circuit in the Czech Republic. The race was won by Japan’s Noriyuki Haga with series leader Troy Corser second. Vermeulen’s team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, slipped back from second place in the early laps to take ninth place at the flag. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “After our disappointing results in the first race here I’m very happy with that podium from Chris and, particularly, the way he took it. He had to come back from eleventh place after the first lap and really put his head down and seemed to get better as the race went on. We managed to get the front end of Karl’s bike working a little better than in race one but we sacrificed a serious amount of rear end grip, meaning he couldn’t hold on to his good start. We’re heading from here and going straight to the Eurospeedway at Lausitzring to do some testing where we have a lot of new things to try.” Chris Vermeulen – “I didn’t get off the line too badly but the front wheel started to lift and I had to roll off a bit. I came together with Nori (Haga) in the first turn and got a big wobble on and then found myself with a lot of fast riders who were difficult to pass. A couple of incidents cost me places that I’d worked hard to get but eventually I got into a good rhythm and put in some good laps towards the end of the race. We’d lifted the front a little between the races and that helped me to hold lines a lot better. But we also had a bit of a voltage problem and I was getting some weird signals from the dash. I’m happy with the podium though, considering this was our first time here it’s a good reward for all the team’s hard work.” Karl Muggeridge – “Well, we got the front working better after race one but suddenly found I had no grip at the rear. I could brake and run into corners with everyone in the fast group I was with but just lost out when we accelerated away. The bike was definitely better overall so it’s a little frustrating that we found another problem, which got worse as the race went on. We’re off testing at Lausitzring this week and it’s something that we really need. It was uphill a bit for us here in Brno because none of us has been here before and you could tell the teams that had. The test should put us in good shape for Brands Hatch and the races after that.” World Superbike, Brno race two results (20 laps, 108.060kms): 1 Noriyuki Haga JPN (Yamaha) 41m43.525s, 2 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) +3.233s, 3 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) +11.012, 4 Norick Abe JPN (Yamaha) +12.268, 5 Pierfrancesco Chili ITA (Honda) +1.361, 6 Lorenzo Lanzi ITA (Ducati) +13.511, 7 Regis Laconi FRA (Ducati) +14.141, 8 James Toseland GBR (Ducati) +16.439, 9 Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) +16.820, 10 Chris Walker GBR (Kawasaki) +19.737. Championship points after seven of 12 rounds: 1 Corser 299, 2 Vermeulen 205, 3 Laconi 187, 4 Yukio Kagayama JPN (Suzuki) 158, 5 Toseland 152, 6 Haga 122, 7 Chili 108, 8 Walker 106, 9 Abe 83, 10 Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha) 76, 11 Muggeridge 75. Next round: Sunday 7 August Brands Hatch, GB More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: MIXED FORTUNES FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM AT BRNO: DOUBLE PODIUM IN RACE 1 AND DOUBLE DISAPPOINTMENT IN RACE 2 Brno (Czech Republic), Sunday 17 July: The Ducati Xerox Team pairing of James Toseland and Régis Laconi had mixed fortunes in the Czech Round of the World Superbike Championship at Brno, where the two wins went to Troy Corser (Suzuki) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). In race 1 both riders rode storming races to put their Ducati 999F05 machines on the podium, Toseland finishing in second place ahead of Laconi after a terrific scrap with Walker (Kawasaki). “It was a hard race, I had a problem with the clutch at the start and that spoiled my whole race, but when I was catching everyone I could see that their tyres were going off, so I had to catch them before mine did as well and so I rode really aggressively. I enjoyed the race but I’m a bit disappointed Troy won again because we just can’t afford to finish second.” “I am so happy to be on the podium because being ninth in Superpole was not so good” declared Laconi. “I pushed very hard, I chose the softer tyre at the front and the last few laps were very difficult. I tried to follow James but he was faster than me at the finish and so I settled for third, but I am happy because I took some points from Vermeulen and that’s what I need for today.” Laconi and Toseland could only manage seventh and eighth in the second appointment of the day after fading away from the leaders due to tyre problems. This race, rerun over the full 20 laps and not on aggregate, had to be restarted after a delay of 45 minutes to clean up oil on the track following an incident but in the two laps before the red flags came out, Laconi had made a blistering start to head the field and was leading from Corser and Toseland before the interruption. Toseland continued: “In the first start the tyres were unbelievably good and after all the effort we’d made I would have won that race for sure, but there’s nothing good I can say about the second race. After lap 3, the tyres were just not performing as well and there was nothing I could do. It’s a pity because with Corser’s results today it looks as if we’re not going to be able to win this championship now.” Laconi added: “I struggled a bit with the gearing over the weekend, that was my fault but we made a change and it was a lot better. After two laps I found myself in the lead and that was fantastic but on the restart after half distance the front started to slide a lot. I was trying my best just to stay on the bike, because it was so hard. I finished seventh, which means I’m disappointed for myself and Ducati because they’ve done a good job. Now I’m already thinking about the next race, I will take my fight to Brands and do much better. The only positive thing from this weekend is that I gained one point on Vermeulen!” RACE 1: 1. Corser (Suzuki); 2. Toseland (Ducati Xerox); 3. Laconi (Ducati Xerox); 4. Walker (Kawasaki) ; 5. Chili (Honda) ; 6. Lanzi (Ducati SC); 7. Haga (Yamaha); 8. Vermeulen (Honda); etc. RACE 2 : 1. Haga (Yamaha) ; 2. Corser; 3. Vermeulen (Honda); 4. Abe (Yamaha); 5. Chili; 6. Lanzi; 7. Laconi; 8. Toseland; etc. POINTS (after 7 of 12 rounds): Riders – 1. Corser 299; 2. Vermeulen 205; 3. Laconi 187; 4. Kagayama 158; 5. Toseland 152; 6. Haga 122; etc. Manufacturers – 1. Suzuki 308; 2. Ducati 230; 3. Honda 221; 4. Yamaha 163; 5. Kawasaki 119; 6. Petronas 17. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: WSB : First win for R1 as Nitro Nori burns up Brno Round: 7 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Date: 17 July 2005 Crowd: 31000 Temp: 30ºC Weather: Sunny Noriyuki Haga rode a sensational race two at Brno today to give Yamaha’s YZF-R1 its first victory in the Superbike World Championship, the brand’s first since officially returning to the series this season. The Japanese Yamaha Motor Italia star gave a magical display to charge through from 16th place on the grid to take a lead he would never lose on lap seven, overtaking series leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) and establishing more than a three second lead at the chequered flag. Haga’s win, Yamaha’s first in the class since the same rider won race two at Assen in September 2000 on the YZF-R7, came after a troubled weekend in qualifying that saw him starting way down the grid. However, even despite missing out on superpole the 29-year-old maintained that the settings of his R1 were ideal for race conditions. A lack of grip held him back as he raced to a still impressive seventh in the opening race, before using exactly the same set-up and tyre combination to blast to victory in the second. Yamaha Motor Italia team-mate Andrew Pitt had a troubled weekend. Struggling for front end grip he came home 10th in race one, before a clutch problem forced him out of a points scoring position in the second, which had been restarted due to an oil spill in the opening laps of the initial running. Yamaha Motor France’s Norick Abe almost made it two R1s on the podium in race two, narrowly missing out on third when passed by Chris Vermeulen (Honda) with two laps remaining. It was the Japanese rider’s best finish of his short superbike career and equaled his best result at the Czech circuit, matching his fourth place finish in the 2001 500cc Czech Grand Prix. Earlier in the day Abe finished ninth while team-mate Sebastien Gimbert, still struggling with an injured leg from a crash at Silverstone, was 19th and 17th. Despite his win, Haga remains sixth in the championship – albeit with a reduced gap to defending world champion James Toseland (Ducati) in fifth place. Abe moved up to ninth, one place ahead of Pitt. Corser continues to lead the championship with an extended advantage over second placed Vermeulen. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “I am very happy for this win. I had some problem in the first laps when I touched Chris (Vermeulen) and this made my brake lever go up in the air. I had to hit it to put it back in place and this cost me some time but I was able to make some very good lap times. All season I have been asking for more engine power and I think that we will have a new engine with more power for Brands Hatch. I won twice there last year so now I am very much looking forward to going there.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “We had the same problem in race two as we did at Misano. The clutch was slipping so I was losing drive and although I was able to make some time going into the corners the acceleration was not strong enough and eventually I had to retire. I also didn’t have enough grip from the front in either race which made for a tough weekend.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “It certainly helped that I have been here before but the main difference between race one and race two was not even the start but the fact that we put more weight on the back of the bike to improve traction and a harder front tyre. The changes almost allowed us to take a podium, but in the last five laps the performance of my front tyre went down, and I could not push it any harder. I still had a lot of spinning from the rear but we made the bike much better in race two.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “In race two my brakes were not working properly and I discovered that it was the adjuster on the left handlebar which was reducing our braking power. I stopped, adjusted it back then jammed the adjuster by hitting it, so that the brake would work. After that I was a second a lap faster.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “You have to ask Noriyuki about this race because I have no idea how he did it! Maybe the temperature change had something to do with it because he had the same set up on the machine from race one to race two. Obviously this is a huge morale boost for the whole team and we will go back to Italy tonight very happy and motivated for the next race.” Martial Garcia (Team Manager – Yamaha Motor France) “The secret with our bike is to manage the lap times of the bike even when the tyre is not brand new. Abe did this better in the second race and we almost got a podium. This shows our level of potential performance.” Race classification WSB Round: 7 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Circuit Length: 5403 Lap Record: 2′ 3.747 (Noriyuki Haga, 2005) Race: 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 41′ 42.829 2 J. Toseland Ducati GBR +6.592 3 R. Laconi Ducati FRA +7.477 4 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +9.060 5 P. Chili Honda ITA +9.183 6 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +10.778 7 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +13.760 8 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS +15.069 9 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +16.320 10 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +19.676 11 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +21.822 12 F. Nieto Ducati ESP +24.782 13 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS +25.830 14 M. Neukirchner Honda GER +27.486 15 D. Checa Yamaha ESP +31.003 16 J. Cardoso Yamaha ESP +32.625 19 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA +50.526 21 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA +57.136 22 L. Alfonsi Yamaha ITA +57.196 23 M. Praia Yamaha POR +1′ 24.067 Race 2: 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 41′ 43.525 2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS +3.233 3 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS +11.012 4 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +12.268 5 P. Chili Honda ITA +12.361 6 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +13.511 7 R. Laconi Ducati FRA +14.141 8 J. Toseland Ducati GBR +16.439 9 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS +16.820 10 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +19.737 11 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +24.777 12 F. Nieto Ducati ESP +25.244 13 I. Clementi Ducati ITA +26.700 14 D. Checa Yamaha ESP +28.119 15 G. Bussei Kawasaki ITA +42.082 17 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA +48.776 20 L. Alfonsi Yamaha ITA +56.694 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 2′ 3.747 Championship standings WSB Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 299 2 Chris Vermeulen Honda AUS 205 3 Regis Laconi Ducati FRA 187 4 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 158 5 James Toseland Ducati GBR 152 6 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 122 7 Pierfrancesco Chili Honda ITA 108 8 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 106 9 Norifumi Abe Yamaha JPN 83 10 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 76 11 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 75 12 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 52 13 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 50 14 Giovanni Bussei Kawasaki ITA 46 15 Fonsi Nieto Ducati ESP 32 17 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 26 Manufacturers standings WSB Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Suzuki 308 2 Ducati 230 3 Honda 221 4 Yamaha 163 5 Kawasaki 119 6 Petronas 17 WSS : Brno woe for Yamaha Germany Round: 7 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Date: 17 July 2005 Crowd: 31000 Temp: 28ºC Weather: Sunny What looked like being the Yamaha Motor Germany world supersport team’s best weekend of the season quickly turned to disaster as both Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes failed to finish today’s seventh round at Brno. Curtain led the early laps and was shaping up for a head-to-head dual for the victory with championship leader Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) when he crashed out uninjured on lap 15 of 18, a bitterly disappointing end to a weekend where he looked likely to overhaul the absent Katsuaki Fujiwara for second in the championship. Curtain’s retirement came just three laps after the end of Parkes’ race. The 23-year-old had been closing in on Michel Fabrizio (Honda) for the final podium position when he was forced to retire after his rear shock absorber started leaking oil on lap 12. The race was won by Charpentier with Fabrizio second and Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati) third. Charpentier’s championship lead extends to 59 points over Fujiwara, with Curtain 72 adrift in third and Parkes slipping back one place to sixth in the championship. Kevin Curtain “I felt that I was faster than Charpentier through all of the fast corners at the back of the circuit and although I’d lost the front end a few times in the laps before I went down, I had never had any problems at the corner where I crashed. The bike was absolutely perfect this weekend, we couldn’t have made it better, but in the end I pushed the front tyre too hard and paid the penalty.” Broc Parkes “I really believe that I could’ve won here this weekend. The race was going good, I was saving my tyres and catching the front guys when the oil from the shock started going on my back wheel. It’s really disappointing but I can only look ahead to the next race with a positive attitude. The lowest I was all weekend was fourth in qualifying and in the race I was sure I’d at least make the podium, so other than the result it has been a good weekend for us.” Race classification WSS Round: 7 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Circuit Length: 5403 Lap Record: 2′ 7.316 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 2′ 6.283 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Race: 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 38′ 44.765 2 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +4.429 3 G. Nannelli Ducati ITA +5.366 4 R. Harms Honda DNK +7.973 5 X. Fores Suzuki ESP +9.589 6 C. Jones Honda GBR +9.782 7 S. Chambon Honda FRA +18.814 8 A. Corradi Ducati ITA +22.238 9 W. Daemen Honda BEL +22.409 10 B. Veneman Suzuki NED +24.494 11 J. Stigefelt Honda SWE +25.446 12 T. Lauslehto Honda FIN +25.762 13 C. Migliorati Kawasaki ITA +36.836 14 M. Lagrive Suzuki FRA +38.506 15 S. Le Grelle Honda BEL +41.909 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 2′ 7.316 Championship standings WSS Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 165 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 106 3 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 93 4 Fabien Foret Honda FRA 74 5 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 62 6 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 60 7 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 56 8 Stephane Chambon Honda FRA 55 9 Xavi Fores Suzuki ESP 47 10 Tatu Lauslehto Honda FIN 40 11 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 33 12 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 27 13 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 18 14 Alessio Corradi Ducati ITA 16 15 Sebastien Le Grelle Honda BEL 15 Manufacturers standings WSS Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Honda 175 2 Yamaha 93 3 Ducati 67 4 Suzuki 58 5 Kawasaki 21 European Superstock : Gritty Sofuoglu makes stunning comeback Round: 5 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Date: 17 July 2005 Crowd: 31000 Temp: 31ºC Weather: Sunny Yamaha Motor Germany rider Kenan Sofuoglu made a heroic return from injury to finish second and keep his hopes of lifting the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup alive at Brno. Still suffering the effects of the broken left hand he sustained a month ago, the 21-year-old Turk was not confident he could complete race distance, let alone finish on the podium. Typically, the young superstock riders put on a great show for the Czech fans with Sofuoglu and fellow Yamaha riders Massimo Roccoli (Team Lorenzini by Leoni) and Belgian rider Didier van Keymeulen (Yamaha Motor Germany) pulling away from the pack at over a second a lap, leaving only Australian Craig Coxhell (Suzuki) able to maintain the pace of the R1s. Pole sitter Van Keymeulen led for most of the race but the result was decided by a frantic last two laps what saw Coxhell intelligently pick his way through to take the win, with the unfortunate Belgian shuffled back to fourth. With half of the ten rounds completed Roccoli leads the series with 90 points, ahead of Sofuoglu on 86 and Coxhell a further four behind in third. Van Keymeulen remains in contention for the title with 77 points. Kenan Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motor Germany) “Those last three laps were very hard work. I’ve not been able to train since my injury and it was not just my hand that hurt, my whole body was aching at the end. I did feel that I could pass Coxhell on the last lap, but I got involved in a fight with Roccoli and Didier which made the gap too big. But I am very happy to finish on the podium because I was not sure I could last the race distance. Now I am just four points behind Roccoli and I know that if I win the next race then I will move back into the championship lead.” Massimo Roccoli (Team Lorenzini by Leoni) “I knew that here would be difficult as Brno is a local race for Yamaha Germany. Again I slid around a lot under acceleration; this is the usual problem as I am too light for the power of the R1! I gave it my best and I wanted to win, or at least be in front of the other Yamahas, but I cannot complain because I am still leading the championship and will be ready to attack in Brands Hatch!” Didier van Keymeulen (Yamaha Motor Germany) “Having been fastest all weekend I’m disappointed to finish fourth. The other guys seemed happy to follow me for most of the race and then make their move on the last lap. In the end I got tripped up by Kenan and Roccoli and that gave Coxhell some space. But I’m not disappointed like I was in Silverstone. There I had a gap between me and the leaders but here I have proved to myself I have the speed. I won’t be changing my style or my tactics because I know that if I keep riding like this I can win races.” Race classification FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Round: 5 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Circuit Length: 5403 Lap Record: 2′ 6.980 (Didier Van Keymeulen, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 2′ 6.461 (Didier Van Keymeulen, 2005) Race: 12 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 C. Coxhell Suzuki AUS 25′ 42.576 2 K. Sofuoglu Yamaha TUR +0.649 3 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA +0.830 4 D. Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL +0.902 5 P. Solli Yamaha NOR +16.085 6 A. Polita Suzuki ITA +16.539 7 R. Chiarello Suzuki ITA +16.857 8 I. Dionsi Suzuki ITA +16.988 9 E. Rocamora Suzuki ESP +18.645 10 R. Cooper Honda GBR +18.709 11 W. De Angelis Yamaha ITA +18.842 12 A. Badovini MV Agusta ITA +23.157 13 A. Martinez Yamaha ESP +25.144 14 V. Iannuzzo MV Agusta ITA +25.626 15 L. Scassa Yamaha ITA +26.464 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 D. Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 2′ 6.980 Championship standings FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 90 2 Kenan Sofuoglu Yamaha TUR 86 3 Craig Coxhell Suzuki AUS 82 4 Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 77 5 Riccardo Chiarello Suzuki ITA 47 6 William De Angelis Yamaha ITA 37 7 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 36 8 Vittorio Iannuzzo MV Agusta ITA 30 9 Alex Martinez Yamaha ESP 28 10 Ilario Dionsi Suzuki ITA 27 11 Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 22 12 Richard Cooper Honda GBR 21 13 Fabrizio De Marco MV Agusta ITA 18 14 Luca Scassa Yamaha ITA 18 15 Enrique Rocamora Suzuki ESP 17 More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: NANNELLI THIRD AT BRNO; SUPERB PERFORMANCES ALSO FOR LANZI AND NIETO Golden day today in Brno for Scuderia SC Caracchi: Gianluca Nannelli grabbed the third position in the Supersport event while in Superbike Lorenzo Lanzi has been one of the heroes of the day with two great performances that have carried it twice to the sixth final place. Good results for Fonsi Nieto too, twice in the points to the shoulders of Kagayama that fight in both races still under the chequered flag. “I am very happy, it has been a beautiful day and the team has worked a lot and very well during all the week end.” commented Lorenzo Lanzi at the end of race-2, where he has been the best one of Ducati riders to the finish. What a pity for that stupid trouble yesterday during my Superpole lap: this morning in the warm up session I have recorded a beautiful 2′ 03″8 lap time with race tyres, to testimony that without the incredible misfortune yesterday I could be a couple of rows behind in the grid and we could have headed to a podium step. I started a little prisoner of the group in both races because people behind me were closing all the passages, first Abe in race-1 and I had difficulties to pass him because the 4 cylinders have a greater acceleration, even if in top speed Ducati is often quicker. During race-2 the problem has been repeated because in warmer conditions the 4 cylinders are favoured; today afternoon as the Xerox Ducatis as mine have been approximately a second slower and the fours not. However I am actually very happy: I have been the first of Ducati bikes in race-2, I couldn’t ask more as that.” Also Fonsi Nieto is satisfied. Despite of the fifth row in the starting grid that has forced him to untie itself in the group iin the early laps Fonsi ended to points in both races to the shoulders of one of the championship heroes like Kagayama. “During the morning’s warm up we have verified that we could ride with the best ones”. said at the end of the day Fonsi Nieto. “Unfortunately in the early laps I had too many riders that slowed down my action, even if have started rather well. At the final laps in both races I tried to pass Kagayama, but in race-1 he had a good reaction and during race-2 we found a parked rider just in the last corners, he was able to pass but hen he closed the way to me and I have had to renounce. However I am quite satisfied of this day.” Gianluca Nannelli rejoined onto the rostrum in Supersport after Monza’s event; the Florentine rider has performed a splendid race after to be remained bridled at the start in the middle of the group, finishing to a breath from the runner-up. “After some problem yesterday I did not expect to go up onto the rostrum”. has said a smiling Nannelli. “This is indeed a strange track, when it’s fresh has a good grip while when is warmer the bike is sliding everywhere. Fortunately the thunderstorm of last night has carried a bit of fresh air and today the bike went well, only slipped a bit in the rear, but we had made a good tyres selection watching most to the final laps. The engine push strongest as always and the team has made a very good job. Unfortunately at the start I remained “captive” in the group, at the holeshot I was just 11th, but I have early begun to recover. When finally after a few laps I have been able to pass Chambon and Fores, that stopped me for some lap, I am quickly arrived to be fourth, but at that moment the gap to the leaders was too large. When Curtain, under pressure, has fallen I start to see Fabrizio in front of me and has tried also to catch it, but I have only been able to approach him. I am very happy, I thank the guys who made a splendid work, this success is to share with all the team.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: CHARPENTIER AND HONDA WIN FIRST BRNO WORLD SUPERSPORT RACE Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) secured his fifth win of the season after a tough race around the magnificent environs of Brno in the Czech Republic. The Frenchman had some stiff competition from several quarters and was not able to the repeat the immediate front running adventures which have characterised much of his 2005 season. One by one his rivals fell, retired or dropped their pace, and he took the win by a clear 4.429 seconds, setting a new lap record of 2’07.316 to go with his pole position success in qualifying. He also extended his championship lead by a further 25 points over his injured team-mate, Katsuaki Fujiwara (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR), with his new total of 165 comparing favourably with Fujiwara’s 106. Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) led on lap one, but eventually dropped off Charpentier’s pace as the race wound down to its 18-lap completion, and the young Italian finished second. He was just under a second ahead of Ducati runner Gianluca Nannelli, and private Honda entrant, Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports CBR600RR). Fujiwara’s temporary replacement Craig Jones (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR), a front-runner on a Honda in the British Supersport series, was sixth, only losing his chance of a podium finish in the last section of the race, when his front tyre performance dropped off. Finnish rider Tatu Lauslehto (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) lost grip from the rear earlier than anticipated and ended 12th, scoring four championship points. Fabien Foret (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) was forced to retire. Charpentier had to work hard for his win, alternating the lead between himself and eventually faller Kevin Curtain (Yamaha), before leading the last eight laps effectively unchallenged. “It was a difficult race and a good battle with Kevin from the start,” said this year’s leading Supersport force. “It was not such a good race after he crashed out I prefer a fight but the result has given me a good position in the championship. With my pole position qualifying time and fastest lap of the race, it’s been a complete weekend for me. The grip went off towards the end of the race today but it’s our first visit here, so it feels good to beat the other teams that have tested here already.” Fabrizio did his championship position a great favour at Brno, going fifth on 62 points, only 12 behind his team-mate Foret. “This was a good result for us and it has also helped our championship position a lot,” said a relived Fabrizio. “It has helped me in my ambition to finish inside the top three. I tried hard to stay with the leaders but in the last five laps the performance of the front tyre went down very fast. So I closed the gas and just controlled the gap back to Nannelli for the last few laps.” Jones, in his first ride for Winston Ten Kate, was in a competitive position almost throughout the entire 18 laps of the 5.403km circuit, and felt he could even have challenged podium rider Nannelli. “Everything was fine until the last few laps when I lost grip from the front end,” said Jones, who was otherwise happy with his weekend’s work. “In the race I was pushing hard and carrying a lot more corner speed. I think it was possible to run with Nannelli, but I preferred to bring it home. The race was longer than a normal British Championship event but I had no problems with that, just the drop in front tyre grip.” Lauslehto expected at least a top ten from his Brno weekend, but the fates conspired against him from the start. He now sits on 40 points, in tenth position overall. “Like every weekend we had a hard race but the main problem was not such good grip from the rear and other riders had more,” said the Finn. “I was losing out on the exit of every corner. I expected a little bit more here but without the same grip as everyone else, I had no chance.” Foret was disappointed in particular with the mysterious end to his race, as he pitted for a new rear, thinking his tyre was deflating, before finally retiring on lap nine. He had been hit from behind by Charpentier earlier in the race, but no damage was evident to tyre or machine. “I felt that my tyre deflated and I don’t know why,” said Foret. “There was nothing to do. I had a collision early in the lap and I thought the bike was leaking oil at first, that’s why I was looking behind me all the time, so we need to find out exactly what happened.” World Superbike Round 7 of 12 VERMEULEN GIVES A PODIUM TO HONDA AFTER BRNO BATTLES Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) scored the best individual result of the Brno weekend for Honda, with a third in race two, after a bruising battle for bikes and riders. Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) had good results from bad starts, scoring fifth on two occasions as the weekend crowd of 31,000 were treated to some classic racing for the final podium places. In the first of the afternoon’s 20-lap races, held in dry and sunny conditions of 26°C ambient temperature, Troy Corser (Suzuki) scored a clear start-to-finish victory, from Ducati runners James Toseland and Regis Laconi. In the second 20-lapper, Noriyuki Haga took the win on his Yamaha, from Corser and Vermeulen. The second race was delayed by almost an hour after a competitor’s engine put oil on the track after only two laps of what was a subsequently aborted race. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) was 13th and ninth, and had to fight hard in a melee of sometimes eight riders behind the leaders. Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) had another hard raceday, after a dazzling third place Superpole qualification. Only 14th in race one, then a retiree from race two, the German rider is 12th in the championship overall. Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji CBR1000RR) was 27th in qualifying, and battled all the way to finish 20th and 18th, unable to match the speed he expected to have. Vermeulen’s recovery from a first race disappointment was marked, but still came the hard way. “I didn’t get of the line too badly in race two but the front wheel started to lift and I had to roll off a bit,” said Vermeulen after his race two podium. “I came together with Nori Haga at the first turn and then I found myself in with a lot of fast riders, who were all difficult to pass. Another couple of incidents cost me places that I had to work hard to get, but I eventually got into a good rhythm, and put in some fast laps towards the end of the race. We lifted the front end a little between the races and that helped me to hold lines a lot better. I’m happy with the podium though, considering it’s our first time here. It’s a good reward for all the team’s hard work.” Chili’s charges to the front were both hampered by his qualification in 17th position, missing out on Superpole, making for two starts way behind the leading players. Carrying injuries from a practice crash, the 41-year-old rider even had time for a joke or two. “It is fun for me to make a push up from the middle of the pack,” laughed Chili after two hard races in warm conditions. “I am only a young rider so when I learn to start then the races may be different! I am very happy because after the practice I was not sure I could finish the race. Either I would crash pushing or I would have to retire. But we made modifications for the race today and they were good. My left foot has ‘gone to sleep’ but otherwise I am fine, just tired.” Muggeridge had set-up issues in each race, causing different results neither of them the top fives he had taken in Superpole. “I got the front working better after race one but I suddenly found I had no grip at the rear,” said ‘Muggas.’ “I could brake and run into corners with everyone in the fast group, but just lost out when we accelerated away. The bike was definitely better overall so it was a bit frustrating to find another problem, which got worse as the race went on.” Neukirchner was particularly disappointed not to make a better points haul in front of many of significant numbers of German fans, who had travelled over to the Czech Republic for the weekend. “I had the same problem in both races,” stated Neukirchner, “a lack of front grip only on right hand corners. The bike also went wrong in race two, I don’t know why yet. The thing that I don’t understand is that we chose the same front tyres in practice and I did 17-18 laps on one of them with no problems. In the race, after five laps, I could push no more.” Bostrom was mystified at his overall raceday performance. “I’ve been going slow all day,” he said in summation. “The bike feels horrible but is that because I’m riding poorly or because the bike is not set-up well? It’s just not possible to go that slow, I don’t care what bike you are riding.” After the relative novelty of Brno, an old WSS and SBK favourite occupies the next place on the calendar Brands Hatch. The second British-based event of the year is held at the historic and undulating Kent venue on August 7th. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser increased his World Superbike Championship lead aboard the GSX-R1000 with a superb win in the first race at Brno in the Czech Republic today followed by runner- up spot in the second. After his success in Superpole yesterday, Corser wanted to get back to winning ways and that’s exactly what he did. And, if it had not been for a technical problem in race two, he might have left with a double victory. Corser led the first race from start to finish and ran out the winner by over six seconds. Reigning Champion James Toseland took second, ahead of his Ducati team mate Regis Laconi, with Chris Walker (Kawasaki) fourth, Frankie Chili (Honda) fifth and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) sixth. The second race was red-flagged after two laps – due to an oil spillage – and Corser decided to use his number two bike as he had felt that his number one bike was running a bit slow. The number two bike had only completed a handful of laps all weekend, so it was a bit of a gamble but the team had set it up almost the same as his number one bike. He led from the restart but was passed by Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) after six laps. He kept in contention, but a slight electronic problem prevented him from catching and passing the Japanese rider, so he settled for runner-up spot and 20 valuable points instead. Third went to Chris Vermeulen (Honda), ahead of Norick Abe (Yamaha), Chili and Lanzi. It was not such a good day for Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama. The problems with grip – especially in the rear – he had in qualifying continued despite him making big changes to the bike. In the end, he finished with a pair of 11th places. Troy Corser – Race 1, 1st, Race 2: 2nd: “I’m pretty happy with how the day worked out -especially after the problems we had in the first day and a half. Once we found a good set-up, I knew a win or two was possible. I made a good start and had clear track ahead of me and that’s what you need at Brno if you are to have a good race. Although no race is ever easy, that was one of the more comfortable races I’ve had this year and it was good to get back to winning ways. My bike’s engine felt a bit slow at the start of the second race, so I guess I was fortunate that it was red-flagged and I was able to jump on my spare for the restart. The set-up was very close – and I have to thank the team for doing such a good job – but there was a bit of an electronic problem and I feel that stopped me from catching and passing Nori. But we came here to increase our points and that’s what we did, so I’m pretty wrapped.” Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 11th, Race 2: 11th: “There’s not much to say except that all weekend I’ve had problems with grip and today was no better then the past two days. This track is very difficult if you do not have a good set-up – and I did not have a good set-up – probably because we did not have so much time on the bike to test different things. We made big changes from yesterday, but I don’t think the bike worked any better. I am disappointed of course, but I must look forward. The next race is a circuit I know and like – Brands Hatch – and I want to get on the podium in both races there for myself and all my British fans.” Race 1:1 Troy Corser (AUS-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Toseland (GB-Ducati), 3 Laconi (FRA-Ducati), 4 Walker (GB-Kawasaki), 5 Chili (ITA-Honda), 6 Lanzi (ITA-Ducati), 7 Haga (JPN-Yamaha), 8 Vermeulen (AUS-Honda), 9 Abe (JPN-Yamaha), 10 Pitt (AUS-Yamaha). 11 Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Race 2: 1 Haga (JPN-Yamaha), 2 Troy Corser (AUS-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 3 Vermeulen (AUS-Honda), 4 Abe (JPN-Yamaha), 5 Chili (ITA-Honda), 6 Lanzi (ITA-Ducati), 7 Laconi (FRA-Ducati), 8 Toseland (GB-Ducati), 9 Muggeridge (AUS-Honda), 10 Walker (GB-Kawasaki). 11 Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). World Superbike Points: 1 Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 299, 2 Vermeulen 205, 3 Laconi 187, 4 Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 158, 5 Toseland 152, 6 Haga 122, 7 Chili 108, 8 Walker 106, 9 Abe 83, 10 Pitt 76. WORLD SUPERSPORT: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Javier Fores recorded his best result of the season so far with a superb fifth place at Brno today. For most of the race he was involved in a multi-rider battle and had to fight hard for his position. In the end, fifth place was a just reward for all the effort the Spaniard had put in and is a great boost to his morale before the next round at Brands Hatch. Series leader Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) once again took the spoils of victory – his fifth of the season – but this time he had to fight for it. Aussie Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) was his main challenger, but Curtain crashed out on lap 14 and from then on in, Charpentier had an easier ride. Second went to Michel Fabrizio (Honda) with Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati) third and Robert Harms (Honda) fourth. Javi Fores – 5th: “My best result this season so I am quite happy. I made a good start and then got involved in a big fight with a group of riders. That’s ok but here you need a bit of a clear track to lap really quickly and smoothly. When you are in a group, you cannot choose your own lines so easily and that means you wear out the tyres more quickly. But I’m happy for the result and hope I can build on it for the next round.” World Supersport Results:1 Charpentier (FRA-Honda), 2 Fabrizio (ITA-Honda), 3 Nannelli (ITA-Ducati), 4 Harms (DEN-Honda), 5 Javi Fores (ESP-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 6 Jones (GB-Honda), 7 Chambon (FRA-Honda), 8 Corradi (ITA-Ducati), 9 Daemen (BEL-Honda), 10 Veneman (NED-Suzuki). World Supersport Points: 1 Charpentier 165, 2 Fujiwara 106, 3 Curtain 93, 4 Foret 74, 5 Fabrizio 62, 6 Parkes 60, 7 Nannelli 56, 8 Chambon 55, 9 Fores (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 47, 10 Lauslehto 40. SUPERSTOCK 1000: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Riccardo Chiarello suffered grip problems at Brno today and could do no better then seventh place at the end of the 12-lap, fifth-round race. He had found a good set-up yesterday in final qualifying but today’s different temperature conditions played havoc with the settings and once again, grip was the issue. He was a solid fifth in the opening stages, but once he started losing grip, he could not hold the position and lost two places. The race was won by Craig Coxhell (Suzuki), who passed long-time leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Yamaha) on the very last lap with Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha) taking third. Riccardo Chiarello – 7th: “The grip today was very different to yesterday – maybe because of the overnight rain – and I just couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to. If I had pushed harder, I would’ve crashed for sure. I hope for better things in the next round.” Superstock 1000 Results: 1 Coxhell (AUS-Suzuki), 2 Sofuoglu (TUR-Yamaha), 3 Roccoli (ITA-Yamaha), 4 Van Keymeulen (BEL-Yamaha), 5 Solli (NOR-Yamaha), 6 Polita (ITA-Suzuki), 7 Chiarello (ITA-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Superstock Points:1 Roccoli 90, 2 Sofuoglu 86, 3 Coxhell 82, 4 Van Keymeulen 77, 5 Chiarello (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 47, 6 de Angelis 37.

World Supersport Race Results From Brno: 1. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 18 laps 2. Michel Fabrizio, Honda CBR600RR, -4.429 seconds 3. Gianluca Nannelli, Duc 749R, -5.366 seconds 4. Robbin Harms, Honda CBR600RR, -7.973 seconds 5. Javier Fores, Suzuki GSX-R600, -9.589 seconds 6. Craig Jones, Honda CBR600RR, -9.782 seconds 7. Stephane Chambon, Hon CBR600RR, -18.814 seconds 8. Alessio Corradi, Ducati 749R, -22.238 seconds 9. Werner Daeman, Honda CBR600RR, -22.409 seconds 10. Barry Veneman, Suzuki GSX-R600, -24.494 seconds 11. Johan Stigfelt, Honda CBR600RR, -25.446 seconds 12. Tatu Lauslehto, Honda CBR600RR, -25.762 seconds 13. Cristiano Migliorati, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, -36.836 seconds 14. Matthew Lagrive, Suzuki GSX-R600, -38.506 seconds 15. Sebastien Le Grelle, Honda CBR600RR, -41.909 seconds 28. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, -4 laps, DNF, crash 29. Broc Parkes, Yamaha YZF-R6, -7 laps, DNF, mechanical 30. Fabien Foret, Honda CBR600RR, -10 laps, DNF, mechanical More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: WINSTON’S CHARPENTIER SCORCHES TO BRNO WIN Winston rider Sébastien Charpentier took his fifth win of the season in this afternoon’s seventh round World Supersport championship race at Brno, Czech Republic. His closest challenger, Kevin Curtain, crashed out of the race unhurt with just three laps to go. Curtain’s failure to score leaves Charpentier’s regular Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara in second place in the championship standings. The Japanese rider, however, was injured this weekend and replaced by Britain’s Craig Jones, who rode to an impressive sixth place finish. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “That was just another great job from Sebastien. He had another good fight with Kevin (Curtain) just like during the qualifying sessions but it’s clear that Seb is really the man of World Supersport this year. Of course, it’s not nice to see anyone crashing out but Kevin’s non-score is good for Kats’s championship position as well. Kats is still in second place in the points but his substitute for this weekend did a great job standing in for him. Everyone agrees that Craig put in a very solid debut with a brand new team and an unfamiliar bike. It was a top six finish but a podium was certainly within reach.” Sébastien Charpentier first “It was a difficult race and a good battle with Kevin from the start but it wasn’t so good for me when he crashed out. I prefer a fight but this result has given me a really good lead in the championship. With my pole position qualifying time and the fastest lap of the race, it’s been a complete weekend for me. The grip went off towards the end of the race today but it’s our first visit here so it feels good to beat the other teams that have tested here already. Brno is a great riders’ circuit because it’s got a great mix of everything but I think it’s probably one of my favourite circuits after this great weekend.” Craig Jones sixth “I actually enjoyed the race more than the whole weekend which, itself, has been a fantastic experience. It’s difficult coming into a new team and trying to make the bike feel like my own but the team has been great and the bike felt really good in the race. At the start of the race, I was running with Sébastien just in front of me and could have gone round the outside of him in one corner. But I thought ‘No, that’s the boss man, just ease off a little!’ About five laps from the end I was getting some front end slides and on the last lap I made a little mistake and nearly ran into the guy in front of me. I thought then I’d just settle for a good result.” World Supersport, Brno results (18 laps, 99.254km): 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 38m44.765s, 2 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) +4.429s, 3 Gianluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) +5.366, 4 Robin Harms DEN (Honda) +7.973, 5 Javier Fores ESP (Suzuki) +9.589, 6 Craig Jones GBR (Winston Ten Kate Honda) +9.782, 7 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) +18.814, 8 Alessandro Corradi ITA (Ducati) +22.238, 9 Werner Daemen BEL (Honda) +22.409, 10 Barry Veneman NED (Suzuki) +24.494. Championship points after seven of 12 rounds: Charpentier 165, Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 106, Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) 93, Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) 74, Fabrizio 62, Broc Parkes (Yamaha) 60, Nannelli 56, Chambon 55, Fores 47, Tauto Lauslehto FIN (Honda) 40.