Alex Hofmann got the opportunity to test the big bang version of Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine for the first time during the third and final day of testing at the Jerez circuit in Southern Spain.

Hofmann started today’s test schedule with the screamer engine he has used in his Ninja ZX-RR for the past two days, but after running confirmation tests on development chassis components and settings during the morning, he switched over to the big bang motor for the afternoon session.

After familiarising himself with the characteristics of the new engine, the 24-year-old German rider concentrated on refining basic set-up, and working with Kawasaki engineers on fuel injection mapping.

After stepping off the bike at the conclusion of the test, Hofmann commented that he could feel the potential the revised firing order offered, but felt that there was still a lot of work to do before the full potential could be realised.

Running a big bang engine with a slightly different specification to that of his team-mate, Shinya Nakano completed the test and development programme started on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Japanese rider completed 59 laps during a full day of testing, and was rewarded with a lap time that was one second faster than his previous best.

Nakano will continue the development of the big bang 2005 Ninja ZX-RR at the Valencia circuit during a two-day test on 7/8 March and a one-day test on 16 March, before being rejoined on track by Alex Hofmann for the annual IRTA tests at Catalunya and Jerez.

Alex Hofmann: 54 laps (1:42.8)
“This morning I retested some of the components and settings from yesterday, just to confirm our findings. Then it was onto the big bang bike for the first time. Today was all about getting a first impression of the new engine, and you can feel that there is definitely potential there, but it’s still in the early development stages and it won’t be until we arrive at a better base set-up that we’ll be able to judge exactly how much potential this engine has. Hopefully Shinya will be able to take things to the next step at the next test. Overall I’m pretty happy with how things have gone over the past three days. We’ve tested a lot of new components and settings during an intensive test schedule, and I leave here having achieved a reasonable lap time for the conditions.”

Shinya Nakano: 59 laps (1:41.7)
“We continued to work on the new engine today. Finding the right set-up for such a new engine is not so easy, but this afternoon we found some good settings and that allowed me to improve my lap time. I also tested a new swinging arm on the bike this afternoon, and the results were also positive. It felt like it improved traction out of the corner, especially when hard on the gas. Overall I’m happy with the progress we’ve made. It’s been a busy test, and there’s still a lot of development work needed before the start of the season. But we leave here having found a good base set-up with the new bike, ready for the next round of testing at Valencia, which is just ten days away.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“We’ve seen a small step forward with the big bang bike during this test, which shows that development is heading in the right direction, but we are well aware that time is not on our side. The first race of the season is lgetting ever closer and we know we have a lot of hard work to do between now and then if we are going to realise the full potential of the latest Ninja ZX-RR. Shinya is definitely earning his salary this year, and I know that everyone in the team appreciates the effort he’s putting into developing this new engine. And Alex has worked hard to evaluate changes designed to improve the chassis. Overall this has been a positive test for the team.”

From a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

CHASSIS CHANGES LEAD TO IMPROVEMENT FOR HOFMANN

Better weather greeted the Kawasaki Racing Team as they arrived at Jerez this morning, to start the second day of a planned three-day test at the venue for the opening Grand Prix of the 2005 season.

Alex Hofmann made the most of the improved weather conditions to complete 81 laps of the Jerez circuit, during a test schedule focussed on evaluating revised chassis components on his screamer-engined Ninja ZX-RR.

Despite cold track temperatures and reduced grip, due to dirt on the back part of the circuit, the 24-year-old German rider saw an improvement in his lap time, which he attributed to more traction from the rear and better acceleration out of the turns.

Shinya Nakano returned to the circuit aboard his Ninja ZX-RR today, after sitting out most of yesterday’s test as a result of a minor, but painful, injury sustained during his first on track session.

The 27-year-old Japanese rider completed 57 laps of the Jerez circuit, as he worked with engineers from Japan and Europe to improve throttle response on the big bang version of Kawasaki’s 990cc, inline four-cylinder Ninja ZX-RR motor.

Kawasaki test rider, Kazuki Shimizu, was again on hand today to assist Nakano with development work on the new ZX-RR engine.

The Kawasaki Racing Team will complete their three-day test schedule at the Jerez circuit tomorrow.

Alex Hofmann: 81 laps (1:42.4)
“Today we tested the modifications made to the chassis after the Sepang test at the beginning of the year. Track conditions weren’t really ideal for testing today but, overall, the results have been positive. I managed to improve my lap time and the bike definitely feels better accelerating out of the turns; it just seems to hook up better when you get hard on the gas. We’ll continue the evaluation tomorrow.”

Shinya Nakano: 57 laps (1:42.69)
“The focus today was again on the big bang engine. We know from the Sepang test that this engine has a number of advantages over the old one, but there is still a lot of set-up work to do if we are to realise it’s full potential. This is what we concentrated on today. At the moment we are working to improve throttle response, because the throttle still feels a little disconnected from the engine when you get on the gas, but we also need to collect the data necessary to further the development of the big bang Ninja ZX-RR. We will run the same engine again tomorrow, but with slightly different settings.”

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP TO VISIT VIR IN AUGUST

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — AMA Pro Racing has confirmed the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited round at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Va., tentatively scheduled for Sept. 17-18, is now confirmed for the weekend of Aug. 26-28.

Prior to the date change, the race was to be a two-day meet highlighted by a single round of the AMA Superbike Championship. The expanded three-day format now calls for an AMA Superbike Championship doubleheader along with all support classes including the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, AMA Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series and Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series.

The event will be promoted by RPM Productions.

“The VIR date has been listed as tentative on our calendar since the schedule was originally released. In finalizing the championship schedule we felt an earlier date along with making the event a Superbike doubleheader was a positive step for the series,” AMA Vice President, Commercial Development John Farris said.

“Also, the addition of RPM Productions as a promotional partner should help ensure continued growth of the event,” Farris added.

With the additional VIR Superbike round resulting from the doubleheader format, the 2005 AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited now includes 17 races on the season. The 2005 schedule gets underway at Daytona International Speedway, March 9-12, and concludes this year at Road Atlanta, Sept. 2-4, for a Labor Day weekend doubleheader.

Losail Circuit
Doha, Qatar
February 24
Free Practice Times:

World Superbike (wet):

1. Garry McCoy, Foggy Petronas FP1, 2:41.775
2. Steve Martin, Foggy Petronas FP1, 2:46.327
3. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2:49.966
4. James Toseland, Ducati 999F05, 2:50.901
5. Gianluca Vizziello, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:51.202
6. Pierfrancesco Chili, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:57.564
7. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR1000RR, 3:00.344
8. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 999RS, 3:01.903
9. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 3:04.140

World Supersport (dry):

1. Fabien Foret, Honda CBR600RR, 2:05.975
2. Michel Fabrizio, Honda CBR600RR, 2:06.515
3. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 2:07.349
4. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 749R, 2:07.694
5. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Honda CBR600RR, 2:08.019
6. Broc Parkes, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:08.044
7. Tatu Lauslehto, Honda CBR600RR, 2:08.244
8. David Garcia, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 2:08.484
9. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:08.626
10. Pawel Szkopek, Honda CBR600RR, 2:08.654
11. Alessandro Antonello, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 2:08.925
12. Christophe Cogan, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:09.238
13. Tomas Miksovsky, Honda CBR600RR, 2:09.263
14. Javier Fores, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:10.213
15. Andrea Berta, Ducati 749R, 2:11.829
16. Matteo Baiocco, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 2:15.000
17. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Ducati 749R, 2:18.660
18. Stephane Chambon, Honda CBR600RR, 2:29.383

According to news reports, former Congressman Bill Janklow has been unsuccessful in his attempt to weasel out of his conviction for running a stop sign and killing motorcyclist Randy Scott.

For more, go here:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-02-24-janklow_x.htm

From a press release:

KERN TO RIDE FOR MAIN LINE BMW IN 2005 FORMULA USA THUNDERBIKE

Devon, PA (February 24, 2005) — Main Line BMW of Devon, PA, announces today their plans to contest the 2005 Formula USA Thunderbike series with rider Nate Kern. Riding BMW R1100S motorcycles prepared by crew chief Michael Peter, Nate will bring the experience gained while riding in the BMW Boxer Cup series in Europe last season back to America. Owner of Main Line BMW Cortright Wetherill is the team owner, and daughter and General Manager of Main Line BMW Amanda Wetherill will manage the team.

“I am excited about taking on the rest of the competition in Thunderbike with the BMW,” said Nate. “The R1100S is a very good racing platform and is a lot of fun to ride. I have full confidence that we will bring a competitive team to the series to showcase the capability of the R1100S and BMW’s in general. Aside from BMW Motorrad USA, we’ve gotten a lot of support from top quality product companies who will make our job much easier and the team a lot more competitive.”

The team has received sponsorship from BMW Motorrad USA, who has provided bikes that will be campaigned. Xceed Motorsports will handle all publicity for the team, and assist with race strategy.

Kern and the R1100S are no strangers to the Thunderbike series. Last year Kern successfully qualified the BMW at both Thunderbike races entered, including Daytona and VIR. At VIR, Kern qualified sixth, turning very competitive lap times for the class. “I was able to turn 1:35s at VIR last year, which demonstrates that the BMW is not a bike that can be judged from first appearances,” said Nate.

The team will be at Daytona on March 3 to participate in the first round of the Formula USA Thunderbike championship.

From a press release issued on behalf of SuperTrapp:

CLEVELAND, OHIO – SuperTrapp has launched its redesigned Web site, www.supertrapp.com, providing motorsports enthusiasts with improved access to information on performance exhausts, racing, industry news and more.

A key initiative with the redesign was to organize information by application, improving navigation and simplifying product purchase. One example of how this will be accomplished is the product section, which features background information and detailed illustrations.

Visitors can search for a dealer nearest them and can also register for the new SuperTrapp newsletter, Pipeline, which contains information about new products and accessories; racing news, including results and racer profiles; fellow rider tips, experiences and photos; answers to fellow rider questions.

In addition, the site contains testimonials from championship-winning racers. Theses perspectives will provide valuable insight into SuperTrapp product performance. In this section, visitors will discover why Joe Brown, tuner for Jay Springsteen, said, “SuperTrapp is probably the best kept secret in performance exhausts.”

Other site features include:

* Resource Center: contains frequently asked questions and downloadable dyno charts, technical bulletins, and sound files

* New Products: includes photos and in-depth descriptions

* Technology: learn about what sets SuperTrapp apart from its competitors the site contains detailed information about SuperTrapp’s diffuser disc technology, equipped with graphics to depict how the discs work inside the pipe

* Gallery Testimonials: Read one; add on!

About SuperTrapp
For more than 30 years, SuperTrapp Industries, Inc. has been a leading manufacturer of comprehensive performance exhaust systems for a variety of motor vehicle applications, including motorcycles, ATV and automotive. In addition to their signature tunable disc diffuser exhaust systems, SuperTrapp manufacturers the Kerker brand of exhaust systems. SuperTrapp Industries, Inc. is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.