TORONTO, ON Two-time defending Parts Canada Superbike champion Pascal Picotte regained his form in qualifying for this weekend’s series doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway Friday. After struggling with injuries suffered at the season opener in May, Picotte put his Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 on pole for both Superbike races at Mosport, breaking his own track record with a lap of one minute, 21.215 seconds around the 3.9km (2.459-mile) Mosport track. Current series points leader Clint McBain of Calgary qualified second with a time of 1:21.403 on the Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, BC was third with a time of 1:21.840 riding the Diablo Performance Honda CBR1000RR. Chardon, OH’s Tom Kipp will complete the front row for both Superbike races after recording a 1:21.944 on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R. “My condition is definitely better,” said Picotte, who broke some ribs and his wrist when he crashed at Shannonville Motorsport Park. “My ribs are still bothering me a little. I’ve just got to be patient and smooth.” The Parts Canada Superbike competitors will run a 16-lap feature on Saturday afternoon and a second race, also 16 laps, on Sunday. This weekend’s races are the fourth and fifth rounds of the eight-race series. Picotte won both races in the Mosport doubleheader last year and has three Mosport Superbike wins overall. “We did really well here last year so we’re using a similar set-up,” Picotte said. “We did some work on the engine. The mid range is definitely better.” Picotte earned four points toward the Parts Canada Superbike Championship and the $500 MPM Array Pole Award. McBain extended his championship lead over Francis Martin by qualifying second and adding three points to his total. He now has 142 points while Martin, who set the fifth fastest time on the Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000 has 134. “We were pretty close,” said McBain, who won the two most recent rounds of the series at Race City Motorsport Park. “We have a couple of little issues. We’ll work on it tomorrow.” Martin will be joined on the second row of the Superbike grid by the Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR of Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke and Frank Trombino from Kleinburg, ON aboard the Trombino Yamaha Racing Yamaha YZF-R1. Szoke actually set the third fastest qualifying time but was penalized for exceeding the class horsepower limit. Calgary’s Chris Peris grabbed the pole for both Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike races at Mosport with a time of 1:23.978 on his Topline Yamaha YZF-R6. Kipp placed second on his Kawasaki ZX-6RR at 1:24.176. Points leader Crevier of Maple Ridge, BC qualified third at 1:24.221 riding his Honda CBR600RR. In other action at Mosport Stephen Chabot of nearby Oshawa, ON led practice for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike competitors with a time of 1:28.359 on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Alain Lefebvre of Rouyn-Noranda, QC paced practice for the Suzuki SV650 National Cup at Mosport with a lap time of 1:35.931. The Amateur 600 Sport Bike and SV650 National Cup competitors will qualify Saturday afternoon for their Sunday feature. This weekend’s racing also includes a doubleheader for the Canadian Thunder National Championship. The Canadian Thunder class will run a qualifying heat Saturday morning to set the grid for its two races this weekend. Action from this weekend will be shown later this summer in a one-hour show on TSN. For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com Qualifying results for this weekend’s fourth and fifth rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Mosport International Raceway, showing qualifying position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and qualifying time: 1.Pascal Picotte, Granby, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:21.215; 2. Clint McBain, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:21.403; 3. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:21.721*; 4. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:21.840; 5. Tom Kipp, Chardon, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:21.944; 6. Francis Martin, Rock Forest, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:22.199; 7. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:22.223; 8. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:23.416; 9. Chris Peris, Calgary, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:24.284; 10. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:24.338; 11. Brian Nielsen, Edmonton, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:25.205; 12. Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 1:25.654; 13. Dave Young, Woodstock, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.771; 14. Rudy Raposo, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:25.984; 15. Jeff Williams, Harrowsmith, ON, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:26.571; 16. Erick Beausejour, Val Senneville, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 1:26.765; 17. Larry Orde, Peterborough, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.106; 18. Jean-Paul Tache, North Bay, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:27.111; 19. Elie Daccache, Ottawa, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.373; 20. Zenon Nelson, Bowmanville, ON, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:28.004; 21. Steve Scott, Manchester, NH, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:28.680; 22. Trevor MacDonald, St-Zotique, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 1:31.700; 23. Jean Paquet, Chambly, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 1:32.269; 24. Jeremy French, Erin, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 1:32.279; 25. Sean Heydorn, Aurora, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 1:27.969** * — Will start from second row of grid due to exceeding class horsepower limit ** — Penalized due to black flag infraction

Missouri man wins Honda CBR1000RR Repsol Edition in PBTF promotion The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) is pleased to announce the winner of a brand-new Honda CBR1000RR Repsol Edition motorcycle, generously donated by the Honda Rider’s Club of America. The lucky winner is Joseph Murdick of Imperial, Mo., who participated in a PBTF charity promotion during the Laguna Seca Moto GP, July 8-10, 2005. The motorcycle is inspired by the Honda RC211V Gran Prix racer that Nicky Hayden rode in his stunning victory in the USGP. The promotion raised more than $13,600 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s medical research and family support programs. PBTF is grateful for the generosity of motorcycling enthusiasts and the HRCA, which has been the presenting sponsor of the PBTF’s national Ride for Kids® program since 1991. About the PBTF The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation funds medical research grants to help find the cause and cure of childhood brain tumors. It is the largest source of non-governmental funding for pediatric brain tumor research in the world. The PBTF also offers family support programs for families with a child who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Programs include free literature about brain tumors, the Helping Hand and Caring Hand national newsletters, the Informed Parent Internet Conference series and college scholarships for young brain tumor survivors. For more information about Ride for Kids® or the PBTF, please call 800-253-6530 or visit their websites, rideforkids.org or pbtfus.org.

Friday World Superbike Qualifying Results: 1. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2:03.064 2. Troy Corser, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:03.487 3. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:03.912 4. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:03.917 5. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F05, 2:04.184 6. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 2:04.330 7. Ivan Clementi, Ducati 999RS, 2:04.336 8. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:04.436 9. James Toseland, Ducati 999F05, 2:04.613 10. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:04.729 11. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:04.782 12. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:04.824 13. Pierfrancesco Chili, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:04.834 14. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:04.862 15. Andrew Pitt, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:04.882 16. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 999RS, 2:04.912 17. Garry McCoy, Foggy Petronas FP1, 2:05.155 18. David Checa, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:05.399 19. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, 2:05.503 20. Steve Martin, Foggy Petronas FP1, 2:05.606 21. Fonsi Nieto, Ducati 999RS, 2:05.691 22. Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:05.882 23. Gianluca Vizziello, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:05.943 24. Alessio Velini, Ducati 999RS, 2:06.075 25. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR1000RR, 2:06.183 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: VERMEULEN ON PROVISIONAL SECOND ROW IN BRNO Chris Vermeulen set the eighth fastest time in this afternoon’s opening qualifying session for Sunday’s two seventh round World Superbike championship races at Brno in the Czech Republic. Provisional pole position was taken by Britain’s Chris Walker with Vermeulen’s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, currently lying in 14th place. It is the first visit for both team and riders to the 5.4km Brno circuit, 220km south-east of Prague and today’s practice and qualifying sessions were used by Vermeulen and Muggeridge to increase their knowledge of circuit layout and search for the ideal set-up for their Honda CBR1000RRs. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “Karl has been making good progress here and competing comfortably at the front on race tyres. He was lying in fourth place after this morning’s free practice but, unfortunately, we chose the wrong qualifying tyre from the two that Pirelli have brought here. It was a harder compound and Karl went no more quickly than he had been going on race tyres. Because Chris and Karl don’t know the circuit and we haven’t tested here like most of the other front runners, we knew we’d be playing a bit of catch-up today. But we’ll work through everything this evening and I’m confident that the crew can find some things to put the guys back up there tomorrow.” Chris Vermeulen eighth fastest, 2m04.436s “To be honest, I’m struggling a little with the track here but getting to know it better each time I go out. I like it a lot but it’s very bumpy in places and we’ve been working to get the bike better through those sections. I’ve also been running a bit wide here and there and looking for some more exit grip from certain corners. It all adds up to losing time in specific areas of the track but I’ll sit down with the team later and I’m sure we’ll be able to find ways to improve those areas tomorrow.” Karl Muggeridge fourteenth fastest, 2m04.862s “OK, so fourteenth doesn’t look great but I’m actually pretty happy with the steps we’ve made today. We tried a couple of new chassis components this afternoon and I felt we were making progress. Unfortunately, I ended up pushing the front a little too hard and slid off in the first sector during that session. The qualifier just didn’t work at all but I think we’re going OK on race tyres and during the day we’ve improved in certain areas of the track where we were struggling earlier. I’m happy with the rear of the bike so now we just have to concentrate on the front.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Noriyuki Haga ended first qualifying at Brno in 10th place after an action packed session that saw the leader board change dramatically in the dying moments. With most teams and many riders making their first visit to the Czech circuit, Haga and his Yamaha Motor Italia team-mate Andrew Pitt were able to take advantage of their recent test at the venue. Arriving at the circuit with proven machine settings from the test, both men were able to lap consistently at the expected race pace, however both found themselves shuffled down the order when their rivals fitted super-sticky qualifying tyres. Haga too fitted a qualifier for his final run, but felt that the settings of his machine were unable to take full advantage of tyre’s characteristics in the warm conditions. Pitt ended the day in 15th place, vitally within the cut-off zone for tomorrow’s grid deciding superpole session. Despite his the relatively lowly grid position, the Australian remained upbeat after the session – declaring that an improvement in his own riding can find big improvements tomorrow. The 2001 Supersport World Champion said that he felt tense on the bike and needs to ‘slow down to go faster’. Yamaha Motor France rider Norick Abe was happy after setting the 12th fastest time of the day. Having found himself on unfamiliar territory in his last three outings, the Japanese ace was happy to be back on a circuit he knows well from his Grand Prix days. Like countryman Haga, Abe was able to post a succession of competitive times on race rubber. His 2’06.137 saw him in the top five until the final minutes. Team-mate Sebastien Gimbert made a return from injury in Brno and ended the day 22nd. British rider Chris Walker (Kawasaki) took provisional pole position, ahead of Troy Corser (Suzuki) and Max Neukirchner (Honda). Yamaha privateer Jose-Luis Cardoso completed the provisional front row, with Regis Laconi (Ducati) ensuring that the top five places were occupied by five brands. Tomorrow morning sees the final qualifying session ahead of the afternoon superpole session, but with thunderstorms forecast qualification for the one-lap shootout could be determined by today’s times. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “On race tyres our times are good and I am quite happy because we are competitive with the race settings. I set my best time on the race tyre. At the end I used a soft qualifier but I could not go faster and did not feel that it offered more grip. If we can improve traction then I think we can make some better times tomorrow.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “I need to relax a little and if I do that I know that I can improve the lap times. The bike’s alright, I’m quite happy with it actually, but there are places where I’m braking too hard and going into some of the corners too fast. If I work on that tomorrow then my lines should improve and the lap times will get much better.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “It’s good to be back on a circuit I know well from my MotoGP days and things were not so bad today. I’m quite happy with my qualifying lap but our biggest problem is the same as in Misano: we need more rear grip. Even with a qualifying tyre on the bike was sliding and we must work hard to improve this.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “I am happy to be back after missing Misano with a broken leg. Today I had to work at improving my feeling and in this way I am quite happy with how it went.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: LACONI AND TOSELAND (DUCATI XEROX TEAM) FIFTH AND NINTH IN BRNO HEAT Brno (Czech Republic), Friday 15 July: Régis Laconi and James Toseland set fifth and ninth quickest times respectively in first WSBK qualifying at Brno as a last-minute scramble on qualifying tyres moved them away from the top positions. Both Ducati Xerox Team riders, who tested here in much cooler conditions one month ago, complained about a lack of grip on their qualifying runs, but were confident with their performance on race set-up. “I was passed by quite a few riders at the end of the session, because they ran an extra lap on their qualifying tyres and with this heat it was easy for them to get their time down” declared Laconi. “I tried the new tyre, it wasn’t the same one I normally use but I wasn’t happy with my qualifying performance on it. I thought it was a quick lap, but it was only one-tenth faster than my time on a race tyre so we’ll have to take a look at everything and see what happened because I’m not happy to be one full second off the pace even though we’re all on qualifying tyres. Walker tested with us last month so it’s no surprise to see him at the front but we will certainly have to sort things out for tomorrow’s session.” “We’re not a mile away, we’re in the top 3 on race tyres but the qualifier I had didn’t seem to work as well as we expected and I went from third to ninth at the end” commented Toseland. “We have a few problems here because of the temperature difference and it seems that every lap we do the tyres change so much that you need a different setting on the bike from the test when it was ten degrees less. This morning I did a 2m04.1s on my second lap out and now I’m doing 2m05s laps with the same setting so it’s a bit frustrating. We’ve just got to make sure we get the setting right for tomorrow because I am confident that I can get two good results here.” More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Superpole chances in balance at Brno Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Garry McCoy and Steve Martin are both hoping for dry conditions for Saturday qualifying at the seventh round of the Superbike World Championship at Brno in the Czech Republic. Both riders narrowly missed out on the top 16 positions after Friday qualifying and, with mixed forecasts for tomorrow, wet weather could scupper their chances of making further progress with lap times in the morning. On their first visit to the circuit on the PETRONAS FP1, and for Steve his first ever visit to the fast and undulating track, both Australians were able to make consistent progress throughout the day. However, facing the rare choice of two Pirelli qualifying tyres, Steve opted for the newer compound and improved his best lap by half a second while Garry, despite three laps on the traditional qualifier, also missed out on the top 16 by just 0.2 seconds. Garry said: “I knew this circuit was going to be tough for the bike because there are a couple of uphill sections and the straights are fairly long. Coming to a place I know though, I thought I would be able to find that little bit extra. And, in race conditions, we are not looking too bad and could be in the top ten. Maybe the new qualifier will work better if the temperatures are lower tomorrow morning but, having hoped for wet weather this weekend, we need it to be dry tomorrow now. We shortened the gears after the morning session and we still have a few things to try with the suspension, front and rear.” Steve said: “We are getting quicker all the time and I am pretty happy with my first day here. The circuit is great, although it’s one of those wide open tracks where a lot of acceleration and horsepower is needed. We have to hope that it doesn’t raining tomorrow and, although I am disappointed not to be in Superpole at the moment, I will be happy as long as we keep improving. I wanted to do a lot of laps in the morning so only used one rear, and then only two in the afternoon. I also used the new qualifier, which is not thought to have as much grip.” Friday qualifying times, Superbike World Championship round 7, Brno, Czech Republic: 1 Walker 2:03.064; 2 Corser 2:03.487; 3 Neukirchner 2:03.912; 4 Cardoso 2:03.927; 5 Laconi 2:04.184; 6 Sanchini 2:04.330; 7 Clementi 2:04.336; 8 Vermeulen 2:04.436; 9 Toseland 2:04.613; 10 Haga 2:04.729; 17 McCoy 2:05.155; 20 Martin 2:05.606 Friday morning free practice times: 1 Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 2:04.103; 2 Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 2:04.208; 3 Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki) 2:05.065; 4 Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 2:05.133; 5 Lanzi (Ducati SC Carrachi) 2:05.135; 6 Haga (Yamaha Italia) 2:05.200; 7 Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona) 2:05.241; 8 Pitt (Yamaha Italia) 2:05.271; 9 Cardoso (DFX) 2:05.280; 10 Chili (Klaffi Honda) 2:05.580; 15 McCoy (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:05.934; 23 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 2:07.665 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: World Superbike Championship leader Troy Corser finished within four-tenths-of a-second off pole in today’s opening qualifying for Sunday’s Brno race in the Czech Republic. The Australian put his Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000 into provisional second place on the grid behind Chris Walker as team-mate Yukio Kagayama recorded 11th on his first visit to the circuit. The morning Free Practice session was dominated by the Ducatis of reigning World Champion James Toseland and Regis Laconi with Walker third quickest: All three had tested at Brno just two weeks or so ago. In the afternoon, Walker surprised everybody by taking provisional pole with a time of 2:03.064 with Corser setting 2:03.487. Third quickest was Max Neukirchner (Honda) with Jose-Luis Cardoso (Yamaha) fourth. Kagayama spent the day learning the demanding 5.403 kilometre Brno track and was not concerned about his position at the end of the day, knowing that he will improve his time considerably tomorrow. Troy Corser – 2nd, 2:03.487: “I know I’ve been here before but that was some time ago. Today the track wasn’t giving me much feedback so I took it fairly steady. Interestingly, when I put my qualifying tyres on, I felt I had much better grip and was able to push much harder. When I returned to the race rubber I couldn’t go nearly as fast and I didn’t feel the bike had much grip. We’ll have a look at the telemetry and see what is going on and maybe even try the kind of set-up we had at Qatar.” Yukio Kagayama – 11th, 2:04.782: “The first time I saw the track properly was today so I am not unhappy with 11th position. This track is very long and it is a hard track to learn quickly because it is also very wide and it is difficult to find braking points. It is a technical track and a track where you have to get the sequence of corners right if you want to make a fast lap. “Because it is so long, it is not possible to put in many laps in a session, so that makes it more difficult to learn. Today, I spent the time learning the track and trying to find out where I could go fast. I made a little mistake going into turn one and went straight on and into the gravel. Then, I just tipped over at a very slow speed, but there was no damage to the bike – or me!” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: FIRST PRACTICE DAY IN BRNO, WELL THE RIDERS OF SCUDERIA SC CARACCHI The Superbike returns after nine years of missing on the Czech track of Brno and in the first qualifying day the riders of Scuderia SC Caracchi obtained positive results. In Superbike Lorenzo Lanzi showed an optimal pace for the race conditions and is rather satisfied, while in Supersport Gianluca Nannelli obtained the ninth fastest despite of various problems of order emerged in this first day. Analogous Fonsi Nieto, to the taken ones with a wrong set up, appears confident for tomorrow’s final qualifying. “I’m rather satisfied for my result today”. Lorenzo Lanzi has commented at the end of the session. “Not looking at the qualifying position, sixteenth, until everybody were turning with race tyres I have always been in quarter-sixth position. In order from the race I have an optimal pace, the motor pushes very strongly and my bike has been recorded as the fastest today. Therefore for the moment we are in the group allowed to Superpole, I still have two qualifying tyres to use tomorrow, I like the track appeals, I have a very good feeling with the bike. In little words I actually have to say that I am satisfied “. In spite of some difficulty Fonsi Nieto appears trusting, even if the Spanish pilot, that recorded the 21st fastest, has toiled to find the correct set up on this track that he knows well in order to have already competed several times. “This morning all has gone enough well, but in the afternoon we have had to try a different setting”. he said at the end Fonsi Nieto. “we have setted the bike as in Misano, where it had given good results, but what it went well in Misano does not work here to Brno, therefore we have lost much time. But it was a test that we had to do. Actually we have lost the afternoon’s session, but we did not use the qualifying tyres that therefore we saved in order to use tomorrow, when we will return to the original set up, and I’m sure we improve our performance”. Less satisfied is Gianluca Nannelli, however his ninth fastest today, than he is not successful to set the bike for the demanding Bohemian track, in spite of the top speed showed, as always, by the 749R Ducati tuned by Franco Farnè. “The bike is very fast, but it is sliding a lot and I’m not able outing the corners as I would want, despite of all the suspensions tuning, this most in the afternoon with the warmer temperature. Tomorrow we must work in order to find again a set up that allows me to ride taking advantage of my riding style “. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY SECOND! Troy finished the first day of qualifying at Brno with the second fastest time – just a whisker behind Briton Chris Walker (Kawasaki) despite having some problems with grip. Troy is one of the few riders who has ridden here before (he took a tremendous double here in 1996), but he started off relearning the technically difficult and demanding circuit just like the rest of his fellow competitors. In the morning session he was only seventh, but when he put on his qualifying tyres for the afternoon timed session, he suddenly found the grip he had been lacking and was able to put in a very fast lap. In the end, he was only beaten by Chris Walker (Kawasaki) who put in an absolute flyer in the hot afternoon sun. Third quickest was Max Neukirchner (Honda), with Jose Luis Cardoso (Yamaha) completing the provisional front row of the grid. Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama finished eleventh quickest today – not bad considering that it was his first time at the circuit. TROY – 2nd, 2:03.487 It has been a bit of a funny day really. In the morning, I couldn’t get any feedback from the tyres at all. The problem was both the front and the rear and it just felt like the track was dirty and a bit greasy or something. Normally, either the front or rear is better or worse then the other, but this morning, both felt equally as bad. But, in the afternoon, things were completely different when I put on the qualifiers. Straightaway I had grip! I had more feel and I was able to push harder. When I put my regular race rubber back on, it was back to the old lack of feel. This track is technical and it is fast and wide and you have to know it well to put in quick laps. It is also a track where it is important to keep up good corner speed and that was something I couldn’t do with my race rubber today. Walker, Toseland and Laconi tested here recently and they also had some new tyres to try and so they arrived here already a step or two ahead of us. It is one of their designated test tracks, so it is OK for them to test. What we are not so happy about is that Pirelli gave them some new tyres to try out and all the top designated teams should get these at the same time – not some before the others. But, we’ll keep at it and we’ll do our best to get the better of them whatever. C ya.

Friday World Supersport Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 2:07.489 2. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:07.550 3. Broc Parkes, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:07.933 4. Fabien Foret, Honda CBR600RR, 2:08.148 5. Michel Fabrizio, Honda CBR600RR, 2:08.317 6. Craig Jones, Honda CBR600RR, 2:08.733 7. Javier Fores, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:08.789 8. Robbin Harms, Honda CBR600RR, 2:08.829 9. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 749R, 2:09.049 10. Tatu Lauslehto, Honda CBR600RR, 2:09.299 11. Alessio Corradi, Ducati 749R, 2:09.302 12. Johan Stigefelt, Honda CBR600RR, 2:09.379 13. Jarno Jansen, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:09.777 14. Barry Veneman, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:09.787 15. Stephane Chambon, Honda CBR600RR, 2:09.808 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: CHARPENTIER STUNS RIVALS WITH PROVISIONAL BRNO POLE Winston Ten Kate Honda rider, Sébastien Charpentier, set the fastest time in this afternoon’s first qualifying session for round seven of the World Supersport championship at Brno, Czech Republic on Sunday. The current series leader out-qualified his four main Supersport rivals despite never having visited the 5.4km undulating Brno circuit. Charpentier’s new team-mate this weekend, Craig Jones, was sixth fastest in today’s 45-minute qualifying session, impressing his team as he deputises for the injured Katsuaki Fujiwara. Like Charpentier, the young British rider, has never visited Brno before. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “That is almost like a dream, having Sébastien on provisional pole even though he is the only one of the top five riders that hasn’t tested here. It just shows what frame of mind he is in at the moment. He’s been focused and worked methodically with his team all day to find a base setting and learn what will work here. His bike is still not 100% so I’m sure there will be even more to come tomorrow. And what a great entry from Craig! He’s starting to find his own direction now and we’ll go through the data with him tonight to help that. He’s fitting into the team really well and it feels like he’s been here for a long time already. He is just a really nice young guy who knows how to ride a bike fast.” Sébastien Charpentier fastest, 2m07.489s “Yes, it’s been a good afternoon for us a good day. It’s the first time that any of us have been here so I’m very happy to be fastest after so little time on the track. I did maybe 15 laps on a scooter yesterday but riding a CBR600RR is very different to riding a scooter here! We very quickly got the gearing right for the circuit and then just small changes here and there to let us go faster. The bike is not yet perfect so there will be more to come tomorrow, for sure. I will try to go faster and get the right set-up for Sunday’s race.” Craig Jones sixth fastest, 2m08.733s “I got up quite early this morning, just really looking forward to the day. But I didn’t want to rush anything just take it steady and be organised. Ronald has been keeping my hand-brake on because I’ve been looking forward to this and I didn’t want to make any silly mistakes. I started to push a little harder towards the end of that session because the bike is beginning to feel more and more like it’s mine. There’ll definitely be more tomorrow after I’ve sat down with the team tonight and gone away from the track to think about it all.”

Current British Supersport leader, 18-year-old Leon Camier from Ashford, Kent has been offered a factory ride in the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hour race on the 31st July 2005, on board a Honda Fireblade with the Moriwaki Team. Camier who is a five times British Grasstrack Champion and the youngest ever British 125 Champion is eagerly awaiting his trip to Japan. The 5.8 km circuit owned by Honda, will run from 11:30am to 7pm on the 31st July and Camier and his team-mate, Naoki Matsudo will change over every 50 minutes in hope of running up there with the front runners. The historic race has been won by some huge names in the motorcycle fraternity including Wayne Gardner, Aaron Slight, Colin Edwards, the awesome Valentino Rossi and Camier’s racing hero Mick Doohan to name but a few. Camier who has now notched up four race wins in the British Supersport class this season. More than any other riders this year is excited about this opportunity saying ‘This is one race that I’ve always wanted to do and to get this chance so early in my career is fantastic. When I was offered the ride about a month ago I jumped at the chance knowing it would be too much of a fantastic opportunity to turn down. I am flying out to Japan a week before so that I can get myself acclimatised and also get a bit of testing under my belt on the Fireblade. It’s such an historic race that I will be proud to be a part of, I hope myself and Naoki can achieve some good results out there.’ Camier’s team-mate for the tough Endurance race is experienced GP 125, GP 250 and 250 Japanese Champion Naoki Matsudo. The Japanese star is an extremely talented rider and between the pairing they should expect a confident result. Matsudo who celebrates his 32nd birthday on the 25th of July will bring plenty of knowledge and wisdom into the team. For more information on Leon Camier and to keep up to speed with his progress at the Suzuka 8 Hour check out his website – www.leoncamier.com

Editorial Note: In a July 6, 2005, press release issued by World Endurance Championship organziers FGSport Group, Samuel De Nardi was billed as the first European woman to race at the Suzuka 8 Hours. SAMUELA DE NARDI RIDES WITH APRILIA IN THE SUZUKA 8 HOURS The 21-year-old from Castelfranco will become the first Italian woman to ride in the world’s most famous endurance race on the 31st July. Samuela De Nardi will soon become the first Italian woman to ride in the Suzuka 8 Hours, probably the most famous motorcycle endurance race in the world, to be run at the celebrated 5.864 km Nagoya circuit on the 31st July. In the previous 28 editions of the race, only seven women have ever taken part: two Japanese, two Americans, two Canadians and one Dutch. Ten years have gone by since the last woman rode at Suzuka, and the most recent European entry, by Geerie Van Rooyen from Holland, dates back to 1982. First raced in 1978, the Suzuka 8 Hours attracts a crowd of 250,000 spectators over one weekend of racing. The 8 Hours is famed for the massive crowds it attracts, for its role as an official race in the World Endurance Championship and for the fierce competition with which the four big Japanese manufacturers approach it, fielding prototypes developed specially for the event and the best riders of the day. It is no coincidence that Suzuka winners include names like Rossi (the only Italian to have won the event), Edwards, Ukawa, Kato, Barros, Haga, Gardner, Doohan, and Rainey, with top riders like Spencer, Kocinski and Gibernau relegated to the lower steps of the podium. The race is held in a torrid climate with incredibly high levels of humidity that test the resistance of riders and machines, both of which have to be cooled by massive doses of ice at every pit stop. Aprilia will be entering an RSV 1000 from Team Aprilia Motociclismo, and has decided to entrust the bike to professional rider Daniele Veghini, Motociclismo journalist Federico Aliverti, and of course Samuela De Nardi. Born in Castelfranco on the 19th March 1984, Samuela began her minimoto racing career at just 4 years of age. After gaining experience in motocross, she came thirteenth in the 2000 Aprilia 125 Challenge, and the year after won the Alpe Adria 125 Trophy. After a season riding a Honda GP 125, Samuela made her 2003 debut on the Aprilia Tuono 1000, and finished fourth in European Endurance Championship in Rijeka, and third in the women’s championship in which she only took part sporadically. At the end of the season Aprilia rewarded Samuela with an official team rider contract, allowing her to take part in the Superbike Trophy at the MotorShow on a championship-winning Aprilia SXV supermotard. In 2005 Samuela stepped up to the RSV and is currently leading the European Women’s Championship and running second in the Italian Championship. These brilliant results fully justify Aprilia’s decision to offer Samuela the opportunity to tackle Suzuka. It will be the first time for an Italian woman to compete as a works rider, and the appearance of Samuela’s name on the provisional entry lists has already caused quite a stir among the Japanese media, especially considering the prestigious Italian motorcycle she will be riding and her own goods looks. “I am delighted,” Samuela told us. The Suzuka 8 Hours is a racing legend, and the chance to take part at just 21 years of age is a great honour. Aprilia has already asked me to intensify my training to cope with the tough conditions there. At the last European championship meeting in Rijeka, before they confirmed my engagement, the team left me short of petrol in the trials to see if I could push the RSV a few kilometres back to the box, in full leathers and under a blazing sun. In Endurance racing, if you fall or break down, you have to push the bike back to the pits unaided. We shall be racing in the stock bike category, for machines closely derived from standard road-going models. Out of 76 entries, there are only three non-Japanese bikes (our Aprilia, a Ducati and a BMW). There are only eight teams from Europe and two of those are Italian. And I’m the only woman, so it’s a great responsibility for me. It’s going to be the sort of adventure I’ll want to tell my grandchildren about, like racing at Le Mans or Indianapolis for a car driver, I suppose. The bike is the same as the one I ride in the European Women’s Championship, so though my team-mates have more experience than me, I’m confident I won’t be far behind them in lap times. As far the result goes, you just can’t say what might happen in long races like this. Our aim is to be the best twin out there, and maybe even the best in our class. The RSV has shown how competitive it is in stock racing, in Italy and throughout Europe. What frightens me most are the Japanese riders. You can see from the GP championship that they’ve been riding at Suzuka all their lives. These guys know every inch of the track and live for this one race. And they’re determined to win. They tell me that Suzuka comes as a shock to European riders in Japan for the first time, like us. Especially for the first few laps of testing, while we’re still riding cautiously and getting used to the circuit, these Japanese guys whiz past you from all angles without even closing the throttle. For the moment the only way we can train at Suzuka is on videogames! Nevertheless I’m looking forward to getting to grips with the circuit there and showing what I’m made of.”

WEST BATTLES EAST TORONTO, ON The Parts Canada Superbike Championship is gearing up for a West / East showdown at Mosport International Raceway this weekend. Calgary’s Clint McBain comes into the doubleheader event holding a narrow five-point lead, 139-134, over Rock Forest, QC’s Francis Martin in the series point standings. This weekend’s races are the fourth and fifth rounds of the eight-race series. McBain is on a roll and his confidence should be sky high after he swept the previous two events on home turf at Race City Motorsport Park on his Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000. The wins were the first of the 32-year-old’s national Superbike career. Martin, 31, won the season opener at Shannonville Motorsport Park aboard the Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000 but the 1999 Canadian Superbike champion had to settle for a second and fourth place finish in Calgary. This weekend’s races aren’t likely to be strictly two-horse races, however. Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke lurks in third in the Parts Canada Superbike point standings with 117 points, and the Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR rider is coming off a season high second place finish in Calgary. The 26-year-old Szoke is a two-time Mosport winner. Fourth in points, with 97 is six-time Canadian Superbike champion Steve Crevier. Crevier, who turned 40 in June has a season-high finish of third on the Diablo Performance Honda CBR1000RR. Behind Crevier is McBain’s Blackfoot Suzuki teammate Kevin Lacombe. The 22-year-old from Granby finished third in both Superbike nationals at Mosport last year. He is currently fifth in points with 89. Just two points back of Lacombe in sixth is Trombino Yamaha Racing’s Frank Trombino. The 32-year-old Kleinburg, ON star has won twice at Mosport but was injured in a practice fall in Calgary and may not be at 100 per cent fitness this weekend. Fellow Yamaha rider Pascal Picotte is in a similar situation. The two-time defending Parts Canada Superbike champ swept the Mosport doubleheader last year but is still recovering from injuries he sustained at this year’s season opener at Shannonville. Riding for his own Picotte Performance Yamaha team, the 35-year-old sits eighth in points. Also in the thick of the hunt is Chardon, OH’s Tom Kipp. Riding for the Canadian Kawasaki Motors team the 37-year-old Kipp is seventh in the Superbike standings coming into Mosport. This weekend’s action will also feature the fourth and fifth rounds of the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship national support series. Crevier comes into Mosport unbeaten through the first three races of the season on his Diablo Honda CBR600RR as he bids for a fourth 600 class crown. McBain is second in the standings for Blackfoot Suzuki thanks to a pair of runner-up finishes, while his teammate Lacombe sits third in points. Although he missed the opening round Calgary’s Chris Peris figures to be a factor at Mosport on the Topline Printing Yamaha YZF-R6. The 19-year-old finished second and third in the Race City races. The International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Championship features a tie at the top of the standings, with Yamaha riders James Collins, from Woodstock, ON and Mark Douglas of Warkworth, ON even on 74 points. Suzuki rider Dave Stewart of Hamilton is close behind in third with 64 points. Mosport will also see the second and third rounds of the Canadian Thunder championship. Derek Vammus of Orangeville, ON leads the points after his win at Shannonville on a Ducati. North Vancouver’s Darren James placed second and Bill Card of Wellesley, ON was third in the season opener, both aboard Buells. The schedule also includes the fourth round of the Suzuki SV650 National Cup. Fifteen-year-old phenom Karl Daigle of Roxton Pond, QC leads the standings after sweeping both races in Calgary. Qualifying for the Parts Canada Superbike, Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike and Canadian Thunder series will take place Friday afternoon with feature races set for Saturday and Sunday. The International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike and Suzuki SV650 National Cup competitors will qualify Saturday for their Sunday feature. Action from this weekend will be shown later this summer in a one-hour show on TSN. For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com All Time Mosport Superbike Wins Pascal Picotte (Granby, QC) 3; Don Munroe (Halifax, NS) 2; Frank Trombino (Kleinburg, ON) 2; Jordan Szoke (Brantford, ON) 2; Rueben McMurter (London, ON) 1; Gary Goodfellow (Vancouver, BC) 1; Linnley Clarke (Barrie, ON) 1; Jeff Sneyd (Mississauga, ON) 1; Martin Gaudreault (Longueuil, QC) 1; Francis Martin (Rock Forest, QC) 1 Mosport Fast Facts Masters of Mosport “¦Of the 10 racers to have won a national Superbike feature at Mosport International Raceway, four are in this weekend’s field and they account for eight of the 15 victories at the track. Prior Mosport winners include Pascal Picotte (3 wins), Frank Trombino (2), Jordan Szoke (2) and Francis Martin (1). Picotte’s place? “¦By sweeping last year’s doubleheader, Pascal Picotte became the all-time leader in Mosport national Superbike wins with three. He also won the front end of the 2003 twin bill at the track. Still waiting “¦Although he has more Canadian national Superbike wins than any other rider, with 22, Steve Crevier has yet to triumph at Mosport International Raceway. The six-time class champion finished fifth in last year’s opener and crashed out of the second race; in 2003 he placed a close second to Francis Martin in the back end of the doubleheader. Hidden meaning? “¦For the past three years the winner of a Superbike national feature at Mosport International Raceway has gone on to claim the Canadian title in the same year. But until Jordan Szoke accomplished the feat in 2002, no Mosport winner had gone on to win that season’s national crown. 2005 Point Standings Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 139; 2. Francis Martin (Suzuki) 134; 3. Jordan Szoke (Honda) 117; 4. Steve Crevier (Honda) 97; 5. Kevin Lacombe (Suzuki) 89 Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike: 1. Steve Crevier (Honda) 160; 2. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 127; 3. Kevin Lacombe (Suzuki) 95 International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike: 1. James Collins (Yamaha) 74; 1. Mark Douglas (Yamaha) 74; 3. Dave Stewart (Suzuki) 64 Canadian Thunder: 1. Derek Vammus (Ducati) 55; 2. Darren James (Buell) 46; 3. Bill Card (Buell) 37 Suzuki SV650 National Cup: 1. Karl Daigle 143; 2. Alain Lefebvre 128; 3. Norm Tang 124 Provisional Weekend Schedule Friday July 15 1:45 p.m.-2:10 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Qualifying 2:20 p.m. Canadian Thunder Qualifying Heat Race 8 laps 3:15 p.m.-3:55 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Qualifying Saturday July 16 1:20 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 1 14 laps 2:20 p.m. Canadian Thunder Race 1 10 laps 3:10 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Race 1 16 laps 4:00 p.m.-4:20 p.m. Suzuki SV650 National Cup Qualifying 4:30 p.m.-5:20 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Qualifying Sunday July 17 1:00 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 2 14 laps Canadian Thunder Race 2 10 laps International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Race 12 laps 3:00 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Race 2 16 laps Suzuki SV650 National Cup Race 10 laps

The seventh round of the Superbike World Championship takes place at Brno circuit in the Czech Republic this weekend, the first time the series has been there since 1996. And on that occasion, Troy Corser took a superb double and then carried on to win the world title, so the current series leader is looking forward to history repeating itself. Brno circuit is mostly fast and flowing and is usually a favourite amongst riders. Corser has not had any recent experience of the track and will have to learn it all over again, but it is a track he remembers with affection. For team mate Yukio Kagayama, it will be another track to learn from scratch, but the Japanese rider is a quick learner and hopes the layout will suit his style well. Troy Corser: “It’s been a long while since we raced at Brno but the last time we were there I did the double, so I am really looking forward to going back. I don’t know how much of the track has changed, but a couple of the teams tested there recently and their lap times were not significantly better than the ones I did nine years ago, so maybe there have been some important changes. I remember it as being pretty fast and flowing and I hope that the feeling of the track is the same. I went on to win the title after our last visit to Brno, so I am hoping the same will happen again.” Yukio Kagayama: “I have not been to Brno before so this will be a new experience for me – like many times this season. I understand that it is quite a flowing track and I think, once I have learnt it, my style should be good for it. The important thing for me though is to get back to the podium. My start this season was good, but the last three rounds of the championship have been disappointing and I need to be on the podium. Some of my recent results have been because of little mistakes and some have been down to bad luck, so it is about time this changed. There is no reason why I cannot get good results in Brno and I will be fighting my hardest for two podiums.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: LACONI AND TOSELAND (DUCATI XEROX TEAM) CZECH MATES AT BRNO WORLD SUPERBIKE ROUND Brno (Czech Republic), Thursday 14 July: Victorious in the last four Superbike races at Silverstone and Misano Adriatico, the Ducati Xerox Team duo of Régis Laconi and James Toseland will be looking to extend their winning streak at this weekend’s Czech Republic round at Brno, which hosts a World Superbike championship race for the first time in 9 years. Laconi’s double win in the Misano heat brought the Frenchman, who celebrated his 30th birthday last week, back into contention in the championship and he now lies in third place, 92 points adrift of leader Corser (Suzuki), while Toseland moved up to fifth place with two fourth places at the Italian circuit. Ducati Corse Superbike technical director, Ernesto Marinelli, explains the difficulties of the Brno circuit, following the Ducati Xerox Team’s recent test sessions. “We have tested here for four days recently, which is a bit of an advantage because at least it means that the track is not totally new. It’s a circuit that does not require any particularly aggressive riding, instead you have to ‘stroke’ your way through the curves at quite a good speed. The circuit has a lot of these corners and slow uphill chicanes, so it is actually quite difficult.” Régis Laconi comes to Brno on the crest of a wave after notching up two wins at Misano, where the second race also marked Ducati’s 600th WSBK podium. “For me Misano was perfect, they were two of the best races of my life. It was also great for Ducati because we understood that we can achieve anything, even though it will be extremely difficult to win both races every time to be able to aim for the title. However the championship is not over yet. I like the Brno circuit a lot because it’s wide and fast with some great cornering lines. Unlike Misano, maybe my aim here is not to try and overdo it and win both races because I think that I will only go well here if I enjoy myself out on the track. The biggest problem therefore will be to get the right set-up for the front, because to get the bike to go where you want you have to have precision cornering and be able to use your own natural riding style.” James Toseland has never raced at Brno before but had a good testing session in preparation for the Czech Round. “I’ve never raced here before but we had a great test both times and I’m really looking forward to racing here. It’s similar to Mugello, with the fast long chicanes and it seems to suit the Ducati and me. We have to win here, we can’t let Troy win again otherwise it’s going to be very difficult. We’ll run a slightly stiffer setting on the front fork because of the heavy braking and we can afford to go a bit stiffer at the rear shock as well because of the width of the track. You can pick the bike up earlier and it feels like it’s got 20 HP less because of the amount of room. It’s a really great track with a lot of passing places and I think it’s going to be a good race.” BRNO STATISTICS: The 2005 championship moves into the second half of the season with the Czech Republic round. The first Brno Superbike race was held in 1993 and saw the two wins go to Carl Fogarty (Ducati) and Scott Russell (Kawasaki). Since then the only other WSBK event to be held at the track was in 1996, when current points leader Troy Corser scored two wins on a factory Ducati 916 in his championship-winning year. Ducati are the manufacturer with the best victory record at Brno, three wins against Kawasaki’s one. The track records all belong to Corser, who set them in 1996 (pole position 2m04.019s/156.873 kph, lap record 2m03.825s/157.082 kph), but the circuit has not undergone any modifications since then and those times are surely destined to drop this weekend, when the two races will be run over a distance of 108.060 kms (20 laps). CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 6 of 12 rounds) : Riders – 1. Corser (Suzuki) 254; 2. Vermeulen (Honda) 181; 3. Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 162; 4. Kagayama (Suzuki) 148; 5. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 124; 6. Haga (Yamaha) 88, etc. Manufacturers – 1. Suzuki 263; 2. Ducati 200; 3. Honda 194; 4. Yamaha 129; 5. Kawasaki 100; 6. Petronas 17. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2005 Round 7 Brno Czech Republic Race Preview 15 17 JULY 2005 CHANGE IN LINE UP FOR CZECH DATE A crash suffered by second top place World Supersport rider Katsuaki Fujiwara, during testing for the Suzuka 8-Hour race in Japan has altered the line-up of the Winston Ten Kate Honda team for the forthcoming Czech round. Championship leader Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) will now be joined by 20-year-old Briton Craig Jones (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR), a front runner on a Honda in the British Supersport series. As the previous round at Misano recently proved, there is no shortage of Honda talent on any race weekend, with Charpentier winning by 0.4 seconds from his fellow countryman Fabien Foret (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR), and Fujiwara third. Charpentier and Fujwara have scored four and two race wins respectively, in what has been a stellar season for the CBR600RR. Charpentier leads the series with 140 points to Fujiwara’s 106, with Foret fourth overall on 73. Foret’s occasionally luckless team-mate Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) has already stepped on the podium this season, in this his first full year of active service in World Supersport. Two consecutive retirements have kept him in seventh place, on 42 points. Finnish new-boy Tatu Lauslehto (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) has been learning the art of World Supersport racing after winning the European version last year, and is a respectable ninth overall. Charpentier has been a sensation in partnership with his Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, dropping only ten points from a possible 150 at the mid-season stage. “I was very sorry when I heard about Kats crashing in Japan and look forward to welcoming him back to the team at the Brands Hatch round,” said Charpentier on the eve of the Brno experience. “He has given me the strongest challenge this season and has taken two race wins to show how strong he is. But I’m looking forward to welcoming Craig to the team and giving him whatever help I can. It’ll be good to know that he’s on our side for this race because he was certainly impressive at Silverstone in May. I’ve heard a lot about the Brno circuit and think that it will suit both my style and the CBR’s characteristics. I know our main challengers from both Honda and Yamaha have tested there already so we will need to get up to speed very quickly to help the championship, which is our overall priority.” Fujiwara, unable to challenge for a potential third race win of the year at Brno, knows that he will be back soon, after his injuries have a chance to heal. “I am very disappointed to miss Brno, especially as I am second in the championship behind my team-mate Sébastien,” said a rueful Fujiwara. “I was looking forward to the opportunity to close the gap with him but it looks like that will have to wait until Brands Hatch.” Kats’ replacement at Brno, Craig Jones, regrets the way this opportunity came to pass, but is keen to make a positive impression. “I feel very sorry for Kats and hope he recovers quickly but, as you can imagine, I am very excited to have been given this opportunity. I hope the fact that most of the other riders haven’t been to Brno either will give me a level playing field to start with, but I understand the team won’t put any pressure on me. I’m just really looking forward to the whole experience.” Foret’s determination to win is legendary in World Supersport and with the mercurial Frenchman just missing victory at Misano last month, and having had a positive test at Brno recently, he feels a win is now within his grasp. “In Brno we made a good test last month,” said Foret. “I like the track and there we resolved the problems with the suspension that permitted our fantastic race in Misano. In Brno, Fujiwara will be out: I’m not happy about his problem but I know that this is a good week-end to take important points to try and get second place of the championship. Now the bike is ready and I will start to repeat the Misano race, with a better result.” Fabrizio looks to a new challenge at Brno to rekindle his points scoring form “Brno is a difficult circuit, with many aggressive corners,” said the young Roman. “The test we made there before Misano had a good result – for me, for the bike and the team. I hope only to finish the race, because I have been too unlucky for words during the last three rounds. I want to return on the podium and take important points. I know things may not look so great now, but I believe that I can finish top three by the end of the year.” Lauslehto has had the benefit of a recent test at Brno, as he goes for more good points in his rookie season. “In June we spent some days testing at Brno,” said the Finn. “That was my first time riding at this track but after a short time I had set some quite fast lap times. I like Brno very much and after the good experience in June I hope to achieve a top ten position in the race.” World Superbike Round 7 of 12 HONDA SUPERBIKE RIDERS READY FOR REVISITED BRNO With the Brno race approaching the quintet of supported Honda CBR1000RR riders has already proven adept at the art of Superbike racing in this most competitive of years. Foremost among them in the points table is 2003 World Supersport Champion Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR), with a single 2005 SBK race win to his credit so far, and an overall second place in the Championship at midseason. Week-on-week consistency has been a difficult thing for most competitors in SBK to achieve this year; such are the numbers of closely matched machines from a variety of sources. The most experienced rider of them all, Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR), is in eighth position in the points table after the Misano midseason. Vermeulen’s team-mate and compatriot Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) has made strides forward in his rookie season of SBK competition, the 2004 World Supersport Champion now sitting tenth overall out of 35 points scorers thus far. Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) continues to fight back to the dazzling form he showed early in the season, when he scored a podium finish at Phillip Island, in only his second ever SBK outing. Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji CBR1000RR) has had some dreadful misfortunes in races this year, but he and his new team have long since started to gel all the elements together step by step. Vermeulen is ready for another new World Superbike experience, at a track not used for SBK racing since 1996. “I’m looking forward to the new challenge that Brno brings and excited about going to a new track,” said Vermeulen, “I’ve spoken to a few other guys who have raced there in MotoGP and it seems to be one of their favourites because it’s fast and flowing. It’s a shame we haven’t been able to test there but with only two test tracks allowed, there’s always going to be a compromise. It’s certainly going to be difficult going out on the first day but we’ll hopefully get up to speed quickly enough because the bike’s been getting better and better over the last few rounds. I’ve spoken to the guys back at the workshop and they’ve got a couple of new things for us to try.” Chili’s advanced experience in SBK makes him only one of two current SBK racers to have previous Superbike race time at Brno. “When I saw that Brno was on the 2005 schedule I was really happy about it. In 1996 I finished only 10th and 8th at Brno but this time the conditions, with the Klaffi Honda Fireblade, are much better for me. After Misano we focused on the setting of the suspension. Now everything is perfect and – with some luck – a place on the podium may be possible.” Muggeridge looks to Brno as another challenge, especially given the spread of differing talents and testing experiences he will be up against. “I’ve heard Brno is pretty quick but pretty bumpy, too, so that could throw up one or two problems,” stated Muggeridge. “I’ll make sure I get lots of laps in on a scooter as soon as I arrive to get myself properly familiar with it. We’ll be playing a bit of catch up with those who have already tested and one or two ex-GP riders who I’m sure will remember which way it goes. The championship hasn’t been there for a few years either so hopefully that might give us a bit of an advantage.” Neukirchner positively glows with the prospect of racing a Superbike at Brno, an unusual circuit for him, in that he has great experience of it. “Brno is my favourite race track,” stated Neukirchner, with some feeling. “I have know Brno since my first years as a rider, when I participated in the German Junior Cup and the national 125cc championship. The long, fast turns and the general layout of the track are ideal, and in such conditions it is necessary to open the throttle as much as you can, especially uphill. I’m looking forward to riding there again.” Bostrom’s lack of experience at Brno will not help his attempt to get on fully competitive terms, but he remains as upbeat as ever. “I’ve never been there before, but I understand quite a few of our rivals have tested. We will have to put in a lot of hard work but that’s to be expected at a new track.” 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.