Teams racing in the Superbike World Championship pay 40,000 Euros ($48,331) per Superbike rider for tires, and pay 20,000 Euros ($24,165) per Supersport rider for tires. When the spec tire program was implemented in World Superbike and World Supersport, teams with existing tire sponsorship deals lost those deals, and had to start paying for all their tires. American riders who wanted to enter as a wild card in the World Superbike races at Laguna Seca in 2004 were told that they had to pay $5000 for tires for the weekend. As a result, no American wild card riders entered. Using the $5000 wild card fee as a basis for double-header weekends and half that for single-race weekends, a similar spec tire program in AMA Superbike could cost teams $45,000 per Superbike rider and $22,500 per support-class rider. Under such a plan, Yoshimura Suzuki could be charged $135,000 per season for tires for Superbike riders Mat Mladin, Aaron Yates and Ben Spies and another $45,000 for Superstock and Supersport riders Yates and Spies, for a grand total of $180,000 not including tires for testing. Kawasaki would be charged $90,000 for tires for Tommy and Roger Hayden in Superstock and Supersport; Yamaha would pay $180,000 for Damon Buckmaster, Aaron Gobert, Jamie Hacking and Jason DiSalvo in Superstock and Supersport; Honda would pay $135,000 for Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke in Superbike and Formula Xtreme; Erion Honda would pay $67,500 for Kurtis Roberts in Superbike and Alex Gobert in FX; Lion Racing would pay $135,000 for Jake Holden and John Haner in Superbike and Superstock; KWS would pay $112,500 for Lee Acree and Blake Young in Superbike, Superstock and Supersport; Hooters Help You Ride would pay $135,000 for Eric Wood and Jimmy Moore in Superbike and Superstock; Corona would pay $135,000 for Tony Meiring and Brent George in Superbike and Superstock; and Hotbodies Racing Honda would pay $90,000 for Larry Pegram and Jeremy Toye in Superbike. Superbike privateers like Scott Jensen would pay $45,000 and Supersport/FX privateers like Chris Peris would pay $22,500 per class. The cost to the AMA Superbike paddock alone would be about $3.6 million, not including support classes. Full implementation of an AMA Superbike Series spec tire program (involving all four classes) based on the World Superbike model could cost participants $9 million a year, assuming 40 riders entered each class. At 50 entries per class the cost could be $11.25 million and at 60 entries per class the cost could be $13.5 million. Again, not including tires used in testing…

FPR gear up for Brno challenge Foggy PETRONAS Racing venture into unknown territory for the seventh round of the Superbike World Championship at Brno in the Czech Republic this weekend. World Superbike action returns to scenic setting for the first time since 1996 and, although Garry McCoy has a wealth of Grand Prix experience at the circuit, this is a new venue for Carl Fogarty’s team. But team manager Jack Valentine is hoping to build on the progress made at the previous round, when Steve Martin recorded the best result of the season with an eighth place in the second Misano race. Jack said: “We have been spending most of our time developing the new engine management system and I think there is still plenty to come from that. The Brno circuit may not suit us because there are some steep climbs, particularly coming out the chicane. However, there are also a lot of fast flowing corners so, until we get there, we do not really know what to expect. It will be critical to get the gear ratios correct quickly so that we can maximise the potential of the bike.” Garry said: “We used to test there in my Red Bull days so I know the circuit pretty well and have had some pretty good results there. I have won in the 125cc GPs there and also clinched the German championship at Brno on a 125cc. I was also third in the 500cc GP in 2001, behind Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi. It’s a big and wide track with a couple of hills, a couple of tight lefts and some blind corners, so it is a bit tricky. The key corner is the one running onto the main hill. If you come out of there a bit untidy you will lose all momentum before that huge hill. I always look forward to going to Brno and I hope our bike is going to be relatively competitive.” Steve said: “I think I will be one of the very few riders never to have seen the track before, but if the bike is handling well it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn. I am not going to have any pre-conceived ideas and I just want to do as many laps as I can with my settings from Misano so that I can get an idea about the gearing. It looks as though the weekend might be wet and I would actually look forward to a wet race. The team have been making a few modifications to the weight distribution which should help improve my lap time consistency with full and empty fuel tanks.” Foggy was a winner at Brno in 1993 and narrowly missed out on a double victory when his bike broke down on the penultimate lap while leading, although he managed to nurse it home in second place.

Edwards, Rossi on the Podium at US MotoGP Yamaha’s Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi helped thrill a sellout crowd at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway on Sunday, July 10, by closely finishing second and third behind Nicky Hayden. The pair was outfitted in ’70s style yellow and black leathers that matched the bodywork of their M1 race bikes to commemorate Yamaha’s 50th anniversary. But the day was special for a variety of other reasons: It also represented the first time MotoGP has visited North America, and Edwards’ best ever 2005 MotoGP finish. Starting from the pole position, Hayden led the entire race, but never by more than just a few seconds over either Rossi or Edwards. For the first half of the 32-lap contest, Hayden held Rossi at bay. But it was Edwards who was the most impressive. After running in seventh on the first lap, he worked his way up to second with a determined move past Rossi on lap 16. From there Edwards stalked Hayden while distancing himself slightly from the defending world champion. But Rossi surged late in the race and pounced on Edwards, finishing third to the Texan by a scant 0.371 seconds. While Rossi still leads the MotoGP series comfortably for Yamaha, Edwards’ strong finish improves his points position. He currently lies in fifth, just two points behind Sete Gibernau. DiSalvo Thrills in Superstock Shootout For a young racer, Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R1 rider Jason DiSalvo is incredibly patient. Waiting until the last corner of the AMA Superstock race at Laguna Seca on Sunday, July 10, Jason DiSalvo set up and passed Aaron Yates to take the lead. His last corner, last-lap gamble was akin to making a game-winning three-point jump shot at the buzzer in basketball. And it nearly worked. DiSalvo’s impeccably timed thrust inside Yates got him into the lead momentarily, but Yates was able to get on the throttle sooner and retake the lead and grab the win at the flag. The exciting finish to Round 7 of the 2005 Superstock season had serious undertones because only 10 points now separate DiSalvo and Yates in the championship. “It was a good race, I just couldn’t make the pass stick,” DiSalvo said afterwards. “Now I want to go out and try to win every race the rest of the year.” Graves Motorsports teammates Aaron Gobert finished seventh and Damon Buckmaster rounded out the top eight. Like DiSalvo, their Yamaha R1s were beautifully finished in old-school yellow and black paint schemes to honor the company’s 50th anniversary. DiSalvo Scores Laguna Seca Supersport Win It took him until the final corner of the race, but Jason DiSalvo slid his Yamaha YZF-R6 inside Roger Lee Hayden to win a terrific AMA Supersport contest at Laguna Seca on Sunday, July 10. His dramatic move closed out Yamaha’s weekend on a jubilant note. The 17-lap finale began with DiSalvo making a poor start and dropping all the way back to 10th position. But up ahead he soon noticed leader Hayden starting to get away and committed to do something about it. DiSalvo passed rider after rider, and found himself at Hayden’s rear wheel with four laps to go but with no way to get by. When the last corner came up, DiSalvo got inside Hayden under braking. The two touched briefly but DiSalvo got a better drive and sprinted to the line by 0.243 seconds. Fellow Yamaha R6 pilots Aaron Gobert and Damon Buckmaster finished third and seventh, respectively. “It was a definitely a great race, one of the best if not the best of my life,” enthused DiSalvo. “I was really happy to be able to come out and give Yamaha a win for their 50th birthday.” Yamaha Road Racing Manager Tom Halverson added, “I’m really proud to be associated with Yamaha on their 50th anniversary, and to be here with the MotoGP team and the Japanese management.” More, from a press release issued by Safety First Racing: SAFETY FIRST RACING GIVES AWAY FREE HELMETS TO KIDS IN MONTEREY. Safety First Racing started the Laguna Seca weekend off early by conducting a couple of “Safety First” presentations on Tuesday at the Monterey Recreation Center and Youth Camp with the Monterey Park District. Approximately 90 kids were treated to the latest addition to the Safety First Suzuki GSXR 600 promo bike”¦.red/blue flashing police lights. Team owner, Kevin Hanson, commented on the police lights. “I’m always looking at cool, different ways to reach out to kids during our presentations”¦..it worked out really well. The kids went nuts and all weekend long we had droves of race fans coming by taking pictures of the flashing bike all weekend. It was a great time, Shea did an excellent job of speaking to the kids and we gave away several new bicycle helmets to kids that didn’t have one,” exclaimed Hanson. Supersport; The short amount of track time saw Laguna Seca first-timer Shea Fouchek #544 really under the gun to make the most of every track session. After the weekend, Fouchek gave his account on Laguna Seca, “I love this place”¦.this is by far the funnest track we have been to yet!” It was apparent by his results on the weekend. After qualifying 23rd, Fouchek put his head down in the race and finished a solid 18th with a best lap of 1:32:3. “I got a decent start, however I got stuck behind a guy on a Kawasaki for like 9 laps before I could get around him”¦.the group in front had checked out so I just put my head down and road as hard as I could and caught back up and started passing them. If I would have had another lap I think I could have moved up a few more positions and went even faster!” stated Fouchek. Superbike: Going into the weekend, J.J. Roetlin #94 was looking to find his form from earlier in the year.. Roetlin stated, ” I’ve been struggling with my confidence lately in the front end and just getting the bike to work overall for me.” After qualifying 35th in Superbike, Roetlin turned the weekend around and finished a much improved 25th during the race. “I was really struggling with my times at the start of the weekend trying some different things, but we turned it around even with the limited amount of track time by the end of the weekend,” described Roetlin. In speaking with team owner, Kevin Hanson, he described the weekend as being a big positive for Roetlin. “We tried some different suspension stuff at the start of the weekend that didn’t work and went back to what we new on Saturday and instantly saw J.J.’s times start dropping,” explained Hanson. “We just ran out of track time. You could see his confidence coming back at the end of weekend, he just need more seat time to keep improving,” answered Hanson. Superstock: Roetlin qualified 34th and again rode a much better race. “In the race, there were times I just threw it in there on the front end and everytime it stuck”¦..I just need to keep trusting myself on what the bike is doing,” said Roetlin. I think we really made some progress this weekend that will help me carry it over to Mid Ohio with more track time available,” described Roetlin. More, from a press release issued by Impact Safe- T Armor: Nicky & Colin Reach Protection Milestone at USGP Citrus Heights, CA, 13, July 2005 “” Not only did Americans finish 1 & 2 for the first time in MotoGP on July 10th, it also marks the first time that chest protectors were worn by the top two finishers in Grand Prix Racing’s premier class. “We’ve reached an historic milestone that’s advanced the cause of rider safety,” says Impact Safe-T Armor founder Mike Braxton. “We introduced Colin to chest protection in 1994, Nicky in the year 2000. Both Nicky and Colin have been instrumental in its design and vocal advocates for the wearing of chest protectors. “The American 1, 2 also debunks claims that chest protectors are uncomfortable, bulky or somehow affects the performance of the motorcycle. It’s always been our contention that the chest protector is the (Hans device) of motorcycle racing,” says Mike. “Let me put it another way…Nicky and Colin won’t leave pit lane without their chest protectors in place.” Note: Impact Safe-T Armor chest protectors are made to measure and protect sternum, heart, lungs and ribs from the forces of impact energy. More, from a press release issued by Lindemann Engineering (LE): Lion Racing’s Jake Holden started ninth, and ended up 4th in the Laguna Superstock Final, his best finish to date. Jake used his LE modified stock piston/cartridge forks and Penske shock, to set the fastest lap of the race. Jake’s teammate John Hanner had a great ride, coming from behind to finish 5th, making it two of the top five for Lion!

Airfence on the way to Symmons Plains Raceway With all issues regarding the licensing process for the Symmons Plains Raceway (Tas) having been resolved last month, the 2005 Australian Historic Road Race Championship will proceed as scheduled at the venue from November 26-28. Now, as part of the blueprint to elevate the circuit to a standard suitable for motorcycle racing, Motorsports Tasmania (MST), which manages Symmons Plains Raceway, has just placed an order for Airfence, which will be positioned at the Turn Four hairpin. Following the historic title, the Airfence will remain a fixture at Symmons Plains for subsequent motorcycle racing events. Supplementary regulations and entry forms for the 2005 Australian Historic Road Race Championship will be released within a week.

DUCATI TO BE FEATURED MARQUE AT AMA VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE DAYS DUBLIN, Ohio Famed Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati will be the featured marque at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2005, July 15-17 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The 79-year-old marque will be celebrated with special feature races and events throughout thea three-day American Motorcyclist Association event, hosted by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), July 15-17 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The weekend, celebrating the 79-year-old marque, promises to be which is the largest and best vintage bike event of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. At the core of Ducati’s involvement in AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is the Museo: “Passion In Motion, Ducati Style From 0 to 999.” For the first time in Ducati’s history, a display has been assembled of pre-war Ducati products and prime examples of significant Ducati models, including a number of bikes with important historical backgrounds; — roughly 70 bikes in total. The display will be brought together by collectors and restorers from all over North America and will be visible for 3 days only. The event’s Grand Marshall in 2005 iswill be Paul Smart, who rode the famous Ducati 750 and wonto a win in the Imola 200 Miles in 1972. Mr. Smart is also will be being honored by with the introduction of the SportClassic “Paul Smart 1000,” the first in a new family of modern Ducatis that pay tribute to the the marque’s rich racing history of Ducati’s storied past. Spectators also will be treated to Wworld stunt champion Christian Pfeiffer’s Ducati freestyle riding display will treat spectators to daring performances throughout the weekend event. Pfeiffer’s will performs his extreme riding on a Ducati Monster 1000, a GasGas 280 and even a GasGas 280 without a front wheel. The event also will feature Aa Ducati Vintage Days Rally, will also take place during the weekend. and Ducati owners will have access to a special camping area in the infield and to take it all in. The rally will feature two nights’ camping or daily bike parking, an exclusive event t-shirt and other goodies, daily door prizes, a hospitality tent and club areas, a potluck dinner with a live band on Saturday, and of course great camaraderie with fellow enthusiasts. There will be special seminars by several guest speakers, including Gigi Mengoli, Ppresident of the Ducati Foundation and Aassistant Pproduct Mmanager for Ducati Motor Holding, and Gary Eagan, famed Ducati long distance Ducati rider and multi-record holder. In addition to these Ducati events, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days will feature American Historic Motorcycle Racing Association (AHRMA) road racing, two days of AHRMA motocross, plus observed trials and dirt-track racing. The on-track competitions should are expected to draw more than 1,100 competitors. AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2005 also will feature three vintage bike shows; the Will Stoner Swap meet, the largest of its kindmotorcycle swap meet in North America; a slate of guest speakers, including renowned designer Craig Vetter; an array of vendors featuring new products from top manufacturers and dealers; and the annual Motorcycle Hall of Fame Auction of motorcycles and memorabilia. Spectator tickets for AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2005 are available from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 1-800-MID-OHIO or www.midohio.com. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a 2.4-mile, 15-turn permanent road racing circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located just 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.

DiSalvo Wins for Yamaha’s 50th Anniversary Jason DiSalvo, of Stafford, New York extended his streak of pole positions to 5 consecutive while setting a new track record in the 1000cc SuperStock class at the American GrandPrix run in conjunction with the American Motorcycle Association SuperBike races held at Mazada Laguna Seca RoadRacing course, July 8th, 9th, and 10th. The weekend of racing brought back to the US the premier motorcycle event “World GrandPrix-Moto GP” which has not been run on American soil since 1994. Jason participated in the 1000cc SuperStock and 600cc SuperSport classes, with a full schedule, Jason began the weekend by posting the fastest time in both Friday practices then on Saturday July 9th during qualifying he set a new track record in the 1000cc SuperStock class of 1 min 26.294 sec giving him his 5th consecutive pole position in that class. Sunday with a very heavy schedule with practice and qualifying for the 600cc SuperSport event put Jason second to the championship leader on the front row. The first race at 11:30am telecast live on Speed TV where Jason started from the pole position he battled with the lead group until the final two laps where Jason and the championship leader broke away for a fantastic battle with Jason pressuring the leader in every turn. On the final lap in the last turn Jason made a heroic pass going into turn eleven for the dash to the finish line but came up short at the checkered flag having to settle with second place. During the 600cc SuperSport race Jason started from the front row. With a less than stellar start Jason got pushed wide in turn one and two along with 2 of his teammates. With one lap done he found himself back in 10th position. With determination and help from one of his teammates (Aaron Gobert) they fought their way to the front pack. He commented after the race, “I saw the leader and we had 6 laps to go but he was 4 seconds ahead and I didn’t know if I could catch him.” For the next 6 laps Jason ran almost a second faster per lap than the leader closing with two laps to go. He continued to pressure the leader to the final lap and last turn making the same courageous move he had done earlier. This time making it stick and winning a very hard fought race. With first place in 600cc SuperSport he is currently 3rd in the championship and his 2nd place in 1000cc SuperStock keeps him in 2nd place well in contention. Yamaha Motorsports celebrating their 50th anniversary used special colors and designs, which were from the 1970’s. The fans were treated to some of the best racing this year. Jason will be back in New York training for the up-coming Mid-Ohio race course event near Mansfield Ohio (the closest track to home) to be held July 24th, 25th, and 26th.

PARTS CANADA RENEWS DEAL TORONTO, ON Parts Canada has renewed its title sponsorship of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship for another three years. The new arrangement takes effect with the 2006 season and will continue through 2008. The Calgary-based business, a wholesaler of aftermarket motorcycle parts with sales representatives across the country, is the sister company of U.S.-based Parts Unlimited. The sponsorship extension was announced at the recent Parts Canada Superbike Championship doubleheader at Race City Motorsport Park. “We are owned by Parts Unlimited and their motto is ‘we support the sport.’ The people who come to these races are our customers. We want to support it on the backside,” said Parts Canada president James Danyluk. Parts Canada is the exclusive distributor for many leading motorsports products, including HJC, Alpinestars, DP Brakes, Dynojet, Hindle Exhaust, Vance & Hines and Yoshimura. The 2006 season will also see the Parts Canada Superbike Championship broadcast in High Definition television for the first time on TSN. The series recently concluded an arrangement with TSN to have the series shown this summer in one-hour episodes on the all-sports network. “We are thrilled to extend our affiliation with Parts Canada for another three years,” said Colin Fraser, president of series organizer Professional Motorsports Productions. “They are the perfect partners. They are a very well recognized and respected company in this industry, and we are proud to have them involved with our series. The continued success of this partnership speaks volumes about the respect our two organizations have for each other.” Parts Canada became title sponsor of the Canadian national road racing series at the start of the 2000 season, making this the sixth year it has been affiliated with the Superbike tour. The new deal will take the relationship to nine years and counting. The relationship between the two organizations began in 1997, when the national Superbike tour began using a Dynojet Dyno to monitor the series’ horsepower limits. In addition to its title sponsorship, Parts Canada also supports the national series through the HJC Pro Rookie of the Year award, which was introduced in 2000. This year Parts Canada will also award a cash bonus to the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike champion. “It’s gone very well. Everyone’s been great,” Danyluk said. “We know the job’s being done and renewing our deal wasn’t even a question. We consider ourselves as much a part of the series as the people working in the corners.” The 2005 Parts Canada Superbike Championship consists of eight races at five separate venues across the country. Blackfoot Suzuki rider Clint McBain swept the doubleheader at Race City to take over the points lead from Francis Martin after three events. The tour continues with another doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, ON this weekend.

Yamaha/Graves Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking will not race at the next round of the AMA Championship series, July 22-24 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and will instead continue re-habilitating his injured elbows near Dr. Arthur Ting’s Fremont, California office. “I’m going to go home after this,” Hacking told Roadracingworld.com Sunday in the paddock of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where he was participating in Yamaha’s 50th anniversary activities, “gather things up, turn around and go back out to Dr. Ting’s for about another three weeks and finish up my re-hab and get things back into working conditions. “I definitely won’t be at Mid-Ohio. I’m shooting for Virginia (International Raceway, VIR). If I don’t feel like I’m 100% for Virginia, for sure, I should be 100% for Road Atlanta. “My main goal is to be ready. I don’t want to be riding around still trying to heal. I want to be ready and ready to win. That’s all I want to do.” Hacking suffering bone fractures and tendon and ligament damage in both of his elbows when he crashed while training on his bicycle in Colorado in late-May. He had surgery a few days later at Dr. Ting’s office (resulting in 12-inch and six-inch incision scars on each of his elbows), and has been doing re-habilitation work ever since. At the time of his injury, Hacking was leading the Superstock Championship, with one victory, and was second in the Supersport standings, with two wins and five podiums in five races.