Superbike World Championship preview – round seven: Brno Round seven: Czech Republic, Brno Track length: 5403 m Opened: 1987 Superbike lap record: 2:04.019 (Troy Corser, 1996) The Superbike World Championship welcomes back the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic to its calendar, with the 2005 series passing the halfway point there this weekend. The long and flowing circuit is a firm fixture in the MotoGP calendar, but has been visited just twice by the superbikers – in 1993 and 1996. Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt will not be strangers to the circuit however. The pair spent two days testing at Brno last month and found good base settings ahead of Friday’s first qualifying. Having gone into the last two rounds with no set-up data, Haga and Pitt are confident of continuing the R1’s development during the race weekend. Haga goes to Brno as the top Yamaha runner in the championship, with a brace of hard fought sixth places at Misano moving him up to sixth in the standings. “Misano was very tough but I think we did a good job to take two sixth places after qualifying down in 21st,” said the Japanese rider. “We’ve already spent two days at Brno, working on the chassis settings and finding a race set-up. That was all we did during the test there – working on the race set-up and not using qualifying tyres – so I am confident that we have a good base that won’t see me starting from the sixth row again!” Team-mate Pitt goes to Brno after a Misano nightmare that saw him fail to finish either race and slip back to ninth in the championship. However the resilient Australian feels that testing at Brno will give them a head start this weekend. He said: “After two tough weekends at new tracks for our R1 it will be good to get to a circuit where we at least have some data ahead of the race weekend. We’re going to Brno with a base setting and we should be able to spend Friday improving them rather than just trying to find something that works like we did in Misano and Silverstone.” Also looking for improved fortunes are the Yamaha Motor France team. Misano saw the team’s Norick Abe score just one point in “one of the worst weekends of my career” while team-mate Sebastien Gimbert looks to return to action after missing Misano with a leg injury. “The last three races have been tough,” admitted Abe. “The first three were held on courses of which I had experience from Grands Prix and I am looking forward to Brno, which is a circuit I know well. It is a course which I enjoy riding, although I have never finished on the podium there. Maybe that is something I can change this weekend.” Brno technical guide Although a new track for most of the superbike teams and riders, Brno is a popular stop on the MotoGP calendar. At 5.4km, Brno is the longest circuit the superbikers will race at this year. Combined with the wide, smooth, track surface, it’s a venue which also allows a variety of competitive racing lines and passing opportunities – majority of the time this takes place under brakes. Far from being a flat circuit the elevation changes are quite varied in the second half, while the corners themselves often feature a typically positive camber. The Brno tarmac also offers good grip, without the reputation for tearing up tyres. With this in mind, recent tests at the venue focused almost exclusively on chassis settings. By altering the height of the rear swingarm pivot, both Haga and Pitt were able to improve the steering characteristics of their machines, while Pirelli’s new, wider, 200 section rear tyres, introduced for the first time in Misano, should offer improved side grip and drive out of the many long radius corners. Brno features no really hard braking zones but, with so many constant radius corners, throttle connection and a linear power delivery are important, another key development area for the Yamaha Motor Italia team this year and an area where the machines have been transformed throughout the season. Supersport World Championship Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes go to Brno on a high after a hectic June that has seen them improve the settings of their YZF-R6 machines dramatically. Both joined their superbike colleagues to test at the circuit a few weeks ago and were delighted with the results: finding good suspension settings for the race and testing tyres for championship supplier Pirelli. This work was continued last weekend when the squad stayed on at Misano to compete in a national championship round at the Italian venue. Parkes won the race, his first victory on a Yamaha, but more importantly both riders reported improved front end suspension set-up. With six of the 12 rounds gone, Curtain lies third in the championship with Parkes in fifth. FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Occupying the top three positions in the Superstock FIM 1000 Cup, the internal battle between Yamaha’s officially-supported superstock riders should provide a fascinating appetiser in Brno. Just 10 points separate the R1 riders, with Italian class rookie Massimo Roccoli taking the championship lead at his home race in Misano three weeks ago. Early season pace setter Kenan Sofuoglu is set to return to action after missing out on Misano, albeit not yet 100 percent recovered from his a broken hand. The Turkish rider remains second in the series, eight points behind Roccoli but just two ahead of Yamaha Motor Germany team-mate Didier van Keymeulen. Van Keymeulen scored another second in Misano and goes to Brno with the advantage of a day’s testing at the venue last month. Another Yamaha youngster to look out for is Italian starlet Claudio Corti, who leads the European Superstock 600 Championship after winning three of the first four rounds on his YZF-R6.

CHARPENTIER JOINED BY CRAIG JONES FOR CZECH CHALLENGE World Superpsort championship leader, Sébastien Charpentier, will have a new team-mate for this weekend’s seventh round event at Brno in the Czech Republic. The Winston Honda rider will be joined by Britain’s Craig Jones, who replaces the injured Katsuaki Fujiwara. While Charpentier seeks his fifth win of the season and an extension of his series points lead over Fujiwara, Jones heads for the 5.4km Brno circuit direct from last Sunday’s British Supersport race at Snetterton, following which he holds second place in the UK domestic championship. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “We’re sorry that Kats (Fujiwara) won’t be with us in Brno but wish him a speedy recovery from his back injury. Gerrit (ten Kate) has been following Craig Jones’s career in the British championship for the last couple of years and, of course, we saw his performance as a wild-card at the recent World Supersport event at Silverstone. As one of the brightest young prospects in British racing, Craig was a natural choice for us to replace Kats at Brno. It’s always difficult riding as a replacement, though, so we won’t be putting any pressure on him. We just want him to enjoy the experience and to get a taste for life in a world championship team. Of course, it’s our first visit to Brno as a team so we’ll be working hard to give Sébastien a good race set-up that will allow him to continue his domination of the series.” Sébastien Charpentier championship position 1st, 140 points: “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. 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.” Craig Jones: “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’d like to thank Gerrit and Ronald of course, but also my team manager in the UK, Gary Ekerold, who has been kind enough to release me for this ride. I really enjoyed the Silverstone event and managed to qualify on the front row, even though I had a mechanical failure in the race. I’ve wanted to ride for Gerrit for a long time and I can’t wait to get on one of the famous Ten Kate Hondas. 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.” World Supersport Championship points after six of 12 rounds: 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 140, 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 106, 3 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) 93, 4 Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) 74, 4 Broc Parkes AUS (Yamaha) 60, 5 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) 46, 6 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) 42, 7 Gianluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) 41, 9 Tauto Lauslehto FIN (Honda) 36, 10 Javier Fores ESP (Suzuki) 36. Brno World Supersport event schedule: Friday 15 July 09.35-10.20 free practice, 13.15-14.00 qualifying; Saturday 16 July 10.00-10.45 free practice, 13.45-14.30 qualifying; Sunday 17 July 09.50-10.10 warm-up, 13.20 race (18 laps, 97.254km).

WINSTON MEN SEEK BRNO BOOST Winston Ten Kate Honda’s Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge head to the Czech Republic this weekend for round seven of this year’s World Superbike championship in search of further points. The Brno event marks the return of the series to the Czech venue for the first time since 1996. With one victory to his name already and two second place finishes last time out at Misano leaving him second in the championship standings, Vermeulen will be looking to make further inroads into the points lead of his fellow Australian, Troy Corser. Muggeridge, meanwhile, will be hoping to build on the qualifying form that put him on the front row in Italy. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “It’s our first time at Brno as a team and, although some of our competitors have tested there this season, we’ll be looking for a similar performance to last year’s at Laguna Seca in America. Chris had never seen the circuit before and took a double victory there, so we know from experience that anything is possible. Of course, testing at a new circuit is always an advantage but I certainly don’t think it rules us out of contention. We’re hoping to test one or two new chassis components in Brno to help us build on the base setting that saw us perform well in Misano and I know that both Chris and Karl are growing in confidence on the bike with each outing.” Chris Vermeulen championship position 2nd, 181 points: “I’m looking forward to the new challenge that Brno brings and excited about going to a new track. 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. I reckon Brno should suit the Fireblade so we’re ready to go. I’m pretty relaxed because I managed to grab a few days back home in Australia between a couple of Suzuka 8-hour tests and, since I got back to Europe last week, I’ve been playing around with my new Ford Coupe, which is fantastic.” Karl Muggeridge championship position 10th, 65 points: “I’ve heard Brno is pretty quick but pretty bumpy, too, so that could throw up one or two problems. 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. We certainly found a better way forward at Misano and everything was going well through qualifying and Superpole. I just felt so rough on race day that I wasn’t able to convert that good set-up into a couple of decent finishes but we’re making progress each time we go out so I’m looking forward to the weekend. I’m also looking forward to some more of our own testing at Lausitzring in Germany straight after Brno. The championship hasn’t been there for a few years either so hopefully that might give us a bit of an advantage.” Championship points after six of 12 rounds: 1 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) 254, 2 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 181, 3 Regis Laconi FRA (Ducati) 162, 4 Yukio Kagayama JPN (Suzuki) 148, 5 James Toseland GBR (Ducati) 124, 6 Noryuki Haga JPN (Yamaha) 88, 7 Chris Walker GBR (Kawasaki) 87, 8 Pierfrancesco Chili ITA (Honda) 86, 9 Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha) 70, 10 Karl Muggeridge AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 65. Brno World Superbike event schedule: Friday 15 July 10.30-11.30 free practice, 14.15-15.15 qualifying; Saturday 16 July 11.00-12.00 qualifying, 14.45-15.45 free practice, 16.00 Superpole; Sunday 17 July 09.20-09.40 warm-up, 12.00 race one (20 laps, 108.06km), 15.30 race two (20 laps, 108.06km).

Superbike & Supersport World Championships, Superstock FIM Cup Brno-CZE, 17/07/2005: Wild-card riders The wild-card riders who will race in the Superbike and Supersport World Championships rounds scheduled on the circuit of Brno on July 17 next, are the following : Superbike 59, Jiri Trcka (CZE-Ducati 999RS) JTR Ducati Corse 74, Adam Badziak (POL-Suzuki GSX-R 1000) Poland Position 79, Jiri Drazdak (SVK-Yamaha YZF R-1) Maco Moto Racing 80, Marek Svoboda (SVK-Yamaha YZF R-1) Maco Moto Racing 81, Milos Cihak (SVK-Yamaha YZF R-1) Maco Moto Racing 94, David Checa (SPA-Yamaha YZF R-1) GMT 94 Supersport 90, Pavel Ouda (CZE-Honda CBR 600RR) Midland Racing Moto World 91, Wolfgang Kerbl (AUT-Honda CBR 600RR) WK Racing Honda

Race Report: Hotbodies Racing Honda at Laguna Seca AMA Superbike, July 8-10 Larry Pegram #72 During the combined AMA Superbike/Moto GP weekend, Larry Pegram qualified his #72 HRC-kitted Honda CBR1000RR in 17th place and finished 12th in the Superbike class. Pegram said, “The weekend started out bad with us getting little practice time and then we had a problem with the transmission. We had to tear down the engine before qualifying and this set us back a step so we only set a time putting us 17th on the grid. But the bike was all set for the race and in one lap I made up a couple places and soon was in tenth. While fighting for ninth place I ran into a lapper and went off the track. I came back on in 12th and wasn’t able to make up any positions before the race ended. So I’m sort of torn; I’m happy with how I was riding and know I could have taken more positions so I’m not that happy with how it ended up. We have really figured the bike out and have made up for our lack of testing so we’re still improving.” Pegram is now eleventh in Superbike points for the season. Jeremy Toye #57 Jeremy Toye qualified his nearly more-partially fully HRC-kitted Honda CBR1000RR in 18th for Superbike, and moved up in the race to finish 14th. Toye, the man I’m most interested in partying with, said, “Practice was really unusual. It went just as planned?! Well, almost. Prior to this event we built the engine as it should have been when the season started and we did some testing at Willow Springs and we had new suspension parts and took ten pounds off bike. So we had ten more hp and the bike worked great and everything was as it should be and it was almost overwhelming for my little brain. In the race we got up to 14th, which is nothing spectacular but we continued moving forward instead of backwards. I was focused and ready for others to add to our accomplishments but every racer had a near perfect weekend, so we only got what we earned. And that’s all you can ever expect. The cool thing was Larry and I had retro paint jobs on our bikes so they looked like 1983 Honda Superbikes. Roger Davis of Hotbodies had wanted us to do something special with the paint for this event. What made it was how three other teams had retro paint jobs too in celebration of their racing histories. I have the same number as one of Honda’s old riders and Cycle News ran a picture of the two of our bikes in a recent issue, before we even did our retro paint job.” Justin Filice #170 Competing in is first AMA Superbike event at Laguna Seca, Justin Filice qualified his Honda CBR600RR in 30th place for Supersport, finishing the race in 29th after an off-track detour. Filice said, “In practice and qualifying we struggled. The forks felt as if they were bound up. We only had an hour of practice so it was hard to make changes and have time to see how they felt. In Saturday’s practice I dropped five seconds off my times. Qualifying wasn’t until Sunday morning before our race and it went okay. I did my fastest lap up to then. At the beginning of the race gong into turn two some guy cut me off and I locked the front and by the time I got it together I was last, so I had a lot of work to do. The bike was much better for the race. I went the fastest I had gone all weekend and overall the bike was tremendously better for the race. This weekend we struggled but I like the track. It’s challenging and fun, and it’s hard to go fast here. It’s deceptive. And it was a good time; I saw Brad Pitt and met Colin Edwards, and Valentino Rossi. It was a great event.” More, from a press release issued by Team Hotbodies Racing Cory West #187 2004 Rookie of the Year, Cory West, qualified his Suzuki GSX-R1000 in 28th for Superbike, and then put the hammer down to move up ten positions to finish 18th. Due to logistics problems, West was unavailable for comment prior to deadline. Nicky Moore #28 Returning to race after recuperating from injuries suffered in a fall at the AMA Superbike event at Barber Motorsports Park, Nicky Moore qualified in 36th place for the Superbike race and finished 30th. But in Supersport, the class Moore has competed in all season long, Moore qualified 15th and finished ninth. Due to travel requirements, Moore was unavailable for comment. Taylor Knapp #38 In Supersport, Taylor Knapp put his Yamaha YZF-R6 in 26th place on the grid, proving by race time he’d solved his problems by finishing 17th. Knapp said, “We didn’t have a lot of time for practice and I’d never been here before. With the Moto GP race everything was short and I was still trying to figure out shift points during qualifying. After qualifying we tried a new gear that helped and the suspension was good so we were ready. In the race I had a good first lap. I passed a bunch of riders in the first lap. There were about ten guys doing about the same time as me and so I knew I had to work my way through them. I love Laguna’s track. It’s big and smooth and I like the elevation changes. It fits my style well. It’s a really hard track to learn but now I’ll be better for next year.” Heath Small #27 Heath Small qualified his Yamaha YZF-R6 20th for the Supersport race at Laguna Seca, and somehow in the flowing, roiling river of the race, Small finished 20th too. About his weekend Small said, “We arrived late for practice and it was our first weekend at Laguna. We had 18 minutes of practice on Friday. I dropped my lap times but had some front-end issues. The track felt real good. The next day, I don’t know why, the bike felt totally different and after a few turns I tucked the front and slid down the track. We fixed the bike but it still felt bad. We tried some changes but ran out of time. We tried to put the bike close to our baseline setting and it still didn’t fell very good. So we changed the tire pressure and it was way better. On my second lap of qualifying I pulled to the side to let some riders by and get ready for my flying lap but I missed the flag by four seconds, so we had to grid where we were. We set the bike up some more and it was better but we could never test for one long stint because they were all so short. After halfway through the race the bike went away. I wondered, am I doing something wrong? My times were consistent, but it felt like I was going slower. We did the best we could so we’ll take this and do the week prior to the AMA stuff at Mid-Ohio. All of the crew worked really hard. Maybe after my crash I rode a little differently and noticed things more. But it was awesome to ride in front of such a big crowd. I have to thank the racing fans for coming out to see us.” More, from a press release issued by Proforma: A BETTER WEEKEND FOR MILLENNIUM KWS SUZUKI Lee Acree and Blake Young of the Millennium KWS Suzuki team continued to work with the crew to improve the handling and balance of their Suzuki GSX-Rs at round seven of the AMA Superbike Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The combined MotoGP/AMA Superbike Championship event boasted a three-day attendance of over 153,000 person. Lee was able to make improvements to the forks on both of his GSX-R1000s, which resulted in 17th and 14th place finishes, respectively, in Superbike and Superstock. Blake had his best finish ever in Supersport with a fine 10th place, and he came from a fifth row starting position to finish 16th in Superstock. Lee Acree Saturday’s Superbike Final – 17th Place “It was a little nutty at the start,” said Lee. “I ended up behind more people than I wanted to be. But I got behind Cory (West) and sort of sat on him late in the race. Cory actually came by us when they were giving Clint (McBain) and I the blue flag. There were several places that I was stronger than him, and I didn’t really have to use the strategy I’d designed for my last lap pass. He sort of did it for me. In trying to prevent me from carrying out my plan, he ran a little wide in turn six, and went past him and got a gap to the finish.” Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 14th Place “The Superstock bike felt largely like the Superbike did yesterday, so we made a little improvement,” said Lee, a little disappointed. “It’s still not doing what I need it to do. There’s guys that earlier in the season I was running with, and I don’t know if they’re figuring stuff out and I’m not, or what. I got a few positions by virtue of people crashing, and I got by a few people that had qualified in front of me.” Blake Young Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 16th Place “I tried to make up ground on the guys in front of me,” said Blake. “But I ended up getting stuck where I was. I just kept pushing and pushing, and the harder I pushed the more mistakes I made. So I just tried to relax, and about that time Lee (Acree) and Mark Miller got past me. Mark and I went back and forth a few times, passing each other, basic high/low stuff. I tried setting him up for a last lap move, but I just couldn’t put it all together.” Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Final – 10th Place “This is my best finish ever in Supersport,” said Blake, who was pleased with his race and his finish position. “Heading into turn two off the start, I was in that group from tenth through fourteenth place. Throughout the whole race, there was passing everywhere you could. I accidentally killed the bike on the front straight while I was adjusting the brakes, so everybody went around me and I was back to fourteenth. So I worked my way back up, then Jeff Tigert crashed in turn five. Chris Siglen had to check up, Robert Jensen ran wide and I went underneath them. I sat behind Nick (Nicky Moore) for a while, then I came down into turn two and Danny (Eslick) was off in the gravel trap. He came back on track in front of Nick, and we went around him. I was trying to run Nick down, but I wasn’t making up enough ground. The bike was awesome. It was real hot out there, so I’m sure everybody’s tires were slipping and sliding around. My tires worked the whole way. It was fun.” More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: MAY POSTS CAREER BEST SUPERSPORT FINISH AT LAGUNA SECA Team M4 EMGO Suzuki rounded out the high-profile USGP weekend at Laguna Seca on Sunday by claiming their best finish of the season in the AMA Supersport class. Geoff May rebounded from a poor launch off the line to battle in the top five throughout the 17-lap race aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R600. On the final lap, he held off the defending class champion by just 0.012 at the checkered flag to claim fifth place. After picking up the best Supersport finish of his career, May said, “My initial reaction at the very beginning was ‘Uh oh, this is not going to be fun.’ I got a horrible start. But it allowed me to see what was going on going into Turn 2 and I just rode around the outside of everybody. Those guys all slowed down in front there.” He continued: “I got past a couple guys and then I saw the leader go down and I realized I was in fourth. I thought at that point I might be able to get a podium, and I kept charging as hard as I could the entire race. The Pirelli tires were great the whole way — they had tons of grip — and the Suzuki worked great too.” Unfortunately, the Superstock final didn’t go as smoothly for Team M4 EMGO Suzuki. May was forced to pull his GSX-R1000 into the pits on lap five due to a minor mechanical problem. The team quickly repaired his racebike but elected not to send him back out on the track a lap down. Michael Barnes worked his way up from twelfth place on the opening lap to ninth on lap ten but crashed out of the race the following circulation. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki will be back in action in two weeks time as the AMA roadracing championships descend upon to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 22-24. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: KAWASAKI FINISHES STRONG AT LAGUNA SECA Roger Hayden scores third in Superstock and second in Supersport MONTEREY, Calif. Reigning AMA Supersport champion Tommy Hayden and series runner-up Roger Hayden had a roller coaster weekend aboard their Kawasaki motorcycles as AMA motorcycle road racing returned to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca last weekend. In the AMA Superstock race, Tommy and Roger blasted off the grid with Tommy settling into second and Roger in third by the end of the first lap. Tommy rode strong and consistent throughout the race to eventually take the lead on lap ten. However, with only three laps to go, his chance for a victory was eliminated after he was edged off the track by a lapped rider and crashed. Roger held his position to capture his first podium of the day by finishing third. Tommy was evaluated by on-site physicians immediately following the crash and released after being diagnosed with a small fracture in his right hand. He is scheduled for further evaluation later this week. In AMA Supersport action, Attack Kawasaki rider Ben Attard had his best start of the season and moved into first place before the opening lap was complete. The affable Australian held his position until lap three before he crashed in a tight turn. Attard’s mishap allowed Roger Hayden to take over the lead until the final lap where he ended up in an intense battle with Jason Disalvo. Roger rode smooth and strong until a braking duel during the last turn opened the door for Disalvo to take the win. Tommy Hayden, who also earned his fifth pole position of the season earlier in the day, started in fourth despite enduring extreme pain in his right hand and soldiered towards the lead throughout the duration of the event. The elder Hayden gave a hero’s effort to finish a respectable sixth place and collect a valuable 26 points in the process. Roger’s runner-up finish also moved him into second place in the overall point standings. During the AMA Superbike race on Saturday, Attack Kawasaki rider Josh Hayes’ weekend was unfortunately over almost as quickly as it started. After qualifying in eighth, Hayes had a respectable start but crashed during the first lap. Racing resumes when the teams head to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, July 22-24. More, from a press release issued by Proforma: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS SUZUKI MOVES FORWARD AT LAGUNA SECA The Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki team had a satisfying round seven of the AMA Superbike Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, in front of over 150,000 spectators at the combined MotoGP/AMA Superbike event. Jason Pridmore did well after several races off due to injury, his body fully fit after surgery to remove a ruptured spleen and plate a broken foot. Steve Rapp jumped from fifth to third in the Repsol Superstock point standings, and Montez Stewart continued to gain confidence as his experience grows in the AMA Superbike Championship. Jason Pridmore Saturday’s Superbike Final – 10th Place “It was good,” said Pridmore. “It was nice seeing a green flag and a checkered flag in the same day. Just a lot of chaos out there. That’s what happens when you qualify on the fourth row. There were people everywhere for the first 10 laps. I didn’t want to be caught up in the drama. I was focused on running down the guys in front of me. I saw Steve (Rapp) up there and focused on him. Really, this was about getting a weekend under my belt. I’m trying to make my bike better. It feels comfortable to me, and I feel like I’m riding well, just a little bit cautious.” Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 11th Place “I got a great start again,” Pridmore said. “I just had no grip, from lap one, I had zero grip. I couldn’t do anything with those guys. I couldn’t get the bike off the corners the way I wanted. I got by Bucky (Damon Buckmaster) pretty hard in turn four, then he passed me back. I passed him back and put my head down and started catching a couple of the other boys. With like seven laps to go, I went into turn two and it wouldn’t go into second gear. A couple more laps and it wouldn’t go into gear at all. It was stuck in third gear. Even when I ran off out in the gravel, it was still in third gear. I got back on but I had to go through there in third gear for the rest of the race. We got through the weekend and learned a lot about our bike. We’ll go from here and try to do better at Mid-Ohio.” Steve Rapp Saturday’s Superbike Final – 8th Place “We switched to the back-up bike just before the race,” said Rapp. “The clutch was slipping on my A bike. The set-up wasn’t exactly the same. I hadn’t ridden the back-up bike all weekend. The race went pretty well. I think it was like five laps to go, I got through a group of about six riders. Not that I could ride any harder, but I just tried to be careful and not overshoot corners, get on the gas good and brake good. I tried to keep my pace up the rest of the race, but Kurtis (Roberts) passed me on the very last lap.” Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 6th Place “The bike itself felt good,” said Rapp. “I was just lacking traction, that was my biggest problem. It’s kind of been the same problem all year, really. I don’t think it’s tires so much, just a set-up problem. But I got a pretty good start, and I was with them (the leaders), but I couldn’t gain on them. After three or four laps, it started spinning a little bit more, and that’s when (Jake) Holden and (John) Haner passed me. It was kind of an uneventful race after that. I knew I wasn’t going to catch them, so I just really tried to diagnose what the problem was so I could tell the crew so we can fix it. Montez Stewart Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 23rd Place “I had a pretty good day, considering I got down to my goal time of 1:32s,” said Stewart, pleased with his progress at the tricky Northern California circuit. “I did five or six 1:32s, and that’s what I was shooting for yesterday. I went out this morning and had a problem with the clutch, so I went out on my B bike. I could have raced it, but of course it didn’t feel the same. They fixed the clutch on the A bike, new brake pads, and it felt good. This is only my second time here, and it went well. I ran with J.J. (Roetlin) and a couple of other guys. It was a really good weekend overall.” More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: Pirelli Race Report: Laguna Seca July 8-10 Pirelli Privateers Tops in Two Classes The first finishing non-factory riders in AMA Superstock and Supersport, at this weekend’s AMA Superbike event at Laguna Seca, Mazda Raceway, each relied on the benefits of Pirelli tires for their achievements. In AMA Superstock, Lion Racing teammates Jacob Holden and John Haner nabbed fourth and fifth, respectively, on their Suzuki GSX-R1000s. Each rider finished less than five seconds behind the race’s winner, and barely two seconds from earning a step on the podium. After 17 laps of competing against the nation’s most seasoned racers on 1000cc big-bore bikes, Holden and Haner still had the race leader in sight as the checkered flag waved. In the AMA Supersport event, M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May finished fifth, right behind four full-fledged factory riders. Including the performances of Nicky Moore and Blake Young, Pirelli riders claimed three of the top ten positions in Supersport. With Pirelli-shod racers repeatedly grabbing great results, the argument of factory advantage is being eroded. Riders don’t need to own a motorcycle company to do well, they just a set of Pirelli race-spec tires.

PASSION, KANDO AND THE FUTURE UNITED AT YAMAHA’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION A glittering array of national and world champions were united for a unique celebration on Friday as Yamaha Motor Company toasted its 50th Anniversary in a memorable event at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. As giant octopus, sea otters, sharks and rays patrolled the tanks and towering kelp forests that provided a spectacular backdrop to the evening’s events, Yamaha Motor Company Chairman Mr Toru Hasegawa opened the festivities with a rousing speech to a packed audience, filled with legends in virtually every imaginable discipline of motorcycle racing. “Yamaha Motor Company is honoured to have a proud history, rich with innovation and leadership, based largely on our strong racing heritage,” said Mr Hasegawa. “This racing heritage is proven by names such as Kel Carruthers, Steve Baker, Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey and now Valentino Rossi, each of which have won World Championships for Yamaha throughout our 50 year history. “At Yamaha our business is based on three key words; Passion, Kando and the Future. Passion is what each of us shares in the heritage that has built this company for 50 years. Passion is what we share when Valentino Rossi kisses his M1 after a victory. And Passion is the underlying force that will guide us even further into the future. “Kando is the overwhelming sense of enjoyment, excitement and emotion each rider feels whenever they experience any Yamaha product. This sense often leaves meaningful memories that will last for the rest of their lives. And finally the future is about our vision for the next 50 years and the unlimited boundaries and inspiration that racing provides for our riders, race fans and customers throughout the world.” After Mr Hasegawa’s speech had ended, Bob Starr, Corporate Communications Manager at Yamaha Motor Corporation USA, had the honour of introducing no fewer than 25 of the factory’s most celebrated riders to the stage. Over a quarter of a century of World Championship titles were present as legendary names of the past including Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts, Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson, Kel Carruthers and Steve Baker were joined on stage by fellow road racing stars Randy Mamola, Rich Oliver, Don Emde, Jamie James and Thomas Stevens. From the off-road scene, former Motocross Champions Gary Jones, Marty Moates, Jeff Emig, Rick Burgett, Broc Glover, Doug Henry were joined by Supercross stars Mike Bell, Damon Bradshaw and Pierre Karsmakers. The glittering line-up was completed by Yamaha’s current stars and some of the factory’s brightest hopes for the future, including AMA Superstock and Supersport Champions Aaron Gobert and Jamie Hacking and AMA 250SX Champion Chad Reed. The last men on stage were Yamaha’s MotoGP factory pairing of Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards and, fittingly, it was the reigning World Champion who had the last word. “Yamaha have the best riders in the world!” declared Rossi, before joining the party.

The date for next year’s U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has been set for July 21-23, 2006. For more information, call (800) 327-SECA or go to www.laguna-seca.com. More, from a press release issued by Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Monday, July 11, 2005: DATE SET AND TICKETS ON SALE FOR 2006 RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX MotoGP Returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca July 21-23, 2006 MONTEREY, Calif. (July 10, 2005) On the day that saw 57,932 people watch American Nicky Hayden win his first MotoGP World Championship race, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca officials announced that the 2006 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix will take place July 21-23. Renewal information for assignable items such as premier pit row suites and reserved camping will be mailed to customers this week. Tickets go on sale to the general public Sept. 1 via (800) 327-SECA and Ticketmaster outlets. More information on the 2006 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix will be announced soon.

Provisional AMA Supersport Race Results: 1. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 17 laps 2. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, -0.243 second 3. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -5.049 seconds 4. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -8.009 seconds 5. Geoff May, Suzuki, -9.491 seconds 6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, -9.503 second 7. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -19.103 seconds 8. Chris Peris, Yamaha, -28.585 seconds 9. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, -40.635 seconds 10. Blake Young, Suzuki, -41.198 seconds 11. Chris Siglin, Suzuki, -41.989 seconds 12. Robert Jensen, Yamaha -47.397 seconds 13. Barrett Long, Yamaha, -53.768 seconds 14. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, -53.955 seconds 15. Eli Edwards, Suzuki, -63.088 seconds 16. Jimmy Wood, Kawasaki, -63.232 seconds 17. Taylor Knapp, Yamaha, -66.725 seconds 18. Shea Fouchek, Suzuki, -66.798 seconds 19. Grant Riggs, Yamaha, -67.302 seconds 20. Heath Small, Yamaha, -70.851 seconds 21. Ricky Orlando, Kawasaki, -71.152 seconds 22. Nathan Hester, Yamaha, -76.379 seconds 23. Armando Ferrer, Yamaha, -76.434 seconds 24. Tim Knutson, Yamaha, -86.079 seconds 25. Chad Lewin, Suzuki, -89.839 seconds 26. Berto Wooldridge, Suzuki, -92.208 seconds 27. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki, -93.157 seconds 28. Chris Siebenhaar, Honda, -1 lap 29. Justin Filice, Honda, -1 lap 30. Chad Rolland, Yamaha, -1 lap 31. Victor Chirinos, Yamaha, -1 lap 32. Dr. Jeff Purk, Yamaha, -1 lap 33. Martin Sims, Yamaha, -1 lap 34. Jeremy Haiduk, Yamaha, -1 lap 35. Jeff Tigert, Honda, -9 laps, DNF, crash 36. Jeff Johnson, Suzuki, -9 laps, DNF, mechanical 37. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, -14 laps, DNF, crash

Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca July 10, 2005 Number of spectators Friday: 40,520 Saturday: 55,201 Sunday: 57,932 Total: 153,653 The Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca drew more fans over the three days than all but four 2004 Grands Prix (Jerez, Catalunya, Sachsenring and Valencia), topping Welkom, Le Mans, Mugello, Assen, Rio, Donington Park, Brno, Estoril, Motegi, Losail, Sepang and Phillip Island.

American Nicky Hayden rode a perfect race Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, leading every one of 32 laps on his Michelin-shod Repsol Honda RC211V to take the first MotoGP win of his career, his home Grand Prix, in front of 57,932 fans. “Today was my day,” said Hayden. “I just rode my heart out.” Countryman Colin Edwards was seventh after one lap, worked his way past his Gauloises Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi, second from the early-going, and even started eating into Hayden’s lead slightly at one point, but as the race wore on, the Texan was forced to concentrate in holding off Rossi to finish second. Unthreatened by his Championship rivals, Rossi was content to bring his “less than 100%” YZR-M1 home third, 0.371 second behind Edwards at the checkered flag. Hayden’s teammate Max Biaggi and Telefonica Movistar Honda’s Sete Gibernau raced closely for fourth the entire distance with Biaggi winning the duel and Gibernau getting fifth. Camel Honda’s Troy Bayliss came out on top of a race-long fight for sixth with Konica Minolta’s Makoto Tamada (seventh), Red Bull Suzuki’s John Hopkins (eighth), Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano (ninth) and Marlboro Ducati’s Loris Capirossi (10th). Marco Melandri and Alex Barros both crashed out in turn 11 on the opening lap, and Carlos Checa slid off at turn two while running seventh on lap nine. MotoGP Race Results: 1. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 32 laps, 45:15.374 2. Colin Edwards, Yamaha, -1.941 seconds 3. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, -2.312 seconds 4. Max Biaggi, Honda, -4.216 seconds 5. Sete Gibernau, Honda, -4.478 seconds 6. Troy Bayliss, Honda, -22.381 seconds 7. Makoto Tamada, Honda, -22.493 seconds 8. John Hopkins, Suzuki, -23.148 seconds 9. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, -23.625 seconds 10. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, -26.123 seconds 11. Ruben Xaus, Yamaha, -43.512 seconds 12. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, -50.957 seconds 13. Toni Elias, Yamaha, -51.343 seconds 14. Kenny Lee Roberts, Suzuki, -73.749 seconds 15. Shane Byrne, Proton, -84.256 seconds 16. James Ellison, Blata, -84.524 seconds 17. Franco Battaini, Blata, -1 lap 18. Roberto Rolfo, Ducati, -2 laps, DNF, mechanical 19. Carlos Checa, Ducati, -24 laps, DNF, crash 20. Marco Melandri, Honda, -32 laps, DNF, crash 21. Alex Barros, Honda, -32 laps, DNF, crash Fastest Lap of the Race: Edwards, 1:23.915, lap 5 MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (After 8 races): 1. Rossi, 186 points 2. Melandri, 107 points 3. Biaggi, 100 points 4. Gibernau, 95 points 5. Edwards, 93 points 6. Hayden, 85 points 7. Barros, 74 points 8. TIE, Nakano/Capirossi, 55 points 10. Bayliss, 47 points 11. Carlos Checa, 40 points 12. Xaus, 33 points 13. TIE, Hopkins/Tamada, 27 points 15. Olivier Jacque, 25 points 16. Elias, 18 points 17. Hofmann, 13 points 18. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, 12 points 19. Roberts, 11 points 20. Rolfo, 7 points 21. TIE, Ellison/David Checa, 4 points 23. TIE, Byrne/Tohru Ukawa, 1 point More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Hayden completes dream weekend with debut win at Laguna Seca Nicky Hayden joined a long list of American racing legends today as he became a MotoGP winner for the first time in his career at the Red Bull US Grand Prix. The 23 year old Honda rider led his home race from start to finish, bolting from pole position and leaving the rest of the 21-rider field trailing in his wake. With celebrities including Brad Pitt, Matt LeBlanc and Michael Jordan amongst the 57,932 sell-out crowd cheering him throughout 32 intense laps, Hayden established a two-second advantage over the chasing Valentino Rossi in the first part of the race and then held strong under late pressure from compatriot Colin Edwards to take a memorable first win. “I can honestly say that this is a dream come true for me,” said Hayden, who admitted climbing over the Laguna Seca fences to witness the last Grand Prix here as a 12-year-old in 1994. “You spend your whole life rehearsing the speech for a day like this but now it has happened I can’t find the words to describe how I feel. It hasn’t been easy for me in MotoGP over the past two seasons but every dog has its day and this was mine. Hopefully it can be the start of bigger things from now on.” With Edwards having snatched second place from Rossi with a daring move in the Corkscrew corner at the halfway stage of the race, the American fans were able to celebrate a memorable home one-two in the first MotoGP race here for over a decade. With Edwards also celebrating consecutive podium finishes for the first time in his Grand Prix career, Rossi was equally delighted with a tenth straight rostrum in third place, which extended his series lead to a massive 79 points over Marco Melandri, who crashed out with Alex Barros at the end of a combative first lap. As well as losing ground on Rossi in the championship Melandri is also coming under pressure for second place from Max Biaggi, who took fourth place today to close the gap to just seven points. Sete Gibernau is also looming a further five points behind Biaggi after a spirited ride today, when he charged from thirteenth on the grid to take fifth place in his first visit to the Californian circuit. After initially fighting with Rossi for second place on the opening lap, Troy Bayliss progressively lost ground until becoming involved in an intense battle in the second half of the race for sixth place. The Australian eventually got the better of Makoto Tamada to record his best result of the season, with the Japanese rider taking an impressive seventh just ten days after undergoing surgery on an arm problem. John Hopkins, Shinya Nakano and Loris Capirossi also joined in the skirmish with Bayliss and Tamada before eventually crossing the line in eighth, ninth and tenth respectively, whilst Rubén Xaus came home in a lonely eleventh. Further back, Toni Elías produced a determined performance on his return from a three-race absence through injury but eventually conceded twelfth place to Alex Hofmann on the line. Kenny Roberts Jr. and Shane Bynre completed the top fifteen, with Byrne picking up an historic first point for the KTM-powered Proton KR machine. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MEN TAKE HOME POINTS ON TOUGH DAY Ducati Team rider Loris Capirossi rode to a tough tenth-place finish in front of 57,000 sun-baked fans at Laguna Seca this afternoon, the Italian still not 100 per cent fit after suffering a nasty attack of gastroenteritis earlier in the weekend. Team-mate Carlos Checa slid out of the race on lap nine while challenging for sixth place. “Congratulations to Loris because he rode a great race considering his physical condition,” said Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. “He’s done a good job and he rode well today, getting very close to the group in front of him. Carlos had a very good first few laps, he was fast and aggressive. It’s a pity he fell because he could’ve had a good result here. Our thanks to Bridgestone, they’ve done a good job this weekend, and to all our other technical partners, especially Shell Advance.” CAPIROSSI SCORES GRITTY TOP-TEN FINISH Struck down by gastroenteritis on Friday, Loris Capirossi missed most of that afternoon’s practice session, putting him behind in his efforts to get his Ducati Team Desmosedici set up for this extraordinarily complex racetrack. Starting from 14th on the grid, the former Laguna 250 GP winner completed the first lap in 12th then moved forward steadily, catching the four-man group battling for sixth place. He ended the 32 laps less than four seconds behind sixth-place finisher Troy Bayliss. “I’m pretty happy with this race, considering the fact that I’ve been sick all weekend,” he said. “I was able to chase a good group, although I wasn’t 100 per cent certain about the rear tyre I chose because I didn’t have enough time to test it fully during practice. But the tyre was good until the last few laps when I felt a little vibration and eased off a bit. Considering the whole weekend, the race went okay for me.” CHECA FALLS AFTER STORMING START Carlos Checa rode a storming first few laps at Laguna this afternoon, moving up from eighth place to challenge Bayliss in sixth spot. But on lap nine the Ducati Team rider slid off as he braked for the downhill turn-two hairpin, escaping from the tumble without injury. “My start and my first few laps weren’t so bad,” said the Spaniard who rode the seventh quickest lap of the race. “I was catching Bayliss when I lost the front at turn two. It went away as I flicked into the turn, though it seemed like I was using the same braking point and the same line as usual. It’s a shame, because I thought we could get some good points here.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: KAWASAKI MEN BOTH SCORE POINTS IN AMERICA MotoGP racing made a spectacular return to North America today, with Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano finishing in a strong ninth place in the USGP. Nakano was joined in the World Championship points by teammate Alex Hofmann, who finished twelfth with another determined ride at the warm and sunny Laguna Seca circuit. The double points-scoring finish by Nakano and Hofmann maintains Kawasaki’s third place in the Constructors Championship, ahead of Ducati and Suzuki. The race was another encouraging step in both the development of the Ninja ZX-RR and the progress being made by tyre supplier Bridgestone. Nakano finished the race just 1.3s out of sixth place, in a closely bunched group that included factory Honda riders Troy Bayliss (sixth) and Makoto Tamada (seventh) plus Suzuki’s John Hopkins (eighth) and Loris Capirossi (Ducati) who was tenth. After being tenth in the opening laps Nakano slotted into eighth behind Hopkins on lap eight. By lap 14 the pair had Bayliss in their sights and a close battle unfolded over the remaining 18 laps. Tamada joined the party and on lap 23 just squeezed past Nakano for eighth place. This was Nakano’s first race on the demanding hillside Laguna Seca track, and he learnt a great deal as he pushed track experts Bayliss and Hopkins to the limit. From the fifth row of the grid Hofmann was caught in a bumping battle for track position on the opening lap and lost ground. After moving into 12th on lap ten, Hofmann dropped back to 15th with a momentary gearbox problem. At the final corner on lap 11 Hofmann’s bike dropped into neutral as he downshifted from second to first gear. But the young German rider made a brilliant recovery to charge back past Toni Elias (Yamaha) and Kenny Roberts Jr (Suzuki) to score valuable championship points. This was the first motorcycle Grand Prix in America for 11 years and the race was watched by a capacity crowd of 57,932 who were delighted with the race victory by home race favourite Nicky Hayden. Shinya Nakano: #56 – Ninth “It was a very hard race but over the final 15 laps I was able to race with Bayliss, Hopkins and Tamada, which is very encouraging for Kawasaki. I enjoyed the battle and I was able to learn many things about the track following Troy and John. The main point is we still need more top end power, plus a little more bottom end, to have a chance against these guys. The team did a very good job here and I was able to race with different electronic settings, which helped in the race. And our Bridgestone tyres had consistent grip for the race today.” Alex Hofmann: #66 – Twelfth “I was on full lean angle in turn eleven when the gearbox shifted into neutral. I couldn’t click it straight back into first because I would have high-sided. It was a pity because I was ahead of the group that included Roberts and then I had do it all again to pass Elias and Roberts back. Eleventh was possible without that lost time. In the race I was much more comfortable with the track, I now understand the Corkscrew. I was able to run a consistent pace with good grip and I’m happy to get some points. The crowd was amazing today.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “We made the best results we could out of our package today and both riders took points to keep Kawasaki third in the Constructors Championship, which is very important.” MOTOGP RACE RESULT 1. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda 45’15.374; 2. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +1.941; 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +2.312; 4. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda +4.216; 5. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +4.478; 6. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda +22.381; 7. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +22.493; 8. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +23.148; 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +23.625; 10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +26.123; 11. Ruben Xaus (SPA) Fortuna Yamaha Team +43.512; 12. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +50.957 More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: UNLUCKY RACE FOR ALEX, TROY BEATS TAMADA TO SIXTH The race was over practically before it even began for Alex Barros, a blameless victim of an Marco Melandri’s involuntary error, who lost control of his Honda entering the tight corner which brought the riders into the start-finish straight as they finished off the second lap in the US Grand Prix. The Brazilian rider, understandably disappointed, was taken to the Mobile Clinic for an abrasion to his left thigh, and immediately took off for home. Troy Bayliss finished in sixth place after a great duel with Makoto Tamada. Sito Pons Camel Honda “We have been incredibly unlucky in this race, because Alex was caught up in an incident he had nothing to do with, and he didn’t even get the chance to make the most of the competitive edge and pacy rhythm he demonstrated in practice and above all during this morning’s warm-up. Having seen his pace in the race he would almost certainly have been able to fight for victory. Troy got away well, but obviously he had a few difficulties because he was never able to ride as hard as in practice.” Alex Barros Camel Honda crash “We were just in the early stages of the race when Melandri bumped into me and made me crash. We were just at the end of the second lap, and I even left space for him to get into the corner, but he hit me anyway. It’s not something to do after just one lap of the race. It’s a shame, I’m so disappointed, because this was a race that I felt I could win.” Troy Bayliss Camel Honda 6th place “Sixth isn’t what I want, or what I expected here at Laguna. In the race I was just unable to find the kind of feeling I had in practice, I didn’t have the confidence on the front and hardly any grip at the back. I picked up some good points and I gained a place a position in the championship standings, but today I wanted more.” Classification – United States GP 1. Hayden (USA-Honda) 45’15.374; 2. Edwards (USA-Yamaha) a 1.941; 3. Rossi (Ita-Yamaha) a 2.312; 4. Biaggi (Ita-Honda) a 4.216; 5. Gibernau (Spa-Honda) a 4.478; 6. Bayliss (Aus-Honda) a 22.381; 7. Tamada (Jap-Honda) a 22. 493; 8. Hopkins (USA-Suzuki) a 23.148; 9. Nakano (Jap-Kawasaki) a 23.625; 10. Capirossi (Ita-Ducati) a 26.123. RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP. 1. Rossi 186; 2. Melandri 107; 3. Biaggi 100; 4. Gibernau 95. 5. Edwards 93; 6. Hayden 85; 7. Barros 74; 8. Capirossi 55; 9. Nakano 55; 10. Bayliss 47. CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP. 1. Yamaha 190; 2. Honda 166; 3. Kawasaki 75; 4. Ducati 64; 5. Suzuki 35. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: United States Grand Prix Laguna Seca, USA Sunday 10th July 2005 DOUBLE PODIUM JOY FOR YAMAHA AT LAGUNA SECA Yamaha Motor Company celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a double podium finish at Laguna Seca today, as Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi took second and third place respectively in the United States Grand Prix. Both riders played a starring role in the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship and enjoyed a thrilling battle for the final two rostrum positions that went to the last lap of a race won by Nicky Hayden (Honda). Whilst Hayden got an electric start from pole position, both Rossi and Edwards were baulked in their attempts to give chase on the opening lap. Having started from second on the grid, Rossi made it back to the same position by the end of the first lap after a battle with Troy Bayliss (Honda), whilst Edwards was forced to fight his way through the pack after being forced back to seventh in a combative first-corner clash. With Hayden clear at the front, Rossi rode alone in second place until he was caught by his American team-mate on the sixteenth lap, when Edwards lined up an inch-perfect pass into the famous Corkscrew corner. After briefly closing down the gap to Hayden, Edwards suffered from tyre wear in the closing stages and was happy to settle for a second consecutive podium finish. Third place for Rossi extends his advantage at the top of the championship to 79 points over Marco Melandri (Honda), who crashed out on the first lap. COLIN EDWARDS (2nd; Race time 45’17.315; Fastest lap 1’23.915) “I made another bad start and ended up with two riders making a sandwich of me into turn one. They had my handlebars on each side and just carried me into the corner so I thought it was going to end in a big mess. Once I got clear of the group I got my head down and pushed as hard as I could to pass Valentino. At that point I still had something left to try and catch Nicky but every time I closed the gap he responded, so hats off to him. When the tyres went off I was just hanging on to finish the race. I knew I had an advantage of around two seconds over Valentino but on the last lap I looked at my board and it said 0.6. I guessed it must be a mistake but I then looked over my shoulder in turn two and he was right there! I thought “oh no, not on the last lap!” I gave everything I had left to hold him off and came close to crashing a few times so second place is really pleasing.” VALENTINO ROSSI (3rd; Race time 45’17.686; Fastest lap 1’24.207) “I lost some time during practice trying to learn the circuit so the bike was not at 100% today, and also our tyre choice was not perfect. Anyway, Nicky rode very hard and it was impossible to catch him today. I knew Colin was coming but I didn’t realise how close he was and he caught me by surprise in the Corkscrew. I lost some time there but at the end he lost some of his rhythm and I tried to catch him. He turned around to look at me and I said: “Hello, I am here!” I thought maybe to attack on the last lap but then I had a vision of both Yamahas in the dirt so decided third place was okay, especially for the championship! Anyway, I am very happy because I expected this to be the hardest race of the season but I am the fastest European rider here and I fought with the Americans. I have learnt a lot to try and beat them next year! “ DAVIDE BRIVIO YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM DIRECTOR “It has been a very good weekend for us and to have both riders together on the podium for the third time this year is a nice way to celebrate Yamaha’s 50th Anniversary. It is great to see the yellow, white and black colours on the podium after so many years, but most importantly we have seen Valentino extend his advantage at the top of the championship and Colin get much closer to the top. It has been a positive Grand Prix in every aspect for us. We have also enjoyed the experience of being in California, and we look forward to coming back next year.” More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: SETE GETS THE BETTER OF LAGUNA SECA The Spaniard takes fifth place in an impeccable race after starting from the fifth row of the grid. Melandri suffers an unfortunate crash on the first lap. US GRAND PRIX – MOTOGP RACE The Telefónica Movistar Honda team head home from their first ever Grand Prix at Laguna Seca tonight reflecting on a creditable fifth place finish for Sete Gibernau and an unfortunate crash for Marco Melandri. The twice World Championship runner-up finally got the better of the notoriously difficult American circuit in a race which saw him finally put his practice problems behind him. Sete started the race in confident mood after making vital steps forward in the set-up of his machine during the morning warm-up. His excellent pace from the start of the race allowed him to gather confidence and he was soon setting the same lap times as the riders in the lead group. Only his lowly starting position prevented the Spaniard from picking up a better result after 32 long laps, which required maximum concentration. Sete made up seven positions on the first lap and rode like clockwork from then on, setting an unshakeable pace in th! e mid-1’24″ mark. Marco Melandri flipped the opposite side of the coin to his team-mate, with his improved hopes after a positive warm-up turning to dust on the first lap. The Italian remains second in the championship. Sete Gibernau is still two places behind him in fourth place but now lies just five points short of Max Biaggi in third. SETE GIBERNAU (5th): “I think that was one of my best races of the season, if not the best, even though the result might not reflect that. We found a better set-up than we had all weekend in the morning warm-up and I went out to give everything, even though I knew it would be tough starting so far back. We were able to maintain a high rhythm, the same as the guys at the front, and stayed consistent throughout the race. It hasn’t been an ideal weekend. When we go well in qualifying we don’t seem able to finish it off in the race and vice versa. I’m confident that when we manage to put three goo! d days together again we’ll be back to winning races.” MARCO MELANDRI (crashed): “The lead group were really close together in the final corner of the first lap and they braked really hard in front of me. I also had to shut off and lost the front. I crashed and I’m sorry for taking Alex Barros down too. It’s a shame it ended that way because in the warm-up I felt much better on the bike and my objective was to finish the weekend off in the best way possible. I hope we can get back on the right track when we return to Europe over the next few races.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Laguna Seca July 10th, 2005 U.S Grand Prix Hopkins leads Bridgestone challenge in U.S GP return Bridgestone marked a spectacular return for Grand Prix racing to America with hard-fought top ten finishes for home favourite John Hopkins, Shinya Nakano and Loris Capirossi. After an exile of 11 years, the MotoGP world championship returned to the breathtaking Laguna Seca circuit in California today, with a sell-out and sun-drenched 57,000-strong crowd cheering Hopkins home to eighth position. The Suzuki GSV-R rider, who started from the second row of the grid, was running in a challenging fifth position at the end of a frantic first lap. He continued to figure prominently in the early stages, matching the pace of reigning world champion Valentino Rossi in front of him. Roared on by a patriotic home crowd, Hopkins then found himself locked in an epic battle with Troy Bayliss, Makoto Tamada, and Nakano for much of the 32-lap battle. Helped by the consistency of a new construction Bridgestone rear tyre that was shipped from Japan to meet the intricate demands of the Laguna Seca circuit, Hopkins managed to keep Tamada at bay until lap 27 when the Japanese rider dived under him at Turn Two. It was the first time this season that Hopkins has finished top Bridgestone runner, finishing one place ahead of Nakano’s Kawasaki ZX-RR. The Japanese rider faced a steep learning curve having never ridden the Laguna Seca circuit, made famous for the spectacular Corkscrew. Nakano spent most of the race in pursuit of Hopkins, but despite his best efforts he couldn’t find a way past the 21-year-old American. Capirossi, who has been struggling with a nasty stomach virus since the opening day of practice, finished in 10th position to maintain his impressive record of scoring points in each of the opening eight rounds of the 2005 MotoGP world championship. Alex Hofmann claimed a battling 12th place finish while Kenny Roberts Junior was two places further adrift in 14th. Spaniard Carlos Checa was challenging Troy Bayliss when he crashed at Turn Two on lap nine. John Hopkins Suzuki Grand Prix Team 8th position “I’m pretty disappointed to be honest because I was really excited to be racing at home. It’s definitely not where I wanted to finish. I got passed by a few guys at the start of the race and at this track where overtaking is pretty tough, it’s so hard to make the passes back. I ended up having to stick where I was for most of the race. I tried for the longest time to get past Bayliss and it just didn’t happen. With the higher track temperatures today we had to use a harder rear tyre that we hadn’t really got on with over the weekend. I wanted to put on a good show for all the American fans and I’m sure I did as all I was doing was sliding around a lot during the race. It was good to see two American riders one and two at their home GP, but I really wish it was me.” Sugio Fukuoka Vice President and Officer – Bridgestone Corporation “In our first ever-race as the MotoGP class here in America, our teams and riders performed very well. Although we cannot be fully content with the results today, the fact that our tyres performed well here is a positive note. We made several advances here and gathered precious data which will be used in our next steps of development. We now look forward to getting back to the European rounds. Bridgestone Results: 8. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 45.38.522, 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki, 45.38,999, 10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, 45.41.497, 12. Alex Hoffman (GER) Kawasaki, 46.06,331, 14. Kenny Roberts (USA) Suzuki, 46.29,123. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati – DNF Temperature: Track: 52 C Air: 23 C Weather: Sunny More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: NICKY HAYDEN RULES THE ROOST IN CALIFORNIA It was only a matter of time before Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) made his talent felt in the hard-fought arena of MotoGP racing. The young American shone at his home race with a maiden pole and a career-first win. Not only did the American star provide Honda’s President, Mr Takeo Fukui who attended this race, with a victory, but Hayden also gave his father an unscheduled lap of honour on his all-conquering Honda RC211V Grand Prix machine. Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi finished second, and current sixth-place points table position-holder Colin Edwards (both Yamaha) finished third. European riders were at a disadvantage here and even the World Champion had no answer to the local expertise shown by Hayden and Edwards around the twists and turns of this tricky track. Hayden was magnificent at this challenging Laguna Seca circuit. Not only did he dominate qualifying, but the Stateside hero made the race his own too. From the lights, the former AMA Superbike Champion made the race his own as he led from the daunting uphill straight. By lap two Nicky had a one second lead and he made the race belong to Honda with a withering series of laps that his rivals had no answer to over a 32-lap tour of this punishing track. He was the man in control of events and not even the current man of the moment Rossi had the measure of him here in California. Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) made inroads into the World Championship points standings with a powerful ride into fourth place. The Roman gladiator closed the points gap significantly over his second-placed rival Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) at least for now. But the day belonged to Hayden, and few competitors could begrudge the American hero his hour of glory. “This is great,” said Hayden. “At my home Grand Prix, this is my first Premier win and I want to make sure this is the start of something good. Thanks to Honda, thanks to my Team for making this happen.” The ultra-experienced Max Biaggi was typically analytical and, unsurprisingly, characteristically generous in his assessment of the race. “Congratulations to Nicky and his crew,” he said. “He rode a great race. But my hands were full fighting with Sete Gibernau and neither of us could get close to him.” Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V), who finished fifth, said, “I think that was one of my best races of the season, if not the best, even though the result might not reflect that. We found a better set-up than we had all weekend in the morning warm-up and I went out to give everything, even though I knew it would be tough starting so far back. We were able to maintain a high rhythm, the same as the guys at the front, and stayed consistent throughout the race. It hasn’t been an ideal weekend. When we go well in qualifying we don’t seem able to finish it off in the race and vice versa. I’m confident that when we manage to put three good days together again we’ll be back to winning races.” Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) finished sixth and said: “Sixth isn’t what I want, or what I expected here at Laguna. In the race I was just unable to find the kind of feeling I had in practice, I didn’t have the confidence on the front and hardly any grip at the back. I picked up some good points and I gained a position in the championship standings, but today I wanted more.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) finished an encouraging seventh, and said: “In the first turn of the race I had to leave the inside of the track to Barros and Nakano who both touched me on the left side of the bike. I thought I’d fall, but somehow I stayed on the bike, even if I lost precious time and some places. My feeling with the bike, in the final part of the race, with the tank almost empty and therefore lighter is getting better. I consider this race for me and for the Team a positive experience, in fact it’s only now that I’m in good shape after a series of injuries.” Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V), who looked good for a result here, crashed out early in the race. He said, “We were just in the early stages of the race when Melandri bumped into me and made me crash. We were just at the end of the first lap, and I even left space for him to get into the corner, but he hit me anyway. It’s not something to do after just one lap of the race. It’s a shame, I’m so disappointed, because this was a race that I felt I could win.” Marco Melandri, who crashed here early on in the race with Barros, now looks forward to the British GP at Donington Park round in two weeks time. The man who still holds second place in the World Championship points standings said: “The lead group were really close together in the final corner of the first lap and they braked really hard in front of me. I had to shut off and lost the front. I crashed and I’m sorry for taking Alex Barros down too. It’s a shame it ended that way because in the warm-up I felt much better on the bike and my objective was to finish the weekend off in the best way possible. I hope we can get back on the right track when we return to Europe over the next few races.” Honda Rider Quotes: Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda, 1st: “This is like a fairy tale. To come to your home GP and be fastest in nearly all the sessions and get pole and then win is just a dream come true. It s been a while since I won anything except the dating game TV thing and this feels amazing. For the race I put my head down and just rode my heart out the whole race. In the middle of the race I saw the time gap come down and I thought ‘oh no’. but I kept focussed. Getting Earl on the back at the end is a real dirt track thing. I owe my family everything. My Mum and Dad have given up so much for us all as a family. I remember the roof leaking as a kid when it rained as all the money we had went into racing. This win is for everyone in my team for Honda in believing in me and for all the great fans around this track today who helped me so much . Every dog has its day and today it all just came together. I’m going to enjoy this moment for sure.” Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda, 4th: “It was a good race. Surely, we could have stepped on the podium this time, but it took me too long to pass Bayliss, who was slowing me down. So I lost the touch with the head of the race. I’m sorry, because I did a good start, from seventh to fourth place. I also liked the duel with Gibernau, tough but always fair. Well, I had fun. Today I really want to congratulate with my team mate Nicky and with his guys. He was simply perfect all over the week-end. Bravo Nicky!” Makoto Tanaka, Repsol Honda Team Manager: “A very special day and one we will all remember for ever. Nicky has been the man to beat all weekend and in the end no one could touch him. His team did a great job and got the bike set-up well right from the start. They hardly changed a thing. We at Honda have always had faith in Nicky and today it all paid off. Mr Takeo Fukui, the President and CEO of Honda Motor Company was here to witness the first Honda win in the top class of GP racing at Laguna Seca ever. I am positive that now Nicky has tasted success we will be seeing more. Max had a quiet race in compassion but with Melandri crashing out, managed to close the gap to second place to only seven points.” Sete Gibernau, Movistar Honda MotoGP, 5th: “I think that was one of my best races of the season, if not the best, even though the result might not reflect that. We found a better set-up than we had all weekend in the morning warm-up and I went out to give everything, even though I knew it would be tough starting so far back. We were able to maintain a high rhythm, the same as the guys at the front, and stayed consistent throughout the race. It hasn’t been an ideal weekend. When we go well in qualifying we don’t seem able to finish it off in the race and vice versa. I’m confident that when we manage to put three good days together again we’ll be back to winning races.” Marco Melandri, Movistar Honda MotoGP, dnf : “The lead group were really close together in the final corner of the first lap and they braked really hard in front of me. I also had to shut off and lost the front. I crashed and I’m sorry for taking Alex Barros down too. It’s a shame it ended that way because in the warm-up I felt much better on the bike and my objective was to finish the weekend off in the best way possible. I hope we can get back on the right track when we return to Europe over the next few races.” Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda, 6th: “Sixth isn’t what I want, or what I expected here at Laguna. In the race I was just unable to find the kind of feeling I had in practice, I didn’t have the confidence on the front and hardly any grip at the back. I picked up some good points and I gained a place a position in the championship standings, but today I wanted more.” Alex Barros, Camel Honda, dnf: “We were just in the early stages of the race when Melandri bumped into me and made me crash. We were just at the end of the second lap, and I even left space for him to get into the corner, but he hit me anyway. It’s not something to do after just one lap of the race. It’s a shame, I’m so disappointed, because this was a race that I felt I could win.” Sito Pons, Camel Honda: “We have been incredibly unlucky in this race, because Alex was caught up in an incident he had nothing to do with, and he didn’t even get the chance to make the most of the competitive edge and pacy rhythm he demonstrated in practice and above all during this morning’s warm-up. Having seen his pace in the race he would almost certainly have been able to fight for victory. Troy got away well, but obviously he had a few difficulties because he was never able to ride as hard as in practice.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda, 7th: “In the first turn of the race I had to leave the inside of the track to Barros and Nakano that have both touched me on the left side of the bike. I have seriously risked to fall, but somehow I made it to remain on my bike even if I lost precious time and some positions. While I was overtaking Nakano, at the end of the race, I have may cut the turn too much, touching with my left hand the rubber pole which delimit the circuit and this has blocked me for some successive turns. The RC211V and the tyres have been effective, allowing me to recuperate various positions. My feeling with the bike, in the final part of the race, with the tank almost empty and therefore lighter is surely improving. I consider this race for me and for the Team a positive experience, in fact is only from now that I am in good physical conditions after a series of disturbing inconveniences.” Gianluca Montiron, Konica Minolta Honda Director: “All in all a satisfying race for us. A honourable seventh place in a competitive race. Makoto is recovering his physical condition and notwithstanding the last week medical operation to his right forearm he has gone through, he made it to maintain a good rhythm during the all race. This has been for us one of the first races of the season where we have raced in almost optimal conditions and this make us look in a positive way the rest of the season. We consider this the starting base to obtain those results that we all aim.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha: XAUS AND ELIAS BATTLE BRAVELY IN LAGUNA SECA The Fortuna Yamaha duo de MotoGP signed off from the United States Grand Prix with 11th and 13th positions. Toni had to have injections and suffered a lot with his wrist, at a circuit which requires a very hard suspension setting, which didn’t help his physical problems. Rubén, meanwhile, promises to return in 2006 and do much better, although his team appreciate his effort and let him know as such. RUBEN XAUS Race: 11th Championship standings: 12th, with 33 points Practice was unsatisfying for Rubén Xaus, who complained of being unable to show his talent and experience at the Californian track. At the end of the race the team congratulated him, “They did so because we keep on picking up points. I got a bad start, but sometimes starting from the back is suicidal. The first corner is really dangerous and I tried to be calm. It’s also true that after the kind of practice I had, to start from behind takes your motivation away a little. Anyway, the bad point was the first five laps yet again. Until I got past Rolfo, who was holding me up a bit, I was unable to go at my rhythm of about a second slower than the lead group. My adaptation to the M1 means I’m slowly working out its secrets. It’s hard work, but everybody’s calm here. Through thick and thin. I’m here and I’m full of determination. For now I’ll have to be content with the Superbikes race I won here in 2003, but I promise I’ll come back and win here. I don’t know how and when, but I promise.” TONI ELIAS Race: 13th Championship standings: 16th, with 18 points The Catalan rider got back on board the M1 after 3 grands prix out injured, and he picked up valuable points. It was important to finish, and despite the pain in his wrist, he managed it. “I’m satisfied. We were faced with a difficult weekend and we will take home 3 points, which could be crucial. The race was so tough. My han was hurting so much. I don’t know why but after 4 laps it began hurting again; I think that we didn’t manage to inject it properly. I was important to finish though, and I hung on behind Hofmann. This is a legendary track, and I’m lucky to ride here, which was one of my dreams, and it’s another reason to be satisfied. However we need to improve. I want to return next year and give it all again, so I can improve on my result.” HERVE PONCHARAL, Fortuna Yamaha Team Manager “It was a very difficult weekend, but we still knew how to get through thanks to the hard work and effort from everyone. Rubén didn’t start the race too well, but after a few laps rode very consistently and had a good rhythm. The points we picked up are of vital importance. As for Toni, it wasn’t at all easy for him with this being such a physical track and him not being at 100%. We hope that in Donington he can ride in better shape and he can show the potential we all know he has.” More, from a press release issued by KTM: 8th round Laguna Seca, USA Hayden with debut win at Laguna Seca. Edwards finished on the second and Rossi on the third place. Shane Byrne completed the top fifteen, with Byrne picking up an historic first point for the KTM-powered Proton KR machine.