See the story, in which we learn that Road Atlanta has been relocated, here: ~http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20050703-9999-lz1s03motors.html~

Folch Yamaha Second in 24 Hours of Catalunya With three hours to go in the 24 Hours of Catalunya, the leading Folch Yamaha bike, ridden by Kenny Noyes, Dani Ribalta and Salva Cabana, was holding a one lap lead over the second Folch Yamaha (Josep Monge, Alex Martinez and Bernat Martinez) with an additional lap advantage over the Catala Suzuki team of Javier Fores, Diego Lozano and Alex Hervas. It had not been easy for Noyes and Cabana, who had ridden since the tenth hour without the services of Ribalta, taken to hospital after a ninth hour crash that put the team two laps down. The two, alternating on an hourly basis, had managed to fight their way back into the lead, with the second Folch team in a strong back-up position, when, within minutes, both Noyes and Monge crashed on spilled oil from another machine. The Catalan National Police Honda, smoking and leaking oil, had just passed, but corner workers showed no warning even after Noyes, first on the scene, went down at 110 miles per hour. Monge was next arrive was Hervas dicing with Monge.The Suzuki rider managed to recover from a long slide, but Monge crashed. Noyes had just arrived back at the team garage for emergency repairs when Monge also brought in his damaged machine. Folch mechanics were able to get both back on track. Hervas was unable to continue on the lead lap but Noyes, though injured, returned to the track two laps down and three hours to go. Even after all this the riders of Folch’s second machine were able to fight their way back into the lead before a mechanical problem silenced their R1 in the final hour, handing an unexpected victory to Catala Suzuki. Ribalta returned from the hospital just in time to give his exhausted team mates, Noyes and Cabana, a much-needed break by riding the final hour and bringing their battered Folch Yamaha home second. Podium celebrations were subdued and many of the acts planned to celebrate this 50th running of the Barcelona classic were cancelled due to the somber announcement, made by organizers prior to the prize giving, that French rider Xavier Fabra (EMPP Endurance Suzuki) had died at Granollers General Hospital only hours after his pre-dawn crash at the end of the fast home straight. “I was feeling a little sorry for myself after our bad luck until I heard the news about the French rider and realized we only lost a motorcycle race,” said Noyes. “I can barely walk now, but it’s just bruising from going over the top like that.” The next race for Folch riders Noyes and Bernat Martinez is round three of the Spanish National Formula Extreme Championship on July 17 at the Circuit of Catalunya. Top finishers: Catala Suzuki (Hervas, Fores, Lozano) 724 laps Folch Yamaha (Noyes, Ribalta, Cabana) 722 laps Glaner Honda (Lascroz, Roda, Almeda) 713 laps Fastest Lap among finishers: Noyes 1:51.298 A record of 72 teams started and 55 finished.

MCBAIN BREAKS THROUGH CALGARY, AB Calgary racer Clint McBain scored his first ever national Superbike win at Race City Motorsport Park Saturday, dominating the second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship. The 32-year-old series veteran started from pole on his Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 and led all 18 laps around the 3.2km (2.0-mile) circuit. He finished 4.025 secs. ahead of the Snobgirls /Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000 of Rock Forest, QC’s Francis Martin. Martin just edged Maple Ridge, BC rider Steve Crevier on his Diablo Performance Honda CBR1000RR after the two battled throughout the second half of the race. “This has been a long time coming and it feels unbelievable,” said McBain, who also became the first Calgary rider to win the Superbike national at Race City. “I’ve been close the past few years; we’ve had some seconds, some thirds. It’s great to do it in front of the hometown fans.” The race was the first half of a doubleheader weekend for the Parts Canada Superbike Championship competitors at Race City. The second 18-lapper goes Sunday afternoon. With his win McBain moved from fourth to second in the Parts Canada Superbike point standings. Opening round winner Martin maintains his lead with 97 points while McBain now has 87. McBain burst into the lead off the line and had an advantage of almost a second over Crevier by the end of the first lap. He stretched that lead to just over four seconds by half distance and at one point had opened the margin to almost seven seconds. “I tried slowing down a bit but I made a lot of mistakes so I thought I should turn it back up,” McBain said. “It took me a couple of laps to get my rhythm back.” Crevier ran second through the early laps while Martin charged his way up from fifth after the opening lap. He passed Kevin Lacombe for third on lap 6 and soon after put the pressure on Crevier. The two traded the runner-up spot before Martin took the position for good two laps from the finish. “We found a good set-up for the race just before the start,” said Martin, a winner at Race City in 1999. “I wasn’t even sure if it would work.” Jordan Szoke of Brantford, ON placed fourth on his Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR after running down in eighth spot after the opening lap. Granby, QC rider Lacombe was fifth on the second Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R10000. In other action at Race City, Crevier took his second straight win in the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike feature. Riding a Honda CBR600RR, Crevier just edged Calgary’s Chris Peris on the Topline Yamaha YZF-R6. McBain finished a close third on his Suzuki GSX-R600. Fifteen-year-old Karl Daigle led all the way to score his first career win in the Suzuki SV650 National Cup feature. Both the Pro 600 Sport Bike and SV650 Cup will run feature races on Sunday as well. Qualifying for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike class was rained out on Saturday. Practice times will be used to establish a grid for Sunday’s race, giving the pole to Warkworth, ON’s Mark Douglas, riding a Yamaha YZF-R6. Action from this weekend will be shown later this summer in a one-hour show on TSN. For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com Results of Saturday’s second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Race City Motorsport Park, showing finishing position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and laps completed: 1.Clint McBain, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 18; 2. Francis Martin, Rock Forest, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 18; 3. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Honda CBR1000RR, 18; 4. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda CBR1000RR, 18; 5. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 18; 6. Tom Kipp, Chardon, OH, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 18; 7. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 18; 8. Brian Nielsen, Edmonton, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1, 18; 9. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 18; 10. Pascal Picotte, Granby, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 18; 11. Jean-Paul Tache, North Bay, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 18; 12. Mitch Rathje, Calgary, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1, 18; 13. Guy Tomlinson, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R600, 17; 14. Erick Beausejour, Val Senneville, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 17; 15. Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 18*; 16. Tim Easton, Calgary, AB, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 17* Did Not Finish: James McCarthy, Edmonton, AB, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 4; Alan Schmidt, Clearwater, BC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 3; Rudy Raposo, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1 Fastest Lap: Francis Martin, 1:17.417 on lap 7 Margin of Victory: 4.025 seconds * — Penalized four positions for jump start Parts Canada Superbike Championship point standings after 2 of 8 rounds, showing position, rider name and point total: 1.Francis Martin, 97; 2. Clint McBain, 87; 3. Jordan Szoke, 75; 4. Steve Crevier, 72; 5. Frank Trombino, 64; 6. Kevin Lacombe, 57; 7. Tom Kipp, 52; 8. Matthew McBride, 46; 9. Pascal Picotte, 42; 10. Brian Nielsen, 36; 11. Jean-Paul Tache, 32; 12. Andrew Nelson, 29; 13. Stuart Nodell, 17; 14. Mitch Rathje, 15; 15. Guy Tomlinson, 13; 16. David Young, 12; 16. Erick Beausejour, 12; 18. Sean Heydorn, 10; 19. Larry Orde, 8; 19. Tim Easton, 8; 21. Fergus Warwick, 6; 22. Dominic Lavoie, 4; 23. Marco Alessandrini, 2; 24. Elie Daccache, 1

MCBAIN TAKES SUPERBIKE POLE CALGARY, AB Local ace Clint McBain dominated qualifying for the Parts Canada Superbike doubleheader at Race City Motorsport Park on Friday. Riding his Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000, McBain set a fastest lap of one minute, 16.534 seconds around the 3.2km (2.0-mile) track to earn pole position for both Superbike feature races this weekend. His nearest challenger was almost three-quarters of a second behind. The first 18-lap race will go Saturday afternoon, with the second on Sunday. McBain’s performance gives him four points toward the Parts Canada Superbike series title and the $500 MPM Array Pole Award. “That wasn’t supposed to be my quickest time,” said McBain, who came close to toppling Pascal Picotte’s lap record of 1:16.508 set last year. “I think there was more to be had. I would not have been happy with second, and I won’t be happy with second tomorrow.” Despite nursing a separated shoulder suffered four weeks ago Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, BC qualified second with a time of 1:17.214 on the Diablo Performance Honda CBR1000RR. Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke qualified third at 1:17.233 on the Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR. McBain’s Blackfoot Suzuki teammate Kevin Lacombe of Granby will complete the front row for both Parts Canada Superbike features after setting a time of 1:17.284. McBain led the hour-long session virtually from the start. He set his fastest time just 20 minutes in, which at the time placed him almost 1.5 seconds ahead of his closest challenger. Chardon, OH’s Tom Kipp will lead off the second row in both Superbike features after setting the fifth fastest time on Friday, a 1:17.544 on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R. Despite a heavy crash late in the session, Kleinburg, ON’s Frank Trombino set the sixth fastest time of 1:17.688 on his Trombino Yamaha Racing Yamaha YZF-R1. Parts Canada Superbike Championship points leader Francis Martin will start seventh after recording a best time of 1:17.849 on the Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000. Two-time defending series champion Pascal Picotte, who swept both races here last year, qualified eighth with a time of 1:18.085 on the Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1. In other action at Race City, McBain also grabbed pole for this weekend’s two Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike feature races. The 2002 class champion took his Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R600 to a time of 1:19.584. Lacombe was second at a 1:19.690 and Kars, ON’s Andrew Nelson placed third aboard the Nelson Racing Honda CBR600RR with a time of 1:20.198. Karl Daigle of Roxton Pond, QC claimed pole position for the Suzuki SV650 National Cup feature races with a time of 1:29.899. Pascal Anctil of Laval, QC paced practice for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike class at Race City with a best time of 1:25.245 on his Suzuki GSX-R600. Vancouver’s Olivier Spilborghs placed second with a 1:25.631 aboard his Kawasaki ZX-6RR and Hamilton, ON’s Dave Stewart was third fastest with a time of 1:25.869 on his Suzuki GSX-R600. The Amateur 600 Sport Bike competitors will qualify Saturday for their Sunday feature. Action from this weekend will be shown later this summer in a one-hour show on TSN. For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com Starting line up for this weekend’s second and third rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary, showing starting position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and qualifying time: 1.Clint McBain, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:16.534; 2. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:17.214; 3. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:17.233; 4. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:17.284; 5. Tom Kipp, Chardon, OH, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:17.544; 6. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:17.688; 7. Francis Martin, Rock Forest, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:17.849; 8. Pascal Picotte, Granby, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:18.085; 9. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:18.468; 10. Brian Nielsen, Edmonton, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:18.641; 11. Chris Peris, Calgary, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:19.311; 12. Peter Holzinger, Banff, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:20.197; 13. Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 1:20.315; 14. Alan Schmidt, Clearwater, BC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:20.797; 15. Mitch Rathje, Calgary, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:20.834; 16. Jean-Paul Tache, North Bay, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:21.183; 17. Tim Easton, Calgary, AB, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:21.324; 18. Bill Card, Wellesley, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 1:21.776; 19. Guy Tomlinson, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:22.236; 20. Erick Beausejour, Val Senneville, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 1:24.368; 21. Mike Zottmann, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.442; 22. Zenon Nelson, Bowmanville, ON, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:24.575; 23. Rudy Raposo, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:24.629; 24. James McCarthy, Edmonton, AB, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:25.975; 25. Shane Kuhn, Didsbury, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:26.023; 26. Alex Lotsov, Edmonton, AB, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:26.442; 27. Darren James, North Vancouver, BC, Yamaha YZF-R6, No Time

SATURDAY & SUNDAY TICKETS SOLD OUT FOR RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX Friday Tickets Still Available Monterey, Calif. (July 1, 2005) Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca officials announced today that tickets for Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10 of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix are no longer available for purchase through the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca ticket office. A limited number of general admission tickets will be available for sale at the official 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix ticket outlets while their supplies last. Approximately 53,900 tickets have been sold to spectators for each of the weekend days. General Admission tickets are still available for the Friday, July 8 practice day, the first opportunity for two-wheeled fans to see the MotoGP World Championship in its first appearance in the United States since 1994. Defending champion Valentino Rossi, his Yamaha teammate Colin Edwards and the rest of the MotoGP World Championship competitors will be on-track on Friday from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2 p.m.-3 p.m. for practice sessions. The sold-out days include Saturday’s AMA Superbike Championship race and Sunday’s much-anticipated MotoGP World Championship race. “With almost 150,000 people expected to be here, next week’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix will be the largest event in the 49-year history of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of the historic track. “The combination of MotoGP, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the Monterey Peninsula has proven irresistible. Our phones have barely stopped ringing since we announced the event last August.” Only once before has a sellout been announced at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. That was the 1998 Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races with Porsche as the event’s featured marque. That announcement was not made, however, until after a large walk-up crowd on Sunday of the event. Next weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix marks the first time a sellout announcement has been made prior to the event weekend in the 49-year history of the world-renowned circuit. A very limited number of tickets remain at the official 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix ticket outlets located around California. These tickets are available only in person. The outlets are: Mission Honda Yamaha, 6232 Mission St, Daly City, 650-992-1234 Cycle Center of Fremont, 41315 Albrae St, Fremont, 510-657-7200 Clawson Motorsports, 6334 N. Blackstone, Fresno, 559-435-5000 South County MX, 8585 Monterey Hwy, Gilroy, 408-848-2999 Honda of Glendale, 1331 E. Colorado, Glendale, 816-246-2461 Goleta Suzuki Yamaha, 5718 Hollister Ave, Goleta, 805-967-9898 East Bay Motorsports, 21756 Foothill Blvd, Hayward, 510-889-7900 Marina Suzuki, 12973 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, 310-306-8595 Honda of Modesto, 1120 N. Carpenter, Modesto, 209-529-5424 MWR Ticket Office, 1 University Circle, Monterey, 831-656-3223 Outdoor Recreation, Presidio of Monterey, Monterey, 831-242-6635 South Bay Motorsports, 1 West 35th Street, National City, 619-420-2300 Malcolm Smith Motorsports, 7563 Indiana Ave, Riverside, 909-687-1300 Cycle Stop Honda, 511 Abbott Street, Salinas, 831-424-0008 Blanco Shell, 1300 S. Main Street, Salinas, 831-422-5474 Yamaha of Salinas, 330 Kings Street, Salinas, 831-422-3232 Salinas Motorcycle Center, 1286 N. Main, Salinas, 831-442-3511 Helimot European, 1141 Old Bayshore Hwy, San Jose, 408-298-9608 San Jose Yamaha, 776 N. 13th Street, San Jose, 408-287-2946 Honda Suzuki of San Mateo, 101 E. 25th Ave, San Mateo, 650-341-5867 Seaside Shell, 1600 Canyon Del Rey, Seaside, 831-899-8530 We All Ride, 2636 S. Rodeo Gulch Rd, Unit D, Soquel, 831-465-9279 Honda Peninsula, 1289 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, 408-245-7840 Cal Coast Motorsports, 5455 Walker Street, Ventura, 805-642-0900 Friday General Admission tickets are still available for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix by calling (800) 327-SECA or logging onto www.laguna-seca.com or www.ticketmaster.com. More information on the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is also available at the www.RedBullUSGrandPrix.com.

Folch Yamaha Second in Qualifying for 24 Hours of Catalunya With starting positions based on the average of all three rider’s times, Folch Endurance Yamaha will start second in the 50th Anniversary running of the 24 Hours of Catalunya at the Circuit of Catalunya just northwest of Barcelona, Spain. The Folch team is composed of American Kenny Noyes and Spaniards Dani Ribalta and Salva Cabana. These same three placed second a month ago in the Spanish round of the World Endurance Championship in Albacete, Spain. The Folch Team averaged 1’52.3 compared to the 1’52.0 averaged by the Wurth Honda BQR team of David Tomas, Edu Ullastres and Josep Sardá. This race will also determine the winner of the Spanish National Endurance Championship. Folch Endurance is tied with BQR Honda for the points lead going into the third event of the three-race series. Said Noyes, “The real rival in this race is the day and night of riding that we have in front of us. Our Yamaha is working well and so are our Michelins, so we just have to avoid mistakes and keep a strong pace. Last year I finished third in this race riding a Catalá Suzuki, but we had to stop and change a clutch in the night and Folch beat us. This is my first year with Folch and I understand now why they have won four of the last five editions of this race. This one, being the 50th anniversary, means a lot to the team and to Josep Folch, and to me and my team mates too.” A record 71 three-rider teams will start.

CCS/Florida to Pay Double Bonus for “Muffler-less” Unlimited GP Race* In recognition of the upcoming “muffler-less” MOTOGP at Laguna Seca, CCS/Florida will be paying double bonus cash to the top 10 finishers without mufflers in the Expert Unlimited class at Moroso Motorsports Park on July 23-24. “We are doing the same thing that the GP’s are doing (just on a smaller scale) and that is making our main event not just something to be seen but giving it the sound that will add to the drama of road racing. Since implementing this feature to our races this year the fan response has been very positive. When that race starts all attention is on the track. And for those that don’t think that we draw spectators, I suggest they attend any Homestead or Moroso event. And to those that think this will hurt our sport, please be advised that NASCAR, IRL, NHRA and others do just fine racing without mufflers. Just take a look at the grandstands!”

RALLYE STOPS ANNOUNCED ALONG ROAD TO RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX “Fueling Stations” Provide Energy Boosts To Motorcyclists Monterey, Calif. (July 1, 2005) – Tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts will converge onto Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for next week’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, July 8-10 in Monterey, Calif. While some will travel by air, many will hit the road via motorcycle or automobile. To help keep those who travel by land fueled on their way to Monterey, Red Bull has organized the “Rallye,” a collection of over 20 Red Bull Energy Stops across the country for MotoGP enthusiasts to visit en route to the world famous, 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit. With Rallye stops located as far east as Oberlin, Penn., as far south as Odessa, Fla. and as far north as Portland, Ore., travelers can get off the asphalt, grab a cold Red Bull, and swap riding stories before hitting the road again. Visit the Rallye section at www.redbullusgrandprix.com for more information, including an interactive map of the U.S. that highlights Rallye locations, addresses, directions, GPS coordinates, dates and times of operation. The 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix marks the return of the MotoGP World Championship to the United States for the first time since 1994. Support events include the AMA Superbike, Superstock and Supersport races, as well as the Yamaha & GE-sponsored Superstars of Super Karts featuring Grand Prix motorcycle legends Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson and Kevin Schwantz. More event information is available at www.laguna-seca.com. More information on the MotoGP World Championship is available at www.motogp.com.