26th June 2005 Misano (Italy) Despite the overheated track surface conditions at Misano, with mercury readings of well over 50°C at times, Pirelli riders completed a successful weekend of racing, with no problems reported in these demanding and intense conditions. The 4.060km Misano circuit features several tough tests of tyre design and build, notably the high speed triple left ‘Curvone’ corner. Race 1 TRACK CONDITION Dry AIR HUMIDITY 47% TRACK TEMPERATURE 48° AIR TEMPERATURE 38° In the first race, shortened to 24 laps after two interruptions and restarts, there was one red flag stoppage to clear up oil from a crash and one grid reformation as a multi-rider false start made for a few more minutes of delay. Regis Laconi gave Ducati the win, with Chris Vermeulen’s Honda second and Troy Corser’s Suzuki third. Race Standings: 1. Laconi, Ducati 999F05, Ducati Xerox, 39’07.157 2. Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, Winston Ten Kate Honda, +4.439 3. Corser, Suzuki GSX-R1000, Alstare Suzuki, +8.043 4. Toseland, Ducati 999F05, Ducati Xerox, +10.198 5. Lanzi, Ducati 999RS, Ducati SC Caracchi, +14.105 Race 2 TRACK CONDITION Dry AIR HUMIDITY 50% TRACK TEMPERATURE 53° AIR TEMPERATURE 32° Race Standings: In the second race, run over the full 25 laps, and in even hotter track conditions of 53°C, the first four positions remained unchanged from those of race one. This time around Vermeulen was only 1.4 seconds down on Laconi in a straight fight, with Corser a further 1.8 back. Every rider except Corser used the new 200-section rear Pirelli in the second race, to make use of its advantages on the long Curvone section of the circuit. 1. Laconi, Ducati 999F05, Ducati Xerox, 40’46.260 2. Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, Winston Ten Kate Honda, +1.491 3. Corser, Suzuki GSX-R1000, Alstare Suzuki, +3.143 4. Toseland, Ducati 999F05, Ducati Xerox, +14.562 5. Chili, Honda CBR1000RR, Klaffi Honda, +16.291 It was then a very hard day, first for the rider, then the bikes, then the tyres. Pirelli brought a new and wider section solution to this venue and many riders decided to use this rear tyre even if it was different from what they raced before. This 200 tyre delivered good results, as it did in development test sessions, but the result on this track was even bigger than expected mainly thanks to the track’s characteristics. This results give to the Pirelli technician many new elements and data to work on, in order to improve again. For this reason they will test it in Lausitzring, even if it will not be used in the Brno race. A good result was thus shared in partnership with Pirelli, with the teams who found the courage to change their usual setup from the normal way could face the 25 laps of the second and hotter- race. Also the “standard” 190 solution also did its job, allowing riders to use even the softest compounds. World Championship Standings: 1. Corser, 254 2. Vermeulen, 181 3. Laconi, 162 4. Kagayama, 148 5. Toseland, 124 6. Haga, 88 7. Walker, 87 8. Chili, 86 9. Pitt, 70 10. Muggeridge, 65 TRACK CONDITION Dry AIR HUMIDITY 52% TRACK TEMPERATURE 50° AIR TEMPERATURE 32° The 23-lap Supersport race, delayed by half an hour due to the dramas in Superbike race one, was a non-stop 23 lap affair, with French riders Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) and Fabien Foret (Honda) outpacing Charpentier team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara. It was Charpentier’s fourth race win of the year. All the top Honda riders used harder rear tyres than most other runners, and were thus able to do the entire race at a higher place. Race Standings: 1. Charpentier Honda CBR 600 RR Winston Ten Kate 38’14.344 2. Foret Honda CBR 600 RR Team Megabike +0.496 3. Fujiwara Honda CBR 600 RR Winston Ten Kate +4.981 4. Curtain Yamaha YZF R6 Yamaha Motor Germany +13.367 5. Parkes Yamaha YZF R6 Yamaha Motor Germany +19.396 World Championship Standings: 1. Charpentier, 140 2. Fujiwara, 106 3. Curtain, 83 Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli racing manager: “Supersport was quite interesting for us, because in the end riders used three a different solutions, with different results. The Ten Kate Hondas, not so competitive in the first days of practice, probably used the hardest solution, in the race, and that is why they could last all race long. It seems not so easy to beat the Honda this year but this weekend the Megabike Honda machines were fast as well. It was also very pleasing to see that a Suzuki could win in the big Superstock class, that a Yamaha was second and an MV Agusta was also on the podium. That shows our road products work for a wide variety of machines.” More, from a press release issued by Longevity Racing: Barrett Long Wins at Miami-Homestead Races Longevity Racing- and Webdate.com-sponsored rider Barrett Long came from a fifth-row starting position to win the Middleweight Superbike race and collect $1,500 in Yamaha contingency money at the CCS event June 26 at Miami-Homestead Speedway in Florida. He also finished 3rd in the Middleweight Supersport and GTU classes.

The Monterey Herald, based in Monterey County, California, ran stories in its daily print newspaper and on its website June 27 and June 28 highlighting problems race fans are having with local hotels canceling long-standing, confirmed reservations and price gouging during the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix MotoGP/AMA event, scheduled for July 8-10. In addition to mentioning the problems of race fans (many sourced from postings on Roadracingworld.com), the articles also detailed an investigation launched by the Monterey County District Attorney’s office to look into “unfair business practices” by area hotels. At the end of the June 28 article, the following can be found: “DA request “¢ The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office is looking for people who may have information about Peninsula hotel overbooking. Those who do are asked to call (831)647-7770.” In addition, Kelly Duffy, a reporter from the Salinas, California NBC affiliate KSWB, and Elizabeth Valente, with CBS affiliate KION 46 News, are looking to get in touch with race fans who have had problems with July 8-10 hotel reservations in the Monterey County, California area. Duffy can be reached at (831) 758-7730. Valente can be reached at (831) 784-6415. To read the full June 27 Monterey Herald article, go to: ~http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/11995537.htm~ To read the full June 28 Monterey Herald article, go to: ~http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/12003577.htm~

Trevor Nation steals the show at the 2005 Goodwood Festival of Speed FORMER Superbike Champion Trevor Nation wowed the crowd at last weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed aboard John Reynolds 2004 Championship winning Crescent Rizla Suzuki GSXR1000K4. Trevor performed an array of spectacular donuts, 100mph+ wheelies and burnouts to the crowd’s ecstatic cheers and applause, eclipsing even the cheers for the Formula One cars! The Goodwood Festival of Speed was a true biker-fest in 2005, with former Champions from all over the globe displaying many of the most historic and rare bikes. The exclusive line-up included Freddie Spencer, Mick Doohan, Giacomo Agostini, Steve Parrish, Mick Grant and Sammy Miller to name but a few. Around 180,000 people visited the premier celebration of motorsport in the UK, along with big-name celebrities such as Bryan Ferry, Boris Becker, Jenson Button, David Coulthard, Damon Hill, Ewan McGregor, Jeremy Clarkson and Murray Walker. Crescent Retail Director Martyn James said: “Trevor did a great job of entertaining the crowds on our Championship winning Crescent Rizla Suzuki – he certainly hasn’t lost any of the bike control that made him such a great rider. “It has been a real honour and pleasure to attend the Festival of Speed for the second year in a row. The quality of displays and visitors is second to none and the enthusiasm for motorcycling has to be experienced to be believed.” The Goodwood Revival, complete with a Barry Sheene Memorial race, is the next major motorsport event to be held at the venue near Chichester on 16-18th of September. For more information on Goodwood visit www.goodwood.co.uk.

UPDATED SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOR 2005 RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX Changes Made To Friday Schedule of Events MONTEREY, Calif. (June 27, 2005) A slight adjustment to the Friday schedule for the first MotoGP World Championship race in the U.S. since 1994 is reflected in the updated schedule of events released today for the 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix July 8-10 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The major change involves the MotoGP World Championship, which will now take to the track on Friday for their first practice session at 10 a.m. (All times PDT) Sunday, July 10 marks one of the most anticipated events in the 49-year history of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, as round 8 of the MotoGP World Championship will take the green flag at 2 p.m. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S. on SPEED Channel and television coverage will reach over 300 million people in more than 200 countries. Also included in the schedule are a number of free fan activities to ticket holders, highlighted by a live performance on Saturday evening from Smash Mouth, presented by Yamaha & HSBC. The Bay Area-band will perform their hits, including “All-Star” and “Then The Morning Comes” beginning at 6 p.m. on a temporary stage constructed near the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca scoring tower overlooking Turn 10. Other free fan activities include Friday’s Parts Unlimited Fan Party from 5-7 p.m. in the Parts Unlimited Chalet in Turn 5; a screening of the movie Faster on the viewing screens across from the Turn 4 grandstand at 7 p.m.; and an autograph session featuring motorcycle legends Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson, Steve Baker, and more as part of Yamaha’s Weekend of Champions. The Weekend of Champions autograph sessions will take place Friday and Saturday from 9-10:30 a.m. and 12:30-2 p.m. and on Sunday from 9-10:30 a.m. and 12-1:30 p.m in the Yamaha Marketplace. The historic weekend officially begins Friday, July 8 at 8 a.m. with a 30-minute practice session for the AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship and a 50-minute practice session for the AMA Superbike Championship. Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi and the rest of the MotoGP field take to the challenging 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course at 10 a.m., for the first of two Friday practice sessions. The MotoGP field takes to the track twice again on Saturday, beginning with a third practice session of the weekend on Saturday at 10 a.m. Qualifying for Sunday’s race takes place from 2-3 p.m. Also qualifying on Saturday are the AMA Repsol Superstock Series (9 a.m.) and AMA Superbike Championship (11:50 a.m.). Two races are a part of the Saturday schedule: the Yamaha & GE Financial Superstars of Super Karts at 3:10 p.m. and round 11 of the AMA Superbike Championship, a 28-lap race starting at 4:35 p.m. Sunday’s 32-lap MotoGP race will be preceded by the AMA Repsol Superstock Series contest at 11:30 a.m. and followed by the fifth and final race of the weekend – the AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship race at 3:30 p.m. 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.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I made my reservations prior to the announcement of the MotoGP at Laguna Seca, for the dates of July 1-July 11. I don’t have the exact date of the reservations, but it was just a couple of days after returning from the WSBK races last year. I received the State Government rate of $94 Sun-Thur and $147 Fri-Sat (excellent deal, might I add…) Last week, on July 21st around 2:30pm, I double checked my reservations on-line, and discovered, much to my horror, that the reservations were for July 1-July 7. I had received no phone calls, no communication whatsoever, and I had not contacted the hotel at all. I immediately called the hotel, and “Hope” told me that according to the computer, I had called Embassy Suites on June 14th and voluntarily cancelled the tail end of my reservations. I vehemently denied doing this, explaining that I had $1,000 worth of tickets purchased (two premier pit row suites), and there would be no sensible explanation for my cancelling those reservations. She said I would need to call “Gerard,” who had processed the cancellation. He would be in at 3pm. At 3pm I called, and Gerard was not yet in. I explained the need for immediate action regarding this. Hope again stated that she couldn’t do anything, and added that this was the first person she had talked to who had their reservations cancelled without being notified. She said that others were called and offered rooms in Santa Cruz. I told her that was unacceptable, considering how long ago I had made my reservations. I then added that Gerard should call me, I wasn’t going to keep trying to hunt him down for a problem that the hotel had created. I also stated that if this did not get resolved, I would seek legal restitution. At 3:15, Gerard called back. He apologized for the “computer error.” He said he didn’t remember doing the transaction, but that perhaps someone else had been logged on to his computer. He said that the reservation was back in place, at the original rate (interestingly, the rate now shows $147 for every night, but my faxed reservation confirmation does have a note saying to honor the original rates.) So, at this point, the problem has been resolved. But I shudder to think what would have happened if I had not double checked my reservation, and shown up on the 1st with nothing but my word against theirs and no hotel room for the big race. The added problem now is that I would like to change my reservation to arrive on the 3rd, but I don’t want to call or contact Embassy Suites for fear that they will use that as an excuse to cancel my race weekend reservations. Barbara Baker Sacramento, California See related post: DA Investigates Hotel Problems In Monterey June 25, 2005 ~https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=23266~

The Fastrack Riders truck was stolen from the parking lot of the Cannery Hotel on Craig Road, near I-15, in North Las Vegas Thursday night. The theft delayed the start of Friday practice held in conjunction with the combined WERA National and WERA West Regional races held on the Classic Course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) this weekend. The truck is a 2004 turbodiesel Ford F350 Crew Cab Lariat with a gooseneck hitch, white exterior with grey leather, a CB radio antenna on top, a Line-X bedliner, and 6-inch Fastrack stickers on the side and back windows. The VIN # is 1FTW32P94ED01931. Anyone with information on the truck should contact Larry Pointer at 714-425-2159. In the meantime, Wheel Two Wheel, the west coast Pirelli distributor, volunteered to haul the Fastrack 5th-wheel trailer back from LVMS to Southern California.

ESTOK RIDES BUELL FIREBOLT TO THUNDERBIKE VICTORY AT VIR Bilansky is Second on a Buell, Estok Shares Thunderbike National Series Points Lead ALTON, Va. (June 26, 2005) Millville & Wildwood Harley-Davidson/Buell rider David Estok won the Formula USA Thunderbike National at Virginia International Raceway aboard a Buell Firebolt. The victory is the second of the season for Estok and boosts him into a tie for first place in Thunderbike National series points. Five other Buell riders placed in the top ten, including second-place finisher Hal’s Performance Advantage rider Dan Bilansky. Estok was the top Thunderbike qualifier on Saturday with a 1:33.605 lap, a new qualifying record for Thunderbike at the 2.25-mile North Course at VIR. Weather conditions on Sunday were variable, and the 12-lap Thunderbike race started on a wet-but-drying track. Suzuki rider Darren Danilowicz led the first couple of laps before Bilansky passed him and started pulling away. Estok made a smart decision by choosing an intermediate rear tire, which helped him weave his way through the pack as the track dried out. He overtook Bilanksy about halfway through the race and turned on the steam, winning the race by more than 13 seconds. Danilowicz finished third, ahead of Suzuki rider David Yaakov, who placed fourth. Seven of the 14 Thunderbike qualifiers were riding Buell motorcycles. In addition to Estok and Bilansky, the following Buell riders finished in the top ten; Kenwood/Sirius Satellite Racing rider Sam Rozynski in fifth, Blue Springs Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Walt Sipp in sixth, Daytona Harley-Davidson/Richie Morris Racing rider Clint Brotz in eighth and Kenwood/Sirius Satellite Racing rider Joe Rozynski in ninth. Defending Thunderbike series champion Bryan Bemisderfer, riding for Evo-Twin Racing/Harding Harley-Davidson, qualified fifth but dropped out of the Thunderbike race after four laps due to a mechanical failure. After five of eight Formula USA Thunderbike National events, Estok and Yaakov each have 123 points to share the series points lead. Bemisderfer is in third place with 91 points. Danilowicz has 87 in fourth place, with Joe Rozynski close behind at 83. The next event on the Formula USA schedule is August 12-14 at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Ala. The Formula USA National Thunderbike series is a horsepower-to-weight ratio restricted class, open to a variety of production-based motorcycles. Buell-mounted riders compete in the eight-event 2005 Thunderbike series race for a share of the $70,500 contingency fund posted by Buell Motorcycle Company. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com. More, from a press release issued by CCS Florida: Martinez Unbeatable on Ducati CCS Florida at Homestead-Miami Speedway June 26, 2005 Marco Martinez was unbeatable on the Desmomaniac’s prepared Ducati 996 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This winning force, a combined effort between Champion Racing and Desmomaniacs, succeeded in its mission of putting Ducati back on the podium. Martinez took home four first place trophies for his efforts, winning the Unlimited Grand Prix, GTO, Middleweight Superbike and Supertwins classes. The Supertwins race was combined with Unlimited Superbike, which Martinez also entered. He started with the second wave and was able to push his way up front in the Supertwins class and work his way through half of the Superbike field to finish fifth in that class. Desmomanic’s choice of machine for Martinez is Carl Fogarty’s 1999, ex World Superbike, which Martinez exclaimed to be “Unbelievable.” More, from a press release issued by Blue Springs Racing: Sipp has an up and down weekend at VIR! Alton, VA Blue Springs Harley-Davidson rider Walt Sipp finished 6th at round five of the Formula USA Thunderbike Championship, held at picturesque Virginia International Raceway. After missing the first round of practice Friday due to a late arrival at the track, Sipp worked quickly to get on pace. He used the CCS Thunderbike race as a tune-up finishing a respectable 4th place. Saturday practice was even better with him further quickening his lap times; although it wasn’t without incident. “Yeah I was coming out of turn two and just got on the gas a little too hard. The rear spun up and almost high-sided me. I saved it, but I came down on the windscreen shattering it with my chest. From what I hear, the guys behind me got a pretty good show!” Qualifying looked to be even better with the shiny new slicks mounted. However, it was not to be. On the third lap of qualifying a rear brake issue caused the rear end to lock up and come around almost high-siding him again! This time though he was not as lucky as he found his way in to the grass and crashed. All wasn’t lost though, as the one lap Walt did do was good enough for 8th on the grid with a 1:37.260. “I was pretty disappointed with not being able to run more laps in qualifying; I was just getting warmed up. With as effortless as the low 1:37 felt, I’m sure I could have run 1:36 flat,” said Sipp. After two hot, but beautiful days, things changed dramatically Sunday. The rain came and soaked the track along with much cooler temperatures. So with the damage from Saturday fixed, Walt began then to prepare the bike for a wet race. Walt said, “I wouldn’t call myself wet weather specialist, but the rain doesn’t bother me. I think that’s a big part of it, you know keeping a positive attitude.” With full rains mounted he took off for the sighting laps; only one problem though, the rain had stopped and the sun started coming through and drying the track. With no time to change to a different tire, he was forced to start on the super soft rain tires. After getting held up a little bit on the start behind a rider with DOT’s on and falling back to eleventh, he slowly started making his way back to the front. “When the track was still pretty damp I felt good, but as the race wore on and the track got more and more dry I started to get worried about my tires. I caught and passed as many people as I could, but on the last few laps I backed my pace down trying to make sure my rains would last till the end. After the race was over the new Dunlop rains still looked good. I probably could have pushed even harder and caught at least one more person,” said Walt. As it turned out he made his way up to 6th at the end. Not what he was looking for, but it’s something to build on after the tough luck so far this season. Look for Walt and the Blue Springs crew to be back fighting for a podium at the next round August 12-14 at Barber Motorsports Park. Find out more at www.waltsipp.com.