Thursday’s Provisional 250cc GP Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 2:05.530 2. Jorge LORENZO, Honda, 2:05.665 3. Casey STONER, Aprilia, 2:05.691 4. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 2:05.906 5. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 2:05.982 6. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 2:06.200 7. Hector BARBERA, Honda, 2:06.255 8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 2:06.311 9. Simone CORSI, Aprilia, 2:06.809 10. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 2:06.884 11. Jakub SMRZ, Honda, 2:07.963 12. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 2:08.253 13. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Honda, 2:08.649 14. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 2:08.665 15. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 2:08.765

ADRIATIC RIVIERA GREETS ITALIAN RETURN FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM Misano Adriatico (Italy), Thursday 23 June: Much has changed in the time since the previous World Superbike race in Italy, almost two months ago at Monza. Following a difficult start to the season, the Ducati Xerox Team has now emerged as a winning force in this year’s championship after James Toseland and Régis Laconi both claimed their first victories of the season at Silverstone. This weekend the Santamonica circuit on Italy’s Adriatic Riviera will greet the Superbike regulars for round 6 of the championship. After last year’s unfortunate rain-affected experience in April, this year the Misano counter moves back to its regular June slot and with the hot Italian summer already getting into full swing, a large crowd is guaranteed for Ducati’s home race. Ducati Corse Superbike technical director, Ernesto Marinelli, explains what the Ducati Xerox Team riders will be up against at the Misano track. “We always go well at Misano, it’s a track that our bikes seem to like” declared Marinelli. “Last year the weather in April and the fact that there weren’t many competitive bikes on the grid stirred things up a bit. This year it will be a completely different situation, but we will start off from last year’s base settings. The Misano circuit is varied and medium-fast, it doesn’t have any particularly slow corners, but it does have a lot of changes in direction, as well as the long ‘Curvone’ which puts a lot of pressure on the left side of the tyre”. Régis Laconi’s last four results at Misano have been impressive to say the least, a second, a first, a fourth and a third, giving the impression that the 29-year-old Frenchman has a special feeling with the 4.060 km circuit. “Misano is a track that I like because it’s a technical circuit, it’s usually very warm here and it’s close to the beach!” joked Régis. “Seriously speaking, I like all the parts of this track apart from the new section, where I seem to have a bit more difficulty. But we are working well with the bike and this year I don’t have the problems that I had last year. It will be very warm here, and that makes a big difference, even from the morning to the afternoon and maybe we also have to set the bike up differently depending on the temperature. It will be a hard race because it’s a very physical track and there is not much time to recover. Now we are winning, so I feel a lot happier than in the early part of the season”. James Toseland has never won at Misano, his best result being second when he pushed fellow Brit Neil Hodgson (Ducati) hard in 2003, but the 24-year-old feels that Silverstone was a turning-point in his season. “Ducati has worked really hard after Suzuki caught us out at the beginning of the season and everything came good at Silverstone for us”, declared James. “Unfortunately we’ve lost points but it’s not over yet. My results at Misano have been a bit up-and-down, I had a terrible weekend here last year in the damp conditions but the year before was pretty good. We can go round here as fast as anybody, with the bike development, the testing and my confidence, so there’s no reason why we can’t get a couple of wins here. I pencilled off another notch on my list with my first win at Silverstone and the next one down is my first double-win! I’ll definitely be going for it here!” SANTAMONICA STATISTICS: The 2005 championship reaches its half-way point with this year’s fifteenth edition of the Santamonica event. The first race was held in 1991 and saw two wins go to Doug Polen (Ducati). Since then all the Superbike greats have added their names to the list of winners: Falappa (4 times), Polen, Kocinski and Bayliss (3), Lucchiari, Slight, Fogarty, Corser, Xaus and Chili (2), Russell, Bostrom and Laconi (1) last year. Among the manufacturers, the undisputed queen of Misano is Ducati with 22 wins, followed by Honda (3), Aprilia (2) and Kawasaki (1). Four riders are top of the pole position category: Falappa, Fogarty, Hodgson and Corser with 2 each, followed by Polen, Russell, Kocinski, Yanagawa, Bayliss and Martin with 1. The track records all belong to Troy Bayliss (Ducati), who has set them in 2002: Superpole 1m33.525s (156.279 km/h), Lap record 1m34.913s (153.994 km/h). The two races will be run over a distance of 101.500 kilometres (25 laps). ON THE BEACH: Activities on Thursday Press Day at the Santamonica track will include a beach volley challenge between Riders and Media on the sands of the Misano seafront. The tournament, organised by FGSport and Superbike Italia, will take place in the ‘Romina’ beach club belonging to Pierfrancesco Chili and his wife. It will see the participation of the top Superbike riders, including Ducati Xerox Team’s James Toseland and Régis Laconi, as well as representatives from Supersport and Superstock. DUCATI STORE IN THE PADDOCK: At the Misano round, Ducati will also be present from Thursday thru Sunday with a stand selling clothing and accessories. A Ducati sales point will be set up inside the circuit, close to the main entrance, in the heart of the Superbike Paddock. Misano fans at the race will be able to purchase a selection of Ducati Corse products, including T-shirts, scale models, caps and gadgets. In this area there will also be a display of Ducati bikes, articles and products of Ducati’s partners, as well as a corner dedicated to the DRE (Ducati Riding Experience), Ducati’s world-famous Imola riding school. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 5 of 12 rounds) : Riders – 1. Corser (Suzuki) 222; 2. Kagayama (Suzuki) 144; 3. Vermeulen (Honda) 141; 4. Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 112; 5. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 98; 6. Walker (Kawasaki) 74 ; etc. Manufacturers – 1. Suzuki 231; 2. Honda 154; 3. Ducati 150; 4. Yamaha 109; 5. Kawasaki 86; 6. Petronas 4. CIRCUIT INFO: Name – Autodromo di Santamonica. Length – 4.060 km. Pole Position – Left. Corners Left/Right – 4/4. Finish Line Length – 510 m. 2004 RESULTS: Race 1 – 1. Laconi (Ducati); 2. Corser (Petronas); 3. Chili (Ducati). Race 2 – 1. Chili (Ducati); 2. Laconi; 3. Martin (Ducati). TV COVERAGE: Eurosport (Europe) – Sunday 26 June, 1200 race 1 (live), 1530 race 2 (live). La7 (Italy) – Saturday 25 June, 1700 Superpole (delayed); Sunday 26 June, 1405 race 1 (delayed), 1530 race 2 (live).

Thursday’s Provisional 125cc GP Qualifying Results: 1. Mattia PASINI, Aprilia, 2:12.742 2. Mika KALLIO, KTM, 2:12.745 3. Sergio GADEA, Aprilia, 2:13.170 4. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, 2:13.370 5. Julian SIMON, KTM, 2:13.403 6. Alexis MASBOU, Honda, 2:13.407 7. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, 2:13.459 8. Mike DI MEGLIO, Honda, 2:13.926 9. Manuel POGGIALI, Gilera, 2:13.938 10. Thomas LUTHI, Honda, 2:13.957

Thursday Morning MotoGP Practice Times: 1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 2:01.003 2. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 2:01.736 3. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 2:01.758 4. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 2:01.946 5. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 2:02.077 6. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 2:02.117 7. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 2:02.409 8. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, 2:02.449 9. Alex BARROS, Honda, 2:02.628 10. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 2:02.862 11. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, 2:02.986 12. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 2:03.015 13. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 2:03.116 14. Troy BAYLISS, Honda, 2:03.360 15. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 2:04.297 16. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 2:04.766 17. David CHECA, Yamaha, 2:05.055 18. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, 2:06.437 19. Shane BYRNE, Proton KR, 2:07.188 20. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, 2:08.079 21. James ELLISON, Blata, 2:08.756

Screwing with confirmed hotel reservations for a race weekend at Laguna Seca is nothing new. Here’s a local newspaper’s story on a case from a couple of years ago… ~http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/local/4879176.htm~

Special Advance-Ticket Offers for Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at VIR Alton, Va. (June 22) – When the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited returns to VIRginia International Raceway this year, a lot will be different. The event will have a new name, the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals, a new date, August 26-28, a new promoter in RPM Promotions and lots of added features including trackside jumbotron screens, an expanded vendor village, stunt shows, a fan party and more. Another new feature will be the Tiki Man Promotion offered to fans who purchase their tickets early. While supplies last, each fan who purchases an admission ticket prior to July 8 can choose from one of four free items: free parking (cars only), a free official event t-shirt, a free official event program or a free parade lap of the VIR circuit. “We’re really excited about promoting the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at VIR,” said RPM Promotions vice-president Cameron Gray. “We plan to make this the premier event on the AMA Superbike circuit, and we’re making this offer to our fans to let them know that we mean business. We have the best motorcycle road racing in America at one of the world’s most beautiful racing facilities. We have the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans in all of motorsport, and this offer is just the first step in showing our appreciation to them. “We will have more announcements in the weeks to come regarding extra features that we will be providing to our fans, and they will be spectacular, so stay tuned!” There are a number of advance ticket packages available for the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at VIR. Advance packages include the Flag Room (three-day admission, paddock access, car parking pass, official event program and hospitality on Saturday and Sunday), for $140; Youth Flag Room (5-12 years of age) for $50; the Big Kahuna Super Ticket (three-day admission, paddock and pit walk pass, lap of track, car parking pass and official 2005 Big Kahuna t-shirt) for $99; three-day general admission with paddock access for $55; and pit walk passes (limited availability, good for all practice and qualifying sessions, requires closed-toe shoes) for $30. At the gate, ticket availability will be limited to three-day passes for $60, single-day tickets (Friday only) for $10 and pit walk passes for $40. To purchase advance tickets, visit www.virclub.com or www.rpmcolorado.com. The event schedule will include three days of racing action, including two feature races for the headlining AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited as well as feature races for the supporting classes including the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, AMA Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series and Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series. VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Va., and just north of historic Milton, N.C. In addition to its 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit (designed to be operated as two autonomous, full-service courses), VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America’s first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park; the VIR Gallery, which is a sales showroom for high-end collector and racing cars; the VIR Safety and Security Institute, which provides specialized training for U.S. Government and military groups; The Lodge at VIR, a 27-room hotel overlooking the track; and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse. VIR made history from 1957 to 1974 and is doing so again. The 2.25-mile VIR North Course circuit on which the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals will take place has 17 challenging turns and 130 feet of elevation change. In addition to spectator events, the track is also available to rent for testing, driving schools and club days. For more information on VIRginia International Raceway, visit the track’s website at www.virclub.com or contact VIR at 434-822-7700. For more information on RPM Promotions, visit their website at www.rpmcolorado.com or contact them via telephone at 303-377-3278. For more information on the AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited, visit their website at www.ussuperbike.com.

JR focused on the podium at Knockhill RIZLA SUZUKI’S John Reynolds knows exactly what he needs to do to get on the podium when he races in the seventh round of the British Superbike Championship at Knockhill in Scotland this Sunday, June 26th. The reigning British Superbike Champion completed a productive test day at Donington Park last week and plans to use the second half of the racing season to prove he is a force to be reckoned with. “I am now completely focused on fighting for podium places at Knockhill and for the rest of the season,” explained JR. “And I know where I can find a lot of performance straight away – from within myself. “I have not really raced all season because of my leg injury and now it is healed and it is not a factor any more. I have the ability, I have my Rizla Suzuki and now I need to dig very, very deep and make that extra commitment that is required to be a Champion. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again and Knockhill is the race meeting where I am coming out more determined than ever before.” Alongside a revitalized JR is new Rizla Suzuki rider James Haydon. He has stepped into the team for the rest of the season to replace Scott Smart and is keen to see what he can achieve with his GSX-R1000 after setting competitive lap times in last week’s Donington test. James said: “This for me is the start of my season. I now belong to the best team, have a bike that is mine and mine alone and I have an opportunity to prove myself. I absolutely cannot wait to get racing at Knockhill. “Last year I won and finished second in the races at Knockhill and I like the circuit, it’s just ace. I’m going to do my talking on track and would advise the fans to come and watch the racing – it’s going to be worth it.” Superbike racing starts at 1:15pm on Sunday, June 26th, at Knockhill, near Edinburgh in Scotland. It will be shown on Sky Sports 3 at 18:30 on the same day. A highlights package will be broadcast by Channel 4 one week later.

AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – July 8-10, 2005 Friday, July 8 8:00am-8:30am Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei Helmets Practice 9:00am-11:00am Moto GP Free Practice 1 11:10am-11:40am Superstars of Super Karts Practice 11:55am-12:45pm AMA Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited Practice 12:45pm-1:30pm Lunch Break 1:00pm Mandatory Rider Briefing at Tech Inspection 1:30pm-3:00pm Moto GP Free Practice 2 3:15pm-3:50pm Superstars of Super Karts Practice 4:00pm-5:00pm Repsol Lubricants Superstock Practice Saturday, July 9 8:30am-8:50am Superstars of Super Karts Warm-up 9:00am-9:30am Repsol Lubricants Superstock Qualifying 10:00am-11:00am Moto GP Free Practice 3 11:15am-11:40am Superstars of Super Karts Qualifying 11:50am-12:30pm AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying 12:30pm-1:30pm Lunch Break 2:00pm-3:00pm Moto GP Qualifying 3:10pm-3:35pm Superstars of Super Karts Race 3:45pm-4:20pm Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei Helmets Practice 4:35pm AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Race (28 laps, 100k) Sunday, July 10 9:00am-9:30am Repsol Lubricants Superstock Practice 10:00am-10:20am Moto GP Warm-up 10:40am-11:10am Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Qualifying 11:30am Repsol Lubricants Superstock Race (17 laps, 60k) Noon-12:30pm Track Entertainment 12:35pm-1:30pm Lunch Break 2:00pm Moto GP Race (28 laps) 3:30pm Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Race (17 laps, 60k)