Bad News For M4 EMGO Suzuki At Mid-Ohio Test Team M4 EMGO Suzuki discovered today during testing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course that rider Geoff May dislocated his right shoulder while riding a minibike Sunday night. May was celebrating his second-place finish in the AMA Superstock race at Road America and his 25th birthday. Alcohol was involved. May was only able to do a total of 9 laps at Mid-Ohio before giving up any hope of riding and heading off to see a doctor in Atlanta. The team will continue to test today and Thursday with rider Michael Barnes, and will decide upon a course of action after receiving a medical report on the extent of the damage done to May’s shoulder. “Just when we had climbed out of one hole and it looked like we were going to be OK, this happens,” said Crew Chief Keith Perry. “The team is here, the Pirelli engineer is here, the Pirelli crew is here, and our test plan has been disrupted because of something stupid that happened in a parking lot. To say we are disappointed would be the understatement of the century.”

Despite Crash, Team Velocity Racing Takes Heavyweight Superstock Victory at Willow Springs ROSAMOND, Calif. Chuck Ivey, Reuben Frankenfield and Mark Crozier had a challenge during round four of the WERA National Endurance Series after a crash set them back, but Team Velocity Racing wound up taking the Heavyweight Superstock class win during the six-hour race at Willow Springs Raceway on Saturday, June 4. The team initially rode their Yamaha YZF-R1 to a finish of third overall after a late-race battle with Army of Darkness, but their finish was elevated to second after another team was penalized for a technical infraction. Crozier started the race for Team Velocity Racing, getting the hole shot at the start and leading the opening lap. “The first hour was cool,” said Crozier. “I kept the leader in sight for a while, then I had some other guys running with me. I kept it steady and did a consistent pace. It was a good day. The crew did a great job and we never gave up.” After the first hour, Crozier handed the Yamaha over to Ivey. Early in his stint, however, Ivey crashed after a violent rear-tire slide. The bike was not too badly damaged, and Ivey was able to return to the pits. The crew had the bike ready to go again in just five minutes, and Ivey re-entered the race in 17th overall. During the remainder of his stint, Ivey was able to bring Team Velocity Racing back up to fifth overall. “I wasn’t happy with the times I’d done in practice,” commented Ivey. “On the second lap of my stint, I was already two or three seconds faster than I had been in practice. After the crash, I put my head down and went as fast as I could. The bike wasn’t perfect, but I put in some fast times and was able to make up some positions.” Frankenfield rode the third stint, followed by Crozier and Ivey again, as the team strove to make up for the time they had lost in the pits. During the last hour, Frankenfield was able to catch up to and pass Army of Darkness. As the race wound to a close, however, the Yamaha’s fuel light came on and he had to begin riding conservatively in an effort to avoid running out of fuel. Army of Darkness caught back up, but was unable to pass before the checkered flag came out and finished less than four seconds behind Frankenfield. “The fuel light came on when there were still ten minutes in the race. I’d done five laps with the light on in practice, but I didn’t know about ten minutes. I started short-shifting and not running at full throttle. Strategy really played into our finish,” said Frankenfield. The class win has furthered Team Velocity Racing’s lead in the Heavyweight Superstock championship. Their next chance to earn points will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on June 15, during round five of the National Endurance Series. Fans can keep up with Team Velocity Racing at www.TeamVelocityRacing.com. More, from a press release issued by WERA: Strong Turnout for WERA National at Willow Springs ROSAMOND, Calif. Last weekend at Willow Springs Raceway marked the first of two Western rounds for the WERA Dunlop National Endurance Series and the WERA Michelin National Challenge Series. Many of the series regulars made the trek across the country for the event, resulting in a strong turnout that included a number of local riders. For Saturday’s six-hour endurance race, 23 of the series’ regular competitors and four local teams took the green flag. Vesrah Suzuki earned their fourth overall victory of the season, taking the Heavyweight Superbike class win en route to winning by eight laps. Mark Junge, Tray Batey and John Jacobi shared the Suzuki GSX-R1000. Team Velocity Racing won Heavyweight Superstock, taking second overall with Chuck Ivey, Reuben Frankenfield and Mark Crozier on a Yamaha YZF-R1. Third went to Army of Darkness, who finished less than four seconds behind Team Velocity Racing. Sam Fleming, Ben Walters and Scott Fisher also won Mediumweight Superbike on the Army of Darkness Suzuki GSX-R600. Dalke Motorsports took their second consecutive Mediumweight Superstock win, with Josh Smith-Moore and Brian Dalke on a Suzuki GSX-R600. The Lightweight Superbike class win went to Cale Swiger, Chris Parrish and Russell Stoddard on the Ghetto Customs Suzuki SV650. Sunday’s National Challenge Series event featured 16 sprint races of eight laps each. In the expert division, local racer Michael Beck won A/Open Superstock and Formula 1. Tray Batey won B/750 Superstock and Heavyweight Twins Superstock. Chris Siglin took the win in C/600 Superstock, David Siminski won B/750 Superbike, and Josh Herrin won C/600 Superbike. Chris Parrish took another victory in Lightweight Twins Superstock, while Tommy Aquino won Formula 2. In the novice division, Nick Scoggins won C/600 Superstock and C/600 Superbike. Tony Palarie took first in both B/750 Superstock and B/750 Superbike. J.B. Layman won A/Open Superstock and Terry Heard won Formula 1. David Nguyen took the win in Heavyweight Twins Superstock. The WERA National Series will have a short break before teams return west for round five of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, June 25-26. Complete results from the weekend as well as updated championship points can be found at www.WERA.com. More, from a press release issued by Jessica Zalusky: JESSICA ZALUSKY IS CLOSE TO HOME AT ROAD AMERICA Elkhart Lake, WI – Kawasaki Team Green rider and Roadamerica fan favorite, Jessica Zalusky, raced in both Formula Xtreme and Supersport aboard her Kawasaki Ninja ® ZX-6RR’s at Roadamerica, June 4-5. In Formula Xtreme, Jessica finished in the 25th position, while struggling to race due to the wet conditions. “I am not a very experienced rain rider, but I wanted to finish,” Jessica said following the race. In near perfect conditions for Supersport, Jessica was able to gain positions to finish respectively in the 31st position. Jessica will race next at Laguna Seca on July 8-10. Jessica would like to thank her crew for their relentless efforts, sponsors and supporters for their support, and Doug Chandler for his guidance and track expertise.

DUCATI XEROX TEAM BEGINS DOUBLE TEST SESSION AT BRNO Bologna (Italy), Wednesday 8 June: James Toseland and Régis Laconi of the Ducati Xerox Team begin a double visit to the Czech Republic this week as they hope to maintain the momentum of their recent Silverstone triumph with four days of testing at the famous 5.4 km Brno track. Two days of private Ducati Corse tests this week on Wednesday and Thursday and two days next week on June 15-16 together with several other WSBK squads will stand the team in good stead for the Czech Republic round of the World Superbike Championship, scheduled to be held in mid-July. Toseland and Laconi, who both took a victory apiece at Silverstone, giving Ducati its first wins of the year, will also be looking to gain an important advantage on one of the Ducati Xerox Team’s two nominated testing circuits, and in view of the next round of the championship, at Misano Adriatico on June 24-26. The Brno event returns to the World Superbike calendar for the first time since 1996, when both races were won by that year’s eventual world champion, Australia’s Troy Corser. The 2005 championship leader took the honours on a Promotor Ducati 916, which at the time was run by the current Ducati Xerox team manager Davide Tardozzi.

French rider Olivier Jacque will race for the factory Kawasaki Racing Team in the German and Valencia Grand Prix events in the 2005 MotoGP World Championship. In addition to these two wild card appearances, Jacque has been signed as Kawasaki’s test and development rider and is scheduled to complete 12 test days aboard the Ninja ZX-RR. Jacque’s test role will include working with Kawasaki engineers on the development programme for the prototype 2006 model ZX-RR, and with Bridgestone technicians on tyre testing. For the German and Valencia races Jacque will race a third Ninja ZX-RR machine alongside regular factory riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann. “It is a very satisfying moment in my career to sign this new contract with Kawasaki, I have not had a full-time job in MotoGP for 18 months,” Jacque said. “I’m very motivated for the race and test programme Kawasaki have given me, I like both the German and Valencia circuits, and I think the ZX-RR has a very high potential.” “It is an honour to be the rider who will begin the testing of the 2006 prototype Kawasaki MotoGP machine.” The three-rider squad entered for Germany and Valencia is a further indication of Kawasaki’s commitment to strengthen its presence in the world’s premier motorcycle series. “I’m delighted to have a rider of Olivier’s talent in our team for two wild card races and the test programme,” said Kawasaki Team Manager, Harald Eckl. “Olivier understands the ZX-RR and the way we go racing, he proved that with his excellent results in China and France.” “Having three riders on the grid at Sachsenring and Valencia is a boost to our race programme, and will provide additional data on both the bike and tyres at these circuits.” Jacque has already raced twice for Kawasaki this season, as substitute for the injured Hofmann in China and France. On a rain-soaked Shanghai track in May, Jacque rode superbly to finish second on the podium and deliver Kawasaki’s best ever result in the premier class. Kawasaki’s technical director Ichiro Yoda said that planning had already started for the 2006 season and Jacque would play a pivotal role, in company with Nakano and Hofmann, in the test programme. “As we begin to formulate our technical plan for 2006 the test programme will be very busy, so Olivier will play an important part in sharing the workload,” Yoda said. “By both racing and testing Olivier will better understand our technical plan for the ZX-RR, and this will also help to maintain his fitness.” “In parallel with the machine it is important to focus on tyre development and having Olivier as test rider will allow Kawasaki to maximise our test programme with Bridgestone. This is very important for the future.” Yoda added that the 2006 MotoGP racer will be “visibly different” from the current ZX-RR machine, as part of Kawasaki’s strategy to be a competitive force in the MotoGP World Championship.

GIBERNAU FACES TOUGH TEST AT ‘HOME’ GRAND PRIX Spanish superstar Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) must win here in Catalunya if he is to rekindle his World Championship title hopes in 2005. After falling in Italy last week, he needs maximum points to prevent reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi running away with the prize. Rossi has now won four out of five races so far this season and holds a commanding overall points lead in the World Championship standings; 120 points to Gibernau’s 53. Sete’s position as the chief challenger to the World Champion is even under threat as his team-mate Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) lies second with 71 points and Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) now has 67 after his second place at Mugello. But Gibernau is a fighter and he will respond to his position in the best way he knows – by working hard in qualifying and then riding a measured race to get back on terms. With 12 races left, his task of winning a World Championship is by no means impossible, but he will need all his reserves of tenacity and belief to achieve it. Max is another rider whose early season performance was under par, but he’s stepped up a notch since his rousing Mugello ride to second place, and he is now doing justice to his factory RC211V. He is another man desperate for a win to fulfil his promise riding Honda’s frontline machinery. And no one should discount Melandri from achieving a maiden class win now that he’s found a team and a motorcycle that can let his huge talent flourish. The Italian has not finished lower than fourth in the five races so far and it’s his metronomic consistency that has elevated him to second overall. A win would supercharge his title challenge. The Montmelo circuit lies 20km north of Barcelona. It is 4.727km long and features two long straights. Speeds of more than 210mph are attained on the main start/finish straight by the 250bhp MotoGP machines. Two of the 13 turns at this track feature negative camber, making lean angle increase for a decrease in tyre grip. The rest of the corners are largely constant radius and hard on tyres especially the longer right-handers. Chassis set-up requires good front/rear balance so that the bikes are easy to turn-in under hard barking and also so they have enough weight transfer under hard acceleration to allow the rear tyre to ‘hook-up’ and drive the bike out of turns without too much wheelspin. A relaxed ‘flowing’ style from riders is the key to a fast lap here. Rossi won here in 2001, 2002 and 2004 while Loris Capirossi took a victory here in 2003 for Ducati. Gibernau managed a third place in 1999 while Max achieved a second place in 2001. Gibernau also came home third in 2003, second in 2004 – so perhaps he is overdue a ‘home’ win this weekend. Sete, concentrating more on the track than World Championship pressure, said, “The best place to overtake is the Seat corner, whereas the Respol corner is slow because the track is very slippery there. The hardest corner is turn four, a 180-degree corner where the bike stays leant over for a long time. Barcelona is a track that requires two different riding styles: smoothness on the very quick parts and lots of aggression everywhere else. The secret of a good lap? A strong pace, and above all, a perfect set-up.” His team-mate Melandri, who was third here in 2004, and also won on a 250 in 2002, is upbeat about his chances. “I can’t wait to get back onto the track,” he said. “I’m very serene and I really want to continue my improvements this season. At Mugello we had a bit of trouble finding the perfect settings. In Barcelona we have a bit of an advantage as we rode here during the IRTA test at the beginning of the season. For this reason we have a really solid base to begin with.” Max said, “The great race at Mugello is in the archives now. I’m already concentrating on the Catalan Grand Prix. My Team and I go to Barcelona now and the very good job done by HRC has produced a positive result, so we can grow much stronger. I like the Montmelo circuit and last March at the IRTA Test I put in the second best lap time of the weekend so I expect to do well. Sure, the other riders won’t be going there to relax, but my team and I are aiming for another great result.” Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) said, “I’m really looking forward to Barcelona. We had a pretty good test there back in March and on the final day we really picked up the pace and managed the third fastest time of the weekend. I hope we can sort out the front-end problems we’ve been having. This circuit, with its long sweeping turns, needs a good front-end for a fast lap time. Grip is always an issue here but since they re-laid the tarmac it seems better.” Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) feels confident and said, “Barcelona is a track that I have always gone quick on, but I’ve also had a bit of bad luck here too. In two races I was at the front when I crashed or the bike broke down. However, the tests we did there in March went well and I like the track a lot because it’s dramatic, technical, fast and the asphalt is new… I’ve spent so much time in the area that I feel practically at home, and I think that we have a great chance to go well.” Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) said, “First of all the Catalan GP is a very important race for my team, so obviously I want to feature well here. I can’t wait to get there to work on the bike’s set-up. I know the track well, but more than anything I’ve already ridden my Honda there during the pre-season IRTA tests. So I have various points of reference to make a base set-up which we will then work to perfect for the race.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) is eager to get racing. “That’s it,” he said. “I’m tired of being so far from the front. In the Italian Grand Prix I had a problem with the rear of the bike and with the help of my Team we will try to solve it as soon as possible so that we’ll be competitive both in the qualifying session and the race on Sunday. This circuit suits my riding style and I’m sure I’ll get a result which will take me back into the top ten of the Riders’ World Championship. I want a podium!” In the 250cc class Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) will be aiming to give Spanish fans something to cheer about as he shoots for his fourth win of the season. He won here on a 125 in 2003, but was second to Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) last year in his debut 250 season. He leads the World Championship points table going into this race and Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW), his main title rival at this stage, will be going all out for a maiden win in Dani’s backyard. Dani said, “After such a great win at Mugello I’ve got my batteries charged for Barcelona. It’s gone well for me there over the past couple of years and I hope we can again celebrate the best possible result. Not doing well in front of so many people who are there for you would be difficult to accept. I remember my victory in 2003, which was very special.” “During the winter tests at this track, I was very fast,” said Dovi. “But I had some set-up problems. We absolutely have to solve these problems during practice this Friday because I like this track very much and I hope to be able to ride a good race.” Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) said, “I had some good pre-season tests at Catalunya and I’m sure that’s going to help me get quickly up to pace. They’ve re-laid the track and that’s important because the Formula 1 tests were starting to cause a lot of bumps. You need a very smooth riding style at this circuit with good corner speed.” Home runner Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) said, “I have mixed feelings about the Catalunya circuit, it’s fast, but it will be hard work because there are many fast bikes in the race. Still I have learned a lot about racing 250s, and I’m still getting better on the bike. I hope to be in the lead group on Sunday, just like at Mugello.” Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) will be looking to shine here too, and said, “I like the track very much. It’s fast, the settings are much as they are for Mugello and I’m sure we’ll be with the front group. The bike is good and the team and me get better every time we take the bike out. I hope the problems I’ve had with my left arm will not affect me in the race.” Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) is the man in control of the 125cc battle at the moment after a somewhat lucky second place at Mugello last week. He inherited second spot when the leading duo both crashed at the final turn on the last lap. Gabor Talmacsi (KTM) won. Luthi leads the points table with 74 from Mika Kallio (KTM) on 66 and both men will be going all out for the win, but knowing that any failure to gather points if they crash could be severely detrimental to their title aspirations. Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) is a rider needing a big points haul here to get himself back into World Championship contention after a failure to finish in France and an eight place finish in Italy. He currently lies fifth overall. “I like the track and it holds good memories for me,” said Luthi. “I scored my first ever podium here two years ago. It’s fast and difficult but my bike is really good and I hope to be racing with the top group again on Sunday.” Lai said, “Mugello and Barcelona are similar but Montmelo is particularly fast. But we have a lot of work to do in order to solve the engine problems I had in Mugello. I know that Aprilia and KTM are the favourites here, but we have a good chance because this circuit is really technical too.” Alvaro Bautista (Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda RS125RW) has experienced a torrid time since he made the switch to Honda failing to match the high standards he set last season. But at Mugello the Spaniard began to get to grips with the RS125RW. “On last Saturday at Mugello I was worried with the situation, but on Sunday, mainly at the end of the race, I felt comfortable. Mugello is more difficult than Montmeló, a circuit I know well, and so I hope I can confirm there that we have found a way to continue working to solve all the problems.” Said Bautista. Bautista’s team mate Aleix Espargaro the race is very much a ”Home grand prix. “This is the most special GP for me. I live 10 minutes to Montmeló, so I am going to be at home. I know very well the circuit, and I believe I can do a good job this weekend. I am confident with my chances, so I am very excited with this GP”.

Rizla Suzuki parts company with Scott Smart In an amicable split, Rizla Suzuki and Scott Smart have agreed to go their separate ways in search of improved results and performance. Robert Wicks, Rizla Suzuki Team Manager, said: “We are disappointed not to have been able to unlock Scott’s obvious potential as a Superbike racer, however we need to move forward and improve our results. “Rizla Suzuki is results driven and we have not been delivering the values our partners require during the first six rounds of the year. It is best for both Rizla Suzuki as a team and Scott as a talented professional racer if we pursue our separate paths. “We accept that there have been contributing factors that have made Scott’s job extremely difficult – the injury to John Reynolds added unexpected pressure, Scott has not always agreed with the direction the team wishes to take, we lacked testing due to the late delivery of the race bike and everyone in the team has had to adjust to a new structure.” Scott said: “There is no question that I struggled to gel with the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000. We tried making many changes and I still couldn’t find a competitive setting. I had very little confidence in the bike and that was reflected in my results. “While I didn’t always agree with the team on ways to improve the race bike, I do agree with them now that we should have a clean break and go our separate ways. For the benefit of my own career, I need to get back winning races and I am now looking for another team to achieve that with. “I know how important it is for Rizla Suzuki to get results and I personally want to see MXC as an investor in my career and Rizla Suzuki, be successful on both counts. I wish Rizla Suzuki well for the rest of the season.” Tony Weaver, Scott Smart’s Manager and a Director of MXC, said: “I am disappointed that Scott and Rizla Suzuki have not been able to get the results that both sorely deserve. “As Scott’s Manager I remain committed to him and his career and have faith that he is a future Champion. As a sponsor of Rizla Suzuki, MXC remains committed to the most professional team in British Superbikes and we will continue our very successful relationship. “I think this parting of company is necessary to allow both Scott and Rizla Suzuki to focus on getting much improved results and I’ll be cheering both on for the remainder of the season.” Wicks added: “Rizla Suzuki thanks Scott for all his efforts in the Championship this year, wishes him the very best for his future career and hopes to see him back where he belongs fighting for race wins soon. “As a team we will now review our options for the second half of the British Superbike season and will make an announcement on a replacement rider shortly.”