KAWASAKI PAIR AIMING HIGH AT CATALUNYA The Catalunya Grand Prix is one of the most eagerly anticipated races on the MotoGP calendar, none more so than for Kawasaki factory rider Shinya Nakano. For Barcelona is Nakano’s base during the European summer, with the Catalunya Circuit just a 30-minute drive from his downtown, beachside apartment. The race is very much a second home Grand Prix for Nakano, after his personal favourite, the Japanese GP at Motegi. And after impressive points-scoring performances in last Sunday’s Italian GP, both Nakano and Ninja ZX-RR teammate Alex Hofmann come to Barcelona in a relaxed and competitive mood. Since the pre-season IRTA tests in Barcelona, the ZX-RR has been boosted by upgraded electronic systems and engine parts that have helped Kawasaki to third place in the Constructors’ World Championship after five races. In this race last year Nakano finished seventh, and he is again targeting a top ten result. For Hofmann, the Catalunya GP will be just his second race back after a fractured wrist, and comes just a week after his determined comeback ride into 12th place at Mugello last Sunday. Hofmann travelled to Barcelona via the 18-hour, Mediterranean Sea ferry crossing from Genoa, a trip that allowed the 25-year-old German to relax and further recuperate from his recent wrist injury. The long, flowing corners of the 13 turn Catalunya track place a premium on smooth riding, combined with precise chassis settings and tyre performance. It is not the easiest track to set-up for, although Kawasaki technicians have the benefit of the data gathered at the pre-season test here. The string of constant radius corners are balanced by a long, 320 kph straight, a combination that produces a stunning lap average speed of 162 kph (101 mph). This 4.72 km track was first used for a motorcycle GP in 1992 and remains a classic test of both rider and bike. Although resurfaced during the off-season the new tarmac has not completely eliminated all of the bumps and ripples. The Catalunya GP is the second of three races scheduled in 2005 for Spain, a country known for its passionate love affair with motorcycle racing. An attendance of over 100,000 spectators is predicted for Sunday’s sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship. Shinya Nakano: #56 “The ZX-RR has improved since the beginning of the season with new electronic and engine parts, so it will be interesting to see the potential of our bike at Catalunya. I was seventh here last year and this is a good racetrack, so that position is a good target for the team this week. I want to aim higher than the tenth position I got in Mugello, which was a difficult track for our bike. For me, this is a relaxing race, like a second home GP, because I can stay in my apartment and not in a hotel or at the track.” Alex Hofmann: #66 “Catalunya is usually one of the hottest races of the year but that suits me. I like the heat and this track, although it is a tricky place to find the best set-up. The new surface has smoothed out some of the bumps, but it also seems to have made some new ripples in different places. My wrist is improving every day and I’m ready to race again; it is the best therapy possible. The ferry ride was a pleasant start to the week, just relaxing and getting some sun. I had a good race here last year and I want to go top ten in my second ride back after the wrist injury.”

WINSTON MEN ON PACE IN FRANCE The Winston Ten Kate Honda team has declared itself satisfied with progress after two days testing in warm and sunny conditions at Magny-Cours in central France. The 4.4km circuit near Nevers will host the final round of the 2005 World Superbike championship on 9th October. With several new Pirelli tyres to evaluate, Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge have also spent the two-day test working with a number of different swing-arm specifications and rear suspension components to improve the power delivery on their Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RRs. Ronald Ten Kate team manager: “It’s been a very good test and we started with the general set-up that we know, with some information from the race here last year. When the riders were lapping around the best race times from last year, we moved on to testing the development parts that we brought and a selection of new tyres from Pirelli. We’ve basically been lacking good drive out of the corners this season and we’ve tested a lot of different parts to improve that area of the bike. Both riders have been testing different components and then swapping to confirm the information we’ve been getting. It’s been very positive and, after we’ve studied everything again back at the workshop, we can move on to Misano with confidence.” Chris Vermeulen best time, 1:41.5 (on race tyre): “I’ve done loads of laps here 89 yesterday and I think even more than that today. I’m pretty tired and the wrist that I injured last year has started to ache a little, but we’ve definitely found out a lot about which way we need to go. We’re looking for a little more flex in the swingarm to get the power down more easily so we’ve tried some different swingarm and rear linkage combinations to achieve that. Pretty early yesterday morning I went six tenths quicker than my best race lap last year and that was on a well-worn tyre. We’ve also tested a load of new stuff from Pirelli new constructions, compounds and shapes. Like a lot of the other parts we’ve tried here, they all had advantages and disadvantages. But when we put all the good bits together I know we’ll be in much better shape.” Karl Muggeridge best time, 1:42.2 (on race tyre): “It’s been a really valuable two days, finally getting to spend some time in good weather to try a heap of different things. It’s really been the first proper test time for me since I stepped up to Superbikes and the sunshine here has helped me make the most of it. The different swingarms and linkages we’ve mostly been trying have been good and we’ve made some progress in getting the grip down better during acceleration out of corners. The only slightly frustrating thing is that I haven’t been able to try all the good bits together. But we know which will be the best combination and hopefully that will set us up well for the next few races.” Magny-Cours, France (4.41km) 2004 Superpole time Troy Corser (Petronas) 1m41.547s 2004 fastest race lap Steve Martin (Ducati) 1m42.312s

Montmeló June 9th, 2005 Catalunya Grand Prix Preview Bridgestone looking forward to more excitement After the successful Italian Grand Prix in Mugello last weekend, where Ducati and Bridgestone celebrated the first podium finish in their young MotoGP partnership, both the Italian team and the Japanese tyre manufacturer look forward to this week’s Catalunya Grand Prix with excitement and anticipation. Inaugurated in 1992, the Catalunya circuit has been hosting both the MotoGP and Formula 1 championships, but it doesn’t feature stop-and-go characteristics that are so common on many other modern tracks. The circuit is fast and flowing instead, with long bends, up- and downhill corners, and another kilometre-long and ultra-fast main straight with top speeds in excess of 340 kph. The layout perfectly suits the characteristics of Ducati’s Desmosedici, and will provide Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa, who scored Ducati’s best result this season so far with third and fifth place in Mugello, with another thrill ride. “We had a good race in Mugello, and from now on, I expect things to go better and better for us. Catalunya is a great track, with a long straight and plenty of fast corners, which should suit the character of our bike. We tested here in March but the weather conditions didn’t work for us. This time, we come back with better tyres, because Bridgestone are improving all the time”, says Loris Capirossi, who had made racing history when he rode to Ducati’s first ever MotoGP victory on the Catalunya track in 2003. “There are a lot of long corners, and you are at maximum angle a long time, so tyres are very important”, adds his team-mate Carlos Checa who also has plenty of sweet memories in Catalunya: His first MotoGP victory in 1996, and a total of three podium finishes on his home track. “There are always a lot of friends and family in the paddock. I want to make them smile on Sunday”, says Checa. Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone is also fully prepared for the challenge. After collecting a massive amount of data during the IRTA test session in March, the tyre technicians developed completely new tyres to suit the new surface of the 4.727 kilometre track, with special emphasis on grip, handling and braking ability on the front, and side grip, traction and overall grip consistency on the rear tyre. Out of a total of 1100 tyres that have been shipped to Montmeló, each of the three Bridgestone MotoGP teams will have the choice of 4-5 specs of front and 6-8 specs of rear tyre slicks. Hiroshi Yamada – Motorcycle Racing Manager Bridgestone Motorsport “Last week in Mugello, Ducati’s improved and well-balanced Desmosedici, Loris Capirossi’s skillfull and determined riding style, and our latest generation of tyres made for a fantastic package, and we were rewarded with our first podium finish with Ducati. The new tyres that we brought to Italy worked very well and deepened our confidence that we are heading in the right direction. The Catalunya Grand Prix this week is another very important race for us, with high hopes not only for Loris Capirossi, but within all our three strong partners Ducati, Kawasaki, and Suzuki. We are confident to be able to continue on our upward trend, and to achieve good results yet again!”

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.