World Endurance Championship leaders Suzuki Castrol will start this weekend’s second-round Albacete 8 Horas in Spain with a five-point lead in the five-round series. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team riders Vincent Phillipe, Keiichi Kitagawa (pictured) and Matthieu Lagrive and their GSX-R1000K5 head Kawasaki-mounted Bolliger Team Switzerland and Diablo 666 Bolliger into the eight-hour night race that starts on Saturday at 18.00 local time. Former World Champions Suzuki, who won the opening round at Assen in Holland on March 28th, will field Phillipe – who broke his leg in a testing accident last month – although they are unsure how the Frenchman’s stamina will hold up in the tough event at the 3.5 kilometre circuit. Event Schedule: Friday: Free Practice (10.45-13.45). First Qualifying (16.30-18.20). Night Practice (21.30-23.10). Saturday: Final Qualifying (09.30-11.20). Warm Up (14.30-15.15). Albacete 8 Horas Race (18.00 – 02.00). Current Championship Points: Suzuki Castrol (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 25, 2 Bolliger Team Switzerland (Kawasaki ZX10R) 20, 3 Diablo 666 Bolliger (Kawasaki ZX10R) 16, 4 Yamaha Phase One Endurance (Yamaha YZF-R1) 13, 5 Yamaha Austria Racing Team (Yamaha YZF-R1) 11, 6 Team Fagersjo-el.se (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 10, 7 Shell Endurance Academy (Yamaha YZF-R1) 9, 8 Team X-One (Yamaha YZF-R1) 8, 9 Team RMT 21 (Kawasaki ZX10R) 7, 10 Team Suzuki Nederland (Suzuki GSX-R1000).

Caylor has a good reason to miss Pikes Peak MARIETTA, GA (19 May, 05) – There are very few circumstances that would make Chris “Opie” Caylor and Team EMGO Taiwan miss a race. This weekend, when the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme class will be at Pikes Peak International Raceway, Opie will be experiencing one of those circumstances: the birth of his and wife Tracy’s first child. “The due date is right around the corner,” Opie said at his home in Marietta, “and she’s already having some pains and there would simply be no excuse if I wasn’t here when the baby comes. We were going to wait to make this announcement after the baby was born but we feel we owe an explanation of our absence to our sponsors and fans. Racing is one of the biggest, most important areas of my life, but anyone that knows me understands that my family will always take precedence. Luckily, I’ve surrounded myself with a team, friends and sponsors that completely understand and support that decision. I’d like especially thank my wife and our families for their support this far. It’s hard to travel through 1/2 a season with a pregnant wife at home but they’ve more than gone the extra mile to support my career.” While waiting, Caylor will use this time wisely to continue his training and prepare for the formidable Road America.

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Anti-doping controls Anti-doping controls were carried out at the Portuguese Grand Prix, held on the circuit of Estoril, on April 17 last. Neither prohibited substances nor markers of the use of prohibited methods were found in the tested samples. The riders controlled were : Marco Melandri (ITA, MotoGP), Valentino Rossi (ITA, MotoGP), Troy Bayliss (AUS, MotoGP), Marco Simoncelli (ITA, 125cc), Mika Kallio (FIN, 125cc), Julian Simon (SPA, 125cc).

ZEMKE AND DUHAMEL VYING TO BECOME FIRST 10-RACE WINNER IN FORMULA XTREME DiSalvo trying to hold off charging Yates in Repsol Superstock PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 18, 2005) — Jake Zemke tied Miguel Duhamel, Kurtis Roberts and Eric Bostrom atop the all-time wins list in Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series with his victory last weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. This weekend, May 21-22, at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo., Honda riders Zemke and Duhamel will both be trying to become the first to reach the 10-win mark in the class. In the Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo holds a slight advantage on Yoshimura Suzuki veteran Aaron Yates, but Yates is charging, hungry to win another title. Zemke comes into Pikes Peak the defending winner of the Formula Xtreme race. He’s hoping to become the first back-to-back winner of the event since Jason Pridmore did it in 2002. “Miguel and I have been having some good battles,” Zemke said. “We know each others’ riding style pretty well and that allows us to race a little more closely than you typically would. I’ve been fortunate to get a little winning streak going here, but I can’t let up for a second because Miguel will be right there if I do.” Zemke is trying to finally break through to win the Formula Xtreme title, a series in which he has been runner up three times. If he wins at Pikes Peak his four-race winning streak would be the longest in Formula Xtreme in five years. MPTracing.com Suzuki’s Danny Eslick is third in the standings coming into this weekend’s race. Eslick, a former flat track racer, should feel at home on the broad left-hand turns of PPIR. The series will miss top competitor Vincent Haskovec. Haskovec crashed his M4 EMGO Suzuki at Infineon Raceway last weekend and was seriously injured. AMA Pro Racing, along with the rest of the racing community, wishes Vincent all the best in his rehabilitation. The Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series was the most competitive of the four championships last year and this year it’s become the case again. Jason DiSalvo has scored three straight podium finishes including a win at California Speedway to take the championship lead, but Aaron Yates won a dramatic victory last week and has closed to within five points of DiSalvo. Three other riders, Graves Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking, Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden and Steve Rapp riding for Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki, are very much in contention for the title as the series reaches the halfway mark at Pikes Peak. “It was an exciting race and lots of fun,” Yates said after claiming his first Superstock win of the season last week. “These guys had me working all weekend to figure out what I needed to do to get up to speed — Jason was fast and Jamie was going good too. We just worked hard and got the GSX-R1000 dialed-in to where we got up to running with them in the race. We just hung on with Jason and then Jamie came by. I just felt like I was able to push it at the end and come up with the win.” Yates’ victory at Infineon was the sixth Superstock win of his career and moved him into a tie with Doug Polen and Britt Turkington for sixth on the all-time wins list in the class. Yates will try to give Suzuki yet another Pikes Peak Superstock win. The maker won the first six Superstock races at the track, from 1997 to 2002. The Lockhart-Phillips Formula Xtreme and Repsol Superstock races with be shown on SPEED Channel, Sunday, May 22 beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern. All tickets for the Pikes Peak AMA Superbike Weekend presented by Honda are general admission seating. Junior tickets are available for persons 6-15 years of age. Senior tickets are available for persons 60 years of age or older. The track also features a weekend package includes practice/qualifying day ticket, raceday ticket and infield/garage pass each day. For additional ticket information call (888) 306-7223 or visit www.ppir.com.

HAYDEN ON THE CUSP OF HISTORIC AMA SUPERSPORT MARK PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 18, 2005) — For nearly 10 years Mike Smith held the distinction of being the second winningest rider in AMA Supersport history. Since 1996 Smith’s name, with 13-career wins in the class was just one line down from Miguel Duhamel’s likely unbeatable record of now 41 Supersport wins. This weekend, May 21-22, in the Pikes Peak International Raceway round of the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, a new name may occupy that spot under Duhamel. Tommy Hayden, who tied Smith with his 13th-career win last week at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., could become the second all-time wins leader in the series with a victory at PPIR. “Pikes Peak is a fun track,” said Hayden. “It’s a physical track where you never really get to rest. If you have your bike set up well it takes a lot less effort to deal with the track. Even though it’s pretty tight there are a couple of good places to pass and since there are so many laps you usually have to deal with lapped traffic. It’s different than any other track we go to. Jamie (Hacking) goes good there too, so it should be a good race.” With his victory last week on his factory Kawasaki, Hayden moved into sole possession of the series points lead over his Yamaha rival Jamie Hacking. Already the championship is looking more and more like a two-man battle. Hayden trying to defend his first AMA championship won last year, and Hacking hoping to win back the title, his first also, that he earned in 2003. Both Hayden and Hacking have each won the Pikes Peak Supersport race twice. If either wins Sunday they will become the first three-time winner of the race. Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo, coming off a second-place finish last week in Sonoma, sits alone in third in the standings. He’s hoping a second half rally in the series will move him into contention for the 2005 title. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies is fourth in the standings holding the point on a slew of riders within 13 points of one another going all the way back to Chris Peris in 10th. Suzuki is having a tough year in Supersport this season. Spies and M4 EMGO Suzuki rider Geoff May (ranked eighth) are the only Suzuki riders in the top 10. But Spies can never be counted out. He can win races on sheer talent something he did in the class last year. Suzuki last won the Pikes Peak Supersport race with Larry Pegram in 1998. Roger Lee Hayden continues to work his way up in the standings. After his factory Kawasaki had mechanical problems at Daytona and left him in 21st in the series, the youngest Hayden brother has moved all the way up to fifth in the standings. Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard is another rider making a surge. A pair of seventh-place finishes in the most recent rounds have moved the Aussie into seventh in the standings. Honda has no direct factory effort in Supersport this year, instead giving backing to Justin Filice, the teenage son of Motorcycle Hall of Fame racer Jimmy Filice. A former flat track racer, Filice is hoping to move up from his 18th ranking with a strong performance at Pikes Peak. Honda last won the race in 1997 with Miguel Duhamel. The race will be televised on SPEED Channel Sunday, May 22 starting at 4:00 pm Eastern. All tickets for the Pikes Peak AMA Superbike Weekend presented by Honda are general admission seating. Junior tickets are available for persons 6-15 years of age. Senior tickets are available for persons 60 years of age or older. The track also features a weekend package includes practice/qualifying day ticket, raceday ticket and infield/garage pass each day. For additional ticket information call (888) 306-7223 or visit www.ppir.com.

Rizla Suzuki’s British Superbike Champion John Reynolds will participate in the official MCRCB Superbike Test at Croft circuit in North Yorkshire on Tuesday, May 24th. Reynolds has taken a two-event sabbatical to recover from the broken right leg that plagued his early season. Reynolds will be working on his race set-up for the Championship’s next round at the same circuit on June 5th. He said: “Words cannot describe how much I want to race my Rizla Suzuki at Croft. Of course I am looking forward to the test, but it is the racing that I cannot wait for. “My leg is healing quickly, I am training hard and the doctor has said I am fine to race again. It’s time to put the record straight for Rizla Suzuki and get the results that the team deserves.” Team mate Scott Smart will also test at Croft, his home circuit. He will be trying different clutch settings to improve his race starts. Plans to test with super-sub James Haydon have been put on hold as it has become clear that Reynolds has the fitness and determination to return to racing. Rizla Suzuki Team Manager Robert Wicks said: “Thank you to James for riding for Rizla Suzuki for the last two race meetings. He is the consummate professional and his results prove beyond any doubt his ability and we wish him well for the future. He has more than impressed Rizla Suzuki and the team would certainly welcome the opportunity to work with him again in the future. “JR has impressed us all with his commitment to getting better and he is now walking without a cast and training in the gym without any problems. His hunger to race is truly breathtaking and we are delighted to have him back.”

Komodo to auction back protectors for Road Racing World’s Action Fund May 18, 2005 KOMODO SPONSORS ROAD RACING WORLD ACTION FUND Komodo www.racekomodo.com, a new motorcycle apparel company, announced today that they will be auctioning off 50 new back protectors with slight cosmetic blemishes on eBay for the benefit of Road Racing World’s Action Fund. Co-founder Chavvon Smith believes it’s a worth-while cause, “Komodo strongly supports the Action Fund. Our back protectors are new and fully functional with slight cosmetic blemishes and will be a good investment for both racers and for Road Racing World’s Action Fund.” Komodo’s back protectors incorporate the use of approved CE armor in all critical impact areas of the spine, have adjustable shoulder and dual Velcro waist straps for personalized fit, and uses padding throughout the inside of the back protector for extended comfort. The back protectors are race proven and are designed to perform under extreme conditions. View the auction at ~http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7975455914~ About Komodo Komodo’s design approach is unique because the founders are actual racers and work extensively within the racing communities. Komodo’s products are in continuous R&D that results in proven riding gear that utilizes the latest in protective technologies while providing an excellent fit that is comfortable, and stylish. Komodo is based in Grapevine, Texas and can be contacted at www.racekomodo.com or 1-877-4-KOMODO.

#19 Returns to Blue and White Cypress, CA Yamaha Motor Company is proud to announce the return of the legendary Doug Henry #19 to the Blue and White team to spearhead a new Graves Motorsports/Yamaha AMA Supermoto effort. The announcement comes just in time to help Yamaha celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Joining Doug on the factory-supported team will be Mark Burkhart, who will be returning this year after a 6th place overall finish during last year’s season. Henry will pilot the powerful YZ450F while Burkhart will compete in the new 250 class aboard the revolutionary YZ250F. “We are very excited to put this team together” said Keith McCarty, Yamaha Racing’s Division Manager. “Henry and Burkhart are two of the most skilled riders in Supermoto, and we’re pumped to have them riding Yamaha’s. We are also thrilled to expand our relationship with Graves Motorsports in yet another racing arena, as their professionalism and excellent efforts with the R1 in capturing the AMA Superstock Championship shows.” The team’s YZ’s will feature race-proven Dunlop tires and each rider will sport Thor Supermoto riding gear. The first AMA Supermoto National is scheduled for June 4th at the Road America race track in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.