TONI ELÍAS TO MISS MUGELLO A press conference took place at 1pm this afternoon at the “Institut Universitari Dexeus de Barcelona”, where Fortuna Yamaha rider Toni Elías underwent an operation yesterday. The Spanish rider crashed just five minutes from the end of a day of private tests being carried out by his team at Le Mans on Monday. The Fortuna Yamaha rider, who had been on top form over the three days of the French Grand Prix, crashed at the chicane of the legendary circuit. Elías fractured the radius and scaphoid of his left wrist and ruptured the ligaments that link the triquetral bone and the radius. The rider also fractured the outside of his left fibula. Doctor Xavier Mir informed the media representatives present at the press conference of the full details of the injury to the Fortuna Yamaha rider. Xavier Mir, Doctor at the “Insitut Universitari Dexeus de Barcelona” “Toni’s operation was a case of fitting a titanium plate to his radius with a screw in his scaphoid, and the stitching of the ligaments that join the triquetral bone and the radius. The recuperation period for a normal person is around eight weeks, although taking into account Toni’s incredible capacity for recovery, I wouldn’t rule out his return at the Grand Prix of Catalunya.” Toni Elías (24): Lap time in private test: 1:34 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION: 14th with 15 points. “We stayed on for an extra day of tests at Le Mans. Up to then things had been going really well – I was lapping in 1:34, about a second faster than I had done in the race and only three-hundredths off Valentino’s time. It was a shame but that’s racing In any case I’m in good spirits and I’m already looking forward to getting back on the bike. I would like to thank my whole team in general for their constant support, my sponsors and particularly Doctor Xavier Mir.” Hervé Poncharal, FORTUNA YAMAHA TeamDirector “I’m really sad about Toni Elías’ injury. Toni is demonstrating the massive potential he has and he had shown that once again on Sunday in the race. On Monday he was having a magnificent session when, unfortunately, he crashed. I wish him a speedy recovery and I hope that he can be back with us again soon. I would like to give my own special thanks to Dr. Mir and all his team for everything they have done”.

M4 Performance Exhaust wishes our friend Vincent Haskovec the best of luck and a speedy full recovery from the injuries he sustained at Infineon Raceway on May 14th. Vincent is an amazing person who touches everyone and everything he participates in with an enthusiasm for life. We urge all of Vincent’s friends and fans to continue to keep him in their thoughts and prayers as he works hard to recover (you can e-mail your messages of support to [email protected]), and to remember to support organizations like Roadracing World Action Fund, that work so hard to increase rider safety and prevent serious accidents like the one Vincent suffered last weekend.

Albacete 8 Horas Nocturnas Race Preview The second round of the FIM World Endurance Championship takes place this weekend at Albacete. The eight hour race starts on Saturday evening and runs through the sunset and into the night, finishing in the early hours of Sunday morning. The previous round of the championship was the Assen 500, in March. The partially wet race was won by French squad Suzuki Castrol, with Swiss team Kawasaki Bolliger second and their sister team, UK based Kawasaki Diablo 666, third. The result this time could be very different. Suzuki Castrol rider Vincent Philippe broke his leg while testing just over four weeks ago, and although he has been declared fit to ride his strength and stamina may well be affected. The Kawasaki ZX10Rs of Bolliger and Diablo both benefited from a good “wet” set-up at Assen, but the weather at Albacete is expected to be the opposite; dry, with track and air temperatures even at night significantly higher than those experienced in Holland. Fourth placed Assen finishers Yamaha Phase One Endurance have tested successfully in the UK since the Assen race, and are confident of a significantly improved performance. Fifth placed Yamaha Austria suffered from a series of minor problems during the Dutch race, but with Albacete lap-record holding Gwen Giabbani riding for them this year the Austrians will be aiming for nothing less than a win. No Hondas finished in the points at Assen, but with some strong wildcard entries at Albacete they can’t be discounted. Aprilia will be aiming for Italian glory, with both Motociclismo Test Team (star rider: Marcellino Lucchi) and Marcel Motorsport Box aiming to finish in front of MV Agusta Burger King Lust and Ducati Team Spring. The weekend will also be the centre of media attention, with live broadcasts on both television (La Mancha en Vivio) and radio (Los 40 Principales) during the race and throughout the weekend.

Attica, NY – Coolskunk KyDs Road Race Development Team to attend round one of the Can-Am Challenge Series sponsored by Infinity GP Racing scheduled for May 20 22 Shannonville, Ontario on the Shannonville ProTrack. Key members of Team Coolskunk KyDs will take a weekend off of training for the dirt track amateur Grand Nationals in order to get some track time at Saturday’s practice sessions. Italian 125 GP rider Michele Danese will work with Team Coolskunk riders on their first introduction to 125 GP racing. Team Coolskunk KyDs will participate in a full road race training schedule after the dirt track Grand Nationals scheduled July 3 10th in Springfield Ill. About Coolskunk KyDs Racing CoolSkunk KyDs is a sports promotion organization that has formed a racing club dedicated to the pursuit of life learning values in competitive youth motor sports. Our vision includes helping to bring out the passion, flexibility, excitement and demonstrated appetite for success and adventure, waiting to be exposed in our youth.

2005 AMA MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY FMF TO BE AIRED ON OLN PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 18, 2005) — AMA Pro Racing announced today that the 2005 AMA Motocross Championship Presented by FMF will be telecast on OLN. In making the announcement, John Farris, AMA Pro Racing Vice President of Commercial Development, said OLN will be a great home for AMA Motocross. “OLN is building a strong reputation as a network committed to high quality action sports,” said Farris. “From coverage over the past two years of the AMA Supermoto Championship to such varied programming as the Tour de France and the Dakar Rally, OLN has created a unique niche in sports TV. We’re glad to be associated with the network.” Former AMA Motocross and AMA Supercross champion David Bailey makes his return to the announcer’s booth. “We’re thrilled that David will hosting our coverage,” said Farris. “His experience as a racer coupled with his overall knowledge of the sport is unparalleled.” The 2005 AMA Motocross Championship kicks off on Sunday, May 22 with the Hangtown Classic from Sacramento, Calif., and finishes on Sept. 11 at Glen Helen Raceway Park in San Bernardino, Calif. The 12-round series visits some of the most historic motocross venues in the U.S. and adds a new stop on the schedule with the July 24 event in Lakewood, Colo. The 250 class races will generally be telecast on the following Saturday with the 125 class races airing on the Thursday after that. Exceptions will be made in the month of July to accommodate OLN’s Tour de France coverage. “AMA Motocross is a great addition to OLN’s arsenal of action sports programming,” said Marc Fein, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production. “It’s got all the action, adrenaline and competition OLN viewers crave.” About AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the THQ AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Motocross Championship, the AMA Superbike Championship, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com. Accredited media outlets can also access AMA Pro Racing’s online Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom.

Provisional Silverstone World Superbike Entry List: 1, James Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999F05, Ducati Xerox Team 3, Norick Abe, JPN, Yamaha YZF-R1, Yamaha Motor France – IPONE 6, Mauro Sanchini, ITA, Kawasaki ZX-10R, Team PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse 7, Pierfrancesco Chili, ITA, Honda CBR1000RR, Team Klaffi Honda 8, Ivan Clementi, ITA, Kawasaki ZX-10R, Team Kawasaki Bertocchi 9, Chris Walker, GBR, Kawasaki ZX-10R, Team PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse 10, Fonsi Nieto, ESP, Ducati 999RS, Team Ducati SC – Caracchi 11, Troy Corser, AUS, Suzuki GSX-R1000, Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra 12, Lorenzo Alfonsi, ITA, Yamaha YZF-R1, D.F. X. Treme 17, Miguel Praia, POR, Yamaha YZF-R1, DFXtreme Sterilgarda 19, Lucio Pedercini, ITA, Ducati 999RS, Team Pedercini 20, Marco Borciani, ITA, Ducati 999RS, DFXtreme Sterilgarda 21, Michel Nickmans, BEL, Yamaha YZF-R1, Team Zone Rouge 23, Jiri Mrkyvka, CZE, Ducati 999RS, SBK Team JM 24, Garry McCoy, AUS, Foggy PETRONAS FP1, Foggy PETRONAS Racing 25, Alessio Velini, ITA, Ducati 999RS, Team Pedercini 30, Jose Luis Cardoso, ESP, Yamaha YZF-R1, D.F. X. Treme 31, Karl Muggeridge, AUS, Honda CBR1000RR, Winston Ten Kate Honda 32, Sebastien Gimbert, FRA, Yamaha YZF-R1, Yamaha Motor France – IPONE 41, Noriyuki Haga, JPN, Yamaha YZF-R1, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team 45, Gianluca Vizziello, ITA, Yamaha YZF-R1, Team Lorenzini by Leoni 55, Regis Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999F05, Ducati Xerox Team 57, Lorenzo Lanzi, ITA, Ducati 999RS, Team Ducati SC – Caracchi 71, Yukio Kagayama, JPN, Suzuki GSX-R1000, Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra 76, Max Neukirchner, GER, Honda CBR1000RR, Team Klaffi Honda 77, Chris Vermeulen, AUS, Honda CBR1000RR, Winston Ten Kate Honda 88, Andrew Pitt, AUS, Yamaha YZF-R1, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team 99, Steve Martin, AUS, Foggy PETRONAS FP1, Foggy PETRONAS Racing 155, Ben Bostrom, USA, Honda CBR1000RR, Team Renagade KOJI 200, Giovanni Bussei, ITA, Kawasaki ZX-10R, Team Kawasaki Bertocchi 98, Dennis Hobbs, GBR, Yamaha YZF-R1, Team Nvidia/GR Motorsport

Win passes to WSB at Silverstone courtesy of Audi and Rizla Suzuki LESS THAN A WEEK LEFT TO ENTER – YOU could win a pair of VIP passes worth £600 to the fifth round of the World Superbike Championship at Silverstone in this free to enter competition from Rizla Suzuki’s partner Audi. Audi has recently renovated its corporate box at Silverstone and is keen to have two Rizla Suzuki fans along to watch the racing in WSB, where the Suzuki team of Troy Corser and former Rizla Suzuki fans’ favourite Yukio Kagayama are leading the Championship chase. The fifth round takes place at the Northamptonshire circuit on Sunday, May 29th. As a long-standing partner to Rizla Suzuki, Audi will ensure you have the best hospitality experience possible. To enter the competition, simply log on to www.rizla-suzuki.co.uk and go to the Express Insurance Competition Corner and answer the simple question. The competition ends on Monday 23rd May at 4pm.

Nowland and Cudlin primed for Albacete battle After a two-month recess, the 2005 Endurance World Championship will re-commence in Spain this weekend, with Australian duo Warwick Nowland and Damian Cudlin expected to be right in the thick of the action. Nowland, already a two-time world endurance champion, and Cudlin both ride for the British-based Yamaha Phase One team, and will be backing up after a fourth place in the opening round at Assen, Holland, on March 28. Since the opening bout, Phase One has embarked on a grueling testing regime, with the latest session taking place at Snetterton in England last week. That 120-lap outing, in particular, has left Nowland in a positive frame of mind. “The Snetterton test was perfect timing in the lead up to Albacete,” said Nowland. “We managed to solve an instability problem we had at Assen, and we ended the day with a great chassis setting. The bike felt great and I was starting to have fun again on a motorcycle again. Also, being back on Dunlop tyres has been a real confidence boost. “This race is placing everyone under pressure! With only five rounds this season, points are crucial. The simple fact is that we need to finish first or second to stay in touch. “The race will be tough and I’m sure the pace will be very fast. The factory Suzuki (Castrol Team) is no doubt the target but there are also two or three local teams that are endurance specialists.” Nowland, from Castle Hill in Sydney, won the inaugural world endurance round at Albacete in 2003 aboard a Chinese-entered Suzuki GSX-R1000; the same team on which he won his two world titles in 2000 and 2002. Meanwhile, Cudlin is re-adjusting to world endurance life after competing in last year’s Australian Superbike Championship, and will be eager to get some quality time on the team’s YZF-R1. This year’s Albacete round has been pruned from 12 to eight hours, and will start at 6.00pm on Saturday, before concluding at 2.00am the next day. Although the circuit will be fully illuminated, track temperature and conditions are likely to change significantly between rider stints. The circuit layout is also tough on engines, transmissions and brakes; a real test of man and machine. On current form, championship leader and last year’s Albacete winner, Suzuki Castrol Team (Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive and Keiichi Kitagawa GSX-R1000), will be Phase One’s biggest danger in round two, although it’s doubtful whether Philippe will be at full fitness after breaking his leg in testing last month. Philippe and Lagrive were the incumbents at Suzuki Castrol in 2004, while perennial All-Japan Superbike contender, Kitagawa, is the new face in 2005. Meanwhile, Bolliger Team Switzerland (Marcel Kellenberger and David Morillon Kawasaki ZX-10R) and Diablo 666 Bolliger (Kevin Falcke, Steve Mizera and Mike Edwards ZX-10R) also had the measure of Phase One at Assen, and are also experienced endurance collaborations. Another fancied team at Albacete may turn out to be Aprilia Motociclismo Test Team, which has drafted in former 250cc and MotoGP test rider Marcellino Lucchi to give its campaign more oomph. The team will ride an RSV1000. Furthermore, the ranks of permanent teams will be joined by a number of entries from the thriving Spanish endurance scene.