FRONT ROW FOR MUGGERIDGE IN MONZA Karl Muggeridge will start tomorrow’s fourth round World Superbike championship race at Monza from the front row after heading the qualifying time sheets earlier today. His Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate Chris Vermeulen heads row two, directly behind pole sitter Yukio Kagayama. As the fastest rider heading into this afternoon’s Superpole event, Muggeridge lost six tenths of a second going into the first chicane on his one flying lap but recovered enough to post the fourth fastest time. Vermeulen, meanwhile, was second fastest after this morning’s second qualifying session but could only manage the fifth fastest Superpole lap. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “That’s Superpole, I’m afraid sometimes you go up and other times you go down. After achieving a one-two in qualifying this morning, I have to admit that I was hoping for a little more. However, the races are tomorrow and that’s what counts. Both riders have made race simulations today and covered a full race distance on the tyres. We’ll make some minor adjustments for tomorrow’s warm-up but I don’t think we’ll have any problem with top speed tomorrow and we’ll be able to run at the front. This season we haven’t been as ready to race as we are for tomorrow so we’re all looking forward to it.” Karl Muggeridge fourth fastest, 1m48.054s: “Oh, man that’s frustrating. It just all went wrong at the braking point at the end of the start finish straight and the first chicane was just horrible. I think I was about ninth after the first split six tenths down which shows how badly it was messed up. The rest of the lap went great and I managed to climb back to the front row. It’s a shame because I’ve been comfy all weekend, since the first session on Friday morning. We’ve been moving the package forward in each session since then and that allowed me to be fastest going into Superpole. That’s the nature of the event though. I’m real happy on my race tyre and confident of battling well at the front but, for sure, pole would have been great.” Chris Vermeulen fifth fastest, 1m48.128s: “It’s a Superpole thing. Second fastest after qualifying and then you sit around for 40 minutes waiting for your turn. It was the same for me here last year I was just so conscious of trying not to mess up the lap that I braked a little too early for the first chicane and that was it. Having said that, the bike is so much better here and it’s been getting better all weekend. I’m happy with the race set-up we have and the tyres we’re going to run with. I think we’ll be up at the front tomorrow but it’s going to be really tough.” World Superbike, Monza Superpole qualifying times: 1 Yukio Kagayama JPN (Suzuki) 1m47.439s, 2 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) 1:47.446, 3 Regis Laconi FRA (Ducati) 1:47.885, 4 Karl Muggeridge AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:48.054, 5 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:48.128, 6 Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha) 1:48.580, 7 Chris Walker GBR (Kawasaki) 1:48.613, 8 James Toseland GBR (Ducati) 1:48.695, 9 Pierfrancesco Chili ITA (Honda) 1:48.908, 10 Giovanni Bussei ITA (Kawasaki) 1:49.245. More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Uphill battle for FPR in Monza Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Garry McCoy and Steve Martin face an uphill battle in tomorrow’s fourth round races in the Superbike World Championship after a day to forget at Monza. Both riders, hindered by a succession of technical problems, failed to qualify for Superpole and will start from the sixth row of the grid in 23rd and 24th positions. Yukio Kagayama claimed his second pole position of the season. Garry was unable to complete a single timed lap in the morning qualifying session because of mechanical troubles which impacted on his afternoon track time. Steve worked hard to combat morning handling problems and was able to post his fastest times on race tyres. Garry said: “I have not suffered many days like today before! My fastest time yesterday was the second lap on the same qualifier, which is not how it is meant to be. So I was hoping to improve my position today and definitely expecting to be in Superpole. I have only been here once and found that you race with the guys who are with you on the grid. But, given a couple of half-reasonable starts and trouble-free races, I should be able to catch with a few but it is going to be an uphill battle. At least I managed to slip in a couple of different tyres this afternoon and get an initial feel for them, although I wasn’t able to do a lot of laps.” Steve said: “The afternoon session was my best of the weekend and I was reasonably happy to be doing consistent low 51s and high 50s. I only used one new tyre all session so I managed to do some chassis set-up work and start to feel consistent. The main problem in the morning was maintaining stability in a straight line. So we went a different way with the front end to stop it bottoming out and that more or less cured it. We also ran a different shock in the rear, which I can now work with. I was devastated not to be in Superpole and we should have been there. We need to get into the points tomorrow. It is going to be tough but I am hoping a good race set-up will get us far enough through the field.” Superpole results, Superbike World Championship round 4, Monza, Italy: 1 Kagayama 1:47.439; 2 Corser +0.007; 3 Laconi +0.446; 4 Muggeridge +0.615; 5 Vermeulen +0.689; 6 Pitt +1.141; 7 Walker +1.174; 8 Toseland +1.256; 9 Chili +1.469; 10 Bussei +1.806; 11 Haga +1.840; 12 Nannelli +1.933; 13 Cardoso +1.962; 14 Abe +2.472; 15 Sanchini 2.599; 16 Gimbert +2.914 Saturday qualifying times (best time bracketed): 1 Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:47.143; 2 Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:47.526; 3 Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona) 1:47.726; 4 Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona) 1:47.788; 5 Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 1:47.918; 6 Pitt (Yamaha Italia) 1;48.065; 7 Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 1:48.696; 8 Nannelli (Ducati SC Caracchi) 1:49.955 (1:48.809); 9 Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki) 1:48.967; 10 Chili (Klaffi Honda) 1:49.044; 23 McCoy (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) (1:50.635); 24 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:50.666 Free practice times: 1 Kagayama 1:47.565; 2 Corser 1:47.596; 3 Muggeridge 1:47.878; 4 Laconi 1:48.060; 5 Pitt 1:48.443; 6 Toseland 1:48.573; 7 Vermeulen 1:48.824; 8 Walker 1:48.899; 9 Nannelli 1:49.114; 10 Chili 1:49.211; 22 Martin 1:50.836; 23 McCoy 1:51.008 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: LACONI TAKES FRONT ROW START FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM AT MONZA WITH TOSELAND ONE ROW BEHIND Monza (Italy), Saturday 7 May: Ducati Xerox Team riders Régis Laconi and James Toseland both produced positive performances today in the second and final day of qualifying for round 4 of the World Superbike Championship at Monza. Frenchman Laconi showed no ill-effects from his Valencia crash by slotting in third quickest time of 1m47.885s in Superpole, while his British team-mate James Toseland received a confidence boost with a row 2 start after clocking eighth quickest time in 1m48.695s. Laconi was particularly satisfied with his Superpole performance after struggling to set good times on qualifying tyres during the day. “We did a good job this weekend, especially to try to be fast over one lap, because in today’s two sessions we had big problems to do one lap on the qualifying tyre and in fact I set my best time on race tyres this morning” declared Régis. “We found some new settings for Superpole and the bike was then a lot better to ride. OK, the two Suzuki guys were too fast but I did a good lap time. We will see for tomorrow but I’m also happy about my lap times on race tyres and I am feeling good. Now it’s time for Ducati to come back and win, for sure it won’t be easy but we are in Monza, with all the Ducati fans behind me so I will certainly try my best tomorrow”. Toseland has been back in the groove all weekend with a positive showing in all practice and qualifying sessions, and although his Superpole lap only netted him eighth place, he is feeling confident for the race. “My Superpole lap was a bit disappointing really because I had a big slide coming out of the Parabolica on my exit lap and started my one lap way too slow so that was it for me. I’m feeling confident about the race however because we had a good long-run in the afternoon’s free practice session on race tyres. A front-row start is not paramount here with all the slipstreaming so row 2 is OK and we’ve certainly got a chance of a good result. I really love riding around this circuit, it’s the home of Ducati so we know we’ve got to do well tomorrow.” TIMES: 1. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1m47.439s; 2. Corser (Suzuki) 1m47.446s; 3. Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 1m47.885s; 4. Muggeridge (Honda) 1m48.054s; 5. Vermeulen (Honda) 1m48.128s; 6. Pitt (Yamaha) 1m48.580s; 7. Walker (Kawasaki) 1m48.613s; 8. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 1m48.695s; 9. Chili (Honda) 1m48.908s; 10. Bussei (Kawasaki) 1m49.245s. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: KAGAYAMA THE CONQUEROR IN SUPERPOLE Suzuki Riders Ace Honda Men in Superpole: After regular qualifying two Honda riders led two Suzuki riders but in the single lap Superpole competition, which determines the final grid positions, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki) took the win, from his team-mate Troy Corser (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki). It was Kagayama’s second Superpole success of the year, with Corser and Regis Laconi winning the others. Ducati Takes Home Advantage: After some torrid times in the last few races, the factory Ducati Xerox riders, Regis Laconi and James Toseland, had much more settled pre-raceday experiences. Laconi was one of many riders to put himself in temporary pole position when given the opportunity, but he dropped to an eventual third place, still an impressive performance from a rider who originally qualified fifth. Toseland, once more fast in normal race conditions, was once again unable to replicate his form quite so well in Superpole, finishing his day eighth. Honda Duo Drop From Lead: Winston Ten Kate Honda riders Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen secured first and second best times in regulation, but only Muggeridge was to earn a front row start, after ending Superpole fourth fastest. He had to make a recovery from an early misjudgement at turn one, running wide on entry and exit, before clawing back time on the final sectors and finishing fourth. Vermeulen’s conservative Superpole lap, at the fastest circuit on the calender, saw him fifth, heading up row two. Yamaha Men Give Their All: Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Germany) replicated his regulation qualifying performance by finishing sixth after Superpole the top Yamaha rider in the field. His team-mate, Noriyuki Haga, suffered a crash in the last minutes of final untimed qualifying, shortly before heading out to his Superpole lap, but a circuit of aggression and willpower still put him 11th. Heavy Yamaha representation in Superpole saw Jose Luis Cardoso (DFX Extreme Yamaha) finish 13th, Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor Germany) 14th and Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) who had fallen with Haga 16th and last in Superpole. Walker and Kawasaki Row Two: Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki) was once more in the hunt for ultimate pre-race honours, blasting around the 5.793km circuit with abandon to record the seventh best time, ahead of reigning champion Toseland. The Bertocchi Kawasaki team members, at their home race, delighted in their lead rider Giovanni Bussei taking a top ten finish, for a row three start. Walker’s team-mate Mauro Sanchini, secured 15th grid spot. Chili Betters Himself, Nannelli Slips: Local riders were in abundance at a sun-kissed Monza, as Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda) went one better than his 10th place qualification in regulation, while Gianluca Nannelli (SC Caracchi Ducati) slipped from an impressive eighth in regulation to 12th, starting from the last place on the third row. Nannelli was a busy man, racing in Supersport (in his regular championship class) and adopting Superbike duties after Superbike rider Lorenzo Lanzi was sidelined with a collarbone injury after Valencia. Big Names Miss Out: With the intense level of competition in SBK this year, from six manufacturers, several Superbike stars missed out on Superpole. Ben Bostrom came close, finishing 19th on his Renegade Honda Koji machine, while Garry McCoy and Steve Martin (both Petronas FP-1) felt the need for speed, in 23rd and 24th places respectively. Fonsi Nieto (Ducati SC Caracchi) was 25th fastest, one place ahead of injured local hero Lucio Pedercini. Supersport: Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) scored his fourth pole position in four attempts, thanks to an improved second day time of 1’51.730. A Winston Ten Kate Honda 1-2 placed Katsuaki Fujiwara second, eating into the one second advantage Charpentier enjoyed on the opening day, thanks to a 1:52.126. A slight shake up in the second qualifying session allowed the top four riders to improve their times, with Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati SC Caracchi) riding to a secure front row start, in third position. Another local man, Michel Fabrizio, was the final competitor in the top four, the Roman would-be emperor nonetheless almost one second from the leading machine of Charpentier. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) was the top R6 pilot, fifth fastest, but unable to improve his times from Friday. After a good day for the home machines, Alessio Corradi took his Ducati Selmat 749R to a magnificent sixth place in his first ride for the team. Former WSS regular Simone Sanna (Improve Honda CBR600RR) was seventh, with the top GSX-R that of the Suzuki Netherlands team, ridden by Dutchman Barry Veneman. The Superbike and Supersport races take place on Sunday afternoon, May 8th. More, from a press release issued Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Italia riders Andrew Pitt and Noriyuki Haga showed true grit to post second and third row starts in today’s grid deciding superpole session at Monza. Pitt will start tomorrow’s two 18-lap places from sixth on the grid, holding his position from the two combined qualifying sessions. The Australian made good progress throughout the day, slicing almost 1.4 seconds from his best time on Friday. The 29-year-old, whose parents have travelled over from Australia to watch him race this weekend, also demonstrated the pace of the rapidly improving Yamaha by taking his YZF-R1 through the speed trap at a mind boggling 310kph during the afternoon practice session – the fastest of the weekend. Superpole proved to be a test of team-mate Haga’s resolve as he fought injury to post his fastest lap of the weekend and move up to 11th on the grid, an improvement of one place on his pre-superpole position. The Japanese ace had been involved in a nasty tangle with Yamaha Motor France rider Sèbastien Gimbert in the preceding free practice session. Haga sustained injuries to his left hand and upper arm and although initial tests show no broken bones, Nitro Nori was clearly in pain as he mounted his spare YZF-R1 for his flying lap. Despite riding a machine running different specification suspension to his preferred machine, Haga’s 1:49.279 lap time was his best of the weekend. Yamaha Motor France rider Norick Abe will start his first race at the historic Monza circuit from 14th on the grid after improving his Friday time by almost two seconds. The Japanese rider was once again the most active rider on the track, clocking up 50 laps of the 5.7km circuit over the two one hour qualifying sessions. Team-mate Gimbert was unhurt in the incident with Haga, although he too was forced to use his spare bike in superpole. The Frenchman was understandably below par in superpole and ended the day qualifying in 16th position. Pole position for tomorrow’s races goes to Haga’s friend and birthday boy Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki), whose 1:47.439 lap time narrowly edged out team-mate and championship leader Troy Corser. Règis Laconi (Ducati) and Karl Muggeridge (Honda) complete the front row. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “Sixth is good but I’m still a bit disappointed not to have done my best lap of the weekend in superpole. I know that I can go faster and I think that really I took it a bit to carefully, but we’re ready for the races and that’s the main thing. We should be in pretty good shape tomorrow: we’ve found a good set-up and we’ve been able to improve the stability under braking from yesterday. Our top speed has been good too and this is obviously very important around here.” Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “Superpole was difficult as I had to use my spare bike and I this had different settings to the one I used most of the weekend. It’s ok that I did not lose any places in superpole but I think that without injury and on my other bike I could have made the second row. My hand is hurting and also I do not have much feeling in the top of my arm. The doctor took some X-rays and it looks like a T-bone steak – but no broken bones! For the race I hope to get a good start. If I can get away well then I am sure we can get a good result.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia) “I have a positive feeling for the race tomorrow. Every race we make a small improvement and that has continued here. We worked hard to improve the top speed and although we expected some gains we did not expect quite such big improvements. Tomorrow it is very important to make a good start and be involved with the train for the lead. If our riders can get away at the front then I am confident that we can have a good result. Noriyuki did a good job today and we hope that the injuries cause him no problems tomorrow. I am not so worried about the hand, but maybe if the feeling is not there in his upper arm then this could cause him some problems changing direction through the high speed corners. Andrew again gives us a good feeling and tomorrow I think that he is able to make some more improvement.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “Today I was able to learn more about the circuit and improve my position. So far every circuit we have raced at is also in MotoGP, so this is the first superbike race where I have also had to learn the circuit. Monza looks very simple but actually it is not so easy to learn, so I am happy with the improvement we made.” Sèbastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “This is my first time at Monza and I have made improvements in every session – until superpole. I had to ride my spare bike after the crash with Haga. There was a misunderstanding and we touched on the entry of the corner. I am ok and I hope Noriyuki is too. For the race we are feeling ok but will just have to see.” Round: 4 – Italy Circuit: Monza Circuit Length: 5792 Date: 7 May 2005 Temp: 40ºC Session 2 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Superpole 1 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1′ 48.113 1′ 47.726 1′ 47.439 2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1′ 47.878 1′ 47.788 1′ 47.446 3 R. Laconi Ducati FRA 1′ 49.021 1′ 47.918 1′ 47.885 4 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS 1′ 48.203 1′ 47.143 1′ 48.054 5 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS 1′ 48.849 1′ 47.526 1′ 48.128 6 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 1′ 49.000 1′ 48.065 1′ 48.580 7 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 1′ 49.423 1′ 48.967 1′ 48.613 8 J. Toseland Ducati GBR 1′ 48.846 1′ 48.698 1′ 48.695 9 P. Chili Honda ITA 1′ 49.595 1′ 49.044 1′ 49.245 10 G. Bussei Kawasaki ITA 1′ 50.348 1′ 49.186 1′ 49.245 11 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 1′ 49.520 1′ 49.402 1′ 49.279 12 G. Nannelli Ducati ITA 1′ 48.809 1′ 48.809 1′ 49.372 13 J. Cardoso Yamaha ESP 1′ 50.598 1′ 49.452 1′ 49.401 14 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 1′ 51.367 1′ 49.520 1′ 49.911 15 M. Sanchini Kawasaki ITA 1′ 51.114 1′ 49.561 1′ 50.038 16 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1′ 51.472 1′ 49.649 1′ 50.353 20 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1′ 51.158 1′ 49.943 21 L. Alfonsi Yamaha ITA 1′ 51.470 1′ 50.000 28 P. Blora Yamaha ITA 1′ 52.825 1′ 51.365 29 M. Praia Yamaha POR 1′ 52.535 1′ 52.333 WSS:No improvements for Curtain and Parkes 7/5/2005 Yamaha Motor Germany’s world supersport riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes will start tomorrow’s Monza race from fifth and 10th place respectively after failing to improve on their Friday times during today’s 45-minute final session. Conditions remained sunny and warm throughout the day, allowing the Australian riders to spend the majority of the session working on machine set-up. Both pitted for fresh tyres in the closing minutes but were unable to take advantage of their fresh rubber due to heavy traffic, meaning that their fastest times from Friday (1:53.092 for Curtain and 1:54.218 for Parkes) determined their final grid position. Despite being marginally slower than yesterday, both riders were able to set consistent lap times and know that they can further improve their set-up for tomorrow’s race. Curtain, third in the overnight standings, was indeed on the front row until final few minutes of the frantic session. Friday’s fastest rider, Frenchman Sèbastien Charpentier (Honda), retained his pole position after improving to a 1:51.730 on the final lap. His team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara lines up alongside him, with Italians Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati) and Michel Fabrizio (Honda) completing the front row. Kevin Curtain “I’m riding as hard as I can and I’m able to do consistent 53s, but I just couldn’t break into the 52s. We’ve got too much weight transferring to the front under heavy braking and that’s causing the back end too move about under braking. At least we know what the problem is and that’s why I’m confident that we can find a solution for the race. It’s a little disappointing to miss out on the front row. The guys who moved ahead of me were all riding in a group, while I was unfortunate to get held up a bit at the end.” Broc Parkes “Last night I felt that we could get onto the front row so it’s a little disappointing to be starting from 10th. Tomorrow we will try some things in the warm-up. Like Kevin, I am sure that we can improve the set-up and make up some places in the race.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Yukio Kagayama gave himself the best possible birthday present by taking Superpole today at Monza with a faultless lap of 1:47.143 which beat his team mate Troy Corser by just 7000ths of a second. Corser was lucky not to crash in Superpole after hitting a bird on his out lap which became struck in between his brake lever and the brake cable,. The Australian had to flick it out and make sure it had not caused any damage before getting up to speed for his flying lap. Third quickest today was Regis Laconi (Ducati) with Karl Muggeridge (Honda) fourth. Yukio Kagayama – 1st, 1:47.439: “I am very happy to get Superpole today and because it is my birthday, it is a nice present. It was a good lap and a perfect lap because I did not make any mistakes. I have been very happy with the qualifying tyres here but I am not so sure about my race tyres. One tyre I like only lasted five or six laps before it went off, so I will have to try another type in the morning warm-up tomorrow and then decide what to do. “Tomorrow, strategy is going to be very important. I must not go out very hard from the start and make the tyre wear out. I must use my head throughout the race and especially think what to do at the end. People tell me that I had some slides on my Superpole lap, but I did not feel them. It’s better that way!” Troy Corser – 2nd, 1:47.446: “Two things cost me some time in Superpole. On my warm-up lap, a bird hit my bike and then hit me and there was blood all over my right arm and shoulder. I guess I was lucky because it could have been much worse – especially if it had happened on my flying lap. Also, I made a small mistake when I ran a little wide exiting on of the chicanes and that lost me some time. But all credit to Yukio because he managed to beat me today – even though it was only by seven thousandths of a second! “This afternoon he followed me for a while and that helped him learn the track a bit better and of course do a good Superpole lap. I am very happy with my bike set-up and, apart from adjusting the mapping a little in the morning warm-up tomorrow, I think we are all set. I don’t think anybody is going to get away in the races and expect four or five of us will be pretty close to each other at the end and that should be great for all the fans.” Final Superbike Qualifying: 1 Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1.47.439, 2 Corser (AUS-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1.47.446, 3 Laconi (F-Ducati) 1.47.885, 4 Muggeridge (AUS-Honda) 1.48.054, 5 Vermeulen (AUS-Honda) 1.48.128, 6 Pitt (AUS-Yamaha) 1.48.580, 7 Walker (GB-Kawasaki) 1.48.613, 8 Toseland (GB-Ducati) 1.48.695, 9 Chili (I-Honda) 1.48.908, 10 Bussei (I-Kawasaki) 1.49.245. WORLD SUPERSPORT: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Javier Fores failed to improve on his position from yesterday and will start the Supersport World Championship race at Monza tomorrow from the third row of the grid. Suspension problems were the main reason for his inability to move up the grid and so he will face a hard task to get into the leading group at the start of tomorrow’s 16-lapper. Hondas continued their Supersport domination today with Sebastien Charpentier taking pole position ahead of his team mate Katsuaki Fujiwara. Third quickest was Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati) with Michel Fabrizio (Honda) fourth. Javier Fores – 11th, 1:54.313: “I was not so happy yesterday and I am not so happy today either. I had many suspension problems today and also a small engine problem and that was enough to prevent me from advancing up the grid. Tomorrow I will try some different settings and see if we can find some improvements. “It is going to be hard starting from the third row but I am going to try and get a really good start and hopefully finish in the top six. That, and being the best Suzuki, is my aim.” Final Supersport Qualifying: 1 Charpentier (F-Honda) 1:51.730, 2 Fujiwara (J-Honda) 1:52.126, 3 Nannelli (I-Ducati) 1:52.364, 4 Fabrizio (I-Honda) 1:52.700, 5 Curtain (Aus-Yamaha) 1:53.092, 6 Corradi (I-Ducati) 1:53.539, 7 Sanna (I-Honda) 1:53.542, 8 Veneman (NL-Suzuki) 1:53.843, 9 Chambon (F-Honda) 1:54.007, 10 Parkes (Aus-Yamaha) 1:54.218, 11 Fores (E-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:54.313. SUPERSTOCK: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Xavier Simeon used his head and rode a steady race at Monza today to finish fifth overall. Set-up problems meant that Xavier couldn’t push as hard as he would have liked and in the end he decided that fifth position was better than trying harder and crashing. Yoann Tiberio (Honda) led for most of the race but was beaten to the flag by Claudio Corti (Yamaha) in the closing stages. Third was Maxime Berger (Honda), some five seconds behind. Despite getting past Niccolo Canepa (Kawasaki) a couple of times, Simeon was unable to make it stick and, in the end, had to be content with fifth place. Xavier Simeon – 5th: “That was a difficult race today because my Suzuki did not seem to want to change direction easily. It was hard work in the chicanes. If I pushed much harder I would have crashed so I thought it would be better to finish fifth and keep my third place in the championship.” Superstock Results: 1 Corti (I-Yamaha), 2 Tiberio (F-Honda), 3 Berger (F-Honda), 4 Canepa (I-Kawasaki), 5 Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 6 Perez Munoz (E-Honda). Superstock Points: 1 Corti 45, 2 Tiberio 45, 3 Simeon 27, 4 Berger 26, 5 Canepa 26, 6 Perez Munoz 21.

World Superbike Superpole Results From Monza: 1. Yukio Kagayama, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:47.439 2. Troy Corser, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:47.446 3. Regis Laconi, Duc 999F05, 1:47.885 4. Karl Muggeride, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:48.054 5. Chris Vermeulen, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:48.128 6. Andrew Pitt, Yam YZF-R1, 1:48.580 7. Chris Walker, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:48.613 8. James Toseland, Duc 999F05, 1:48.695 9. Pierfrancesco Chili, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:48.908 10. Giovanni Bussei, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:49.245 11. Noriyuki Haga, Yam YZF-R1, 1:49.279 12. Gianluca Nannelli, Duc 999RS, 1:49.372 13. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yam YZF-R1, 1:49.401 14. Norick Abe, Yam YZF-R1, 1:49.911 15. Mauro Sanchini, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:50.038 16. Sebastien Gimbert, Yam YZF-R1, 1:50.353

Combined World Superbike Qualifying Results From Monza: 1. Karl MUGGERIDGE, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:47.143 2. Chris VERMEULEN, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:47.526 3. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:47.726 4. Troy CORSER, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:47.788 5. Regis LACONI, Duc 999F05, 1:47.918 6. Andrew PITT, Yam YZF-R1, 1:48.065 7. James TOSELAND, Duc 999F05, 1:48.696 8. Gianluca NANNELLI, Duc 999RS, 1:48.809 9. Chris WALKER, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:48.967 10. Pierfrancesco CHILI, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:49.044 11. Giovanni BUSSEI, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:49.186 12. Noriyuki HAGA, Yam YZF-R1, 1:49.402 13. Jose Luis CARDOSO, Yam YZF-R1, 1:49.452 14. Norick ABE, Yam YZF-R1, 1:49.520 15. Mauro SANCHINI, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:49.561 16. Sebastien GIMBERT, Yam YZF-R1, 1:49.649 17. Luca CONFORTI, Duc 999RS, 1:49.705 18. Marco BORCIANI, Yam YZF-R1, 1:49.835 19. Ben BOSTROM, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:49.874 20. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Yam YZF-R1, 1:49.943 21. Lorenzo ALFONSI, Yam YZF-R1, 1:50.172 22. Ivan CLEMENTI, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:50.332 23. Garry MCCOY, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:50.635 24. Steve MARTIN, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:50.666 25. Fonsi NIETO, Duc 999RS, 1:50.746

WINSTON SUPERSPORT PAIR HEADS MONZA FIELD Sébastien Charpentier and Katsuaki Fujiwara will start tomorrow’s fourth round World Supersport championship race from first and second places on the grid respectively after setting the fastest times in this afternoon’s final qualifying session at Monza in Italy. In warm sunshine and hotter temperatures than yesterday, the Winston Ten Kate Honda duo struggled at times to circulate alone on the 5.8km Monza circuit, with many riders seeking to maximise the benefit from the slipstreams created by their Honda CBR600RRs Ronald ten Kate team manager: “Sébastien and Katsuaki both suffered with other riders trying to follow them and match their lap times. I’m surprised that some of them clearly don’t want to win and a lot are local riders so you’d think they would know their way round Monza by know. It’s a shame because it seems to diminish the fantastic job that both the riders and the team have been doing. It may look easy from the time sheets but I can assure you it’s all very hard work. I am very proud of everybody especially the composure shown by both riders this afternoon.” Sébastien Charpentier fastest, 1m51.730s “Sometimes it was very difficult for me to concentrate out there this afternoon. I know Monza is a high speed circuit with a strong tow, but every time I left the pit box and looked behind me there are a surprising number of riders leaving their pit box too! They seemed to attach themselves to Katsuaki later on so I was able to get the track to myself and improve yesterday’s time. The gearing is perfect, the bike feels fantastic and I made many good laps on race tyre tyres. I’m in good physical shape so I think you can say I’m ready for tomorrow’s race which is very important for the championship.” Katsuaki Fujiwara second fastest, 1m52.126s “The track temperature was higher for today’s qualifying and the bike was sliding around a lot more than yesterday. But it’s OK for me and the CBR is feeling very strong and stable. Towards the end of the session, I found it very difficult to get away from other riders. At one point I looked behind me and saw about 12 of them the rest of the track must have been nearly empty! I had to wait and wait to go by myself and did my fastest lap right at the end. It’s important to get a good start tomorrow for sure, Sébastien is strong again but I will be trying very hard for another win here.” World Supersport, Monza final qualifying times: 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1m51.730s, 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:52.126, 3 Gianluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) 1:52.364, 4 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) 1:52.700, 5 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) 1:53.322, 6 Alessandro Corradi ITA (Ducati) 1:53.539, 7 Simone Sanna ITA (Honda) 1:53.542, 8 Barry Veneman NED (Suzuki) 1:53.843, 9 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) 1:54.007, 10 Javier Fores ESP (Suzuki) 1:54.313.

SPIES A RARE ROOKIE AMA SUPERBIKE POINTS LEADER COMING INTO INFINEON RACEWAY Hall of Famer Eddie Lawson last rookie to lead series PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 6, 2005) — Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies recently won his first AMA Superbike Championship race and in the process pulled off one of the rarest feats in the history of the series. By taking his first Superbike win two weeks ago at California Speedway, in Fontana, Calif., the young Texan claimed the series standings and in the process became only the second rookie ever to lead the AMA Superbike Championship. Motorcycle Hall of Fame legend Eddie Lawson was the first to accomplish the feat in 1980. Spies brings his series lead to Sonoma, California’s Infineon Raceway and the Kawasaki Superbike Showdown Doubleheader, rounds six and seven of the 17-race AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited on May 13-15. The victory for Spies in Fontana not only gave him the series lead it also made him only one of four riders to win in every category of AMA road racing. Spies joins Miguel Duhamel, Nicky Hayden and Jamie Hacking as the only riders to win all four categories Superbike, Supersport, Formula Xtreme and Superstock. While Spies is happy to have the lead he admits that he may be an interloper to the top position. He won the first round of the California Speedway doubleheader two weeks ago after teammate Mat Mladin was forced to retire with a rare mechanical failure on his factory Suzuki. “It wasn’t the way I wanted to do it,” said Spies, who went on to say he would have much rather earned a win over Mat Mladin at full strength. “This (California Speedway) is one of my stronger tracks and I hope to get stronger as the season goes on, but I knew I rode well here and our first shot might have been here. Just the way things worked out, it was kind of a weird win. I really wish that I could have gotten good starts off the line and that Mat wouldn’t have had any problems.” Mladin returned strong in the second California Speedway race and took his fourth win in five starts. As the series moves to Sonoma he finds himself out of the series lead for the first time in two years (just three points behind Spies) but seemed to take his misfortune at Fontana in stride. “We had a clutch problem and that’s just the way it goes,” said Mladin after being forced to retire from Fontana’s race one after his bike’s clutch failed after two re-starts. “Fortunately, we’d built up enough of a points lead that we’re only a little bit behind. We’re five races into it and the championship starts again. “There is no better challenge for a rider than at Infineon (Raceway). It’s got elevation changes, tight corners and a number of other challenges. I love it. Any rider who says he doesn’t like a challenge like that is very different than me. That’s why we do this for a living.” Northern California racing fans will get their first opportunity to watch former World Superbike champ Britain’s Neil Hodgson go up against the AMA Superbike regulars. Hodgson also looks forward to facing the challenging Infineon Raceway road course. “I’ve only been on the track once (testing in March) but it’s one of my top 10 tracks in the world,” said Hodgson who is a close third in the standings. “It has all the characteristics that you want in a track. It’s the ultimate test for a rider. I’ve watched this track 1,000 times on video but that doesn’t do it justice. You just don’t realize how tough the track is until you ride a few laps.” Infineon Raceway (formerly called Sears Point) has one of the richest histories of all the AMA circuits. The 12-turn, 2.32-mile road course, nestled in California’s scenic wine growing region, has hosted AMA Superbike races since 1977. The all-time Superbike wins leader at Infineon is Honda’s Miguel Duhamel. Duhamel has five race wins at the track dating back to 1993. He hopes to find the combination to earn his first victory of the season this weekend. Another rider to watch at Infineon is Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates. The Georgian won his first AMA Superbike race at the track nine years ago with a dramatic last-lap pass on Mladin. Marty Craggill has climbed to the top of the non-factory Superbike riders in the series with four straight top-10 finishes on his Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki. “I’ve raced at Infineon twice,” said Craggill, who comes into the doubleheader ranked seventh. “I got on the box there in Formula Xtreme in 2002 so I feel good about that track.” Local riders have traditionally done well at Infineon Raceway, which hosts numerous AFM racing events. Many expect David Stanton, of Lafayette, Calif., to be a contender on the Arclight Suzuki. “I’m hoping to at least do as well as I did last year and maybe improve on that,” said Stanton, who was seventh in the first Superbike race last year and crashed while running sixth in the second. “I race at Infineon so much that it does give you a bit of an advantage. I raced there just last week in fact. It’s tough to compete with the speed of the factory bikes, but I’m hoping my knowledge of the track will give me an edge.” SPEED Channel will provide extensive coverage of the Kawasaki Superbike Showdown Doubleheader starting with Saturday’s Superbike event being televised at 12 p.m. EST on Sunday, May 15. Live coverage of Sunday’s Superbike final begins at 6 p.m. EST. Tickets to the Kawasaki Superbike Showdown Doubleheader can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets including Tower Records, Wherrehouse Music, Ritmo Latino, select Save Mart Supermarkets and Rite Aid stores. For additional inquiries or questions please contact the Infineon Raceway Ticket Office at 1-800-870-RACE.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Arthur Ting is in the national headlines today for two reasons – having performed several recent surgeries on the knee of baseball’s all-star slugger Barry Bonds and for his problems with the Medical Board of California. While documents obtained from the Medical Board of California by general-interest reporters include 1993 allegations of Dr. Ting being “grossly negligent and/or incompetent in his treatment of a patient,” which resulted in probation, he continues to be the official team physician of the San Jose Sharks NHL and the San Jose Earthquakes MLS teams and the surgeon of choice for many professional athletes and motorcycle road racers. In fact, many of Dr. Ting’s professional athlete patients are repeat customers. “My experience with Dr. Ting has been nothing but good,” said racer Chris Ulrich, who is on the staff of Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. and has undergone several surgeries by Ting to repair crash damage. “He always gives me the best medical advice, not only for racing motorcycles but for life in general. I feel confident in letting him work on me. No matter what the injury, I feel based on my personal experience that he is always going to do what is best for me.” In addition to Ulrich, Dr. Ting is known to have consulted with and/or performed surgery on: five-time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan, multi-time AMA Champion Miguel Duhamel, Suzuki MotoGP racers Kenny Lee Roberts and John Hopkins, Nicky and Roger Hayden, Eric Bostrom, Jason Pridmore, Jimmy Moore, Jamie Hacking, Kurtis Roberts, Craig Connell and Grant Lopez, among others. Pridmore credits Ting with saving his career following a serious leg injury suffered while training on a motocross bike about 10 years ago. “They (other doctors) said it was fixed, and it was healed,” Pridmore told Roadracingworld.com. “I went three months in an external fixator. They said my leg was fixed and it wasn’t. I went to see Dr Ting and he put me back together, and that’s the reason I’m still racing. That was in ’95. Since then he’s been there so many times for me, gotten me back on my feet, as he has a lot of the guys. “If Dr. Ting retired, I’d probably stop racing,” continued Pridmore. “I have so much confidence in him. I have 1000% faith in him. Unfortunately, I’ve seen him more than a lot of people.” Moore says that Ting helped him when his original doctor couldn’t, following a June 2003 crash that ultimately took Moore out of racing for more than a year. “The doctor that fixed my arm originally told me, ‘Jimmy, you have to understand that the break to your bone was really bad, which is why it’s taking so long to heal,'” Moore told Roadracingworld.com . “The bone got to 60% healed but there was this little gap that wouldn’t change, every time I went in to see him it was still there. It wasn’t healed and I tried to ride and I reinjured it, and then I went to Dr. Ting and he fixed it. “I gave that other doctor 9 months to get it right, and I trusted him.” Moore continued. “He couldn’t help me. Ting fixed it in 3 months to the day. That’s pretty straightforward. You’ve got 9 months and it’s still not right or 3 months and it’s done. There’s not much more to say. That’s the difference between Ting and other guys. Ting knows what is going on. He’s used to dealing with athletes and I think there’s a really big difference between the two.” Recent stories relating to Dr. Ting and his recent involvement with Bonds are here: ~http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/06/MNGKLCL3V11.DTL~ ~http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/baseball/mlb/05/05/bonds.surgeon.ap/index.html~ ~http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2054193~ ~http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/giants/2005-05-05-bonds-surgeon_x.htm~

Yamaha Motor Italia are pleased to announce their partnership with Sony Italia, the Italian distributor of the world leading Japanese consumer and commercial electronics company. The Yamaha Motor Italia bikes will display the Sony branding prominently on the Yamaha YZF-R1 machines of riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt at the three Italian rounds of the Superbike World Championship; in Monza on May 8, Misano on June 26 and Imola on October 2. Sony and Yamaha share the same philosophies of innovation, high speed and customer satisfaction, with the partnership allowing Sony to reach an audience interested in and knowledgable about new technology. Monza is already a special race for the Yamaha Motor Italia squad, as thier headquarters is just a few kilometres from the circuit. The partnership with a prestigious company like Sony makes the event even more important. “It is a great honour for Yamaha Motor Italia to work with Sony Italia,” commented Claudio Consonni, General Manager Yamaha Motor Italia. “We are both market leading Japanese companies and we look forward to working with Sony at the three world superbike rounds this year.” “For Sony Italia the partnership with Yamaha Motor Italia confirms our commitment to marketing through the world of sport: first through football but also in basketball, powerboat racing, polo and golf,” added Massimiliano Alesi, Administrative Director of Sony Italia. “The partnership with Yamaha Motor Italia allows us to target customers interested in the field of technology and communicate our brand thanks to our partnership with the brand leader in the world of motorcycles.”