Round two of the 2005 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship will be held at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway this weekend, with 180 riders set for hostilities across 10 separate classes. With the championship’s opening round at Phillip Island on April 2-3 the sole domain of the ‘S’ brigade Superbike, Supersport and Superstock Eastern Creek will mark the first time that all the 2005 campaigners have formed a ‘united’ front, with 22 races to be held over the two days. Moreover, round two will also mark Yamaha’s official debut, via its YMF Loan moniker, as the Australian Superbike Championship’s new naming right’s sponsor after an 18-year association with Shell came to an end in 2004. As usual, the major focus at Eastern Creek will be on the top-tier YMF Loan-backed Superbike and Supersport classes, where birthday boy Josh Brookes (Joe Rocket Honda) he’s 22 today currently reigns supreme in both after a sublime Phillip Island performance. Brookes, from Bringelly (NSW), won four of the five Superbike and Supersport races at Phillip Island on his CBR1000RR and CBR600RR Hondas, and takes two and 10pt leads respectively into Eastern Creek a venue where he has traditionally been a colossus. The 2001 Australian Supersport champion not only holds the lap record in both classes around the 3.93km circuit, but he was in swashbuckling form at the corresponding round in 2004. In Superbike, Brookes currently holds sway over Team Suzuki’s Shawn Giles (GSX-R1000) by 2pts (45 to 43), followed in third position by Yamaha Racing Team’s Daniel Stauffer (YZF-R1, 36). Both of Brookes’ pursuers have plenty of motivation heading into Eastern Creek Giles to go all out for a maiden Australian win on the all-new K5 model GSX-R1000, while Stauffer is another rider who seemingly produces his most prolific work at the western Sydney layout. The aircraft engineer, 28, won two out of the three Superbike outings at Easter Creek last year after starting from pole position, but his charge for an overall victory dissipated in race three when his foot peg came loose. “Phillip Island seems so long ago now, but it was a pretty successful start for us,” said Stauffer, who finished fourth in last year’s championship. “I feel the revised suspension and other modifications we have recently introduced will see us improve even more this weekend. “Eastern Creek was good to me last year”¦ so I’m hoping I can repeat the performance.” Meanwhile, 34-year-old Giles, who won three Superbike championships from 2000-02, has finished second in four of the last five races at Eastern Creek, and will undoubtedly up the ante in round two on the strength of ongoing development to his new Suzuki. Thirty-three riders will report for duty in the two Superbike qualifying sessions on Saturday, including two other national Superbike champions: reigning title holder Adam Fergusson (Joe Rocket Honda CBR1000RR) and 1994 master Anthony Gobert (Redwing Honda CBR1000RR). Fergusson, 30, is currently seventh in the standings on 25pts after tyre problems saw him limp over the line in race one at Phillip Island, before the best possible riposte in the second instalment his first win of the season. In front of Fergusson, Jamie Stauffer (Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R, 34pts), privateer Scott Charlton (Active Electrical Distributors GSX-R1000, 32) and Shannon Johnson (Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1, 30) are currently domiciled in positions 4-6, with Stauffer, in particular, on the cusp of producing some real fireworks this weekend. After breaking Giles’ Phillip Island lap record in round one albeit by one thousandth of a second! Stauffer followed up with a successful test session at Winton (Vic), which has left him in a bullish mood. “At Winton, we concentrated on two aspects of the ZX-10R’s handling: its balance and geometry, and we’ve also done some work on the engine management system. “Everything worked well and the bike’s now got much better traction and a heap more mid-corner grip.” Jamie, who finished third in the 2001-02 Superbike titles, is chasing Kawasaki’s first win in the premier class since Andrew Pitt prevailed in 1999. Meanwhile Johnson, the reigning number two, is not far away from returning to the top of his game, which saw him win races in the final two rounds last year. Also watch out for Glenn Allerton (Team Suzuki GSX-R1000) and former 250 GP champion Russell Holland (CBR1000RR) to show some real grunt at Eastern Creek, after making their Superbike debuts at Phillip Island. In a departure from previous years, only two Superbike races, instead of three, will be held in 2005 albeit longer affairs. At Eastern Creek, that will correspond to two 13-lap races, which is the same workload slated for the Supersport riders. Meanwhile, all the other classes will continue battle it out over three races. In Supersport, the Honda troika of Brookes, defending champion Fergusson (Joe Rocket CBR600RR) and teenage wiz Jason O’Halloran (Rocket Racing CBR600RR) were the pacesetters at Phillip Island, with Queenslander Robbie Baird (Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R6) the only other rider to sneak onto the podium. As it stands, Brookes holds a 10pt (76 to 66) lead over Fergusson, followed by O’Halloran (54), Josh Waters (Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-6RR, 45) and Jordan Coote (YZF-R6, 43). Brookes, on the strength of his round one heroics, not to mention his subjugation of last year’s Eastern Creek field, places him as the obvious favourite this weekend, although nothing is ever a given in the cut-throat world of Supersport racing. As for Fergusson, he is attempting to join Kevin Curtain as the only other multiple Supersport champion in 2005, as well as winning Honda’s sixth title. “I always enjoy racing with Josh in Supersport and our lap times are very comparable so if I can get away well, I’m sure I can get the better of him,” Fergusson said. “The big class is probably a little more of an unknown. There are some very competitive guys in the top 10 so it is a harder game, physically and mentally.” Elsewhere on the round two program, Craig McMartin (Ducati Sydney-Shell Advance Ducati 999S) and Queenslander Benn Archibald (Aluma-Lite Racing Aprilia RSVR Tuono) will begin their defence of the FX Pro-Twins and Yamalube NakedBike Championships respectively, while Honda RS125-riding trio Paul Campbell (Redback Motorcycles), Brett Simmonds and Peter Galvin appear the best bets to fight it out for AMCN 125 GP honours in the absence of last year’s top three: Bryan Staring (now in Supersport), Mick Kelly (Superbike) and Mathew Kuhne (overseas). In the Aircom Systems-supported Sidecar F1, a major infusion of talent has come in the form of 2002 world champions Steve Abbott and passenger Jamie Biggs (Aircom Castrol Team LCR Suzuki). It would be incredulous not to see the duo at the pointy end of the 15-outfit field, and the 14-year-old lap record of Andre Bosman-Dave Kellett (1:40.37) may finally be eclipsed. Another former star returning to the Sidecar F1 fold is Shane Soutar (Techsim Kawasaki), who was the 1993-94 national champion. Finally, a new GYTR Superstock title holder will be crowned in 2005, with Darren Edwards (YZF-R6) the current leader on 70pts ahead of Daniel Figueiredo (GSX-R600, 56), Dale Broadfoot (CBR600RR, 55) and Danny Higgins (YZF-R6, 53). Qualifying for round two begins at 9.00am on Saturday, with the first of the races for all classes except Superbike and Supersport to be held after the lunch break. Sixteen races will be held on Sunday from 10.00am.

Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore will be out of action for two months after crashing at Barber Motorsports Park April 24 and suffering a ruptured spleen and internal bleeding that almost killed him. According to long-time friend and MJM Suzuki crew member Richie Alexander, who relayed information given to him by doctors at the University of Alabama Birmingham (USB) Hospital, Pridmore lost three liters of blood after his accident and could have died within 30 minutes without emergency surgery. Pridmore, who was released from UAB Hospital today, will be out two months mainly due to the 12-inch, vertical incision doctors had to make in Pridmore’s abdomen to remove his ruptured spleen. Alexander said doctors had to make the incision that large because Pridmore’s abdominal muscles were so tight, and that they actually had to cut through some of the muscles to access his ruptured spleen.

PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN TEAM TAKES ON AMA CHALLENGERS AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team heads to California Speedway in Fontana, California, for the third race meeting of the season this weekend. Neil Hodgson is currently second in AMA Superbike points on the basis of two second place finishes and looks to close ground at the 2.3-mile circuit. Eric Bostrom looks to improve his 2005 fortunes at a track he favors. Bostrom finished second in both Cal Speedway races last year and enjoyed a solid test on his Ducati 999 Superbike earlier this month. “I know Fontana will be better for us,” says Bostrom. “Fontana’s going to be good. The test went well and the race is going to go even better. We’ve been trying a lot of different things out on the bike and I liked how the front felt at Barber went we chose some stiffer settings. I’m just going to put the past behind me and look to run up front at California Speedway. The Ducati 999 seems to suit me well at that track.” “I’m confident Eric will do well at Fontana,” says team engineer Luca Ferraccioli. “He was second place in both the races last year and was very good at the test. He’s been making progress and is working well with the team on improving his lap times.” So far, Neil Hodgson and Ducati have proven to be the strongest competition for the factory Suzuki squad this season at the front end of the AMA Superbike pack. Despite his newcomer status in the US, Neil has shown consistency in learning the tracks, then coming through with quality results in the races. Despite a virtual washout on Friday at Barber that limited his track time, Neil was back on the podium by the end of the weekend. Hodgson says the team made headway for Sunday’s Barber race when a setup change helped make the 999 more maneuverable in the tighter sections of the track. “We made the bike go a lot faster through the flip-flop bends. I was really happy with that and I was pleased with how the bike turned. If nothing else, we learned something (at Barber) that might help us at other tracks,” says Hodgson, the 2003 World Superbike champion. The Fontana race will be the closest the 31-year old Briton has to a “home” race this season, his first year in AMA competition. Hodgson is staying in Laguna Beach this season when he’s not racing at the track. Neil has quickly become a fan favorite in his short time in the US. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 3 of 17 races): 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 113, 2. NEIL HODGSON (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 91, 3. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 87, 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 82, 5. Miguel DuHamel (Honda) 78, 6. ERIC BOSTROM (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 20 THE CIRCUIT Name: California Speedway 2.36 miles (3.7 kilometers),21 turns. Oval with permanent road course, with up to 14 degrees of banking. STATISTICS Lap record: Mladin (Suzuki) 1:24.759 (2004) Race distance: Gobert (Yamaha) 39:28.637 (2002)

All programs on SPEED Channel (All times Eastern) AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited (Race 1), California Speedway, Fontana, California, Sunday May 1, 1-2 p.m. EST (Taped from Saturday) AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited (Race 2), California Speedway, Fontana, California, Sunday May 1, 6-7 p.m. EST (LIVE) AMA Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series / AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series, California Speedway, Fontana, CA, Tuesday May 3, 2-3 p.m. EST AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, California Speedway, Fontana, California, Sunday, May 8, 2-3 p.m. EST All times subject to change. Check local listings

Camel Honda today announced a new partnership with one of the most important Casinos in Europe, Casinò di Campione. As part of the new partnership the name of the Casino situated on the picturesque shores of Lake Como on the borders of Italy and Switzerland will appear from the Chinese Grand Prix onwards on the yellow Camel Honda RC211Vs ridden by Alex Barros and Troy Bayliss. “A strong and asserted team in a young sport with tremendous media appeal and a dominant presence in each continent. These are the ingredients” underlines the Casinó di Campione President Matteo Seroldi “that have taken the largest and most beautiful Casino in Europe trackside and become Corporate Partner of the Camel Honda team.” The two principle objectives of the Casinò di Campione are: the incrementation and provenance of the clients and internationalisation of the brand of the Casino as well as its clients. “Associating the Casinò di Campione and the local tourism of Lake Como together with the prestigious Camel Honda team is for us synonymous of great potential for attracting new clients” underlines the President “not only to increase the number of players but to globally internationalise our Casinò”. The new structure of the Casinò di Campione will be able to accommodate important events, meetings and prestigious conferences. The Casino is located close to the Malpensa international airport, not far from Milan, Como and Lugano and this makes Campione a strategic and winning location for all of those multinational companies which are present in Europe. With these credentials the Casino plans to gain worldwide recognition thanks to the partnership with the Camel Honda Team and at the same time propose itself as the ideal venue for business forums for the important sponsors that are present in the international motor racing environment. Principal of the Camel Honda team, and former double Word Champion, Sito Pons was quick to underline the importance of the new agreement for the team. “We are very pleased to welcome the Casinò di Campione into our team and we are delighted that one of the most prestigious establishments in Europe has confided in our team to carry its name and raise its profile around the world. I am convinced that the Casino’s decision will be richly rewarded since the worldwide popularity of the MotoGP Championship and the success on track of the Camel Honda team will guarantee a strong projection of the Casino’s name around the globe which will certainly lead to an increase in its business.”

Shanghai April 28th, 2005 Chinese Grand Prix Preview Exciting challenge in new Chinese wonder-world From Portugal in Southern Europe, where Spaniard Carlos Checa scored an impressive fifth place aboard his Bridgestone-fitted Ducati Desmosedici, Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone and their three partner teams in MotoGP racing travelled halfway around the globe for the first ever MotoGP race in the People’s Republic of China. Located near the Yangtze river delta just outside the prosperous port city, the Shanghai International Circuit is a proud showcase for the rapid pace of development and the high technological and commercial ambitions of the world’s largest country with one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Build with a budget of 250 million US-Dollars and completed in just 18 months, the circuit and its infrastructure are record-breaking in every sense. Sitting on 12000 tons of steel, 40000 reinforcing concrete pillars, and 320000 cubic metres of EPS engineering plastics, the architecture makes for a spectacular sight, with grandstand seating for a massive 200,000 spectators, with two surreal-looking wings that cover the starting straight, and with its team buildings that are arranged in an exotic Chinese garden environment rather than in a paved paddock. Designed by re-known German engineer Hermann Tielke, who also shaped a number of other modern circuits like the Malaysian Sepang circuit or the new German Hockenheim ring, the Shanghai International Circuit is 5.45 kilometres long and features two very long straights the main straight measures 1202 metres in length, the longest of the entire championship where the MotoGP bikes are expected to reach top speeds in excess of 320 kilometres per hour. The track is also characterised by two very long right-hand corners, almost 360 degrees, which will put the tyres to the test with a lot of heat built-up in the right tyre flanks. Like the Sepang track, the Shanghai circuit is also very wide, and presents many overtaking opportunities. Despite its sheer size and the long straights, the Shanghai circuit is still relatively slow in comparison with the fastest tracks on the calendar. The first half of its length consists of consecutive low-speed corners, requiring good handling abilities from the tyres for quick changes from right to left, as well as consistent grip levels through the turns. The second part of the track is a Formula 1-style stop-and-go layout, challenging the braking and traction qualities of the tyres. Bridgestone has air-freighted a total of 1000 tyres to Shanghai straight from Japan, more than the average 700 tyres, in order to cater for all possible track conditions. But despite the fact that the Shanghai International Circuit is new to the MotoGP world, Bridgestone’s tyre technicians haven’t arrived unprepared.

The MotoGP World Championship paddock set up camp at the Shanghai International Circuit for the first time today, with the teams, riders and organisers all expressing their admiration for the sensational facilities. Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi arrived only this afternoon but was taken aback as much by the quality of the circuit’s architecture and infrastructure as the racetrack itself. “My first impressions are very good,” commented Rossi, who leads the standings after two rounds by seven points over Alex Barros. “The facilities are very nice you could come here for a holiday, never mind a race! Also the track is incredible. I expected it to be fast but having had a look at it today it is actually quite tight and technical. All the riders have a lot of hard work to do finding the right setting for the bikes here.” Barros arrived in China full of confidence after victory in the last round at Estoril and is hopeful of adapting swiftly to the Shanghai circuit after also getting his first look today. “Like Valentino says, it is a very technical track and I expect it to be very physical because there are only two straights where you can relax a little on the bike. We’ll have to keep an eye on the weather but the surface looks good and we should enjoy ourselves. Everybody is starting from zero here but I like conditions like that.” Two riders had more reason than most to feel optimistic this weekend, having been plucked out of the wilderness to take part in this Sunday’s historic event. Whilst Olivier Jacque returns to MotoGP as a replacement for the injured Alex Hofmann at Kawasaki, Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh has made the dash from Europe to China after a late call-up to replace Makoto Tamada at Konica Minolta Honda. “I still can’t quite believe I’m here,” said Van Den Goorbergh, who was given a surprise call by team boss Luca Montiron after Tamada failed a late fitness test on his injured wrist. “It worked well for me because I recently separated from my team in the World Supersport series and the chance to come back to MotoGP and race in such a historic event here in China was perfect. I haven’t ridden a Grand Prix bike for a while but I have confidence in my ability, I have plenty of experience and I hope to pay back the faith shown in me by the team.” Whilst the Dutchman has not raced in MotoGP since the end of 2002, Jacque made a handful of wildcard appearances for Moriwaki Racing last season and admitted to feeling a little out of place on his return today. “In French we say I feel like a hair on the soup!” laughed the former 250cc World Champion. “I tested the bike at Estoril and then again two days ago in Japan and it was very strange to ride at 300km/h again. But I could still feel the fire inside me to race and I’m very pleased to be here.” Moriwaki also make a welcome return to MotoGP in China, with former factory Honda rider Tohru Ukawa preparing to ride their MD211VF prototype when the first free practice session gets underway on Friday morning. 250cc World Champion Dani Pedrosa, the leader of a blossoming teenage generation in the minor classes, revealed their usual technique for learning a new circuit would be obsolete this weekend. “Usually I play the Playstation to learn the track but we can’t do that here because it is so new!” revealed the Spaniard, who leads the standings by five points from Andrea Dovizioso. “On a scooter you don’t get a real idea, although it can help to do a few laps on a Thursday afternoon. The gearbox ratio, track conditions, grip levels and other things like that”¦ you can’t get a really idea until you ride the circuit on your race bike. Anyway, it’s the same situation for everybody so we will just try to make the best of the practice sessions.” Meanwhile, Mika Kallio arrives in China as leader of the 125cc World Championship for the first time in his career after his maiden victory in the second round at Estoril. The Finnish rider is aiming to end a run of forty-one races in the minor class without a rider winning back-to-back races.

PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN TEAM TAKES ON AMA CHALLENGERS AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY (Fontana, CA–April 27th) The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team heads to California Speedway in Fontana, California, for the third race meeting of the season this weekend. Neil Hodgson is currently second in AMA Superbike points on the basis of two second place finishes and looks to close ground at the 2.3-mile circuit. Eric Bostrom looks to improve his 2005 fortunes at a track he favors. Bostrom finished second in both Cal Speedway races last year and enjoyed a solid test on his Ducati 999 Superbike earlier this month. “I know Fontana will be better for us,” says Bostrom. “Fontana’s going to be good. The test went well and the race is going to go even better. We’ve been trying a lot of different things out on the bike and I liked how the front felt at Barber went we chose some stiffer settings. I’m just going to put the past behind me and look to run up front at California Speedway. The Ducati 999 seems to suit me well at that track.” “I’m confident Eric will do well at Fontana,” says team engineer Luca Ferraccioli. “He was second place in both the races last year and was very good at the test. He’s been making progress and is working well with the team on improving his lap times.” So far, Neil Hodgson and Ducati have proven to be the strongest competition for the factory Suzuki squad this season at the front end of the AMA Superbike pack. Despite his newcomer status in the US, Neil has shown consistency in learning the tracks, then coming through with quality results in the races. Despite a virtual washout on Friday at Barber that limited his track time, Neil was back on the podium by the end of the weekend. Hodgson says the team made headway for Sunday’s Barber race when a setup change helped make the 999 more maneuverable in the tighter sections of the track. “We made the bike go a lot faster through the flip-flop bends. I was really happy with that and I was pleased with how the bike turned. If nothing else, we learned something (at Barber) that might help us at other tracks,” says Hodgson, the 2003 World Superbike champion. The Fontana race will be the closest the 31-year old Briton has to a “home” race this season, his first year in AMA competition. Hodgson is staying in Laguna Beach this season when he’s not racing at the track. Neil has quickly become a fan favorite in his short time in the US. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 3 of 17 races): 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 113, 2. NEIL HODGSON (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 91, 3. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 87, 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 82, 5. Miguel DuHamel (Honda) 78, 6. ERIC BOSTROM (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 20 THE CIRCUIT Name: California Speedway 2.36 miles (3.7 kilometers),21 turns. Oval with permanent road course, with up to 14 degrees of banking. STATISTICS Lap record: Mladin (Suzuki) 1:24.759 (2004) Race distance: Gobert (Yamaha) 39:28.637 (2002)