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)

Supercuts Cuts Hair for Charity at AMA Weekend, Offers Chance to Win Kawasaki Motorcycle SONOMA, Calif. “” There’s one-stop shopping at the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown at Infineon Raceway, May 13-15, for anyone interested in helping a great charitable cause, and at the same time, getting a shot at winning a sleek new 2005 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. Just stop by the Supercuts booth located behind the main grandstand in the paddock area and you can accomplish both. Stylists from Bay Area and Sacramento Supercuts locations will be giving haircuts all weekend long, with all proceeds benefiting needy youth organizations in Sonoma County through Speedway Children’s Charities, the charitable arm of Infineon Raceway. The race weekend is presented by Supercuts. You can have your hair colored Kawasaki green, go for a buzz-cut or get a simple trim. It’s your choice as stylists will take care of your every need, plus you’ll be helping out a great charitable cause. “It’s great to be a part of a fun sport. The stylists and myself are looking forward to donating our time to cutting hair and informing fans about Supercuts, ” said Ron Groves, a Supercuts Franchisee. “During the event our haircuts and spiking services are free, all we ask is for a small donation and all proceeds go to Speedway Children’s Charities. Stop by our booth and we will give you a free gift and an invitation to get a free haircut at one of our San Francisco Bay Area or Sacramento area stores.” The marks Supercuts’ fourth year of providing this great service “” you can also catch the team at this year’s Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup weekend, June 24-26, and the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals, presented by Supercuts, July 29-31. Supercuts raised more than $3,000 for the charity last year alone. While at the booth, also be sure to sign-up for the chance to win a 2005 Kawasaki Ninja. The motorcycle will be given away on Sunday, July 31, of the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals weekend.

Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt today completed two days of testing at the high-speed Monza circuit in preparation for the upcoming round of the Superbike World Championship at the historic Italian venue. In a busy test the team concentrated almost exclusively on chassis development of their YZF-R1s, evaluating a new specification swingarm, several rear linkages and trying out many new suspension parts over the two days. The Yamaha riders, at the test with their rivals from Ducati and Suzuki, also tested a number of development tyres from championship supplier Pirelli. With the test focusing on chassis development, the team also used the outing as a chance to carry out durability tests on the R1 engines. Running the engines from last weekend’s Valencia races, the motors in both machines ended the test having clocked up over 2000 kilometres of running without failure. “It has been a very good test,” commented team coordinator Massimo Meregalli. “We have been able to test many things and both Andrew and Noriyuki are very tired due to all the work they put in. Both riders are happy with the set-up and that will help us for the race here. Andrew has found a good combination with the front brake (and suspension) that he will use here in the race and Noriyuki tried out a new Yamaha kit swingarm which he tells us improves rear tyre life. This is something else we will look to use in the race. We were also pleased with the results of the engine endurance tests. Monza is a hard track on engines but still had good performance and suffered no failures despite the high kilometres.” Round four of the Superbike World Championship takes place at Monza on the weekend of 6-8 May.

Long-time racer, race tuner and race official Jim Tribou has died at the age of 46. According to his wife, Diane, Jim Tribou had been suffering seizures and had been flown from his home in Petersburg, Virginia to local hospitals twice in March for aneurysms. On March 27, Easter Sunday, Tribou left his home driving his truck and never returned. A “Missing Person” report was issued by police, who found Jim Tribou dead in his truck (which had run off the road and was hidden by trees) April 21. According to the medical examiner’s report, Tribou died instantly from another brain aneurysm. Tribou, originally from Syracuse, New York, started racing off-road motorcycles in 1976, before switching to road racing in 1978. As a racer, Tribou won several National Championships with Team Genesis, Team KAO and Virginia Breeze, according to his wife, and won several more Championships as a tuner for several teams, including Virginia Breeze’s Glenn Szarek. Most recently, Tribou served as a race starter for CCS and as National Chief Technical Inspector for WERA. In between races, Tribou worked as a motorcycle technician. Tribou is survived by his wife Diane, his son Tom, his daughter Jennifer, stepson Jonathan Parkes (who is a novice road racer) and his stepdaughter Niki Parkes. A memorial service has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 3 at 2:00 p.m. at Morrissette Funeral Home, 6500 Iron Bridge Road, Richmond, VA 23234 (804) 275-7828. In lieu of flowers, Diane Tribou has asked that contributions be made to the TSR Injured Riders Fund at 120 Kale Ave., Sterling, VA, 20164. Paypal donations are also accepted via [email protected]

SHANGHAI RACE OPENS NEW CHAPTER IN MotoGP The astonishing new Shanghai circuit is an unknown quantity for every rider in every class this weekend and it represents an early-season opportunity for the sharper riders and teams to exploit their advantage if they can get to grips with the imposing 5.281km track quicker than their rivals. The inaugural Grand Prix of China begins an exciting period of expansion for Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Honda’s close industrial partnerships with China are growing at pace, and this race represents a fruitful union between the two countries fostered through exciting technologies. But successful business ventures take a back foot this weekend pure motorcycle racing of the highest standard at an awe-inspiring facility is what China’s first ever motorcycle Grand Prix is about and the riders are understandably eager to see what demands the track makes on man and machine. Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) is likely to be the man taking the fight to reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) this weekend. Brazilian Barros won in difficult conditions in Portugal two weeks ago and after a solid first race result of fourth in Spain, Barros currently sits only seven points behind Rossi. Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) is the surprise of the season so far. Sete Gibernau’s team-mate lies third in the points standings after a third place in Spain and a fourth in Portugal. The young Italian former 250cc World Champion is now showing the best of his abilities on the Honda RC211V after two disappointing seasons with Yamaha in the premier class. It seems Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) is racing back into contention too after a torrid first race in Spain where he could only qualify 16th and finish seventh. The Roman star was third in Portugal and this race represents a perfect chance to master set-up and reap rewards if rivals fail to get their machines to perform on this unknown quantity of a track. The Shanghai circuit was built for a 2004 Formula One Grand Prix at cost of $250 million US dollars and it is the most imposing track yet conceived in motorsport. Two enormous ‘wings’ cover part of the 1202m long start/finish straight and the track also features two demanding 360-degree turns. These turns are expected to place huge demands on tyre grip, especially on front tyres. And that long straight the longest of all the tracks on the calendar will impose its own demands on both rubber and machinery. And with seven left and seven right turns both sides of the tyres will get a thorough workout too. The track is 14m wide and so overtaking is expected to be easy, providing the cut and thrust that makes MotoGP racing such compelling viewing. The Formula One race in 2004 attracted a crowd of 150,000 and the MotoGP crowd is expected to be of a similar size. World Championship runner-up in 2004, title contender Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) said, “This Shanghai track will be a real challenge for both the teams and the riders. We all begin from scratch and we only have four practice sessions that is three hours of free practice sessions, and a one-hour qualifying session. These hours will be decisive for the starting grid, learning to interpret the track, finding the right set-up and being as competitive as possible. And I’m curious about racing in China, an interesting country with a lot of tradition.” His team-mate Marco is equally intrigued over what this weekend might bring. “I saw the design of the track for the first time only a week ago,” he said. “It’s very innovative for sure. There are two particularly long corners, which will be hard on the front end of the bike, as it will be put under a lot of strain. Whoever adapts to the track quickest will logically have the advantage.” As his 200th Grand Prix start nears, Max said, “We are going to discover an amazing country, to experience a new circuit and to take our chances at winning. The track seems very good, with different characteristics, fast and technical. The Estoril podium gave us good energy to look forward. But still that’s not enough for me. I’m sure my team understands how to remain competitive for for my 200th Grand Prix.” Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) said, “I’m looking forward to China. It’ll be a new country, a new track for us all and I’m sure it’ll be a really interesting experience like Qatar last year. Everyone starts from zero, but at this level it doesn’t take long before everyone’s going pretty quick. After the last race, which wasn’t the best, I just want to get back mixing with the boys up front.” Nicky finished seventh in Portugal. Barros is raring to ride in China. “I know the track from a video game, which is really realistic, and it seems quite technical and varied. There are all sorts of bends, with slow corner entries and quick exits, and vice versa. Then long straights and hard-braking areas. It looks like one of the modern style of tracks, like Sepang but obviously, that’s just a ‘virtual’ feeling for the time being. Without a doubt it’s a great challenge and an unknown for everybody.” Barros team-mate Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) is equally keen to race, “I know that at the end of the main straight the first corner goes to the right”¦ and that’s it!” he said. “Joking aside, I don’t know the circuit, but I think that we will learn it straight away. Apart from the crash in Estoril we were running a good race, and in Shanghai we’ll try to do the same. My confidence on the bike is improving all the time and I’m working really well with the team.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V), who did not ride in Portugal after injuring his right wrist, will not ride in China either. His scaphoid bone is broken. Dutchman Jurgen van den Goorbergh will take his place, while Tamada aims to be fit to ride in France in just over two weeks time. “I’ve tried to wait until the last moment to decide,” said Tamada. “But when you have such pain there is nothing you can do about it. I wish good luck to Jurgen and the team for this weekend.” The 250cc riders face the same tough challenge and World Championship leader Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) will need all his considerable resources to stay ahead of his pursuers in China. Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) lies just five points behind Pedrosa after notching up a fourth place and a third in the opening two races so far. “It’s a new track and it’s the same for everybody,” said Dovi. “Whoever finds the right set-up early on will have an advantage over the weekend, so every session will be vital in understanding how to get the most from the bike in a new environment.” Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW), Dovi’s team-mate, expects it to be tough. “We know what to expect, but we don’t know exactly what Shanghai will demand until we ride the track for the first time,” he said. “It will be a real test of a rider’s ability to adapt to new demands.” In the 125cc World Championship Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) is the man closest to series points leader Mika Kallio (KTM) as the class heads into unknown territory. And the experienced Italian will draw encouragement from his strong start to the year. “We’ll all have to work very hard here,” said Lai. “No one can afford to miss any track time through crashing and with such a long straight top speed and acceleration out of the turns will be crucial.” Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) looks to be back on form after a lacklustre 2004 season and the Swiss rider scored a valuable podium in Portugal after an electrical fault robbed him of points in Spain. Luthi is currently seventh in the standings.

Z1 Racing regretfully must inform you that we will not be participating in the Canadian National Superbike Series for 2005. This has been a very difficult decision for us but one that had to be made. Due to several circumstances out of the control of our team we would not be able to be ready for the opening round and did not feel we would be competitive in the series. We would not be able to do our sponsor or ourselves justice. Several sponsors to date have not been able to finalise their involvement with our team and this has caused tremendous financial and planning difficulties. We realise that this will put a strain on the relationships with those sponsors and to those sponsors who have committed to help us in 2005. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused everyone. We are committed to racing and supporting the racing scene in Canada. We will be supporting several amateur racers this year and will be supporting our sponsors as well in that capacity. We will be preparing for the 2006 season in the second half of 2005 and hope that we will be hitting the 2006 series with a bang. Look for some positive news to come in the following months. Editorial Note: Z1 Cycletech had previously announced (March 16, 2005) that it would compete in the 2005 Parts Canada Superbike series with Jeff Williams riding a Ducati 999R.