The Honda Superbike Classic presented by McGraw Insurance held April 22-24 at Barber Motorsports Park drew a three-day total of 53,928 spectators, a new record for the event, according to track officials.

Arclight Suzuki’s Jeff Wood went three-for-three in Formula USA action at Road America Sunday, completing a perfect weekend which saw him take pole positions and wins in every race he entered. Motorcycle Performance’s Ed Key used his Suzuki SV650 to win the Thunderbike race. Wood was able to take advantage of good starts to run away with the Formula Sportbike and Superbike races. In the Sportbike race, Kawasaki-mounted Jason Farrell got away in front of Wood, leading him for a little over a lap, before Wood was able to get by and distance himself from the field. Behind Wood in Formula Sportbike things spread out quickly. Wood’s Arclight Suzuki teammate Scott Harwell took second, followed by Shawn Conrad. Wood, Harwell and Conrad all rode Suzuki GSX-R750s. Harwell also took third in Superbike after a race-long battle with Scott Greenwood, David Weber (who dropped out just past halfway with a mechanical problem), and Michael Himmelsbach. Former AMA Pro Thunder Champion Conrad was the only other rider besides Wood to finish on the podium in three events, taking second in Sportbike and Superbike. Thunderbike had the biggest grid of the F-USA events, 26 riders, and also provided the closest racing. Key took his Suzuki out to an early lead, followed by Dave Estok on a Buell XB12R. Key and Estok quickly broke away from the field and proceeded to trade the lead for the entire eight-lap event, with Key taking the win by less than a bikelength. Bryan Bemisderfer struggled early in the weekend, but was able to use the superior power of his Buell XB12R to take third ahead of Suzuki-mounted David Yaakov. F-USA Provisional Results: Formula Sportbike (750cc): 1. Jeff Wood (Suz GSX-R750), 10 Laps 2. Scott Harwell (Suz GSX-R750) 3. Shawn Conrad (Suz GSX-R750) 4. Jesse Janisch (Suz GSX-R750) 5. Ryan Elleby (Suz GSX-R750) 6. Andy Feuersthaler (Suz GSX-R750) 7. Brandon Parrish (Suz GSX-R750) 8. Daniel Doty (Yam YZF-R6) 9. Randy Rega (Suz GSX-R750) 10. Joe Ribeiro (Suz GSX-R750) Sportbike (600cc): 1. Jeff Wood (Suz GSX-R600), 10 Laps 2. Shawn Conrad (Kaw ZX-6RR) 3. Jason Farrell (Kaw ZX-6RR) 4. Scott Greenwood (Kaw ZX-6RR) 5. Scott Harwell (Suz GSX-R600) 6. David Weber (Suz GSX-R600) 7. Michael Himmelsbach (Yam YZF-R6) 8. Adam Dolney (Yam YZF-R6) 9. Ryan Elleby (Suz GSX-R600) 10. Brian Hall (Kaw ZX-6RR) Superbike (600cc): 1. Jeff Wood (Suz GSX-R600), 10 Laps 2. Shawn Conrad (Kaw ZX-6RR) 3. Scott Harwell (Suz GSX-R600) 4. Jason Farrell (Kaw ZX-6RR) 5. Michael Himmelsbach (Yam YZF-R6) 6. Scott Greenwood (Kaw ZX-6RR) 7. Adam Dolney (Yam YZF-R6) 8. Brian Hall (Kaw ZX-6RR) 9. Ray Bowman (Hon CBR600RR) 10. Scott Ackerman (Yam YZF-R6) Thunderbike: 1. Ed Key (Suz SV650), 8 Laps 2. Dave Estok (Bue XB12R) 3. Bryan Bemisderfer (Bue XB12R) 4. David Yaakov (Suz SV650) 5. Robert Fisher (Suz SV650) 6. Clint Brotz (Bue XB12R) 7. Dave Ebben (Bue XB12R) 8. Joe Rozynski (Bue XB12R) 9. Paul James (Bue XB12R) 10. Darren Danilowicz (Suz SV650)

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 28 laps 2. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, -9.741 seconds 3. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -12.576 seconds 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -12.624 seconds 5. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -48.101 seconds 6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -59.172 seconds 7. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, -62.847 seconds 8. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -69.152 seconds 9. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -69.167 seconds 10. John Haner, Suzuki, -81.807 seconds 11. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -81.851 seconds 12. Francis Martin, Suzuki, -82.397 seconds 13. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha, -82.578 seconds 14. Brent George, Suzuki, -84.675 seconds 15. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -1 lap 16. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -1 lap 17. Larry Pegram, Honda, -1 lap 18. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap 19. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, -1 lap 20. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -1 lap 21. Cory West, Suzuki, -1 lap 22. Brian Stokes, Yamaha, -1 lap 23. David Bell, Suzuki, -1 lap 24. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha, -1 lap 25. Chuck Ivey, Yamaha, -1 lap 26. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -1 lap 27. Reuben Frankenfield, Yamaha, -1 lap 28. Matt McBride, Kawasaki, -1 lap 29. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -1 lap 30. James Kerker, Honda, -1 lap 31. Jeremy Toye, Honda, -2 laps 32. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, -2 laps 33. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -6 laps, DNF, crash 34. Jake Zemke, Honda, -17 laps, DNF, mechanical 35. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -18 laps, DNF 36. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, -19 laps, DNF 37. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -22 laps, DNF, mechanical 38. Giovanni Rojas, Suzuki, -23 laps, DNF 39. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, DNS 40. Tom Kipp, Kawasaki, DNS 41. Mike Smith, Suzuki, DNS 42. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, DNS More, from a press release issued by Vreeke & Associates on behalf of Dunlop: Mladin unstoppable, takes two more victories at round two of AMA Superbike series Leeds, AL April 24, 2005 Stormy, unpredictable weather and unseasonably cool temperatures greeted the second round of the 2005 AMA Superbike series to Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama. Undeterred, the factory road racing teams set about their business in calculable fashion, led by Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, who dominated the competition while collecting his 34th and 35th career Superbike victories. In support-class action, Honda Racing’s Jake Zemke recorded Honda’s 50th AMA Formula Xtreme win, Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking took the Supersport victory and Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden came out on top of the Superstock competition. Dunlop brought nearly 1500 tires to support the factory teams and support riders in Superbike, Superstock, Formula Xtreme and Supersport competition. The Barber race track, home of the world-renowned Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, is a beautifully-designed circuit that puts significant demands on tires. Its relatively new surface is abrasive on front tires and numerous right-hand sweepers generate heat in the right-side tread of the rear tires. Friday’s scheduled activities were dampened by wet weather that culminated with the Superbike qualifying session. Thunderstorms, hail and high winds ended the round shortly after it started, forcing the teams to focus their energies on a rescheduled, 45-minute qualifying session on Saturday morning. The 55-60 degree temperatures and sunny skies were a welcome relief, despite gusty wind conditions. Dunlop brought four front and four rear tire compound selections from which the riders could choose. Mladin set the pace throughout the session and closed out with a track-record 1:25.047 on race tires, nearly .2-tenths second faster than his 2004 record set on qualifying tires. His 39th AMA Superbike pole was evidence of just how well his team’s GSX-R1000 was running. Teammate Ben Spies was next at 1:25.954 and a tick-behind was Neil Hodgson on the Ducati Austin 999R. Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates completed the front row. Saturday’s inaugural race was the first of two weekend Superbike events. After a red flag on lap one brought the teams back to the pits, the second launch saw Yates grab the lead, followed closely by Mladin. By lap two, Mladin was in front for good. After reeling off several sub-1:26 minute laps, Mladin settled into a pace unmatched by the field. By lap 18 of the 28-lap race he had stretched his lead over Yates by more than 11 seconds; at the checkered flag, Mladin’s margin of victory was a comfortable 7.396 seconds. The best race action developed between Hodgson in third-place and Spies, who trailed in hot pursuit. By lap 20 they were separated by less than .2-second. On lap 23, Spies slipped by as the pair moved through traffic, assuring Suzuki of a podium sweep. “It was a good race,” Mladin said afterwards. “We thought after qualifying that we had a little bit of pace, so we wanted to try to get to the lead as quickly as possible and try and get away, and that’s what happened. That’s it. We just have a little better set-up than these guys at the moment and we were able to do it.”” Hodgson took fourth, followed by Honda’s Duhamel, Jordon Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore and Steve Rapp, and Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom in positions five through eight, respectively. With Mladin Motorsports’ Marty Craggill taking 10th, Dunlop riders took nine of the top 10 finishing positions. Saturday’s second race featured the highly-modified 600cc four-cylinder and 750cc twin-cylinder machines of the Formula Xtreme class. The front row was led by Duhamel, whose 1:27.746 pole-qualifying time set the day before on his CBR600RR just nudged out teammate Jake Zemke, who was just .18-seconds off Duhamel’s pace. When the flag dropped, Zemke took the lead with Duhamel in pursuit. M4 Emgo Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec was a close third on a GSX-R600 and the trio quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. Zemke led the first eight laps but Duhamel snuck by on the next circuit and held on for five laps before Zemke retook the lead on lap 14. Haskovec slipped between the two with three laps to go and even led briefly. The three riders continued to dice through the corners, much to the pleasure of the fans, including some last-corner contact between Haskovec and Duhamel. At the line, Zemke took his seventh Formula Xtreme career win and Duhamel slipped past Haskovec to finish .44 seconds back from Zemke. “The last lap was great,” said Zemke. “When you get three guys going, it changes everything as far as race strategy and what you want to do. Luckily I’m the guy that got to sit on top today.” Behind Haskovec were Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard, Yamaha-mounted Chris Paris and Pascal Picotte, and Honda Canada’s Steve Crevier in positions four through eight, respectively. Suzuki’s Chris Caylor took ninth and Ryan Andrews rode a Ducati 749R to finish 10th as Dunlop riders captured eight of the top ten positions. Duhamel leads the series with 71 points, Zemke is second with 66 and Chris Peris is third with 52 points. Race day two dawned to a cloudless sky with even chillier temperatures. The previous day had seen Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking capture the pole position for both the Supersport and Superstock races; his Superstock qualifying time of 1:25.832 aboard a YZF-R1 was a new track record. Sunday’s first action was the 600cc Supersport class. Alongside Hacking on row one was teammate Jason Disalvo, then Kawasaki Road Racing’s Roger Lee Hayden and Tommy Hayden on ZX-6RRs. Hacking took the lead at the start, followed closely by both Haydens. A red flag on lap three brought all the riders back for a restart. On the second go-around, Hacking once again led the pack off the line, followed by Roger Lee Hayden and then Tommy Hayden. Tommy overtook brother Roger Lee on lap 12 and the trio remained tightly-bunched until Roger Lee ran wide on turn one on the next lap. With four laps to go, Hacking and Tommy Hayden put in some scorching laps; Hacking clocked a 1:28.115 on lap 13 and Hayden saved his best for the last lap, when he put in a 1:27.975 the fastest lap of the race in his effort to run down Hacking. Despite a last-corner challenge from Hayden, Hacking would not be denied, going wire-to-wire and crossing the finish line .579 seconds ahead of Hayden. Roger Lee Hayden was third, followed by Disalvo and teammates Aaron Gobert and Damon Buckmaster in fourth through sixth, respectively. Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard was eighth, Topline Yamaha’s Chris Peris was ninth and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies was tenth as Dunlop-shod riders took nine of the top ten spots. In the series standings, Hacking and Tommy Hayden are tied at 70 points apiece, Disalvo has 56 and Gobert has 52. The 1000cc machines of the Superstock class were next. Next to Hacking on the pole were teammates Disalvo and Buckmaster, with Suzuki’s Yates in the fourth slot. Hacking wasted no time capitalizing on his pole position, leading into the first corner from the start on his YZF-R1 with Disalvo in second and Yates in third. Disalvo took the lead on lap 10 and held on for four laps despite a fierce challenge from Hacking, who retook the lead on lap 13. Meanwhile, Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden was closing in on his ZX-10RR from his fifth-place start, turning the fastest lap of the race on lap 12 at 1:26.952. By lap 14 he moved up to third place behind Hacking and Disalvo. The most dramatic action of the weekend then ensued as the trio raced to the flag with 3 laps to go. Hacking and Disalvo continued to challenge each other while Hayden first slipped past Disalvo, then Hacking on lap 16 to take the lead. On the final lap, Hacking ran into the grass after coming together with Disalvo; Disalvo stayed on the track but lost ground in his effort to run down Hayden, Meanwhile Hacking lost third position to Yates, who had closed from fifth on the final two laps. At the checkered flag, it was Hayden by .951 seconds ahead of Disalvo, then Yates and Hacking. Jordon Suzuki’s Steve Rapp was sixth, followed by Yamaha’s Gobert, Kawasaki’s Roger Lee Hayden and Yamaha’s Buckmaster in positions seven through nine. Overall, Dunlop riders took eight of the first ten finishes. “It was a hard race for me,” said Hayden. “With about five or six laps to go, I thought I had a really good chance to win. As we were coming up on traffic, Jamie and Jason were slowing each other up a little bit, I just tied to get in there and make something happen and it worked out.” After two rounds, the leaders are bunched in the points chase; Yates leads the series with 63 points, Vincent Haskovec is second with 62 points and Tommy Hayden has 60 points. In the final race of the weekend, Suzuki’s Mladin picked up where he left off the day before, rocketing past a fast-starting Neil Hodgson and into the lead on lap one. From there, Mladin built a cushion that grew steadily throughout the race; by lap 25 it was 10.579 seconds and he cruised to 9.470-second victory. Hodgson held on to second until he was overtaken by Yates on lap seven and the pair remained close until Yates pulled into the pits on lap 19 to change his tire. From that point Hodgson was unchallenged. Meanwhile Honda’s Duhamel had closed to within third after starting back in eighth position. While Duhamel did not pose a threat to Hodgson in second, Suzuki’s Spies was closing rapidly on Duhamel and the pair fought for the final podium spot on the last lap. In the end, Spies overtook Duhamel and held on to third by just .048 seconds. It was another good race for Dunlop riders, who took eight of the top ten spots. Behind Mladin, Hodgson, Spies and Duhamel came Ducati Austin’s Bostrom and Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes in fifth and sixth, respectively. Yates took eighth and Mladin Motorsports’ Craggill was ninth. “It was a good race for us,” said Mladin. “I’ve got to thank my team, they’ve done a good job for us this weekend. The GSX-R1000 is unbelievable, this year we’re three for three and the Dunlop guys have really stepped up and, in the last four months, they’ve really made really made our lives a lot easier.” On the Superbike series scorecard, Mladin tops the field with 113 points, followed by Hodgson with 91 and Spies with 87. Next stop for Dunlop and the AMA Superbike road racing tour is the California Speedway in Fontana, California, April 29 May 1. Round two features a doubleheader for the Superbike series.

1. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 17 laps 2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, -0.952 second 3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -1.849 seconds 4. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, -5.147 seconds 5. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, -5.698 seconds 6. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -8.235 seconds 7. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -11.939 seconds 8. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, -11.991 seconds 9. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -19.807 seconds 10. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -23.317 seconds 11. John Haner, Suzuki, -27.838 seconds 12. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -28.017 seconds 13. Francis Martin, Suzuki, -31.867 seconds 14. Brent George, Suzuki, -35.014 seconds 15. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -50.086 seconds 16. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -53.683 seconds 17. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, -53.963 seconds 18. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, -54.053 seconds 19. Blake Young, Suzuki, -55.852 seconds 20. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -55.874 seconds 21. James Stroud, Honda, -72.509 seconds 22. Eli Edwards, Suzuki, -1 lap 23. Montez Stewart, Suzuki, -1 lap 24. Sean Wray, Yamaha, -1 lap 25. Reno Karimian, Suzuki, -1 lap 26. Brad Puetz, Suzuki, -1 lap 27. Geoff May, Suzuki, -11 laps, DNF 28. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, -12 laps, DNF, crash 29. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, DNS AMA Superstock Championship Point Standings: 1. Yates, 63 points 2. Haskovec, 62 points 3. Tommy Hayden, 60 points 4. DiSalvo, 58 points 5. Hacking, 56 points 6. Rapp, 48 points 7. Roger Lee Hayden, 43 points 8. Holden, 42 points 9. George, 39 points 10. Haner, 37 points

1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 17 laps 2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, -0.580 second 3. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, -9.952 seconds 4. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, -13.051 seconds 5. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -13.380 seconds 6. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -20.501 seconds 7. Rob Jensen, Yamaha, -23.173 seconds 8. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, -26.799 seconds 9. Chris Peris, Yamaha, -28.713 seconds 10. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -29.982 seconds 11. Geoff May, Suzuki, -30.401 seconds 12. Steve Crevier, Honda, -38.364 seconds 13. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, -39.121 seconds 14. Nat Hester, Yamaha, -65.301 seconds 15. Blake Young, Suzuki, -68.061 seconds 16. Jeremiah Johnson, Suzuki, -75.378 seconds 17. Keith Marshall, Suzuki, -80.275 seconds 18. Chad Klock, Honda, -80.474 seconds 19. Barrett Long, Yamaha, -86.371 seconds 20. Eli Edwards, Suzuki, -90.980 seconds 21. Dan Ortega, Yamaha, -1 lap 22. Victor Chirinos, Yamaha, -1 lap, -0.505 second 23. Michael Morgan, Suzuki, -1 lap, -1.969 seconds 24. Jeremy Haiduk, Yamaha, -1 lap, -5.598 seconds 25. Justin Filice, Honda, -1 lap, -17.041 seconds 26. Eugene Bazyl, Yamaha, -1 lap, -21.980 seconds 27. Lindsay McGregor, Yamaha, -1 lap, -23.084 seconds 28. William Meyers, Yamaha, -1 lap, -27.896 seconds 29. Armando Ferrer, Yamaha, -1 lap, -57.142 seconds 30. Taylor Knapp, Yamaha, -2 laps, 31. Matt Furtek, -2 laps 32. Nicky Moore, -14 laps, DNF, crash 33. Justin Meyer, -16 laps, DNF 34. Mike Smith, Suzuki, DNS 35. Trey Yonce, Yamaha, DNS AMA Supersport Championship Point Standings: 1. TIE, Tommy Hayden/Hacking, 70 points 3. DiSalvo, 56 points 4. Aaron Gobert, 52 points 5. Jensen, 49 points 6. Spies, 48 points 7. May, 43 points 8. TIE, Attard/Peris, 42 points 10. TIE, Roger Lee Hayden/Eslick, 39 points

British Superbike Race One Results From Mallory Park: 1. Michael RUTTER, Honda, 21:48.024, 25 laps 2. Glen RICHARDS, Kawasaki, -6.706 seconds 3. Leon HASLAM, Ducati, -10.354 seconds 4. Sean EMMETT, Yamaha, -11.299 seconds 5. Scott SMART, Suzuki, -13.465 seconds 6. Dean THOMAS, Kawasaki, -17.638 seconds 7. Michael LAVERTY, Honda, -18.015 seconds 8. Gary MASON, Honda, -21.170 seconds 9. Danny BEAUMONT, Honda, -23.640 seconds 10. Steve BROGAN, Honda, -30.548 seconds 11. John McGUINNESS, Yamaha, -30.803 seconds 28. John REYNOLDS, Suzuki, -22 laps, DNF 29. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Honda, -22 laps, DNF British Superbike Race Two Results From Mallory Park: 1. Michael RUTTER, Honda, 12 laps 2. Glen RICHARDS, Kawasaki, -0.946 second 3. Gregorio LAVILLA, Ducati, -0.997 second 4. Dean THOMAS, Kawasaki, -2.021 seconds 5. Leon HASLAM, Ducati, -2.513 seconds 6. Karl HARRIS, Honda, -8.390 seconds 7. Gary MASON, Honda, -8.603 seconds 8. Scott SMART, Suzuki, -8.826 seconds 9. Michael LAVERTY, Honda, -9.086 seconds 10. Sean EMMETT, Yamaha, -9.601 seconds 12. John McGUINNESS, Yamaha, -13.353 seconds 21. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Honda, -6 laps, DNF More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Scott notches season best result RIZLA SUZUKI racer Scott Smart scored his best result of the season so far with a fifth place finish in race one of the third round of the British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park in Leicestershire. Scott enjoyed a close-fought battle for third in the opening race with Ducati’s Leon Haslam and Yamaha’s Sean Emmett. He went for glory on the last lap but just couldn’t find a way past his rivals. In the second race, two red flags interrupted proceedings and the race was shortened to 12-laps. After a poor start Scott battled his way back to eighth by the chequered flag. British Superbike Champion JR retired to the pits in the first race, finding the racing conditions at the circuit too arduous for his broken right leg. Rizla Suzuki elected to withdraw him from the second race of the day. Honda’s Michael Rutter won both races. You can catch the highlights of today’s racing on Channel 4 next Sunday morning. Rizla Suzuki is competing again at Oulton Park in Cheshire at the fourth round of the British Superbike Championship on Bank Holiday Monday, May 2nd a circuit where the team won four races out of four starts in 2004. Scott: “I nearly took third and my first podium of the season in the first race. I had the pace on the two guys in front of me but I just couldn’t force my way past them. “We had three starts in the second race and every one of them was poor. Once I got going, I was running the same times as the leaders, so there’s nothing wrong with my Rizla Suzuki we just need to get off the line quicker and we’ll be working specifically on that for Oulton Park next week.” JR: “In the opening race I was getting beaten up at every corner and my right leg was cramping badly. I made the call to retire to the pits because of the pain and an inability to ride in my normal aggressive style. “I sat down with my crew after the race and we had a good heart-to-heart. We decided I should withdraw from the second race of the day as I honestly didn’t think I could get in the points. I see my doctor on Tuesday and will have intensive physiotherapy after that. Robert Wicks, Team Manager: “Well done to Scott for scoring his season best performance with a fifth place in the opening race. He was riding his Rizla Suzuki as hard as he could and was racing for the final podium position right until the last lap when he ran wide trying to make a pass stick. Today is another step forward in Scott’s season and it’s great to see him fighting at the front we’ll be after more of the same at Oulton Park. “JR made a tough call today by coming in. It was obvious he was in a lot of pain with his right leg and couldn’t continue under those circumstances. We will now let the dust settle and see how he responds to treatment through the course of next week.” Race One Results: 1: Michael Rutter (Honda) 21:48.024, 2: Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +6.706, 3: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +10.354, 4: Sean Emmett (Yamaha) +11.299, 5: SCOTT SMART (RIZLA SUZUKI) +13.465, 6: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +17.638, 7: Michael Laverty (Honda) +18.015, 8: Gary Mason (Honda) 9: Danny Beaumont (Honda) +23.640, 10: Steve Brogan (Honda) +30.548. JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) DNF. Race Two Results: 1: Rutter 10:27.220, 2: Richards +0.946, 3: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.997, 4: Thomas +2.021, 5: Haslam +2.513, 6: Karl Harris (Honda) +8.390, 7: Mason +8.603, 8: SCOTT SMART (RIZLA SUZUKI) +8.826, 9: Laverty +9.086, 10: Emmett +9.601, JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) DNS. Championship Positions after Round three: 1: Rutter 119, 2: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 100, 3: Lavilla 88, 4: Richards 83, 5: Emmett 65, 6: Haslam 62, 7: Thomas 54, 8: Harris 48, 9: SCOTT SMART (RIZLA SUZUKI) 36, 10: Mason 30, 12: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) 16.

Sunday Morning AMA Superbike Practice Times: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:25.413 2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:26.327 3. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:26.488 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:26.894 5. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:26.982* 6. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:27.161 7. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:27.576* 8. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, 1:27.600 9. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:27.843 10. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha, 1:28.253 11. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, 1:28.274 12. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:28.751* 13. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, 1:28.893 14. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:29.199* 15. Larry Pegram, Honda, 1:29.286 16. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:29.426 17. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:29.634* 18. Cory West, Suzuki, 1:30.432* 19. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 1:30.603* 20. Jeremy Toye, Honda, 1:30.780 21. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:30.837* 22. Brian Stokes, Yamaha, 1:30.879 23. Francis Martin, Suzuki, 1:30.906 24. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 1:31.199 25. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:31.596* 26. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, 1:31.703 27. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, 1:31.826* 28. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, 1:31.851 29. Matt McBride, Kawasaki, 1:31.957 30. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha, 1:32.481 31. Giovanni Rojas, Suzuki, 1:32.730 32. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, 1:33.312 33. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, 1:34.084 34. David Bell, Suzuki, 1:34.510 35. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, 1:34.991 * Known to be on a Superstock-spec machine.

Former AMA Formula Xtreme Champion Jason Pridmore crashed his Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000 during AMA Superstock practice Sunday morning at Barber Motorsports Park. Pridmore crashed in the final corner of the 2.3-mile course, according to his Team Manager Kenny Abbott, and was being examined at the track Medical Center at post time. Abbott said Pridmore had symptoms of a concussion and abdominal pain. More details will be posted as they become available.

Provisional Sunday Morning AMA Superstock Practice Times: 1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:27.114 2. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:27.240 3. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:27.291 4. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:27.429 5. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:27.525 6. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:27.862 7. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:28.027 8. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:28.056 9. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:28.200 10. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:28.981 11. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:29.438 12. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:29.625 13. Brent George, Suzuki, 1:29.653 14. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:29.653 15. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:29.740 16. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:29.980 17. Francis Martin, Suzuki, 1:30.424 18. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 1:30.758 19. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:30.830 20. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:30.943

World Superbike Race Two Results: 1. Troy CORSER (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 28 Laps 2. Chris VERMEULEN (Honda CBR1000RR), -5.361 seconds 3. Chris WALKER (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -7.184 seconds 4. Noriyuki HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1), -10.600 seconds 5. Norick ABE (Yamaha YZF-R1), -11.903 seconds 6. Ben BOSTROM (Honda CBR1000RR), -19.200 seconds 7. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -19.345 seconds 8. Andrew PITT (Yamaha YZF-R1), -23.246 seconds 9. David CHECA (Yamaha YZF-R1), -24.787 seconds 10. Pier Francesco CHILI (Honda CBR1000RR), -25.299 seconds 11. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yamaha YZF-R1), -25.495 seconds 12. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Honda CBR1000RR ), -27.833 seconds 13. Ivan CLEMENTI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -31.339 seconds 14. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Yamaha YZF-R1), -33.013 seconds 15. Lorenzo ALFONSI (Yamaha YZF-R1), -34.024 seconds 16. S. FUERTES (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -39.889 seconds 17. Steve MARTIN (Petronas FP-1), -41.728 seconds 18. Marco SANCHINI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -50.912 seconds 19. James TOSELAND (Ducati 999F05), -1 Lap 20. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR), -8 Laps, DNF, crash More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda: DOUBLE SPANISH PODIUM FOR WINSTON’S VERMEULEN Chris Vermeulen scored another podium by finishing second to Troy Corser in race two of this afternoon’s World Superbike championship third round at Valencia in Spain. The 22-year-old Winston rider managed to keep in touch with his fellow-Australian and championship rival throughout the 23-lap race but had to fight off the attentions of Britain’s Chris Walker for most of the second half of the race. Vermeulen’s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, finished a disappointing weekend by crashing out on lap 15 of the second outing whilst sitting comfortably in a strong seventh place. With his 40-point haul from today’s two races, Vermeulen moves up to third place in the points table as the championship gears up for round four at Monza in Italy in two weeks time. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “That was a great ride from Chris just like in the first race when he had to battle for many laps under a lot of pressure. From what I could see he made no mistakes and protected his position lap after lap. It was a different challenger this time but the result was the same and I am happy for him and the team to take two second places away from what has been a very difficult weekend. I’m disappointed for Karl again as his weekend has been even harder. We’ll have to try and find out what caused his crash but it’s a shame that he wasn’t able to bring his bike home for some valuable and well-deserved points. We’ll regroup and study all the data to make sure that we’re fighting for more podium positions at Monza.” Chris Vermeulen second: “That was just as hard as it was in race one but at least I was able to stay relatively close to Troy (Corser). He’s riding so well but I think we’re moving in the right direction every time we go out and hopefully, by the time we get to Monza, we will have closed the gap even more. Chris (Walker) showed what a good rider he is but when I saw a yellow bike behind me I assumed it would be Kagayama. Chris put me under a lot of pressure so it was important not to make a mistake. The Honda is pretty fast so I knew I was OK down the straights. I just had to brake as heavy as I dared into the corners. The track was pretty slippery and it was very hard to turn on the brakes, especially in the early part of the lap. But I’m happy to be on the podium again and to have collected a good load of points.” Karl Muggeridge DNF “What can I say? It’s been a very tough weekend not just for me but for the team as well. Once again we seem to be making some steps forward as we get through practice and qualifying but it’s not quite enough to get a good set-up for racing. I was feeling pretty comfortable in that race, though, not pushing too hard and trying to conserve the tyres for the end of the race. I just lost the front and tried to save it but my foot was stuck under the bike and that was it.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: TOUGH WEEKEND FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM AT VALENCIA Valencia (Spain), Sunday 24 April: Round 3 of the World Superbike Championship proved to be a difficult weekend for the Ducati Xerox Team as Régis Laconi missed both races due to a crash in the morning warm-up, while James Toseland did the best he could from a sixth row starting-grid position. “Unfortunately it was a weekend to forget for us” declared Ducati Xerox Team director Paolo Ciabatti. “This morning Régis was quicker than everyone in the warm-up but his crash meant that he could not take part in the two races, in which I am sure he would have given Corser a hard time. James on the other hand, was unable to find the right direction in qualifying and this conditioned his two races on Sunday. Now is the time to concentrate on Monza and focus all of our energies on the next round, which is traditionally an important appointment for Superbike and for Ducati”. Laconi was ruled out of the action today after a crash half-way through the morning warm-up, when contact was made with a slow-moving rider on the outside of the final curve. Laconi suffered concussion and was immediately examined by on-circuit doctors before being taken to Valencia hospital for an MRI scan, and for precautionary reasons a decision was taken for him not to race. “I am fine but now I just need a few days to recover for Monza. It’s a track I like, we are at home and Ducati is always very fast” declared Laconi. “This was a very big crash and I feel very lucky because I could easily have broken something and been out of action for some time. I am obviously disappointed because I wanted to take part in the second race, but I did receive a big bang on the head and was unconscious for a few minutes so the doctors said it was better that I didn’t.” James Toseland finished eighth in race 1 from his 23rd grid position and 19th in the second race after he had to make a pit-stop to change the front wheel following a lap 4 incident caused by another rider. “I was riding round with people I shouldn’t be riding round with, given the qualifying position” said Toseland. “I got a decent start again but going into turn 4 a Yamaha came steaming underneath me and pushed me really wide. I was lucky to stay on and then had to change the front tyre because the brakes were locking up. Monza is the next race, we just need to find some traction because there’s not much wrong with the top speed of the bike. We’re struggling and we need to find the form again but there’s nothing wrong with the bike and nothing wrong with me. We rode hard in the first race but couldn’t really do much more after going off the track in race 2.” More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Pain in Spain for Foggy PETRONAS Racing Foggy PETRONAS Racing’s suffered another day of disappointment at the third round of the Superbike World Championship in Valencia, Spain. Steve Martin finished the second race of the afternoon in 17th, having crashed in the first race. Team-mate Garry McCoy was unable to finish the first contest after his bike developed engine problems and the Australian was taken out by another rider in race two. The team had spent the most of the first two days of qualifying trying a new stage of engine development, although Steve reverted to the previous specification for both races. Garry opted for the newer engine in the second race in a bid to gather more data for the next round at Monza, where the latest developments are expected to have a more significant effect. Team manager Jack Valentine said: “The whole team has put in an extremely motivated performance and we are not getting the results we feel we deserve. The riders are pushing hard to pick up as many points as possible, as could be seen in Steve’s crash in the first race. I would put his result in the second race down to a tyre problem, although we know we are still struggling with punch out of the corners. Garry was unlucky in both races. I think we have benefited from using the latest engine development here and, although we have more work to do at Monza, we are hoping that circuit will suit the engine better than this tight track.” Steve said: “There are not too many positives to take out of the weekend, although we will hopefully get some benefit from using the latest engine during qualifying here when we go to Monza. I tried my hardest in the second race and the bike was better in the braking areas than in the first race. But, when the tyre started to go off, I didn’t have enough control or feel. In the first race, Nieto was holding me up and if I had sat there any longer the pack behind me would have come past. I had overtaken him twice but he immediately passed me back down the start-finish straight. I lost the front end trying to make another overtaking move stick because, if I had got past him at that part of the circuit, I would have half a lap in which to make a bit of a gap on him.” Garry said: “Unfortunately, this was just a repeat of Phillip Island for me. After not finishing the first race, I went into the second really wanting to finish, no matter what. But, from starting where we are on the grid, we are playing around with people that we shouldn’t be. I was playing everything pretty safe but Silva had passed me three times already and each time had run wide. On lap four I passed him again down the front straight and, as I started braking, he flew back past and ran wide again. Then he came from off line into the white paint and left me with nowhere to go. When we touched, my rear end lost traction and span me round. In the first race I noticed on the grid that we had a bit more tail wind than we had had all weekend, which worried me. Sure enough, I was running out of gears at the end of the straight and was on the hard limiter a couple of times. I was being patient with the guys in front as a few of them were pushing very hard but I was losing out on the str aights and getting held up in the corners before the engine problem occurred. So I decided to use the latest specification engine for race two and wanted to get as much information for Monza as possible.” More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Racing: DOUBLE VICTORY FOR CORSER IN SPAIN Team Suzuki Press Office – April 24, 2005. World Superbike Championship leader Troy Corser raced his Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000 to a sensational double victory at today’s third round in Valencia, Spain as team mate Yukio Kagayama scored hard-fought third and seventh places. Corser led the first race from start to finish and took the chequered flag over nine seconds ahead of Chris Vermeulen (Honda) as Kagayama climbed from seventh to a rostrum third position. But Corser had to work a bit harder in race two after Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) got the holeshot and led the first lap. On lap two, the Suzuki rider made his move and from then on in the result was never in doubt. This time the margin of victory was less – just over five seconds – but the demoralising effect on his rivals was just the same. Vermeulen took runner-up spot after a terrific battle with Chris Walker who finished third. Troy Corser – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 1st: “It’s been a perfect weekend and I want to thank the whole Alstare team for making it all possible. Conditions were very variable today – due to the change in track temperature – but we had done all the groundwork in qualifying and were ready for anything. I used the same rear tyre for both races but it didn’t work as well in race two because the temperature was higher. “The first race was pretty comfortable for me and I just controlled things right from the start and left the rest to sort themselves out. In race two, I was a bit surprised to see Andrew Pitt get off the line ahead of me and lead into turn one. I wanted to pass him as soon as possible because I wanted to run my own race, so I overtook him on lap two. I then pushed quite hard for about eight laps and made a bit of a break, but in doing that, I think I must have worn the rear tyre out a bit. So I eased the pace, conserved the tyres and kept and eye on my pit-board. “The wind in race two was a bit of a problem because it was different in different parts of the circuit. But it was great to do another double and extend my lead in the championship to 31 points.” Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 7th: “Today I am a lucky man or maybe double lucky. In the first race, I had moved up to fourth with Norick Abe in third but too far away. Then he crashed two laps from the end and suddenly I was third and on the podium! I was also lucky in the second race because I didn’t crash! I had very little feeling in my tyres – maybe because of the high track temperature – and I overshot one turn because I had no grip. I recovered OK, but the leading group was too far to catch. After that I had to go more slowly because I knew I would crash if I went faster. I am happy for Troy-san and our team and I am still second in the championship so I think I am lucky.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: VERMEULEN TAKES PODIUMS IN A GAME OF TWO HALVES A change of 18 degrees in track temperature between race one and race two made it a difficult day for all Superbike competitors at this notoriously fickle circuit. Dry track conditions and the first non-interrupted race weekend of the year were nonetheless welcomed by everyone. Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) took two personal season bests, runner up to Troy Corser (Suzuki) on two occasions. In race one he had to fight off the challenge of eventual late crasher Norick Abe to hold onto his 20 points, some 9.116 seconds off the lead. As second best Superpole qualifier, Vermeulen equalled his qualifying best position in the races. Despite a recently injured left collarbone, Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) rode a lonely race to seventh in the opener. Chili’s team-mate and front row qualifier Max Neukirchner survived a massive lap one highside relatively unscathed, despite flying for some distance and landing hard on the unyielding Valencia tarmac. Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Karl Muggeridge’s first race was equally dramatic, if less painful, as he was run off track by Neukirchner’s crash, fell in the gravel, remounted, crashed once more on lap 19, before retiring from a non-points scoring position. It was more joyous for Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda KOJI) who scored 11th place in the first running. The second race was a mirror image of the first in the top two positions, Corser from Vermeulen, with Chris Walker’s Kawasaki third on this occasion. Ben Bostrom’s day was a sunny as the weather when he scored sixth in race two, making up for a technical problem which ruined his first Superpole off the season, and forced him to start from 16th on the grids. An exhausted Chili nursed his recently operated collarbone to 10th in race two; mistakes and a painful throttle hand for Neukirchner putting him 12th. Muggeridge’s dismal day ended with a second crash, on lap 16. For Vermeulen, a race one second was a particular highlight, but did not come as easily as the results would indicate, and his race two repeat was maybe even tougher, with Walker climbing on his rear end for much of the race, only dropping off in the last few laps. “That was really hard work,” stated Vermeulen. “The conditions were very slippery compared to last year’s race which was held earlier in the year. I think the higher temperatures here mean that the tyres are having to work much harder, so grip is a problem for everyone. Race two was as hard as race one but at least I was able to stay relatively close to Troy. But I’m happy with two podiums and to have collected a whole load of points.” Bostrom felt that both he and his new team had turned a corner at Valencia, after two good results, with different placings mainly due to his relative lack of starting prowess in race one. “That felt a lot better, it was nice to run up there in the top six but I need to get more aggressive on the starts though,” he smiled. “I was a little tentative the first race then in race two I was a little better. I got behind some of those faster guys but could not quite get past them. It was frustrating but it was fun watching Kagayama in front of me. We said we would come here and turn it around and to some extent we did. Now we are in the top ten, I want to be in the top five at Monza.” Chili was upbeat, if beaten up, by the rigours of 46 full speed race laps, his 40-year-old body protesting towards the end. “My left arm and shoulder are finished after two races. I have no grip in my hand and it was impossible to brake hard any more. But I finished both races, and took points. After breaking my collarbone, I was maybe not going to be able to race here, so we should be happy with the points.” Neukirchner’s second race was hampered by his race one crash, having slapped his right hand down hard, losing both power and control to some degree. “In the first race I had a big highside,” said a smiling Neukirchner, who nevertheless realised it could have had an even more negative outcome. “It came round so quickly and then I think I went up about five meters! I made a little mistake on the brake in race two and that made it a very hard race in the second part. I am not happy but I am not too badly injured. I have hurt my throttle and braking hand and that did not help me in race two.” Muggeridge had his third DNF in a row, cursing his misfortunes in each race. “I couldn’t believe it when Neukirchner’s bike went up in the air in front of me. I’ve got a big black mark from one of his tyres down the back of my shoulder and had to duck to get out of its way. I guess I was lucky not to go off right then but managed to get all the way through the gravel and then slid off right at the end. When I eventually got going again my lap times would have had me battling for fourth, I think. I was pretty comfortable in race two, not pushing too hard and conserving tyres for the end of the race. Then I just lost the front and tried to save it, but my foot was stuck under the bike and that was it.” In the championship battle, Vermeulen is third and has 90 points to Corser’s 141, with Neukirchner sixth, on 41. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga battled changeable track conditions at a warm and sunny Valencia to secure a fifth and fourth place finishes in the 23-lap races, making himself the highest placed Yamaha rider on the day. With track temperatures increasing from 22°C in race one to 40°C in race two, grip altered considerably from race to race, complicating matters for all four of Yamaha’s supported riders. Both races saw Troy Corser (Suzuki) take the win, followed by Chris Vermeulen (Honda). A seemingly sure third place, and a possible second, for Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) in the opener ended in the gravel as the Japanese rider slid off his machine into the first right hand corner on the 19th lap. He would end race two in fifth place, despite losing adhesion on the hotter track, to move up one championship place: fifth overall and the leading R1 rider. Haga’s team-mate Andrew Pitt also fell in race one, while holding fourth position on lap six. The Australian held a podium position for much of race two, but slipped back due to a misfire. Starting from row five of the grid each time, Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) had an excellent ride through the field in race one, securing sixth. In the second outing an overheating engine stopped him from progressing beyond 11th. Corser’s double win extended his lead at the head of the championship. Abe moved to fifth position in the championship, with 44 points, while Haga’s good points scores push him to seventh, on 40. Pitt lies eighth with 39, Gimbert 12th with 26. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “OK, we got fifth in race one and fourth in race two but it’s not good enough for me, because as a racer you always want to win. I have to remember that the bike is still developing. We have only finished three meetings so we need to improve more, step-by-step. I think it will be better though. We are improving and compared to Friday we have made big progress. Now we have a test at Monza this week and this should give us a good chance to prepare for the team’s home race.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “I tried to stay with them in race two but I just lost one tenth each lap. The more laps I had, the more I had to be careful. After a few laps the rear tyre started to lose performance but the electrical problem at the end probably cost me three places.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “Before we arrived here I said that we would be happy with podiums and we nearly got them. On Friday we were looking almost looking at a disaster, but immediately on Saturday we improved a lot. But both riders finished race two. Andrew’s machine had a small problem in that race. In the last two laps he slowed up, with a misfire. But considering our position on Friday, we cannot be too disappointed.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “It was unlucky to crash in race one as I had a good feeling on the bike. I knew 100 percent that I could get third but there was a rider immediately in front of me so I wanted second; it’s better than third. Maybe I pushed the front too hard, so I crashed. Race two was held in very different conditions, a warmer track for example, and the rear grip was less from the beginning. That was more of a disappointment than race one.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “In the last couple of laps of race two the engine overheated and I lost a lot of power. That made it incredibly difficult for me. There was also a big change in the track conditions between race one and race two, and that made the bike slide a lot more in the second one. Race one was OK, a good finish in sixth.” Martial Garcia (Team Manager – Yamaha Motor France) “Not so bad. Of course in the second race less people crashed so the places were worse but we are happy because we have made the chassis better, gained some confidence, even if we have lost a possible podium. Now we have to work on the engine some more. Sebastien’s engine overheated, so we need to inspect the radiator. Because it lost power as it heated up, he dropped down positions. But we have shown again we are at a high level and we are fifth in the world championship with Abe. This is not so bad for the start of the season.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: PAIN IN SPAIN FOR TEAM SC CARACCHI Team SC Caracchi suffered a quite black day at the third round of the Superbike World Championship in Valencia, Spain. In Superbike Lorenzo Lanzi, after a good start in Race-1, remained involved with any responsibility in the incident between Muggeridge and Neukirchner during the first lap and in the crash brake his left collarbone. The unlucky rider from Cesena flied subit in Italy and next Tuesday will have a surgery operation in Imola Hospital to reduce his fracture and try to able for the Italian round in Monza next May 8. Fonsi Nieto has been not able to give to the 35000 Spanish fans present at R.Tormo Circuit any moment of happiness. His bike became hard to ride after a few laps and after a difficult Race-1 he preferred to stop when started with the same problems during Race-2. In Supersport Gianluca Nannelli started pushing hard, recovering the sixth position just behind the group fighting for the victory, but then the tyres started to give way and Gianluca lost a couple of positions that he had actually deserved. A disappointed Lorenzo Lanzi looks at the other riders joining the starting grid, forced to renounce for his broken collarbone in the accident between Vermeulen and Neukirchner. “I started quite well and at the first holeshot I was in tenth position.” said Lorenzo Lanzi. “than something happened between Muggeridge and Neukirchner, both crashed and I found in front of me the bike of Neukirchner running crazy on the track and I crashed landing on my shoulder. I hope to be able for Monza. I’m actually unhappy because after the great work we have done all the team deserved a satisfying result, but actually we’ve not been lucky today.” At the end of Race-2, after the meeting with the team, Fonsi too isn’t happy. “I’m not happy at all because during the morning’s warm up I had a fast pace and I was confident in a good result for the race.” said a disappointed Fonsi Nieto at the end. “Then for the race everything changed. In Race-1 I made a good start and at the end of the first lap I was in tenth position, but early the bike became impossible to ride, but I decided however to finish to improve my experience. We were thinking a wrong rear tyre and for Race-2 we select another tyre, but things didn’t change, more I had a bad start and somebody did touch me in the accident of McCoy, so I decided to enter the pit.Now I hope to find a solution for next round in Monza.” Also Gianlu Nannelli is very angry, because the lost positions during the final stage of Supersport race. “At the moment we enter the track for the grid the sky was cloudy and we select a soft tyre.” said a disappointed Gianluca Nannelli. “Then when we were waiting for the warm up lap the sun appeared and the temperature increased suddenly, so I rode some good lap and I grabbed the sixth position, but at the middle of the race the bike lost the grip and the bike started to slide everywhere.Then at the end I had some trouble with the front brake and I’ve been no more able to fight with Parkesande Veneman and I lost a couple of positions. My machine was very very fast, the fastest on the grid, but I wasn’t more able to open the throttle outing the corners.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: JUST A PERFECT DAY! Troy completely destroyed the opposition at Valencia today, winning both races and making it a perfect fifty points. He had dominated both qualifying sessions and also won Superpole, but the manner in which he controlled both 23-lappers today was nothing short of remarkable. He led the first race from start to finish and even though he slowed in the closing stages, he still ran out the winner by over nine seconds. Chris Vermeulen (Honda) was second, with Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama third. Troy didn’t get the holeshot in race two and was surprised to see Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) make the break and lead into turn one. But Pitt’s lead was short lived and by the end of lap two, Troy was in front and in control. This time he took the chequered flag five seconds ahead of his nearest challenger Chris Vermeulen, with Chris Walker (Kawasaki) third. TROY – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 1st Well that was just about perfect. The bike worked like a dream and although there were grip problems for all of us – due to the changing conditions – I was still able to control both races. I used the same rear tyre for both races, but there didn’t seem to be as much grip in the second race. The track temperature was quite a bit hotter, so that probably is the explanation. We had done our homework in the two days of qualifying, so we were well prepared for the changing track conditions. I made a good start in race one and pretty much controlled things from the front. I kept an eye on my pit-board, so I knew what I had to do. On the last lap or so, I did a bit of showboating – for the fans and for the TV viewers. In race two, I saw Andrew (Pitt) get off the line ahead of me, but I didn’t panic and try to get him before turn one. I waited until the moment was right and then overtook him. I then pushed quite hard for about seven or eight laps, to make a break on the rest, and that probably affected the tyres quite a bit. So, in the later stages of the race, I used different lines (to use different parts of the tyres) and eased off a little. It is always great to do a double and it was the perfect end to a perfect weekend. I have to thank all my team and all at Alstare for giving me a great bike to ride. I’d like to dedicate my wins today to a good friend in Australia, whose father died recently. She has been a bit low as a result, so I am sure this will bring a smile to her face.