The Road America CCS sprint races saw a host of different winners, with Mark Junge, Jeff Wood and Ed Key taking the most victories, but the real story concerned the cold temperatures. With highs in the low 40s, winds in excess of 20 mph, and morning snow flurries, riders had to deal with sketchy conditions Saturday. Because of the cold conditions, many of the riders opted to pack up early, causing grid sizes to be on the low side. Furthermore, only Suzuki is paying contingency both days of the twin-sprint weekend, while Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki only pay for the Sunday races. In the Suzuki-money paying Middleweight and Heavyweight Supersport races it was Wood winning on his Arclight Suzuki GSX-R600 and 750. Kawasaki ZX-6RR-mounted Shawn Conrad was able to catch Wood in the late stages of the Middleweight race, but Wood was able to hold him off for the win. In Heavyweight Supersport, Wood again got out front early, with Conrad right on his rear wheel. This time Wood was able to get a small lead early and never looked back, taking the win, with Conrad second and Wood’s Arclight Suzuki teammate Scott Harwell third–all three on Suzuki GSX-R750s. Andy Feuersthaler rode his Baker Race Gear Suzuki GSX-R750 to the Heavyweight Superbike win. Junge collected Suzuki contingency checks for his wins in the Unlimited Supersport, Unlimited Grand Prix, and Supertwins races. Junge rode to a commanding win over his Vesrah Suzuki teammate John Jacobi in Unlimited Grand Prix, both on Suzuki GSX-R1000s, with local rider Dave Ebben taking third on a Suzuki GSX-R750. Junge also won the Unlimited Supersport race by a healthy margin on his Suzuki GSX-R1000, and used his Suzuki SV1000 to win the Supertwins race. Key was the big winner in the Lightweight ranks, taking the Lightweight Supersport, Superbike, Grand Prix, Lightweight Formula 40, and Thunderbike victories on a pair of Suzuki SV650s. Provisional CCS Results, In Chronological Order: Expert Unlimited Superbike 1. Brian Hall (Kaw ZX-10R) 2. Tom Girard (Suz GSX-R750) 3. Roger Hendricks (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Brian Boyd (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Simon Kowalski (Suz GSX-R750) 6. Rob Oliva (Hon CBR1000RR) Amateur Unlimited Superbike 1. Eric Bowyer (Yam YZF-R1) 2. Joseph Nuthals (Yam YZF-R1) 3. Randy Suratte (Yam YZF-R1) 4. Nate Doebert (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Charles Scott 6. Justin Mellor Expert Supertwins 1. Mark Junge (Suz SV1000) 2. Chris Merklein (Hon RC-51) 3. Aaron Gerlach (Hon) 4. Jeremy Locum (Hon RC-51) 5. Matthew Buck (Suz SV650) 6. Robert Pirog (Bue 1200) Amateur Supertwins 1. Brock Cattanach (Duc 999) 2. Joseph Lee 3. Jesse Riegert (Hon RC-51) 4. Rich Wu (Suz SV650) 5. Mark Bernard 6. Kevin Shroyer (Hon RC-51) Expert Middleweight Superbike 1. Shawn Conrad (Kaw ZX-6RR) 2. Scott Greenwood (Kaw ZX-6RR) 3. Brian Hall (Kaw ZX-6RR) 4. Daniel Doty (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Andy Feuersthaler (Suz GSX-R600) 6. Ryan Johnson (Hon CBR600RR) Amateur Middleweight Superbike 1. Bruce Ostrander (Suz GSX-R600) 2. JT Stone (Kaw ZX-6R) 3. Carl Shifty (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Tracy Turner (Suz GSX-R600) 5. Gene Gilchrist (Kaw ZX-6RR) 6. Nate Doebert (Yam YZF-R6) Expert Lightweight Grand Prix 1. Ed Key (Suz SV650) 2. Matthew Buck (Suz SV650) 3. Jamie Hall (Yam TZ250) 4. Kevin Clark (Suz SV650) 5. Mark Whitney (Yam TZ125) 6. Scott Trautmann Amateur Lightweight Grand Prix 1. Charles Lee (Bue 900) 2. Ryan Hall (Suz SV650) 3. Dan Kane (Suz SV650) 4. Mark Bernard (Bue1200) 5. Dave Floyd (Suz SV650) 6. Jeffery Permanian (Hon RS125) Expert Formula 40 1. Jason Temme (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Dennis Debuhr (Suz GSX-R750) 3. Dave Gygax (Suz GSX-R750) 4. Robert Lombardi (Suz GSX-R750) 5. Calvin Martinez (Suz GSX-R750) 6. Dean Rumfola (Hon) Amateur Formula 40 1. Paul Vondrak (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Charlie Zuleger (Hon CBR600RR) 3. Randy Sullinger (Kaw ZX-6R) 4. Michael Arwood 5. Tom Vallely (Suz GSX-R750) 6. Mark Bernard (Bue 1200) Expert Lightweight Formula 40 1. Ed Key (Suz SV650) 2. David White (Duc) 3. Gary Plamer (Duc 750SS) 4. Karl Kegel (Bue 1200) 5. Kevin Clark (Suz SV650) 6. Scott Carey Amateur Lightweight Formula 40 1. Mark Bernard (Bue 1200) 2. David Myers (Bue 1200) 3. Don Pengra (Yam FZR400) 4. Paul Gray 5. Richard Koenig (Apr RS250) Expert Middleweight Grand Prix 1. Michael Himmelsbach (Yam YZF-R6) 2. Jeffrey Purk (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Daniel Doty (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Brian Hall (Kaw ZX-6RR) 5. Ryan Johnson (Hon CBR600RR) 6. Scott Ackerman (Yam YZF-R6) Amateur Middleweight Grand Prix 1. Carl Shefchik (Yam YZF-R6) 2. JT Stone (Kaw ZX-6R) 3. Charlie Zuleger (Hon CBR600RR) 4. Steve Eric (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Gene Gilchrist (Kaw ZX-6RR) 6. Chuck Moses (Kaw ZX-6R) Expert Heavyweight Superbike 1. Andy Feuersthaler (Suz GSX-R750) 2. Brian Hall (Kaw ZX-6RR) 3. Tom Girard (Suz GSX-R750) 4. Dennis Debuher (Suz GSX-R750) 5. Simon Kowalski (Suz GSX-R750) 6. Jonny Moore (Yam YZF-R6) Amateur Heavyweight Superbike 1. Justin Mellor (Suz GSX-R750) 2. Brock Cattanach (Duc 999) 3. Joseph Lee (Duc) 4. Mark Bennett (Suz GSX-R600) 5. Jesse Riegert (Hon) 6. Tom David (Suz GSX-R750) Expert Lightweight Superbike 1. Ed Key (Suz SV650) 2. Brian Lacy (Suz SV650) 3. Robert Fisher (Suz SV650) 4. Josh Guyer (Bue 1200) 5. Sam Rozynski (Bue 1200) 6. John Linder (Suz SV650) Amateur Lightweight Superbike 1. Charles Lee (Bue 900) 2. Dan Kane (Suz SV650) 3. Ryan Hall (Suz SV650) 4. Dave Floyd (Suz SV650) 5. Lon Allen (Hon) 6. Kevin Uttech (Suz SV650) 125cc Grand Prix 1. Scott Trautmann 2. Marc Whitney (Hon RS125) 3. Jeffery Permanian (Hon RS125) 4. Andrew Surber (Hon RS125) 5. Brian McLaughlin 6. Ayrton Arwood (Hon RS125) Expert Unlimited Grand Prix 1. Mark Junge (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. John Jacobi (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Dave Ebben (Suz GSX-R750) 4. Jesse Janisch (Suz GSX-R750) 5. Brian Boyd (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Jeffery Purk (Yam YZF-R6) Amateur Unlimited Grand Prix 1. Michael Dillon (Yam YZF-R1) 2. Eric Bowyer (Yam YZF-R1) 3. Matthew Losen (Hon CBR1000RR) 4. Carl Shifty (Yam YZF-R6) 5. Randy Suratte (Yam YZF-R1) 6. Brock Cattanach (Duc 999) Expert Middleweight Supersport 1. Jeff Wood (Suz GSX-R600) 2. Shawn Conrad (Kaw ZX-6RR) 3. Scott Greenwood (Kaw ZX-6RR) 4. Scott Harwell (Suz GSX-R600) 5. Michael Himmelsbach (Yam YZF-R6) 6. David Weber (Suz GSX-R600) Amateur Middleweight Supersport 1. JT Stone (Kaw ZX-6R) 2. Matthew Losen (Hon CBR600RR) 3. Bruce Osterander (Suz GSX-R600) 4. Steve Bork holder (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Gene Gilchrist (Kaw ZX-6RR) 6. Nate Doebert (Yam YZF-R6) Expert Heavyweight Supersport 1. Jeff Wood (Suz GSX-R750) 2. Shawn Conrad (Suz GSX-R750) 3. Scott Harwell (Suz GSX-R750) 4. Mark Junge (Suz GSX-R750) 5. David Weber (Suz GSX-R750) 6. John Jacobi (Suz GSX-R750) Amateur Heavyweight Supersport 1. Gene Gilchrist (Kaw ZX-6RR) 2. Nate Doebert (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Mark Bennett (Suz GSX-R600) 4. Jesse Riegert (Hon RC-51) 5. Lance Schroeder (Kaw ZX-6RR) 6. Joseph Dallape (Hon CBR600RR) Expert Thunderbike 1. Ed Key (Suz SV650) 2. Brian Lacy (Suz SV650) 3. Josh Guyer (Bue 1200) 4. Bryan Bemisderfer (Bue 1200) 5. Paul James (Bue 1200) 6. Alfredo Cantu (Hon) Amateur Thunderbike 1. Charles Lee (Bue 900) 2. Ryan Hall (Suz SV650) 3. Dan Kane (Suz SV650) 4. Mark Bernard (Bue 1200) 5. David Myers (Bue 1200) 6. Jason Wolf (Suz SV650) Expert Unlimited Supersport 1. Mark Junge (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Shawn Conrad (Suz GSX-R750) 3. Ryan Elleby (Suz GSX-R750) 4. Jesse Janisch (Suz GSX-R750) 5. Andy Feuersthaler (Suz GSX-R750) 6. Dave Ebben (Suz GSX-R750) Amateur Unlimited Supersport 1. Michael Dillion (Yam YZF-R1) 2. Michael Thiny (Yam YZF-R1) 3. Eric Bowyer (Yam YZF-R1) 4. Matthew Losen (Hon CBR600RR) 5. Nate Doebert (Yam YZF-R6) 6. Joseph Nuthals (Yam YZF-R1)

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 28 laps 2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -7.396 seconds 3. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -8.400 seconds 4. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, -13.256 seconds 5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -17.097 seconds 6. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -48.067 seconds 7. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -48.642 seconds 8. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -58.125 seconds 9. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, -79.722 seconds 10. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -85.820 seconds 11. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha, -86.172 seconds 12. Larry Pegram, Honda, -1 lap 13. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -1 lap 14. Mike Smith, Suzuki, -1 lap 15. Francis Martin, Suzuki, -1 lap 16. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -1 lap 17. Brent George, Suzuki, -1 lap 18. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -1 lap 19. Cory West, Suzuki, -1 lap 20. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -1 lap 21. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap 22. Chuck Ivey, Yamaha, -1 lap 23. Reuben Frankenfield, Yamaha, -1 lap 24. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -1 lap 25. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha, -1 lap 26. Matt McBride, Kawasaki, -1 lap 27. David Bell, Suzuki, -1 lap 28. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, -1 lap 29. Jeremy Toye, Honda, -2 laps 30. James Kerker, Honda, -2 laps 31. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, -2 laps 32. Deam Mizdal, Suzuki, -4 laps 33. John Haner, Suzuki, -8 laps, DNF 34. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, -13 laps, DNF 35. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -18 laps, DNF, crash 36. Jake Zemke, Honda, -18 laps, DNF, retired 37. Brian Stokes, Yamaha, -19 laps, DNF 38. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -23 laps, DNF, retired 39. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -23 laps, DNF, retired More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: MLADIN HEADS SUZUKI ONE-TWO-THREE Team Suzuki Press Office – April 23, 2005. Mat Mladin led a Yoshimura Suzuki one-two-three at the Barber Motorsports Park AMA Superbike Championship to win by 7.3 seconds as seven Suzuki GSX-R1000s filled the top 10 places. Behind him were team mates Aaron Yates and Ben Spies: Yates rode alone in second place for most of the race before being caught by Spies in the closing stages of the race. Fourth place went to Ducati Austin’s Neil Hodgson, the Brit in a war with Spies for the majority of the race until the Texan found a way past on the 24th of 28 laps. After losing touch with Spies, Hodgson maintained his pace to the finish, ending up a few seconds clear of Miguel Duhamel – the first and only of the factory Hondas to make it to the finish. Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore, the veteran getting the best of a Suzuki-teams battle with Steve Rapp for sixth place. Rapp finished seventh, clear of Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom, the Californian in the battle with the two Jordan bikes for the majority of the race. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec and Mladin Motorsports’ Marty Craggill rounded out the top 10 finishers. Mladin’s win keeps him perfect on the season with two pole positions and two race wins. Superbike Final Results: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 3. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 4. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 5. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 6. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 7. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 8. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 9. Vincent Haskovec (Suzuki) 10. Marty Craggill (Suzuki) More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin: BOSTROM AND HODGSON FIGHT TO THE FLAG IN BIRMINGHAM Neil Hodgson and Eric Bostrom earned solid finishes in the points during Saturday’s AMA Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Hodgson had his Ducati 999 Superbike in place to take another podium finish for much of the race but ended up fourth. Eric Bostrom ran in sixth position for a time but took the checkered flag in eighth place in the 28-lap race held in cool and overcast conditions. Hodgson held third place through lap 24 but lost out on the spot when the rider he battled with took advantage of lapped traffic to make a pass. Neil, who was beginning to experience some grip issues, rode valiantly but couldn’t mount another charge for position. “We had a difficult race, to be honest,” said Hodgson afterward. “I felt (Ben) Spies was better than us today. I felt like he was stuck behind me, really.” Neil said the key to improving Sunday’s result is fine-tuning the suspension on the powerful 999 Superbike, something that has been difficult in a rain-filled weekend with little dry track time. “We just have to try to improve the setup of the bike for tomorrow to make it a bit easier. As we stand at the moment, today’s race was the limit,” said the 2003 World Superbike Champion. “But we definitely have good some ideas for tomorrow to try in the warm-up,” said Hodgson. Bostrom finished in eighth position in the race stopped once for a red flag. “I’m looking forward to getting another shot tomorrow,” said Eric. “I slipped the clutch too hard off the start, so I ended up getting behind a few riders. It was a bizarre see-saw battle with some of the guys in front of me. I could make up a lot of time in some spots and they were creaming me in a few others. I worked past them and was trying to get away. Then I missed my marks a few times and had some grip issues, so they got back by me. I think tomorrow is gonna be a better day.” The Californian discussed making several adjustments with the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team. “I chose the wrong tire for today plus we’ll make the bike stiffer for Sunday,” said Bostrom. “With those two changes, I think we’ll be able to reach our goal tomorrow of racing in the 1:26 lap time range. I know it’s possible. If we are able to do that here, then I’ll call it a success. Then we’ll go to Fontana where we have done well in the past and look to win the race.” Team manager Tom Bodenbach discussed the second Superbike race of the season: “Obviously, we would have liked for Neil to have been able to hang in there for the podium finish, but it was a tough task. When the grip went off, he didn’t have the drive off the corners to hold off Spies even though he fought hard,” said Bodenbach. “With Eric, he had a tough day at a track that is not one of his favorites. For a while it looked like he was going to be able to move up to sixth, but it just didn’t happen for him today, despite his efforts.” Sunday’s 28-lap event is scheduled for 3:50 PM local time.

The AMA Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park was stopped before the first lap was complete due to two separate crashes involving a total of three riders. Matt Lynn and Giovanni Rojas lowsided off the track in turn two, but the main incident leading to the race being stopped involved Tom Kipp crashing his Kawasaki Canada ZX-10R. Kipp ran off the outside edge of the track at turn three (a blind, cresting kink), lost control of his ZX-10R in the grass and crashed, hitting a SPEED Channel remote camera placed at the edge of the track in the process. Kipp’s Kawasaki came to rest on the track and leaked fluids onto the racing surface. Lynn, Rojas and Kipp were all seen walking away from their crashes. The race will have a complete restart.

Provisional AMA Supersport Qualifying Results: 1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:27.846 2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:28.177 3. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:28.189 4. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:28.227 5. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:28.330 6. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:29.110 7. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:29.305 8. Chris Peris, Yamaha, 1:29.430 9. Robert Jensen, Yamaha, 1:29.449 10. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, 1:29.523 11. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:29.832 12. Steve Crevier, Honda, 1:30.577 13. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, 1:30.708 14. Mike Smith, Suzuki, 1:31.055 15. Taylor Knapp, Yamaha, 1:31.607 16. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, 1:31.881 17. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:31.888 18. Keith Marshall, Suzuki, 1:32.085 19. Nathan Hester, Yamaha, 1:32.109 20. Matt Furtek, Kawasaki, 1:32.335

Provisional AMA Superstock Qualifying Results: 1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:25.831 2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:26.036 3. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:26.569 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:26.640 5. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:26.836 6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:27.042 7. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:27.144 8. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:27.246 9. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:27.389 10. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:27.543 11. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:27.667 12. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:27.710 13. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:27.978 14. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:28.266 15. Francis Martin, Suzuki, 1:28.719 16. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:28.976 17. Brent George, Suzuki, 1:29.048 18. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 1:29.441 19. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:30.097 20. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:30.230 21. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 1:30.556 22. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, 1:30.707 23. James Stroud, Honda, 1:31.426 24. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, 1:31.952 25. Eli Edwards, Suzuki, 1:33.115 26. Montez Stewart, Suzuki, 1:34.649 27. Reno Karimian, Suzuki, 1:34.839 28. Sean Wray, Yamaha, 1:35.606 29. Brad Puetz, Suzuki, 1:35.780 30. William Bush, Honda, 1:37.175 31. Jessica Zalusky, Kawasaki, 1:38.176

1. Troy Corser (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:35.676 2. Chris Vermeulen (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:36.125 3. Regis Laconi (Ducati 999RS), 1:36.356 4. Max Neukirchner (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:36.447 5. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:36.558 6. Karl Muggeridge (Honda CR1000RR), 1:36.565 7. Chris Walker (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:36.847 8. Norick Abe (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:36.862 9. Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 1:36.875 10. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:37.031 11. David Checa (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:37.122 12. Pier Francesco Chili (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:37.200 13. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati 999RS), 1:37.297 14. Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1), 1:37.388 15. Sebastian Gimbert (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:38.203 More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: CORSER TOPS VALENCIA SUPERPOLE Troy Corser will start tomorrow’s third-round world Superbike round in Valencia from the front after winning this afternoon’s Superpole – the 31st of his career. The Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider set a blistering time of 1’35.676 with a speed of 282.7 kph on his 2005 GSX-R1000 – the only rider under the 1’36.000 mark at the Spanish circuit – to beat Chris Vermeulen (Honda) and Regis Laconi (Ducati). Corser’s team mate Yukio Kagayama set the ninth-fastest time with 1’36.875 and a speed of 280.5 kph after making a small mistake exiting turn two which upset the rhythm of his lap and pushed him back. Troy Corser – 1st, 1:35.676: “I have to thank my Alstare Suzuki team because they’ve done a great job. Our test here before Phillip Island went very well and we started with that set-up. The front end is working really well and I’ve more or less chosen my tyres for the race. I’ll only change my mind if the conditions are different. “It’s going to be a couple of long, tough races tomorrow and tyre conservation is going to be very important especially if it is hot. My Superpole lap went quite smoothly and there were no dramas on it. In fact, I felt pretty comfortable this afternoon and now all I need to do is to try and translate that into a couple of wins tomorrow.” Yukio Kagayama – 9th, 1:36.875: “I made a small mistake in turn two and that affected the whole lap. This track is like that – if you make a mistake in one place it messes up the rest of the lap. The mistake means that I will start the races tomorrow from the third row and that is not going to be so easy. “I need a very good start but if I get that, I feel that I can catch the leaders. I know what lap times I can do so I think a podium – or two – is still possible. I will give it full gas and try my hardest as usual.” More, from a press release issued by Petronas Racing: Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Steve Martin and Garry McCoy face an uphillbattle in tomorrow’s two races at the third round of the Superbike World Championship in Valencia, Spain. Steve starts from the fourth row of the grid after qualifying in 14th while team-mate Garry is a row behind after failing to make a Superpole shoot-out dominated by Troy Corser. Both Aussies fought throughout the day with front-end chatter problems and Steve struggled to match his times from a recent test at the tight and twisty circuit. Jack said: “The main problem seems to be front end chatter for both riders. The new specification engine is obviously quicker down the straights but is a bit peaky. Also, the problem they have had with backing into corners is more evident at this on-off type of circuit. Combined, they are upsetting the whole balance of the bike and, because the chatter is inconsistent, it is knocking the confidence of the riders. Garry feels the earlier engine is more user-friendly and we will decide overnight which specification to use for the races. But it should be remembered that this class is far more competitive than MotoGP and, if you haven’t got it just right, half a second can make all the difference. And, when you look at the quality of some of the riders behind us, we are not doing too badly considering the fact that we are still developing the bike.” Garry said: “I went quicker this morning but unfortunately didn’t manage to get into Superpole. I think I could have gone quicker on that fastest lap but got caught up behind someone in the last corner. In the afternoon I concentrated on finding something comfortable for the race and, although we have made progress throughout the day, it came a little too late for qualification purposes. The latest engine development is definitely quicker at the top end but, for tracks like Valencia, you also need power delivery at the bottom end so I tried reverting to the previous stage of engine in the afternoon and was able to do more consistent lap times. I think it might be easier to ride for 23 laps tomorrow, although comparing the two, we are doing similar lap times. Starting from the fifth row we have got a bit of catching up to do but I like to race and tomorrow is another day.” Steve said: “We persevered with the newer engine and tried to dial the chatter out. But I will try the previous engine specification in morning warm-up. I did also suffer with some chatter here at our test but I would prefer to have chatter at 37s rather than 38s! We are going into the corners with a lot more revs and I can’t ride the bike like that. I did a couple of practice starts, as my starts have not been great to date, and they both seemed to go pretty well. So, hopefully, I will have the starting bug out of my system and I can get stuck into the race and finish with good points.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s Publicist: THIRTY-FIRST POLE FOR TROY! Troy fully lived up to his “Mr Superpole” reputation at Valencia today, finishing half a second ahead of his nearest rival. It was Troy’s thirty-first pole position in World Superbikes and this afternoon he looked smooth, fast and comfortable – which must be a worry to the rest of the field. Second quickest in Superpole today was Chris Vermeulen (Honda), with Regis Laconi (Ducati) third and Max Neukirchner (Honda) fourth. Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama made a mistake on his Superpole lap and finished ninth overall. TROY – 1st, 1:35.676 Well, it’s always nice to win Superpole and now let’s see what happens tomorrow. When we tested here before going to Phillip Island for the race, we found a good set-up. Then we made further steps forward during that race weekend and we put it all together here. The front end is working really well (including the front tyre) and I’m really happy with that. I tried all three rear tyres, but there’s not an awful lot of difference between them. This track is very strange for our tyres, because only two or three degrees change in temperature can make a big difference. Our boys have done a great deal of work making the bike rider-friendly since the start of the season. Giacomo and Max have used their knowledge from GPs and have changed the way the mapping works and given me a good bike to ride. I’ve felt comfortable all weekend so far and now all I have to do is go out and race. Of course, my aim is a pair of wins tomorrow, but as long as I am leading the championship at the end, I will be happy. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: SOME DIFFICULT IN THE FINAL PRACTICE DAY AT VALENCIA FOR TEAM SC CARACCHI After a small delay for the morning’s fog ended today at Valencia the final qualifying day for the Spanish round of 2005 World Superbike Championship. Some difficult today for Scuderia SC Caracchi’s riders, as well the results scored in race set up has been quite good, loosing however some grid position when everybody moved to qualifying set up. Lorenzo Lanzi put in a good performance in his first one-lap dash, while Nannelli will start from the third row in Supersport race and Fonsi Nieto is planning revenge intention in front of his public after failing to qualify for Superpole. Quite satisfied Lorenzo Lanzi, who failed a third grid row position just for a few thousandth of second, but who found a good race pace that let him to be confident for tomorrow’s races. “To be sincere I did hope to reach at less the third row on the grid, but I lost it for a whisker.” commented at the end of the practice Lorenzo Lanzi. “However I’m quite satisfied because both during the morning as well in the afternoon session I got a good set up for the race. Then the emotion to run for the first time a Superpole lap slowed me a bit, but with a good start I could be in the group for a good race.” Disappointed Fonsi Nieto who failed the Superpole in front of his fans because he cooled too much the qualifying tyres during the flying lap because a lot of traffic in the track, loosing the possibility to exploit all their grip characteristics. “I’m really disappointed for my fans to fail the Superpole.” said a disappointed Fonsi Nieto at the end of practice. “We found a good set up with rece tyre, but later I ruined my qualifying tyre during the flying lap when I found a lot of riders parked on the track, so the tyre became cool and I’ve been not able to improve my qualifying performance. That’s a pity because I found a fast pace for the race and to start some row before could make everything easier. I hope to make a good start tomorrow, to not remain prisoner in the group and make a good race.” Not satisfied also Gianluca Nannelli whi in the final qualifying has not been able to improve the morning’s performance. “The bike was sliding everywhere this afternoon.” said a disappointed Gianluca Nannelli. “We looked for a good combination between speed and endurance ,but we have not been able to do it. Now we have to recover some position, but we have only the warm up session tomorrow morning for all the controls, I hope that’ll be sufficient also starting from the third row.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: LACONI THIRD IN SUPERPOLE FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM AS TOSELAND FAILS TO MAKE THE CUT Valencia (Spain), Saturday 23 April: Régis Laconi will start tomorrow’s third round of the World Superbike Championship at Valencia, Spain from the front row of the grid after setting third-quickest time in Superpole. Eleventh overnight, the Frenchman improved his qualifying time by well over one second today and then put in a good performance in the one-lap dash to end up behind poleman Corser (Suzuki) and second-placed Vermeulen (Honda). “My lap was really not perfect, I can do better but to be third today is good because this track is difficult and the conditions were quite warm out there” declared Laconi. “Yesterday I finished eleventh because we didn’t use the qualifying tyres but today the team worked well and we found some good race settings. For sure Troy is very fast not only in Superpole but also with the race tyre but I will try my best to see what I can do. In any case starting on the front row is the best thing here at Valencia.” There was less joy for James Toseland as the reigning champion failed to qualify for Superpole due to a problem when there were just a few minutes remaining of the morning’s second and final qualifying hour. As a result the 24-year-old will start from row 6 of the grid in tomorrow’s two 23-lap races. “I didn’t make Superpole because I had a problem with the front end of the bike three minutes before the end of the session and after I had changed the tyre I went out again but just missed the flag by a couple of seconds” commented James. “Unfortunately we’ve been going in the wrong direction during qualifying and when you go in the wrong direction, it all becomes that bit more difficult. We managed to sort out Friday’s problems with the front suspension but then I had no grip in the rear so we went back to yesterday’s settings and that wasn’t much better. I’m on a factory Ducati so I know I shouldn’t be in this position. You can’t really win races from 23rd on the grid, but I’m sure I can do a good race pace tomorrow so let’s see what we can salvage from here”. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Italia riders Andrew Pitt and Noriyuki Haga will start tomorrow’s round three of the Superbike World Championship from the second and third rows of the grid after the team made major changes to the set up of their YZF-R1s. After ending Friday in 21st and 24th places respectively, the team mechanics changed the settings if their R1s – allowing the riders to lap comfortably one and a half seconds a lap quicker to qualify them for the afternoon superpole session in 12th and 14th place respectively. Both riders were able to further improve their grid positions in the one-lap showdown, with Haga posting a 1:37.031 to take 10th and Pitt just missing out on the front row after clocking a weekend best of 1:36.558 , good enough for a fifth place start in tomorrow’s race at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. Sandwiched between Pitt and Haga will be Yamaha Motor France’s Norick Abe. The Spanish-based Japanese star has been one of the most consistent riders throughout the weekend and, despite losing two positions on his superpole lap, was able to retain a second row start. In a second qualifying session that saw a number of riders make considerable progress, wild-card David Checa, riding for the Yamaha GMT94 team with whom he won the Le Mans 24-hour race last weekend, was another to make stunning overnight progress. The Spaniard improved his Friday time by over two seconds to go from 27th in the overnight standings to qualify for superpole in 11th place, a position he maintained after his superpole lap. One of Checa’s team-mates at Le Mans, Sebastien Gimbert had a superpole to forget though, taking his Yamaha Motor France R1 to 15th, a drop of five places on his position going into superpole. Championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) grabbed pole with a 1:35.666 lap time. Completing the front row are Karl Muggeridge (Honda), Max Neukirchner (Honda) and Chris Walker (Kawasaki). Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “You’ve got to be happy with that after yesterday! When I come into the garage I was looking at the screen to see if I could stay on the front two rows. As it was I almost made it to the front row, but I can’t be too upset at missing out after the progress we made. Straight from the first session it was obvious that we made a massive change in the right direction and I can leave the circuit in a very different mood from yesterday.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “I am happy with sixth because superpole is still new to me, so doing a 36 on my own is good. I know that I can get some good starts from the second row and, if I can do that, I am confident that I will be able to battle with the top riders.” Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “This is the first time I have had a one lap superpole since Magny Cours so I think that I did not quite push hard enough. We made some big improvements today but we are hoping to try a few more things in the morning warm up to improve the feeling further. This is a track that I like, so if we can make the feeling better and the start is good then we should be able to fight.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “This has been a tough weekend for me. Not only am I still feeling the effects of Le Mans last weekend, I am also suffering from a bad cold. Tonight I will try to get as much rest as possible and hope that I am in a better condition tomorrow.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia) “We did a good job today, but we know that the races are still going to be very tough. We tried some things yesterday and these did not work, but when we went back to the settings we found at the test here we were immediately quick. Andrew did a good job to come from 24th yesterday and although Noriyuki still has to have a little better feeling we know that he is a real race animal who is always capable of doing something special when it matters.” More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: VERMEULEN SECOND FASTEST AT VALENCIA Chris Vermeulen will start tomorrow’s two third round World Superbike championship races from the front row of the grid after setting the second fastest time in this afternoon’s Superpole event. The Australian clocked a time of 1:36.125s around the 4.005km Ricardo Tormo Circuit near Valencia in Spain. With Troy Corser taking pole position, Vermeulen’s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, set the sixth fastest time this afternoon after finishing the second qualifying session this morning in second place. He will start from the second row for tomorrow’s two 23-lap (92km) races. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “We arrived here in Valencia with a lot of different options to test focusing especially on the chassis and front forks. We’ve spent the last two days going through these methodically, which has been quite time consuming. It’s ironic that the last things we tested seemed to work the best. Both Chris and Karl have been making steady progress in the right direction yesterday and today and I think we have put them in a position where they can be challenging for podium finishes here. We’re not quite there yet and still have some work to do on the overall base setting. We’re not progressing as fast as we would like, but at least we are making progress.” Chris Vermeulen second fastest, 1m36.125s: “We’ve done a lot of work on the front this weekend and, as I’ve said, it’s not ideal to be testing things during a meeting but that’s just how it is. I spent most of today’s practice sessions using the same tyres and just going through a load of different settings on the bike. I’m quite comfortable at race pace here, although the temperature tomorrow will have a lot to do with what that pace is. The track has become slippery in the afternoons so we’ll have to see what the weather is like tomorrow. I tried to make my Superpole lap as smooth as possible with a new front tyre. I guess I could’ve been a little bit quicker here and there but it was my fastest lap of the weekend. We’ve got some more work to do still, but I’m comfortable with the bike now and looking forward to tomorrow.” Karl Muggeridge sixth fastest, 1m36.565s: “I’m real comfortable on the qualifiers and was happy to be second fastest going into my second Superpole. I got the lap about as smooth as I could but unfortunately it’s dropped me back to the second row. Superpole worked the other way for me in Australia where I moved up a few places but at least I’m in the right area and challenging at the front again here. The bike is still coming up a little too fast as I gas it out of corners so I have to wait a fraction longer before opening the throttle. We need to work on that a little more and will try a couple of things in warm-up tomorrow. But it’s good turning in and we’re definitely making progress. I think we’re quite close to a good race set-up so we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

Provisional Saturday Morning AMA Formula Xtreme Practice Times: 1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:28.381 2. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:28.478 3. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:28.775 4. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha, 1:29.885 5. Robert Jensen, Yamaha, 1:29.995 6. Chris Peris, Yamaha, 1:30.058 7. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, 1:30.238 8. Tom Kipp, Kawasaki, 1:30.657 9. Steve Crevier, Honda, 1:30.783 10. Chris Caylor, Suzuki, 1:31.003 11. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, 1:31.196 12. Mike Ciccotto, Buell, 1:31.555 13. Ryan Andrews, Ducati, 1:31.589 14. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, 1:31.667 15. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:32.076 16. Taylor Knapp, Yamaha, 1:32.290 17. Matt McBride, Kawasaki, 1:32.472 18. Nathan Hester, Yamaha, 1:32.781 19. Tim Knutson, Yamaha, 1:33.366 20. William Meyers, III, 1:34.093

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin took the 39th AMA Superbike pole position of his career Saturday during qualifying for the Honda Superbike Classic presented by McGraw Insurance at Barber Motorsports Park. Mladin made no changes to his GSX-R1000 during the 45-minute session, the first dry track time for the second qualifying group, en route to a new lap record time of 1:25.046, eclipsing his own lap record of 1:25.176 set in 2003. Mladin turned mid-1:24s during recent testing at Barber but said the 2.3-mile road course felt greasy after rain showers Friday and a significant drop in ambient temperature Saturday. Mladin’s junior teammate Ben Spies turned the second-fastest time, a 1:25.954, bumping Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Neil Hodgson (1:25.980) back to third on the grid in the closing seconds of the session. The final spot on the front row was earned by Aaron Yates, who turned a 1:26.417 on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Provisional AMA Superbike Qualifying Results: (Combined from both groups) 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.046 2. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.954 3. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F05, 1:25.980 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.417 5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:26.994 6. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.315 7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.342 8. Eric Bostrom, Ducati 999F05, 1:27.451 9. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:27.530 10. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.660 11. Kurtis Roberts, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:28.287 12. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:28.416 13. Marty Craggill, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.496 14. Larry Pegram, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:28.814 15. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.011 16. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.047 17. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:29.238 18. Brent George, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.279 19. Tom Kipp, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:29.287 20. Jeremy Toye, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:29.505 21. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.568 22. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.618 23. Mike Smith, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.654 24. Cory West, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.932 25. Francis Martin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.047 26. Tony Meiring, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.416 27. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.492 28. Matt McBride, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:30.830 29. Scott Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.920 30. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.022 31. Chuck Ivey, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:31.725 32. Reuben Frankenfield, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:31.784 33. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.818 34. Brian Stokes, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:31.928 35. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.116 36. Matt Lynn, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.251 37. David Bell, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.361 38. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.486 39. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:32.650 40. Giovanni Rojas, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.817 41. James Kerker, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:32.975 42. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:33.476