SPANISH BACKDROP FOR TOSELAND AND LACONI (DUCATI XEROX TEAM) AT VALENCIA Valencia (Spain), Thursday 21 April: Two down and ten remaining as Ducati Xerox Team riders James Toseland and Régis Laconi arrive in Valencia, Spain for the first round of this year’s World Superbike Championship to be held on European soil. After two overseas events in Qatar and Australia, the Ricardo Tormo Circuit now provides the Spanish backdrop for the reigning world champion and his French team-mate’s assault on the 2005 title. Régis Laconi, currently lying third in the table with 54 points, is the only rider so far to really keep the pace of the leading Suzukis, and the 29-year-old Frenchman is convinced he can again do battle this weekend. “Three weeks since the last round is too long”, declared Régis, “so it just feels great to be back racing in Europe. We found some good solutions in Phillip Island for the settings and I hope they will work again at this track. Lap times were good in the tests here, so I think we can do a good job this weekend. Valencia is a very difficult circuit because it has a lot of hard braking but you need very good turning for the bike. That’s something almost opposite so you have to find a good compromise. “I feel my 999 is such a good package now but every small change makes a big difference and that’s what I need, just two or three tenths is important to stay at the front or try to pass. We are not down on power, our bike is very fast and we have good acceleration, but the most important thing is to get the front of the bike to go precisely where you want. Then you can open the throttle early and get the best drive out of the corners”, he concluded. James Toseland is languishing down in eighth place following the series of misfortunes and crashes that have marked his early-season title defence, but the 24-year-old won at Valencia last year and is sure to be a force to be reckoned with this weekend. “I’m pleased to be back at a race track after my shocker of a start in Qatar and Australia”, commented James. “Fortunately for me the problems that have been occurring, apart from the crash in Qatar, have been out of my control. As far as riding and my confidence goes, I feel good and just want to get back out there. Lap times and everything else are all there, they just need to come together now. “Valencia is totally different to the first two tracks, it’s a lot slower and tighter, and very technical. Because of the small gaps between corners you have to be very accurate and if your concentration is off your lap time is ruined. It’s all about keeping it flowing around here because every corner leads into the next one. Obviously you’ve got to get the bike to turn well but also keep some weight on the rear to have a fine balance. The whole package is capable of winning, we’ve just got to find the right form. This is where the season starts and we’ve got to knuckle down”, concluded Toseland. DUCATI XEROX TWO-SEATER: The first European round of the season will also mark the first appearance of the Ducati Xerox Two-Seater, which has been set up in collaboration with the team’s new sponsor, Xerox. The bike is an exact replica of the 999F05 of James Toseland, right down to the #1 on the front, and it will be used at every round of the season to provide a sensational experience for a selected group of clients, sponsors and VIPs. The rides will be provided by expert Italian racer Dario Marchetti, chief instructor at Ducati’s DRE (Ducati Racing Experience) riding school and the first pillion passengers on the two-seater at Valencia will be three lucky readers of Spain’s most prestigious daily newspaper ‘El Pais’. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 2 of 12 rounds): Riders – 1. Corser (Suzuki) 91; 2. Kagayama (Suzuki) 85; 3. Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 54 ; 4. Vermeulen (Honda) 50; 5. Neukirchner (Honda) 37; 6. Abe (Yamaha) 33; … 8. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 22 ; etc. Manufacturers – 1. Suzuki 100; 2. Ducati 56; 3. Honda 53; 4. Yamaha 41; 5. Kawasaki 21; 6. Petronas 1. THE CIRCUIT – Name: Ricardo Tormo; Length: 4.005 km; Pole Position: Right; Corners Left/Right: 9/5; Finish Line Length: 876 m. STATISTICS – Best lap: Hodgson (Ducati) 1m34.633s (2003); Lap record: Hodgson (Ducati) 1m35.007s (2003); Superpole: Bayliss (Ducati) 1m34.814s (2002); Race distance: 2 x 23 laps/92.115 km. TV COVERAGE: Eurosport (Europe) – Sunday 24 April, 1200 Race 1 (live), 2300 Race 2 (delayed); British Eurosport (UK) – Saturday 23 April, 1500 BST Superpole (live); Sunday 24 April, 1100-1530 BST Race 1 & 2 (live); La7 (Italy) – Saturday 23 April, 1700 Superpole (delayed); Sunday 24 April, 1610-1900 Race 1 & 2 (delayed).

HODGSON AND BOSTROM TO ATTACK DIFFICULT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK COURSE The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team travels to Birmingham, Alabama this weekend for rounds two and three of the 2005 AMA Superbike Championship. The scenic Barber Motorsports Park, located outside the city in the Alabama hills, will see the first race action in the series since last month’s Daytona opener. Racers Neil Hodgson and Eric Bostrom hope to capitalize on the team’s extensive testing of their factory Ducati 999 race machines since the first race of the season. For Hodgson, the former World Superbike Champion who has come to the U.S. this year in a bid to become the first man to win the British, World, and American Superbike titles, last month’s test at the Birmingham circuit known for its tight series of turns and blind corners was a valuable experience. “I’m learning all the tracks in America, and this one’s no different. I thought this track looked to be the most ‘normal’ of the tracks by watching the videos (of previous races). From riding at the test, it’s clearly different than I thought it would be,” said the Isle of Man resident currently second in AMA points. “For such a small circuit, it is still very technical and that’s the sign of a good track. I’ve not made friends with it yet and we’re still fighting,” laughed Hodgson. “The tricky part is that there’s a lot of off-camber braking and fast corners that you can’t see the entry. It’s quite difficult but I think it’s the type of place where you come back for the second time and feel a lot more comfortable. I’m really looking forward to getting back to racing after all this testing.” Eric Bostrom, winner of 12 AMA Superbike races in his career, is still working on adapting the powerful Ducati 999’s suspension settings to fit his distinctive riding style. Bostrom showed a marked improvement at recent tests, however. “It’s coming good. We’ve come a long way. Now we need to get the bike setup just a little bit better, then I think that will improve my riding as well,” says Bostrom. “We’re making progress and getting closer to where we want to be.” Eric agrees the Birmingham circuit is a challenging one, a track that doesn’t allow a mighty machine like the Ducati 999 to fully make use of its powerful engine. “The track is really a monster,” says Bostrom, who finished fourth and seventh in last year’s Barber Motorsport Park Superbike races. “Except for the Esses down by the museum, there aren’t a lot of flat turns. Even the Esses aren’t very flat, either. Every turn is a challenge because the bike is weighted and unweighted so much. You’ll brake uphill and then have to turn on a downhill. Setup is always a real compromise at Barber. It’s really a very cool racetrack, but it is very difficult.” “It’s going to be an interesting race weekend,” said Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team manager Tom Bodenbach. “Despite all the time between races, things have been hectic and everyone in the team has been working hard to get ready. Our hope is that Neil and Eric will continue with their momentum in testing now that we’re racing again.” The two 28-lap Superbike races will be held on Saturday and Sunday. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 1 of 16 races): Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 38, NEIL HODGSON (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 32, Ben Spies (Suzuki) 29, Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 27, Jake Zemke (Honda) 26, Miguel DuHamel (Honda) 25 … ERIC BOSTROM (PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999) 20 THE CIRCUIT Name: Barber Motorsport Park, 2.3 miles (3.70 kilometers), 16 turns with 80 feet of elevation changes. STATISTICS Lap record: Mladin (Suzuki) 1:23.176 (2003) Race distance: DuHamel (Honda) 40.41.42 (2004)

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Turkish Grand Prix confirmed Following the agreement signed between the Turkish Motorcycling Federation (TMF) and Dorna Sports, the FIM confirms that the Turkish Grand Prix will take place on the circuit of Istanbul on October 23 next. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Germany’s Turkish superstock rider Kenan Sofuoglu had the honour of taking the first lap of the newly built race track of Istanbul, Turkey which will hold the first ever Turkish MotoGP race on October 23. Despite the fact that the circuit is far from ready, about 1000 men are still working non-stop to get it finished, Kenan rode a lap on a standard YZF-R1 to get a first impression on its lay-out. According to the 20-year-old, who has become a major star in his home country, the circuit will provide a stiff challenge for the MotoGP stars. “My first impressions are very positive it’s seems to become a great circuit and very challenging,” he said. “It’s undulating and there is even a section similar to the famous Corkscrew corner of the Laguna Seca race track in the US.” Also in attendance was Turkish Prime Minister. Recep Taytip Erdogan. The statesman and a delegation of the parliament were not only impressed by Kenan’s wheelie antics, Mr. Erdogan showed big interest in motorsports and Kenan’s function as role model for Turkish motorcycle racers. He has promised to try to find a gap in his busy schedule to visit one of Kenan’s races this season. While Kenan has ambitions to race in MotoGP himself on day, this weekend he starts his quest to win the 2005 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. The winner of the 2002 German Yamaha R6 cup, Kenan finished third last year in his rookie season on the R1 season, behind his fellow YZF-R1 competitors Lorenzo Alfonsi and Gianluca Vizziello. With both the Italians moving on to the superbike class, Sofuoglu will start the year as one of the favourites for the title. “I want to win the title this year as a step to greater things to come, but the competition will be hard,” added the likeable youngster. “We have had some very good tests, but only the first race this weekend at Valencia will prove exactly where we stand.”

DUNLOP CALLS FOR THE ULTIMATE BIKER www.driversknow.co.uk/ultimatebiker Fancy your chances at becoming the UK’s best all round motorcycle rider? Reckon you can put some of the best riders from British Superbikes, British Enduro, British Motocross and British Supermoto to the test? Challenge them for huge prize money and gain yourself a big name in the Motorcycle fraternity? Then you need to be involved in Dunlop’s Ultimate Biker Challenge. Dunlop is launching a search for Britain’s Ultimate Biker; a mind blowing high-speed hunt for one motorcyclist capable of mastering a range of disciplines, displaying peak physical endurance and psychological readiness. Twenty four amateur riders from regions across the UK will face four challenges before being whittled down to six semi-finalists. Competitors will eat dirt in Wales in the Yamaha off-road experience, cruise on their own Harley-Davidson, go track racing at the California Superbike School and perfect road craft with the Institute of Advanced Motorists. The final six will then be put through their paces in an ACU competitions trials and fitness test. No amount of money could buy a place at the prestigious Moto 1 Event and just three riders will get the chance to race with top riders from the likes of the British Superbike Championship, Motocross Championship and World Enduro Championship. In 2004 Moto1 was staged for the first time and big names from the Road Racing Scene such as Karl Harris, Tom Sykes, Cal Crutchlow, Stuart Easton and Jon Kirkham plus off road stars Ady Smith, Wayne Braybrook, Billy MacKenzie, Leighton Haigh and overall winner David Knight who scooped the £6000 prize money were just some of the contenders in this amazing event. Dunlop are offering this super opportunity to the three most talented riders. A mountain of events awaits the finalists as they battle the pros at Mallory Park in October, including Enduro, Trials, Motocross and Circuit Racing. The Dunlop Rider with most points at the end of the second day wins the Ultimate Biker accolade and will share the podium, media attention and glory with the professionals. For a chance to become Dunlop’s Ultimate Biker, enter online at:- www.driversknow.co.uk/ultimatebiker

Used with permission from www.cdnsuperbike.com: Jennings Test Belongs to Picotte Pascal PicotteThe first official Parts Canada Superbike Championship pre-season test session at Jennings GP in North Florida belonged to Pascal Picotte. After setting the fastest overall time on Monday afternoon, and the top 600 and Superbike times this morning, the Picotte Performance Yamaha rider was once again on fire during the last leg of the 2-day test. Mid-afternoon, Picotte turned a lap a mere 0.4-seconds off the outright track lap record. Dunlop slick equipped Picotte set the overall fastest lap of 1:15.959, as timed by the official series Yamaha dBcom Timing System, half-way through this afternoon’s session on his brand new 2005 Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike The official Jennings GP lap record, a 1:15.5, was set in January by Robert Jensen on a Michelin shod Yamaha. With a busy two days of chassis set up for four Yamahas, Picotte wasn’t inclined to hunt for the Jennings outright marker, even though he got oh-so-close. The fastest Hindle 600 Sport Bike time of the afternoon (1:16.704) also went to Picotte’s R6. The reigning quadruple National Champ was sporting his new “race replica” leathers that will be available – with the Picotte Jester on the back – through both American Yamaha and Yamaha Canada. Francis MartinSecond fastest this afternoon was DXS Diablo Suzuki rider Francis Martin, knocking more than a second off his best time from this morning with a 1:16.764 on the brand-new GSX-R1000. Coming off a rough outing at Daytona, Martin looked re-energized following a productive two days aboard the third generation, new for 2005 “Gixxer.” Martin rode for Suzuki Canada on the Parts Canada tour from 2001 through 2003. Popular un-retired American veteran Tom Kipp was able to work out some of the “chatter” issues with the immaculate Canadian Kawasaki ZX-10R to end the day with the third fastest Superbike time of 1:17.586. Diablo rider Steve Crevier rode his street stock Honda CBR1000RR to the fourth quickest time of 1:18.202. This time for the six time Canadian Superbike Champion was slightly slower than the 1:18.200 set on his CBR600RR – the same bike he will race at the AMA round at Barber Motorsport Park next weekend. Crevier had both AMA Xtreme spec and Supersport CBR600RRs at his disposal during the Jennings sessions. Canadian Kawasaki’s Matt McBride dropped his Superbike time to a 1:20.187 from this morning’s 1:20.240 on the ZX-10R, but didn’t better his 600 Sport Bike time from the morning session. It was another scorcher of a day at Jennings, with outside temperature in the low 80’s (ºF) and a track temperature again hovering around the 118ºF (48ºC) mark. Tuesday Afternoon Lap Times from Testing at Jennings GP: 1. Pascal Picotte (Yam YZF-R1) 1:15.959 2. Pascal Picotte (Yam YZF-R6) 1:16.750 3. Francis Martin (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:16.764 4. Tom Kipp (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:17.586 5. Steve Crevier (Hon CBR600RR) 1:18.200 6. Steve Crevier (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:18.202 7. Matt McBride (Kaw ZX6-RR) 1:19.423 8. Matt McBride (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:20.187 Combined times from Monday and Tuesday’s Parts Canada Superbike Championship pre-season testing at Jennings GP in North Florida: 1. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha 1000) 1:15.941, 19 total laps 2. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha 600) 1:16.704, 40 total laps 3. Francis Martin (Suzuki 1000) 1:16.764, 79 total laps 4. Tom Kipp (Kawasaki 1000) 1:17.586, 42 total laps 5. Frank Trombino (Yamaha 600) 1:17.929, 55 total laps 6. Steve Crevier (Honda 600) 1:18.192, 29 total laps 7. Steve Crevier (Honda 1000) 1:18.202, 57 total laps 8. Tom Kipp (Kawasaki 600) 1:18.563, 64 total laps 9. Matt McBride (Kawasaki 600) 1:18.583, 96 total laps 10. Andrew Nelson (Honda 600) 1:19.558, 99 total laps 11. Frank Trombino (Yamaha 1000) 1:19.608, 17 total laps 12. Matt McBride (Kawasaki 1000) 1:19.936, 37 total laps 13. Rudy Raposo (Kawasaki 1000) 1:21.430, 36 total laps

WSCM Overall Championship Point Standings (as of April 18, 2005): 1. Kenny Kopecky, 226 points 2. Jacob West, 202 points 3. Mark Watts, 200 points 4. Ritchie Thorup, 191 points 5. Michael Beck, 183 points 6. Jack Pfeifer, 181 points 7. J.C. Gibbs, 171 points 8. Clinton Whitehouse, III, 168 points 9. Sam Carnibucci, 151 points 10. TIE, Claudio Szyszkowski/David Siminski/Jason Perez, 142 points

Mr. Money, Todd Costley wins the Sandia Motorcycle Road Racing Incorporated (SMRI) 2005 Season Opener Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 17th, 2005: With weekend temperatures in the high 70’s, the sounds and sights of New Mexico’s premier motorcycle road racing league filled the painted sky. Motorcycle road racers traveled from as far as Colorado and Texas in order to compete with racer from the Route 66 area for purse money and trophies at the Sandia Motor sports Park located west of Albuquerque on I-40. In the premier event the Unlimited Grand Prix, Current SMRI #1 plate holder Mike Shreve fought to defended his 2004 championship title from former 2001 and 2002 SMRI champion Mr. Money, Todd Costley to no avail. Todd captured the lead and then captured the checkered flag, claiming the first win of the 2005 season. Race Results: ULGP 1st Todd Costley 2nd Mike Shreve 3rd Dave Pillar 4th Ray Thornton 5th Shannon Moham 6th Daryl Wichern Open Beginner 1st Chris Reynolds 2nd Rodney James 3rd Brett Cole 4th Gerry Hicks 5th Craig Mobley 6th Shana Hyer Novice Endurance GTO 1st Drew Reid 2nd Justin Reed 3rd Brett Cole Novice Endurance GTU 1st Daniel Franchino 2nd Craig Mobley 3rd Jamie Bishop 4th Troy Gammill 5th Shana Hyer 6th Davinia Chism Expert Endurance GTO 1st John Cadreact Expert Endurance GTU 1st Ray Thornton 2nd Mike Shreve 3rd Terry Kraus 4th Brian Helms 5th Troy Runck Novice Open 1st Justin Reed 2nd Drew Reid 3rd Daniel Franchino 4th Rodney James 5th Troy Gammill 6th Chris Reynolds Novice GTO 1st Drew Reid 2nd Justin Reed 3rd Troy Gammill 4th Chris Reynolds 5th Dave Robbins 6th Rodney James Novice GTU 1st Daniel Frenchino 2nd Troy Gammill 3rd Sean Butterman 4th Craig Mobley 5th David Robbins 6th Gerry Hicks Novice 40+ 1st Daniel Franchino 2nd Craig Mobley 3rd Guy Jones Expert Formula 1000 1st Todd Costley 2nd Dave Pillar 3rd Ennis King Open Superbike 1st Todd Costley 2nd Mike Shreve 3rd Dave Pillar 4th Shannon Moham 5th Ennis King 6th Ed Henry MW Superbike 1st Mike Shreve 2nd Ray Thornton 3rd Shannon Moham 4th Phil Brown 5th Ed Henry 6th Brian Helms HW Super Bike 1st Mike Shreve 2nd Ray Thornton 3rd Shannon Moham 4th Phil Brown 5th Terry Kraus 6th Brian Helms Expert 40+ 1st Daryl Wichern 2nd Terry Kraus

Following a serious break to his left shoulder during a test session at California Speedway, No Limit Motorsports’ Jason Curtis has been forced to withdraw from the race this coming weekend at Barber Motor Sports Park in Alabama. After an intensive therapy session yesterday with Dr. Ting and Therapist Tuan Ngyuen in Fremont, California, Curtis has been released to race at the following round to be held at California Speedway on the weekend of April 30 / May 1. Dr. Ting performed surgery on his shoulder three weeks ago, and the break has been healing well. Jason looks forward to his return to the AMA Superbike Series. Although he may not be totally up to speed for the Fontana Round, he expects to remain a force on the talented Superbike Grid. Entering his third year on the AMA tour, Jason has learned all the tracks, matured as a rider, and we expect good things from him this year.