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.

Cupertino, CA (April 20, 2005) ­ Ducati North America will entertain New York City’s national and local celebrities, entertainers and sports stars at the official grand opening of the company’s newest motorcycle dealership in the Big Apple on Tuesday evening, May 10, 2005. Celebrated New York Chef David Bouley will cater the Italian-themed event at Ducati New York and promises to delight the patrons with a specially tailored cuisine, developed to commemorate the launch. Joining the “glitterati” in the beautiful state-of-the-art showroom at 155 Avenue of the Americas in New York City will be three Ducati SportClassic prototypes­ marking the only time that these amazing two-wheeled performance powerhouses will be on display in North America, prior to the highly-anticipated delivery of the production models in December 2005. As invited guests appreciate the ambience of Italy magically transported into the heart of the city, they will enjoy a privileged first look at the SportClassics’ essential beauty, timeless style and powerful emotion derived from the original Ducati sport bikes of the 1970s. Championship AMA riders Neil Hodgson and Eric Bostrom will be in attendance to present these stunning prototypes that echo the best of the past and Ducati’s cutting-edge technology and engineering of the present. This combination creates a modern motorcycle that embraces road-going performance and makes a powerful design statement ­in motion or at rest. The SportClassics energize a revitalized Ducati lineup that includes the new 2005 Monster S2R and the company’s flagship 999R superbike ­the ultimate racing machine that delivers heart-pounding performance wrapped in sleek Italian styling. “The launch of Ducati New York will be instrumental in bringing Ducati design, heritage and performance to one of the most dynamic marketplaces in the world,” says Ducati North America CEO Michael Lock. “Here we have a unique opportunity to showcase our sophisticated, muscular machines to some of the most important influencers, style-setters and decision-makers from the fashion industry to finance ­ and we hope our motorcycles will electrify and astonish them all.” Founded in 1926, Ducati builds racing-inspired motorcycles characterized by unique engine features, including innovative design, advanced engineering and overall technical excellence. Ducati has won eleven of the last thirteen World Superbike Championship titles and more individual victories than the competition put together. The Company produces motorcycles in five market segments which vary in their technical and design features and intended customers: Superbike, Supersport, Monster, Sport Touring and Multistrada. The Company’s motorcycles are sold in more than 40 countries worldwide, with a primary focus in Western Europe and North American markets. For more information about the Company, please visit our web site at ~http://www.ducati.com.~

Carl Fogarty is looking for his Foggy PETRONAS Racing team to turn the promise of recent qualifying performances into the hard currency of race results at the third round of the Superbike World Championship in Valencia, Spain, this weekend. Steve Martin set the pulses racing when he qualified in second place at the previous round in Australia. But, with team-mate Garry McCoy also showing strong signs of improved form during qualifying at Phillip Island, there was widespread disappointment when both riders drew a blank on race day. In Spain, the Australian pair will be trying out a new stage of engine development in the PETRONAS FP1, featuring a new camshaft and exhaust, as well as a lighter crank and balance shaft. The team will also be using an ultimate performance fully-synthetic oil – PETRONAS Sprinta 4T 5000 – for the first time in the PETRONAS FP1. This multigrade engine oil, based on racing technology, has been specially engineered for racing use. Rigorous testing against a benchmark has indicated a power advantage at higher speeds, as well as added protection for the engine – qualities replicated in the retail equivalent for road use. Carl said: “We know that this latest specification of engine from the PETRONAS Engine Development Team is more powerful and hopefully more reliable, but it’s important to remember that this is still something of a test for us. Steve tried the new specification in Australia – and liked it. But, in an ideal world, it would have been nice to have done a lot more testing. Hopefully we can have the same sort of weekend that we had in Australia – up until race day! When I was racing I always said that qualifying means nothing if you don’t follow it up on Sunday. So, after two race days with nothing to shout about, hopefully this will be third time lucky.” Both riders have a good pedigree at the tight and twisty circuit. Garry beat Valentino Rossi at Valencia in the 2000 500cc Spanish Grand Prix and Steve achieved his first World Superbike podium here last year in the second race, having opened the door for FPR’s Chris Walker to achieve the team’s own first top three finish when his machine broke down in the late stages of the first race of the day. Garry said: “I am really hoping that I can get extra comfortable on the bike and hopefully the steps forward in development will mean that we can keep up with the leading guys. Australia was pretty good but there are still a couple of things that need a little work on. It’s still early days for us in terms of the season’s development but I now want to be fighting against those faster guys.” Steve, who is recovering from the elbow injury he suffered during a high-side crash in the second Australian race, said: “I feel pretty confident for this race weekend. If I was to compare Phillip Island and Valencia then, even with the same engine, I would think we would be more competitive at Valencia. So I am really looking forward to continuing the development of the latest stage of engine and seeing how this can improve our performance. There is still pain in the elbow but I am sure I will be able to ride okay. If I do not have any huge moments there will be no problem.” Circuit information: Valencia, Spain Circuit length: 4.005km Pole position: Right Corners left: 9 Corners right: 5 Corner radius: Min 30m – Max 250m Maximum slope: Downhill 5.33 per cent, Uphill 3.58 per cent Lap record (race): Neil Hodgson 2003 (1:35.007) Best lap: Neil Hodgson 2003 (1:34.633) Superpole: Troy Bayliss 2002 (1:34.814) Best FPR lap on Michelin: Troy Corser, qualifying practice 2003 (1:35.200) Best FPR lap on Pirelli: Troy Corser, SBK winter test 2004 (1:36.310)

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Chinese Grand Prix: wild-card riders The wild-card riders who will race in the Chinese Grand Prix, scheduled on the circuit of Shanghai on May 1st next, are the following: Start number, Rider, Team, Nomination 125cc class 38, Cheung Wai On (CHN-Honda) Tba, FIM 39, Ho Wan Chow (CHN-Honda) Zongshen Racing Team, CMSA 85, You Rao Zhou (CHN-Honda) Chong Qing Yuan XGJAO Racing, CMSA 250cc class 58, Shi Zao Huang (CHN-Yamaha) China BG Racing, CMSA 59, Zhi Yu Huang (CHN-Honda) Chong Qing Yuan XGJAO Racing, CMSA 60, Zhu Wang (CHN-Aprilia) Zongshen Team of China, CMSA 61, Zheng Peng Li (CHN-Aprilia) Zongshen Team of China, FIM 62, Zi Xian He (CHN-Yamaha) China BG Racing, FIM Motogp class 72, Tohru Ukawa (JPN-Moriwaki) Moriwaki Racing, FIM/Dorna Rider replacing Alex Hoffmann (Motogp) 19, Olivier Jacque (FRA-Kawasaki) Kawasaki Racing Team

RETURN TO EUROPE HEIGHTENS EXPECTATIONS FOR HONDA RIDERS With the flyaway start to the 2005 WSS season now completed, after rounds at Losail in Qatar and Phillip Island in Australia, Europe calls for the five officially supported Honda riders competing in the series. With each race win taken by CBR600RR riders, and five out of six podiums also secured, the prospects for Valencia success seem to shimmer in what all hope to be bright Spanish sunshine. All teams have tested at Valencia, even after the start of the season, convening at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo in mid March, with Honda riders very much to the fore on the time sheets. Riding for the same squad that has won the last three World Supersport Riders’ Championships, Winston Ten Kate Honda teamsters Katsuaki Fujiwara and Sebastien Charpentier have taken a win apiece, with Charpentier’s second place in Qatar making him the championship leader at this point, holding 45 points from a possible 50. Team Italia Megabike rider Fabien Foret (2002 World Champion for Honda and Ten Kate) has been teamed up with 20-year-old Michel Fabrizio, with each rider having taken a personal high point of third place; Fabrizio in Qatar and Foret in Australia. A DNF for Fabrizio in Australia puts him seventh overall to Foret’s fourth, with each rider aiming for podium returns beyond the bronze position this weekend. Joining an illustrious band of Finnish racing exports, Tatu Lauslehto (Team Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) is a quietly spoken, if fiercely competitive, 21-year-old, inducted into the fold of the relatively new but repeatedly competitive Austrian based Klaffi team. Charpentier, who scored a magnificent 3.595 second margin of victory at one of the world’s great motorcycle racing venues earlier in the month, hungers for more visits to the to step of the podium. “I was so pleased to get that win in Australia after the frustrations I suffered at the first round in Qatar,” said Charpentier, “The team has been great to work with and the CBR is just amazing. We have been concentrating mostly on the front of the bike so far this season and this will be very important here in Valencia. We had a good test here in March when I was able to make many fast laps in a race simulation. As long as I can qualify well again, I hope we can repeat this in Sunday’s race and try for another win.” Fujiwara’s outstanding beginning to the season, running through from a poor start at Qatar to seize victory from the grasp of team-mate Charpentier, stuttered with a fourth in Australia. The Japanese rider, in his first season of WSS competition with a Honda, is looking to Valencia as at least another strong points scoring prospect. His desire to win is based on a proven ability at Valencia, having taken both the race win and pole, riding for Suzuki in 2003. “Conditions on race day in Phillip Island were very difficult and I found it very hard to control the bike,” said ‘Kats’, so I was not happy with fifth place. But each time I have gone out this season, in test or practice or qualifying sessions, I am getting to know the CBR better. It is a very good bike and I am lucky to have joined a very professional team. I want another win here at Valencia and because the test here was very positive, I am hopeful. But the other Hondas are also very strong so we must continue to work hard.” Foret, winner of the Valencia race for Honda in 2002, and twice the pole sitter to boot, has one simple goal in mind, paying homage to his new machine as he confirmed his desire for a top two finish. “I want to do better in Valencia than Phillip Island,” said a definite and determined Foret. “At the end of Australian race I finished third and so you can make your own conclusions. The bike increases in power output and the feeling from the cycle parts improves step by step. I believe that in Valencia we can run the race with the other official Honda CBRs, especially the Winston Ten Kate ones. It has taken only two races to take the measure of my Honda, after two season on other bikes, so now I’m ready to win – and I hope to do this in Spain.” In his first full season of World Supersport competition, Fabrizio will attack the Valencia weekend with his customary gusto, but with one note of caution from a recent harsh lesson at Phillip Island. “In Australia I lost a real chance to take good points for the championship,” acknowledged Fabrizio. “I could have finished fifth but I crashed in my attempt to take a podium. I know this, and I’m not happy, but I also know that I will arrive in Valencia with the expectation to stay with the leaders until the finish of the race. The bike is very fast, same as the best of the other bikes and I will be racing to take another podium.” Three new tracks in a row for 2004 European Champion Lauslehto is a disadvantage mitigated by a recent test at the forthcoming Spanish venue. “The race next weekend will be my first one at Valencia,” affirmed Tatu. “I know the track only from the official test in spring this year. But the Klaffi Honda feels good and I hope I can make a good race.” World Superbike Round 3 of 12 CBR1000RR RIDERS HUNGRY FOR PODIUM SUCCESS AT VALENCIA Thus far in the 12-round World Superbike Championship relative youth has been the key for Honda’s five-rider push, with 2003 World Supersport Champion Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) leading the charge on the points table. Currently Vermeulen, with a year of experience under his belt on the CBR1000RR, sits fourth in the championship chase, thanks in part to a race one third place in the recent Australian round. Mirroring his achievements ‘down-under’ SBK rookie Neukirchner was a sensation, running with the leaders and only relinquishing third place in race one after an often tactile last few laps with Vermeulen. Karl Muggeridge will compete on the second Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RRs, in his rookie SBK season, while the most experienced SBK rider still active in the series, Pierfrancesco Chili teams with Neukirchner, despite a recent collarbone operation after his Aussie SBK qualifying crash. Chili fully intends to be racing in Spain, and travels to Valencia ready for combat, if his left collarbone can withstand the exertions of so many changes of direction at the tight and twisty 4.005km circuit. Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji CBR1000RR) returns to Valencia with a strengthened squad and an uprated machine, having toiled hard in the March tests. For Vermeulen, the forthcoming race will be a chance to prove himself and improve his set-up once more, after an outstanding rookie CBR1000RR-mounted SBK season in 2004. “It was good to get on the podium at Phillip Island but we still have some set-up issues that we need to deal with, especially with the front forks,” said Vermeulen. “They’re basically brand new for this year, prototypes really, so we’re still learning how to get the most out of them. But we’ve got some new things to try which will hopefully take us in the right direction. Valencia should be good as we had a really positive test there in March, which was our first real opportunity to get some decent time on the bike. Last year Valencia was our first Superbike race with the CBR1000RR, we qualified on the front row and got 12th and fifth in the two races. So I’m definitely hoping for better than that.” Muggeridge, who got married a week after the Australian Superbike race, has had a sometimes-dramatic introduction to World Superbike, after a dominant season in World Supersport. “It’s time to get back to business – back to what I thought was going pretty well in Australia until race day,” said Muggeridge. “After a pretty good test at Valencia last month, I can’t wait to have another go. We’ve got some new chassis and clutch parts to try and I’m really looking forward to seeing how well they all work.” Neukirchner showed his true, and yet still-developing, talent at Qatar, running with the leaders for long periods. His Phillip Island experience has been limited, but it will still prove highly beneficial to him. “The Valencia race track is the complete opposite of Phillip Island,” said quick-learner Max. “Valencia is tight and twisty, with only a couple of fast sections. It is very important is to have enough grip on the rear tyre this weekend, as it gets used a lot on so many corner exits. Valencia is not one of my favourite tracks but I won’t be happy with anything less than a top ten position.” For Chili, Valencia will be another test of spirit and fitness, but one the 40-year-old Italian is more than ready to match. “After my return from Phillip Island I had an operation,” he explained. “Only three weeks after Phillip Island the fracture is not completely healed. But I’m hoping to be fit for the race and my therapists have done their best. In 2004 I finished second in race one and fourth in the second leg. A repetition of this success would be great.” For Bostrom, Valencia has been the site of previous glories, and the memory of these, plus an elevated total race package, gives him increased confidence. “I like the track in Valencia, it’s a good place for the team and myself to get on our feet,” said Bostrom. “We haven’t been at that stage yet so it’s time to step up. I believe we’ll do it because the bike coming along really well. Should have a motor and lots of parts have now arrived. We started out very late so our team is gel together. We will have new people at this event and we know that Renegade can do a great job after the results they got last year. The rider now has to gel with the Pirelli tyres as well.” With the championship now grounded in Europe for the rest of the season, the classic amphitheatre of Monza hosts round four, May 6-8.

Former 250cc World Champion, Olivier Jacque, will make his racing return with the Kawasaki Racing Team for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai and the French Grand Prix at Le Mans. The 31-year-old French rider has been drafted into the team as a temporary replacement for Alex Hofmann, who sustained fractures to the ulna and scaphoid bones in his left wrist when he crashed during a promotional event ahead of last weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix, putting him out of action for five weeks. The severity of Hofmann’s injuries mean that the 27-year-old German rider will definitely miss the next two Grand Prix events in China and France, but is aiming to return to the MotoGP grid for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on 5th June. The decision to run a replacement rider was taken jointly by Kawasaki Racing Team Manager, Harald Eckl, and senior Kawasaki staff in Japan as soon as the extent of Hofmann’s injuries became apparent. Jacque received the call up late on Sunday evening and immediately jumped on a plane for Portugal, taking advantage of a planned test at the 4.1km Estoril circuit on Monday to familiarise himself with the Ninja ZX-RR ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. Despite the fact that his MotoGP experience over the past 12 months has been limited to infrequent wild card appearances for Moriwaki, and a brief outing on the 2004 version of Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-RR for a magazine test, Jacque proved at Estoril that he’s lost none of the skills that took him to a World Championship title in 2000. Although the test was brief, it allowed Jacque the opportunity to reacquaint himself with the sheer speed of a MotoGP bike, always a problem when a rider returns to racing after a long absence. Jacque was reunited during the Estoril test with two people who played a very big part in his World Championship winning season back in 2000. Regular Kawasaki rider, Shinya Nakano, was the teammate that the Frenchman beat to the title by the narrowest of margins, while Kawasaki’s current MotoGP Technical Director, Ichiro Yoda, was the man responsible for designing the 250cc machine that both riders campaigned that year. Jacque will sport his trademark number 19 on his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR when he takes to the track for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai in just over a week’s time. Olivier Jacque: #19 “I am really pleased to be back racing again, and this is a fantastic opportunity for me. It’s good to be riding again in the same team as Shinya, who is a friend as well as being a great competitor, and I’m happy to be working again with Yoda-san, for whom I have a great deal of respect.” “The test at Estoril was a short one, but I was immediately impressed with how much of an improvement this year’s Ninja ZX-RR is over the 2004 version I rode for a magazine test at the end of last season. The new engine seems to produce more power and the stability of the chassis is also much improved since last year. As Shinya has proved with his results this season, the bike definitely has potential.” “After seven months away from racing it takes some time to get back up to speed and to rediscover your feeling for the bike. The Chinese Grand Prix will provide an opportunity for me to find this feeling, to get more experience of the bike and to find a set-up I’m happy with ahead of my home Grand Prix at Le Mans. So, while I’ll be looking to do the best I can in the race in China, the main goal is to be competitive by the time we arrive at Le Mans for the French Grand Prix. To score a good result in Le Mans would be fantastic for me and for Kawasaki.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “While it is unfortunate that Alex will miss the next two races through injury, we were lucky that someone of Olivier’s calibre was available to replace him at such short notice. Jumping on a MotoGP machine after such a long layoff is difficult for any rider, but Olivier adapted quickly during his brief test at Estoril and I’m sure that, as he becomes more familiar with the characteristics of the Ninja ZX-RR and our Bridgestone tyres, his lap times will continue to improve during practice and qualifying ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. Nobody has raced in Shanghai before, so Olivier will not start next weekend at a disadvantage, and few riders know their way around Le Mans as well as he does. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do on our bike at his home Grand Prix.”

VALENCIA STARTS WORLD SUPERBIKE’S GRAND EUROPEAN TOUR SBK Teams Return To ‘Normal’ Theatres of Operation: After season-opening rounds at the long-haul destinations of Qatar and Australia, the 12-round Corona Extra Superbike World Championship returns to more familiar territory for the remainder of the championship season. Valencia, now something of a regular stop off point for SBK races and test sessions, is round three in the current series, hosting two SBK races on Sunday 24th April. Valencia History: First introduced to the championship in 2000, the 4.005 km Valencia race circuit is a largely twisty ribbon of tarmac, inside a stadium-style layout, with large spectator grandstands on three sides. Several of the current crop of World Superbike contestants have already taken race wins there, most notably James Toseland, Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga. 2005 Stars So Far: The merest glance at the current championship standings tells the story of the early 2005 series, with Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki riding duo of Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama having scored the lion’s share of the points on offer. With 91 from a possible 100 for Corser and 85 for Kagayama, the Suzuki squad could hardly be better placed as they enter the Valencia round. Corser currently has three wins (26 in his career) while SBK new-boy Kagayama has a single success; race two in Qatar. Twins Continue Challenge: Closest challenger to the dominance of the Suzukis has been the Xerox Ducati of 2004 season runner up, Regis Laconi. His two podium finishes so far in 2005, and two gritty rides against adversity in Australia leave him third in the championship table, with 54 points. Having an even tougher 2005 so far is reigning Champion James Toseland, running his Xerox Ducati in an unaccustomedly lowly eighth place, after some dreadful misfortunes and high-speed crashes. As a winner at Valencia last year, his rivals know that he could well bounce back to be in running for honours again come raceday. Honda Hopefuls: Youth has been given chances in high profile teams once more this year, as fourth placed rider Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) battle it out for status of top Honda rider of 2005. Neukirchner, a promotee from WSS last year, will join Vermeulen on the 22-year mark, shortly before the Valencia weekend. In marked contrast, his team-mate the most experienced World Superbike riders there is is Pierfrancesco Chili. Suffering a broken collarbone in the Phillip Island event, Chili fully intends to ride in Spain, once more showing the grit that has underlined his long and glorious SBK career. Vermeulen’s team-mate, Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) enjoyed a stellar WSS career, and joins the SBK series for the first time this year as the reigning WSS champion. Having fielded the worst effects of illness at Qatar and misfortune in Australia, the 30-year-old Gold Coast rider, now based in Andorra and Switzerland, has a lot to look forward to at a track he has already tested on this season. Of the five top Honda entrants in the field, Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda) will see his Valencia results most likely influenced by machinery, as his team continues to catch up time after an unavoidably late start to their 2005 preparations. Yamaha Hierarchy Firming Up: Thanks to four strong points scoring rides in real race conditions, Yamaha Motor France rider Norick Abe has secured the status of top Yamaha rider at this point, sitting sixth, just ahead of the Yamaha Motor Italia rider Andrew Pitt. Yet another former World Supersport champion, and yet another Aussie, now plying his trade in the new-look Superbike series, Pitt has impressed with his hard riding style and overall commitment. A double no-score from Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) at Phillip Island has dropped him down the order to 11th, while Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) a true star of pre-season qualifying, has yet to find his feet in SBK race conditions. A return to the scene of some of his extreme pre-season competitiveness may be just what the Frenchman requires to get back on terms. Home Town Spaniards: Jose Luis Cardoso (Yamaha DFX Extreme Sterilgarda) will be looking to the familiar setting of Valencia to score his first points since joining the championship. His fellow Spaniard, Fonsi Nieto (SC Ducati 999RS) has a superb ride to fifth in the aggregate race at Phillip Island, securing for himself a top ten championship placing thus far, in what is also his rookie SBK season. His team-mate, Ducati’s favoured son Lorenzo Lanzi (SC Ducati 999RS), is yet another rider attempting to overturn some bad luck and show his true abilities in the biggest class of Superbike racing there is. Kawasaki On the Up: Chris Walker and Mauro Sanchini (PSG-1 Kawasaki) look like battling it out for supremacy in the ZX-10 camp, with Walker the pre-season favourite in this internal battle, yet suffering some outrageous misfortune thus far. The Bertocchi Kawasaki squad, comprising Giovanni Bussei and Ivan Clementi, are also capable of upsets on machinery supplied by the fourth major Japanese manufacturer represented in WSB this year. Petronas In Focus: A previous version of the unique and technically innovative Petronas three-cylinder machinery, similar to that utilised by Aussie duo Garry McCoy and Steve Martin in 2005, enjoyed some success at Valencia last year. It will be difficult to emulate this once more, given the huge increase in the numbers of potential winning machines on the grid, but in McCoy and Martin, Petronas has two battling competitors, ready to take any opportunity that comes their way. Supersport: Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Sebastien Charpentier scored the win at Phillip Island, to take the lead in the championship from his team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara. The Honda duo have been the best of the bunch so far, each with a win, but Yamaha Motor Germany pilot Kevin Curtain has been a strong force throughout the early championship stages. Team Italia Megabike Honda runners Fabien Foret and Michel Fabrizio, are another talented pairing, the experience of 2003 WSS champion Foret contrasting and complimenting the exuberance of 2003 European Superstock champion Fabrizio. After a difficult start to the year, Jurgen van den Goorbergh (SL Ducati) got his season off to a better footing with a fifth place finish in Australia, at one of his favourite circuits.