CHARPENTIER FASTEST ON THE ISLAND Winston Ten Kate Honda’s Sébastien Charpentier set the fastest time in today’s first qualifying session for Sunday’s second round World Supersport championship race at Phillip Island in Australia. His Japanese team-mate and championship leader, Katsuaki Fujiwara, was fifth fastest. In warm sunshine, Frenchman Charpentier continued his recent good form, lapping the 4.4km circuit near Melbourne in a time of 1:35.999 the only rider to break the 1:36 barrier and was 0.3s faster than his nearest challenger, Honda-mounted Michel Fabrizio. Ronald ten Kate team manager: We’re pretty happy with the way things have been going on our first day here at Phillip Island. We’ve still got some more work to do to improve the bike for both Sébastien and Katsuaki but we’re progressing in the right direction. There are a lot of areas where we can improve the bike a little bit, like gearing, suspension and geometry. Phillip Island is also very technical, very much a riders’ circuit, and I’m sure we’ll see both riders improve their times as they get more laps under their belt. Sébastien Charpentier fastest, 1:35.999 Yes, it’s all going OK and I really enjoy riding here at Phillip Island. We’ve been working on different tyre and suspension combinations today and it’s going fine. We have a few more things to try but I think we’re pretty close to deciding what tyres we want to use in the race. We’ll try to give that set-up a longer test tomorrow and try to get pole position like we had at the first round in Qatar. Katsuaki Fujiwara fifth fastest, 1:37.177 We’re trying to get the right feeling for the bike and I think we have lots of work to do tonight and tomorrow. It’s a good circuit but the wind is blowing quite hard and it pushes the bike wide when we go through the long left-hander at turn two. Apart from that we have some more time tomorrow but it is really Sunday that counts so, as long as I can start near the front, it should be OK. World Supersport, Phillip Island provisional qualifying times: 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:35.999, 2 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) 1:36.327, 3 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) 1:36.932, 4 Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) 1:37.075, 5 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:37.177, 6 Johan Stigefelt SWE (Honda) 1:37.912, 7 Christophe Cogan FRA (Suzuki) 1:37.983, 8 Broc Parkes AUS (Yamaha) 1:38.021, 9 Gianluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) 1:38.242, 10 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) 1:38.424. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Germany’s Australian duo Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes enjoyed a productive first day in preparation for their home round of the Supersport World Championship, finishing the day’s opening qualifying session in third and eighth place respectively despite not finding the ideal suspension set-up for their YZF-R6s. Sunny conditions allowed the local heroes to spend the day working on set-up of their R6s ahead of Sunday’s 21 lap race, with Curtain setting his best time of 1’36.932 midway through the session, despite not being totally happy with grip levels from the rear of his machine. Parkes also struggled to find a good setting on his R6 and finished just over a second behind his team-mate, with a 1’38.021 on his final lap pushing him up to a provisional second row spot. Fastest rider of the day was Frenchman Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) with a lap time of 1’35.999. Final qualifying to determine Sunday’s grid position takes place tomorrow afternoon at 13:45 local time. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) “We’re really struggling for rear grip today and it’s quite strange as it just shouldn’t be the case with the improvement we made to the bike. Last year we struggled all year for front grip and struggled with the rear, but here it is the opposite: the front is great but the rear grip isn’t what we expected. I was following Charpentier for about a lap, until his team put out the board to say I was following and he let me past. I could keep up with him until the exits of turn 11 and turn 12, where I was just sliding. That’s a big problem here because if you can’t get good drive out of the last corner you’re going to get hosed down the straight. That shouldn’t be the case on a new tyre so we’re going to have to have a long think about it now to try and find a solution for tomorrow.” Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) “Not the best qualifying I’ve had. We’ve not quite had the set-up today and it’s a bit of a surprise after the improvements we made at the last test in Valencia. I was actually faster when we tested here in January so I know that I can go faster tomorrow – I have to, because the front few guys were really on it today.”

Familiar territory for FPR at Phillip Island Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Garry McCoy and Steve Martin intend to capitalise on their familiarity with the Phillip Island circuit when Superbike World Championship action resumes in Australia this weekend. The Aussie pair, who were involved in a head-to-head battle for the second race win last year before a blown engine ended Steve’s challenge and opened the door for Garry’s first World Superbike victory, made significant progress on the PETRONAS FP1 during a two-day test at their home circuit last weekend. The riders were also able to carry out further valuable set-up at a test in Spain earlier in the month and, with further engine developments imminent, are confident of working their way up through a competitive championship field. Team owner Carl Fogarty, who is returning to the circuit where he suffered his career-ending crash in 2000 for the first time, said: “I am definitely hoping for better results than those we had at Qatar – and I think we will be able to achieve that. Steve and Garry have now had more time on the bike and tested here just last weekend, so top ten finishes are now realistic targets. We already know how tough the competition is going to be this season but we are confident that we are moving in the right direction.” Steve, who was on pole position last year, said: “I am really excited about this weekend. I hope we can keep the ball rolling after the test we had here as I am very happy with the direction in which we are going. This is my home track but there are a lot of Aussies out there and a lot of the other guys have tested here, so I am not sure there will be that much home advantage. It’s a fantastic circuit to ride and will suit our bike better than Qatar, as there are not so many stop-start corners. If we can get a good start anything can happen and, while I am hoping for a dream result, a top six finish would be an achievement.” Garry said: “Our test last weekend went pretty well and we were able to sort a few things out. It was important to get quite a few laps under my belt and get the bike more comfortable for my riding style. While I am still not 100 per cent comfortable, I am happy with the way things are going. The team is still working on the development of the bike and I am sure there is still a lot more to come.” Circuit information: Phillip Island, Australia Best lap: Troy Corser, 1:32.193 (Superpole, 1999) Lap record: Troy Corser 1:33.019 (1999) Best lap on PETRONAS FP1: Steve Martin 1:34.27 (2005 test) Pole position: Left Circuit length: 4.445km Corners: 7 left, 5 right Corner radius: 20m maximum, 23m minimum Maximum slope: 57m uphill

DUCATI XEROX TEAM HEADS DOWN UNDER FOR ISLAND ACTION Phillip Island (Australia), Thursday 31 March: The second of the two overseas rounds of this year’s World Superbike Championship takes place this weekend at the Phillip Island circuit, situated south of Melbourne on the State of Victoria’s spectacular Bass Coast. The opening round in Qatar one month ago saw Ducati Xerox Team riders Régis Laconi and James Toseland meet with alternating fortunes, as the Frenchman took home a third and a second place in the two races, while his British team-mate had to settle for two sixth places. The Phillip Island track has an entirely different layout to the desert sands of Losail, but both Laconi and Toseland are relishing the challenge as it is a fast and flowing circuit where rider ability can make all of the difference. 29-year-old Laconi knows that he is capable of producing a winning performance at the 4.4 km track, having claimed the first of his seven victories in 2004 here one year ago. “I was very happy about the result of the first race because we worked very hard during the winter with Ducati to try to be fast” declared Laconi. “Now that all the factories are back, it has become even harder for us to win. The result at Qatar was good but we still have more work to do to be faster. “Last year things went quite well for me here but I only won one of the races, while in the other I crashed out. For me Phillip Island is a track where the rider can change a lot of things on the bike to improve the settings and performance and for this reason our rider motivation is always high at this circuit. “Maybe maximum engine performance isn’t the thing that counts the most at Phillip Island because it’s more important to get the bike set up right, in particular for the last part. As the track is difficult, the racing is always fantastic and I’ve always gone well here. Hopefully I will have a good result and maybe even get my first win of the year this weekend”. 24-year-old Toseland finds himself in the unenviable position of trying to recapture his 2004 form after a spate of crashes in testing at Qatar and Valencia left him battered and bruised. A couple of weeks rest since the Spanish test has given the reigning champion an opportunity to focus on the task of putting together a good result this weekend. “I had a difficult round at the first race in Qatar, where I had a massive crash. I wasn’t injured but I did feel a bit battered about”, declared Toseland. “Now I’ve had a chance to go back home and sort my head out a bit, I’m now looking forward to this second round at Phillip Island, where you’ll see me as determined as ever. “We had a good race here last year although hopefully you won’t see as much tyre-smoking from me! Phillip Island always produces exciting racing and those last two curves are quite demanding on the tyres. I’ve been fast round there in the past, and after the Valencia testing we have found a decent setting on the bike, so I will go out there and hopefully have a bit more luck than we had have so far this season”. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 1 of 12 rounds): Riders – 1. Kagayama 45, 2. Corser 41, 3. Laconi 36, 4. Vermeulen 21, 5. Pitt & Toseland 20. Manufacturers – 1. Suzuki 50, 2. Ducati 36, 3. Yamaha 22, 4. Honda 21, 5. Kawasaki 7, 6. Petronas 1. THE CIRCUIT Name: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Length: 4.445 km Pole Position: Left Corners Left/Right: 7/5 Finish Line Length: 835 m STATISTICS Best lap: Corser (Ducati) 1:32.193 (1999) Lap record: Corser (Ducati) 1:33.019 (1999) Superpole: Corser (Ducati) 1:32.193 (1999) Race distance: 2 x 22 laps/97.790 km

FISHERMEN’S TALES It’s difficult to imagine two more contrasting sports the peace and tranquillity of fishing against the frenetic pace of world championship motorcycle racing. But, according to Ronald ten Kate and Katsuaki Fujiwara of the Winston Ten Kate Honda team, it is that very contrast that makes the two activities so mutually compatible. As team manager and World Supersport rider respectively, the pair is hooked on fishing as the perfect antidote to the everyday pressures of running a race team and riding a high performance Honda CBR600RR; and round two of the 2005 championship gives both the perfect opportunity to indulge. The Australian round is always looked forward to by riders and teams alike. Phillip Island, nestling 180 kilometres south east of Melbourne, is about as perfect a location as you could find to go racing. The technically demanding circuit is surrounded by quite stunning scenery and sea views and the relaxed pace of life is perfect to offset the rigours of competition. The seas surrounding the island, where the Bass Strait runs into the Pacific Ocean, also offer a quite different selection of fish to those found in Holland, where ten Kate and Fujiwara return home between races. And both have used this season’s visit to Phillip Island to find some sharks. “I began fishing with my father when I was about eight years old,” says ten Kate. “He taught me all about it but, as his business started to grow and he had less and less time to spend on it, he gave me his rods and I carried on.” The advantage with Holland, he concedes, is that there is plenty of water everywhere and, because everyone travels by bicycle, it was easy for the young ten Kate to get to the nearest canal just 500m from his house. “I loved the sensation of catching fish,” he continues, “and I became obsessed with recording each one species, size, date it was caught and so on. I suppose it was my first experience of data-logging, which is now such an important aspect of the team’s performance!” Fujiwara’s introduction to the sport came a little later, when he was in his early teens, and it was also his father who taught him. “We lived near the sea,” he says, “and there was also a lake nearby. But I didn’t do so much fishing back then as I do now.” Fujiwara had other distractions such as the pocket bikes he’d been racing since the age of six and his passion for fishing wasn’t re-kindled until seven years ago. “I was in one of the thousands of games arcades at home in Japan,” he explains, “and there was a computerised version of big game fishing. You have the rod, which is real, but the sea and everything else is on the screen. It was very realistic and exciting so I went and bought some equipment so I could do it for myself again.” Rather than sea fishing, however, Fujiwara opted for a lake near his home town of Chiba; and instead of big game fish, he set his target on the black bass. “It requires constant work and full concentration,” he says, “a little like fly fishing because the black bass feeds on the surface. I very quickly learned to love it again.” Despite the competitive nature of their current profession, however, neither Ronald ten Kate nor Fujiwara have been greatly motivated by fishing competitions. Ten Kate won a few organised by his school “No trophies, just a matter of honour!”, he says and Fujiwara recently entered one in Japan in which he came second by the small margin of 50g. Like his Japanese rider, ten Kate went for many years without picking up a rod, concentrating instead on a successful motocross career. “My racing was beginning to get serious,” he says, “so between the ages of 14 and 30 I just didn’t have time for it.” But it was Phillip Island’s charms that got him back into the sport three years ago, when he witnessed a local shark specialist losing his rod and tackle to a big fish. “It triggered the old bug in me again,” he continues, “and I just went straight to a fishing shop and bought about 200 Euros’ worth of equipment. The adrenalin rush is completely different to racing and it allows me to stop thinking about work completely. Also, when you get that detached from everyday life, you can sometimes see things more clearly.” He now also has a new fishing pal in Fujiwara, who lives close to the Winston Ten Kate Honda workshop in Niewleusen in Holland, where the pair fish for pike in the canals. “I just have to pick up the phone and he’s there,” says ten Kate. “We also have a little competition each time if I win he has to clean my car, and if he wins I have to clean his race bike!” Recent form allowed Fujiwara the pleasure of watching his team manager working hard to polish his Honda CBR600RR after a fishing expedition on the Arabian Gulf during February’s first 2005 World Supersport round in Qatar. He is also hoping to pass on his passion to his two-year-old son Hiroto, having already bought him a rod, tackle and, more importantly, a small life jacket. “At the moment, he just uses the rod to hit things,” laughs Fujiwara, “so maybe I’ll wait a little while!” For the Japanese ace, however, fishing remains a great way to relax, as well as offering a huge excitement. “When you catch a big one, it’s a real thrill,” he says. “I think my heart is beating faster then than it does on the start line for a race!”

World Superbike Championship leaders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama are looking forward to more success at the second round of the series at Phillip Island, Australia this weekend. The Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra dominated the first round in Qatar and is approaching Phillip Island in a positive frame of mind. The duo tested there in January this year. Both recorded good lap times and know they will be in good shape for the weekend ahead. Phillip Island is a fast-flowing, technically-challenging track and one of the best-loved circuits in the calendar and a particular favourite of Corser. Before he arrived on the world stage, the Australian spent many weekends charging round the 4.445 kilometer circuit on a variety of different machinery and got to know the place probably better then any other current World Superbike competitor. In recent years though, he has only ridden there as often as most current riders, but he still regards the track as ‘home’. Troy Corser: “Although I live in Europe these days and probably don’t put in any more laps of Phillip Island than any other rider, I still love the track. It is fast, flowing and technically quite hard, but it’s a real blast to ride and great fun when you get it right. It’s a track that demands good circuit knowledge because, if you want to go fast, you’ve got to know it inside out. Last year, I was on a different bike, so I am really looking forward to being on a very good and fast bike this year. “My team mate Yukio is leading the championship at the moment, but I am confident that I can get a couple of good results here and then hopefully the tables should be reversed and I’ll be on top of the standings. That’s not to say he will not be a threat, because he will. He is so aggressive everywhere! Also, I expect the Ducati boys, Toseland and Laconi to be strong and perhaps also Vermeulen and Muggeridge. And you cannot rule out Haga and Pitt. It’s going to be a great day for the fans though, so I hope we get a good crowd.” Yukio Kagayama: “Phillip Island is not an easy track, but I like it a lot. It is a challenge for sure, but when you put in a good lap, it is a very good feeling. Troy-san has been round it many times so he has a lot more circuit knowledge then me, but I was not so far behind at the tests and I know I can make progress. Last year, I was not involved in the World Superbike Championship, so I did not race here, but that is not a problem for me. “Of course, I am happy to be leading the championship right now, but it is very early days in the season and I expect that many other teams will become stronger during the year. I don’t know if I can beat Troy at Phillip Island, but I will try my hardest as usual. If Troy and I can leave Phillip Island in first and second in the championship, we will all be very happy.” 2004 Phillip Island results: Race 1: 1 Laconi (F- Ducati), 2 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda), 3 Martin (Aus-Ducati). 13 Troy Corser (Aus-Petronas), Yukio Kagayama DNS. Race 2: 1 McCoy (Aus-Ducati), 2 Vermeulen, 3 Chili (I-Ducati). 5 Troy Corser (Aus-Petronas), Yukio Kagayama – DNS.

Wednesday Afternoon AMA Team Test Times (as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing and scoring): 1. Mat Mladin, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:24.684 2. Aaron Yates, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:25.627 3. Neil Hodgson, Duc 999F05 Superbike, 1:25.931 4. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:25.988 5. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:26.203 6. Jason DiSalvo, Yam YZF-R1 Superstock, 1:26.740 7. Steve Rapp, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:26.988 8. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:27.145 9. Eric Bostrom, Duc 999F05 Superbike, 1:27.231 10. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R Superstock, 1:27.333 11. Vincent Haskovec, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:27.341 12. Aaron Yates, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:27.573 13. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R Superstock, 1:27.676 14. Jason Pridmore, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:27.696 15. Geoff May, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:27.802 16. Jamie Hacking, Yam YZF-R6 Supersport, 1:27.855 17. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR600RR Formula Xtreme, 1:27.937 18. Aaron Gobert, Yam YZF-R1 Superstock, 1:27.997 19. Jason Pridmore, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:28.321 20. Vincent Haskovec, Suz GSX-R600 Formula Xtreme, 1:29.068 21. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR600RR Formula Xtreme, 1:29.333 22. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:29.395 23. Damon Buckmaster, Yam YZF-R6 Supersport, 1:29.435 24. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:29.531 25. Chris Ulrich, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:29.713 26. Geoff May, Suz GSX-R600 Supersport, 1:29.993 Best Overall Test Times, By Class (compiled from information provided by AMA Pro Racing timing and scoring): Superbike (current lap record 1:25.176, Mladin): 1. Mladin, 1:24.460 2. Yates, 1:25.728 3. Hodgson, 1:25.931 4. Spies, 1:25.988 5. Zemke, 1:26.203 6. Duhamel, 1:26.463 7. Eric Bostrom, 1:27.231 8. Pridmore, 1:27.696 Superstock (current lap record 1:26.626, Spies): 1. Yates, 1:26.6* 2. DiSalvo, 1:26.740 3. Rapp, 1:26.988 4. Tommy Hayden, 1:27.333 5. Haskovec, 1:27.341 6. Buckmaster, 1:27.418 7. Hacking, 1:27.504 8. Roger Lee Hayden, 1:27.676 9. May, 1:27.802 10. Pridmore, 1:27.950 11. Aaron Gobert, 1:27.997 12. Ulrich, 1:29.713 * Time supplied by rider. Supersport (current lap record 1:27.635, Tommy Hayden): 1. DiSalvo, 1:27.792 2. Hacking, 1:27.855 3. Buckmaster, 1:28.979 4. Tommy Hayden, 1:29.395 5. Roger Lee Hayden, 1:29.531 6. Spies, 1:29.613 7. Aaron Gobert, 1:29.623 8. May, 1:29.715 Formula Xtreme (current lap record 1:27.793, Haskovec): 1. Duhamel, 1:27.937 2. Zemke, 1:28.954 3. Haskovec, 1:29.068 More, from an e-mail from Aaron Yates: Just looking at your times and wanted to let you know I did a 6-7 lap run on the Superstock bike all in the 26s, with the fastest being 26.6, at around 3:30. Aaron