PHILLIP ISLAND A POPULAR STOP OFF FOR LATEST SBK WORLD TOUR Australia Beckons: The magnificent environs of the Phillip Island Circuit will be the sometimes-interactive backdrop for the second round of the 2005 World Superbike Championship, with raceday taking place on 3 April. One of the most popular tracks and destinations in World Superbike, Phillip Island boasts an outstanding layout, undulations aplenty, and some of the biggest rider challenges on the whole SBK tour. Situated on the coast of the gorgeous holiday destination of Phillip Island, two hours south of Melbourne, the circuit has played a pivotal role in many a World Superbike title race of yesteryear. 2004 Formbook: Ducati ruled the PI roost in 2004, with first Regis Laconi and then Garry McCoy winning races. Laconi continues in the factory Ducati squad for 2005, now running Xerox sponsorship, but McCoy has embarked on a new adventure for 2005, in conjunction with the Foggy Petronas squad. James Toseland (Xerox Ducati 999F05) is the reigning World Champion, and continues his 2004 partnership into a new season with Laconi. Out of luck and suffering crashes in testing during the opening Losail event in 2005, Toseland nonetheless scored two good finishes under race conditions in Qatar, underlining the tough character and determination that earned him the 2004 crown at the very last race of the season. 2005 Formbook: After an excellent start to the 2005 campaign at Losail, the factory Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki team are best placed of all on the eve of round two. Current championship leader, after a superb win and a second place, is SBK new regular rider, Yukio Kagayama. Alongside him in the Suzuki squad is Qatar podium finisher Troy Corser, the 1996 World Superbike champion and a former Phillip Island race winner in his own right. Variety of Options: Ranged against the top Ducati and Suzuki entrants in Australia will be an astoundingly strong line up of competitors, equipped with machinery from a total of six manufacturers. The top four-cylinder runner in 2004 was 2003 WSS champion Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and he is back again to make an even bigger impression than his overall fourth in last year’s contest. Karl Muggeridge, 2004’s WSS champion, is his team-mate, in what is his own first season of Superbike competition. Yamaha Forces Amass: Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) has had to take some time to adapt at the forefront of the 2005 Yamaha challenge but yet another Aussie with a World Supersport championship in his trophy cabinet, Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia), has shown his true pace already. On home tarmac, Pitt has always been a force, but he is only one of a whole raft of quick R1 riders collecting at Phillip Island. Jose Luis Cardoso (Yamaha DFX Extreme Sterilgarda), Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) and Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) have already unveiled glimpses of their pace and power, and that of the 2005 R1. In numerical terms, the R1 predominates in SBK this season, with Yamaha riders into double digits on the grid. Kawasaki On the Up: Chris Walker and Mauro Sanchini (PSG-1 Ducati) are two of the main driving forces for the Kawasaki concern, riding the awesome ZX-10 Superbike. Walker showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with now he is back on a four-cylinder machine, but after luck deserted him in Losail he is not as high up the points charts as his obvious speed would indicate. The Bertocchi squad, represented by Giovanni Bussei and Ivan Clementi, has one more year of experience of the ZX-10 Superbike, having taken advantage of the 1000cc ceiling for four-cylinder Superbikes, first introduced in 2004. More Honda Hopefuls: Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda) rode his heart out to almost earn a podium finish in race two at Qatar, in his latest SBK incarnation as a Honda rider. His young team-mate Max Neukirchner joins him in the Klaffi Superbike squad, having already made a swift transition from WSS rookie in 2004 (still in the Klaffi squad) to SBK rookie in 2005. Another new team in SBK 2005, the Klaffi outfit has already made a double-barrelled impact. Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji) had extreme misfortune at Losail, but with more time for his team to prepare the machinery, he can expect greater things in Australia. Big Names On Big Ducatis: The factory Ducati squad for 2005 remains as was in 2004, but in the privateer ranks there have been big name signings in the off season. Fonsi Nieto and Lorenzo Lanzi, each from the Scuderia Caracchi team, had challenging first outings on their Superbike steeds in Qatar, but each has shown talent in other categories of racing; talent that is expected to shine under an Aussie sun. Petronas Perspective: The aforementioned Garry McCoy is teamed with a fellow Aussie in 2005, the experienced and versatile Steve Martin. Their Petronas FP-1 is unique in several ways, its design featuring a 900cc, three-cylinder engine, but with the usual configuration reversed. The exhausts thus exit from the rear of the engine, while the intake is at the front. At the fast Phillip Island circuit, it may be a particularly tough challenge for the Petronas boys, but in front of their home crowd, the interest in their progress will be immense. Supersport: Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Katsuaki Fujiwara headed off what appeared to be a certain disappearing act from his team-mate Sebastien Charpentier in Qatar, taking his first win for Honda in WSS. Hondas are well represented in WSS 2005, with Team Megabike runners Fabien Foret and Michel Fabrizio, plus WSS rookie Tatu Lauslehto (from the Klaffi Honda team), all on fully supported machinery. Aussie pairing Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes, from the Yamaha Motor Germany team, will feel strong support from the understandably partisan Phillip Island crowd. In the Ducati camps, Gianluca Nannelli had the best showings at Losail, on his Scuderia Caracchi 749. With two days of qualifying culminating in the exciting Superpole discipline on Saturday 2 April, World Superbike racing itself gets underway on Sunday 3rd, with two SBK rounds sandwiching a single Supersport outing.

ODENTON, MD. – The United States Grand Prix Riders Union (USGPRU) today finalized an agreement with AlwaysOnline.net, a leading provider of internet service and hardware, to be the title sponsor for the USGPRU in 2005. “The support of AlwaysOnline.net turbo-charges the momentum that the USGPRU is enjoying while attracting new and top talent to the sport of Grand Prix road racing here in the USA,” said Stewart Aitken-Cade, President of the USGPRU. “The addition of AlwaysOnline.net to our growing list of sponsors shatters the $100,000 mark easily, and gives us the level of support we need to further promote the series.” “The USGPRU offers one of the premier Grand Prix motorcycle road racing events in the United States,” said Jason Silva, Chief Operating Officer of AlwaysOnline.net. “The decision to support the USGPRU this season stems from the shared love of racing and a shared philosophy that both in business and racing speed, attention-to-detail, and reliability will put you on the podium. The GP style racing is speed in its purest form, and AlwaysOnline.net provides speed and reliability to our clients through our services and our superior support. ” The AlwaysOnline.net sponsorship results in minimum cash purses of one thousand dollars for each class at all USGPRU events this year. The title sponsorship also increases the cash purse to five thousand dollars for each class in the National Championship Final scheduled at Texas Motor Speedway in College Station, Texas on October first and second this year. AlwaysOnline.net will also be providing advanced dedicated web hosting services for the USGPRU.net website. About AlwaysOnline.net AlwaysOnline.net is the fastest growing provider of web hosting solutions for customers of all sizes from small businesses to large enterprises. Founded in 1999, AlwaysOnline.net has built a solid reputation in the industry for speed, reliability, and superior support. Operating a wholly-owned Class A datacenter in Annapolis, Maryland, AlwaysOnline.net offers services from server colocation to leased dedicated servers. For more information please visit www.AlwaysOnline.net or call 800-699-9748. About USGPRU The USGPRU is the officially recognized Motorcycle 125 Grand Prix National Championship(r) and 250 Grand Prix National Championship TM series. The USGPRU emulates true World MotoGP racing experience and serves to attract young riders to gain experience in a professional environment and provide a path to world-class motorcycle racing. The USGPRU structures events with extended length grand prix racing exclusive to the GP machines, timed qualifying and strong contingency and sponsor support. For additional details, visit www.USGPRU.net

BUELL MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIASTS FUND AMA FORMULA XTREME BONUS AWARDS PROGRAM BadWeatherBikers.com (BadWeB), an online (got no real life) community (asylum) of Buell motorcycle (big hairy bellowing American V-Twins and thumpers) enthusiasts (incorrigible hooligans), is happy (cause we’re able to talk about ourselves) to announce our sponsorship of a bonus awards program (bribe) for Buell motorcycle racers (real men with big hairy brass ones) competing in (trying to run the Hondas off into the ditch) the 2005 AMA Formula Xtreme class (Honda’s personal AMA racing series in which all the other factories are apparently afraid to compete). The total BadWeB/AMA FX awards program (bribe) exceeds $10,000 (we don’t do math very well). The awards (bribes) will be offered to the participating top four finishing (and living breathing able to at least crawl and grunt after the race) Buell motorcycle racers (real men with big hairy brass ones) in each Formula Xtreme event (confrontation of American brutes and Honda’s elite) of 2005 according to the following award (bribe) structure: 1st – $600 2nd – $300 3rd – $200 4th – $100 BadWeB was deeply saddened to see one of the biggest and baddest Buell racers of them all (since Erik himself put duct tape to leather racing the RW750 in AMA Formula 1) lose portions of a few small extremities while racing (getting taken out) in the FUSA series as preparation for the 200. We all wish Mr. Shawn Higbee a thorough and speedy recovery and a successful re-entry into racing a bad azz Buell in an AMA Professional series. We also wish all the rest of the Buell racing privateers the best of luck and success in garnering the meager bribes that the hooligans at BadWeB were able to scratch up. If anyone would like to help support this effort, please visit BadWeatherBikers.com and join in the fun via the applicable topics on the BadWeB “Quick Board.” You can flat out donate (give us) your money or buy a bunch of our really cool limited edition calendars. Go Buell Racers kick azz!

Dunlop AMA Road Racing Manager Jim Allen is set to retire in two years and is already training his replacement, Brit John Higgins, who has a background in World Superbike and MotoGP racing. Allen, a Canadian, has run Dunlop’s AMA road racing program since the early-1980s and is largely responsible for the company’s dominant numbers on AMA Pro Racing grids. Allen is a former road racer who competed in AMA events; during his career he raced a Yamaha TZ250 and a Yamaha TZ750, among other machines.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin ended the first day of an AMA team test Tuesday at Barber Motorsports Park by eclipsing his own official lap record of 1:25.176 with a 1:24.460. Not only was Mladin’s time fastest, it was 1.7 seconds faster than the next-quickest time, a 1:26.118 recorded by Neil Hodgson on his Ducati Austin works 999. Former World Superbike Champion Hodgson saw the technical Barber circuit for the first time Tuesday morning. Third-fastest rider on the day was Mladin’s junior teammate Ben Spies with a 1:26.402 on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike, 0.6 seconds clear of American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel’s best time of 1:27.029 on his kitted CBR1000RR. Fifth-fastest overall and fastest of the Superstock riders was Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Steve Rapp with a 1:27.136 on his GSX-R1000. The fastest Supersport tester was Jason DiSalvo, who lapped at 1:27.792 on his factory Yamaha YZF-R6. According to timing and scoring information provided on AMA Pro Racing’s website, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec turned the fastest time for the Formula Xtreme class, a 1:29.434 on his GSX-R600. Pirelli-sponsored Team M4 EMGO Suzuki is the only team at the test not using Dunlop tires. Weather conditions for the test were near perfect with sunny skies, no wind and high temperatures in the 70-degree F range. Tuesday Afternoon Test Times (as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing and scoring): 1. Mat Mladin, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:24.460 2. Neil Hodgson, Duc 999F05, 1:26.118 3. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:26.402 4. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:27.029 5. Steve Rapp, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:27.136* 6. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:27.163 7. Aaron Yates, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:27.309* 8. Damon Buckmaster, Yam YZF-R1, 1:27.418* 9. Jamie Hacking, Yam YZF-R1, 1:27.504* 10. Jason DiSalvo, Yam YZF-R6, 1:27.792 11. Geoff May, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:27.917* 12. Jason Pridmore, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:27.950* 13. Eric Bostrom, Duc 999F05, 1:28.206 14. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:28.799* 15. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:29.005 16. Vincent Haskovec, Suz GSX-R600, 1:29.434 17. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR, 1:29.669 18. Chris Ulrich, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:30.226* 19. Aaron Gobert, Yam YZF-R6, 1:31.353 * Superstock bike

Five-time and current AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin was the fastest man Tuesday morning at the start of a two-day AMA team test at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding the 2005-model Yoshimura Suzuki that took him to victory in the season-opener a little over two weeks ago at Daytona International Speedway, Mladin turned a 1:25.895 to have top honors at 12:00 p.m. local time. The current lap record at Barber is a 1:25.176, set by Mladin in 2003. The fastest AMA Superbike race lap ever turned at Barber is a 1:26.044, recorded by Aaron Yates also in 2003. Some 1.5 seconds behind Mladin after a half day of testing Tuesday was American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel, who was second-fastest with a 1:27.332 on his kitted CBR1000RR. Third-fastest overall and fastest of all Superstock testers was Graves Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking with a 1:27.732 on his YZF-R1. Eighth-fastest overall and fastest Supersport rider was Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo with a 1:28.451. Only four riders (DiSalvo, Aaron Gobert, Tommy Hayden and Ben Spies) rode their 600cc Supersport machines Tuesday morning. One of the bigger stories from the test is that Damon Buckmaster is making a significant number of fast laps in spite of breaking his right humerus 23 days ago in a crash during a Formula USA race at Daytona. Teams attending the test include: Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin, American Honda, Kawasaki, Yoshimura Suzuki, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki, Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki, Roadracingworld.com Suzuki, Yamaha and Graves Yamaha. Tuesday Morning AMA Team Test Times (as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing and scoring): 1. Mat Mladin, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:25.895 2. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:27.332 3. Jamie Hacking, Yam YZF-R1, 1:27.732* 4. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:27.738 5. Neil Hodgson, Duc 999F05, 1:27.747 6. Steve Rapp, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:28.319* 7. Jason Pridmore, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:28.423 8. Jason DiSalvo, Yam YZF-R6, 1:28.451 9. Aaron Yates, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:28.454* 10. Eric Bostrom, Duc 999F05, 1:28.611 11. Damon Buckmaster, Yam YZF-R1, 1:28.673* 12. Vincent Haskovec, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:28.780* 13. Geoff May, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:29.558* 14. Aaron Gobert, Yam YZF-R6, 1:29.623 15. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR, 1:29.661 16. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:29.837* 17. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R600, 1:30.400 18. Chris Ulrich, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:31.597* 19. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:38.966 * Superstock bike

The American Federation of Motorcyclist will kick-off the 2005 road racing season this weekend at Buttonwillow Raceway in Buttonwillow, Ca. Returning AFM champion David Stanton will attempt to capture yet another AFM championship while Ken Hill, Chris Siglin, Rob Mesa and a host of other talented racers have their own plans in place to attempt to take away the returning champ’s # 1 plate. With open practice taking place on Friday, regular AFM practice on Saturday, and 13 scheduled races being run on Sunday, don’t hesitate to make plans to attend what’s sure to be an action packed weekend of road racing excitement. For further information on AFM racing please visit the new and improved website at:www.afmracing.org.

Phillip Island circuit Track length: 4448 m Year opened: 1956 Superbike lap record: 1:33.019 (Troy Corser, 1999) Last year’s winners: Regis Laconi and Garry McCoy (both Ducati) After a solid start in the opening round at Qatar, Yamaha’s Superbike World Championship campaign makes their only racing trip to the southern hemisphere for the Yamaha-sponsored round two of the series at Australia’s Phillip Island circuit. This was the venue where the officially-supported Yamaha Motor Italia team started their 2005 campaign with a three-day test in January and since then the team has been busy developing and improving their YZF-R1s. Having started life as standard R1s, the Yamaha Motor Italia machines have been transformed into superbike contenders through the use of Yamaha’s range of YEC racing kit parts and a number of exotic parts including factory Ohlins suspension, Magneti Marelli engine management system and a one-off exhaust system made by Termignoni. Having already tested at Phillip Island, riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt go to the circuit with good basic settings. Both set competitive times on the final day of the test, especially local man Pitt, whose best of 1:33.9 would have qualified him second on last year’s grid. But Yamaha knows only too well that good race settings are more important than one-off qualifying laps so work at interim tests (Qatar and Valencia) has focused on improving tyre longevity and throttle connection and the team hopes that new front end settings will improve rider feedback in Australia and eliminate the high front tyre wear experienced during the opening round. Among the many R1s lining up on the grid in this year’s championship is the two-rider entry from Yamaha Motor France. Their riders Norick Abe and Sébastien Gimbert also showed their pace in Qatar, Abe running with the leaders and posting two top ten finishes at the Losail circuit and Gimbert establishing a new lap record. Both are no strangers to the Phillip Island circuit, having competed there in Grands Prix, and will look to build on their Qatar performances. Phillip Island The Australian round may be as far away from the teams’ European bases as is geographically possible but thankfully the Phillip Island circuit is a favourite of almost all the riders, who revel in the fast and flowing nature of the circuit. Situated a little more than one hour’s drive from the city of Melbourne, Phillip Island is a tourist spot popular with surfers and nature lovers alike. The layout of the circuit means that it suits riders who can carry high corner speeds and usually promotes close racing with riders slipstreaming each other down the long home straight, which is followed by a 200kph fifth gear right-hander – one of the fastest corners on any circuit in the world. Of all the circuits on the calendar, Phillip Island is probably the toughest on tyres due to its combination of fast turns with high lean angles. It’s a fast, flowing circuit and maintaining good momentum is the key to a fast lap. Both front and rear tyre wear can be high, so the riders will all be working on finding a good set up that will allow them to maximise the life of their Pirellis over the full race distance. Phillip Island’s location can also add another variable into the equation. Situated on the Bass Strait, high winds are common and can change the circuit characteristics, not just from session to session but often from lap to lap. Significantly, there is only one hard braking zone at Phillip Island, the entry to turn four, meaning that riders will trade off some stability under braking for a set up that works well in the fast corners. Yamaha’s key development areas are the way to unlock a good lap at Phillip Island. With so many long sweeping corners to contend with, the engine management settings will need to be spot on to provide good, linear power delivery. Suspension-wise, most riders will go for a slightly soft set-up to provide a good feeling and save tyre life. A similar setting is likely to be used up front as good feedback is needed to provide the rider with confidence at these high speeds and extreme lean angles. Supersport World Championship Yamaha Motor Germany’s Australian pairing of Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes are hoping to uphold national pride in round two of the Supersport World Championship in Phillip Island. Home riders have won this race since Curtain’s victory in 2001. Since then, fellow Aussies Andrew Pitt, Chris Vermeulen and Josh Brookes have stood on the top step of the podium as the locals dominate the 600cc class. Like the Yamaha Motor Italia squad, the German team also spent three days testing at the Australian circuit in January and, like their Italian colleagues, have also made significant strides with the front end settings of their machines. After overcoming injuries to post solid fourth and sixth place finishes in the opening round, both go into their home race fully fit and raring to go after making big progress at the recent Valencia test.