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.

Gobert will contest the Linfox Australian Superbike Championship, kicking off a season long campaign in the domestic championship. He will race a Honda CBR 1000RR Fireblade under the Redwing Honda colours – a Honda dealer from Heidelberg in Melbourne. This union, returns Gobert to Honda where his stop-start road race career began. It’s a major coup for the Phillip Island race and fans to the circuit will be keen to see the boy from Bringelly go. In 2000, he thrilled the island crowd when he won the world superbike round on a saturated track. Riding an underpowered and temperamental Bimota, he led from the start and took the win by a massive 30 seconds from defending champion Carl Fogarty. This April, he will contest the three national superbike races..and it won’t be Carl Fogarty on his back, but the leading young guns of the Australian scene including defending champion Adam Fergusson, the immensely talented Josh Brookes and the Yamaha duo of Shannon Johnson and Daniel Stauffer. Gobert’s return will be a surprise to many who thought he was on the scrapheap, his numerous off track misdemeanours eventually overshadowing his riding prowess. His latest was in April last year when he was sacked from the American AMA Superbike Championship. “I know I’ve said it many times before and people will be wondering how long I go before something else happens but truly I know this is my last chance,” Gobert explained. “They reckon a cat has nine lives and I think I must be up to about number 10 in my career so far. “I’ve been pretty depressed in the last few months as I really didn’t think I would get another ride. I’m 30 years old now and in the last 12 months I’ve haven’t had a job so I’ve had a lot of time to think. Over that time I’ve matured a lot and I realise I have the best job in the world and have been silly to nearly throw it all away.” It is now more than ten years since Gobert’s first and only championship victory when he won the 1994 Australian Superbike Championship aboard a factory Honda RC30. From those early beginnings as a prodigiously talented teenager Gobert’s career has been more soap opera than substance with his off-track antics overshadowing the immense natural talent he demonstrated riding a bike and beating the world’s best. “Honda is where my success began in road racing and I’ve got to really thank them for giving me another chance,” said Gobert. “I’m going into Philip Island with an open mind because I haven’t been on a road bike for 12 months but fortunately for me Phillip Island brings out the best in me. The Redwing Honda boys are working day and night to make the bike as good as it can be so I just hope I know how to still twist the throttle! “I’d like to say thanks to Perry from Redwing Honda who has given me this opportunity and showing the faith to give me a ride. I’ve been doing a lot of motocross riding lately to increase my fitness and with my new outlook I aim to repay the favour and get back to what I do best.” In his first appearance in a World Superbike event at Phillip Island in 1994, (moments after signing a deal with Kawasaki) he set the world alight leading the first race by a huge margin only to slow in the later stages to allow world champion-elect, Kawasaki’s Scott Russell past to secure his one and only World Championship. With no team orders to obey in the next race, Gobert left them all standing to finish 12 seconds in front of future four-times world champion Carl Fogarty. From there the world was Gobert’s oyster but his extra curricular activities ensured that he never met his potential an ill fated tenure with the Lucky Strike Suzuki Grand Prix Team the most notable. For all his controversy off the track, Gobert’s riding talent cannot be denied and there has been some stellar moments that have included eight wins in the World Superbike Championship from his memorable first win in 1994 through to 2000, including six wins on a Kawasaki. In 1996, while still with Kawasaki, he took out a double win at the World Superbike event at Phillip Island with a unorthodox strip on the victory podium. With this latest opportunity Gobert intends it to be a stepping stone to relaunch his controversial career. “I’m super excited about my first ride back at Phillip Island and I hope to put on a good show for my fans.” EVENT INFORMATION AND TICKET PRICES Tickets for the Yamaha Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island from April 1-3 can be purchased from Ticketmaster 7 on 1300 136 122 or from the circuit 03 5952 2710. For campsite bookings call the Superbike Hotline on (03) 5952 2710 or visit the website on www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au More, from another press release issued by Phillip Island Circuit: Over the years the support races have provided countless thrilling moments and this year the competition will intensify as all the races comprise the opening round of the 2005 Australian Superbike Championships. The headline act for the locals will be the exhilarating action of the Linfox Australian Superbike Championship races for the big-bore, 1000cc four-stroke machines as well as the Armaguard Australian Supersport Championship and the Neds Red Australian Superstock Cup. With 140 entries spread over the three classes there’s even more reason why spectators shouldn’t be lining the fences until the end of the day. 2005 also sees the introduction of a new point-scoring system that sees down to 20th position awarded points that will all count for the 2005 title. LINFOX AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Defending Superbike Champion, Adam Fergusson on his Joe Rocket Honda Racing Team Honda CBR will be leading the charge as he aims to prove that he can repeat last year’s historical effort by successfully defending his Australian Superbike and Supersport crowns. Plenty of riders are keen to unseat him – none more than road racing’s wild child, Anthony Gobert, who has confirmed his return to domestic racing with Redwing Honda and Fergusson’s Joe Rocket Honda Racing team mate Josh Brookes. Brookes took a stranglehold on last year’s title before a horrific accident saw him break his pelvis in several places and was forced to sit out the year – while Fergusson grabbed the silverware. Now fully recovered and 100% fit, the 21-year-old from Bringelly on the outskirts of Sydney will be determined to get back that winning feeling and make up for the disappointment of 2004. Competition will be stiff including the Yamaha Racing Team duo of Shannon Johnson and his teammate Daniel Stauffer on the all new Yamaha R1. In his first year on a Yamaha, Johnson was runner-up to Fergusson in 2004 and demonstrated in the later half of the year how well he adapted to his new team; while Stauffer was another beset by injury that curtailed his season’s effort. In the Team Suzuki camp, three times Australian Champion Shawn Giles will again be riding the potent GSX-R1000. Giles thrives on the Phillip Island layout and holds the current domestic Superbike lap record (1:35.248) while in 2005, Giles will be joined by the extremely talented youngster Glen Allerton. Allerton makes the step up from the Supersport ranks and if his determination and hard riding on the middleweights combined with the potent Suzuki are any guide, will be a definite threat. The appearance of Kawasaki ensures that all the major manufacturers will be represented with Jamie Stauffer again donning the green leathers and after a year’s development on the awesome ZX10R should be right in the thick of it. That’s not to discount the myriad of talented privateers such as Victorians Nick Henderson (Honda CBR) and Scott Charlton (BTX M/C Suzuki GSXR), Queenslander Rob Bugden (Northstar Yamaha R1), Judd Greedy (Rocket Honda CBR) and Shaun Geronimi (Sydney Mesh and Steel Yamaha R1) who will be swapping paint with each other while trying to keep in touch with the leading factory riders. ARMAGUARD AUSTRALIAN SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP The Armaguard Australian Supersport Championship will no doubt reflect the combative nature of the class with all machines evenly matched. With little modification allowed it is another class where the talent of the riders rises to the top. Again Adam Fergusson is defending champion but his main threat will again be from inside his own team with Josh Brookes ready to attack as he holds the current Supersport lap record. Who could forget Brookes’ astounding effort as a Wild Card in last year’s World Supersport even at the Island? The now 21-year-old from Bringelly (NSW) left many of the fancied riders behind him to duke it out with regular World Supersport frontrunner, Kevin Curtain, and took the win in a dramatic final lap to announce his arrival to the world. Returning to Yamaha this year, is the mercurial Robbie Baird who has shown that age is no barrier to going fast and will be bashing bars at the front; as well as new signing to the Kawasaki Racing Team Josh Waters. Waters has tasted Grand Prix experience and after a year on a privateer Supersport bike will be all that more race tuned for the event. Other names include 2004 Australian 125cc GP Champion Bryan Staring (Allect Racing Honda) from Western Australia, Mark Aitcheson (Fraser Yamaha R6), and Mark Stanley (Lismore MC Yamaha R6). The 18″”year-old Staring is stepping up to the bigger four-strokes and in just a handful of races has demonstrated that he has adapted to the bigger capacity 600cc machines. Aitchison has been knocking on the door of the leading bunch and with a good team behind him will be aiming to step it up a notch while Stanley is another, who after many years on two-strokes, is getting quicker at every outing. NEDS RED AUSTRALIAN SUPERSTOCK CUP The Neds Red Australian Superstock Cup support races will again showcase the rising talent of Australian road racing. The Superstock Cup is for novices who are just commencing their careers and only ‘C’ and ‘D’ grade riders are eligible to compete in the series. Unlike the other classes that compete on race-spec rubber, the headbangers of the Superstock class have to race on a control tyre – Dunlop D208RR road going tyres that are available in any bike shop across the country. Many of last year’s Superstock contingent have made the progression to the Supersport ranks but this has opened the way for many others to stamp their class in the category. Look out for names like Queenslander Darren Edwards (Kawasaki ZX6RR), Drew Bennett (Elliott Brothers Kawasaki), local riders, Aaron Phillips (First Permanent Home Loans Yamaha R6) and Shane Ingram (Yamaha R6). Qualifying for the championship support races in on Friday, with two races on Saturday and one race a piece on Sunday. EVENT INFORMATION AND TICKET PRICES Tickets for the Yamaha Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island from April 1-3 can be purchased from Ticketmaster 7 on 1300 136 122 or from the circuit 03 5952 2710. For campsite bookings call the Superbike Hotline on (03) 5952 2710 or visit the website on www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au TICKET PRICES Race day ticket Sunday only $65.00 (children 5-15″¦ $30) Three Day ticket Friday, Saturday, Sunday $110.00 Family Sunday $130.00 Family three day ticket $220.00 BAR SBK providing an undercover facility at three Superscreens $165 Camping ( four nights Thursday to Sunday inclusive) $75 per person (children 5-15..$25)

The promise of much more to come from the KTM-powered Proton KR was the feeling from British rider Shakey Byrne after completing the three-day IRTA test at Jerez (March 25-27.) This test was only Byrne’s third outing on the KTM-powered Proton KR machine. The project is still in its infancy and going through the time consuming prototype development stage of matching KTM’s Austrian manufactured V4, 990cc motor with the British built TeamKR chassis. Byrne completed 152 laps over three days in a final shakedown prior to the opening race of the 2005 season, the Spanish Grand Prix, also at Jerez on April 10. Over the three days Byrne was able to slice almost four seconds from his lap times as he worked through a program of chassis and suspension set-up and engine evaluation. Byrne ran only on Michelin race tyres and did not try for a fast, single lap using soft compound tyres unlike all the other factory rivals at the test. Byrne stayed within a narrow range of the available Michelin tyre choice as he concentrated on improving front-end ‘feel’. Day two of the test was interrupted by steady rain in the morning and the track remained damp until mid-afternoon with the weather clearing to sunny and windy conditions. Shakey Byrne : 1:44.272 (152 laps) “I made a lot of progress with the front end settings on the final day and we are now heading in the right direction. On race tyres I did 1:44.2 which was almost four seconds quicker than the times I started with on the first day. On day one I didn’t have a lot of confidence in the front end on corner entry. The main changes were to chassis geometry and fork settings. “There is definitely more to come. On the final day the lap times came much easier. On day one I was busting my balls to do 1:47s but on day three the 1:44.2 was really comfortable. “With the KTM engine we tried some different mapping and other adjustments. I would like a bit more push off the turns from the motor and hopefully we can achieve that while keeping the smooth power delivery and throttle connection. It’s a pity we had to stop early on the final day with a problem. “I didn’t really get time to test some of the new and better tyres available from Michelin. I didn’t even bother having a run on soft qualifier, we weren’t ready for that. “The 1:42s needs to be our target at Jerez and I think everyone now knows what the things are that we need to improve on the bike. Everyone from KTM and Team KR are very keen and motivated.”

CCS/Formula USA has hired Ryan Hoyler as its new Promotions Manager. Hoyler and his fiance Peggy had a daughter, Riley Abigail Hoyler, March 18 in Fort Worth, Texas.

AUSTRALIAN DUO GEAR UP FOR HOME ROUND Winston Ten Kate Honda’s World Superbike pairing of Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge head to Phillip Island in Australia this weekend for round two of the 2005 season. Respectively from Brisbane and Tweed Heads in New South Wales, the two will approach this event as their home round and will be keen to perform well on the Honda CBR1000RR. Vermeulen left the first round at Losail in Qatar last month in fourth place overall after finishing eighth and fourth in the two races. Muggeridge took a top ten finish in his debut Superbike race but crashed out of race two. With a solid test at Valencia two weeks ago, however, both riders made the type of progress they had sought pre-season and now feel competitive enough to improve their championship standings. The weekend’s activities kick off with practice and qualifying sessions on Friday, with Saturday’s Superpole session used to determine final grid positions for Sunday’s two races. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “Phillip Island is like a second home to the team especially with our two Australian riders. We’ve had good success there in the past and Chris took two second places in our first year with the CBR1000RR last season. The recent Valencia test at last gave us the chance to do some development work on the bike and gave both riders some good amounts of track time so we head to Australia in a positive frame of mind. In terms of set-up for the bike, we know which direction we need to be heading in now so we’ll be using chassis parts and settings from Valencia to make sure we’re competitive, because this round is really where our season starts.” Chris Vermeulen championship position 4th, 21 points: “It’s always good to come home to race and I’ve had a couple of weeks to acclimatise at my parents’ house in Brisbane. I’ve been doing some flying hours towards my pilot’s licence, some training and cruising around in my F100 pick-up, so I’m feeling pretty relaxed. I really like the Phillip Island circuit I won my first World Supersport race there in 2003 and came away with top points last year on the Superbike. With family and friends around it helps to relax but it’s also an incentive to do well. The Valencia test gave us a chance to put some laps in and showed us that we’re going the right way with the bike so I’m confident that we can do well this weekend.” Karl Muggeridge championship position 12th, 7 points: “For various reasons, the first round in Qatar wasn’t that fantastic but the great thing with this team is that we didn’t panic. I’ve said from the start that I’m not going to make any wild predictions for my first year in Superbikes because that’ll only put pressure on me. I just want to make steady progress each time I go out on the bike and the Valencia test was really the first opportunity to do that. It showed that with some time on the bike I can be competitive and I’m looking to push that forward at Phillip Island this weekend. Of course, I’ve got friends and family coming down to cheer me on which will be great but it won’t be until after the race that I can really relax with them.” Phillip Island World Superbike event schedule: Friday 1 April 10.30-11.30 free practice, 14.15-15.15 qualifying; Saturday 2 April 11.00-12.00 qualifying, 14.45-15.45 free practice, 16.00 Superpole; Sunday 3 April 09.20-09.40 warm-up, 12.00 race one (22 laps, 97.79km), 15.30 race two (22 laps, 97.79km). World Superbike championship points after one of 12 rounds: 1 Yukio Kagayama JPN (Suzuki) 45 points, 2 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) 41, 3 Regis Laconi FRA (Ducati) 36, 4 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 21, 5= Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha)/James Toseland GBR (Ducati) 20, 7 Noriyuki Haga JPN (Yamaha) 16, 8 Norick Abe JPN (Yamaha) 15, 9 Pierfrancesco Chili ITA (Honda) 11, 10 Ivan Silva ESP (Yamaha) 9, 12 Karl Muggeridge AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 7. TEN KATE LOOKS TO MAINTAIN SUPERSPORT DOMINATION The Winston Ten Kate Honda World Supersport approaches this weekend’s second round of the 2005 championship at Phillip island, Australia with one thing in mind: to maintain its stranglehold on the class that has secured the last three world titles and continued this year since the first official test at Losail in Qatar in February. The team’s two riders, Sébastien Charpentier and Katsuaki Fujiwara, have headed the time sheets in virtually every practice session, underlining their domination with a one-two finish in the opening round. Although Charpentier had qualified in pole position for the Losail event, it was Fujiwara that lit up the race with a last-to-first charge after he stalled his Honda CBR600RR at the start from second place on the grid. The pair carried their good form back to Europe for an official test at Valencia in Spain just over two weeks ago, heading the time sheets once more with Charpentier back on top. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “Of course it was a dream start for the team at the first round in Qatar. We have a heavily revised CBR600RR this season and two new riders, so everybody had a great deal to learn. The fact that we have been so dominant simply shows how hard the team and riders have been working, learning to operate together. And, of course, it shows how good the Honda CBR600RR really is! We’ll start at Phillip Island with pretty much the same chassis settings that were working so well at the recent Valencia test where Sébastien was on fire and making really good progress. Katsuaki is still learning how the Honda works and how we work as a team but his win in Qatar was fantastic for everyone. We’re looking forward to keeping both riders on top in Australia.” Katsuaki Fujiwara championship position 1st, 25 points “I think I made the right move in joining the Ten Kate team on the new Honda CBR for this season! It was fantastic for me to win in Qatar but I have also been getting used to the bike and my new team. The test at Valencia was another chance to make some progress and we worked mostly on the front of the bike because that gave us some problems in the first race. I’m really looking forward to Phillip Island and, although last year was not so good for me, I still have the lap record from the race in 2003 when I finished second behind Chris Vermeulen. I have spent the last couple of weeks back home in Japan relaxing with my family and with some people from Honda’s R&D department who threw a party to celebrate my win in Qatar.” Sébastien Charpentier championship position 2nd, 20 points “The Valencia test was very important for me to understand the front end problems I had in Qatar. Everything went really well during the test there; I qualified in pole position for the race and had a really good lead after about six or seven laps. But then the problems started and Katsuaki came past me with about two laps to go. I was disappointed at the time but it was great for the team to get a one-two finish at the very first race. Now we go to Phillip Island where I finished fifth last year on the CBR600RR. The bike has really been improved for this season though and now I’m on a Ten Kate CBR, so I am confident that I can improve my result and go for another win for this incredible team.” Phillip Island World Supersport event schedule: Friday 1 April 09.35-10.20 free practice, 13.15-14.00 qualifying; Saturday 2 April 10.00-10.45 free practice, 13.45-14.30 qualifying; Sunday 3 April 09.50-10.10 warm-up, 13.20 race (21 laps, 93.345km). World Supersport championship points after one of 12 rounds: 1 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 25 points, 2 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 20, 3 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) 16, 4 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) 13, 5 Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) 11, 6 Broc Parkes AUS (Yamaha) 10, 7 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) 9, 8 Xavi Fores ESP (Suzuki) 8, 9 Gianluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) 7, 10 Tatu Lauslehto FIN (Honda) 6.