Daytona: New bike, new team.great results The first Yamaha across the finish line in the 2005 Daytona 200 was piloted by Chris Peris, the Calgary resident snaring fifth place in the 71-rider field. Peris’ debut in the two-hour-long race was a veteran performance and bringing the Topline Printing R6 home in the top five was the culmination of a winter’s worth of training. “I knew that 68 laps at Daytona would be tough mentally and physically so I really trained hard over the winter,” Peris admitted. A mix of bicycling, gym work and monthly races at Willow Springs put last-year’s top-ten Supersport rider in great shape, and it all paid off March 12. Peris comes off a great year with Valvoline Emgo Suzuki and credits that team with a large spike in his learning curve. “I had a great Supersport team last year and the Valvoline guys were great to work with. I was always in contention to get in the top 10,” said Peris. Topline Printing put together a Yamaha program for the ’05 season that adds Formula Xtreme to Peris’ Supersport duties, putting the young rider in both 600cc classes. Max McAllister of Traxxion Dynamics came on board to handle suspension and chassis duties, while Willie Vass, of Vass Performance got the nod for his detail-oriented engine work. That team, along with the very fast and very calm rear-tire-man, Geoff Cesmat, knocked out three great pit stops to get Peris in and out of the Daytona pits in record time. The team’s third stop was so quick, Peris didn’t have time for a sip of water! Earlier in Speed Week, Peris lined up in the 11th qualifying spot for Supersport and battled up into the top ten, eventually finishing 11th, within sniffing distance of ninth. “Racing with Pascal Picotte and Danny Eslick was really great, those guys are fantastic riders,” Peris enthused after the race. “The weather really hurt everyone’s track time and I think quite a few of us were on new bikes that need a bit more development.” Development is the goal of Topline’s FX R6 before the race at Barber Motorsports Park, because the bike Peris ran into fifth spot at Daytona was in Supersport trim, including DOT tires. “I knew our bike would be down on power compared to most FX bikes, but we weren’t confident in making many changes because we didn’t have a chance to test before the 200,” Peris explains. “I love the Supersport R6 and knew it would be a good bike for 200 miles.” Good enough for fifth place in America’s most prestigious road race. More, from a press release issued by the Team Suzuki Press Office: HASKOVEC LEADS SUZUKI 1-2-3 M4 EMGO Suzuki rider Vincent Haskovec started the team’s 25th anniversary season by leading a Suzuki GSX-R1000 one-two-three in the opening AMA Superstock round at Daytona, Florida on Thursday. The Czech-born racer tracked down and overhauled the top factory riders after clawing his way up from sixth on the opening lap to lead by lap 10. He built up just enough of a gap over the final laps to prevent any of his rivals from counter-attacking with a last-gasp drafting manoeuvre. Using a clever race strategy, he settled in during the first five laps so that he could readjust to his fire-breathing GSX-R1000 after immediately coming from his Formula Xtreme qualifying session and, after doing so, his Pirelli tyres offered him more grip than his opponents could muster in the race’s late stages. Haskovec raved about the all-new bike that took a clean sweep of the podium: “As soon as I got up to the leaders, I sat behind them for five or six laps,” he explained. “I told myself, ‘everything feels good, and I should start to roll forward.’ The Suzuki is unbelievable. It’s like they made it for me. I didn’t have the best time in practice as I struggled a lot, but everything came together for the race. “I knew three or four laps from the end that I was going to have some rubber on them. I could drive off the corners much better. The motorcycle was amazing and the tyres worked real well with the set-up we found. The team gave me the perfect motorcycle today.” Haskovec’s team mate Geoff May diced with the leaders in the early stages of the Superstock race as well before claiming a clear sixth place in his AMA racing debut as a member of the squad. The Georgian then went straight back out onto the 2.95-mile circuit and picked up his second top-ten finish of the day, taking eighth in the 22-lap Supersport final. But perhaps his most impressive accomplishment of the day was his showing during qualifying for Saturday’s Superbike final. May ripped off a 1:40.608 aboard his GSX-R1000 to set the fifth best time, outpacing several full-factory and factory-supported Superbike stars. More, from a press release issued by Joe Rocket: ROCKET RULES DAYTONA! The Rocket Racing Team rolled out of the AMA Superbike series opener in Daytona Beach Florida, taking with it the plunders of victory. The Rocket Racing Team brought their best game and dominated the Winner’s Circle at Daytona International Speedway during Bike Week 2005. American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel won the Daytona 200 for the 5th time in his illustrious career after starting the race from the pole position. Duhamel won the 64th running of this prestigious race with a comfortable margin over the second place finisher and has now extended his career victories tally to a total of 83 race wins. Miguel owns 7 AMA Championships and has won at Daytona 12 times, in three different classes. AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin began his chase for a record 6th AMA Championship and started 2005 right where he left off by winning the Daytona Superbike race in his typically dominate manner. Mladin started the race from the pole position and on lap two, took the lead from Aaron Yates. Never once was Mladin challenged for the front. Triumphantly, Mladin was joined on the podium by Yoshimura Suzuki’s Superbike rookie sensation, Ben Spies, who finished third in his very first Daytona Superbike race. Mat Mladin has now won Daytona 4 times; his career Superbike wins tally consists of a lofty 33 AMA Superbike victories. In Supersport action, defending AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden – did just that. Aboard his Kawasaki ZX6RR, Tommy fortified his title defense with this season’s inaugural Supersport victory. Hayden started the race from pole position and led from flight to finish. Jason Pridmore of Jordan Suzuki fought hard to earn a podium and finished 3rd place in the Daytona Superstock race. In his first outing aboard the Jordan Suzuki GSXR 1000, Pridmore battled the field to commendably take his place on the podium. The Rocket Racing Team will next engage for Superbike supremacy April 22 and 23rd as the AMA Superbike series heads to Barber Motorposrts Park in Birmingham Alabama. Stay tuned to www.joerocket.com for all the details

Foggy thrills the Kuala Lumpur crowds Carl Fogarty thrilled the Malaysian crowds during a rare outing in his race leathers for the PETRONAS annual public demonstration to promote the PETRONAS Malaysian F1 Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur. The FPR owner, riding the PETRONAS FP1 road bike while his team tested the race bike in Spain, overcame heavy rain to entertain tens of thousands of spectators lining the streets outside the PETRONAS Twin Towers for an event that was televised live in Malaysia. He said: “It was a shame that there was a heavy shower just as we were about to set off and that made the newly tarmaced road quite slippy so I wasn’t able to do all the tricks that I intended. But it was great fun to be here again and the response from the Malaysian crowds is always great. “This was an extra special event for Petronas as this year marks the tenth anniversary of their involvement in F1 with the Sauber Petronas team. So it was a good feeling to be part of those celebrations and I wish their drivers, Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve, all the best for next weekend’s PETRONAS Malaysian GP at Sepang.” On Saturday night Carl was a guest at a special ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary, at which he heard speeches from Petronas president YBhg Tan Sri Dato Mohd Hassan Marican and Malaysian prime minister YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah Hj. Badawi.

MotoGP battle cry to sound at Catalunya The roar of the world’s most advanced 990cc four-stroke prototype motorcycles will once again be heard this weekend as MotoGP officially returns to action after the long winter break. Almost five months since the final round of Valentino Rossi’s title-winning first season with Yamaha at Valencia, the full complement of teams and riders will be back in Spain as they launch the first stage of their quest to end the Italian’s reign as World Champion at the MotoGP Official Test at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona. Whilst the majority of teams and factories have continued with their intense testing programmes all around the world during the winter, this is the first official date on the 2005 calendar and has become a traditionally competitive prologue to recent seasons. The introduction of the BMW Award – MotoGP Best Qualifier two years ago has added an extra edge to the test, with a televised 40-minute session offering a brand new 1 series model to the fastest rider. The BMW Award – MotoGP Test has produced shock winners in both of its previous two editions, with Loris Capirossi driving away with the inaugural prize on an early version of the Ducati Desmosedici in 2003 and Rossi stunning his rivals in his first official appearance with Yamaha YZR-M1 last year. Rossi also won the overall BMW Award – MotoGP Best Qualifier of the Year, which is presented at the end of the season to the rider with the lowest accumulated qualifying times over the course of the World Championship, including their effort from the MotoGP Official Test. Rossi’s rivals will be keen to ensure that both his garage and trophy cabinet are not extended any further in 2005, starting with this weekend’s test, which gets underway at 10.00h on Friday 18th March. The timed session is scheduled to start at 14.05h on Sunday afternoon. Leading the quest to stop Rossi are his two greatest rivals from recent seasons, Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau. Both riders have finished runner-up to Rossi in the MotoGP World Championship and have full factory support from Honda in 2005 as they look to finally lift the title. HRC have brought out new versions of their RC211V machines during the winter tests and have enjoyed encouraging results, with Nicky Hayden also showing good form and Makoto Tamada adapting quickly to Michelin tyres after switching from Bridgestone. Honda is not the only factory to have updated its machinery during preseason, with Yamaha, Ducati, Kawasaki and Suzuki all rolling out futuristic new prototypes in tests at circuits including Sepang, Phillip Island and Qatar. Meanwhile, Team Roberts took to the track at Valencia last week for a shakedown test with their new Proton motorcycle, powered by a KTM engine, whilst WCM expect their new Blata V6 machine to be ready for the first round of the season at Jerez on 10th April. As well as witnessing all of the new machines on track together for the first time this year, fans at Catalunya will also get their first glimpse of several exciting new rider line-ups. Whilst Colin Edwards has replaced Carlos Checa as team-mate to Valentino Rossi at Yamaha, Checa has taken the place of Troy Bayliss at Ducati and Bayliss himself has switched to Honda. Marco Melandri will also be making his first official MotoGP appearance for Honda after switching from Yamaha’s satellite team, which will this season be represented by Rubén Xaus and Toni Elías, contesting his rookie season in the premier-class alongside the former Ducati rider after moving up from 250cc. Elías’ former quarter-litre rivals will also be at Catalunya this week, starting a day and a half of tests on Wednesday afternoon. Dani Pedrosa will defend the number 1 plate this season but has several new rivals including Andrea Dovizioso, Jorge Lorenzo, Hector Barberá, Simone Corsi and Casey Stoner, who have all moved up from the 125cc class, as well as Japanese Champion Yuki Takahashi and regular frontrunners from last season such as Sebastian Porto, Randy de Puniet and Alex de Angelis. The exodus of riders from the 125cc class promises another open and exciting season, with the experienced Pablo Nieto the highest ranked rider in the class from last year. Nieto promises to be a strong contender in 2005 having returned to the Derbi factory but will no doubt have to contend with former World Champion Manuel Poggiali, who is back with Gilera after a disastrous defence of the 250cc crown, as well as promising youngsters such as Mika Kallio, Álvaro Bautista, Sergio Gadea and Marco Simoncelli. The 125cc category opens the action at the Circuit de Catalunya this week with a day and a half of tests beginning on Tuesday 15th March at 10.00h.

Alice signs title sponsor for two rounds of MotoGP Italy’s leading telecommunications company Telecom Italia has signed a two year agreement with MotoGP’s commercial right holders Dorna Sports to acquire the title sponsorship package for two of the MotoGP World Championship’s most prestigious rounds. The brand that will be exposed to the world through the French and Italian events will be Alice, Telecom Italia’s ADSL product. Therefore, the races scheduled in the famous Le Mans and Mugello racetracks will be officially called “Alice Grand Prix de France” and “Gran Premio Alice d’Italia” scheduled respectively on May 15th and June 5th. The contract also includes the same conditions for 2006. Alice will benefit of a complete sponsorship package that includes not only the right to name the events, but also trackside brand exposure presences, corporate hospitality and promotional actions in the public area. In addition to this commercial partnership, Telecom Italia has also agreed with Dorna to become the Internet Supplier of MotoGP, which means that they will provide all the technology, servers, hosting and streaming for the series’ official website www.motogp.com. Dorna takes care of the contents, available in eight languages: English, Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese, German and Dutch. Through their contract with Dorna Sports, Telecom Italia and Alice extend their current relationship with MotoGP, where they were already present with their sponsorship of the Ducati factory team and having World Champion Valentino Rossi as their testimonial for advertising campaigns.

TOMMY HAYDEN WINS SUPERSPORT OPENER IN DAYTONA DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (March 14, 2005) – Kawasaki Road Racing returned to Daytona International Speedway by claming an exciting victory at the season opener. In the Supersport action on Thursday, Tommy Hayden completely dominated the field aboard his new Kawasaki NINJAR ZX-6RR. The reigning Supersport champion proved he is still the man to beat by claiming the pole, leading every lap, and breaking away to win by a stunning 3.723-second margin over second-place rider Jamie Hacking. The win was largest margin of victory in the Daytona Supersport race since 1998. “My Kawasaki was really good,” said Hayden during the post-race press conference. “I definitely couldn’t ask more out of my bike. I mean the thing was unbelievable — easy to ride and super fast. I got the pole, and I think I led every lap, so I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Hayden continued. “You come in with a new track and a new bike and you never know what to expect. Obviously, this is how I wanted it to turn out. I’ve been here many times on slow bikes so it felt really good when I got out there and had the fastest bike.” Roger Hayden showed valiant determination to make it on the podium as he drafted behind his older brother for a few laps near the halfway point. However, the elder Hayden eventually pulled ahead by two bike lengths and Roger dropped back into a third-place war with Jason DiSalvo and Ben Spies. Unfortunately, Roger was forced to pull off the track on the last lap with mechanical difficulties. He would ultimately end up in the 21st position. Attack Kawasaki racer Ben Attard finished 12th. In Superstock action on Thursday, both Tommy and Roger started strong but eventually settled back in the pack with Tommy running in eighth and Roger in ninth. The pair maintained a consistent pace on their NINJAR ZX-10R motorcycles for a majority of the 12-lap race with Tommy inching up to finish in seventh. Roger ended up just outside the top ten, finishing in 11th. During Saturday’s Superbike race, Attack Kawasaki rider Josh Hayes endured mechanical problems during the first few laps and was forced to pull out of the race. Hayes’ misfortune would continue straight into the Formula Xtreme event after he encountered electrical problems on lap four and was done for the day. Unfortunately, his teammate Ben Attard also suffered mechanical problems immediately following the start and was forced to pull out of the race before the end of the first lap. Racing resumes when the teams head to Birmingham, Ala., April 22-24, for a Superbike doubleheader at Barber Motorsports Park. More, from a press release issued by National City Motorcycle: National City Motorcycle’s Tim Knutson Makes Strong Showing In Daytona 200 National City Motorcycle’s Tim Knutson riding a 2003 Yamaha YZF R6 shod with Bridgestone tires captured 17th place in the 2005 Daytona 200. Starting 45th on the grid, Tim ran as high as 14th place. This was an unbelievable success story considering just a year ago Tim took his first steps unassisted after spending nearly 4 months in a wheel chair; the result of a highside at the 2003 Willow Springs Toyota 200 that shattered and dislocated his hip. Bike Week started off slowly for this rising privateer. While the team was still trying to sort out his Formula Extreme motorcycle, Tim borrowed teammate Joe Pollard’s stock YZF R6 to run in the Supersport class on Thursday. A snafu prevented Joe from running the race. In practice and qualifying, Tim was barely able to run in the 1:51’s, qualifying 41st overall. Midway through the race the bike began to experience problems which forced Tim to pull off the track in the infield during lap 12. The crew worked tirelessly all week on the Formula Extreme bike in the search of extra horse power and get rid of head shake Tim was experiencing on the high banks of Daytona. In qualifying Tim was only able to manage a disappointing 45th place on the grid. Finally during Saturday morning practice Tim began to get into rhythm, finishing the session 25th fastest. As the green flag dropped on the 64th Daytona 200, Tim got a good start and quickly made his way through the field. By mid race, Tim had already moved up into the top 20. There he settled in and battled other top privateers like Nicky Moore, Derek Keyes, and Mike Sullivan. Throughout the race Tim was able to up the pace, putting in his fasted time of 1:48.459 on the 51st lap. Nearly 200 people came out to National City Motorcycle to watch the race and cheer Tim on as he picked off riders lap by lap. The fans roared as Tim diced his way through the field. The Hooters Girls were on hand to kick the festivities into high gear as the laps counted down, enjoying photo opportunities with many of the guests. More, from a press release issued by Jason DiSalvo’s publicist: PODIUM AND POINTS AT DAYTONA FOR DISALVO Daytona International Speedway hosted the AMA SuperBike races during bike week March 7th through 12th. Jason DiSalvo of Stafford NY took part in the SuperSport 600 and SuperStock 1000 classes. With practice on Wed the 9th and the races on Thursday the 10th the teams were rushing to get the bikes setup for this first race of the season. In the 1000 SuperStock Jason appeared to have the pole position, with less than a minute left another rider put in a fast lap moving Jason to 2nd position for the start of the race. A typical Daytona start saw five riders move in a group to attempt a breakaway with Jason running with the lead group. At the wire Jason finished 5th with a strong race. The 600 SuperSport class saw Jason again starting from the front row with the 4th fastest time in qualifying. The race saw a small group pull away from the field with Jason finishing third for the final podium position. Jason viewed the races as good with a podium and points going into the first part of the season. With testing at Infineon next week Jason will fly to his home in Las Vegas for a couple of days of rest then testing prior to the next race at Barber Motorsports Park April 22nd through 24th More, from a press release issued on behalf of Team Embry Racing: Team Embry’s Matt Lynn 14th Before Crash in his First Daytona 200 DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Team Embry’s Matt Lynn traveled to Daytona International Speedway last week for the opening round of his first full season in AMA Pro Racing competition, running as high as 14th in the Daytona 200 before a late-race crash. Lynn had a busy schedule at Daytona, participating in both Superstock and Formula Xtreme, the featured class in the historic Daytona 200. It was the 20-year-old’s first time to race at the challenging track, where qualifying for the Superstock race was rained out. Instead, the race was gridded according to practice times, and Lynn was slated to start 16th for the 13-lap race. The Repsol Lubricants Superstock race got underway on the afternoon of Thursday, March 11. Lynn went to the outside of turn one on his Suzuki GSX-R1000, but the bottleneck of riders pushed him wide into the grass and he fell back to the rear of the field. Lynn worked his way back up to eventually finish 19th. “I worked my way up to Jimmy Moore, and we had a good battle going,” said Lynn. “I tried to pass him on the outside of turn one, but I went wide and he went back underneath me. On the white flag lap I drafted by him on the finish line and got him going into turn one, then held him off to finish 19th.” Lynn qualified 34th for Saturday’s 68-lap Daytona 200. After taking the green flag on his Suzuki GSX-R600, he began working his way toward the front. He made his first scheduled pit stop, opting to replace just his rear Michelin tire, and returned to the track. Lynn was soon in 14th, a position he held down until shortly past the halfway point when disaster struck. “The first couple of laps were really tight in the new section. I worked my way up and I felt really good,” commented Lynn. “I was pushing toward the beginning but then I got into a really good rhythm. The guys did a great job with my pit stop, and the bike was working well. Unfortunately, I was going into the chicane and a guy in front of me checked up. I applied too much front brake to keep from hitting him, and combined with the bumps on the track the front end tucked, and that was it.” Despite his disappointing finish, Lynn is optimistic about the remainder of the season and his return to the Daytona 200 next year. “The 200 was really fun, especially on the 600. I had a good time and am looking forward to getting a good finish in it next year,” said the Ballground, Georgia resident. The next event for Lynn and Team Embry will be round two of the AMA Pro Racing season at Barber Motorsports Park, April 22-24. He plans to concentrate on the Superbike and Superstock Series for the remainder of the season. More, from a press release issued by GPR Stabilizer: GPR STABILIZER CONGRATULATES DAYTONA SUPERSTOCK WINNER VINCENT HASKOVEC GPR Stabilizer is proud to be part of Vincent Haskovec’s victory in the Repsol Lubricants Superstock race at Daytona on March 10th, as well as Team M4 EMGO Suzuki teammate Geoff May’s fine sixth place ride. Geoff also finished an impressive eighth in the Daytona Superbike race on the same Superstock-spec GSX-R1000, beating several factory riders, and Vincent was running in fourth place in the Daytona 200 on his GSX-R600 when a mechanical problem forced him out of the race. “We’re thrilled to be a part of such a great win,” said Jeff Norman of GPR Stabilizer. “We’re happy for Vincent, Geoff and the whole team. GPR Stabilizer came on board as a sponsor and technical partner with Team M4 EMGO Suzuki for the 2005 road race season. Both Vincent and Geoff use the same off-the-shelf GPR V1 stabilizers that are available through dealers everywhere.” With their background in aerospace design and machining, GPR Stabilizer manufactures and sells the world’s finest steering dampers and accessories. All design, machining, laser engraving, packaging and shipping of the finished kits is done in-house in San Diego, California. GPR Stabilizer kits are available through local dealers, and are distributed in the U.S. by Lockhart Phillips USA, Parts Unlimited, Tucker Rocky and White Brothers. For more information, please call (619) 422-5771 or visit www.gprstabilizer.com. In the U.K. and Europe, please call GPR Stabilizer U.K. at 44-01945-58-58-42. More, from a press release issued by Goodridge: Goodridge USA partners with Mat Mladin Motorsports AMA Race Team TORRANCE, CA — Goodridge USA is proud to announce a partnership with Mat Mladin Motorsports and multi-time Australian Superbike Champion Marty Craggill for the 2005 AMA Superbike Championship season. “Goodridge USA is very excited about providing Marty and Mat Mladin Motorsports with our braking components. The partnership with Mat Mladin Motorsports further solidifies Goodridge as the choice of Champions like Marty and Mat who demand the best products for their race bikes. We look forward to building on our relationship with Mat Mladin Motorsports and carrying over the credibility and momentum of this partnership into Sportbike community,” said Adrian Limon. Goodridge USA supplies high performance products to the motor racing and automotive industry. We offer a broad range of braking applications and products for Sportbikes, Cruisers and American Big Twins.

Team SUZUKI MotoGP is tooled up by Mac Team SUZUKI MotoGP technicians will be tooled up with the highest quality kit thanks to new partner Mac Tools, one of the world’s leading automotive tool and equipment companies. Mac Tools’ state-of-the-art equipment will give the Suzuki technicians an edge on the competition when it comes to fast work in the MotoGP pits. The high performance tools will allow swift alterations to the set-up of the GSV-R race bikes of Kenny Roberts Jr and John Hopkins, ensuring the racers can get back on track as quickly as possible. Mac Tools boasts more than 11,000 products and will be adding to this during the 2005 MotoGP season with a `Limited Edition Toolbox’ to mark its partnership with Team SUZUKI MotoGP. These toolboxes will be available through the fleet of Mac Tools franchised distributors. Mac Tools supports many race teams around the world, including the Formula One BAR team, Rizla Suzuki the British Superbike Champions, as well as many drivers within American NASCAR. The Mac Tools brand has become famous on racetracks worldwide due to its pride in providing these teams the best tools in the industry. Mac Tools has been a supplier of quality hand and power tools in the UK since 1990. Its customers work in all areas of automotive, repair, motorsport and light industrial businesses. They are supplied in the UK through over 150 franchised, van-based distributors, each of whom enjoys an exclusive territory and a protected sole distribution rights arrangement. A lifetime warranty also supports the majority of Mac branded products. Mac Tools (www.mactools.com) is part of the Stanleyworks Corporation (www.stanleyworks.com), a $3 bn turnover organisation quoted on the New York Stock Exchange. Mac Tools is one of its trading divisions, with a global turnover of $300m, $19m of which comes from Europe. Adrian O’Nion – Managing Director- Mac Tools Europe “Mac Tools are delighted to be joining Team SUZUKI MotoGP.This new partnership provides us with further endorsement of the high quality of our professional hand and power tools. It brings to three the number of major motorsport partnership arrangements that the Northampton-based tools specialist now has in place. “To be associated with such a high profile MotoGP team is of major importance for Mac. The MotoGP series is the pinnacle of professional motorcycle racing in the world. This agreement shows our commitment to racing and puts us at the forefront of tool technology by meeting the needs of a premier race team. We look forward to working with the team and a highly successful and rewarding season.” Tom O’Kane – Team SUZUKI MotoGP Chief Technician “This is a fantastic opportunity for Team SUZUKI MotoGP to be allied with a world leading brand such as Mac Tools. Their product range and quality are second to none and all of the technicians are looking forward to getting the new tool kits. This affiliation shows another step forward for the Suzuki team and because of this partnership we will be better equipped for the new season.”

FGSPORT WINTER TEST REPORT VALENCIA 12-13 March CORSER AND KAGAYAMA CONTINUE IMMACULATE TESTING FORM Suzuki Backs Up Early Season Push: Troy Corser left the final official test of the 2005 season in top position on the timesheets, closely followed home by his team-mate Yukio Kagayama. After two days of warm and dry track conditions, albeit punctuated by red flags to clear the track after numerous incidents, Corser set a 1:35.566 and Kagayama a final session 1:35.698. The last session of the four was halted with 1:53 on the clock and a trackful of riders ready to go for an improvement in their final placing. Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji) crashed without injury at the infield hairpin, and with his machine ablaze in the gravel trap and two minutes left to run before the 5pm finish, action was halted for the final time. Honda Riders Flying: In the last few minutes of track time, after a flurry of fast laps on qualifying Pirelli tyres, the 30-strong SBK entry jostled for position. Chris Vermeluen (Winston Ten Kate Honda) secured third place on the sheets, first Honda home, thanks to a 1:35.724. His team-mate and compatriot, Karl Muggeridge was a confidence-boosting fifth fastest, with both Ten Kate riders heading off back home to Australia for round two of the championship proper. Ducati Up and Down: Regis Laconi (Ducati Xerox) was fastest twin-cylinder rider, as he had been all weekend, taking fourth place overall, the last rider inside the 1’35 bracket, 1:35.881. His team-mate, reigning champ James Toseland, had a torrid time, crashing heavily on both days, once as a result of an oil leak at the fast turn one, once after passing a slower rider. Both times red flags came out to temporarily halt the track action. Battered and bruised, but fighting on, Toseland secured only 13th fastest time, with a 1:37.183. Three Tuning Forks: A three rider Yamaha layer cake was topped by the determined form of Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia), sixth fastest and returning to the pace which has made him a 17-time World Superbike race winner. Immediately behind, reigning Spanish Formula Extreme champion Jose-Luis Cardoso (Yamaha DFX Extreme Sterilgarda) was seventh, with top placed Yamaha rider in the current championship table, Andrew Pitt, eighth. A tough test for Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) and Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) saw them finish only 18th and 15th respectively, in what is one of the most competitive SBK grids ever assembled. Kawasaki Top Ten, Klaffi Just Behind: PSG-1 Kawasaki rider Chris Walker stormed into the top ten, his 1:36.793 good enough for ninth while fending off the Klaffi Honda of Pierfrancesco Chili. Walker’s prowess made it five different manufacturers in the top nine places, an indication of the even spread of machine capabilities and rider talents throughout the field. The Bertocchi Kawasaki of Ivan Clementi was 14th fastest, just behind champion Toseland. Petronas Moving In the Right Direction: An outstanding top 15 finish for Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1) on day one was improved still further, with an overall 11th place a real boost for the entire Petronas team. His team-mate, Garry McCoy, was testing chassis parts for most of the test, and ended up 25th quickest. Supersport: Winston Ten Kate Honda pilot Sebastien Charpentier made perfect use of his two day testing opportunity to secure the fastest lap of the four complete WSS sessions. His best lap of 1:37.880 was set on the final day. Charpentier’s team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara, the opening round winner in Qatar, was second quickest, with a 1:38.178. Yamaha Motor Germany pairing Broc Parkes and Kevin Curtain pushed themselves to third and fourth places, improving significantly from the first day of testing. In a day of team-mates rivalling each other for ultimate chart positions, Fabien Foret (Team Italia Megabike Honda) slotted into fifth, ahead of Michel Fabrizio. A great performance from Stiggy Motorsports rider Stefan Folkesson saw him oust the top Ducati rider, Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati SC Caracchi) for seventh place, in a field of eight. Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Ducati Selmat) fought off a viral infection to finish a disappointed 22nd out of 24 riders. The next competitive outing for the World Superbike and Supersport cohorts will be in Australia, at Phillip Island, on 1-3 April. More, from a press release issued by PSG-1 Kawasaki: Official test – PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse – positive impressions During the first day of test on the Valencia circuit the PSG-1 Kawasaki Team completed a useful work session on their bikes, helped by the good weather conditions despite the bad forecast. The technical staff and the riders started a program of work which is already showing the first results. Mauro Sanchini took the decision of making a comparative test between the Öhlins and the Bitubo suspensions. “I decided to use the Bitubo suspensions after the race in Qatar, in the past I grow up with Bitubo and together we developed a material which I know very well”. Chris Walker concentrated on the geometry of his bike getting immediately good results. “This bike is really fast and I like it, unfortunately at the moment I’m not able to exploit all its potential. We made some changes on the front part and now I look forward to making the second session”. The first session of the first test day ended with the 9th time for Mauro Sanchini and the 12th for Chris Walker. Chris didn’t want to run with the new tyre and he ended the second session in 14th position. During the second session Mauro decided to move definitely to the Bitubo suspensions on both his bikes and he did as many laps as he could in order to get confident with this new solution, ending the day in 15th position. At the end of the second day of test on the Valencia track the PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse Team is satisfied of the work. Mauro and Chris were concentrated on the set up work, finding lap after lap a good feeling with their bikes, sensibly improving their times. In the afternoon both the riders did some fast lap to verify the work made during the two days, 9th time for Chris Walker (1:36:793) and 17th for Mauro Sanchini (1:37:345). Mauro Sanchini: “I preferred to concentrate my work mostly on the set up of the bike rather than on the time. This is always my philosophy for the tests. I’m satisfied, I did a lot of laps trying many solutions for the race. We must work hard but we have a high technical potential. The engine of my bike is very competitive and we are only at the first developing step. Now we have to find the right set-up but we aren’t far from the fastest”. Chris Walker: “My ZX10R is really fast and I think I will get some good satisfactions from it. I must concentrate my work on the set up and find very soon a good feeling with the bike. I’m happy to be in the top 10 positions”. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY ON TOP! The two-day Valencia tests ended with Troy on top of the pile and happy how productive they had been. Compared to recent weather conditions both days were almost perfect, though the track was suffering from a bit of overuse by the F1 teams and the rubber laid down caused a few people problems. Troy ended with a time of 1:35.566, but narrowly missed out on a 1:35 flat in the final session. With less then five minutes of the final day remaining, Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama leapt up into second place. so show, that this year, the Suzuki GSX R1000 is the bike to beat. Aussie Chris Vermeulen (Honda) finished third quickest overall, with Regis Laconi (Ducati) fourth, ahead of Karl Muggeridge (Honda) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). TROY – 1st, 1:35.566 That was just about as perfect a test as it could have been. OK, we all had some grip problems – probably down to the amount of rubber on the track put down by the F1 boys – but we tried many different things and learnt a lot. We now have some really good ideas about which directions to take and the whole team is happy. There’s a great camaraderie in the team and everybody was happy when Yukio stole second fastest time right at the end. He had been having a lot of grip problems throughout the two days and that, coupled with the fact he has only tested here once before (maybe three or fours ago) meant that he had to learn the track as well. I really wasn’t pushing hard in the tests, whereas Regis (Laconi) seemed to be riding as if it was a race! He was throwing it in here, there and everywhere trying to get the fastest time. I know that his team boss Tardozzi had a qualifying tyre ready on his bike at the end and Regis was to go out and try and beat my time, but the session was red-flagged with about three or minutes left. That meant that Regis couldn’t go out. Shame, eh? Everything these two days has been productive and positive and now I feel we’re in great shape for our next race, which happens to be Phillip Island – a place I know really well and like a lot! I’ll be aiming for two podiums, but a double win would be the icing on the cake. Overall best times and total laps for the two days 1 TROY CORSER (AUS ­ Suzuki) 1.35.566 126 laps; 2 Kagayama (J ­ Suzuki) 1.35.698 134 laps; 3 Chris Vermeulen (AUS ­ Honda) 1.35.724 126 laps; 4 Régis Laconi (I ­ Ducati) 1.35.881 126 laps; 5 Karl Muggeridge (AUS ­ Honda) 1.36.084 124 laps; 6 Noriyuki Haga (J ­ Yamaha) 1.36.347 115 laps; 7 Jose Luîs Cardoso (ESP ­Yamaha) 1.36.433 94 laps; 8 Andrew Pitt (AUS ­ Yamaha) 1.36.766 127 laps; 9 Chris Walker (GB ­ Kawasaki) 1.36.793 108 laps; 10 Pierfrancesco Chili (I ­ Honda) 1.36.613 103 laps

Scott impresses as Rizla Suzuki continues development of new GSX-R SCOTT SMART put on an impressive performance by posting the third fastest time at today’s Official British Superbike Championship test at Donington Park aboard his all-new Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000K5 race bike. Scott requested specific set-up changes to his Rizla Suzuki after his last test at Valencia in Spain in February. With those changes made by his crew he was comfortable on his GSX-R and was able to run consistently at the front of the time sheets. Rizla Suzuki British Superbike Champion John Reynolds attended the test to support Scott and was encouraged by the performance of the GSX-R1000K5. JR is recovering from a broken right leg that he sustained at last month’s Valencia test. He is undergoing extensive physiotherapy in a bid to be fit for the start of the race season at Brands Hatch on Bank Holiday Monday, March 28th. Rizla Suzuki now travels directly from Donington Park to Brands Hatch in Kent to prepare for Tuesday’s Official BSB test. Former Suzuki World Superbike racer Gregorio Lavilla will join Scott for this test as the team continues to develop the all-new GSX-R1000K5. Scott Smart: “Today’s test has been a quantum leap forward for me and I am leaving here very happy indeed. My technicians have taken my directions from the Valencia test and interpreted them just the way I wanted – well done to Norris and the boys – I now have an excellent base setting for my Rizla Suzuki. “I found quick lap times came slightly easier than we anticipated today, mainly because I was so comfortable on the bike. I didn’t go for an outright lap time and used race rubber all day long and was still at the cutting edge of the time sheets – that’s very encouraging for us all. “We’ve altered the geometry of the bike a bit and arrived at a machine that is extremely fast and stable. When it comes to the quicker circuits, the horsepower of the GSX-R1000K5 is really going to shine through. “As you may have guessed, I am absolutely delighted with the bike and know there is even more to come as we spend more time riding, so bring on Brands Hatch! “I caught up with JR today and he’s more determined than ever to be racing at the first round of the Championship. You have to speak to him to realize just how much effort he is putting in to get fit. I’ve told him if he can make it to Brands Hatch he’ll definitely have a competitive race bike to ride – my fingers are crossed for him.” Robert Wicks: “It has been an excellent day for the team and we are moving on to Tuesday’s Brands Hatch test with Scott getting faster and faster every time he sits on the bike. “Scott got through a lot of set-up work today and is now becoming familiar with his GSX-R1000K5 as well as much more comfortable while riding it. Our objective was to have a competitive base setting that we can tailor to any given track and we have achieved that. “At the Brands Hatch test Scott will be able to refine his base setting for pure performance and that will give him a good starting point for when he races there less than two weeks later. “It was great to have JR with the team at Donington today and to see the determination in his eyes to race at the opening round and defend his title. As a team we are supporting him in every way possible. “Scott will be joined by Gregorio Lavilla at the Brands Hatch test. Gregorio is a friend of Rizla Suzuki and one of the best Superbike riders around. He will provide a lot of useful data to help the development of the bike and we shall also measure him to fit the GSX-R1000K5 – so if we need to call on him in the 11th hour to stand in for JR at Brands Hatch, then we know we will have a competitive rider on the grid alongside Scott.” Donington Park test times: 1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1:32.676, 2: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.499 , 3: Scott Smart (RIZLA SUZUKI) + 1.566.

HIGH FIVE IN VALENCIA TEST FOR WINSTON TEN KATE HONDA Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge concluded the two-day official World Superbike test at Valencia in Spain today and both declared themselves happy with the progress they have made in the development of their Honda CBR1000RR machines. The time sheets were headed by Troy Corser, with Vermeulen third fastest and Muggeridge fifth. The World Superbike championship now packs up for the long trek to Phillip Island in Australia where round two of the 2005 series takes place on 3 April. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “I’m really pretty happy with the results of these tests and the positions and lap times of both riders. It’s good to see them in the top five. We’ve got through a lot of work over the last two days, but we’ve had to because we’re still playing a bit of catch-up with everyone else. I’m convinced we can do some more development work for the next round and we know from last year’s Superbike campaign what needs changing between Valencia and Phillip Island. Now we have had a decent test we’re not so far away from a solid base setting for the CBR1000RR that can carry us through the rest of the season.” Chris Vermeulen 126 laps, 1:35.724 “We’ve been trying a lot of different things this weekend, one of which has been the slipper clutch. I like it a lot but it would be good to still have a little more control in certain sections of the circuit here. Overall we’ve made some good progress and, apart from the first round in Qatar, this has been the first time I’ve been able to do a lot of laps on the bike. We lost a little grip this afternoon because I think the track temperature went up a bit; but that will still be useful because it might be like that for the race here in April. Phillip Island is very different to Valencia so I think we’ll still have some work to do when we get there but we’ll have to be patient and just keep going in the right direction. Just like we’ve done here.” Karl Muggeridge 124 laps, 1:36.084 “We played around a lot this weekend, tried lots of different things and we’re not miles away from where we want to be. I didn’t really get the chance to put in a good quick lap but we’ve really been working on race set-ups and that’s where we still need to do some work. It’s just been great to get a chunk of laps under my belt because the weather’s been good and we’ve had two sessions of two-and-a-half hours each day. It’s a long time to stay on it and keep concentrating but it’s allowed us to move things forward and not rush into any decisions. I’m just happy we’re going in the right direction.” Valencia test overall lap times: 1 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) 126 laps, 1:35.566; 2 Yukio Kagayama JAP (Suzuki) 134 laps, 1:35.698; 3 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 126 laps, 1:35.724; 4 Régis Laconi FRA (Ducati) 126 laps, 1:35.881; 5 Karl Muggeridge AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 124 laps, 1:36.084; 6 Noriyuki Haga JAP (Yamaha) 115 laps, 1:36.347; 7 Jose Luis Cardoso ESP (Yamaha) 94 laps, 1:36.443; 8 Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha) 127 laps, 1:36.766; 9 Chris Walker GBR (Kawasaki) 108 laps, 1:36.793; 10 Pierfrancesco Chili ITA (Honda) 103 laps, 1:36.813. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: LACONI CONFIRMS PACE FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM UNLUCKY THIRTEEN FOR TOSELAND AFTER SECOND HIGHSIDE Valencia (Spain), Sunday 13 March: Two days of World Superbike testing at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia confirmed that Ducati Xeroz Team’s Régis Laconi is one of the pacesetters in this year’s championship, which got underway two weeks ago in Qatar. Team-mate and reigning champion James Toseland continues his early-season quest to find championship-winning form but a second highside today left him outside the top 10. After another five hours of testing today, Laconi and Toseland’s efforts to set a quick time on qualifying tyres in the final minutes came to nothing as Bostrom’s Honda crashed and caught fire, bringing the test to a end. Laconi, who had kept a firm hold on second place behind Corser throughout the two days was left with fourth quickest time of 1:35.881. “I am quite pleased with what we did in these past two days because we did a lot of laps and everything we set out to do” commented Laconi. “We worked a lot on my starts because we have to find the right configuration to start better. I normally don’t start badly but in Qatar they were not so good. Here we did well but it’s easy in testing, racing is another thing. In the afternoon we found it difficult to improve our times, but what consoles me is that there were no riders who did more than 7 or 8 laps in succession. We did 12 in a long-run twice with the same tyre, at around low 37s, which is quite slow here. It’s going to be a tough race for that reason when we come back here in April. All things considered we are not that far from the top so I am quite satisfied”. Toseland went away from Valencia with a bruised elbow and a sore head from a second highside after an oil leak caused him to be pitched off his bike with twenty minutes remaining of the morning session. The 24 year-old improved his time in the afternoon to 1m37.183s, but that was only good enough for thirteenth place. “Today we set off pretty good, got down to some decent times but unfortunately we had an oil leak and it flicked me off fast again, which makes it two crashes in two days that were not my fault. I banged my head badly and so I’m sitting here wondering what went wrong” he explained. “We got back on this afternoon and on race tyres we are more or less as quick as everybody with low 37s, which is quite good. We put a qualifying tyre on at the end but then there was an inferno which brought the red flags out just as I started my last lap and that was it. Everybody had done theirs by then so it put me in thirteenth, just like in Qatar. Unlucky for me at the moment but it can’t last forever. I’m as fast as anyone on race tyres and I promise that you won’t see me in thirteenth again this year”. This final official winter testing session at Valencia comes just two weeks before round 2 of the championship at Phillip Island (Australia), while the Spanish round will be held at the Ricardo Tormo circuit on April 24. TIMES: 1. Corser (Suzuki) 1m35.566s; 2. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1m35.698s; 3. Vermeulen (Honda) 1m35.724s; 4. Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 1m35.881s; 5. Muggeridge (Honda) 1m36.084s; 6. Haga (Yamaha) 1m36.347s; 7. Cardoso (Yamaha) 1m36.443s; 8. Pitt (Yamaha) 1m36.766s; “¦ 13. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 1m37.183s. More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: 12th-13th MARCH 2005, Valencia (Spain) Two days of intense practice in Valencia completed the preparations before the Australian round of the championship, at Phillip Island on April 3. The Championship has already given the first results for the Superbike and the Supersport classes, but all the teams have fully exploited this test, in which they didn’t need rain tyres, to make the last adjustments. In a few weeks we’ll be here again for the first of the European rounds, so also for that event the importance of this two day test was great. Pirellis showed once more they are easy to use, so all the teams could reach a good setting and good times from the first laps. A lot of laps for everybody, working most of all on their race settings and to solve the problems discovered in the first round in Qatar. In the last minutes they have tried also qualifying tyres, so four riders could improve the Pole time of last year made by Laconi (1’35.930). Rider Team Bike Time Laps 1.Corser Alstare Suzuki Corona Suzuki GSXR 1000K5 1’35.566 126 2.Kagayama Alstare Suzuki Corona Suzuki GSXR 1000K5 1’35.698 134 3.Vermeulen Honda Ten Kate Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’35.724 126 4.Laconi Ducati Xerox Ducati 999 F05 1’35.881 126 5.Muggeridge Honda Ten Kate Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’36.084 124 6.Haga Yamaha Motor Italia Yamaha YZF R1 1’36.347 115 7.Cardoso DFXtreme Sterilgarda Yamaha YZF R1 1’36.443 94 8.Pitt Yamaha Motor Italia Yamaha YZF R1 1’36.766 127 9.Walker PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse Kawasaki ZX10 1’36.793 108 10.Chili Klaffi Honda Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’36.813 103 11.Martin Foggy Petronas Racing Petronas FP1 1’37.038 117 12.Neukirchner Klaffi Honda Honda CBR 1000 RR 1’37.106 120 13.Toseland Ducati Xerox Ducati 999 F05 1’37.183 122 14.Clementi Kawasaki Bertocchi Kawasaki ZX10 1’37.283 123 15.Gimbert Yamaha Motor France Yamaha YZF R1 1’37.305 125 Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto World racing manager: “Finally a dry weekend! This weekend is important especially because gives us the confirmation we didn’t have in Qatar due to the rain. All the riders here could make some long runs showing the high quality of our tyres on a track at which, during the last tests we couldn’t do race simulations because of the rain. The result is really great: if we compare the best time in race setting we obtained here, set by Corser, with the one of 2004’s race, we see an improvement of almost 8 tenths! In the first ten positions of Superbike there are 5 manufacturers and 7 different teams. That makes us happy for the Championship which will be really contested and also for our products who offer a good feeling and good results to everybody”. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama took first and second places in the World Superbike Championship two-day tests in Valencia, Spain that ended today. Corser dominated yesterday and was still on top today, but with less than five minutes left on the clock, team mate Yukio Kagayama – who had been struggling all weekend with grip problems – stuck on a soft rear tyre in the closing minutes and leapfrogged his rivals, slotting into second place with a time just over a tenth slower than Corser. Aussie Chris Vermeulen (Honda) finished third quickest overall, with Regis Laconi (Ducati) fourth ahead of Karl Muggeridge (Honda) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). Troy Corser – 1st, 1:35.566: “I am really happy with these two days of tests because we have been able to try a lot of different things and have many good ideas and good directions to move towards. We tried different pivot positions, played around with the rear shock and the geometry and I am happy with how it has all gone these two days. It went exactly how a test should go – very productive. I tried a few starts because I knew I had to work on them after Qatar. And I managed them pretty well, so I’m in good shape there also. I think I could have done a flat 1:35, but I made a little mistake on my quick lap. It doesn’t matter though because nobody went any quicker. “I also want to congratulate Yukio for doing a good job. All weekend, he was struggling a little, but he pulled one out of the bag right at the end and that was a hard thing to do. It’s great to leave a test with the top two times and also because of all the good things we found out here. Now we are in a good position for our next race in Phillip Island for sure.” Yukio Kagayama – 2nd, 1:35.698: “Over the two days I had some problems with rear end grip. We tried many different settings and adjustments but the results were always more or less the same. But because we tried many different things, we managed to get a lot of very useful information and many good ideas to work with. Over the two days, I never found a perfect setting but I know which directions we should take and that is good. Valencia is a funny track because the track conditions change a lot depending on the temperature. And that affects the tyres and grip of course. “When I set my fastest lap today – right at the end – it was the first time I had used a very soft tyre. The rest of the time I had been only on race rubber. But I did not want to end the test just in the top six or so – I wanted to be the first! In the end, I was second but with Troy first, it is a good result for our team.” Superbike Results (overall for two days): 1 Troy Corser (AUS Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1.35.566 126 laps; 2 Yukio Kagayama (J Alstare Suzuki Corona) 1.35.698 134 laps; 3 Chris Vermeulen (AUS Honda) 1.35.724 126 laps; 4 Régis Laconi (I Ducati) 1.35.881 126 laps; 5 Karl Muggeridge (AUS Honda) 1.36.084 124 laps; 6 Noriyuki Haga (J Yamaha) 1.36.347 115 laps; 7 Jose Luîs Cardoso (ESP Yamaha) 1.36.433 94 laps; 8 Andrew Pitt (AUS Yamaha) 1.36.766 127 laps; 9 Chris Walker (GB Kawasaki) 1.36.793 108 laps; 10 Pierfrancesco Chili (I Honda) 1.36.613 103 laps. More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Martin On The Pace In Valencia Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders, Steve Martin and Garry McCoy, made encouraging strides forward during the two day official SBK test at Valencia, with Steve also improving on the team’s best lap time from the 2004 race weekend at the Spanish circuit, by almost a quarter of a second. His quickest lap time of 1:37.038, placed him in an impressive 7th position in the timesheet at the end of the morning session, in a field of increased competition for 2005 due to the return of many established two wheel manufacturers to the series, although he finished the day in 11th overall with the same time. Team mate Garry McCoy was able to knock two and half seconds off his best lap time from yesterday by using a qualifying tyre during the afternoon session, and finished the day in 25th place with a time of 1:38.011. Continuing dry conditions enabled both riders to make further progress with the scheduled testing programme. Steve continued to fine tune his set up from yesterday, making small adjustments to suspension and also testing further engine development components. Garry continued evaluating set up options with the longer swing arm on his number one bike, although an engine problem caused him to switch to his second bike, fitted with the standard swing arm, for the afternoon session. A red flag with just 1 minute and 53 seconds of the afternoon session remaining, while Steve and Garry were on their final flying laps on qualifying tyres, robbed them both of the chance to further improve their lap times which they were confident was possible in the closing stages of the day. Team Manager, Jack Valentine commented, “Overall I’m really pleased with how this test has gone and the amount of positive developments we have achieved. Steve has found a chassis set up that he is very comfortable with it was great he was able to post the seventh fastest time in the morning session and eleventh overall is very encouraging. Garry has made progress, although struggled more than Steve to find a set up he is totally happy with. Much of his test has been spent testing different adjustments with the longer swing arm, but we still have further work to do to get to a point where the whole package is working better for him. We have a very clear direction for the next test and race at Phillip Island.” Steve said, “I’m very happy with the progress that we’ve made and we’re a lot closer to the pace than we were at Qatar which is positive. We made a large number of changes to various areas of the bike over the last two days and overall each element was in the right direction. It’s a shame I wasn’t able to get a really good final run on my qualifier as I think I could have made it in to the 1:36’s, but I’m happy with my time as it would have got me easily into Superpole, which is the important thing as I know I can put together a good Superpole lap. The important thing is that we’ve found a really good base setting for me and also for the race here next month.” Garry said, “We continued testing with the longer swing arm this morning and I’m convinced that’s a better feeling for me. I had a problem with the engine in my number one bike though and had to switch to my other bike with the standard length swing arm. I actually went quicker straight away on that but it’s just not got the feeling I’m looking for so we need to do some more work with the longer one to get the whole package working better for how I’d like it. I’m happy with our suspension setting change from today as well and my time have been coming down with each session. I don’t feel at the moment we’ve got an ideal set up for the race here at Valencia but we still have another test and race before that and I’m confident that in that time we can get to the settings I’m comfortable with.” Foggy PETRONAS Racing now heads to Phillip Island for continued testing on 26 and 27 March, ahead of the second round of the WSBK championship at `the Island’ and Steve and Garry’s home race, on Sunday 3 April. Overall test lap times: 1 Corser (Alstare Suzuki) 1:35.566; 2 Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki) 1:35.698; 3 Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda) 1:35.724; 4 Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 1:35.881; 5 Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda) 1:36.084; 6 Haga (Yamaha Italia) 1:36.347; 7 Cardoso (DFXtreme) 1:36.443; 8 Pitt (Yamaha Italia) 1:36.766; 9 Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki) 1:36.793; 10 Chili (Klaffi Honda) 1:36.813; 11 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:37.038; 12 Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda) 1:37.106; 13 Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 1:37.183; 14 Clementi (Kawasaki Bertocchi) 1:37.283; 15 Gimbert (Yamaha France) 1:37.305; 16 Lanzi (Ducati SC Caracchi) 1:37.322; 17 Sanchini (PSG-1 Kawasaki) 1:37.345; 18 Abe (Yamaha France) 1:37.347; 19 Vizziello (Italia Lorenzini) 1:37.369; 20 Alfonsi (DFX) 1:37.437; 21 Borciani (DFXtreme) 1:37.583; 22 Bostrom (Renegade Koji) 1:37.757; 23 Bussei (Kawasaki Bertocchi) 1:37.874; 24 Riba (Kawasaki Racing) 1:37.929; 25 McCoy (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:38.011; 26 Nieto (Ducati SC Caracchi) 1:38.012; 27 Peder cini (Team Pedercini) 1:38.324; 28 Velini (Team Pedercini) 1:38.950; 29 Praia (DFXtreme) 1:39.313; 30 Nickmans (Zone Rouge) 1:40.606 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: This weekend’s official Superbike World Championship tests in Valencia ended today with Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt both posting times in the top eight. Having debuted their R1s at the opening round of the championship in Qatar just two weeks ago, the Yamaha Motor Europe supported squad concentrated refining the overall package and working mainly on the front end geometry of their machines. Despite warm and dry weather, the track surface proved slippery and caused both riders to complain of a lack of traction. In spite of the inconsistent track conditions both riders felt they made considerable progress at the Catalan circuit, not only in terms of ultimate lap times but more significantly with the consistency of the machine over a race distance. Haga ended the test sixth fastest overall. The Japanese rider completed a total of 115 laps over the two days, finding an improvement of almost a second in the final session to set a best of 1:36.347 with Pitt eighth after clocking a fastest lap of 1:36.766 in his 127 laps. Yamaha Motor France’s Sébastien Gimbert was 15th fastest with a best of 1:37.305 from 125 laps while team-mate Norick Abe put in more kilometres than any other rider present in Valencia. The former MotoGP star completed a total of 157 laps between the four 140 minute sessions as he continues to familiarise himself with the R1. He ended the session in 18th place with a best lap of 1:37.347. Local privateer Jose Luis Cardoso was another Yamaha rider in the top ten, placing his R1 seventh in a time of 1:36.443. Troy Corser (Suzuki) was the quickest rider over the two days, his lap time of 1:35.566 just pipping his team-mate Yukio Kagayama to the top slot. The next outing for the Yamaha riders will be for round two of the series at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia, on the weekend of 1-3 April. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “I am happier today than I was at Qatar, so this is good. We tried some changes to the front of the bike and that is giving me a better feeling. We made a big step in the final session and I was able to push harder and go faster. At the end I put on a qualifying tyre and the feeling was very good, but the track has been very slippery this weekend and we did not find a tyre option that will work well for the race here.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “We’ve certainly made some improvements to the bike since Qatar but you only have to look at the timesheets to see that we still have some work to do if we are to catch the Suzukis. The front end was better this weekend but now we’re struggling for traction. This morning it wasn’t so bad but then when I went out in the afternoon it felt like I was riding a different bike. It’s a problem at Valencia, the grip levels change so much here and for that reason it’s not always the best track to test at.” Sébastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) “Making a quick lap is not the most important thing at these tests so we took our time and were able to try some things out on the bike during the weekend. I’m feeling comfortable on the bike and feel that I am able to push harder if I need too. Just at the end we found a solution to a small problem we had with the front suspension. Had we been able to make this change earlier then I would surely have been able to set a much faster lap time.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) “Ok, our lap time this weekend – 18th place – was not good but we are here to test for the race and not just get one fast lap time. So it’s ok. On the first morning we ran with the Qatar settings. They worked well and I was sixth fastest, but in the other sessions we had a proper test and changed many of the parts and settings on the bike. Some of the changes worked, some did not, but I have learned a lot about the bike and the parts we tested so this is fine.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Co-ordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia) “I think that we have made some big steps this weekend. We came here with some new parts to test and almost all of them gave us the improvements we expected. Also, today is the first time I have heard Nori say we have made ‘big improvements’ so this is positive for us going to Phillip Island.” Superbike World Championship Valencia test – leading times 1. Troy Corser (Suzuki) 1:35.566 2. Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 1:35.698 3. Chris Vermeulen (Honda) 1:35.724 4. Regis Laconi (Ducati) 1:35.881 5. Karl Muggeridge (Honda) 1:36.084 6. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) 1:36.347 7. Jose Luis Cardoso (Yamaha) 1:36.443 8. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) 1:36.766 9. Chris Walker (Kawasaki) 1:36.793 10. Pierfrancesco Chili (Honda) 1:36.813 15. Sébastien Gimbert (Yamaha) 1:37.305 18. Norick Abe (Yamaha) 1:37.347 More, from a press release issued by Scurderia SC Caracchi Ducati: Two days of World Superbike testing ended today in Valencia just two weeks before round 2 of the championship at Phillip Island (Australia) next April 3. Very satisfied is Gianluca Nannelli for the week-end work, also if some small trouble didn’t allow him to held the fifth position. Nannelli made a total of 84 laps in the two days test and got a good setting on his 749R Ducati. “Today too we practiced always with full tank.” commented a satisfied Gianluca Nannelli at the end of the test “We made a big work also today and in the afternoon I was quite tired because during the night I didn’t sleep well, so I was not all Ok today. In the afternoon the track wasn’t fast and nobody has been able to improve his performance. In the morning on the contrary the track was good and I’ve recorded a quicker laptime too. Unfortunately when we used a softer tyre looking a faster lap we’ve done a mistake and the tyre pressure wasn’t correct, it was too high and the byke was sliding all round the track. I recorded my fastest performance with a race tyre. So I suppose to be able for recording a quicker laptime, because we rode always in race conditions, with full gas tank and hard tyre, getting a good pace for several laps. In the afternoon I was tired, we tested several solution more with good results, unfortunately when we put a softer tyre we had some trouble with the engine an I must stop. I’m quite pleased with that we did in these past two days, both for me as for the team and the bike. I feel to be not jet at the same level as the leader, at least looking at the single laptime, but my pace is pretty fast and, all things considered we are not far from the top, so I’m quite satisfied and I’m confident to fight in the leading group, also if I’ll be not able to win.” Less satisfaction for the Superbike results where, as improving their yesterday laptime, both Lorenzo Lanzi and Fonsi Nieto lost several positions, as well the gap is quite close. Looking at Fonsi Nieto, just 26th fastest, with a gap of something more as a second from the tenth fastest. “Actually I was hoping in something better.” said at the end of the day Lorenzo Lanzi. “I don’t love this track, also if last year I reached the fourth final place in Supersport race. The main problem during the two days has been on the rear, while I had a good feeling with the front. Unfortunately on the rear we have not been able, with our setting, to use at the best the race tire we selected, missing the rear grip that my riding style wishes. On the contrary with qualifying tyre I felt well and with something more we could enter the top ten, a position I believe to be correct for us in this moment. Now we are leaving to Australia. I love that track and for that occasion I’m confident we could learn something from the difficulties we got today. I wont to stay with the leaders, we have to work but we’ll do it.” Fonsi Nieto is quite disappointed for today’s result. Fonsi has done a great work with the bike setting, but the results have been not at the level that his job and the team work despite. “Today too I couldn’t be satisfied looking at the final position in the grid after a five hours of testing today.” said the Spanish rider analyzing his practice day. “I’m behind in the results list, as well the tenth position is not too far. So I’m believing that, despite we are behind, we got a good work. We tested a lot of solutions, sometime finding a good result, some other with any result. Those two days testing have been very useful because finally I could run on the dry. We focused most on race conditions so I rode always with race tyres, also to control their wear. We didn’t use the qualifying tyres, we could improve something for the laptime, bur now I need to get experience for the race. So I go on working and learning, at every practice session I improve my performance, as if not so fast as I wish because I would to be immediately at the top level. But the team works well and I’m confident we’ll be early on the top group.”

WINSTON SUPERSPORT ONE-TWO AT VALENCIA TEST Sébastien Charpentier and Katsuaki Fujiwara head for round two of the 2005 World Supersport championship at Phillip Island, Australia on 3 April in confident mood after completing a two-day official test at Valencia in Spain. The two Winston Ten Kate Honda riders headed the combined time sheets for the weekend in first and second place respectively. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “It’s very satisfying to carry our one-two finish at the first race in Qatar through to this test in Spain, although the positions for Kats and Sébastien are reversed. It shows that our Supersport team continues to work hard to improve and develop the new CBR600RR. Grip levels dropped this afternoon as the track temperature rose slightly but we were able to do a good long run with Sébastien this morning when he did consistent 1m38s laps. With Kats, we’re still working around the base setting to get him more familiar with how small changes can affect the bike. We’re looking forward to Phillip Island, which is like a second home to all of us, although it’ll be strange going there without an Australian Supersport rider for the first time in some years.” Sébastien Charpentier 85 laps (two days), 1:37.880 “This has been a really good test for me and I’m very happy. The tyres have been fantastic here and the front worked really well in a race simulation, when I was able to do many fast laps. The bike feels very strong everywhere and the team has been working really well together. Everything is perfect and I think we have a great package for Phillip Island and especially for when we come back to Valencia to race in April.” Katsuaki Fujiwara 88 laps (two days) 1:38.178 “I’m still learning about the new CBR but I’m working better and better with the team. The race win at the first round in Qatar was fantastic for me but we still have some work to do on the bike especially the rear. The front is much better now and I think the problems that everyone had in Qatar were because of the surface there. Before Australia, I’m looking forward to spending some time at home in Japan to see my family and maybe do some fishing. I’m also going to have a big party with some people from the Honda factory to celebrate my win in Qatar!” Valencia test two-day combined times: 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:37.880; 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara JAP (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:38.178; 3 Broc Parkes AUS (Yamaha) 1:38.804; 4 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) 1:38.913; 5 Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) 1:38.943; 6 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) 1:39.238; 7 Stefan Folkesson SWE (Honda) 1:39.382; 8 Ginaluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) 1:39.535; 9 Barry Veneman NED (Suzuki) 1:39.985; 10 Javier Fores ESP (Suzuki) 1:40.072. More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: In the Supersport class team Ten Kate again showed its great potential placing like in Qatar his riders on the two top positions, respectively Charpentier first and Fujiwara second, in front of the two Yamaha Germany pilots. Yamaha is back in the fight then, showing how Pirelli’s can well satisfy the needs of all the 600 and promising a thrilling race here on the 24th April. It’s always difficult to make comparisons, many are the variables playing at any time, but considering the times made here in Valencia last year we can talk of a good improvement, with a laptime 1 second and a half better than 2004’s best – VD Goorbergh’s (1’39.2) Rider Team Bike Best lap Laps 1. Charpentier Winston Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR600RR 1’37.880 85 2. Fujiwara Winston Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR600RR 1’38.178 88 3. Parkes Yamaha Motor Germany Yamaha YZF R6 1’38.804 104 4. Curtain Yamaha Motor Germany Yamaha YZF R6 1’38.913 82 5. Foret Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR 1’38.943 97 6. Fabrizio Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR 1’39.238 111 7. Folkesson Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR 1’39.382 86 8. Nannelli Ducati SC Carachi Ducati 749R 1’39.535 96 9. Veneman Suzuki Netherland Suzuki GSX 600R 1’39.985 104 10.Fores Alstare Suzuki Corona Suzuki GSX 600R 1’40.072 109 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Javi Fores continued to suffer grip problems today and so was unable to grab a place in the top six as he had intended. But he and the team found some good directions and left Valencia feeling positive about the next outing in Phillip Island. Frenchman Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) dominated the two-day test finishing with a lap of 1:37.880, nearly three tenths of a second ahead of his team mate Katsuaki Fujiwara. Third was Broc Parke s (Y amaha) with his team mate Kevin Curtain fourth. Javi Fores – 10th, 1:40.072: “I still didn’t find the rear-end grip I was looking for today although we tried many different settings. But all the information we gathered was good and gave us some ideas to think about and work on. All in all, I would say that these two days were very useful and, in a way, it’s the first real and proper test we have had with the new bike. I am looking forward to Phillip Island. I know it’s a hard track, but I learn tracks pretty quickly so I think I am going to have fun there.” Supersport Results (overall for two days): 1 Sébastien Charpentier (F Honda) 1.37.880 85 laps; 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara (J Honda) 1.38.178 88 laps; 3 Broc Parkes (AUS Yamaha) 1.38.804 104 laps; 4 Kevin Curtain (AUS Yamaha) 1.38.913 82 laps; 5 Fabien Foret (F Honda) 1.38.943 97 laps; 6 Michel Fabrizio (I Honda) 1.39.238 111 laps; 7 Stefan Folkesson (S Honda) 1.39.382 86 laps; 8 Gianluca Nannelli (I Ducati) 1.39.535 96 laps; 9 Barry Veneman (NL Suzuki) 1.39.985 104 laps; 10 Javi Fores (ESP Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1.40.072 109 laps. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Hard work from the Yamaha Motor Germany supersport team allowed riders Broc Parkes and Kevin Curtain to make considerable progress with the development of their 2005 model YZF-R6s at this weekend’s official tests in Valencia. The Australian pair set the third and fourth fastest times of the weekend and declared themselves pleased with improvements made to the bikes. After finishing fourth and sixth in the opening round in Qatar two weeks ago, the team was able to try new settings on the front forks which transformed the handling characteristics. Both riders were able to run consistently at race pace in the four 90 minute sessions over the two days. Parkes, almost fully recovered from the broken hand which hampered him at the opening race in Qatar, completed 104 laps and set a best time of 1:38.804. Curtain completed fewer laps than his team-mate due to a high speed crash on Saturday but ended up just a fraction of a second behind with a best of 1:38.913 from his 82 laps. Honda team-mates Sébastien Charpentier and Katsuaki Fujiwara set the fastest times of the weekend. Round two of the championship takes place at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia on the weekend of April 1-3. Supersport World Championship Valencia test – leading times 1. Sébastien Charpentier (Honda) 1:37.880 2. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Honda) 1:38.178 3. Broc Parkes (Yamaha) 1:38.804 4. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) 1:38.913 Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) “The bike was heaps better here than it’s been all year and we’ve made more progress in these two days than we did in all of our time in Qatar. My broken hand is better. It’s not quite 100 percent but almost there it – it feels good to be fast again! I was able to put in consistent lap times and the front tyres are working really good over a race distance. I felt I could have gone quicker in the afternoon but the wind was a bit stronger and that affected times. Even so, this is the closest we’ve been to Charpentier.” Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) “We made big improvements to the suspension overnight and that gave me much more rear end grip. Because we’re running a new bike we’re still having to work our way through things with the suspension, but we are getting there and we’ve now got the bike working good round here. The crash was a real big one. I had just gone out and done a few and felt that I had found the limit, but I lost it going into turn five and got spat right off. I’m heading back off to Australia on Tuesday and I’m really looking forward to the race at Phillip Island.” Terrell Thien (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Germany) “I think everyone is really pleased with how things have gone. We’ve made good progress with the chassis and it was good that we didn’t have the high front tyre wear we suffered in Qatar. Broc’s wrist is much better now and today is the first time in around 18 months that Kevin has been beaten by his team-mate. It’s good to have two riders in the team who can push each other and they’re both keen to get back to Australia and race at Phillip Island.”