Former Formula USA and AMA Champion Shawn Higbee lost a portion of his left little finger and had a knuckle of his left ring finger fused after a crash during the F-USA Thunderbike race March 6 at Daytona International Speedway. Higbee started Sunday’s Thunderbike race from the back of the grid (due to missing the call to pre-grid) and crashed when he ran into the back of some slower riders in the turn two kink on the opening lap. The Wisconsin resident got his left hand caught between his Buell XB12R’s frame spar and the ground, causing the damage to his hand. Otherwise uninjured, Higbee lost the tip of his left little finger, to the first knuckle, according to Buell Communications Manager and fellow Thunderbike racer Paul James, and doctors at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, fused the second knuckle (the one closest to the hand) of his left ring finger. Higbee was expected to remain in the hospital for at least two days following the surgery. Higbee didn’t specifically say he would not race his Bartel’s/New Castle Buell in the Daytona 200 March 12, as he planned to contest the entire AMA Formula Xtreme series, but he told James he would evaluate his racing plans “in a couple of weeks.” In real life, Higbee is a test rider for Buell Motorcycle Company.

USGPRU Announces 2005 Series Sponsors ODENTON, MD. — The United States Grand Prix Racers Union (USGPRU) announced sponsorship programs exceeding $90,000 for the 2005 season. Cash prizes, contingency money, merchandise, and merchandise certificates from industry sponsors are included in the sponsorship programs. $55,000 of the sponsorship comes in cash for event purses. The 2005 USGPRU National Series sponsors include Acid Cigars, Roadracingworld.com, Bridgestone, Dunlop, EBC Brakes, GPC Moto, Hjelm Motorsports, Ian Emberton Engineering, Motion Pro Cables and Tools, Redline Cycle Imports, Revit Leathers, Rising Sun Cycles, Silkolene, Speedwerks.com, and VP Fuel. “Not only has the Series attracted top caliber industry sponsors, but with over half of the sponsorship value available as cash prizes for each of the scheduled events I expect to see some very serious competition to show up on the grids this season”, said Stewart Aitken-Cade, President of the USGPRU. “This is exactly the kind of support our sport needs to further promote ‘True GP’ racing in the U.S.” New sponsors to the series this year are Ian Emberton Engineering, Rising Sun Cycles, Roadracingworld.com, and Speedwerks.com. Most sponsors are supporting the series with cash, merchandise, or certificates. About USGPRU The USGPRU is the officially recognized Motorcycle 125 Grand Prix National ChampionshipR and 250 Grand Prix National Championship TM series. The USGPRU emulates true World MotoGP racing experience and serves to attract young riders to gain experience in a professional environment and provide a path to world-class motorcycle racing. The USGPRU structures events with extended length grand prix racing exclusive to the GP machines, timed qualifying and strong contingency and sponsor support. For additional details, visit www.USGPRU.net

Formula Sportbike 1. Jeff Wood, 36 points 2. Lee Acree, 30 3. Scott Harwell, 26 4. Robert Jensen, 23 5. Chris Ulrich, 21 6. Ryan Elleby, 19 7. David Weber, 18 8. Shawn Conrad, 17 9. Brandon Parrish, 16 10. Derek Keyes, 15 Superbike 1. Vincent Haskovec, 35 2. Michael Barnes, 31 3. Jeff Wood, 26 4. Jason Perez, 23 5. Chris Peris, 21 6. Scott Greenwood, 19 7. Blake Young, 18 8. Carlo Gagliardo, 17 9. Armando Ferrer Perez, 16 10. Barrett Long, 15 Thunderbike 1. Michael Barnes, 36 2. David Yaakov, 30 3. Dan Bilansky, 26 4. Sam Rozynski, 23 5. Joe Rozynski, 21 6. Clint Brotz, 19 7. Darren Danilowicz, 18 8. Robert Fisher, 17 9. Nate Kern, 16 10. Tim Hall, 15 Sportbike 1. Robert Jensen, 35 2. Jason Perez, 30 3. Geoff May, 27 4. Jeff Wood, 23 5. Scott Greenwood, 21 6. Chris Peris, 19 7. Scott Harwell, 18 8. David Weber, 17 9. Armando Ferrer Perez, 16 10. Carlo Gagliardo, 15

The new 2005-specification Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1s were displayed for the first time in their new livery today, during a press conference attended by Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards. The reigning World Champion and his new team-mate were the guests of honour at Yamaha’s ‘2005 Motor Sports Press Conference’, which took place in Tokyo this morning. Team Director Davide Brivio and Senior Management representatives from Yamaha Motor Company joined the two riders on stage to talk about Yamaha’s plans for MotoGP in 2005 and beyond. Valentino Rossi, now in his second season as a Yamaha rider, talked about his year so far and his goals for the forthcoming season. “We have done a lot of test runs during the off-season. Things aren’t quite 100% yet, but the machine and the engine are already much better than last year. It’s nice to see the M1 in its final 2005 livery. I hope I can win the title again this year on this new bike, but winning is never easy! I was very happy to win nine rounds in last year’s Championship and I think that is a good target for this year too. I hope everyone will be cheering for me!” Rossi’s new team-mate Colin Edwards, who recently turned 31, spoke about his return to Yamaha after a seven-year absence. “I was last with Yamaha in the 1998 season in the World Superbike Championship and I am very happy to be back. I saw how good the team and machine were last year, so I was excited when I got the offer to come back to the Yamaha side. I am also glad that there will be a US round at Laguna Seca this year for the first time in a while. I hope to have a bit of an advantage there, but I will be giving my best shot in all the races.” Team Director Davide Brivio, who enters his fourth season as the Yamaha Factory Team Director, commented on the new bike and the task facing the riders. “We’re very pleased with the look and design of the new bike, as well as with its performance so far during testing. This is going to be a very exciting season and a big challenge for both riders. After this we are flying directly to Phillip Island for our fourth test of the year and we hope to continue the good work we’ve been doing so far with the development of this new bike, with the aim of having it ready for the first race in a month’s time.” Senior Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Company Tsuneji Togami, Senior General Manager Masao Furusawa and Shigeto Kitagawa, head of the Engineering Department in charge of developing the 2005 YZR-M1, were three of the Yamaha Motor Company representatives present at today’s Japanese event. Mr. Togami launched the press conference by stressing the importance of Yamaha’s race activities for fulfilling Yamaha’s corporate mission of “We create Kando Touching your heart”, saying, “Through our motorcycle racing activities we want to stimulate the motorcycle racing scene, to bring motor sports closer to people and to help raise the next generation of people who will lead these sports into the future.” Mr. Kitagawa then highlighted the four key goals of the YZR-M1 development project in 2005 as improving the balance of the machine’s handling stability, boosting acceleration performance and top speed, balancing high power with fuel economy, and making the machine more robust in terms of its adaptability to different track conditions. “Besides winning a second consecutive rider title,” he commented, “We also intend to go for the manufacturer’s title with the new M1.” Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards now fly directly to Phillip Island, Australia for three days of testing from 9th-11th March, before returning to Europe next week for the first of the two official IRTA tests in Barcelona.

Racing Performance Services goes to Daytona with 3 riders representing the company’s suspension products and services. AMA veterans Ricky Orlando and Ty Howard will lead the team with up and comer Justin Meyers looking to gain experience and get a credible finish. With the late arrival of the 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R and the corresponding required race parts, Orlando was left with less than 2 days to shake down the bike before loading up for the famed banking of Daytona. Ty Howard will be pulling double duty in the 600 Supersport race as well as the Daytona 200. Despite early delivery of his Supersport R-6 and the GP Tech FX R-6, Howard was left with little setup time on either bike as the need to develop quick-change hardware left the Texas rider without either R-6 to ride during the pre-season. Justin Meyers has been put himself in an intensive off-season program that has seen the Colorado rider frequent Laguna Seca, Fontana, Pahrump, and several other facilities constantly over the last several months. RPS is very excited about the team’s line-up for the 64th running of the Daytona 200. Ty Howard Howard spent much of the off-season recovering from a shoulder injury. This did not diversely affect the tough Texan and Ty looks to be back in top form. Racing in both the Supersport and FX classes does not concern Howard, although the main focus is on the 200. Ty went on to mention, “Geoff Maloney of GP Tech is providing a really trick R-6 for the 200 that I can’t wait to throw a leg over. I really feel confident with the preparation that Geoff puts into the race bikes and the suspension tuning of RPS that there is no reason we can’t have a great finish!” Ricky Orlando The Colorado rider who has seen many years in the AMA ranks spent much of the off-season regrouping after an excellent 2004 AMA season. With a 6th place finish in last year’s 200 and great television coverage during his excitement in the chicane, Orlando has had to switch gears a bit to get ready for Daytona 200 that is not based around the traditional Superbike class structure. Fortunately for Ricky, he has one of the most diverse backgrounds any racer could ask for and he also credited one particular person that constantly gets him on the racetrack. Orlando took a moment to note, “I can’t thank Marv Rosencrans enough. He has really poured it on to get the bike together in basically less than a week. I am also excited about the new Traxxion Dynamics Cartridges, although we weren’t able to put in a full test, the initial feeling from them is excellent.” Justin Meyers The young Colorado rider spent much of the 2004 season turning heads by running up with some the fastest Colorado veterans during his rookie expert year. Meyers took some time to thank those for both last year’s success and this years continued efforts, “I really want to thank Marcus McBain of RPS and of course the Comcables team in Colorado. It takes a lot of individual efforts to provide the level of success I have enjoyed. With such good people around me, I always feel confident that my motorcycle will perform the way I need them to.” The excitement at Daytona begins Wednesday March 9th and RPS owner Marcus McBain is looking forward to helping these riders do their best.

Jensen Victorious In Formula USA SportBike Final DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., – Robert Jensen came out on top of an intense four-rider last-lap battle to the flag Sunday in the Formula USA SportBike final at historic Daytona International Speedway. Jensen used the draft to perfection to take the victory over Geoff May, Jason Perez and Jeff Wood with only 10 bike lengths separating the top four finishers. “Normally I’d pass them every time coming into Turn 2,” said Jensen, the defending F-USA SportBike champion from Chaffee, N.D. “This time, I let those two stay up there and I stayed right behind them. (In the) chicane, I backed off just a second just to get into the chicane and get a good run at them. “I was drafting the guy on the Yamaha (Perez) and he was getting us up to May and then when those two got together and began pushing on to each other I went on the outside and got to the lead. I was sitting up off the seat trying to get a good nice smooth (draft). It worked. It was great. I lucked out.” M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec won the SuperBike class in a good battle with Floridian Michael Barnes. “We were riding slicks, Barney was on DOT tires,” said Haskovec, a native of the Czech Republic. “That was a major difference. My bike is definitely faster than his because they are on a Supersport bike. We definitely have some power on them. On the other hand, I didn’t have any practice. I just jumped on a bike and rode it for the first time.” Jeff Wood broke away early and took victory in the Formula SportBike class on his Arclight Suzuki. Wood thought the new 2.95-mile motorcycle course layout played a part in helping him pull away. “It adds more technical riding to the track,” Wood said. “I think it’s a good thing.” Michael Barnes won the ThunderBike race on a Suzuki SV650 and donated his earnings and trophy to a fellow rider who was injured in an accident Homestead-Miami Speedway earlier this year. Racing resumes at the Speedway with the American Historic Motorcycle Racing Association races on Monday and Tuesday. The AMA Road Racing program begins on Wednesday. Tickets to any of the motorcycle events at Daytona International Speedway are available online at ~http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com~ or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Sunday’s Results Formula SportBike (15 laps) 1. Jeff Wood, Mansfield, Mass., Suzuki 2. Lee Acree, Greensboro, N.C., Suzuki 3. Scott Harwell, Lincolnton, N.C., Suzuki SuperBike (15 laps) 1. Vincent Haskovec, Athens, Ala., Suzuki 2. Michael Barnes, Boca Raton, Fla., Yamaha 3. Jeff Wood, Mansfield, Mass., Suzuki ThunderBike (10 laps) 1. Michael Barnes, Boca Raton, Fla., Suzuki 2. David Yaakov, Rockville, Md., Suzuki 3. Dan Bilansky, Delafield, Wisc. Sportbike (15 laps) 1. Robert Jensen, Chaffee, N.D., Suzuki 2. Geoff May, Cumming, Ga., Suzuki 3. Jason Perez, Brentwood, Ca., Yamaha Expert Middleweight Grand Prix 1. Chris Peris, Calgary, Alberta, Yamaha 2. Heath Small, Waller, Texas, Yamaha 3. Trey Yonce, Charleston, S.C., Yamaha Amateur Middleweight Grand Prix 1. Gustavo Laya, Miami, Fla., Honda 2. Brian McCormack, Waterford, Ireland, Yamaha 3. Chris Porter, Warrington, Pa., Honda Expert Speedscreen Unlimited GP 1. James McConnell, Orlando, Fla., 2. Takashi Tezuka, Tokyo, Japan, Honda 3. Gary Berbaum, Washington, N.J., Ducati Amateur Speedscreen Unlimited GP 1. Andrew Moates, Casselberry, Floa., Suzuki 2. Gene Gilchrist, Columbus, Ohio, Suzuki 3. J.B. Layman, East Ellijay, Ga., Yamaha Expert Lightweight GP 1. Mark Stiles, Darien, Wisc., Yamaha 2. Nate Kern, Phoenixville, Pa., BMW 3. John Costa, Miami, Fla., Buell More, from a press release issued by Michael Barnes’ publicist: BARNES GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE IN FORMULA USA THUNDERBIKE Daytona, USA Michael Barnes won the opening round of the Formula USA Thunderbike series today in a convincing fashion with a dominating wire-to-wire performance. Riding the Prieto Racing/Mike Mills Suzuki SV650, Mike earned the pole position on Saturday in qualifying with a time of 1:49.313, more than a second faster than the rest of the field. In Sunday afternoon’s race, Mike never relinquished the lead. “I got the hole shot at the start, and was looking for a good race with Dave Estok”, said Mike. “Unfortunately, he had a mechanical on the first lap and dropped out, and it was a pretty easy ride from that point on.” Again getting the hole shot on both of the two restarts after red flags interrupted the race, Mike was never challenged for the lead and won with a very comfortable margin. Mike will be donating all of his Thunderbike winnings to “Scuba” Steve Servis, who suffered a cervical fracture earlier this year in a CCS race at Homestead. More, from another press release issued by Michael Barnes’ publicist: Venemotos Yamaha Venezuela/Prieto Racing’s Michael Barnes finished on the podium in the opening round of the Formula USA Superbike series today. After posting the fourth fastest qualifying time on Saturday just behind the contingent of AMA Supersport factory riders in attendance, Mike was awarded the pole position when the Yamaha team elected to yield. During Sunday’s race, Mike battled on his Yamaha YZF-R6 Superbike with Rob Jensen for the lead until the race was stopped for a red flag. On the restart, Mike kept Vincent Haskovec, the eventual race winner, within sight and finished second. “Vincent was on his AMA FX bike, and it was real fast. We just didn’t have the power to keep up with him on that bike today.” Starting in ninth place on the grid in the Sportbike race, Mike suffered a punctured radiator on the first lap and had to park the bike when all coolant was lost. “We caught a stone in the radiator and that was the end of my race”, said Mike. “The bike overheated real fast and I couldn’t continue.” Other Venemotos Yamaha Venezuela/Prieto Racing team members had good results, all also riding Yamaha YZF-R6’s. Armando Ferrer finished ninth in both the Superbike and Sportbike races. Victor Chirinos placed twentieth in Sportbike, but was unlucky to be out of the Superbike race after just nine of the fifteen laps. The team will remain at Daytona for action in the AMA Supersport event next week.

Damon Buckmaster, Shawn Higbee and Jerry Wood were each taken to Halifax Medical Center after crashes in Sunday’s Formula USA races at Daytona International Speedway. Buckmaster crashed on lap 10 of the 15-lap Superbike race, causing the race to be stopped. “Damon was the red flag,” Buckmaster’s Yamaha teammate Jason DiSalvo told Roadracingworld.com. “He highsided in turn seven. It was like black mark, then Damon was over there where that fence is (approximately 30 feet) then his bike was where that building is (another 30 feet away). It looked pretty gnarly. We’ve all had our moments there.” DiSalvo said that he rode on the same set of tires in the Superbike race that he used in the 15-lap Formula Sportbike race in order to test the endurance of the tires. He said Buckmaster may have been doing the same thing. No one on the Yamaha team knew Buckmaster’s condition at post time, but DiSalvo reported seeing him sitting up at the accident scene. Shawn Higbee crashed his new Buell XB12R in turn one of the Thunderbike final and was taken to the hospital to have a hand injury examined. Jerry Wood also crashed in the Thunderbike final, highsiding his Ducati 1000 Supersport at the exit of the International Horseshoe. Wood was seen moving immediately after the crash but was taken to the hospital. Wood’s son Jeff Wood did not know his father’s condition at the end of Sunday’s race program. In addition, Roadracingworld.com’s Chris Ulrich was involved in a chain-reaction crash in turn one at the start of the Superbike race. Ulrich suffered a mild concussion but was treated and released from the Infield Care Center Sunday. The incident was set off when Heath Small highsided exiting turn one and his bike tumbled up into the air, hitting Ulrich’s bike at steering-stem level.