From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

WE’RE GOING RACING

Mat Mladin Motorsports is pleased to announce the entry of a one rider Superbike team to compete in the 2005 AMA Superbike series.

The team will run the all new, 2005 Suzuki GSXR 1000 Superbike, which in pre-season testing has already shown its ability to dominate the time sheets.

“Mat Mladin Motorsports is excited about the opportunity to become a part of the AMA series in the Superbike class” said Mat Mladin. “I am looking forward to our first season on the racetrack. In 2005, I will wear two hats, one as defending Superbike Champion trying for a 6th crown and the other as a team owner. I am fortunate to be surrounded by some very experienced and professional people, who will be of great assistance in 2005. We look forward to Daytona, but will approach the first race of the season cautiously as our race program has come together quite late and getting a good solid points base established will be our number one priority. Our rider for 2005 will be the experienced, multi-time Australian Superbike Champion Marty Craggill.”

The team’s debut will be at Daytona International Speedway during Bike Week, for the first round of the AMA Superbike Championship.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to race in the United States for the 2005 season”, said Marty Craggill. “To be associated with Mat Mladin Motorsports for the up coming season has really given me a boost, and I’m excited to be racing the new for 2005, Suzuki GSXR 1000.”

Mat Mladin Motorsports would like to thank, Suzuki, Yoshimura, Joe Rocket and Dunlop for their support for the 2005 race season.

We are also currently talking to many great companies about support for this project and anyone who would like to know more can contact the team via email at: [email protected]

From a press release issued by RPS:

Racing Performance Services kicks off the 2005 season!!!

RPS is geared up for another phenomenal year in American road racing. The continued desire to help talented riders improve their on-track performances is what drives the company. The company goal for this season is 250 wins, an AMA podium finish in the Formula Extreme class, and 20 or more class championship for RPS Texas and Colorado customers and sponsored riders. RPS sponsored riding phenomenon Corey Burleson fired the first shot of the 2005 season with an impressive 6 races and 6 wins at Talledega in the WERA Mid-Central season opener. Burleson turned everyone’s head with blazing fast times on his Smith Cycle Center GSXR-600. His motorcycle featured RPS custom valved Penske shock and Traxxion Dynamics forks. For 2005 RPS is focusing on providing the absolutely highest quality products any customer can obtain. Our diverse product line of proven winning suspension solutions only underscores this strategy. RPS is focusing its rider support in the AMA Pro Racing, CMRA, and MRA competition arenas. RPS is also re-launching its very popular Advanced Racing School and is sold out for its school(s) already. Lastly, RPS will once again continue the support of the RRW action fund and is very proud that the company was recognized as a top contributor to the fund.

Product and Company Direction for 2005 – Although RPS customers overwhelming choose Traxxion Dynamics fork valve solutions, RPS will continue to be product agnostic in 2005. RPS primarily sells and supports Traxxion Dynamics, Ohlins, and Penske products. New for this year is the Traxxion Dynamics 20mm cartridge product line that is creating quite a buzz among riders who want to win. Ricky Orlando will be using these in his FX/Daytona 200 Kawasaki 636. RPS continues to improve its custom valving and piston selections for Penske Shocks that provide incredible traction for racers. RPS is positioned to once again be the top Traxxion Dynamics product dealer in the United States. In order to continue the growth experienced by RPS, Leonard Gremillion and David Rose will finish their apprenticeships this year and begin making major contributions to the company in the Texas and Colorado markets respectively. Lastly, RPS has started a program to take riders that are fresh off the dirt tracks and created a rider-training program that capitalizes on their dirt skills for road race competition. New CMRA racer and former motocross champion Shea Fouchek is our first rider on this program and currently the results are fantastic.

AMA Pro Racing – For 2005, RPS will focus on sponsored riders Ty Howard and Ricky Orlando in the AMA Pro Racing arena. The goal of RPS is to put these riders on the podium in either the Formula Extreme or 600 supersport. For the Daytona 200, RPS will be providing suspension support for Ty Howard on the GP Tech Yamaha R-6, Ricky Orlando on a privately owned Kawasaki ZX-636, and MRA young sensation Justin Meyers on his Comcables sponsored R-6.

CMRA Racing – RPS is continuing to provide dominant product support in the CMRA sprint and endurance series. New for 2005, RPS is providing two novices with riding training and suspension sponsorship. Shea Fouchek and Chris Kutalek are receiving focused support this year. Out of the gate, Shea Fouchek has turned heads with amazing speed and talent while Chris has been right behind him every step of the way.. RPS continues to support its core of sponsored riders. The sprint racing sponsored rider assault includes Andy Galindo, Cory Burleson, Phillip Lawlis, Phillip Fisher, Ty Howard, Miki Espiritu, Mark Godfrey, Josh Lowery, Mark Delano, Will Schupak, Chris Kutalek, and Shea Fouchek. RPS continues to support the CMRA Overall Endurance Champion and #1 plate holder Northwest Honda on their brilliant CBR1000RR. Middleweight Champion Lone Star Track Days, Lone Gunmen Racing, and Big Air Racing will continue to represent RPS as sponsored teams.

MRA Racing – 2004 was simply phenomenal for RPS customers and sponsored riders in the MRA. Over 45 Season Championship awards were given out to riders that chose RPS suspension solutions. RPS Customers and sponsored riders swept several classes. In Open Supersport for example, if you were riding on any suspension setup other than RPS then there was no chance of getting a championship award. INCREDIBLE!!! For 2005 MRA Open Supersport Champion Dennie Burke will be the lead RPS sponsored rider, but Crash Lowe, Ricky Orlando, David Gallant, Mike Applegate, Mark Applegate, Alex Kuretz, Andrew Brown, Greg Greenwood, Gene Bazyl, Justin Myers, Mike Applehans, Ryan Burke, Jake Latimer, Rich Deeming, Jason Trabert, Doug Lyle, Jason Smith, and Jeff Brown are set to dominate the MRA roadracing scene with RPS sponsorship.

RPS would like to thank our incredible sponsored riders and customers that support the company. Because of them RPS and its customers are both winners.

For more information about the company or its products, call (713) 304 5509 or visit www.roadracinghelp.com.

Copyright 2005, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racers and fans may want to keep August 27-28 open, just in case efforts to resurrect the AMA Superbike National at VIR by bringing in a professional race promoter succeed.

That’s the latest unconfirmed hot rumor sweeping the virtual paddock.

As usual, nobody who actually could confirm or deny the rumors, will speak on the record.

Dan Murphy’s RPM (Race Promotion Management) is the likely promoter if the deal goes down. Murphy and company put together the AMA National at Road Atlanta before the track did a direct deal with AMA Pro Racing and cut him out, and Murphy also promoted the combined World Superbike and AMA Superbike races at Laguna Seca before the track decided to promote its own events.

If it happens, the VIR deal will be a reversal of sorts, with a track deciding it can’t effectively promote an AMA Superbike National, and Murphy coming in to take it over.

Stay tuned.

From a press release issued by FGSport Group:

FGSPORT INCREASES WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE IN ASIA AND AUSTRALIA

FGSPORT has recently signed new and important TV agreements with networks that have never broadcast Superbike World Championship coverage before.

A two-year contract has been signed with Brave Heart International, which will now provide live coverage of the Superbike series to millions of viewers across the whole Asian region – including China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

In India, another important deal has been finalised with Doordarshan TV, guaranteeing the local audience live and free-to-air Superbike coverage for the next three years, until 2007.

In Asia the coverage of World Superbike has also been considerably strengthened by the renewal of a deal with ESPN Star Sport for 2005. The Pan-Asian satellite network will again cover the Championship, broadcasting an extensive schedule of highlights, as was the case in 2004.

In Australia, Fox Sports has provided excellent live coverage of the Championship for many years, and this partnership will continue in 2005. The Australian TV involvement in World Superbike has now been enhanced by the Ten Network. This terrestrial provider will broadcast all the highlights from the 2005 and 2006 series.

Finally, in Japan, a recently signed contract with the satellite and cable network J Sky Sports guarantees continuous coverage of the Championship until 2006.

Paolo Flammini, Chief Executive of FGSPORT – the organising company and rights holder of the Championship – commented: “The forthcoming 2005 World Superbike Championship looks like it will be one of the best in its entire history. We are confident that the strong increase of worldwide TV coverage will give a very beneficial boost to the whole Championship.”

The first round of World Superbike will take place in Qatar, Doha on Saturday February 26th 2005. From that day on, an increased global audience will be able to enjoy this most spectacular racing spectacle.

Copyright 2005, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

KSW Racing’s Anthony Fania, Jr. and Joseph Ford will race in the Daytona 200 AMA Formula Xtreme race on Yamaha YZF-R6s, according to a press release issued by the team. It will be Fania’s ninth and Ford’s first appearance in the 200-mile race.

After Daytona, Fania plans to re-focus on the AMA Superbike class, and Ford will race in the AMA Supersport series.

The pair are sponsored by KSW Insurance.

From a press release:

Milwaukee, WI: Shawn Higbee has established his own racing team for 2005 to compete in the AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series. The 2001 Formula USA Unlimited Superbike champion returns to ride a Buell XB and will debut his 2005 Formula Xtreme bike at the upcoming Indianapolis Dealer show on Saturday, February 19th as a featured display of the Teknic exhibit booth.

“It has been very exciting working on the creation of this team over the past 4-5 months,” said Higbee. “Over the years, I have had the chance to work with several great teams. Now, I have the goal to bring together the best aspects of each of them into one cohesive unit. All of this hard work has really motivated me toward Daytona. I am really excited about the coming season.”

Higbee will race the #14 Higbee Racing Buell at the upcoming Daytona 200, a 68-lap, 200-mile test of rider and machine, is the first event of the exceptionally competitive series. “I’m happy to be back on a Buell,” added Higbee. “The XB is a superb handling bike and suits my riding style well. I think we will be a competitive force in 2005.”

In addition to displaying his Buell XB in Indianapolis, Higbee will be signing autographs at the Pit Bull booth on Saturday, February 19th at 1:00 p.m.

The 64th running of the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Daytona 200 will be held on Saturday, March 12.

From a press release:

RACERS AND RACE FANS UNITE FOR CHARITY

Racers4kids.com announces the launch of a nation wide Public Relations and Fundraising Campaign to benefit children.

Aimed at inviting racers, fans, and the motorsports industry to support the needs of children less fortunate, as well as those of young riders and racers, the Racers4Kids campaign will rely on donations from supporters and sales of select items to fund the program.

For 2005, we have selected the Make-A-Wish Foundation as primary recipient of funds raised by R4K to help benefit less fortunate children.

Our first fundraiser held in Springfield, MO. earlier this month resulted in $1,326.00 donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri.

We will be hosting future events at select cities across the U.S. and hope to enlist the help of the media to present our cause to the public.

For those more fortunate children, R4K will administer our own program to provide safety education and safety equipment to young motorsports enthusiasts to help prevent injuries. We will also provide sponsorship to select racers.

At Racers4Kids we believe that participation in motor sports will encourage kids to live a long, healthy, and disciplined lifestyle. We encourage kids from both genders and all ethnic groups to participate in motor sports.

**We are pleased to announce that road racer Jessica Zalusky has agreed to support Racers4Kids**

we are currently in negotiations to display our logo on her Kawasaki racebikes for 2005.

We will foreward more information to you as details become available.

I invite you to visit our website to learn more about Racers4Kids.com.

From a press release issued by CMRA:

SHOGUN MOTORSPORTS TO SPONSOR CMRA ENDURANCE SERIES

Shogun Motorsports, a long-time supporter of the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association (CMRA), will again be the title sponsor for the popular CMRA Endurance Series, and for 2005 will also support the CMRA Mini Endurance Series for smaller bikes. Shogun will provide class awards at each event as well as championship awards at the end of the season.

“I can’t think of a better way to support the CMRA than in the two endurance series,” said Brooks Gremmels of Shogun. “It’s a unique part of the CMRA program, a way for riders to get maximum track time at a reasonable cost, and certainly a big part of why so many great riders have come out of the CMRA.”

The Shogun Motorsports CMRA Endurance Series is the only regional endurance series in the U.S., and regularly sees starting grids of over 50 teams. The series will feature seven rounds in 2005, with four, five, six and eight-hour races. Payouts per round will be 1st-$100, 2nd-$75 and 3rd-$50 for each of the five classes in each event, while the top finishing team in each class championship will earn a $1,000 award.

The Shogun Motorsports CMRA Mini Endurance Series features two, four and six-hour endurance races for a variety of smaller machines in the six round series. Average grids of 36 teams shows the growing popularity of bikes that are able to be ridden by racers as young as 10-years-old. Awards to the four classes will be 1st-$50, 2nd-$30 and 3rd-$20, as well as $100 to the overall winner of each event. Class championship winners will receive $500 at the end of the season.

Shogun Motorsports partners with Motion CycleSports, a multi-line dealership based in Dallas, Texas, and has won over 35 regional road race championships, two AMA Arenacross championships, six world speed records at Bonneville and supported the top privateer in the AMA Supersport class. Shogun has also been a long-time contributor and supporter of the Roadracing World Action Fund, a motorcycle racing and safety program. Shogun offers a line of motorcycle products and accessories available through Moto911.com, and distributed through Western Power Sports. For more information on Shogun products, please call (877) MOTO911 or visit www.moto911.com.

Founded in 1974, Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association (CMRA) is an independent, non-profit road race organization with over 650 members. For 2005, the ten CMRA events will feature sprint racing for Novice and Expert status riders, a seven-round endurance series of 4 to 8-hour-long races, mini-bike racing for riders as young as 10 years old, and an accredited new riders school. The many world and national champions who began racing with CMRA include Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden, Tommy Hayden, Jamie James, John Kocinski, Sam McDonald, Doug Polen, Kevin Schwantz, Freddie Spencer, Ben Spies and Britt Turkington. For more information, please visit www.cmraracing.com.

From a press release issued by Proforma on behalf of KWS Motorsports:

KWS MOTORSPORTS ANNOUNCES MILLENNIUM KWS SUZUKI ROAD RACING TEAM FOR 2005

KWS Motorsports is pleased to announce their AMA road race team for 2005, which will compete as Millennium KWS Suzuki in the 2005 AMA U.S. Superbike Championship. AMA front-runner Lee Acree joins the Millennium KWS Suzuki team with high hopes for a strong 2005 season. Lee is joined by Blake Young, the 17-year-old road racer and dirt tracker who impressed many with his debut AMA season in 2004.

“We are really looking forward to the 2005 season,” said team owner Kevin Hunt. “A new rider line-up, a new look with the graphics and the new GSX-R1000 all add up to what should be a great season for us. Our sponsors are back with us in a bigger way this year, and we’re happy to add new sponsors like RonAyers.com and LeoVince exhaust systems. Pirelli Tires has come on board with us in a big way. Lee and Blake have a lot of time on their tires, so we’re expecting great things.”

For 2005, Lee’s primary focus will be the Repsol Superstock class on the all-new 2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000, as well as the Superbike class on the same machine. Blake will compete in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport class on the team’s Suzuki GSX-R600, while also competing in the Repsol Superstock class on the 2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000. Owen Garnett will work with Lee with support from Dustin Cyr on suspension, while Blake will have 2004 crew chief Rick Bretl as well as Mike Godin looking after his equipment. Leo Sulpy will be the team manager during race events.

Please stop by and visit the team in the Millennium Technologies booth at the upcoming Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana, February 19-21, 2005, Booth # 134 Blue.

For more information, contact KWS Motorsports at (843) 552-7177 or visit their website at www.kwsmotorsports.com.