From a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
KAWASAKI/FUCHS ITALY IMOLA WEEKEND

FUN WEEKEND AHEAD FOR FUCHS KAWASAKI TEAM AT IMOLA

The Italian Grand Prix may still be two weeks away, but the historic Imola circuit will reverberate to the sound of MotoGP engines this weekend, as Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann give Italian Kawasaki riders their first glimpse of the 2004 Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine that took Nakano to tenth place in the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez less than one month ago.

The annual Imola weekend, which is organised jointly by Kawasaki Italy and the Italian arm of the Kawasaki Racing Team’s title sponsor Fuchs, has traditionally attracted Kawasaki owners from all over Italy, but this year the event is predicted to be bigger than ever.

Upwards of 3,000 Kawasaki owners are expected to descend on the Imola circuit this weekend, where they’ll get the chance to chat and have their photographs taken with Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, before watching the two Fuchs Kawasaki riders tackle the world famous Imola circuit aboard the Ninja ZX-RR machines on which they’ll contest the Italian Grand Prix in two weeks time.

And while the bikes may be too fast to get a good look at during the demonstration laps, there will be ample opportunity for close inspection of the 230BHP machines as they’ll be on display all weekend in front of the Fuchs Kawasaki race transporter.

In addition to autograph and photo sessions with the Fuchs Kawasaki pilots, visitors to this weekend’s event will also have the opportunity to win a set of Alex Hofmann’s leathers, and one lucky female visitor will get the chance to stand on the Mugello grid next to one of the Fuchs Kawasaki riders immediately before the start of the Italian Grand Prix.

Joining the Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team at the Imola event will be Mauro Sanchini and Ivan Clementi from the Bertocchi Kawasaki World Superbike team.

From a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

HAWK KAWASAKI

BSB Championship, Round 5, Mondello Park, Eire
May 21-23
PREVIEW

HAWK FIND MORE POWER FOR IRISH BSB ROUND

Hawk Kawasaki heads over the Irish sea to Mondello Park this weekend, for the fifth round of the 2004 British Superbike Championship. The tight and twisty 2.268 mile track favoured the nimble chassis of Hawk’s ZX-7RRs last year, so the team has been burning the midnight oil in the three week break since Oulton Park to refine its ZX-10Rs.

“We’ve been able to do quite a lot to the bikes since Oulton Park,” explained Hawk rider Scott Smart, who qualified in second spot at Mondello in 2003. “That’s meant a decent amount of time on the dyno, as well as giving us time to improve the engines and work with the Motec system. But more power isn’t necessarily what you need to go quickly around Mondello. The thing with this track is getting the bike to go over the bumps, especially after struggling with it on a similar surface at Oulton Park. Personally I’m looking forward to this round because I went well there last year, especially in qualifying, but like I said, it all depends on finding a good set-up.”

Smart’s Hawk Kawasaki team mate Glen Richards is also keen to try his ZX-10 around the Irish track, having taken a podium place there last year.

“At the moment I’m feeling really good,” said Glen, who is now fully fit after his high-speed get-off at Brands Hatch in round two. “I’m back to full fitness and raring to go. We’re really going to concentrate on suspension set-up this weekend and Stuart’s got a few ideas he wants to try with that. I reckon I’ve got more of a chance of getting on the podium this weekend than at any time so far this year, so I’m feeling real confident.”

Practice begins on Friday 21.

BSB CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 4 ROUNDS
1) John Reynolds, Suzuki, 167. 2) Michael Rutter, Honda, 149. 3) Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, 128. 4) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki, 90. 5) Sean Emmett, Ducati, 86. 6) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 76. 7) Dean Thomas, Ducati, 74. 8) Tommy Hill, Yamaha, 51. 8=) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki, 51. 10) Gary Mason, Yamaha, 49. 11) Craig Coxhell, Honda, 31. 12) Kieran Clarke, Yamaha, 28. 13) Steve Plater, Yamaha, 27. 14) Stuart Easton, Ducati, 15. 15) Leon Haslam, Ducati, 10.

From a press release:

BARNES CONTINUES SUPERSPORT CHASE AT PPIR

Boca Raton, Florida (May 19, 2004) – Michael Barnes and Prieto Racing will continue his AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport chase this weekend at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colorado. Following another good performance at Barber Motorsports Park, the team is anxious to get situated at the track and settle in for two days of intense activity. Michael finished a strong 8th place at Barber and in the process maintained 7th place overall while reducing the point spread in the tight Supersport championship. Only four points separate 5th, 6th and 7th place with about one third of the season in the books.

The team looks forward to PPIR, which is a challenging track that has a somewhat tight, technical infield coupled with two long straight sections where horsepower will be an advantage.

“I enjoy racing at Pike’s Peak, it demands your attention for every second of the lap”, said Mike. “You don’t get much opportunity, if any at all, to relax there, it’s tough. The schedule at Pike’s Peak is compressed into just two days, so it’s all the more intense. With the Supersport championship as close as it is right now we’re looking forward to the opportunity to move up in the standings with a good finish.”

From a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

CLERMONT FERRANT: Second and last day of testing

Great job for Gibernau and Edwards at the Michelin track

Sete Gibernau and Colin Edwards tested today at Clermont Ferrand on the Michelin track different types of tyres in order to solve the chattering and improve the feeling with the bike.

Thanks to the nice weather and the perfect conditions of the track, the two riders of the Telefonica MoviStar Honda team tested the whole day: Sete Gibernau focused particularly on the rear tyre in order to solve the chattering problem, whereas the Texan worked a lot on the setting of the bike.

#45 COLIN EDWARDS

“I’m really satisfied with the two days of testing. I went back to the normal fork (I was using the SBK 2002 fork so far) and the feeling of the bike is now much better. We have done a great job with Michelin and we have found a good setting for my RC211V.”

From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

2004 American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship

Round 8 – Pikes Peak International Raceway, Colorado, USA

Event Preview

MLADIN CHASES VICTORY IN COLORADO MOUNTAINS

With five wins from the opening seven races of this years American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, defending champion Mat Mladin arrives at this weekend’s round at Colorado’s Pikes Peak International Raceway holding a 25-point advantage over his rivals.

Victory in the first of last weekend’s two Superbike races had Mladin a strong position, but the tide turned for the second and he was left trailing current second and third placed riders in the championship, Honda’s Miguel DuHamel and Jake Zemke in the second and neutralising his advantage.

After a string of double-header rounds of the championship at California Speedway, Infineon Raceway and Barber Motorsports Park, this weekend’s Pikes Peak round will return to a single race format for the Superbike competitors and will also see the complete meeting held over just two days as opposed to the traditional three.

With the series approaching its midpoint and Pikes Peak being in the middle of a five race spread over four weekend’s the four times AMA Superbike champion and his Yoshimura Suzuki team will be aiming to further consolidate their position at the top of the points table as they chase a maximum haul of points this weekend.

Mladin may not have a Pikes Peak race win to his name, but in years gone by he has been in a position to mount a challenge for the win, but elected to earn valuable championship points rather than risk any misfortune.

“Being such a short track (just 2.12km, 1.315miles in length), Pikes Peak offers different demands on the rider and on the motorcycle,” said Mladin. “One thing that I do like about the place is the format, where all of the meeting is run over two days. I feel that this format offers a lot and should be looked at for a lot of other circuits on our calendar.”

Last year, Mladin was forced to make a pit stop as his rear tyre failed and with a new one fitted, went on to finish ninth. Tyres again may proved to be the key for good results over the weekend.

“Tyres will be a telling factor here that’s for sure, Mladin added. “I’m not sure exactly what Dunlop are bringing for the weekend, but the way that they have approached this season, I’m sure that they will have something good there for us.

“The hard thing with this track is that you spend so much time on the left hand side of the tyre. There’s only two real right hand turns and the rest of the circuit is left, so that puts a lot of stress on that side of the tyre. So when we have to string 48 54-second laps together and all bar five to ten seconds of that is on the left side, you can see how difficult it is going to be on the tyres. Chassis set up is important wherever we go, but getting the tyre to perform for the full race is the key here.”

Mladin and his crew arrived in Colorado earlier this week, taking time to acclimatise themselves with the higher altitude in the famous mountain region before taking to the track for round eight of the championship.

Practice and qualifying at Colorado will take place on Saturday, with the 48-lap Superbike national scheduled to run on Sunday afternoon.

PIKES PEAK – FAST FACTS

Circuit length: 2.12km (1.315miles)
2003 Pole position: Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 53.780 Seconds

2003 Results:
1. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki)
2. Kurtis Roberts (Erion Honda)
3. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki)
9. Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki)
Superbike lap record: Nicky Hayden (American Honda) 0:53.776 mins (2001)

2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship (Points after 7 of 18 rounds) 1. Mat Mladin (243, 5 wins); 2. Miguel DuHamel (218, 2 wins), 3. Jake Zemke (216), 4. Geoff May (154); 5. Eric Bostrom (147), 6. Lee Acree (136), 7. John Haner (132), 8. Larry Pegram (117), 9. Josh Hayes (112), 10. Cory West (109).

From a press release issued by the FIM:

Endurance World Championship
200 Miles of Imola cancelled

For financial reasons, the Imola organiser has decided, in agreement with the promoter FGSport, to cancel the event of 200 Miles scheduled on the Imola circuit on June 27 next. This event will not be replaced.

The (remaining 2004) calendar is thus the following:

Dates, Country, Event

June 5, Spain, Albacete 12 Hr.

July 25, Japan, Suzuka 8 Hr.

August 14-15, Germany, Oschersleben 24 Hr.

October 3, Italy, Vallelunga 200 Miles


More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group, organizers of the Endurance World Championship:

The 200 Miglia di Imola round of the FIM World Endurance Championship has been cancelled.

The new management of the Imola Circuit cannot accept the contractual engagements taken by the previous administration and are no longer in a position to organise the Imola 200, originally scheduled for the 27th of June. Possibilities to reschedule the event at other circuits have been explored but FGSPORT, in agreement with the FIM, have been forced to remove the event from the 2004 Calendar.

The next round of the championship will be the Albacete 12 Horas Nocturnas night race, which will take place as planned on the weekend of the 5th and 6th of June. Following that the championship will travel to Japan for the Suzuka 8 Hour race on the 25th of July, to Germany for the Oschersleben 24 Hours on the 14th and 15th of August, and to Italy for the Vallelunga 200 on the 10th of October.

From a press release issued by Corona Extra Suzuki:

CORONA EXTRA SUZUKI ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH FMF

Corona Extra Suzuki is very pleased to announce the partnership with acclaimed pipe builder FMF for the 2004 and 2005 Superbike Series. FMF has been deeply involved in off-road racing for many years but only recently moved into the on-road sportbike market. FMF President Don Emler said, “We felt the timing was right and the Corona Extra Suzuki Team sponsorship a perfect opportunity for us.” FMF will be developing exhaust systems for road and track in conjunction with Corona Extra Suzuki.

Corona Extra Suzuki Principal Tim Saunders said, “We are very excited to be working with FMF. They have many years experience in pipe building and terrific in-house development capability. We have already been able to get significant power gains on our 600’s working with the FMF dyno team. Also, FMF is a very progressive company in marketing and brand development which offers many opportunities to build exposure for Corona and the Team.”

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Hayden’s breakthrough victory could mark trouble for competition

Brother act 1-2 in Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 19, 2004) – If you’re born a Hayden you’re born to race and win. Oldest and middle brothers Tommy and Nicky Hayden have numerous wins to their credit, but until last Sunday youngest brother Roger Lee was the odd man out. After five years of being one of the top up-and-coming riders in AMA professional racing, Roger finally broke through to win his first National in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., last Sunday. This weekend the young Kawasaki ace will be riding the momentum of his win as the series moves to Pikes Peak International Raceway on May 22 and 23 for the AMA Superbike Weekend presented by Honda Motorcycles and 2nd Annual “Gravity Check” Extreme Games.

With the confidence he gained with his first victory Hayden may be a tough rider to deal with in the coming rounds. Especially considering the twisty, 1.3-mile Pikes Peak circuit, which should be a good circuit for Hayden who excels at the more technical tracks.

“It definitely feels good,” Hayden said after winning in Alabama. “When you try to do something for five years and to finally get it done. I’ve been beaten so many times by (just) that close. When I got that checkered flag — I don’t know — it felt like a ton of bricks was lifted off my shoulders.”

The win moved Hayden to within five points of his oldest brother and Kawasaki teammate Tommy Hayden as the series moves to the mid-season. While not happy about losing such a close race last weekend in Birmingham, Tommy found at least some consolation in who nipped him at the line.

“Obviously I want to win, but if I’m going to get beat, I guess Rog is probably the only one I can actually accept without being too mad,” said Tommy, the 2002 Pikes Peak Supersport winner. “Also being my teammate — Kawasaki 1-2 — that’s even better.”

The Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship is living up to its reputation for consistently being the most competitive series in AMA road racing. It’s been four different winners in four rounds leading up to Sunday’s race. The top six riders are within a single win of leading the series standings.

Defending champion Jamie Hacking led a Yamaha clean sweep of the Pikes Peak Supersport race last year. Hacking is a close third in the series standings, but surprisingly the British-born rider is still looking for his first win this season. By this time last year Hacking already had already tallied two wins. He’ll be looking to become the fifth different winner this season and earn his third Pikes Supersport victory.

Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies round out the top five in the Supersport standings. Both have been improving in the series as the season progresses. Aussie Gobert is coming off his first podium finish in the series last weekend. Spies started from nothing after he failed to finish in the season opener at Daytona. Since that time however, the speedy Texan has rallied into championship contention.

The Pikes Peak Pro Honda Oils Supersport race will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern. For additional information on the AMA Superbike Weekend presented by Honda Motorcycles and 2nd Annual “Gravity Check” Extreme Games call toll free at (888) 306-7223 or visit www.ppir.com