MICHELIN MEN GET TO KNOW INDY

Michelin's MotoGP test team visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time on July 1 and 2 to test tires in readiness for the inaugural Indy MotoGP event scheduled for September 14.

The two day session between the Dutch and German MotoGP rounds was scheduled thanks to new regulations which allow tire manufacturers to test at tracks which haven't previously featured on the World Championship calendar. "These tests are a good thing," said Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin's director of motorcycle racing. "They allow us to get an initial feeling for the track. They also allow us to better understand the track and they give us an idea of how the race weekend will go."

Weber was accompanied to the tests by two Michelin tire technicians, two fitters and two Michelin test riders: Frenchman Erwan Nigon aboard a Honda RC212V and compatriot William Costes aboard a Yamaha YZR-M1. Two hundred development tyres were sent to the tests from Michelin's Clermont-Ferrand base.

Nigon and Costes had the honor of being the first men to ride Michelin-equipped MotoGP bikes at the celebrated 'Brickyard' circuit which will celebrate its centenary in 2009. The Frenchmen mostly compete in Europe, so these tests gave them the chance to get to know a slightly more exotic race venue. "This track is very American, like the tracks used in the AMA Superbike championship which I follow on television," explains Nigon. "You skim past walls, and you cross bands of bitumen and white lines."

For Costes, it's the rhythm of the circuit that is its main characteristic. "The first corner is very fast, and difficult due to a lack of grip," he says. "After that the grip improves but the speed decreases with a succession of slower corners which are quite tricky to get right."

Following this first test session the unusual Indy MotoGP circuit will undergo further improvements, most notably to the start/finish straight where speeds should nudge 320 km/h.

The weather during both days, on the eve on Independence Day, was good, despite a strong wind on day two. The tests went off without incident, apart from one small crash on the second day, Wednesday.

"We've had good weather, with a track temperature of 50 degrees on the first day and 47 degrees on the second," added Weber. "We expect conditions to be not too dissimilar in September, when the temperature will be slightly less, which will be compensated by the faster pace during a race weekend. Both our riders have worked very hard. Thanks to them we have been able to pretty much complete our test programme which was quite ambitious. William was able to complete his tests with an endurance run, while Erwan managed a long run. We have now got plenty of data to analyse and information to verify."

RATTRAY IS ON TOP OF THE WORLD

South African motocross star Tyla Rattray is back on top of the world after winning the MX2 category at the German Grand Prix in Teutschental yesterday.

Rattray, on the factory Red Bull KTM, took the overall win on a count out from reigning champion Antonio Cairoli, of Italy, on a factory Yamaha. The young South African and the Italian exchanged wins in the two races with Cairoli winning the first heat and Rattray taking the second.

And, just to make it more interesting Rattray set the fastest lap in race one and Cairoli the fastest lap in race two. The result saw Rattray back on top of the world championship standings ahead of Red Bull KTM team-mate Tommy Searle, of Britain, who lost ground by finishing ninth in the second race.

Cairoli won the first moto by a six second margin with Rattray holding off Searle. Fourth was Steven Frossard, of France, on a Kawasaki, with Briton Shaun Simpson fifth on another Red Bull KTM.

With Rattray and Cairoli swapping roles in the second moto it was Portugal's Rui Concalves, on yet another Red Bull KTM, who took the remaining spot on the podium. Fourth went to Frossard -- enough to give him third overall for the day - with fellow Frenchman Martin Musquin fifth on a Honda.

Rattray, Cairoli and Searle have been playing musical chairs at the top of the championship table. Rattray now leads Searle by 11 points with Cairoli a further five points adrift in third place . Simpson, in fourth place is 101 points behind Cairoli - an indication of how the top three have dominated this season. Concalves is fifth in the standings and trails Simpson by 11 points.

In the MX1 category New Zealander Josh Coppins, on a Yamaha scored a double. Coppins won the first moto from Belgian Steve Ramon (Suzuki) and Italian David Philippaerts on a Yamaha.

In the second race Coppins came in ahead of Ken de Dycker (Suzuki) with the Belgian holding off German Max Nagle on a KTM.

The whole weekend belonged to Casey Stoner. Practically every session the Aussie was leading the field, and the tough race held today was icing on the cake. The reigning champ's first back to back wins in the season sees him close the gap to Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa in the points battle. Stoner and Ducati now head to Germany to make it three wins in a row.

The rain stayed away for the MotoGP race at Assen in the Netherlands. Pedrosa started second and finished second, only holding the lead for a brief moment at the start. Rossi started in third but a rare mistake saw the Italian bobble on the first lap. He was able to get going, although in last place, twenty seconds back from the field. He finished in eleventh, moving Pedrosa back into the points lead. Stoner is just that much closer in third.

"We knew we had the pace to win today," said Stoner, "but sometimes coming into race day that can make you even more nervous because you know the only thing that can go wrong is yourself!"

"I'm sorry Valentino crashed because this isn't necessarily the way I wanted to recover points on him, but at the end of the day we've had our fair share of bad luck this year too and racing is an unpredictable game. Now it seems fortune is favouring us but more than that I've really got to take my hat off to Ducati and to my team. They've been doing such a good job over the past few races to get us back on the pace again and make us consistently competitive, so I want to say 'thank you' to all of them," added the reigning champ.

Pedrosa knew his Repsol Honda couldn't catch Stoner but the strong second place finish was enough to make this Spaniard the championship leader at the halfway point of the season.

"I'm happy with this result because it was a difficult race and I'm happy to be in the World Championship lead once again," explained Pedrosa, "the 20 points we got here are very important. We've struggled a little bit during practice here, but my team have worked really hard, so a big thanks to all of them. Yesterday I was able to qualify on a MotoGP front row for the first time at Assen. Today I did my best in the race but unfortunately we couldn't go with Casey because he was so fast. Now we need to keep working hard because we must try to close the gap over the next few races. Sachsenring is next. We had a great win there last year and we will try to the same again this year."

The hard charger of the day award goes to Collin Edwards, who hands down but in the best show. The Tech 3 Yamaha rider started in sixth but ended up in the back of the field when trying to avoid the tangle of Rossi and Randy de Puniet. The American put his head down and by lap ten he was back in seventh, soon he found himself in a battle for fourth. When he was done picking off riders one by one Edwards was fourth in the last lap,...

Capirossi to return to Rizla Suzuki for Dutch Grand Prix

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will be pleased to welcome Loris Capirossi back from injury for this weekend's Dutch TT at Assen in The Netherlands.

Capirossi was an enforced spectator at the last round in Britain following an accident at Catalunya earlier this month, which sidelined the Italian star with a broken hand. The injury has still not completely healed, but Capirossi is determined to get back on his Suzuki GSV-R this weekend and continue with the bike's development and to demonstrate the will to succeed that he has shown so far this year. His replacement at the last round -- Ben Spies -- will also be supporting the team at Assen and later in the season will return to the GSV-R for wildcard rides at both American MotoGP rounds.

Chris Vermeulen is confident of continuing with the improvement of the GSV-R and believes that the progress made at the recent Catalunya test and during the race weekend at Donington will translate into better results at forthcoming races - starting with Assen this weekend. Vermeulen will be traveling to his ancestral home, as his family name hails from The Netherlands, and he always enjoys plenty of Dutch support when he races there.

Assen is unique on the MotoGP calendar for being the only race to be staged on a Saturday, and also because it is the only venue that has staged a Grand Prix every season in the 60-year history of the sport. The track is located in the north of The Netherlands, near the town of Groningen. The 4,555m circuit has undergone some changes in recent seasons to improve safety and that has taken away some of the old magic from the famous racetrack, but there is no denying it is still one of the favorite places to visit on the calendar for riders and fans alike.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will take to track on Thursday this week for the first practice session, followed by another practice and qualifying on Friday. The 26-lap race gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) when the both riders will be hoping to give title-sponsor Rizla something to shout about in one of its most important territories.

Loris Capirossi:

"I'm 100% certain that I am able to ride and I just can't wait to get back on my bike again. It was really difficult watching at the last race, but I want to say well done to Ben as he did a good job in his first GP. It certainly felt very strange seeing him working with my crew and sitting in my chair in the garage! I missed the test in Catalunya because of the injury, but I know Chris made some improvements to the bike so I will be looking at those and seeing if they will help me. I need to carry on from where I left off and continue to make the bike better and I know that top result is just around the corner."

Chris Vermeulen:

Casey Stoner started the 2008 MotoGP championship season as the title favorite, coming off his 2007 championship, and starting the season with a victory in Qatar. It was all coming apart, though, but the Australian put paid to any doubts about his form today, taking a convincing victory at the British GP in Donington.

"This weekend, we have been fast right from the first practice session, and we have been competitive in both dry and wet conditions," said Stoner. "It is a great feeling to be back on the top step of the podium. I have to thank the mechanics because they have been working hard to solve the problems we have been having, and I hope this is something that will be equally beneficial for the future races. Thanks also to Bridgestone, we were able to set fast and consistent lap times all weekend, and also be very strong with the wet tires."

Having taken the pole by six tenths of a second from arch rival Valentino Rossi, Stoner convincingly rode his Ducati off into the distance in the race. At the finish, Rossi was 5.789 seconds adrift, or nearly two tenths of a second per lap.

Rossi, who had started his Yamaha second, had his hands full early on defending his position against the approaches of Andrea Dovizioso, riding a JiR Team Scot Honda. Dovizioso, who had started on the outside of the front row, made a lightning start to attach himself to Rossi's rear wheel on the first lap.

Behind them, Dani Pedrosa recovered from his mid-pack starting position, moving to fifth on the first lap. He then picked off his works Honda teammate Nicky Hayden on the fourth lap, and then Dovizioso another four laps later.

Pedrosa attacked Rossi and succeeded in passing him near the halfway mark, only for Rossi to retake second from him. In the closing laps, Rossi pulled away as Pedrosa lost time through some minor mistakes. Still, third place was much better than his teammate Nicky Hayden's seventh -- prompting Pedrosa to think carefully about switching to Honda's new pneumatic-valve engine, which Hayden was using today.

Colin Edwards took a solid fourth place for the Tech 3 Yamaha satellite team, just ahead of Dovizioso, who had to settle for fourth after winning the race in the 250cc class last year, and Jorge Lorenzo on the second works Yamaha.

Capirossi to attend Donington MotoGP race

Loris Capirossi is on his way to join the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team for this weekend's British Grand Prix at Donington, despite being sidelined with a broken hand and not being able to race.

The experienced Italian broke the fifth metacarpus of his right hand at the Catalunya GP just 10 days ago and has undergone intense physiotherapy since then to repair the injury. Capirossi is now demonstrating his professional attitude and passion for the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team by joining his crew and the rest of the squad for the team's home Grand Prix, even though he knows he will just be a spectator and not a competitor.

Capirossi will be at trackside for Sunday's race and will be available to offer any advice and assistance to regular team-mate Chris Vermeulen and replacement rider Ben Spies -- who will be deputising for Capirossi and making his MotoGP debut at the English circuit.

Following the Donington race Capirossi will join Vermeulen at the team's UK headquarters at the Crescent Suzuki Performance Centre in Verwood near Bournemouth, Dorset for the 'Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Open Evening' on Monday 23rd June where both riders will be available to meet and greet fans. Capirossi will then travel to Assen in The Netherlands with the aim of being able to race in the Dutch TT on Saturday 28th June.

Loris Capirossi: "I'm incredibly disappointed that I'm coming to a MotoGP and not racing! But it is a pleasure to come and support the team and continue with all the promotional events surrounding the team's home Grand Prix. I know what an important event this is to everybody and I will be around to help out as much as I can and supporting both the guys...

FIRST OUTING FOR SETE GIBERNAU WITH VITTORIANO GUARESCHI AND DUCATI TEST TEAM AT MUGELLO

A three-day session for the Ducati Test Team began today at Mugello, where factory test rider Vittoriano Guareschi was joined for the first time by Sete Gibernau.

Gibernau clocked up twenty laps with the Desmosedici GP9, recording a best time of 1'53.7 before the session was interrupted by rain. Despite a long absence from the sport and the opportunity to complete only a handful of laps today, the Spaniard's first contact with the GP9 was a positive one.

"It has been a really exciting day," commented Gibernau. "It's like jumping back in time almost two years - as if the months that have gone by since the last time I was on track never even existed. Racing motorcycles was my whole life for so many years and now I've rediscovered that feeling I feel really good, like I'm home again. The instinct for riding came back straight away, even though I obviously need to get back into the habit of going fast. I've realised how tiring it is to grab the brakes and move the bike around where I want it but I'm sure that's just the rust from not riding for so long. I managed twenty laps on the GP9 before it started to rain and the feeling was good. It is a Ducati in every way - precise but demanding, it requires a physical riding style and it instantly reminded me of the GP7 I tested at Motegi towards the end of 2006. As well as getting my confidence to ride back, today we did a little bit of work on the electronics, in particular the engine braking, because I prefer a different calibration to Vittoriano. I want to say a huge 'thank you' to Ducati for this wonderful gift. For now I'm just going to enjoy the next two days of testing,...

Neukirchner powers to Superpole in home round at the Nurburgring

Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) powered to a second Superpole win of the season in his home round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship at the Nurburgring. The 25-year-old from Stollberg in the former East Germany, set an incredible time of 1 minute 55.471 seconds around the 5.137 km circuit on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. The remainder of the front row was made up of riders from three different manufacturers; Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) was three-tenths of a second down in second place, followed by Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), who ten days ago was undergoing surgery on a broken collarbone.

Max Neukirchner: "It was an unbelievable lap, I was really fast. I'm so happy for my team, they did a great job this weekend for my home race and to help me get my second pole position of the season. I hope the weather will be fine tomorrow and a lot of fans come here with the German flag and say 'go go go, Max!"

Troy Bayliss: "All the practices have been going quite well for us, when I saw Carlos's time I was pretty surprised and I thought that's around where my limit is going to be. I didn't expect Max to do such a good job, that was incredible the lap he pulled out. We're hoping that it's going to be a nice day tomorrow because the conditions have been quite mixed already. Although we're looking good in those situations, we'd love it to be a dry track because I think there's going to be a really good turn-out here. The Nurburgring is a lovely place with a great atmosphere so I'm looking forward to it."

Carlos Checa: "Here we didn't find the grip we had in America but we've been working on the bike to find more mechanical feeling with these tyres and finally it worked a bit better. I was confident with that feeling even with the qualifying tyres and on my Superpole lap the time came very good, then of course Troy and especially Max did a great lap time. We are on the first row and it's very positive, I think we'll catch up the pace and we'll be looking good for tomorrow."

Fifth place went to Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), just a fraction away from another front row start. The young Italian was ahead of Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), Lorenzo Lanzi (RG Ducati) and Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) whose second row start still gives him a chance of fighting for the win.

Ninth quickest time was clocked by Karl Muggeridge (DF Racing Honda), while Japan's Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare) had to miss the Superpole session after crashing out in the afternoon's free practice session and being taken to hospital with concussion.

FIM Supersport World Championship

Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport) clinched his third pole position of the season for the Supersport race at the Nurburgring with a lap time of 2 minutes 00.015 seconds . The 26-year-old Australian, after clocking quickest time on the opening day, repeated the performance today to see off Britain's Craig Jones (Parkalgar Honda) by almost half-a-second. Australian riders also made up the rest of the front row, with Joshua Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsport Honda) and Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) in third and fourth. On the second row can be found the surprise of the weekend, Mark Aitchison (Triumph Italia BE1) with Matthieu Lagrive (Intermoto Czech Honda) and German wild-card Arne Tode (G-Lab Racing Triumph), while Tommy Hill (Hannspree Honda Althea),...

Italy/Catalunya GP Debrief: Q+A with Tohru Ubukata

The first set of back-to-back races in this season's enthralling MotoGP championship saw Bridgestone-shod riders secure four podium positions from a possible six with Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner making podium trips in both Mugello and Catalunya.

Rossi took his third consecutive win of the season in Mugello, but had to push hard right up to the chequered flag to fend off a competitive Stoner, who set the fastest lap of the race on his way to second place ahead of Dani Pedrosa. In Catalunya, it was Pedrosa who took race win honours, but Rossi and Stoner enjoyed another closely-fought battle, with Rossi taking second and Stoner third.

Bridgestone enjoyed one of its most competitive weekends of the season so far in Mugello with strong race performances also from Honda Gresini's Alex de Angelis, who stormed to fourth place. Rossi also took the first Bridgestone-shod pole position of the season at the Italian track. Stoner then claimed his first pole position of the year the following weekend with an impressively quick lap, the fastest ever lap by a motorcycle around the Circuit de Catalunya.

Q+A with Tohru Ubukata - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager Motorcycle Race Tyre Development

How would you assess the back-to-back races in Mugello and Catalunya

"We enter a tough period of the season with lots of back-to-back races at circuits where our rivals have traditionally been competitive, so the results of Mugello and Catalunya were quite satisfying. Mugello is one of the few tracks where we have never seen a rider on our tyres take victory, so the fact we could enjoy our first one-two of the season with Valentino winning and Casey in second was a great result."

What influence did the weather have on race weekend preparations?

"It seems that the rain is following MotoGP this season!Both Mugello and Catalunya race weekends were affected by rain, which made tyre choice for the race more difficult. We had limited dry running in the practice sessions, which prevented us from carrying out the usual longer runs with the preferred tyre specification. When we do not have the chance to assess the tyre performance over medium-long runs in practice, there is always a question mark for the race, so I was particularly pleased with the performance over the full race distance in both events."

Monster Energy Kawasaki Beat the Heat and Everyone Else in Texas

Monster Energy Kawasaki's James Stewart and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto completed a perfect weekend at Freestone County Raceway in Wortham, Texas by winning all of their motos in temperatures near 100 degrees. Villopoto's teammate Austin Stroupe finished 3-3 for third overall in the motocross lites class and Brett Metcalfe finished eighth overall. Timmy Ferry finished 7-3 in the motocross class which earned him fourth place overall. Branden Jesseman did not race after crashing during the second Sunday morning practice.

Three Straight Wins

Stewart made it six for six in motos this season, sweeping both motos at Freestone County Raceway. Stewart grabbed the lead in the first moto, but fell on the first lap and dropped back to fourth. After quickly recovering, he made a charge back to the lead on the seventh lap. Once he was back in the lead, Stewart pulled away to a 17 second win. The second moto wasn't nearly as eventful for Stewart as he grabbed the lead on the third lap and rode to his sixth moto victory of the season.

"I went down on the first lap and I guess I should have been more patient," said Stewart. "It was a simple crash and made the moto kind of fun. It was fun chasing those guys down. It was good today. It felt like I had some good lines and the bike was working well so it all worked out. It feels good to keep winning."

Victorious Villopoto

Villopoto's day was nearly a mirror image of Stewart's as he had an uneventful first moto, followed up by a drama filled second. In the first race, Villopoto went wire-to-wire for the victory. In the second moto, he got caught up in first turn and worked his way up to third before he fell in one of the slippery turns. Villopoto kept the bike running and got up quickly, making a charge for the leaders. Once he got the lead on lap eight, he continued to push despite the hot conditions and built a 16-second gap over second place by the checkered flag. The overall win was Villopoto's second of the season as he has won five of six motos in 2008.

"The first moto was good, it went pretty flawless for me," said Villopoto. "I got the holeshot and led the whole races so not much to really talk about. My bike was really good. In the second moto I got hung up in the first turn and didn't get the start I wanted so I had to work my way up. I had just passed for third and then I fell in a turn and lost that spot. I got up quickly and wanted to catch the leaders. Once I got into the lead I wanted to get as big of a gap as I could as quickly as I could."

Back on the Podium

Stroupe looked good all weekend at Freestone County Raceway as he never ran lower than third. He was being pushed hard in both races and stood up to the challenge, as well as the sweltering heat to get back on the podium. In the first three races of the season Stroupe has put his Kawasaki KX™250F on the podium.

"I got a good start in the first moto and came out third," said Stroupe. "I battled with (Ryan) Dungey and maybe used a little too much energy. In the second moto I got a great start and had the lead. I was riding well and just hit the wall. From there it was tough and I did my all to hang on for third."

Rough Ride

POSITIVE DEBUT FOR DESMOSEDICI GP9 WITH CASEY STONER

The day following the Grand Prix of Catalunya gave the MotoGP riders the chance to start a two-day test, with the Ducati Marlboro Team bringing forward a first outing for the Desmosedici GP9 - which was originally scheduled for Casey Stoner tomorrow. With uncertain weather forecasts for tomorrow, Stoner and test riders Vittoriano Guareschi and Niccolo Canepa put the machine through its paces, whilst Marco Melandri spent the day focusing on his GP8 and will test it tomorrow.

It was a positive debut for the machine in the hands of the World Champion, so much so that the Australian set the best time of the day with a 1'41.533 on qualifying tyres.

CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team)
Best lap on race tyres - 1'42.632; on qualifiers - 1'41.533

"I'm happy with the way today has gone. The objective was to understand whether this new chassis concept has potential and I'd say that for now it looks to be the case. We were quickly into some decent times using the same set-up as the GP8. We barely changed anything to adapt it to the characteristics of the GP9 and I immediately felt an improvement so that is positive. I'm sure that with more time to work on it we can go much faster, although that is not the current brief. We'll have time to test it in the winter. Tomorrow we'll get back on my GP8 because we have some important tyre testing to do. There is still a lot of the 2008 season left and we want to be competitive."

MARCO MELANDRI (Ducati Marlboro Team)
Best lap on race times - 1'44.326

"We have done a lot of tests with the electronics, set-up and tyres. I've found a rear tyre that gives me a better feeling but we're still a long way from where we need to be. We still need to find something to get back to the kind of feeling I had in China."

FILIPPO PREZIOSI General Manager Ducati Corse

"We took the decision to allow the factory riders to test the GP9 because it would have been more difficult at a later stage of development and eventually we'd have had to go backwards in certain areas. There are some things that are possible to analyse with data such as in the engine or the cycle part but other areas where it is absolutely essential to have the riders' opinions. So it was important to get their feedback to understand if the choices we've made have been the right ones and to get their suggestions.

For the second time this year Dani Pedrosa sipped champagne in his home country of Spain. After winning the Spanish GP earlier this year the Repsol Honda rider dominated at the Catalunyan GP, led start to finish to the frenzied cheers of his fans that made it to the race regardless of a transportation strike. Now Pedrosa can look for a Spanish hat-trick by winning the final event of the year at the Valencian GP, a place he won at in 2007.

Pedrosa jumped Casey Stoner at the start and never looked back. Setting fastest lap and overall race records the local hero at one time in the race had close to an eight second lead. Second place was left to be contested between Stoner and Valentino Rossi, who started from the third row. Rossi went on a tear to catch Stoner and eventually made a pass stick over the Aussie, minimizing the points loss to Pedrosa. The Italian still leads the championship, but only by seven points. Stoner's bike wasn't handling like it was in qualifying when he snatched the pole. Still the reigning champ did his best to bring the Ducati in third.

"I'm very happy about this win, my thanks to all the people around me," said Pedrosa. "Today was also very important for the championship, I am now five points closer to the lead, but there are still many races ahead of us, so we need to keep pushing and be consistent. We had a few issues in practice here, so my team was thinking what they could do and they made a small adjustment before the race that improved the bike and helped me to run that pace. Once again, a big thanks to them. I couldn't believe the fans, it seems like every year there are more and more. I'm very happy they were here because I know it was difficult to get into the track today. I was all alone, pushing to go faster and faster and I could see everyone cheering me on. At one point I lost a bit of concentration, but I got my focus back and kept pushing. Now we have two days of tests which will be very important for the next few races."

The Fiat Yamaha Team turned around what looked like a bad weekend. Rossi and the team worked overnight to sort out the bike for today's race. After only qualifying ninth on the grid the points leader set the fastest time in the warm up, gaining confidence that the team did their job and a podium was in the cards. Out of the box Rossi starting picking off riders, using the brake zone into turn one coming after the famous long straight as many times it took to gain position. By lap nine he was past Stoner, but their battle was just starting. Later in the race the Stoner retook second from the Yamaha rider and the two ran close lap after lap. With two laps to go Rossi made the final move, crossing the line half a second up on the Aussie.

The powerful Ducati motor pulled Casey Stoner around Circuit de Catalunya for a record setting lap that put the Aussie on pole for his first time this season. The reigning MotoGP champ shut out local hero Dani Pedrosa for the top spot by less than one tenth of a second. The Repsol Honda team had a great qualifying session; both their riders will start from the front row with Pedrosa's teammate, Nicky Hayden in third. Yamaha is the team with bad luck this weekend, points leader Valentino Rossi could only manage ninth while Jorge Lorenzo will watch from the sidelines after a nasty crash during Friday practice.

Catalunya's long straight accounts for a large chunk of time as the bikes stay hard on the throttle. Few other places require the power and top speed demanded here. Ducati is known for having a strong bike in both regards. What makes this track special is how much handling in the backfield matters as well, a trait more suited for Honda and Yamaha. It is usually a trade-off between the two but this weekend Stoner and his team seem to have found the magic balance.

"If I'm honest I really didn't expect to be on pole today," admitted Stoner, "it's a big surprise! Practice has been going well and we've been getting gradually better on race tyres. The guys have worked really hard and come up with two different set-ups that I'm happy with on two different machines. At the moment we're torn between which one we're going to use in the race but that's a nice problem to have! When we put the final qualifying tyre in I thought we were going to be lucky to be on the front row but I was able to keep it smooth - the lap itself didn't actually feel all that fast but the time was great and in general we couldn't have asked for more from the session. Over the past four races we've been able to iron some things out, work out why we weren't as fast as we perhaps could have been at the start of the season and things are getting continually better. This pole position hows that we're going in the right direction so hopefully that trend can continue through to the race tomorrow."

Pedrosa worked hard for second on the gird today. The Repsol rider was plagued with electrical gremlins at the start of the session. Once he switched to a backup bike the Spaniard tried to play catch up as others had already banked fast laps. The passionate fans watched while he put it all together and nailed a solid time for another front row start in his home country. With Lorenzo and Rossi essentially out of the picture Pedrosa looks poised to add a few more points to his championship hopes.

Dani Pedrosa sat the fastest time in Friday's opening two practices on his hometrack in Barcelona, Spain. Riding his Repsol Honda to a time of 1:43.017 in the second practice runs, Pedrosa bested Loris Capirossi by only 0.006 seconds.

The Catalunyan GP is one of the toughest events that the MotoGP series encounter each year and today, after the rains overnight left a still wet track, the circuit bit one of its own homeland riders, Jorge Lorenzo.

After clocking the third best time in practice one behind Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi, the rookie took a nasty fall in the early portion of the afternoon practice. The Spaniard lost the front of his Fiat Yamaha M1 at Turn 11, skidding into the gravel.

The rookie whose year started off on a high note, with three poles and his first MotoGP victory, has seen a downturn in his luck. After leading the standings, Lorenzo has had surgery (arm pump), crashed in China breaking and bruising his ankles. Now today's accident has taken him out of his home race.

After being taken to the track medical clinic, Lorenzo was transported to a local hospital due to losing consciousness where he had a CAT scan and an MRI. His ankles were not affected by the fall, the main injuries were to his right hand.

Doctor Xavier Mir of the University Institut Dexeus in Barcelona commented: "I can confirm that Lorenzo will not be able to compete this weekend after the tests done here at the Institut Dexeus have confirmed the following injuries: He [Lorenzo] suffered head trauma and lost consciousness. We made a neurological examination with a CAT scan and an MRI scan and from this we can confirm that there is no cranial hematoma or hemmorhage.

"However, he now needs to stay under observation for between 48 and 72 hours to see how this develops. He sustained an injury to the 4th and 5th finger on the right hand, where he has lost some skin. He also has an abrasion of the extensor tendon. We need to see how this develops but it could be possible that he needs a small skin graft."

With the sensational 1-2 finish from Mugello still fresh in its mind, Bridgestone heads to the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona for the seventh round of the 2008 MotoGP world championship. Valentino Rossi leads the classification by 12 points after three consecutive wins in China, France and Italy.

Second-placed man from Italy, Casey Stoner, scored one of his ten wins in 2007 at the Circuit de Catalunya after an epic cat and mouse battle with Rossi and Dani Pedrosa right up to the chequered flag. The Ducati champion won the 25-lap duel from Rossi by a marginal 0.069s with third placed Pedrosa just 0.390s adrift making it the closest podium of the season. It was the first time that a Bridgestone-shod rider had even finished on the podium in Catalunya.

The hectic run of European races demands an equally aggressive rate of technical development for tyre manufacturers. Bridgestone has sent several hundred tyres from the technical centre in Tokyo, and from its European warehouse in Germany, to Barcelona, including some new specification rear race tyres that were successfully tested after the grand prix in Le Mans just a few weeks ago.

Hiroshi Yamada - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager, Motorcycle Sport Unit

"The last few races have seen a gradual improvement in our general competitiveness which has left me quite pleased. It has been great to see the last three races won on our tyres, but the Italian GP also saw several teams challenge for the podium with Valentino winning, Casey in second and Alex fourth, truly excellent performances. We can not take anything for granted in this sport, though, and we expect a real challenge from our rivals again this weekend. Casey won here last year, which was the first time a Bridgestone rider had even finished on the podium in Catalunya, so I hope we can draw from this experience and get another good result this weekend."

Tohru Ubukata - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager, Race Tyre Development

JiR Team Scot and Cotonella together in a partnership to unite sport, fashion and style

JiR is pleased to announce a new partnership with Cotonella the new Official Supplier of JiR Team Scot.

Cotonella is a well-known Italian brand involved in the production of underwear for men, women and children. The company was born in 1972 in the area of Bresciana and has been a very fast-growing brand ever since, reaching the production figure of 90,000 pieces of clothing a day, creating a very strong network of distribution and a strong area of export. A key target of Cotonella marketing is their participation as a main sponsor since 1996 to Miss Italia - the most prestigious national beauty contest in Italy.

MotoGP represents a sport, which is spectacular and which provides a maximum level of media visibility and sponsorship opportunity that Cotonella has decided to explore, a new arena which is inline with its own philosophy.

The partnership between JiR Team Scot and Cotonella began at the fantastic event of the Grand Prix of Italy last week at the Mugello circuit, where in the pit garage and on the starting grid the two riders Andrea Dovizioso and Yuki Takahashi were accompanied by Silvia Battisti, Miss Italia 2007, Federica di Bartolo, Miss Elegance Cotonella and Federica Nargi, Miss Cotonella.

At some of the European rounds of the MotoGP series, such as at the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano Adriatico, there will be more examples of how the power and grace of a motorcycle will be joined with a touch of beauty and elegance courtesy of JiR and Cotonella.

At the next round of the MotoGP championship at the Catalunya circuit near Barcelona, there wlll be two more Cotonella girls in the JiR Team Scot pit, who’s names are to be announced.

Checa and Spies Double Up in Superbike Action at Miller Motorsports Park

TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH -- Carlos Checa powered to a sensational double win in the StriVectin-SD USA round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship at Miller Motorsports Park on Sunday. The race, watched by the largest crowd of spectators in the track's history, marked World Superbike's return to the United States for the first time since 2004.

Checa, riding for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda, scored the first double win of his career and set fastest lap in both races to add to his Superpole win on Saturday, and in so doing gave Honda their 100th victory in the Superbike World Championship. With today's wins, Checa has reduced the gap to leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) in the championship standings to 28 points after the Australian left the USA with zero points after a crash in today's first race and a technical problem in the second.

The first race was reduced by one lap after a problem for Ducati Xerox's Michel Fabrizio on the grid and a subsequent restart. Rookie Checa took his first SBK win after starting from pole, moving into the lead on lap 4 and having an untroubled run to the flag. Second place went to an on-form Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), who had not finished on the podium since the Spanish round at Valencia in early April, while Fabrizio powered his way up to third after concluding the opening lap in 14th place. The Italian passed Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) three laps from the end. Fifth place went to Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki Alstare) ahead of the surprising Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) and Karl Muggeridge (DF Racing Honda). Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) could only finish ninth. The Italian, third at the end of the opening lap, went off the track after contact with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) and lost time. Championship leader Bayliss had a nasty crash on lap 5 at the final turn while battling for second, and so did Haga, who was racing with a broken right collarbone.

"This is a fantastic moment," said Checa. "We've been looking for it for so long. It was not easy because when I went out with the first bike, there was some problem; then I changed to the other bike, which worked well, and I'm completely satisfied. I've felt quite comfortable with this track all weekend, the bike and the tires have worked well,...

Valentino Rossi completed the hat-trick of victories this season at his home race, the Italian GP. Starting the Fiat Yamaha from his fiftieth career pole the "Doctor" earned his 91st race win, breaking the tie for second for most wins in the MotoGP. The local fans went into a frenzy as their man with his special crazy helmet took a seventh consecutive win at the Mugello circuit. The current points leader fell back at the start but was soon past Casey Stoner to stretch out a lead to the checkered flag, giving Bridgestone their first win here. Rossi is now twelve points ahead of Dani Pedrosa for the championship title, a good start to his eighth MotoGP crown.

"After winning the championship, winning at Mugello is the next best thing for me and once again today it was like a dream," smiled Rossi. "There is no way to describe the feeling I have standing on the podium in front of all of my fans here and I am so happy that I could win once again today. To win for the seventh time running at my home track is amazing but I felt quite a lot of pressure about this, so it's a relief as well because I didn't want to disappoint everyone! It's been a hard weekend for everyone because of the bad weather and the lack of dry track time, but my crew have done a fantastic job with the bike and my M1 was wonderful today. Once I got to the front I was able to make a gap from the others but towards the end it was unbelievably hot and it became quite hard to ride. I wanted to ease off a bit but Casey was pushing hard behind so I had to keep going.

"Thanks to all of my team, to the engineers and of course to Bridgestone! I'm really glad that I've been the one to give them their first win at this track and they did a great job today because my tyre worked virtually the same from start to finish. It's been a fantastic day, it's always one of the best moments of the year for me and now we've made a bit more of the gap at the top of the championship so things couldn't be better," he added. "Honestly after this weekend I think I would like to go to bed for five days but now we have to go straight to Barcelona!"

Stoner started his Ducati on the second row but was soon up front in a battle with Pedrosa for the lead. As the two diced their way around the track Rossi was able to catch and pass the pair, leaving them to squabble for second. For the first time at Mugello the reigning champ was able to finish on the podium. His efforts bring him closer to the top three in the championship.

Valentino Rossi is on a roll on his Fiat Yamaha. Coming into his home race, the Italian GP, Rossi had clamed back-to-back wins. First in taking the top spot in China after a seven race winless streak before earning his 90th career win in France, tying for second in the record for most wins with the great Angel Nieto, the Doctor's momentum can not be stopped; second place will soon exclusively be his. In his own backyard this weekend the legend rider scored his 50th career pole after almost a year of missing the honor, and his heavily favored to win tomorrow, much to the delight of his passionate Italian fans.

Sporting a unique helmet for the event Rossi is beside himself with joy, "This is a great, great qualifying because it's been a long wait to be on pole position again, almost one year exactly! Now for sure we will try to win tomorrow. To be honest I was quite worried after practice this morning because we had a few problems with the set-up and I couldn't find my rhythm, but I want to say thank you to all my team because they made a great job during lunch, we did some important modifications and then this afternoon I had the feeling and the speed that I wanted.

"It's good as well to have two Italians on the front row and now I hope we have a lot of people here tomorrow and that we can make a big party once again! I have to be honest about my helmet, it was Aldo Drudi's idea this time but I think it's one of the best ever! It's not a drawing," he explained, "it's a real picture of my face at the braking at the end of the straight here and I think it's very funny!"

Second on the grid sits Dani Pedrosa, who is tied for second in the title hunt with Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, just a few points away from Rossi's lead. Rain yesterday kept the Spaniard from posting on of the top five fastest times but in today's morning practice his Repsol Honda was right up to speed, with the best time of the session. Pedrosa almost took the pole for himself, Rossi just edged from the top spot by a mere 0.167 seconds.

"Conditions weren't so good this morning, the track was dirty after all the rain, so it wasn't easy to work on set-up," explained Pedrosa. "This afternoon the track was completely dry and better, so we were more focused in our work. We still need to improve, so the warm-up session will be very important. We still haven't decided which tyres to run,...

With two victories on its tyres in succession at the recent Chinese and French Grands Prix, Bridgestone continues its European tour with MotoGP's much anticipated visit to the Mugello circuit in Italy this weekend.

One of the most technically demanding race tracks on the MotoGP calendar, Mugello is revered by teams, riders and fans alike. Located in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, the track is one of the longest and fastest of the season, often producing a thrilling racing spectacle for the passionate crowds in attendance.

Bridgestone has never seen a rider on its tires win at Mugello and, with numerous Italian manufacturers, teams and riders all wanting to fight at the front in their home grand prix this weekend, the pressure to perform will be on.

Of the current crop of MotoGP riders, only two have won in the premier class with Loris Capirossi back in 2000, and Valentino Rossi, who has an unbeaten run in Mugello dating back to 2002. A Bridgestone-shod Ducati rider has scored a podium result each year since 2005 with Loris Capirossi in 2005 and 2006, and Alex Barros taking his Pramac d'Antin to third place in 2007.

Ducati riders have taken pole position for the last two seasons with Sete Gibernau in 2006 and Casey Stoner, using Bridgestone wet weather tyres, in last year's unpredictable rain-hit session, which was his and Bridgestone's first pole of the season.

Hiroshi Yamada - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager, Motorcycle Sport Unit

"Mugello is a fantastic race track and it is always a pleasure to contribute to such a special event with the hugely passionate Italian crowd. We have never experienced a race win in Mugello, but we hope to rectify this situation this weekend. We have many teams and riders who have their home grand prix this weekend with Ducati, Honda Gresini, Alice, Fiat Yamaha, as well as Italian riders Valentino Rossi, Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi all wanting to do well in front of their home fans. This will naturally raise the pressure on us to provide competitive tyres, and following improved performances in recent races, I hope we can rise to this challenge."

The Italian Grand Prix is one of the most keenly anticipated races on the MotoGP calendar. A superb, high-speed racetrack in a beautiful Tuscan valley that throngs with a vast and enthusiastic crowd makes Mugello an irresistible event for riders, teams and fans.

This year’s Italian GP marks the one-third stage of the MotoGP World Championship, which currently features three Michelin riders in the top five: Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), Dani Pe drosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) and Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin). Mugello 2008 also marks the home-tarmac MotoGP debut of Italy’s newest MotoGP hotshot Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin).

Michelin has a great record at Mugello, the French tyre brand having won the last 15 premier-class GPs staged at the track. The circuit lap record is three years old, largely due to the track surface that has become increasingly bumpy in recent years.

FIM to Observe World Environment Day at Miller Motorsports Park

TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (May 27, 2008) --The Federation International De Motocyclisme (FIM), the international sporting body for motorcycle racing, in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), will observe World Environment Day during the HANNspree Superbike World Championship® StriVectin-SD® USA Round and Honda Summit of Speed AMA Superbike Championship weekend at Miller Motorsports Park.

The UNEP has launched a worldwide tree planting campaign. Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, people, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments are encouraged to enter tree-planting pledges online with the objective of planting at least one billion trees worldwide each year. This program has successfully completed its first wave and the goal was recently updated to plant 7 billion trees by 2009. This would achieve the UNEP's worldwide goal of one tree per person.

"Without a doubt, one of the main characteristics or our century is the increasing global awareness towards the World Environment," said FIM President Vito Ippolito. "From all parts of the world, innumerable private and public institutions are trying to elevate environmental consciousness. Our planet's welfare depends on each and every one of us whether it's a small daily task, or the development of a complex technology geared towards the same goal.

"The FIM has its undivided attention focused on the unfolding evolution of ideas to solve this global problem, and calls upon all its followers and stakeholders to contribute with all of our efforts towards the preservation of the World Environment."

As part of the FIM's observance of World Environment Day, six ash trees will be planted in a circular pattern on the lawn adjacent to the new Administration Building just inside the Main Gate at Miller Motorsports Park at 5:15 pm MT on Friday, May 30. Top World Superbike riders Troy Bayliss, Carlos Checa and Max Neukirchner are scheduled to attend the ceremony, along with officials from Miller Motorsports Park, FIM and FGSport, the organizers of the HANNspree Superbike World Championship. Fans, riders, team members and media are invited to attend.

Rain Will Not Affect Superbike Races at Miller Motorsports Park

TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (May 26, 2008) -- Although it is raining this morning in Northern Utah, and the forecast shows a possibility of rain later in the week, officials at Miller Motorsports Park remind fans that rain will not affect this weekend's HANNspree Superbike World Championship® StriVectin-SD® USA Round and Honda Summit of Speed AMA Superbike Championship events.

"Superbike riders are accustomed to racing in the rain," said Miller Motorsports Park CEO/General Manager Alan Wilson, "and our track is designed to accommodate them. Besides, when you're banging handlebars at 190 mph, adding in the rain just makes it all the more exciting!"

Series staff, television crews and race teams will begin setting up today for the weekend's events, and the first bikes will hit the track on Wednesday for a promoter's practice day open only to AMA privateer teams. Official AMA practice begins on Thursday, along with qualifying for the AMA Formula Xtreme Series. Qualifying and practice for both the HANNspree Superbike World Championship and AMA Superbike Championship follows on Friday, along with the AMA Formula Xtreme Series race. Qualifying continues on Saturday, with the first of two AMA Superbike Championship races, the AMA Superstock Championship race and the Superpole session for the HANNspree Superbike World Championship in the afternoon. The AMA Supersport Championship race, the second AMA Superbike Championship race and both HANNspree Superbike World Championship races will take place on Sunday. All events will run rain or shine.

DUCATI DESMOSEDICI RR WINS CYCLE WORLD'S "BEST SUPERBIKE" AWARD

Cupertino, CA - Ducati North America is proud to announce that its Desmosedici RR MotoGP replica has been awarded "Best Superbike" for 2008 by Cycle World Magazine. This honor for the bike comes the same week as winning the Robb Report's "Best of the Best" award for 2008.

Cycle World, the world's largest motorcycle magazine, publishes its "10 Best" on an annual basis in May; encompassing the ten major categories of motorcycling. The Superbike category honors the top echelon of Sport Bike technology, a niche the Italian company specializes in. Ducati has now been the fortunate recipient of this award for the past two years; winning it for the breathtaking 1098 Superbike in 2007, and again this year for the Desmosedici RR; the Bologna manufacturer's road going evolution of its Grand Prix machine.

Unveiled at the Italian Grand Prix in 2006; the Desmosedici RR can be considered the most exotic performance motorcycle on the planet. With 200 horsepower on tap and such precious materials as magnesium, titanium and stainless steel encased in carbon fiber bodywork; it represents the epitome of what a sport bike should be: fast, lightweight and aerodynamic.

"Simply outrageous best describes Ducati's Desmosedici RR, a modern marvel of moto tech that defies all rules of logic. Sure, this Moto GP refugee represents complete and total overkill for the street, but even more astounding is the fact this bike need not even exist. With no homologation rule within the sport's premier class, the D16RR provides 200 horses of heart-pounding proof that the storied Italian manufacturer truly is fuelled by passion in its pursuit of performance excellence. We called it "magic in the streets" and "a masterpiece with a warranty." How could we not consider the world's first street-legal MotoGP replica to be anything less than the years best Superbike?" said Cycle World.

DUCATI DESMOSEDICI RR WINS COVETED "BEST OF THE BEST" AWARD

Cupertino, Ca - Ducati North America is honored to announce that it has won the prestigious Robb Report "Best of the Best- Sport Bike" award for the second year in a row.

The Robb Report "Best of the Best" awards are given to objects of desire on an annual basis; with the Sport Bike category highlighting the pinnacle of performance motorcycle technology. Ducati has been the proud recipient of this honor for two years running; with the award going to the ground breaking 1098 S Superbike in 2007, and now the Desmosedici RR - the world's first Moto GP derived production bike.

Unveiled at the Italian Grand Prix in 2006; the Desmosedici RR can be considered the most exotic performance motorcycle on the planet. With 200 horsepower on tap and such precious materials as magnesium, titanium and stainless steel draped in carbon fiber bodywork; it represents the epitome of what a sport bike should be: fast, lightweight, and aerodynamic. The June issue of Robb Report reports: "As a complete package of desirability, the Desmosedici RR is without peer."

"The Desmosedici RR is that rare thing; an extraordinary fantasy made real." Says Michael Lock, CEO of Ducati North America. "The Best of the Best is a fitting title for this Italian creation and we are proud to be able to bring it to life."

U. S. Representative Bishop (R-UT) Introduces Resolution Highlighting World Superbike Event in Utah Scheduled for May 29-June 1

Washington, D.C., May 15, 2008 - Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) has introduced a resolution (H. Res. 1121) commending Miller Motorsports Park, the County of Tooele and the State of Utah for hosting the first FIM Superbike World Championship race on American soil in four years. The races will be held May 29-June 1 and will feature the teams and riders from one of the top three international racing series. The resolution, H. Res. 1121, also salutes the riders and teams that compete at a professional, world-class level in the FIM Superbike World Championship.

The resolution notes that the race weekend will be the biggest international sporting event in Utah since the Olympic Winter Games in 2002, and the most significant racing event in the history of the State. Bishop commented, "As stated in the resolution, I am confident that Tooele will be an excellent host to the teams, riders and spectators who will attend the event, and I am pleased that motorcycle racers and race fans from home and abroad will have the opportunity to enjoy all that Utah has to offer including remarkable natural scenery and premier outdoor recreation."

Miller Motorsports Park CEO/General Manager Alan Wilson stated, "It is a distinct honor to be recognized for our efforts in bringing the FIM Superbike World Championship to Miller Motorsports Park, marking the series' return to

North America for the first time in four years. It is quite an achievement for us, as well as for Tooele County and the State of Utah that the series organizers have chosen to bring this event to our facility. We very much appreciate the Motorcycle Industry Council's efforts on our behalf, and we look forward to a very successful event."

BACK IN THE USA!

The history of the Superbike World Championship is linked inextricably to the USA and the return of the USA Round to the calendar, this time in the state of Utah, has aroused major interest in Europe and the rest of the world. The date of June 1st 2008 is destined to become another milestone in Superbike history.

The new home for the USA Round of the Superbike World Championship is the fantastic Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, a circuit that the European Superbike regulars have been viewing with growing interest since its date first appeared on the 2008 calendar. In the run-up to the sixth round of this year's championship, we take a look back at the history of World Superbike racing in the United States of America.

The Brainerd Years

The Superbike World Championship landed on American soil on June 11th 1989. It is a historic date because that was the day that SBK, which became a motor sport phenomenon in the USA at the end of the '70s and the start of the '80s, returned to its spiritual home. It was also the first match-up between the American legends and the European specialists who were making their name in the World Championship that had been created by the FIM just one year before in 1988.

The race was held at the Brainerd circuit in Minnesota. The European riders were amazed at the track which had a 1.8 km straight ending in a blindingly fast fifth-gear corner. The first USA Round also saw a first double win for Ducati in the hands of Raymond Roche of France. At the time this win brought fame and incredible prestige for the small Italian company in the country that represented the most important market in the world for streetbikes.

The Doctor is back on top with today's French GP victory at Le Mans. Valentino Rossi took one more step up the record books when he crossed the line for his 90th win on the historic front straight of Circuit de la Sarthe. He is now tied with Angel Nieto for second in most MotoGP wins. In celebration Nieto took the handle bars of Rossi's bike, letting the Italian sit on the back of his own Yamaha and soak in the moment. Rossi now targets the ultimate record of 122 wins set by legendary Italian Giacomo Agostini. As icing on the cake the former champ takes hold of this season's title hunt.

"To arrive at 90 wins like this and equal Angel's record is a dream for me," said Rossi, overjoyed with his new record. "I had quite a lot of pressure because Angel was waiting with the special leathers to join me on the bike, so I really needed to win! It was great to ride with him - I think maybe with some practice he can be as fast as us! 180 victories together on one bike is quite impressive I think!"

Rossi lost one position on the start but quickly regained the lost ground. One by one he passed the front runners before catching onto the back end of the leader Casey Stoner. By lap eight the Italian was free and clear of the Aussie and in the lead. Soon the weather turned sour but just when the teams were preparing their wet weather bikes the skies cleared up and the riders were able to finish in the damp conditions. It's been a while since Rossi has taken a back-to-back win, with China and now France out of the way he looks for the hat-trick at his home event, the Italian GP.

"Honestly I didn't expect to be so fast today but together with Jeremy and my guys we decided to make some small modifications this morning and in the race my M1 and my Bridgestone tires worked brilliantly from start to finish," added Rossi. "When is started to rain a little bit I thought "oh no!' and so I steadied a bit and tried to ride very sweetly; I had such a good rhythm and I really didn't want to have to change bikes. Luckily the rain soon stopped and I was able to continue in the same way. It's great for Yamaha to have the first three and I want to congratulate Jorge especially for doing such a good job in his condition. Thanks to everybody in the team; the job that Yamaha has done in three months is incredible. I enjoyed myself so much today,...

Dani Pedrosa is back to his pole position ways for the French GP at the historic Le Mans circuit. The Repsol Honda rider was fastest out of the box this weekend; the Spaniard goes into the fifth MotoGP round as points leader and will probably leave with a greater gap to rival Jorge Lorenzo. Colin Edwards will start second here, he might have had pole but another rider got in his way during his magic lap. Casey Stoner put his Ducati on the outside of the first row, sitting fourth in points the Aussie needs a strong finish to catch up.

The weather has been sporadic with bits of sunshine giving way to clouds and rain. It's possible tomorrow's race will be held under wet conditions, making qualifying that much more important. Through it all Pedrosa has been at the top in all practices, the Honda/Michelin combination works well around the Le Mans track.

"I'm very satisfied with today's result, said Pedrosa. "It's my first pole position of the season and that's especially good at this track because it's very important to have a good grid position here.

"I didn't expect to get pole with my fourth qualifying tyre but I did, so we're very happy. As far as race pace goes, I'm quite satisfied but there are a lot of strong riders going very fast here and the lap times are all very close, so I hope we can make another step forward for tomorrow. The other question mark is the weather. It's been very changeable and we still don't know what to expect for the race," added the points leader.

Throughout the season Edwards has been qualifying strongly but the American finds it hard to keep up during the race. In round four the team radically changed the bike's setup and it seemed to work when he caught the pole. Still, Edwards could only manage seventh by the checkered flag. This weekend Edwards and the team feel much better about their race pace, the American has a good shot at his first win this season.

"With our chassis and the way the bike handles the bike works like a dream in the last section, so I was confident that I'd have made up some time in that last part," explained Edwards. "I was certainly going to give it a go. I'm still happy to be on the front row,...

A frenetic run of six European MotoGP events in two months gets underway at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, France this weekend, round five of this year's 18-race championship.

The French Grand Prix has been a fixture on the world championship calendar since 1951 but it has changed venue repeatedly. Albi hosted the debut event while Rouen, Reims, Clermont-Ferrand, Paul Ricard, Nogaro, Magny-Cours and Le Mans have all held French GP status over the years. With 19 races held to date, Le Mans remains the most visited for the French GP, but the circuit also played host to 1991's 'Vitesse du Mans' round.

Bridgestone had a hugely successful French GP in 2007 in torrential wet conditions, scoring its first ever wet weather win, courtesy of an impressive Chris Vermeulen and his Suzuki team. Marco Melandri and Casey Stoner completed an all-Bridgestone podium in second and third places for Honda Gresini and Ducati Corse respectively. Loris Capirossi also claimed a podium result for Ducati at Le Mans back in 2006 finishing less than two seconds from the race winner, so Bridgestone will be hoping for another strong performance after its Chinese successes a fortnight ago.

The Bugatti circuit has been slightly modified for this year's event with a larger run-off area at turn eight increasing the overall length of the circuit by five meters to 4.185km.

Hiroshi Yamada - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager, Motorcycle Sport Unit

"Last year's result at Le Mans was a breakthrough performance for Bridgestone because it was the first time one of our riders had taken victory in the wet. It was also our second podium clean sweep of the season after Turkey and one of our standout performances of the year. The competition has been very close in the first four races of the year so far, so I think we can expect another close battle at Le Mans. It is the home race for our rivals,...

MICHELIN'S MotoGP MEN MAKE FAST START TO 2008

Pedrosa and Lorenzo placed first and second after first four races

Michelin's MotoGP riders have made a superb start to the 2008 season. After the first four rounds of this year's World Championship, Michelin men Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) and Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) are first and second in the points chase with a win apiece. In total Michelin riders have scored four pole positions, won two race victories and filled seven of 12 podium places at the first four events of the 18-round series.

Spaniard Pedrosa took the series lead with a superb home GP victory at Jerez, while dazzling rookie Lorenzo went equal on points when he took his debut MotoGP win at Estoril, Portugal. Lorenzo has been the find of 2008 - the double 250 World Champion made history by scoring pole position at each of his first three MotoGP events and may have continued that form if he hadn't crashed during Chinese GP practice, breaking a bone in his left ankle and wrenching his right ankle. Lorenzo proved his mettle by riding through the pain barrier to take fourth at Shanghai while Pedrosa retook the series lead with a fine ride to second place.

Other star Michelin performers at the first four races have been long-time Michelin man Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin) who took pole in China, rookie James Toseland (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin) who qualified on the front row for his very first MotoGP race in Qatar and another rookie Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin) who has also showed serious speed and great promise for the future.

Michelin's big step forward into the 2008 season has been the talk of the paddock. During the off-season Michelin's MotoGP chemists and engineers focused on three main performance factors: edge grip, warm-up and operating range...

TROY BAYLISS AND THE DUCATI XEROX TEAM TAKE THEIR SECOND POLE POSITION OF THE SEASON AT MONZA

Monza (Italy): Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) was the only rider to lap in under 1m45 in this afternoon's Superpole, a result that rewarded the Australian rider with his second pole position of the season for tomorrow's races at the Monza Autodromo, one of his preferred tracks. The hard work that the Ducati Xerox Team put in during the preceding sessions paid off and Troy, having qualified eighth for Superpole, was able to complete a flying lap on board his Ducati 1098 F08.

A more problematic day for Michel Fabrizio and his team who had difficulty finding the right set-up for Sunday's races. Losing valuable tenths at certain points of the track, such as the Parabolica curve, continued to be an issue today and the team will make further modifications to the Italian rider's F08 machine in preparation for tomorrow.

Troy Bayliss 1m44.9s

"It's been a mixed weekend, and we've struggled a little bit but now it's all come good today after a lot of hard work and we're going much more consistently fast. I feel good riding with the race tyre and I was pretty happy with my Superpole lap time today although I thought that Nori and Max may have gone a little faster than they did. I made a tiny mistake, as did they,...

Chinese GP Debrief: Q+A with Tohru Ubukata

Bridgestone saw the hoped-for return to winning ways at the Shanghai International Circuit in China last weekend with Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi scoring an impressive first victory of the season and his first using Bridgestone tyres. Rossi set the fastest lap of the race, a record-breaking 1m59.273s, on lap 18 of 22.

Ducati's Casey Stoner also made a solid return to the podium with a third-placed finish, making it the second Chinese Grand Prix in succession with two Bridgestone-shod riders on the podium.

A total of six riders on Bridgestone tyres were able to claim top ten results in Bridgestone's most competitive showing of the season so far. Other notable performances came from Marco Melandri, who finished fifth for Ducati, Toni Elias in eighth for Alice Team, Loris Capirossi in ninth for Suzuki and Shinya Nakano tenth for Honda Gresini.

Q+A with Tohru Ubukata - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager Motorcycle Race Tyre Development

Were the Chinese GP race results a good morale boost for Bridgestone?

"We have always been able to enjoy strong results in China, even though the track itself is very challenging. We never head to a grand prix venue expecting to get podiums or victories because the competition is very tough, but Valentino's win, Casey's third place and top ten results from several of our other teams certainly showed that our tyres worked well in Shanghai again. After a couple of difficult races, it was nice to see our riders in competitive form right from the very first practice session and able to be on the pace throughout the entire weekend."

Were you surprised by the lap times in the race?

"The lap times of Valentino and Dani were very fast in the final part of the race, and even quicker than the practice times. I was pleasantly surprised that our tyres were able to perform so strongly right up to the end of the race, and this is a testament to the work of our development engineers in Japan. In the fastest lap classification, Valentino was quickest, but with Casey third for Ducati, Toni fifth for Alice Team and Loris sixth for Suzuki, we were able to see competitive lap times by many of our teams."..

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Villopoto Finishes Supercross Season with Runner-up Finish

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto finished second in the season finale Dave Coombs Sr. Memorial Lites Shootout at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Villopoto's teammates Brett Metcalfe and Austin Stroupe finished seventh and tenth while Branden Jesseman did not race after crashing during the first practice. Monster Energy Kawasaki's Travis Preston led teammate Timmy Ferry to the finish line at the supercross class finale finishing eighth with Ferry ninth.

Nearly Perfect

Villopoto shot out of the starting gate to earn the holeshot for the East/West shootout and led 14 of the 15 laps in the main event. From the beginning, Villopoto rode a tremendous race building a large lead over the entire field with the exception of one of the riders. On the final lap, Villopoto came up on lapped traffic and had to change his line, taking him out of the lead and relegating him to a second-place finish.

"When he got close there were only two laps to go," said Villopoto. "I made a couple of mistakes and he got really close and then we caught up to a lapper. I had to take a different line. I just rolled it on the outside and he passed me right before the finish line. It was a good race, and it's disappointing to finish second."

-credit: kmc-usa

PODIUM JOY FOR ELLISON AT OULTON

Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider James Ellison recorded his and the team's best result with a superb second place at the Bennetts British Superbike Championship meeting held at Oulton Park today.

The 27 year old from Kendal in Cumbria qualified on row three of the grid and after weather conditions intervened in the opening race causing a red flag, he eventually posted eighth position to add to his two sevenths at Thruxton in the previous round.

But with a completely dry track for the second race in front of yet another massive bank holiday crowd, Ellison circulated with the leading pack in the opening stages as he battled with Leon Haslam, Cal Crutchlow and Tom Sykes and looked set to claim a good top five position.

However on lap eleven Haslam and Sykes collided leaving Ellison to climb the order and when Crutchlow crashed as well that elevated him to second position and as a result he maintains his fifth position in the Championship with the runner up placing.

For team mate Guy Martin it wasn't such a good weekend and after falling off in qualifying injuring his wrist he managed twelfth in race one, but in race two he encountered a problem which caused him to retire on lap seven leaving him in fourteenth position in the Championship.

The next round of the Championship takes place next weekend at Brands Hatch on 10th and 11th May.

James Ellison: "I'm really happy. We've worked hard all weekend and just got better and better and we've now reached that extra level. We plugged away and we improved in certain areas and we put it all together in the race. I still have some small problems which we'll get ironed out for Brands. When Shakey passed me he dragged me back up so I think I definitely had the pace to finish second. It was nice to finish where we did and I'm looking forward to Brands Hatch as the bike is working well."...

For the first time this season someone other than Jorge Lorenzo has taken a MotoGP pole. The American Colin Edwards put in a blindingly fast lap at the Shanghai Circuit to clinch the top spot for Tech 3, continuing Yamaha's perfect record for pole positions in 2008. Lining up alongside him are rivals Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner. As seen in the first three rounds Michelin has a slight edge over Bridgestone in qualifying, claiming four consecutive honors at the head of the pack. Lorenzo will start fourth on the second row, a remarkable effort considering his broken ankle from yesterday's nasty spill during practice.

For Edwards the pole position comes as a just reward for all his qualifying efforts already seen this season. The Texan seemed off the pace Friday but after the team got their heads together, a new radical setup was created that obviously seemed to give the Yamaha a needed edge. Edwards hasn't been able to translate a front row start into a podium yet for the year but the magic eight ball says his outlook in China looks good.

"We made a big change to the bike to get some weight on the rear and it worked," explained Edwards. "It was a great team effort and it definitely worked because when I went out this morning I was a second faster instantly. And it felt easy because I had no issues from the front like yesterday and my comfort level went up from 50 per cent to 95 per cent.

"Everything was pretty calm and collected and the Michelin qualifier is awesome. It is going to be a tough race. I haven't done a 59 yet on a race tyre and Casey and Valentino look to be doing consistent 59s. I just got to get a good start and hang in there," added the Texan...

Jorge Lorenzo took a nasty flip during the opening practice in MotoGP's fourth round of competition. Tied in the points standings, the Spaniard lost control of his Fiat Yamaha 800cc on the Shanghai International Circuit in this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. He had clocked an early lap of 2:02.480 prior to sailing through the air as the bike did a free-fall on its own, landing not far from Lorenzo.

What started as a dream season for the twice 250cc champion for his debut in the top pinacle MotoGP series could be over with a possible fractured ankle when he landed on the ground feet first. With three poles and one race win, the 20-year-old may now miss Sunday's race.

Lorenzo was transported to a local hospital for further medical evaluation and possible treatment. Some riders can wear a splint and still compete, the decision will be made after further tests are taken to the extent of his injuries.

The incident started when Lorenzo moved from the right to the left in the chicane exiting the first turn when the rear wheel of his Yamaha M1 appeared to lose grip, launching him. After his flight which included a somersault ended, he appeared to hit the ground feet first.

"It's a great pity this has happened, right at the start of Jorge's weekend; we were focused on his arm following his recent operation and we were quite confident that he could ride as usual," said Fiat team manager Danielle Romagnoli. "It was a very bad crash and it is not clear yet what happened because we lost all the data when the equipment was damaged at the time. As far as we can see from the TV,...

A Proper street sleeper is a bike that appears stock at first glance but ultimately shows that it's anything but when the wick is turned up. A blue and white 2007 Suzuki GSX-R1000 is nothing unusual, but how about one that's had some serious engine and suspension work done specifically to make it a stronger street runner? That's right-you might not initially notice because there aren't any fat tires or turbo dump pipes to grab your attention. Instead, there are insanely lightweight wheels, a sick brake set-up from top to bottom, and a fuel-management system that would make World Superbike racers envious. Over the next several months, SSB will show you how to transform your stock ride into a true street killer using high-performance parts that add an element of bling no piece of chrome or airbrushed plastic can compete with. This month the motor gets a boost with Bazzaz Performance's ultra-trick fuel-management, tractioncontrol and quickshift system partnered with a full exhaust from Micron.

To handle the GSX-R's sophisticated fuel injection we chose the only system we could find that was capable of controlling all eight fuel injectors independently-the Bazzaz Performance Z-FI TC. The Z-FI TC is Bazzaz's flagship product, and we found out that it's far from simply a fuel-control box. The full system includes traction control and a quickshifter that are both tunable per gear, rpm and throttle position. Although quickshifters are nothing new, traction-control technology is a first for us street riders and starting to become a necessity with power levels nearing the 200-hp-per-liter mark.

You say traction control on the street is pointless? Say that after a coldmorning wet spot spits you off or a dirty corner causes a highside. Traction control is a "smart" device and can help eliminate the dangers of these unforeseen obstacles.

We spent a day at Bazzaz Performance to get the Gixxer set up with the Micron Serpent header and MotoGp Ti cans, the Z-FI TC and a BMC air filter. A quick run on the dyno for some stock hp and torque numbers gave us a baseline, then off came the stock parts. Installing the pipe and filter was pretty straightforward,...

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) powered to his second double of the year with two convincing wins at the Assen TT Circuit in the Netherlands in the fourth round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship front of 75,000 spectators.

Race 1: Bayliss powered to his fifth win at Assen in the opening race after a mistake by early leader Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki) on lap 12 left him with a gap at the chicane. The Australian then increased his lead over the following riders in the final laps to win by a margin of 2 seconds. Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) took the runner-up slot, in a sprint to the finish with Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Alstare). Kagayama took fourth from Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), both riders holding off a late charge by Jakub Smrz (Ducati Guandalini). Seventh and eighth went to Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Tamada (Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse), who faded after a good start. Tenth went to Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Ducati). A clash in the opening laps eliminated two potential winners, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) and Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati).

Troy Bayliss: "I'm very happy with the way it turned out of course, but all the other guys were riding really well today. I made a really good start, pushed reasonably hard but Yukio was riding good and when he passed me, I thought I'd follow him for a while. He made a little mistake finally and I thought it was time to put my head down. I was turning round a bit, more than normal, but just wanted to keep an eye on how fast Carlos was coming through basically."

Carlos Checa: "I thought many times about Valencia and didn't want to make the same mistake twice, but Max slowed down a little before the end and when I saw clear road I passed him. He was behind and it was very close but it was nice to fight until the end and get onto the podium."

Max Neukirchner: "It's been a long time since I've been on the podium, the last time was in 2005 and I'm so happy right now to ride for the Suzuki factory team and it's a fantastic podium for me. I did a good job for this race, and also my team, and we worked really hard for this result...

Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) set a new track best at the 4.555km Assen circuit to take his first pole of the year, despite riding with a broken metacarpal bone in his left hand, sustained after a first day practice crash. Parkes set a 1'40.895 in what was a close final qualifying session, with a further 10 riders within one second of his new track best.

Parkes' team-mate Fabien Foret will line up on the front row also, having set fourth best time in the last qualifying session, only 0.293 seconds from Parkes. Foret had reverted to his pre-Assen testing set up to earn his best time of the weekend, with a 1'41.188. Both Yamaha World Supersport team riders have now set pole positions on the all-new Yamaha YZF-R6 machine, with Foret taking his pole prize at the opening round in Qatar.

Should raceday rain appear at Assen, all 36 riders in the WSS class will have some idea of the settings to use in wet conditions, as the unofficial practice session proved to be wet this morning. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) was the next best placed R6 rider, pushing his machine into the top ten, even though he was not completely confident in his front end set-up during the dry final qualifying session.

Yamaha Spain riders Angel Rodriguez and David Salom were 12th and 13th respectively, with Rodriguez now on the third row of the grid and Salom the fourth.

Broc Parkes (1st - 1m 40.895 - Yamaha World Supersport Team)

"I was happy to be on top yesterday and today it is a bonus again. The team had the bike absolutely right so I just rode it as well as I could. Tomorrow will be a different story maybe, as I have to do 21 laps with a broken hand, but we will see how it goes. I know I can ride,...

2006 WORLD CHAMP HAYDEN TO RIDE AROUND IMS OVAL ON INDY 500 RACE DAY

INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, April 25, 2008 -- 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden will ride on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval shortly before the start of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 25, demonstrating to a huge crowd the exciting MotoGP machinery that will compete at IMS for the first time in September.

Hayden, from Owensboro, Ky., and the rest of the elite MotoGP field will race in the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sunday, Sept. 14 on the new 2.620-mile road course at IMS.

Approximately one hour before the start of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," Hayden will ride around the famous 2.5-mile IMS oval aboard the 2007 Repsol Honda RC212V/Michelin on which he competed in the 2008 season-opening Grand Prix of Qatar on March 9. The Indianapolis 500 is the world's largest single-day spectator sporting event.

"What an opportunity for the sport, my sponsors and most of all, for me!" Hayden said. "This is going to be cool, to do a lap in front of such a huge audience live and on TV on what is arguably the most famous track and race in the whole world. I hope the fans like what they see and hear, and hope they plan on coming back in September when the bikes roll out at IMS for the first time in a long time.

"I just need to get it straight with the officials that I don't mind rolling round in second gear waving to the fans, but when I come off Turn 4, the Pace Car needs to hold its line because as I head toward the bricks, I plan to open that baby up a little and blow out the cobwebs a little."...

The Starboyz stunt team has been the face of the stunt world since a couple U.K. mags put the stunt scene in the public's eye. Their first DVD, rebelliously named FTP, hit the shelves in 1997 and sparked a revolution in the way sportbikers treat the streets.

What started as a gang of reckless riders from Ohio throwing it down on clapped-out beaters has evolved into a clever group of businessmen with ventures in stunt schools and entertainment.

Throughout their storied history, the Starboyz have received both praise and hate from the motorcycle community. Many of their rivals have told them that they'd never make it-that stunting will never take off and that there's no way to make a living pulling wheelies. Starboyz' Scott Caraboolad recalled, "After Kevin (Marino) and I were first featured in magazines I'd get phone calls and e-mails about how beat up our bikes were. Nothing about what we were doing, just how shit our bikes were. It was frustrating as hell."

But those sentiments didn't discourage the Starboyz; rather it lit a fire under their asses and gave them a reason to step up the game-a reason to show the world, especially the haters, that the Starboyz are legit.

They've gone beyond merely proving their critics wrong; they went big this year and got one of the most respected names in custom bikes to trick out their Chicago Cycles-sponsored Suzuki GSX-R1000s. McCoy Motorsports of Pikeville, Kentucky, has been pumping out some of the sickest bikes around for years, and though the McCoys are best known for their wild Yamahas they can make damn near anything pop. The Starboyz' Suzukis are another rolling demonstration of McCoy Motorsports' supreme customization skills.

The Starboyz have turned the redheaded stepchild of motorcycling into a profitable business while maintaining their roots,...

AMA Superbike Championship: Suzuki Superbike Challenge, Auto Club Speedway

PICKERINGTON, Ohio - Just one week following the second round of the 2008 AMA Superbike Championship at Barber Motorsports Park, the series resumes at the third stop of the season on April 25-27 with the Suzuki Superbike Challenge at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

California Speedway Gets a New Name

In February of this year the circuit announced a new partnership with the Automobile Club of Southern California, the nation's largest member of the AAA federation, and unveiled a name change from California Speedway to Auto Club Speedway.

Home Track

Considering that many of the Superbike teams' race shops are located nearby in Southern California and that Auto Club Speedway is one of the favorite testing venues on the tour, it's not surprising that the Fontana round is viewed by many as their home round.

Location, Location, Location

Auto Club Speedway is located in Fontana, Calif., about 50 minutes east of Los Angeles. The region is one of the largest sportbike markets in the world.

The track is just 10 minutes from Ontario International Airport, which makes it easy to access even for fans flying in from across the nation.

AMA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY PARTS UNLIMITED

On a Roll

Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Mat Mladin has scored the maximum number of points in the season's first three races, claiming three race wins, three points for most laps led, and both poles. The six-time AMA Superbike champion has looked dominating while doing so, boasting a combined margin of victory of over 27 seconds in the first three races of the year.

Dating back to 2007, the Australian has won nine of the last ten AMA Superbike races.

His rivals shouldn't expect him to back off now; Auto Club Speedway is one of Mladin's best tracks on the tour as he's won a full half of the AMA Superbike races ever held there, winning six times in 12 contests, including the most recent race held in 2007.

Role Reversal...

Windham Closes in on Reed's Points Lead as Monster Energy® Supercross Heads To Seattle's Qwest Field

AURORA (April 21, 2008) -- In one of the most dramatic Monster Energy® Supercross, an FIM World Championship, seasons in history the fate of Chad Reed's championship season hangs in the wind as he battles injury this Saturday at Seattle's Qwest Field Saturday. In the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites class a champion will be crowned this weekend.

The AMA Supercross will air on SPEED Sunday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m., and the AMA Supercross Lites class race will air on SPEED Saturday May 3 at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Last weekend at St. Louis' Edward Jones Dome, Torco Fuels Honda's Kevin Windham, of Centerville, Miss., picked up his third main event win of the season and tightened the championship race between he and Team San Manuel Band of Mission Indians' Reed in the before a crowd of 48,698.

Reed, of Tampa, Fla., took over the lead on the opening lap but would give way to the hard-charging Windham, who steadily pulled away for the win.

Windham, who entered tonight's race trailing Reed by 16 points, cut the deficit to 13 points with two races remaining. Reed, who is riding with a cracked shoulder blade, turned in a valiant ride to earn second. Red Bull Honda's Andrew Short, of Smithville, Texas, finished third.

Bayliss ready for another surprise party

Runaway world Superbike leader Troy Bayliss is banking on another “pleasant surprise” when the championship reconvenes at the iconic Assen circuit in Holland this weekend.

The Australian, who holds a whopping 48pt lead after just three rounds, has already benefited enormously from the all-new and torquier Ducati 1098 in 2008, and he hopes the bike will continue to hold its own at “The Cathedral”, one of the truly great motorcycle racing circuits.

“The (old Ducati) 999 always went well at Assen, and so far the 1098 has been consistently better than the 999, so I hope we’ll have a pleasant surprise at Assen,” said Bayliss.

The dual world champion is a big fan of the technical and twisty Assen layout, although it does leave precious little room for error, as evidenced by a number of high-speed crashes over the years.

Assen was originally over 7km long, but recent alterations, which included removal of the “Northern loop”, have brought it back to 4.555km. Bayliss is a fan of the shorter layout.

“I like the track how it is now. Before it was more flowing and a lot more physical, and this track now is less so, so I can say I actually prefer it now,” said Bayliss. “I don’t normally mind a hard workout but hey, maybe that’s me getting older!

“Assen has always made for great racing, on the old and new track. I’ve had some good battles there. It’s also a track where tyre issues come into play. You can afford to sit back and wait but it depends on the day,...

TBR - MV Agusta Racing Team has continued its 2008 Australian Superbike and Nakedbike Championship chase with mixed results at round 2 of the Australian Superbike Championship, held in fine and warm conditions at South Australia’s Mallala Raceway April 17 -20.

Riding the 2008 MV Agusta F4 1000 R 312 Superbike, Kevin Curtain had a hectic meeting, with the team making major changes to the bike setup from Friday right through to the second race on Sunday. This was mainly due to the new forks and shock that have been fitted to the bike since round 1 at Eastern Creek.

Race 1 saw Curtain sitting comfortably in 7th but unfortunately some suspension issues prevented Curtain from being able to push any harder.

Race 2 was a similar story with Curtain pushing as hard as he could to finish a very creditable 8th position right on the back of a freight train of factory team regulars.

Curtain clocked a 1:07.215 sec lap time in race 2 which is only .9 of a second behind the fastest lap of the race.

“It’s hard to come to a track we have never been to on the MV and expect to be competitive straight up against the other factory team’s who have been coming here for years and have good base settings to work with. The team has been working really hard to improve the bike with the new suspension we have fitted since Eastern Creek. But it seems until Qualifying session 2 we were not really improving the bike that much, as we corrected one problem it created another. Anyway that’s development and I feel we are definitely are going forward all the time and that’s so important. I was really happy to be able to run right with the front guys for a few laps in the second race, it goes to show things really are heading in the right direction. I am confident that if we continue to improve the bike as quickly as we have so far, we will be running right up the front in no time flat...

Shane Byrne and Cal Crutchlow were the race winners as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship began for real at Thruxton, and with them each taking a second place, they left the Hampshire circuit as the joint leaders of the series, ahead of the rejuvenated Michael Rutter who took a brace of third placings.

Byrne, riding the Airwaves Ducati, had repeated the pole starting ride of the snow aborted Brands Hatch opening round, but he was out-started by Leon Haslam and Michael Rutter, before Cal Crutchlow swooped ahead to lead at the end of the opening lap.