Press Release
(2005 FIM Superbike World Championship)
YRC News
WSB : Haga top Yamaha in Valencia
Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 24 April 2005
Crowd: 35000
Temp: 35ēC
Weather: Sunny

Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga battled changeable track conditions at a
warm and sunny Valencia to secure a fifth and fourth place finishes in the
23-lap races, making himself the highest placed Yamaha rider on the day. With
track temperatures increasing from 22°C in race one to 40°C in race two, grip
altered considerably from race to race, complicating matters for all four of
Yamaha's supported riders.

Both races saw Troy Corser (Suzuki) take the win, followed by Chris Vermeulen
(Honda). A seemingly sure third place, and a possible second, for Norick Abe
(Yamaha Motor France IPONE) in the opener ended in the gravel as the Japanese
rider slid off his machine into the first right hand corner on the 19th lap. He
would end race two in fifth place, despite losing adhesion on the hotter track,
to move up one championship place: fifth overall and the leading R1 rider.

Haga's team-mate Andrew Pitt also fell in race one, while holding fourth
position on lap six. The Australian held a podium position for much of race two,
but slipped back due to a misfire. Starting from row five of the grid each time,
Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) had an excellent ride through the
field in race one, securing sixth. In the second outing an overheating engine
stopped him from progressing beyond 11th.

Corser's double win extended his lead at the head of the championship. Abe moved
to fifth position in the championship, with 44 points, while Haga's good points
scores push him to seventh, on 40. Pitt lies eighth with 39, Gimbert 12th with 26.

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia)

"OK, we got fifth in race one and fourth in race two but it's not good enough
for me, because as a racer you always want to win. I have to remember that the
bike is still developing. We have only finished three meetings so we need to
improve more, step-by-step. I think it will be better though. We are improving
and compared to Friday we have made big progress. Now we have a test at Monza
this week and this should give us a good chance to prepare for the team's home
race."

Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia)

"I tried to stay with them in race two but I just lost one tenth each lap. The
more laps I had, the more I had to be careful. After a few laps the rear tyre
started to lose performance but the electrical problem at the end probably cost
me three places."

Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia)

"Before we arrived here I said that we would be happy with podiums and we nearly
got them. On Friday we were looking almost looking at a disaster, but
immediately on Saturday we improved a lot. But both riders finished race two.
Andrew's machine had a small problem in that race. In the last two laps he
slowed up, with a misfire. But considering our position on Friday, we cannot be
too disappointed."

Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France)

"It was unlucky to crash in race one as I had a good feeling on the bike. I knew
100 percent that I could get third but there was a rider immediately in front of
me so I wanted second; it's better than third. Maybe I pushed the front too
hard, so I crashed. Race two was held in very different conditions, a warmer
track for example, and the rear grip was less from the beginning. That was more
of a disappointment than race one."

Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France)

"In the last couple of laps of race two the engine overheated and I lost a lot
of power. That made it incredibly difficult for me. There was also a big change
in the track conditions between race one and race two, and that made the bike
slide a lot more in the second one. Race one was OK, a good finish in sixth."

Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France)

"Not so bad. Of course in the second race less people crashed so the places were
worse but we are happy because we have made the chassis better, gained some
confidence, even if we have lost a possible podium. Now we have to work on the
engine some more. Sebastien's engine overheated, so we need to inspect the
radiator. Because it lost power as it heated up, he dropped down positions. But
we have shown again we are at a high level and we are fifth in the world
championship with Abe. This is not so bad for the start of the season." 

Race classification WSB

Round:  3 - Spain
Circuit:  Valencia
Circuit Length:  4005m
Lap Record:  1' 35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003)
Fastest Lap Ever:  1' 34.633 (Neil Hodgson, 2003)

Race 1: 23 Laps

Pos. Rider           Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time
 1   T. Corser       Suzuki        AUS  37'31.052
 2   C. Vermeulen    Honda         AUS     +9.116
 3   Y. Kagayama     Suzuki        JPN    +12.788
 4   C. Walker       Kawasaki      GBR    +16.867
 5   N. Haga         Yamaha        JPN    +17,882
 6   S. Gimbert      Yamaha        FRA    +26.495
 7   P. Chili        Honda         ITA    +28.784
 8   J. Toseland     Ducati        GBR    +36.604
 9   S. Fuertes      Suzuki        ESP    +39.524
10   D. Checa        Yamaha        ESP    +39.775
11   I. Clementi     Kawasaki      ITA    +40.047
12   B. Bostrom      Honda         USA    +42.941
13   G. Bussei       Kawasaki      ITA    +47.505
14   L. Alfonsi      Yamaha        ITA    +47.585
15   I. Silva        Yamaha        ESP    +48.993
16   G. Vizziello    Yamaha        ITA    +49.064
18   M. Borciani     Yamaha        ITA    +54.572

Race 2: 23 Laps

Pos. Rider           Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time
 1   T. Corser       Suzuki        AUS  37'52.057
 2   C. Vermeulen    Honda         AUS     +5.361
 3   C. Walker       Kawasaki      GBR     +7.184
 4   N. Haga         Yamaha        JPN    +10.600
 5   N. Abe          Yamaha        JPN    +11.903
 6   B. Bostrom      Honda         USA    +19.200
 7   Y. Kagayama     Suzuki        JPN    +19.345
 8   A. Pitt         Yamaha        AUS    +23.246
 9   D. Checa        Yamaha        ESP    +24.787
10   P. Chili        Honda         ITA    +25.299
11   S. Gimbert      Yamaha        FRA    +25.495
12   M. Neukirchner  Honda         GER    +27.833
13   I. Clementi     Kawasaki      ITA    +31.339
14   G. Vizziello    Yamaha        ITA    +33.013
15   L. Alfonsi      Yamaha        ITA    +34.024

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider           Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time
 1   T. Corser       Suzuki        AUS   1'36.721

Championship standings WSB

Pos. Rider                Manufacturer  Nat. Points
 1   Troy Corser          Suzuki        AUS   141
 2   Yukio Kagayama       Suzuki        JPN   110
 3   Chris Vermeulen      Honda         AUS    90
 4   Regis Laconi         Ducati        FRA    54
 5   Norifumi Abe         Yamaha        JPN    44
 6   Max Neukirchner      Honda         GER    41
 7   Noriyuki Haga        Yamaha        JPN    40
 8   Andrew Pitt          Yamaha        AUS    39
 9   Chris Walker         Kawasaki      GBR    38
10   James Toseland       Ducati        GBR    30
11   Pierfrancesco Chili  Honda         ITA    26
12   Sebastien Gimbert    Yamaha        FRA    26
13   Giovanni Bussei      Kawasaki      ITA    23
14   Ben Bostrom          Honda         USA    19
15   Fonsi Nieto          Ducati        ESP    17
17   David Checa          Yamaha        ESP    13
21   Ivan Silva           Yamaha        ESP    10
25   Marco Borciani       Yamaha        ITA     4
26   Lorenzo Alfonsi      Yamaha        ITA     3
27   Miguel Praia         Yamaha        POR     2
28   Gianluca Vizziello   Yamaha        ITA     2

Manufacturers standings WSB

Pos. Manufacturer Points
 1   Suzuki        150
 2   Honda          93
 3   Yamaha         65
 4   Ducati         64
 5   Kawasaki       50
 6   Petronas        1

WSS : Another podium for Curtain
Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 24 April 2005
Crowd: 35000
Temp: 26ēC
Weather: Sunny

Kevin Curtain grabbed his second successive podium finish in the 2005 Supersport
World Championship to maintain his third place in the championship after a tough
race in Valencia today.

Starting from the front row, the Australian fought with Honda quartet Sebastien
Charpentier, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Michel Fabrizio and Fabien Foret in the opening
laps, until team-mates Charpentier and Fujiwara broke away from the group.

Curtain was able to consolidate third place, despite suffering grip problems,
and could possibly have climbed the top of the podium after Charpentier and
Fujiwara clashed on the penultimate lap, although both riders were able to stay
onboard and retain their positions. Curtain's third place gives his Yamaha Motor
Germany squad a full set of trophies to take back to their Neuss base following
Kenan Sofuoglu and Didier van Keymeulen's first and second in the earlier
superstock race.

Team-mate Broc Parkes also had a tough afternoon after being hit from behind by
a falling rider at the first corner. The incident cost the Australian several
places but he fought back to finish sixth on a track notorious for its lack of
overtaking opportunities after ending the first lap down in 11th place.

With a quarter of the season gone, Charpentier leads the championship on 70
points with Fujiwara a further 12 behind in second. Curtain maintains third, on
49 points, with Parkes tying with Fabrizio for fifth place.

Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany)

"That was a really tough race. As always around here, tyre choice was something
of a gamble, simply because the temperature and grip levels are always changing.
I was happy to bring it home and finish on the podium because my back tyre was
totally gone at the end, although I think it was the same for all the guys. But
we're leaving here third in the championship, hopefully we can now find that
little bit extra to close the gap on Charpentier and Fujiwara."

Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany)

"I got hit real hard on the first corner and there was such a big bang that was
sure the back tyre was flat. I took it easy for a few laps until I was sure
everything was ok but once I got going the bike was actually really good and I
was able to work my way up. By the end I caught Foret but this is a tough place
to overtake and I just didn't have enough time to make a pass."

Race classification WSS

Round:  3 - Spain
Circuit:  Valencia
Circuit Length:  4005m
Lap Record:  1' 38.874 (Alessio Corradi, 2003)
Fastest Lap Ever:  1' 37.331 (Chris Vermeulen, 2003)

Race 1: 23 Laps

Pos. Rider           Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time
 1   S. Charpentier  Honda         FRA  38'27,276
 2   K. Fujiwara     Honda         JPN     +0.844
 3   K. Curtain      Yamaha        AUS    +21.382
 4   M. Fabrizio     Honda         ITA    +25.602
 5   F. Foret        Honda         FRA    +31.478
 6   B. Parkes       Yamaha        AUS    +32.837
 7   B. Veneman      Suzuki        NED    +36.134
 8   G. Nannelli     Ducati        ITA    +38.076
 9   S. Chambon      Honda         FRA    +38.297
10   J. Stigefelt    Honda         SWE    +38.750
11   X. Fores        Suzuki        ESP    +44.507
12   W. Daemen       Honda         BEL    +45.628
13   S. Le Grelle    Honda         BEL    +52.390
14   A. Tizon        Yamaha        ESP    +52.390
15   T. Lauslehto    Honda         FIN    +53.109

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider           Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time
 1   S. Charpentier  Honda         FRA   1'38.976

Championship standings WSS

Pos. Rider                     Manufacturer  Nat. Points
 1   Sebastien Charpentier     Honda         FRA    70
 2   Katsuaki Fujiwara         Honda         JPN    58
 3   Kevin Curtain             Yamaha        AUS    49
 4   Fabien Foret              Honda         FRA    38
 5   Michel Fabrizio           Honda         ITA    29
 6   Broc Parkes               Yamaha        AUS    29
 7   Stephane Chambon          Honda         FRA    24
 8   Xavi Fores                Suzuki        ESP    18
 9   Johan Stigefelt           Honda         SWE    16
10   Gianluca Nannelli         Ducati        ITA    15
11   Tatu Lauslehto            Honda         FIN    14
12   Jurgen van den Goorbergh  Ducati        NED    11
13   Barry Veneman             Suzuki        NED     9
14   Tomas Miksovsky           Honda         CZE     7
15   Christophe Cogan          Suzuki        FRA     6

Manufacturers standings WSS

Pos. Manufacturer Points
 1   Honda          75
 2   Yamaha         49
 3   Ducati         26
 4   Suzuki         23
 5   Kawasaki        6

Superstock 1000: Sofuoglu leads Yamaha domination
Round: 1 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 24 April 2005
Crowd: 35000
Temp: 23ēC
Weather: Sunny

Yamaha R1 riders dominated the opening round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup at
Valencia today, with Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kenan Sofuoglu and Didier van
Keymeulen taking the top two places ahead of the R1s of Massimo Roccoli and
William de Angelis.

Starting from second on the grid, Sofuoglu grabbed the holeshot to lead his Van
Keymeulen into the first corner and avoid a turn two pile-up that took out
several riders. Van Keymeulen was able to stick with his Turkish team-mate for
the opening few laps before Sofuoglu pulled away to build up a lead of over four
seconds by the flag.

The 21-year-old Sofuoglu, the 2002 German Yamaha R6 Cup champion, celebrated his
first win in the class with a spectacular stand-up wheelie down the entire
length of the Valencia straight, much to the appreciation of the crowd.

Massimo Roccoli, winner of the 2003 Italian Yamaha R6 Cup, rode spectacularly to
make it an all Yamaha podium. The 20-year-old from Rimini was involved in a
pulsating three-way battle with former 125 GP rider William de Angelis (Yamaha)
and Craig Coxhell (Suzuki), a former Australian superbike champion no less.
Roccoli broke the class lap record, previously held by his team-mate Gianluca
Vizziello, by over half a second on the penultimate lap to make the podium on
only his second outing in the class. De Angelis finished fourth to complete a
great day for the Yamaha riders.

Kenan Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motor Germany)

"It feels very good to get that first win. It was always my plan to push hard in
the early laps to try and build a good lead. I got a great start and I was able
to stick to my plan. I felt very strong here today - now we must continue this
for the rest of the year."

Didier van Keymeulen (Yamaha Motor Germany)

"I tried to stay with Kenan but after about five laps I had a problem that we
didn't have in practice and that meant I couldn't push as hard as I wanted to. I
found that the rear was pushing the front going into the corners and therefore I
had to let the bike settle down before going into the corners. But second is a
good start to the championship. Kenan rode very well and although I could
possibly have pushed a bit harder we still have a full season ahead of us."

Massimo Roccoli (Lorenzini by Leoni)

"I got caught in the crash on the first lap and that cost me a lot of time. I
absolutely wanted the podium and I pushed really hard even though we did not
have a perfect set-up. In the test we had had the same problem and we did not
manage to fix it. Perhaps I am too light and the Yamaha R1 has too many horses!
But it is been a good beginning and I want to experience the win at Monza in two
weeks' time."

Race classification FIM Superstock 1000 Cup

Round:  1 - Spain
Circuit:  Valencia
Circuit Length:  4005m
Lap Record:  1' 39.034 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005)
Fastest Lap Ever:  1' 39.034 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005)

Race 1: 13 Laps

Pos. Rider             Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time
 1   K. Sofuoglu       Yamaha        TUR  21'42.070
 2   D. Van Keymeulen  Yamaha        BEL     +3.876
 3   M. Roccoli        Yamaha        ITA     +5.027
 4   W. De Angelis     Yamaha        ITA     +5.203
 5   C. Coxhell        Suzuki        AUS     +6.564
 6   F. De Marco       MV Agusta     ITA    +13.936
 7   I. Dionsi         Suzuki        ITA    +22.396
 8   H. Gantner        Yamaha        CHE    +24.228
 9   A. Badovini       MV Agusta     ITA    +25.219
10   R. Cooper         Honda         GBR    +25.485
11   P. Vanstaen       Suzuki        BEL    +29.217
12   D. Sacchetti      Kawasaki      ITA    +32.641
13   J. Mazuecos       Yamaha        ESP    +32.656
14   S. Vermonden      Suzuki        BEL    +32.985
15   P. Solli          Yamaha        NOR    +34.615

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider             Manufacturer  Nat. Total Time
 1   M. Roccoli        Yamaha        ITA   1'39.034

Championship standings FIM Superstock 1000 Cup

Pos. Rider                 Manufacturer  Nat. Points
 1   Kenan Sofuoglu        Yamaha        TUR    25
 2   Didier Van Keymeulen  Yamaha        BEL    20
 3   Massimo Roccoli       Yamaha        ITA    16
 4   William De Angelis    Yamaha        ITA    13
 5   Craig Coxhell         Suzuki        AUS    11
 6   Fabrizio De Marco     MV Agusta     ITA    10
 7   Ilario Dionsi         Suzuki        ITA     9
 8   Herve Gantner         Yamaha        CHE     8
 9   Ayrton Badovini       MV Agusta     ITA     7
10   Richard Cooper        Honda         GBR     6
11   Pierrot Vanstaen      Suzuki        BEL     5
12   Denis Sacchetti       Kawasaki      ITA     4
13   Julian Mazuecos       Yamaha        ESP     3
14   Sepp Vermonden        Suzuki        BEL     2
15   Petter Solli          Yamaha        NOR     1
RELEASE INDEX