Team Green™ Plans 25th Anniversary Celebration

Press Release Issued By Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA (April 4, 2006)

IRVINE, Calif. (April 4, 2006) - Where were you a quarter of a century ago?

Ronald Reagan was President, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” premiered in movie theaters, and the space shuttle launched for the first time. And Kawasaki founded its amateur trackside support program known as Team Green™. These moments in time provide opportunities to reflect, as well as to look forward while commemorating this significant occasion for the Kawasaki “family.” To mark this special milestone, Team Green is requesting information from all Team Green riders and staff - past and present - describing their racing and lifestyle. Kawasaki is extremely gratified that so many racers and their families have enjoyed their experience with Team Green; they are offering a special gift to all who participate in the gathering of historical information.

Kawasaki is also extending an invitation to all former Team Green riders and staff to join them at Team Green’s 25th Anniversary Celebration at the AMA Amateur National Championships, August 1-5 at Loretta Lynn’s ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. To confirm your participation either by providing historical information or attending the celebration, please contact Kawasaki at (949) 770-0400, ext. 2226, or you can send an e-mail to teamgreen.rider@kmc-usa.com. Please put “25 years” in the subject line. Deadline for sending information and attendance confirmation is July 1st.

As always, Kawasaki extends a sincere thanks to all riders and staff for their continuing loyalty and support of Team Green and encourages everyone to participate in the 25th Anniversary Celebration.

KTM Press Newsletter

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MOTOCROSS
WCH Rnd 1, Karcher Grand Prix of Flanders, Zolder Tortelli takes podium on World Championship return (02.04.2006)
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Red Bull KTM Motocross rider Sebastien Tortelli won a moto and took second position overall this afternoon at the Zolder circuit in Belgiumfor the Karcher Grand Prix of Flanders the first round of fifteen in the FIM 2006 MX1 World Championship.

Windy, cold and showery conditions greeted the second day of action in east Belgiumas 16,000 spectators entered the historic racing facility. The sandy terrain had been worked on overnight but still offered a difficult first Grand Prix test for the riders of the MX1 and MX2 motos in their two 35 minute and 2 lap motos per class.

Tortelli holeshotted and led his first GP moto since 1998 from the opening corner until the last, withholding pressure from World Champion Stefan Everts. The second moto saw a role-reversal and a potentially close tussle was ruined when the pursuing Frenchman lost touch with the Belgian after a run-in with a backmarker. His second position gave the overall win to Everts, his 88th, but meant that he shares first spot in the World Championship.

Mickael Pichon struggled with his fitness and had to withdraw from the first moto before the midway point. He did not take to the line for the second race.

Despite a sore and weak wrist Jonathan Barragan had a decent debut as part of the factory team and steering the prototype for the 2007 SX450F. The Spaniard was 6th and 9th for 7th overall.

Tyla Rattray scored his 8th MX2 Grand Prix victory with resilient results of 3rd and 1st, winning the Grand Prix of Flanders for the second year in a row. The South African still managed a top three finish in the first moto despite losing use of his front brake early on. He dominated the second sprint from Antonio Cairoli. David Philippaerts had earlier claimed the first race after a mistake by leader Marc de Reuver allowed the Italian through to front. It was a strong showing by the Red Bull Champ team and with Carl Nunn scoring 10th overall all four riders currently stand within the top group of the World Championship points table.

The World Championships continue in two weeks time with the second round taking place at Bellpuig for the Grand Prix of Spain on Easter Sunday. The Red Bull KTM team will then head west for the Portuguese GP just seven days later.

Sebastien Tortelli:

“It was a great weekend. We had a decent first moto and I was very happy. The second race was good also, I got into a quick second position behind Stefan and he was pushing hard. His speed was good but I was comfortable with it. Stefan is a strong rider and I knew I had to bide my time and see when to pass him. At one point I struggled to get through the lapped riders and he made a small breakaway. I caught him back and was close when I had an incident with another lapper who took away my front wheel while I was jumping. It was harsh but I supposed we have to get used to that because we are going at a great speed and there were not many blue flags on the track. Those guys are still fighting for positions and points so they are not just going to move over. I am happy with this first race. Compared to 1998 I have more experience and feel more prepared. I think it will be a great year for us, Stefan and I, but I will be stronger.”

Tyla Rattray:

“I took my first ever holeshot in the first moto, so I was pumped with that but I lost my front brake straightaway and had to ride the whole race without it. I crashed once and was running out of the berms just using my back brake but I was able to get used to it. I had some arm-pump but was happy with the result. In the second moto I showed what I could really do. The track was hard but I like it when it’s rough. I made the gap and controlled the race ahead of Cairoli.”

Marc de Reuver:

“I made a great start and pulled a gap over everybody but then began to crash! It wrecked my race and although I finished fourth I was disappointed. I could follow Cairoli OK in the second moto and the position was good enough for an overall podium and I am happy with second. I have chosen just to focus on the World Championship this year and the most consistent one of us is going to hold the advantage for sure.”

David Philippaerts:

“The first race was really good today because my start was not great and I came through the pack quickly. I felt tense and nervous before the second moto. I almost crashed at one point and then fell off in a different place afterwards. I was far behind and just tried to finish.”

Carl Nunn:

“I tried my hardest today but something wasn’t right. I know I am fit enough but something did not click today. I got good start and this is important and gives me a ‘positive’ to think about. The long start-straight in Spainwill mean that I’ll be right up there. My bad days should be better and I should be in or around the top five.”

Jonathan Barragan

“I am still having problems with my wrist and have only been working for 3 weeks with the new bike. We are developing the machine and the results we have today are good enough for the first GP and the circumstances.”

Pit Beirer, Motorsport Manager:

“We are so happy because after all the hard work over the last few weeks and also some problems we always knew we would be ready for Zolder and it is nice to see on paper that things have worked out. It was a strong performance from KTM because we won three from the four races and Sebastien could compete with a great Champion like Stefan. We won a heat and are level on points and can only hope for a good season from here on.”

Kurt Nicoll, Motorsport Manager

“Mickael has been suffering for two or three weeks now with a weakened condition and we have been trying to sort it out. He has trouble getting his heart-rate up and feels tired very quickly. He attempted the motos today but his fitness is not right at the moment to be leading Grand Prix races.”

MX1 Moto1

1 TORTELLI Sebastien, 2 EVERTS Stefan, 3 LEOK Tanel, 4 RAMON Steve, 5 DE DYCKER Ken, 6 BARRAGAN Jonathan, 7 LEURET Pascal, 8 STRIJBOS Kevin, 9 MELOTTE Cedric, 10 SWORD Stephen, 27 PICHON Mickael

MX1 Moto2

1 EVERTS Stefan, 2 TORTELLI Sebastien, 3 STRIJBOS Kevin, 4 LEOK Tanel,5 RAMON Steve,6 SWORD Stephen,7 DE DYCKER Ken,8 MELOTTE Cedric,9 BARRAGAN Jonathan,10 LEURET Pascal

MX1 Overall classification and World Championship standings

1 EVERTS Stefan 47, 2 TORTELLI S. 47, 3 LEOK Tanel 38, 4 RAMON BEL 34, 5 STRIJBOS Kevin 33, 6 DE DYCKER Ken 30, 7 BARRAGAN J. 27, 8 SWORD Stephen 26, 9 LEURET Pascal25, 10 MELOTTE Cedric 25

MX2 Moto1

1 PHILIPPAERTS David, 2 GUNDERSEN Kenneth, 3 RATTRAY Tyla, 4 DE REUVER Marc, 5 POURCEL Sébastien, 6 CHIODI Alessio, 7 POURCEL Christophe, 8 NUNN Carl, 9 SEARLE Tommy, 10 MEO Antoine

MX2 Moto2

1 RATTRAY Tyla, 2 CAIROLI Antonio, 3 DE REUVER Marc, 4 POURCEL Christophe, 5 GONCALVES Rui, 6 GUNDERSEN Kenneth, 7 MEO Antoine, 8 POURCEL Sébastien, 9 MACKENZIE Billy, 10 NUNN Carl, 13 PHILIPPAERTS David

MX2 Overall classification and World Championship standings

1 RATTRAY Tyla 45, 2 DE REUVER Marc 38, 3 GUNDERSEN K. 37, 4 PHILIPPAERTS D. 33, 5 POURCEL C. 32, 6 POURCEL S. 29, 7 CAIROLI Antonio 28, 8 MEO Antoine 25, 9 GONCALVES Rui 24, 10 NUNN Carl 24

MX2 : Gundersen marks Yamaha debut with podium result
Round: 1 - 2006 GP of Flanders, Belgium
Circuit: Zolder
Date: 2 April 2006
Crowd: 16000
Temp: 11ºC
Weather: Overcast

Ricci Racing’s Kenneth Gundersen scored an emotional podium in his debut for the team and on the formidable YZ250F at Zolder, Belgium today for the first round of fifteen in the 2006 FIM World Championship. The Karcher Grand Prix of Flanders occurred in front of a decent 16,000 attendance considering the cold and wintery conditions.

Gundersen notched results of second and sixth to place third overall in his first top three appearance for over two years and his first in the MX2 class since 2001. The Norwegian has battled back from multiple knee and cartilage operations in the last 18 months. The 25 year old showed promising form despite some less than perfect starts on the wet and rough Belgian terrain. He had to ditch his goggles early in the first moto but was still able to pass the KTMs of Rattray and De Reuver. In the second race he ensured his fresh silverware as the highest placed Yamaha rider.

World Champion Antonio Cairoli, who dislikes the Belgian circuit, fell on the first lap of the first moto and with the track at its wettest throughout the weekend he rode well to break into the top fifteen and collect six points. The Italian crashed on Saturday and received a blow to his left leg but was able to show his true colours in the second moto as passed he title rival Marc de Reuver and crossed the finish line with the runner-up position behind eventual overall winner Tyla Rattray. The De Carli rider’s mishap earlier in the day meant that he placed seventh overall.

Alessio Chiodi showed decent speed and all the experience of a three times World Champion to take sixth spot in the first moto in the soggy conditions. The Italian was however fighting the debilitating effects of an illness and after slipping down the order and out of the points in the second race retired to the pits.

Billy Mackenzie, who is 22 years old next week, wasn’t able to get the set-up on his YZ250F correctly dialled for the conditions and it cost the Scot in the first race as he registered a disappointing twenty-fourth position. Adjusting several aspects of the machine for the second moto he managed a more creditable ninth after passing British Championship rival Carl Nunn on the last lap.

Kenneth Gundersen, Ricci Racing:
“This feels unbelievable. I have been out for so long. Last year I did some GPs but my leg was not good enough to ride. I trained a lot this winter and the way that this team have supported me is incredible. Yamaha and so many people have helped me and this came out today. In the first moto I felt like I could have won if I didn’t have to throw away my goggles on the first lap; second place was good though. It took me a little while to get going in the second race and finally I ran out of time to take any more positions.”

Antonio Cairoli, De Carli Yamaha:
“The first heat was not so good because I crashed on the first lap and I lost a lot of time and positions to get going again. I was totally last and had a lot of work to do. I finished 15th and it was OK for training because I do not like this track so much! In the second race I started well but in the first corner someone touched me and it cost me a few places. I caught and passed many riders like De Reuver and Pourcel. Tyla is always very good at this track. My leg was OK and is only stiff when I am resting.”

Alessio Chiodi, Ricci Racing:
“The first part of the first moto was pretty good but after about 25 minutes I started to feel bad and my stomach was really bothering me. I finished the race but I could feel that a fever was coming. I was in the gate before the second moto and I thought that I would try to see what I could do but the bumps on the track just made it worse. When I saw I was down in 27th I thought it was better to stop.”

Race classification MX2
Round: 1 - 2006 GP of Flanders, Belgium
Circuit: Zolder

Race: 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA 40′ 20.154
2 K. Gundersen Yamaha SWE +8.667
3 T. Rattray KTM RSA +10.029
4 M. De Reuver KTM NED +14.091
5 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +26.399
6 A. Chiodi Yamaha ITA +35.053
7 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +43.876
8 C. Nunn KTM GBR +50.949
9 T. Searle Kawasaki GBR +1′ 6.716
10 A. Meo Honda FRA +1′ 9.945
11 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +1′ 14.685
12 P. Caps Honda BEL +1′ 17.359
13 R. Goncalves KTM POR +1′ 17.857
14 A. Leok Yamaha EST +1′ 21.318
15 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +1′ 25.940
16 G. Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA +1′ 29.781
17 M. Nagl KTM GER +1′ 30.282
18 M.. Monni KTM ITA +2′ 4.330
19 P.A.. Renet Honda FRA +1 lap(s)
20 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +1 lap(s)

Race 2: 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Rattray KTM RSA 38′ 43.423
2 A. Cairoli Yamaha ITA +7.541
3 M. De Reuver KTM NED +13.390
4 C. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +17.537
5 R. Goncalves KTM POR +22.849
6 K. Gundersen Yamaha SWE +24.642
7 A. Meo Honda FRA +36.395
8 S. Pourcel Kawasaki FRA +41.504
9 B. MacKenzie Yamaha GBR +42.276
10 C. Nunn KTM GBR +43.574
11 T. Searle Kawasaki GBR +57.643
12 D. Guarneri Yamaha ITA +1′ 13.515
13 D. Philippaerts KTM ITA +1′ 18.348
14 L. Seguy Yamaha FRA +1′ 20.912
15 A. Leok Yamaha EST +1′ 33.126
16 P.A.. Renet Honda FRA +1′ 35.039
17 M. Seistola Honda FIN +1′ 36.196
18 P. Caps Honda BEL +1′ 36.765
19 M. Nagl KTM GER +1′ 50.099
20 J. Dougan Honda GBR +1 lap(s)

Championship standings MX2
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 45
2 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 38
3 Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 37
4 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 33
5 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 32
6 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 29
7 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 28
8 Antoine Meo Honda FRA 25
9 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 24
10 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 24
11 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 22
12 Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 19
13 Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 15
14 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 13
15 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 12
16 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 12
17 Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 8
18 Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 7
19 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 6
20 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 5

Manufacturers standings MX2
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 KTM 25
2 Yamaha 20
3 Kawasaki 16
4 Honda 13

MX1 : GP win number 88 for Everts in world championship opener
Round: 1 - 2006 GP of Flanders, Belgium
Circuit: Zolder
Date: 2 April 2006
Crowd: 16000
Temp: 11ºC
Weather: Overcast

Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team rider and reigning MX1 World Champion Stefan Everts left the opening round of the 2006 series having increased his record-career total of GP victories to 88 and proved his rhetoric concerning the new aluminium frame YZ450FM was completely founded. 16,000 spectators flocked to the Zolder circuit in Belgium for the Karcher Grand Prix of Flanders, the first race of fifteen in this season’s campaign. Teammate Cedric Melotte managed tenth position overall.

Rainfall in the days leading up to the event meant that the fine Belgian dirt at the former Formula one circuit was soft and sodden, and throughout practice churned into a demanding and difficult prospect. Following through on his excellent pre-season form Stefan Everts did not put a foot wrong on Saturday to clinch his first pole position since the 2005 Grand Prix of South Africa.

33-year-old Everts began the opening moto behind former rival Sebastien Tortelli and although he tried to pressurise the Frenchman, drawing close on several occasions, he was unable to seize the lead and lost any chance of victory in the last third of the heat when he was held up by backmarkers. The pair surprisingly lapped everybody up to fifth position. Melotte, who is still coming back to full fitness after a wrist problem limited his pre-season preparation, finished in ninth. The 27 year old, who was an overall winner at the first ever MX1 GP - also at Zolder - in 2004, made a mistake two laps from the chequered flag which cost him sixth place.

Spanish sponsors Intur Sports were announced as the new backers for the Rinaldi team in an entertaining function on Saturday evening and they must have been pleased as Moto2 saw a dominant performance from Everts as he broke away from Sebastien Tortelli in a role-reversal of the first sprint.

The Belgian has been raving about the handling and performance of the new YZ450FM and gave a large section of his fans an ample demonstration of his synergy with the Rinaldi-fettled machine. He would win by almost 40 seconds and his 2-1 scorecard gave him a familiar top step of the podium.
Cedric Melotte had a problem with his goggles that affected his eyesight and he was close to crashing on several occasions but was able to steer his Yamaha past the chequered flag in eighth spot for tenth in the final classification.

The second round of the series will take place in two weeks time, on Easter Sunday, at the Bellpuig circuit in Catalonia, Spain. The Grand Prix of Portugal will occur just one week on from the trip to the Iberian Peninsula.

Stefan Everts, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross team:
“I was making a lot of mistakes in the first race and was not riding smooth enough to really catch Sebastien. After that though the ice was broken and I knew I had one more moto to make things better. I changed my position on the start line and got into the first corner ahead. I pushed really hard in those first few laps and Sebastien was with me for a while but I focussed on my own riding and it worked. I was happy with the bike. We changed a few little things with suspension but the performance was great today and I felt comfortable.
It is very early for the Championship. Sebastien is right there but Pichon missed a lot of points today, Josh is out and I expected the Suzuki boys to be closer, but there is still a long way to go.”

Cedric Melotte, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross team:
“I was struggling over the weekend with my wrist and my condition. Everything is improving but to come here and do 40 minutes with a weak wrist was unbelievable. The track was so difficult. If I had not crashed in the first race I would have been fifth and this was OK. After a few minutes of the second moto I got some dirt in my goggles and I could not see or concentrate on my lines. I am happy enough with the result because at least twice I thought that ‘I should stop otherwise I will crash’ because I could not see. The ruts were really deep and to come away with a top ten in the conditions is satisfying.”

Race classification MX1
Round: 1 - 2006 GP of Flanders, Belgium
Circuit: Zolder

Race: 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Tortelli KTM FRA 39′ 22.213
2 S. Everts Yamaha BEL +11.063
3 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +1′ 5.994
4 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +1′ 33.493
5 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +1′ 54.790
6 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1 lap(s)
7 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1 lap(s)
8 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s)
9 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +1 lap(s)
10 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +1 lap(s)
11 J. Garcia Vico Honda ESP +1 lap(s)
12 B. Verhoeven Kawasaki NED +1 lap(s)
13 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1 lap(s)
14 W. Avis KTM RSA +1 lap(s)
15 D. Theybers Suzuki BEL +1 lap(s)
16 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1 lap(s)
17 J. Noble Honda GBR +1 lap(s)
18 M. Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR +1 lap(s)
19 C. Federici Kawasaki ITA +1 lap(s)
20 E. Eggens Kawasaki NED +1 lap(s)

Race 2: 22 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Everts Yamaha BEL 40′ 9.339
2 S. Tortelli KTM FRA +38.639
3 K. Strijbos Suzuki BEL +1′ 15.573
4 T. Leok Kawasaki EST +1′ 23.799
5 S. Ramon Suzuki BEL +1′ 30.347
6 S. Sword Kawasaki GBR +1′ 39.574
7 K. De Dycker Honda BEL +1 lap(s)
8 C. Melotte Yamaha BEL +1 lap(s)
9 J. Barragan KTM ESP +1 lap(s)
10 P. Leuret Honda FRA +1 lap(s)
11 J. Noble Honda GBR +1 lap(s)
12 M. Priem Yamaha BEL +1 lap(s)
13 B. Jorgensen Honda DNK +1 lap(s)
14 M. Van Daele Honda BEL +1 lap(s)
15 A. Pyrhonen TM FIN +1 lap(s)
16 B. Verhoeven Kawasaki NED +1 lap(s)
17 J. Dobes Suzuki CZE +1 lap(s)
18 L. Freibergs Suzuki LVA +1 lap(s)
19 M. Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR +1 lap(s)
20 M. Norlen Suzuki SWE +1 lap(s)

Championship standings MX1
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 47
2 Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 47
3 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 38
4 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 34
5 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 33
6 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 30
7 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 27
8 Stephen Sword Kawasaki GBR 26
9 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 25
10 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 25
11 Bas Verhoeven Kawasaki NED 14
12 James Noble Honda GBR 14
13 Antti Pyrhonen TM FRA 14
14 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 12
15 Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 10
16 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 9
17 Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 8
18 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 7
19 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 6
20 Mark Hucklebridge Kawasaki GBR 5

Manufacturers standings MX1
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 25
2 KTM 22
3 Kawasaki 20
4 Suzuki 18
5 Honda 15
6 TM 2

AMA Press release:

AMA Pro Racing announced today that the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF will return to OLN with improved air-times and shorter turn-around coverage. Telecasts of the premier AMA Motocross class will occur on Saturdays following each race with coverage of the Motocross Lites class set to air on the Monday after that. Two events, Red Bud and Unadilla, will be seen the following Sunday, one week after the race, due to OLN’s coverage of the Tour de France.

“AMA Pro Racing is pleased to have OLN back on board with AMA Motocross for 2006,” said AMA Pro Racing Vice President, Director of Commercial Development, John C. Farris, Jr. “OLN recognized the improvements that needed to be made to the telecast schedule and stepped up to the changes. Plus with OLN’s commitments to other marquee sports properties like the NHL and Tour de France, the network is well positioned for continued growth and expects to be in nearly 70 million homes in 2006.”

Farris added that global coverage of AMA Motocross has also continued to expand. AMA Motocross is shown in nearly 100 territories around the world, reaching millions of households in key markets.

AMA Pro Racing also announced that Erin Bates, Brian Drebber and Racer X Illustrated’s David Pingree are set to provide commentary for each telecast.

“This is a solid announcing team that will add tremendous value to the telecasts,” noted Farris. “Brian is a seasoned motorsports presenter with a wealth of experience and Erin will bring her usual flair and insight to the shows. We’re particularly happy to add David’s voice to our coverage this year. ‘Ping’, as he’s known to his fans, is a former professional AMA Motocross and AMA Supercross rider and has transitioned nicely to his role as a motocross journalist. We’re confident he’ll add a unique perspective thanks to his connection to the racing community.”

Final airtimes will be announced in the coming weeks. Visit www.amamotocross.com for further details.

Suzuki Set for Zolder MX1 Opener

Press Release Issued By Team Suzuki Press Office – March 29, 2006

The 2006 FIM MX1 Motocross World Championship commences this weekend with the first round of fifteen in a six month, three continent trek. The Karcher Grand Prix of Flanders will be entertained by the Zolder circuit in Belgian for the third consecutive year.

The season will involve participation from six manufacturers in the 15 GP, 30 race contest. Team Suzuki, with the works RM-Z450s this season running the traditional Suzuki ‘yellow’ livery, field an all-Belgian line-up for the third consecutive year with Kevin Strijbos and Steve Ramon pushing the manufacturer’s cause at the highest level.

With moto victories at Hawkstone Park and most recently the second round of the Belgian Championships, Kevin Strijbos has put the injury nightmares of 2005 behind him when he damaged ankle ligaments, dislocated his shoulder and suffered thrombosis all within the first four months of the calendar year.

Although he is presently nursing a cold, the 20 year old - who begins his fourth season with the team and in the premier class and third term on the RM-Z 450 - is confident of his chances at Zolder especially compared to 12 months ago when he was barely fit to race and only scored seventh and sixth positions in the two motos.

“I am feeling pretty blocked-up at the moment and it is a bit disappointing because I had a good pre-season but my preparation for this week has been affected,” he said. “I hope I will feel better in the next day or so and be 100% for Zolder even if the rain doesn’t look as though it will move away.”

“We have been working on the bike and it is running very well,” he continued. ”We changed the suspension from last season and my starts have been great in the races so far. Zolder is a cool track with some nice jumps but it can get very rough especially when it is wet. It is always nice to start the World Championships in front of the Belgian fans and there is normally a good turn-out.”

Steve Ramon has been adjusting to the RM-Z450 over the past three months and has posted some encouraging results in the pre-season Internationals. The 26 year old will approach his first Grand Prix with the team this weekend. The Belgian sand was the setting of a remarkable debut for Ramon who won the first ever MX1 moto at the start of 2004.

“I like most tracks but Zolder is a little bit special for me because of 2004,” said the 2003 125cc World Champion who was 15th overall at the Grand Prix of Flanders last year. “I hope that the weather will be better than it is now. With the rain the soft terrain can get very rough and the ruts become deep. It is a hard GP because it is the first but I am looking forward to starting the season.”

Zolder has been one of the main racing venues in Belgium since the 1960s, sharing the Formula One spotlight with Spa Francorchamps. Famous names to have won there include Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda. The road racing facility has changed little over the decades with the exception of the surface being re-laid and the installation of a new paddock, infrastructure and several chicanes. The layout of the course retains its fast and sweeping nature.

Motocross first set up residency in 2003 when the circuit hosted the Motocross of Nations. For the last two years it has been chosen to open the World Championships and is widely acknowledged as having one of the best set-ups within Grand Prix racing.

The track itself uses a soft, loamy terrain and is partially laid over the asphalt of the permanent race course. The remainder of the layout cuts across the banking and touches the woodland above the arena section. It is renowned for being a technical and tough physical test.

Since winning the 2002 250cc World Championship Team Suzuki has registered third spot in 2003, fifth in 2004 and a best position of sixth in 2005. Since 2002 however the squad have had poor luck with injuries with at least one of their two riders facing long-term lay-offs. The RM-Z450 owns one Grand Prix victory, four motos and six podiums in its two year existence.

The weather forecast for the weekend is not positive and predicts light showers over both days.

Debut Victory for Development RM-Z250

Press Release Issued By Team Suzuki Press Office – March 29, 2006

Team Suzuki’s Yohei Kojima raced a development aluminium-framed RM-Z250WS to its debut victory in the opening round of the All Japan Motocross Championship at Sportsland Sugo at the weekend.

The venue, which will host the Japanese round of the FIM World Motocross Championship this year after receiving the best-organised GP of 2005 by the FIM, also saw the unveiling of a new fuel-injected RM-Z450WS in the hands of IA1 class riders Shinichi Kaga and Kuraudo Toda.

In the opening IA2 race, Kojima suffered a poor start, but rounded the opening lap in fifth place, moving to third by lap two and then into second, but he couldn’t quite catch leader and race winner Hiroaki Arai. In race two, he gated behind Arai but moved to the front by the end of the opening lap and was never headed.

He said: “I couldn’t get on the pace in the opening race after a bad start but the second race was a very good result for the new RM-Z250WS.”

IA2 Race 1: 1 Hiroaki Arai (Kawasaki), 2 Yohei Kojima (Suzuki RM-Z250WS), 3 Yu Hirata (Kawasaki), 4 Yuya Ozaki (Yamaha), 5 Serizawa Naoki (Honda).

IA2 Race 2: 1 Yohei Kojima (Suzuki RM-Z250WS), 2 Hiroaki Arai (Kawasaki), 3 Yu Hirata (Kawasaki), 4 Takeshi Katsuya (Honda), 5 Shinichi Inoue (Kawasaki).

KTM Press Newsletter

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MOTOCROSS
MX3 World Championship and Euro 125 kick-off this weekend (28.03.2006)
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Busy weekend for the Motocross fans! After a long break since the exciting 2005 Motocross of Nations in Ernée, the first weekend of April will see a lot of riders in action. Zolder (Belgium) will met the opening round of the MX1-MX2 World Championship, while the MX3 World Championship and 125 European Championship will kick-off in Castelnau de Lévis (France).

Same date, same place than last year for this MX3-Euro 125 opening round, first one of the longest MX3 series with fourteen rounds in the calendar. Reigning World Champion Sven Breugelmans and team-mate Yves Demaria will be the favourites of the GP and the series on their factory KTM, but some of the other fifty-seven riders involved in this GP will never give-up and start the season with high goals. They all remind that last year surprising German Marco Dorsch and French Julien Vanni won the two motos, and that there was no orange bike on the final podium of the event !

Now considered as a real stage before the MX2 World Championship, the 125 European opening round registered ninety-three entries, representing fourteen countries. The series will count ten rounds this season, and 2005 vice-champion Dennis Verbruggen (Yamaha) is the main favourite. With his great experience the Belgian rider was already last year the main opponent to Jeremy Tarroux, who is now involved in the MX2 World Championship.

(Source: www.motocrossmx1.com)

Strijbos Victorious at Mons

Press Release Issued By Team Suzuki Press Office – March 27, 2006.

Team Suzuki rider Kevin Strijbos celebrated overall victory at the second round of the 2006 Belgian Motocross Championships at Mons yesterday while team-mate Steve Ramon also claimed a podium position.

In the final event before the start of the MX1 Motocross World Championships - due to take place at the Zolder circuit for the Grand Prix of Flanders this weekend - Strijbos notched results of 2-1-2 in the three motos.

The 20 year old Belgian faces his fourth season as a full-time member of the works Suzuki team in the premier class and remains the sole rider to give the RM-Z450 a taste of Grand Prix success after his triumph in the Czech Republic last year.

Steve Ramon was third overall despite suffering some arm-pump in the first moto and crashing in the second race. The new Suzuki representative collected finishes of fourth, third and third.

“I have mixed feelings about the weekend,” the former 125cc World Champion said. “I was riding well but I found it difficult and a few mistakes cost me better results. I had been training hard through the week so I was getting tired by the third moto as the track was very heavy with a lot of bumps.

“In the first race, I had some arm-pump but we made some changes to the bike and I felt better in the second. I was really encouraged by my starts; the Suzuki was very strong out of the gate.”

Moto1: 1 Ken De Dijcker, 2 Kevin Strijbos, 3 Sebastien Tortelli, 4 Steve Ramon, 5 Joel Smets, 6 Jonathan Barragan.

Moto2: 1 Kevin Strijbos, 2 Sebastien Tortelli, 3 Steve Ramon, 4 Ken De Dijcker, 5 Joel Smets, 6 Danny Theybers.

Moto3: 1 Sebastien Tortelli, 2 Kevin Strijbos, 3 Steve Ramon, 4 Christophe Pourcel, 5 Marvin Van Daele, 6 Danny Theybers

Overall: 1 Strijbos, 2 Tortelli, 3 Ramon, 4 Van Daele, 5 De Dijcker.

KTM Press Newsletter

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MOTOCROSS
KTM Factory Motocross riders - Background stories (27.03.2006)
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MX1 riders

Mickael Pichon
Mickael Pichon is just one of two genuine World Championship contenders that KTM have within their MX1 ranks for 2006. The most successful Frenchman in Grand Prix history (35 career wins) dominated the 250cc category in 2001 and 2002. He finished runner-up to Everts in 2003 and also the first year of MX1 in 2004. No other rider has come close to the current World Champion in terms of race victories. He has owned 8 Grand Prix from 33 since the MX1 class formed at the start of 2004. The 29 year old has stated that 2006 could be his final season meaning that there won’t be many more riders motivated for a title push than Pichon.

‘With KTM I believe I have what I want and need,’ he said last year after signing a one year deal. ‘It is a factory team and many people think like I think and want to give their best. They treat their riders like they should, and they have a lot of power and resources for developing the bike.’

Sebastien Tortelli
Like his countryman and new team-mate, Sebastien Tortelli has experience in winning the blue ribbon class of motocross when he (significantly) beat Stefan Everts to the 1998 250cc World crown. He was also World Champion in the 125cc contest in 1996. After only four years in Grand Prix, Tortelli headed to the US and the lure of AMA competition. Despite gaining a runner-up position in the 2000 250cc AMA Motocross Championship the 27 year old suffered a string of seasons affected by injury problems.

His signature and return to Europe and the World Championships was seen as something of a coup for KTM and Frenchman will start as one of the favourites for the title.

Jonathan Barragan
Jonathan Barragan has been supported by KTM since he made his breakthrough into the World Championships during 2003, initially contesting the 125/MX2 class on the immensely successful 125 SX (still the last two-stroke motorcycle to win a Grand Prix with Tyla Rattray’s triumph at Neeroeteren, Belgium in 2004) and then moving to the MX1 category backed by KTM Spain in 2005 where he impressed with a string of lively results and finished seventh overall in the Championship.

His moto podium finish in Sweden and top four positions in Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, France and Spain grabbed attention and led towards his inclusion in the factory’s plans for 2006 for a one year deal. ‘This is has been a dream of mine for a long time now; many seasons. I believe that 2006 could be a fantastic year for me,’ he said. ‘I will be a part of the factory team and I just want to do my best for them.’

MX2 riders

Tyla Rattray
2004 World Championship runner-up Tyla Rattray was frustrated by a dislocated shoulder and damaged knee ligaments last season that ruined his quest for the title. He completed a perfect clean sweep at Zolder for the first round of the series being fastest in every single practice session and then winning both motos.

Rattray arrived in Europe during 2002 and started to establish himself the following season where he gained a podium at Genk for the Grand Prix of Belgium. He enjoyed some decent scraps with friend and KTM team-mate Ben Townley and was a constant threat on the 125cc SX in 2004 despite the wide-spread dominance of the 250cc four-stroke. Rattray will start his 5th season in 2006 and already boasts 7 Grand Prix victories in two years as the next major star to emerge from South African in the mould of Greg Albertyn and Grant Langston.

David Philippaerts
Drafted into the team during 2005 after long-term injuries to Rattray and Marc De Reuver, David Philippaerts went on to show enormous progression riding the works 250F and took 3 moto wins and 2 Grand Prix victories. The Italian, with a Belgian father, started the year riding the 125cc SX and after finishing fourth at Teutschenthal in Germany was given the 250F vacated by Rattray after his accident in Namur.

He grabbed the opportunity to impress with both hands and rose to fourth in the World Championship earning a permanent slot for 2006.

“I’m really happy to be a factory rider next season” he said, “and I am already looking forward to the challenge I will have in 2006. 2005 was very positive for me and I am glad and grateful that KTM saw my potential.”

Carl Nunn
Carl Nunn entered the KTM family at the eleventh hour during the winter of 2004 and went from offering the team ample back-up on the 125cc SX to winning the British Championship and gaining his first Grand Prix podium since 2000.

Nunn was briefly left to shoulder the KTM MX2 effort with injuries to both of his team-mates but his adaptation to the SX 250 F was admirable and swift. He did not finish out of the top three once in 8 rounds and 16 races of the British series and gained his first Grand Prix moto victory in five years in front of a noisy crowd at the British Grand Prix.

Several podiums towards the end of the season confirmed his growing comfort and confidence as part of the factory set-up.

Always a fast, smooth and consistent rider, Nunn is one of the UK’s best and will no doubt improve on a steady 2005 in his second term with the team and on the four-stroke.

Marc de Reuver
A ruthless sand rider (as proved by his accomplished 2004 Motocross of Nations performance despite missing the better part of the season) Marc de Reuver has been plagued with injury and misfortune for the last two years.

The Dutchman dislocated his hip after winning his first Grand Prix in Germany during 2003. He then fractured vertebrae at the same track (Teutschenthal) in 2004 and needed a knee reconstruction after an innocuous crash during a pre-season meeting at the start of 2005. Despite a lack of victories there is no doubting his pace and various podium appearances; 3 moto wins during his sparse appearances in 2004 and 2005 do not fairly reflect the threat that De Reuver poses. The 23 year old will enter his fourth season with the Champ squad.

MX3 riders

Sven Breugelmans
Belgian Sven Breugelmans first came to the attention of the Grand Prix paddock with a podium at Grobbendonk in 2000. He then produced some decent rides in the 2001 125cc World Championship where the undoubted highlight was a 2nd position at Genk, again in Belgium. He finished 12th in the series that year and sealed a high-profile move to the works 250cc Suzuki team but his opportunity was wrecked by a knee ligament injury that sidelined him for a year.

Breugelmans signed for KTM in 2004 and has been a constant presence inside the MX3 top group for almost two years. The 26 year old won the World Championship by 16 points from his team-mate last season.

Yves Demaria
Yves Demaria has a wealth of Grand Prix experience in all classes as well as being part of the French Motocross of Nations winning team in 2001. Unsurprisingly Demaria firmly stamped his authority on the first MX3 World Championship and only an ankle injury prevented the 34 year old from reaching a similar level in 2005.

When he has made brief MX1 outings Demaria has consistently been on the pace and during the 2004 French Grand Prix even grabbed a podium position.