DUCATI XEROX TEAM HEADS DOWN UNDER FOR ISLAND ACTION

Phillip Island (Australia), Thursday 31 March: The second of the two overseas
rounds of this year’s World Superbike Championship takes place this weekend at
the Phillip Island circuit, situated south of Melbourne on the State of
Victoria’s spectacular Bass Coast. The opening round in Qatar one month ago saw
Ducati Xerox Team riders Régis Laconi and James Toseland meet with alternating
fortunes, as the Frenchman took home a third and a second place in the two
races, while his British team-mate had to settle for two sixth places.

The Phillip Island track has an entirely different layout to the desert sands of
Losail, but both Laconi and Toseland are relishing the challenge as it is a fast
and flowing circuit where rider ability can make all of the difference.
29-year-old Laconi knows that he is capable of producing a winning performance
at the 4.4 km track, having claimed the first of his seven victories in 2004
here one year ago.

“I was very happy about the result of the first race because we worked very hard
during the winter with Ducati to try to be fast” declared Laconi. “Now that all
the factories are back, it has become even harder for us to win. The result at
Qatar was good but we still have more work to do to be faster.

“Last year things went quite well for me here but I only won one of the races,
while in the other I crashed out. For me Phillip Island is a track where the
rider can change a lot of things on the bike to improve the settings and
performance and for this reason our rider motivation is always high at this
circuit.

“Maybe maximum engine performance isn’t the thing that counts the most at
Phillip Island because it’s more important to get the bike set up right, in
particular for the last part. As the track is difficult, the racing is always
fantastic and I’ve always gone well here. Hopefully I will have a good result
and maybe even get my first win of the year this weekend”.

24-year-old Toseland finds himself in the unenviable position of trying to
recapture his 2004 form after a spate of crashes in testing at Qatar and
Valencia left him battered and bruised. A couple of weeks rest since the Spanish
test has given the reigning champion an opportunity to focus on the task of
putting together a good result this weekend.

“I had a difficult round at the first race in Qatar, where I had a massive
crash. I wasn’t injured but I did feel a bit battered about”, declared
Toseland. “Now I’ve had a chance to go back home and sort my head out a bit, I’m
now looking forward to this second round at Phillip Island, where you’ll see me
as determined as ever.

“We had a good race here last year although hopefully you won’t see as much
tyre-smoking from me! Phillip Island always produces exciting racing and those
last two curves are quite demanding on the tyres. I’ve been fast round there in
the past, and after the Valencia testing we have found a decent setting on the
bike, so I will go out there and hopefully have a bit more luck than we had have
so far this season”.

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 1 of 12 rounds)

Riders
 1. Kagayama 45
 2. Corser 41
 3. Laconi 36
 4. Vermeulen 21
 5. Pitt & Toseland 20

Manufacturers
 1. Suzuki 50
 2. Ducati 36
 3. Yamaha 22
 4. Honda 21
 5. Kawasaki 7
 6. Petronas 1

THE CIRCUIT

Name: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Length: 4.445 km
Pole Position: Left
Corners Left/Right: 7/5
Finish Line Length: 835 m

STATISTICS

Best lap:   Corser (Ducati) 1m32.193s (1999)
Lap record: Corser (Ducati) 1m33.019s (1999)
Superpole:  Corser (Ducati) 1m32.193s (1999)
Race distance: 2 x 22 laps/97.790 km