In addition, the best home-grown racers in the country will provide an action-packed support race bill, with the Australian Superbike/Superstock 1000 and Australian Supersport/Superstock 600 categories promising fast and furious racing at Australia’s premier two-wheel event from October 26-28.

David White, Chief Executive Officer of Motorcycling Australia, said support category riders would once again relish the chance to demonstrate their skill in front of such a large audience.

“The riders in the Australian Superbike/Superstock 1000 and Australian Supersport/Superstock 600 categories are the best in Australia, and they’ll be keen to put on a show at Phillip Island,” White said.

Nearly 100,000 people attended the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix last October, and none of them would have gone home disappointed with the action they saw across three days of racing.

Stoner will be the man to catch in the MotoGP class; remarkably, the Australian has led all but one lap of the last five Grands Prix at his home track. World Champion in 2007 and again last year, the 26-year-old Honda rider is likely to be right in the championship mix come the second-last round of the 2012 campaign.

Queensland’s Anthony West is Australia’s representative in the competitive Moto2 category, with the 30-year-old riding a Moriwaki for the QMMF Racing Team in the intermediate class.

Two young guns will represent Australia in the Moto3 category, the new four-stroke 250cc championship that made its debut as a replacement for the 125cc two-stroke class at this season’s opening World Championship round in Qatar.

Townsville’s Jack Miller, 17, will ride a Honda for the Caretta Technology team, while 16-year-old Arthur Sissis will make his maiden World Championship appearance at home for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team. The Adelaide native finished second in the prestigious Red Bull Rookies Cup feeder series in 2011.

Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Andrew Westacott, said the local contingent in the international classes and the packed fields in the support races will offer plenty of high-class racing at the 2012 AirAsia Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

With five separate categories of racing all featuring Australian riders on one of the world’s most revered motorcycle circuits, we have a fantastic line-up of events for fans in October,” he said.

"The Superbike and Supersport categories always put on a show, and we’ll all be keen for the Australians in the World Championship classes to put in top performances in front of a passionate home crowd.”

Tickets for the October event are on sale now and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation is urging fans to book early to secure their seat. For more information visit  www.motogp.com.au or call Foxtix on 1800 100 030

The Australian was edged off the podium by Great Britain’s Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda), Turkey’s Kenan Sofugulo (Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini) and France’s Jules Cluzel (PRT Honda).

Parkes was shadowed across the finish line by fellow Australian racer Glen Richards (Smiths Gloucester) who picked up fifth place behind Parkes with a margin of 3.698 separating the pair, and a best lap time of 1’31.682. Richards’ teammate Billy McConnell piloted his Triumph to ninth, while Melbourne’s Jed Metcher (Rivamoto Junior Team) picked up thirteenth.

Having picked up third place at the season opener at Phillip Island, and a fourth place finish at Round 4 in Monza, Parkes’ now sits fifth on the Championship ladder with a solid tally of 42 points.

Parkes’ and his fellow countrymen will now pack their bag and make the long haul to Salt Lake City in the United States for the sixth instalment of the fourteen round Series on 28 May.

For all the latest news and results from the 2012 World Superbike Championship and support classes, visit www.worldsbk.com.

Prior to the switch, Vermeulen spent four years on the MotoGP circuit with Suzuki, recording three pole positions and a victory at Le Mans in 2007.

The one-off ride will mark a momentous occassion for the Offical MA Ambassador, who has struggled with injury since 2010 and has not had a race start in nearly ten months.

“First of all I would like to wish Colin a speedy recovery,” Vermeulen said.

"I am grateful to have the opportunity to race back in MotoGP with the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team. I am looking forward to my first time on the bike being at Le Mans, a circuit that holds great memories for me including a victory in 2007. I am excited to be racing at the top level of motorcycling again and look forward to working with the team.”

Vermeulen will be up against fellow Aussie and reigning World Champion Casey Stoner, who currently leads the 2012 Championship after recording back-to-back wins at Jerez and Estoril.

The fourth round of the 2012 MotoGP gets underway this Friday 18 May at Le Mans.

The top two honours of the day were picked up by Great Britain’s Tommy Hill and Japans Noriyuki Haga, both of the Swan Yamaha team.

The result was another coup for Brooke’s in what has already been a cracker of a season, with the Sydney-sider having taken a race victory at Round 2 in Thruxton and a solid tenth place finish at the season opener at Brands Hatch last month.

With the first three rounds tallied, Brooke’s sits second on the Championship ladder ahead of Round 4 at Snetterton 200 on 25-17 May.

For the latest news and information from the 2012 British Superbike Championship, visit www.britishsuperbike.com.

- Words by Toby Lynch, FluidPR

“I think if we can just try focus on finding consistency during all the practice and qualifying sessions at Monza, then we should have a good weekend. This fast layout will suit us as our bike is definitely fast, and I know the guys have been searching for a little more top end power. You have to be a little careful though as when you are at full throttle for so much of the circuit it can put a lot stress on the engine.

"Personally I just need a rhythm then I can concentrate on actually riding, and I certainly have some great memories from racing in both Superstock and Supersport at Monza. It’s not so technical, but it’s a track that’s not easy to be fast on."

One rider who has produced the goods around the 5.777km over the last couple of years is 2010 world champion Max Biaggi, with his ultra-fast Aprilia finishing on the podium in three of the last four races, for two wins.

In 2011, Biaggi’s V-four reached a whopping 332.5km/h down the main chute at Monza and, with that sort of potency still at his disposal, will start as favourite for Sunday’s two 18-lappers.

Biaggi leads this year’s championship by 1pt – 92 to 91 -- over reigning title holder Carlos Checa (Ducati), followed by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki, 79), Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati, 66), Marco Melandri (BMW, 66) and Jonathan Rea (Honda, 65).

Guintoli and Rea are both coming off stirring wins at Assen, while Sykes has started from pole position in every round this year without tasting ultimate success, but clearly has the machine to go all the way at Monza.

Meanwhile, Checa is yet to finish on the podium at Monza on his V-twin Ducati, and may again find it a stretch in 2012 against the brute horsepower of his four-cylinder opposition, especially down the 1.195km main straight.

"We know that Monza will probably be the hardest round on the calendar for us and the Ducati, something we have also seen in the last two seasons,” said Checa.

“We will do our best to take as many points as possible but realise that this weekend will be mainly about containing the damage. Two top 10 finishes would be good, and closing inside the top five would feel like a win for us here!”
BMW pair Marco Melandri and Leon Haslam should also be circulating at the front, and that also holds for Biaggi’s teammate Eugene Laverty and Suzuki duo Leon Camier and John Hopkins.

World Supersport
Newcastle rider Broc Parkes (Honda) will head to Monza still searching for his first win of the season. He’s currently fourth in the standings, but got his season back on track at Assen after tyre problems in the opening two rounds.
Parkes is fourth in the standings behind Kawasaki pair Kenan Sofuoglu and Fabien Foret and Honda rider Sam Lowes.
Meanwhile, Melbourne’s Jed Metcher (Yamaha) will be looking to bounce back after crashing on lap one at Assen.

Round 4 of the 2012 World Superbike Championship in will be aired live on SPEED TV from Monza, Italy from 7:30pm on Sunday 6 May.

A 30 minute highlight package will be shown on SBS rom 2:00pm on Sunday 13 May.

- Words by Ingrid Roepers

The victory is the Australian star's first appearance on the top step of the rostrum this season, having taken third at the season opener in Qatar after being affected by a case of arm pump.

"We didn't get a great start so I tried to stay out of trouble, there were people out braking each other, touching and it was important just to keep out of the way," Stoner reflected after the race.

"Then I managed to gain a lot of positions in a short space of time and reached the front. I didn't try to pull a gap, as I knew Jorge and Dani were very fast, but I just wanted to stay in front with them and pull away from the others. Then I saw that Jorge [Lorenzo] and I had a slighly better pace and we could make a gap.

"We managed the race for the conditions of the circuit and as they improved I pushed a little more, the bike on a whole felt much better than in qualifying.

"I did get some arm pump again but thankfully not to the extent I had in Qatar.

"Considering the weekend in general and how fast Dani [Pedrosa] and Jorge [Lorenzo] are at this track, to win here is something very special for me."

The Australian now sits second on the World Championship ladder behind Lorenzo with 41 points.

The third instalment of the 2012 MotoGP will take place at Estoril Circuit in Prague on 6 May.

The QBE Australian Superbike Championship returns to the track in a fortnight alongside the V8 Supercars at Perth's Barbagallo Raceway.

AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE C’SHIP at Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin. Rd 2.
Race 1: Superbike: J Waters (Suzuki) 1, R Bugden (Suzuki) 2, W Maxwell (Honda) 3, G Allerton (BMW) 4, B Attard (Suzuki) 5, J Stauffer (Honda) 6, S Charlton (Suzuki) 7, N Waters (Honda) 8, B Henry (Suzuki) 9, C Hern (Suzuki). Race 2: Superbike: J Waters (Suzuki) 1, W Maxwell (Honda) 2, G Allerton (BMW) 3, J Stauffer (Honda) 4, R Bugden (Suzuki) 5, B Attard (Suzuki) 6, S Charlton (Suzuki) 7, N Waters (Honda) 8, L Magee (BMW) 9, B Henry (Suzuki) 10. Championship Points: J Waters (Suzuki) 97 pts 1, G Allerton (BMW) 71 pts 2, R Bugden (Suzuki) 69 pts 3, J Stauffer (Honda) 67 pts 4, W Maxwell (Honda) 63 pts 5, B Attard (Suzuki) 62 pts 6, B Henry (Suzuki) 55 pts 7, S Charlton (Suzuki) 43 pts 8, C Trounson (BMW) 26 pts 9, C McMillan (Honda) 24 pts 10.

Race 1: Supersport: M Carr (Triumph) 1, G Scott (Yamaha) 2, J Hook (Honda) 3, B Waters (Suzuki) 4, C Quinn (Yamaha) 5, L Day (Suzuki) 6, C Casella (Honda) 7, A Quinn (Yamaha) 8, A Senior (Honda) 9, M Levy (Suzuki) 10. Race 2: Supersport: M Carr (Triumph) 1, J Hook (Honda) 2, G Scott (Yamaha) 3, B Waters (Suzuki) 4, C Quinn (Yamaha) 5, L Day (Suzuki) 6, A Senior (Honda) 7, C Casella (Honda) 8, M Levy (Suzuki) 9, A Quinn (Yamaha) 10. Championship Points: M Carr (Triumph) 83.5 pts 1, J Hook (Honda) 72 pts 2, G Scott (Yamaha) 63 pts 3, B Waters (Suzuki) 60.5 pts 4, C Quinn (Yamaha) 56.5 pts 5, L Day (Suzuki) 52 pts 6, A Senior (Honda) 44.5pts 7, C Casella (Honda) 42 pts 8, A Quinn (Yamaha) 37.5 pts 9, R Taylor (Yamaha) 30.5 pts 10.

- Fluid PR

Now celebrating its third year running in the Top End, Chief Minster Paul Henderson wanted to ensure that there was something for all ages so this weekend will mark the inception of some explosive off-track entertainment.  

The world-renowned Crusty Demons, who are one of the largest selling tours and market leaders in freestyle theatrics, will this weekend provide some extreme off-track entertainment.

Yarrive Konsky of International Entertainment Group, promoters of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship said it was great to see the event evolve in Darwin and feels this is a positive step forward.

“Adding the Crusty Demons to the event is perfect, there is a definite fit and they will appeal to a wide audience. This event is fast becoming a festival of motorcycle sport at the highest level.

Konsky has been managing and promoting events for over a decade and said it is very pleasing to see a state take such pride in their ownership of a round of the Australian Superbikes.

"The media coverage for this event is exceptional and the commitment from the Northern Territory and its people is only getting bigger. To see a full back page article, followed by two primary stories inside before we have even hit the track is unprecedented.

Motorcycles sales in Darwin have experienced growth in the past quarter and motorcycles sales nationally are up on last year.

Tony Hinton General Manager of Honda Motorcycles said the Northern Territory continued to be an important market for the industry.

“We have had a record start to the year as bike sales continue to grow on last year’s sales," Hinton explained.

"This is very positive for the sporting side of the industry. The Northern Territory is an important market for us, we are committed to growing road racing there as well as supporting other premier events, such as the Finke Desert Race”.

Superbike racing in Australia has been the launch pad for many of the countries past and present world champions.  Troy Bayliss, Casey Stoner, Chris Vermeulen, Matt Mladin, Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner all started their racing in Australia before venturing overseas to become World and International Champions.

The second round of the 2012 ASBK will take place this weekend 20-22 April at the Hidden Valley Raceway in the Northern Territory.

For all the latest ASBK information and news, visit www.asbk.com.au

- Fluid PR

Interested officials can download an Expression of Interest Form from www.ma.org.au/forms and are encouraged to submit as soon as possible.

Completed forms should be returned to:
Email: ma.noc.info@gmail.com
Fax: (03) 9684 0555
Postal: National Officials Committee, PO Box 134 South Melbourne VIC 3205
For more information about officials visit: www.ma.org.au/officials.