After the earlier press conference with Sylvain Guintoli, Miller Motorsports Park also organized a press conference with BMW Motorrad's Marco Melandri. Melandri faced questions on the difference between the V4s and BMW's inline 4, his adaptation to the BMW and that controversial incident in the final corner of race two at Donington Park. Below is the press release interview issued by Miller Motorsports Park with Melandri:

Miller Motorsports Park Presents: Five Questions with Marco Melandri

A switch to BMW for 2012 results in the German marque’s first World Superbike victory

TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (May 24, 2012) — Miller Motorsports Park will again host the USA Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship on The BigM Weekend, May 26-28. As was the case last year, we will visit with race winners and other notable riders participating in the championship after each race during the 2012 season leading up to The BigM Weekend and bring you a new chapter in the “Five Questions with” series.

The subject of our fourth installment of the season is 29-year-old Italian Marco Melandri, who rides the No. 33 BMW S1000 RR for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Melandri, who came to World Superbike last year with Yamaha, having spent the past seven seasons in MotoGP. Prior to moving up to MotoGP, he won the 250cc World Championship for Aprilia in 2002. He won four races and one pole with Yamaha, but made the move to BMW this year to take the seat vacated by the retiring Troy Corser. He made history at England’s Donington Park circuit on May 13, taking the German marque’s first series victory, and heads into this weekend’s BigM Weekend at Miller Motorsports Park with significant momentum.

Press releases from the World Superbike teams ahead of this weekend's US round of WSBK at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah:

The weather finally smiled on Ducati's testing efforts on Thursday, providing a full day of testing under excellent conditions. After parts of the first two days were lost to rain and a wet track, the sun shone all day Thursday, with the track being too hot, if anything. Though the post-test press release is as free of detailed information as ever, the positive vibe that came through in both the press release and in the responses from various sources at the test is evident. Lap times were not made public, but according to GPOne.com, Valentino Rossi ran a 1'48.62 and Nicky Hayden posted a 1'48.84, on what Troy Bayliss - also there, testing the Panigale Superbike - described as a slow track due to the temperature. That is close to the fastest lap set by Jorge Lorenzo at last year's race on the 800cc Yamaha, but a long way off the 1'47.326 set by Casey Stoner on the 1000cc Honda at the test after last year's race at Mugello.

Ducati is currently testing several new parts for their MotoGP machine, including a modified engine to soften power delivery. After the first day of riding by Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, they issued the following press release:

Ducati Team at Mugello for first day of two-day test

That Suzuki is working on a MotoGP prototype for a return to the premier class at some point in the future - 2014 is the date Suzuki staff have referred to officially in all their communication - is well-known. There have been several reports of the bike being tested, but no real photos or information on the bike. Until yesterday.

Having worked directly with Max Biaggi, Casey Stoner, Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi, to name only a few, Federica De Zottis’ experience in Grand Prix motorcycle racing is truly unique. For the past five years she has worked closely with the Ducati Team riders, her current main responsibility on race weekends being to assist with the press duties of Valentino Rossi. When I approached her about the possibility of an interview, she was kind enough to invite me to the Ducati hospitality at Estoril to share her story.

Scott Jones: Federica, you're currently MotoGP Press Manager for Ducati Corse. Could you please describe your job for us?

Federica de Zottis: My job is split into two parts, the part that I do in the office in Bologna, and the part that I do here [in the MotoGP paddock]. Of course they are linked together, but during the winter I spend most of the time at the office.

Bridgestone's usual post-race debrief press release, in which Masao Azuma discusses how their tires performed in the torrential conditions at Le Mans:

French MotoGP™ debrief with Masao Azuma

Round 4: French MotoGP™ - Post-race debrief
Le Mans, Wednesday 23 May 2012

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Soft, Medium (Asymmetric)

Bridgestone wet compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)

Rain lashed the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans prior to last Sunday’s French MotoGP™ and an exciting wet race ensued with Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo streaking away to take his second win of the season ahead of Ducati’s Valentino Rossi and Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner.

Weather conditions at Le Mans started dry but cool on Friday but gradually degraded over Saturday and Sunday, with cold and wet conditions greeting riders as they lined up on the grid for the race. Track temperatures struggled to get over 20°C throughout the whole race weekend meaning that the softer compound tyres were preferred by riders due to their greater warm-up performance and initial grip.

Q&A with Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

UPDATE May 25th, 7:30pm GMT: The competition has now closed! Please do not send any more entries. We will be announcing the name of the winner soon, and be in touch shortly after that. We will be running more competitions over the course of the year, so keep your eyes peeled.

Champ

Tom Sykes has been the revelation of 2012

Chaz Davies' progress has been slow on the Aprilia. But it's been progress

Miller Motorsports Park organized a phone-in press conference with Effenbert Liberty rider Sylvain Guintoli ahead of the US round of World Superbikes, scheduled to take place this weekend. Questions Guintoli fielded questions about injuries, the benefits of staying with the same team for more than one season, and the most important lessons he learned racing a private 250. 

Below is the press release interview from Miller Motorsports Park:

Miller Motorsports Park Presents: Five Questions with Sylvain Guintoli

A Frenchman on an Italian bike for a Czech team breaks through in the Netherlands

TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (May 18, 2012) — Miller Motorsports Park will again host the USA Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship on The BigM Weekend, May 26-28. As was the case last year, we will visit with race winners and other notable riders participating in the championship after each race during the 2012 season leading up to The BigM Weekend and bring you a new chapter in the “Five Questions with” series.

The subject of our second installment of the season is 29-year-old Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli, who rides the No. 50 Ducati 1098R for the Czech Republic-based Team Effenbert Liberty Racing. Sylvain started out in the 250 GP class in 2000, racing there through 2006 with a one-off MotoGP ride in 2002. He moved up to MotoGP full-time in 2007 through 2008. Unable to find a MotoGP ride in 2009, he switched to the British Superbike Championship, but jumped to World Superbike later that year with Suzuki when Max Neukirchner left to join Honda. His first full season in WSBK was 2010, and he finished seventh in the championship on the Suzuki. He moved to Team Effenbert Liberty Racing’s Ducatis in 2011, and finished sixth in the title chase despite having to come back from a serious accident in the first round of the season. This year he scored his first series win at Assen, where his wet-weather skills helped immensely.

Funny how things turn out. On a weekend that looked like being overshadowed by one subject - Casey Stoner's shock retirement announcement and its repercussions - along came the rain and provided spectacle to cheer the hearts of racing fans of every persuasion. Rain offers new opportunities, and such opportunities light a fire in the breasts of racers being kept from running at the front under ordinary circumstances. At the same time, should that fire burn too fiercely, those same racers can fall prey to their own overarching ambition, and fall within sight of glory.

Sunday at Le Mans saw plentiful examples of both. In three outstanding, if rain-sodden races, the fine balance between head and heart that racing requires was demonstrated several times over. Riders took the chances on offer: those who wanted it too much suffered the consequences and crashed out ignominiously; those who did not want it enough floundered around miserably at the rear; those that got it just right were richly rewarded.

Press releases from the MotoGP teams after Sunday's French Grand Prix at Le Mans:

Press releases from the Moto2 and Moto3 teams after the race on Sunday at Le Mans: