TELEVISION’S LONGEST RUNNING MOTORCYCLE LIFESTYLE PROGRAM SPEED’s American Thunder has been on the air since the network debuted in January of 1996. This popular show returns in 2006 with 31 new episodes, February 7 at 10 p.m. ET for two weeks before moving to its regular 9 p.m. ET time slot. “In an industry not exactly renowned for longevity, American Thunder has continually proven itself to be as stalwart a series as this network has ever seen,” said Robert Ecker, SPEED V.P. of Programming. “In fact, the ratings on our third annual All-American Thanksgiving Marathon improved nearly 25 percent versus the previous year a remarkable achievement for a franchise as long-running as this one.” American Thunder is one of only two non-racing shows, MotorWeek being the other, that have been on SPEED from the start. SPEED viewers count on American Thunder to take them to the hottest events throughout the country and keep them up with the latest in custom cycles and news. “American Thunder was the first show on television to introduce viewers to America’s greatest custom bike builders like Arlen Ness and Jessie James years before other networks jumped on the chopper bandwagon,” said Jay Barbieri, WATV’s supervising producer of American Thunder. SPEED is the nation’s first and foremost cable network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in nearly 70 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on-demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services.