The eighth round of the 11-round Pro Honda Oils AMA Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets and the seventh round of the 10-round AMA Superstock Championship presented by Dynojet were cancelled Sunday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course due to darkness. The day went off schedule from the start due to rain. Then drying the track took longer than initially thought, pushing the shortened race schedule even later. An abbreviated, 18-lap Superbike race ran to completion after a 15-minute warm-up/practice and 10-minute tire-change break. After the Superbike race, the AMA Supersport field went out for its scheduled 15-minute warm-up/practice session at 7:50 p.m., but during the scheduled 10-minute tire-change break AMA Racing officials made the decision to cancel the race. The decision to cancel the Superstock race, last on the new rain schedule, was made some time earlier. “It was darkness,” confirmed AMA Racing Superbike Series Manager Morgan Broadhead. “Truth is I probably should have given up on that race well before I did, because as soon as we took the extra 20-25 minutes to get the track dry I should have given up on it at that point. I knew it was getting dark, but I really wanted the Supersport race to happen. I knew it was an important race. It’s the privateers’ race. It’s got the most guys in it. I really wanted to get it off. I just pushed the situation right to the end, but it was getting too dark. A lot of guys were coming in and were stopping and saying it was too dark. Other guys were saying it was fine. I was looking at the clock about how much time we had before we went green. I realized, at that point, sometimes you have to realize when you’re trying too hard to make something happen, especially when I got word on how dark it was on the back side of the racetrack. At that point, I realized I was no longer comfortable trying to put them out there. And as soon as I felt that, as soon as I felt that way, I had to pull the plug, because I can’t second-guess myself when I have that feeling. And that’s how I felt.” Broadhead also said he was later informed by SPEED Channel’s camera operators that it was too dark for their cameras to record the race properly and thus it would have probably never been aired. The decision to cancel the race was met with mixed reaction. “I think it was a good call,” said Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden, the current Supersport Championship leader. “I definitely think the visibility wasn’t good. On the other hand I had a good bike this weekend. We’ve been fast all week. But I’m not the AMA. I don’t make the decisions. It just kind of sucks when you have a good bike and they call the race like that. We could have probably got the race in, maybe, but do you want to race the race [at the risk of] people’s safety? They asked my opinion. I gave my opinion. I know they asked a bunch of other people, too. I don’t know what everybody else think, but I think they made the right call.” “I think, for sure, it’s dark,” said Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes, who is currently third in the Supersport Championship. “The race probably would’ve sucked. I was prepared to race. I was expecting them to stop, but I was prepared to race. “I’m disappointed. As far as our Championship, that ruins us pretty good. Just another hit we had to take. I don’t know who was in the decision-making process. I don’t know if it was a good call, but it’s been made.” “Pretty angry, really. Pretty annoyed,” said Chaz Davies, who would’ve started the Supersport race from pole position on his Celtic Racing Yamaha. “I absolutely had a 100% chance of winning today, so obviously I’m really annoyed. I know why it was stopped, why it didn’t go ahead. I’m just really annoyed. “Keith Kizer [AMA Racing Road Race Director] asked my opinion, but I don’t think it got relayed back to Morgan [Broadhead]. The decision had already been made. I didn’t get asked. Josh Hayes didn’t get asked. Obviously, the two Kawasaki boys got asked. As soon as they were off their bikes they were up to Morgan. “The track was fine. It was pretty good for what it’s been all day. I’m obviously going to be annoyed because I had pole and a good chance to win. Josh [Hayes] is obviously going to be really annoyed because he needs to get back in the Championship. I think was a bad decision. It’s just a bit of a farce.” “I think it was definitely the smartest decision,” said Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May. “Of course, I feel like we had a shot at a race win today, definitely with the cooler temperatures and the shorter race. The whole M4 EMGO Suzuki crew was ready to rock ‘n’ roll with whatever they were going to do. But in the end, I think it was the safe decision because it got pretty dark on us pretty quick. I could see fine in practice but five laps into the race, who knows? It might have ended up being a bad situation. There’s water creeping out in Turn One, and it kept getting farther and farther out every lap and it didn’t look like there was anything they could do to stop it. You just can’t race motorcycle races at 8:30 at night.” The Supersport and Superstock races will not be made up. Only points for the riders who earned the pole positions in Supersport and Superstock were awarded, and no purse was paid. Competitors’ entry fees will be credited toward their next race.

2007 AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio August 5, 2007 Provisional Race Results (time of finish 7:40 p.m. local time): 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 18 laps 2. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -1.868 seconds 3. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, -18.456 seconds 4. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -21.079 seconds 5. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -22.233 seconds 6. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -23.695 seconds 7. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, -29.528 seconds 8. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, -33.228 seconds 9. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -40.350 seconds 10. Matt Lynn (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, -40.400 seconds 11. James Ellison (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, -44.131 seconds 12. Luca Scassa (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, -50.580 seconds 13. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -72.762 seconds* 14. Ben Thompson (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, -78.507 seconds 15. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, -78.351 seconds* 16. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop* 17. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000) 18. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop* 19. James Kerker (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop 20. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop 21. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop 22. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, DNS 23. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, DNS* * known to be on a Superstock-spec machine Championship Points Standings (after 14 of 19 races): 1. Spies, 486 points 2. Mladin, 469 points 3. Duhamel, 360 points 4. Zemke, 342 points 5. Tommy Hayden, 336 points 6. Yates, 326 points 7. DiSalvo, 309 points 8. Hacking, 289 points 9. Bostrom, 274 points 10. Ellison, 256 points 11. Roger Hayden, 246 points 12. Jensen, 200 points 13. Weber, 199 points 14. Jones, 191 points 15. Scassa, 177 points 16. Jake Holden, 159 points 17. TIE, Mizdal/Lynn, 156 points 19. Haner, 149 points 20. Doug Chandler, 93 points

2007 AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Part Unlimited Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio August 5, 2007 Provisional Practice Results: 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:25.734 2. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.457 3. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.929 4. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:27.098 5. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:27.676 6. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:27.696 7. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:27.799 8. Matt Lynn (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, 1:27.940 9. Luca Scassa (MV Scassa F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, 1:28.073 10. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:28.236 11. James Ellison (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:28.428 12. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:28.460 13. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:28.956, crash 14. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:29.866 15. Ben Thompson (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:31.590 16. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:32.294 17. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:32.703 18. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:35.068 19. James Kerker (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:36.793 20. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:37.065 21. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:43.859 22. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:44.140

The final preparations are being made to go racing at the Honda Supercycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It stopped raining at the track at 2:00 p.m. local time, and track workers have been drying the racing surface non-stop since 2:40 p.m. At 5:15 p.m. AMA Racing officials, according to a rain plan distributed beforehand, notified the paddock that AMA Superbike would go out for a 15-minute warm-up session at 6:15 p.m. A 10-minute break to change tires will follow the warm-up, and an 18-lap AMA Superbike race will then start. The AMA Supersport class will then go out for a short warm-up session, tire-change break and 12-lap race, followed by the AMA Superstock warm-up, tire-change break and race, daylight allowing. Sunset is forecast for 8:41 p.m. today in central Ohio. Based on experience from a recent test, the top AMA riders are concerned that the track will be extremely slippery due to the lack of rubber on it. Lap times at a post-rain test in June were several seconds slower than in the dry. SPEED Channel is planning to tape Sunday’s AMA races at Mid-Ohio, but it has not been determined when the races will be aired on the network. Update: After an additional drying session with a jet-powered dryer, AMA Superbikes took to the at 6:45 p.m. local time for a 15-minute warm-up/practice session.

It is 2:00 p.m. at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and it has stopped raining. Officials are currently circulating the track to evaluate its status. Weather radar seems to indicate that the rain may have ended for the day and that racing may soon be possible, if the track can be dried in time. However, there is a new cell of rain developing to the northwest of the track that could change everything. At 2:00, AMA Racing updated its Sunday rain plan to state that if Sunday’s races are canceled races will run on Monday. The original rain plan stated: “At this time the availability of Monday for on track activities is in question.” Stay tuned.

2007 FIM Superbike World Championship Brands Hatch, England August 5, 2007 Race Two Results: 1. James TOSELAND (Honda CBR1000RR), 25 laps, 36:34.177 2. Noriyuki HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1), -1.686 seconds 3. Troy CORSER (Yamaha YZF-R1), -1.760 seconds 4. Michel FABRIZIO (Honda CBR1000RR), -8.456 seconds 5. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7), -8.988 seconds 6. Ruben XAUS (Ducati 999F06), -9.470 seconds 7. Troy BAYLISS (Ducati 999F07), -18.313 seconds 8. Max BIAGGI (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7), -19.116 seconds, jump start/ride-through penalty 9. Regis LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -20.501 seconds 10. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000K6), -20.586 seconds 11. Roberto ROLFO (Honda CBR1000RR), -21.808 seconds 12. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 999F07), -24.883 seconds 13. Fonsi NIETO (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -31.988 seconds 14. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR), -33.253 seconds 15. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yamaha YZF-R1), -36.868 seconds 16. Steve MARTIN (Yamaha YZF-R1), -37.972 seconds 17. Dean ELLISON (Ducati 999RS), -67.216 seconds 18. Luca MORELLI (Honda CBR1000RR), -68.297 seconds 19. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 999F05), -20 laps, DNF, crash 20. Stefano CRUCIANI (Suzuki GSX-R1000K6), -25 laps, DNF, mechanical 2007 FIM Superbike World Championship Standings (after 20 of 26 races): 1. Toseland, 355 points 2. Haga, 289 points 3. Biaggi, 286 points 4. Bayliss, 258 points 5. Corser, 227 points 6. Xaus, 163 points 7. Lanzi, 161 points 8. Rolfo, 146 points 9. Neukirchner, 123 points 10. Kagayama, 116 points 11. Fabrizio, 109 points 12. Laconi, 98 points 13. Nieto, 65 points 14. Smrz, 58 points 15. Nakatomi, 41 points 16. Brookes, 40 points 17. Muggeridge, 35 points 18. Martin, 19 points 19. Giovanni Bussei, 11 points 20. TIE, Vittorio Iannuzzo/Luca Morelli, 9 points More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi raced to third place in his first ever race at Brands Hatch in front of a huge sun-baked crowd of over 100,000 at today’s World Superbike Championship round. The Roman was confident of following that up in the second race but was judged to have moved before the start and was given a drive-though penalty. He had been well-placed in fourth position at the time but dropped to 16th because of the penalty. After he rejoined the race, he managed to claw his way up to eighth place before the 25-lap race was over. Team mate Yukio Kagayama suffered a heavy crash with only four laps left of the opening race and was stretchered off. He was taken to the Clinica Mobile where he was found to have severe bruising of both knees, but no other injuries. Despite pain and ligament damage, he rode determinedly and finished a superb fifth in second race. Series leader James Toseland won both races much to the delight of the huge partisan crowd. It was Toseland’s first ever World Superbike win at Brands Hatch and his first ever double and he was so happy that he took off his leathers and threw them into the crowd at the end of the second race! Troy Corser (Yamaha) finished second in race one, helped a little by both Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) crashing out. Biaggi took third spot with Ruben Xaus (Ducati) a long way back in fourth. Race two was a real dogfight between Toseland and Haga for over three-quarters of the 25-lapper. But when Toseland pulled out a small advantage, Haga could not respond. At the flag, Toseland’s margin of victory over Haga was over one-and-a-half seconds, with Corser close by in third. Max Biaggi – Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 8th: “Considering this was the first time I’ve raced here, I’m very happy to get a podium in the first race. This track is very different to any track I’ve ever seen and it is probably the most difficult track I’ve ever raced at. It’s a real fun track to ride when you know where you are going and what makes it even more special is that the fans are so close and you can hear them! “I want to apologise to my team for what happened in race two. I must have moved a little on the line and because of that I was given a ride-through penalty. So I went from fourth to 16th and then had to fight hard to get back into the points. But I rode as hard as I could and managed to get up to eighth. If the race had been one lap longer, I’m sure that I would’ve passed Bayliss and taken seventh. I’m sorry for the team because I think I could have given them another podium. So I’m disappointed for this but happy overall because I think I showed everybody my ability.” Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 5th: “I am very disappointed today because I think I could’ve taken two podiums. In race one, I was shadowing Max and waiting to make my move but crashed just four laps from the end. I had worked out how and where I was going to pass him, but I had a little brake problem going into Clearways and down I went. It is a fast place to crash! I hurt both my knees in the crash and damaged a ligament in my right knee and that made it hard for me to get comfortable on the bike. It was hard just to get my right foot down on the ground at the start of the second race and then move it around on the footpegs. I also had some problems with nearly highsiding a few times, so in the end I decided that I didn’t want to crash again and rode steadily for a finish. I will have a little holiday now and be back to full fitness for the next race, where I shall be chasing podiums again.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2007 Round 10, Brands Hatch British Round Temperature: Air: 28°C Ground: 44°C Conditions: Dry, sunny, humid. Spectator Attendance: 126,000 (claimed all weekend). Brands Hatch Race Report 3-5 August 2007 World Supersport Round 10 of 13 SOFUOGLU THE CHAMPION WITH THREE RACES TO SPARE Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) finished second in the Brands Hatch Supersport race and in doing so he scored his first and Honda’s sixth Riders’ Championship. All six have come from the Ten Kate Honda team, the first with Fabien Foret in 2002, then Chris Vermeulen (2003), Karl Muggeridge (2004) and Sebastien Charpentier (2005 and 2006). The Prime Minister of Turkey called Sofuoglu to congratulate him personally at his success, shortly after the culmination of the race. Second in qualifying, Sofuoglu chose to leave eventual winner Broc Parkes to finally capitalize on his lead after the messy early laps were completed, and concentrate his own efforts on scoring enough points to take him unassailably clear of Fabien Foret in the championship fight. Sofuoglu now has an advantage of 80 points, with only a maximum of 75 left to be gained by any single rider. He is on a total of 206, with Foret on 126. In the Manufacturers’ Championship Honda leads by 56 points with races still to be completed at Eurospeedway Lausitz, Vallelunga and Magny-Cours. Despite having to start at the every back of the grid after a late machine change, Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) worked his way back to 15th, but was excluded for not entering Parc Ferme on his return to pitlane at the end of the 23 lap race. Charpentier had scored his 21st pole position success in qualifying, and was originally set to start from the first place on the grid. He is now 13th overall, with 37 points. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) was third in qualifying and was looking for a podium in a warring four-rider group until his machine stopped on lap 17. He is, however, still third overall in the championship standings, with a total of 87 points. Lorenzo Alfonsi (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) came good in a race for which he qualified inside the top ten, and he made the most of his top ten finish by securing his season high of seventh place, moving to tenth position overall, on 45 points. Sofuoglu was overcome with the magnitude of the day he sealed the title, especially as his ambition was achieved so early in his amazing championship year. “I cannot explain what I am feeling,” said the Turkish rider. “To win the championship in August is such an amazing feeling and I don’t think anyone has ever done this before. I have to thank the team because without them this would not have been possible. The race was actually pretty difficult, particularly in the last laps, and there was so much going on in my head that it was hard to concentrate. I just tried to focus and once I got to the final lap I knew I had done it. This is incredible, I am so happy!” Fujiwara was disappointed not to finish strongly after a good qualifying and race performance but was glad to keep hold of overall third in the championship. “I don’t know what the problem was but the bike just stopped,” said ‘Kats’. “I was holding back at the end of the group but even in practice and warm up I was not sure if the new engine we fitted was quite as fast as the one we had used before. No points today but we still hold onto third, which I can’t believe. But I’m very happy about it.” Charpentier, the outgoing champion, was full of praise for his team-mate and but disappointed that his pole in practice only ended in such a negative fashion. “I am very happy for Kenan,” started the 2005 and 2006 champion. “He has worked hard all season and has had some good luck as well. I would obviously have liked a better performance for myself but it was not to be. We have had some positive practice and testing at Brands Hatch, but it would have been nice to complete that with a podium finish in the race.” Alfonsi had said pre-race that if he had a good start he would be able to make a good finish, and raceday proved he was right. “I started in the top ten and that was why I had a top ten finish,” said Alfonsi. “I was happy with my tyre choice but near the end the front started to slide and I almost lost it at Clearways twice. So I had to be careful not push too hard to pass Foret. But I am happy with that finish.” World Superbike Round 10 of 13 TOSELAND EXTENDS ADVANTAGE WITH SUPERB DOUBLE WIN James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) increased his championship lead to 66 points after scoring his first ever double win in World Superbike, giving himself a more than useful cushion over his main rivals as the SBK season enters its traditional summer break. Toseland lead for the majority of each 25-lap race, and scored his wins over Troy Corser in race one, and Noriyuki Haga in race two. With his rivals all finding at least one sticky patch at Brands, Toseland now has 355 points, Haga 289, Max Biaggi 286 and Troy Bayliss 258. An aggressive Toseland pushed hard on early race one leader and pole position winner Troy Bayliss, passing him on lap three and running from then on to his first ever Brands Hatch win, and he was never really threatened by second place man Troy Corser. Toseland had started the day by singing and playing the British National anthem to the crowd on the piano, and gave the substantial home attendance much to cheer about after his assured first win. He doubled the dose a few hours later, after winning a personal duel with Haga, with his best ever weekend of SBK work behind him. Honda now enjoys a 26-point advantage in the Manufacturers’ Championship, with three rounds remaining. Michel Fabrizio Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) was the next best Honda rider on show with a fifth and then an even more impressive fourth, pushing his points total to 109 and placing 11th overall. He had the better of Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) on the very last lap of race one to score fifth. Rolfo found problems in race two, and finished only 11th. He is now eighth overall, on 146 points. Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) could not shake off his recent misfortunes by posting a DNF when his machine ran out of fuel and then recording a lowly 14th in race two, experiencing front tyre issues and handing problems over the bumps. He is now 17th overall, with 35 points. Luca Morelli (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) was 17th and 18th, and out of the points at Brands, which he has never raced at before. Toseland was understandably ecstatic at his best ever raceday in SBK, especially as it had taken him so long to score two wins in the same day, and he had come so close to making it a perfect weekend, only missing out on a Superpole win on Saturday by 0.028 seconds. He now has eight 2007 SBK season race wins and 16 in total. “I’ve waited a long time for this moment and I can’t quite believe I have finally done it,” said Toseland. “It’s taken me seven years, but to get the Superbike double win at Brands Hatch was well worth the wait. The crowd here today have been absolutely amazing and I can’t thank them enough for their support. On top of that, I dedicate the wins to my team, my family and my friends.” Rolfo was happy in race one, less so in race two, as braking problems played their part in his slide back through the field. He had been ninth in qualifying. “The feeling on the bike during the morning was good and I was looking forward to the races to try to get up to the front of the pack,” said Rolfo. “I had a good start in race one, but in race two I had a braking problem and was unable to push as hard as I wanted to. Anyway, we have made some good progress this weekend and I have enjoyed racing at Brands Hatch.” Fabrizio was in great raceday form, having qualified only tenth, but scoring two top fives, on the back of a podium finish two weeks ago at Brno. “I’m very happy for today because the results follow the good weekend after Brno,” said Fabrizio. “Compared to this weekend, Brno was easy. Brands was certainly not easy. The bike worked well all weekend and between race one and race two the bike is exactly the same. In race one I spent a lot of time getting past people, but in race two the start was good and the other riders were not such a problem.” Muggeridge had another tough weekend, and was 13th in Superpole, making his raceday job all the harder. “The handling of the bike was better today but still not what we need to have to get good results,” said Muggeridge. “We ran out of fuel in race one, which was disappointing to say the least. In race two I could probably have gone for a different front tyre but it didn’t make so much difference. The weekend has been spent compensating for the handling problems and the bumps.” Teenager Morelli was pushing hard in each race but from 20th on the grid, in races with only five non-finishers between them, points were beyond him today. “This weekend was very difficult because I didn’t know the track at all before I came here,” said Morelli. “I like the track and improved my experience and my feeling with the bike and both races. I am finishing closer to the top riders now.” The WSS and SBK championships now embark on a long summer break, and reconvene on 9 September at Eurospeedway Lausitz. More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha YZF: Nakatomi now in 15th position Shinichi Nakatomi finished two times in the points at Brands Hatch despite painful back and feet. He gained one position in the championship standings and he is now 15th. Steve Martin did a very good first race, finishing 11th. Because of a heavy crash on Friday morning, Nakatomi was not in the best possible physical shape. With courage, he tried his best and was 15th after the first lap of race 1. He then gained some positions and ended up 13th on the finish line. Steve Martin was 14th after lap 1, and he then progressed regularly to finish with a very good 11th position. Nakatomi was 15th in the beginning of race 2. He kept this 15th position at the end of the race. Steve Martin did not have a good start and was 17th at the end of the first lap. Things did not go so well for the friendly Australian and he finished 16th. James Toseland was the winner of both races in front of the happy British crowd. This was for him a great opportunity to score many precious points for the championship standings that he leads now with a 66 points margin. Shinichi Nakatomi: “It was a difficult weekend because of my Friday morning crash. I did my best and I am happy to have been two times in the points.” Steve Martin: “I am happy. The team has done a fantastic job. I did my best. Race one, when I finished in 11th position, was quite good. Overall, it is a good weekend. Thank you very much to Martial and the team.” Team-manager Martial Garcia: “Race 1 went well with the 11th and 13th positions. It is a well-deserved result. In race 2, a small mistake costs us from 7 to 8 seconds. Nakatomi did a good job, considering that his back and feet were hurting. The bikes are working well, and we were competitive compared to Fonsi Nieto. We gained one position in the World Championship standings as Nakatomi is now 15th.” More, from a press release issued by FG Sport Group: TOSELAND SETS PERSONAL BESTS AND EDGES AHEAD AGAIN – LOCAL RIDER DOUBLE SENDS 126,000 STRONG CROWD WILD After the wettest summer ever in the UK, the local British crowd got to worship their latest local sun god in perfect conditions at Brands Hatch, as James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) basked in the glow of his first ever World Superbike double win, scored his first ever wins at Brands Hatch, and took a huge 66 point lead into the final three rounds, which appear after the traditional summer break. Toseland’s wins were his seventh and eighth of the year, and he has now won three of the last four races. RACE ONE Toseland led from lap three onwards, but for the pole man Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) disaster awaited on lap five when he fell at Druids, after being passed by Toseland and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia). The Japanese was to run on himself at Surtees and finish seventh, not his expected second or first, leaving the consistently fast Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) 1.5 seconds down on Toseland at the flag, with astonishingly effective Brands debutant Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) third. Max’s team-mate Yukio Kagayama, who was also on for a podium at one stage, fell at high speed at Clearways, and was lucky to escape serious injury. RACE TWO Toseland had to wait for more time to get to the front in race two, pursued by Haga and Corser, but when he did get into clear air he made the best of it and took a triumphant win, by 1.6 seconds. Haga scored second for his only podium of the day, Corser secured his second Brands podium after finishing a close third. In fourth place, eight seconds down on Toseland, Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda) was impressive again, holding off Kagayama. Biaggi made a jump start and was penalised with a ride-through penalty which saw him restart well down but recover to take eighth in race two. XAUS THE TOP DUCATI RIDER ON A DESPERATE DAY FOR BAYLISS AND LANZI Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) was the top scoring twin-cylinder rider in each race at Brands, running out fourth and sixth, while the highest place for Bayliss was a disappointing seventh in race two. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) was only 9th and 12th. For Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) a sixth an 11th place were poor rewards for a strong push, with Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) tenth on two occasions. KAWASAKI MEN SCORE POINTS Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) and Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) each scored points at Brands, with Laconi the more effective, with an eighth and ninth place finish. Nieto, who had to recover from a crash in qualifying, was only 12th and 13th, at a circuit he is not particularly keen on. PRIVATEERS HAVE A BUSY DAY AT BRANDS For the majority of the pure private riders, Brands held few rewards, but notable rides came from Steve Martin (Yamaha YZF) in race one, as he scored 11th in his comeback event, but he used a different spec machine in race two and took a 16th place. Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda) ran out of fuel in race one and struggled with a poor front tyre option in race two, finishing 14th. Jakub Smrz (Ducati Caracchi) was 14th in race one, as wild card Brit Marty Nutt (Nuttravel.com) took a point for 15th in race one. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Double tops for Toseland at Brands Hatch James Toseland secured his first double race win of the season in front of a huge home crowd at Brands Hatch today. An estimated 126,000 people visited the Kent circuit over the weekend to support the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider at the final UK round of the Superbike World Championship. The double victory has enabled Toseland to extend his series lead to 66 points over new closest rival Noriyuki Haga with only three rounds remaining. However, there is still a lot of work to be done and the British rider faced strong challenges throughout both of today’s 25-lap races. Race one saw the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider battling with Troy Bayliss and Troy Corser for the top spot. Toseland gained the advantage before Bayliss crashed out of contention, leaving Corser and Max Biaggi to fill the other spots on the podium. In race two it was Haga who posed the biggest threat, swapping places with the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda contender several times in a thrilling dice for the lead. By lap 22 Toseland had pulled out a gap of more than one second and he maintained station until the chequered flag. Team-mate Roberto Rolfo endured a more difficult race day after struggling to get to grips with the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR at the 3.7km track in extremely hot and humid weather conditions. The Italian rider settled for sixth and 11th positions respectively to maintain eighth position overall. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “Sometimes the results get pretty close to perfection and I think today we hit the bullseye with Kenan winning the World Supersport Championship title and two magnificent wins from James. The goal was to extend the series lead, but as it happens the result was even better than this. To get the double in front of such a fantastic crowd makes it even more memorable for us. We have three more rounds to go and it would be nice to continue our domination throughout. We all share the same goal so I’m pretty sure that we will all give it 100 per cent” James Toseland: “I’ve waited a long time for this moment and I can’t quite believe I have finally done it. It’s taken me seven years, but to get the Superbike double win at Brands Hatch was well worth the wait. The crowd here today have been absolutely amazing and I can’t thank them enough for their support. On top of that, I dedicate the wins to my team, my family and my friends.” Roberto Rolfo: “The feeling on the bike during the morning was good and I was looking forward to the races to try to get up to the front of the pack. I had a good start in race one, but in race two I had a braking problem and was unable to push as hard as I wanted to. Anyway, we have made some good progress this weekend and I have enjoyed racing at Brands Hatch.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: BRANDS HATCH: BLACK DAY FOR TEAM SC CARACCHI The British circuit curse did hit the Scuderia SC Caracchi at Brands Hatch too. In Supersport Gianluca Nannelli has been forced to retire by electrical troubles, as well in Superbike “Kuba” Smrz ended into the points race-1 despite a lack of power of his engine and crashed in the early laps of race-2. “I arrived at Brands Hatch with other goals.” commented at the end of the day Jakub Smrz. “At the first beginning the unknown track gave me some difficult, but the learning the racing lines I falled in love for it. During race-1 the engine had a lack of power after a few laps and I’ve not been able to be competitive, as well I scored some point for the Championship. In race-2 I had o good start and I was going to attack, but suddenly I lost the front wheel and I crashed. Bad end for a race in a disappointing day.” Nannelli too is very disappointed for to be a not finisher on this track that he loves: “The engine switched off several times for an intermittent electrical troubleon which we are investigating. It has been a true affliction because the problem started from the first lap and when I could earn a position quickly I lose it once more because the engine switched off. I was fighting with Charpentier at the points area limit when the engine had a fault once more and I finished out in the gravel of Dingle Dell corner. It is a miracle that I did not crash, so I preferred to join the pit, in my present condition to crash it would be actually too dangerous. Now we have a month free; that’s good for everybody, first for my knee that has been hardly stressed during the last two races.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TWO PODIUMS FOR TROY! Troy took a superb runner-up spot in the opening race of the tenth round of the Superbike World Championship at Brands Hatch today and then followed it up with a hard-fought for third in race two. It was his best race of the year since Donington back in April and, hopefully, a sign that his recent run of bad luck has come to an end. Series leader James Toseland won both races much to the delight of the huge partisan crowd. It was Toseland’s first ever World Superbike win at Brands Hatch, his first ever double and gives him a 66-point lead over Troy’s team mate Noriyuki Haga in the series. Behind Troy’s second place in race one, was Max Biaggi (Suzuki) in third, followed by fourth-placed Ruben Xaus (Ducati), Michel Fabrizio in fifth and Roby Rolfo (Honda) sixth. Troy chased Haga and Toseland throughout the second 25-lapper, but just couldn’t catch the duo. But his third place was way ahead of Fabrizio in fourth. Fifth went to Kagayama (Suzuki), with Xaus sixth. Troy – Race 1: 2nd, Race 2: 3rd Well, I feel that is my best weekend of the year and it’s how it should be every weekend. It’s what I had expected before the season started and I’m happy that we’re back to podium ways again. Racing at Brands Hatch is always very tough and demanding and today was no exception. It felt very hot and humid and it was hard work doing two 25-lap races out there today. The bike felt quite good, apart from a bit too much movement, but the tyres were pretty consistent in both races. We made some small changes to the bike for race two, just suspension, mapping and fork settings mostly, but I didn’t get a good start. So, I just put my head down and worked my way up through the field. I was held back by some riders, but it was good when I got clear of them and could catch Nori and James. I was aware of Nori’s position in the championship and was quite happy to settle for third. During my recent run of bad luck, I have never stopped believing that I could get podiums and today I feel that I am back where I belong and I hope the rest of the season continues the same way.

2007 FIM Supersport World Championship Brands Hatch, England August 5, 2007 Race Results: 1. Broc PARKES (Yamaha YZF-R6), 23 laps, 34:34.688 2. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Honda CBR600RR), -3.658 seconds 3. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yamaha YZF-R6), -5.556 seconds 4. Robbin HARMS (Honda CBR600RR), -5.573 seconds 5. Tommy HILL (Yamaha YZF-R6), -6.506 seconds 6. Fabien FORET (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -10.113 seconds 7. Lorenzo ALFONSI (Honda CBR600RR), -10.414 seconds 8. Barry VENEMAN (Suzuki GSX-R600), -14.236 seconds 9. Pere RIBA (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -15.978 seconds 10. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Honda CBR600RR), -18.424 seconds 11. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Yamaha YZF-R6), -25.083 seconds 12. Joan LASCORZ (Honda CBR600RR), -25.154 seconds 13. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yamaha YZF-R6), -25.442 seconds 14. Gregory LEBLANC (Honda CBR600RR), -28.957 seconds 15. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Honda CBR600RR), -32.141 seconds 16. Mauro SANCHINI (Honda CBR600RR), -36.557 seconds 17. Javier FORES (Honda CBR600RR), -37.347 seconds 18. David CHECA (Yamaha YZF-R6), -38.696 seconds 19. Gilles BOCCOLINI (Kawasaki ZX-6R), -38.770 seconds 20. Graeme GOWLAND (Honda CBR600RR), -38.953 seconds 25. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Honda CBR600RR), -7 laps, DNF, mechanical 26. Vesa KALLIO (Suzuki GSX-R600), -11 laps, DNF, mechanical 27. Josh BROOKES (Honda CBR600RR), -12 laps, DNF, retired 28. Simone SANNA (Honda CBR600RR), -12 laps, DNF, retired 29. Gianluca NANNELLI (Ducati 749R), -13 laps, DNF, retired 31. Craig JONES (Honda CBR600RR), -19 laps, DNF, crash 2007 FIM Supersport World Championship Point Standings (after 10 of 13 races): 1. Sofuoglu, 206 points 2. Foret, 126 points 3. Fujiwara, 87 points 4. Harms, 83 points 5. TIE, Parkes/Roccoli, 75 points 7. Anthony West, 66 points 8. Veneman, 64 points 9. TIE, Alfonsi/Jones, 45 points More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Kenan the champion Kenan Sofuoglu secured a maiden World Supersport Championship title for himself and HANNspree at Brands Hatch today and the sixth consecutive series victory for Ten Kate Honda. The Turkish rider finished the race in second position behind Broc Parkes to claim 20 points – taking his series lead to 80 points with only three rounds of the championship and a maximum 75 points still remaining. Sofuoglu rode a safe race aboard the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR after an early battle with Craig Jones and Parkes. However, British rider Jones crashed out of contention while leading the race on lap six, leaving Parkes and Sofuoglu to claim the top two spots. The newly-crowned champion maintained station in second place, to pass the chequered flag four positions ahead of closest rival Fabien Foret in sixth. Team-mate Sebastien Charpentier suffered a total reversal of fortune after missing out on the pole position he secured during this weekend’s practice sessions. The Frenchman was forced to start the 23-lap race from the back row of the grid after switching to a spare bike following clutch problems on the sighting lap. The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider rode a consistent race to work his way through the pack into a points-scoring position. He crossed the line in 15th place before congratulating his team-mate and title predecessor. The event at the Kent circuit attracted 126,000 visitors across the weekend. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “I am almost beyond words. Today has brought the first world title for Kenan and I think there are many more to come. He is a pretty special kid. This is the sixth win for the team, but each one has its own special feel so you never really get used to it. I have to thank my whole team and sponsors for their hard work week after week. We are now going to have a big celebration on the Supersport side with three races left to go. I am over the moon, lost for words, everything you can think of!” Kenan Sofuoglu: “I cannot explain what I am feeling. To win the championship in August is such an amazing feeling and I don’t think anyone has ever done this before. I have to thank the team because without them this would not have been possible. The race was actually pretty difficult, particularly in the last laps, and there was so much going on in my head that it was hard to concentrate. I just tried to focus and once I got to the final lap I knew I had done it. This is incredible, I am so happy!” Sébastien Charpentier: “I am very happy for Kenan. He has worked hard all season and has had some good luck as well. I would obviously have liked a better performance for myself but it was not to be. We have had some positive practice and testing at Brands Hatch, but it would have been nice to complete that with a podium finish in the race.”

2007 FIM Superbike World Championship Brands Hatch, England August 5, 2007 Race One Results: 1. James TOSELAND (Honda CBR1000RR), 25 laps, 36:35.120 2. Troy CORSER (Yamaha YZF-R1), -1.554 seconds 3. Max BIAGGI (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7), -2.917 seconds 4. Ruben XAUS (Ducati 999F06), -10.202 seconds 5. Michel FABRIZIO (Honda CBR1000RR), -14.133 seconds 6. Roberto ROLFO (Honda CBR1000RR), -14.323 seconds 7. Noriyuki HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1), -19.380 seconds, ran off 8. Regis LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -22.676 seconds 9. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 999F07), -24.259 seconds 10. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000K6), -24.423 seconds 11. Steve MARTIN (Yamaha YZF-R1), -33.365 seconds 12. Fonsi NIETO (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -33.373 seconds 13. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yamaha YZF-R1), -33.548 seconds 14. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 999F05), -48.283 seconds 15. Marty NUTT (Yamaha YZF-R1), -64.655 seconds 16. Stefano CRUCIANI (Suzuki GSX-R1000K6), -68.886 seconds 17. Luca MORELLI (Honda CBR1000RR), -68.953 seconds 18. Dean ELLISON (Ducati 999RS), -69.057 seconds 19. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR), -2 laps, DNF, mechanical 20. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7), -4 laps, DNF, crash 21. Troy BAYLISS (Ducati 999F07), -21 laps, DNF, crash

Officially, AMA Racing no longer races in the rain at Mid-Ohio. When the Honda Supercycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tires started at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course there was no chance of rain on Sunday. As each day of the weekend went by, the chance of rain on Sunday increased. Well, now it’s 9:00 a.m. local time Sunday, the track is completely wet, it is currently raining lightly, weather radar on www.weather.com shows a lot more rain coming and AMA Racing officials are in a meeting with track officials to form contingency plans. No official plan has been released by AMA Racing, but here is what two creditable sources in the paddock told Roadracingworld.com. The goal Sunday will be to get the AMA Superbike race run. If that happens the day will be considered complete whether the Supersport or Superstock classes race or not. If necessary, AMA Racing officials will wait out the rain until 3:00 p.m. local time. At that point, if the rain has not stopped and drying of the track has not begun, the day will be called rained out and racing will be moved to Monday. The track is available for use on Monday. We will post more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, Saturday’s AMA Superbike race is scheduled to be aired at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time today on SPEED Channel. More, from AMA Racing: AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Honda Supercycle Weekend Presented by Dunlop Tire Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – August 3-5, 2007 SUNDAY RAIN PLAN 1. On track activities will be suspended until the track is in race condition. 2. A PA call with horns will be made approximately 1 hour before the anticipated opening of the track. 3. Once the track is deemed to be in race condition the meet will be run with the following schedule: a. 15 min Superbike warmup b. 10 min break c. warm up lap (No sighting lap) d. Superbike Race (18 laps) e. 15 min Supersport warmup f. 10 min break g. warm up lap (No sighting lap) h. Supersport Race (12 laps) i. 15 min Superstock warmup j. 10 min break k. warm up lap (No sighting lap) l. Superstock Race (12 laps) (Any races run to 50% will be considered complete) 4. If the rain has not stopped by 4pm, Sunday’s events will be canceled. 5. If the Superbike race is completed the meet will be considered complete regardless of whether Supersport or Superstock is completed. 6. Should no races be completed on Sunday the meet may be moved to Monday. At this time the availability of Monday for on track activities is in question. More information will be released after Noon. 7. In an attempt to service the fans, teams are asked to still hold autograph sessions on or around the scheduled 11:20 start time for as long as possible, unless on track activities can resume during that time.

FIM Latin American and FMV Venezuelan Superbike Champion Robertino Pietri qualified 10th for the AMA Superstock race, turning a 1:27.660 on his Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000. Pietri qualified 17th for the Superbike races, on his Superstock bike, turning a 1:27.474. Pietri was using Superbike practice and qualifying to refine the set-up on his Superstock bike, and did not plan to compete in the Superbike races. Colombian Superbike and Supersport Champion Santiago Villa qualified 20th for the Superstock race, turning a 1:31.473 on his Otalora Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 in his first weekend at Mid-Ohio. Villa qualified 27th for the Superbike races, on his Superstock bike, turning a 1:30.537. Villa finished 15th in the Saturday Superbike race, on his Superstock bike. Colombian Martin Cardenas qualified 13th for the AMA Supersport race, turning a 1:28.808 on his M4 EMGO Suzuki GSX-R600 in his first weekend at Mid-Ohio. Cardenas ran as high as 7th but finished 36th in Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race, after pitting to have mechanics tighten a loose throttle housing. Two-time FMV Venezuelan Superbike Champion Fernando Amantini qualified 21st for the AMA Supersport race, turning a 1:29.495 on his Kawasaki ZX-6R. Amantini finished 15th in Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race. Venezuelan Carlos Rodriquez did not qualify for the AMA Supersport race and did not start Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race.