FIAT YAMAHA TEAM LOOK FOR POINTS SPRINGBOARD AT LE MANS The Fiat Yamaha Team returns from a whirlwind trip to the Orient next week to continue their MotoGP World Championship challenge on more familiar territory in Europe. Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards enjoyed contrasting fortunes at the last race in China, with the Italian taking second spot after a spirited ride and the American struggling to tenth with tyre problems, but they both travel to the Le Mans circuit in good spirits for a fifth round that promises to provide an improvement in results and a solid points platform for the rest of the season. The Grand Prix of France is a home race for the team’s tyre suppliers Michelin, who have taken victory in every premier-class race to have been held at Le Mans since 1991. On two occasions their success has been at the hands of Rossi, including his 2005 success with Yamaha, when team-mate Edwards also tasted the French podium champagne after clinching third place – his first rostrum for the factory. In total Rossi has had five MotoGP podiums at Le Mans, contributing to a career total of 94 – a tally bettered only by Mick Doohan. However, that record could be equalled if Rossi can register number 95 next weekend. The legendary Bugatti circuit, which has intermittently played home to the MotoGP World Championship since 1969, has been a fixture on the calendar for the last seven seasons. From a technical point of view it is considered one of the most unremarkable; an archetypal stop-go track with the main complication being the first corner – one of the fastest on the calendar – followed by a tight chicane, which requires hard braking at high lean angle. There are several short straights, interspersed by hairpins and chicanes, calling not just for balance and control under hard and repeated braking but a neat and swift transfer from full braking to full acceleration on the exit of the corners. With nine right-handers and only four lefts, the track is also particularly hard on one side of the tyres. Valentino Rossi “ANOTHER SCORE TO SETTLE” After burying the nightmare of tyre troubles at Shanghai one year ago with a stirring second place in China last Sunday, Valentino Rossi is looking to settle another score from a turbulent 2006 at Le Mans next weekend. Engine trouble at the French circuit robbed the Italian of what looked like a certain victory last May and he is keen to continue a much-improved start to 2007 with another significant points haul. “I definitely have a score to settle at Le Mans after what happened last year, when I should have won the race!” says Rossi. “Anyway, everything is different now and I’m very determined and looking forward to this next race. Our Yamaha has always gone well there and until the problem of last year it was really flying. I’m very happy to go back to Europe and this next run of races is over some of my favourite tracks, where I know I’m always strong. It’s a very busy time with seven races in just over two months but it’s also a key part of the championship and I’m ready to race at 100% “China was encouraging for us because our bike worked perfectly in qualifying and then also in the race, when we expected more problems. I think our bike is very, very good and although we lack a little bit of top speed this won’t be such a problem at the next few circuits as it was in China. I think we’re in good shape.” Colin Edwards “THIRD TIME LUCKY?” After a brief stop at home in the USA, Colin Edwards travels to France hoping for an end to the bad luck that has dogged him for the past two rounds and taken the shine off an otherwise positive start to the 800cc era. The Texan Tornado has adapted to the demands of the new machines as well as any other rider in the field and, after being knocked off track on the first lap in Istanbul and then suffering from tyre problems at Shanghai, he is targeting Le Mans as a starting point for a run of podium finishes leading up to the summer. “China was really gutting for me – after the way my bike worked on Saturday for qualifying I really had my hopes up and it was devastating not to be able to fulfil my potential”, says Edwards. “I honestly believe our bike is the best one out there and now I just want to get to Le Mans and prove it! We know we go well there so I’m really hoping I can get back on the podium. We didn’t have the right tyre in China but Le Mans is ‘home ground’ for Michelin and we’ve done a lot of testing there over the last couple of years, which will hopefully help. “This is always the busiest and most intense part of the season with no time to rest and building up to what is the biggest race of the year for me in Laguna Seca. My target is to arrive there with several podiums under my belt and in a strong position in the championship!” Davide Brivio Fiat Yamaha Team Manager “IMPOSSIBLE TO FORECAST” The Grand Prix of France is the first of a run of six races in just eight weeks on European soil before the series heads to the United States for its final date before the summer break. It represents an intense period for the teams and Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio believes his riders are now primed to launch the kind of consistent assault on the top positions that will be crucial to mounting a serious challenge for honours at the end of the season. “This is the start of a very important block of races that will have a huge bearing on how the championship develops before the summer break,” says Brivio. “It’s a tough schedule for the whole team because we only have three weekends without a race in two months so it’s a key part of the season and it puts everybody to the test. We said before China that we were going there to defend and then go on the attack in Europe. That is still our plan but this is an unpredictable season with a lot of strong rivals on the track so there is always a ‘but’! “Le Mans is a circuit that has been good to us in the past and it will be extremely interesting to compare the level of our bike with our competitors there just because it is so different to anywhere we have been so far. It doesn’t have the long, fast straights of Qatar, Turkey or China but, even so, we know our competitors will be strong. This is a strange season because the new 800 machines and the strong competition between the tyre manufacturers make it impossible to forecast what will happen in each race. Our target for Le Mans and the races that follow it are just to stay as close as we can to the top, finish regularly on the podium and take our chances to win races when they come along.” Valentino Rossi : Information Age: 28 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 85 (59 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 178 (118 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 48 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 33 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japón, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 70 x MotoGP World Championships: 2 World Superbike Le Mans: Lap Record — V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1’35.087 Le Mans: Best Lap — D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1’33.990 Grand Prix Results: Le Mans 2006 1. M. Melandri (Honda) 44’57.369 2. L. Capirossi (Ducati) +1.929 3. D. Pedrosa (Honda) +2.269 6. C. Edwards (USA) Yamaha +11.519 DNF. V. Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 0

2007 FIM Superbike World Championship Monza, Italy May 11, 2007 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. James Toseland (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:45.953 2. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:46.316 3. Karl Muggeridge (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:46.462 4. Regis Laconi (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:46.548 5. Josh Brookes (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:46.686 6. Ruben Xaus (Ducati 999F06), 1:46.775 7. Troy Bayliss (Ducati 999F07), 1:46.918 8. Roberto Rolfo (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:46.960 9. Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7), 1:46.972 10. Fonsi Nieto (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:47.125 11. Max Biaggi (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7), 1:47.205 12. Troy Corser (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:47.321 13. Max Neukirchner (Suzuki GSX-R1000K6), 1:47.351 14. Michel Fabrizio (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:47.384 15. Marco Borciani (Ducati 999F06), 1:47.828 16. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati 999F07), 1:47.836 17. Mauro Sanchini (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:48.005 18. Steve Martin (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:48.149 19. Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:48.384 20. Jakub Smrz (Ducati 999F05), 1:48.458 21. Alessandro Polita (Suzuki GSX-R1000K6), 1:48.785 22. Dean Ellison (Ducati 999RS), 1:50.307 23. Luca Morelli (Ducati 999RS), 1:50.704 24. Robertino Pietri (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:51.460 25. Marek Svoboda (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:52.373 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Toseland tops the timesheet in Monza The first qualifying session of round six of the 2007 World Superbike Championship took place at a warm and sunny Autodrome Nazionale Monza in Italy today. HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s James Toseland completed the session with the fastest lap time to secure a provisional front row start. Team-mate Roberto Rolfo qualified in eighth position. After a disappointing morning practice that saw Toseland experiencing a minor problem with his CBR1000RR, the British rider fought back in the official session to finish at the top of the timesheet. He set three fastest laps in quick succession towards the end of the hour-long qualifying, beating the existing Monza best Superbike lap by over half a second with a time of 1’45.953. Team-mate Rolfo continued to rise up the timesheet after two satisfying sessions in his home country. The 25-year-old secured his personal best lap at the 5.793km Monza circuit during the afternoon qualifying with a time of 1’46.960. Rolfo’s aim for the tomorrow is to finish in the top eight for a spot at the front of the grid for Sunday’s 18-lap race. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “So far I’m quite happy with the job of both riders in the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team. James is leading the provisional grid, which is good. We still have a bit of work to do dealing with some small issues that cost us valuable track time during the session. Hopefully we can sort this out and concentrate on race distance tomorrow. I’m also happy to see Roby further up the grid – the progress he made at Assen is continuing at Monza. He is in eighth position so there is still a bit more work to do but hopefully tomorrow we will see him qualify on the second row to at least get a good start to the race with the front runners.” James Toseland: “It was a good session this afternoon, although this morning was really bad. We had a problem with the rear spindle and it took the guys about 15 minutes to put it right so that cost us some time. Anyway, we changed quite a bit in the session and we have a really good set-up for the bike – it’s feeling really strong. It’s nice to be quickest on Friday.” Roberto Rolfo: “I am happy with qualifying this afternoon. We worked with the race setting, which was important for me because I want to understand the track and improve my riding style on the bike. I wanted to find a good feeling for the corner exit because I think this is very important at Monza. I think I have improved and by the last part of the session I was improving lap by lap. I am happy with the time because it’s the fastest ever lap I have done at this track. I was good at the beginning and good at the end so we have to look at all the data and bring it together to get one great lap tomorrow.” Qualifying times: 1. J. Toseland 1’45.953 2. N. Haga 1’46.316 3. K. Muggeridge 1’46.462 4. R. Laconi 1’46.548 5. J. Brookes 1’46.686 6. R. Xaus 1’46.775 7. T. Bayliss 1’46.918 8. R. Rolfo 1’46.960 9. Y. Kagayama 1’46.972 10. F. Nieto 1’47.125 More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: STEADY START FOR BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) AT MONZA Monza (Italy), Friday 11 May: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) got his Monza World Superbike weekend underway with seventh quickest time in Friday first qualifying. The Australian, who has scored three double victories at Monza, was almost one second off the pace of provisional poleman James Toseland (Honda). Lorenzo Lanzi had a disappointing day, the 25-year-old Italian struggling to get to grips with the high-speed track. “All is going OK actually” declared Troy. “We did a lot of laps and I did that time on the thirteenth or fourteenth lap which was OK but still we just need to realise a few things that we haven’t done that we had last year so I’m confident in a couple of things we’ve got for tomorrow morning on the race set-up and I’m looking forward to getting out on the bike again to tell the truth. My top speed is pretty good as well, we’ve been working on that, just got to improve a bit of the feeling on the initial brake and we’ve got a little bit of movement in the fast right-hander but we’ve got a couple of good ideas in the morning and we’re pretty keen”. “For sure I am not happy with today’s performance, whenever I come to Monza it seems that I always struggle” commented Lorenzo. “In my opinion this track is one of the worst for my riding style. I’m giving my everything, the bike is fine, but the thing that I’m really not happy about is that I am almost two seconds slower than Toseland. This year it has never happened, not even when my team-mate set pole, at the most I was six or seven tenths off the pole. Now we will have to modify something on the bike to help me adapt my riding style on this track. I think we’ll change a few things both in the front and at the rear like the ride height and the springs, to help me get a better feeling.” TIMES: 1. Toseland (Honda) 1m45.953s; 2. Haga (Yamaha) 1m46.316s; 3. Muggeridge (Honda) 1m46.462s; 4. Laconi (Kawasaki) 1m46.548s; 5. Brookes (Honda) 1m46.686s; 6. Xaus (Ducati) 1m46.775s; 7. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1m46.918s; 8. Rolfo (Honda) 1m46.960s; 9. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1m46.972s; 10. Nieto (Kawasaki) 1m47.125s. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: SUPERBIKE BACK IN ITALY: FIRST PRACTICE DAY AT MONZA A sunning and warm day did welcome the rider on the historical track of Monza for the sixth round of World Superbike and Supersport. The legendary and very fast track near to Milan did demand a lot to the engine and the braking system of the bikes running on the track. In Superbike Jakub Smrz, despite he didn’t know the circuit at all, rode quite well during the morning; unfortunately during the afternno some trouble forced him at several pit stops and, as well he improved his laptime, he lost some position. “During the free practice session in the morning I was focused to learn the track, completely unknown for me.” said Jakub Smrz at the end of the day. “When at the end of the session I tried to push also the laptime was not bad. During the afternoon on the contrary everything run wrong, with a lot of problems! During the first half of the session I’ve been for long time in 12th to 14th position, but when I joined the pit to set the bike, the water temperature did jump up. I rejoined the track, but the electronic device of the gearbox didn’t work properly and I rejoined the pit to change it, but any result. At that point a new stop and we remove the device, but at that point just seven minutes remained to the end of the session. Despite that I improved a little bit, but my rivals had the possibility to do better. I like this track, it’s rather demanding. Now the team will change the engine with one just overhauled because we’ll need every horsepower’s fraction; that’s very important on this track.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Haga takes provisional second in first qualifying Noriyuki Haga showed what is to come in today’s practice and qualifying sessions ending in second place. He set the pace in this morning’s free practice finishing it in the top slot and having led it for most of the session as well as setting the session’s fastest lap five times. It didn’t stop there though and in the first qualifying session of the weekend he held the top slot until Toseland knocked him down to second towards the end. Corser did not have as much luck as his team mate today, suffering a couple of problems throughout the day. The morning practice session went smoothly with the seasoned Australian getting down to the job of finding the right set-up. It was in the afternoon session that problems struck the #11 rider but he continued to ride through them to gather data for the team, riding almost race distance. He also posted his fastest time of the day and finished the session in 12th. Shinichi Nakatomi riding for the Team Yamaha YZF squad also had technical issues to resolve during today’s two riding sessions. The Japanese rider, who will start his 33rd race this weekend, stopped at one point on the track but rejoined the session later on to secure 19th place. Toseland heads the board going into tomorrow’s final qualifying session with Haga close behind and Karl Muggeridge in third. Noriyuki Haga (2nd – 1’46.316 – Yamaha Motor Italia) “Second is good although I am not too concerned with where I am on the grid at the moment. Tomorrow is the most important with the second qualifying and Superpole. I have learnt from Assen that I need to be on the front row going in to Superpole in case of having any problems! The bike is feeling good and I have already made a long run on a tyre today which I am happy with.” Troy Corser (12th – 1’47.321 – Yamaha Motor Italia) “I am not happy as you can probably understand. We didn’t get enough track time and we have some braking problems with the bike that need to be solved before tomorrow. It’s going to be a long night with the team checking all the data to identify and resolve the problem. All I know is that I have to go faster tomorrow and I know we can do better than twelfth.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator Yamaha Motor Italia) “We tried to prepare for this race as best as possible. Noriyuki had a good practice and he is quite confident in his and the bike’s potential this weekend. With regard to Troy, we discovered a couple of problems today which we are resolving now. We believe he is be able achieve the same good result as he did last year. We have a lot of guests here at our home round and we are hopeful of providing them with a good result.” Shinichi Nakatomi (19th – 1’48.384 – Team Yamaha YZF) “I didn’t expect to be right on the pace today but I didn’t expect to have technical problems either. But despite technical issues I feel we have made some slow progress today. We have already identified the issues and are working to resolve them in time for tomorrow’s second qualifying session. I am positive for tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: FRUSTRATION FOR TROY The first day of qualifying for the sixth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship at Monza ended with Troy frustrated. Problems with braking into the corners plagued Troy all day and so he was unable to push hard and finish higher then twelfth place. Series leader James Toseland (Honda) led the way today smashing the lap record by nearly a second. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) was second quickest, with Karl Muggeridge (Honda) third and Regis Laconi (Kawasaki) fourth. TROY – 12th, 1:47.321 Well that was a very frustrating day for me and the team. At the moment I cannot seem to brake and stop the bike at all going into the turns. The bike just wants to go straight on! And when you have a circuit like this one, with so many chicanes and hard-braking points, it is vital you have a bike that brakes and stops, so that you can then exit the corners fast. If I try and brake later, the bike wants to try and run off the track and this is very frustrating. At the moment I am losing about one or two tenths of second each chicane and on the entry to the Parabolica, and that is a lot here. We are going to sit down and look at the telemetry and the data and then work out what has to be done. Hopefully we will come up with a solution tomorrow will be better – I hope so! See ya! Troy More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi spent the opening day of qualifying for this weekend’s Monza World Superbike round learning the circuit, which he has never ridden on a Superbike. The Italian posted 11th place initially just behind team mate Yukio Kagayama, who also spent time working through some clutch and braking issues in readiness for tomorrow’s Superpole. Series leader James Toseland (Honda) led the way smashing the lap record by nearly a second. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) was second with Karl Muggeridge (Honda) third and Regis Laconi (Kawasaki) fourth. Yukio Kagayama – 9th, 1:46.972: “I am not so happy how today went and I hope we can improve tomorrow. This morning I had some problems entering the corners, so we made some changes to the clutch and the engine braking. Normally this problem is easy to fix but we were not able to find the solution although we did improve the chassis feeling and I am sure I can push harder tomorrow.” Max Biaggi – 11th, 1:47.205: “Monza is a new track for me really, because the last time I was here was a long time ago. I have never ridden a Superbike here so I have to learn the track before I can begin to push hard. Although this track is not difficult to learn, you have to know the correct braking points if you want to go fast. It is so important to find your braking points and it’s easy to lose tenths of a second if you don’t know what you are doing. We had a little stability problem today so we’ll make some changes to the bike for tomorrow. I always ask a lot of myself, so I don’t really feel any extra pressure on me here. This is my first WSBK race in Italy and I want to do well for my team and all the fans.” Friday WSB Qualifying: 1 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:45.953, 2 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:46.316, 3 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda) 1:46.462, 4 Laconi (F-Kawasaki) 1:46.548, 5 Brookes (Aus-Honda) 1:46.686, 6 Xaus (E-Ducati) 1:46.775, 7 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:46.918, 8 Rolfo (I-Honda) 1:46.960, 9 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:46.972, 10 Nieto (E-Kawasaki) 1:47.125. 11 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:47.205.

AMA Weekend Offers Plenty of Entertainment Choices for Fans SONOMA, Calif. (May 11, 2007) The road course won’t be the only area bustling with entertainment at the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown weekend, presented by Supercuts, at Infineon Raceway, May 18-20. There are a variety of promotions, media events and charitable activities planned to keep spectators and fans entertained throughout the weekend. For more details on any of these events, please visit www.infineonraceway.com. Grape Crushers Run with the Bostroms Join Yamaha riders Eric and Ben Bostrom, Petaluma High School graduates, for the 2nd annual Grape Crushers Run on Thursday, May 17. The “Boz Bros.” will leave from Infineon Raceway and lead the way through the twists and turns of the beautiful Sonoma Valley. To sign-up for the ride, call Bob Richards at (707) 933-3909. Hacking and Hayden at Northbay Motorsport & Marine Join Kawasaki riders Jamie Hacking, Roger Hayden, Ben Attard and Acalanes High School graduate Steve Rapp at Northbay Motorsport & Marine in Santa Rosa on Thursday, May 17. Local radio station 101.7 FM The FOX will do a live broadcast from the event as a KLX110 motorcycle will be up for raffle. Festivities begin at 6:45 p.m. Visit www.northbaymotorsport.com for more information. Bike Night in Downtown Petaluma — NEW LOCATION Downtown Petaluma will turn into a motorcycle wonderland for one night in May. Following a full day of racing at Infineon Raceway, head to downtown Petaluma for the 3rd annual Bike Night, on Friday, May 18. The event features “bike only” parking; extended business hours for local restaurants/shops; giveaways and live music. Supermoto USA and SBFreaks Street Freestyle More than 300 competitors are expected for Santa Rosa Powersports Supermoto USA, presented by East Bay Motorsports, racing at the Infineon Raceway Karting Center. Top stunt riders, meanwhile, will battle for $10,000 in cash and prizes at the SBFreaks Street Freestyle Show in the Turn 10 paddock area. Track Talk Race fans are invited to the Wine Country Winner’s Circle during the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown race weekend for intimate question-and-answer sessions with top riders. Track talk sessions will take place on Friday at 12:20 p.m. with Jake Holden and Aaron Yates (Jordan Motorsports) and Tommy Hayden (Suzuki); Saturday at 11:50 a.m. with Ben Spies (Suzuki) and Roger Hayden (Kawasaki); and Sunday at 11 a.m. with Josh Hayes (Honda) and other top AMA professional riders. Look for more riders to attend Track Talk the closer we get to race weekend. Wall of Fame Ceremony Race fans are invited to watch as Infineon Raceway honors six-time AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin (Suzuki) with an induction into the Wall of Fame during race weekend. Mladin joins Miguel Duhamel (Honda) and Rich Oliver who were inducted in 2006. A public induction ceremony will take place in the Wine Country Winner’s Circle on Saturday at 12:15 p.m. Geoff Aaron Red Bulls Trials Exhibition Ten-time AMA Trials champion Geoff Aaron will come to Infineon Raceway to demonstrate his amazing skills. Whether he’s flying up a 10-foot vertical wall, jumping across big gaps, doing 180-degree helicopters or insane trick riding, you’ll see it all in the Turn 10 paddock area. Northbay Motorsport & Marine Charity Fundraiser Signed memorabilia from some of the top AMA riders will be up for bid at the 4th annual Northbay Motorsport & Marine Charity Fundraiser. In addition, there will be a drawing for a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic Cruiser. All proceeds benefit Speedway Children’s Charities (needy youth groups in Sonoma County). The auction will take place on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. in the Wine Country Winner’s Circle. To purchase tickets for the drawing, go to the Speedway Children’s Charities booth located in the paddock during the event weekend or call (707) 933-3950. Live Music by the Spazmatics The Spazmatics are a hilariously cool science nerd 80’s pop band that performs a variety of music by bands including Flock of Seagulls, The Go-Gos, Oingo Boingo, The Cure, INXS, Duran Duran, Madonna and more. This great band will perform behind the main grandstand on the Jagermeister stage throughout the weekend. Be sure to stop by! Motorcycle Demo Rides and More Motorcycle demo rides will also be offered by manufacturers KTM, Ducati and Hyosung, and there will also be a display from the Gary Davis collection of vintage race bikes and custom bike builders. Motorcycle Art Show Enjoy a wide variety of motorcycle-themed art in the Infineon Technologies Business Center, which is located directly across from the Wine Country Winner’s Circle in the main paddock. Hours are 9 a.m.-approximately 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday and admission is FREE. AAA Designated Driver Program Come by the AAA Designated Driver Program booth to become a designated driver for your group. Just fill out a pledge card “” under the direction of AAA of Northern California “” and receive a free bottle of smartwater, which is also one of the program’s sponsors. Speedway Children’s Charities Booth Visit the Speedway Children’s Charities booth to learn more about the charitable arm of Infineon Raceway. Speedway Children’s Charities is dedicated to raising money for needy youth organizations in Sonoma County, and has distributed more than $2.1 million since 2002. Autograph Session A rider autograph session will take place on Sunday from 11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m. featuring top AMA riders like Mat Maldin, Ben Spies and the Bostrom brothers. Riders will be available in the paddock at their haulers. WHAT: Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, presented by Supercuts WHERE: Infineon Raceway, Highways 37 & 121, Sonoma, CA 95476 WHEN: May 18-20. COURSE: 12 turns, 2.22 miles. SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS (all times Pacific): Friday: Superbike practice, 10:50-11:50 a.m.; Superbike qualifying, 2:10-3:40 p.m.; Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme qualifying, 3:50-5:20 p.m. Saturday: Superbike qualifying, 9:50-11 a.m.; Superstock qualifying, 12:50-1:20 p.m.; Pro Honda Oils Supersport qualifying, 2:10-3:20 p.m. Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown main event #1, 3:30 p.m. (28 laps); Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme main event, 4:30 p.m. (17 laps). Sunday: Superbike practice, 10:20-10:50 a.m.; Superstock main event, 1:10 p.m. (17 laps); Pro Honda Oils Supersport main event, 2 p.m. (17 laps); Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown main event #2, 3 p.m. (28 laps). For complete schedule, visit www.infineonraceway.com. 2006 CHAMPIONS: Superbike: Ben Spies (Suzuki). Spies won both Superbike main events; Supersport: Race was cancelled because of rain; Superstock: Jamie Hacking (Yamaha); Formula Xtreme: Eric Bostrom (Yamaha). TICKETS: Friday, May 18: $15; Saturday, May 19: $35; Sunday, May 20: $35. Weekend pass, $60. Children 12-and-under are FREE and parking is FREE. Call 800-870-RACE or visit www.infineonraceway.com.

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM READY FOR BUSY RUN OF RACES The Ducati Marlboro Team goes to Le Mans aiming to build on its impressive start to 2007 as MotoGP enters its busiest period, with five races over seven weekends. The remarkable Casey Stoner currently leads the World Championship by 15 points, after winning three of the first four races, while team-mate Loris Capirossi has proved he too can run close to the front, when luck goes his way. The sterling efforts of the riders and the team have helped keep the Ducati Marlboro Team at the top of the teams’ championship and Ducati at the top of the constructors’ points chase, but it’s a long, long season with 14 races still remaining. Both riders have good form at Le Mans. Last year Capirossi took second place at the famous French venue while Stoner finished just three second off the podium in his first premier-class race at the track. LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “We go to France in the same frame of mind – taking each race as it comes and aiming to do the best job we can. Le Mans won’t be easy, traditionally it’s been a Yamaha circuit, Valentino (Rossi) was super fast there last year until his engine broke and he was also very strong at the last race at Shanghai. The Ducati and the Bridgestone tyres are working well, Casey is riding superbly and we know Loris rode an excellent race in France last year, so we hope he will fight for the podium again, just like he did in Turkey last month. Really, the season has only just started, so we must keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard.” CASEY STONER, World Championship leader on 86 points “So far, this season is pretty much a dream come true. Now we’ve got to keep our heads down, make sure we don’t get too confident, keep putting in the hard work and maybe things will pay off. In China everything worked out just perfectly again, though it was a very, very difficult race. We’ll have to wait and see what happens at Le Mans. I’ve always been around fourth there, in fact I’ve finished fourth three times from the last four years. You really need a bike that’s very good on the brakes, if you don’t have that you can pretty much forget it. At the same time you need a bike that hooks up on the exits of the slow corners, because there’s a lot of stop-start onto big straights. Le Mans is definitely for the brave with a lot of out-braking going on, plus there’s a few good chicanes to sort people out. I normally go well there in practice, I just don’t get it right in the race, maybe this year we can change that.” LORIS CAPIROSSI, 8th overall on 30 points “I haven’t had the luckiest start to this season but I am really looking forward to all the races coming up because I know they will give me a chance to get some points back. Casey has proved that the GP7 is a winning machine and this year’s Bridgestone tyres are very good, so I am confident I can perform well over the next few races. We just need to keep working and continue to improve my feeling with the bike, which I really enjoy riding. I don’t love the Le Mans circuit, even though I had a great race there last year. It is a very stop-and-go track, not very technical, so it’s not a lot of fun to ride a MotoGP bike there, I think it’s better suited to 250s and 125s. But I believe the GP7 should perform well at Le Mans because acceleration and braking are the two most important things at this circuit and our bike is strong in both these areas.” THE TRACK Situated in the Sarthe region a few hours south west of Paris, Le Mans is one of the world’s most famous motorsport venues, legendary for its 24-hour races. The Bugatti circuit – very different to the longer 24-hour car track – returned to the bike GP calendar in 1999, since when the event has built a huge following in bike-mad France. The circuit is very stop-and-go, with plenty of slow turns where braking and acceleration performance are primordial. Riders and their engineers therefore concentrate on honing their machines’ braking stability, as well as improving rear-end traction for the numerous hairpin exits. The layout was changed slightly last year to improve safety at Turn One and into the first chicane. Lap record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m 35.087s, 158.255km/h-98.335mph (2006) Pole position 2006: Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 1m 33.990s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 34 (born 4 April 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7 GP starts: 252 (82xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) GP victories: 28 (6xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) Pole positions: 41 (8xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Le Mans 2006 results: Grid: 6th. Race: 2nd CASEY STONER Age: 21 (born 16 October 16 1985) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7 GP starts: 81 (20xMotoGP, 31×250, 30×125) GP victories: 10 (3xMotoGP, 5×250, 2×125) First GP victory: Valencia, 2003 (125) First GP: Britain, 2001 (125) Pole positions: 5 (1xMotoGP, 2×250, 2×125) First pole: Italy, 2003 (125) Le Mans 2006 results: Grid: 11th. Race: 4th

After having lent its support to two riders in 2006, Czech healthcare company Cardion AB has extended its activity in the MotoGP World Championships in a significant way in 2007. Firstly, the company reached an agreement with commercial rights-holders Dorna Sports which grant the exclusive rights to broadcast live all the races of all MotoGP World Championship categories in the Czech Republic in 2007 and 2008. Cardion AB have subsequently provided these rights to Czech Television (CT2), and there has already been a positive response from Czech motorsport fans. Cardion AB has also signed an agreement to become the new title sponsor of the Czech Grand Prix. “From 2007 to 2011 the Czech Grand Prix will therefore be named Cardion AB Grand Prix Ceske republiky”, confirmed Mr. Karel Abraham, manager of the Cardion AB Motoracing Team. The team itself is supporting a single rider this year, with Karel Abraham Jr. having switched from 125cc to the 250cc class this year. Confirmation of the new title sponsor also helped the Brno Circuit management in their negotiations on the future of MotoGP in the Czech Republic, “Brno Circuit had a valid Promoter’s agreement until 2009, but thanks to the new title sponsor the agreement was extended to 2011, which is the date for all circuits at this moment in time,” stated Mrs. Ivana Ulmanova, CEO of the Brno Circuit, who signed a renewal of the agreement with Mr. Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, S.L. at the beginning of this year.

Rizla Suzuki Superbike star Chris Walker has become the first British Superbike rider to sample the new Mondello Park surface. The former World Superbike contender recently took part in a Mondello Park Motorcycle Track Day to familiarise himself with the track layout prior to his circuit debut in June’s Bennetts British Superbike round at the track. Walker spent a full day at the circuit taking to the track on a standard Suzuki GSXR 1000. It was the BSB star’s first ride on a road going version of the bike, on which his Superbike mount is based, and he expressed his satisfaction saying “It’s good to know the layout and the track time I got today, even though I was on a road bike, means that I can really go for it from Friday’s first practice session when we return here for the race. Everyone in this championship is riding really fast and I can’t afford to be wobbling around on Friday learning the track.” Walker had never ridden Mondello prior to the track day and could not compare the improved surface to what went before, but said that he could see no particular problem areas with the circuit. Having heard some things about the Mondello circuit from his BSB rivals, Walker had an idea what to expect but found the circuit to be “Better than expected. This is a fun circuit and the facilities are very good. A Superbike will be a handful around here but the racing should be excellent and my Superbike rivals have all told me that they really enjoy coming over here, so I’m really looking forward to getting back here for the race.” The Bennetts British Superbike Championship returns to Mondello Park for its only annual overseas trip on June 15th – 17th.

FIM Supersport World Championship Monza, Italy May 11, 2007 Free Practice One Results (with best top speeds): 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Honda CBR600RR), 1:50.711, 175.8 mph 2. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Honda CBR600RR), 1:50.791, 174.6 mph 3. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Honda CBR600RR), 1:50.866, 175.8 mph 4. Fabien FORET (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:51.098, 175.2 mph 5. Broc PARKES (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:51.557, 175.2 mph 6. Barry VENEMAN (Suzuki GSX-R600), 1:51.837, 176.5 mph 7. Pere RIBA (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:51.848, 174.6 mph 8. Anthony WEST (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:51.867, 175.2 mph 9. Gianluca NANNELLI (Ducati 749R), 1:51.889, 183.3 mph 10. Yoann TIBERIO (Honda CBR600RR), 1:52.088, 175.2 mph 11. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:52.148, 171.2 mph 12. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Honda CBR600RR), 1:52.195, 171.2 mph 13. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:52.315, 171.5 mph 14. Giles BOCCOLINI (Kawasaki ZX-6R), 1:52.393, 172.7 mph 15. Lorenzo ALFONSI (Honda CBR600RR), 1:52.412, 178.3 mph 16. Craig JONES (Honda CBR600RR), 1:52.477, 170.3 mph 17. Robbin HARMS (Honda CBR600RR), 1:52.570, 174.0 mph 18. Vesa KALLIO (Suzuki GSX-R600), 1:52.672, 174.0 mph 19. Simone SANNA (Honda CBR600RR), 1:52.689, 174.0 mph 20. Javier FORES (Honda CBR600RR), 1:52.817, 170.3 mph 25. Chris PERIS (Yamaha YZF-R6), 1:53.415, 170.3 mph More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: HANNspree Ten Kate Honda heads for Supersport front row HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s World Supersport riders secured a provisional front row start for round six of championship at the Autodrome Nazionale Monza in Italy today. Sébastien Charpentier completed the 45-minute first qualifying session on the 5.793km track at the top of the timesheet, while team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu secured the second fastest time. Charpentier has made a good recovery from injuries sustained earlier in the season and is fighting fit for this weekend’s event. After experiencing a few small problems in the morning free practice, the determined Frenchman proved that he is back with a vengeance by setting the fastest lap in the official qualifying. He finished with a time of 1’50.711 – just over a tenth of a second away from the best lap he set at Monza in 2006. Sofuoglu started the day on top form by setting the fastest lap in the morning free practice. He continued this strong performance by securing the best lap four times this afternoon, before his team-mate stole the top spot in the last few minutes of the session. Sofuoglu’s final time of 1’50.791 was just 0.080 seconds off Charpentier’s. The team will be making small adjustments to the both riders’ CBR600RRs overnight in order to maintain their top positions in tomorrow’s second qualifying session. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “Today has been a very good start to the weekend, although we still have a lot of work to do on the bikes. On a track like Monza the times will always be very close and we have a few small things to change on the set-up of the bike to make life easier for the riders. Hopefully we can find some improvements overnight and keep them on the front row for tomorrow.” Sébastien Charpentier: “The session this afternoon was better than this morning. Sometimes you just wake up and don’t have a good feeling and today was one of those days. This morning the feeling wasn’t good and also the bike had a few small problems. The team worked really hard before the official session and I worked harder during the session so it was better. We still have some work to do on the bike and we will change a few things for tomorrow but this is normal for the first day. I am happy because I was pretty close to my best lap from last year. Tomorrow I’ll work hard to make sure I get the best position I can for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda.” Kenan Sofuoglu: “It was a good qualifying session today. It’s always on my mind to remain in the front row. I’m already seconds faster than I was here last year so I’m really pleased with that. Tomorrow I’ll be aiming to stay in the top four and also work on my race distance because Monza is a long track. I’m happy with the bike – we don’t have too much to change overnight and in fact, we haven’t changed it too much since Assen. We have found a good base set-up now and I have high hopes for the weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Carrachi: In Supersport Gianluca Nannelli earned a ninth position that could be better, but the twin 749R showed once more his exceptional top speed. “I’m not quite satisfied of today’s result.” has been the comment at the end of practices by Gianluca Nannelli. “I have any confidence of the front. The bike’s rear looks good, and of course the engine is pushing very fast, as always. I have to say that while I was trying the fast lap I find at Variante Ascari a group of three slower riders that less me the free way only after the Parabolica corner; at that time I was in third, fourth split time, but them, not for lack of goodwill, didn’t let me pass and so I’ve lost precious time. That’s a pity, because going on with the same pace I could be in a front position of the provisional grid, as shows also the theoretical ideal time of the session. Now is important to set better the front that I feel very light. As I told before the engine is very powerful, as well the top speed should be recorded thanks a good trail, we have to set a good handling for a better package. We’ll se tomorrow, hoping that weather conditions could be the same as today, we could reach the front row.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Steady Start for Yamaha World Supersport Team The Yamaha World Supersport Team played it cool and calm today with the focus on bedding in a new rider and finding the right race setting. They might have been playing it calm but the team still walked away with fifth and eighth qualifying places, Parkes and West respectively. Parkes had a good morning going fourth fastest in today’s free practice. He then spent the afternoon qualifying session finding the right set-up for this weekend and was in the top five for the whole 45 minute session. He ended the day in a comfortable fifth. Newcomer to the bike, the team and the championship this weekend is Anthony West. Anthony replaces Kevin Curtain here at Monza while Kevin continues his recuperation back home in Australia. Curtain had been hoping to return to the saddle at this round but has been set back due to an infection in his leg wound. West is currently riding in the 250 GP Championship. West had his first ride of the 2007 YZF-R6 today and also his first ride of the Monza circuit so the team was expecting it to take a little bit of time for him to get on the pace. But with seconds to go in this morning’s free practice the young Australian leapt into sixth place. He proceeded to make good progress in the afternoon qualifying session claiming eighth qualifying place. In the process of finding the limit West suffered a low-side crash just before the end of the qualifying session at the infamous Parabolica corner but didn’t suffer any injuries and is fired up for tomorrow. Massimo Roccoli riding for the Yamaha Team Italia squad was not able to show his full riding potential today as he struggled with front end problems during practice and qualifying. He finished in 13th today. Broc Parkes (5th – 1’51.557 – Yamaha World Supersport Team) “I missed out on using my last rear tyre because I came in too late at the end of the session, but it’s not the end of the world. Today was more about finding a good set-up for the whole bike not just about setting a good time. That will come tomorrow. The bike felt good today and I am positive of getting up there in the second qualifying session tomorrow.” Anthony West (5th – 1’51.867 – Yamaha World Supersport Team) “Having been riding a 250 two-stroke the bike felt really strange for the first few laps and I thought it was going to take longer to get used to it than it has. The R6 feels a lot easier to ride than the last time I rode a 600cc bike in 2004. It just shows how much these bikes have developed. The biggest things for me to get used are the weight and way it moves when cornering compared to a two-stroke. It is a lot more physical but I am finding my style pretty quickly. I am very happy with eighth considering it is a strange track and bike to me. I’m looking forward to tomorrow as I know I have more to give.” Massimo Roccoli (13th – 1’52.315 – Yamaha Team Italia) “I have a very fast machine and I made some good steps in the Italian national championship last weekend but I still have some problems with the front end of the bike. We will be working on fixing it overnight as I need to start on the first or second row not in thirteenth this weekend. That is my goal for tomorrow’s qualifying – first or second row.”

FIM Superbike World Championship Monza, Italy May 11, 2007 Free Practice One Results: 1. Noriyuki HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:46.540 2. Troy BAYLISS (Ducati 999F07), 1:47.098 3. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7), 1:47.404 4. James TOSELAND (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:47.509 5. Roberto ROLFO (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:47.541 6. Fonsi NIETO (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:47.595 7. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:47.675 8. Michel FABRIZIO (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:47.729 9. Ruben XAUS (Ducati 999F06), 1:47.811 10. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 999F07), 1:48.002 11. Regis LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:48.270 12. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000K6), 1:48.319 13. Troy CORSER (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:48.322 14. Marco BORCIANI (Ducati 999F06), 1:48.528 15. Max BIAGGI (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7), 1:48.655 16. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 999F05), 1:49.040 17. Mauro SANCHINI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 1:49.228 18. Steve MARTIN (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:49.515 19. Josh BROOKES (Honda CBR1000RR), 1:49.611 20. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:50.162 21. Alessandro POLITA (Suzuki GSX-R1000K6), 1:50.328 22. Luca MORELLI (Ducati 999RS), 1:51.619 23. Dean ELLISON (Ducati 999RS), 1:51.839 24. Robertino PIETRI (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:52.778 25. Marek SVOBODA (Yamaha YZF-R1), 1:55.619