A red flag came out with 2 minutes, 51 seconds left in the fast-group Supersport qualifying session at California Speedway Saturday afternoon, and officials declared the session to be over rather than restart it. The red flag caught several riders out before they put on new tires for their final run, including defending Supersport Champion Jamie Hacking, who was eighth fastest at 1:27.516 and Barber winner Josh Hayes, fourth at 1:27.384. Celtic Racing’s Chaz Davies went to the top early in the session, was knocked down the order several times but was back in first when the red flag fell. 2007 Pro Honda Oils AMA Supersport Championship Presented by Shoei Helmets California Speedway Fontana, California Saturday, April 28 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. Chaz Davies (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:27.035 2. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:27.084 3. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6R), Dunlop, 1:27.223 4. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:27.384 5. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:27.391 6. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:27.451 7. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:27.468 8. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-6R), Dunlop, 1:27.516 9. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R600), Dunlop, 1:27.619 10. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R600), Dunlop, 1:27.910 11. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:27.924 12. Cory West (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:27.965 13. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R600), Dunlop, 1:28.836 14. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:28.895 15. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:28.956 16. Garrett Carter (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:29.088 17. Ryan Elleby (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:29.145 18. Shea Fouchek (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:29.227 19. Jason Perez (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:29.239 20. Chris Siglin (Suz GSX-R600), Dunlop, 1:29.371 21. Hawk Mazzotta (Yam YZF-R6), 1:29.382 22. Michael Beck (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:29.666 23. Jeremy Toye (Kaw ZX-6R), Dunlop, 1:29.889 24. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:30.057 25. Darren Luck (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.249 26. Mike Shreve (Yam YZF-R6), 1:30.289 27. Tyler McDonald (Yam YZF-R6), Michelin, 1:30.526 28. Lenny Hale (Yam YZF-R6), 1:30.772 29. Reno Karimian (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.959 30. Grant Riggs (Suz GSX-R600), 1:31.120 31. Chris Siebenhaar (Suz GSX-R600), 1:31.627 32. Jeff Seehorn (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:31.867 33. David Anthony (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:32.028 34. Morgan Murphy (Suz GSX-R600), 1:32.397 35. Eric Pinson (Yam YZF-R6), 1:32.409 36. Scott Ryan (Suz GSX-R600), Michelin, 1:32.792 37. Christopher Ancien (Suz GSX-R600), 1:32.972 38. C.R. Gittere (Suz GSX-R600), 1:32.990 39. John Dang (Yam YZF-R6), 1:33.400 40. Ed Sorbo (Yam YZF-R6), Bridgestone, 1:33.440 41. Jay Ruess (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:33.869 42. Sahar Zvik (Suz GSX-R600), 1:34.342 43. Carlos Rodrigues (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:34.555 44. Colin Rimes (Suz GSX-R600), 1:34.940 45. Shaun Summers (Suz GSX-R600), 1:35.667 46. Craig Mason (Yam YZF-R6), 1:36.079 47. J.C. Gibbs (Suz GSX-R600), 1:39.016 48. Jessica Zalusky (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:40.073 More, from a press release issued on behalf of Pirelli: Rome, Georgia: At round three of the AMA Superbike series, at California Speedway, Pirelli riders filled fast spots in Supersport practice on Saturday, posting five of the best nine times. Fastest of the Pirelli-shod was Ben Attard, setting the third quickest time on his Attack Kawasaki-prepared ZX-6R. Close behind was Geoff May at fifth fastest and his M4 EMGO Suzuki teammate Michael Barnes with the seventh fastest time, followed by Cory West on a Yamaha YZF-R6 in eighth and Attard’s teammate Steve Rapp in ninth. In afternoon qualifying, May placed his GSX-R600 in second place in the grid behind Chaz Davies, with Barnes earning a place on row two with the sixth-fastest time. Attard is on the grid next to Barnes, while Rapp and West are on row three for Sunday’s Supersport final in 11th and 12th, these riders all on Diablo Supercorsa DOT race tires. May was also fastest of the Pirelli riders in Superstock practice Saturday morning, setting the fourth-fastest time on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. In Superstock qualifying at California Speedway, May held his fourth-fastest time, earning his M4 EMGO Suzuki a place on the front row for Sunday’s race. Chris Ulrich claimed a middle spot on row two for the final with the sixth fastest time, on his Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000. Taking the outside spot on row two is Columbian sensation Martin Cardenas on his Kawasaki ZX-10R, with Ulrich’s teammate Robertino Pietri setting the 11th fastest time, all making the most of Pirelli’s Diablo Superbike Slicks. Fastest of all riders in Formula Xtreme practice was Attack Kawasaki’s Steve Rapp, on his Daytona 200 winning ZX-6R, while his teammate Ben Attard was right behind him at second fastest, using the Diablo Superbike Slicks. The FX final on Saturday afternoon was not exactly perfectly swell, with Pirelli riders Michael Barnes, Steve Rapp and Barrett Long finishing fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively. Despite their highly placed gird positions, front runners Ben Attard and Cory West were unable to finish due to mechanical entropy.

2007 AMA Superstock Championship California Speedway Fontana, California April 28, 2007 Provisional Group Two Qualifying Results: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:24.804 2. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:25.203 3. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:25.237 4. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:25.268 5. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:25.436 6. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:26.082 7. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.452 8. Martin Cardenas (Kaw ZX-10R), Pirelli, 1:26.517 9. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:27.159 10. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:27.198 11. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.243 12. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.511 13. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:28.107 14. Corey Sarros (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:30.386 15. Mark Simon (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:30.759 16. Ivan Garza (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:30.866 17. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:31.031 18. Chad Rolland (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:31.077 19. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:31.144 20. Terry Heard (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:31.782 21. Jay Tanner (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.787 22. Tom Savoca (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:32.264 23. Brad Puetz (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:32.722 110% of Fast Time: 1:33.284 24. Matt Lapaglia (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:45.778 More, from a press release issued by Jordan Suzuki: JORDAN SUZUKI CAPTURES TWO POSITIONS ON FRONT ROW Aaron Yates and Jake Holden to Start Second and Third at Fontana, CA Fontana, CA (April 28, 2007) Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Aaron Yates and Jake Holden have both qualified for the all Suzuki GSX-R1000 front row at Sunday’s AMA Superstock race at the California Speedway. Yates, who will start from the second position, had a qualifying time of 1:25.203 only .399 seconds from pole sitter Ben Spies, while Holden qualified with a time of 1:25.237, good for third. In last week’s Superstock race at Barber Motorsports Park, Yates captured the Jordan Suzuki team’s first-ever victory, with Holden finishing right behind in second place. With today’s promising qualifying results, the teammates hope to keep last week’s momentum going. Both Jordan Suzuki riders will also compete in tomorrow’s AMA Superstock race. The riders and crew will return to racing action May 18-20, 2007 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports in 2004 as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. His mission is to bring a new level of excellence and style to the motorcycle racing industry. For more information on the team, visit the race team website at www.23RACE.com.

2007 Lockhart Phillips USA AMA Formula Xtreme Championship California Speedway Fontana, California April 28, 2007 Provisional Practice Results: 1. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:26.756 2. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:26.901 3. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:27.068 4. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:27.116 5. Marty Craggill (Duc 749R/848), Dunlop, 1:27.184 6. Chaz Davies (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:27.260 7. Larry Pegram (Duc 749R/848), Dunlop, 1:27.639 8. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:28.380 9. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:28.484 10. Cory West (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:28.640 11. Ryan Elleby (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:28.984 12. Tony Meiring (Yam YZF-R6), Michelin, 1:29.157 13. Jason Perez (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:29.267 14. Jeremy Toye (Kaw ZX-6RR), Dunlop, 1:29.754 15. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:29.762 16. Bobby Fong (Suz GSX-R600), Michelin, 1:30.248 17. Chad Herrmann (Suz GSX-R600), Dunlop, 1:30.629 18. Kenny Carlotta (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.770 19. Derek Keyes (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:31.118 20. David Sadowksi, Jr. (Yam YZF-R6), 1:31.235

Ben Spies claimed his third pole position of the 2007 season Saturday during AMA Superbike qualifying at California Speedway, in Fontana, California. Riding his Dunlop-shod Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, Spies recorded a time of 1:23.117, which was exactly one second faster than he went during qualifying Friday afternoon, when the ambient and track temperatures were much higher. “It felt good,” Spies told reporters. “We went out on our race set-up again. We found some stuff overnight that definitely helped the bike, dipped down in the 1:23s a few times on race tires, so it was good. I knew we had a good lap when we put the softer race tire on. We’ve been a little bit nervous. Could we run it? Is it gonna last, because if it does it might be better? But we’ve got our bike working good on the hard tires and going at a decent pace. We threw the softer tire on and went at it. It was OK.” Spies turned his 1:23.117 with eight minutes left in the session and returned to the pits, where his Tom Houseworth-led crew mounted a fresh rear tire. Spies sat on the wall monitoring Mladin’s progress on the track, trying to decide if he needed to go out and try to go faster. Even though Mladin did not look to be threatening Spies’ time, the young Champion returned to the track “just in case.” Little did Spies know that Mladin conceded the pole position to him months earlier. “I didn’t even try to do a lap, to be honest with you,” said Mladin, who qualified second with a 1:23.711. “I was just trying race tires, a couple different shocks in that session and that’s it. I didn’t put a tire on at the end to go and do anything. I’m trying to get some laps on a couple of different tires just to see how they react after the first eight or 10 laps. There’s just not time to do anything else. To be honest with you, I’m over the qualifying thing. Ben can have the point. That’s good. I’ll get ready for this afternoon.” Asked to elaborate on his new strategy, Mladin said, “I decided before Daytona, actually, that I really didn’t care for qualifying anymore and I really don’t care to win Championships anymore either, to be honest with you. I’m just here to try and win every weekend. That’s it. I decided that a few months ago. If we can win every weekend the Championship will take care of itself. If we can’t we’re not going to win. I’ve won six Championships, and I’m over trying to race for Championships. I just want to ride 100%, get the most out of me and my bike and that’s it. I’m tired of racing for Championships.” Behind Spies and Mladin the qualifying order was very tight with the third- through 11th-fastest qualifiers separated by only 0.7 second. 2007 AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited California Speedway Fontana, California April 28, 2007: Combined Final Qualifying Results: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:23.117 2. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:23.711 3. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:24.102 4. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:24.475 5. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:24.572 6. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:24.572 7. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:24.599 8. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:24.714 9. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:24.736 10. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:24.802 11. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:24.831* 12. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:25.549* 13. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:25.685* 14. Matt Lynn (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, 1:25.996 15. Doug Chandler (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:26.062 16. James Ellison (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:26.193 17. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:26.235* 18. Luca Scassa (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, 1:26.886 19. Martin Cardenas (Kaw ZX-10R), Pirelli, 1:27.017 20. Kurtis Roberts (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:27.193 21. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.674* 22. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.684 23. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:27.784 24. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:28.183 25. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:29.429 26. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:29.431 27. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:29.665 108% of Fast Time: 1:29.766 28. Chad Rolland (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:30.360 29. Corey Sarros (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:30.955 30. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:31.330 31. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, no time, did not ride *Known to be a Superstock-spec machine.

2007 Pro Honda Oils AMA Supersport Championship Presented by Shoei Helmets California Speedway Fontana, California April 28, 2007 Provisional Practice Results (The session was stopped with approximately 10 minutes left in the 30-minute session. The cause of the stoppage was not immediately available.): 1. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:26.906 2. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6R), Dunlop, 1:27.643 3. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:27.781 4. Chaz Davies (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:27.941 5. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:27.943 6. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-6R), Dunlop, 1:27.973 7. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:27.989 8. Cory West (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:28.129 9. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:28.130 10. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:28.152

2007 SunTrust MOTO-ST Series Championship VIRginia International Raceway Alton, Virginia April 28, 2007 Practice Times: 1. Aprilia USA 2 (Howard/Green), Apr Tuono RSV1000R, SST, 1:58.666 2. San Jose BMW (Kern/Parriott), BMW R 1200 S, SST, 1:59.502 3. Vallely Racing 32 (Himmelsbach/Day/Vallely), Suz SV1000S, SST, 2:02.001 4. Rightsforbikers.com 69 (Crozier/Dressman), Suz SV1000S, SST, 2:02.633 5. Vallely Racing 33 (Trombino/McBride/Vallely), Suz SV1000S, SST, 2:02.928 6. R&R Racing (Luke/Deatherage), Apr Tuono RSV1000R, SST, 2:03.151 7. Wagner Motorsports Racing (Reynolds/Holcomb), Apr Tuono RSV1000R, SST, 2:04.836 8. Aprilia USA 1 (Wiles/Francis), Apr Tuono RSV1000R, SST, 2:05.102 9. Team Florida (Laya/Ramirez), Duc 749, SST, 2:06.554 10. Speedwerks.com (Kcraget/Berkoff), Suz SV650, ST, 2:06.985 11. Richie Morris Racing (Higbee/Brotz), Buell XB12R, GST, 2:07.365 More, from a press release issued by MOTO-ST: San Jose BMW Looks to Close the Points Gap ALTON, Va. – Filled with the determination and motivation that breeds true champions, top-ranked motorcycle pilots Brian Parriott and Nate Kern are ready to put their San Jose BMW in the front of the field, April 27-29 when Round 3 of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series thunders off the Startline. With two out of six events completed, San Jose BMW sits just 18 points out of the lead in the Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport Twins class and is hungry to close the gap. “We moved from 12th to 4th at Homestead,” smiles Parriott, “now we want to get to first.” Hitting the 3.27-mile VIR track for this morning’s practice, Parriott posted a time of 1.59.502 for an average speed of 98.51 mph on the No. 46 BMW. “This is the first time motorcycles have raced the whole course since the track reopened in 2000,” continues Parriott. “And, that pretty much puts everyone on equal footing. The track is awesome and should be a really good race. Hopefully the third time out will be the charm that will get us to Victory Lane.” At Round One at Daytona, the San Jose BMW team, who took top hours at the inaugural 8 Hours At Daytona, led 60 of the first 65 laps and looked to be a shoe-in for the win before an engine problem took them out of the race with just 14 laps to go. In the second round at Homestead, they landed on the Podium despite suffering a variety of electrical problems. “Our on board lap timer wasn’t working, our electronic shifter was amuck and our communications went down,” explains Parriott. “At one point our spark plug cap even came off. Although I managed to get it back on, it remained loose, adding yet another worry to our day. We actually made three extra pit stops to try and fix the problems, so all in all, it was a good day. Now, we’re set for an even better day.” For the second straight day Ty Howard was quickest in practice at VIR on the Aprilia USA Aprilia Tuono 1000R with a time of 1:58.666. Howard also set the pace in Friday afternoon’s opening session of the weekend. The Aprilia USA team picked up the win at Daytona after the San Jose BMW faltered, with Italians Federico Aliverti and Giancarlo De Matteis riding. Howard and his teammate Troy Green were second at Homestead and the Aprilia USA squad has a share of the lead of the point standings. “I think I’ve still got a little bit in the tank,” said Howard after Saturday practice. “We’ve also knocked about 20 seconds off our rear tire change on pit stops, so we’re feeling good about that.” Mike Himmelsbach was third in practice Saturday on the No. 32 Vallely Racing Suzuki SV1000 with a time of 2:02.001. Fastest in the BMW Grand Sport Twins class was the No. 8 Richie Morris Racing Buell XB12 ridden by Shawn Higbee with a time of 2:07.365. Pacesetter in the Sport Twins class was the No. 87 Speedwerks.com Suzuki SV650 of local rider Brian Kcraget with a time of 2:06.985. Sunday’s VIR 500K gets the green flag at 9:15 a.m. In addition to VIR, the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series will also include the Road America 500K, July 7-8 at Road America, the Iowa Speedway 500K at Iowa Speedway July 12-14, 2007 and the 8 Hours At Daytona Finale, October 19-20 at Daytona International Speedway. MOTO-ST is organized and sanctioned by Professional Motorsports Productions (PMP) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the Grand American Road Racing Association, based in Daytona Beach, Fla., provides the series with administrative and commercial support. The MOTO-ST advisory board features some of the most respected individuals in the world of motorsports, including Hall of Fame members, respected motorcycle racing journalists and renowned officials from various forms of road racing. Learn more about MOTO-ST at www.moto-st.com.

2007 FIM Superbike World Championship Assen, Netherlands April 28, 2007 Superpole Results: 1. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:38.603 2. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F07), 1:39.226 3. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F07), 1:39.256 4. Max BIAGGI (Suz GSX-R1000K7), 1:39.320 5. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F06), 1:39.411 6. Troy CORSER (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.422 7. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000K6), 1:39.648 8. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000K7), 1:39.928 9. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:40.057 10. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.288 11. Roberto ROLFO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:40.328 12. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 999F05), 1:40.376 13. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.561 14. Josh BROOKES (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:40.674 15. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 1:41.093 16. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.213 More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: Progressing well Shinichi Nakatomi has done some good testing sessions and he is only 1.6 seconds away from the best qualifying time. This nice progression is a good sign for the races tomorrow. The first qualifying practice session on Friday went pretty well. Shinichi Nakatomi was only 1.4 seconds behind the provisional pole position. This shows a clear progress and a good shape. The second qualifying practice session did not go so well and Nakatomi did not qualify for Superpole for only two thousands of a second. The pole position was won by the leader of the World Championship James Toseland, riding a Honda of the local Team Ten Kate, in front of the two Ducati team mates Lorenzo Lanzi and Troy Bayliss. Shinichi Nakatomi: “Today we changed the setting and it was not so good. So we shall go back to the settings we used on Friday.” Martial Garcia (team-manager): “I am a little bit sad that we did not qualify for Superpole. But we are only 1.6 seconds away form the best qualifying time and this shows that our performances are better. With a time of 1:40.824, we are very close to our 2006 time (1:40.630), which is not the case for most of the other riders.” Qualifying results: 1- Toseland (Honda), 2-Lanzi (Ducati), 3-Bayliss (Ducati), 4-Biaggi (Suzuki), 5-Xaus (Ducati) –¦17-Nakatomi (Yamaha) World Championship standings: 1-Toseland (Honda) 151 points, 2-Biaggi (Suzuki) 138, 3-Haga (Yamaha) 124, 4-Corser (Yamaha) 101, 5-Bayliss (Ducati) 90 –¦18- Nakatomi (Yamaha) 12 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Toseland brings home pole position for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda World Superbike Championship leader James Toseland secured his first pole position of the 2007 series today in a thrilling Superpole session. The British rider will start tomorrow’s 22-lap race on the top spot for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda after proving his skill with a blistering one-lap dash. Toseland has been consistently quick during the free practice and qualifying sessions at the hot and sunny Assen Circuit. He entered this afternoon’s Superpole session as the third fastest rider and rode a near-perfect lap to secure an impressive time of 1’38.603. In doing so, the 26-year-old set a new Superbike fastest lap for the Assen circuit, beating the previous record held by Troy Bayliss. Roberto Rolfo improved on yesterday’s lap times to qualify in the top sixteen for Superpole at HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s home track. The Italian worked hard aboard the CBR1000RR and put in a good lap to secure eleventh place on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Rolfo is aiming for two top ten positions to bring in those all-important points for the team. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “We have seen James be consistently fast this weekend, but to see him doing such a great lap on the Superpole is just amazing. We know that he is not usually the best qualifier around but he comes through in the race. However, it seems for the home round he wanted to give us all a present and that’s what he did. The main aim for James is always to be on the front row – the pole position is a big bonus. Tomorrow we have a hot race ahead, not only because of the temperatures but also because the race pace of the top five is so close. As for Roby, he is climbing back up the grid and we hope he can bring two top ten finishes tomorrow. On the whole, this has been a great day for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda” James Toseland: “The main aim for today was to get on the front row so I’m feeling very pleased with the bonus of pole position. It’s the third one of my career so it feels pretty special. We’ve been setting some fast times during the qualifying so I knew we were in with a chance of the pole, but I didn’t want to focus on it too much. By the end of the second split I knew it was going to be a good lap, but to get the top spot is great. I’m happy to give the team a good result, but of course the result that counts is tomorrow’s race so now I’ll concentrate on that.” Roberto Rolfo: “I am a happier today because I feel I have improved compared to yesterday. In the qualifying this morning I was riding a lot more smoothly. In my Superpole lap I made a mistake on the brakes and I lost some time, but the lap in general was not too bad. I am not completely happy because I want to further up near the front but compared to the last race it’s a lot better. I think the race setting we have at the moment is not too bad. We will do a bit of extra work in the warm-up tomorrow so hopefully the race will go well.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: AT ASSEN VERY GOOD SMRZ IN SUPERBIKE, SOME PROBLEMS FOR NANNELLI IN SUPERSPORT Another warm and sunning day at Assen for the second and final practice day for the fifth round of World Superbike and Supersport series. The Team SC riders had different results from this day, excellent in Superbike Jakub Smrz, while some problem troubled the Supersport’s work of Gianluca Nannelli. Jakub Smrz has been today too very fast in Superbike, confirming the 8th position after official qualifying, just one thousandth of second behind the seventh classified. Unfortunately in Superpole he lost some position and tomorrow he will start from the third row. In the first sector of the lap “Kuba” has been not very fast, and that was crucial for the final result, as well in the last two splits Jakub has been on the contrary very fast, at the same level of the leaders, and recovered several position. But most important is, looking at the race, the fast pace that he hed in the final free practice session during the afternoon. “I’m rather satisfied today for my result.” said Jakub Smrz at the end of the day. “Of course I would like to keep the grid position scored after the qualifying sessions, when I had a seven tenth of second gap from the leader Bayliss, but we know that the Superpole session is a lottery and everything can happen. I’m actually happy because I got a very good pace in race condition and the bike has a good set up for the race tyre. A good start will be crucial because we are in a very close time difference and it’s easy to foresee a hard race battle!” In Supersport the practice Saturday of Gianluca Nannelli ended actually in a not amazing way. The final result is 19th fastest on the grid, after a very hard final session with some package trouble, despite the team work in to find a solution. “I’m very disappointed for today’s result.” has been the comment of Gianluca Nannelli at the end of practice. “The track with a higher temperature was completely different as yesterday and this morning too, and it was impossible to keep the bike when cornering. We made several changing with the team to solve the problem, but also if we improve our lap time of a second, our rivals have made better and better. The problem is always the very twisted first split, after the finish line, so also at the start for the race it could be easy to get quick a gap from the leaders. Now we’ll see with the engineers to find a solution that could allow us to fight tomorrow for a dignified position. We do not wave the white flag, but we know that it will be not easy. As always the positive signals come in the fast sector and from the top speed, where our bike is always on the top.” More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BOTH DUCATI XEROX MEN AIM FOR VICTORY WITH FRONT ROW STARTS IN ASSEN QUALIFYING Assen (Netherlands), Saturday 28 April: Ducati Xerox Team riders Lorenzo Lanzi and Troy Bayliss will be aiming for victory in tomorrow’s Dutch Round of the World Superbike Championship after clinching front row starts in this afternoon’s one-lap Superpole dash for pole. Lorenzo’s lap of 1m39.226s was six-tenths of a second behind the poleman James Toseland (Honda), who set the new circuit best lap, but it was good enough to earn him the second slot on the grid. Troy Bayliss, quickest in both today’s second qualifying and free practice session, had to settle for third place on the grid with a time of 1m39.256s, just a fraction behind his Italian team-mate. “Today we worked really well, I was able to do a lot of laps both in the morning’s qualifying session and in the afternoon’s free practice and physically I feel on top form” said Lorenzo. “I didn’t complete a long-run because we already have a clear idea of the choice of tyres and I think it will be the same for all the riders. To be honest I thought that my Superpole lap wasn’t enough for the front row, I reckoned on doing at least 1m39s but I made a small mistake that slowed me a bit. The track conditions had clearly got worse because everyone, except for James, was slower than the times set with the soft tyre half an hour before. I’m really pleased with my result and ready for the races tomorrow.” “The front row of the grid is a good place to be here at Assen, but everyone wants to be fastest and today I just didn’t put my lap together very well and made a little mistake in the end” commented Troy. “But you’ll see tomorrow I’m sure we’ll have a couple of good races, we did a lot of laps on the race tyre today and it’s going to be very interesting. It’s been very warm, but the track’s in quite a good condition with some rubber down. If it was ten degrees cooler it would be a bit faster as well but it is what it is. We’ve got a couple of tyres picked out, the situation is normal with one tyre that everybody likes but it’s going to be touch-and-go for the race, and there’s one where basically you’re a few tenths slower per lap, so we’ll have to wait and see tomorrow to see what everybody decides to go on.” Starting-grid: 1. Toseland (Honda) 1’38.603; 2. Lanzi (Ducati) 1’39.226; 3. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1’39.256; 4. Biaggi (Suzuki) 1’39.320; 5. Xaus (Ducati) 1’39.411; 6. Corser (Yamaha) 1’39.422; 7. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 1’39.648; 8. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1’39.928; 9. Muggeridge (Honda) 1’40.057; 10. Nieto (Kawasaki) 1’40.288. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: 2007 Superbike World Championship Round 5, Assen, NL Circuit: 4.555 kms Weather; dry, sunny Final qualifying, Saturday 28th April FRONT ROW FOR MAX! HUGE IMPROVEMENT ALSO FOR YUKIO. Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi rode a superb Superpole lap at Assen today and ended up with a position on the front row of the grid. He had been twelfth in regular qualifying but the changes he and the team made to the engine braking and balance of the bike made the bike more comfortable to ride this afternoon and he was able to push much harder in Superpole as a result. His front row grid place means that he will not have to work his way through the field, as he did in Valencia. He knows that a good start is vital at Assen and that is what he will try and do in tomorrow’s pair of 22-lappers. His team mate Yukio also struggled in normal qualifying, partly due to the fact that he is working on the development of a completely different ignition system. He just scraped in to the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out, after final qualifying, but then the improvements made to the Magneti Marelli system allowed him also to push much harder in the untimed afternoon session and Superpole. Series leader James Toseland (Honda) took Superpole (his first of the season), with Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) third, Troy Bayliss (Ducati) third and Max fourth. MAX – 4th, 1:39.320 We had some problems during the first three sessions and we did a lot of work to get the engine braking and the balance of the bike right. The bike is not perfect yet and it is better in some parts of the track then others, but at least I am finding it easier to ride then on Friday. Also, Superpole is still a relatively new thing for me and I think I am beginning to understand how to attack it better. Of course, the level of grip is so much different on a Superpole lap to when you are on race tyres and that’s another thing to understand. It shows that, on race rubber, we have to try and get more traction. It felt a bit strange sitting around in the pits watching another eleven riders go out and try and beat my lap time. In Superpole anything can happen – just look at Haga today and Corser in Donington. Having now ridden on this new Assen layout, I can say that I prefer the ‘old’ Assen. That was a real challenge and it had a lot of very high-speed turns, so it was great fun to ride. The new design has slowed us up and it’s difficult to use full power. Now it’s important to have a well-balanced bike, with good throttle response. I’m happy to be on the front row, because this is not an easy track for overtaking and you certainly do not want to get held up at the start. YUKIO – 1:39.928 My Superpole lap was so-so, because I made a few little mistakes, but considering I had only just managed to get into Superpole after normal qualifying, to get on the second row of the grid is good and that makes me a happy. This afternoon was so much better then Friday. We made some changes to the settings and improved the bike. The grip level is now better and I have a better feel for what is going on, but it is not enough. I am working a lot on developing another ignition system and, like all things at the start, there have have been many things to work on and try and improve. But I think this system has good potential and each time out we learn something more. Sometimes this kind of situation can be a bit frustrating, but this is part of my job and I want to do it well. Tomorrow I am hoping that I can get a good pair of starts and follow with good results. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha quietly confident of good race pace at Assen The Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team had mixed fortunes in today’s Superpole session but are confident of a good race tomorrow following a weekend of consistent lap times and good practice sessions. Having made some adjustment alterations overnight Corser was confident of improving his provisional fifth place from yesterday. This confidence was rewarded with a move up to second place in this morning’s qualifying session. A small mistake on his Superpole lap saw Corser slip to sixth position. Haga’s Superpole lap was looking good for a front row start until he almost lost the front tyre going into Mandeveen and had to take to the grass. He remained on board and re-joined the circuit but was unable to push for the remainder of the lap due to dirty tyres. Haga had been running in sixth place going into the Superpole session but had to accept the near miss putting him on the fourth row for his 137th race start with Yamaha. Shinichi Nakatomi had less success in today’s qualifying when setting changes made prior to the morning’s session failed to improve the rider’s position. Even though Nakatomi managed to go almost half a second faster compared to yesterday’s qualifying, he dropped to 17th overall as other teams made more progress than the Team Yamaha YZF squad. James Toseland will start in pole position with team mates Lanzi and Bayliss in second and third respectively. Biaggi rounds up the front row. Troy Corser (6th – 1’39.422 – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “Superpole was disappointing, there’s no denying it. I made a small mistake on the back part of the circuit and went into one corner a bit fast and ran a bit wide. But the second row is okay, I’m confident in the lap times so I just need to get a good start tomorrow. I’m happy with the race set up and I have done several long runs on the tyres in free practice so I am comfortable with those.” Noriyuki Haga (15th – 1’41.093 – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “I lost the front tyre at Mandeveen corner in the middle section of the lap and I had to pick the bike up to save it. Up until that point the bike had been feeling good, though we still need to make some suspension modifications – the data from the Superpole lap will help us with that. I am not thinking about the race win tomorrow right now, I just want to focus on getting our set-up completely sorted and adding to my championship points.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “I am still confident despite our Superpole results because we have been in the top five in practice all weekend. It will be okay for Troy because he starts from the second row and had more opportunity to push through to the front row. It will be more difficult for Nori but we have performed miracles in races before now. We will make some more adjustments overnight and I am sure we will be ready to race tomorrow.” Shinichi Nakatomi (17th – 1’40.824 – Team Yamaha YZF) “I am disappointed today after such a good start yesterday. We just need to continue working on our set-up tomorrow morning to see where we can make improvements. Seventeenth is not a good start but we must focus on finishing in the points now.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: SECOND ROW FOR TROY. A couple of small mistakes on his Superpole lap was enough to drop Troy to the second row of the grid for tomorrow’s pair of 22-lap races at Assen. But he is happy enough with the set-up of his R1Yamaha and ready to attack right from the start of both races. Series leader James Toseland (Honda) took Superpole (his first of the season), with Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) third, Troy Bayliss (Ducati) third and Max Biaggi (Suzuki) fourth. TROY – 6th, 1:39.422 The free practice session this afternoon was pretty good and we also found a good, consistent tyre. I made a couple of little mistakes on my Superpole lap when I went in a bit hot at the end of the back straight and recovering cost me some time. But I’m feeling comfortable on the bike, after we changed the gearing and a few other small details. Today the wind was a bit gusty in places and that made me be a bit careful, but apart from that the conditions have been pretty good so far. I know that I have to get a good start in both races tomorrow, because Assen is more or less a one-line track and overtaking is not so easy here. You need to be in the top three going into turn one, otherwise you can get held up a lot. Ideally I would like to be in the lead, because then there’s a good chance of being able to pull away from the rest and leave them to hold each other up. I think it’s going to be two long, hard races tomorrow and I hope my luck and the tyres are good until the end. See ya, Troy

2007 AMA Superstock Championship California Speedway Fontana, California April 28, 2007 Provisional Practice Times: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:24.855 2. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:24.905 3. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:25.503 4. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:25.560 5. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:25.913 6. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.647 7. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:26.871 8. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:27.189 9. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.499 10. Martin Cardenas (Kaw ZX-10R), Pirelli, 1:27.860 11. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:27.923 12. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:28.670 13. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:28.835 14. Ivan Garza (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1;30.563 15. Mark Simon (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:31.060 16. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:31.080 17. Chad Rolland (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:31.090 18. Jay Tanner (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.310 19. Tom Savoca (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:31.688 20. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:31.779

Shakey Bumped off Silverstone Pole in Final Minute 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Rounds 5 & 6 Silverstone, Northants Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne very nearly claimed the first pole position in three long years for Paul Bird’s team when he looked to have set fastest time in qualifying today for round three of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone. The 30 year old Londoner lapped the 2.21 mile Northamptonshire circuit in a time of 1m 25.616s and looked to have boxed off the fastest time as out came the red flags with just eleven minutes of the session remaining. Despite circulating throughout the final minutes of the session Byrne looked to have done enough as the VK backed team looked on but then with two rapid laps in succession, HM Plant Honda rival Ryuichi Kiyonari and the Airwaves Ducati of Leon Haslam managed to lap quicker than Byrne who as a result will start tomorrow’s two 20-lap races from third position on the grid. Team mate Tom Sykes posted ninth fastest time in a hectic session and will start from row three of the grid meaning a good start will be vital for the 21 year old Yorkshireman who has consistently scored points in all the rounds to date. Shane Byrne: “I’m a bit gutted really, the first qualifier would have definitely gone better but I got blocked a couple of times by other riders. I had a good couple of laps and then I hit a neutral and I just lost all the drive. We’re on the front row so I can’t be too disappointed and we’ve got a good race set up for tomorrow’s races.” Tom Sykes: “I’m very disappointed with that, I put my qualifier in and another rider spoilt my run and I’ve ended up back on the third row which means I have a lot of work to do. Our race pace is brilliant and we’ve got a good race set up, so I’ll just have to make sure I get a good start but a second row start would have made life a lot easier.” Paul Bird: “Two front row starts from Shakey in two race meetings is just what we wanted. It was a shame he couldn’t hang on to that pole position but it’s what happens tomorrow in the races that matters. We’re happy with the set up of the bikes and we may just have to wait that little bit longer for the pole but a couple of podiums tomorrow from Shakey will certainly make up for that. As for Tom, third row is not a disaster and although he’s a little bit disappointed with it, if he can get away with them then I’m sure he will be battling up at the front.” The first 20-lap race gets underway at 12.40 followed by the second one at 15.20 which is live on ITV1. Qualifying 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1m25.383s, 2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1m25.406s, 3, Shane Byrne (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 1m25.616s, 4, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1m25.688s, 5, Chris Walker (Suzuki) 1m25.816s, 6, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 1m26.032s, 7, Leon Camier (Honda) 1m26.139s, 8, Cal Crutchlow (Suzuki) 1m26.218s, 9, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 1m26.284s, 10, Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) 1m26.323s. More, from a press releass issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Walker will start from fifth and Cal Crutchlow from eighth to bookend the second row of the grid in tomorrow’s third round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone in Northamptonshire. ‘Stalker’ was in contention for a front row position for much of the session and only missed out by just over a 10th of a second right at the end. Crutchlow saved his best lap until last to join his team mate on the same row of the grid. In blustery wind and glorious sunshine, both Rizla Suzuki racers made big strides forward with the set-ups on their GSX-R1000s. Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari took pole position. Chris Walker: “The effort it takes to ride a Superbike on the limit is incredible. I gave it my all in qualifying and earned my second row start. “My Rizla Suzuki feels hard at the front and soft at the rear. It’s a situation we are working on but it isn’t easy to sort because if we soften the front, it hampers our braking performance. Overall the package isn’t bad though – it’s certainly close to the pace and we’ll be working to make it better in warm-up in the morning.” Cal Crutchlow: “My Rizla Suzuki is absolutely mint when I am riding it on a qualifying tyre – the extra grip gives me so much confidence. On race tyres it moves around a little but it is now becoming more predictable and I enjoy riding it. “We still have a decision to make on which tyre we will use in the races. I will be aiming for a good start and to hang on to the riders in front of me; my target is the top six.” Simon Buckmaster – Team Manager: “I think Chris was a little unlucky to have been pushed off the front row right at the end of the session; but that actually might play to our favour for the races as he is now starting behind pole position and on the best part of the track for attacking the first corner. “Cal did a terrific job to get on the second row and has lifted his game as the weekend has progressed. If he can get into the top six from the start then he’ll start fighting with the other riders and that’ll bring the best out of him. “The Rizla Suzuki team has worked hard this weekend and will do what it takes to get back to the front where it belongs. We are all pulling together and working well as a team and that means the results will not be far away.”

Thieves stole one of AMA Superbike Champion Ben Spies’ HJC race helmets from his pit area and Team Green Kawasaki racer Jessica Zalusky’s Kymco scooter was stolen from her garage in the paddock on Friday of the AMA Suzuki Superbike Challenge weekend at California Speedway. Zalusky filed a report with San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies Friday evening. Spies’ theft was reported to the media and California Speedway personnel by Spies’ mother/manager Mary Spies. Update: According to Mary Spies, Ben Spies’ missing helmet suddenly re-appeared in his pit area this morning.