Defending AMA Formula Xtreme Champion Josh Hayes put his Erion Honda CBR600RR on pole position during AMA Formula Xtreme qualifying Friday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Not only was Hayes’ time of 1:27.274 the fastest time it was just 0.130 second short of Jason DiSalvo’s FX lap record, which is notable because Hayes did not use a qualifying tire Friday. “There are no Dunlop qualifiers in FX this weekend,” revealed Hayes, who said he did not know that would be the situation until Thursday. “When I got my tire allotment sheet. I hope that’s not going to be the case for the rest of the season, because we’re going to need them. Look at what a difference pole points would’ve made last year. If we could’ve got some more of those pole points last year Mid-Ohio [the season finale] would’ve been a completely different race. “But the bike is working really good. I think this bike is a big improvement over last year’s [bike]. I really noticed the weight. The bike transitions so much easier in that chicane on the back straightaway than any bike I’ve ever ridden through there. And the bike turns better. I’m getting on the front straight really well and things are just clicking.” Second- and third-fastest, respectively in qualifying were Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard (1:27.347) and Steve Rapp (1:27.349), both of whom used Pirelli qualifying tires on their fastest laps. Complicating things for Attard this weekend is the fact that he is suffering from fatigue caused by infectious mononucleosis. Then again, Attard unknowingly had the disease when he finished second, behind teammate Rapp, in the Daytona 200. Earning the final spot on the Formula Xtreme front row was Hayes’ teammate Aaron Gobert, who turned a 1:27.359 Friday and is just coming off a strong test at Infineon Raceway. Just missing the front row by 0.021 second was Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Michael Barnes, who turned a 1:27.380 in spite of fighting a bad chatter problem on his Pirelli-shod GSX-R600. A similar chatter problem led to Barnes crashing and destroying one of his bikes in Formula Xtreme practice earlier Friday afternoon. Lining up next to Barnes for Saturday afternoon’s race will be Chaz Davies, who turned a lap of 1:27.744 on his Dunlop-equipped Celtic Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Seventh-quickest man Larry Pegram turned a 1:28.969 on his Leo Vince/Pegram Racing Ducati 749R/848. Completing the second row was Ryan Elleby, who turned a 1:29.009 on his brand new 2007 CBR600RR FX machine. (Elleby raced a 2006 model CBR600RR at Daytona). 2007 Lockhart Phillips USA AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Presented by HMR Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 20, 2007 Qualifying Results: 1. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:27.274 2. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:27.347 3. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:27.349 4. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:27.359 5. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:27.380 6. Chaz Davies (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:27.744 7. Larry Pegram (Duc 749/848R), Dunlop, 1:28.969 8. Ryan Elleby (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:29.009 9. Marty Craggill (Duc 749/848R), Dunlop, 1:29.165 10. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:29.181 11. Cory West (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:29.408 12. Kevin Lacombe (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:29.498 13. Josh Day (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:29.543 14. Garrett Carter (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:29.577 15. Steve Crevier (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:29.832 16. Chad Herrmann (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.290 17. Andrew Nelson (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:30.527 18. David Anthony (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:30.948 19. Keith Marshall (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:31.010 20. Tony Meiring (Yam YZF-R6), Michelin, 1:31.340 21. Steven Breckenridge (Tri Daytona 675), Bridgestone, 1:31.492 22. Tyler McDonald (Yam YZF-R6), Michelin, 1:31.526 23. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:31.618 24. Kenny Carlotta (Suz GSX-600), Michelin, 1:31.967 25. Mark Crozier (Suz GSX-R600), Michelin, 1:32.087 26. Brian Hall (Kaw ZX-6R), Dunlop, 1:32.118 27. Bobby Fong (Suz GSX-R600), Michelin, 1:32.335 28. Robert Mclendon (Triumph Daytona 675), 1:33.008 29. Scott Ryan (Suz GSX-R600), Michelin, 1:33.613 30. C.R. Gittere (Suz GSX-R600), 1:33.625 31. J.B. Layman (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:33.752 32. Michael Morgan (Suz GSX-R600), Dunlop, 1:34.332 33. Robert Oliva (Suz GSX-R600), Michelin, 1:34.548 34. Ryan Clay (Yam YZF-R6), 1:35.013 35. Jeremiah Johnson (Suz GSX-R600), 1:35.106 36. Scotty Van Hawk (Yam YZF-R6), 1:35.175 110% of Fast Time: 1:36.002 37. Carlos Rodriguez (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:36.110 38. Robert Terando (Duc 749R), 1:38.564 39. Brian Gibbs (Suz GSX-R600), Michelin, 1:44.841 40. Jessica Zalusky (Kaw ZX-6RR), 2:07.331, crash More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: BARNES AND M4 EMGO SUZUKI FIGHT FOR FORMULA XTREME POLE IN ALABAMA Team M4 EMGO Suzuki put in a strong opening day’s work at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, AL, the scene of two podiums and three top fives for the team when they visited the circuit during the 2006 AMA season. Michael Barnes was just over a tenth of a second away from claiming pole position during the afternoon’s Formula Xtreme qualifying session aboard his Pirelli slick-shod GSX-R600. However, the Floridian will only start from the inside of the second row in Saturday’s 17-lap FX race despite his impressive 1:27.380 lap time as just 0.106 seconds separated the top five in the ultra-tight session. Barnes rebounded from a crash to contend for pole. “Barney had a little tip-over but we recovered from that pretty well,” said Crew Chief Keith Perry. “Qualifying was very, very close and I am assuming the race will be similar. Hopefully, Michael can get a good start and race with the other fast guys. We think it will be a good race for sure.” Barnes and teammate Geoff May were also on the pace in the morning’s Supersport free practice. May logged the second fastest lap of the session, circulating the undulating racetrack with a quick time of 1:28.099. The Georgian is off to a quick start in his attempt to improve upon last year’s third-place Supersport result at the scenic venue. Barnes was right on May’s heels in the Supersport session at 1:28.140, the third best time posted during the practice. Youngster Michael Beck put in a solid Friday as well, giving the Team M4 EMGO Suzuki squad three riders in the class’ top eleven with a time of 1:29.440. May also put his powerful GSX-R1000 in the top five in the Superstock session, posting the fourth overall time (1:26.550) in the morning practice that kicked off the Barber Motorsports Park race weekend. On Saturday the team will qualify for Sunday’s Supersport and Superstock finals and then Barnes will shift his focus to the afternoon’s 60k Formula Xtreme race. More, from a press release issued on the behalf of Pirelli: Surrounded by the lush greens of April in Alabama, racer Geoff May took his Suzuki GSX-R1000, with its Daytona-200-wining Pirelli Superbike Slicks, to fourth fastest in opening Superstock practice for the AMA Superbike Series event at Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama. May, racing for M4 EMGO Suzuki, was closely followed by Chris Ulrich, who set the sixth-fastest Superstock time on his Team RoadRacingWorld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000. In Supersport, the blue and white bikes of M4 EMGO Suzuki teammates, Geoff May and Michael Barnes, set the second and third fastest time in Friday’s first round of practice, each using Pirelli’s new Diablo Supercorsa DOT tires. May was within three tenths of a second of Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking, with Barnes just a few hundredths off May’s time. Other Pirelli riders in the top ten in Supersport practice include Ben Attard in sixth and Steve Rapp in ninth, on a pair of Team Attack Kawasaki ZX-6Rs. Around the 2.3 miles of Barber Motorsports Park’s black pavement, Attack Kawasaki teammates Ben Attard and Steve Rapp set third and fourth fastest times in the opening Formula Xtreme practice on the two Pirelli-shod bikes that took first and second in this year’s running of the Daytona 200. Right behind them, at fifth fastest, was M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Michael Barnes, also on a set of Pirelli Diablo Superbike Slicks. In final qualifying for Formula Xtreme on Friday afternoon, the green and blue bikes of Team Attack Kawasaki earned places on the front row of the grid, showing the consistent competitive edge of Pirelli’s technologically advanced Diablo-class of tires. Attard set the second fastest time, barely seven-hundredths of a second from the pole, and was followed by two-thousands of a second by Rapp in third. Taking the first place on the second row of the FX grid was Michael Barnes, merely four-hundredths of a second back.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies was the fastest rider during provisional AMA Superbike qualifying Friday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Spies said he used race-compound Dunlops on his GSX-R1000 to turn his best lap, a 1:24.318, which undercut his old lap record of 1:24.830 by over half a second. Spies told reporters that he was comfortable doing that lap time and hoped he could go faster during the final qualifying session Saturday morning. “The bike’s working really good,” Spies said, who was under the lap record on his second lap of practice Friday morning. “I’d like to do a 1:23 with the track being cooler and putting a softer tire on. I think it’s possible. Three tenths isn’t a whole lot. I’d like to be the first guy to get in the 1:23s here, but that’s gonna take a pretty perfect lap to do that.” Although Mat Mladin’s fastest lap was a 1:25.013, it appeared as if the six-time former AMA Superbike Champion was more focused on his race set-up. In fact, while Spies was ripping off his best time, Mladin was doing a multi-lap run with all of his lap times in the low-1:25s. Last year’s race pace varied from high-1:25s to low-to-mid-1:26s. Tommy Hayden, the newest member of the Yoshimura Suzuki team, latched onto Mladin late in the session and turned his best lap of the weekend so far, a 1:25.070. Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom jumped up the order with his last two laps, a 1:26.036 and a 1:25.831, which earned him the final spot on the provisional front row. Miguel Duhamel was the fastest Honda rider Friday, his 1:25.942 putting him fifth in the provisional qualifying order. Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Jake Holden was third-fastest on his Superstock-spec GSX-R1000 with less than seven minutes to go in qualifying, but his 1:26.045 was shuffled down the order in the final minutes. He ended up sixth-quickest. Bostrom’s teammate Jason DiSalvo was right behind Holden with a 1:26.052, and Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke rounded out the provisional second row with a 1:26.401 on his CBR1000RR. Riding with a two-week-old broken rib, Holden’s teammate Aaron Yates qualified ninth Friday with a 1:26.434. Jamie Hacking turned a 1:25.884 on his Monster Energy Kawasaki ZX-10R in Friday morning practice, but in the afternoon his best effort was only 1:26.577, the 10th-fastest time. Hacking’s teammate Roger Hayden qualified 13th Friday afternoon, only a few hours after he suffered a big crash on his ZX-6R Supersport bike. AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 20, 2007 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:24.318 2. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:25.013 3. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:25.071 4. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:25.831 5. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:25.942 6. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.045* 7. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:26.052 8. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:26.401 9. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.434 10. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:26.577 11. James Ellison (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:27.020 12. Matt Lynn (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, 1:27.450 13. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:27.475 14. Luca Scassa (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, 1:27.673 15. Jordan Szoke (Kaw ZX-10R), Pirelli, 1:27.918 16. Kevin Lacombe (Yam YZF-R1), Pirelli, 1:28.027 17. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:28.410* 18. Steve Crevier (Yam YZF-R1), Pirelli, 1:28.458 19. Doug Chandler (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:28.475 20. Clint McBain (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:28.548 21. Francis Martin (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:28.707 22. Kurtis Roberts (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:28.720 23. Martin Cardenas (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:29.276 24. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:29.516 25. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:29.614 26. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:30.509 27. Andrew Nelson (Yam YZF-R1), Pirelli, 1:30.644 28. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:30.727 29. Tristan Palmer (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:30.850 30. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:31.335 31. James Stroud (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:31.370 32. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:31.489 33. Chuck Ivey (Yam YZF-R1), Pirelli, 1:32.021 34. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:32.455 35. Chad Rolland (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:32.577 36. James Kerker (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:32.870 37. Brendon Marshall (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:32.980 38. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:33.536 39. Marcin Biernacki (Yam YZF-R1), 1:35.183 * Superstock-spec machine More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Reigning AMA Superbike Champion Ben Spies headed a Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 clean sweep of the top three places during qualifying for this weekend’s AMA Superbike double-header at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. The Texan rider beat his own lap record, set during his victory there last year, with a time of 1:24.318 around the sun-blessed 2.4-mile circuit to finish ahead of team mates Mat Mladin and Tommy Hayden. Said Spies: “The bike’s working really well but I’d like to my times down into the 1:23s. If the track is cooler in the morning and if I put a softer tyre on, I think it’s possible. But right now we’ve got a good bike and it’s working really well on race tyres.” Barber was where he began his 2006 championship victory-run last season: After his double-victory, he followed up with wins at California Speedway and Infineon Raceway and by the time defending Champion Mat Mladin recovered, it was too late. “It’s just it’s nice to come back here – the first track where we kind of started the streak and we started the Championship season – and come back with the Number One plate and be on the top so far. Mat’s definitely stepped his game up too and it’s going to be a good weekend an interesting year and I think.” Mladin was consistently second fastest and he finished just 700ths-of-a-second behind, closely followed by the newest Yoshimura team member Tommy Hayden with a time of 1:25.070.

2007 AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 20, 2007 Provisional Practice Results (Current lap record – Ben Spies 1:24.830): 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:24.735 2. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:25.301 3. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:25.884 4. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:25.995 5. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:26.015 6. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:26.167* 7. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:26.167 8. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.331* 9. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.416 10. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:26.426 11. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:26.490 12. Luca Scassa (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, 1:27.431 13. James Ellison (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:27.485 14. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.983* 15. Matt Lynn (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), Dunlop, 1:28.141 16. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), Dunlop, 1:28.195 17. Steve Crevier (Yam YZF-R1), Pirelli, 1:28.496 18. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:28.765 19. Kurtis Roberts (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:28.765 20. Jordan Szoke (Kaw ZX-10R), Pirelli, 1:28.821 * Superstock-spec machine

2007 Lockhart Phillips USA AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 20, 2007 Provisional Practice Results: 1. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:27.559 2. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:27.936 3. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:27.991 4. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:28.032 5. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:28.404 6. Chaz Davies (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:28.651 7. Marty Craggill (Duc 749/848R), Dunlop, 1:29.071 8. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:29.322 9. Ryan Elleby (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:29.357 10. Larry Pegram (Duc 749/848R), Dunlop, 1:29.359 11. Chris Peris (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:30.058 12. Kevin Lacombe (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:30.118 13. Cory West (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:30.319 14. Keith Marshall (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.472 15. David Anthony (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:30.598 16. Josh Day (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:30.767 17. Garrett Carter (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:30.774 18. Steve Crevier (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:31.014 19. Andrew Nelson (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:31.027 20. Tony Meiring (Yam YZF-R6), Michelin, 1:31.620

Le Mans 24hrs SERT dominate final qualifying ahead of Yamaha GMT 94 Two Suzuki Endurance Racing Team machines will begin this weekend’s Le Mans 24hrs as favourites. On the GSX-R 2, William Costes, Guillaume Dietrich and Max Neukirchner improved upon their fastest lap-times during today’s second round of qualifying. The Suzuki Team sits at the top of the qualifying board with an average riders’ time of 1’39.229. The GSXR-R 1 ridden by Vincent Philippe, Julien Da Costa and Matthieu Lagrive also improved during the second round of qualifying, taking second place just in front of the Yamaha GMT 94. This second round of qualifying has been difficult for the GMT 94. Without qualifying tyres during this second round, Sebastien Gimbert, David Checa and Olivier Four could not beat their times achieved yesterday. In the attempt to beat his previous time by a hundredth of a second, Olivier Four fell at the Dunlop corner, leaving Yamaha GMT 94’s bike damaged but the rider unhurt. The Yamaha GMT 94 team retained third place in front of the Yamaha Austria Racing Team. On the R1, Austrian Igor Jerman, Sébastien Scarnato and Damian Cudlin managed to improve on yesterday’s qualifying time. Team Kawasaki France have a reason to smile, clinching fifth place after the second qualifying round was disputed by Steve Plater, Scott Smart and Julian Mazuecos. Spaniard Mazuecos achieved the fastest time of 1’39.149. Gwen Giabbani, recovering after a fall in the French Championship, has been named as reserve but could possibly regain his place at the expense of Scott Smart. The final decision will be made by Team Kawasaki France this evening. The Yamaha Power 113 team of Patrick Piot, Cyril Huvier and Fabrice Auger confirmed its position as a serious challenge, taking an impressive sixth place in front of Yamaha Phase One ridden by Warwick Nowland, Glen Richards and Didier Van Keymeulen. There was disappointment for the Bolliger Team who managed only eleventh place. Winners of the 2006 Le Mans 24hrs, the Honda National Motos team was also disappointed, managing only ninth place. This evening the pitlane and its stands will be open for the public to celebrate the 30th year of Le Mans 24hrs. Teams will make their last minute adjustments during tomorrow’s warm-up which begins at 10.30am. The racing begins at 15.00. 2007 FIM Endurance World Championship Le Mans, France April 20, 2007 Final Qualifying Results: 1. 2, SBK, SUZUKI (COSTES 1:38.733/DIETRICH 1:39.969/NEUKIRCHNER 1:39.361), 1:39.354 2. 94, SBK, YAMAHA (GIMBERT 1:39.184/CHECA 1:39.713/FOUR 1:39.781), 1:39.559 3. 1, SBK, SUZUKI (PHILIPPE 1:39.457/DA COSTA 1:39.803/LAGRIVE 1:39.729), 1:39.663 4. 7, SBK, YAMAHA (JERMAN 1:40.021/SCARNATO 1:39.900/CUDLIN 1:40.926), 1:40.282 5. 113, SBK, YAMAHA (PIOT 1:40.086/HUVIER 1:41.020/AUGER 1:41.773), 1:40.960 6. 55, SBK, HONDA (PROTAT 1:41.148/RIBALTA 1:40.476/BOUAN 1:41.379), 1:41.001 7. 72, SST, SUZUKI (FORAY 1:41.379/JONCHIERE 1:40.757/DELHALLE 1:41.061), 1:41.066 8. 8, SBK, KAWASAKI (MORILLON 1:40.931/MUFF 1:40.485/SAIGER 1:42.359), 1:41.258 9. 3, SBK, YAMAHA (NOWLAND 1:42.285/RICHARDS 1:42.002/van KEYMEULEN 1:40.903), 1:41.730 10. 91, SBK, HONDA (DE CAROLIS 1:42.361/TANGRE 1:41.268/BARRIER 1:41.754), 1:41.794 37. 9, SPP, YAMAHA (TESSARI 1:44.282/GRUY 1:45.873/RICCI 1:45.999), 1:45.385 More, from a press release issued by Kel Edge Photography: BMW’s return to world championship racing after 50 years FIRST AIM ACHIEVED BMW Motorrad Motorsport achieved their first goal of the season by qualifying for the Le Mans 24 hour race. Their 37th place on the grid is better then many of the regular competitors, despite a considerable weight and power disadvantage, and now the whole team are excited about the prospects ahead in what is arguably one of the most gruelling races in the calendar. The team’s three riders, Rico Penzkofer, Thomas Hinterreiter and Marcus Barth (together with reserve Nate Kern) all did a superb job during practice and qualifying sessions and made sure that BMW’s return to top level racing would start in the best possible way. Suzuki factory teams dominated qualifying with the number 2 bike of Costes, Dietrich and Neukirchner taking pole position ahead of their team mates Philippe, Da Costa and Lagrive. Third quickest is Gimbert, Checa and Four (Yamaha) with Jerman, Scarnato and Cudlin (Yamaha) fourth. Marcus Barth (1:45.250) I’m happy and I think the whole team are happy that we’ve qualified for the race. The team have done a lot of superb work in a short time and the bike is now in a pretty good condition. We’ve got a good base set-up and everything is working much better then when we we started in first practice. For me, finishing the race is more important then the actually placing. Thomas Hinterreiter (1:44.299) I believed we’d qualify for this race, because I really believe in this bike – especially after all the hard work the team have put in. And I must say I’m having fun riding it as well! So far, I’ve had no ‘moment’s or dramas and everything has gone very well since first practice. This is a completely new project for us all and we’ve all done a lot of work in a small time. We’ve spent the time so far getting a good set-up and playing around with the mapping and now I think we’re pretty satisfied with what we’ve achieved so far. Now our objective is to run at a good pace, have no crashes or big problems and finish the race. Rico Penzkofer (1:45.023) I’m happy that we’ve qualified because we’ve worked so hard over the past few days and found a good base for the bike. We’ve done a lot of work on the chassis and suspension and we’ve made quite big step forward since we started. I’m particularly happy with how we’ve all worked together so well, so quickly and now I hope we can finish this tough race. Nate Kern (reserve rider) I’m very happy for the team and myself and now the project has started in a positive way, because we are in the race. I only had about 25 laps in total on the bike in practice and qualifying, so to be be less then one and a half seconds slower then the rest of our guys is pretty good I think. I really loved the night qualifying – even though I couldn’t always see where I was going! I had a good time in dark and did some really good, consistent fast laps.I’m surprised and happy how the project has come together so quickly and that’s a testament to all the hard work that has been done. When you look at the field, you’ll see that we’ve beaten over a third and that’s pretty good. My job, as reserve rider, is to take over from a rider if there is a problem or injury. Hopefully that will not happen, but whatever does happen, I’m hoping that we’re going to finish the race, because that is our objective. Bertie Hauser (Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport) I am so delighted and happy that we’ve qualified, even though I know that we weren’t pushing so hard. it would have been stupid to try and force the pace, when all we wanted to do is make sure we would qualify. We’re in the race and that was our first target, so we’re happy because we’ve achieved this first objective. I can’t believe how hard and well all of our guys have worked, but they’ve been incredibly motivated right from the start – and that motivation has paid off. Our riders have a lot of experience between them and our next objective is to bring the bike back home aftyer twenty-four hours and finish the race.

2007 AMA Honda Pro Oils Supersport presented by Shoei Helmets Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 20, 2007 Provisional Practice Results: 1. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-6R), Dunlop, 1:27.700 2. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:28.099 3. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:28.140 4. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:28.165 5. Chaz Davies (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:28.549 6. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:28.576 7. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:28.588 8. Tommy Hayden (Suz GSX-R600), Dunlop, 1:28.705 9. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:28.825 10. Chris Peris (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:29.236 11. Michael Beck (Suz GSX-R600), Pirelli, 1:29.440 12. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R600), Dunlop, 1:29.643 13. Ryan Elleby (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:29.699 14. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:29.714 15. Jeff Wood (Yam YZF-R6), Dunlop, 1:29.901 16. Cory West (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:29.936 17. David Anthony (Yam YZF-R6), Pirelli, 1:30.042 18. Taylor Knapp (Kaw ZX-6R), Pirelli, 1:30.155 19. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R600), Dunlop, 1:30.266 20. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR), Dunlop, 1:30.343

Several racers in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship are present and racing this weekend in the AMA Superbike Championship event at Barber Motorsports Park. Among the riders present are: reigning Canadian Superbike Champion Jordan Szoke, Suzuki Blackfoot/Picotte Motosport’s Pascal Picotte and Francis Martin, Team Toyota Yamaha Fast Company Racing’s Steve Crevier, Toyota Brooklin Cycles Racing’s Kevin Lacombe, Andrew Nelson and Clint McBain. Szoke’s 15-year-old teammate Brett McCormick is too young to race with the AMA. The Canadian racers just attended a series-sponsored test session April 16-17 at Jennings GP, in Jennings, Florida. Szoke’s Kawasaki Canada team stayed on for additional testing at JenningsGP April 18. The Canadian teams and riders are using the Barber race weekend as additional testing prior to the start of their season May 31 June 3 at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant. The Canadian national series is governed by dyno-enforced maximum horsepower limits and runs on spec Pirelli tires.

AMA Superstock Championship Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 20, 2007 Provisional Practice Results (current lap record – Jamie Hacking 1:25.832): 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:25.670 2. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.007 3. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:26.373 4. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:26.550 5. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:26.974 6. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:27.491 7. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:28.592 8. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:29.219 9. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:29.279 10. Gary Mason (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:29.781 11. Bryan West (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:30.343 12. Martin Cardenas (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:30.444 13. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:30.548 14. Randy Kienast (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:32.034 15. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:32.051 16. Santiago Villa (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:32.511 17. James Kerker (Hon CBR1000RR), Dunlop, 1:32.877 18. David Loikits (Suz GSX-R1000), Pirelli, 1:33.088 19. Ivan Garza (Suz GSX-R1000), Dunlop, 1:33.611 20. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R1), Dunlop, 1:33.775