Team Stargel is back in 2007 and rolls with the punches The rider for the Michelin shod Team Stargel will again be 2005 and 2006 team rider and 2003 AMA Horizon Award winner, Brian Stokes. Though Brian was scheduled to be on the Stargel Yamahas for the upcoming Daytona events, injuries sustained during the ASRA event at Daytona have precluded Brian from riding at the AMA events. Team owner Rocky Stargel commented on Brian’s injury: “What a difficult way to start off our year. Steve Liberatore and Yamaha really pitched in to give us the jump on 2007 with their potent R6 and R1 and Ron Wood at Michelin really gave us an edge to start our season. Bill Syfan and Leo Vince helped us put out some impressive, useable power. Brian getting hurt was a heartbreak to everyone but we are committed to have Brian back on our bikes as soon as he is physically able.” Past AMA race winner Tony “The Tiger” Meiring will be filling in for Stokes at Daytona. “I am looking forward to seeing Tony on our bikes to see how he does; I only wish it had come about in another way.” Stargel commented. Stargel also commented on the outpouring of support and concern for Brian Stokes injuries. “I was taken aback at the number of people who came over to check on Brian and to see if we needed any help with the bikes. Kevin Hunt from KWS, Chip Spalding and too many to begin to name were a huge help and their concern and aid really made me feel proud to be part of the AMA paddock.” The team is committed to having Brian Stokes back as soon possible but if Brian is unable to compete at Barber a decision on the rider will be made leading up to the round.

Zemke, Duhamel Bring Honda’s 1-2 Punch For 66th Daytona 200 By Honda DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., — Honda’s Jake Zemke will try to defend his Daytona 200 By Honda victory while his teammate Miguel Duhamel will attempt to win a record sixth triumph in the 66th motorcycle classic that is scheduled for Saturday, March 10. Zemke captured last year’s Daytona 200 By Honda and will be shooting for back-to-back victories in the 68-lap motorcycle classic that will start on Saturday at 2 p.m. “It was real big,” Zemke said during one of the preseason tire tests at DIS. “As I said after it happened, as a kid growing up I always looked at all the names of the people who have won this race. Historically, the Daytona 200 is the biggest race we have in America, and it means an awful lot to put my name up there with some of the legends of motorcycle racing.” Duhamel won his first Daytona 200 By Honda back in 1991 and his fifth victory which tied him with motorcycle legend Scott Russell atop the wins’ list came in 2005. If Duhamel was to win a sixth Daytona 200 By Honda on Saturday, he would also become the oldest winner of the historic motorcycle race at the age of 38. Dick Mann is currently the oldest winner on record in the Daytona 200 By Honda when he was just shy of 37 years old when he won the race in 1971. “I’d be extremely blessed and lucky if I can get another shot at winning it again,” Duhamel said. Other riders that will content for a Daytona 200 By Honda are Erion Racing’s Josh Hayes, who finished second to Zemke, and Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo and M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Michael Barnes. Winning the Daytona 200 By Honda is not only important to the riders in the race, but also the manufacturers. A victory in motorcycle’s premier event can translate into bigger bike sales for manufacturers. “To win the Daytona 200, it’s huge for the manufacturers because it’s the start of spring,” Zemke said. “It’s March. It’s when all the sport bikes are coming out. It creates a lot of press and a lot of publicity for the manufacturers that win the race. It’s definitely a great way to sell motorcycles. That’s the whole reason why we do race, because it’s an advertising tool to the public to showcase the attributes of the bike.” Tickets for any of the Daytona 200 Week By Honda events are available online at ~http://www.racetickets.com~ or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. More, from a press release issued by Johnny Rock Page: JOHNNY ROCK PAGE #269 AMA-PRO TO DEBUT LAST YEARS GRAVES YAMAHA R1-LE’S AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY Johnny Rock Page of Phoenix AZ will attempt to participate in the opening round of the AMA Series in four of four classes: Superbike, Superstock, Supersport, and FX in the Daytona 200 Wednesday, March 7th through Saturday, March 10th. The opening round starts with Daytona International Speedway (The same as NASCAR) having the same impact of one of the most prestigious races of the season. As the “Worlds Largest Motorcycle Event” bike week is celebrating its 66th anniversary in 2007 and will play host to well over 250,000 motorcyclists & spectators. Johnny Rock Page will be trying to race in (4) events on his 944.com (Magazine) prepared motorcycles. On his 2006 YAMAHA R1-LE he will be racing in Superstock and Superbike. For the Daytona “200” FX class and Supersport he will be racing on his 2006 YAMAHA R6’s. The Superbike and FX races will be televised live on Speed channel (schedule below). Johnny has been testing the Graves-Yamaha R1-LE’s since last October in which he took a podium finish during Nationals and at his home track Firebird Raceway: Main, East, and west, getting them race ready for this years AMA-PRO events. The challenge was getting the bikes chassis to work for him weighing 170 Pounds VS how the set ups were in place for Jamie Hacking and Eric Bostrom. Johnny has never raced in the Superbike Class at an AMA-PRO event. He has set what he thinks are realistic personal goals in hopes of qualifying for at least 50% of the scheduled AMA-PRO Superbike events, on his 944.com (Magazine), Superstock bikes. “I really want to get rid of my 600cc motorcycles, however until my riding level goes up as a Superbike racer, the thought of not qualifying for the Superbike class and being stuck salivating only racing in the Superstock class makes me nauseous. When you see me sell my 600cc motorcycles, you’ll know that I’m ready and confident, until then wish me luck and good skill in trying to get faster!” The schedule for Daytona race week is as follows: Speed Channel Coverage Wednesday March 7th Practice Thursday March 8th (2:30 ET) Qualifying and Supersport and Superstock races Friday March 9th Supercross races Saturday March 10th (Live) 11:00 AM ET Superbike (Live) 1:30 PM ET Daytona 200 Formula Xtreme

American Honda riders Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke go into Saturday’s Daytona 200 race aiming to give Honda a third consecutive victory in America’s most prestigious road race, a record as the first manufacturer to win three 200s on the bounce. The two riders will be equipped with the latest version of the CBR600RR that carried Zemke to victory last year and Duhamel the win in 2005. Duhamel 38, from LaSalle – Quebec, Canada is chasing a record breaking sixth win in the event. Currently tied on five wins with fellow American Scott Russell, Duhamel is a strong favourite of many to use the CBR600RR power to dominate the race but Zemke has tasted victory at in the 200 and will push him all the way in the 68 lap race. Should Duhamel score a sixth record breaking win he will be the oldest rider ever to win the race, the legendary Dick Mann is the current holder of that honour winning the 200 when just short of his 37th birthday. “All the Honda boys will be on the same bike so they’ll be really fast,” Duhamel explained. “And then you’ll have the riders from Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Ducati who should be really strong as well. They might pop their head in there and surprise some people. But that’s the nature of the Daytona 200, you can always expect surprises from that race.” “The Daytona 200, as anyone can tell you if you grew up racing, you knew all about it,” Zemke said after winning last year. “It doesn’t matter (even) if you’re a motocrosser. Motocrossers know about the Daytona 200. Everybody knows about the Daytona 200. So it’s something, as a kid that you look at the names on the list of the winners of the 200, and it’s a who’s who list, and I’m proud to put my name up there.” The Daytona race will be the only time the American Honda riders campaign the CBR600RR their main target for 2007 will be the AMA Superbike Championship. In the premier class of US road racing the two will contest the 11 event 19 race schedule aboard CBR1000RR Hondas in a bid to regain the title last won by reigning MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden, in 2002. The first Superbike race action of the season will be the curtain raiser on 200-race day and Duhamel and Zemke will chase maximum Superbike points to get the season off to a perfect start. Fitted with traction control for the first time the CBR1000RRs have been running consistently fast times in winter testing and both men are confident of finishing higher this time round than the third place finish overall by Duhamel last season. Zemke ended 2006 in eighth place. The Superbike race will serve a double purpose on Saturday. The race is crucial to the early season fortunes of the American Honda team but also caries the additional benefit of data gathering on track conditions, tyre wear and pit crew refuelling practice in preparation for the Daytona 200 later in the day.

Klaus Klaffenböck and his sidecar passenger Christian Parzer have just taken delivery of their new sidecar which they will race at the Centenary TT races. The sidecar has been crafted by Swiss specialist manufacturer LCR. The LC in LCR is Louis Christen who next to Dave Molyneux, is the only man capable of building machines that can take on the rigours of the TT Mountain circuit. Riders will queue up to get their hands on one of these! Klaffi and Christian already have experience of an LCR F2 sidecar as that is what they used to put in their best lap time on the Isle of Man in 2006. The new 2007 model has further improvements and updates. The front fairing has been raised in front of the rider to provide better head and shoulder protection which also improves aerodynamics. The air intakes for the air box have been integrated into the fairing. The air box itself is larger to improve the air supply to the engine. The chassis has been reinforced which will help it deal with the undulations of the Mountain circuit. The engine is no longer a load bearing element of the chassis and is rubber mounted for less vibration. Even the brake system layout has been revised giving it better cover in the driver’s area which in turn allows more space in the chair for Parzer to stretch out! With the LCR sidecar now at Klaffi Honda’s workshop the team is preparing it for the first roll out. The Honda CBR 600RR engine which will be fitted to the sidecar has already been prepared. With the new sidecar Klaffenböck and Parzer are likely to achieve a top speed of over 260 kilometres per hour.

The Buildbase Ducati Team has just completed its first serious test of the year at the sun-baked Circuito Cartagena in south east Spain. The Team’s optimism, as they flew out last Tuesday, was duly rewarded by the performance of the new Ducati 1098s and the Team’s new riders Kieran Clarke and John Laverty. Neither John nor Kieran have ever ridden a V twin Ducati before and, as everyone knows, the characteristics are totally different to Japanese in-line-fours requiring a completely different riding style. The change in approach is a testament to John and Kieran’s professionalism and unquestioned ability so it is a credit to both riders that they adjusted so quickly. The Ducati 1098s performed impeccably, and did not miss a beat throughout the entire four day test, enabling the rider’s lap times to systematically improve as each test session came to a close. The Team still have a lot of performance enhancements to make to the bikes before the official MCRCB test at Snetterton later this month, so the performance results at Cartagena are all the more encouraging knowing that the bikes were pretty much in road trim. It was also the first time this year that whole the crew had met each other and worked together so again it was a great shake down for everyone involved in the Buildbase Ducati 1098 Team. Finally a big thank you must go out to all of our sponsors and team partners who are making this year possible and we look forward to seeing everyone at Snetterton in a few weeks time.

Bridgestone GP Briefing Round 1: Qatar Tuesday 6 March 2007 The 2007 MotoGP championship gets underway in earnest at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar this week after an intensive pre-season period of testing and development concluded at Jerez, Spain just over a week ago. This debut race on an expanded 18-race calendar will see Bridgestone work for the first time with a strict limit of 31 tyres (14 fronts, 17 rears) per rider for the duration of the event. Bridgestone has increased its tyre supply to five teams this season (Ducati, Honda Gresini, Kawasaki, Pramac D’Antin and Suzuki) and will look to make good use of the recent Qatar test to get its sixth MotoGP season off to a solid start. Tyre Talk with Hiroshi Yamada Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager, Motorcycle Sport Department Qatar Testing “The mid-February Qatar test was very helpful for Bridgestone. It was the final stage to confirm the fundamental development for our tyres, and we found a good direction for compound, shape, construction. Based on the results, we have carried out the final adjustment to make our tyres as competitive as possible for this weekend. The feedback and data from our teams has steered this final development step and consequently we will bring around ten specifications of front and rear tyre, a medium and a hard spec for each of our five teams, which we hope will yield positive results. Qatar has never been one of our strongest tracks, but this recent test has indicated that progress has been made.” The Weekend Ahead “It is tougher than ever to say who will be the competitive force in each GP. We have a totally new tyre line up for this season, partly as a result of our usual year-on-year development, and partly to adjust the tyres for new character of the 800cc machines. We are confident in the work that we have done in Japan and in testing since last season, but the target is always moving. We are acutely aware that our rivals are always using their vast experience of top tier motorcycle racing in a bid to stay one competitive step ahead. The Ducati team finished third and fourth on our tyres in last year’s Qatar GP on an unfavourable track for us and anything can happen at the first race of the season. It all comes down to who has done their homework most diligently.” New Tyre Regulations “After months of discussion and negotiation, Qatar will see the debut of the new MotoGP tyre regulations, which will restrict to 31 the number of tyres that we can supply each rider. We carried out a simulation of the tyre scanning and marking procedures with FIM in the Jerez test with positive results. All in all, thanks to the support of our five teams, we can adapt well to the new restrictions and get straight down to race preparation work in Thursday practice.” Qualifying Tyres “Qualifying looks set to be an interesting battle this season if the results of the forty-minute shoot-out in Jerez are anything to go by. At Bridgestone, we certainly acknowledge that there is work to do on our qualifying tyres to enhance one-lap performance. Based on the results of winter tests, we put together a specific development plan for qualifying tyres, which we have already started to work on. The new 800cc machines demand a lot of emphasis on the front tyre to combat the increased cornering speeds, so we are working on the front tyre in qualifying to make it work in harmony with the rear.” Riding Perspective with Ducati’s Casey Stoner “The Qatar track surface can be pretty changeable, one day the track is fast, the next day it can be slow. It’s not the most exciting track, it’s very flat, with not enough camber on the corners, and most of it is average corners flowing together. It can be good for racing though, you normally get a nice little battle up front. The tests we did at Qatar last month were very positive, so I’m feeling quite confident going into this race. I’ve had some good races in the past there, so it could be good for us. We were okay with tyres in the test and we ran a good race pace. I couldn’t be happier with the team, everyone gets on great and the bike has got better and better at every track we’ve been to. It’s looking very competitive and the Bridgestone tyres are looking great as well.” 2006 Flashback Race Winner Valentino Rossi Yamaha 43m22.229s Top Rider on Bridgestone (3rd) Loris Capirossi Ducati 43m23.723s (+1.494s) Pole Position Casey Stoner Honda LCR 1m55.683s Top Rider on Bridgestone (2nd) Loris Capirossi Ducati 1m55.721s (+0.038s)