DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM BEGINS MOTOGP’S NEW 800 ERA MotoGP commences a new era in Qatar, all-new 800cc machines replacing the 990s that ruled the sport from 2002 to 2006. The Ducati Marlboro Team brings its Desmosedici GP7 to this crucial first race of the 800 era following a fruitful winter of development that has seen the Bologna-based squad covers thousands of track kilometres during test sessions in Spain, Australia, Malaysia and Qatar. Ducati stalwart Loris Capirossi and new team-mate Casey Stoner went well during last month’s Qatar tests, putting them in positive mood for Saturday’s season-opening Grand Prix. And both men have great form at the Middle Eastern venue – Capirossi took pole position in 2005 and qualified second last year, finishing the race in third place. Stoner took pole position last year, making him the second youngest rider in history to start a premier-class race from pole. In the race he battled for the lead and finished a close fifth. LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “It’s good to finally go racing after a long winter of testing. We start the season at a track where we recently had some pretty good tests, so we are quite confident that we can have a good first race. This season is going to be really tough for everyone involved in MotoGP, it’s the biggest season ever, the new 800s are really fast and there’s a lot of guys going very, very quick, already quicker than the 990s at some tracks. Our aim is to be in the front group from the very beginning”. LORIS CAPIROSSI, Ducati Marlboro Team rider “This year is so important for me because I know I don’t have too many more seasons in me, maybe one, maybe two, maybe more, I’m not sure. So I am more determined than ever to do my best and the first race is very important. It is great that we were able to test at Qatar only a few weeks ago. We made some good preparations during those tests with some good long runs, so I think we are ready to fight for the podium at this race. The track is okay for our style of bike and tyres. The big thing you really need for this race is good feeling from the front tyre, so we’ve had to work very hard on that for Qatar. You also need good agility for all the direction changes – and the GP7 is more agile than last year’s GP6”. CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team rider “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 tyres are looking great as well. 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, we ran a good race pace. The only thing with Qatar is the track surface, it 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 TRACK Losail is one of MotoGP’s newer circuits and the sport’s first Middle Eastern venue. The track hosted its inaugural event in 2004, when windblown desert sand made the circuit treacherously slippery but the surface has improved a lot since then, though sand can still be an issue. Dominated by a 1.1km straight, the remainder of the 5.4km Losail track is a sinuous high-speed switchback, with most corners leading into one another, rather than separated by straights. Heat was a concern at the inaugural Qatar GP held in October when temperatures nudged 50 degrees. Since then the event has been scheduled at cooler times of year. Lap record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m 57.305s, 165.108kmh/102.593mph (2006) Pole position 2006: Casey Stoner (Honda), 1m 55.683s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 33 (born 4 April 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7 GP starts: 248 (78xMotoGP, 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) Losail 2006 results: Grid: 2nd. Race: 3rd CASEY STONER Age: 21 (born 16 October 16 1985) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7 GP starts: 77 (16xMotoGP, 31×250, 30×125) GP victories: 7 (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) Losail 2006 results: Grid: pole. Race: 5th

Woodhall Spa Superbike star Steve Plater continued his test programme with a two-day work out at Albacete in Spain with World Endurance team Kawasaki France. “I had a good test,” said Steve. “Everything went according to plan for me although my French teammate Gwen Giabbani tipped off a couple of times, but luckily he was unhurt so was able to continue. I got some decent times in over the two days, and now feel ready for the opening round of the series, which is the 24 hour race at Le Mans on April 21/22.” Prior to that Steve returns to Albacete on March 16 for a series of tests with the AIM Yamaha team with whom he will be contesting the British Superbike championship in 2007 plus the North West 200 and also the TT. The following week he moves to Le Mans for more testing with Kawasaki France on March 21/22 and then back to Snetterton the following day for the official British Superbike test weekend with AIM Yamaha. The final test for Steve will be back at Le Mans for a last minute check prior to the big race in April before a quick dash back across the channel in time for the opening round of the British Superbike championship on Easter Monday.

Veteran Michael Himmelsbach and 17-year-old Young Gun Josh Day rode their Vallely Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 to the overall ASRA Team Challenge victory Friday at Daytona International Speedway. “Consistency,” said Himmelsbach, when asked what was the key to his team’s victory. “We ran consistent laps in the 1:49 range. I think the Pirelli tires worked really good for us. We had a plan and we stuck to it. The plan was to do 25 laps on a tire, and we did that.” Vallely Racing used one front and three rear Pirelli slicks to complete 49 laps of the 2.95-mile infield road course and win the red-flag-shortened endurance race. ASRA’s provisional results listed JHK Motorsports’ Michael Murray and Jonathan Lawrence as finishing second overall and first in the GTU class on their Yamaha YZF-R6, while defending ASRA Team Challenge Champion Moon’s Super Cycle’s Calvin Martinez and Shawn Hill were credited with third on a Suz GSX-R1000. ASRA Team Challenge Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida March 2, 2007 Results: Overall: 1. Vallely Racing (Michael Himmelsbach/Josh Day), Suz GSX-R1000, GTO, 49 laps 2. JHK Motorsports (Michael Murray/Jonathan Lawrence), Yam YZF-R6, GTU, 48 laps 3. Moon’s Super Cycle (Calvin Martinez/Shawn Hill), Suz GSX-R1000, GTO, 48 laps 4. Moon Cycles Repsol (Paul Gilchrist/Rick Beggs), Suz GSX-R1000, GTO, 48 laps 5. Chucktown Moto (Kenny Rodriguez/Matt Huber), Yam YZF-R1, GTO, 47 laps 6. JHR (Melissa Paris/Josh Hayes), Hon CBR600RR, GTU, 46 laps 7. Team Lady Luck (Michael Martire/David Hudson/Galen Miller), MuZ 1000, GTO, 46 laps 8. RNR Cycles (Rachel Sasse/Eric Sampson/Ed Rodriguez), Kaw ZX-6/636R, GTU, 46 laps 9. Aprilia Team (Frederico Aliverti/Giancarlo Dematteis/Daniele Veghini), Apr RSV1000 Tuono, GTO, 45 laps 10. Rightsforbikers.com (John Linder/C.J. Czaia), Duc 1000, GTL, 45 laps GTO: 1. Vallely Racing, Suz GSX-R1000, 49 laps 2. Moon’s Super Cycle, Suz GSX-R1000, 48 laps 3. Moon Cycles Repsol, Suz GSX-R1000, 48 laps 4. Chucktown Moto, Yam YZF-R1, 47 laps 5. Team Lady Luck, MuZ 1000, 46 laps 6. Aprilia Team, Apr RSV1000 Tuono, 45 laps GTU: 1. JHK Motorsports, Yam YZF-R6, 48 laps 2. JHR, Hon CBR600RR, 46 laps 3. RNR Cycles, Kaw ZX-6/636R, 46 laps 4. Garretson Racing (Bret Garretson/Robert Wilkey), Yam YZF-R6, 44 laps 5. MWT Racing (Dennis Espinosa/Larry Karpinsky), Suz GSX-R600, 44 laps 6. Rig It Racing (Danny Neron/Martin Neron/Andy Reiss), Yam YZF-R6, 43 laps GT Lights: 1. Rightsforbikers.com, Duc 1000, 45 laps 2. Touring Sport Ducati (Pete Friedland/Brad Phillips/Frank Shockley), Duc 1000, 44 laps 3. Team G.M.D. Computrack (Antonio Coma/Darren Luck), Suz SV650, 44 laps 4. Mighty Lumina Racing (Daniel Ritger/William Davenport/Eric Helmbach), Suz SV650, 44 laps 5. Bad Rad Racing III (Joe Schoch/Aaron Aronson), Suz SV650, 43 laps 6. JGGS Racing (Patrick Doyle/Gerald Young III/Steven Walker), BMW 1100, 40 laps More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway: Team Vallely Takes Win In Team Challenge Daytona 200 Week By Honda Underway DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. The Team Challenge event officially kicked off on-track activities for Daytona 200 Week By Honda on Friday at Daytona International Speedway and Team Vallely, based out of nearby Flagler Beach, Fla., captured the overall victory. With riders Mike Himmelsbach and Josh Day, Team Vallely took the overall victory with a margin of victory of one lap. Tom Vallely, owner of the team, said a softer tire played a big part in the victory. “We went a different way with a softer tire which we’ve never tried before and that was the key,” Vallely said. “We changed tires more but that put us to the front because we had fresh tires.” Team Vallely, which captured the 2005 Team Challenge event during Fall Cycle Scene with a 1-2 finish, will compete in the DAYTONA USA 300 SunTrust MOTO-ST Series event on Sunday afternoon. “I got good guys here,” Vallely said. “Mike and Josh rode their heart out. That’s the real secret. We’ve got really good mechanics and a good engine builder.” The 36-year-old Himmelsbach from Quakertown, Penn., rode the first stint aboard the Suzuki and the 17-year-old Day, who is from Orlando, Fla., brought the bike home to Gatorade Victory Lane. “The first stint went real well for me,” Himmelsbach said. “The only problem that we had was the rain. Anytime you race in something no matter where you are, the rain plays a part in the race. Our goal in our strategy was to be consistent. The Pirelli tire has always worked real well. We had a 25-lap window with those. It worked great. Our team worked excellent. We did really fast pit stops. The team pulled together.” Said Day: “I just rode as fast as I could the safest way and we ended up finishing first. It was unexpected.” JHK Motorsports and riders Michael Murray and Jonathan Lawrence, riding a Yamaha, finish second overall and took GTU class honors. For ticket information on the Daytona 200 Week By Honda, visit www.racetickets.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP. Team Challenge: Overall: 1. Vallely Racing, Suzuki 1000 (Mike Himmelsbach, Josh Day); 2. JHK Motorsports, Yamaha 600 (Michael Murray, Jonathan Lawrence); 3. Moon’s Super Cycle, Suzuki 1000 (Calvin Martinez, Shawn Hill); GTL: 1. RightsForBikers.com, Ducati (C.J. Czaia, John Linder); Solo: David McPherson, Yamaha; GTU: 1. JHK Motorsports, Yamaha 600, (Michael Murray, Jonathan Lawrence); GTO: 1. Vallely Racing, Suzuki (Mike Himmelsbach, Josh Day). GT Lights Expert:: 1. Brian Parriott (BMW 1200), 2. Garrett Rick (Ducati 1000), 3. Rick Breen (Suzuki 650) GT Lights Am:1. Eric Konigsberg (Ducati 992), 2. Alexander Lazo (Suzuki 650), 3. Chris Sullivan (DucatI 1000). GTO Expert: 1. Geoff May (Suzuki 1000), 2. David Loikits (Suzuki 1000), 3. David McEnery (Suzuki 1000). GTO Amateur: 1. Robert Dougherty (Suzuki 750), 2. Larry Karpinsky Jr. (Yamaha 600), 3. Dennis Espinoza (Honda 1000) Akrapovic Exhaust GTU Expert: 1. Michal Barnes (Suzuki 600), 2. Michael Beck (Suzuki 600), 3. Trey Yonce (Suzuki 600) Akrapovic Exhause GTU Amateur: 1. Brian Rivera (Yamaha 600), 2. Larry Karpinsky Jr. (Yamaha 600), 3. Steve Hamer (Yamaha 600) Formula 40 Expert: 1. Robert Lang (Suzuki 750), 2. JB Layman (Yamaha 600), 3. Morgan Gilbert (Suzuki 600) Formula 40 Amateur: 1. Robert Dougherty (Suzuki 750), 2. Robert Picinich (Kawasaki 600), 3. Dennis Espinoza (Suzuki 600) LW Formula 40 Expert: 1. Jeffrey Johnson (Buel 1000), 2. Mark Tenn (Yamaha 600), 3. Eric Helmbach (Honda 600) LW Formula 40 Amateur: 1. Stephen Walker (BMW 1200), 2. Chris Sullivan (Ducati 1000), 3. Marcus Miller (Ducati 748) More, from a press release issued by Team DafanZ Tuning: Team DafanZ Tuning’s 2007 ASRA Solo Challenge season got off to a great start Friday as rider Krishna Pribadi finished 2nd in the opening Daytona round of the series aboard a Honda CBR600RR. Continuing his own success in 2006, DafanZ Tuning owner Dafan Zhang has signed Krishna Pribadi of Anniston, AL as the DafanZ Tuning rider to campaign the 2007 ASRA Solo Challenge series. Having competed extensively in endurance racing as a part of Steel City Racing, Pribadi has the skills and experience necessary to challenge for race wins and the series title. With the help of an experience pit crew, Pribadi completed 46 laps around the high banks of Daytona International Speedway and finished on the podium, scoring a solid start to his title challenge. Krishna Pribadi Team DafanZ Tuning ASRA #707

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Official Tests Junior Talent taste race atmosphere on KTM machines ahead of 7- event Rookies Cup. Talented young riders revelled in the true racing circuit atmosphere in Valencia recently when they gathered for the first official testing for the 2007 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, photo shoots and TV footage. The Rookies Cup is a unique program for sponsoring young motorcycle talent born between 1990 and 1994. This season the competition is truly international with an extended list of 23 riders from 10 nations. Speaking about this year’s extended entry list, KTM Road Racing Director Harald Bartol said: “It was a very nice ‘problem’ for us to have to suddenly have 23 young riders available. We wanted to guarantee the highest possible quality and therefore decided to extend the list of starters.” The official testing underlined the high standard of this year’s competitors, who are all riding KTM RC 125 machines. Although several had not completely recovered from previous injuries, they were determined to put in a good test. For some, it was their first ride on circuit in a real racing atmosphere. They had to work in a team environment, learn the rules of motor racing and deal with the sport’s stress. Riders were chosen not only on their results but also on their personality, racing spirit, team spirit and sense of fair play. The competitors taste true KTM “Ready to Race” spirit with the team of professional KTM mechanics and two massive RB MotoGP Rookies Cup transporters and tent provide 800m2 of working surface. Catering and a Red Bull Rookies Energy Station are also provided. There are seven stops in the 2007 Rookies Cup all linked to the official MotoGP events. The season starts March 25 in Jerez, Spain with other races at Mugello, Italy; Donington, UK; Assen, Netherlands; on Germany’s Sachsenring, at Brno, Czech Republic before concluding back at the same circuit of the first official training Valencia in Spain. This year’s line-up includes four riders from Germany, five from the United Kingdom, four from Spain, three from the USA, two from France and one each from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Norway and Sweden. Final Rider List No. NAME Country Date of Birth 1 Lukas Sembera Czech Republic 16.10.92 2 Johann Zarco France 16.07.90 3 Cyril Carrillo France 01.09.90 4 Lucy Gloeckner Germany 14.08.90 5 Daniel Kartheininger Germany 21.12.92 6 Markus Reiterberger Germany 09.03.94 7 Christoph Schoenberger Germany 18.09.90 8 Peter Sebestyén Hungary 16.05.94 9 Lorenzo Savadori Italy 04.04.93 10 Sturla Borch Fagerhaug Norway 06.11.91 11 Javier Cholbi – Pascual Spain 03.10.93 12 Kevin Sanchez Montilla Spain 21.06.92 13 Luis Salom Spain 07.08.91 14 Cristian Trabalon Laso Spain 27.06.92 15 Robert Gull Sweden 12.01.91 16 Adam Blacklock United Kingdom 01.03.94 17 Deane Brown United Kingdom 05.04.93 18 Matthew Hoyle United Kingdom 26.04.91 19 Stuart Mitchell United Kingdom 23.08.91 20 Jamie Mossey United Kingdom 22.09.92 21 JD Beach USA 12.10.91 22 Cameron Beaubier USA 06.12.92 23 Kris Turner USA 23.06.92

Q AND A: MICHAEL BARTHOLEMY – COMPETITION MANAGER After three years as the Team Coordinator under the old regime, this season Michael Bartholemy steps up to fulfil the role of Competition Manager within Kawasaki’s new MotoGP racing organisation. No easy task under normal circumstances, but Bartholemy has been the catalyst that has allowed the new organisation to move from a paper plan to a paddock reality in just three months. The 38-year-old Belgian has brought together the personnel, the resources and the equipment to ensure that Kawasaki go into the 2007 season with the strongest team fielded since the Japanese manufacturer made its full time return to Grand Prix racing in 2003. Q: Kawasaki has announced a new, in-house racing team that will contest the MotoGP world championship in 2007. Can you explain the structure that has been put in place? A: This is a fresh start for Kawasaki in MotoGP with the factory race team now part of a new operation to be known as Kawasaki Motors Racing. Commencing officially on April 1 this year, Kawasaki Motors Racing will be the structure that operates the MotoGP team, although in the future KMR will have the ability to enter other motorcycle racing activities. In line with other manufacturers, the MotoGP team is now a full factory, in-house operation. Q: Can you explain the reason behind this new strategy as Kawasaki enters its fifth season year in MotoGP? A: The strategy has been set by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. and this will enable KHI to have control over the team in all areas, including budgets, staff, resources and management. It is completely normal that if KHI are providing the backing for the Kawasaki MotoGP project, that they also have control of the business. Q: Does Kawasaki have a long-term plan for MotoGP? A: Yes, and there is support within the company for a very long-term view of participation in MotoGP, which is the number one motorcycle championship in the world. There is already a five year plan in place through to 2011 for Kawasaki Motor Racing, which will show that MotoGP has become an important marketing tool for the company. Q: Where will the new team be based? A: Our European base will be in The Netherlands, at Herleen just south of Amsterdam, where we will have an office, warehouse and workshop facility. This will be the operational and logistical base for the MotoGP team although all the engineering, design and manufacturing of the race bikes will done by Kawasaki in Japan. Q: How people will be involved in the new team? A: Now that the MotoGP operation has become one group, including the factory engineers, I think we currently have up to 70 staff involved with the project. In the past it was separated between the race team and the factory, but now we are more like one family within Kawasaki. Q: There was obviously a big change in a short period of time to set-up the new team, what was involved? A: Yes, a very big job and difficult to relate. Let’s just say that what was achieved by a small group of people in two months at the end of the last year was really amazing. On the November 8 last year, which was when we began putting together the in-house team, we did not even have one screwdriver – we did not carry over any infrastructure from the previous years. None of this could have happened without a lot of dedicated work, not just from team members, but also from the staff who came to Europe from Japan and also Kawasaki Motors Europe. Q: A number of new roles have been created within the new team. What will your role be as Competition Manager of Kawasaki Motor Racing? A: The role of Competition Manager was one that Kawasaki had been considering for some time, even before the changes at the end of the 2006 season. The concept was to have someone controlling the racing activities in relation administration, operations and team management, to coordinate all the key roles to ensure the smooth running of the team. In the future the role may even expand to other motorcycle racing activities but for now it is only MotoGP. Q: What are the goals that you would like to achieve in 2007? A: Overall, our goal is to demonstrate that Kawasaki is serious about competing at the top level in MotoGP, and that by the end of this season I would hope that we can achieve Kawasaki’s best results since entering MotoGP in 2003. At the end of last season we faced some criticism for our performances, and for some of the changes we were undertaking, but I’m sure that everyone will now see the team operating at a high level. Q: The riding line-up is all French this year with Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque, is there a particular reason for this set-up? A: The selection of two French riders is not connected to any specific strategy, such as marketing or promotion, and some people might say it is better to have two riders from different countries. With a new bike for the 2007 regulations we needed a rider to assist with both development and racing and Olivier Jacque has done some great work for us over the past two years as test rider. And Randy de Puniet was already signed on two year contract, so I think we have a good balance in our rider line-up. Q: As Randy de Puniet enters his second season of MotoGP with Kawasaki, what are you expecting from him? A: For sure Randy is one of the emerging young stars of MotoGP and he will benefit a great deal from what he learnt during his rookie season. He had some bad luck with injuries, but his race performances were also not as consistent as they could have been. But, he showed that in qualifying he was fast, he just needs to convert that speed into some strong results and I have no doubt he will realise his potential this season.

Stauffer proves himself again Reigning Australian Superbike Champion Jamie Stauffer proved why he is so highly regarded on his Yamaha, qualifying fastest overall in the Superbike support class at Phillip Island. After a morning qualifying session in which he could only manage the third fastest time, Stauffer rode well in the afternoon to better his morning time by over a full second. That result was enough to give him the merged fastest lap, ahead of Suzuki rider Shawn Giles and Honda rider Adam Ferguson. Speaking immediately after the second qualifying session, Stauffer said that things just started working well for the team towards the end of the second session. “The second qualifying was pretty good we just tried a couple of different things with the bike and we started to get it sorted out towards the end there, and set the fastest time,” he said. “So we’ve still got a bit of work to do before the race tomorrow, but I am pretty sure we are heading in the right direction, and we should go alright.” Stauffer also played down the fact that he is being somewhat ‘hunted’ down by his rivals, having dominated the Australian Superbike scene particularly, over the past 12 months. “I didn’t go fast at all compared to what we have done around here, but everyone always gets beaten and my time will be coming soon I am sure. “I will try my best to make sure that it doesn’t happen this weekend, but I am sure that all the other guys are going to try to beat me and work as hard as they can just to beat me, so it should make for interesting racing.” In the Australian Supersport class, Bryan Staring topped the times in the second qualifying session, and as a result will start from first on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Behind Staring on the grid will be Yamaha riders Jason O’Halloran and Jeremy Crowe, with Stauffer qualifying in fifth place. In the Australian Superstock class, Victorian Ryan Taylor took line honours ahead of Tim Cowie and Dean Bonthorne.

KTM all set for success in Road Racing World Championships Talented rider lineup out to impress in 125 and 250 cc classes. The Motorcycle Road Racing Championship is gaining in popularity and prestige and represents a vital and very lively part of the international motor racing calendar. KTM, the company that prides itself on always being “Ready to Race” is fully committed to this dynamic sport knowing that excellence on the race track is a concentrated form of research and development. Winning races on KTM machines means consistently better bikes off the production line for the consumer. The KTM factory team: Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) and Mika Kallio (Finland) in 250 cc and in 125 cc, Tomoyoshi Koyama (Japan), Randy Krummenacher (Switzerland) and Stevie Bonsey (USA) is again under the expert guidance of Technical Director Harald Bartol, a man with very clear goals for the 2007 road racing season. “Our aim is clearly to fight within the top group of each category, and to win a world championship, if possible. Koyama is a very strong rider and a top contender in the 125cc class, even though he still needs time to adapt to our team, to be critical and to voice his opinions about the bike. Our chances in the 250 class might be even better, with both riders being proven race winners on our bikes. I am confident that Aoyama will be in the title hunt from the first race on!” Bartol commented. By winning podiums, KTM, now Europe’s second biggest motorcycle manufacturer sends a strong message to lovers of the brand’s sleek machines and also to rival manufacturers. KTM is no longer just a specialist in the offroad sector; it is becoming a tour de force on asphalt as well. Bartol says the team has put in valuable pre-season work on the bikes and expects them to be very competitive. “Apart from the new aerodynamics of our 250cc racer, which we developed in the wind tunnel and which are visibly different to last year’s model, we focused on small details in every area of the bike, on chassis and suspension as much as on engine, carburetion, our fuel injection system and the electronics,” Bartol said in an interview at official pre-season training in Jerez, Spain. It is also no coincidence that the factory teams for the 2007 season include two talented Japanese riders. Hiroshi “Hero” Aoyama has twice ridden his KTM 250 FFR to victory in Japan, sending a strong signal to the Japanese manufacturers and this year he’s after the 250 cc title. New to the 125 cc factory team is his countryman Koyama. An All Japan 125cc champ, Tomoyoshi will be doing his best to make a major contribution to the team efforts in the 2007 season. Mika Kallio, the talented Finnish racer already has two successful orange racing seasons in 125cc – and two vice-championship titles to his name. He now joins Hiroshi in the 250cc class for the 2007 racing season that starts in Qatar (March 10) and concludes in Valencia, Spain (November 4), offering enormous amount of racing pleasure to road racing aficionados all over the world. That KTM is a company always with an eye to the future is clear by the inclusion of two talented young riders in the 125cc class. Swiss Randy Krummenacher and his teammate American Stevie Bonsey both celebrate their 17th birthdays in the early part of 2007, and both aim to finish as often as possible in the points of the 125cc world championships. KTM goes into the 2007 racing season with confidence and the absolute determination to make sure that this year, there will be as many orange podiums as possible.

FIM Superbike World Championship Phillip Island, Australia March 2, 2007 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:32.040 2. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F07), 1:32.641 3. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:32.769 4. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F07), 1:32.774 5. Troy CORSER (Yam YZF-R1), 1:32.900 6. Max BIAGGI (Suz GSX-R1000K7), 1:32.998 7. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000K7), 1:33.154 8. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 1:33.244 9. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F06), 1:33.315 10. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000K6), 1:33.523 11. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:33.690 12. Steve MARTIN (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:33.748 13. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:33.783 14. Roberto ROLFO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:33.865 15. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 999F05), 1:34.092 16. Josh BROOKES (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:34.521 17. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:34.571 18. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), 1:35.572 19. Christian ZAISER (MV Agusta F4-1000R), 1:35.745 20. Alessandro POLITA (Suz GSX-R1000K6), 1:35.847 More, from a press release issued by Motorcycling Australia: Toseland keeps Bayliss at bay Brit James Toseland has drawn first blood in perfect conditions, during qualifying at the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island. In the beautiful sunny weather, Toseland recorded the fastest lap-time during the one hour World Superbikes qualifying session, clocking 1:32.040 shaving a massive 0.347 seconds off Australian Troy Bayliss’ morning practise time. Bayliss had to settle for second overall, finishing ahead of Spaniard Fonsi Nieto who rounded out the top-three. The current World Champion, whose best time of the session was 1:32.641, held the top position for the best part of the hour before being overtaken by Toseland in the latter stages. Toseland is in fine form having won the opening round of racing in Qatar, and will be looking to double up in Australia to complete the perfect start to his racing year. Of the other Australians who were on the track, Troy Corser finished with the fifth fastest time overall, while Steve Martin clocked in at number 12. Karl Muggeridge managed the 13th fastest time, while Josh Brookes was the 16th fastest of the 22 riders competing. The second qualifying session for the World Superbikes will take place on Saturday at 1:45pm local time. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: IN AUSTRALIA START THE ENGINES (Phillip Island 2007 March 2) First practice day un the Australian circuit of Phillip Island, under perfect weather conditions. Gianluca Nannelli recorded the third fastest in Supersport qualifying, as well he is not completely satisfied for today’s practices because he has not been able to find the right feeling with the 749R Ducati’s front. Nannelli however has a good improving possibility, also because during last January’s Pirelli test he recorded a lap time in 1’34.3 that he hopes to repeat tomorrow. “It has been a very hard day.” confessed Gianluca Nannelli at the end of the session “The engine pushed very hard and we were the fastest at the speed trap, but I’ve never been to find a right feeling with the bike’s front. In such condition I’ve been able to record a good fast lap, but I couldn’t be able to keep the pace for several laps. Now the team is looking, together with Pirelli’s engineers, to find a solution for that problem. Tomorrow we must be in 100% condition, because nobody has recorded the winter performance and I’m sure that most of our challengers will be faster tomorrow and we have to be ready to contest them.” Jakub Smrz in Superbike too got an excellent qualifying session, recording the fifteenth fastest after spending most of the session to set the handling for this track; Smrz’s lap time is not too far from the result scored by riders with a lot of experience on the Italian twin. “I know this track, but on a Superbike it looks different as I’m accustomed to.” said Jakub Smrz rejoining the pit “So we must spend a lot of time to set the handling, most the rear. At the end we got a good set up and I recorded a good lap time. Most of all I’m rather satisfied because I do improve more and more my feeling with the bike, as we can see from my lap time which is no more very far from the results recorded by Ducati’s long experienced and successfully rider.” More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: TOSELAND SWEEPS TO FIRST DAY BEST – HOT DAY OF ACTION FOR TOP SBK STARS One weekend after the first race of the 2007 season at Qatar the World Superbike grid reformed at Phillip Island in Australia for the first qualifying session. Top of the first day times was a 1’32.040, set by James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), some 0.601 seconds up on 2006 champion and second best rider today, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox). A superb qualifying session from Spanish Superstar Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) delivered him third best time, just ahead of second Ducati Xerox rider, Lorenzo Lanzi. CORSER AND BIAGGI WITHIN A SECOND ON DAY ONE Double World Champion Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) was the second best placed Australian, fifth overall, while Losail race one winner Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) qualified sixth, before falling off late on his slow down lap, walking back through the pitlane entrance with his number three machine being pushed behind him. Each of these riders was within a second Toseland’s impressive time. KAGAYAMA INJURED AFTER SETTING STRONG PACE Japanese ace Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) suffered a heavy fall in qualifying on day one, breaking his left collarbone and suffering a suspected punctured spleen, probably due to a suspected broken rib. He was flown to a hospital in Melbourne for more detailed checks and examinations. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) was next fastest rider on the stopwatches; eighth, with private riders Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) filing out the top ten places. TIGHT MIDFIELD SEES TEAM-MATES CLOSE TOGETHER Michel Fabrizio and Steve Martin from the DFX Corse Honda team ended day one 11th and 12th respectively, with another Aussie Honda rider Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda) 13th. Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) had a struggle in qualifying to go 14th but a great run from new SBK rider Jakub Smrz (Caracchi Ducati SC) saw him 15th, one place up on local rider Josh Brookes (Alto Evolution Honda), who was struggling with his machine’s suspension settings. (Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) had a difficult first day, finishing 17th on his factory Kawasaki. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Fabien Foret (Team Gil Motorsports Kawasaki) scored an important result for his team by finishing the first timed qualifying session on provisional pole, despite suffering a crash that destroyed his number one bike in the morning session. The 2002 World Champion was on top form throughout and beat the previous best lap time at PI with a 1’35.166 lap. In second place today, Kevin Curtain (Yamaha SSP Racing) was some 0.259 seconds from Foret, with Gianluca Nannelli (Caracchi Ducati SC) third quickest. Broc Parkes (Yamaha SSP Racing) was fourth after his first timed session at his home track. Current championship leader, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), was one place up on his team-mate Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BAYLISS AND LANZI BOTH FRONT-RUNNERS FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM IN AUSTRALIA Phillip Island (Australia), Friday 2 March: Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox Team) were both front-runners during the opening qualifying session for the Australian Round of the World Superbike Championship, taking place at Phillip Island this weekend. Bayliss ended the day second quickest behind provisional poleman James Toseland (Honda), while team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi was third quickest for much of the one-hour qualifying session before being edged down a spot in the last couple of minutes. “I’m pretty happy with the way things went today because the track was quite hot this afternoon” declared Troy. “We did a full race simulation with one tyre and I’m quite pleased with that but tomorrow we’re going to do another one to try a different solution. But I’m very satisfied with the way things are looking, we’re going much better than we were last weekend at the opening race and I’m feeling a lot more confident on the bike. We’ll just have to move on from here tomorrow morning.” Lorenzo Lanzi, who scored his first podium of the year with third place in Qatar a few days ago, was also on good form. Despite a high-speed crash at turn 2 in the morning’s free practice session, the 25 year-old Italian was pleased with his overnight fourth place. “It was a pity about the last few minutes when I lost third place but fourth place is OK” commented Lorenzo. “Today we did a long-run, 17/18 laps, which went well. Now we’ll have to see tomorrow when we have a few more things to try, in particular with the rear suspension so I’m feeling confident I can improve. I had a small crash this morning in the free practice session but everything is OK, I didn’t do myself any harm. I immediately found the right feeling again with the front and managed to set some good times.” More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Toseland records fastest qualifying lap for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda James Toseland opened the second round of the 2007 World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island in spectacular style today. The former World Superbike Champion recorded the fastest lap in the first qualifying session – more than half a second quicker than his nearest competitor. Despite high temperatures and the slippery track surface, Toseland was on great form from the off. He came in second fastest in morning free practice just 0.082 seconds behind Troy Bayliss. The British rider then defeated the Australian on his home turf to secure the best lap of 1’32.040 – 0.4 seconds inside the official race lap record for the 4.445km track. Toseland’s team-mate Roberto Rolfo started the day well and secured some excellent lap times in free practice during the morning. He showed that he is still improving and looked set to secure a top ten position on the qualifying time sheets. As the temperatures rose in the afternoon, the first half of the session went according to plan, but the final 20 minutes saw Rolfo unable to pass a pack of slower riders. His final time was 1’33.865 for 14th position on the results table. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “It’s been a good day for James here at Phillip Island. He was already fast this morning and his consistency is very good. Now we just have to work on the small details to get the bike ready for the race and make James’ life as easy as possible. Roby kicked off very well this morning and we were very happy with his times in the practice. It’s just a shame that during the qualifying he got stuck during his last laps behind some slow traffic. We know there is more to come from him tomorrow and he is only half a second from where we want him to be.” James Toseland: “It’s been a great day. I’ve had in the back of my mind all day that I wanted to be quickest – it’s my manager’s birthday today and I can’t think of a better present for him! I knew as soon as I went out this morning that the bike was working really well. We had a great setting on the bike during the test in January so I knew we were starting from a good point. To finish 0.6 seconds ahead is a pretty good gap. I don’t want to peak too early, but so far so good.” Roberto Rolfo: “I don’t feel too bad because this morning’s session went very well, I was very quick. For the afternoon it went well for the first half of qualifying as I tried to improve the race set-up of the bike. Unfortunately at the end I was in the wrong place at the wrong time because there some slower riders in front of me. I tried to overtake but it was not easy and I lost my last part of the session. I think tomorrow I get do a lot better.” More, from a presss release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra news 2007 Superbike World Championship Round 2, Phillip Island, Australia Friday qualifying, 2nd March Circuit: 4.445 kms. Conditions: Dry, sunny 24 – 26 C. SIXTH FOR MAX, HOSPITAL FOR YUKIO. The first day of qualifying for the second round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island was a dramatic one for Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Joint series leader Max Biaggi finished with the sixth fastest time of the day, just ahead of team mate Yukio. But Yukio had a heavy crash in the afternoon session is unlikely to take any further part in proceedings. At first, it was suspected that Yukio had broken his left collarbone, a few ribs and damaged his spleen in the process but after he was helicoptered to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne there was some doubt about the extent of his injuries, so the medics there decided to carry out further tests. All hopes are that the injuries are not as bad as originally thought. James Toseland (Honda) set the day’s quickest time, with a lap of 1:32.040, easily inside the lap record set by Troy Bayliss (Ducati) last year. Bayliss is second fastest today, with Fonsi Nieto (Kawasaki) third and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) fourth. MAX – 6th, 1:32.900 Today was OK and we tried a few things to get the bike working the way I wanted. We began with the bike more or less set up as in Qatar and then tried to improve it. I felt we were losing a little time in all the sectors, so we tried some smaller discs in the first session. But the pads didn’t get up to temperature, so we had to change back to the bigger discs for the afternoon qualifying session. Today we were using a Qatar engine and it didn’t feel very strong, but tomorrow we’ll put in a fresh engine. I also focussed on getting the right tyres for the races on Sunday, so today’s lap times weren’t so important. I think that, whatever tyres we use, we’ll all be having problems seven or eight laps before the end of the race. Phillip Island is a great track, but it’s very demanding on tyres because there are many left turns and not many rights. That means one side of the tyre wears quicker then the other, so you have to be careful and try and conserve the tyres the best you can. I really like the SBK two race formula, because you get a second chance if something happens in one of the races. At first, I didn’t know if my physical condition would be OK for two races, but it’s been fine and I’m looking forward to Sunday’s races and a big fight on the track. YUKIO – 7th, 1:33.154 I lost the front in turn two and crashed. Very painful! I felt I had been run over by a truck! Maybe my collarbone is broken and there is pain in my spleen area, so I am going to hospital for many checks. I hope I can rejoin my team before long. Good luck to Max in the races! Friday qualifying

FIM Supersport World Championship Phillip Island, Australia March 2, 2007 Qualifying Times: 1. Fabien FORET (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:35.166 2. Kevin CURTAIN (Yam YZF-R6), 1:35.425 3. Gianluca NANNELLI (Duc 749R), 1:35.814 4. Broc PARKES (Yam YZF-R6), 1:35.837 5. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Hon CBR600RR), 1:35.868 6. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Hon CBR600RR), 1:35.902 7. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Hon CBR600RR), 1:36.230 8. Yoann TIBERIO (Hon CBR600RR), 1:36.248 9. Pere RIBA (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:36.398 10. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R6), 1:36.627 21. Chris PERIS (Yam YZF-R6), 1:37.624 More, from a press release issued by Motorcycling Australia: Curtain upstaged by Frenchman Frenchman Fabien Foret has taken top honours in the opening qualifying session of the World Supersport class, at the Australian Round of the World Superbike Championship. Foret shaved almost .2 of a second off the best time set in morning practise by Kevin Curtain, to finish ahead of the Australian with Italian Gianluca Nannelli in third. The qualifying session was marred by a major accident with only 10 of the 45-minute session left to complete, as Spaniard David Salom Fuentes came off his bike and slid down the main straight. Salom was taken straight to the medical centre at the Phillip Island circuit, and is reportedly conscious and doing okay. Updates on his condition will follow in later reports. On the track, it was Foret who impressed throughout his 21-lap session, and paved the way to ensure that he improves on the fourth placing that he picked up at the opening round in Qatar. Curtain was comfortable in clocking the second fastest time, with the surprise of the session going to fellow Australian Broc Parkes, who finished fourth fastest. Of the other Aussies in action, wildcards Chris Seton and Judd Greedy picked up the 26th and 27th fastest lap-times respectively a good result given that there were 38 riders in the field. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: HANNspree Ten Kate Honda complete first Phillip Island qualifying A warm and sunny Phillip Island played host to the first qualifying session of the second round of the World Supersport Championship today. The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda riders remained in the top four for the majority of the 45-minute session, however the final timesheets showed Kenan Sofuoglu and Sébastien Charpentier in fifth and sixth positions respectively. In a repeat of events in Qatar last weekend, an oil spill on the track meant that conditions weren’t perfect for this afternoon’s qualifying. The session was red flagged due to a crash on the main straight, which halted proceedings for some time. The riders rejoined the 4.445km track with only 12 minutes remaining. After recording the second fastest lap time in morning free practice, Charpentier finished sixth fastest with a final time of 1’35.902 – just 0.736 seconds behind fastest rider Fabien Foret. The Frenchman secured pole position and the race win at Phillip Island in both 2005 and 2006 so he will certainly be looking to improve today’s result in the second qualifying session tomorrow afternoon. Kenan Sofuoglu finished just ahead of his team-mate in fifth position with a best lap of 1’35.868. The incredibly close final timesheet saw the top six riders separated by just over half a second. Competition is tough and pole position in Sunday’s race could still belong to anyone. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “This has been a bit of a troubled first day for us. We had a very good test here in January so we were hoping to achieve the same times again. The bike has improved since the test but we have had a lot of small problems today that have made our lives very difficult. We will be working on the bike tonight to make sure that these problems are sorted out for tomorrow. These are not the positions we want to be in because we are capable of doing better.” Sébastien Charpentier: “It was not easy today because we had some problems with the set-up of the bike. We tested here in January and did really well but now the conditions are very different. There was oil on the track again and there were two or three bad crashes. I am hoping that we have good weather tomorrow so that we can work on the set-up of the bike to close the gap to the front” Kenan Sofouglu: “I am not happy with this result because we tested at this track in January and we were at least two seconds faster. The track conditions are very different today – they are pretty bad – and we have do adjust the set-up of the bike now to suit current conditions. I think if we can get the set-up correct in tomorrow’s free practice we can regain our speed and start recording some laps closer to our testing times.”