Former AMA star Jimmy Moore has landed a ride for the 2007 Isle of Man TT and other street-circuit races, such as the Northwest 200. Read about it here: ~http://www.ianlougher.com/news_07_results.php?news_07=2~ Moore’s AMA career was derailed in 2003 when he slid across wet grass and hit a tree outside turn one at Brainerd International Raceway during Thursday promoter practice, severely injuring his left arm, along with other damage. “I’m really excited to be doing the TT and especially during the 100th anniversary year,” Moore told Roadracingworld.com Sunday. “And to be able to do it the first time with Ian, a 20-year veteran of the TT, is more than I could ask for. I’m excited and look forward to doing it, as much as anything I’ve done. I’m so excited I have trouble sleeping at night.” Moore said he may also ride an 850cc Ducati 749 Formula Xtreme racebike in west coast AMA Nationals.

1. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, Michelin, 1:38.394 2. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, Michelin, 1:38.527 3. Colin Edwards, Yamaha, Michelin, 1:39.300 4. Nicky Hayden, Honda, Michelin, 1:39.556 5. Randy de Puniet, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, 1:39.832 6. Casey Stoner, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:39.873 7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:39.887 8. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, Bridgestone, 1:40.043 9. Kenny Roberts, KR212V, Michelin, 1:40.083 10. Carlos Checa, Honda, Michelin, 1:40.100 11. Toni Elias, Honda, Bridgestone, 1:40.202 12. Shinya Nakano, Honda, Michelin, 1:40.242 13. Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, Dunlop, 1:40.307 14. Marco Melandri, Honda, Bridgestone, 1:40.396 15. Oliver Jacque, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, 1:40.551 16. Alex Hofmann, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:40.681 17. Alex Barros, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:41.038 18. Kousuke Akiyoshi, Suzuki, Bridgestone, 1:41.805 19. Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, Dunlop, 1:42.215 20. Vittoriano Guareschi, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:43.008 21. Andrew Pitt, Ilmor, Michelin, 1:43.026 22. Shinichi Ito, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:43.073 23. Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor, Michelin, 1:43.202 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports: Rossi wins BMW M Award shootout to conclude 2007 preseason Sunday 24th February – Jerez, Spain – MotoGP Official Test Valentino Rossi will leave Jerez tonight with a brand new BMW M car and, more importantly, a crucial psychological advantage over his title rivals after winning the 40 minute ‘qualifying session’ at Jerez this afternoon. The five time MotoGP World Champion took the 2007 BMW M Award at the MotoGP Official Test with scorching 1’38.394 lap, clocked with just five minutes to go in the session. It is the second time that Rossi has won the award, and an excellent end to a preseason where the 800cc Yamaha M1 has shone brightly. The Italian had to work for it though, and a vintage display was required to edge out early pacesetter Dani Pedrosa. Repsol Honda’s Spanish star had laid down the gauntlet early on by breaking first the 1’40 then the 1’39 barrier as he pushed for the top spot. After seeing Rossi clock his eventual winning time Pedrosa completed a perfect lap at the death, beating his best times at all four timed sections of the circuit. His final fastest lap was 1’38.527, under two tenths of a second slower than his World Championship rival. Last year’s BMW M Award winner, Colin Edwards was unable to repeat his 2006 triumph but continued to show the potential of the factory Yamaha as he joined team-mate Rossi in the top three. The Texan Tornado continued his testing almost immediately after the presentation of the award, as always fully dedicated to the improvement of his bike. World Champion Nicky Hayden was unable to push enough for the car, but did put in a series of fast laps whilst avoiding unnecessary risks. Retaining his hard-fought crown this year is the Kentucky Kid’s number one priority, and he has been taking things steady this week at Jerez. Hayden rounded off an all-Michelin top four, encouraging news for the tyre manufacturer after Bridgestone’s strong performances recently. Randy de Puniet, Casey Stoner, Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen made up a quartet of Bridgestone riders in the top ten, and further showing the even nature of the 800cc bikes as they added to the list of different manufacturers in the leading group. The BMW Z4 M Coupé was presented to Rossi by Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and Axel Zimmermann, Sponsoring General Manager of BMW. Later on, most riders returned to the track to conclude their 2007 preseason. With most undertaking race simulations and final fine tuning, the Kawasaki duo of Randy de Puniet topped the timesheets to finish testing on a high note. They were closely followed by Toni Elias, Alex Hofmann, Pedrosa and Rossi. MotoGP Official Test Jerez Day 3 Overall Official Times 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing) – 1’38.394 2. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) – 1’38.527 3. Colin Edwards (Yamaha Factory Racing) – 1’39.300 4. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda) – 1’39.55 5. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki Racing Team) – 1’39.832 6. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) – 1’39.873 7. Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) – 1’39.887 8. Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’40.043 9. Kenny Roberts Jr. (Team Roberts) – 1’40.083 10. Carlos Checa (Honda LCR) – 1’40.100 11. Toni Elias (Honda Gresini) – 1’40.202 12. Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda) – 1’40.242 13. Makoto Tamada (Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3) – 1’40.307 14. Marco Melandri (Honda Gresini) – 1’40.396 15. Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki Racing Team) – 1’40.551 16. Alex Hofmann (Pramac d’Antin) – 1’40.681 17. Alex Barros (Pramac d’Antin) – 1’41.038 18. Kousuke Akiyoshi (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’41.805 19. Sylvain Guintoli (Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3) – 1’42.215 20. Vittoriano Guareschi (Ducati Marlboro Team – Test) – 1’43.008 21. Andrew Pitt (Ilmor GP) – 1’43.026 22. Shinichi Ito (Ducati Bridgestone Team – Test) – 1’43.073 23. Jeremy McWilliams (Ilmor GP) – 1’43.202 More, from a press release issued by Ilmor: Official MotoGP Test Jerez Day Three Circuito de Jerez de la Frontera 25.02.07 The day started well for both Ilmor GP riders once the mist had lifted at the Jerez Circuit. McWilliams and Pitt continued to make progress with the new 2007 Ilmor GP engine specification with both riders clocking up good lap times however things didn’t quite go so smoothly during the official timed session Pitt suffered delays due to a malfunctioning fuel pump and McWilliams was hampered by a problem with his new faring. During the afternoon session the problems with Pitt’s fuel pump cut his testing time short but despite this and the delays both Ilmor GP riders noticed continued improvement with the new engine set-up. As the team prepares to head out to the Middle East for the World Championship opener in Qatar, the mood remains positive and focussed. Italian rider Valentino Rossi gave the media something to talk about as he celebrated winning a BMW Z4 in front of the 29,000 fans gathered at the Spanish circuit the seven time World Champion won the car after clocking up the fastest lap time during the official 40 minute timed session and shortly after being presented with it he jumped onto the roof in front of the cheering crowd. His winning lap time 1.38.394 beats his previous qualifying record of 1.39.064. Timings for the Official 40 minute Practice Session Andrew Pitt #88 Laps: 14 Fastest Lap: 1.43.026 Top Speed: 260.4 Jeremy McWilliams #99 Laps: 9 Fastest Lap: 1.43.202 Top Speed: 266.4 Andrew Pitt, Ilmor GP Rider: “We made good progress this morning we tried out the qualifying tyres and it felt good we are definitely continuing to make positive developments. We made some small steps forward with the throttle pick-up which has been an issue previously. It has been great to have Mario here he’s good for morale and we made some great progress on the electronics side of things, he and his team are able to quickly pinpoint any issues. To be honest, I think we were unlucky in the timed session, I did my best time today and we had a new front tyre which was performing well I’m sure we could have taken at least another half a second off our best time today.” Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor GP Rider: “I was a little disappointed by the timed session today we had a minor technical issue but once that was sorted I managed to put in some good consistent laps. We have definitely made some steps in the right direction ahead of Qatar. Ideally I would like another test but unfortunately time won’t allow us that privilege. On the whole, things are looking positive.” Mario Illien, Team Principal: “I’m pleased with the developments we made this morning we made some strong steps forward however, everything went a little pear shaped during the official timed session we had problems with Andrew’s fuel pump and things didn’t go as smoothly as we expected. On the plus side, we did improve our lap time with the help of qualifying tyres.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone MotoGP: Jerez Test Debrief Q+A with Hiroshi Yamada – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Sport Sunday 25 February 2007 This weekend’s three-day MotoGP session at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain provided the final opportunity to test before the season gets underway in earnest in Qatar in a fortnight. While work centred on general tyre development and more specific preparations for the Jerez GP in late March, Sunday afternoon’s forty minute official session highlighted some important areas for improvement in qualifying tyre performance. What was the test programme for this final pre-season test in Jerez? “Over the winter we have been working intensively on developing our tyres to best meet the requirements of the 800c machines. This week’s Jerez test has been used to carry out final evaluations of our 800cc-specification tyre. Naturally, we have also used the opportunity to test some new compounds in preparation for the Jerez GP in late March.” To what extent have tyres already been adapted to individual team and rider needs? “I think we have already started in a positive way to adapt our tyres to meet the demands of each bike and rider. Toni Elias, for example, has a unique riding style in that he relies a lot more on the front, so we developed a softer rear construction for him to try this week. His feedback has been initially positive and lap times seem to verify that we have found the right direction for him.” How much did the weather affect the overall results from the week? “Between the rain and the fog, the weather has played a big part this week. At Jerez, the track takes a long time to dry out fully after a rain shower. That wasted a lot of time on Friday, while the early morning fog on Saturday and again on Sunday rendered the morning session worthless. We have not covered the entire test programme, but we have still seen some positive and negative results which will help us move forward.” Do the results of the forty-minute official practice session indicate that Bridgestone needs to work on its qualifying tyres? “Based on the results we have witnessed this afternoon, it would appear that we have lost some of the qualifying advantage that we enjoyed last season. Although there were some strong performances from Randy, Chris, Casey and Loris, the leading two riders, Rossi and Pedrosa, both set exceptionally quick times. It is not evident how much of their advantage is down to the machine, the tyre, or the rider, but tyres play an integral role in the overall package, so clearly we have a lot of work to do in this area.” What importance will qualifying hold in races? Will there be any effect on the qualifying tyres given the new restrictions? “Even if front row starts are a major help, good qualifying results alone do not win races, so the priority will always be on the race tyres. Ultimately, it will be the teams’ decision which 31 tyres to choose for the weekend based on advice supplied by Bridgestone. However, I think it safe to assume that teams will always select several qualifiers per weekend to get as high up the grid as possible.” How has Bridgestone planned for the introduction of the new tyre restrictions? “We have worked closely with FIM since the Qatar test to implement the new marking system for the new tyre rules this season. Once our teams have finalised the 31 tyres that each rider will use over the weekend, Bridgestone will scan all tyres into a handheld machine and compile a list of this information for FIM. This process must be done on the installation day of the GP weekend and is done using a barcode that has been cured onto each tyre at the factory. Each time the rider leaves the box, the tyre must again be scanned to register its use. No tyre that has not been barcoded and logged will be permitted for use. On the final day of the Jerez test, we conducted a simulation of this process together with FIM, which worked very well, so I think we are well prepared for its formal implementation in Qatar.” What is the next stage of tyre development before the season gets underway in Qatar? “We have finalised most tyres for Qatar, but some information has been gathered from Jerez that will be used to finalise the remaining specifications. I expect production of all Qatar tyres to be completed by the middle of next week at the latest before being packed and flown to Doha.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: TOP FIVE FOR DE PUNIET AT THE FIRST MOTOGP OFFICIAL CHALLENGE Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet brought to an end the final pre-season test in fine style this afternoon, as he took a hard-fought fifth place during the annual 40-minute televised qualifying shootout at Jerez. The 26-year-old Frenchman has been consistently in the top ten on the timesheet throughout the three-day IRTA test on race tyres, but despite finishing the timed qualifying session as the top Bridgestone rider today, de Puniet was convinced he could have gone faster had he not hit a false neutral on his final flying lap. The Kawasaki pilot had planned to run with a fourth qualifying tyre late in the session, but a light rain shower with just five minutes left to run meant that he was unable to improve upon his previous best time. After concentrating on refining the balance and set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR during the first two days of the final pre-season test, Olivier Jacque finally got to try a qualifying tyre on his 800cc Kawasaki during this afternoon’s timed practice. Surprised by the difference in available grip compared to the race tyres, Jacque was unable to use the first qualifier to maximum advantage, but with his second super sticky rear tyre fitted the Frenchman managed to reduce his lap time by a second. With a better understanding of the performance of the Bridgestone qualifying tyres, Jacque headed out on a third qualifier, but was forced to abandon his lap after seeing spots of rain on his visor and screen. First and second place on the timesheet for de Puniet and Jacque during this afternoon’s final free practice session confirmed the potential of Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-RR, although both riders know that there is still some work to be done ahead of the opening race of the season, which will take place in Qatar on 10 March. Randy de Puniet: 5th – 16 Qualifying Laps – Best Lap 1’39.832 “I am a little bit upset, not with the position I got at the official practice, but with my lap time. I improved with every qualifying tyre I tried, but in my last lap I hit a false neutral in the gearbox and that lost me some time. It also started to rain, but I just closed my eyes and pushed hard until the end. I’m sure that without the mistake I would have been into the low 1’39s bracket. Overall I am satisfied with the job we did during the session and these three days of testing. We made some changes to suspension settings and my feeling was much better this morning. Today the engine was smoother and this is important for race distance. I can’t wait to arrive in Qatar for the first round.” Olivier Jacque: 15th – 12 Qualifying laps – Best Lap 1’40.551 “This afternoon’s timed session was the first time I’ve tested the qualifying tyres from Bridgestone. I was surprised at just how much more grip they offer compared to the race tyres, which meant I didn’t get the best from the rear qualifier first time out. On the second tyre my lap time was a second quicker and I’m confident I’d have been able to improve again with the third soft tyre, but then I noticed rain on my visor, so I abandoned the last flying lap and returned to the pits. Now I realise I could have carried on, but I wasn’t sure how heavy the rain was at different parts of the circuit and there was no reason to risk everything for a fast time so close to the start of the season. Anyway, overall I’m pretty satisfied because I’m not so far off the top five. The bike definitely felt better today and the extra grip of the qualifiers helped to overcome some of the set-up issues we’ve had. The balance is still not perfect, but most important is that we’ve seen an improvement day by day.” Ichiro Yoda: Racing Director “Our assessment of these tests is very positive, as we proved our potential. Randy and Olivier showed it in the first sessions and during the official timed practice this afternoon, even though they still don’t get on well with the qualifying tyres, and confirmed it in the afternoon. Compared with the last tests in Qatar we have done a step forward with the tyres, as we are sure now about the choice for the race. However, we need to improve the engine performance in order to gain some top speed and to get a friendlier power delivery. I’m satisfied with our riders’ job so far, but I have already let them know our expectations for Qatar.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda: THE GRESINI HONDA RIDERS LOOK CONFIDENT TO THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP. The third and last day of testing at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain was extremely useful to collect important data in order to be ready for the first round of the 2007 Motogp World Championship, that will take place in Qatar on the 10th of March. The Gresini Honda riders worked on set up and tyre testing before focusing on qualifying tyres in the 40 minutes of Official practices in the early afternoon. TONI ELIAS (11°, 1’40″202, 44 laps in total): “We are struggling a bit because we need to adjust the bike to the new tyres so we need to work a lot on suspension and chassis. All in all, I’m confident because the Bridgestone technicians are working very hard and the team is doing a great job”. MARCO MELANDRI (14°, 1’40″396, 44 laps in total): “It was a difficult day but this 3 day testing session very important to collect data and understand many things about the bike. This afternoon I also made a race simulation and we improved the race rhythm. We need to make a step forward with the qualifying tyre but I’m confident that the Bridgestone technicians will do their best. I’m confident because I trust a lot my team and our partners”. More, from a press release issue by Konica Minolta Honda: KONICA MINOLTA Honda ends winter testing positively On an exciting day where lap records were unofficially smashed, Shinya Nakano made more improvements on-board his KONICA MINOLTA Honda. With the second event of the season taking place here in just one month’s time, it was important to find a good set-up and tyre combination for the race. Sandwiched between this important work came this afternoon’s televised BMW M Award for the fastest lap which was eventually won by Valentino Rossi, with a lap of 1’38.394″. Rossi now leaves Jerez with a brand-new BMW Z4 M sportscar. This lap time compares to Rossi’s official lap record of 1’40.596″ from 2005 with the larger-capacity 990cc MotoGP machines, while the previous best qualifying time belongs to Loris Capirossi with 1’39.064″ set last year. Despite wet weather and fog restricting useful track time over the three days, KONICA MINOLTA Honda are looking forward to the first race of the season which takes place on Saturday 10th March at the Losail track in Qatar. Gianluca Montiron Team Manager KONICA MINOLTA Honda “Obviously we would like to be faster in qualifying trim as it is important to be on the front row come the race here in a month’s time. However, at the end of the day we don’t want to risk Shinya to crash and hurt himself so near to the start of the season. The big positive is that at the end of today he used tyres similar to those Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa used yesterday and was setting consistently good lap times in race simulation. We haven’t tested all that we wanted to this weekend thanks to the poor weather on day one, but for the last two days Shinya has been in the top six or seven on race tyres so we’re not too far off. Overall, as we look towards the first race in a fortnight’s time I have been very pleased with the improvement of our rider!” Shinya Nakano Rider, KONICA MINOLTA Honda (83 laps 1′ 40.242″) “I’m quite disappointed about my performance on qualifying tyres, but I could never put a perfect lap together. Also with qualifying tyres fitted the balance of the bike wasn’t so good with a return of some chatter at the front-end of the bike. Thankfully in the afternoon we concentrated once more on race tyres and settings. With two tyres to test I did two series of 10 consistent laps and we learned a lot from that, so I’m quite happy and confident about our performance come the race here at the end of next month.” Giulio Bernardelle Technical Director, KONICA MINOLTA Honda “This afternoon on race tyres our performance was better and that was what we were concentrating on over the whole weekend. While some other Teams continued using soft tyres, we looked at two choices for the race here. With the qualifying tyres we need to improve as Shinya is unable to carry the corner speed that he wants, so we think we need to make some machine setting changes to enable him to use the softer tyres to best advantage during qualifying. Overall we are pleased with the Jerez tests as we can see a big improvement since our first 2007 tests in January.” MotoGP official practice times 1) Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1′ 38.394″ 2) Dani Pedrosa Honda 1′ 38.527″ 3) Colin Edwards Yamaha 1′ 39.300″ 4) Nicky Hayden Honda 1′ 39.556″ 5) Randy De Puniet Kawasaki 1′ 39.832″ 12) Shinya Nakano Honda 1′ 40.242″ More from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MARLBORO MEN WRAP UP WINTER TESTING Ducati Marlboro Team men Casey Stoner and Loris Capirossi completed their winter testing schedule at Jerez today, ending this final three-day session sixth and seventh quickest, separated by just 0.014 seconds. Both riders rode their fastest laps on qualifying tyres during this afternoon’s 40-minute session, watched by almost 30,000 fans who flocked to the Jerez circuit for a first glimpse of MotoGP’s new 800cc machines. During the rest of the day they focused on race set-up and race tyres. Stoner fell during the final few minutes, taking a knock on the head which left him with concussion and blurred vision in his left eye. Although MotoGP medic Dr Claudio Costa didn’t believe the injuries to be serious he recommended the team take Stoner to Cadiz hospital for a precautionary CAT scan which showed no signs of any problems. Casey Stoner, Laps 35- 6th fastest – 1m 39.873s “The day started out pretty good, we were making the right choices with set-up. After the dash for the car we tried a race simulation and that didn’t go too well, I had a little bit of a glitch in the engine so I had to pull in. After that we tried going out with a different rear tyre which we couldn’t get to work and I had a crash at the end. I don’t usually like to go out on the track after 5.30, but I wasn’t pushing hard, unfortunately it broke away on me quite quickly. Now we need to regroup and go in a different direction for the race here. This has been our worst test for a long time now which isn’t too bad because the past couple of days and this morning we had been going well. If this is the worst it’s going to be then I’m quite happy with that. I was reasonably happy with the qualifying session, I wasn’t aiming at the car. We were there to test some qualifying tyres and I had a really good feeling and sensation with them, so I think the more I ride on them and the better setting we get, the further we can push ourselves up the grid. Now I’m looking forward to going racing – we’ve been waiting for that for a long time.” Loris Capirossi, 41 laps – 7th fastest – 1m 39.887s “The important thing is that this morning we found the right direction to solve the set-up problems we experienced yesterday. Now we are happy enough with our race pace – we can lap in the low one minute 41s and that’s not so bad – so we have achieved a good target. We knew that the situation with qualifying tyres could be a bit more difficult and, even though we’ve made some progress, it’s clear that we need to continue working with Bridgestone in this area to be fully competitive, because at the moment we suffer a lot at tracks without a lot of grip. Another thing that will be difficult at the start of the season is dealing with the new tyre regulations which give us a limited number of tyres at each race, but that’s the same for everyone.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: MotoGP test Jerez, Spain. Final day of three-day test. February 25, 2007. Dani Pedrosa fastest RC212V rider at successful Jerez MotoGP test for Honda MotoGP pre-season testing was brought to a close at the 4.423km Jerez circuit, Spain today as the grand prix teams completed their final three-day winter test session in preparation for the gruelling 18-round world championship series that opens at Doha, Qatar on March 10 – the first ever race under the new 800cc capacity regulations. The next time they meet the fruits of their labours will be tested to the full in one of the most eagerly awaited contests for several years. Winter testing has produced no clear indication of which man or machine starts the season as favourite to win the most coveted title in motorcycle racing. Honda teams and riders completed the winter test programme with solid performances from all RC212V powered machines with Repsol Honda factory team rider Dani Pedrosa setting second fastest time of the day, just 0.133s behind Valentino Rossi. Pedrosa’s team mate, MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden ended the test as fourth fastest man on the 20-rider grid. Pedrosa and Hayden both spent the majority of the final day fine tuning their chassis and suspension settings before under going extensive tyre testing for Michelin. The two men running fast consistent race simulations prior to setting up their RCVs to run with qualifying tyres in the 40-minute televised shoot out. Pedrosa came to Jerez determined to better his best lap time set at Jerez in November and did just that by an impressive 1.4s. The young Spaniard pushed his tyres to the limit and he leaves for Qatar in positive frame of mind. Hayden, who missed the same test due to under going corrective surgery, had limited time on qualifying tyres this winter preferring to devote his time to working on race rubber and consequently had no marker to aim at ending the day one second off Pedrosa’s best time. Gresini Honda rider Marco Melandri had set fastest lap times on the opening two-days of the test but failed to make a big impression on qualifying tyres today. The Italian performed consistently well on race tyres all winter and ran a race simulation today with encouraging results but feels he needs to take a big step forward on qualifying rubber. Toni Elias, on the second Gresini RC212V, was the most improved Honda rider at the Jerez test. In previous tests the diminutive Spaniard had been off the pace but his faith in tyre supplier Bridgestone was rewarded with a range of tyres more suited to his style. Elias feels he is making progress in his development of the RC212V. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda, was disappointed with his performance today having failed to put together a perfect lap on qualifying tyres. He found the balance of the machine was not ideal and he suffered from front-end chatter. However, the popular Japanese rider was pleased with the performance of the RCV on race rubber. Seasoned campaigner Carlos Checa enjoyed a productive three-days at Jerez. The LCR Honda rider and chief mechanic Ramon Forcada have adopted a step-by-step strategy over the winter and Spaniard Checa is close to race ready. He has good race pace and is improving his performances on qualifying tyres. Checa feels the front end needs more fine-tuning but in general he leaves for Qatar with the feeling the team are on course for a good season. Team Roberts leave Jerez in great shape as they head for Qatar and the opening GP of the season. The team technicians have developed the Honda powered KR212V to a very competitive standard during the series of arduous winter tests. The prototype KR212V covered 4,500 km over the winter and the Jerez test saw the team technicians establish a close to optimum machine balance that has eradicated the niggling front-end grip problems that rider Kenny Roberts Jnr identified as his only real concern. This was achieved by modifying the trail and suspension settings, without losing rear end grip. At Jerez Kenny Jnr tested Michelin qualifying tyres for the first time with the latest version of the Team Roberts chassis and the results have confirmed the chassis engine combination can run a full race distance at a fast consistent pace and perform equally well on qualifying rubber. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 39.556s 101 laps. “It was definitely fun to get out there again with the boys with something on the line the timed session gave it a bit of an edge today and was a little bit of a tease before the first race. The position is not too bad but my time is quite a long way from the front. I haven’t spent much time on qualifying tyres at the winter tests so it was good to get that time here and put in a few quick laps. Some of the other riders really put in some hot laps today so credit to them. The conditions towards the end of the session were dodgy because there was a fine mist of rain falling which made it interesting and riding on qualifiers is always exciting enough anyway. I feel like perhaps we’re still missing a little something to get the speed I want but I’m excited to go racing I’m really looking forward to it.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 38.527s 97 laps. “I’m very happy with the 40-minute timed session because I really didn’t expect to be this fast. I improved the lap time on qualifying tyres by a lot from the last time I rode here. This was the goal for the session and I did it, so I’m happy. It’s been a really good test for me because we will only have limited time in which to test tyres this season. It was a good competition with Valentino today but I was not focused on his times, I just wanted to put these tyres on the limit and concentrate on myself, which is what I did. It’s been a valuable three days, we have made progress with the set-up of the bike for the race and also qualifying, so I’m hoping we’re ready for the first round at Qatar.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 40.396s – 88 laps “It was a difficult day but this 3 day testing session very important to collect data and understand many things about the bike. This afternoon I also made a race simulation and we improved the race rhythm. We need to make a step forward with the qualifying tyre but I’m confident that the Bridgestone technicians will do their best. I’m confident because I trust a lot my team and our partners”. Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 1m 40.202s 85 laps. “We are struggling a bit because we need to adjust the bike to the new tyres so we need to work a lot on suspension and chassis. All in all, I’m confident because the Bridgestone technicians are working very hard and the team is doing a great job”. Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 1m 40.100s 85 laps. “Today we mainly worked on tyres testing with Michelin. We got some improvements in the front end but it’s not fixed yet. My pace on race tyres is pretty good but I still struggle on qualifiers. Anyway I feel satisfied because this time I upped my pace on qualifiers compared to the rest of the winter tests and this is positive. Now we must find a solution for the engine because I need more power especially on fast tracks such as Qatar, Istanbul and Shanghai. Honestly we did a great job during the winter to adapt to this new machine but I could go faster and hope that HRC can help me somehow”. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 40.242s – 83 laps. “I’m quite disappointed about my performance on qualifying tyres, but I could never put a perfect lap together. Also with qualifying tyres fitted the balance of the bike wasn’t so good with a return of some chatter at the front-end of the bike. Thankfully in the afternoon we concentrated once more on race tyres and settings. With two tyres to test I did two series of 10 consistent laps and we learned a lot from that, so I’m quite happy and confident about our performance come the race here at the end of next month.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 1m 40.083s 84 laps. “When we were satisfied with the chassis performance we basically spent the day tyre testing. I ran qualifying tyres for the first time and I’m happy with the results. We also put in a long run on development tyres and that was good too. Testing has been good for us and we are a long way ahead of where we were at this stage last year but you can have too much testing now its time to go racing and we’re ready. I’m really looking forward to Qatar.” Official lap times for 40-minute shoot out. Qualifying Practice Classification 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing) – 1’38.394 2. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) – 1’38.527 3. Colin Edwards (Yamaha Factory Racing) – 1’39.300 4. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda) – 1’39.55 5. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki Racing Team) – 1’39.832 6. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) – 1’39.873 7. Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) – 1’39.887 8. Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’40.043 9. Kenny Roberts Jr. (Team Roberts) – 1’40.083 10. Carlos Checa (Honda LCR) – 1’40.100 11. Toni Elias (Honda Gresini) – 1’40.202 12. Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda) – 1’40.242 13. Makoto Tamada (Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3) – 1’40.307 14. Marco Melandri (Honda Gresini) – 1’40.396 15. Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki Racing Team) – 1’40.551 16. Alex Hofmann (Pramac d’Antin) – 1’40.681 17. Alex Barros (Pramac d’Antin) – 1’41.038 18. Kousuke Akiyoshi (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’41.805 19. Sylvain Guintoli (Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3) – 1’42.215 20. Vittoriano Guareschi (Ducati Marlboro Team – Test) – 1’43.008 More, from a press release issued by Michelin: Winter testing overview Jerez, 25 February 2007 MICHELIN DOMINATES JEREZ SESSION TO CONCLUDE WINTER TEST PROGRAM Michelin riders dominated today’s official preseason prologue event at Jerez, filling the first four positions in the special 40-minute timed session. Former World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZR-M1-Michelin) rode the fastest-ever lap of Jerez to beat Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin) by just 0.133 seconds. The Italian was 0.67 seconds quicker than the previous best lap at Jerez, proving once again that the new 800s are already faster than the 990s they have replaced. Colin Edwards (Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZR-M1-Michelin) was a close third, just ahead of reigning World Champion Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin). “It’s nice to win the first battle of the year,” said Rossi. “This means the M1 is more competitive than last year and we are fast more or less everywhere. Here I have a good rhythm with race tires and I was able to do a fantastic lap with the qualifying tire, so my thanks to everyone.” Today’s final day of preseason testing at Jerez concludes an incredibly intense winter testing program. Since the final race of the 990 era last October, Michelin and its partners have crisscrossed the world developing tires for the new 800s: from Valencia to Sepang and Jerez, back to Sepang, onto Phillip Island, back to Sepang again, thence to Losail and Jerez. It’s been a unique experience, not only because Michelin has been developing a new 16-inch front tire and adapting its 16.5 rear for the 800s but because the company has been readying itself for MotoGP’s new tire regulations and implementing its new philosophy of creating tailor-made tires for each of its nine riders to ensure maximum performance within the rules. Michelin is happy with the work done so far, especially concerning development of the 16-inch front, which replaces the 16.5 that won the last three MotoGP World Championships. Michelin’s motorcycle racing director Jean-Philippe Weber believes that the new 800s need better front tire performance than the 990s because their nimbler handling characteristics allow riders to enter corners more aggressively. The 16-inch front, which has been under development since early 2006, is thus proving to be a great success. “The emphasis is changing,” says Weber. “Top speeds aren’t so high with the 800s but the lap times are very fast, because riders can enter corners faster, harder on the brakes, and use more corner speed, so they need a good front tire more than ever and they need high confidence in the front too. We realized this as soon as we talked to our riders after the first 800 tests at Motegi last September. That’s why we switched to the 16. It is slightly smaller and lighter than the 16.5, which gives better handling and allows riders to flick the bike very quickly, and it’s got a slightly bigger footprint for more grip and confidence. “Initial development didn’t go as quickly as we expected because not all our riders were available for testing in November (Hayden and Pedrosa both underwent surgery on old injuries at this time) and there weren’t enough wheel rims available. But all the riders who tried the 16 really enjoyed its performance and from that data we prepared new tires for the January tests at Sepang. That test was a very rich experience for us; the tires were better for everyone, so we found the right direction very quickly. “We are working on three main families of 16, all with the same profile but with three very different constructions. Each of our riders is more or less focusing on one family that suits their style. Guys like Valentino and Nicky brake very deep into turns so they need a stable tire that doesn’t move that much. Other riders like Shinya (Nakano) go into corners more smoothly, which requires a different construction and compound. In some cases the differences between our riders’ tires can be quite big. “Developing new front tires isn’t easy because riders need to really push the limit to understand a tire. But once they know a front tire and feel really confident in it then they have the confidence to be more aggressive in their riding. Knowing how difficult it is, it’s amazing that we’ve been able to make such quick progress. “The 800s also make different demands on the rear tire, so Michelin has adapted its 16.5 rear that dominated all five seasons of 990cc MotoGP. “The size and profile haven’t changed but corner speeds are higher now so the stress on the edge of the tire is even greater,” adds Weber. “Our work on the rear tire has therefore been focused on creating more stability on the edge of the tire and also good traction for the corner exits, adjusting stiffness of the tire casing and compounds, so it more or less continues the development work we had already done with the 990s. But it’s been a lot of work because there are some big differences between the rears we make for our different riders. Guys like Valentino and Nicky put a lot of load on the rear, they put a lot of stress into the tire.” Michelin is also looking forward to working with MotoGP’s new tire rules that restrict riders to 14 front slicks and 17 rear slicks per weekend. “It’s more challenging for us because we need to go even deeper into the details with our different riders to make sure we give each rider the best package of tires within the restrictions,” he says. “Overall I’m quite happy with the results we’ve had over the winter, especially with the big job of developing the 16. Now we are really looking forward to the first race.” MotoGP’s first 800cc campaign kicks off at Qatar on Saturday 10 March. Michelin has scored more than 350 victories in premier-class motorcycling racing since 1973 and has won 26 500/MotoGP World Championships over the past 31 years, including a clean sweep of the last 15 titles. Michelin Riders’ Qualifying Practice Classification 1. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha Factory Racing Team-Michelin) 1:38.394 2. Dani PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team-Michelin) 1:38.527 3. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha Factory Racing Team-Michelin) 1:39.300 4. Nicky HAYDEN (Repsol Honda Team-Michelin) 1:39.556 9. Kenny ROBERTS JR (Team Roberts-Michelin) 1:40.083 10. Carlos CHECA (Honda LCR-Michelin) 1:40.100 12. Shinya NAKANO Konica Minolta Honda-Michelin) 1:40.242 21. Andrew PITT (Ilmor GP-Michelin) 1:43.026 23. Jeremy McWILLIAMS (Ilmor GP-Michelin) 1:43.202 More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Vermeulen eighth in timed shoot-out Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Chris Vermeulen recorded his fastest-ever lap around the Jerez circuit today during this afternoon’s 40-minute timed session. Suzuki’s Australian rider utilised the session to full extent as he tested Bridgestone’s qualifying tyres for the first time on the Suzuki GSV-R800. He consistently improved on his times throughout the 40-miutes and set a quickest time of 1’40.043, and compiled lots of important data on the latest generation of tyres. Vermeulen continued with his comprehensive test schedule during the rest of the day, which included a long run on Bridgestone race tyres, as the team gathered as much information as they could in preparation for next month’s race here in Jerez. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Team Test Rider Kousuke Akiyoshi didn’t have a very happy timed session as he was left sitting on the track after a high-side crash on his 10th lap. He was unhurt but unable to re-join the other riders and had to settle for 18th quickest. He also completed a detailed test day as he gets ready for his race debut at the Spanish circuit next month. John Hopkins was able to get on track today, but only for the MotoGP riders’ group photo. The Anglo-American star is making good progress with his rehabilitation following his high-speed crash at Qatar last week. He is well on course for a full recovery and will take his place on the grid for the season opener also in Qatar. Over 29,000 spectators came to Jerez to watch today’s final day of pre-season testing, and witnessed former World Champion Valentino Rossi set the fastest time on his factory Yamaha to win a BMW car. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will next be in action at the first round of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship at Losail in Qatar on Saturday 10th March. This is the first race of an 18 event series that will finish at Valencia, Spain in November. Chris Vermeulen: “I haven’t used qualifiers all winter on the 800 so it was a good session for me, as I got to learn a lot about them. I used five rear qualifying tyres in the whole 40 minutes so we made full use of it. We tried four different compounds and constructions, and we got a lot of information for Bridgestone. It was quite difficult during the session as there were some spots of rain and I actually pulled in on one of my laps as there was quite a bit of rain on one of the corners and I didn’t want to risk anything. It’s the quickest lap I’ve ever done at Jerez, quicker than my qualifying here last year, so it shows we are making progress and with a clear lap I am sure I could go even quicker! Although we have learned a lot from the qualifiers our main focus is still to get the best tyre we can to do 27 quick laps in the race!” Kousuke Akiyoshi: “I am very disappointed to crash. I was getting quicker all the time and I am sure I would have done better. I had a high-side on the second corner and wasn’t able to get back out again in the timed session. I have done lots of testing and learnt the track and I am looking forward to coming back here for the race.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Today’s timed session was a great opportunity to see all the MotoGP riders riding at 100% and pushing their abilities to the maximum. More importantly for us it helped us verify a qualifying tyre choice, not only for here but the general direction for the season. Chris performed strongly and dependably today, lapping at just over 0.1 of a second away from the fastest Bridgestone rider and finishing in the top-eight is not a bad result at all. We also got through some good testing today with consistently good results. Everything we have done here this week will certainly help both Chris and John when the season starts at Qatar in two weeks time.” MotoGP Official Test Timed Practice Classification: 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’38.394: 2. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.133: 3. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.906: 4. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +1.162: 5. Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki) +1.438: 8. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKII MOTOGP) +1.649: 18. KOUSUKE AKIYOSHI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +3.411:

AMA Racing Vice President Ken Rogers, who was in charge of AMA road racing and motocross/supercross, resigned from the organization last week. He wanted his resignation to be effective after Daytona, but was told that if he was leaving, Friday would be his last day. “I wanted to stay on until after Daytona because I felt a responsibility to make sure things went well since we have a pretty green staff going into that race,” Rogers said Saturday. Rogers, who had been AMA Pro Racing Director of Timing and Scoring prior to becoming a Vice President, was promoted in October, 2006. AMA had not issued any statement and a phone call to an AMA spokesman seeking comment had not been returned at post time.

VP RACING FUELS NAMES NEW MANAGER FOR MIDWEST REGION SAN ANTONIO, TX — VP Racing Fuels, Inc., an industry leader in the production and distribution of racing fuels and other performance products, has named Jason Rueckert as its new Regional Manager-VP Midwest. Rueckert replaces Jay Farnsworth, who was recently appointed to the newly created position of Technical Director for VP . In his new position, Rueckert will be based in Terre Haute, IN, with responsibility for all sales operations in VP’s Midwest Region including Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. An avid drag racer, overall racing enthusiast and 8-year veteran at VP, Rueckert has been instrumental in the growth of the company’s Midwest region over the last several years, according to Steve Burns, VP’s President and CEO. “Jason will be a tremendous resource to our Midwest region customers due to his vast knowledge of racing fuels and the racing industry,” Burns said. “His customers attest to his unbridled energy and ability to maintain solid, mutually supportive relationships. As we continue to experience significant growth, it’s a pleasure to be able to tap an experienced professional like Jason to ensure we don’t miss a step during these transitions.” VP Racing has manufactured the best fuels for motorsports since 1975. With more than 60 unique blends, VP has fueled champions in virtually every racing category and class — from circle track, drag racing and road racing to off-road, off-shore and even airplane racing. In race venues not controlled by a fuel rule, VP consistently fuels more winners than any other American fuel company. VP’s fuels enjoy a well-deserved reputation for superior power and consistency, illustrated by the NHRA Pro Stock Champions who have made VP their fuel of choice for 31 consecutive years, a record unmatched by any sponsor in the industry. VP Racing is the Official Racing Fuel of NHRA Championship DragR acing, as well as exclusive fuel supplier and/or sponsor of American LeMans; AMA (American Motorcycle Association); Champ Car Atlantic; Championship Off Road Racing (CORR); National Mustang Racing Association ; Star Mazda; and Stars of Karting among many others. More information about VP Racing Fuels can found on its website at vpracingfuels.com.

Lap Times 1. Marco Melandri, Honda, Bridgestone, 1:40.383 2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, Michelin, 1:40.408 3. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, Michelin, 1:40.581 4. Alex Hofmann, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:40.748 5. Toni Elias, Honda, Bridgestone, 1:43.687 6. Casey Stoner, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:42.634 7. Carlos Checa, Honda, Michelin, 1:41.096 8. Randy de Puniet, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, 1:41.151 9. Colin Edwards, Yamaha, Michelin, 1:41.204 10. Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, Dunlop, 1:41.234 11. Nicky Hayden, Honda, Michelin, 1:41.259 12. Shinya Nakano, Honda, Michelin, 1:41.269 13. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, Bridgestone, 1:41.363 14. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:41.590 15. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, 1:41.777 16. Kenny Roberts, KR212V, Michelin, 1:41.783 17. Alex Barros, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:41.845 18. Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, Dunlop, 1:42.364 19. Shinichi Ito, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:43.209 20. Kousuke Akiyoshi, Suzuki, Bridgestone, 1:43.610 21. Vittoriano Guareschi, Ducati, Bridgestone, 1:44.143 22. Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor, Michelin, 1:44.458 23. Andrew Pitt, Ilmor, Michelin, 1:44.589 Top Speeds 1. Stoner, 274.2 kph (170.4 mph) 2. Pedrosa, 273.8 3. Ito, 273.5 4. Barros, 273.3 5. Capirossi, 272.9 6. Guareschi, 272.9 7. Hofmann, 272.2 8. Edwards, 271.6 9. Hayden, 271.4 10. Nakano, 271.2 11. Vermeulen, 271.2 12. Elias, 270.9 13. Tamada, 270.9 14. Rossi, 270.1 15. Guintoli, 269.1 16. Melandri, 268.7 17. Checa, 267.5 18. McWilliams, 267.3 19. Akiyoshi, 267.1 20. Roberts, 266.9 21. Jacque, 266.8 22. de Puniet, 266.2 23. Pitt, 262.4 (163.1 mph) More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports: Penultimate day of MotoGP tests conclude with Melandri quickest Saturday 24th February – Jerez, Spain – MotoGP Official Test Having experienced some of the most changeable conditions of any preseason, the MotoGP premier class was once again hit by unpredictable weather at their penultimate opportunity to test the new 800cc prototypes before the season curtain-raiser on March 10th. Riders arriving at the Jerez Circuit for their second day of Official Test action were greeted by thick fog, which didn’t shift until midday and meant that none of the MotoGP field were on track until around 12.15pm. The 23 participants began their work in earnest at 1pm, and as the skies cleared they put in marathon sessions on their 800cc bikes. Carrying on from yesterday, Marco Melandri clocked the fastest time of the day, with a storming lap of 1’40.383 in the dying moments, reaffirming his excellent recent form on a Honda RC212V that he still maintains has the potential for more horsepower. The Honda satellite rider just edged out five time World Champion Valentino Rossi to top the timesheets, his fellow Italian having laid down the gauntlet for the rest of the field during the session. He was less than a tenth of a second slower than Melandri, improving significantly on his time and placing from yesterday. Dani Pedrosa was third quickest, and was consistently fast at the circuit where he led the way at the final test of 2006. Alex Hofmann also had one of his best ever testing performances, taking his satellite Desmosedici GP07 to fourth place. The German’s superb run means that all four of the regular Ducati riders have on any given day been the fastest of the Italian machines in preseason. Echoing team-mate Melandri, Gresini Honda’s Toni Elias also made a late charge, just behind Hofmann’s time on the last of 84 laps. The top six was completed by Casey Stoner, one of the emerging favourites for tomorrow’s 40 minute ‘qualifying session’. A top ten all within a second of the day’s fastest lap also included Carlos Checa, Randy de Puniet, Colin Edwards and Makoto Tamada. The latter suffered a crash just after 3pm, but was unhurt and continued to ride until the end of the session. World Champion Nicky Hayden was again outside the top ten, but will not be worried at a test where he is avoiding unnecessary risks. Still rehabilitating a shoulder injury, ‘The Kentucky Kid’ is expecting to be on top form when he arrives at Qatar for the rapidly-approaching season opener. The final opportunity to prepare for the Qatar date comes tomorrow, as the 2007 preseason undertakes its final day. Aside from continuing their 800cc fine-tuning, the riders will also put their names into the hat for a brand new BMW M as they compete against each other in a 40 minute shootout from 2.05pm local time. MotoGP Official Test Jerez Day 2 Official Times 1. Marco Melandri (Honda Gresini) – 1’40.383 2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing) – 1’40.408 3. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) – 1’40.581 4. Alex Hofmann (Pramac d’Antin) – 1’40.748 5. Toni Elias (Honda Gresini) – 1’40.952 6. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) – 1’41.071 7. Carlos Checa (Honda LCR) – 1’41.096 8. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki Racing Team) – 1’41.151 9. Colin Edwards (Yamaha Factory Racing) – 1’41.204 10. Makoto Tamada (Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3) – 1’41.234 11. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda) – 1’41.259 12. Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda) – 1’41.269 13. Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’41.363 14. Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) – 1’41.590 15. Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki Racing Team) – 1’41.777 16. Kenny Roberts Jr. (Team Roberts) – 1’41.783 17. Alex Barros (Pramac d’Antin) – 1’41.845 18. Sylvain Guintoli (Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3) – 1’42.364 19. Shinichi Ito (Ducati Marlboro) – 1’43.209 20. Kousuke Akiyoshi (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) – 1’43.610 21. Vittoriano Guareschi (Ducati Marlboro) – 1’44.143 22. Jeremy McWilliams (Ilmor GP) – 1’44.458 23. Andrew Pitt (Ilmor GP) – 1’44.589 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Saturday Feb 24 2007 MotoGP Official Test – Jerez – Free Practice 2 DUCATI MARLBORO MEN MAKE PROGRESS AT JEREZ Ducati Marlboro Team riders Casey Stoner and Loris Capirossi made good use of today’s much-improved weather at Jerez, Stoner making excellent progress with his GP7 while Capirossi learned much in his efforts to find the best settings for this track. Stoner ran up front throughout most of the day, improving his GP7’s corner-exit behaviour and clocking some consistently fast times on race tyres. Unlike some riders who used qualifying tyres today to achieve quick one-off laps, both Ducati Marlboro Team men preferred to stick with race tyres as they continued working towards finding the ideal bike set-up and tyre choice for the Spanish GP which takes place here a month from now on March 25. Tomorrow’s final day of Jerez action includes an official 40-minute timed and televised ‘qualifying’ session, billed as an hors d’ouevre to MotoGP’s long-awaited first 800cc season which gets underway with the Qatar GP on March 10. Casey Stoner, 47 laps – 6th fastest – 1m 41.071s “We worked well today, we made a lot of changes and most of them have been quite positive. We got down and down in the lap times and have been reasonably consistent too. And we largely fixed the rear pumping problem we’d had with a rear tyre and by improving the engine management. I’m really happy with the way that’s gone today. Tomorrow we need to come back with the settings we’ve got and make some more improvements because although the race pace we’ve got now isn’t too bad we could probably improve a few tenths a lap. I didn’t really get enough track time today because we had a couple of little glitches, nothing major, so I could’ve done with a few extra laps before the conditions started to turn a bit cold.” Loris Capirossi 65 laps – 14th fastest – 1m 41.590s “Today has been a difficult day. We tested a few things but we haven’t found the right set-up yet, I can’t seem to get really good traction. To tell the truth I’m not really worried because I saw Casey going faster, so I know we have a margin for improvement and I’m confident we will be able to improve the set-up tomorrow. We won’t think too much about the afternoon’s ‘qualifying’ session, which is fun and a good show for the public, because we want to concentrate again on preparing the bike for next month’s race here. We haven’t tested any qualifying tyres because it’s pointless when you’re not yet totally okay with the settings. We’ll see tomorrow, we have room for improvement”. Jerez Official Record : Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2005), 1’40.596 Jerez Pole Record : Loris Capirossi (Ducati – 2006), 1’39.064 More, from a press release issued by Ilmor: Official MotoGP Test Jerez Day Two Circuito de Jerez de la Frontera 24.02.07: Where rain hampered track time yesterday, today it was a heavy mist that delayed the on-track activity at the Andalusian circuit. As soon as visibility was restored and the damp patches had dried out, Ilmor GP riders Jeremy McWilliams and Andrew Pitt once again took to the track in the hope of clocking up some serious mileage. Both riders were running in a new engine specification giving the Ilmor GP electronics crew plenty to play with as they adjusted the engine mapping accordingly. And whilst both McWilliams and Pitt experienced an overall improvement in the bikes performance, there is still a lot of work ahead for the final day of the test tomorrow. Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri set the fastest lap time out on track today for a second consecutive day the Italian rider managed a 1.40.383 lap time with a top speed of 268.7Km/h Jeremy McWilliams #99 Laps: 26 Fastest Lap: 1.44.458 Top Speed: 267.3Km/h Andrew Pitt #88 Laps: 57 Fastest Lap: 1.44.589 Top Speed: 264.4Km/h Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor GP Rider: “I have mixed emotions on the one hand, I didn’t do enough laps today so I’m disappointed but on the other the new engine is without doubt a step in the right direction. We had a lot of down time in the garage making adjustments but that’s normal with a new engine frustrating but normal. I’m hoping for much more track time tomorrow.” Andrew Pitt, Ilmor GP Rider: “We had good dry conditions today, so the riding was better. We made good progress particularly on the electronic side. I managed a good long run at one point and clocked up some consistent lap times. I think we’re in better shape today.” Mario Illien, Team Principal: “All in all it was a productive day for us. It was a real shame that we couldn’t start earlier we lost out on a lot of time over the past few days due to bad weather conditions. We are not quite where we want to be time-wise but we have definitely made progress and hopefully that can continue for tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory Racing Team: Final Test Gets Underway for Yamaha at Rain-Hit Jerez Yamaha Factory Racing riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards started their final pre-season preparations today as the Official MotoGP Test began in Jerez. The Andalusian circuit, which will play host to the second round of the MotoGP World Championship in March, will provide the teams with the last chance to fine-tune their 800cc MotoGP motorcycles before the season gets started in Qatar. After three consecutive races in warmer climes, it was a wet return to European shores this morning when the MotoGP paddock was subjected to a heavy rainstorm and as a result Rossi and Edwards were not able get out on track until the early afternoon. However even after that the low temperatures meant that track failed to dry properly and it remained quite damp in places, causing the Yamaha pair to take it gently throughout the afternoon as they concentrated on trying to find the right set-up ahead of a hopefully drier day tomorrow. The timesheets were topped today by Honda rider Marco Melandri, who set a time of 1’42.563, a full two seconds off Rossi’s old 990cc lap record, which still stands from 2005. Edwards came in at 11th position with best lap of 1’43.845 with Rossi behind him in 13th after a lap of 1’44.494. Colin Edwards, Position: 11th Time: 1’43.845 Laps: 38 “Actually that was a really useful day for us, despite the weather! Obviously the times don’t really show it, but I’m not worried about those because the conditions really limited what we could do with regards to going fast. It wasn’t nice out there with the patchy conditions and it was really quite dangerous; it was obvious that whoever took the most risks was going to be fastest today! Anyway, we came here with our ‘smooth-track’ setting which worked so well in Qatar and tried it here, which is much bumpier. The good thing about today is that we think we now understand why it doesn’t work so well on bumpy tracks and so tomorrow we’re going to work on changing that and getting it to work everywhere. That’s the aim for tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be successful in that task, which will put us in much better stead as far as adjusting the bike to different tracks goes. We were obviously nowhere near our times from December today but we know the bike is better than it was then so I am sure that once the track dries out properly and it gets a bit warmer, we’ll get a lot faster.” Valentino Rossi Position: 13th Time: 1’44.494 Laps:36 “The most important thing about this test for us is that it gives us the chance to see how our new bike has changed from the test here in December to now. We’ve had three tests in between and the bike has changed quite a bit, plus we’ve had some new parts for the engine and the bike is a bit faster. Today wasn’t great because the conditions were bad, it didn’t really dry out all day so it wasn’t possible to go so fast. Anyway though, I am impressed at some of the times of my rivals in these conditions! I was quite fast at the start when it was quite wet, but really it wasn’t enough to do a real wet-weather test. So after today we still can’t see how much we’ve improved from the last test, but hopefully tomorrow will be better. We’ve found some interesting things though and I think it will be better tomorrow. Of course the objective of this weekend is to be ready for the race when we return here and I hope we will also be able to go faster than we did here in December. The biggest changes since we were here last have been made to the suspension, especially in the front, but today we couldn’t really see the potential of these changes. If it becomes warmer we will also try to find some good tyres for this track, so let’s hope for sunshine!” Davide Brivio, Team Director “Today was a bit disappointing because we obviously have a lot of work to get through here and the weather really delayed us, but anyway both riders found out some interesting things about their bikes in these conditions and gathered some good information. We hope that the weather will be better tomorrow so we will be able to see how much our bike has improved since the last test here. It’s a bit cold at this time of year, but hopefully the sun will come out and we will be able to really get started!” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda, which we think claims Melandri is on provisional pole even though this is a test, but we’re not sure, because we speak and read ENGLISH: POLE PROVVISORIA PER MARCO MELANDRI, QUINTO TONI ELIAS Dopo l’ottimo inizio di ieri, Marco Melandri si è ripetuto, piazzandosi davanti a tutti nella seconda giornata di test MotoGP con una Bridgestone da qualifica dopo una giornata non semplicissima. Una scivolata, fortunatamente senza conseguenze, accaduta sull’ora di pranzo, ha infatti rallentato il lavoro del pilota del Team Honda Gresini, lasciandogli anche un po’ di dolore alla mano destra e all’anca. Nel pomeriggio Marco è tornato in pista. Ha lavorato con la gomma da gara per poi dedicarsi alla gomma da qualifica che gli ha permesso di centrare la pole provvisoria che lo fa sperare per la macchina in palio domani. In crescita anche il compagno di squadra Toni Elias che ha lavorato sulla messa a punto della moto e testato molte gomme da qualifica prima di centrare il quinto tempo. Domani gran finale con l’ora cronometrata (in diretta su Italia1, ore 14), per aggiudicarsi una fiammante BMW. MARCO MELANDRI (1°, 64 giri, 1’40″383): “Oggi abbiamo lavorato moltissimo, peccato per la scivolata che mi ha fatto perdere quasi due ore. È stato un mio errore, una cosa banale Abbiamo lavorato con le gomme da gara ed infine abbiamo provato due gomme da qualifica perché in Qatar sarà molto importante partire dalle prime file. Sono contento del risultato di oggi anche se credo che occorrerà essere più veloci per conquistare la macchina! Scherzi a parte, quello che mi interressa è prepararmi per la gara. Dobbiamo migliorare ancora un po’ il passo”. TONI ELIAS (5°, 84 giri, 1.40″952): “Oggi abbiamo effettuato un intenso e proficuo lavoro con Bridgestone e sono contento perché stiamo migliorando. Abbiamo trovato alcune soluzioni che mi piacciono molto. Nel pomeriggio abbiamo lavorato su sospensioni e messa a punto della moto. Sono contento di questo risultato ma spero di fare un ulteriore passo in avanti”. I TEMPI: 1. Melandri (Honda Gresini) 1’40″383; 2. Rossi (Yamaha) 1’40″408; 3. Pedrosa (Honda) 1’40″581; 4. Hofmann (Ducati) 1’40″748; 5. Elias (Honda Gresini) 1’40″952; 6. Stoner (Ducati) 1’41″071; 7.Checa (Honda) 1’41″096; 8.De Puniet (Kawasaki) 1’41″151; 9. Edwards (Yamaha) 1’41″204; 10. Tamada (Yamaha) 1’41″234; 11. Hayden (Honda) 1’41″259; 14. Capirossi (Ducati) 1’41″590. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: MotoGP test Jerez, Spain. Day two of three-day test. February 24, 2007. Melandri and Gresini Honda hold sway on day two of Jerez MotoGP test. Marco Melandri continued his impressive pre-season form aboard the Gresini Honda RC212V setting fastest lap time for the second consecutive day at the final MotoGP test before the season opens at Doha, Qatar on March. In bright sunny weather, with much improved track conditions, Italian Melandri slashed over two seconds off his best time of yesterday ending the session ahead of former MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi with Repsol Honda factory rider Dani Pedrosa third. Time sheet topper Melandri set consistently fast lap times all ay as he worked his way through a strenuous Bridgestone tyre test in preparation for the race here on March 25. Once he had found a good base line set up for race tyres Marco put in a set of Bridgestone qualifying tyres to record his fastest lap of the day at 1m 40.383s. Melandri had a low side crash at themed afternoon point but escaped with just a bruised arm. The RC212V was not so lucky sustaining serious damage that the mechanics worked hard to have the RC212V ready for the 40 minute timed ‘Shoot out’ that will determine which MotoGP wins the sports car on offer for fastest lap. Dani Pedrosa was again close to top spot on the time sheets. The Spaniard, a former three-time world champion in the smaller capacity classes, worked mainly on chassis settings before moving on to testing rear tyres for Michelin Despite only taking to the track at around 13.00. MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden put in 91 hard laps of the 4.423 km Jerez track ending the day as the most improved lap time of all on the grid. The Champion’s day was even better than the times indicate and he set his lap times on race tyres in preparation or the GP in one month’s time. Toni Elias, Gresini Honda, was in scintillating form all day while testing the range of Bridgestone tyres designed to help him get the best out of his RCV. Testing the tyres in combination with a variety of front and rear suspension settings Elias’ best lap was 2.7s faster than his best of yesterday. Carlos Checa, LCR Honda, spent his day chasing the base set up so important for the grand prix at Jerez on March 25. The Spaniard and his technicians worked hard while chasing a better overall balance on theRC212V. Once satisfied with the base set up Checa moved on to tyre testing. Shinya Nakano decided to run with only race settings and tyres and not try for a quick lap on qualifiers. For the Konica Minolta Honda team it was much more important to try race tyres and settings that will be relevant to the grand prix at Jerez in a month’s time than go for that one quick lap. The team also worked on the suspension settings as they worked their way through a range of Michelin tyres. Despite improving his lap time by over two seconds Nakano was disappointed to end the day in 12th position. The KR212V in the hands of Kenny Roberts Jnr made considerable progress today. Riding the Honda powered Team Roberts rolling chassis Roberts was able to lower his lap time of yesterday by the huge margin of four seconds. This, in part, due to the team technicians overcoming the difficulties caused by the damaged in transit triple clamp problems of yesterday. The team concentrated the day on improving front-end grip. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 41.259s – 91 laps. “We made a lot of improvements today and, even though we had fog this morning, when it cleared up we still got in a pretty full day. I know we’re still quite a long way from the top of the timesheets and our position doesn’t look stellar but I was a lot closer today. We made a good amount of progress and I think I’m a lot better off than it looks because I stayed on race tyres – I didn’t try a qualifier. I enjoyed riding my bike today and working with the team – and that’s important. We’ll come back in here tomorrow, finish things off and get ready for the opening race.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 40.581s 76 laps “Today we tested mainly chassis things with a view to improving the race set-up. We had some options to try and we found some positive results so I’m happy with that because we improved our basic set-up. Also we tested some rear Michelins tyres – maybe two or three – to narrow down our options for the race. Because of the late start we didn’t do a long run today. Tomorrow will be an unusual day with the qualifying session in the middle of the test so we have to find the moment to make a longer run if we can.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 40.383s 64 lap. “Today we did a good job, testing different things in preparation of the race. We tested many race tyres finding interesting solution and only in the end we tested two qualifying tyres because in Qatar it will be very important to start from the first rows. I’m happy with this result but I think that we will need to be faster if we want to get the car! I’m joking. I think we still need to improve because I think that tomorrow everybody will go faster”. Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 1m 40.952s 84 laps. “We tested many tyres that Bridgestone brought me and we did an important step forward both with race and qualifying tyres. We also worked on the suspension to adapt the set up with the new tyres. I hope that tomorrow I can improve also my race pace”. Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 1m 43.206s 83 laps. “Today’s conditions were pretty good and I completed 83 laps working on race set-up. I am quite satisfied about the improvements we had in the chassis set-up and the test of the tyres gathered us important information for the future. Anyway I still need more balance on the bike both in the front and in the rear but this is not a big problem. Honestly our main objective now is to improve the engine power because I could go faster than this. I raced on Honda machines in the past and my pace was pretty good so I hope that HRC can support me in the best way shorter”. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 43.817s 76 laps. “We tried some different rear tyres today and some tyres were an improvement and I was quite happy with front tyre performance also. We finally found a good front and rear tyre combination, this wasn’t with the front tyre I liked in Qatar, but it felt good. I’m not happy with my final position of 12th, but I understand that the other guys were using qualifying tyres. We didn’t use them, as we wanted to check race settings, which is more important. I was happy to be so far up the order until just before the end, we are hoping to maybe do a long run tomorrow, but it depends on the weather and track conditions. I think we’re approaching the limit with the front-end of the bike now as I’m pushing that much harder than before so we’ll make some adjustments there I think. I’m still getting used to the corner speed of the 800cc bike, which is faster than the old 990cc machine.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 1m 45.937s – 82 laps We were looking for more front end grip and have been working on the trail and suspension, stuff like to get it better. We got it pretty close with both the front and rear working but we now have more work to do on the rear end. So we had a better day and go into the final day looking to get a good set up and feeling ready or the race next month.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: ANOTHER POSITIVE DAY AT JEREZ FOR KAWASAKI It was another delayed start for the Kawasaki Racing Team this morning as persistent fog at the 4.423 km Jerez circuit meant that, like yesterday, Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque were forced to await an improvement in the weather before commencing their planned test schedule. Once the sun had finally burnt through the mist, de Puniet was straight out on track to continue work on refining the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR, as well as testing a number of different race tyre options from Bridgestone. The 26-year-old Frenchman was quick to settle into a good rhythm around the tight and technical Jerez circuit, staying close to the top of the timesheet for most of the day. The Kawasaki pilot then completed a race distance run to confirm his race tyre selection, posting consistent lap times throughout. Late in the afternoon de Puniet switched to a qualifier on the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR, and despite being held up towards the end of his flying lap, it was on this tyre that the Kawasaki pilot set his fastest time of the day, to claim eighth position on the final timesheet. For Olivier Jacque and his crew, today’s test provided yet another opportunity to further the development of Kawasaki’s new 800cc MotoGP racer. Working with just one bike, after his number one machine suffered a mechanical problem early on in the session, the 33-year-old former World Champion worked his way through an intensive test and evaluation programme with Kawasaki’s development engineers. Tomorrow the Kawasaki pilot will put aside his development responsibilities to concentrate fully on the annual televised qualifying shoot-out, which will be the highlight of this last pre-season test. Jacque goes into tomorrow’s final day of testing in confident mood, and is looking forward to taking part in his first MotoGP timed session since his last race appearance for Kawasaki in 2005. Randy de Puniet: 8th – 83 Laps – Best Lap 1’41.151 “It was a long but interesting day. We found a good base set up on the bike, and we’ve also identified some options on race tyres for this circuit. I was happy with my lap times today; the speed was good, but so was the consistency, and this is important. The race simulation was my best so far in the run up to the new season, but I still think there is room for further improvement tomorrow. I tried a qualifier late in the session, on which I set my fastest lap, but I was slowed by another rider, so I know I can go faster here. Anyway, the performance of the bike on race tyres is more important, and I’m happy with what we’ve achieved today. Tomorrow we will focus on set-up for the qualifying session; sure I’d like to win the car, but I guess I won’t be the only one out there with the same idea!” Olivier Jacque: 15th – 62 laps – Best Lap 1’41.777 “The characteristics of the Jerez circuit are very different to those of Sepang and Qatar where we’ve tested previously, and this means that we’re experiencing some problems we’ve not had up to now. My feeling is that, at this track and on the gearing we ran today, the power delivery is a little bit too aggressive. This makes it difficult to find traction out of the turns, and it’s also making the bike more prone to lifting the front wheel under acceleration. However, we know what changes we need to make for tomorrow; it just wasn’t possible to make them today because we had some problems with my number one bike and we didn’t want to lose out on track time while we made the necessary changes to my spare machine. Tomorrow I need to switch from development to race mode for the qualifying session. I need to stop being so analytical on track and, instead, concentrate on finding a good rhythm on the bike in the morning, before switching to a qualifying tyre for the timed session. Today was hard, but we learnt a lot and I hope this will work to our advantage tomorrow.” Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager “Once the track had dried completely this afternoon both riders were able to work their way through our planned test programme, and the lap times improved with every track session. More track time today meant that we were able to evaluate several different race tyre options, and Randy’s times and consistency during his race simulation show that we’ve made some progress in this area. Tomorrow we will focus on further refining the set-up, ahead of the first timed session of the new season. There is still some work to do, but we know we are working in the right direction and I’m confident that we will see further improvements before this final test concludes tomorrow afternoon.”

Shinya Nakano makes Riders for Health donation KONICA MINOLTA Honda rider Shinya Nakano took time out from his testing schedule today to make a personal donation to MotoGP’s favourite charity Riders for Health. The 29-year-old Japanese racer handed a cheque to Randy Mamola for 5000 Euros for the UK-based organisation. Shinya said: “Every year I like to do something for charity and Riders for Health is the motorcycle racers’ favourite charity. Every year I do the Day of Champions day at Donington Park, but this year I wanted to do something extra, which is why I made this donation. I think it’s so important what Riders for Health does, using motorcycles to help people less fortunate than ourselves.” Mamola, an ex-Grand Prix racer and one of the original driving forces behind Riders for Health said: “It’s important that riders like Shinya get involved in Riders for Health. Motorcycle racing is our sport, I’ve been involved since I was 12 and other racers like Shinya have been involved since they were younger. Riders for Health is the charity of motorcycling, the manufacturers support it, the riders support it, so for Shinya to do this and make this donation is very important to us. Shinya is a good guy and this year I think he’ll do very well with KONICA MINOLTA Honda.” UK-based Riders for Health is currently helping 11 million people across Africa receive basic healthcare. For the last 15 years Riders has worked on the problem of delivering healthcare to remote parts of the African continent using motorcycles. The self-funded organisation obtains financial support from events at motorcycle races, which supports their pioneering work, work which saves countless lives in Africa. Riders currently has three national programmes working on the African continent in Gambia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. Two smaller programmes are also underway in Kenya and Tanzania For more on Riders for Health go to: www.riders.org

2007 SBK CORONA EXTRA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP® LOSAIL 1st ROUND 22nd, 23rd and 24th FEBRUARY RACE REPORT Losail Saturday 24th February 2007 BIAGGI AND TOSELAND LIGHT UP THE SEASON OPENER – POINTS TIE FOR SUZUKI AND HONDA RIDERS AFTER ROUND ONE Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) and James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) powered to a win and second place apiece at Losail, after two terrific 18-lap contests under the hot Qatari sun. In a surprising raceday development 2006 World Champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) was only fifth and eighth,not recovering from a disappointing qualifying session and Superpole contest on Friday. RACE ONE Biaggi’s astonishing victory was an impressive induction into World Superbike, winning at the first attempt and only finding one rider, second place man James Toseland, able to push him and his overall race package right to the end. Third placed Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) was some 13 seconds down, with the second Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra machine of Yukio Kagayama fourth. RACE TWO Toseland did not have to wait long for the dream first weekend start he desired, scoring the race two victory after a front-running performance in near flawless style. Biaggi closed in on the final laps, but Toseland held on to score the win and thus 45 points in total, sharing the championship lead with Biaggi – although Toseland is shown on top of the standings because his race win came most recently. In third place, Superpole winner Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) did not have any repetition of the tyre fitment trouble he had in race one (when he was ninth) and finished third on his R1, some seven seconds from Toseland. LANZI OVERALL FOURTH AFTER PODIUM SCORE Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) added a seventh to his race one podium finish and ended the day third in the standings with 25 points, one place up on Corser. Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) did not get the starts he hoped for and thus went fourth and sixth, to leave him on 23 points, equal with Corser, who is ahead by dint of his better second race finish. HAGA DISAPPOINTED BUT ON THE EARLY PACE EACH TIME Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) suffered front end problems in race one, ending up eighth, but only slowly faded in race two, securing a top six in the table, with 21 points. Kawasaki’s top rider on the day was Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) who no-scored in race one after a collision with his team-mate Regis Laconi, but recovered his poise to hold onto a hard-won fifth place in race two, keeping him inside the top ten overall. NEUKIRCHNER ROCKS THE WORLD IN RACE ONE Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) continued strongly after qualifying to record a sixth place finish in race one, and follow it up with a top ten in race two to leave Qatar ahead of riders on ostensibly better machinery. Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) was tenth and ninth and is two points ahead of Nieto overall. ROLFO LUCKY SEVEN THEN UNLUCKY IN RACE TWO Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) secured a mature seventh in race one in his first Honda SBK ride, but retired in race two, with clutch problems. Steve Martin (DFX Corse Honda) was 17th in practice yet 12th in race one, but suspension changes mid-race stopped him from performing the feat in the second race, when he no-scored in 18th. Alto Evolution Honda riders Josh Brookes and Karl Muggeridge no-scored in race one, but each finished in the points in race two, with Brookes 13th and Muggeridge 14th after a personal on-track duel. Jakub Smrz (Team Caracchi Ducati SC) scored two points in race one, and Dean Ellison (Pedercini Ducati) got off the mark in the opener, with a point for 15th. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP A crash while leading dropped 2005 and 2006 World Supersport Champion Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) out of the points entirely, and allowed his closely following team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) to secure the first WSS race win of 2007. Riding a new Honda this season, Sofuoglu was some 3.4 seconds up on second place rider, and pole man, Kevin Curtain (Yamaha SSP Racing). A good start from the leading three riders meant that third place man Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda) was too far back to make any real impression on the podium, until Charpentier fell and pushed the Japanese up to third. It was nonetheless a good weekend in general for Fujiwara and his team. Fabien Foret and Pere Riba (both GIL Kawasaki) raced to the line to battle for fourth place, with the Frenchman, who had survived a brake induced crash in the morning warm-up largely unscathed, just beating Riba in a near photo finish. The top Ducati was that of Gianluca Nannelli (Caracchi Ducati SC) in eighth place, with Barry Veneman (Hoegee Suzuki) the top 600 Suzuki rider in ninth place. Only 24 riders finished, from 36 starters. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: World Supersport Championship Round one: Losail International Circuit Saturday 24 February Race report Victory for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda in season opener HANNspree Ten Kate Honda dominated the season opener of the World Supersport Championship at Losail International Circuit in Qatar today with Kenan Sofuoglu storming to victory on the new CBR600RR. The young Turkish rider fought a fierce battle for the race win. However, team-mate and defending champion Sébastien Charpentier saw his hopes dashed when he crashed out on the penultimate lap while leading the pack. The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda riders were involved in a three-way fight for first place with Kevin Curtain from the outset. However, Sofuoglu stole the lead on lap seven and proceeded to open up an advantage over the Australian. Charpentier was never far behind and by lap nine was swapping places with Curtain for second position. On lap ten Charpentier once again seized the advantage and made it stick. For the next six laps the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda duo put in an impressive display of inch-perfect riding to dominate the fiercely competitive 18-lap race. On lap 16, Frenchman Charpentier grasped an opportunity to pass team-mate Sofuoglu. However, the lead was short-lived as he made an unfortunate mistake halfway round the 5.4km circuit on a left hand hairpin and slid into the gravel after losing the front end of the Honda. Charpentier’s season opener came to a premature end when he was forced to retire from the race after being unable to restart the bike. This opened the way for rising star Sofuoglu to pass the chequered flag almost 3.5 seconds clear of second place contender Kevin Curtain and more than six seconds in front of third place Katsuaki Fujiwara. The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team head to the next round in Phillip Island with the championship lead on 25 points. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “Of course I am really happy with Kenan’s result today. He rode very maturely and gave us the result we were hoping for with the new Honda a win in the first race. My feelings are obviously a bit mixed because we could have challenged for first and second places. Both riders put up a good fight out there. It was a tough race and they both wanted to win the first one. Unfortunately Sébastien lost the front so he was out in the gravel. He couldn’t pick up the bike again because there was quite a bit of damage. Instead of being down though we are feeling happy because we have shown the potential of the new bike and we have plenty of races ahead to develop the CBR600RR even further. I am amazed to come away with a win at the first round and I’d like to thank the riders, the tuners and the whole HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team.” Sébastien Charpentier: “I am obviously very disappointed with the outcome of this race. I was so close to the finish and I think we could have easily got a first and second for the team, but I lost the front end and couldn’t recover from it. This has happened now, so I just need to look forward to the next round. It is only the first race and we have plenty of time to make it up.” Kenan Sofuoglu: “I am really happy. I said yesterday that I wasn’t happy with the times in qualifying but I didn’t worry because I knew I could be better for the race. After three or four laps I knew I could challenge Curtain and Sébastien. Then when Sébastien crashed I just had to keep my place to take first position. I am really pleased with the result and would like to thank HANNspree Ten Kate Honda for developing the bike. Also a special thanks to my mechanics who have worked so hard to bring the bike to this level. It’s a new season, a new bike, a new sponsor and I couldn’t be happier.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: POSITIVE RESULT FOR SCUDERIA SC CARACCHI IN QATAR (Doha 2007, February 24) The Scuderia SC Caracchi were reasonably confident before today’s race on Doha-Losail circuit in Qatar. At the end of the day the results must be read as quite positive, as well some disappointing remained to Gianluca Nannelli, that ended in 8th position the Supersport race, run under a higher temperature as in the practice days which gave some problem, as happened in Superbike too, to the bike handling. “The 8th position isn’t a bad result, looking for future of the championship.” commented a disappointed Nannelli at the end “But I was confident to finish in a better position after the practice days. On the contrary the hot temperature got bad the Ducati’s handling, it happened to the 999s too, and I’ve been forced to stay on the defensive, instead to be a fighter to get positions. I had a good start, but at the first corner they closed my line and at the first split i was 7th with a 2,5 seconds delay, that increased to 3″at the first passage under the finish line. At that moment the leaders were far away and they could ride without troubles, while in our group every corner was a fight and we lost a lot of time. At the end I tried to resist to Roccoli’s attack, but the bike lost the line and he has been able to pass. I repeat, I’m disappointend because I was waiting something more, but the 8th place at the first race is not to despise.” Jakub Smrz got his first world Superbike points in race-1, after recovering several position; in race-2 the Czech rider made a very good race, recovering positions and positions, but the delay at the start forced him only to finish close to the points, missed just for 0,2 seconds. “Well, I’m quite satisfied for my race today.” confirmed Jakub Smrz at the end of the day. “At the end of race-1 I earned points recovering some position, but I’m sure I made my best during race-2. At the start I remained behind because a jump start in front of me caused some confusion, but then I got a good pace and I catch and pass Martin and Nakatomi, the just two laps to go Polita was still 2,4 seconds before me, I earned a second during the penultimate lap and at the end I had him just in front of me and I miss the points just for 0,2 seconds; moreover the gap from the winner is really smaller as the race-1 one, despite race-2 has been faster. Now in Australia I’m confident to do better.” More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: 2007 Superbike World Championship Round 1, Losail, Qatar Saturday 24th February Circuit: 5.380 kms. Conditions: Dry, sunny 25-26 C. MAX WINS AT THE FIRST ATTEMPT! Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi stunned everybody by winning the opening round of the Superbike World Champion ship in Qatar today. After a tremendous battle with James Toseland (Honda), Max took the lead with five laps to go and then superbly controlled the race from the front. In the end he ran out the winner by nearly one and a half seconds. Toseland took runner-up spot, with Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) third. By the time Max returned to the parc fermé, his emotions had got the better of him, but by the time he sprang up onto the podium, he had a huge smile on his face. His team mate Yukio Kagayama had front tyre problems in the race, but managed to finish a gritty fourth. Race two was another terrific battle between Max and Toseland, but this time Toseland emerged the victor, though if the race had lasted a further three or four laps, it might have been a different story. Troy Corser took third, with Yukio down the field in sixth – thanks to tyre problems again, though this time it was the rear. Overall though, it was a fantastic start to the season for Alstare’s new rider – Max Biaggi. A win in his first ever World Superbike race and a second in race two means that he leaves Qatar as joint championship leader and goes to the next round at Phillip Island full of confidence. MAX Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 2nd What a fantastic start to my new (Superbike) experience. To begin with a win is wonderful and I dedicate it to our Team Boss, Francis Batta, who couldn’t be here with us today. I’m sure he watched it on TV and it must have made him wish he was here. This championship is tough and for sure there are a lot of good riders, so I don’t think it’s always going to be like this. I want to thank my team for all their hard work and support over the past few months, which has made all this possible. This racing is fun! I wished I had discovered this championship years ago. In the second race, I was catching James (Toseland) and I think I could’ve caught him if there had been three or four more laps. We made a small adjustment to the bike for the second race and maybe it wasn’t the right thing, but we still nearly managed to win it! Now we are off to one of my favourite tracks, Phillip Island. I’m looking forward to it and having more fun. YUKIO Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 6th I am very frustrated today, because I expected to do much better. But I had tyre problems in both races and I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted. In race one the problem was the front tyre and after five laps, I didn’t have a good feeling, but I kept up quite a good pace. We changed the chassis set-up a little for the second race, but this time the problem was at the rear! I suppose, the good news is that I didn’t crash and I managed to score some good points. Results Race 1: 1 MAX BIAGGI (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Toseland (GB-Honda), 3 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 4 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 5 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 6 Neukirchner (D-Suzuki), 7 Rolfo (I-Honda), 8 Haga (J-Yamaha), 9 Corser (Aus-Yamaha), 10 Xaus (E-Ducati), Race 2: 1 Toseland, 2 MAX BIAGGI (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 3 Corser, 4 Haga, 5 Nieto (E-Kawasaki), 6 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 7 Lanzi, 8 Bayliss, 9 Xaus, 10 Neukirchner Points: 1 Toseland, MAX BIAGGI (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 45, 3 Lanzi 25, 4 Corser 23, 5 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 23, 6 Haga 21, 7 Bayliss 19, 8 Neukirchner 16, 9 Xaus 13, 10 Nieto 11, More, from another press release from HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: World Superbike Championship Round one: Losail International Circuit Saturday 24 February 2007 Race report Toseland secures race win in double podium opener HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider James Toseland leaves the opening round of the 2007 World Superbike Championship at the top of the standings on equal points with Max Biaggi. British contender Toseland finished in second and first positions respectively at the championship’s first event in Qatar today to secure 45 points and the joint lead in the series. Race one at the 5.4km Losail International Circuit saw the 25-year-old pull away from the chasing pack in the early stages before entering a nail-biting battle for victory with experienced Italian rider Biaggi. The youngest-ever World Superbike Champion and former MotoGP rider swapped places more than half a dozen times in an exhilarating cat and mouse chase. Toseland held fast until lap 13 when Biaggi slipped past to push him into second place on the podium. Race two was a different story for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Toseland as he settled into the lead from the first lap and refused to let go of the advantage. He led the second 18-lap race from start to finish for a convincing and comfortable win. At one stage Toseland had even extended his lead over race one winner Max Biaggi to 2.1 seconds. Biaggi closed in on the final two laps, but Toseland maintained station and crossed the line more than half a second ahead of his rival. Team-mate Roberto Rolfo began his race debut with HANNspree Ten Kate Honda in fine form, showing that he is more than comfortable with the CBR1000RR. He improved his pace throughout race one to fight his way up from tenth place on the grid. The reward for his efforts was a seventh place finish. Race two proved more difficult for the young Italian when a problem with the clutch forced him to retire from the race early on. However, Rolfo heads to Phillip Island just two points outside of the top ten in the championship standings. Ronald ten Kate: “I am of course a happy man. James has been strong all weekend, but in this morning’s warm up the bike wasn’t performing well so we weren’t feeling too confident before the race. Luckily everything settled down and James had a great race one together with newcomer Max Biaggi it was good to see them in a battle. For the second race we managed to adjust the bike for James so that he was able to win and he did it in great style. I am happy, but let’s see where we can go from here. Roby had a great first race, especially in the second half. Seventh was a good result for a debut race. In the second race the aim was to start harder and go a lot faster in the beginning but unfortunately we burned the clutch. I am very sorry for Roby but I’m sure that he will bring home more points for the team during the rest of the season.” James Toseland: “I have had a great weekend. I was quickest on Friday morning and in the top three in all sessions. My lowest position was sixth and that was in the warm up this morning. I was quite disappointed with the first race, but in the second race we set the pace and got to the front. The last two laps were difficult but we made it and got first place. This is my seventh year in World Superbikes and I am fitter than ever. Thanks to Honda, the Ten Kate team and to HANNspree it is all working out really well so far. We deserve to be at the front after a winter of hard work and to get there in the first race is brilliant.” Roberto Rolfo: “Every rider is disappointed when they have a problem that is outside of their control. However, putting that aside it’s been a fantastic experience to be part of such a professional team for the first event of the 2007 championship. I have learned a lot about the bike and the way I need to ride it. I still have a heavy feeling at the front of the bike, particularly at the beginning of the race, but once I overcome this with my riding I will be very happy.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: LANZI’S PODIUM IN RACE 1 SAVES THE DAY FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM IN QATAR Losail (Qatar), Saturday 24 February: It was a difficult start to the year for the Ducati Xerox Team at the Losail circuit in Qatar. In the opening round of the 2007 World Superbike Championship, Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi could only manage one podium between them in the two races as Max Biaggi (Suzuki), making his Superbike debut, and James Toseland (Honda) took the first two wins of the year. Lorenzo clinched the final podium place in race 1 with a superb pass on Kagayama on the penultimate lap, and finished seventh in the second race, while Troy took a fifth and seventh. “We knew that this weekend was going to be difficult for us but it turned out to be tougher than expected” declared Troy. “All weekend I’d been doing quite well on the race tyre so I was feeling quite confident, and was quite happy with the way race 1 went. I could have done a lot better but I would have had to put my life on the line so I settled for points. In the second race we thought we couldn’t do any worse and tried something different, we put the hardest tyre in the front which we used last year and we made a change to the rear suspension. The biggest problem we had was at the rear however because we had no feeling at all. It’s a long year ahead, it wasn’t a good start but that’s racing! For sure I’ll feel much more confident at Phillip Island, where the track is normally pretty constant and I’m looking forward to that.” “In race 1 I succeeded in scoring a great podium finish” commented Lorenzo. “It was a good, hard-fought result because in the last few laps I had a great battle with Kagayama. For race 2 we changed the suspension a bit and my 999 worked a lot better. Unfortunately I got off to a bad start, which lost me a lot of time in the early laps. I am sure I could have finished fourth quite easily had the tyre not started to turn on the rim half-way through the race which created some ‘chattering’ problems. Now that the Qatar race is over, we look forward immediately to Phillip Island, where we should go better.” RACE 1: 1. Biaggi (Suzuki); 2. Toseland (Honda); 3. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox); 4. Kagayama (Suzuki); 5. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox); 6. Neukirchner (Suzuki); 7. Rolfo (Honda); 8. Haga (Yamaha). RACE 2: 1. Toseland; 2. Biaggi; 3. Corser (Yamaha); 4. Haga; 5. Nieto (Kawasaki); 6. Kagayama; 7. Lanzi; 8. Bayliss. POINTS (after 1 of 13 rounds): 1. Toseland & Biaggi 45; 3. Lanzi 25; 4. Corser & Kagayama 23; 6. Haga 21; 7. Bayliss 19; 8. Neukirchner 16. Manufacturers: 1. Honda & Suzuki 45; 3. Ducati 25; 4. Yamaha 24; 5. Kawasaki 11. More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: First points for Nakatomi Max Biaggi (Suzuki) wins his first ever World Superbike race and James Toseland (Honda) is the winner of the second event. They are now both leading the championship with the same amount of points. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha), 12th and 17th, earns his first points of the 2007 season. In the beginning of the first race, there is a nice fight between Troy Corser (Yamaha), Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), James Toseland (Honda) and Max Biaggi (Suzuki). Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha) is in 15th position. Then Toseland and Biaggi dice for the lead and finally the Italian wins in front of the British and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati). Nakatomi finishes 12th and earns his first points of the year. Again, Toseland, Haga, Corser and Biaggi take the lead in race 2. Nakatomi is 15th. At half-distance, Toseland has a 2 second lead over Corser, Haga and Biaggi. This time, Toseland is the winner in front of Biaggi. Shinichi Nakatomi finishes in 17th position. Team-manager Martial Garcia: “In the first race, the front tyre did not last the distance, like for several other riders. Before race 2, we made the front end lighter, but then it was the rear tyre which had a problem of balance and was turning on the rim. We are satisfied with the points we earned, considering that we started late this winter and the Qatar race was mostly a test session for us.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2007 Round 1, Losail Qatar Temperature – air 26°C – ground 47°C 22 24 February 2007 World Supersport Round 1 of 13 SOFUOGLU WINS FIRST TIME OUT ON NEW HONDA CBR600RR After a dramatic penultimate lap at the 5.380km Losail circuit in Qatar Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) took his all-new machine to the first race win of the 13-round World Supersport season, after his team-mate Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) fell while leading. The only consolation for Charpentier was a new lap record, 2m 02.949s, set on lap three. The two top Honda riders on the day were locked in a battle for the win, but Charpentier pushed too hard when going wide into a left hand corner and he was unable to restart after the subsequent lowside crash. Each rider had qualified on the front row, with Charpentier close to pole man, and eventual second place rider, Kevin Curtain, and Sofuoglu fourth on the grid. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) had a successful start to his season, third on the grid and in the race, but setting comparable lap times with the leaders once he got over the hectic first few laps. Lorenzo Alfonsi (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) made a strong debut for a rookie in his team and at this circuit, taking points for a 13th place finish, after going 20th in qualifying. Sofuoglu expected a fight with his team-mate right to the end, but it was not to be, as he ended up running alone for the last lap, finishing some 3.4 seconds ahead of Curtain. “I knew I could be challenging for the podium,” said Sofuoglu, who is no stranger to wins in WSS. “Kevin went away in front very fast but after only three or four laps I knew I could increase my speed and make an attack. I could ride at a high pace consistently, as could Sebastien, and for sure if he did not crash we would have fought for the win. I am really happy because last year Sebastian was better than me but I think this year we are more like the same.” Charpentier was naturally unhappy with his final misfortune in Losail. “I am obviously very disappointed with the outcome of this race,” said a despondent double World Champion. “I was so close to the finish and I think we could have easily got a first and second for the team, but I lost the front end and couldn’t recover from it. This has happened now, so I just need to look forward to the next round. It is only the first race and we have plenty of time to make it up.” Front row starter Fujiwara could not capitalise on his strong qualifying performances on the first lap at least, yet he knew his final race weekend would be a good one after setting the fastest time on day one. “This was a better performance than we could have hoped for when we came to Qatar,” said Fujiwara. “Today our final position as good but if we could start well, and get away with the top group, there was a possibility to win today. We didn’t test here, had a new bike, new suspension everything new, and yet we got on the podium.” Alfonsi’s weekend ended up with him 13th in the race, after finishing 20th in qualifying for his new squad on the new CBR600RR. “Not bad because this was the first time for me in Qatar,” said the Italian rider. “It is a difficult track, fast corners and one little mistake means your lap time is a second slower. My new team is fantastic and I hope for even better race results soon.” The second round of the Supersport championship takes place at Phillip Island, Australia, next week, with race day on Sunday March 4. World Superbike Round 1 of 13 TOSELAND LEAVES LOSAIL WITH CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AFTER RACE TWO WIN James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) made a near perfect start to his championship campaign in 2007 with a second place and a win, after making two good starts from a third place Superpole qualifying position. He will arrive in Australia in a few days time for round two with a share of the championship lead. Toseland’s push towards a final second place in race one was an immaculate ride almost until the end, with only one rider able to make a better result after 18-laps; Max Biaggi. Roberto Rolfo scored seventh in his first race for his new team, with Steve Martin (DFX Corse Honda CBR100RR) 11th, after qualifying only 17th. All other official Honda riders in race one fell out of contention for points scoring places or retired. Toseland’s start-to-finish domination of race two was an impressive sight and despite a strong push from Biaggi in the final laps, Toseland held out to win by a 0.7 seconds, leaving Qatar with a share of the championship lead. Now on 45 points, Toseland and Biaggi are 20 points clear of the rest of the chasing pack, headed by Lanzi on 25 points. Race two was not as fruitful for Rolfo, as he was forced to retire on lap one with clutch issues, but for the three race one non-finishers, Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR), Joshua Brookes (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) and Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) points were scored for 12th, 13th and 14th places respectively. A change of suspension setting for Martin had a negative effect on rear tyre traction, and he struggled hard to score 18th place. Toseland was the only rider to stay with Biaggi in race one, and was a popular race two winner. “I have had a great weekend,” said a jubilant Toseland. “I was quickest on Friday morning and in the top three in all sessions. My lowest position was sixth and that was in the warm up this morning. I was quite disappointed with the first race, but in the second race we set the pace and got to the front. The last two laps were difficult but we made it and got first place. This is my seventh year in World Superbikes and I am fitter than ever. We deserve to be at the front after a winter of hard work and to get there in the first race weekend is brilliant.” Rolfo’s weekend was highlighted by his good points in race one, but he felt a twinge of disappointment about race two. “Every rider is disappointed when they have a problem that is outside of their control,” stated Rolfo. “However, putting that aside it’s been a fantastic experience to be part of such a professional team for the first event of the 2007 championship. I have learned a lot about the bike and the way I need to ride it. I still have a heavy feeling at the front of the bike, particularly at the beginning of the race, but once I overcome this with my riding I will be very happy.” Martin realised that the changes made between race one and race two were not the correct ones, but race one was a big improvement on qualifying. “Our first race was good, really happy with that after qualifying,” said Martin. “In the second race we went stiffer with the suspension to try and get it to turn and it was completely the wrong way. I had no grip at all, like riding around in the wet. So at least we know to go softer from now on.” Fabrizio had his wheel taken from him in first lap of race one, but recovered to 13th place in race two, and 14th overall in the table, despite some rear traction problems. “A bad race one because I got knocked off by another rider, and a not so good race two, but I got some points,” said Fabrizio, “At the beginning of the second race things were pretty good but half way through the rear started spinning a lot and I couldn’t push any harder.” Brookes fell in the opening leg, but won at least one fight in race two. “After the crash in race one we thought the bike was OK, but on the start line the temperature went right up and to be honest I was worrying about how hot the engine was getting, and I thought I was going to have to pull in,” said Brookes. “Once I got going the temperature did come down and I ended up having a battle with Karl. Every lap I was getting plus zero on my pit board but I managed to keep him behind me until the end.” Muggeridge, who had an eventful pre-race Losail meeting missed the whole first qualifying session due to technical issues, collided with another rider in final qualifying and had his clutch go on race one, but fought back in race two. “We’re losing out on power at the moment and so we’re just having to run with what we’ve got,” said Muggeridge. “We’ve lost a lot of track time over the weekend, which hasn’t made it easy, but I still feel that the bike is working well. We just need to get a bit more horsepower into the equation. We’ve got good potential with the chassis and electronics and we just need a bit more time to set it all up.” Results SUPERSPORT: RACE : (Laps 18 = 96,840 Km Pos /Rider /Nat. /Team / Time /Gap 1 / K. SOFUOGLU / TUR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 37’22.452 / 2 / K. CURTAIN / AUS / Yamaha World SSP Racing / 37’25.865 / 3.413 3 / K. FUJIWARA / JPN / Althea Honda Team / 37’28.680 / 6.228 4 / F. FORET / FRA / Team Gil Motor Sport / 37’36.211 / 13.759 5 / P. RIBA / ESP / Team Gil Motor Sport / 37’36.309 / 13.857 6 / R.HARMS / DEN / Stiggy Motorsport Honda / 37’36.986 / 14.534 7 / M.ROCCOLI / ITA / Yamaha Team Italia / 37’41.102 / 18.65 8 / G.NANNELLI / ITA / Team Caracchi Ducati SC / 37’41.227 / 18.775 9 / B. VENEMAN / NED / Team Hoegee Suzuki / 37’41.743 / 19.291 10 / V. KALLIO / FIN / Team Hoegee Suzuki / 37’43.047 / 20.595 11 / J. FORES / ESP / HP Racing / 37’43.269 / 20.817 12 / C. JONES / GBR / Revè Ekerold Honda Racing / 37’44.850 / 22.398 13 / L. ALFONSI / ITA / Althea Honda Team / 37’49.355 / 26.903 14 / D. SALOM FUENTES / ESP / Yamaha Spain / 37’51.020 / 28.568 15 / G.VIZZIELLO / ITA / RG Team / 37’56.968 / 34.516 Fastest Lap 3° Sébastien Charpentier 2’02.949 157,529 Km/h Lap record: 2006 S.Charpentier 2’03.921 156,290 Km/h Best Lap: 2007 K.Curtain 2’02.081 158,650 Riders Championship Standings: 1 SOFUOGLU 25, 2 CURTAIN 20, 3 FUJIWARA 16, 4 FORET 13, 5 RIBA 11, 6 HARMS 10, 7 ROCCOLI 9, 8 NANNELLI 8, 9 VENEMAN 7, 10 KALLIO 6, 11 FORES 5, 12 JONES 4, 13 ALFONSI 3, 14 SALOM 2, 15 VIZZIELLO 1 SUPERBIKE Race 1 : (Laps 18 = 96,840 Km) Pos / Rider / Nat. / Team / Time / Gap 1 / M.BIAGGI / ITA / Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra / 36’10.115 / 2 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 36’11.598 / 1.483 3 / L. LANZI / ITA / Ducati Xerox Team / 36’24.021 / 13.906 4 / Y. KAGAYAMA / JPN / Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra / 36’24.934 / 14.819 5 / T. BAYLISS / AUS / Ducati Xerox Team / 36’27.420 / 17.305 6 / M.NEUKIRCHNER / GER / Suzuki Germany / 36’35.046 / 24.931 7 / R. ROLFO / ITA / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 36’35.280 / 25.165 8 / N.HAGA / JPN / Yamaha Motor Italia / 36’37.435 / 27.32 9 / T. CORSER / AUS / Yamaha Motor Italia / 36’41.352 / 31.237 10 / R. XAUS / ESP / Team Sterilgarda / 36’41.784 / 31.669 11 / S. MARTIN / AUS / D.F.X. Corse / 36’52.470 / 42.355 12 / S. NAKATOMI / JPN / Yamaha YZF / 36’56.960 / 46.845 13 / A. POLITA / ITA / Celani Team Suzuki Italia / 37’09.322 / 59.207 14 / J. SMRZ / CZE / Team Caracchi Ducati SC / 37’10.411 / 1’00.296 15 / D. ELLISON / GBR / Team Pedercini / 37’31.158 / 1’21.043 Fastest Lap 7° Max Biaggi 1’59.275 162,381 Km/h Race 2: (Laps 18 = 96,840 Km) 1 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 36’09.433 / 2 / M.BIAGGI / ITA / Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra / 36’10.171 / 0.738 3 / T. CORSER / AUS / Yamaha Motor Italia / 36’16.819 / 7.386 4 / N.HAGA / JPN / Yamaha Motor Italia / 36’24.417 / 14.984 5 / F. NIETO / ESP / Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse / 36’24.466 / 15.033 6 / Y. KAGAYAMA / JPN / Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra / 36’25.344 / 15.911 7 / L. LANZI / ITA / Ducati Xerox Team / 36’26.097 / 16.664 8 / T. BAYLISS / AUS / Ducati Xerox Team / 36’32.682 / 23.249 9 / R. XAUS / ESP / Team Sterilgarda / 36’33.715 / 24.282 10 / M.NEUKIRCHNER / GER / Suzuki Germany / 36’42.913 / 33.48 11 / R. LACONI / FRA / Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse / 36’43.437 / 34.004 12 / M.FABRIZIO / ITA / D.F.X. Corse / 36’46.730 / 37.297 13 / J. BROOKES / AUS / Alto Evolution Honda / 36’51.497 / 42.064 14 / K. MUGGERIDGE / AUS / Alto Evolution Honda / 36’51.792 / 42.359 15 / A. POLITA / ITA / Celani Team Suzuki Italia / 36’55.639 / 46.206 Fastest Lap 4° Max Biaggi 1’59.194 162,491 Km/h Record Lap: 2007 Max Biaggi 1’59.275 162,380 Km/h Best Lap: 2007 T.Corser 1’58.402 163,580 Riders Championship Standings: 1 TOSELAND 45, 2 BIAGGI 45, 3 LANZI 25, 4 CORSER 23, 5 KAGAYAMA 23, 6 HAGA 21, 7 BAYLISS 19, 8 NEUKIRCHNER 16, 9 XAUS 13, 10 NIETO 11, 11 ROLFO 9, 12 LACONI 5, 13 MARTIN 5, 14 FABRIZIO 4, 15 NAKATOMI 4. More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: ROUND 1 DOHA, QATAR 24th FEBRUARY 2007 RACE REVIEW 24 February 2007, Doha (Qatar) In Qatar, at the Losail circuit near Doha, the World Superbike and Supersport championships properly got underway. Much pre-race attention had been focused on new rider Max Biaggi and his Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki. The first session was enough to show that it would be a battle for the wins. James Toseland made a wonderful qualifying time of 1’58.6, some 1.4 seconds faster than the previous best at this stage last year. The Superpole competition also delivered even better results: Troy Corser took the Superpole win, using race tyres and not qualifiers, with a new best of 1’58.402 After the riders ‘long runs’ it was also obvious that the DIABLO SUPERBIKE would offer up superb performance. The conditions for raceday proved to be warm and dry, with track temperatures quite high, into the region of 40°C. Race1: AIR HUMIDITY 56% AIR TEMPERATURE 25°C TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 43° C The green lights kicked things off, and the first laps of race one saw the first two podium places determined almost from then on. There was clear space between the Yamahas, the Suzuki of Biaggi and the Honda of Toseland and the rest, and they stretched it out as the race developed. As each rider jostled for position and tried to make a break, the pace became incredibile. On lap 7 Max set the best time (1’59.275) eight tenths faster than in 2006, thanks to the performance and speed available from the DIABLO SUPERBIKE. On the 18th lap, Biaggi even managed to set a 2’00.980, in a race that was 21 seconds faster than in 2006. Moving up from the beginning was Lorenzo Lanzi, back to his best form as he took his Ducati Xerox 999 to a fine third, behind Biaggi and the chasing Toseland. Also a great result came for the other Max, Max Neukirchner, 6th on a Suzuki Germany privateer machine. Race2: AIR HUMIDITY 44% AIR TEMPERATURE 26°C TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 47° C The second race started like the first; Toseland, the two Yamahas of Corser, Haga, and then Biaggi. These four riders made an early nreak, almost a photocopy of race one. Some riders had chosen to learn some lessons from race one, for example Haga (who went from C to B on the rear) and even the champion Troy Bayliss, who was in difficulty all weekend (who went from an A to a C on the front). Toseland had an almost perfect race two, and was in command for the entire race. 18 laps later he underlined his form and finished ahead of Biaggi and Corser. The lap record was once more beaten by Max Biaggi, with a 1’59.194. There were three different bikes on the podium, (Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha) and Kawasaki also had a result worth celebrating when fifth position went to Fonsi Nieto. A sweet result after a collision between the two green factory machines in race one. The championship was truly kickstarted into life at Losail,with fast times and close competition between not just the riders but the competing manufacturers as well.. This was also due to the materials supplied by Pirelli; tyres which can work on any machine and available in the same choices for all. This aspect, in particular, guarantees close competition for all. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Corser gives Yamaha debut podium Troy Corser gave his Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team something to cheer with a hard fought podium finish in the second race at today’s opening round of the 2007 Superbike World Championship in Qatar. With team-mate Noriyuki Haga digging deep to finish fourth, it was a promising start for the 2007-model YZF-R1, which was making its world championship debut at the Losail circuit. Having proved its pace by taking Corser to pole in qualifying, the new R1 wasn’t quite able to repeat its performance over the race distance – although things started promisingly as the red Yamahas hit the front on the opening laps of the first race. The R1s fought a four-way battle for the lead with Max Biaggi (Suzuki) and James Toseland (Honda) but it soon became obvious that the Corser and Haga were suffering more than their rivals in the warm conditions when they started to fall off the pace after six laps. Haga struggled for front end grip as his tyre wore while Corser’s machine vibrated heavily due to his rear tyre spinning on the rim. In the circumstances both men rode well to bring their machines home in the top 10, Haga eighth and Corser ninth. In the second race the Yamaha men were able to battle with Biaggi and Toseland for around 11 laps before dropping off the pace. Corser and Haga were able to stay closer to the leading duo and maintained their third and fourth places to the flag, the Japanese rider only just fending off Fonsi Nieto (Kawasaki) as he crossed the line. Team YZF Yamaha’s Shinichi Nakatomi scored points for 12th place in the opening race, although the Japanese rider finished just outside the points, in 17th, in the second. Biaggi and Toseland each took a win and a second place to jointly lead the championship. The Italian won the day’s opener, his first ever superbike race, while British rider Toseland held the advantage in the second. Corser’s podium sees him leave Qatar fourth in the championship while Haga heads to next weekend’s second round, held at Australia’s Phillip Island circuit, sixth in the standings. Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team) “The first race was really tough because but the tyre was more consistent in the second and that meant that I could stay with James and Max for longer. I decided to stick with the same tyre choice and tried to put the problems we had in the first race out of my mind. I was ok when I was with them as the slipstream helped me make up a little bit down the straight, but when they made a break I didn’t have an answer to them. Overall though it’s been a positive start. It’s my first weekend with Yamaha, on a new bike, and we’ve finished on the podium. We’ve got a very good chassis and I feel really comfortable riding the bike, so if we can make the tyres last then there’s no reason why we can’t get a good result at Phillip Island next weekend.” Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team) “It has been a difficult day because after about six laps my front tyre is gone! For race two we made some changes and used the softer rear tyre, but already we used the hardest option on the front. I did the best possible today and I am looking forward to next weekend.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) “It was good to score some points in the first race. We are learning about this new bike all the time so we will be stronger as the year goes on. The second race was more difficult as more riders finished but I am hoping to get more points next weekend.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team) “While we were all very happy with our performance in qualifying yesterday we also knew that it would be difficult in the races today. We have a new motorcycle this year and tyre wear was a problem at this race especially with Noriyuki, maybe because of his riding style. But we were not the only team to experience problems and thankfully we understand what has happened and how we can work to improve the bike. There are many positives to take from this weekend and if Troy hadn’t have had his problems in the first race I am sure he would have been on the podium twice.” More, from a press release issued by Steve Martin’s publicist: Mixed Fortunes for Steve in Qatar The opening races of the 2007 World Superbike Championship in Qatar were of mixed fortunes for Steve Martin, with the Aussie taking 11th and 18th places in races one and two respectively. The minor set up changes made to Steve’s Honda CBR1000RR overnight aided the machine’s handling for the morning warm up, in which Steve took 12th place in the timesheet. Starting from the fifth row of the grid, Steve achieved an excellent start in race one to move up to 14th by the fourth lap. He quickly found a competitive pace with consistent lap times to keep the trail of bikes behind him at bay. Then with the Kawasaki team pairing taking each other out on lap 12, Steve was elevated to 12th and after a further two laps he got the better of Nakatomi with a perfectly set up overtaking manoeuvre, to take 11th place and five points at the end of the eighteen lap race. Race two was less fruitful however, with changes made to Steve’s Honda after race one proving to have a greater effect on the bike’s set up than anticipated and resulting in excessive tyre destruction. Steve commented, “This weekend was always going to be tough as it was the first time we had a number of new parts and were able to ride and test the bike with all these new elements together. That ultimately meant we spent a lot of the track sessions working on bike set up and essentially ‘testing’, which is never going to be ideal for being competitive at a race weekend. “Whilst I made some good progress in race one, I’m still a bit disappointed with 11th as that is not a position I want to be in and know I am capable of so much more with a competitive package, but I guess at least I did get some points in the bag. “We made a few small changes to the bike in between the races, but these actually caused significant tyre wear in race two so I just wasn’t able to hold a consistent lap time and went backwards. The bike’s new electronic system is also not up to scratch and when racing against the factory guys you’ve just got to have the full package! “At this point we are still learning the bike and working through new part evaluation and base set up options, so I am confident there is a lot more to come and hopefully it will, very soon!” Steve now returns to Australia for the second round of the championship at the picturesque Philip Island circuit next weekend.

My trailer was stolen from its normal parking place at the side of my house, off the garage, in Goshen, Indiana yesterday, February 23. It is a 2004 Pace American 6 x 12-foot V-nose trailer, white, with larged KENWOOD decals on the nose and rear gate, and large, 6-foot-long Yoshimura decal on each side. The trailer’s doors and hitch were locked. Contents included: 2004/05 Suzuki GSX-R600 race bike AMA #811 raced in FX and Supersport, color blue and white. Bike was for sale and was only sitting on a stand so more then likely the bike fell over and sustained minor damage. Yamaha 1000-watt generator Tire warmers Complete full race Yosh Titanium TRS exhaust EZ-Up 6×6 canopy Baby stroller Miscellaneous tie downs, extension cords, and 2 sets of Dunlop race tires. Please contact the Goshen, Indiana Police Dept withany info regarding this theft, 574-533-4151 Thank You, Mike Morgan Goshen, Indiana 312-925-8294 And now, some reader reaction: FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: We do a lot of work on police bikes at Advanced Kawasaki, and I questioned an officer on how to make your trailer harder to steal (this same officer had his enclosed trailer stolen out of his driveway). A couple of things he told me were, paint your initials or somet other character(s) on top of the trailer, so it’s easy to spot from a helicopter, and run a cable lock through the wheels and leaf springs if possible. Another one I notice out here in California, is CalTrans jacking up their trailers and removing the wheels when they’re leaving them out in the open. Kevin Jump Buena Park, California

Team Embry & Pro-Line Race Prep unite under new sponsorship Pro-Line Race Prep owner Vinnie Devita has partnered with Team Embry owner Mike Embry and combined resources to put together a crew and rider line-up that has speed, talent, dedication, heart, and the will to win for the 2007-2008 race seasons. The team will feature an exciting group of established personnel; from race team owners to crew chief & mechanics, and fast racers in the 2007 & 2008 Season. Riding on Pirelli tires the team will showcase three racers looking to put their mark on American road racing with plans to compete in the entire AMA Superbike and WERA National Challenge Series: Canadian Series front Runner Clint Mcbain, Up and coming American Pro Keith Marshall, and talented American racer Skip Salenius. New road racing sponsor cyclespace.com now have tremendous involvement in American road racing which has evolved partly from the relationship between Pro-Line racer Skip Salenius and Cyclespace.com owners Jeremy Wolfe and Chad Wolfe. The wheels started rolling when Team Embry rider Keith Marshall was recovering from a mid-season injury and lining up his race season finale for the 2006 WERA GNF. Clint McBain, Former Canadian #1 National 600 Champion; about joining this new up and coming team: “I’ve always wanted to compete more in the US, but with my former team, in Canada, it was difficult. When I got the email from Vinnie, and heard the team’s plans and how they considered me, I felt it was a perfect match. I will be racing the same bike as I race in Canada, a 2007 Suzuki GSX-R1000, with the same Pirelli tires, and the same suspension tuned by Joe Skidd, so it should make my transition into a new team about as easy as it can possibly be. It also helps that I have two great teammates in Keith and Skip, and I’m sure we will all be able to work together to get the best possible results for the team and sponsors. “I honestly think the biggest challenge for me is going to be all the new tracks, but with Vinnie from Pro-Line Race Prep preparing my bike and my mechanic from Canada (Patrice Goyette) along with me, I’m sure we will be ready for any and all challenges. “I’m really looking forward to meeting my new team, and would like to say thanks to Vinnie, Mike, Keith, Skip and the guys at Cyclespace.com, for giving me this opportunity. Thanks.” Keith Marshall explains how it all came together: “I had been working with Matt Drucker of MD Racing for the 2006 season and he did a great job for me, however, the birth of his second child coincided with the Suzuki Cup Races and WERA GNF. This left me with a tough decision, I had to put in a strong ride, to end the season on top I needed a solid Crew Chief, someone who could step right in and get everything done I needed. I had been impressed with Vinnie at Pro-Line throughout the season, he was strongly recommended by his team rider, Skip Salenius along with every other person I spoke with. Luckily he was able to come on board and help me out. “The weekend was great, we finished with a 3rd, 4th, and 5th (B Superstock, Suzuki Cup 750, Suzuki Cup 600 respectively) one race I even started 28th and the Pro-Line bike was such a rocket and so easy to ride with Thermosman’s suspension and Vinnie’s tuning, I was able to get on the podium, it just felt great! It was a great experience all around and I am looking forward to the next two seasons to be an extension of that weekend! I am just thrilled to have the continued support from Mike Embry along with the addition of Vinnie Devita of Pro-Line, these are the guys making it all happen; along with Skip Salenius who did such a great job last year for Pro-Line that he attracted the owners of cyclespace.com and a talented veteran like Clint McBain to hopefully give me some tips on the new Suzuki GSX-R1000! It’s nice to be part of such a new, exciting team. All of the sponsors that are backing the team have just stepped up bigtime, the support is just phenomenal. These are the products that make racing happen! And I can’t say enough about the entire staff at CycleSpace, I was impressed the minute I met them; their plans for the entire motorcycling community are very exciting, they will be a huge presence in American Motorcycling of all types, racing is only about 1/10th of what they have in store. Between bike week, rallies, motocross, stunt wars, trail riding, I mean it goes on and on, these guys are there for EVERY discipline of riding nationwide. This is going to be a great few seasons!” Skip Salenius explains how his relationship with cyclespace.com owners attracted the sponsorship and united Team Embry & Pro-Line Race Prep: “The owners of CycleSpace really want to support all aspects of the motorcycling community nationwide and this is just their first step. They (CycleSpace) came to see what it was all about at the ASRA/CCS Final at Daytona in October to get their feet wet. CycleSpace has been covering many different aspects of racing thru CycleSpace TV which can be viewed on the website. They plan to continue to raise the bar this season with their race team coverage.” Cyclespace.com will be showcasing their new Race Bike and Roadrace Team at the Cobb Galleria IMS Show this weekend February 23rd – 25th and invite all to come meet the Team. Cyclespace.com – Pro-Line/Embry Racing kicks off their season at AMA Round 1 in Daytona March 7th March 10th. More, from a press release issued by Team Motorrad pairing up with Shock Doctor for the opening round of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Endurance Series. With the opening race of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series just over one week away, Team Motorrad has formed a new partnership with Shock Doctor, Inc. Team Motorrad will be racing their TeamMotorrad.com/Touring Sport BMW R1200S in the MOTO-ST SST class on Sunday March 4th at Daytona International Speedway. Team owner Ivan Messina is enthused about the new partnership with Shock Doctor “We are really happy to be working with Shock Doctor. They have some groundbreaking new products coming out for motorcyclists right now, including their Power Dry™ Systems which we will use between stints on the bike. These are a blower that pushes heated, ozonated air through the helmet or garment being dried. They have helmet bags and garment bags with the blowers built right in. This dries the sweat right out of our helmets and gloves, making them much more comfortable to put back on when it is time to go back on track.” In addition to the Power Dry™ Systems, Team Motorrad will also be using the Shock Doctor JANS device. More than a traditional mouthguard, the JANS also improves performance by optimizing the jaw position of the user. “We were looking for a company to work with that had the right combination of innovation and enthusiasm” commented Ivan, “I am looking forward to a great partnership.” Team Motorrad has entered riders Frank Shockley and Ivan Messina on the team’s 2007 BMW R1200S for the opening round in Daytona. “It is shaping up to be a great race” commented Ivan. With nearly twenty entries in the SST class, and another dozen each in GST and ST there should be plenty of action on track. “After being on pole for last year’s event, and then having some electrical gremlins push us back in the standings, we have been working hard to come back strong.” About Shock Doctor: Shock Doctor, Inc., headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, is a widely recognized brand leader that uses innovative design and superior technology to provide greater protection and enhanced performance for people who are passionate about their sports. In addition to a full line of patented, technologically-advanced mouthguards, Shock Doctor offers a comprehensive line of innovative performance products, including core protective gear for hockey, football and baseball, lacrosse equipment, and bio-mechanic insoles. Shock Doctor products are offered through sporting goods dealers, catalogs and health care professionals throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. For more information, visit www.shockdoctor.com. More, from a press release issued by Dianese: The Dainese D-Store of Costa Mesa is proud to annouce a partnership with HyperCycle for the 2007 season. The D-Store is sponsoring Southern California based Hypercycle Trackdays with its high performance Road Racing Leathers, providing suits for instructors and staff as well as rentals for the 2007 Trackday Season. Dainese is an industry leader in the innovation of safety products since 1972. Based out of Costa Mesa, California, the D-Store carries protection from the mountainbiking, ski/snow, touring, and road racing line. Hypercycle provides Trackdays at racetracks within driving distance to Southern California, such as Willow Springs, Streets of Willow and Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch (Pahrump). Rentals will be handled by Hypercycle directly either by calling (877) HYPERCYCLE or purchasing online at www.Hypercycle.com. For more info about high performance Dainese products contact the D-Store in Costa Mesa, CA at (949) 650-2300 or visit www.Dainese.com