Over 550 entries filled the grids at the opening round of the 2007 Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association’s Championship Series held at Oak Hill Raceway near Henderson, Texas, over the weekend. And while no single rider totally dominated the action, Michael Sanchez and Dane Westby came close to doing so, each taking four expert sprint-class wins on the tight and rolling circuit. Sanchez, who spent the 2006 season contesting the AMA Superbike Series on a Corona Suzuki, returned to CMRA racing after a year’s absence to claim wins in the Northwest Honda Formula 1 Expert class, the RaceworX A Superstock Expert class, the Island Racing C Superbike Expert class and the B Superbike Expert class. In the meantime, Westby picked up wins in the Formula 2, Lightweight Twins, D Superbike and the Sonic Springs D Superstock Expert races. Westby and Sanchez may have had the most wins on the weekend; however GSX-R1000-mounted Randall Kienast had the distinction of posting the fastest time of the day, a 1:22.159 set en route to a second-place finish in the Formula 1 race. Other riders taking Expert wins included Ty Howard (Liberty Motorsports Park B Superstock, South Central Race Center C Superstock), Kienast (AVTEQ A Superbike), Kent Moffitt (Unlimited Motard), Ronnie Hay (Heavyweight Twins), Hayden Gillim (GMAN Productions 125 GP), Marv Esterly (Formula 40 Heavyweight), and Eric Falt (Formula 40 Lightweight). Top Novice-class performances were turned in by Dustin Doucet with four wins and Billy Lee with three. Stephen Guynes, Richard Desmond, Conner Blevins and Roger Albert each claimed wins in mini sprint races on Saturday morning. In Saturday’s Shogun Motorsports Formula Mini Endurance round, Hambone endured the four-hour event to top GMAN Racing 2 by a two-lap margin to take the first win of the season. Desert-Mice Too was third overall, with No Homeless and Highlands Kawasaki rounding out the top five. The Formula 5 division was won by Van Way Racing II with an eighth overall finish, while STD Racing won the Formula 6 class in 16th. The Formula 7 division was won by OnRoad OffRoad Racing with a 19th overall finish. The CMRA will return to action at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana, on March 16-18, with a full slate of sprint race and the opening round of the Shogun Motorsports Big Bike Endurance Series.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I agree with your article. Well said! Dennis Hurst Deken Power Racing Santa Ana, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I was beginning to think you had lost your fire! THANKS for the editorial on the Thursday practice and the cost of running a AMA Pro Racing Privateer Team! Bruce Blake Michigan Engineering, Inc. Caledonia, Michigan FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Just a quick note of agreement. From a turnworker’s perspective over the past 12 years, it is very clear on the first practice morning of an AMA event whether or not a promoter/private practice has been available to the non-factory riders the day before. Jim Douglas, AFM Worker Fiddletown, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Your editorial was right on the money! (~https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=28184~) The poor privateers in the AMA are treated worse than the proverbial red-headed stepchild! Gone are the days of any sort of “entry level” AMA classes. It’s all about having enough classes so that each manufacturer can pick out one or two classes, get a “#1” plate (in ANY class) and then splatter it across their marketing brochures. I certainly wouldn’t categorize all the factory riders as spoiled primadonas, but I think even those guys can remember the days of coming up through the ranks and the fact that a privateer needs a little more time to try to get up to speed – privateers simply don’t have all the resources of the factory riders (tractor trailer full of spares, crew, dedicated mechanics, etc.) For those factory riders that have resorted to flipping off, kicking and shoving privateers… wow, you really have to wonder if they’re suffering from delusions of grandeur and failing to realize what a-holes they’ve become! Nobody is twisting the arms of factory racers to practice on Thursday but most of the privateers sure appreciate the opportunity to ride, especially since most don’t have the travel budget to test during the off-season… not to mention they’re not even ALLOWED to participate in the “factory only” test sessions (this topic warrants a totally different discussion regarding the AMA’s inability to control off-season testing). At the end of the day, it’s simply laughable to shed a tear over potentially increased expenses for factory teams rolling a couple of million dollars rigs vs. the benefits Thursday practice affords the cash-strapped privateer who is often struggling to pay for the exorbitant AMA license and entry fees (again, a topic that should be explored separately). I used to encourage a lot of my friends and customers to go do at least one AMA race but I have a hard time doing that now, when being a privateer equates to AMA whipping boy. That’s really a shame because I know many riders who learned a lot doing AMA races and even if they came in at the back of the pack, they treasured the experience forever. It’s just hard to tell somebody with a straight face to go spend thousands of dollars racing an AMA event and get treated like a 2nd class citizen. I sure hope good people like my friends Morgan Broadhead and Kevin Crowther will make a positive impact in their new AMA roles – privateers are already getting a raw deal at AMA events, so doing away with Thursday practice would be yet another blow to this group of racers. Keep up the great work! Alex Florea AFM #49 AFMotorsports San Jose, California

FIM 250cc GP World Championship February 19, 2007 Jerez, Spain Test Times: 1. Hector BARBERA (Aprilia), 1:43.451 2. Jorge LORENZO (Aprilia), 1:43.525 3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), 1:43.848 4. Alex DE ANGELIS (Aprilia), 1:44.001 5. Thomas LUTHI (Aprilia), 1:44.038 6. Julian SIMON (Honda), 1:44.282 7. Shuhei AOYAMA (Honda), 1:44.321 8. Alvaro BAUTISTA (Aprilia), 1:44.379 9. Marco SIMONCELLI (Gilera), 1:44.544 10. Hiroshi AOYAMA (KTM), 1:44.692 11. Roberto LOCATELLI (Gilera), 1:44.713 12. Alex DEBON (Aprilia), 1:44.934 13. Mika KALLIO (KTM), 1:45.144 14. Fabrizio LAI (Aprilia), 1:45.595 15. Anthony WEST (Aprilia), 1:45.875 16. Imre TOTH (Aprilia), 1:45.920 17. Yuki TAKAHASHI (Honda), 1:45.992 18. Aleix ESPARGARO (Aprilia), 1:45.997 19. Dirk HEIDOLF (Aprilia), 1:46.525 20. Alex BALDOLINI (Aprilia), 1:46.700

Former AMA, CCS and WERA racer and 2002 AMA Superbike Rookie of the year Brian Livengood has moved Livengood Motor Sports into a new and larger location. With 3000 square feet they will now be doing dyno-tuning along with specialized motor and suspension builds from Supersport to Superbike. Livengood Motor Sports also does custom builds on all mini road race and motard bikes (Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda) and offers select services on other bikes as well. Call for details. The new address and phone number: Livengood Motor Sports 540 Athens Hwy 78, Bldg 1A Loganville, GA 30052 770-913-8340 [email protected] Open: Tues – Fri 10-7 / Sat 10-2

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix 2007 Provisional Entry List Teams and riders accepted to date Number, Rider, Nation, Team, Machine 125cc class 6, JOAN OLIVE, SPA, POLARIS WORLD, APRILIA 7, ALEXIS MASBOU, FRA, FFM HONDA GRAND PRIX 125, HONDA 8, LORENZO ZANETTI, ITA, TEAM SICILIA, APRILIA 11, SANDRO CORTESE, GER, EMMI CAFFE LATTE, APRILIA 12, ESTEVE RABAT, SPA, REPSOL HONDA 125cc, HONDA 14, GABOR TALMACSI, HUN, BANCAJA ASPAR, APRILIA 15, FEDERICO SANDI, ITA, SKILLED RACING TEAM, APRILIA 18, NICOLAS TEROL, SPA, VALSIR SEEDORF DERBI, DERBI 20, ROBERTO TAMBURINI, ITA, TEAM SICILIA, APRILIA 22, PABLO NIETO, SPA, BLUSENS APRILIA, APRILIA 24, SIMONE CORSI, ITA, SKILLED RACING TEAM, APRILIA 27, STEFANO BIANCO, ITA, WTR TEAM, APRILIA 29, ANDREA IANNONE, ITA, WTR TEAM, APRILIA 33, SERGIO GADEA, SPA, BANCAJA ASPAR, APRILIA 34, RANDY KRUMMENACHER, SUI, RED BULL KTM 125, KTM 35, RAFFAELE DE ROSA, ITA, MULTIMEDIA RACING, APRILIA 37, JOEY LITJENS, NED, ARIE MOLENAAR RACING, HONDA 38, BRADLEY SMITH, GBR, REPSOL HONDA 125cc, HONDA 44, POL ESPARGARO, SPA, BELSON CAMPETELLA APRILIA, APRILIA 51, STEVE BONSEY, USA, RED BULL KTM 125, KTM 52, LUKAS PESEK, CZE, VALSIR SEEDORF DERBI, DERBI 53, SIMONE GROTZKYJ, ITA, MULTIMEDIA RACING, APRILIA 55, HECTOR FAUBEL, SPA, BANCAJA ASPAR, APRILIA 56, HUGO VAN DEN BERG, NED, BLUSENS APRILIA, APRILIA 60, MICHAEL RANSEDER, AUT, AJO MOTORSPORT, DERBI 63, MIKE DI MEGLIO, FRA, HUMANGEST RACING TEAM 125cc, HONDA 71, TOMOYOSHI KOYAMA, JPN, RED BULL KTM 125, KTM 75, MATTIA PASINI, ITA, POLARIS WORLD, APRILIA 76, STEFANO MUSCO, ITA, HUMANGEST RACING TEAM 125cc, HONDA 77, DOMINIQUE AEGERTER, SUI, MULTIMEDIA RACING, APRILIA 95, ROBERT MURESAN, ROM, AJO MOTORSPORT, DERBI 99, DANNY WEBB, GBR, ARIE MOLENAAR RACING, HONDA 250cc class 1, JORGE LORENZO, SPA, FORTUNA APRILIA, APRLIA 3, ALEX DE ANGELIS, RSM, MASTER – MVA ASPAR, APRILIA 4, HIROSHI AOYAMA, JPN, RED BULL KTM 250, KTM 8, RATTHAPARK WILAIROT, THA, THAI HONDA PTT-SAG, HONDA 9, ARTURO TIZON, SPA, BLUSENS APRILIA GERMANY, APRILIA 10, IMRE TOTH, HUN, TEAM TOTH APRILIA, APRILIA 12, THOMAS LUTHI, SUI, EMMI CAFFE LATTE, APRILIA 14, ANTHONY WEST, AUS, TEAM SICILIA, APRILIA 15, ROBERTO LOCATELLI, ITA, SQUADRA CORSE METIS GILERA, GILERA 16, JULES CLUZEL, FRA, ANGAIA RACING, APRILIA 17, KAREL ABRAHAM, CZE, CARDION AB MOTORACING, APRILIA 19, ALVARO BAUTISTA, SPA, MASTER – MVA ASPAR, APRILIA 25, ALEX BALDOLINI, ITA, KIEFER – BOS – SOTIN RACING, APRILIA 28, DIRK HEIDOLF, GER, KIEFER – BOS – SOTIN RACING, APRILIA 32, FABRIZIO LAI, ITA, CAMPETELLA RACING, APRILIA 34, ANDREA DOVIZIOSO, ITA, HUMANGEST RACING TEAM 250cc, HONDA 36, MIKA KALLIO, FIN, RED BULL KTM 250, KTM 41, ALEIX ESPARGARO, SPA, BLUSENS APRILIA, APRILIA 44, TARO SEKIGUCHI, JPN, CAMPETELLA RACING, APRILIA 50, EUGENE LAVERTY, IRL, HONDA LCR, HONDA 55, YUKI TAKAHASHI, JPN, HUMANGEST RACING TEAM 250cc, HONDA 58, MARCO SIMONCELLI, ITA, SQUADRA CORSE METIS GILERA, GILERA 60, JULIAN SIMON, SPA, REPSOL HONDA 250cc, HONDA 73, SHUHEI AOYAMA, JPN, REPSOL HONDA 250cc, HONDA 80, HECTOR BARBERA, SPA, TEAM TOTH APRILIA, APRILIA Motogp class 1, NICKY HAYDEN, USA, REPSOL HONDA TEAM, HONDA 4, ALEX BARROS, BRA, PRAMAC D’ANTIN, DUCATI 5, COLIN EDWARDS, USA, YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM, YAMAHA 6, MAKOTO TAMADA, JPN, DUNLOP YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA 7, CARLOS CHECA, SPA, HONDA LCR, HONDA 10, KENNY LEE ROBERTS, USA, TEAM ROBERTS, KR212V 14, RANDY DE PUNIET, FRA, KAWASAKI RACING TEAM, KAWASAKI 19, OLIVIER JACQUE, FRA, KAWASAKI RACING TEAM, KAWASAKI 21, JOHN HOPKINS, USA, RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP, SUZUKI 24, TONI ELIAS, SPA, HONDA GRESINI, HONDA 26, DANI PEDROSA, SPA, REPSOL HONDA TEAM, HONDA 27, CASEY STONER, AUS, DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM, DUCATI 33, MARCO MELANDRI, ITA, HONDA GRESINI, HONDA 46, VALENTINO ROSSI, ITA, YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM, YAMAHA 50, SYLVAIN GUINTOLI, FRA, DUNLOP YAMAHA TECH 3, YAMAHA 56, SHINYA NAKANO, JPN, KONICA MINOLTA HONDA, HONDA 65, LORIS CAPIROSSI, ITA, DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM, DUCATI 66, ALEX HOFMANN, GER, PRAMAC D’ANTIN, DUCATI 71, CHRIS VERMEULEN, AUS, RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP, SUZUKI 88, ANDREW PITT, AUS, ILMOR GP, ILMOR X3 99, JEREMY McWILLIAMS, GBR, ILMOR GP, ILMOR X3

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins has been evaluated by an orthopaedic specialist in England following his heavy crash in Qatar on Thursday, with encouraging results. Following the 190+km/h crash, initial reports were of several injuries, but following a thorough assessment, Hopkins has a fracture in the second toe of his right foot, some damage to both hands and acute bumps and bruises over his whole body. The Anglo-American will undertake intensive physiotherapy work in Great Britain with Team Physio Dean Miller this week and will join Rizla Suzuki MotoGP at Jerez in Spain for the second Official MotoGP Test starting on Friday. It is not yet known whether he will be fit enough to ride. Hopkins will continue to be assessed by Miller and the Rizla Suzuki rider will continue with his convalescence over the next couple of weeks to guarantee that he is fit enough to take his place on the grid for the first round of the season at Losail in Qatar on Saturday March 10th. Dean Miller Team Physio: “John was re-evaluated in the United Kingdom on Friday February 16th. The fracture to the right second toe is confirmed. John saw an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in wrist and hand injuries and further evaluative X-rays were negative for any additional complications. The bumps and bruises and the sprain/ strain injuries to the soft tissue areas of the hands, wrists, arms and overall body are of some concern. John will rest and recuperate over the next few days and join the Team in Jerez this week. We do not know as yet whether he will be fit to ride in the test because the main aim of John, Suzuki and myself is that he will be 100% fit for the first round of the season at Qatar next month.”

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra news 2007 Superbike World Championship Preview: Round 1, Qatar, 24th February Finally the months of waiting are over and the first round of this year’s championship is about to begin in Qatar. The Losail circuit was a happy hunting ground in 2005 for Alstare when the ‘dream team’ of Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama took a win apiece. Last year, Yukio was on course for a terrific victory in the first race, but was taken out by his friend Noriyuki Haga when the flag was almost in sight. Troy salvaged Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra’s pride in race two with a superb win, so Qatar is regarded very positively by the team. This year sees Team Alstare’s riders Yukio Kagayama and Max Biaggi on brand new bikes and it remains to be seen if all the winter testing has paid off. Yukio knows Qatar well – in testing and race action – but Max will be experiencing it for the first time in race mode. The Roman has been out of race action for over a year, but has steadily improved with every test so far and his class cannot be denied. All the eyes of the world will be on him during this first race and expectations will be high, but whatever happens there is no doubt that Max is keen and happy to be back. MAX BIAGGI I am very happy to be back in racing and want to say thank you to Francis and the team for all the support they are giving me. Although Superbike is a new adventure for me, I am looking forward to it. There are many good riders here (and many have a lot of Superbike experience) so I know that my job is not going to be easy. But I’m ready for this new challenge and will give it everything I’ve got. YUKIO KAGAYAMA A new season and a new bike and I am happy to be back on the racetrack to race, instead of just testing. Of course, testing is very important (especially with a new bike) and we will see how we will go in these first races. There are many good riders in this series and I know I have to be more consistent this year if I am to have a chance of the title. My plan is to be fast, win races or take as many podiums as possible and try not to crash on a raceday! FRANCIS BATTA (Team Manager) We have worked hard over the winter months and we hope that the hard work will pay off. There are always some problems to be solved with a new bike and that’s normal. We are very happy to have Max in our team this year and think he may surprise a few people. Yukio has the ability to do well, especially if starts the season like he finished it last year. He and Max are both determined and committed and we are all looking forward to another exciting year.

Bridgestone MotoGP: Qatar Test Debrief Q+A with Hiroshi Yamada – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Sport Monday 19 February 2007 — An intensive and challenging Qatar test for Bridgestone Motorsport’s five teams at the Losail International Circuit last week yielded positive results and interesting developments ahead of the season-opening GP in Qatar in under three weeks’ time. Hiroshi Yamada, Manager of Bridgestone’s Motorcycle Sport department, reviews the week’s activities. Qatar has always been a tough track for Bridgestone. Was any progress made last week? “It was a very interesting test week, though not at all straight-forward, I must admit. We started the test using similar specification tyres to last year’s race as a base and we could quickly see that the track characteristics have altered since our last visit. The track seems to offer more grip than last year which in turn prompted us also to try different specification tyres to what we had planned.” How exactly has the tyre performance changed? “Qatar has always been a very unique track, one for which we have had to develop tyres that are not used elsewhere on the calendar. Those tyres have demonstrated themselves to be durable in race simulations but we have seen over the course of the three days that front tyre performance in particular has changed. We were pleasantly surprised that the increased grip levels now suit our ‘standard’ front tyre specification. When we tried this tyre in the past we noticed high levels of degradation early on in race simulations, but when we tried them again last week, the performance was noticeably improved with some of our teams.” Is this situation likely to be the same for the opening race of the season in Qatar? “We expect the grip levels to be quite similar when we return to Qatar in a few weeks. Our normal front tyre may benefit some of our teams, although our special Qatar-spec front tyre could also be made available. Tyre preference is very individual so each of our teams will be working closely with their appointed Bridgestone engineer to ascertain the best direction. Whatever the case, we have a lot of new data from the 800s to make further improvements before this year’s race.” How was the rear tyre performance? “While we are still open for front tyre selection for the race, this three day test really helped us to finalise the direction for rear tyre construction and shape. We started the week with some issues over rear tyre life but we were able to use a new specification to good effect. This new tyre appeared to work well over a full race distance, something we verified with some of our teams. Our next job is to adjust the compounds to best fit the bike and rider characteristics.” Have any teams or riders struggled to adapt their riding style to the Bridgestone tyres? “Generally, our plan has been focussed on getting the direction of tyre construction correct but now we will be starting to adapt the tyre to meet the requirements of each of our teams. Some riders still require additional support to have tyres that work with their riding style. We are aware that our riders all need tyres that work with their style and we have built this into our development plan. We can only offer reassurances at this early stage of the season that we will do everything we can to fulfill our teams’ and riders’ requests.” With four manufacturers, Bridgestone’s job is much tougher this season can the company ensure that all demands are met? “We are fully committed to fair service of our teams across all areas of Bridgestone’s Motorsport activities. It is true that supplying four manufacturers will raise the pressure on us to perform this season but we know where the limits lie. The tyre restrictions this season have given us the capacity to supply more teams and we have service engineers dedicated to each team in order to ensure that feedback is transferred and subsequently implemented.”

February 19, 2007-Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the key features of its 2007 motorsports program, including initiatives to promote motorsports worldwide and cultivate new talent to compete at world-class racing events. Honda’s spirit of challenge is rooted in its motorsports activities. Constantly striving to fulfill dreams and aspirations through the ongoing challenge of leading-edge innovation, Honda aims to share dreams and excitement with its customers worldwide. Outline of Honda Motorsports Activities in 2007 1. Motorsports Strategy By expanding its participation in motorsports activities, Honda aims to share its dreams and objectives with customers worldwide; to take on challenges on the world stage that contribute to the development of new engineering talent; and to strengthen the Honda brand.In motorcycle racing, Honda has set its sights on winning, for the second year in a row, the three championship titles for rider, manufacturer and team in the Road Racing World Championship MotoGP class, the top class of world championship road racing, as well as on securing championships in other categories of road racing and in each series of motocross, trial and mountain bike downhill racing. In automobile racing, with the Honda Racing F1 Team, which last year became the first all-Honda works team to win a championship in 39 years in Formula One competition, Honda aims to step up on the podium many more times and to be in contention for the constructor’s championship title this year. Honda will also again provide support this year to the Super Aguri F1 Team, by supplying engines among other things. As for the IndyCar Series, in which Honda began participating in 2003 and for which Honda has been the sole supplier of engines since last year, the regulations were changed so that 100% ethanol fuel is to be used. Honda will provide all IndyCar teams with V8 HI7R engines again this season. Honda will also start competing in the LMP 2 Class of the American Le Mans Series this year with a car equipped with the Acura LM V-8 engine, the first result of the independent design and development work carried out by Honda Performance Development, Inc., a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. In the Super GT, Honda added a new team with one car under the Honda NSX-GT Project, and five teams with five cars each aim to capture the double titles of both the individual and team championships. 2. Cultivating New Talent for the Podium at World-Class Racing Events Honda continues to implement a long-range program aimed at developing the talented riders and drivers who will compete for success in world-class racing events. In motorcycle racing, Shuhei Aoyama, the third recipient of the Honda Racing Scholarship, started in 2004 to foster young Japanese rider talent, will compete again this year in the 250cc class of the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix. As part of its auto racing activities, Honda will promote organized programs for fostering young talent under the Honda Formula Dream Project, Honda’s overall program for nurturing racing drivers. The project is implemented through Suzuka Racing School (SRS-K, SRS-F), Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ), the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship, and Formula Nippon, with the objective of turning out skilled young racers able to follow in the footsteps of such drivers as Takuma Sato and Kosuke Matsuura to compete in events worldwide. This year, Yuki Nakayama, a 2005 graduate of SRS-F who placed 4th in the 2006 FCJ rankings, will move up a step to the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship racing. Honda will also provide support to Hideki Muto, the 2003 Formula Dream champion and 2006 entrant in the Formula Nippon and Super GT, who will compete in the Indy Pro Series from 2007 as a team member of SUPER AGURI Panther Racing. 3. Expanding the Popularity of Motorsports Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi are to form the new company Mobility Land (provisional name) in June 2006. Honda will begin full-scale renovation work on the pits and paddocks of the Suzuka Circuit racing course, continue to host premier world-class racing events and proactively create venues and opportunities for people to watch, participate in, and enjoy racing and other activities firsthand. In this way, we aim to continue contributing to the further growth of motorsports in Japan. And at Twin Ring Motegi, The Indy Japan 300 Mile Race, which has been bringing the spirit and the exhilaration of the Indy 500 to Japan for the past five years, will be held April 19-21, 2007; and the FIM World Championship Japan Grand Prix will be held September 21-23. To express appreciation to Honda fans, Enjoy Honda will be held this year April 15-16 at the Suzuka Circuit, and Honda Racing Thanks Day will be held November 23 at Twin Ring Motegi. Other events on the calendar this year include the Honda Exciting Cup One-Make Race-Integra Series, as well as various participatory events and concept meetings for Honda vehicle owners to be held throughout Japan. Summary of Plans for Motorcycle Racing [Road races] FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix MotoGP class In the MotoGP class of the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (WGP), Honda plans to race six of the newly developed RC212V MotoGP machines and to supply engines to one team, with the aim of capturing all three titles for the second year in a row, under the new 800cc engine displacement regulations. Just as in the last season, riding for the Repsol Honda works team will be Nicky Hayden, the winner of last year’s series championship, and Daniel Pedrosa, who placed fifth. Team Rider Repsol Honda Team #1 Nicky Hayden (Age 25, USA) #26 Dani Pedrosa (Age 21, Spain) Team Honda Gresini #33 Marco Melandri (Age 24, Italy) #24 Toni Elias (Age 23, Spain) Konica Minolta Honda #56 Shinya Nakano (Age 29, Japan) Honda LCR #7 Carlos Checa (Age 34, Spain) (Engine supply) Team Roberts #10 Kenny Roberts Jr. (Age 33, USA) 250cc class In the 250cc class, Honda will field four riders and two teams on the RS250RW, with the aim of capturing the title. Team Rider Repsol Honda 250 #60 Julian Simon (Age 19, Spain) #73 Shuhei Aoyama (Age 22, Japan) Humangest Racing Team #34 Andrea Dovizioso (Age 20, Italy) #55 Yuki Takahashi (Age 22, Japan) MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Series From this year, the factory team will be allowed to take part in only the JSB1000 class. In order to further increase opportunities for people to watch and enjoy the races, Honda will enter the JSB1000 class as TEAM HRC. Team Rider Team HRC #48 Yusuke Teshima (Age 24, Japan) Honda Motorcycle Japan Co., Ltd. will cooperate with Honda Racing Corporation and engineers at other Honda group companies to provide support to teams and riders, centered on the teams run by Honda dealerships taking part in each of the JSB1000, GP250, GP125 and ST600 classes. *The main Honda teams and participating riders were announced by Honda Motorcycle Japan on January 19. British Superbike (BSB) Championship Ryuichi Kiyonari, who won the series championship for the first time last year, will aim to repeat his success. Honda plans to race two CBR1000RRK, with the goal of capturing a double title in the rider’s and the manufacturer’s categories. Team Rider HM Plant Honda Racing #1 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Age 24, Japan) #4 Jonathan Rea (Age 19, UK) Motocross MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship Series The works team Team HRC will be fighting to capture the title for the second season in a row in the IA1 class (engine displacement of 450cc or less for 4-stroke machines). Yu Hirata joined the team in the IA2 class (engine displacement of 250cc or less for 4-stroke machines) and his sights are set on the championship. Team Rider TEAM HRC IA 1 class #1 Yoshitaka Atsuta (Age 29, Japan) IA 1 class #4 Kazumasa Masuda (Age 26, Japan) IA 2 class #197 Yu Hirata (Age 22, Japan) *Other main Honda teams and participating riders were announced by Honda Motorcycle Japan on January 19. Trials FIM World Trials Championship Series For the FIM World Trials Championship Series, Honda will run three of Montesa COTA 4RT equipped with 4-stroke engines, aiming to recapture both the riders’ and the manufacturers’ titles. Team Rider Repsol Montesa HRC #2 Takahisa Fujinami (Age 27, Japan) #4 Dougie Lampkin (Age 30, UK) #5 Antonio Bou (Age 20, Spain) MFJ All-Japan Trials Championship Series Honda riders participating in this year’s All-Japan Trials Championship Series are actively supported by Honda Racing Corporation. Teams will be vying for the series championship, running number of Honda RTL250F equipped with 4-stroke engines for the third year in a row. *The main Honda teams and participating riders were announced by Honda Motorcycle Japan on January 19. Mountain Bike (MTB) Downhill Races UCI World Cup Downhill / UCI World Championship Honda plans to run three RN01 in the two main World Cup-class races in front of tens of thousands of spectators, battling to recapture the title in each series. Team Rider Team G Cross Honda #27 Greg Minnaar (Age 25, South Africa) #6 Matti Lehikoinen (Age 22, Finland) Brendan Fairclough (Age 18, UK) JCF Mountain Bike Japan Series / All-Japan Championship Honda will supply the RN01 to two teams and aim to retake the championship in the JCF Mountain Bike Japan Series and win the title in the All Japan Championship for the second year in a row. Team Rider G Cross Honda Idegawa #1 Naoki Idegawa (Age 26, Japan) G Cross Honda Uchijima #2 Ryo Uchijima (Age 30, Japan) Summary of Plans for Auto Racing Formula One World Championship Honda will continue to compete in the 2007 Formula One season with a system where the Honda Racing F1 Team operates as a single, unified all-Honda works team. Our goal is to climb up on the podium many more times, battling for the constructor’s championship title. The new Honda RA107 racer features a significant improvement in aerodynamic performance that combines with Honda’s new RA807E engine­developed to comply with new Formula One requirements for V8 engines­to deliver superior speed, durability and reliability in a highly polished package. Honda will also supply V8 engines to the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM again this season. Team Driver Honda Racing F1 Team #7 Jenson Button (Age 27, UK) #8 Rubens Barrichello (Age 34, Brazil) SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM #22 Takuma Sato (Age 30, Japan) #23 Anthony Davidson (Age 27, UK) IRL IndyCar Series Honda Performance Development, Inc., a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will again support the IndyCar Series this year as the sole engine supplier. Due to a change in the regulations, 100% ethanol fuel will be used starting this year, a switch from the formula of 90% methanol and 10% ethanol used until last season. Engine displacement will also increase to 3500cc. Honda will provide all IndyCar teams with V8 HI7R engines, which fully comply with the new regulations. Team Driver Marlboro Team Penske #6 Sam Hornish Jr. (Age 27, USA) #3 Helio Castroneves (Age 31, Brazil) Target Chip Ganassi Racing #10 Dan Wheldon (Age 28, UK) #9 Scott Dixon (Age 26, New Zealand) Delphi Panther Racing #4 Vitor Meira (Age 29, Brazil) Super Aguri Panther Racing #55 Kosuke Matsuura (Age 27, Japan) Andretti Green Racing #11 Tony Kanaan (Age 32, Brazil) #26 Marco Andretti (Age 19, USA) #27 Dario Franchitti (Age 33, Scotland) #7 Danica Patrick (Age 24, USA) Vision Racing #2 Tomas Scheckter (Age 26, South Africa) #20 Ed Carpenter (Age 25, USA) #22 A.J. Foyt IV (Age 22, USA) Rahal Letterman Racing #8 Scott Sharp (Age 39, USA) #17 Jeff Simmons (Age 30, USA) Dreyer&Reinbold Racing #5 Buddy Rice (Age 31, USA) Sarah Fisher (Age 26, USA) A.J. Foyt Enterprises #14 Darren Manning (Age 31, UK) Roth Racing Marty Roth (Age 48, Canada) Note: Team/driver lineup as of February 6, 2007 American Le Mans Series Honda will participate in the LMP 2 Class, the prototype category, this year, using cars equipped with the Acura LM V-8 engine, the first racing engine independently designed and developed by one of Honda’s overseas subsidiaries, Honda Performance Development, Inc., a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Super GT The Honda NSX-GT Project, in cooperation with M-TEC Co., Ltd. and Dome Co., Ltd., is fielding five teams and five cars. The V6, 3.5-liter, NA (natural aspiration) engine has been further refined, and using the newly developed chassis with improved stiffness and aerodynamic performance, Honda is focused on winning the two titles in the team and driver championships. Team Driver AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI #8 Daisuke Ito (Age 31, Japan) Ralph Firman (Age 31, UK) DOME Racing Team #18 Ryo Michigami (Age 33, Japan) Takashi Kogure (Age 26, Japan) EPSON NAKAJIMA RACING #32 Loic Duval (Age 24, France) Fabio Carbone (Age 26, Brazil) Team Kunimitsu #100 Dominik Schwagaer (Age 30, Germany) Shinya Hosokawa (Age 25, Japan) RollinStone Real Racing #17 Katsutomo Kaneishi (Age 38, Japan) Toshihiro Kaneishi (Age 28, Japan) Formula Nippon Honda will again supply four teams with HF386E 3-liter V8 engines this year as part of its efforts to promote racing in Japan. Team AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI PIAA NAKAJIMA RACING DoCoMo TEAM DANDELION RACING TEAM 5ZIGEN All Japan Formula 3 Championship Team Driver Honda Team REAL #10 Koudai Tsukakoshi (Age 20, Japan) #11 Takuya Izawa (Age 22, Japan) Honda TODA Racing #2 Yuki Nakayama (Age 19, Japan) Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ) To find and cultivate excellent young drivers capable of racing on the global level and to broaden the horizons of motorsports in Japan by fostering talent for the future, Honda will continue its support of Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ), a new Junior Formula race started in 2006. FCJ has been incorporated as a part of the Honda Formula Dream Project, Honda’s new driver development project that gives rising young stars opportunities to hone their skills in the Suzuka Racing School (SRS-K, SRS-F), FCJ, All-Japan Formula 3 Championship and Formula Nippon through a systematic overall development program. Honda will offer graduates of the SRS-F a chance to participate in FCJ on a scholarship, and FCJ racers in turn a chance to move up to more advanced categories on a scholarship, helping foster the international careers of promising young drivers as part of a long-range program aimed at developing talented drivers who will compete for success in world-class racing events. This year, the scholarship program helped Yuki Nakayama, a 2005 graduate of SRS-F who placed 4th in the FCJ rankings in 2006, advance to the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship racing.