Former World Superbike regular Akira Yanagawa, age 35, will race a Kawasaki ZX-10R in the 2007 AMA Superbike Championship season-opener March 10 at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. “He’s going to come back over and race at Daytona,” Michael Preston, Team Manager of the Monster Kawasaki AMA Superbike team, told Roadracingworld.com Wednesday at California Speedway. Preston said he did not know the specifics of Yanagawa’s deal. Yanagawa has been testing a Dunlop-shod Kawasaki ZX-10R alongside Roger Hayden and Jamie Hacking this winter, even though he races on Bridgestones in the All-Japan Superbike Championship. In addition to his racing in Japan and some wild card appearances in MotoGP, Yanagawa has started 118 World Superbike races, collecting three wins and 23 podium finishes. His best Superbike World Championship finish was fourth in 1997.

Monday, March 5 1:00pm7:00pm Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests Tuesday, March 6 9:00am6:00pm Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests 5:00pm Post-Entry Closed for all Classes 12:00pm-5:30pm Tech Inspection Wednesday, March 7 6:00am-8:00pm Garage Area Open Everyone must be out of the speedway by 8:00pm 6:30am4:00pm Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests 6:45am7:15am Track Inspection 7:00am-12:00pm Tech Open for motorcycle inspection 8:00am8:50am AMA Superstock Practice 9:00am9:50am Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei Practice 10:00am11:00am AMA Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited Practice 11:10am12:00pm Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Practice 12:00pm1:00pm Lunch Break 12:20pm Rider Briefing 1:00pm1:40pm AMA Superstock Qualifying, Group 1 1:50pm2:30pm AMA Superstock Qualifying, Group 2 2:40pm3:20pm Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei Qualifying, Group 1 3:30pm4:10pm Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei Qualifying, Group 2 4:20pm5:00pm AMA Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited Practice 5:10pm5:50pm Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Practice Thursday, March 8 6:00am-8:00pm Garage Area Open Everyone must be out of the speedway by 8:00pm 6:30am4:00pm Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests 6:45am7:15am Track Inspection 7:30am12:00pm Tech Inspection Open 8:00am8:35am AMA Superstock Practice 8:45am9:20am Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Practice 9:30am10:05am AMA Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited Practice 10:15am10:50am Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei Practice 11:00am11:40am AMA Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying, Group 1 11:50am12:30pm AMA Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying, Group 2 12:30pm1:30pm Lunch Break 1:30pm2:20pm Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying, Group 1 2:30pm3:20pm Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying, Group 2 Final Events: 3:50pm AMA Superstock (13 laps, 60k) 4:50pm Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei (22 laps, 100k) Friday, March 9 9:00am12:00pm Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests **No On-Track Road Race Activity Saturday, March 10 7:00am-8:00pm Garage Area Open Everyone must be out of the speedway by 8:00pm 7:30am1:00pm Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests 8:00am-8:30am Track Inspection 8:30am10:00am Tech Inspection Open 8:30am10:00am Pit assignments (at tech garage) for all riders/teams, except top 10 , in the 200 9:30am10:00am AMA Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited Warm-up 10:10am10:40am Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Warm-up Final Events: 11:15am AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited (15 laps, 70k) 12:15pm1:15pm Lunch Break 1:30pm Opening Ceremony and Pole Award Presentation 1:45pm Sighting Lap for the Daytona 200 2:00pm Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme, 66th Daytona 200 (68 Laps)

Attack Kawasaki truck driver Tom Sharp remains in the Intensive Care Unit at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, in Colton, California, in “Critical” condition. Sharp suffered a major head injury when he fell out of a moving pit utility vehicle and hit the back of his head on the pavement in the paddock during AMA team testing February 1 at California Speedway. According to Attack Kawasaki Team Owner Richard Stanboli, Sharp’s brain swelled while at the hospital, pinching an artery and causing him to suffer a stroke to his frontal lobe. In addition to brain damage from his original impact, doctors feel Sharp may have suffered additional brain damage due to the stroke, again according to Stanboli. Today, Attack Kawasaki’s Joey Lombardo reported that Sharp’s inter-cranial pressure has been going down over the last few days, which is a good sign. Arrowhead Medical Center spokesperson Jorge Valencia told Roadracingworld.com that Sharp was officially listed in “Critical” condition. Sharp had medical insurance, but a collection to go toward his rising out-of-pocket medical expenses was organized by Monster Kawasaki truck driver Don Baynes during this week’s AMA team test at California Speedway. That collection raised $1234. Additional donations, cards and/or letters of support can be sent to Sharp’s wife, Sherry Sharp at P.O. Box 701, Roseville, CA 95661. Today is Tom Sharp’s 37th birthday.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway may host a second U.S. Grand Prix with all three GP classes–MotoGP, 250cc GP, 125cc GP–in 2008 as long as required course safety improvements are made. A commercial agreement is already in place, although contracts have not been signed, according to sources in the MotoGP paddock. If the deal goes through, the second U.S. Grand Prix will be held in September, 2008. A delegation from FIM inspected the track earlier this week. Details will be posted as they become available.

The final countdown for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda World Superbike and Supersport teams have completed the final pre-season test in Valencia over the past two days. A previous F1 test at the Spanish track caused a slippery surface. Coupled with wet and windy weather this meant that conditions were far from ideal. Despite this, the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda riders recorded satisfactory lap times and the team leaves the Spanish circuit well prepared for the first round in Qatar. James Toseland took the opportunity to warm-up for the first race and finished the test with a best lap time of 1:35.40. His team-mate Roberto Rolfo improved even further from previous tests as he becomes more familiar with the Honda CBR1000RR. The Italian rider gradually reduced his lap time over the two days to end on a final best of 1:36.54. In the Supersport camp both Sebastien Charpentier and Kenan Sofuoglu continued to get to grips with the new Honda CBR600RR. The two riders secured best lap times of 1:37.90 and 1:37.40 respectively. The new bike is proving to be much quicker than its predecessor and the team is feeling positive about the forthcoming season. With just 11 days to go until Qatar, the whole team now waits in anticipation. Ronald Ten Kate, Team Manager “Even though the track and weather conditions weren’t the best we still leave Spain in a positive mood. Despite the circumstances, the Superbike and Supersport lap times were quite fast. This was also a good chance to test on a tighter track compared to the previous tests in Qatar and Phillip Island. We have definitely made improvements over the winter, so now it’s time to go racing. We have four riders who are eager to start the season and hopefully we can be up at the front in both classes from the start.” James Toseland “This test has just been a bit of a shakedown really. We didn’t have much to test but it’s nice to have a bit of a ride-out before the first race in 11 days time. It was quite breezy out there, but the tyres were pretty good considering the conditions, so I am happy.” Roberto Rolfo “Valencia has been a track that I have had problems with in the past, but if I compare this test to the one we did here last November, my riding has improved a lot. The team has also taken a big step forward and we were much quicker to understand what we needed to do to the bike. The lap time I did this morning was much closer to the top times in World Superbike, so I am happy with that.” Sebastien Charpentier “The conditions were bad because of the F1 test and the weather, but every day I learn more about the new bike. I am happy with the test overall and confident about the first race. I think it is possible for me to finish on the podium.” Kenan Sofuoglu “We have experienced a few problems in this test, particularly with the bad conditions. However, I am feeling very happy and we are still setting better lap times than before. I am really looking forward to Qatar. We have done some good testing and I feel more confident with the bike.”

Hot times ahead for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP travels to the scorching heat of the Qatari desert for the first Official MotoGP Test of the season next week, looking to fine tune the new GSV-R800 and ensure its race competitiveness. The first race of the 2007 season also in Qatar is just a month away, and every lap completed by John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen on the 5.38km Losail International Circuit further advances the development of the all-new Suzuki GSV-R800. Hopkins and Vermeulen will also undertake a comprehensive race tyre test with Bridgestone in readiness for the race there next month. The Japanese tyre factory has worked closely with Rizla Suzuki MotoGP during the winter test schedule to produce tyres best matched to the new 800’s power distribution and edge grip requirements. The slippery and dusty character of the Losail track and the high air and surface temperatures will certainly ensure the new bike and latest generation tyres are given a comprehensive evaluation in the extreme conditions. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will be in Qatar for three days before heading off to Jerez in Spain for a further three-day Official MotoGP Test. The first round of the MotoGP World Championship takes place at Losail in Qatar on Saturday 10th March. John Hopkins: “We need to do well at this test to prove that Phillip Island was just a minor hiccup, and to show that we are ready to run at the front. We have a good 990 set-up for Qatar so hopefully that’ll work on the 800 as well. Personally though I wish this was the first race and not just another test as I feel that I am ready to get going and show what I can do this year with the new 800!” Chris Vermeulen: “I can’t wait to ride the bike again. It is always improving which makes it so exciting every time I get on it. Suzuki will have something new for us to test I’m sure. They always do at tests now and that also adds to the thrill. Everything is pretty good at the moment but we know we still have a lot to do. We’ll certainly be working on some new engine maps to make sure we can get the new 800 as good as it can be for when we come back here in March for the race.”