SHAKEY AND SYKES SIGN FOR STOBART After weeks of speculation, Paul Bird Motorsport is pleased to announce that Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Tom Sykes are the two riders to contest the 2007 British Superbike Championship for the Stobart Honda team. Following two seasons in MotoGP followed by a year back in BSB in 2006, 29 year old Byrne, originally from Sittingbourne in Kent but now resident in Zurich, rejoins the team that took him to the 2003 British Superbike Championship as well as a double World Superbike victory aboard a Ducati. Sykes, meanwhile, the 21 year old Yorkshireman from Huddersfield, steps up to the Superbike class for 2007 having contested the British Supersport Championship for the past few seasons which included him finishing as runner up in 2006. The pair will use the Phil Borley prepared Honda Fireblade CBR1000RR’s in the thirteen round series which kicks off at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend (April 7/9th) Shane Byrne “I had other options, including rides in the World Championship, but I decided to go with the Stobart team as I know them and we’ve enjoyed a lot of success together in the past. Unlike last year, we’ll be undertaking a full winter test schedule which will hopefully allow us to start the season very strong. The bikes are good and the team has been working hard to make sure we can be in with a shout of winning and I’m very happy to be reunited with the team and Paul Bird” Tom Sykes “I’m really looking forward to the season and I know I’ve got a great team behind me. They have won two British Superbike Championships and have a lot of experience so I can’t wait to get started. It’s going to be a steep learning curve for me but it’s one I’m relishing and I hope to be challenging for podiums as the season progresses. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere in Birdy’s team and I’m also looking forward to working with Shakey so let’s bring it on!” Paul Bird “The team and the sponsors are delighted to have the chance to work with Shakey again, as indeed I am, and we are hoping to continue our previously successful relationship which I’m sure we will. I’ve also been a fan of Tom’s for a long time and we’re under no illusions that it’s going to be tough but he’ll fit in well with our team and he’s one for the future. We’re well on with our plans for testing and hope to get back to our winning ways in 2007.”

CANADIAN KAWASAKI CONFIRMS SZOKE AND McCORMICK The Canadian Kawasaki Motors factory road racing team is proud to announce that reigning Champion Jordan Szoke and rising star Brett McCormick will defend the teams national titles in the 2007 Parts Canada Superbike Championship. Branford, Ontario’s Jordan Szoke, will lead the squad for a second consecutive season and defend both of the coveted #1 plates. The 27 year old is a three time Canadian Superbike feature class national Champ, and stands second on the all time win list with 20 total victories””just shy of the all time record of 22. “With the proven Kawasaki ZX-10R and our brand new ZX-6R, I obviously have the equipment I need to get the job done again,” explained Szoke. “We have a strong team, and I’m really looking forward to defending my two number one plates.” Szoke’s ongoing relationship with Kawasaki puts the team in a great position to repeat their dominating performance of the 2006 season. The combination of Szoke and Kawasaki in Superbike earned a record-tying five victories in a row last season, guaranteeing the premier Parts Canada Superbike Championship crown and the coveted Canada Cup trophy. In Pro 600 Sport Bike, Szoke again took five of a possible seven series successes, clinching the 600 series title and giving Jordan an amazing ten victories during the 2006 campaign. For 15-year-old McCormick of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 2007 is looking to be a dream year for the teen-ager as he moves to the Pro ranks with a factory ride in both the premier Pro classes””joining forces with teammate and Champion Jordan Szoke. “I’m really excited about my rookie Pro season, and looking forward to working with Jordan and the whole crew,” confirmed the always-positive McCormick. “They proved that they have the best combination, and I want to repay their confidence with some great results. There’s lots to learn, and I know we’ll have a really entertaining effort.” After moving to full sized bikes late in 2005, McCormick undertook the national series for the first time in 2006, competing in the Pro/AM Thunder class for Twins and the Amateur 600 Sport Bike class. Brett “The Kid” won races and set lap records in both classes and was the center of considerable speculation regarding his future motorcycle racing plans. “It’s an amazing chance to put together such a dynamic, exciting team for 2007”, explains Team Manager Jeff Comello from Canadian Kawasaki’s head offices in Toronto, ON. “Jordan is a proven and popular Champion and Brett is perhaps the most exciting up and comer our series has seen in recent years. These two make for a great combination, and we think that 2007 will be even more exciting for our Kawasaki fans than this year. “Even though Brett is young, he showed maturity both on and off the track in his first National tour last season,” continued Comello. “We see him as a star of the future and we think the Kawasaki team is the right place for him to develop his potential.” McCormick replaces popular American star Tom Kipp, who will not be taking part in national competition action. Canadian Kawasaki Motors wishes to thank Tom for all of his hard work and acknowledge the success we have enjoyed together over the past few seasons.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION: Via e-mail: Unfortunately, Millennium/KWS Suzuki will not be attending the official Pirelli tire test at Daytona due to a delay with U.S. Customs. Two crates containing two racebikes, tools, and essential spares have been delayed for several days in the U.S. Customs facility at JFK, New York. We are hoping to have our equipment back within the next week. Thanks, Chip Spalding KWSmotorsports.com

Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May turned the fastest lap time Thursday morning at the onset of a two-day Pirelli tire test at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Riding his AMA Superstock GSX-R1000, May turned a 1:41.371 while testing different rear tire compounds. “We were running single-compounds, hard stuff, to figure out what compound works best for the banking,” said May. “So I had to go easy in the infield. The right-handers were especially scary. I have to ride the track like it’s half-wet/half-dry.” May’s teammate Michael Barnes was second-fastest with a 1:43.752 while “feeling out the track” on his GSX-R600 Formula Xtreme machine. Barnes said he had a lot of work to do on his Formula Xtreme bike, which he hoped to get dialed in on 16.5-inch rubber during the test, before moving onto his Supersport bike. Michael Beck, the new, third rider on Team M4 EMGO Suzuki, was seventh-quick overall with a 1:46.102 on his GSX-R600, but Beck crashed in the new west horseshoe late in the morning session and was transported to Halifax Medical Center. Beck’s condition was not known at post time. The Fast By Ferracci MV Agusta squad also suffered some misfortune Monday morning. Matt Lynn quickly discovered he had the wrong gearing when he started hitting the rev-limiter in top gear halfway around the east banking. A sprocket change helped, but Lynn’s efforts were severely limited by the incorrect gearing, resulting in a best time of 1:53.179. Lynn’s teammate Italian Superstock Champion Luca Scassa went faster, turning a 1:45.743, but the engine of Scassa’s F4-1000R Superbike blew up during the session. Lynn said Scassa was also severely undergeared. After the engine failure, Scassa’s crew started transferring his hand and foot controls and his suspension over to the spare bike that he and Lynn share. Justin Marm, a WERA National Endurance competitor who will be supported by Fast By Ferracci MV Agusta in 2007, crashed his new F4-1000R late in the morning session. Marm suffered a suspected shoulder injury, according to a team member, and was also transported to the local hospital. Originally, Tony Meiring was listed as having done a 1:44.677 on a Moto Uno Racing Kawasaki ZX-6RR Supersport bike. When Roadracingworld.com questioned the lap time, Meiring claimed that it was a legitimate lap. Upon further review of the individual lap times and segment times for each rider, it was determined that in spite of what Meiring said he did cut the course in the infield section of the track. His next-fastest time on the first morning was a 1:47.670. Pirelli Tire Test Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida December 7, 2006 Thursday Morning Test Times (as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing & scoring): 1. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:41.371, Superstock 2. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600), 1:43.752, Formula Xtreme 3. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:44.441, Superstock 4. Steve Rapp (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:45.111, Supersport 5. Luca Scassa (MV Agusta F4-1000R), 1:45.743, Superbike 6. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:46.073, Formula Xtreme 7. Michael Beck (Suz GSX-R600), 1:46.102, Supersport 8. Cory West (Yam YZF-R6), 1:46.112, Supersport 9. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R6), 1:46.321, Supersport 10. Tony Meiring (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:47.670, Supersport 11. Gustavo Laya (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:49.330, Supersport 12. Justin Marm (MV Agusta F4-1000R), 1:49.863, Superbike 13. Taylor Knapp (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:52.405, Supersport 14. Matt Lynn (MV Agusta F4-1000R), 1:53.179, Superbike

ATTACK PERFORMANCE KAWASAKI TO CONTEST AMA SUPERSPORT AND FORMULA XTREME CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2007 Rapp joins Attard on the all-new Ninja® ZX™-6R Kawasaki’s factory roadracing effort will be supplemented by the Attack Performance Kawasaki satellite team in the 2007 AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme seasons. Featuring riders Ben Attard and Steve Rapp, the Richard Stanboli managed squad will race all-new Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-6R sportbikes on Pirelli tires. Last season, Ben Attard made the podium twice in Supersport with third-place finishes at Mid-Ohio and Road Atlanta. Attard also posted third-place finishes at Infineon Raceway and Pikes Peak in Formula Xtreme. He closed-out his season with a runner-up finish in Formula Xtreme at Road Atlanta. New-addition Steve Rapp joins Attack Performance, after several successful seasons of AMA Superbike and Superstock competition. His new team manager says: “Rapp is a true professional. He rides hard every lap and has a wealth of knowledge from racing various classes on several different motorcycles and tires. His feedback will be quite useful, as we develop setups for our new ZX-6Rs and Pirelli tires.” Team Manager Richard Stanboli is excited about Attack’s prospects in 2007, saying: “We’re really pumped about our program next year. Focusing exclusively on the 600 classes will help the team and riders develop more-consistent setups and the new bike is proving to be very quick in testing.” Stanboli added: “Attard is ready to step-up his game and fight for a championship, while Rapp has always been fast and consistent, I really am excited about this whole team.” Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) markets and distributes Kawasaki motorcycles, ATVs, personal watercraft and utility vehicles through a network of more than 1,500 independent retailers, with an additional 7,700 retailers specializing in power products and general purpose engines. KMC and its affiliates employ nearly 2,400 people in the United States, with 400 of them located at the Irvine, California headquarters. Kawasaki’s tagline, “Let the good times roll.™”, is recognized worldwide and the brand has become synonymous with powerful, stylish motorcycles for over four decades. Information about Kawasaki’s complete line of recreational products and Kawasaki affiliates can be found on the Internet at www.kawasaki.com.

Pirelli’s two-day tire test opens today at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Teams and riders present include: Team M4 EMGO Suzuki with rider Geoff May, Michael Barnes and Michael Beck; Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich; Fast By Ferracci MV Agusta’s Luca Scassa, Matt Lynn and Justin Marm; Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard and Steve Rapp; Moto Uno’s Tony Meiring, Taylor Knapp and Gustavo Laya; Hotbodies/Cory West Racing’s Cory West; and Hotbodies/Longevity Racing’s Barrett Long. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki and Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki will be treating the event strictly as a tire test and have only brought 2006-spec machinery. Barnes will ride AMA Formula Xtreme and Supersport GSX-R600s, May will test Supersport and Superstock machines, Beck will ride a Supersport-spec GSX-R600 and Ulrich will ride a GSX-R1000 Superstock bike. Fast By Ferracci MV Agusta has a trio of F4-1000R Superbikes, in a very mild state of tune, for Scassa and Lynn. The bikes are not yet fitted with any type of traction control electronics. Justin Marm, a Fast By Ferracci MV Agusta-supported rider planning to compete in the 2007 WERA National Endurance series, has his own F4-1000R. Attack Kawasaki has one 2007 ZX-6R in Formula Xtreme tune and one 2006 ZX-6RR Supersport bike. The Richard Stanboli-owned team plans to shake down its Formula Xtreme bike while it tests tires on its Supersport machine. Ben Attard, who will be working with veteran race mechanic Joey Lombardo in 2007, will ride the FX bike on Thursday, before handing it off to Rapp on Friday. Moto Uno Racing will be testing tires on its pair of 2006 Kawasaki ZX-6RR Supersport bikes, which will be shared by Laya, Knapp and Meiring. Moto Uno hopes to finalize a support deal with Kawasaki during the Daytona test so it can expand its program to race in AMA Supersport and Superstock in 2007. Laya, Knapp (who is riding with a seven-week-old broken femur) and Meiring do not have contracts with Moto Uno for 2007. Long time Pirelli rider Cory West will be riding his new Yamaha YZF-R6 Supersport bike, which will wear a host of new Team KR parts during the 2007 season. AMA regular Long trucked his Yamaha YZF-R6 Supersport bike up from his home in Miami to particpate in the test. The first bikes went out on track at approximately 9:40 a.m.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies closed out the annual Dunlop tire test at Daytona International Speedway by posting the fastest time after only a handful of laps on his 2006-spec GSX-R1000 Superbike Wednesday. In spite of spending most of the test successfully testing his 2007 GSX-R1000 Superstock racer, Spies used what he called a “softer race tire” to turn a lap of 1:37.823 around the 2.95-mile road course late on Wednesday to lead all riders at the test. “We went back to last year’s set-up and last year’s gearbox,” Spies told reporters Wednesday evening. “I went 1:38.2 right out of the gate, immediately, and that was good. I went back out on a softer tire. They said it was kind of a race tire. Then I did a 1:37.9 or something. “Then I told them I wanted to do a little bit of a stint on the new tire, because that was the first of the new generation tires that I had seen, and it was definitely better. So I told them to give me a new race tire, and we went out and did 11 laps. The tires definitely got better this year, for sure. I did 11 laps faster than anyone else’s fastest lap. So that was good. I think my fastest lap of the race last year was a 1:38.0, and then it dropped into the high-1:38s. [Today] I did a high-1:37 and the rest of the nine laps were faster than a 1:38.4, so that was really encouraging.” Spies’ fastest time, however, was actually slower than his fastest time during the last Dunlop tire test at Daytona in December 2005. Then Spies turned a 1:37.308 on his 2006 GSX-R1000. Spies was also the fastest man in the Superstock category, turning a 1:38.750 on the newest GSX-R1000, which was under the AMA Superstock lap record for Daytona, 1:39.185. American Honda’s Jake Zemke posted his fastest lap time, and the second-fastest lap time overall, a 1:38.653, near the end of the test. Zemke felt he could have gone faster, but his CBR1000RR quit running in the last hour of testing Wednesday. Zemke’s teammate Miguel Duhamel turned the ninth-fastest Superbike time of 1:39.726 (just behind the 1:39.62 Josh Hayes turned during a guest test of Zemke’s Superbike Wednesday) while testing three different Superbikes equipped with three different engine management systems. In his limited time on a shared 2007 CBR600RR, Duhamel was credited with the top Formula Xtreme test time, a 1:40.067. Third-fastest Superbike, and overall, rider was Jason DiSalvo, who recorded a 1:38.711 on his Yamaha YZF-R1, which isn’t a full-fledged Superbike at the moment. The YZF-R1 Superbikes of DiSalvo and teammate Eric Bostrom (sixth-fastest Superbike rider with a 1:39.161) still wore stock swingarms, stock fuel tanks, stock radiators and were only equipped with mildly-tuned engines at Daytona. Six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin’s best time of 1:39.067 (turned Wednesday morning during Mladin’s last stint during the test) held up for the fourth-fastest Superbike time. Mladin left the test early when it became apparent that Yoshimura Suzuki’s 2007 Superbikes would not make it to Daytona. In his first true test of his new Kawasaki ZX-10R Superbike, 2006 double AMA Champion Jamie Hacking put up the fifth-fastest Superbike test time, a 1:39.141, just faster than teammate Roger Hayden’s seventh-fastest 1:39.404. Hacking also posted the fastest lap time among the four Supersport testers at Daytona, a 1:42.613 on his all-new Kawasaki ZX-6R. Former Grand Prix racer Chaz Davies recorded an impressive Supersport time of 1:43.140 even though he was using a stock, back-up engine in his Celtic Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Hayden was a tick behind Davies in the Supersport order with a 1:43.191. Pirelli will open its two-day tire test at Daytona Thursday morning. Dunlop Tire Test Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida December 6, 2006 Wednesday Afternoon Test Times (as supplied by AMA Pro Racing timing & scoring): 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:37.823, Superbike 2. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:38.653, Superbike 3. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), 1:38.711, Superbike 4. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:38.750, Superstock 5. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:39.141, Superbike 6. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.161, Superbike 7. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:39.608, Superbike 8. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.726, Superbike 9. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.912, Superstock 10. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.038, Superbike 11. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:40.534, Superbike 12. Akira Yanagawa (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.564, Superbike 13. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.746, Superstock 14. James Ellison (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.283, Superbike 15. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR), 1:42.616, Formula Xtreme 16. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR), 1:42.968, Formula Xtreme 17. Chaz Davies (Yam YZF-R6), 1:43.140, Supersport 18. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR), 1:43.415, Formula Xtreme 19. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:43.739, Supersport 20. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.202, Supersport 21. Gary Mason (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:44.324,Superbike 22. Ryan Elleby (Hon CBR600RR), 1:45.138, Formula Xtreme Fastest Overall Times, By Class, Of The Test: Superbike: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:37.823 2. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:38.653 3. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1), 1:38.711 4. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.067 5. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:39.141 6. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.161 7. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:39.404 8. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.62* 9. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.726 10. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.007 11. Akira Yanagawa (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.461 12. James Ellison (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.283 13. Gary Mason (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:44.007 Superstock: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:38.750 2. Ben Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.912 3. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.304 Formula Xtreme: 1. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R6), 1:41.980 2. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR), 1:42.099 3. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR), 1:42.141 4. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR), 1:42.616 5. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR), 1:43.333 6. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR600RR), 1:44.10* 7. Ryan Elleby (Hon CBR600RR), 1:45.158 Supersport: 1. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:42.182 2. Chaz Davies (Yam YZF-R6), 1:43.140 3. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:43.191 4. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.202 * time supplied by rider’s team (Editorial Note: The list of best overall test times listed above may appear differently than the times posted by other media outlets. This is due to AMA Pro Racing timing & scoring posting and distributing lap times that included laps where riders cut the course. Roadracingworld.com confirmed that all of the lap times listed above are legitimate by ensuring riders hit all four timing loops and/or by asking the rider directly if their best lap time was accurate.) More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway: Dunlop Tire Testing Day 3: Testing Wraps Up DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. The three-day Dunlop tire testing at historic Daytona International Speedway wrapped up on Wednesday. The weather has been perfect throughout the test and teams have been using their extensive track time to prepare for Daytona 200 Week By Honda on March 1-10. But teams and riders always want more and 2006 Daytona 200 By Honda champion Jake Zemke says while the test has been successful, he would be willing to spend more days at DIS testing if he could. “Sure, a fourth day, a fifth, a sixth, we can test all week,” Zemke said with a laugh. “That’d be fine by me. Until we’re perfectly happy with everything, which as a racer I don’t think anybody is perfectly happy, we always want more time. It’s good and we’ve got plenty of tests outside of here before we come back. We have plenty of more time to look at a lot more stuff and get things dialed in.” Zemke, who’ll defend his Daytona 200 By Honda win on Saturday, March 10, says the majority of his time during the test has been spent on Honda’s new traction control system. “That’s where 80 percent of our efforts are going right now,” Zemke said. “To get up to speed with this stuff and to make it an effective tool, it takes a lot of time. Unless we’re not out on the track, we’re not able to figure out what we need from the traction control system.” The Dunlop tire test is the second visit to DIS for the American Honda team, which held a private test at “The World Center of Racing” in October following Fall Cycle Scene. During that test, Zemke revisited his 2006 Daytona 200 By Honda win. “As a kid growing up, I always looked at all the names of people that won this race,” Zemke said. “Historically, the Daytona 200 is the biggest race we have in America. It means an awful lot to put my name up there with some of the legends of motorcycle racing.” While the victory was an important piece to Zemke’s career, the triumph was also important to Honda. The manufacturer puts a tremendous amount of effort into the race and hopes the victory translates into motorcycles sales. “To win the Daytona 200, it’s huge for the manufacturer because it’s the start of spring,” Zemke said. “It’s March when all the sport bikes are coming out. It creates a lot of press and a lot of publicity for the manufacturers that win the race. It’s definitely a great way to sell motorcycles. That’s the whole reason why we do race. It’s an advertising tool to the public to showcase the attributes of the bike. It definitely shows what the bikes are capable of doing. It feeds the fans to go out and ride.” While the Dunlop tire test has concluded, Pirelli and Michelin tire testing are scheduled for the next two days at DIS and the sessions are free and open to the public with access to the Oldfield Grandstand available through DAYTONA USA. Tickets for Daytona 200 Week By Honda are available online at ~http://www.racetickets.com~ or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.