New Zealander Shaun Harris, winner of both the Production 1000cc and 600cc races at the 2003 TT Races, will make a much anticipated comeback to the event in 2007. A ten time National Champion in his home nation, Harris has been making the long trip from New Zealand since 1991 and his pair of race wins in 2003 were celebrated across the Isle of Man. It has always been a rollercoaster ride for the diminutive Kiwi, with outstanding performances offset by heartache and injury. He will be keen to bounce back in his first Mountain Circuit appearance since a lacklustre 2004, where a solitary 12th place was all he had to show for his efforts. Harris will ride a full stable of Yamaha machinery in all solo classes at the 2007 Centenary TT for an as yet unidentified British team. Speaking about the prospect of his TT comeback, Harris commented: “My total focus in 2007 is currently on the Isle of Man TT. The Island has been the scene of my greatest triumphs as well as much heartache in the past, and I want to make sure there are a few more triumphs before I eventually retire from racing. I have the commitment of an excellent and experienced TT team and will be riding the latest Yamaha machinery in all classes. I can’t wait to get back to the TT and am confident that I can do a good job for my sponsors and the fans.” Chairman of the TT Steering Committee David Cretney MHK added: “Shaun Harris is an iconic TT rider and is one of the few people to win two races in one week. He is a colourful character and is popular with the fans. He will be a welcome addition to the entry list for the Centenary races. I look forward to seeing him do battle again with the other riders entering this year’s TT which will have all the ingredients to be the fastest, closest and most exciting racing ever.”

PEDROSA CLOSES JEREZ TEST WITH FASTEST LAP In what may be a telling session before the 2007 season, Honda’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ in 2006, Dani Pedrosa, was able to better five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi in the final test session of the year held at the Jerez circuit in Spain over the past three days. With an impressive lap time of 1’39.910 today, he became the fastest rider of these last MotoGP tests before the winter testing ban comes into play on December 1st. With his World Champion teammate Nicky Hayden missing the tests due to a shoulder operation, the Spaniard ousted the Italian Yamaha rider, who had topped the timesheets on the two first test days, with a lap time 1.3 seconds quicker than the best race lap of the 2006 Spanish GP, which was set with 990cc prototypes. Suzuki continued their good performance in the end of season tests, with Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins in fourth and fifth place respectively, behind Marco Melandri who has showed an excellent adaptation to the new RC212V. New Honda rider Shinya Nakano was sixth fastest ahead of Colin Edwards on the second Yamaha. The returning veteran Alex Barros was the fastest Ducati rider of the day in eighth, ahead of his factory colleagues Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner. The teams made use of every single minute available to them until the very end of the session in order to gather as much information and data as possible before the ban, which prohibits on-track tests until January 20th. The factories meanwhile will be busy on an intense evolution process behind closed doors, working on their prototypes in order to have everything ready and in the best possible conditions for the first test sessions in Sepang, Malaysia, in January. The most significant news of the day however, was the heavy crash for Ilmor test rider Jeremy McWilliams this afternoon, causing him multiple injuries. The experienced Northern Irish rider suffered a fracture of his left femur and right collarbone, in addition to serious injuries in the fingers on his left hand. McWilliams was quickly taken to Jerez Hospital where he will undergo surgery on Monday. Jerez MotoGP Test Day 3 Lap times supplied by Jerez Circuit Timing 1. Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda 1’39.910 2. Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory 1’40.123 3. Marco Melandri Honda Gresini 1’40.524 4. Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki 1’40.766 5. John Hopkins Rizla Suzuki 1’41.049 6. Shinya Nakano – Konica Minolta Honda 1’41.142 7. Colin Edwards Yamaha Factory 1’41.254 8. Alex Barros Pramac d’Antin Ducati1’41.276 9. Loris Capirossi Ducati Marlboro 1’41.492 10. Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro 1’41.595 11. Tadayuki Okada – HRC Test rider 1’43.392 12. Vittoriano Guareschi – Ducati Test rider 1’44.071 13. Jeremy McWilliams – Ilmor 1’44.661 14. Andrew Pitt – Ilmor 1’44.983 More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: FINAL 2006 TESTING SESSION CONCLUDES AT JEREZ The Jerez de la Frontera circuit, the venue for a fantastic opening round win for Loris Capirossi in the MotoGP championship eight months ago, was also the scene for the final testing session of the year which concluded today. Good weather conditions allowed the Ducati Marlboro Team and the Test Team to complete the scheduled work load. At the end of the morning, when the track surface had reached a reasonable temperature, the Italian team’s riders went out on the track for the final day of testing before the end-of-season winter ban comes into force. Today both riders were busy trying out a series of new Bridgestone tyres as well as carrying out suspension and engine development work. Loris Capirossi completed 49 laps, setting a quickest time of 1m41.492s. “It was quite a positive day today. We still need more time to develop the GP7 and adapt it better to my riding style. I still can’t get it to do what I like but the base is good and I am sure that in the month and a half before the next test in Sepang they will get to work back in the factory on the basis of the indications from this test. Today we didn’t use any qualifying tyres but instead concentrated on the new rubber that Bridgestone brought along, which proved to be suitable to the characteristics of the 800 and which I liked quite a lot. Now it’s time for some hard-earned rest after a fantastic but extremely tough season!” Casey Stoner did 52 laps of the Jerez track with a best time of 1m41.595s. “Every day we are gaining more and more experience. There are still a few things to improve but considering the number of tests before the first race in 2007 I think that we will be competitive next year. Today we focussed on the engine to help smooth out the harsh power delivery under acceleration at the rear. We saw a lot of progress throughout the day and I am satisfied with the work that we got through”. In 2006 the Ducati Marlboro Team has been on the track for a total of 80 days on 17 different circuits (10 in Europe and 7 overseas): 51 for races and 29 for testing. A vital contribution to the development work has also been made in the background but with exactly the same passion, by the Test Team, Vittoriano Guareschi and the engineers and technicians of Ducati Corse. Together, and with the indispensable support of technical partners Bridgestone and Shell Advance, they have continued with the development work and helped with the cross-over of knowledge from the track to the production line. Everyone has made a contribution to the results of the 2006 season, the best yet for Ducati in MotoGP: 4 fastest laps, 3 pole positions, 9 podiums and 4 wins. Temperatures: air 20°C / track 22°C More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Impressive form continues for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP at Jerez Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Racers Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins recorded the fastest times on race tyres during the final day of the Jerez test in Spain today, Vermeulen setting a time marginally outside the current lap record, with team-mate Hopkins narrowly behind him. Vermeulen’s time of 1’40.766 was set during Bridgestone race tyre development tests and his quickest lap was only bettered by riders using qualifying tyres. The Australian star worked hard all day long, trying many different chassis and engine settings and conducted thorough Bridgestone tyre tests during his 84 laps. Hopkins’ time of 1’41.049 was an improvement on his best lap-times from the previous two-days. The Anglo-American also conducted comprehensive tyre tests during his 81 laps and is confident of further improvement when testing resumes next year. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now begins an enforced six-week test ban, but the effort will not stop for the team as it works on all the data gathered at the last three tests to improve the GSV-R800 in readiness for next year. Vermeulen and Hopkins will resume their testing schedule at Sepang in Malaysia on Monday 22nd January, as the MotoGP circus prepares itself for the 2007 MotoGP World Championship beginning at Qatar in March. Chris Vermeulen: “Today was the best day weather-wise for us and we got through a lot of stuff. I did over 80 laps and we learnt a lot of things. I did some long tyre runs for Bridgestone and tried many different engine and chassis settings and got some positive outcomes. Personally it is the fastest I have ever been round Jerez and it was great to spend more time on this circuit. We gathered a lot of information here and the guys have a lot to work on during the test ban. They will hopefully be able to prepare an even better bike for us and we’ll come back even stronger in Sepang.” John Hopkins: “Once again I’d say it’s been a really good test for Suzuki. I’m pleased with the way things have gone this week. On the last day we’ve made some big improvements to the bike and got through a lot of stuff. We worked hard with Bridgestone and I think we got the maximum out of the tyres and the bike here. We’ve tested strong at all three tests so far and I can happily say we are like I’ve said before in a better position than we ever have been since I’ve been at Suzuki. It looks like it could be a really competitive season for us next year! Now it’s time to go home and put in the hours on the bicycle and the treadmill and get myself ready to race next year!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “It’s been another great test for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP and a positive end to a good season’s work. The GSV-R800 has performed as well as it did in Valencia and Sepang, and the durability was perfect. Today especially, both guys got through masses of work. Neither rider used qualifying tyres, but if they had I’m sure they would have been at the top of the timesheets. As it is, we were pleased to maintain consistent lap-times and speed and make sure that we have the best basis we could possibly have for when we arrive at Sepang in January to continue the development of the new bike.” Jerez Unofficial Lap Times Day Three: 1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1’39.910: 2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.213: 3. Marco Melandri (Honda) +0.614: 4. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +0.856: 5. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.139: 6. Shinya Nakano (Honda) +1.232: 7. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +1.344: 8. Alex Barros (Ducati) +1.366: 9. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) +1.582: 10. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +1.685: Jerez Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1’40.596 Jerez Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 1’39.064 More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: YAMAHA SIGN OFF FOR 2006 WITH A POSITIVE FINAL DAY IN JEREZ The long 2006 MotoGP season finally drew to a close for Yamaha today as the team rounded off the year with a final day’s work in Jerez, before the start of the winter testing ban tomorrow. Rossi and Edwards spent their last day on track continuing with general development work of Yamaha’s new prototype 800cc motorcycle, testing different chassis, new suspension settings and a variety of new tyres for Michelin under sunny Spanish skies. The fastest lap of the day was set by Honda rider Dani Pedrosa with a time of 1’39.910, followed closely by Valentino Rossi who set a time of 1.40.123 on his 69th and final lap of the day, nearly half a second under his own lap record pace. Edwards was seventh fastest in the unofficial time sheets after a best lap of 1’41.254 from 41 laps. After 17 races and more than 30 additional days of testing this year, Rossi, Edwards and the entire Yamaha MotoGP set-up will now head home for the winter holidays. They will reconvene for the first test of 2007 in Sepang, Malaysia on 22nd January. VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd – 1’41.254, 69 laps) “We had a very good test today; it’s been very productive for us because we were able to check many different things for our new bike. We continued to test tyres with Michelin in order to find the correct direction for their development and we also kept working with the chassis and were able to try some different suspension settings. We’ve got some very good information for the Yamaha engineers and now they will work hard over the winter in order to have everything ready for the next test in January. The weather was good today, warm and sunny and in these conditions it was fun to ride on this track, which is one of my favourites. This has been an important test and I am really pleased with the level that we have got to in a short space of time. Of course we still have a lot of work to do, but now it’s finally the end for this year and it’s time to have a rest so we can come back ready to fight in January!” COLIN EDWARDS (7th 1’41.254, 41 Laps) “I had a small technical problem near the end of the day so I had to stop a little bit early, but other than that it’s been another good day all round. We tested quite a lot more front tyres but honestly the best tyre package we found was what we tried first thing in the morning straight out of the box; that felt pretty good! Other than that we just kept on playing around with the general set-up, trying to learn as much as possible about the new bike. We tried a different chassis today, it’s one Valentino’s been testing and it’s definitely the best one so far. We weren’t really looking for times but we ran pretty consistently in the low 41’s all day and I definitely felt like I could have found a bit more if I’d needed to push hard. Overall it’s been a really good test and I am pretty excited about the new bike; we’ve come on in leaps and bounds in just the six days I’ve ridden it. Now I am heading home and looking forward to a nice relaxing Christmas with the family before we get going again in January!” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “We’ve been able to do a great job throughout these November tests and everyone has worked very hard. All three tests have been very important for us in order to get as much information as possible for Yamaha to work with over the winter, the engineers have done a good job with the bike and now they will put everything together over the break. In January we will have our final 2007 bikes and then we can start our real preparation for the long season ahead.” Unofficial Lap Times: Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda, 1’39.910 VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Yamaha, 1’40.123 Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 1’40.524 Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 1’40.766 John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 1’41.049 Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda, 1’41.142 COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, 1’41.254 Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati, 1’41.276 Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, 1’41.492 Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati, 1’41.595 Tadayuki Okada (JPN) Honda Test Rider, 1’43.392 Vittoriano Guareschi (ITA) Ducati Test Rider, 1’44.071 Jeremy McWilliams (GBR) Ilmor, 1’44.661 Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor, 1’44.983 Jerez Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1’40.596 Jerez Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 1’39.064 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: DANI PEDROSA TOPS THE JEREZ MOTOGP TIME SHEET The third and last day of the MotoGP saw Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa put in the fastest time overall for the test, the final MotoGP action of an amazing senior class season. Pedrosa, MotoGP ‘Rookie of the year’ in 2006 scorched around the 4.423km Jerez circuit, in Southern Spain at 1m 39.910s the only rider to break the 1m 40s barrier. In bright sunny weather Pedrosa slowly worked his way through a range of chassis settings before switching to development work on the new 800cc engine, then tyre testing for Michelin. The former double 250cc world champion, who also won a 125cc title, put in an a gruelling 94 lap session culminating with a time attack on qualifying rubber that delivered him the fastest lap time of the three-day test. The Gresini Honda squad were the busiest men at Jerez today. Crew chief Antonio Jiminez and the mechanics made several changes to the geometry of the RC212V eventually finding a base set up to work from. With the improved chassis suspension settings the team got down to serious tyre testing with Bridgestone. Melandri, a former 250cc world champion and five time MotoGP race winner ended the day in buoyant mood and looking forward to the next series of MotoGP tests which begin at Sepang, Malaysia on January 22. Shinya Nakano took a big step towards finding the ideal base line set up for his Konica Minolta Honda. The Japanese rider completed 70 laps working on chassis and suspension before moving onto tyre testing for Michelin. The Honda 250cc teams also completed a successful three-days of testing 2007 chassis developments at Jerez. Repsol Honda team rider Shuhei Aoyama spent the day testing the latest version of the RS250RW chassis powered by a 2006 engine that HRC brought to Spain. The Japanese rider chasing increased corner speed and stability. While Aoyama tested new parts his team mate for 2007, Julian Simon was making his 250 debut at Jerez following a four-years in 125 grand prix racing. Simon worked diligently riding as many laps as possible on the 250.testing different suspension chassis setting combinations in an effort to understand the characteristics of the more powerful machine. Simon was the fastest 250 rider on the final day of the test surprising many with his consistent high pace over his marathon 68 lap stint today. Humangest Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso was a busy man on the final day running through an extensive test programme before the session stopped at 18.00. The Italian, former 125cc world champion, was the only 250 Honda rider to test both engine development parts designed for the 2007 machine and the new chassis. While the chassis performed better on corner entry and exit than its predecessor Andrea feels the mid-corner performance needs to improve and is confident HRC will provide for that before the next scheduled 250cc test in February. The winter testing ban which runs from December 1, 2006 until January 20, 2007 now comes into force. The Honda MotoGP teams will resume testing at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia on January 22, 2007. Honda rider lap times and quotes: Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 39.910s 94 laps “Today we worked on just about everything again chassis, engine, suspension and tyres. We began with chassis and engine testing in the morning and then concentrated on testing tyres for Michelin. I used a qualifying tyre to set my fastest lap time and this is good because it’s important to see how a new bike like the RC212V behaves on qualifiers too. Of course there’s still plenty of work to do before the season starts but this was a positive test for us. Now I will relax a little over the winter break, before getting ready for the January tests.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 40.530s 76 laps. “The team did a great job today I think they made five changes to the geometry during the day – they hardly stopped to take a snack! For me it was very important to find the base geometry we will use this season once we found a setting I was comfortable with we moved on to suspension testing and then tyres. In the morning OI as not so happy but after lunch we really saw an improvement and we made a big step forward. This is not the bike I will use so I’m looking forward to riding my own RC212V at the Sepang test in January. The HRC engineer and the Bridgestone staff are very close to my team they make me feel important they want to help me any way they can and this gives me great confidence for the season.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 41.142s 75 laps. “I am much more confident on the bike today than I was yesterday. Today I spent time working with various gearbox ratio changes to find the best base to work from. When we found that we moved on to suspension work and tyre testing. We had a little front-end chatter early on but fixed that with suspension settings. Overall I must say this test has been very positive. I know we can improve and I have to improve myself. But I go back to Japan for a holiday with my family very pleased that we had a test within this year. The team now have time to work on the machine before we test at Sepang in January.” Julian Simon, Repsol Honda 250: 1m 44.153s 68 laps. “My overall impression of the 250 Honda at this test has been very good. I am working with a very experienced team and this gives me motivation. The bike has great potential I rode the 2006 machine to gain experience and it was OK, I like the way the chassis behaves. After I was happy with the 2006 bike I tried the new chassis for a few laps and liked that also. The engine power is so much stronger than the 125 but the only difficulty I had with the increased power was trying to get the bike to hold the fast line in the corners, you have to be more physical with the bike. In general my feeling about the 250 is positive, I like the tyres and my lap time was not so bad. No crashes so everything was good. Now I am looking forward to the next test when I will get more time on the new chassis and test the 2007 engine parts.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda 250: 1m 44.502s 45 laps. “The new chassis is better than the 2006 model the big difference is the mid-corner performance it feels so much better. Corner entry is slightly better but we are working in the right direction. Now we can move on to testing engine parts at the next test.” Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda 250: 1m 44.723s – 75 laps. “We worked a lot on the chassis and engine today and I am quite pleased. The new chassis is better in some ways, corner entry and exit but the front feels very light on the exit from the corner. We have to improve my mid-corner speed but I’m sure we can. The other Honda (Aoyama) was better in the middle of the corner. I am not so comfortable on this chassis as I was with the old one so I have to find a better feeling with the bike. I like some of he engine parts we tested here. No big difference in the power but the engine has a lot more revs, it doesn’t run into a wall now I can over rev and this helps with the new quick gear shifter we had the whole process is so much smoother. But for me the most important thing was the engine carburetion, this engine is so much better. Last year we had to be very precise on carburetion or we had problems I’m very pleased with the new set up.” Unofficial lap times: 1. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda: 1m 39.910s. 2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha: 1m 40.123s. 3. Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 40.530s 4. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki: 1m 40.766s. 5. John Hopkins, Suzuki: 1m 41.049s. 6. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 41.142s. 7. Colin Edwards, Yamaha: 1m 41.254s. 8. Alex Barros, Ducati: 1m 41.276s. 9. Loris Capirossi, Ducati: 1m 41.492s. 10. Casey Stoner, Ducati: 1m 41.596s. 11. Tady Okada, Repsol Honda: 1m 43.392s. 12. Vittorio Guareschi, Ducati: 1m 44.071s. 13. Julian Simon, Repsol Honda 250: 1m 44.153s. 14. Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda 250: 1m 44.502s. 15. Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor SRT: 1m 44.661s. 16. Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda 250: 1m 44.723s. 17. Andrew Pitt, Ilmor SRT: 1m 44.983s. More, from a press release issued by Pramac D’antin: CONSTRUCTIVE PROGRESSION FOR ALEX BARROS AT JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA ALEX BARROS worked conscientiously and meticulously through the testing program scheduled for his second outing on his DUCATI GP7, continuing his adaptation to the bike and focusing on the overall bike set-up. The PRAMAC D’ANTIN rider pressed on to further understand the characteristics of the new bike, and slightly modified his riding style. The Brazilian completed 65 laps today, clocking a best time of 1’41.276 using qualifying tires. It’s a good return fro BARROS who rode his BRIDGESTONE-shod DUCATI GP7 to a respectable eight position while concentrating on learning the subtleties of his new machine. The next Winter Test scheduled for the PRAMAC D’ANTIN team will take place at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia from January 22nd to 24th, 2007. ALEX BARROS #4 (1’41.276, 65 laps): “Overall, the Jerez test was very positive. I am satisfied with the feeling we achieved in concert with the new technical package. We defined a good balance of the front suspension settings, while we can still improve the rear. The BRIDGESTONE tires were amazing, especially the qualifying one with which I clocked my today’s best time. I am very happy to have this quality of material at my disposal. We can truly say we reached our objectives of discovering and understanding the new GP7, and defining the general settings of the bike. We will go to Malaysia for the next test with a good base set-up, and with clear ideas on how to improve the total package. I would like to thank PRAMAC and DUCATI, for giving me all their support to carry out these important tests”. FABIANO STERLACCHINI – Alex Barros Track Engineer: “We are satisfied with the comprehensive result of our last day of testing. We worked steadily on the geometry of the machine to try and understand all the possibilities we have for chassis settings. We improved the general balance of the bike, first concentrating on the front, and later, the rear. BARROS altered his riding style a little bit, and in this way, gained a better time lap. The data gathered during the Jerez test will be analyzed, and we will use it as our base to begin the Malaysian tests with. Conditions: Dry / Air: 20°c / Ground: 22°c More, from a press release issued by Konica Minolta: CLOSED TODAY THE 2006 SEASON FINAL TESTS The MotoGP activity on track definitely closed today with the last day of test at Jerez de la Frontera with mild temperatures perfect to test the new 800cc. Shinya Nakano covered a total of 69 laps setting the fastest lap in 1’41.142″. The KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team technicians could carry out their working programme completely continuing the development of the new Honda RC212V, equipped with Michelin tires, the Japanese rider will use next season. At the end of the Spanish three days test, both technicians and riders are completely satisfied with the work done, especially for the big quantity of data obtained that will be extremely useful to plan the work of winter preparation. Shinya Nakano KONICA MINOLTA Honda Rider (1’41.142″ 69 laps) “This morning we started focusing our job on the gear box and trying to find the ideal suspensions setting without pushing to be fast. In the afternoon, our efforts were oriented to the research of the best set up and then we tested different types of tires. I feel satisfied of the fastest lap time I got. The first contact I had with the new working group was good; during next winter, we will have all the time to refine our collaboration. On the whole, I am happy about how things have gone during this first experience in the KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team. Shortly I’ll fly to Japan and spend time with my family and friends; on half December I’ll attend a “Training Camp” with my personal trainer, afterwards I’ll spend the time left recovering energies for the demanding 2007 pre-season activity.” Giulio Bernardelle KONICA MINOLTA Honda Technical Director “We are happy we found the conditions to carry out all we planned for this Spanish test session and for the working method and the professional competence Shinya demonstrated to have. Today, in particular, we programmed a large amount of tires and suspensions tests and at the beginning of the day we had to finish the gear box and engine set up we started yesterday. For this reason, we obtained the right conditions to permit Shinya to push only late in the afternoon, when the temperature on track was already lowered.”

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Buddy Turner was a well known member of the motorcycling community. Turner, Charles H., Jr. Charles H. “Buddy” Turner Jr., 68, of Chattanooga, died Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006, as a result of a motorcycle accident. There will be no services. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Roadracing World Action Fund, P.O. Box 1428, Lake Elsinore, CA 92531 or online at ~http://actionfund.roadracingworld.com/~. Condolences may be sent at ~http://www.heritagefh.com/~. The family will receive friends from 12-4 p.m. Saturday at Heritage Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 7454 East Brainerd Road. Scott Cloninger Chattanooga, Tennessee ~http://www.intrepidcaferacers.com/members/bud/budman.shtml~

The Tucson, Arizona Chief of Police mailed a letter to Roadracing World regarding coverage of racer Ben Thompson’s harrowing carjacking and subsequent experience with the city’s police department. The letter, the delivery of which was delayed for unknown reasons, is seen here.

BUSY SECOND DAY OF TESTING AT JEREZ FOR THE DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM Yesterday’s weather forecast proved to be right and conditions were much improved on the second day of testing at Jerez. After waiting for the track to become completely dry, Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner went out after noon to get testing with their Desmosedici GP7 machines underway. In the presence of Ducati Corse Director General Filippo Preziosi, engineers and riders today investigated the potential of a new engine management configuration, different to the one used in the previous tests with the GP7. This delicate and difficult task is fundamental in identifying the right path for the new bike’s development. Loris Capirossi completed a total of 34 laps of the Jerez track, ending up with a quickest time of 1m42.244s. “We spent most of the day working on the new software, which however is not quite ready. We were unable to devote much time to tyres and set-up and as a result obviously could not set any quick times. However we found out a lot of information and it is normal that in this period we are exploring new ways of development. Tomorrow if the weather holds good I think that we can go much better”. Alongside the Borgo Panigale ‘veteran’, Casey Stoner continued to get to know his new team and his new bike. The young Australian did 52 laps of the track, setting a quickest time in 1m41.702s. “It was a very busy day and we had a lot of things to test. Late in the afternoon we made considerable progress and I am very pleased with that as well as with the way the team works. We’ve still got a lot of work to do with the new bike but it’s got a lot of potential and I am convinced I can go a lot quicker. I am very satisfied and hopefully tomorrow the weather will be good again so we can continue the work we started today”. The Ducati Corse test team and test-rider Vittoriano Guareschi are also at Jerez together with the factory squad. The Italian rider completed 50 laps today, helping with the development of the bike with which Loris and Casey will take on the Japanese manufacturers in next year’s championship. The forecast for the third and final day of the last test session before the winter testing ban is for further sunny weather at the Andalusian circuit. Temperatures: air 19°C / track 23°C. More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing Honda: SECOND TEST DAY FOR MARCO AT JEREZ Today the MotoGP riders busy at Jerez de la Frontera for the last test session of the year could profit of the sunshine to carry on the programme scheduled for today Marco Melandri, the Gresini Honda rider, at his debut on the new 800cc V-four Honda, completed 52 laps. The Italian rider started an intensive programme to know the bike and understand its behaviour before starting to work on the geometry of the machine MARCO MELANDRI (1’42″44, 52 laps): “Today the weather was good so we could start an intensive programme to understand the bike. I can say that it was my first day on the new bike. We started working on the geometry of the machine to try and understand the possibilities we have for chassis settings. We tried some things on suspension and of course tested with Bridgestone tyres. In the end I had a good feeling getting the bike to turn better, it was good in the fast corners but we have to work on the bike to get it to turn better in the slow to mid-range speed corners. Tomorrow we will work on improving the suspension set up.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: FAST PROGRESS FOR ROSSI AND EDWARDS WITH NEW 800 IN JEREZ Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards completed another promising day of development work on Yamaha’s new 800cc motorcycle in Jerez today, despite being forced to sit out the morning session whilst they waited for the track to dry following yesterday’s rain. Once they got going after lunch however the riders made the most of the time available, getting through a host of work on the prototype bike and focusing mainly on tyre testing with Michelin and chassis work. Rossi topped the time sheets for the second day running and put in a best lap of 1’40.688 after 82 laps, the most of any rider today. His time was less than a tenth of a second off the current lap record, which was set by him in 2005. Honda rider Dani Pedrosa was second quickest with a fastest time of 1’40.799 while Edwards was third once again, recording a best time of 1’41.186 after a total of 48 laps. Tomorrow will be the final day of testing for the Camel Yamaha Team before they break for the winter holidays. VALENTINO ROSSI (1st 1’40.688, 82 laps) “I did a lot of laps today, the most of all the riders so it was quite a tough day despite missing the morning! We had to make up for the time we missed yesterday too and everyone worked very hard to get through all the work we had. It was a good day and helpful for us to have time to do so many laps. We continued working with two different chassis, trying to find the best way forward and check the differences between them. We also got time to do some important tyre work with Michelin and it seems they have some good new things which are working well with our bike. I hope that the weather will stay like this tomorrow because we’ve still got quite a lot we want to do before the end of the test. We’ll continue with the work we did today, check and confirm everything and then I hope we can finish for the year feeling positive!” COLIN EDWARDS (3rd 1’41.186, 48 Laps) “We got here this morning and the track was still seriously wet from yesterday so we had to sit around for a while to wait for it to dry out. The afternoon was good though and we spent a large part of it testing front tyres for Michelin, following on from where we got to in Malaysia. We wanted to re-confirm that what we tried in Sepang is the right way to go and it’s definitely working well here too so we’re going in the right direction. We tried various different fronts and I’m pretty happy with the situation. We didn’t try anything special on the rear, just kept a standard test tyre in, but we still put in some good times so that’s encouraging. We played about with some new engine mapping and then got some chassis work done at the end of the day. In the end we tried a setting more or less identical to Valentino’s, just to compare, and I could ride well with that too. It seems we’ve both found different settings that are working well so it’s just going to be a case of seeing what works best at each track. I’m pretty happy, we’re making progress and things are looking good so far.” Unofficial Lap Times VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Yamaha, 1’40.688 Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda, 1’40.799 COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, 1’41.186 John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 1’41.205 Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 1’41.619 Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati, 1’41.702 Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, 1’42.244 Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 1’42.469 Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda, 1’42.528 Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati, 1’43.182 Tadayuki Okada (JPN) Honda Test Rider, 1’42.316 Vittorio Guareschi (ITA) Ducati Test Rider, 1’44.449 Jeremy McWilliams (GBR) Ilmor, 1’45.265 Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor, 1’47.110 Jerez Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1’40.596 Jerez Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 1’39.064 More, from a press release issued by Honda: Honda riders shine on sunny day at Jerez test Honda RC212V riders made hay in the sunshine of Jerez, Southern Spain, on day two of the final MotoGP test session of 2006. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda, was the fastest of the Honda men testing and one of only two riders to crack the 1m 42s barrier for the 4.423km circuit. Gresini Honda rider Marco Melandri and Shinya Nakano on the Konica Minolta Honda are both testing the new 800cc V-four Honda for the first time and both set very respectable lap time at 1m 42.4s and 1m 44.5s respectively. Pedrosa a three time world champion in the smaller grand prix categories, two 250cc titles and one at 125cc level, was in sparkling form as he ran through an intensive test programme that saw him evaluate engine, chassis, suspension and tyre performance. The Spanish youngster set a lap time faster than his best at the 2006 grand prix held at the circuit in April of this year a time just two tenths of a second outside the MotoGP lap record. Gresini Honda rider Melandri put in his first full day of testing on the RC212V. The 24-year old Italian works hard in testing and today was no exception he covered 52 hard laps setting the 800cc Honda to his riding position and style before working on the geometry and suspension in a bid to understand the characteristics of his new mount and to try and get the machine to turn as he wished it to. He ended the day reasonably satisfied with some aspects but he and the team have a lot of work to do to further improve the RCV before the enforced December long break in winter testing. For Konica Minolta team rider Shinya Nakano everything is new. He is riding Honda for the Italian team for the first time and with an all-new machine at that. If that were not enough Nakano also has the task of riding a MotoGP machine equipped with Michelin tyres after several years campaigning with Bridgestone rubber. The Japanese rider worked methodically during what was in fact his first day on the machine as he sat out the wet session yesterday, the opening day of the three day test. Working on the riding position before moving onto suspension work Nakano established a reasonable base line setting to work from as he and the team mechanics endeavoured to improve their understanding of the RC212V. Nakano ended the day in positive mood having set times comparable with riders with more 800cc experience. Honda’s two top 250cc grand prix teams are also testing their RS250RW twin-cylinder two-stroke machines at Jerez. Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda, runner up in the 250cc series in 2006, and Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda, tested the latest versions of the RS250RW they will race in 2007. Aoyama’s team mate for next season, Spaniard Julian Simon, tested a 2006 version of the bike, his first ever outing on a quarter litre machine. This is the first full day of testing with the new machine and neither Dovizioso nor Aoyama were chasing lap times as they worked their way through a range of new parts and machine settings working to give the HRC engineers the valuable feed back they need to develop the RS250RW into a title winning machine. While the two senior riders concentrated on development work new boy Simon just rode the RS250RW to gain confidence in the machine and his new team. The quiet unassuming Simon surprised all with an outstanding lap time of 1m 43.986s just under the 250cc lap record for the circuit. Honda rider lap times and quotes: Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 40.799s – 67 laps. “We had a good day’s testing and I’m pleased with how things went today. We tried many chassis and suspension adjustments on the bike, finding the combinations that worked best with the Michelin tyres we tested. My lap-times were quite good and I went faster than in the race at the beginning of the season, but you can’t read too much into this because November is good time for going fast at Jerez. We’re hoping it stays dry for tomorrow so we can continue this progress.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 42.4s – 52 laps. “It has been a better day it’s really the first day with the new bike after the rain of yesterday. We started working on the geometry of the machine to try and understand the possibilities we have for chassis settings. I’m not so happy yet I have not found a good connection between throttle, engine and rear wheel. Funny because even with less power from the 800cc I still have wheel spin. We tried some things on suspension and of course tested with Bridgestone tyres. In the end I had a good feeling getting the bike to turn better, it was good in the fast corners but we have to work on the bike to get it to turn better in the slow to mid-range speed corners. Tomorrow we will work on improving the suspension set up.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 42.463s – 53 laps. “Not so bad for my first real day of testing on the RC212V. First I had to find a comfortable riding position before we started to work on the bike. Once I had found that we worked on suspension settings and changed the front forks before working on the rear end. After we found the best machine balance for me I started working on front tyre testing and we found a very positive direction to work in. The engine is powerful but easy to control a much different feeling to any other bike I have raced. I’m happy because I could ride normally without worrying and that’s good. Tomorrow we will work on the gearbox to help me understand more about the potential of this bike.” Julian Simon, Repsol Honda: 1m 43.986s – 55 laps. “I am very happy to be in this team with Alberto Puig and the mechanics. The team has much experience in 250cc racing and helped Dani Pedrosa to three world titles. I’m happy with the bike its not so difficult to ride but the lines you have to use are different to the 125cc class I have been racing in. This test is really for me to get used to the 250 the power and handling characteristics, and braking into the corners. I have a good feeling with this bike but I have a lot to learn about machine set up.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 1m 44.977s – 68 laps. “It is very difficult to say much about today. We have been trying to find good base line settings for the machine and while the old bike is better in some ways the new machine has definite improvements and we know it will be much better, this is just the first test.” Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 1m 45.500s – 55 laps. “I’m happy with a lot of the changes to the chassis it is definitely better, of course some things did not improve but that is normal with a new machine. The engine has improved and will get better so I can say the test today has been positive.” Unofficial lap times: 1. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha: 1m 40.688s 2. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 44.030s 3. Colin Edwards, Yamaha: 1m 41.186s. 4. John Hopkins, Suzuka: 1m 41.205s. 6. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki: 1m 41.619s. 7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati: 1m 42.244s. 8. Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 42.469s. 9. Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 42.528s. 10. Alex Barros, Ducati: 1m 43.182s. 11. Tady Okada, Repsol Honda: 1m 43.316s. 12. Julian Simon, Repsol Honda 250: 1m 43.977s. 13. Vittorio Guareschi, Ducati: 1m 44.449s. 14. Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda 250: 1m 444.977s. 15. Jeremy McWilliams, Ilmor: 1m 45.265s. 16. Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 1m 45.500s. More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Positive day for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP at Jerez Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen continued with their impressive testing schedule, by taking more positive steps forward during day two of the Jerez test in Spain. After losing most of yesterday to the rain and having to wait for the track to dry out this morning, Hopkins and Vermeulen quickly got down to business and were regularly amongst the fastest riders. Hopkins time of 1’41.205 on his new Rizla Suzuki GSV-R800 was just over half a second off the lap record held by Valentino Rossi on a 990cc machine. Hopkins completed 50 laps of the 4.4km Spanish circuit, and Vermeulen circulated 49 times as he recorded a quickest time of 1’41.619. Today’s fastest time was set by Rossi. Both Suzuki riders used today to test new generation Bridgestone tyres and worked with their respective crews on base settings to find the best set-up for their new bikes. A full report on Rizla Suzuki MotoGP’s Jerez test will appear on this site at the end of the three day test. For more information on Rizla Suzuki MotoGP and to receive up-to-date news and information visit www.rizla-suzuki-motogp.co.uk and register with the free to join fan club. Jerez unofficial lap times: 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’40.688: 2. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.111: 3. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.498: 4. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +0.517: 5. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +0.931: 6. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +1.014: 7. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) +1.556: 8. Marco Melandri (Honda) +1.781: Jerez Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1’40.596 Jerez Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 1’39.064 More, from a press release issued by Pramac D’antin: POSITIVE DEBUT FOR ALEX BARROS ON THE NEW DUCATI GP7 AT JEREZ Under ideal weather conditions at the Jerez circuit in Spain, ALEX BARROS had a positive debut on his brand new DUCATI GP7 800cc, equipped with BRIDGESTONE tires. The PRAMAC D’ANTIN Brazilian rider, who didn’t ride the first day of the test due to rain and poor track conditions, got his first taste of the new machine and began working diligently on the testing program that the Team had prepared. BARROS ultimately clocked 63 laps, with the best time of 1’43.187, and was feeling very good about the initial sensations of the bike. Tomorrow will be the last test day of 2006, and after the winter test ban from December 1st to January 22nd 2007, the PRAMAC D’ANTIN Team will fly to Malaysia for the first pre-season test at the Sepang circuit on January 22nd. ALEX BARROS #4 (1’43.187, 63 laps): “I am very satisfied with the positive impressions I had on the new Ducati 800cc. Our first real test day was useful to discover the potential of the DUCATI-BRIDGESTONE binomial, and I am very happy about the Bridgestone performance. We worked on the machine balance and we can definitely improve our times with chassis and suspension changes. Basically, this was my first full day of testing with the new generation 800cc, and I just need more laps on the machine to understand it’s nuances, but its definitely easier to ride than the 990cc. It has higher corner speed, and you can get on the gas very hard and really early with this bike. It was an intense day, as I predicted, but there were a lot of interesting discoveries we made. I need to get as many practice laps on the bike as possible to help unlock the secrets of the GP7, and to see the direction we need to take in order to find the best possible set-up for the machine. Both the team and I are very motivated, as this a completely new start for us. We want to be competitive in the next season”. FABIANO STERLACCHINI – Alex Barros Track Engineer: “We are satisfied with our first day of testing. BARROS started to discover the new machine’s potential, and his confidence in the package at his disposal is high. We initially worked to set the bike up for his physique and his riding style. In the morning we worked on the engine map definition, then on the rear suspension setting, and finished the day focusing on the front. Today’s gathered data is a good base for us to start tomorrow’s work”. Unofficial Times Day 2: 1. Valentino Rossi 1’40.688 (82 laps) 2. Dani Pedrosa 1’40.799 (61 laps) 3. Colin Edwards 1’41.186 (48 laps) 4. John Hopkins 1’41.205 (60 laps) 5. Chris Vermulen 1’41.619 (56 laps) 10. Alex Barros 1’43.187 (63 laps) Conditions: Dry / Air: 19°c / Ground: 23°c More, from a press release issued by Konica Minolta: POSITIVE SECOND DAY OF PRACTICE FOR SHINYA NAKANO The morning humidity forced the riders present at Jerez to wait until one to start the test but the weather conditions remained good for the rest of the afternoon. The KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team rider covered a total of 63 laps setting the fastest time in 1’42.528″. A more than positive performance considering that today was the real Nakano’s first working day on board the new Honda RC212V equipped with Michelin tyres. The Italian-Japanese Team could start the new bike setting and also tested different front tyres. Nakano declared to be really satisfied with the good feeling already got with the new 800cc. The KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team will remain on the Andalusian track even tomorrow, using the third day of the final 2006 test session preceding the winter break ordered by the rules and scheduled to finish for January 21st, 2007. Gianluca Montiron KONICA MINOLTA Honda General Director “Today, Nakano could finally start to understand the characteristics of the package bike-tyres at his disposal. I like his working method bringing him to understand the different changes that, step by step, are made. Inside the box, our Team staff is trying to set a valid communication method and create some automatisms that will be useful in the short time available during the practice sessions of the race week end.” Shinya Nakano KONICA MINOLTA Honda Rider (1’42.528 63 laps) “This morning when we arrived, the track was wet and we were forced to wait till the early afternoon before having it completely dry. The 63 laps I covered in the time left permitted me to better understand the Honda RC212V. My feeling is already good and I’m very happy to have obtained it only after a few kilometres with the new 800cc. Today, at the beginning, we tried to find a good bike balance and then check three different front tyres; the results obtained were positive. Tomorrow, we will still work to find the base setting, trying to adjust the gear box and the engine brake control electronic system.” Giulio Bernardelle KONICA MINOLTA Honda Technical Director “Today we started taking contact with the new Honda RC212V starting from the research of the best suspensions set up. We could obtain a sufficient setting balance and made Shinya check several Michelin front tyres which permitted him to start realizing how the different combination of constructions and compounds work. Nakano’s approach is surely positive and the rider demonstrated to be very precise in his comments.”