ALEX BARROS RARING TO RIDE THE PRAMAC D’ANTIN BRIDGESTONE SHOD DUCATI GP7 FOR THE FIRST TIME ALEX BARROS will ride the DUCATI GP7, equipped with Bridgestone tires, for the first time later this week, during the three day test that will take place at the Spanish circuit of Jerez de la Frontera. The Brazilian pilot will continue his work with the PRAMAC D’ANTIN Team, this time using the latest machinery, the DUCATI GP7. The primary goal of these tests is to gather important information about the PRAMAC D’ANTIN 2007 package, in order to further the development of the GP7 and the complete technical package. Following the Jerez test, a mandatory testing ban will be in place through January 21st. ALEX BARROS #4: “I wasn’t expecting to test the DUCATI GP7 with Bridgestone tires as early as this. The next three days will be intense, as we will try out the new machine and also the total package, that we will use to compete in the 2007 MotoGP season. It’s my first test with the new 800cc bike, and these tires. We will try to gather as much data as possible so that we can keep developing the bike and determine the best set-up. We will work very hard everyday, and I will do my best to start this season in the best possible way. I want to say thank you to DUCATI, for giving me the bike in time for this test.”

According to his father Stu Carter, young gun Garrett Carter has landed a Yamaha support deal for the 2007 AMA Supersport Series and will campaign a YZF-R6. Carter is believed to be benefitting from a program originally developed for Michael Beck, who signed with Team M4 EMGO Suzuki instead of continuing to haul his own equipment to the racetrack with Yamaha support. Carter is the second USGPRU 125cc Grand Prix graduate to land Yamaha support. Josh Herrin ran in the 2005 WERA National Challenge Series and the 2006 AMA Series with Yamaha support before landing a full ride for 2007. Both Herrin and Carter went directly from 125cc GP machines to 600cc Supersport racebikes. The support deals are believed to involve at least motorcycles, engines and at track mechanics. Stu Carter revealed the deal in a posting in the Vintage Racing section of the WERA BBS (www.wera.com), on a thread dealing with the continuing legal battle between AHRMA and Team Obsolete owner Rob Iannucci.

MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden will sit out the MotoGP test at Jerez on November 28-30 in order to receive medical treatment to his injured right shoulder. The Repsol Honda rider will have further MRI and CT scans on November 29, at the Freemont Clinic in California, prior to an operation scheduled for the following day. The surgery will repair an undisplaced fracture through the right greater tuberosity (shoulder bone). At the same time the metal plate on the 25-year-old Americans right collarbone will be removed. The metal plate, a legacy of a Supermoto crash in 2004, was bent in the fall at this years Grand Prix of Portugal and, combined with the shoulder fracture, has caused Hayden considerable discomfort ever since. Hayden made light of the injury following the accident at Estoril, not wanting to offer championship rival Valentino Rossi the slightest psychological boost going into the MotoGP title showdown at Valencia. With the championship in the bag and the winter break approaching the decision has been made to complete the surgery to give the World Champion the maximum time for recovery before the 2007 testing programme begins at the end of January. Hayden’s team-mate, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, will attend the three-day Jerez test to continue the development of the RC212V. Speaking from his home in Owensboro, Kentucky, the World Champion said: “The shoulder’s been pretty uncomfortable since Estoril and the testing since the last race hasn’t made things any better it actually hasn’t been much fun to ride under these circumstances. Id love to be at the Jerez test and its going to be hard to be at laid up at home. But its time to get this thing fixed so that I can come back fully fit for the tests in January and February and be ready for the 2007 season.”

Former MotoGP World Championship racer James Ellison conducted a shakedown test of his new Corona Extra Honda CBR1000RR AMA Superbike during a Fastrack Riders track day Saturday at California Speedway, in Fontana, California. Ellison, his new Race Operations Manager Dwayne McCracken, suspension technician Stig Pettersson and a skeleton crew of the Corona Extra Honda team arrived at the 2.36-mile infield road course Saturday afternoon with a motorcycle that had been out of its crate for only 10 days but was already equipped with a host of HRC Superbike kit parts, 16.5-inch wheels and Dunlop slicks. “Basically, the plan was to go out to Daytona next week, but Dwayne and the boys have been working flat out on the bike and it was near-enough finished to give it kind of a shakedown,” Ellison told Roadracingworld.com before making a handful of laps Saturday. “So we thought we would give it a bit of a run-down and get rid of some of the gremlins. Obviously, Daytona is a very special place, so I would like to go there with a bit of knowledge of how to ride the bike.” Ellison will continue testing at California Speedway Sunday, before heading to the Dunlop tire test at Daytona International Speedway December 5-6.

Two-time and defending Venezuelan Superbike Champion Fernando Amantini qualified fastest for the combined Venezuelan National Superbike Championship and Latin American National Superbike Championship races scheduled for Sunday at Turagua, near Maracay, Venezuela. Amantini turned a 1:04.452 on his Kawasaki ZX-10R on his 15th of 17 laps in the 45-minute qualifying session held Saturday afternoon, setting a new track qualifying record. Robertino Pietri, who leads both the Venezuelan National Superbike Championship and the Latin American Superbike Championship points, qualified second fastest at 1:04.551. Pietri went back out late in the session in an attempt to better his time but his AMA Superstock GSX-R1000 blew a fork seal. Columbian Cesar Telles was third fastest on a Kawasaki ZX-10R at 1:06.326. Roadracingworld.com-sponsored Pietri has won all three of the 2006 Venezuelan Superbike Championship races held to date, with two of those also counting toward the Latin American Superbike Championship. The two races Sunday will conclude the Latin American Superbike Championship, with an additional two races completing the Venezuelan National Superbike Championship at Turagua December 10. American race mechanics James Lickwar and Peter Hively are working with Pietri at Turagua this weekend. Juan Carlos Lavado, the nephew of former 250cc World Champion Carlos Lavado, qualified fastest in the Supersport class on a Honda CBR600RR, turning a 1:07.453. Armando Ferrer, (who along with Pietri, Amantini and Victor Chirinos competed in the 2006 AMA Series), qualified second fastest at 1:07.519 on his AMA Supersport Kawasaki ZX-6RR. Jacquel Gonzalez qualified third fastest at 1:08.148 and Chirinos was fourth fastest despite losing a front brake caliper and crashing early in the session. Combined Qualifying FMV Venezuelan Superbike Championship FIM Latin American Superbike Championship Turagua, Maracay, Venezuela November 25, 2006 1. Fernando Amantini, Venezuela, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:04.453 2. Robertino Pietri, Venezuela, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:04.551 3. Cesar Telles, Columbia, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:06.326 4. Franco Pellegrino, Venezuela, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:07.280 5. Nirio Rivero, Cuba, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:07.765 6. Franklin Reveron, Venezuela, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:08.744 7. Ricardo Sune, Venezuela, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:09.088 8. Jose Neda, Venezuela, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:09.467 9. Claudio Torres, Venezuela, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:11.166 10. Manuel Bello, Venezuela, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:13.651 FMV Venezuelan National Superbike Championship Point Standings After 3 of 7 races 1. Pietri, 75 points 2. Telles, 52 3. Amantini, 40 4. Peregrino, 39 5. Reveron, 36 6. Sune, 22 7. Neda, 16 8. Rivero, 14 9. Armando Ferrer, Venezuela, Yam YZF-R1, 9 10. Reynaldo Brito, Venezuela, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 8 FIM Latin American Superbike Championship Point Standings After 2 of 4 races 1. Pietri, 50 points 2. Telles, 36 3. Pellegrino, 29 4. Reveron, 23 5. Amantini, 20 6. Rivero, 11 7. Sune, 11 8. Neda, 10 Combined Qualifying FMV Venezuelan Supersport Championship FIM Latin American Supersport Championship Turagua, Maracay, Venezuela November 25, 2006 1. Juan Carlos Lavado, Venezuela, Honda CBR600RR, 1:07.453 2. Armando Ferrer, Venezuela, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:07.519 3. Jacquel Gonzalez, Venezuela, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:08.148 4. Victor Chirinos, Venezuela, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:08.739 5. Miguel Boccardo, Venezuela, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:08.773 6. Alexander Rodriguez, Venezuela, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:09.817 7. Juan Carlos Rodriguez, Venezuela, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:10.111 8. Carlos Gulfo, Venezuela, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:11.435 9. Pablo Morales, Venezuela, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:13.794 10. Marcos Mojica, Venezuela, Honda CBR600RR, 1:13.936 FMV Venezuelan National Supersport Championship Point Standings After 3 of 7 races 1. Ferrer, 60 points 2. Boccardo, 53 3. Gulfo, 42 4. A. Rodriguez, 37 5. Chirinos, 37 6. Lavado, 34 7. J. Rodriguez, 31 8. Gonzalez, 23 9. Mojica, 22 10. Alberto Baglieri, Venezuela, Ducati 749, 16 FIM Latin American Supersport Championship Point Standings After 2 of 4 races 1. Ferrer, 50 points 2. Boccardo, 33 3. Chirinos, 29 4. Gulfo, 29 5. A. Rodriguez, 26 6. J. Rodriguez, 22 7. Mojica, 15 8. Bagliari, 10 9. Lavado, 9 10. Reveron, 8