FIM Superbike World Championship Magny Cours, France October 7, 2006 Superpole Results: 1. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.147 2. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.355 3. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06), 1:39.773 4. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.911 5. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.914 6. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06), 1:39.944 7. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.961 8. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.079 9. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.090 10. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.270 11. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.307 12. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.613 13. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.113 14. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), 1:41.412 15. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:41.475 16. Michael FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.975 More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone: Gimbert and Nakatomi in Superpole Sebastien Gimbert qualified 12th, with the best top speed, in Superpole. Shinichi Nakatomi was 14th and Norick Abe 18th. During the first timed practice session on Friday, Sebastien Gimbert was 13th in 1:41.563, Shinichi Nakatomi 14th in 1:41.644 and Norick Abe 18th in 1:41.993. The second session on Saturday morning did not allow the riders to go any faster as the track was wet and cold. In the Superpole, Sebastien Gimbert ended up 12th with a time of 1:40.613 and he will start tomorrow from the 3rd row of the starting grid. Shinichi Nakatomi was 14th with a time of 1:41.412 and he will be on the 4th row on Sunday. Norick Abe, who kept his 18th time of the qualifying practice, will start from the 5th row. Sebastien Gimbert: “The first free practice session was difficult because I could not do many laps due to a small technical problem. Later on, we worked very well on the suspension. My ideal time was 1:41.0. I can go fast with the bike, with good regularity. During my fastest lap in the timed session, I made a little mistake in the first split. Tomorrow, I shall try to shine to thank my team, my mechanics and my sponsors. This is also the occasion to prove the qualities of the endurance riders.” Shinichi Nakatomi: “Yesterday during the timed session, I could go faster and faster when I followed some riders like Chili, Nieto and Fabrizio. My best improvement was when I followed Troy Corser: I went one second quicker! Many riders here are following other riders. For me, it was a good progression. My setting for the race is good. We only have very little details to improve and we do that step by step.” Norick Abe: “yesterday I was 18th and I wanted to qualify for Superpole this morning. But the conditions were so bad that is was impossible. So I had to change my mind. We work on the bike to improve the setting. Tomorrow I must make a good race.” Martial Garcia (team manager): “Sebastien Gimbert did very well because during the timed practice he was just a little bit more than one second behind the provisional pole position. His Bol d’Or experience was obviously very useful. For his last race with our team, he will do his best to have a nice end of this season. Shinichi Nakatomi obtained a great result, remember that this is his first race at Magny-Cours. Norick Abe could not be fast in the first timed session because of a bad choice regarding the suspension. Unfortunately, he could not show his real talent in the second and last session because of the bad weather.” More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: CORSER AGAIN THE KING IN SUPERPOLE – DRY SUPERPOLE ALLOWS TIMES TO TUMBLE A stunning Superpole lap from Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), who had qualified fifth fastest in regulation, gave him his fourth Superpole win of the year, dropping the best SBK lap at Magny-Cours to an impressive 1’39.147. Corser has now scored 38 career Superpole victories, extending his all-time record still further. Of more significance in the shape of the 2006 championship table, perhaps, was the fact that James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) was second quickest and earned a front row start, while the man who sits only two points behind him in the championship, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia), was fifth fastest and begins Sunday’s races from the second row. The track surface at Magny-Cours had a chance to dry out before Superpole, after frequently changeable and often damp conditions had adversely affected final qualifying for all the riders this morning. LANZI AND MUGGERIDGE RESURGENT AT MAGNY-COURS 2005 Magny-Cours race winner, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) went third fastest after an aggressive and controlled Superpole lap, allowing him the luxury of a front row start, alongside another rider on the up, Karl Muggeridge (Winston ten Kate Honda) who was fourth fastest on the day. CHAMPION BAYLISS ON ROW TWO With Noriyuki Haga fifth, the newly crowned 2006 champion, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) was sixth, also into the 1’39s. On the Alstare Engineering Suzuki machine, Max Neukirchner jumped from 15th in regulation to seventh, and the last rider inside the 1’39s mark in Superpole. Three-time 2006 race winner, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) starts eighth, and completes the second row for Sunday’s 23-lap races. CLOSE SUPERPOLE SQUEEZES SOME TOP NAMES OUT OF TOP SPOTS With the times in Superpole taking a tumble, thanks to the adoption of qualifying tyres on a dry track, Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) just missed a second row start, and Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse), despite being the top Kawasaki rider on show, was only tenth fastest. Chris Walker, Nieto’s team-mate, went 11th fastest after a typically aggressive lap, while top-placed French combatant was Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) in 12th place, and on the third row. FOURTH ROW RIDERS INCLUDE POTENTIAL PODIUM MEN Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) demonstrated how tough SBK is in 2006 but winning in Imola last week and only qualifying on the fourth row at Magny-Cours. Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) showed what a private Yamaha could do, when he scored 14th place, ahead of multiple SBK race winner of recent seasons, Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse). The top 16 Superpole places were completed by Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda) who looked much faster on track than his eventual 16th place qualification showed him to be. CHILI MISSES SUPERPOLE BY A MILLIMETRE Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Treme Honda) could not improve on his Friday time because of the poor track conditions in the second qualifying session, and thus just missed out on a Superpole qualifying time in his final SBK race weekend. He was, tantalisingly, 17th, with all riders behind in the exact same positions as they had been after Friday’s first qualifying session, which was held in cold but largely dry conditions. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) has a mountain to climb to retain his championship in the Supersport class, but set up an impressive base camp by scoring yet another fastest-ever Supersport lap at Magny-Cours, 1’42.506. He is thus pole (his eighth such position this year), from his team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda). The young Turkish rider fell without injury just as the rains re-started in the middle of the session, as he himself went for a the pole. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) starts the race from the second row, but with 18 points in hand over Charpentier, he is still very much in the driving seat. Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) and David Checa (Yamaha GMT 94) complete the front row, after scoring third and fourth best times in the final session. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Megabike Honda) was sixth fastest, with the top Ducati once more being Gianluca Nannelli (SC Caracchi Ducati), seventh fastest. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) was fastest in practice at Magny-Cours, scoring a 1’44.739 lap in the interrupted second session. Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) was second, with Luca Scassa (EVR Corse Ormeni Racing – who was disqualified from the Imola results) third. Ilario Dionisi (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) remained fourth, while new champion Alessandro Polita (Celani Suzuki) was tenth. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: WORLD SBK: RAIN AT MAGNY COURS FOR FINAL PRACTICES Bad surprise this morning for the riders present at Magny Cours in the final practice day for the last round of 2006 Superbike World Championship. The rain raged most during Superbike qualifying session, where Roberto Rolfo, even if riding for some lap to run the bike after the engine’s substitution, has not had the possibility to improve the lap time recorded yesterday and has been not allowed to contest the Superpole session. “The rain has been actually a bad surprise this morning.” commented a disappointed Roberto Rolfo at the end of the practices. “In the final laps of yesterday afternoon session the engine started to show some fatigue’s symptom, so we changed it for tomorrow’s practices, but the rain ruined all our planes. I rode just a few laps to run the engine and see how the bike was going in wet conditions. During the free practice session in the afternoon the engine was performing very well, but the package situation hasn’t changed too much looking at yesterday.” More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: LANZI THIRD, BAYLISS SIXTH FOR DUCATI XEROX IN MAGNY-COURS SUPERPOLE Magny-Cours (France), Saturday 7th October: Ducati Xerox Team riders Lorenzo Lanzi and Troy Bayliss will line up on rows 1 and 2 of the grid respectively for tomorrow’s final round of the 2006 World Superbike Championship at Magny-Cours in France. Newly-crowned champion Troy Bayliss set sixth quickest time at a track on which he has never raced before, while his team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi was third quickest at a circuit where he won his second WSBK race last year. Troy Corser (Suzuki) took the final Superpole of the year. “I’m reasonably happy” commented Troy. “It’s my first time here and I’ve been fast in every session except for this morning because the conditions were terrible, so actually I’ve only had three sessions on the track and I’m not really that far off the pace on the race tyres. I’m looking forward to the warm-up tomorrow, hopefully it’s going to be dry and we can maybe try something a little different. Also it seems that nobody will let me see them on the track and I’ve had to find my own way around so I might learn something else in the race tomorrow!” “It was a great Superpole for me and I am really happy to be on the front row of the grid” declared Lorenzo. “In the last four rounds I’ve always gone well in practice and qualifying. The last two days at Magny-Cours have been really good and I hope to do two good races tomorrow, which is very important for me. Like last year, I seem to find things a bit more difficult in the first part of the circuit but then on the rest of the lap everything is okay and I like the circuit a lot.” More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: Barros in 13th position on the grid for the championship final Alex Barros (Team Klaffi Honda) could not improve his tenth place from first qualifying in the second session at Magny-Cours on Saturday noon, as the track dried up slowly from a shower during Friday evening. In Superpole-session in the afternoon Barros managed 13th position. Barros still fights for fourth in the championship as the gap to Andrew Pitt is only eight points. Alex Barros: “I must say that I am very disappointed about how Superpole went today. I also made a mistake and came wide in one corner in the last sector. Tomorrow we still have to find out the right tire for the race. But I am confident because my race-pace is not so bad. The crucial thing tomorrow will be a good start from fourth row.” Klaus Klaffenböck, Team Manager: “We had everything prepared, but somehow it did not work as well as last week in Imola. Still we are positive for the race as we all know about Alex’s capabilities.” Ramon Forcada, Crewchief: “The last race tire we tried in free practice did not work really well. I found that a little bit strange, but we will sort it out tomorrow in the warm up session. The bike works well under race conditions. We will use the warm-up to figure out some more details.” More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: TOSELAND AND MUGGERIDGE TAKE FRONT ROW STARTS AT MAGNY COURS James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) scored his best lap of the weekend to earn a place on the front row at the final round of the 2006 season. His 1’39.355 lap was the second best overall, as Troy Corser scored pole. Crucially, Toseland’s rival for overall second in the championship, Noriyuki Haga, was only fifth fastest, and now starts from one row behind Toseland. James is two points ahead of Haga currently, and only has to keep his nose ahead of the Japanese rider in the 23-lap races to secure second in the final points standings. Eighth away in Superpole, Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) jumped to the top of the Superpole ranking with his 1’39.911 lap, over a second faster than he was in regulation qualifying. He stayed there until Corser set his fastest lap, and Karl now starts the race from the front row, thanks to the fourth best time of the session. Ronald Ten Kate – Team Manager “With both riders on the front row I am still a happy man, and all four of our riders, including the two in Supersport, got on the front row – which I think is quite remarkable. Both Superbike riders had good laps, just a few mistakes here and there. We know we had to be very fast to win this Superpole and we nearly made it anyway. It is important here to have both riders starting from the front row, because tomorrow is all about second place in the championship. Now we have the best starting point possible.” James Toseland – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (2nd Position – Fastest Lap 1’39.355 – 25 laps) “I should stop watching other people’s Superpole laps because at Imola Bayliss went as fast as Valentino Rossi and now Troy Corser went out here and beat my time! I put a pretty good lap together, to be fair, second fastest of the weekend, and second on the grid. So I’m in a good position to put together a challenge for second place in the championship, which is the most important thing. Earlier today my rival Haga and I went out and were fighting for about 25-minutes in practice, and he ended up a row behind on the grid. The Yamaha gets off the like OK, but I just need to keep in front of him. I can’t fight for the championship win anymore, so I want this second place badly.” Karl Muggeridge – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (4th Position – Fastest Lap 1’39.911 – 23 laps) “We’ve been fortunate this weekend because we tried a few things on my second bike, after my normal number one bike developed a gearbox problem. Testing here was a real benefit to us – it always is when you get the chance before you come to the race weekend. We had similar weather at the test but we have learned more about the track and the bike here than we did at the test. I would love to get on the podium tomorrow, that’s what I’m going for.” More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: TROY TAKES SUPERPOLE! Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser put in a virtually perfect lap to take Superpole at Magny-Cours today. Troy’s lap of 1:39.147 was over one and a half seconds inside the lap record and two tenths of a second ahead of his nearest rival – James Toseland (Honda). Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama suffered from wheelspin in the final part of his Superpole lap and ended eighth quickest and will start from the second row of the grid. But like Troy, he feels that he has got a good set-up for the race and is confident of challenging for the podium. Third quickest today was Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati), with Karl Muggeridge (Honda) completing the front row of the grid. TROY – 1st, 1:39.147 The Superpole lap felt more or less perfect and I’m really happy to have taken it here – in the last race of the year. We’ve been in pretty good shape all weekend really and have just been fine-tuning the bike over the past couple of days. It’s always good to win Superpole and I am particularly pleased today – for myself, for my mechanics and the entire Alstare crew. Last year, I had to start from the fourth row of the grid here, so I’m in much better shape this year! It’s going to be a long, hard day tomorrow and I’m sure that the races are going to be tough, but I want to end the season with a couple of podiums for sure – and maybe a win. YUKIO – 8th, 1:40.079 The first part of my Superpole lap was good, but the last part was not! The rear was spinning a lot and I just couldn’t get good drive and that’s why I lost time. But, I think I have a good set-up for the race – after the good work we did this afternoon – and podiums are definitely possible. Troy-san was very strong today and I am sure that he will be very strong tomorrow, but there will be many other challengers for sure. The second part of my season has been much better then the first part and I would like to finish with two very good results. More, from a press release issued by Beowulf Racing: BEOWULF’S McDOUGALL PULLS LAST-LAP RABBIT FROM HIS HAT Right up until the dying moments of today’s second qualifying session, it appeared Beowulf Racing’s Pat McDougall (Suzuki) would be lining up in last place for Sunday’s final race in the 2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. However the gritty Guildford racer never quits and on his final lap of the 2.8-mile Magny-Cours circuit in France, McDougall shaved half a second from his Friday times to haul himself one place up the grid into 35th position. Although the track appeared largely dry to the naked eye for this morning’s free practice session, it was still very greasy from the torrential rain which had fallen overnight. As a result, a third of the Superstock 1000 field decided to skip the half-hour session. Determined as ever, Pat took to the track only to lap 16 seconds slower than he had managed yesterday. But the session had been by no means a waste of time for the young hotshot: it confirmed that the ignition problem which had afflicted the Beowulf Suzuki on Friday was now fixed and it allowed him to capture the scalp of another regular front-runner. Italian Luca Scassa (MV Augusta), who would finish third in the afternoon session, was a further three places behind Pat’s eventual finishing position of 22nd. With the track dry for the second timed qualifying period in the afternoon it appeared that McDougall would be destined to start tomorrow’s race from the back of the grid. No matter how hard he tried, the Beowulf ace simply couldn’t improve upon his Friday times. When the session had to be red-flagged eight minutes from the end to clear up the oil from Scassa’s blown MV, Pat knew he had one last chance to pull a rabbit from his hat. Throwing caution to the wind when the session restarted, McDougall finally went half a second quicker than yesterday with a time of 1:50.837 on his final lap to nudge ahead of Irishman and travelling companion Mark Pollock (Suzuki). Pole position was set by Italian Claudio Corti (Yamaha), whose lap of 1:44.739 was only four-hundredths of a second quicker than second-placed countryman Ayrton Badovini (MV Augusta). Normally never lost for words, McDougall appeared downbeat afterwards. “The bike was fine” he sighed, “I was just trying harder and harder but I couldn’t seem to go any quicker than before. At least that last lap showed some kind of improvement, I suppose.” The Somerset-based Beowulf Racing team is a tightly knit unit and no doubt every member of the squad will be trying to bolster the 20-year-old’s spirits this evening. The final race of the year always proves to be an explosive and emotional affair for any series and there will be no time for looking back when the lights go to green to signal the start of tomorrow’s 14-lap outing. More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Weather conspires to thwart FPR qualifying challenge A damp French morning denied Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Steve Martin and Craig Jones the chance to challenge for the final Superpole of the season at Magny-Cours, France. With the track drying slowly from overnight rain only a handful of riders ventured onto the slippery surface and times were substantially slower than the first Friday afternoon qualifying session. So Steve and Craig will start on tomorrow’s grid from 21st and 25th respectively, with Troy Corser claiming pole position just as he did on the PETRONAS FP1 two seasons ago. Both FPR riders used the warm and dry afternoon free practice session to good effect, with Craig slashing 1.5 seconds off his best time from yesterday Steve’s best lap also improved by half a second to 1:41.786, a time which would have been marginally outside yesterday’s Superpole qualifying time. Craig said: “I missed this morning’s track time, which would have helped me learn the circuit better. There were a couple of ups and a couple of downs in the afternoon but my race times were fairly consistent and I did my fastest time on the hardest tyre. The bike was as good as we can get it and I need two good starts to challenge for some points in the team’s final races.” Steve said: “I was pretty happy with the afternoon session as I did the fastest time I have done round here on race tyres it was certainly a big improvement on yesterday. My time might have been just outside the qualifying mark but we had a full tank of fuel and I wasn’t busting a gut for lap time in free practice. Last year I struggled to find consistent times on race tyres but this year the consistency feels good. I just hope the weather is dry, because this place is diabolical to ride in the wet. And I hope both Craig and I can have two good races each to end the project on a positive note.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Fifth and ninth for Haga and Pitt Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt will start tomorrow’s final round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship from fifth and ninth places respectively. Both men made small mistakes on their superpole lap to slip down the order from their positions in regular qualifying and, despite not qualifying as well as hoped, the Yamaha Motor Italia riders are primed for action in tomorrow’s 22-lap showdown. A damp circuit, caused by overnight rain, meant that superpole positions were decided by Friday’s times. Only a few riders ventured out onto the circuit during the session, with the best time some six seconds from the ultimate dry weather performance. After ending yesterday fourth on the timesheets, Pitt was the fourth to last rider to take to his superpole lap. Despite clocking his best lap time of the weekend, a 1:40.090, the Australian rider was unable to make as big an improvement as many of his rivals on the soft qualifying rubber. His time saw him take the ninth slot on the grid for tomorrow’s races, on the outside of the third row. Haga was last to depart for his superpole lap after holding the provisional pole position but made a small mistake on the opening part of the lap. An improved performance in the latter part of the lap saw Haga post a lap time of 1:39.914, to end the superpole session directly in front of Pitt, in fifth. Rain has meant that set-up time has been at a premium at Magny Cours this weekend, although Haga and Toseland gave fans a sneek preview of tomorrow’s action in the afternoon practice session, when they spent 10 laps trading positions and never separated by a few bike lengths. The speedy R1 has proved rapid around the French circuit, with Yamaha riders recording the top three speeds in the superpole session. At 285.7kph through the speed trap, Sebastien Gimbert was the fastest on his Yamaha Motor France machine, followed by Haga (284.2kph) and Pitt (283.5kph). The Yamaha Motor France squad saw two of its riders qualify for the top 16 superpole shootout. Home rider Gimbert was the fastest of the squad’s trio, earning a third row start with 12th position. Shinichi Nakatomi starts from the fourth row maintaining his pre-superpole 14th, although fellow Japanese Norick Abe was one of the men to lose out in the weather conditions. The Japanese rider was hoping to improve his 18th position from Friday but had no chance due to the wet conditions this morning. Abe was able to find some improvements in the afternoon free practice session, ending 16th on the timesheets. Pole position for tomorrow’s races goes to outgoing world champion Troy Corser (Suzuki), with James Toseland (Honda), Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) and Karl Muggeridge (Honda) completing the front row. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “Second row is ok, in fact in many ways fifth (on the grid) is better than third or fourth because I am on the outside going into the first corner. Race set-up is good but we’re going to make a few changes to the gearbox settings to make it a little better still. The conditions made it pointless to ride in the morning session but this afternoon went well and I had fun riding in the group with Toseland.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “I made a mistake on the first sector of my superpole lap and for sure I’m disappointed to be starting ninth. But actually our race set-up is ok and we should be in good shape for the race. I did a good simulation in the practice and our race pace seems to be up there with everyone else.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “The first free practice session was difficult because I could not do many laps due to a small technical problem. Later on, we worked very well on the suspension and I was able to get into the 1:40 bracket. I can go fast with the bike and am able to make consistent laps. Tomorrow, I shall try to shine to thank my team, my mechanics and my sponsors. This is also the occasion to prove the qualities of the endurance riders.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) “Yesterday during the timed session, I could go faster and faster when I followed some riders like Chili, Nieto and Fabrizio. My best improvement was when I followed Troy Corser – I went one second quicker! Many riders here are following other riders. For me, it was a good progression. I am very happy to have made superpole but my settings for the race are also good. We only have very little details to improve and we do that step by step.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “Yesterday I was 18th and I wanted to qualify for superpole this morning. But the conditions were so bad that is was impossible. So I had to change my mind. We work on the bike to improve the setting. Tomorrow I must make a good race.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “I think that we’re in a good situation for the race. Despite missing the morning session we know what tyres to use in the races and both riders have made good simulations. I think Andrew expected a little more on his superpole lap. He made a few mistakes and that cost him a few places on the grid, although his race pace is good and he should be up there tomorrow. Nori ran with Toseland in the afternoon and found a good rhythm. We’ll make a few changes to the gearbox on his bike tonight but otherwise we are ready for what should be some good races tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser put in a virtually perfect lap to take Superpole at Magny-Cours today. His time of 1:39.147 was over one and a half seconds inside the lap record and two-10ths-of-a-second ahead of his nearest rival James Toseland (Honda). Corser’s team mate Yukio Kagayama suffered from wheelspin in the final part of his Superpole lap and ended eighth quickest and will start from the second row of the grid behind Alstare Engineering’s Max Neukirchner. But, like Corser, he feels that he has got a good set-up for the race and is confident of challenging for the podium. Third quickest today was Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati), with Karl Muggeridge (Honda) completing the front row of the grid. Troy Corser – 1st, 1:39.147: “The Superpole lap felt more or less perfect and I’m really happy to have taken it here – in the last race of the year. We’ve been in pretty good shape all weekend really and have just been fine-tuning the bike over the past couple of days. It’s always good to win Superpole and I am particularly pleased today for myself, for my mechanics and the entire Alstare crew. Last year I had to start from the fourth row of the grid here so I’m in much better shape this year! It’s going to be a long, hard day tomorrow and I’m sure that the races are going to be tough, but I want to end the season with a couple of podiums for sure – and maybe a win.” Yukio Kagayama – 8th, 1:40.079: “The first part of my Superpole lap was good but the last part was not! The rear was spinning a lot and I just couldn’t get good drive and that’s why I lost time. But I think I have a good set-up for the race – after the good work we did this afternoon – and podiums are definitely possible. Troy-san was very strong today and I am sure that he will be very strong tomorrow, but there will be many other challengers for sure. The second part of my season has been much better than the first part and I would like to finish with two very good results.” Max Neukirchner – 7th, 1:39.961: “Today was a good one for us and I was very happy with my Superpole lap – and regular qualifying and practice was not so bad either. Each time I get on the bike I learn something more and I think we are improving bit by bit for sure. The set-up of the bike felt quite good today and now I hope I can take advantage of my good grid position and get a couple of good results. I certainly want to finish both races tomorrow after last weekend’s disaster.” Final WSB Qualifying: 1 Troy Corser(Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:39.147, 2 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:39.355, 3 Lanzi ((I-Ducati) 1:39.773, 4 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda) 1:39.911, 5 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:39.914, 6 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:39.944, 7 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra) 1:39.961, 8 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:40.079, 9 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha) 1:40.090, 10 Nieto (E-Kawasaki) 1:40.270. SUPERSTOCK 600: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra’s newly-crowned FIM Superstock 600 Champion Xavier Simeon ended the season in style with a superb win at Magny Cours. He pressurised Davide Giugliano (Kawasaki) so strongly that the Italian out braked himself on the approach to the final chicane and crashed right in front of him. Simeon kept a careful eye on the sliding bike and managed to avoid it and then was unchallenged on his way to the chequered flag and his fifth victory of the year. Xavier Simeon – 1st: “I made a little mistake three laps from the end and Giugliano passed me but I was not too worried because I felt I could overtake him again before the end. I followed him and kept up the pressure and he fell when he braked too hard and too late for the final chicane. I was on the brakes and I saw that he had left it too late and down he went. He and his bike slid along the track and I watched it to make sure it didn’t take me out as well. I went round it and then carried on for what became an easy victory. It’s been a fantastic year for me and I want to thank my mechanics and everybody at Alstare for all the help and hard work they’ve done.” Superstock 600 Result: 1 Xavier Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Antonelli (I-Honda), 3 Colucci (I-Ducati). Championship Points: 1 Xavier Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 221, 2 Canepa 151, 3 Giugliano 145, 4 Colucci 91, 5 Antonelli 88, 6 Jezek 61. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra: SUPERMAX! Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Max Neukirchner rode a superb Superpole today and ended with the seventh fastest time – well ahead of many of the factory riders. Max’s lap followed good progress in qualifying and his increasing understanding of the Alstare GSX-R1000 K6. Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser took Superpole with a time of 1:39.147, over one and a half seconds under the current lap record. Second was James Toseland (Honda), with Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) third. MAX – 7th, 1:39.961 Today was a good one for us and I was very happy with my Superpole lap – and regular qualifying and practice was not so bad either. Each time I get on the bike I learn something more and I think we are improving bit by bit for sure. The set-up of the bike felt quite good today and now I hope I can take advantage of my good grid position and get a couple of good results. I certainly want to finish both races tomorrow after last weekend’s disaster. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki: SIMEON ON POLE! Series leader Xavier Simeon once again stamped his authority on proceedings by taking pole position for the final round of the 2006 Suzuki GSX-R European Cup at Magny-Cours. And Simeon managed to do this despite missing over twelve minutes of the qualifying session due to the fact that he was still on the podium after winning the Superstock 600 race just beforehand! Second fastest today is Phillip Hafeneger, with wild card Kenny Foray third and Simeon’s nearest rival Rene Mahr fourth. XAVIER SIMEON – 1st 1:46.860 When the Suzuki Cup qualifying started, I was still on the podium after having won the 600 Superstock race! By the time all the ceremonies had finished I had missed about twelve minutes of the qualifying. I took things steadily for a while as I had to get used to a completely different bike, but after a while I began to find a good rhythm and went faster. I took pole without too much of a problem and if there had been another ten minutes I feel sure I could’ve taken another second off my time. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow and really want to take the title. If that happens, it will be my second title this season and that’s something I could only dreamed. I will not do anything silly, but if I can win the race that would be the icing on the cake.

FIM Superbike World Championship Magny Cours, France October 7, 2006 Second Qualifying Results: 1. Troy Corser (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:45.684 2. Roberto Rolfo (Duc 999F05), 1:49.522 3. Chris Walker (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:50.697 4. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Duc 999F05), 1:51.337 5. Ivan Goi (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:51.416 6. Regis Laconi (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:51.472 7. Jiri Drazdak (Yam YZF-R1), 1:51.502 8. Andrew Pitt (Yam YZF-R1), 1:52.001 9. Steve Martin (Foggy Petronas FP1), 1:53.472 10. Alex Barros (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:54.221 11. Michel Fabrizio (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:57.550 12. Troy Bayliss (Duc 999F06), 2:00.677 Best Combined Qualifying Times (heading into Superpole): 1. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.474 2. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:40.734 3. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06), 1:40.821 4. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.872 5. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.936 6. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.950 7. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.954 8. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06), 1:41.006 9. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.044 10. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.184 11. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:41.385 12. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.547 13. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:41.533 14. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), 1:41.644 15. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:41.648 16. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:41.744 17. Pierfrancesco CHILI (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.828 18. Norick ABE (Yam YZF-R1), 1:41.995 19. Roberto ROLFO (Duc 999F05), 1:42.155 20. Ivan CLEMENTI (Duc 999RS), 1:42.334 21. Steve MARTIN (Foggy Petronas FP1) 1:42.497 22. Josh BROOKES (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:42.777 23. Kurtis ROBERTS (Duc 999RS), 1:43.263 24. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:43.750 25. Craig JONES (Foggy Petronas FP1), 1:44.020 26. Ivan GOI (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:44.567 27. Jiri DRAZDAK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:46.953

FIM Supersport World Championship Magny Cours, France October 7, 2006 Best Combined Qualifying Times: 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Hon CBR600RR), 1:42.506 2. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Hon CBR600RR), 1:43.097 3. Broc PARKES (Yam YZF-R6), 1:43.514 4. David CHECA (Yam YZF-R6), 1:43.763 5. Kevin CURTAIN (Yam YZF-R6), 1:43.765 6. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Hon CBR600RR), 1:44.032 7. Gianluca NANNELLI (Duc 749R), 1:44.170 8. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.238 9. Johan STIGEFELT (Hon CBR600RR), 1:44.367 10. Stephane CHAMBON (kaw ZX-6RR), 1:44.371 11. Robbin HARMS (Hon CBR600RR), 1:44.430 12. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.452 13. Fabien FORET (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:44.553 14. Mauro SANCHINI (Yam YZF-R6), 1:44.556 15. William DE ANGELIS (Hon CBR600RR), 1:44.638 16. Simone SANNA (Hon CBR600RR), 1:44.718 17. Barry VENEMAN (Suz GSX-R600), 1:45.044 18. Kai Borre ANDERSEN (Suz GSX-R600), 1:45.081 19. Didier VAN KEYMEULEN (Yam YZF-R6), 1:45.176 20. Yoann TIBERIO (Hon CBR600RR), 1:45.199 21. Christian ZAISER (Duc 749R), 1:45.296 22. Chris PERIS (Yam YZF-R6), 1:45.299 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: POLE FOR CHARPENTIER WITH SOFUOGLU SECOND Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) lowered the best Supersport lap time at Magny-Cours once more to set pole for Sunday’s 22-lap race, despite far from ideal conditions underfoot. It was his eighth pole of the 2006 season. Once again the track and weather conditions conspired to make it a difficult day for the Supersport entrants, and shortly after a very short spell of light rain appeared, Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) fell at a fast section of the 4.411km circuit, but he escaped without further injury to the leg he injured yesterday. Championship leader Kevin Curtain was only fifth on the grid, good news for Charpentier, who is still in with a chance to retain his championship crown. Ronald Ten Kate – Team Manager “Obviously we have very good start positions at Sebastien’s home race tomorrow, first and second, with Kevin in fifth. That means he is on the second row, so it’s the best possible position for us to start the race. We saw an incredible lap from Sebastien just before the rain came, and he was still on a very used front tyre, so we know that he could have gone even quicker. With Kenan, he really saw his chance for pole because he was very fast again here. But he overdid it when the first rains came. Because we know how slippery it is here as soon as there is any rain on the track surface. He had a small crash, and he limped away just because of the injury he suffered yesterday. When he got back to the pits we could see that he is OK and we even let him back out on his spare machine to test the bike and check all was OK with him. It was, and we are in great form for tomorrow. We are ready for it, we want to win, and also give a good salute to the CBR600RR, which has dominated the series for three years – it is by far the most successful machine ever in World Supersport. Sebastien Charpentier – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Pole Position Fastest Lap 1’42.506 – 23 Laps) “I didn’t push 100% because on the second lap there was a little bit of rain on the track so I closed the gas a little bit. I guess it was possible to go a little quicker. I think the goal for tomorrow is to make 1’43s in the race and I hope that is the situation in the race. I hope that I can give a good performance and win it, and I am not sure how Curtain was after today. But if he finishes with five or six points it will be terrible for me. If there was a South African race still to go this year, then we may have a very different story, even now. I have a new challenge next year for Honda so that is a very important thing for me. I am happy because I have a very good team around me and they work in a good direction. I hope the weather is better, because it is a little bit strange, and cold. So to make a 1’42.5 is good for all of us.” (Kenan Sofuoglu – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider) (2nd Position Fastest Lap 1’43.097 – 24 Laps “It all went well until the last lap when light rain fell on my visor. I thought I could get one more fast lap, but I couldn’t and fell. But for the race the set-up is the way I wanted, the team works well – just like Imola – and I am up there with Sebastien. That’s good for my morale, because I demonstrated that I have the chance of a good race on Sunday.”

AURORA, Ill. Sunday October 1st marked a new day in the career of Jason Pridmore when he officially announced his retirement from road racing for Michael Jordan Motorsports-Jordan Suzuki and his piloting of the Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000. Jason, who celebrated a birthday on Wednesday Oct 4, has had an illustrious 16 year career in the two-wheeled industry. He is the son of 3 time AMA Superbike Champion road racer Reg Pridmore, 2003 FIM World Endurance (Team) Champion, 2002 AMA Formula Extreme (1000cc) Champion, 1997 AMA 750 SuperStock Champion and in 1986 Jason co-rode a BMW K100RS to 5th place finish in the WERA 24 Hour Endurance Race. Jason is also the only American to ever stand on the podium of a World Supersport race, in 2003 he was the SuperProduction class winner at Suzuka Japan and placed 4th overall in the 8 Hours of Suzuka endurance race. Known as “The Professor” in the paddocks, and as the co-owner and chief instructor of STAR (Skills and Techniques for Advanced Riding) Motorcycle School, Jason has coached thousands of track day students, co-workers, friends and family members on techniques to improve their riding skills. Additionally, he has also mentored numerous road racers, including Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies, and Danny Eslick to name a few. Statistically, Jason Pridmore has claimed 21 AMA National Wins in his career, including 17 Superstock class wins, (second only to Scott Russell who scored 23), with 2 wins at Daytona, 2 wins at Mid-Ohio, 2 wins at Elkhart Lake’s Road America, 3 wins at Sear’s Point / Infineon Raceway, 2 wins at Brainerd, 2 wins at Loudon, 2 wins at Phoenix, and 1 win at each Colorado and Las Vegas. To add, Pridmore also recorded 4 class wins on the way to his 2002 (1000cc) Formula Extreme class Championship. As an accomplished amateur golfer, he has qualified for both the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National GC in Chaska, MN and for the 95th CGA Amateur Nationals in Pebble Beach, CA. And in September, Jason shot a 67 at the Hacienda Golf Club setting a new course record on his way to qualify for the U.S. Amateur. In fact, it is his connection to golf that helped him land his road racing job with Michael Jordan Motorsports. After Road America (2004), team manager Ken Abbott introduced Pridmore to team owner Michael Jordan, who invited him to play golf in Chicago, which led to a friendship which eventually yielded Jason a seat with the Jordan Suzuki team for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. When asked about a retirement speech, Jason stated that he “hadn’t really thought about it.” While many associate retirement as an opportunity to take a break, Jason will continue to coach young AMA riders, assist with SPEED’s television race commentary, consult for the Michael Jordan Motorsports race team and carry on his golfing momentum. On Friday night of the Mid-Ohio event weekend, Jason met individually with each of his crew members and the team’s general manager Ken Abbott, to personally explain his decision to retire. He also presented each with a specially framed photograph with a personal message and autograph. When asked about Jason’s retirement, crew chief Sean Storment said “I almost cried. JP is truly a class act and I’ll really miss working for him!” Ken Abbott, added, “while some racers will be considered ‘legends’ in our sport based on their race results, Jason will leave a ‘legacy’ for the contributions he has made to the sport of road racing and to everyone who has crossed paths with him during his career. He and Randy Renfrow are in a league of their own.” JASON PRIDMORE Birth date: October 4, 1969 Birthplace: Santa Barbara, California Residence: Ventura, California Height: 6′ Weight: 180 lbs. Turned Pro: 1990 Year-end AMA Ranking 2005 17th (SB), 19th (STK) 2004 11th (STK), 6th (FX) 2003 8th (SB), 90th (STK), 9th (FX) 2002 4th (SS), 1st (FX) 2001 48th (600SS), 28th (750SS), 10th (FX) 2000 12th (SB), 7th (600SS) 1999 6th (SB), 10th (600SS) 1998 24th (SB), 8th (750SS), 6th (600SS) 1997 33rd (SB), 5th (600SS), 1st (750SS) 1996 9th (600SS), 11th (750SS) 1994 6th (600SS), 3rd (750SS) 1993 7th (600SS), 4th (750SS) 1992 22nd (600SS), 2nd (750SS) 1991 20th (750SS) 1990 44th (750SS) Career Highlights 2006 Pridmore contested AMA Superbike and Superstock Championships. He recorded his best result of the season at Mid-Ohio (2) by finishing a solid fifth-place in his last AMA Superbike race of his career. 2005 Pridmore contested a limited AMA Superbike Championship season due to injury, his best Superbike result a sixth-place at Barber Motorsports Park”¦ Also raced in AMA Superstock, earning a podium finish at Daytona Intl Speedway”¦ Raced with Jordan Suzuki team. 2004 Pridmore raced in the AMA Formula Xtreme Championship, taking podium finishes at California Speedway and Mid-Ohio”¦ Contested the AMA Superstock Championship, earning his season-best result of fifth-place at Pikes Peak Intl Raceway”¦ Raced with Star School Suzuki team. 2003 Pridmore earned second-place in both of the AMA Superbike races at Mid-Ohio”¦ In AMA Formula Xtreme, he scored third-placed finishes at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway and Mid-Ohio”¦ Raced with Attack Suzuki team. 2002 Pridmore won the AMA Formula Xtreme championship, taking wins at Pikes Peak Intl Raceway and Road America, and earning four additional series podium finishes”¦ He also contested the AMA U.S. Supersport series, his best result a third-place at Virginia Intl raceway”¦ Raced with Attack Suzuki team. 2001 Pridmore contested the AMA Formula Xtreme series, taking victory at Sears Point and Pikes Peak Intl raceway… He entered the Daytona Intl Speedway round of the AMA 750 SuperStock series, taking victory there for the second time in his race career… Raced with Attack Suzuki team. 2000 Pridmore just missed the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike podium with a fourth-place finish at round one of the Road Atlanta “Big Kahuna” doubleheader… Took his season-best AMA Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport finish of fifth-place at Pikes Peak Intl Raceway… Raced with Yoshimura Suzuki. 1999 Pridmore took third-place in the AMA Superbike race at Mid-Ohio…Also competed in Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport, best result was sixth-place at Laguna Seca… Raced with Yoshimura Suzuki. 1998 Pridmore took four Teamline 750 SuperSport wins and was in contention for the championship, but withdrew from the series after a string of technical penalties were leveled against his team…Took the podium at the Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport race at Phoenix Int’l Raceway… Raced with HyperCycle Suzuki/Team Suzuki Sport. Entered the Pikes Peak Int’l Raceway MBNA Superbike race aboard a Vance & Hines Ducati, taking third-place. 1997 Won the Teamline 750 SuperSport title, winning all but two races of the season, where he placed second… Raced in Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport, taking podium finishes at Mid-Ohio, Sears Point and Las Vegas… Rode for HyperCycle Suzuki. 1996 Had an excellent year, returning from leg injuries that sidelined him for an entire year… Scored six top-five finishes in 600 SuperSport… Took five top-10 750cc SuperSport finishes… Rode for Kinko’s Kawasaki… Best finish of the season was second in the 600cc SuperSport final at Las Vegas… Signed to ride with Hyper Cycle Suzuki in 1997. 1995 Suffered a badly broken leg in a motocross accident and sat out the entire season. 1994 Five podium finishes in 750 SuperSport, including a second at Daytona… Best 600 SuperSport finish was third at Sears Point… Rode for Kinko’s Yamaha. 1993 Won the final two rounds of the 750 SuperSport Series (Mid-Ohio and Sears Point)… Best 600 SuperSport finish was third at Sears Point. 1992 Burst onto the AMA Pro Racing scene with a 750 SuperSport win over Scott Russell at Brainerd, his first AMA victory… Followed up with another victory over Russell at Road America in 750 SuperSport…Finished second in the 750 SuperSport Series, a career-high ranking. 1991 Scored two top-10 750 SuperSport finishes, ninth at Loudon and eighth at Road America. 1990 Earned his first AMA road race points with a 13th-place 750 SuperSport finish at Daytona. AMA National Wins 2001 March 9 Daytona Beach, FL Suzuki 750 Supersport 1998 Feb. 15 Phoenix, AZ Suzuki 750 Supersport 1998 May 3 Sonoma, CA Suzuki 750 Supersport 1998 June 14 Elkhart Lake, WI Suzuki 750 Supersport 1998 June 21 Loudon, NH Suzuki 750 Supersport 1997 Feb. 15 Phoenix, AZ Suzuki 750 Supersport 1997 March 7 Daytona Beach, FL Suzuki 750 Supersport 1997 June 14 Loudon, NH Suzuki 750 Supersport 1997 June 28 Brainerd, MN Suzuki 750 Supersport 1997 July 19 Lexington, OH Suzuki 750 Supersport 1997 Aug. 16 Fountain, CO Suzuki 750 Supersport 1997 Aug. 30 Sonoma, CA Suzuki 750 Supersport 1997 Oct. 4 Las Vegas, NV Suzuki 750 Supersport 1993 Aug. 7 Lexington, OH Kawasaki 750 Supersport 1993 Aug. 28 Sonoma, CA Kawasaki 750 Supersport 1992 June 13 Brainerd, MN Kawasaki 750 Supersport 1992 June 27 Elkhart Lake, WI Kawasaki 750 Supersport 2002 June 1 Fountain, CO Suzuki Formula Xtreme 2002 June 9 Elkhart Lake, WI Suzuki Formula Xtreme 2001 May 5 Sonoma, CA Suzuki Formula Xtreme 2001 Aug. 25 Fountain, CO Suzuki Formula Xtreme

FIM Superbike World Championship Magny Cours, France October 6 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1) 1:40.474 2. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:40.734 3. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06) 1:40.821 4. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1) 1:40.872 5. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:40.936 6. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:40.950 7. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:40.954 8. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06) 1:41.006 9. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:41.044 10. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:41.184 11. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:41.385 12. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:41.547 13. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1) 1:41.533 14. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1) 1:41.644 15. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:41.648 16. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:41.744 17. Pierfrancesco CHILI (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:41.828 18. Norick ABE (Yam YZF-R1) 1:41.995 19. Roberto ROLFO (Duc 999F05) 1:42.155 20. Ivan CLEMENTI (Duc 999RS) 1:42.334 21. Steve MARTIN (Foggy Petronas FP1) 1:42.497 22. Josh BROOKES (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:42.777 23. Kurtis ROBERTS (Duc 999RS) 1:43.263 24. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:43.750 25. Craig JONES (Foggy Petronas FP1) 1:44.020 26. Ivan GOI (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:44.567 27. Jiri DRAZDAK (Yam YZF-R1) 1:46.953 More, from a press release issued by FGSport: 2006 SBK CORONA EXTRA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP® MAGNY COURS 12th ROUND FIRST QUALIFYING PRACTICE Magny Cours, Friday 6th October 2006 HAGA AND TOSELAND BEGIN THEIR BATTLES EARLY HAGA FASTEST AS TRACK SURFACE PROVES TRICKY FOR SOME Fluids left on track from a crash in another earlier session delayed the opening untimed SBK session at Magny Cours and the lingering effects of a heavy fall of rain overnight made the track surface a different prospect from that experienced by some of the top riders in SBK a couple of weeks ago. Second qualifying was held in dry but overcast conditions, and with low 23°C track temperatures evident, it was a tricky session for most riders. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) was the fastest on show at Magny-Cours and, in an early indication of the main event to watch on raceday, the man who is fighting with him for overall second in the championship, James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) was next fastest, only some 0.260 seconds down. In a throwback to last year’s race weekend, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) was fully in the mix, third fastest. The last place on the provisional first row was taken by the ever-impressive and improving Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia), only 0.398 seconds from Haga. CORSER FASTEST IN THE MORNING AND BAYLISS ONE OF THE FALLERS Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) was fastest in the morning session, and subsequently fifth in the afternoon, but still very much in contention. No fewer than 11 riders were within a second of Haga, and sixth fastest was Corser’s team-mate Yukio Kagayama. Top Kawasaki rider was once more Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse), seventh quickest, despite suffering a big crash in the morning session and still feeling the lingering effects of his shoulder tweak at Imola last weekend. Newly-crowned 2006 champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) fell without injury and went eighth fastest on day one. Weather conditions are set to improve for tomorrow, and times from all the top riders are expected to drop as the temperatures hopefully go up. MUGGERIDGE WELL-PLACED DESPITE EARLY MISFORTUNES Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) was still ninth fastest on day one, despite a problem with the gearbox on his number one machine. Riding with an experimental set-up the popular Aussie still managed to set good times on worn tyres. Imola race one winner Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) was tenth on day one, with Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) 11th and talented youngster Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda) 12th. On home tarmac Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) was an impressive 13th, his team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi an even more laudable 14th. Alstare Suzuki’s private rider Max Neukirchner went 15th fastest, with Regis Laconi 16th and Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Treme Honda) 17th from 27 qualifying riders. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Once more the 1-2 of Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) headed a time sheet in World Supersport. Charpentier was almost a second faster than the championship leader Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) who only set six laps after a crash. Curtain’s machine was comprehensively destroyed in the crash, but according to his team he has suffered no injury. A mid-season injury has marred the overall championship campaign of Katsuaki Fujiwara (Megabike Honda) but he has lost none of his previous speed, and went fourth on day one at Magny-Cours. Gianluca Nannelli’s love affair with his SC Caracchi 749R continued, as he scored fifth best time, ahead of the still-sore Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) and David Checa (Yamaha GMT 94). SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) topped the early time sheets at Magny-Cours, with a regiment of MV Agusta riders ranged out behind. Luca Scassa (EVR Corse Ormeni Racing) was second fastest, Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) third fastest, with Ilario Dionisi (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) fourth. Riccardo Chiarello (Berry Racing Team Kawasaki) added to the cosmopolitan nature of the grid by going fifth. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) celebrated his championship win with provisional pole at Magny-Cours, ahead of Alessandro Antonelli (Junior Team Italia Honda), Davide Giugliano (Lightspeed Kawasaki) and Domenico Colucci (Ducati Xerox Junior Team). A running flush of different manufacturers in the top five was completed by a Yamaha, thanks to the efforts of local rider Sylvian Barrier (Moto1 Yamaha). More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki: TROY AND YUKIO WORKING ON SET-UP Friday qualifying, 6th October Circuit: 4.411 kms. Weather: Dry, mostly cloudy 16-19 C. Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama used the first day of qualifying at Magny-Cours working on finding a good set-up for their GSX-R1000 K6 Suzukis. Both riders tested at Magny-Cours recently and they started today with the set-ups that had worked well then. But those set-ups did not work as expected today and both riders had to try some new settings to post good lap times. In the end, Troy finished fifth fastest and Yukio sixth. Quickest today is Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), with James Toseland (Honda) second and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) third. TROY 5th, 1:40.936 I had a little crash this afternoon when I lost the front at the right-hander at the top of the hill, but it was very slow and I didn’t hurt myself at all. We started with the set-up from our recent tests here but, for whatever reason, the bike didn’t work the same way. Also, we found a tyre we liked and then tried some different tyres, but none of those worked as well. So we’ll go back to what we know works well and try and improve it. I’m pretty happy with what I’ve got really and am confident about raceday. YUKIO 6th, 1:40.950 I started with the settings from our recent tests, but the feeling on the bike was not as good. Today the track felt dirty and a bit slippery to me and I didn’t want to push too hard too soon. In the morning, with the old settings my lap times were not so good. So we made some changes to the settings in the afternoon and the feeling was better. Tomorrow we will carry on with this direction and see how much we can improve the bike. FRIDAY QUALIFYING 1 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:40.474, 2 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:40.734, 3 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 1:40.821, 4 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha) 1:40.872, 5 TROY CORSER (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:40.936, 6 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:40.950, More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: BARROS IN TENTH AFTER FIRST QUALIFYING Team Klaffi Honda rider Alex Barros rode to tenth spot in the first qualifying session on Friday in Magny-Cours. Barros completed several longer distances in terms for race preparations. The track in the middle of France on Friday only offered track temperatures about 20 degrees. Alex Barros: “I thought I will be able to remember at least some parts of the track since I was here last time in 1992. But it turned out that I have to learn the track again. We changed some adjustments to the front, which solved the problems. Still we have to work on the electronics going trough longer corners. I should improve my lap times for long runs by half a second, than we have a good chance in the races.” Ramon Forcada: “We made some improvements to the front this morning and solved the problem. Now we still have to work on the exiting of corners. There are some small ites to try. It is difficult to be on track where I worked last time 1992, that time it was in the 125cc class. Anyway we will be ready for the race.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: LANZI GOES THIRD QUICKEST FOR DUCATI XEROX IN FRANCE, NEW CHAMPION BAYLISS EIGHTH Magny-Cours (France), Friday 6th October: The Ducati Xerox Team riders placed third and eighth in Friday first qualifying for the final round of the 2006 World Superbike Championship at Magny-Cours in France. Lorenzo Lanzi was third quickest in the one-hour session, recording a time of 1 minute 40.821 seconds, to line up on the provisional front row behind Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and James Toseland (Honda), while newly-crowned champion Troy Bayliss was eighth fastest with a time of 1m41.006s. Troy and Lorenzo had a crash during the opening qualifying session but were both unhurt. “This is my first time here in Magny-Cours and it’s taken me a bit of getting used to” declared Troy. “This morning we did a really good first session to finish fourth, while this afternoon we went a bit faster but I had a crash at the front, up at the top in the penultimate corner. We’re struggling to find exactly what I’m looking for at the moment and I may have missed out on putting in a good tyre towards the end. This weekend we’re taking it how it goes, a bit like a test session really; you never know, we might learn something for next year! Saying all that I’m not far off anyway, Nori did one good lap, but I’m only two or three tenths off second place so I’m feeling OK”. “On my exit lap from the pits I was pushing quite hard because I was following some other riders and I crashed more or less in the same corner as Troy” commented Lorenzo. “I got onto the other bike and immediately set my best time which means that everything is OK. Now to remain in the top 3 this time will surely not be enough tomorrow because we’re all close together. However I’ve seen that on race pace Toseland, Haga and myself are the fastest three so that’s good. Let’s see if we can improve a bit more tomorrow, and that will allow me to start from the front row of the grid”. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra: Friday qualifying, 6th October Circuit: 4.411 kms. Weather: Dry, mostly cloudy 16-19 C. MAX WORKING HARD ON SET-UP. Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Max Neukirchner experienced a few problems today and was unable to push hard for a quick lap time. Instead, the young German spent most of the time working on the chassis of his GSX-R1000 K6 and trying to find a good set-up for Superpole tomorrow and the race on Sunday. Quickest rider in first qualifying today is Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), with James Toseland (Honda) second and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) third. MAX – 15th, 1:41.648 I am not so happy today because we had a few problems, The first split was good but my bike didn’t feel so good in the chicanes or when I was changing direction because I couldn’t get a lot of grip. We started with the set-up from when we tested here recently but it didn’t work as well today so we had to make some changes. We tried a softer tyre towards the end of the qualifying session but even that didn’t really give me any better grip. Tomorrow we’ll concentrate on chassis work and finding a good set-up. I think we can improve quite a bit and my first goal is to qualify for Superpole. More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: TOSELAND SECOND FASTEST IN PECULIAR MAGNY-COURS CONDITIONS James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) made a very positive start to the final round of the championship, running out second fastest at the same circuit he won the 2004 title on, despite concentrating more on machine set-up for race conditions than going for a single blitzing lap. The track was wet in the first session and delivered less grip than during a recent test in the timed session in the afternoon. Toseland is out to score an overall second in the championship in 2006, and a grandstand battle is promised, as his rival for that placing was the quickest rider on day one, Noriyuki Haga. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) set ninth quickest time on his second machine, another strong result as it was running an experimental set-up, and yet the Aussie rider was still firmly in the top ten. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “Quite a good first day for us, because we did quite a lot of work with the electronics on James’s machine, and with the set-up side of the bike we have not pushed too much to make a single fast lap; we are concentrating on the race set-up more. We are immediately at the top of the sheets anyway, so we didn’t have to worry about the lap times too much. We know the direction now, and the track conditions were quite particular today, different to the test we had here three weeks ago. The surface looks in really strange shape, but it might improve for tomorrow, so we will have to see what happens. At the moment, race set-up is the main issue to work on.” James Toseland Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (2nd Position Fastest Lap 1’40.734 – 25 laps) “It was a strange day on track, first of all with the grip level and then the wind picking up at the end there. In testing we did 1’40, 1’40, 1’40, so it was quite frustrating for me today. But we still ended up second. Because of the track conditions, the bike felt quite a lot different to ride, and not as easy to be consistent. I was running wide and I wondered why it was difficult to stop. Plus, the rear grip goes down quite a lot as the tyre goes down, and that made it very difficult to stop the bike into the corner. More so than any other track. I put new tyres in, so I know why we have these problems now. For Sunday and the race, we need to make a change, because now we understand why things are the way they were.” Karl Muggeridge Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (9th Position Fastest Lap 1’41.044 – 24 laps) “My first bike had something interesting happening with the gearbox, so we had to move to the second bike. That had a completely different chassis setting, an experimental one, so we put some tyres in and we went out, with only 20-minutes left. The first lap was OK, in the low 1’41s. I could see the time ticking away but it was more important for us now to get the bike right if that is the bike we end up using. So just continued with the tyre I had, and did quite a few laps, and I feel confident with it. As far as the time is concerned, I am sure we can go faster. Sometimes things happen for a reason.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: WORLD SBK CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST DAY AT MAGNY COURS The Ducati SC Caracchi squad travels to this weekend’s final round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship, looking to take a result of prestige following the triumph recorded by Lorenzo Lanzi in the past season. Roberto Rolfo in Superbike rode once more a rather fast 999F05 Ducati, but at the end of this first qualifying day, also better looking at the difficult Imola’s practices, is not jet at the level of the rider’s talent. “Magny Cours is a new track for me, but that’s not the main problem.” said Roberto Rolfo at the end of qualifying. “The engine runs very well and pushes hard, but I have difficulties to manage the corners as I’m used to and in the slow corners I lost a lot of time, and in the final sector I feel penalized. We tried several different setting, but the problem remains, as well looking at the morning’s free practices I improved my performance.” More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Tough opening day for Foggy PETRONAS Racing in France The first day of qualifying of Foggy PETRONAS Racing’s final outing in the Superbike World Championship at Magny-Cours in France provided a tough test for riders Steve Martin and Craig Jones. Technical problems hindered afternoon progress after a promising morning, with Steve finishing in 21st following a minor crash and Craig in 25th as Noriyuki Haga set the early pace of 1:40.474. Steve said: “Everything was going okay in the morning but the afternoon did not exactly go to plan. I lost the front end on my second lap, which was just one of those things. But it meant that I had to go out on my second bike, which is a different spec and did not feel as good, so we decided to fix my number one bike. I tried the tyre that was supposed to produce the better times but I think one of the other tyres that I had tried earlier will be better for doing times. We will have everything under control tomorrow and then I can set about getting the bike into Superpole if the weather stays fine.” Craig said: “I really like the track. It’s nothing like Imola, where you have to just bite the screen and hold on. The surface is good and there are a lot of hairpins, which suits my style because I bring the bike to a halt well. So, considering it’s my first time here and the fact that we had a few problems throughout the day, I’m not too far away. I did not make that much time up in the afternoon but I was more than a second up on one lap before I made a mistake in the final sector. After that we struggled to get the bike running properly and people were crashing in front of me so I wasn’t able to improve. But I think I can easily get into the 42s in the morning and maybe even challenge for Superpole.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Haga tops Magny Cours practice with Pitt in close attendance Yamaha Motor Italia’s Noriyuki Haga topped the timesheets in today’s opening practice session at Magny Cours, while team-mate Andrew Pitt also impressed with the fourth fastest time of the day. In a close qualifying session that saw the top ten riders covered by less than one second, the Japanese rider topped the timesheets for virtually the whole session. Haga set a best time of 1:40.474 just six minutes into the session and was never to be topped. The Yamaha man went on to work at finding the best possible settings for Sunday’s two 23-lap races and declared himself generally happy with his day’s work, despite an off-track excursion midway through the session. Pitt ended the day four-tenths of a second behind his team-mate, fourth in the overnight standings. The Australian also worked on race set-up, although he lost a little track time when one of his machines developed a minor technical problem in the morning free practice session. Confirming the R1’s potency at the French circuit, Pitt and Haga sit jointly at the top of the speed charts, gunning their Yamahas through the speed trap at 285kph. Both riders go into Sunday’s races with similar objectives: Haga is looking to overhaul James Toseland (Honda) for second place in the championship while Pitt looks to consolidate his best ever season by retaining his fourth place in the points’ standings. Home rider Sebastien Gimbert was the quickest of the Yamaha Motor France riders, ending the day 13th on a circuit he knows like the back of his hand. Shinichi Nakatomi was less than one tenth of a second behind his team-mate in his first competitive outing at the circuit. Norick Abe tried various machine set-ups throughout the day and ended the day 18th fastest. Final qualifying positions will be decided by tomorrow’s superpole session for the top 16 riders. Making up the provisional top four is second placed Toseland and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati), in third. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “As always we are working to make a good setting for the race, but it is still nice to be at the top of the timesheets, even if it is only on the Friday. I like this circuit and the feeling with the bike is already very good, although we will continue working hard and trying to make the bike a little better at a few points on the track.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “I found a good rhythm this afternoon and we were able to get through lot of work. Overall it’s not been a bad day. The main thing we need to improve are the gearbox settings but I know that the team will look at all the data tonight and try and find a solution for tomorrow.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “I lost some time in the morning session as we had problems with both bikes, but in the afternoon I was able to make some good laps. My fastest lap was not perfect, as I made mistakes in the first two sectors, and I know that I can go faster tomorrow.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) “We made a test here a few weeks ago so this circuit is not new to me I’m happy to be so close to the top riders and I hope to remain in the superpole tomorrow. It would be good to get some strong results at my team’s home race and end my first season in Europe on a high.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “We changed the bike settings from the morning to the afternoon but it turned out that what we had in the morning was better, as we had less grip and stability in the afternoon. For tomorrow we will try to go in another direction again and hopefully this will help us make a better lap time.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “It’s been a good day, certainly better than at Imola last weekend. Both riders were able to do a run a lot of laps and we’re pleased that both are at the top end of the timesheets. Andrew needs to find a better gearbox (setting) but otherwise I think we are in good shape for the races.”

FIM Supersport World Championship Magny Cours, France October 6 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Hon CBR600RR) 1:42.829 2. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Hon CBR600RR) 1:43.097 3. Kevin CURTAIN (Yam YZF-R6) 1:43.765 4. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Hon CBR600RR) 1:44.032 5. Gianluca NANNELLI (Duc 749R) 1:44.170 6. Broc PARKES (Yam YZF-R6) 1:44.273 7. David CHECA (Yam YZF-R6) 1:44.277 8. Johan STIGEFELT (Hon CBR600RR) 1:44.367 9. Stephane CHAMBON (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:44.371 10. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Yam YZF-R6) 1:44.452 11. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yam YZF-R6) 1:44.741 12. Simone SANNA (Hon CBR600RR) 1:44.869 13. Barry VENEMAN (Sux GSX-R600) 1:45.044 14. Kai Borre ANDERSEN (Sux GSX-R600) 1:45.081 15. Robbin HARMS (Hon CBR600RR) 1:45.147 26. Chris PERIS (Yam YZF-R6) 1:46.393 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: CHARPENTIER AND SOFUOGLU FIRST AND SECOND AGAIN Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) made an impressive start to the final round of the year, taking provisional pole with a new track best time of 1’42.829, despite far from ideal early track conditions. In another display of impressive overall team performance, Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) was the second fastest rider, only 0.268 seconds behind Charpentier, despite suffering a crash on his ‘hot’ lap. In third place, Charpentier’s great rival for the overall championship placing, Kevin Curtain, fell towards the end of the session. The morning session, not a qualifying session, was disrupted by an oil spill and the wet weather, which appeared overnight in central France, and threatened to wipe out the first day of action. As the track dried, the times came down, allowing Charpentier to show his best once more. Ronald Ten Kate – Team Manager “Another very good start to the weekend here, and we know what we can do at this track. We have to win the race and see what the opposition is doing. We have quite a gap back to the opposition, which is good, but unluckily for Kenan in his hot lap he had to pass a backmarker, who was cruising on the ideal line. So he made a mistake when shifting when he passed him and he had a high side. But he was fighting hard for pole position, like he was at Imola. So I am happy with him. The track conditions make it quite complicated but with the data of today we will work to improve things from here on. Tomorrow, for sure, we will be even faster and stronger.” Sebastien Charpentier – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Pole Position Fastest Lap 1’42.829 – 12 Laps) “This morning the session was very strange, and this afternoon everything worked well. The track is very vicious – strange today. But I am happy, because I made a 1’42.8. I didn’t push very hard so this was a nice surprise. I hope tomorrow that there will be an even better track for everyone. I hope my team-mate will be OK for tomorrow and the bike is ready for the race. Tyres we still have to decided because the weather is getting better.” Kenan Sofuoglu – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (2nd Position Fastest Lap 1’43.097 – 15 Laps) “I am OK, no real injury, even if I hurt my knee and my hand. I was on a hot lap, faster than my previous best, when I found another rider on the racing line, just cruising. I had to go round the outside to pass, and when I braked and went down the gearbox I must have been distracted, and went down one too many gears. That was enough to get the back end out of line and I high sided. I will be OK for tomorrow, and my times are already fast, so I hope for even more.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: Is still the Supersport 749R Ducati to supply the greatsest satisfactions to the team, thanks the zeal of Gianluca Nannelli that ended this first day just behind the riders fighting for the world crown; the Florentine rider aims to record a top result also on this track that has never been between his loved tracks. “I was disappointed that I couldn’t challenge for the victory in Imola.” commented Gianluca Nannelli at the end of qualifying. “This track has been always hard for me, but today the bike was running very well, good traction as well a good handling together with a very good top speed. In race set up I have a good pace and that make me confident for the Sunday’s race, also because we could improve our set up tomorrow. The track, usually quite slippery, in such weather conditions, cold and wet, ask for a great riding attention.” Curious adventure for Stuart Easton during the free practice session, when the Scottish rider has been stopped by black flag for a trasponder trouble that did not allow the correct timekeeping. “When they stopped me I didn’t understand why.” – explained Stuart Easton back at the pit. “But I had problems with the trasponder and the timekeepers weren’t able to record my lap times. Unfortunately Magny Cours è totally new for me and I need to practice to learn it. We still need to work to tune the bike and tomorrow we’ll look for a better result.” Some difficulties for Luka Nedog on a track more difficult for the weather conditions, also if Luka has always improving his confidence with the bike. “This track is quite difficult for me.” said Luka Nedog after afternoon qualifying. “Not only the track is new for me, but today grip conditions weren’t very bad and I wasn’t able to ride at my best. In such conditions I’m also not able to give the correct information to the team to upgrade the setting. I hope that tomorrow the track condition will be better, to improve my performance.”

Competitor’s Bulletin #2006-01 To: All MOTO-ST Competitors Date: October 5, 2006 Effective Date: Immediately Subject: Changes to the 2006/2007 MOTO-ST Sporting Regulations SPORTING REGULATIONS SP-8-11 Testing Section 8-11 (change as follows) Competitors may not test at a race facility within two weeks of an Event at that facility, unless such testing is open to all Competitors. (Remove remaining wording) SP-9-5 Pit Lane Regulations Section 9-5.8.f (change as follows) No electric or potential spark producing tools are permitted in the pits. No hydraulic or pneumatic tools are permitted in the pits. Battery operated tools are permitted. Section 9-5.8.h (add) Separate front and rear stands must be used in the pits any time both wheels of the motorcycle are not on the ground. The use of electricity, air pressure, or hydraulics to lift the machine is prohibited. Technical Bulletin #2006-02 To: All MOTO-ST Competitors Date: October 5, 2006 Effective Date: Immediately Subject: Changes and additions to the 2006/2007 MOTO-ST Equipment and Sporting Regulations EQUIPMENT REGULATIONS EQ-5 Universal Motorcycle Technical Requirements Section 5-31-1 (add) For BMW motorcycles only, replacement of the stock rear wheel bolts with shouldered steel studs, with rolled threads, is permitted. Section 5-32 (change as follows) Original front forks must be retained, to include inner and outer tubes, caliper mounts, axles and spacers. Section 5-32-1 (change as follows) Modification to internal parts is permitted. Section 5-32-2 (change as follows) Substitution of springs, change of shims, needles, and/or spacers, addition of “Race Tech” kit/aftermarket type valving and/or complete cartridge kits is permitted. Section 5-32-7 (add) The use of gas-charged fork kits is not permitted. Section 5-44-1 (add) Quick-shifters (devices that cut ignition to smooth shifting) are permitted. The use of pneumatics to aid shifting is not permitted.

Portuguese Grand Prix: wild-card riders Race time schedule Sunday 15 October: Time schedule for warm-up and races (local time): Time difference: Estoril = GMT + 1 -250cc warm-up: 8h45-9h05 – MotoGP warm-up: 9h15-9h35 125cc warm-up: 9h45-10h05 -250cc race: 11h15 – Motogp race: 13h00 125cc race: 14h30 Wild-card riders: The wild-card riders who will race in the Portuguese Grand Prix, scheduled on the circuit of Estoril on October 15 next, are the following: 125cc CLASS Number/Rider/Team/Nomination 54 Randy Krummenacher (SUI-KTM) Red Bull ADAC KTM Junior FIM 69 Michal Sembera (CZE-Honda) Sembera Küja Racing FNM 95 Georg Fröhlich (GER-Honda) Abbink Bos Racing FIM 250cc CLASS Number/Rider/Team/Nomination 32 João Fernandes (POR-Aprilia) Zongshen Team of China FNM 45 Dan Linfoot (GBR-Honda) Winona Racing FIM 56 Su Rong Zai (CHN-Aprilia) Zongshen Team of China FNM 59 Ho Chi Feng (CHN-Aprilia) Zongshen Team of China FNM 75 Luke Lawrence (GBR-Yamaha) BM Groundworks FIM MOTOGP CLASS Number/Rider/Team/Nomination 8 Garry McCoy (AUS-Ilmor) Ilmor X3 FIM/Dorna Maximum number and nomination of wild-cards riders: 125cc: 3 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation); 2 nominated by the FIM. 250cc: 3 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation); 1 nominated by MSMA (Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers’ Association); 2 nominated by the FIM. MotoGP : 1 nominated by MSMA, 1 nominated by the FIM/Dorna. – A compulsory briefing will be held for all the riders who will be participating for the first time in the current Championship, at 17h00 on the day preceding the day scheduled for the first practice session.