When AMA race teams arrived at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 6:30 a.m. local time Friday, the ambient temperature was 39° Fahrenheit (F). At the start of practice, the ambient temperature was 49° F and the track temperature was 12° C or 53.6° F. It was sunny, however.

The start of AMA practice at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was delayed over an hour Friday morning. Pro Honda Oils AMA Supersport Presented by Shoei practice was scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. local time. The first bikes went on track at 9:52 a.m. local time. The delay was caused due to the clean up of mud and water from several areas of the track, although AMA Pro Racing officials have not offered an official explanation for the delay. Friday morning practice sessions for Supersport, Superbike, Formula Xtreme and Superstock have been shortened from 60 minutes to 45 minutes each to make up for the lost time. The start of Friday morning practice at the August 4-6, 2006 AMA Superbike event at Mid-Ohio was also delayed over an hour due to a last-minute clean-up.

FIM Superbike World Championship Imola, Italy September 29, 2006 First Qualifying Session Results: 1. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:50.039 2. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:50.250 3. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06), 1:50.265 4. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:50.357 5. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:50.388 6. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F05), 1:50.468 7. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:50.502 8. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:50.553 9. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:50.659 10. Ivan CLEMENTI (Duc 999RS), 1:50.768 11. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 1:50.882 12. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:50.882 13. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06), 1:51.003 14. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:51.077 15. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:51.227 16. Norick ABE (Yam YZF-R1), 1:51.338 17. Steve MARTIN (Foggy Petronas FP1), 1:51.398 18. Vittorrio IANNUZZO (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:51.483 19. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:51.695 20. Norino BRIGNOLA (Duc 999RS), 1:52.001 21. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:52.034 22. Kurtis ROBERTS (Duc 999RS), 1:52.064 23. Josh BROOKES (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:52.096 24. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), 1:52.108 25. Marco BORCIANI (Duc 999F05), 1:52.109 26. Roberto ROLFO (Duc 999F05), 1:52.192 27. Pierfrancesco CHILI (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:52.355 28. Ivan GOI (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:52.984 29. Craig JONES (Foggy Petronas FP1), 1:53.102 30. Walter BARTOLINI (Duc 999RS), 1:54.050 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: TOSELAND ON PROVISIONAL POLE FOR PENULTIMATE ROUND James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) rode to provisional pole at the new-look Imola circuit after a busy day of practice and qualifying, with several riders in the running for the coveted fastest lap after a particularly close qualifying contest. Toseland eventually ran out with a 0.211 second advantage over his closest challenger Troy Corser, with Troy Bayliss third quickest. Toseland’s main championship target, Noriyuki Haga, was 11th quickest, 0.843 down on provisional pole. In 12th place Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) found Imola more of a challenge, setting an identical time to Haga. The top 13 riders were all within one second of Toseland’s time. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “A good start to the race weekend for James, pretty consistently fast on the race tyres. He is already enjoying some benefits with the traction control system from PI Research, which we have added to the machine since the Magny-Cours test session. We are also using it here for the first time in a race weekend. We still have some issues to resolve on the machine in general, especially the rear end, which we have to improve a bit. I’m sure that we will be capable of making the bike even better tomorrow. It’s all looking good but there is still some work to do today and tomorrow. The other side of the garage is a bit more complicated at the moment. Karl is still trying to resolve some issues with his machine set-up but as it is one of his favourite circuits, I’m sure that he will be able to move up the grid tomorrow.” James Toseland Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Pole position – 1’50.039 – 20 Laps) “The reactions of the bike were very good and the tyres are working well, so I think set-up and tyre life on a race set-up are already pretty good. We did a consistent and fast run on what we hope will be our race tyre. The engine mapping and electronics changes were really good, even if we used traction control at only a small percentage of its settings. So far so good, and we’re going in a good direction with set-up.” Karl Muggeridge Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (12th position – 1’50.882 – 20 Laps) “I found it difficult to get into a good rhythm today but it is just a few little things, so it will be all right. We’re not a mile away – only 0.8 from the first guy, who happens to be my team-mate. That’s cool; he’s showing how it can be done. I think that it won’t be a problem to find our feet tomorrow, and we’ve just been a little bit off the boil today.” More, from a press release issued by FG Sport Group: TOSELAND LEADS A CLOSE QUALIFYING SESSION AT IMOLA – TRACTION CONTROL HELPS TOSELAND TO TAKE FASTEST DAY ONE TIME With all 30 entrants in the first qualifying session running on race tyres, as is normal at this stage of proceedings, the fastest rider proved to be overall third placed man in the current championship table, James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda). His time of 1.50.039 is now the new track best, after modifications at the Variante Alta chicane lengthened the track compared to last season, instantly making the old lap records redundant. Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), who secured the 2005 championship title at this round last year, was second quickest, with runaway championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) third. Three-time 2006 race winner, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) slotted into the final place on the provisional front row, fourth fastest. BARROS IN CONTENTION AT A TRACK HE KNOWS On occasion this year Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) has encountered all-new tracks during race weekends; despite his vast MotoGP experience, but at Imola he knew most of the circuit layout even before turning a wheel in Friday morning qualifying for the first time. He was fifth fastest, ahead of former Imola race winner Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati). Fastest Yamaha rider on show was Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) seventh quickest overall. On home soil Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda) was the next best rider, completing the provisional second row in eighth. NEUKIRCHNER MAKES GOOD EARLY START Proof that Imola is a rider’s track was underlined by more than one rider who currently does not have access to the highest-level of factory machinery. Max Neukirchner, in only his third ride on the Alstare Engineering machine, was an impressive ninth fastest on day one, while the 999RS Pedercini Ducati of local man Ivan Clementi was a possibly even more admirable tenth. Pitt’s team-mate Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) scored 11th on his first day of action at Imola. He set an identical time to Toseland’s team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, each on 1’50.882, and thus 0.843 seconds down on Toseland. With Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) thirteenth fastest on his factory machine, the top 13 riders finished within a second of provisional pole. Fonsi Nieto and his team-mate Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) were 14th and 15th respectively, with the Yamaha Motor France Ipone machine of Norick Abe 16th fastest. MARTIN ONCE MORE IMPRESSIVE ON HIS PETRONAS TRIPLE Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1) overcame the disadvantages of his machine having 100cc less displacement than his opponents by taking 17th fastest time, outpacing such luminaries as three-time Imola race winner Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse), who was only 19th. Kurtis Roberts (Pedercini Ducati) was 22nd out of 30, and Josh Brookes (Bertocchi Kawasaki), 23rd. Local favourites Roberto Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi) and Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Treme Honda) were 26th and 27th respectively, each fighting his own current disadvantages around the 4.959km circuit. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP On the 4.959km Imola circuit Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) overcame a slow crash in the middle of the first 45-minute qualifying session to score an eventual provisional pole, edging out his team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) by 0.239 seconds. Current championship leader, Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) was the next closest challenger to the Honda duo, as he goes for the outright championship win on Sunday. Fourth fastest was quick local rider, Gianluca Nannelli (Team Manila Grace SC Ducati) and Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda) was a tidy fifth. All thirty-five riders were within the current qualifying time. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP Luca Scassa (EVR Corse Ormeni Racing) was the fastest rider after Superstock qualifying, while Brendan Roberts (HP Racing Suzuki) ran out second fastest, ahead of Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) and Ilario Dionisi (Unionbike GI Motorsports MV Agusta). Scassa was the class of the day, some 0.320 seconds ahead of Roberts. Championship leader Alessandro Polita (Celani Suzuki Racing) was sixth. One more qualifying session remains. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP With Ducati Xerox rider Niccolo Canepa now out of the championship fight after recent injury, it was left to Kawasaki Lightspeed rider Davide Giugliano to successfully challenge top dog Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) for supremacy in the 600 class. The ZX-6RR rider stole a march on Simeon on day one, outqualifying him, as the sun-kissed session was stopped a minute or so early. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) GETS CRUCIAL WEEKEND UNDERWAY WITH PROVISIONAL THIRD PLACE IN IMOLA FIRST QUALIFYING Imola (Italy), Friday 29th September: Troy Bayliss got the crucial Imola weekend underway with third place in Friday first qualifying for the Ducati Xerox Team. The championship leader was just two-tenths of a second off the pace of provisional poleman James Toseland (Honda) as the Superbike riders lapped the slightly modified circuit for the first time. “It hasn’t been a bad day” declared Troy. “I haven’t been here for a while, since 2002 and it’s nice to get back into the swing of things. The only thing I noticed is that the track seems to be getting rougher and rougher, also we have the new chicane which is definitely a downer, it’s far too tight and dangerous. Someone could easily go through and T-bone somebody else. But overall I’m feeling good on the bike, we’ve got a couple more things to try tomorrow and I’m sure we’ll improve a bit”. Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi was thirteenth quickest, but not that far behind the leaders as the top thirteen all posted times within one second of the pole in the opening qualifying session. “That was a tough qualifying session, we’re all there together” commented Lorenzo. “As has happened on other occasions, almost everyone set their time by following the others, we’ll see what the real position is tomorrow when we do the one lap in Superpole. I am quite happy, I was beginning to enjoy myself out there but in the last ten minutes I went out to set a quick time and my bike had a mechanical problem. I came in as quick as possible to change bikes but it didn’t feel quite as right as the other one so I had to settle for that time. Despite everything I felt I was lapping well and this makes me hopeful for tomorrow”. More, from a press release issued on behalf of Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra news 2006 Superbike World Championship Round 11, Imola, Italy Circuit: 4.959 kms. Weather: Dry, sunny/cloudy 22-26C Friday qualifying, 29th September PROVISIONAL FRONT ROW FOR TROY AND YUKIO. Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama made a steady start on the first day of qualifying at Imola and posted the second and fourth fastest times respectively. Both riders had tyre grip problems in the afternoon when the temperature rose – a situation that has been with the team all season. James Toseland (Honda) set the day’s fastest lap, with a time of 1:50.039. In third place today, between Troy and Yukio is series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) TROY – 2nd, 1:50.250 I had a little crash at the start of the afternoon session, but don’t really know why. According to the telemetry my throttle position was the same as the lap before, so maybe I was on an old tyre, I don’t know. I banged myself a little , but no real damage, and I rode the bike back to the pits OK. I jumped on my spare bike and carried on working on a good set-up for the race. I’m reasonably happy with the bike’s set-up and our main concern is the tyres. When the temperature rises, we lose grip. When it’s hot, we can find a tyre that will last a race distance OK, but it’ll mean much slower lap times. I had quite a lot of wheelspin here today, but I guess that’s because of the nature of the layout. There are lot of camber changes and fast elevated turns and the bike seems to spin slide quite a bit. It’s an area we’ll work on in tomorrow morning’s warm-up YUKIO – 4th, 1:50.357 In the morning, I believed that I’d finish with a lap in the 1:49s this afternoon, but when the temperature rose, it was not possible to do this time. As we’ve seen before, our tyres do not seem to like the heat so much and the lap times come down. My feeling was quite good in the morning and the only real problem was braking in to the corners. I pushed hard in the afternoon, but it made no big difference to my lap times. Tomorrow morning we’ll change the rear spring to start off and see if we can go faster. More, from a press release issued on behalf of Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra: Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra news 2006 Superbike World Championship Round 11, Imola, Italy Circuit: 4.959 kms. Weather: Dry, sunny/cloudy 22-26C Friday qualifying, 29th September SUPER NINTH FOR MAX ON DAY ONE. Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Max Neukirchner finished the first day of qualifying at Imola with the ninth fastest time, in a session that saw the top thirteen riders separated by less than a second! Max, like his fellow Alstare riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama , suffered rear grip problems in the afternoon when the track temperature rose. Max’s ninth position today was ahead of factory riders from Ducati, Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki and was a good start to the weekend. MAX – 9th, 1:50.659 I’m very happy today because I feel that the whole package is improving. The morning session was good, but when we made a change to the chassis for the afternoon session it was not so good. So we went back to the morning setting and worked from that. In the afternoon, when it was hotter, the grip was definitely down and that is a problem that we’ve had before and that is our biggest problem at the moment. We’ll try some front and rear suspension changes tomorrow morning and see we can improve the bike. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: A splendid sunny day welcomed at Imola the Superbike arena for the first qualifying practice looking at the penultimate round of WSBK next October 1st . Once more the best satisfaction for Scuderia SC Caracchi went thanks 749R Ducati Supersport by Gianluca Nannelli, which secured fourth position in the first qualifying session. Nannelli rode a bike painted in the red and silver colours of Scuderia NCR by Nepoti and Caracchi during the ’70-’80s years, renewing in this way the consuetude to race at Imola with a bike’s historical look already used last season when Nannelli grabbed a fantastic victory. Of course Gianluca Nannelli looks to be quite satisfied about his performance. “The bike performs very well and I’m satisfied for the work we made today.” commented Gianluca Nannelli at the end of practices. “During the free session this morning I had some problem, for afternoon session, together with the team and the suspension engineer, we made a new set up for the package and the final gearbox rate, and our decisions gave a very good result. The bike was OK, with a very good top speed, and I recorded my fastest lap with the tyre we selected for the Sunday’s race. During my fast lap I made a couple of small riding mistakes, at Rivazza and at Variante Alta chicane, so I could also record a better time. If during tomorrow’s qualifying I’ll find the right conditions I’m sure to get a better lap time.” Still difficulties for Roberto Rolfo in Superbike. Roby does not find the way to use at the best his 999F05 Ducati after the fantastic early part of the season, always finding difficulties to out the slow corners, as Roby says. “The bike’s front is good.” said Roberto Rolfo at the end of the pratices. “But is the rear outing the slow corners that give us problems, I’m not able to slide as I’m used to help the bike in the corner. In the afternoon we got also some problem with a tyre, but that wasn’t determinant. The guys made a lot of work and we made several modifications, but the main trouble is still alive.” More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: Promising start for Alex Barros Team Klaffi Honda rider Alex Barros secured fifth position in the first qualifying session at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. The Brazilian secured a personal best of 1:50,388, which left him only three tenth behind James Toseland. Barros was already amongst the fastest riders in the morning when he snatched fourth place in the first free practice. Alex Barros: “The qualifying session in the afternoon went quite well. I put in a fast lap in the early stages. In the second half of the session I tried to improve my time, but I failed, because we tried several things on the bike during the session. Anyway I am happy to be back here in Imola. The track and the atmosphere both are very nice.” Ramon Forcada: “In the morning session we tried a new Showa fork which worked really well from the beginning. Later in the afternoon the ground temperature went up quite a bit and the fork did not respond as well. We worked on that and will continue tomorrow, as it will be again a game with the raising temperatures. The bike in general works well.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY HAPPY WITH SECOND ON FIRST DAY Troy was happy with the second quickest time on the first day of qualifying for the eleventh round of this year’s WSBK championship at Imola today. James Toseland (Honda) set the pace in this afternoon’s timed qualifying, with a lap of 1:50.039, with Troy just two tenths of a second adrift. Today’s timed qualifying was a close thing, with the top thirteen riders all finishing within a second of each other. Third, on the provisional front row is series leader Bayliss (Ducati), with Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama alongside in fourth. TROY – 2nd, 1:50.250 I’m reasonably happy with how things went today – apart from my little tip-off at the start of the afternoon session. I’m really not sure what happened, because I hadn’t done anything different at that place than the lap before. I picked up the bike, rode it back to the pits and jumped on my number two bike and just carried on. I was lucky that I didn’t hurt myself, but I did whack my fingers, toes and nuts a bit! We had the same problems in the afternoon when the temperature rose – a lack of grip. It’s been happening all season and doesn’t seem to be improving. Whenever the track temperature rise, the level of grip goes down. We could use a tyre that grips, but it wouldn’t last the race distance, or we could use a tyre that would last OK, but the grip would be well down and the lap times would be much slower. This track has lots of changes of camber, bumps and many downhill turns, and I’ve been getting quite a bit of wheelspin as a result. It’s something for us to work at tomorrow and hopefully improve if I’m going to have any chance of a good podium finish. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Pitt leads the Yamaha charge in Imola Yamaha Motor Italia’s Andrew Pitt was the top R1 rider in today’s first qualifying session for Sunday’s penultimate round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship in Imola, ending the day seventh fastest in a close session that sees the top 14 riders covered by just over a second. The Australian gunned his Yamaha around the long and demanding circuit in best time of 1:50.502, just 0.463 behind the day’s fastest rider James Toseland (Honda). Pitt, who lifted the 2001 world supersport crown at the Italian venue, went through the usual Friday programme of testing tyres and settings ahead of Sunday’s two races, working mostly with his crew chief Dave Marton and datalogging expert Carlo Luzzi to find the optimal gearbox settings for the complex Formula One circuit. Pitt’s team-mate Noriyuki Haga struggled with a wrist injury sustained in Germany three weekends ago, ending the day in 11th. The Japanese star damaged some ligaments in both his wrists and found the going tough around the bumpy circuit after failing to get the R1 set up exactly to his liking. Despite his handicap, Haga is confident that he can make some improvements to the set-up of his machine ahead of tomorrow’s final qualifying sessions. Fastest rider today was 2004 world champion Toseland, ahead of outgoing champion Troy Corser (Suzuki). Current series leader Troy Bayliss ended the day fourth, with Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) rounding out the top four. The superbike riders will have a final one hour qualifying session tomorrow morning, with the top 16 riders going through to the one-lap superpole session, which will decide the first four rows of the grid for Sunday’s two 21-lap races. Norick Abe led Yamaha Motor France’s trio of riders in Imola. The Japanese former Grand Prix rider ended the day in 16th position, provisionally occupying the final slot for tomorrow’s grid-deciding superpole session. Sebastien Gimbert ended the day 21st, just two seconds from pole sitter Toseland, with Shinichi Nakatomi less than a tenth of a second behind his French team-mate on his Imola debut, in 24th. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “The main thing we’ve been working on is finding a good gearbox setting. This place is such a compromise that when you get the gearing right for one corner it’s out at the next. We had a couple of little niggling problems with the electronics but overall it’s been a good day. We were able to try out a lot of different tyres and we’re pretty sure what we’ll be running on Sunday. Our race pace seems good and the guys ahead of us are only doing one faster lap before dropping back to the same pace, so I think we’ll be right up there.” Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “We’re still trying to find the right balance of the bike and tonight we’ll make some changes to improve the feeling. Imola is a very physical circuit and my wrist is still quite painful, but I do not think this will be a problem because when the lights go out you forget about any problems you have.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “Not such a bad day! The bike is working ok and close to the top riders, so this is an alright result for us. I hope that tomorrow we can stay in the top 16 and qualify for the superpole. That would prepare us for a good race.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) “This is my first time at Imola so today my priority is to learn the course and improve the set-up. Tonight we will try some things and I am quite confident that I can get faster as the weekend goes on.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “The times are very close today and we can still make some improvements. Andrew had a few small problems with the electronics today, while Noriyuki is still trying to find a different balance on his bike. We will make some changes tonight and see what tomorrow brings.”

FIM Supersport World Championship Imola, Italy September 29, 2006 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Hon CBR600RR), 1:52.842 2. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Hon CBR600RR), 1:53.081 3. Kevin CURTAIN (Yam YZF-R6), 1:53.728 4. Gianluca NANNELLI (Duc 749R), 1:53.790 5. Robbin HARMS (Hon CBR600RR), 1:53.902 6. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Yam YZF-R6), 1:54.202 7. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Hon CBR600RR), 1:54.250 8. Yoann TIBERIO (Hon CBR600RR), 1:54.355 9. Johan STIGEFELT (Hon CBR600RR), 1:54.521 10. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yam YZF-R6), 1:54.718 11. Stephane CHAMBON (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:54.891 12. Broc PARKES (Yam YZF-R6), 1:54.993 13. Christian ZAISER (Duc 749R), 1:55.186 14. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Hon CBR600RR), 1:55.330 15. David CHECA (Yam YZF-R6), 1:55.402 16. William DE ANGELIS (Hon CBR600RR), 1:55.435 17. Barry VENEMAN (Suz GSX-R600), 1:55.591 18. Mauro SANCHINI (Yam YZF-R6), 1:55.750 19. Stefano CRUCIANI (Hon CBR600RR), 1:55.802 20. Maxime BERGER (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:55.964 26. Chris PERIS (Yam YZF-R6), 1:56.832 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: CHARPENTIER AND SOFULOFLU GO 1-2 ON OPENING DAY Despite suffering a crash in the middle of the first qualifying session of the Imola weekend Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) took a stunning provisional pole time of 1’52.842, almost a second faster than his championship rival Kevin Curtain, and only close to being matched by Charpentier’s on-form team-mate, Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda), who finished his first day of Imola Supersport action second quickest. After his fall Charpentier had to jump on his second machine to set his very best time, at a new layout of Imola circuit, deposing Sofuoglu from provisional pole spot in the process. Sofuoglu has been the winner of the most recent two races in the championship, at Assen and Lausitz, and hopes to score at least a podium at Imola after his impressive opening day. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “The best possible start to the weekend and we know from the evidence of the last few years that this is a good track for us around here. The riders have done an almost perfect job for us today, putting in incredible lap times. The track has slowed down a bit but we can see almost the same times as we set before. That is impressive. We had a small problem when Sebastien had a crash on his number one machine. That upset things a bit because we had to swap to his second machine and that cost us time, because the set-up was quite different to start with. But he still set his best time on his number two bike. For Kenan it looked like he would top the sheets until Sebastien had his final say. We are happy, especially because being almost a second ahead of the field now means we can concentrate quite a bit on just racing set-up, instead of chasing a single fast lap. All we can do at the moment is win as many races as we can and see what the championship will bring.” Sebastien Charpentier Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Pole position Fastest lap 1’52.842 12 laps) “I feel good at the moment, I just made a small mistake. I crashed on a slow corner, losing the front, nothing special. I am happy to be here because I like the country we are in, and the track. For me it is the best track for a motorcycle rider. I’ll be working hard tomorrow again, we will maybe try a different set-up to find a better one, and I am really confident for the rest of the weekend.” Kenan Sofuoglu Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (2nd position Fastest lap 1’53.081 15 laps) “It’s OK so far because I came here for the first time on the 600 and I like the track. My lap times are good and quite close to Sebastien and I’m sure I can improve tomorrow, and maybe even take the pole. I will give most of my concentration to the race, because I want to be really strong there. It’s good to be fast now but I have to keep it until Sunday, as I really want a podium finish here.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Curtain third in first practice Championship leader Kevin Curtain prepared for Sunday’s penultimate supersport round by setting the third fastest time in today’s first qualifying session at Imola. The Australian set a best time of 1:53.728 around the famous Italian circuit to claim a spot on the provisional front row alongside title rival Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) and last year’s Imola winner Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati). With two rounds of the series remaining it will be either Curtain or 2005 champ Charpentier who will be crowned king of the 600 class, with Yamaha Motor Germany man Curtain holding a 27 point advantage going into this weekend’s race. Yamaha Team Italia’s Gianluca Vizziello, winner of the Italian championship race held at Imola last weekend, was sixth fastest, with team-mate Massimo Roccoli, who was last week crowned as his national supersport champion, tenth after taking a tumble during the session. Curtain’s team-mate Broc Parkes made a welcome return from injury to take 12th place on the provisional grid. The Australian missed the last round after breaking ribs and punturing a lung in Assen but is ready to race in Imola, albeit not at 100 percent fitness. Final qualifying for Sunday’s race takes place tomorrow (Saturday).

FIM Superbike World Championship Imola, Italy September 29, 2006 Practice Times: 1. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06), 1:50.556 2. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:50.644 3. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:50.952 4. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:51.110 5. Ivan CLEMENTI (Duc 999RS), 1:51.135 6. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:51.230 7. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:51.244 8. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:51.413 9. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:51.450 10. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F05), 1:51.470 11. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:51.524 12. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 1:52.058 13. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06), 1:52.069 14. Norick ABE (Yam YZF-R1), 1:52.123 15. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:52.155 16. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:52.292 17. Steve MARTIN (Foggy Petronas FP1), 1:52.516 18. Marco BORCIANI (Duc 999F05), 1:52.550 19. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:52.606 20. Norino BRIGNOLA (Duc 999RS), 1:52.841 21. Roberto ROLFO (Duc 999F05), 1:53.033 22. Vittorrio IANNUZZO (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:53.093 23. Pierfrancesco CHILI (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:53.155 24. Josh BROOKES (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:53.455 25. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:54.236 26. Kurtis ROBERTS (Duc 999RS), 1:54.277 27. Ivan GOI (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:54.395 28. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), 1:54.506 29. Walter BARTOLINI (Duc 999RS), 1:54.638 30. Criag JONES (Foggy Petronas FP1), 1:55.701

Bridgestone Hails New MotoGP Tyre Regulations Statement from Bridgestone Motorsport on Amendments to 2007 GP Regulations Friday 29 September 2006 The International Motorcycle Federation, FIM, has confirmed a series of technical regulations to be introduced from the 2007 MotoGP World Championship season, which specifically regulate the use of tyres during a GP weekend. The new regulations have been implemented further to ongoing discussions between the three tyre manufacturers participating in MotoGP, namely Michelin, Dunlop and Bridgestone, and based on a joint proposal submitted to FIM by the three manufacturers back in July. These changes represent the first of their kind within the MotoGP championship and have been universally supported by the tyre manufacturers in an effort to reduce costs incurred through participation at the pinnacle of global motorcycle racing and to preserve the healthy competition that prevails in MotoGP. The most significant of the tyre regulations will be a directive on the number of slick tyres manufacturers can bring and use during a GP weekend. Manufacturers who have scored at least two victories in dry conditions since the start of 2005 will be subject to a limit of no more than 31 slick tyres per rider, 14 front and 17 rear, for the duration of the GP weekend. There will be no limit on the number of wet tyres a manufacturer may bring. The number of tyres has been unlimited for all manufacturers up to now, so this new limit will alter the approach that tyre manufacturers and teams adopt ahead of each race. Bridgestone Motorsport Motorcycle Racing Manager Hiroshi Yamada commented: “A significant milestone was reached during the British Grand Prix in Donington back at the start of July, when all three tyre companies participating in MotoGP – Michelin, Dunlop and Bridgestone – all reached a mutual agreement and jointly signed a proposal on tyre regulations from the 2007 season. This proposal was submitted to Dorna for subsequent discussion with the GP Commission. Bridgestone is pleased that this joint document has been taken into consideration to implement a series of positive tyre regulations starting from next season. The driving force behind these regulations has been primarily to reduce costs and to enable a healthy competition to prevail between tyre manufacturers in MotoGP for the future. A reduction of tyre quantities for each race weekend will reduce production and logistic costs, while the planned testing limit will also place a greater premium on our race weekend preparation, as we will have fewer tyre alternatives at our disposal for the GP. Bridgestone will relish this extra challenge from next year, which should also further enhance the overall competition between teams and riders, particularly in light of the new 800cc era. Finally, a big thank you must go to Mr. Jeremy Ferguson (Dunlop) and Mr. Nicolas Goubert (Michelin) for the efforts that they both put into drafting the proposal and to Mr. Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna) and Mr. Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA) for their support and guidance throughout.”

Danny Eslick will once again race a Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600 in the AMA Supersport race this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “They have some new suspension to test this weekend, so they decided to give me another turn on the factory bike this weekend,” Danny Eslick told Roadracingworld.com Thursday in the paddock at Mid-Ohio. When Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies crashed and broke his right hand at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in August, Spies’ team allowed him to abandon the Supersport class so he could focus on the Superbike Championship for the remainder of the 2006 season. This opened the door for Eslick (who normally races for the Matsushima Performance Suzuki team and is currently third in the Supersport point standings) to race Spies’ GSX-R600 in the Supersport race at Road Atlanta. Eslick finished fourth in that race, but he didn’t feel he raced the Yoshimura Suzuki to its full potential. “It takes some getting used to another crew and suspension,” said Eslick, referring to the Showa suspension on Spies’ bike versus the Ohlins on his own GSX-R600. “Hopefully, I can get a better result this time and maybe get on the podium this weekend.” Eslick will still race a Matsushima Performance Suzuki GSX-R600 in the AMA Formula Xtreme race at Mid-Ohio. As for his 2007 racing plans, Eslick said, “As far as I know, I’m going to be with Grant’s [Matsushima Performance Suzuki] team next year. So this will hopefully give us a better idea of where we’re at with the development of our GSX-R600.”

FORMULA XTREME, SUPERSPORT AND SUPERSTOCK SERIES TO DO BATTLE DURING THE AMA SUPERBIKE SHOOTOUT DUBLIN, Ohio (September 28, 2006) The AMA Formula Xtreme Series will battle for its championship, and the AMA Superstock and Supersport Series will make a return to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for bragging rights during the inaugural AMA Superbike Shootout, September 29 October 1. The three-way battle for the AMA Lockart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme championship has seen some of the best racing this season and the champion will undoubtedly be decided in dramatic fashion on the 2.4-mile, 15-turn Lexington, Ohio road course. In a class featuring high-tech machinery and traction control, the factory Yamaha team has led much of the Formula Xtreme championship this year, but Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes has made it tough on the Yamaha duo of Jason DiSalvo and Eric Bostrom, taking the top spot by virtue of his win at Road Atlanta in early September. Veteran racer Josh Hayes has won two races this year and has seen the podium nine times in total this season. Hayes is Honda’s only shot to stand in the way of a Yamaha sweep in the support classes, as Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking has already taken control of the Supersport and Superstock series. Yamaha’s young gun DiSalvo led the championship much of the early season, and has finished no worse than fourth in 2006. Currently DiSalvo sits eight points back of the lead in third place and will need some help to win the championship at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Eric Bostrom has had a tremendous year in Formula Xtreme, winning six races, including the Formula Xtreme race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in early August. Bostrom has won the Formula Xtreme class before, in 1998, and “The Boss” needs to take the win at Mid-Ohio to steal the title, as he currently trails Hayes by three points. The fight for the FX championship will have all eyes on the track on Saturday, September 30 when the Formula Xtreme riders take to the track at 4:40pm for a 60-kilometer, 16-lap finale. The Supersport Series race promises to also be one of the most entertaining races of the year. With the title already clinched by Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking and the event free of championship implications, riders can go out and simply do what they do best – race. Hacking has won six straight AMA Supersport races, the longest single season winning streak in the class since Miguel Duhamel won eight in a row in 1995. Hacking has the opportunity to match Duhamel should he win the final round at Mid-Ohio. A great battle for second in the series is still going strong with Geoff May holding second over former flat track racer Danny Eslick by just two points. Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard, last year’s winner Roger Lee Hayden and veteran racer Michael Barnes are all close enough that any one of them could end up number two in the final standings by the end of the year. Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking also reigns supreme in the Superstock Series. He clinched the Series championship with his sixth victory of the year at Road Atlanta in early September. The title gave Hacking the honor of being only the second rider in history to win both the AMA Superstock and Supersport titles in a single season. The 2006 Superstock title is the third AMA Championship for Hacking, who has raced in AMA pro events since 1997. Winning both championships is a rare feat and it gives Hacking claim to perhaps one of the best seasons ever among support class riders. The AMA Supersport and Superstock races will be held on Sunday, October 1, with Superstock taking to the circuit at 11:00am, followed by Supersport at 1:45pm. Tickets and information for the AMA Superbike Shootout are available by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or visiting www.midohio.com. A comprehensive motorsports facility, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course features a permanent road racing circuit with two primary configurations: a 2.4-mile, 15-turn, and a 2.25-mile, 13-turn circuit. The park-like, 330-acre complex in Lexington, Ohio also features an amateur motocross venue. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Incorporated is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year.

HODGSON AND BOSTROM PREPARED FOR AMA SEASON FINALE IN OHIO Lexington (Ohio) 28 Sept 2006: Parts Unlimited Ducati Team racers Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom will conclude the 2006 AMA Superbike season this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Ducati 999 pilots will race the Ohio circuit for the second time this year as the series returns for the finale, which boasts a unique format consisting of heat races and a single national championship event on Sunday. Instead of the traditional timed qualifying, Hodgson, Bostrom, and the other AMA Superbike competitors will take part in five-lap heat races on Saturday afternoon. The top 20 finishers will race in the Parts Unlimited-sponsored final on Sunday, with the rest entering a consolation race. Neil Hodgson’s last race at Road Atlanta was disappointing as the Englishman showed the speed to earn a podium spot only to be passed going into the final turn for third place. The energetic former World Superbike champion says he’s looking to finish up 2006 with a good result. “We’ll be looking to race hard this weekend and end the season on a high note. It’s best to go into the winter with a positive result. Being totally honest, if we are going back to a track for a second event of the year, I’d rather it be anywhere but Ohio,” laughed Neil Hodgson. “We’ve struggled there the times we have raced at Mid-Ohio in the past and there are other tracks that suit us better. That said, the riders really appreciate the efforts the track has made to resurface and make the place safer for the competitors.” Ben Bostrom has improved his speed over the course of the season and ran near the front at Utah and Laguna Seca, but an illness has made racing difficult over the last few events. The Californian says he and his crew are excited about having another chance in 2006. “We’ve worked hard this year but haven’t always gotten the results we’ve wanted. It’s a shame because I love the Ducati 999 and it is by far the best race bike I have ever ridden. We’re looking at this race as an opportunity to prove what we can do,” said Ben. Sunday’s contest will be the 19th AMA Superbike event of the season. The Circuit: The 15-turn, 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) Mid-Ohio circuit is a tight track with some elevation changes but also has a straight that allows drafting and passing on the brakes. The circuit, famous for The Keyhole turn, has seen safety improvements the last few years and was resurfaced in the off-season. Points standings (after 18 rounds): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 625 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 605 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 496 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 451 5. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 440 6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 430 7. Jake Zemke, Honda 424 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 374 9. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 364 10. Larry Pegram, Honda 331