The Can-Am Challenge Series held its swan song of 2006 at Shannonville Motorsports Park this past weekend, and those who stood their ground against the dismal forecasted weather certainly reaped the benefits. Combined qualifying saw veteran rider Dean Hoelscher and his Aprillia edge out Team Celtic’s youngster PJ Jacobsen (recently turned 13, happy belated PJ!) for pole position in the 125 class. Jacobsen, however, didn’t need to worry, as he had already bagged the 125 championship at a previous round. Barry Gilsenan and Rick Bulmann finished out the front row. Eddy Brunet made it look easy to take pole, setting a difficult pace to keep up with among the 250s. Dempsey would settle for second behind him after a front sprocket bolt went missing from his Yamaha. Matt Cooper, who suffered a crank seizure three laps into qualifying, managed to keep himself on the front row in third position. Jerry Sadler proved his mettle by rounding out the top four. With qualifying done early in the day on Saturday, the paddock prepared for the onslaught of rain predicted to hit the area in the afternoon, which it did. The rain continued to soak the area overnight, and seemed to even wait until the final race to start raining harder then it had all day on Sunday. After a clean start, the 125s and 250s began the final race of the season; Jacobsen broke away early to settle into a comfortable lead. Tim Harrington maintained a steady second place position, as Bulmann attempted to keep Mark White, his nemesis for second in the championship, behind him, but to no avail; White pulled ahead of Bulmann in the fifth lap. Crystal Campagna of Team Celtic found the exit to the chicane to be incredibly hard on machine and rider if taken the wrong way; Campagna was sidelined with a heavy crash, but was able to walk away with some minor injuries, her Celtic Racing 125 suffering the most damage between the two. The remainder of the 125 went without incident, while the 250 race provided some entertainment at the head of the field. Dempsey was able to keep Brunet behind him for only one lap before the French-Canadian made a pass, and never looked back. Brunet seemed to be able to ignore the rain and go about his business of finishing at the top of the box, while Dempsey was being harassed by John Chemello, a rider coming to us from the world of motocross and motard. Chemello seemed to be quite comfortable in the wet conditions, nipping at Dempsey’s heels, before falling victim to Corner Two. Cooper had started the final with the 250 championship already claimed, and was minding his own business in fourth until Chemello’s demise boosted him into third position. Behind him, Sadler and Jim Bergey exchanged positions before Sadler became the second rider of the race to fall in Corner Two in lap nine. Both Chemello and Sadler were unhurt. 125 GP FINAL RACE RESULTS 1-PJ JACOBSEN, 2-TIM HARRINGTON, 3-MARK WHITE, 4-RICK BULMANN, 5-DON MURFIN, 6-DEAN HOELSCHER, 7-DAVID SHAW, 8-LAIRD SHINGLETON DNF-CRYSTAL CAMPAGNA DNS-GARRY GILSENAN 250 GP FINAL RACE RESULTS 1-EDDY BRUNET, 2-JOHN DEMPSEY, 3-MATT COOPER, 4-MARK WHITE, 5-JIM BERGEY, 6-LAIRD SHINGLETON DNF-JOHN CHEMELLO DNF-JERRY SADLER Congratulations to PJ and Matt, our 2006 Can-Am Challenge Series Champions!

The wild-card riders who will race in the Superbike & Supersport World Championship and Superstock FIM Cup rounds scheduled on the circuit of Eurospeedway Lausitz on September 10 next, are the following: Superbike Number/Rider/Team/Nomination 26 Didier Vankeymeulen (BEL-Yamaha YZF R-1) MGM TTSL Racing DMSB 83 Stefan Nebel (GER-Kawasaki ZX 10R) Kawasaki Docshop Racing DMSB Supersport Number/Rider/Team/Nomination 67 Günter Knobloch (AUT-Yamaha YZF R-6) Yamaha Sebring DMSB Superstock Number/Rider/Team/Nomination 51 Dominic Lammert (GER-Suzuki GSX-R 1000) Betandwin.de Racing DMSB Maximum number and nomination of wild-cards riders: Superbike: 4 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation); 2 nominated by the FIM. Supersport: 2 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation). Superstock: 2 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation). – 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.

TEAM ALSTARE LOOKING FOR A CHANGE OF FORTUNE Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra left Assen with little to show for all their effort, but are looking forward to this weekend’s races at Lausitz and a change of fortune. It has been a bit of an up and down ride in recent races for Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama and both are eager to finish the last three rounds of the championship strongly, starting at Lausitz. The Eurospeedway Lausitz is a relatively new facility and originally built for ‘Nascar’ style car races. It is tri-oval in design, but with an infield section for bikes and conventional car racing. TROY Last year in Lausitz was a bit mixed – one podium and one crash. But at least I was able to pick up the bike after the crash and get into the points, not like last weekend in Assen! It is a strange feeling to have two DNF’s in a weekend and it’s something I certainly don’t want in Lausitz. It’s not a particularly difficult track to learn and I hope we don’t have any rain because it is very slippery when it’s wet. The water doesn’t drain away quickly and standing water is a big problem – as we found out last week! I will be aiming for two podiums in Lausitz – anything less will feel like a failure. YUKIO Last year, I took a fifth and a fourth in Lausitz, so my plan is to improve on those results. Assen was very difficult for all of us, so I am hoping that Lausitz will be dry. It is a not a good place to race in the wet, because the grip is not good. My success in Brno now seems a long memory and I want to repeat those good results with more podiums. If all goes well in qualifying, I think it will be possible at Lausitz. 2005 results Race 1: 1 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda), 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 TROY CORSER (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 4 Toseland (GB-Honda), 5 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) Race 2: 1 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 2 Vermeulen, 3 Haga, 4 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 13 TROY CORSER (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra)

WERA racer James R. Elias, born August 1, 1940 was killed in a single-vehicle motorcycle street crash in his home town of Clarksville, Tennessee. His survivors include his mother, Jemina Boles Joseph; daughter Jenae Elias of Warren, Michigan; and son James Elias, of Gaylord, Michigan. There are no services planned.

TWO TOP TEN FINISHES FOR SAFETY FIRST’S MEIRING, SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND FOR ROOKIE NARBONNE Team Safety First Suzuki had a successful weekend racing at Road Atlanta, with Komodo sponsored rider Tony “The Tiger” Meiring netting two 10th place results in Formula Xtreme and Supersport, maintaining his solid overall top ten placing in both classes. Tony Meiring FX-10th (7th Overall) Supersport- 10th (8th Overall) “I had the best handling bike this weekend that I have ever ridden hear at Road Atlanta. The bike ran real good up top, which helped. I’d still like to be another couple of notches up front, but all in all, it was a good weekend.” It was also disclosed that Meiring has been racing since Mid-Ohio with a broken right clavicle, an injury incurred in a testing incident the week prior in Michigan. “We have been doing as much as we can to get Tony up to 100%” quoted Team Doctor and Operations manager Dr. David Eric Boll. “I have been taping the shoulder in a way that allows movement, but still takes pressure off the affected area and surrounding muscles. I have been trying to limit the affect the shoulder has on his riding as much as possible, and I think we have been able to do that.” Shane Narbonne FX-17th Supersport- 16th Rookie Shane Narbonne also had an eventful weekend. Sunday’s Supersport race had a thrilling finish for New Englander, passing a competitor with a daring outside move at turn 12 for the line, eking out 16th place by a mere 0.006 of a second. “It’s a technical course that I found out after the FX race needs to have you be relaxed to go faster. I had a blast here with the team and I really enjoy racing at this level.” Kevin Hanson – Team Owner “He is very eager to learn and I can see a lot of potential there.” “Shane has shown he can run lap times on his first visit to these tracks as fast as some veterans that have been here for years. Tony has been getting some great starts these last two rounds, which has gotten him up front. He is riding well and that should translate to a good end of the year!” Next up for the team will be some additional testing at the Wegman Benefit Auction Weekend at Black Hawk Farms in Illinois, followed shortly after by the AMA season finale at Mid-Ohio. Safety First Suzuki was formed in 2004 by police officer/racer, Kevin Hanson, based out of Chicago, IL. The bikes are prepared by Jim Rashid and the team at 4&6 Racing in Skokie, IL. Checkout www.SAFETYFIRSTRACING.com to see the new Safety First/Suzuki/Komodo line of riding apparel and casual wear. Kevin Hanson continues to educate elementary school aged children nationwide about the importance of helmet usage. More, from a press release issued by Scott Jensen Moto-Garage Racing: JENSEN FINISHES 18TH AND 22ND IN SUPERBIKE DOUBLE HEADER AT ROAD ATLANTA With the weather closing in on Thursday Scott Jensen knew he wasn’t going to get much track time. Due to lack of track time Jensen and the GPR crew didn’t have much to start with on Friday morning. “We have all new Ohlins suspension this year,” said Bob Bright of GPR, “Last years settings to start with didn’t do us a whole lot of good, but we had no other choice.” That statement proved to be the most accurate of the weekend. Things didn’t go well in the first session of the weekend Friday morning with Scott ending up 24 out of 34 riders. “That wasn’t even close to being ride-able,” a frustrated and tired looking Jensen said, “Just shows we have a lot of work to do this weekend.” During Friday night qualifying Scott improved his time by nearly 1 second and was heading towards the front. “That’s why it is so important that privateers get a good start on Thursdays practice its just so hard to start behind the curve on the first practice of the weekend. I have to say I’m thankful for all the Thursday, and promoter practice’s that we have had this year. I know we are headed it the right direction with the set up and we will be good for tomorrow’s second qualifying session. We are improving on our times and that was with tires from the last race.” Jensen said. During Saturdays second and last qualifying session everything went from looking up to looking down, and not just literally. After being on the top of the order straight from the start Scott was hit by another slower rider. “I’m just not sure,” Jensen said with a slightly painful look, “I hate saying it was someone else’s fault when we are all out there racing, even when they are slower. I knew the bike was running good and we had chosen the right tires for qualifying and all was looking up for the first time of the weekend. I had finally gone faster then I did last year when I saw a slower rider that I wanted to get past before we headed into the esses, I set it up perfectly to go on the inside with plenty of room when he turned into the side of my bike. Like I said I don’t blame anyone for racing but he wasn’t going to make that corner turning in that early, maybe I spooked him with the speed difference or something, but hey that’s racing.” With less then 2 hours before the race the GPR Stabilizer crew had some work to do. A little sore and definitely worn out after Saturdays race Jensen said he just couldn’t ride the bike at the fast pace he was doing during qualifying. “My shoulder hurts a little from the fall this morning and something wasn’t right with the front brakes. I’m really sad at the result, I was looking for something way better.” a rather dejected Jensen said, ” I’m going to take a little break gather some thoughts and get the bike ready for tomorrow’s race and get a good night sleep.” Sunday went much like Saturdays race with Jensen not being able to hold on to the bike for the whole race. “It’s hard because of where we had to start the race with the crash taking us out of qualifying so early on. I ran right up to the top ten but was just too sore to hold the pace. I’m sorry to all my sponsors for the horrible weekend, and sad for my friends that helped me all weekend just to make the races, but I want to say thank you to every one of them. I know I’m better then the results show and I know the results should have been better, I’m mad at myself for not being able to race through the minor pain and problems.” Scott stated that he plans on returning home and preparing for the Toyota 200 at Willow where he has finished very well the past 2 years. “With the Ohlins front end out pit stops will be faster this year. GPR notched it up a little with support and we will make a valiant effort at a top 5 this year,” said Scott. “Right now I’m concentrating on resting my shoulder and preparing for the last AMA race of the year at Mid-Ohio. We left the last race with a great setup and we know what tires to run for the sprints. I’m doing the 200 mainly for the prize money to help pay to go to the last AMA race and see what I can build to do another full year next year. I’m coming back no two ways about it, I just love racing motorcycles and when its a good weekend its usually really good. I’m a one man team at the track except when Bob has a little free time to help, we are going to see if we can regroup maybe build a little bit of a team or step on with another team and have a great 2007 Superbike season.” More, from a press release issued by Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki: MILLENNIUM/KWS SUZUKI FIGHT FOR TOP PRIVATEER AT ROAD ATLANTA Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Ron Ayers Motorsports had another really good weekend at Road Atlanta. Millennium/KWS Suzuki has been looking forward to the Road Atlanta round all year as it is the home track for both the team and rider Matt Lynn. Both riders and the team had a lot of support from friends and families at the track this weekend and put on a good show for everybody. Matt Lynn put in an excellent performance in qualifying running his fastest time ever at the historic Atlanta race track. For Superbike, Matt qualified in the twelfth position with a time of 1:25.145 with team mate John Haner right behind him in the fourteenth position with a time of 1:25.697. In Superstock qualifying, Lynn qualified in the eleventh position with a time of 1:24.884 with Haner qualifying again just behind Lynn with a time of 1:25.450 in the thirteenth position. The first race of the weekend was Saturday’s Superbike Race One. Both riders got excellent starts on their Suzuki GSX-R 1000’s and battled with the Jordan Suzuki riders for the entire race. The Millennium Technologies riders eventually finished just outside the top ten with Lynn in the eleventh position and Haner in twelfth. Sunday morning’s Superstock race is always the best race of the weekend and the Pirelli sponsored KWS team was ready. Both riders got excellent starts, especially Matt Lynn. Lynn jumped to eighth on the first lap and was battling with Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Holden and number one plate holder Aaron Yates for seventh when he crashed going into turn six. “I couldn’t get the thing stopped to make the turn and the only thing I could see was that wall so I bailed off,” said Lynn after the race. Meanwhile, Haner had a race long battle with Craggill, Attard, and Ulrich which culminated with a pass on the last lap to beat the group to the line for eleventh place. Sunday’s Superbike Race Two got underway with the threat of rain in the distance. John Haner had a problem when a boot came unfastened on lap two. John fixed the boot himself on the front straight but had lost so much time that he was only able to salvage a twenty-first place position. Matt Lynn had a good race that saw him battling with Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Holden and factory Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden. Matt eventually finished in the thirteenth position. John Haner “It was a good weekend with some bad luck. The first Supebike race and the Superstock race were really good. The Pirelli tires are so consistent and I think we could have done really well in the second Superbike race, but we had a freak problem with my boot. I really want to thank the team and my sponsors. Rockstar, Komodo, HJC, Space City, and Dragon.” Matt Lynn “It was a pretty good weekend. The team worked really hard and I want to thank my mechanics, Brian Stricker and Rick Matheny for putting a great bike under me all weekend. It was great to have all the family and friends out for this race, thanks to all who came.” Kevin Hunt “The team did really well this weekend. John, Matt, Michael, Chip, Rick Owen, Brian, and Jim worked really hard. I want to thank all of our family, friends, and sponsors that came out this weekend to support us. Especially Chris Hackl and the guys from Millennium Technologies.” More, from a press release issued by Team Velocity/Blown Away Racing: TEAM VELOCITY/BLOWN AWAY RACING’S DAY HAS MECHANICAL WOES AT ROAD ATLANTA BRASELTON, Ga. Joshua Day had a frustrating weekend at Road Atlanta as his efforts to compete in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race came to an early end on Sunday. The Suzuki Superbike Showdown was the third AMA Pro Racing appearance for the 16-year-old Day, who was riding the Team Velocity/Blown Away Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Saturday’s practice got off to a good start for Day, who continued picking up speed on Road Atlanta’s hilly 2.54-mile road course. When it was his turn to qualify on Saturday afternoon, Day was confident about dropping his lap times further and securing a solid starting position. After his warm-up lap, though, a shifting problem developed that gave Day an unexpected challenge. The crew was unable to make repairs before the end of the qualifying session, so Day returned to the track determined to overcome the shifting issues. At the end of the session, Day had qualified 26th with a 1:32.038. “I ran 31s in practice that morning and felt pretty good,” he said. “I went out on my warm-up lap in qualifying then when I came down the front straight the bike wouldn’t shift. I had a great tire compound from Michelin that let me get on the gas sooner coming out of the corners, though.” The Team Velocity/Blown Away crew got to work and by the end of the day the Yamaha was repaired and ready for Sunday’s action. Bad luck struck again, though, when the motor began to fail late in Sunday morning’s practice. Without the parts needed to make repairs, Day reluctantly packed up his Yamaha and had to watch the Supersport race from the sidelines. Still, the weekend was not a loss for the Orlando, Florida resident. “I learned a lot and got good experience for when I come back here in October for the WERA Grand National Finals,” said Day. “Racers in AMA are so determined, and stepping up to compete with them helps me when I go back to WERA competition.” Day will only be home for a few days before heading up to Nelson Ledges Road Course in Ohio for round eight of the WERA/Bridgestone National Endurance Series. He will again be riding the TVR II Yamaha YZF-R6, and the team is hoping for their second consecutive class win in Mediumweight Superstock. This weekend’s race begins late in the afternoon and concludes in darkness, and it marks the first time that Day has been on track after sunset. “Friday is night practice, so I’ll get to find out what it’s like being out there in the darkness. We have our lights pretty well set up. PIAA is providing our lights and we’ve got everything ready to go.” Day is sponsored by Team Velocity Racing, Blown Away Racing, VP Racing Fuels, HJC Helmets, SYED, Champions Yamaha, Pro Image Signs and Graphics, Sharkskinz, Hank Lowry Electric and Michelin.

SBK ASSEN REVIEW BULLETIN Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) drove the strong British contingent in the Assen crowd wild after taking his first career victory in SBK. Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) may have crashed in the first race at Assen but after an assured display of riding to win in race two, he left with an increased championship advantage, with three rounds still to run. His main championship rivals had virtual disasters in the wet first, and largely dry second, races but despite only finishing with a tenth and ninth place James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) regained overall second in the title hunt. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) and Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) both fell in both races and scored no points. In the championship battle, Bayliss now leads Toseland by 100 points, 332 to 232, with Haga third on an unchanged 230. A fuel and oil spill in the wet morning warm-up led to some delays in the race schedule, but the 22-lap Superbike races themselves went ahead as planned and on time. RACE ONE An astonishing 22-lap contest gave Chris Walker his first ever World Superbike race win, as the Nottinghamshire rider overcame the atrocious weather and slippery track to go from dead last (and on the gravel at the first corner on lap one) to victor in front of a drenched Assen crowd. It was Kawasaki’s first race win in SBK since a double success for Hitoyasu Izutsu, at Sugo in 2000. Walker’s last podium finish was in 2005, third at Valencia. In second place came Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia), with Michel Fabrizio taking his Honda DFX Treme Honda to third, after moving forward confidently from a 14th place start. RACE TWO In the second race, on a dry track with damp patches around, Bayliss took another of his assured race wins, after an early fight with eventual fourth place rider, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). He was almost ten seconds ahead of second place rider Pitt, who now sits fourth overall, on 197 points after two runner-up rides. In a strong day for PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse rider Fonsi Nieto, a fourth in race one was followed up but his first career SBK podium of third in race two. RACE ONE OFFERS BONUS TO PRIVATE RIDERS With so many riders falling in the opening race, including potential podium rider Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati) the privateer machines of Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) and Max Neukirchner (Alstare Engineering Suzuki) ran out fifth and sixth, with the factory Ducati of Lorenzo Lanzi the top twin cylinder rider on show, seventh. He was followed by the private machine of Roberto Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi) and also Karl Muggeridge, who was in a podium scoring place before running off track in race one and then losing traction to finish 13th in race two. There were only 15 finishers in race one, but Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1) obtained the first of two points scoring results, with 12th in the wet opener, 11th in the dry second race. WORLD SUPERSPORT Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) rode the race of his life in wet conditions in a two-part aggregate Supersport race to secure the race win from new clear championship leader, Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany). After 21-laps of high-risk racing, another new star was born, Kai Borre Andersen (Hoegee Suzuki), who gave his team its first podium in WSS, finishing third, ahead of Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda). Local rider Arie Vos (J&E Sport Ten Kate Racing Honda) went fifth, with the Hoegee Suzuki team having a successful day, as Barry Veneman scored sixth. In the championship chase itself, Curtain has 151 points, Charpentier 144 and Broc Parkes 119. Parkes, running to a clear early lead in the wet track conditions of race one, fell heavily, and has suffered what initial test have concluded to be three broken ribs, a possibly fractured shoulder and a punctured lung. After his Assen race win, Kenan Sofuoglu now sits fifth overall, only two points behind Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Hondfedea). SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP In a closely contested Superstock race Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) took his second race win of the year, in a delayed 13-lap race at the new-look Assen. Battling with Aussie Brendan Roberts (HP Racing), he passed on the final lap and Roberts ran off track at the final chicane in his attempt to get back into the lead. He finished second, with class leader Alessandro Polita (Celani team Suzuki) third. Polita now has a lead of 22 points from Ayrton Badovini, with Luca Scassa (EVR Corse Ormeni Racing) third, after finishing fifth at Assen. The tenth round of the championships is scheduled for 8-10 September, at EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany. More, from a press release issued by Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport Team: TUNSTALL DENIED POINTS AT ASSEN BY JUST 6/10TH OF A SECOND Tom Tunstall came within 6/10ths of a second of securing championship points in the two-part rain hit ninth round of the World Supersport Championship at Assen in the Netherlands. Riding the Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport Honda CBR600RR, Tom was in fine form and scythed his way through the world-class field from his starting position of 30th to finally end the race in 16th place. In qualifying, Tom and the team firstly had to adapt themselves to the new circuit layout after recent track revisions completely altered the flowing nature of the Dutch circuit. Tom had no problem learning the track, but on day one struggled with set up of the Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport Honda CBR600RR and finished 34th. In final qualifying the team were able to improve the set-up and Tom responded by improving his time to move up to 30th place on the grid. Heavy overnight rain continued into race day and the scheduled 22 lap World Supersport race got underway in fully wet conditions, making it a level playing field for Tom to show his wet weather abilities. From the opening lap, Tom made his intentions clear and was relishing the tricky conditions as he moved up through the field in his search for championship points. By lap ten, Tom was up into 17th place and on target to move into the top15 when Yamaha rider Stephane Dutrene and Ducati man Luca Nedog suffered a dramatic crash on the back section of the track causing the race to be stopped. With under half race distance complete, the race was restarted over a further 11 laps with aggregate timing from the two heats determining the overall race result. By the time the race was restarted the rain had stopped and the 2.8-mile circuit began to dry, which required the team to work hard to change the set-up of the bike to suit the new conditions. Tom was able to continue his good progress and despite struggling for grip had a tough battle with former World Supersport runner up Katsuaki Fujiwara onboard the factory supported Megabike Honda. Tom dug deep and was able to match the Japanese stars pace and beat him overall, but at the finish hadn’t quite done enough to get into the top 15 and missed out on championship points by just 6/10th of a second. “It was a good weekend in the end, but I’m just disappointed I didn’t get in the points. We had a really tough time in qualifying but in the race I was battling with Fujiwara and beat him over the two heats. The wet conditions threw the whole thing up in the air and I had a good feeling with the bike and track. In the first part of the race when it was fully wet, the bike was working really well and I spent the first ten laps catching and passing people and I felt I was definitely on for a good result.” explained Tom. “We’ve struggled at the last few races so it’s good to be fighting for points this weekend. We’re still working hard with the bike and it’s definitely getting better. To go from 30th on the grid and finish 16th is pleasing but to come that close to getting a point is obviously frustrating. It’s a reasonable result but as a racer you always want more.” he continued. Tom and the Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport team won’t have to wait long to have another chance of fighting for a top 15 finish with the tenth round of the World Supersport Championship taking place this weekend at the Lausitz Ring in Germany. Tom has no previous knowledge of the circuit but is determined to continue his good form with the first practice and qualifying session getting underway on Friday 8th September.

VALIANT EFFORT BY HODGSON AS HE FIGHTS FOR THE AMA PODIUM Braselton (Georgia): Parts Unlimited Ducati’s Neil Hodgson fought one of the closest and most exciting battles of the 2006 season on Sunday, trying his best to earn a spot on the podium in the AMA Superbike race at Road Atlanta. Neil came up just 0.098 short of a rostrum finish as he and Aaron Yates raced for third position coming down the hill on the last lap at the Georgia track. Ben Bostrom was seventh on his Ducati 999 as he improved one spot on the final lap of the 25-lap race. Hodgson earned third spot for much of the race and the last laps saw him hold off Yates for most of the lap. Coming down the hill into turn 12 for the final time, Yates earned a slight advantage over the 2003 World Superbike champion and held it to the flag. “It’s tough to lose one like that, but what can you say?” said Hodgson. “As soon as Yates was level with me, I knew it was over because he had the inside line. I tried to square him coming out of the corner but I knew it wasn’t going to happen. The last turn pass hurts even more because you don’t have a chance to get him back. I had a small problem with four laps to go and it just cost us a little bit of time and that extra bit of drive. Nothing really big but we needed everything in our arsenal today if we were going to make the podium.” Ben Bostrom moved to seventh on the final lap of the race, passing rival Jake Zemke after the two once again battled for position in an AMA Superbike race. “I’m pretty disappointed because we weren’t racing for the podium, but I had a good battle out there,” said Bostrom. “We lost some ground in the early going but I had a lot of corner speed through the Esses and the bike handled pretty well. Jake and I, it seems like we’re magnets because we end up racing together in every one of these, lately. On the last lap, I had a move planned for the chicane but Jake ended up running wide and I ended up with the position.” The AMA season finale will be held at Mid-Ohio Sep 29-Oct 1. Results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 2. Ben Spies, Suzuki 3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 4.Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 6. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki 7. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 8. Jake Zemke, Honda 9. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 10. Jake Holden, Suzuki 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 More, from a press release issued by M4 EMGO Suzuki: ANOTHER SUPERSPORT DOUBLE PODIUM FOR MAY AND BARNES OF TEAM M4 EMGO SUZUKI Team M4 EMGO Suzuki added to their trophy collection this weekend at Road Atlanta as Geoff May and Michael Barnes came through to claim their second consecutive double podium finish in the AMA Supersport class aboard their Pirelli-shod GSX-R600s. It was the third time in 2006 that May and Barnes have stood on the Supersport podium together. May put together a rock-solid outing, moving up into third on lap seven of fifteen and then taking over second place on lap nine. Teammate Barnes got off to another of his trademark quick starts, storming into the lead early before dropping back to fourth at mid-distance. The two M4 EMGO Suzuki riders turned it up late, with May holding down the runner-up position and Barnes moving into third and pressuring May to the checkered flag. May, from nearby Gainesville, GA, was pleased to have given his home fans what they came to see, particularly after his disappointing ninth-place Superstock finish earlier in the day aboard the team’s GSX-R1000. May’s fourth Supersport podium of the season saw him take over second place in the class’ title race with just one event remaining. Afterwards he said, “I feel like my guys deserve our spot in the points. We had a little problem at Miller and we’ve been fighting for every single point since then, just trying to scratch and get as many as we can. It feels good and hopefully that’s where we end up at the end of the year. That’s the gameplan.” Commenting on the race, the Georgian remarked, “‘Barney’ was riding really well. He really pushed me out there today. He put a lot of pressure on me and he rode clean, too. It was a good weekend, all in all. Pirelli keeps working harder and harder and I think that next year we’re really going to have some good stuff when they bring out the new World Supersport tires they’ve been working on.” For Barnes, the result was his third straight top-three and fifth Supersport podium finish of the year. He commented, “When a few guys passed me early I thought, ‘I can’t let this happen,’ so I picked it up. I was just trying to get with Geoff and he was putting together some really good laps. It was just a matter of trying to put together some real good laps at the end, which I did. The Pirelli tires have really come along real good this year. Especially this race, they were the strongest they’ve been at the end of the race all year I believe.” “I can’t just thank these guys enough for putting together such a solid team,” he continued. “These bikes are incredible. I’m looking forward to going back to Ohio again because it’s kind of like we’ve tested there. We’re going back there with some data and I’m planning on getting the holeshot again.” Shea Fouchek rounded out the weekend for Team M4 EMGO Suzuki with an 18th place ride in the Supersport race. The 2006 season will wrap up in just a few weeks with a return visit to Mid-Ohio for the AMA road racing finale on September 29-October 1. More, from a press release issued by Chris Ulrich Racing: IMPROVEMENT FOR PIETRI AT ROAD ATLANTA WHILE ULRICH HAS A DIFFICULT RACE FOR ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki put in a determined effort at the next-to-last round of the 2006 AMA road racing championships at Road Atlanta. The squad picked up a pair of hard-earned results in the ultra-competitive AMA Superstock class, setting the stage for an exciting conclusion to the season at Mid-Ohio in a few weeks time. After qualifying on the outside of the third row with the 12th best lap in the Superstock session aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000 at 1:25.242, Chris Ulrich battled his way up to tenth during the 15-lap race. The Californian was still climbing and looking capable of scoring his best result of the season before he began to struggle for grip, eventually forcing him down to 14th in the end. “I think 100% I had a very good weekend going until seven or eight laps into the race,” Ulrich said. “At that point I was in tenth, gaining on ninth, and the bike started backing itself into turn one and backing itself in at the top of the hill. That was an indication were we having some issues with grip. Unfortunately, as the laps wore on and I was having more and more problems. Coming down the hill with three or four to go I had a big front-end slide. The outside of my left foot was hanging off and the only thing that kept me on the bike was my knee. To have that happen in turn 12 at Road Atlanta is a pretty scary situation. “It’s very disappointing, especially being in a top-ten position and having to go backwards, watching guys pass me that I knew I was going to beat today,” said Chris. Robertino Pietri was in learning mode once again, the Venezuelan working diligently to learn the nuances of the tricky Georgian circuit. Building speed right up through the conclusion of the race, Pietri once again showed that he’s the fastest South American in the series by a wide margin en route to a 17th place result. Clear proof of his improvement was the fact that after qualifying 18th for the Superstock race with a best lap of 1:27.180, Robertino broke in the ’26s with a 1:26.931 on race rubber during the final. Pietri said, “I’m happy. I didn’t ride too much on Thursday at the promoter practice because of the weather. All these tracks are new for me and every time I get out on the track, I go a half second faster. I think with one more day I could be right up there, top ten or top twelve. These weekends go by so fast and it’s quite challenging. “I really want to thank Pirelli. They hooked me up with some new tires that I needed and I finished the weekend well. I finished 17th, which isn’t the best result of the year, but I went faster in the race than I did in any practice or qualifying session. I’m pleased with my race times. We have a good bike and my mechanics are doing a great job trying to make things as easy as possible for me. It’s really hard when you’re always going to a new track and learning which direction the corners go.” Both riders are carrying high hopes into their return visit to Mid-Ohio for the season finale weekend on September 29-October 1. The venue was perhaps the scene of Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s best overall outing of the year, in which Ulrich claimed a top ten and Pietri a top fifteen. Ulrich, who is currently just one point off of his season-long goal of a top ten ranking in the Superstock championship, commented, “I just got done discussing some things with my crew chief and we’re going to make some changes to the set-up that we just found out the last two weeks. I think they’re going to make me faster there than I was last time and our goal is a solid top ten. I want to finish the year out strong and there’s no reason we can’t do it.” Pietri is especially excited to compete at a track where he’s already spent considerable time. “The only place I raced this year that I also raced last year was Daytona and right there I got seventh place, a good solid top ten. I’m really, really looking forward to Ohio. I think we can do a good job there and I’m excited about that. I want to end the year with a strong result and build momentum for next year.” More, from a press release issued by Team Stargel Castrol: Team Stargel Castrol Scores Another Top Ten At Road Atlanta Team Stargel Castrol always welcomes racing at Road Atlanta. It is close to home, has a challenging layout, and allows us to make sweet iced tea from the high humidity atmosphere. It is our home track in every sense of the word. After turning only five laps on Thursday due to rain showers, Friday presented itself with a number of issues to resolve. With both Formula Xtreme and Superbike qualifying on the schedule for Friday afternoon, the team needed to work quickly, as well as intelligently. As has become the norm this season, the Yamaha R6 F/X bike yielded little resistance in our attempts to find a proper setup. The R1, on the other hand, was a more difficult animal to tame. While everything did not go to plan in F/X qualifying, Brian Stokes, rode the bike hard and secured a seventh place grid position for Saturday’s race with a time of 1:27.2. Both superbike sessions proved to be more work, and at their completion, Stokes qualified in 19th. Saturday morning, the team had a decision to make. Everyone felt that there was more to be had from the R6 if some more attention was paid to it. A decision was made to sit out of Saturday’s Superbike race to concentrate on an excellent finish in the F/X race. Stokes got a great start in the F/X race, but when he came around after one lap the team was surprised that he had lost position. He fell back as far as 16th, while his crew stood idly by wondering what the problem could be. Stokes was having a problem with lack of braking power, but continued to race on as best he could. The problem slowly improved, and by lap five, his brakes were working normally again. With this, he put his head down and began to move through the pack. Stokes finished the race in a strong ninth place to record his third F/X top ten finish of the year, while only participating in four rounds thus far. Sunday’s Superbike race was not the result that the team had hoped for, but was still quite respectable. Early on, Stokes hung onto to a pack of riders than spanned from 15th to 18th position. As the race went on, Stokes had some heat related issues with the bike, and his pace began to drop off. Brian crossed the line in 19th place and was the last rider still on the lead lap. Team Stargel Castrol will be competing at the final AMA round of the year at Mid Ohio on September 30th – October 1st. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: HAYDENS AND KAWASAKI REMAIN RELENTLESS AT ROAD ATLANTA Braselton, Ga. Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Tommy Hayden, put forth a determined effort as AMA Superbike racing came to Road Atlanta Raceway in Braselton, Ga., this weekend. Tommy qualified in fifth which was just behind his younger brother, Roger, who qualified on the outside of the front row in fourth. As the green flag dropped on Saturday’s Superbike feature Tommy got the best jump off the grid by running in seventh as Roger was shuffled back into 11th. As the laps clicked away, Roger advanced four positions while edging out Tommy to take over seventh and Tommy stayed tucked in close behind Roger in eighth. During the final laps, Roger was forced to pull out of the race after his chain broke while Tommy continued on to finish seventh. The second race of the Superbike doubleheader on Sunday saw Roger running in fifth and Tommy in 12th after the start. As the race progressed, Roger tussled with a couple riders for fifth but stayed close behind the lead group while Tommy advanced into ninth. The final portion of the 25-lap feature saw Tommy engaged in an intense battle for ninth while Roger dropped one position into sixth. At the finish, Roger crossed the stripe in sixth while Tommy finished out the second race in ninth. Roger also contested in Supersport on Sunday and found himself in second just after the start and locked in a fierce contest with Jamie Hacking for the lead. The pair would battle back-and-forth for the next seven laps before Roger slipped back into third and then faded into fourth. With only four laps remaining Roger drifted back into the field due to mechanical problems and had to retire early. Attack Kawasaki riders, Ben Attard and Damon Buckmaster, remained engaged in an intense battle for seventh place throughout the duration of the 15-lap feature. The duo advanced two positions due in part to Roger’s bad luck and another rider who pulled out early which allowed Attard to cross the finish in fifth with Buckmaster in sixth. In AMA Superstock Action, Buckmaster put in a respectable ride aboard his Kawasaki ZX-10R by starting in 14th and advancing into tenth before the checkered flag dropped. Attard left the grid in ninth and was unfortunately shuffled back into 15th after the start. Undaunted by the setback, Attard advanced into 13th after the halfway point and held his position throughout the remaining laps of the 15-lap feature. Racing resumes when the teams head to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, September 29October 3.

MALAYSIA KICKS OFF DEMANDING THREE RACE RUN FOR KAWASAKI The Kawasaki Racing Team head for the Far East this week, and an intense schedule of three races in as many weekends, starting with the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, and taking in the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island before bringing their whirlwind tour of Asia to an end with the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi. It’s a punishing schedule for both teams and riders alike, with Sepang in particular making huge demands on the physical fitness and endurance of Kawasaki’s riders, Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet, due to the strength sapping extremes of temperature and humidity experienced at the Malaysian circuit. But both Kawasaki riders head into this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix with their sights set firmly on a strong performance, and confident that hundreds of testing laps completed during the winter at the 5.548 km Sepang circuit will stand them in good stead once practice gets underway on Friday. For Shinya Nakano, Friday’s two free practice sessions will allow him the first opportunity to test a revised Ninja ZX-RR engine and exhaust system, designed by Kawasaki engineers in Japan to improve torque at the bottom of the rev range, as well as outright power at the top end – both essential characteristics at the Sepang circuit. The 28-year-old Japanese rider rates the Sepang track as one of his favourites, and is confident that the latest specification Ninja ZX-RR will suit the characteristics of the high-speed, but technical, Malaysian circuit. The Kawasaki pilot heads for Malaysia from his home in Japan determined to secure a good result for Kawasaki, as he builds up the momentum for his home Grand Prix at Motegi in three week’s time. Nakano’s Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, has been on a mission in recent weeks, to improve both his qualifying performance and his race starts. The 25-year-old Frenchman saw an improvement in qualifying at Brno, after regaining his confidence in Bridgestone’s super-sticky qualifying tyres during free practice, and a series of successful practice starts during the one-day, post-race test at the same circuit means that de Puniet heads for the Far East in determined mood. The rookie Kawasaki pilot likes the challenges offered by the Sepang circuit, where he completed three successful tests aboard the Ninja ZX-RR over the winter. And, the demanding conditions in Malaysia will certainly hold no fears for de Puniet, who is one of the fittest riders on the MotoGP grid. Sunday’s 21-lap Malaysian Grand Prix will get underway at 15.00 local time (GMT+8 and CET+6) on Sunday 10 September. Shinya Nakano: #56 “Sepang is definitely one of my favourite tracks, and one I know pretty well after completing so many laps there during winter testing. I’ve had some good results at Sepang in the past, and the fact that we head to Malaysia with a massive amount of data collected during testing means that I’m quietly confident ahead of this weekend’s race. The Ninja ZX-RR already suits the characteristics of the Sepang circuit very well, but this time around we have a revised engine and exhaust system to evaluate during free practice, and this could well give us a distinct advantage this weekend. Overall, I’m looking forward to racing in Malaysia, and I hope that I can pick up some good results here and in Australia, and then carry that momentum through to my home Grand Prix at Motegi.” Randy de Puniet: #17 “We completed three successful tests at Sepang over the winter, so I know the track pretty well. Of course, everyone else knows the track equally well, because all the other MotoGP teams were out in Malaysia testing at the same time! But I like the track, and the fact that we managed to find a good working set-up on the Ninja ZX-RR during our last test there in February should stand us in good stead when practice gets underway on Friday. I think it’s possible to get a good result in Malaysia, but I do need to look hard at my starts. Too often in the last few races I’ve lost places from the start, and then been forced to try and make them back up during the race. We did some work on this during the post race test at Brno two weeks ago, so I’m fairly confident going into the first of the three overseas races.”

Eternal Sunshine of the Sepang Kind Malaysian Grand Prix: Preview Monday 4 September 2006 MotoGP heads into an intense run of three intercontinental events this weekend as the Sepang International Circuit plays host to the eighth Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix since the circuit’s inception back in 1999. The event will be followed by the Australian and Japanese rounds on successive weekends, the results of which should set the stage for an enthralling season finale in October. Ducati rider Loris Capirossi laid down his own claim to the championship after a dominant victory on Bridgestone tyres at the last GP in Brno reduced his gap to the championship leader to 50 points with a maximum 125 still up for grabs. Capirossi and the Ducati Corse team, who last week announced an extension to their contract into the 2007 season, won in Malaysia last season and will undoubtedly be further buoyed by their performance in the Czech Republic a fortnight ago as they seek a repeat performance this weekend. The Brno win now means that Bridgestone-shod riders have won two GPs in each season since 2004. Now in just their fifth year of MotoGP racing, the Bridgestone crew will be looking to secure their third victory of the season in Sepang to cement 2006 as their most competitive yet. A second consecutive victory would also score the tyre manufacturer a 20th podium result in its comparatively short history at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. Bridgestone was back in action directly after the Brno race for an intensive test session at the Czech track in preparation for the remaining events of the season. As a result, the team head to Sepang with a range of new compounds and tyre specifications at their disposal in order to combat the traditional Malaysian heat and humidity. At 5.548km in length, a lap of Sepang is the longest on the 2006 calendar with its two main straights each at almost 1km placing an emphasis on outright power at the start and end of each of the 21 laps making up the race. Capirossi’s pole time from 2005 sets the qualifying bar at 2m01.731s, but with the technological developments made year-on-year, Bridgestone riders could well be targeting times closer to the 2m mark to secure positions at the sharp end of the grid in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session. Hiroshi Yamada – Bridgestone Motorsport – Motorcycle Racing Manager “The performance of Loris Capirossi and the Ducati Corse team in Brno was a great result for Bridgestone and leaves us motivated and optimistic for the forthcoming races in Malaysia, Australia and Japan. We scored one of our two victories last year in Malaysia and I hope that we can replicate that performance this weekend to challenge for our third victory this season. We conducted an intensive test at Brno after the race in order to test a wide range of new specification tyres, new shapes and compounds. We were able to derive some encouraging results for the five remaining rounds of this season, as well as gaining some useful information from the 800cc bikes as part of our development for next year. Looking specifically to Malaysia, we will encounter one of the hottest races on the calendar. It is unlikely we will endure the extreme heat we had at Laguna Seca in July, but we have certainly drawn from that experience in anticipation of the hot conditions that are guaranteed in Sepang. The humidity in Malaysia also brings the constant threat of thunderstorms and heavy tropical rain, so we will have a range of wet weather tyres close to hand. Whatever the weather, we are working hard with all three of our teams to make it two Bridgestone-shod victories in a row.” Bridgestone’s 2005 Malaysian GP Race Results Pos. Rider Motorcycle Race Time Gap P1 Loris Capirossi Ducati 43m27.523s WINNER P3 Carlos Checa Ducati 43m29.592s +2.069s P7 Kenny Roberts Suzuki 43m44.772s +17.249s P9 John Hopkins Suzuki 43m47.648s +20.125s DNF Olivier Jacque Kawasaki 8m47.858s +17 laps DNF Shinya Nakano Kawasaki 2m09.640s +20 laps