Racer Mark Brereton was airlifted to Northeast Georgia Regional Medical Center, in Gainesville, Georgia, following a crash in turn one during AMA Superstock qualifying Saturday at Road Atlanta. Brereton had just been passed by Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Robertino Pietri going into turn one, when Brereton contacted the back of Pietri’s GSX-R1000, causing both riders to crash. According to eyewitness Chuck Giachetto, Crew Chief for Cory West, Brereton appeared to hit his brake lever on the back of Pietri’s bike, causing the front brakes to lock and Brereton’s Suzuki GSX-R1000 to begin “cartwheeling, end over end” off the track. “It was scary, man,” said Giachetto. “I passed him on the inside and then Bam! I felt a big hit on the back of my bike,” said Pietri. “It sent me off the track. I had to jump off before I hit the wall.” According to a medical update issued by Road Atlanta, Brereton was airlifted as a “precautionary move, primarily because Brereton apparently suffered a ‘moderate concussion,’ a possible fractured hand and cuts and abrasions.” Pietri was not injured in the incident. When not racing, Brereton works in the finance department at Pirelli North America headquarters in Rome, Georgia.

AMA Superbike Championship leader Ben Spies earned his seventh AMA Superbike pole position of the season during Saturday morning’s final qualifying session at the AMA Suzuki Superbike Showdown Presented by Makita at Road Atlanta, in Georgia. Spies, who broke his right hand two weeks ago, used his Dunlop-shod Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to turn a time of 1:21.987 on the 2.5-mile road course during the shortened final qualifying period to earn the pole and the bonus Championship point that comes with it. That point extends Spies’ Championship lead to 30 points with three races remaining. “We’ll try to have a good race and take what comes to us,” said Spies, who said his broken hand was less swollen than it was at VIR but still painful and only about 70% of full strength. Spies’ teammate and main Championship rival Mat Mladin shaved a few 10ths off his fast time Saturday morning with a 1:22.109, but the six-time and defending Champion said he was focusing more on his race set-up than turning one fast lap. In fact, Mladin said he had stopped thinking about the 2006 Championship and was beginning to prepare for 2007. “For all intents and purposes, the Championship is over,” Mladin told reporters after Saturday’s qualifying session. “The last thing on my mind is the Championship.” On Friday, Mladin told reporters that his biggest concern this weekend is his wife, who is due to give birth to their second child within a few days. America Honda’s Miguel Duhamel did not go quicker Saturday morning. Like Mladin, he opted to work on his race set-up, but the 1:23.473 the French-Canadian turned Friday held up as the third-fastest time. Duhamel said that he would like to win the race but realized that he had a lot of ground to make up to run with Spies and Mladin. After having what he called “a miserable day” Friday, Parts Unlimited Ducati’s Neil Hodgson shaved nearly a second off his best time, turning a 1:23.484 on his factory 999 to earn the final spot on the front row. Fourth-fastest Friday, Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden shaved a half-second from his best time with a 1:23.520, but Hodgson’s time bumped Hayden to fifth overall. Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke (1:23.807) carved nearly 0.8-second from his best effort, elevating him from eighth to sixth in the qualifying order. Similarly, Aaron Yates’ one-second improvement to 1:23.942 on the third Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 moved him from ninth Friday to seventh Saturday. The final spot on the second row went to Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Steve Rapp, who turned a 1:24.042 on his Superstock-spec GSX-R1000. Kawasaki factory rider Tommy Hayden, Hodgson’s teammate Ben Bostrom, Rapp’s teammate Jason Pridmore and Millennium KWS Suzuki’s Matt Lynn, the highest non-Dunlop qualifier, will start from the third row of the grid. 27 of the 33 riders who tried turned lap times within the 108% cut-off time of 1:28.546, resulting in the second-smallest AMA Superbike grid of the season. AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Road Atlanta Braselton, Georgia September 2, 2006 Combined Final Qualifying Results: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:21.987 2. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:22.109 3. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:23.473 4. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999F06), 1:23.484 5. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:23.520 6. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:23.807 7. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:23.942 8. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:24.042 9. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:24.056 10. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999F06), 1:24.327 11. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:25.028 12. Matt Lynn (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:25.145 13. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:25.666 14. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:25.697 15. Larry Pegram (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:25.838 16. Eric Wood (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:25.875 17. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:25.933 18. Marty Craggill (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.039 19. Brian Stokes (Yam YZF-R1), 1:26.274 20. Gary Mason (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.427 21. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.517 22. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.677 23. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:27.114 24. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:27.411 25. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:27.930 26. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:28.401 27. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:28.444 108% of Fast Time: 1:28.546 Did Not Qualify: 28. Brad Hendry (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:28.978 29. Michael Sanchez (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:29.186 30. James Kerker (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:29.608 31. Fernando Amantini (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:30.175 32. Marco Martinez Suz GSX-R1000), 1:30.683 33. Marcin Biernacki (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.786

FIM Superbike World Championship Assen, Holland September 2, 2006 Superpole Results: 1. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:38.965 2. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.009 3. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.176 4. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06), 1:39.304 5. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.419 6. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.543 7. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.565 8. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.756 9. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:39.958 10. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06), 1:40.149 11. Steve MARTIN (Foggy Petronas FP1), 1:40.251 12. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F05), 1:40.264 13. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.388 14. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:40.503 15. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.585 16. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.742 More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona: THE RETURN OF MR SUPERPOLE Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser shrugged off the problems in qualifying to take Superpole at Assen today. It was his first Superpole since Monza in early May,and his third of the season. It is also the 37th Superpole of his career and pushes him further ahead of his nearest rival Carl Fogarty, who has recorded 21 pole positions. It was a particularly good Superpole for Team Alstare because Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama set the third quickest time of the day and will line up on the front row of the grid. Between him and Troy is his good friend Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), with series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) in fourth place. TROY 1st, 1:38.965 After the small problems in qualifying, it’s fantastic to take Superpole today. It’s been a bit of a while, but once we’d improved the clutch feeling and got some more grip, I knew that I was in for a chance of a front row place on the grid. And, to be honest, that’s what I expected, so to get Superpole is a bonus. Front row is so important here, as any race, because the first section of the track consists of four or five slow turns and you have to be up the front or else you’ll get left behind. Tyre life is going to be a real factor tomorrow because nobody will have good grip in the second half of the race. I really hope that it doesn’t rain tomorrow, because that’ll ruin the races and not make it so much for the fans. YUKIO 3rd, 1:39.176 I like the new section of the track and maybe that’s because we are all seeing it for the first time, so nobody has a big advantage or experience over me. For sure tomorrow’s races are going to be very hard, because of the tyres. I don’t think there will be much grip in the latter part of the race and there will be many slides. I am happy that Troy-san took pole today and also happy Nori is next to me on the grid – in one way. But also, there is a lot of pressure on me to beat him off the line and get to the first turn ahead. He is a very hard rider, but I am ready for the big battle. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Engineering: BATTERED AND BRUISED MAX Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Max Neukirchner was a sore from yesterday’s crash and, in qualifying this morning, he was unable to force his way into the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out. But despite qualifying only 23rd, he is continuing his learning process at a pace and looking forward to improvement in tomorrow’s two 22-lap races. Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser took Superpole in superb fashion, with team mate Yukio Kagayama also on the front row after setting the third quickest time. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) was second fastest, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) fourth. MAX – 23rd, 1:41.617 I was a second faster today then yesterday, which makes me happy, but I felt tired and sore today and just couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to. My neck feels very stiff, so riding the bike is hard after a number of laps. The first few turns are particularly hard for me and it’s only when I get on to the old section that I begin to feel a bit more comfortable. But this is my first race weekend and I am learning as fast as I can. I’m learning the Alstare Engineering bike and I’m learning how to work with a brand new team. I really would like a couple of good finishes tomorrow and hope to be able to get into the points. More, from a press release issued by FG Sport: CORSER TAKES SUPERPOLE WIN AT ASSEN – 2005 CHAMPION ON TOP FORM IN SUPERPOLE Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) won the dry Superpole contest at Assen, and in doing so scored his 37th career pole in SBK, extending his own record over Carl Fogarty (next best on a total of 21). Corser’s time of 1’36.965 was the only one inside the 1’38 barrier in Superpole, but on the new 4.555km circuit at Assen the best lap in any qualifying session (1’38.629) was set by Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) in the free practice session which preceded Superpole. FRONT ROW REPLENDENT WITH POSSIBLE RACE WINNERS Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) was second fastest in Superpole, up from fifth fastest after regulation qualifying, but he is joined in the top rank by riders who have all won at least one race this year – Corser, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) in third and fourth place rider Bayliss. HONDA RIDERS DOMINATE SECOND ROW Assen features many new challenges for even the most experienced previous visitors this season, and in his rookie SBK campaign, Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) adapted well to go fifth fastest, heading up the second row. Team-mates Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) and James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) went sixth and seventh respectively, with the last place on row two secured by Haga’s team-mate, Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia). Toseland and Pitt are also race winners this season, making the prospects for closely contested races on Sunday a sure bet. NIETO NINTH AFTER QUALIFYING SIXTH IN REGULATION Ever improving SBK rider Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) slotted his big ZX-10R into the first grid place on the third row, disappointed after qualifying sixth for Superpole itself. He heads up Bayliss’ team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) heroic Steve Martin on the underpowered Foggy Petronas FP-1 and former Assen race winner, Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati). ROW FOUR FOR WALKER AND THE LAST OF THE FOURS Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) rode with his usual high level of commitment but took 13th out of 16 in Superpole, experiencing some set-up issues in qualifying per se. Joining him on the fourth row are three other four-cylinder riders – top four pre-Superpole qualifier Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda), plus Yamaha Motor France riders, Sebastien Gimbert and Shinichi Nakatomi. With so much talent in SBK this season, the usual clutch of unlikely subjects who missed the top 16 Superpole cut included Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse – one place away), Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) 18th, Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Treme Honda) 19th and a sterling effort from Josh Brookes (Kawasaki Bertocchi) 20th. Roberto Rolfo had a tough Assen weekend, 26th on his Ducati SC Caracchi twin, with Kurtis Roberts 27th on his Pedercini Ducati. SHORTER RACETRACK BUT MORE LAPS The new-look 4.555km Assen circuit means that the lap count for Sunday’s races has gone up from the usual Assen mark, to 22 in Superbike, 21 in Supersport. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Thanks to the blistering time of 1’41.906 put in on Friday by Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) he scored the pole position at Assen in the Supersport category – giving him his sixth pole of the season and extending his all-time class record to 17. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) scored second best grid position, despite suffering a big crash in the final session – a similar fate to his team-mate Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany), who was third overall in qualifying, despite a massive high side fall. Monza race winner Yoann Tiberio (Megabike Honda) went fourth fastest, completing row one of the grid for Sunday’s race. The second row will be headed up by Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda) from Hoegee Suzuki riders Kai Borre Andersen and Barry Veneman. Fastest Ducati was the LBR machine of Christian Zaiser. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) scored pole in the big Superstock category, with Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) second, less than 0.4 behind. Brendan Roberts (HP Racing) was right on Corti’s times, with Ilario Dionisi (Unionbike GI Motorsport MV Agusta) fourth. Championship leader Alessandro Polita (Celani Suzuki) was only seventh. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox) held off championship leader Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) to card pole position in the Junior Superstock formula, with Davide Giugliano (Lightspeed Kawasaki) third. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: WORLD SBK: DISAPPOINTMENT IN PRACTICE AT ASSEN In the second and final practice day at Assen the weather has been dry with temperatures, air and track, a small higher as yesterday. Any exiting result for the riders of Scuderia SC Caracchi, despite the bikes have been recorded as very fast by the speed trap in both the classes. In Superbike Roberto Rolfo recorded once more a very good top speed, the highest in Superbike, but as well he increased his performance has not been able to grab a better starting position. “The bike is very fast.” related Roby Rolfo at the end of the day. “But I don’t feel confident on it and we have not been able to get a better sensation, so my performance don’t grows up. Tomorrow for the race it will be quite difficult, starting front the back in a track that doesn’t help to overtook, especially in the first sector, and let just e few hopeness to get a good result, as well during the final free practice session I got a better result.” Gianluca Nannelli practiced today with “Vanna” written on the front plate number to honour Franco Farnè’s wife, who passed last August 16, renewing the custom by the riders of Italian public road long distance races in the early Fifthies, when they put the name of their girl friend or wife on the plate number. The rider from Florence has been today the fastest of the team trio, but is not however satisfied. “This morning the bike had some electrical problem that did not allow to work at the best.” said Nannelli at the end of practices. “During afternoon session it was very better, but when I wear soft tyres I found Veneman that disturb me just in the final split, where I’m used to be quite fast. Today I devote myself for a good result to remember, as she would like, Vanna Farnè that has been very close to us during all the race week ends. Tomorrow I’ll do my best in the race, for Vanna and for Franco too.” Stuart Easton too is quite satisfied; the young Scot focused his work looking at the race and is confident in a good result tomorrow. “I wasn’t looking just for a fast lap today.” has been the final comment by Stuart Easton sulla giornata. “The bike performs well, with a good top speed, and I feel well, despite it’s a bit heavy to ride, but that’s a bike’s characteristic. Tomorrow I’ll look for a good start, I’m just behind Nannelli in the grid, and then for the race to do my best, I’m quite confident on it.” Luka Nedog is a bit disappointed with himself, because he changed the gear ratios for the final session, but the selection has not been correct and he had just a smaller improvement as he hoped. “For the qualifying session we decide to use a shorter gear ratio.” commented Nedog at the end of the day. “But probably the wind changed and we have not done a correct selection. So I did improve my lap time, but not enough to get grid positions. However I’m quite satisfied, the bike is fast, I have no more heavy handling problems and I got a better feeling with the bike.” More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: 2006 European Superstock 600 Championship READY FOR THE BIG BATTLE Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Xavier Simeon qualified second fastest in the European Superstock Championship qualifying today and will start on the front row of the grid . His nearest rival in the championship, Nicola Canepa (Ducati) took pole position with a time of 1:47 197. Davide Giugliano (Kawasaki) was third quickest, with Roy Ten Napel (Yamaha) completing the front row. XAVI – 2nd, 1:47.538 Today was much better then yesterday because I had more grip and the bike’s set-up felt better. Today I could enter the turns faster and so I felt more confident. My team did a really good job for me and now I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow and a big battle. Maybe it will be a fight with Canepa and Giugliano or maybe it will be a fight with just Canepa. If that happens then I am confident that I can beat him because I’ve done that many times this season already. If I have a chance of taking the win, I will do it, but I will not take any chances with the championship at stake. Final qualifying 1 Canepa (I-Ducati) 1:47.197, 2 XAVIER SIMEON (B-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:47.539, 3 Giugliano (I-Kawasaki) 1:47.762, 4 Ten Napel (NL-Yamaha) 1:47.919, 5 Antonelli (I-Honda) 1:48.046, 6 Lundh (S-Honda) 1:48.517, More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: MUGGERIDGE AND TOSELAND SCORE SECOND ROW STARTS AT ASSEN Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) put in a blitzing personal weekend best lap in Superpole at Assen, securing sixth place on the grid, one place ahead of his team-mate James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda). Muggeridge had a more incident free Superpole lap than his fellow squad member, after qualifying tenth in regulation qualifying, and thus edged him out by only 0.022 seconds. Toseland, who was second fastest on race tyres after the two pre-Superpole qualifying sessions, had to survive a few moments in his single flying lap of the new-look Assen, finishing seventh fastest. The threatening Assen weather held off and Superpole was declared dry, and was taken by Troy Corser, from Noriyuki Haga, Toseland’s most immediate championship rival. The shortened 2006 season Assen track distance of 4.555km means that the Assen races on Sunday will now consist of 22 laps. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “To be honest I was hoping for front row starts from both the riders, because for sure, in the last free practice on race tyres it looked like we would be in for something really good. But there were some mistakes in the laps of both of the riders, so we have to be happy with the second row. The race set-up is almost there, but we still have to resolve some small problems. We can run constant laps, and if it is dry tomorrow I’m sure they can both ride right at the front.” Karl Muggeridge Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (6th Position Superpole Lap 1’39.543 42 Laps) “The bike is working a lot better now and we have found a reasonable setting. We just need to work out which tyre to use. We know that the bigger 200 tyre will work better for durability, but the smaller one is good, yet doesn’t last so well. I would like to run the skinny one but we’ll have to make a decision. Maybe it will be wet anyway, as there are high odds of rain for tomorrow.” James Toseland Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (7th Position Superpole Lap 1’39.565 44 Laps) “I had a bit of a slide and wheelie out of the first section and I had to apply the rear brake, which lost me maybe a couple of tenths down the back straight, but the rest of the track was pretty good until the last chicane. I changed direction too aggressively and on the camber the whole bike lifted up, so I lost another tenth or two there, which cost me a front row start. We have been pretty consistent on race tyres, we need to be a little bit quicker, maybe three or four tenths, but if we can find that tomorrow, which I think we can, then I will be quietly confident. I’m just not on that front row that I have been used to now.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Xerox: DUCATI XEROX AT ASSEN: BAYLISS ON FRONT ROW, TENTH PLACE FOR LANZI Assen (Netherlands), Saturday 2 September: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) will start from the front-row of the grid for the ninth round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen tomorrow after setting fourth quickest time in Superpole. Despite being quickest in both qualifying sessions, Troy’s one-lap dash for pole wasn’t one of his best and he will start the two races behind polesitter Troy Corser (Suzuki), Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki). Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi was also quick in qualifying but made a mistake in Superpole and will start from row 3. “The whole weekend has been looking really good so far, we’ve been quickest in most of the sessions and not much has really gone wrong” declared Troy. “We made a good long-run this afternoon and even though my Superpole lap wasn’t great, I’m happy to be on the front row because this place has never been a great place for overtaking, even when there was the old circuit. In racing every day is a new day and you never know what’s going to happen, especially at Assen where tomorrow we could get any sort of weather. We’ve had no wet practice so we’ll just see how things are for the race tomorrow morning”. “We’ve been up at the front all weekend, it was a real pity that I made an error in Superpole” commented Lorenzo. “I touched the gearshift pedal, which caused the bike to cut out and I had a nasty moment when it went out of control. Luckily I managed to stay upright and finish the lap but I’m obviously not satisfied because there’s a big difference between the first and the third row. With the long-run things were fine and as for tyre choice, everything’s OK, we have some clear ideas and I feel sure we can do a couple of good races. The only thing is that tomorrow the forecast is for rain. Hopefully it’ll be dry because we’ve got a couple more things to do in the warm-up to prepare for the race”. More, from a press release issued by Klaffi Honda: BARROS FIFTH ON THE GRID Tomorrow Alex Barros will start from position five in the second row of the grid. In the second qualifying he finished 7th with a 1’39.858 lap time. Only some hours later he improved this time again. With a 1’39.419 he was the fifth fastest rider. Alex was pleased of his Klaffi Honda Fireblade. The new engine was better than before and powerful as he expected it to be. The suspension was also okay so best conditions for Alex to ride though he prefers the old style of the TT Circuit. His opinion is that the track lost a lot of its unique character. Alex Barros: “With the new engine we made a good step in the right direction. It is the way I prefer and we hope to continue like this. The view for tomorrow is very confidential. The position in the grid is good and starts go very good. I think I have a good possibility to make a good job tomorrow in the case it is dry. In the rain it will be a surprise. But it will be a surprise for everybody.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: ‘MR SUPERPOLE’ IS BACK! There were problems in practice and qualifying, but when the time came for the going to get tough, Troy charged his way to yet another superb Superpole win – his third of the season and the 37th of his career. Despite having to start midway through the 16-rider Superpole group, Troy went out and immediately set the fastest time. Then, he had to sit around and watch all his faster rivals (from regular qualifying) try and outdo him – but none did! Troy’s lap of 1:38.965 was the fastest lap he had done all weekend and was enough to take Superpole. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) was second quickest, with Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama third. Completing the front row of the grid is series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) TROY 1st, 1:38.965 We had some problems in qualifying, particularly with the clutch and it took soem time for us to improve it. Also there were some grip problems and that together with the clutch meant that our practice and qualifying sessions did not go the way we would’ve liked. We changed a rear link in the afternoon untimed practice and that gave us a bit more feel. On race rubber, I was pretty happy throughout, it was just when we switched to the soft stuff that I had problems. When I started Superpole, I was thinking I’d be happy with a front row grid place, but as I watched the others after me, I realised that maybe, just maybe, it was going to turn out better then I had expected! It’s important to be on the front row here because the first four or five turns are so slow. The last thing you want is to be at the back of a five or six rider group exiting the hairpin. If that happens it’s going to be more then hard to get on the podium. I think all of us are going to have tyre problems tomorrow. The second part of the race is going to be very interesting and if you are able to conserve your tyres you have a good chance of a podium. It’s going to be a very long, hard day tomorrow and I hope it doesn’t rain because that’ll spoil it for everybody.

Pro Honda Oils AMA Supersport Championship Presented by Shoei Road Atlanta Braselton, Georgia September 2, 2006 Provisional Practice Times: 1. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:26.637 2. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R6), 1:26.707 3. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:27.072 4. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R600), 1:27.147 5. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600), 1:27.236 6. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R600), 1:27.348 7. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R600), 1:27.542 8. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:28.980 9. Tony Meiring (Suz GSX-R600), 1:29.002 10. Jeff Wood (Suz GSX-R600), 1:29.025 11. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R600), 1:29.907 12. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R6), 1:30.073 13. Michael Beck (Yam YZF-R6), 1:30.369 14. Shea Fouchek (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.451 15. Ryan Clay (Yam YZF-R6), 1:30.464 16. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R6), 1:30.480 17. Garrett Carter (Yam YZF-R6), 1:30.539 18. Akira Tamitsuji (Suz GSX-R600), 1:30.935 19. Keith Marshall (Suz GSX-R600), 1:31.093 20. Brandon Parrish (Suz GSX-R600), 1:31.125

Repsol Lubricants AMA Superstock Championship Road Atlanta Braselton, Georgia September 2 Provisional Practice Times: 1. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1 LE), 1:23.971 2. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R1 LE), 1:24.250 3. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:24.929 4. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:25.069 5. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:25.213 6. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1 LE), 1:25.464 7. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:25.910 8. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:26.050 9. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.114 10. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:26.302 11. Marty Craggill (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.367 12. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.368 13. Gary Mason (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.741 14. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:26.813 15. Matt Lynn (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.946 16. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:27.405 17. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:27.806 18. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:28.980 19. Brad Hendry (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:29.514 20. Andi Notman (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:29.640

The start of AMA practice was delayed Saturday morning at Road Atlanta due to a damp racing surface caused by overnight rains. It is not raining at Road Atlanta, and as of 9:30 a.m. local time, crews are currently working to expedite the drying of the surface. AMA Superstock practice was scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. A new, tentative start time of 9:35 a.m. has been announced. AMA Pro Racing hopes to make up some of the lost time by reducing the breaks between sessions. The weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday continues to call for partly cloudy skies, a 20% chance of isolated rain showers on both days and high temperatures in the mid-80s on both days.

FIM Supersport World Championship Assen, Holland September 2, 2006 Final Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Hon CBR600RR), 1:41.906 2. Kevin CURTAIN (Yam YZF-R6), 1:42.056 3. Broc PARKES (Yam YZF-R6), 1:42.170 4. Yoann TIBERIO (Hon CBR600RR), 1:42.320 5. Robbin HARMS (Hon CBR600RR), 1:42.388 6. Kai Borre ANDERSEN (Suz GSX-R600), 1:42.554 7. Barry VENEMAN (Suz GSX-R600), 1:42.559 8. Christian ZAISER (Duc 749R), 1:42.759 9. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Hon CBR600RR), 1:42.869 10. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Yam YZF-R6), 1:42.894 11. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yam YZF-R6), 1:42.933 12. Johan STIGEFELT (Hon CBR600RR), 1:43.002 13. Arie VOS (Hon CBR600RR), 1:43.057 14. David CHECA (Yam YZF-R6), 1:43.077 15. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Hon CBR600RR), 1:43.087 16. Gregory LEBLANC (Hon CBR600RR), 1:43.153 17. Gianluca NANNELLI (Duc 749R), 1:43.155 18. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Hon CBR600RR), 1:43.268 19. Chris PERIS (Yam YZF-R6), 1:43.410 20. Maxime BERGER (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:43.497 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: CHARPENTIER ON POLE FOR CRUCIAL ASSEN RACE Despite not making any improvement to his single best lap time from the first qualifying session on Friday, Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) will start Sunday’s 21-lap Assen Supersport race from an important pole position. Tied on points with second place Assen qualifier Kevin Curtain, Charpentier has earned an advantage off the line, which may prove important on Sunday. His team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) pushed hard in the final two laps of the day and improved from 12th on Friday to ninth today, and thus starts from the head of the third row. Dry yet cool weather greeted the start of both the final unofficial and timed qualifying sessions at Assen, but Charpentier was denied a chance to improve his time when a muscle spasm caused him to call a temporary halt, until he was checked over by medical staff. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “The majority of the job was done yesterday by Seb, doing a blistering lap around the new Assen circuit. Today we had some problems as he suddenly found a muscle in his back aching, and we had to get that checked and dealt with by the Clinica Mobile this afternoon. It should be OK for tomorrow because he did not have a crash, so the damage cannot be a lot. I feel a bit sorry for Kenan, because he improved quite a bit from yesterday and he was riding strongly, but he couldn’t get in that one perfect lap around here, and he made little mistakes all through his laps. But I am sure he is also up for a fight again tomorrow. We’ll definitely see him further up the times sheets tomorrow for the race.” Sebastien Charpentier Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Pole Position – Fastest Lap 1’41.906 – 25 Laps) “I wanted to improve my time from yesterday, and everything was set, but I twisted a muscle in my back and decided to stop. After such a big lay off from injury to my back it was the only safe thing. The race is tomorrow, not today. I will get it massaged later again to straighten it out and starting from pole should be perfect.” Kenan Sofuoglu Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (9th Position – Fastest Lap 1’42.869 – 34 Laps) “We made things better today with the set-up and my approach to this new style of Assen, but I just could not get in a completely clean lap. So I improved my time, but not as much as I wanted to. I know that a good start is essential and I’m sure I can make progress in real race conditions.”

FIM Superbike World Championship Assen, Holland September 2 Best Combined Qualifying Results (before Superpole): 1. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06), 1:39.025 2. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.410 3. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.434 4. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.434 5. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.728 6. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:39.743 7. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.858 8. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06), 1:39.888 9. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.968 10. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.978 11. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.191 12. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.380 13. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.397 14. Steve MARTIN (Foggy Petronas FP1), 1:40.458 15. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F05), 1:40.467 16. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.518 17. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.534 18. Norick ABE (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.671 19. Pierfrancesco CHILI (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:40.847 20. Josh BROOKES (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.970 21. Ivan CLEMENTI (Duc 999RS), 1:41.268 22. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:41.432 23. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:41.617 24. Marco BORCIANI (Duc 999F05), 1:41.711 25. Craig JONES (Foggy Petronas FP1), 1:41.789 26. Roberto ROLFO (Duc 999F05), 1:41.853 27. Kurtis ROBERTS (Duc 999RS), 1:42.741 28. Harry VAN BEEK (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:43.686

Three riders reported thefts of credit cards and cash from their wallets following AMA Supersport practice early Friday morning at Road Atlanta. Brandon Parrish, Dave Rosno and Skip Salenius all had items stolen from their individual pit areas during the practice session, which ran from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Friday. Fraudulent purchases were then made using the cards at the same local stores — Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Dick’s Sporting Goods early Friday morning. “They stole my debit card and a $100 bill,” Salenius told Roadracingworld.com Friday. “I got dressed to go out in the session at 8:15 a.m., and the purchases were made on my stolen card before 9:00 a.m.” “I reported it to the track, and they called the police for us,” said Parrish, who had one of his three credit cards stolen and $1000 of purchases charged on the card at local stores. “The track called us back when the police got here so we didn’t have to wait on them, so the track’s been super nice.” “I honestly thought I misplaced them, then I got a call from the fraud protection people at my credit card company,” said Rosno, who had two of his five credit cards stolen between 8:30 and 8:50 a.m. “Then I got a call from the second credit card company. They had to have been scoping us out because they had such a small window of opportunity.” Similar thefts occurred during the AMA Superbike event at Road Atlanta in 2005. AMA Pro Racing officials said they were aware of the thefts and were warning riders to secure their valuables. Officials with Road Atlanta were not available for comment at post time.