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Heat Races To Decide Superbike Grid At Final AMA Round At Mid-Ohio

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DUBLIN, Ohio Longtime Superbike supporter Dunlop Tire will serve as title sponsor of the qualifying races at the AMA Superbike Shootout at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, September 30 – October 1. The event will be the 2006 season finale of the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited and will feature a unique qualifying format titled the Dunlop Qualifying Races. The format will feature three heat races and a last chance qualifier (LCQ). The heat races and LCQ will be short, intense five-lap sprints. The top five riders from each heat race and the LCQ will make up the grid for the exclusive 20-rider final. It has been 16 years since AMA Pro Racing last used heat races to determine grids for the final at regular series races. “We’re pleased to be associated with motorcycle racing, Mid-Ohio, and such a unique and exciting event,” said Dunlop Tire Vice President of Motorcycles Mike Buckley. “The Shootout is a great concept and the intensity of the Dunlop Qualifying Races should make it even more so. We’re certainly looking forward to it.” “We’ve enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Dunlop and are excited to have them involved in this unique new event,” said TrueSports, Incorporated President Michelle Trueman Gajoch. “We were looking to create something truly exceptional with the Shootout, and the support of the AMA and Dunlop has made that happen.” The qualifying races will be held on Saturday of race weekend, while the AMA Superbike Shootout will be run on Sunday. In addition to five Superbike races, the weekend also will feature championship-crowning events in the AMA Supersport, Superstock and Formula Xtreme classes. Tickets for the AMA Superbike Shootout at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course are available now by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or logging on to www.midohio.com. Dunlop is a global tire brand with an excellent reputation among performance car enthusiasts. Well known for its prestigious original-equipment fitments and sports car racing heritage, Dunlop is also a key supplier to sport compact enthusiasts featuring “tuner” tire sizes and race series sponsorships. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a 2.4-mile, 15-turn permanent road racing circuit in Lexington, Ohio. 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.

AMA Pro Racing Credential Holders Can Propose New Rules Online

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Effective immediately, anyone holding an AMA Pro Racing credential will be able to use the internet to propose new rules. A just-completed section on the AMA Pro Racing website enables AMA credential holders to suggest a new technical rule or a revision to an existing technical rule. Once an idea for a rule is submitted online by a qualified individual, an e-mail alert will be sent to all credential holders in that particular discipline who have an e-mail address on file. A comment period will begin allowing credential holders to comment on the proposed rule. At the conclusion of the comment period, all relative information will be placed in a report for presentation to the respective AMA Rules Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. As announced earlier this year, and as part of a series of changes made to the rules making process, discipline-specific Rules Committees have been formed for each of AMA Pro Racing’s professional racing series. Meeting biannually, these Rules Committees are responsible for the development of technical rules. All rules proposals are ultimately approved by the AMA Board of Directors. “This is another important step in the path towards our new rules-making objectives,” said AMA CEO Patti DiPietro about the online rules submission. “During the last several months we have created an all new Racing Committee to set the strategic direction for AMA Championship Racing and five new Rules Committees to help develop rules for each series. Now, with this project complete, we have added the infrastructure that will allow anybody holding an AMA credential to be part of the process.” Specific details are located in the Rules and Bulletins section of www.amaproracing.com. Participants can log on by typing in their AMA membership number (found on their AMA credential) and ZIP code. To submit a new technical rule or a revision to an existing technical rule, participants must be credentialed for that specific discipline. The status of submitted proposals will be posted online at the conclusion of the next regularly-scheduled Rules Committee meeting. For additional information contact AMA Pro Racing Director of Technical Development, Kevin Crowther at 614-856-1900.

Road Atlanta Celebrates 35th Anniversary Of Hosting AMA National Road Races

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PICKERINGTON, Ohio – When the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited visits Road Atlanta this Labor Day weekend, Friday, Sept. 1 through Sunday Sept. 3, for the Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Makita, it will mark the 35th anniversary of the very first AMA road race national held at the scenic facility in Braselton, Ga. In 1971 Australian native Kel Carruthers won the AMA national at Road Atlanta. Carruthers is now in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. This year possible future Hall of Famers Ben Spies and Mat Mladin will continue their battle for the 2006 AMA Superbike Championship. Spies, the 22-year-old second year Superbike rider from Longview, Texas, holds a 29-point lead over Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Mladin. For the first time this season the title race is solely down to Spies and Mladin. Despite turning in a strong showing at the doubleheader two weeks ago at Virginia International Raceway Honda’s Miguel Duhamel, who is third in the standings, was mathematically eliminated from championship contention. Spies’ lead in the standings was as high as 45 points before he broke his right hand in qualifying at the last round in Alton, Va., and finished second and fourth at VIR. His fourth-place in race two at VIR was the first time Spies has finished off the podium this season. The Texan will not be fully healed in time for Atlanta, but he hopes to finish somewhere in the top three at both of Road Atlanta’s races to give him a solid lead going into the series finale in Lexington, Ohio, on Oct. 1. “I’m fortunate that I had as big of a lead as I did when I broke my hand,” said Spies, who has the opportunity at Road Atlanta to tie or break the single-season win record in AMA Superbike. “I’m going to Atlanta with the idea of making it through without too much more damage to my lead in the championship. A lot depends on how my hand feels. Hopefully the adrenaline will kick in and I won’t notice it too much.” Mladin seemed almost resigned to turning over his crown to Spies after falling 45 points behind in the standings. And while he still thinks the championship is Spies’ to lose, Mladin at least comes into Road Atlanta with some hope of retaining his title. “All we can do is try and win,” said Mladin after sweeping the VIR doubleheader. “In Atlanta [testing] we found a few things with the bike, and I almost feel like 2005. It’s something that we really haven’t had this year as much as I’d like. But that’s the way it goes. I look forward to Atlanta. The test was good for us. We were pretty fast. I really enjoy the racetrack. I’ve done very good there. If we can get a couple more in, we can keep the pressure on.” Mladin has a record seven AMA Superbike wins at Road Atlanta. Honda’s Duhamel keeps closing the gap on the leading Suzuki riders. The 1995 AMA Superbike champ who hails from LaSalle, Quebec, but now lives in Las Vegas, says the veteran riders still have something to say in the series despite a youth movement. “We get older, but we might get meaner,” Duhamel said. “You get bitter when you get old. We don’t want to let it go. We ride really hard and we’re not going to give nothing away, that’s for sure. You’re going to have to come over and take it away.” Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke is the only other rider besides Spies and Mladin to earn a victory this season. He is hoping for another win this weekend. Georgia’s own Aaron Yates is facing an uncertain 2007. He appears to be leaving Yoshimura Suzuki after 10 successful years on the squad. A victory at Road Atlanta would be a tremendous resume builder for Yates. “My last win was there last year, the final race of the year,” Yates said. “That track is one that you can get up there and you get in such a rhythm, and you just flow around the place. We had a really good test there, or a pretty decent test, a couple of weeks ago. It helps having friends and folks and family and all that up there cheering for you. And plus just being close to home. It doesn’t take so long to get there and get home. I’m looking forward to going there, for sure.” Also making their swan song at Road Atlanta will be the factory Ducati Superbikes of Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom. Ducati has announced that it will temporarily leave the series while developing a new Superbike. Kawasaki’s Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden always have a strong following of fans coming down from Owensboro, Ky. The Kawasaki ZX-10RR has shown rapid improvement in the factory’s first season back in Superbike after a couple of year’s absence. Tommy, the eldest of the three racing Hayden brothers, scored his first-career AMA Superbike podium earlier in the season when he finished second in Monterey, Calif. Georgia has long been a hotbed of motorcycle road racing with riders like Dale Singleton, Doug Brauneck, Scott Russell and Yates coming from the Peach State. A new crop of up-and-comers are hoping to follow in the footsteps of those champions. Superbike riders such as Matt Lynn from Ball Ground and David Weber of Alpharetta are hoping to have a good showing at their home track. The Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Makita will be televised on SPEED. Saturday’s will be shown on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 2:00 pm eastern, while Sunday’s race will air on a same day tape-delayed basis starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern. For additional information call 800-849-RACE or visit the website www.roadatlanta.com. WHAT: The Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Makita, rounds 17 and 18 of the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. WHERE: Road Atlanta is located in Braselton, Ga., about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, Take I-85 to Exit 129, Go West on Highway 53 approximately 5.5 miles Road Atlanta is on the left. WHEN: Sept. 1-3, 2006 COURSE: Road Atlanta’s 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course SCHEDULE: Friday, Sept. 1 Practice begins 8:30 a.m., qualifying at 2:00 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 2 Practice begin at 8:30 a.m., Superbike race one at 3:00 p.m., Formula Xtreme final at 4:00 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 3 – Practice begins at 8:30 a.m., Superstock final at noon, Supersport final at 1:30 p.m., Superbike race two at 3:00 p.m. TICKETS: Call 800-849-RACE Toll Free or on the web at www.roadatlanta.com.

Updated: Three Americans Make Red Bull Rookies Cup Final Run-off

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Three Americans made it through to the Wednesday Run-off with 40 other riders from around the globe. 20 will be chosen tomorrow in a special run-off. Great job to; Cameron Beaubier, JD Beach and Kris Turner A report of the day’s events will be available later on ~http://www.coolskunk.com~. The boys face-off at 8 AM Wed. morning and I am confident we will end up with representation in the series. All the riders represented the United States in an awesome way. We should not only be proud of each and everyone, we should applaud their tenacity to do what no one else has done in the face of such a challenge. Great job to the riders and my hat is off to all the families that sacrificed to make this opportunity happen. What a phenomenal experience. Philip Rispoli Coolskunk KyDs Racing Team Founder Attica, New York

On An American’s Experience At The Red Bull Rookie’s Cup

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Just a little update from Corey’s perspective. The decisions for today haven’t been made, but here is what has happened so far. I just got off the phone with Corey and he is having a great time. They are sending all of the kids out by their country of origin for their 9-lap try out, so the American kids are hanging out and making friends with one another, which is great to hear. They are all having a good time hanging together. When they arrived at the track, all of the riders and parents were taken to a conference room to be debriefed. Once the conference was over, the kids are taken away from the parents and taken to the paddock to get introduced to the bike. The parents are kept separate on purpose”¦..they don’t need the added pressure, which I agree with. After the first day of testing, no Americans were picked to advance to the second round. The two-day session was split up. Half of the US kids tried on Mon. and then second half were slated for today. Corey’s run off day was today (the second day) and again, none of the Americans did very well. I knew that there was a different level of riding with the European kids, but given some of the things that happened, I wonder how far off we were. I’m being told that the Americans were 4 8 seconds off the pace of the European kids, but what follows says someone should look into the process. Before he took off, Corey looked at his tires and wondered how much life was left”¦.he asked if they were able to make any setting or tire changes”¦.they Said yeah, yeah and gave him his bike. Corey took off doing what appeared to be three or four pretty fast laps”¦.then all of a sudden, he was losing traction. He said he almost lost it in a few times and that the bike was pushing all over the place and that he could never get any real confidence in his machine. He wanted to push the bike more, but either the suspension or the tires were going away. Given that they were only given 9 laps, Corey did all he could with what he had, he didn’t want to waist time going in for an adjustment. Some of the other US kids did come in to see if anything could be done and they were just sent back out. When Corey was done, he told a technician that his tires were gone. He got the same response and they took the bike back from him. After his ride, he was allowed to go back with his mom and a family friend who was able to go along for the trip. When they heard what Corey said, they put the math together and realized that these bikes have over 90 laps on them by the time the US kids were able to get one them. Another parent whose son races Metrakits here in the States, says that all of the bikes suspensions were set up to work with a very light 10 year old. The only thing they were doing to the bikes was gassing them up or blowing them off if they crashed. I’m no expert, but I know we can’t get 90 laps our of our race tires and I know there are varying weights and riding styles in those bikes. Did they set those bikes up for the kind of rider they were looking for, who knows? The ones he was riding on had been ridden on all day”¦had at least 90 laps on them. By the luck of the draw (two days in a row), the Americans got to go last for the day and from what I’m hearing, none of them were on pace, but only 4 8 seconds off of the best times, which is good considering the circumstances. Corey felt that he could have done better given the same variables that the kids at the beginning of the day received. There were no official times posted or information given. Even after the try out, no one is given the opportunity to ask questions. Like I said, no decision was made as of yet, but no matter the decision, I’m proud of all of the kids who went over there and hung it out on the line. Jeremy Pupillo Liverpool, New York

Preview Of This Weekend’s World Superbike Race In Assen

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Assen (Holland) After a three-week break, the World SBK Championship is on the move once more. The four classes are ready to face arguably the most prestigious circuit in the series, frequently called the “The university of motorcycling” – a venue which has been redesigned for this season. In 2005 Chris Vermeulen and Honda won both SBK races, in what is a home event for the Ten Kate team. This time the contenders will be many and various and each will start the weekend with great expectations of at least one first place finish. Haga and Bayliss are the two main contenders for the title, while third place man James Toseland is surely thinking about renewing his contract with the Ten Kate team which he joined this season. Together with these riders Andrew Pitt has also proved to be irrefutably fast on his Yamaha, and will doubtless be helping “Nitro Nori” to shrink the gap to the leader Bayliss, while another Australian, Corser (racing with the number one plate), will be working in conjunction with his team mate Kagayama to score more podiums, and shut down the rumors about his future. An interesting weekend is promised, and one that could also provide surprises from several other riders, like Klaffi Honda rider Alex Barros, the three Kawasaki contenders or Italian Lorenzo Lanzi, for example. This being the Netherlands, weather may also play an important role. It is always hard to forecast the weather in this part of the world and a brilliant result would be simply to have the same consistency of underfoot conditions for the whole weekend, allowing the teams to find an optimum setup for the race. Once again, setup will be the key to ultimate race performance: the 4,750m Assen track will prove to be very demanding for the riders – and for the tyres too – and the right setup will grant the tyres both better and longer lasting performance. For this round Pirelli will bring three different solutions of front tyre for the SBK class (as always every rider will have at his disposal 11 front tyres plus rubber for the two races) in the usual size of 120/75. Two of those fronts were also available at Brands Hatch while the other one is a well-known solution available on the global market under the name of Pirelli DIABLO SUPERBIKE “SC2″. (The “A” for Assen was the “C” in Brands, while the “C” was the “D” at Brands). On the rear there will be four available solutions (plus a qualifier). Three different compounds, but the “B” (only decided on after the Brno race) has also been used on the bigger, 200 mm tyre, already used this year on other racetracks like Misano. In Supersport the fight will, if anything, be even harder, with Curtain and Charpentier racing for the world title with their Yamaha and Honda machines. Two fronts and two rears will also be available for Supersport, a class which races on Pirelli DIABLO SUPERCORSA, and counting the Superstock 600 DIABLO CORSA III and the Superstock 1000 DRAGON SUPERCORSA, Pirelli will bring almost 6,000 units in total to Assen.

More From The British Superbike Races At Cadwell Park

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MIXED FORTUNES FOR HAWK KAWASAKI British Superbikes – Cadwell Park – Round 11 Varying weather conditions played a crucial part this weekend for Hawk Kawasaki, at the eleventh round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park, Monday 28th August. The three Hawk riders, Dean Thomas, Craig Coxhell and Peter Hickman scored a mixed bag of results in the two races around the technical and twisty 2.17-mile circuit. Thomas who is still recovering from serious injuries, found the weekend’s racing hard going on the unforgiving circuit and claimed a strong eighth and 11th place respectively. After qualifying his ZX10-R in 12th position the 33-year-old Australian knew he had a lot of work to do in the two 18-lap races. Commenting he said, “I knew Cadwell would be physically hard for me. I am still recovering from the crash I had at Snetterton where I broke some ribs and punctured a lung. Cadwell is a demanding circuit when you are fully fit and so I had a feeling that I would have my work cut out. The weather didn’t help matters as it made it a gamble when it came to tyre choice. I managed to score points in both races and hopefully I can improve on these results at Silverstone in a few weeks times.” Craig Coxhell suffered a number of problems over the weekend and could only salvage 16th place during the 50 minute qualifying session on Sunday. From that the young Australian managed to gain a seventh place in the first race. An incident in the second race saw him lose his chain at the Mountain Section, a visit to the pit garage saw this problem rectified and allowed Coxhell to rejoin the race and a lap down and finish in 17th position overall. “Cadwell is certainly not one of my favourite circuits and I just seemed to have problem after problem. It was a difficult weekend for me, but getting seventh in the first race made me feel a little better about everything. I crashed on Sunday at the top of the Mountain so I was feeling a slightly second hand and bruised during the races. I had an issue with my chain in the second race and I had to pull into the pits to get it fixed. I’m certainly looking forward to moving onto Silverstone from here as it’s one of the few British Circuits that I know fairly well.” Coxhell said. Young Rookie rider Peter Hickman had a varied weekend and gained a 14th and 15th positions in the two races. The local rider certainly impressed a number of people when he managed to qualify in 11th place on the grid, just in front of his elder team-mate Dean Thomas. The two races were full of excitement for the 19-year-old. After stalling his bike on the start of race one ‘Hicky’ had to start from the back of the field and worked his way through to a creditable point scoring position. Speaking with him “I’ve enjoyed this weekend and I know every weekend my confidence is growing. Cadwell is my local circuit, which I know well and I wanted to get some good results here, which I think I did. I had a couple of problems in both races but I know as the year has progressed, I feel like I have made some big steps forward in the right direction. Once again thanks to all the team for working so hard.” Superbike Race One Result: 1, Gregorio Lavilla Ducati 2, Leon Haslam Ducati 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari Honda 4, Shane Byrne Suzuki 5, Tommy Hill Yamaha 6, Glen Richards Honda 7, Craig Coxhell Hawk Kawasaki 8, Dean Thomas Hawk Kawasaki 9, Jon Kirkham Suzuki 10, Karl Harris Honda 14, Peter Hickman Hawk Kawasaki Superbike Race Two Result: 1, Leon Haslam Ducati 2, Gregorio Lavilla Ducati 3, Jonathan Rea Honda 4, Tommy Hill Yamaha 5, Karl Harris Honda 6, Steve Plater Suzuki 7, Michael Laverty Honda 8, Ben Wilson Suzuki 9, Glen Richards Honda 10, Billy McConnell Yamaha 11, Dean Thomas Hawk Kawasaki 15, Peter Hickman Hawk Kawasaki 17, Craig Coxhell Hawk Kawasaki More, from a press release issued by Centurion Racing: ANOTHER SUPERSPORT CUP WIN FOR SPALDING 19-year-old Pete Spalding carried on his winning form this weekend at Cadwell Park, Monday 28th August. The youngster who tied up the British Supersport Cup Championship at Croft took his tenth win from ten races at the technical Lincolnshire Circuit. Spalding was running well all weekend and managed to qualify in a strong 15th position on the grid. A strong start saw him move through the pack to tenth but he slowly dropped off the pace and was struggling to stay with the front runners. In the drying condition tyre choice caused a problem with all the teams and the majority of the pack opting for full wets, including Spalding. A last lap manoeuvre on Aaron Walker saw him take the lead of the Cup riders and bring his Centurion Racing Honda home in a low 20th position overall. Speaking with the New Milton based rider he said “I was struggling throughout the race with a trapped nerve in my elbow, which was causing me to have no feeling on the brakes. It was giving me a lot of grief and I didn’t want to push to hard due to the lack of strength I was feeling. I’m not happy with my result today as I know I can ride much better than that. Cadwell is a difficult circuit and I ensured that I did as many laps as possible during practice and qualifying to learn the track a bit more. I’m hoping Silverstone will see me get a better result in the Overall Championship.” Team Manager Gary Stubbington said “We are a little disappointed with Pete’s overall result even though he did win the Cup race. We will be sitting down together as a team and discussing what went wrong and how to move things forward for Silverstone in a few weeks time. We know the tricky weather conditions did play a small part in proceedings but hopefully we will be back on track for Silverstone.” British Supersport Cup Race Result: Pete Spalding Centurion Racing Honda Aaron Walker Honda Christian Elkin Triumph Rob Sketchley Honda Cup Championship Points: Pete Spalding 250 Aaron Walker 166 Christian Elkin 116 Mike Goodfellow 81

Pegram Competes In Supermoto Classic In Between AMA Superbike Races

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Hebron, Ohio Larry Pegram of LeoVince Pegram Racing Honda Team (a professional AMA Superbike Race Team) raced at the Fay Myers Suzuki Supermoto Classic this past weekend in downtown Denver, CO at Invesco Field. The AMA Supermoto Doubleheader was part of Cyclefest. Larry raced in the Supermoto Lites class on a KTM 250SX-F. “I really enjoy Supermoto racing and plan to do more of it in the future. Supermoto represents a great opportunity to leverage off the recent growth in motocross and superbike racing. In addition, the events can be readily staged in downtown areas and the fan experience is excellent,” said Larry. Larry came in 4th place in Friday’s race and then placed 22nd on Saturday after pulling off the track at lap nine. “I decided to cut off early on Saturday to make sure I am healthy for Road Atlanta. The rain this weekend made things a bit sketchy and the whoops section definitely played to the advantage of the motocross guys,” commented Larry. The race was at a good time in between superbike race weekends at VIR and Road Atlanta. This is Larry’s third AMA Supermoto race this season. He took sixth place at the Waterford Hills Road Racing Track back in early July. Larry is currently in tenth place in the AMA Superbike Championship Series with only two races left in the series. The LeoVince Pegram Racing Honda Team will next compete in the tenth round of the AMA Superbike Series at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA, September 1 3, 2006. About LeoVince Pegram Racing Honda Team Hebron, Ohio-based LeoVince Pegram Racing Honda Team is a professional superbike race team competing in the AMA Superbike Championship. The team is owned and managed by Larry Pegram, a Superbike Champion and third-generation motorcycle racer. Ryan Elleby of Powder Springs, Georgia also races for the team. The team competes in the Superbike, Formula Extreme and Supersport classes on Honda CBR1000RR and CBR600RR motorcycles. The team web site is www.pegramracing.com.

“Speed On Two Wheels” Motorcycle Racing And Engineering Documentary Available On DVD

Cry Havoc Productions is excited to announce that an Extended Version of “Speed On Two Wheels” with an additional 15 minutes of never before seen footage is available for pre-order on DVD. The documentary, which premiered on Discovery’s Science Channel to rave reviews in April, showcases AMA stars Mat Mladin, Tommy Hayden, Roger Hayden and Aaron Yates and also features Nick Ienatsch explaining how motorcycles really work. “Speed On Two Wheels – The Extended Version” greatly expands on the cable broadcast version of the documentary and takes viewers even further into the world of modern sportbikes like never before. The show follows Kawasaki’s Road Racing Team, offers behind the scenes access at a private AMA testing event, a taste of Reg Pridmore’s CLASS course and takes you inside the famed Ducati Factory. Viewers will also learn about the artistry and the engineering of today’s two-wheeled rocketships and find out exactly what makes them tick. The program covers everything from how the average rider can improve their skills to how top racers dial-in their finely tuned machines. For more information and pricing visit ~http://www.speedontwowheels.com~.

Ducati’s Haslam Beats Teammate Lavilla In British Superbike Race 2 At Cadwell Park

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British Superbike Race 2 Cadwell Park Circuit Round 11 of 13 1. Leon HASLAM (Duc), 18 laps, 26:34.675 2. Gregorio LAVILLA (Duc), -5.859 seconds 3. Jonathan REA (Hon), -19.928 seconds 4. Tommy HILL (Yam), -23.784 seconds 5. Karl HARRIS (Hon), -24.399 seconds 6. Steve PLATER (Suz), -29.053 seconds 7. Michael LAVERTY (Hon), -29.668 seconds 8. Ben WILSON (Suz), -39.079 seconds 9. Glen RICHARDS (Hon), -40.892 seconds 10. Billy McCONNELL (Yam), -41.569 seconds 11. Dean THOMAS (Kaw), -44.231 seconds 12. Gary MASON (Hon), -53.380 seconds 13. Ollie BRIDEWELL (Suz), -54.472 seconds 14. Jon KIRKHAM (Kaw), -54.882 seconds 15. Peter HICKMAN (Kaw), -56.014 seconds 16. Michael HOWARTH (Kaw), -1 lap 17. Craig COXHELL (Kaw), -1 lap 18. Marty NUTT (Suz), -3 laps 19. Michael RUTTER (Hon), -7 laps, DNF 20. Shane BYRNE (Suz), -11 laps, DNF 21. Nick MEDD (Kaw), -14 laps, DNF 22. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Hon), -17 laps, DNF 23. Howie MAINWARING (Hon), -18 laps, DNF More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: BYRNE CRASHES OUT FIGHTING FOR 1ST Rizla Suzuki’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne crashed out unhurt while battling for the lead in the second race at the 11th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire today. After taking fourth in the opening race, held in wet but drying conditions, Byrne was in determined mood for the dry second race. He made an excellent start and led for the first lap before settling behind Gregorio Lavilla. The pair broke away from the pack and Shakey was closing in on the reigning Champion when he crashed on the exit to Charlie’s and retired. Steve Plater crashed out of the opening race when he was forced on to the wet line when two riders clashed in front of him. In the second race, aboard his spare bike, Steve took a season’s best of sixth place in front of his home fans. Ducati’s Gregorio Lavilla won the opening race and his team mate Leon Haslam the second. Rizla Suzuki will attend the official British Superbike test at Silverstone on Tuesday, September 5th, before returning to the circuit for the 12th round of the Championship on Sunday, September 17th. Shane Byrne: “I am gutted after crashing out in the second race. I was fighting Greg for the win and had the pace on him. I came out of Charlie’s as fast as I could when the front wheel skipped and then slid away. There was nothing I could do to avoid crashing. “Fourth in the opening race is okay but when you have the bike and ability to challenge for wins it isn’t what I want. The Rizla Suzuki is fast; we had a good package at Cadwell and knew we could run at the front. I’ve two more rounds left and want to get on the top step of the podium again.” Steve Plater: “Sixth is my best result of the season and while it isn’t a win, I am over the moon with the progress I have made with the Rizla Suzuki. The whole team deserves a result for their efforts supporting me thanks guys! “In the first race the two riders in front of me touched, I went off the dry line to avoid hitting them and crashed at low speed on the wet surface. Overall though, the top six was my target for this weekend and I achieved that. Thanks to all my home fans for cheering me on.” Robert Wicks – Team Manager: “The high of Shakey fighting for victory was tempered by him crashing out before the half-way point in the race. With Steve, his best finishing position of the season was contrasted by an unfortunate crash in race one, so it’s been a day of mixed emotions for Rizla Suzuki. “It’s also been a frustrating day, but on the positive side Shakey showed he has front row pace and Steve was able to make very good inroads through each session. “The weather at Cadwell was dramatic and so was the racing. The only thing missing for the team was the podium result we so dearly wanted and looked capable of achieving. We’ll be back at Silverstone testing soon and then on to the penultimate round of the season at the same venue on September 17th.” Race One Results: 1: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 28:04.401, 2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +5.307, 3: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +20.611, 4: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +30.238, 5: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +35.712, 6: Glen Richards (Honda) +35.823, 7: Craig Coxhell (Kawasaki) +45.755, 8: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +48.406, 9: Jon Kirkham (Kawasaki) +48.446, 10: Karl Harris (Honda) +49.815. DNF: 6: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki). Race Two Results: 1: Haslam 26:34.675, 2: Lavilla +5.859, 3: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +19.928, 4: Hill +23.784, 5: Harris +24.399, 6: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki) +29.053, 7: Michael Laverty (Honda) +29.668, 8: Ben Wilson (Suzuki) +39.079, 9: Richards +40.892, 10: Billy McConnell (Yamaha) +41.569. DNF: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki). Championship Standings (after 11 of 13 rounds): 1: Haslam 352, 2: Lavilla 337, 3: Kiyonari 326, 4: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) 211, 5=: Harris, Rea 192, 7: Laverty 152, 8: Hill 151, 9: Michael Rutter (Honda) 138, 10: Richards 104, 16: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki) 37, 17: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 36. More, from a press release issued by Stobart Motorsport: LUCKLESS DAY FOR STOBART RIDERS AT CADWELL PARK At the track where the Paul Bird Motorsport Team clinched their second successive British Superbike Championship title just three short years ago, it wasn’t a happy return to Cadwell Park for Stobart Motorsport riders Michael Rutter and Michael Laverty over the August Bank Holiday weekend as round eleven of the 2006 Bennetts British Superbike Championship was played out in front of another record crowd. After a number of problems had beset the VK and Vent Axia-backed team during Sunday’s free practice and Audi Performance Qualifying, triple series runner up Rutter started the day’s two races from row two of the grid with team mate Michael Laverty a row further back. With sunshine and showers interspersing the afternoon, tyre choice was always going to be critical and on both occasions, the team went with the incorrect options for the pair of 18 lap races. Just prior to race one, a thunderstorm soaked the track and at the last minute, team boss Paul Bird advised his pair of riders to go with wet weather tyres only for it to rapidly dry and leave Rutter and Laverty scrabbling for grip. Rutter eventually pitted and chanced to slicks but did feature in the results whilst Laverty struggled to 12th at the flag. Race two saw a damp track with threatening clouds and the two Stobart riders opted for an intermediate front tyre only for the track to once again dry and leave them languishing down the order. Rutter’s misery was compounded when he retired and Laverty was pipped for a top six position on the last lap. Commenting afterwards, Rutter said: “Tyre choice was the problem in the first race and I had to pull in after a problem in the second one too. There’s not much more to say.” Laverty added “In race one, we chose the wrong tyre so I dropped back and finished in twelfth. In race two the track was pretty much dry all the way round so I got some good lap times but Steve Plater got past me on the last hairpin so I was a bit annoyed to lose that place.” Team owner Paul Bird took full responsibility for his incorrect advice in race one but still left Cadwell disappointed: “When luck’s not going your way it doesn’t matter what you do and we’re just having one of those years. I nearly sacked myself after cocking up in race one so I left it to the boys in race two and it wasn’t much better. We just need to round off a forgettable season in style at the final two rounds and move on from here.” The next round of the championship takes place at Silverstone in three weeks time on 16th/17th September. More, from a press release issued by Bridewell Brothers British Motorcycle Racing: OLLIE RACKS UP THE POINTS AT STORMY CADWELL, TOMMY ‘S GAMBLE FAILS TO PAY OFF Wiltshire racing brothers Ollie and Tommy Bridewell, from Etchilhampton near Devizes, suffered mixed fortunes as the traditional British Bank Holiday weather wreaked havoc at round eleven of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, held at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire this weekend. With Sunday’s sunshine giving way to scattered thunderstorms on Monday, the two Vivaldi riders were hoping for some good results at a track which saw them both on the podium in 2005 but in front of yet another sell-out BSB crowd, tyre choice was to prove critical in the unsettled conditions. Having qualified in 18th place on his 1000cc Vivaldi Suzuki, 20 year old Ollie was impressive during the wet practice session prior to the opening 18 lap British Superbike Championship race and after a major tyre deliberation, Ollie’s team decided to opt for full wets on what turned out to be a rapidly drying track. As a result, Ollie had no option but to retire early in the race Race two proved more successful as once again a rain shower had dampened the 2.1 mile circuit but with dry tyres fitted, Ollie battled his way to 13th at the flag to add to five previous points scoring rides and to leave him in 21st place in the standings. “I was fourth fastest in the wet practice so if only it had rained for the duration of the race…” said Ollie. “It was pointless out there in the first race so I pulled in but I got my head down and was pleased with 13th place in race two which means we’ve salvaged something from the weekend. I was really hoping for something better here at Cadwell but we were unlucky with the weather and it becomes a lottery.” For 18 year old Tommy, he gambled on dry tyres on a decidedly wet track for the British Supersport Championship race but from his fifth row grid position, the 600cc Vivaldi Suzuki rider struggled in the early stages as the track remained damp. Eventually, after being lapped, he called it a day and although the track did dry marginally, it resulted in only his third non-scoring ride of the season. “We took a gamble and it didn’t pay off as the track didn’t dry as quickly as it did for Ollie’s superbike race. I’m bitterly diappointed as we’ve had a number of problems this weekend and it seems that no matter how hard I try, we still seem to be struggling. It’s certainly becoming a test of character and hopefully, we can make some good progress in the final two races” said Tommy. The next round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Silverstone on September 16th and 17th.

Heat Races To Decide Superbike Grid At Final AMA Round At Mid-Ohio

DUBLIN, Ohio Longtime Superbike supporter Dunlop Tire will serve as title sponsor of the qualifying races at the AMA Superbike Shootout at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, September 30 – October 1. The event will be the 2006 season finale of the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited and will feature a unique qualifying format titled the Dunlop Qualifying Races. The format will feature three heat races and a last chance qualifier (LCQ). The heat races and LCQ will be short, intense five-lap sprints. The top five riders from each heat race and the LCQ will make up the grid for the exclusive 20-rider final. It has been 16 years since AMA Pro Racing last used heat races to determine grids for the final at regular series races. “We’re pleased to be associated with motorcycle racing, Mid-Ohio, and such a unique and exciting event,” said Dunlop Tire Vice President of Motorcycles Mike Buckley. “The Shootout is a great concept and the intensity of the Dunlop Qualifying Races should make it even more so. We’re certainly looking forward to it.” “We’ve enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Dunlop and are excited to have them involved in this unique new event,” said TrueSports, Incorporated President Michelle Trueman Gajoch. “We were looking to create something truly exceptional with the Shootout, and the support of the AMA and Dunlop has made that happen.” The qualifying races will be held on Saturday of race weekend, while the AMA Superbike Shootout will be run on Sunday. In addition to five Superbike races, the weekend also will feature championship-crowning events in the AMA Supersport, Superstock and Formula Xtreme classes. Tickets for the AMA Superbike Shootout at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course are available now by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or logging on to www.midohio.com. Dunlop is a global tire brand with an excellent reputation among performance car enthusiasts. Well known for its prestigious original-equipment fitments and sports car racing heritage, Dunlop is also a key supplier to sport compact enthusiasts featuring “tuner” tire sizes and race series sponsorships. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a 2.4-mile, 15-turn permanent road racing circuit in Lexington, Ohio. 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.

AMA Pro Racing Credential Holders Can Propose New Rules Online

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Effective immediately, anyone holding an AMA Pro Racing credential will be able to use the internet to propose new rules. A just-completed section on the AMA Pro Racing website enables AMA credential holders to suggest a new technical rule or a revision to an existing technical rule. Once an idea for a rule is submitted online by a qualified individual, an e-mail alert will be sent to all credential holders in that particular discipline who have an e-mail address on file. A comment period will begin allowing credential holders to comment on the proposed rule. At the conclusion of the comment period, all relative information will be placed in a report for presentation to the respective AMA Rules Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. As announced earlier this year, and as part of a series of changes made to the rules making process, discipline-specific Rules Committees have been formed for each of AMA Pro Racing’s professional racing series. Meeting biannually, these Rules Committees are responsible for the development of technical rules. All rules proposals are ultimately approved by the AMA Board of Directors. “This is another important step in the path towards our new rules-making objectives,” said AMA CEO Patti DiPietro about the online rules submission. “During the last several months we have created an all new Racing Committee to set the strategic direction for AMA Championship Racing and five new Rules Committees to help develop rules for each series. Now, with this project complete, we have added the infrastructure that will allow anybody holding an AMA credential to be part of the process.” Specific details are located in the Rules and Bulletins section of www.amaproracing.com. Participants can log on by typing in their AMA membership number (found on their AMA credential) and ZIP code. To submit a new technical rule or a revision to an existing technical rule, participants must be credentialed for that specific discipline. The status of submitted proposals will be posted online at the conclusion of the next regularly-scheduled Rules Committee meeting. For additional information contact AMA Pro Racing Director of Technical Development, Kevin Crowther at 614-856-1900.

Road Atlanta Celebrates 35th Anniversary Of Hosting AMA National Road Races

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – When the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited visits Road Atlanta this Labor Day weekend, Friday, Sept. 1 through Sunday Sept. 3, for the Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Makita, it will mark the 35th anniversary of the very first AMA road race national held at the scenic facility in Braselton, Ga. In 1971 Australian native Kel Carruthers won the AMA national at Road Atlanta. Carruthers is now in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. This year possible future Hall of Famers Ben Spies and Mat Mladin will continue their battle for the 2006 AMA Superbike Championship. Spies, the 22-year-old second year Superbike rider from Longview, Texas, holds a 29-point lead over Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Mladin. For the first time this season the title race is solely down to Spies and Mladin. Despite turning in a strong showing at the doubleheader two weeks ago at Virginia International Raceway Honda’s Miguel Duhamel, who is third in the standings, was mathematically eliminated from championship contention. Spies’ lead in the standings was as high as 45 points before he broke his right hand in qualifying at the last round in Alton, Va., and finished second and fourth at VIR. His fourth-place in race two at VIR was the first time Spies has finished off the podium this season. The Texan will not be fully healed in time for Atlanta, but he hopes to finish somewhere in the top three at both of Road Atlanta’s races to give him a solid lead going into the series finale in Lexington, Ohio, on Oct. 1. “I’m fortunate that I had as big of a lead as I did when I broke my hand,” said Spies, who has the opportunity at Road Atlanta to tie or break the single-season win record in AMA Superbike. “I’m going to Atlanta with the idea of making it through without too much more damage to my lead in the championship. A lot depends on how my hand feels. Hopefully the adrenaline will kick in and I won’t notice it too much.” Mladin seemed almost resigned to turning over his crown to Spies after falling 45 points behind in the standings. And while he still thinks the championship is Spies’ to lose, Mladin at least comes into Road Atlanta with some hope of retaining his title. “All we can do is try and win,” said Mladin after sweeping the VIR doubleheader. “In Atlanta [testing] we found a few things with the bike, and I almost feel like 2005. It’s something that we really haven’t had this year as much as I’d like. But that’s the way it goes. I look forward to Atlanta. The test was good for us. We were pretty fast. I really enjoy the racetrack. I’ve done very good there. If we can get a couple more in, we can keep the pressure on.” Mladin has a record seven AMA Superbike wins at Road Atlanta. Honda’s Duhamel keeps closing the gap on the leading Suzuki riders. The 1995 AMA Superbike champ who hails from LaSalle, Quebec, but now lives in Las Vegas, says the veteran riders still have something to say in the series despite a youth movement. “We get older, but we might get meaner,” Duhamel said. “You get bitter when you get old. We don’t want to let it go. We ride really hard and we’re not going to give nothing away, that’s for sure. You’re going to have to come over and take it away.” Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke is the only other rider besides Spies and Mladin to earn a victory this season. He is hoping for another win this weekend. Georgia’s own Aaron Yates is facing an uncertain 2007. He appears to be leaving Yoshimura Suzuki after 10 successful years on the squad. A victory at Road Atlanta would be a tremendous resume builder for Yates. “My last win was there last year, the final race of the year,” Yates said. “That track is one that you can get up there and you get in such a rhythm, and you just flow around the place. We had a really good test there, or a pretty decent test, a couple of weeks ago. It helps having friends and folks and family and all that up there cheering for you. And plus just being close to home. It doesn’t take so long to get there and get home. I’m looking forward to going there, for sure.” Also making their swan song at Road Atlanta will be the factory Ducati Superbikes of Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom. Ducati has announced that it will temporarily leave the series while developing a new Superbike. Kawasaki’s Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden always have a strong following of fans coming down from Owensboro, Ky. The Kawasaki ZX-10RR has shown rapid improvement in the factory’s first season back in Superbike after a couple of year’s absence. Tommy, the eldest of the three racing Hayden brothers, scored his first-career AMA Superbike podium earlier in the season when he finished second in Monterey, Calif. Georgia has long been a hotbed of motorcycle road racing with riders like Dale Singleton, Doug Brauneck, Scott Russell and Yates coming from the Peach State. A new crop of up-and-comers are hoping to follow in the footsteps of those champions. Superbike riders such as Matt Lynn from Ball Ground and David Weber of Alpharetta are hoping to have a good showing at their home track. The Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Makita will be televised on SPEED. Saturday’s will be shown on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 2:00 pm eastern, while Sunday’s race will air on a same day tape-delayed basis starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern. For additional information call 800-849-RACE or visit the website www.roadatlanta.com. WHAT: The Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Makita, rounds 17 and 18 of the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. WHERE: Road Atlanta is located in Braselton, Ga., about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, Take I-85 to Exit 129, Go West on Highway 53 approximately 5.5 miles Road Atlanta is on the left. WHEN: Sept. 1-3, 2006 COURSE: Road Atlanta’s 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course SCHEDULE: Friday, Sept. 1 Practice begins 8:30 a.m., qualifying at 2:00 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 2 Practice begin at 8:30 a.m., Superbike race one at 3:00 p.m., Formula Xtreme final at 4:00 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 3 – Practice begins at 8:30 a.m., Superstock final at noon, Supersport final at 1:30 p.m., Superbike race two at 3:00 p.m. TICKETS: Call 800-849-RACE Toll Free or on the web at www.roadatlanta.com.

Updated: Three Americans Make Red Bull Rookies Cup Final Run-off

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Three Americans made it through to the Wednesday Run-off with 40 other riders from around the globe. 20 will be chosen tomorrow in a special run-off. Great job to; Cameron Beaubier, JD Beach and Kris Turner A report of the day’s events will be available later on ~http://www.coolskunk.com~. The boys face-off at 8 AM Wed. morning and I am confident we will end up with representation in the series. All the riders represented the United States in an awesome way. We should not only be proud of each and everyone, we should applaud their tenacity to do what no one else has done in the face of such a challenge. Great job to the riders and my hat is off to all the families that sacrificed to make this opportunity happen. What a phenomenal experience. Philip Rispoli Coolskunk KyDs Racing Team Founder Attica, New York

On An American’s Experience At The Red Bull Rookie’s Cup

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Just a little update from Corey’s perspective. The decisions for today haven’t been made, but here is what has happened so far. I just got off the phone with Corey and he is having a great time. They are sending all of the kids out by their country of origin for their 9-lap try out, so the American kids are hanging out and making friends with one another, which is great to hear. They are all having a good time hanging together. When they arrived at the track, all of the riders and parents were taken to a conference room to be debriefed. Once the conference was over, the kids are taken away from the parents and taken to the paddock to get introduced to the bike. The parents are kept separate on purpose”¦..they don’t need the added pressure, which I agree with. After the first day of testing, no Americans were picked to advance to the second round. The two-day session was split up. Half of the US kids tried on Mon. and then second half were slated for today. Corey’s run off day was today (the second day) and again, none of the Americans did very well. I knew that there was a different level of riding with the European kids, but given some of the things that happened, I wonder how far off we were. I’m being told that the Americans were 4 8 seconds off the pace of the European kids, but what follows says someone should look into the process. Before he took off, Corey looked at his tires and wondered how much life was left”¦.he asked if they were able to make any setting or tire changes”¦.they Said yeah, yeah and gave him his bike. Corey took off doing what appeared to be three or four pretty fast laps”¦.then all of a sudden, he was losing traction. He said he almost lost it in a few times and that the bike was pushing all over the place and that he could never get any real confidence in his machine. He wanted to push the bike more, but either the suspension or the tires were going away. Given that they were only given 9 laps, Corey did all he could with what he had, he didn’t want to waist time going in for an adjustment. Some of the other US kids did come in to see if anything could be done and they were just sent back out. When Corey was done, he told a technician that his tires were gone. He got the same response and they took the bike back from him. After his ride, he was allowed to go back with his mom and a family friend who was able to go along for the trip. When they heard what Corey said, they put the math together and realized that these bikes have over 90 laps on them by the time the US kids were able to get one them. Another parent whose son races Metrakits here in the States, says that all of the bikes suspensions were set up to work with a very light 10 year old. The only thing they were doing to the bikes was gassing them up or blowing them off if they crashed. I’m no expert, but I know we can’t get 90 laps our of our race tires and I know there are varying weights and riding styles in those bikes. Did they set those bikes up for the kind of rider they were looking for, who knows? The ones he was riding on had been ridden on all day”¦had at least 90 laps on them. By the luck of the draw (two days in a row), the Americans got to go last for the day and from what I’m hearing, none of them were on pace, but only 4 8 seconds off of the best times, which is good considering the circumstances. Corey felt that he could have done better given the same variables that the kids at the beginning of the day received. There were no official times posted or information given. Even after the try out, no one is given the opportunity to ask questions. Like I said, no decision was made as of yet, but no matter the decision, I’m proud of all of the kids who went over there and hung it out on the line. Jeremy Pupillo Liverpool, New York

Preview Of This Weekend’s World Superbike Race In Assen

Assen (Holland) After a three-week break, the World SBK Championship is on the move once more. The four classes are ready to face arguably the most prestigious circuit in the series, frequently called the “The university of motorcycling” – a venue which has been redesigned for this season. In 2005 Chris Vermeulen and Honda won both SBK races, in what is a home event for the Ten Kate team. This time the contenders will be many and various and each will start the weekend with great expectations of at least one first place finish. Haga and Bayliss are the two main contenders for the title, while third place man James Toseland is surely thinking about renewing his contract with the Ten Kate team which he joined this season. Together with these riders Andrew Pitt has also proved to be irrefutably fast on his Yamaha, and will doubtless be helping “Nitro Nori” to shrink the gap to the leader Bayliss, while another Australian, Corser (racing with the number one plate), will be working in conjunction with his team mate Kagayama to score more podiums, and shut down the rumors about his future. An interesting weekend is promised, and one that could also provide surprises from several other riders, like Klaffi Honda rider Alex Barros, the three Kawasaki contenders or Italian Lorenzo Lanzi, for example. This being the Netherlands, weather may also play an important role. It is always hard to forecast the weather in this part of the world and a brilliant result would be simply to have the same consistency of underfoot conditions for the whole weekend, allowing the teams to find an optimum setup for the race. Once again, setup will be the key to ultimate race performance: the 4,750m Assen track will prove to be very demanding for the riders – and for the tyres too – and the right setup will grant the tyres both better and longer lasting performance. For this round Pirelli will bring three different solutions of front tyre for the SBK class (as always every rider will have at his disposal 11 front tyres plus rubber for the two races) in the usual size of 120/75. Two of those fronts were also available at Brands Hatch while the other one is a well-known solution available on the global market under the name of Pirelli DIABLO SUPERBIKE “SC2″. (The “A” for Assen was the “C” in Brands, while the “C” was the “D” at Brands). On the rear there will be four available solutions (plus a qualifier). Three different compounds, but the “B” (only decided on after the Brno race) has also been used on the bigger, 200 mm tyre, already used this year on other racetracks like Misano. In Supersport the fight will, if anything, be even harder, with Curtain and Charpentier racing for the world title with their Yamaha and Honda machines. Two fronts and two rears will also be available for Supersport, a class which races on Pirelli DIABLO SUPERCORSA, and counting the Superstock 600 DIABLO CORSA III and the Superstock 1000 DRAGON SUPERCORSA, Pirelli will bring almost 6,000 units in total to Assen.

More From The British Superbike Races At Cadwell Park

MIXED FORTUNES FOR HAWK KAWASAKI British Superbikes – Cadwell Park – Round 11 Varying weather conditions played a crucial part this weekend for Hawk Kawasaki, at the eleventh round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park, Monday 28th August. The three Hawk riders, Dean Thomas, Craig Coxhell and Peter Hickman scored a mixed bag of results in the two races around the technical and twisty 2.17-mile circuit. Thomas who is still recovering from serious injuries, found the weekend’s racing hard going on the unforgiving circuit and claimed a strong eighth and 11th place respectively. After qualifying his ZX10-R in 12th position the 33-year-old Australian knew he had a lot of work to do in the two 18-lap races. Commenting he said, “I knew Cadwell would be physically hard for me. I am still recovering from the crash I had at Snetterton where I broke some ribs and punctured a lung. Cadwell is a demanding circuit when you are fully fit and so I had a feeling that I would have my work cut out. The weather didn’t help matters as it made it a gamble when it came to tyre choice. I managed to score points in both races and hopefully I can improve on these results at Silverstone in a few weeks times.” Craig Coxhell suffered a number of problems over the weekend and could only salvage 16th place during the 50 minute qualifying session on Sunday. From that the young Australian managed to gain a seventh place in the first race. An incident in the second race saw him lose his chain at the Mountain Section, a visit to the pit garage saw this problem rectified and allowed Coxhell to rejoin the race and a lap down and finish in 17th position overall. “Cadwell is certainly not one of my favourite circuits and I just seemed to have problem after problem. It was a difficult weekend for me, but getting seventh in the first race made me feel a little better about everything. I crashed on Sunday at the top of the Mountain so I was feeling a slightly second hand and bruised during the races. I had an issue with my chain in the second race and I had to pull into the pits to get it fixed. I’m certainly looking forward to moving onto Silverstone from here as it’s one of the few British Circuits that I know fairly well.” Coxhell said. Young Rookie rider Peter Hickman had a varied weekend and gained a 14th and 15th positions in the two races. The local rider certainly impressed a number of people when he managed to qualify in 11th place on the grid, just in front of his elder team-mate Dean Thomas. The two races were full of excitement for the 19-year-old. After stalling his bike on the start of race one ‘Hicky’ had to start from the back of the field and worked his way through to a creditable point scoring position. Speaking with him “I’ve enjoyed this weekend and I know every weekend my confidence is growing. Cadwell is my local circuit, which I know well and I wanted to get some good results here, which I think I did. I had a couple of problems in both races but I know as the year has progressed, I feel like I have made some big steps forward in the right direction. Once again thanks to all the team for working so hard.” Superbike Race One Result: 1, Gregorio Lavilla Ducati 2, Leon Haslam Ducati 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari Honda 4, Shane Byrne Suzuki 5, Tommy Hill Yamaha 6, Glen Richards Honda 7, Craig Coxhell Hawk Kawasaki 8, Dean Thomas Hawk Kawasaki 9, Jon Kirkham Suzuki 10, Karl Harris Honda 14, Peter Hickman Hawk Kawasaki Superbike Race Two Result: 1, Leon Haslam Ducati 2, Gregorio Lavilla Ducati 3, Jonathan Rea Honda 4, Tommy Hill Yamaha 5, Karl Harris Honda 6, Steve Plater Suzuki 7, Michael Laverty Honda 8, Ben Wilson Suzuki 9, Glen Richards Honda 10, Billy McConnell Yamaha 11, Dean Thomas Hawk Kawasaki 15, Peter Hickman Hawk Kawasaki 17, Craig Coxhell Hawk Kawasaki More, from a press release issued by Centurion Racing: ANOTHER SUPERSPORT CUP WIN FOR SPALDING 19-year-old Pete Spalding carried on his winning form this weekend at Cadwell Park, Monday 28th August. The youngster who tied up the British Supersport Cup Championship at Croft took his tenth win from ten races at the technical Lincolnshire Circuit. Spalding was running well all weekend and managed to qualify in a strong 15th position on the grid. A strong start saw him move through the pack to tenth but he slowly dropped off the pace and was struggling to stay with the front runners. In the drying condition tyre choice caused a problem with all the teams and the majority of the pack opting for full wets, including Spalding. A last lap manoeuvre on Aaron Walker saw him take the lead of the Cup riders and bring his Centurion Racing Honda home in a low 20th position overall. Speaking with the New Milton based rider he said “I was struggling throughout the race with a trapped nerve in my elbow, which was causing me to have no feeling on the brakes. It was giving me a lot of grief and I didn’t want to push to hard due to the lack of strength I was feeling. I’m not happy with my result today as I know I can ride much better than that. Cadwell is a difficult circuit and I ensured that I did as many laps as possible during practice and qualifying to learn the track a bit more. I’m hoping Silverstone will see me get a better result in the Overall Championship.” Team Manager Gary Stubbington said “We are a little disappointed with Pete’s overall result even though he did win the Cup race. We will be sitting down together as a team and discussing what went wrong and how to move things forward for Silverstone in a few weeks time. We know the tricky weather conditions did play a small part in proceedings but hopefully we will be back on track for Silverstone.” British Supersport Cup Race Result: Pete Spalding Centurion Racing Honda Aaron Walker Honda Christian Elkin Triumph Rob Sketchley Honda Cup Championship Points: Pete Spalding 250 Aaron Walker 166 Christian Elkin 116 Mike Goodfellow 81

Pegram Competes In Supermoto Classic In Between AMA Superbike Races

Hebron, Ohio Larry Pegram of LeoVince Pegram Racing Honda Team (a professional AMA Superbike Race Team) raced at the Fay Myers Suzuki Supermoto Classic this past weekend in downtown Denver, CO at Invesco Field. The AMA Supermoto Doubleheader was part of Cyclefest. Larry raced in the Supermoto Lites class on a KTM 250SX-F. “I really enjoy Supermoto racing and plan to do more of it in the future. Supermoto represents a great opportunity to leverage off the recent growth in motocross and superbike racing. In addition, the events can be readily staged in downtown areas and the fan experience is excellent,” said Larry. Larry came in 4th place in Friday’s race and then placed 22nd on Saturday after pulling off the track at lap nine. “I decided to cut off early on Saturday to make sure I am healthy for Road Atlanta. The rain this weekend made things a bit sketchy and the whoops section definitely played to the advantage of the motocross guys,” commented Larry. The race was at a good time in between superbike race weekends at VIR and Road Atlanta. This is Larry’s third AMA Supermoto race this season. He took sixth place at the Waterford Hills Road Racing Track back in early July. Larry is currently in tenth place in the AMA Superbike Championship Series with only two races left in the series. The LeoVince Pegram Racing Honda Team will next compete in the tenth round of the AMA Superbike Series at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA, September 1 3, 2006. About LeoVince Pegram Racing Honda Team Hebron, Ohio-based LeoVince Pegram Racing Honda Team is a professional superbike race team competing in the AMA Superbike Championship. The team is owned and managed by Larry Pegram, a Superbike Champion and third-generation motorcycle racer. Ryan Elleby of Powder Springs, Georgia also races for the team. The team competes in the Superbike, Formula Extreme and Supersport classes on Honda CBR1000RR and CBR600RR motorcycles. The team web site is www.pegramracing.com.

“Speed On Two Wheels” Motorcycle Racing And Engineering Documentary Available On DVD

Cry Havoc Productions is excited to announce that an Extended Version of “Speed On Two Wheels” with an additional 15 minutes of never before seen footage is available for pre-order on DVD. The documentary, which premiered on Discovery’s Science Channel to rave reviews in April, showcases AMA stars Mat Mladin, Tommy Hayden, Roger Hayden and Aaron Yates and also features Nick Ienatsch explaining how motorcycles really work. “Speed On Two Wheels – The Extended Version” greatly expands on the cable broadcast version of the documentary and takes viewers even further into the world of modern sportbikes like never before. The show follows Kawasaki’s Road Racing Team, offers behind the scenes access at a private AMA testing event, a taste of Reg Pridmore’s CLASS course and takes you inside the famed Ducati Factory. Viewers will also learn about the artistry and the engineering of today’s two-wheeled rocketships and find out exactly what makes them tick. The program covers everything from how the average rider can improve their skills to how top racers dial-in their finely tuned machines. For more information and pricing visit ~http://www.speedontwowheels.com~.

Ducati’s Haslam Beats Teammate Lavilla In British Superbike Race 2 At Cadwell Park

British Superbike Race 2 Cadwell Park Circuit Round 11 of 13 1. Leon HASLAM (Duc), 18 laps, 26:34.675 2. Gregorio LAVILLA (Duc), -5.859 seconds 3. Jonathan REA (Hon), -19.928 seconds 4. Tommy HILL (Yam), -23.784 seconds 5. Karl HARRIS (Hon), -24.399 seconds 6. Steve PLATER (Suz), -29.053 seconds 7. Michael LAVERTY (Hon), -29.668 seconds 8. Ben WILSON (Suz), -39.079 seconds 9. Glen RICHARDS (Hon), -40.892 seconds 10. Billy McCONNELL (Yam), -41.569 seconds 11. Dean THOMAS (Kaw), -44.231 seconds 12. Gary MASON (Hon), -53.380 seconds 13. Ollie BRIDEWELL (Suz), -54.472 seconds 14. Jon KIRKHAM (Kaw), -54.882 seconds 15. Peter HICKMAN (Kaw), -56.014 seconds 16. Michael HOWARTH (Kaw), -1 lap 17. Craig COXHELL (Kaw), -1 lap 18. Marty NUTT (Suz), -3 laps 19. Michael RUTTER (Hon), -7 laps, DNF 20. Shane BYRNE (Suz), -11 laps, DNF 21. Nick MEDD (Kaw), -14 laps, DNF 22. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Hon), -17 laps, DNF 23. Howie MAINWARING (Hon), -18 laps, DNF More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: BYRNE CRASHES OUT FIGHTING FOR 1ST Rizla Suzuki’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne crashed out unhurt while battling for the lead in the second race at the 11th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire today. After taking fourth in the opening race, held in wet but drying conditions, Byrne was in determined mood for the dry second race. He made an excellent start and led for the first lap before settling behind Gregorio Lavilla. The pair broke away from the pack and Shakey was closing in on the reigning Champion when he crashed on the exit to Charlie’s and retired. Steve Plater crashed out of the opening race when he was forced on to the wet line when two riders clashed in front of him. In the second race, aboard his spare bike, Steve took a season’s best of sixth place in front of his home fans. Ducati’s Gregorio Lavilla won the opening race and his team mate Leon Haslam the second. Rizla Suzuki will attend the official British Superbike test at Silverstone on Tuesday, September 5th, before returning to the circuit for the 12th round of the Championship on Sunday, September 17th. Shane Byrne: “I am gutted after crashing out in the second race. I was fighting Greg for the win and had the pace on him. I came out of Charlie’s as fast as I could when the front wheel skipped and then slid away. There was nothing I could do to avoid crashing. “Fourth in the opening race is okay but when you have the bike and ability to challenge for wins it isn’t what I want. The Rizla Suzuki is fast; we had a good package at Cadwell and knew we could run at the front. I’ve two more rounds left and want to get on the top step of the podium again.” Steve Plater: “Sixth is my best result of the season and while it isn’t a win, I am over the moon with the progress I have made with the Rizla Suzuki. The whole team deserves a result for their efforts supporting me thanks guys! “In the first race the two riders in front of me touched, I went off the dry line to avoid hitting them and crashed at low speed on the wet surface. Overall though, the top six was my target for this weekend and I achieved that. Thanks to all my home fans for cheering me on.” Robert Wicks – Team Manager: “The high of Shakey fighting for victory was tempered by him crashing out before the half-way point in the race. With Steve, his best finishing position of the season was contrasted by an unfortunate crash in race one, so it’s been a day of mixed emotions for Rizla Suzuki. “It’s also been a frustrating day, but on the positive side Shakey showed he has front row pace and Steve was able to make very good inroads through each session. “The weather at Cadwell was dramatic and so was the racing. The only thing missing for the team was the podium result we so dearly wanted and looked capable of achieving. We’ll be back at Silverstone testing soon and then on to the penultimate round of the season at the same venue on September 17th.” Race One Results: 1: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 28:04.401, 2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +5.307, 3: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +20.611, 4: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +30.238, 5: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +35.712, 6: Glen Richards (Honda) +35.823, 7: Craig Coxhell (Kawasaki) +45.755, 8: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +48.406, 9: Jon Kirkham (Kawasaki) +48.446, 10: Karl Harris (Honda) +49.815. DNF: 6: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki). Race Two Results: 1: Haslam 26:34.675, 2: Lavilla +5.859, 3: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +19.928, 4: Hill +23.784, 5: Harris +24.399, 6: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki) +29.053, 7: Michael Laverty (Honda) +29.668, 8: Ben Wilson (Suzuki) +39.079, 9: Richards +40.892, 10: Billy McConnell (Yamaha) +41.569. DNF: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki). Championship Standings (after 11 of 13 rounds): 1: Haslam 352, 2: Lavilla 337, 3: Kiyonari 326, 4: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) 211, 5=: Harris, Rea 192, 7: Laverty 152, 8: Hill 151, 9: Michael Rutter (Honda) 138, 10: Richards 104, 16: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki) 37, 17: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 36. More, from a press release issued by Stobart Motorsport: LUCKLESS DAY FOR STOBART RIDERS AT CADWELL PARK At the track where the Paul Bird Motorsport Team clinched their second successive British Superbike Championship title just three short years ago, it wasn’t a happy return to Cadwell Park for Stobart Motorsport riders Michael Rutter and Michael Laverty over the August Bank Holiday weekend as round eleven of the 2006 Bennetts British Superbike Championship was played out in front of another record crowd. After a number of problems had beset the VK and Vent Axia-backed team during Sunday’s free practice and Audi Performance Qualifying, triple series runner up Rutter started the day’s two races from row two of the grid with team mate Michael Laverty a row further back. With sunshine and showers interspersing the afternoon, tyre choice was always going to be critical and on both occasions, the team went with the incorrect options for the pair of 18 lap races. Just prior to race one, a thunderstorm soaked the track and at the last minute, team boss Paul Bird advised his pair of riders to go with wet weather tyres only for it to rapidly dry and leave Rutter and Laverty scrabbling for grip. Rutter eventually pitted and chanced to slicks but did feature in the results whilst Laverty struggled to 12th at the flag. Race two saw a damp track with threatening clouds and the two Stobart riders opted for an intermediate front tyre only for the track to once again dry and leave them languishing down the order. Rutter’s misery was compounded when he retired and Laverty was pipped for a top six position on the last lap. Commenting afterwards, Rutter said: “Tyre choice was the problem in the first race and I had to pull in after a problem in the second one too. There’s not much more to say.” Laverty added “In race one, we chose the wrong tyre so I dropped back and finished in twelfth. In race two the track was pretty much dry all the way round so I got some good lap times but Steve Plater got past me on the last hairpin so I was a bit annoyed to lose that place.” Team owner Paul Bird took full responsibility for his incorrect advice in race one but still left Cadwell disappointed: “When luck’s not going your way it doesn’t matter what you do and we’re just having one of those years. I nearly sacked myself after cocking up in race one so I left it to the boys in race two and it wasn’t much better. We just need to round off a forgettable season in style at the final two rounds and move on from here.” The next round of the championship takes place at Silverstone in three weeks time on 16th/17th September. More, from a press release issued by Bridewell Brothers British Motorcycle Racing: OLLIE RACKS UP THE POINTS AT STORMY CADWELL, TOMMY ‘S GAMBLE FAILS TO PAY OFF Wiltshire racing brothers Ollie and Tommy Bridewell, from Etchilhampton near Devizes, suffered mixed fortunes as the traditional British Bank Holiday weather wreaked havoc at round eleven of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, held at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire this weekend. With Sunday’s sunshine giving way to scattered thunderstorms on Monday, the two Vivaldi riders were hoping for some good results at a track which saw them both on the podium in 2005 but in front of yet another sell-out BSB crowd, tyre choice was to prove critical in the unsettled conditions. Having qualified in 18th place on his 1000cc Vivaldi Suzuki, 20 year old Ollie was impressive during the wet practice session prior to the opening 18 lap British Superbike Championship race and after a major tyre deliberation, Ollie’s team decided to opt for full wets on what turned out to be a rapidly drying track. As a result, Ollie had no option but to retire early in the race Race two proved more successful as once again a rain shower had dampened the 2.1 mile circuit but with dry tyres fitted, Ollie battled his way to 13th at the flag to add to five previous points scoring rides and to leave him in 21st place in the standings. “I was fourth fastest in the wet practice so if only it had rained for the duration of the race…” said Ollie. “It was pointless out there in the first race so I pulled in but I got my head down and was pleased with 13th place in race two which means we’ve salvaged something from the weekend. I was really hoping for something better here at Cadwell but we were unlucky with the weather and it becomes a lottery.” For 18 year old Tommy, he gambled on dry tyres on a decidedly wet track for the British Supersport Championship race but from his fifth row grid position, the 600cc Vivaldi Suzuki rider struggled in the early stages as the track remained damp. Eventually, after being lapped, he called it a day and although the track did dry marginally, it resulted in only his third non-scoring ride of the season. “We took a gamble and it didn’t pay off as the track didn’t dry as quickly as it did for Ollie’s superbike race. I’m bitterly diappointed as we’ve had a number of problems this weekend and it seems that no matter how hard I try, we still seem to be struggling. It’s certainly becoming a test of character and hopefully, we can make some good progress in the final two races” said Tommy. The next round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Silverstone on September 16th and 17th.