FIRST DAY OF TESTING FOR THE FORTUNA HONDA AT BRNO First day of testing for the MotoGP teams at Brno after the Czech Republic GP. The Fortuna Honda riders profited of today’s test session to work in preparation of the next commitment, the 13th round of the championship scheduled at Sepang, Malaysia, on the 10th September. Marco Melandri after a well deserved 5th position conquered yesterday, focused today on tyre testing together with Michelin technicians and tested some set up solutions in order to improve the performance of the bike with qualifying tyres. Positive test session for Toni Elias who focused on working on weight distribution without looking for the lap time. Tomorrow second and last day of testing for the Spanish rider of the Fortuna Honda team at Brno. As scheduled Marco Melandri finished his test session today. MARCO MELANDRI (1’57″96, 85 laps): “We tested different solutions in order to improve acceleration and top speed but unfortunately we were not able to find the results we expected. We also worked on different set up solutions in order to use at its best the qualifying tyre, so important for the grid position and the race result.” TONI ELIAS (1’59″435, 62 laps): “I’m happy of the way of working. We focused on the preparation of the race without looking for the lap time. We worked a lot on weight distribution in order to improve the weight transfer in braking.” UNOFFICIAL LAP TIMES 1. V.Rossi (ita/Yamaha) 1’57″315 2. N.Hayden (usa/Honda) 1’57″653 3. M.Melandri (Ita/honda) 1’57″96 15. T.Elias (Sp/Honda) 1’59″435 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: CAPIROSSI COMPLETES HIS MAIDEN TEST WITH THE DESMOSEDICI GP7 The day after his superb win at Brno, Loris Capirossi makes his track debut with the new 800cc Ducati Desmosedici. Sete Gibernau, also present in the pit garage, had to sit out and watch. In the wake of Loris Capirossi’s fifth win in MotoGP – and his second of the year – at the Brno track on Sunday, the Ducati pit garage was today the scene for more frenetic activity as the Italian team geared up for another important day of action at the Czech Republic circuit. The new Desmosedici GP7 was finally given to Sunday’s race winner and official Ducati Marlboro team rider Loris Capirossi to test for the first time. The new 800 cc powered machine, created by Technical Director Filippo Preziosi together with his team of Ducati Corse engineers just under one year ago, had its first shakedown tests in the hands of test-rider Vittoriano Guareschi, who put the bike through its early paces at the Mugello circuit, where it made its debut on May 2nd. At 12.20 this morning the bike that will be entered in the 2007 MotoGP Championship by the Ducati Marlboro Team was given to Loris to test and the Italian was immediately impressed right from the start. After carrying out a series of tyre tests with the GP6 in the morning, the Italian set to work with the GP7 and completed 28 laps with the new machine, his best being 1m59.6s. Vittoriano Guareschi and Shinichi Ito (both present with their respective test teams at Brno) together with Sete Gibernau were also in the Ducati garage, watching Loris test the GP7. The Spanish rider, who missed out on last weekend’s exciting race after doctors advised him not to take part, wanted to see the new machine in action. If all goes according to plan, Sete will be back on the track at the next GP at Sepang, Malaysia on September 10th. Filippo Preziosi (Ducati Corse Technical Director) “Today was another important day for all of us. Of course it is far too early to give a definitive opinion on the GP7 because it was the first time Loris had stepped onto the bike and because we still have to face up to our rivals. I can only say that I am satisfied: the bike seems to have got off to a good start. We have structured the project in an attempt to iron out some of the weak points of the GP6 that emerged chiefly with the chassis: we think we have identified them and have managed to resolve them. In fact Loris’s comments that the bike reacts well and has a good ‘rideability’ are positive. For sure it’s a good start but we’ve still got a lot of work to do: the bike that won the race yesterday is the one we’ve been working on for the last four years and this one has just been born. A big thanks to all the guys in Ducati Corse, the guys in the team and all our sponsors who believe in us and who give us important support all year round”. Loris Capirossi “This morning I did some tyre testing which went quite well and which might allow us to have some interesting developments for the next few races. Then we started with the GP7. As a first test it was very positive even though the bike still has to be developed. We expect to have to do a lot of work but the first impression was positive. The bike’s handling has improved a lot and that’s important. This bike has to be ridden in a different way to the GP6, it’s actually very enjoyable, a bit like a 250 machine and testing it now was interesting and useful so we can immediately start to work on it. The engine is different, obviously less powerful but it makes a great noise! It has been a fantastic day, I’m very happy and tomorrow we’ll continue to work hard”. Sete Gibernau “Yesterday I was over the moon for Loris’s win! I feel part of the family and I am always happy when the guys do well. The GP7 is a very important project and I also wanted to be here for the test. Loris said that the bike is going well and I would love to be able to test it as well but for the moment it’s better not to. I should be back on the track in Malaysia: mentally I’m at 100% and I hope that the tests I’ll be doing next week will confirm that I will be physically as well. The plate broke at Laguna Seca and now I’ve got two inside me, held together with 15 screws. If it breaks again, it’ll be much worse because I’ll have to have a bone graft from my hip to repair it. In any case, I’m sure that this rest period is doing me good and hopefully things will be OK for September 10th: I’ve had too much vacation and now I can’t wait to be back in action!” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: HAYDEN FASTEST HONDA RIDER AT POST CZECH REPUBLIC MOTOGP TEST Repsol Honda factory team rider Nicky Hayden set the second fastest time at the today’s post Czech Republic GP MotoGP test held at the 5.403 Brno circuit. American Hayden, who heads the world championship points standing after 12 of 17 rounds, worked hard developing the evolution chassis of his RC211V Honda, first tested at the British GP earlier this season. With so many races in such a short period of time Hayden has been unable to try the new plot since the British event but today he lapped consistently in the 1m 58s bracket and ended the session encouraged by the progress the team have made to the overall performance of the new RC211V since he first tried the chassis. The championship leader will continue testing the new chassis tomorrow. Hayden’s team mate, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa spent his day trying to improve his race set up yesterday and also tested a range of Michelin front tyres on his RCV. Pedrosa, who holds second place in the championship, 25 points down on Hayden, improved his feeling with the bike and ended his one-day test in a positive mood. The Fortuna Honda team worked on a variety of developments for their RC211V machines. Marco Melandri was looking to improve both acceleration and top end of his machine while Toni Elias was chasing better overall machine balance in a bid to eradicate the ‘Pitching’ he experienced early in the race on Sunday. Melandri’s crew made adjustments to the electronic mapping and tried some different engine settings. Elias was not looking for fast lap times preferring to concentrate on improving stability while under braking while riding with a full fuel load and has been partially successful. He will continue in the same direction tomorrow. Konica Minolta Honda RC211V rider Makoto Tamada was half a second faster today than his best lap time in yesterdays race but the Japanese star was not completely convinced the new Michelin tyres and suspension settings he tested delivered optimum performance. Tamada put in just 44 laps during the test and hopes the data gathered will help carry him to a better performance at the Malaysia than at recent races. Team Roberts continue to improve the chassis performance of the Honda powered KR211V. The chassis is close to the original design but with modifications based on data gathered from the three different chassis configurations raced this season. Team engineers prepared the machine with a revised seating position and repositioned fuel tank and team rider Kenny Roberts Junior put in consistently fast lap times ending the test pleased with his days work as the team ‘Test rider.’ Honda rider lap times and quotes. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 57.653s 79 laps. “Overall I’m definitely encouraged by today. I got in a lot of quality laps and the guys in my team worked hard. We were working with the chassis, trying some of the parts we used at Donington earlier in the season, and we definitely found some improvements. I was able to run a lot more consistently in the 1m 58s today compared to the weekend so I’m quite happy about how it went. We’ll come back tomorrow and try and get another full day’s work in and look for any edge we can find.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 58.782s 74 laps. “Today was a good test. We tried to find some improvement from yesterday’s race set-up and improve on some weak points we had over the weekend. I think we found some improvements in the feeling from the bike but of course we will only really know for sure when we come to another race. We were also doing some front tyre testing for Michelin which went well.” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 1m 57.960s – 85 laps. “We tried various set up solutions to improve acceleration and a little top speed but without great results. We did not have new parts from HRC but they have been working with us today with what we have available. We also worked to improve our performance on qualifying tyres because we have suffered in qualifying at recent races. We did make an improvement but not by much. At the end of the day we tested the same types of tyres we ran in qualifying and the race so I can say today was positive in some ways. I am quite satisfied.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 1m 59.435s – 62 laps. “We worked a lot on the weight distribution of the bike, I raced with too much weight on the front end yesterday. We tried many things on the set up and it has been a process of elimination and I am quite satisfied with our work today. If we carry on working in this direction tomorrow I am confident we will can begin with a reasonable set up condition at the next few races.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: 1m 58.172s 54 laps. “We have a new rear shock system and it worked well with the font forks. We tried a series of tyres for Michelin with the new suspension, two of them were not better than our race tyres of yesterday but the other were very good. In the race I ran out of grip at half race distance, after about 11-laps. With the good set today I set my fastest lap with a rear that had run 14 lap and a front that had 18 laps on it. So we made a big step forward on the suspension and I’m pleased with that. Now I’m ready for Sepang and I’m off home to Australia to get ready for Malaysia.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 58.758s 55 laps. “Today we have been working on new race tyres from Michelin and some suspension settings but without getting too much better. We tried two different tyres the first tyre was no better than what we have had before. The second tyre was close to the tyre we ran in the race and we were half a second faster than in the race yesterday. But track conditions were better this morning than yesterday.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 1m 58.567s 70 laps. “We are just the test team today. We have been working with the new(er) chassis, which has a different riding position. The tank is also shorter but sits higher up. We have also been working on different positions with the rear shock and some tyres from Michelin. Basically the chassis we have is the original with much of the stuff we have learned along the way this season. You could say we are working towards next season in some respects. My feeling with the bike as it is today is much better than in the GP, its more comfortable to ride and the lap times are better, so its been a positive day for us. We will keep going in the same direction on chassis and suspension and see how far we can go.”

The Isle of Man Department of Tourism and Leisure today announced the dates for TT 2007. The packed calendar includes a number of events to celebrate 100 years of motor cycle racing on the Isle of Man as well as a world class competitive racing programme. The actual race schedule kicks off with the 6 lap Superbike Race on Saturday 2nd June 2007 followed by the Sidecar A Race on the same day. The four lap Superstock Race will be on Monday 4th June, with the Junior Supersport Race for 600cc machines on Wednesday 6th June. The Sidecar Race B will also take place on Wednesday. ‘Race Week’ will close with the Senior Race on Friday 8th June. The fortnight begins on Saturday 26th May with the first practice session. Unlike previous years this will be a ‘free practice’ session and although the laps will count towards qualifying they will not be timed. Competitor signing on has been extended to Sunday 27th and Monday 28th May. A further change to the previous schedule has seen the practice session on Thursday 31st May move from the afternoon to the evening. David Cretney MHK, Minster for Tourism and Leisure, Isle of Man commented: “We have consulted with the competitors and taken their comments on board in devising this year’s calendar. We have moved the Sidecar A Race back to the first Saturday to give those competitors extra time to work on their machines after their first race. By moving the practice on Thursday to the evening we are able to give the riders an extra 15 minutes practice time, as well as alleviating traffic congestion at 5pm in Douglas. He continued: “We have extended the signing on time by allowing riders to register on Sunday 28th and Monday 28th. This will allow those riders who wish to come over slightly later and reduce their costs to do so.” The TT 2007 calendar also sees a number of unique events created to celebrate 100 years of racing on the Isle of Man. To commemorate the exact 100th anniversary, on 28th May 2007, machines from that era will ride one lap around the original St Johns Circuit. The event will see a rolling road closure in place around the circuit, followed by a concours display and other activities on the closed road in St Johns. The hugely popular TT ‘Paddock Walkabout’ where fans can meet their TT heroes will again take place at TT 2007 on the morning of Saturday 2nd June, ahead of the Superbike race and Monday afternoon will see the ‘TT Centenary Lap of Honour’ featuring many legendary riders and machines from TT history. ‘TT Day of Champions’ is also planned for Thursday 7th June with auctions, chat shows, music and other entertainment featuring world famous motor cycle stars. Most of the activity will be centred around the Grandstand and the TT paddock. The day will culminate with a black tie TT Centenary Dinner at the Villa Marina. Both events will raise money for the Joey Dunlop Foundation and the ACU Benevolent Fund. The race fortnight will close with the ‘TT Centenary Legends Lap’ after the Senior TT on Friday 8th June with special guests and former TT riders invited to complete a parade lap on closed roads. David Cretney MHK, Minster for Tourism and Leisure, Isle of Man commented: “We have been planning the centenary activity for a long time and believe that the programme that we are putting together will appeal to race fans and riders worldwide. We believe that we have put together a fitting tribute to the birthplace of motorsport and look forward to welcoming our guests from all over the world. There are still many exciting announcements still to come about the rest of our plans for TT 2007, and we are certain that it is going to be an event not to be missed.” Fans wishing to come to this year’s races are advised to book ahead as bookings have already exceeded total number of visitors to last year’s races. Steam Packet, the Isle of Man ferry company, has launched a special feature on their website to show fans which sailings are still available. Mr Cretney continued: “We are doing everything we can to get people to the Island and to find them somewhere to stay. Fans who cannot get onto the ferries are advised to check local airlines to the Island. We are also promoting our homestay programme to Manx residents who wish to get away during the races and rent their homes out and we are adding a number of new camp sites for TT 2007. We hope to cater for as many people as possible.”

MLADIN SWEEPS ALTON AMA SUPERBIKES Yoshimura Suzuki’s AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin completed a clean sweep of the AMA Superbike double-header at Alton, Virginia today while team mate Aaron Yates picked up his first Superbike podium of the year with a second-place finish. Championship leader Ben Spies, racing with a fractured right hand, brought home a strong fourth place and maintained his points lead. Said Mladin: “After Mid-Ohio, I said all we could do is try to win as many races as possible and that’s what we did this weekend,” who took his fifth victory of the season and his fifth win at the circuit. Overall, this win marks Mladin’s 48th career victory. Starting from pole position, Mladin got a good start but then fell behind on the first lap. He worked his way up from ninth, and then the six-time AMA Superbike Champion moved into the lead. “My start on the GSX-R1000 was awesome,” said Mladin. “But I braked early in the first turn. I finally got a good start and look what I did with it. As for the championship, the only way we can win the title is if Ben loses it. The championship is in Ben’s hands. No matter what, it’s good to get a couple wins.” Team mate Yates also got a good start and led the first eight laps of the 28-lap race. Once Mladin got past him, however, Yates tucked in behind and the Yoshimura Suzuki duo finished together. “I don’t know why everything came together here at VIR,” said Yates of his first 2006 podium. “We found some things for the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 at the Road Atlanta test last week and I knew I had to get a good start because I’ve had a tough time passing here. I have to thank my crew for doing a great job getting the Suzuki set up for me.” Meanwhile, Spies was suffering from a hand injury that he got from crashing in qualifying. Determined to maintain his points lead in series, the young Texan rode a strong, consistent race and finished in fourth. Said Spies: “I have to admit, these are the two worst races of my life, but I knew that I had everything under control by running in fourth and I just needed to focus on the Championship. We have a week-and-half to heal and come back ready for Road Atlanta.” AMA Superbike Top 10 Finishers: 1: Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 2: Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki) 3: Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 4: Ben Spies (Yoshimura Suzuki) 5: Jake Zemke (Honda) 6: Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 7: Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 8: Jason Pridmore (Jordan Suzuki) 9: Matt Lynn (Suzuki) 10: Eric Wood (Suzuki) More, from a press release issue by Parts Unlimited Ducati: NEIL HODGSON EARNS PODIUM FINISH IN VIRGINIA FOR PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI Alton (Virginia): Parts Unlimited Ducati’s Neil Hodgson finished third in Saturday’s AMA Superbike race at Virginia International Raceway. The Ducati 999 pilot eased a hard-earned gap on his rivals and ran a strong race, finishing on the podium at the tight, technical circuit. After fighting with the group that contested fourth place, Neil’s teammate Ben Bostrom finished 11th on the day. Hodgson got an excellent start off the line and ran as high as second place in the early going. After the leaders sorted themselves out, Neil maintained his position. Hodgson ran a hot pace in third place and increased his gap over fourth throughout the event. “I feel like from Laguna onward, we’ve gotten faster. Hopefully, we can battle every weekend from here on out,” said Neil. “Today, I got a good start and Mladin came by on the first lap. It gave me a good chance to follow him for a short while. After that, it was a lonely race. After the first lap, I think I had 0.4 on the guy behind me and the lead grew from there, up to about eight seconds.” Hodgson retains his fourth place standing in the season’s points, closing slightly on third place. “I want to finish the season as hard as I can,” said Neil. Bostrom became ill in the race, which ruined his charge toward the front. “The bike felt great out there but I got sick during the race,” said Bostrom. “I’d go a few laps, and then I’d feel okay again and I’d go well. On the 28th lap, I did a 1:26.4. It’s disheartening but there is hope for tomorrow.” The Sunday Superbike race begins at 3:15 PM local time. AMA Superbike results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 2. Ben Spies, Suzuki 3. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 6. Jake Zemke, Honda 7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 8. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 9. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki 10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki 11. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati AMA Superbike points (after 15 races): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 533 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 494 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 414 4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 387 5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 377 6. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 361 7. Jake Zemke, Honda 350 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 309 9. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 304 10. Larry Pegram, Honda 279 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: AMERICAN HONDA’S DUHAMEL PODIUMS AGAIN Crowd: 50,000 (Three days) Track: 37 degrees Climate: Warm, overcast American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel scored his sixth podium of the year on the second day of racing at Virginia International Raceway, site of the 15th and 16th rounds of the AMA Superbike Championship. The podium, American Honda’s 12th of the year, solidified Duhamel’s third place championship position with three races to run. “I’m definitely in the right mindset to hopefully bring third in the championship this year, but in the bigger picture next year, using this new mentality I have, the way I look at racing, I think I’ll be a much bigger threat for the championship next year,” Duhamel said. Building on Saturday’s fourth place finish, Duhamel gated perfectly, jumping quickly into third from 10th on the grid at the start of Sunday’s 28-lap race on the twisty 17-turn, 2.25-mile road course. Duhamel pressured race leader Aaron Yates (Suzuki) for ten laps, believing he had the motorcycle to finish one step higher on the podium. “To be honest, I think I could have been a little closer to Aaron and try to keep some more pressure on him,” Duhamel said. But the pressure came from behind and Duhamel had to cede his position to eventual race winner Mat Mladin (Suzuki), who passed Duhamel on lap 11, then took the lead on the next lap. Teammate Jake Zemke finished two spots behind Duhamel and one spot better than he’d finished on Saturday. “It was a little better than yesterday,” Zemke said. “At least the tire had some grip in the beginning of the race. And you know we’re struggling and struggling in a lot of areas.” A confounding front suspension problem hampered Duhamel on Saturday. “We couldn’t find out what was wrong with the bike,” he said. “We have 130 millimeter forks and no matter how hard I brake I’m using up only about 121.” Zemke struggled with grip from the start of Saturday’s race. Rather than give up, Zemke redoubled his efforts with hard riding, eventually wearing out his front tire as well. He finished sixth. Mladin also won Saturday’s race, from teammates Ben Spies and Aaron Yates. Miguel Duhamel 4th/3rd Saturday Saturday was one of my best races ever, because I was a hair from falling everywhere. The only thing I could do is brake like a maniac straight up and down and then come to a stop and then tip it in because the front end didn’t want to go down. It just started chattering. It chattered so bad the whole race that it loosened up the steering head. It was unscrewing the front end of the bike. But I was really proud of what I was able to accomplish. Afterwards, we went through the forks and the guys couldn’t find anything wrong with them. We’ll just take that out of the equation and go with the ‘B’ bike Sunday. Sunday Aaron (Yates) was doing a great job of keeping Mat (Mladin) really honest. I got bad luck in traffic. I knew from yesterday’s Dunlop tire data that we could overheat the tire I was using. (I used the same tire). And I know the pace I ran today I was probably doing that. So, you know when you have 14 seconds on fourth and you’re from the third row- tenth place to third-you starting thinking about these things a bit. I’m not saying by any means I could have got Aaron or Mat, but I could have been a little closer. But the risk factor I thought was too high, so I backed it down a bit. Jake Zemke 6th/5th Saturday Knowing that I didn’t have much grip coming from the rear, I used up everything I had on the front. I overabused the front tire, the front brakes, everything. By the end of the race I couldn’t even tip into the corners without losing the rear. Even the rolling corners in the back section, I’d just turn the bike in and I’d just immediately lose the rear. I lost it huge down there at the bottom coming onto the front straightaway for a couple of laps. Sunday The bike at least was a little more comfortable to ride today and I was at least able to sustain the pace to the end, whereas yesterday there was no way. We used up the whole motorcycle before the race was over. Today the motorcycle, after the first few laps, after the tires dropped, at the end of the race we could still do the same times as earlier in the race. That was a little bit better. But we were also a couple of seconds off the pace. We’ll be looking to make some big improvements at the race at Road Atlanta, for sure. Sunday Superbike: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 4. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 5. Jake Zemke (Honda) 6. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 7. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 8. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 9. Matt Lynn (Suzuki) 10. Eric Wood (Suzuki) Saturday Superbike: 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 3. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 4. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 5. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 6. Jake Zemke (Honda) 7. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 8. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 9. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 10. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) Championship Standings: 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 560 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 531 3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 443 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 393 5. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 387 6. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 384 7. Jake Zemke (Honda) 376 8. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 332 9. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 329 10. Larry Pegram (Honda) 299 More, from a press release issue by Parts Unlimited Ducati: CHALLENGING DAY FOR BOSTROM AND HODGSON IN VIRGINIA Alton (Virginia): Parts Unlimited Ducati’s Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom faced a challenging day at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday, with Hodgson crashing while charging to the front and Ben Bostrom finishing in the top six on his Ducati 999 once again after a tough race-long battle for position. Hodgson suffered a lowside crash while running in third position on lap two. The Englishman was unhurt by the fall, but the result was Neil couldn’t repeat his stellar Saturday finish on the podium. “I’m okay,” said Neil. “I don’t really know what happened. The data shows I didn’t do anything differently than the previous lap, but things can happen like that, especially on this type of surface. It’s disappointing because we were on the podium yesterday and felt like we could have done well again. We were up in third place and feeling comfortable. I was more surprised than anyone when I went sliding down the grass.” Ben Bostrom was sixth on Sunday, in contention for fifth all the way to the checkered flag. “It felt like a long race out there,” said Ben. “I thought we were a little better than our result today. The bike was great to me again. We had moved up to sixth place but I was trapped behind Jake (Zemke) for what seems like the third race in a row. We’ve had some good battles this year with Jake but I was a little frustrated by not being able to pass him. I thought my lap times could have been better had I made it around him, but that’s the way it goes. I felt better on the bike today and I’m looking forward to the next race in Atlanta.” Race results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 4. Ben Spies, Suzuki 5. Jake Zemke, Honda 6. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 7. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 9. Matt Lynn, Suzuki 10. Eric Wood, Suzuki DNF Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati AMA Superbike points (after 16 races): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 560 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 531 3. Miguel DuHamel, Honda 443 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 393 5. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 387 6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 384 7. Jake Zemke, Honda 376 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 332 9. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 329 10. Larry Pegram, Honda 299 More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: MAY AND BARNES ON THE SUPERSPORT PODIUM AGAIN AT VIR Team M4 EMGO Suzuki riders Geoff May and Michael Barnes closed out a tremendous weekend of racing by claiming two of the three podium positions in Sunday’s AMA Supersport race at Virginia International Raceway. May and Barnes were factors at the front throughout the 17-lap contest, with each man leading a lap and running in contention for the win right up to the checkered flag. A quick-starting Barnes led the race’s opening lap while May took over first place on lap 10 as they were engaged in a tight three-man dogfight for victory. An unfortunate late run of lappers may have ended Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s bid for the win, yet May and Barnes still impressed by guiding their Pirelli-shod GSX-R600s to second and third place, respectively. After taking his third Supersport podium of the year, runner-up May said, “I’m happy with the progress we’ve made this year. The guys keep digging and Pirelli keeps pushing hard and bringing us new tires. The development is moving forward and they’ve got me comfortable on the bike. We haven’t touched hardly a clicker on the bike since Miller. I really hope we can get a win before the year is out.” The third-place result was Barnes’ fourth podium finish in the class in ’06. The Floridian commented, “Geoff and I both gave our all in this race but we just came up a little bit short for the win. But we’re coming up less short every race. We’re winding down on the season but this GSX-R600 is really coming along in its development. It’s showing some good speed and it’s coming off the corner better and our Pirelli tires are developing nicely as well. I can’t thank my team enough for all the hard work they do at the track and back at the shop.” Unfortunately, the team’s developmental rider, Shea Fouchek, was unable to capitalize on his strong qualifying performance and what was a breakthrough weekend for the team’s development rider. The Texan was involved in a multi-rider first corner crash that brought out an early red flag and forced a complete restart. He managed to make the restart but was unable to complete the race. May picked up seventh in the day’s Superstock final aboard his GSX-R1000, surviving an early near-highside to collect a solid points haul and maintain fourth the in championship race. With just two races remaining on the schedule this year, May and Barnes each have a strong chance of being named the Supersport championship runner-up. May is currently third, just three points out of second, while Barnes is sixth, a further ten points back. The next AMA racing weekend will take place at Road Atlanta on September 1-3. More, from a press release issued by Team Matsushima Performance Suzuki Racing: ESLICK AND YOUNG MOVE UP POSITIONS IN RACES AND POINTS AT VIR Alton, Va. – Team Matsushima Performance Suzuki Racing riders Danny Eslick and Blake Young are very pleased with their results in the AMA’s Supersport and Formula Xtreme races at Virginia International Raceway. “Danny struggled a bit because of a cold but he continued to build points” said team owner and crew chief Grant Matsushima. “Blake made a lot of headway with great finishes in both classes.” Matsushima reported the team was able to further the development of their Suzuki GSX-R 600 racebikes and motors: “We learned a lot from this weekend that will be beneficial to the remainder of this season and will definitely help with our 2007 program.” Eslick battled a head cold and congestion during practice, qualifying and the Formula Xtreme race but was able to shake it off and earn important points in the Supersport race. His 8th place finish at VIR moved him to 2nd in the overall class points. “At first I was just trying to survive the weekend,” Eslick said. “My mechanic, Justin Cyr, always had the bikes ready for me and I rode as hard as I could, even with cold-chills. Unfortunately my motor blew in the FX race but that did allow me to save some energy for Supersport the next day. I lost a (knee) puck half way through that race and was still able to finish high enough to move me up to second in the points.” Young earned his highest finish this year in Supersport with a 6th, after an amazing start and consistently low lap times in the race. “Huey worked hard to learn my style and get the bike set-up for me in practice,” said Young, referring to his new lead mechanic Craig “Huey” Stewart who joined the team at this round. “I was getting in deep into turn 1 every time with my Vesrah brakes but the rest of the first split time would be bit high. As soon as we got the suspension dialed in for 2 and 3, the Dunlops hooked up every where and I was able to start lowering my lap times and do what I needed to do.” Young would like to thank his personal sponsors Dainese Leathers and Rockstar Energy Drinks and especially mechanic Jimmy Le. Matsushima Performance and Tuning is based in Southern California but has and will be spending the time between these last few “East Coast” AMA rounds at Huey Stewart’s motorcycle performance shop: Marietta Motorsports. “He and Opie Caylor invited us down to Georgia after Mid-Ohio to use their shop between rounds and I gladly accepted,” said Matsushima. “They’ve given us shop space to swap and build motors and prep bikes. Huey, his wife Rikki and Opie are doing a great job with the shop and even took me into their homes instead of just staying at a hotel.” Danny Eslick, Blake Young and Team Matsushima Performance Suzuki Racing will continue to strive for great finishes at the next round of AMA Superbike Series races at Road Atlanta. More, from a press release issued by Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki: PIETRI TOP SOUTH AMERICAN IN VIRGINIA SUPERSTOCK; ULRICH 12TH FOR ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki worked through difficult conditions, battling the heat and the track at Virginia International Raceway to claim a pair of solid results in the ninth round of the AMA Superstock championship. Team riders Chris Ulrich and Robertino Pietri both improved from qualifying to the race. Ulrich started the 17-lap contest from the fourth row after qualifying 15th best at 1:27.569 aboard his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000. While he got a strong start off the line, he came into contact with a rival early on the opening lap, pushing him down to 16th following the first circulation of the 2.25-mile course. The Californian fought his way up through the field, ultimately arriving at 12th by the time he took the checkered flag. Ulrich said, “For sure it was a tough weekend physically and mentally at this track with the heat like it was. We knew we had a tire that could run 1:27s in certain conditions; unfortunately these weren’t the conditions we were hoping for. “I’m glad to get out of here with some points and get out of here with a top-twelve. I didn’t feel so good this morning but I found my rhythm in the race. We were twelfth — it’s not really where I wanted to be, especially after finishing in the top ten at the last race, but we’re going to try harder next time. I’m looking to close out the year with two top tens. That’s the only thing that’s going to be acceptable.” Pietri was forced to ride in pain at the physical circuit having injured his hand in a crash earlier in the week. The promising Venezuelan rider put in a gritty performance during the weekend, qualifying 18th at 1:28.865 and then racing to 16th in the final. Pietri actually held down 12th early on but was unable to maintain the hot pace while dealing with his injury. “The weekend started for me last Monday during a track day,” Pietri explained. “I had a little crash here in Turn 3 and I kind of injured my hand. I haven’t had x-rays yet but it didn’t feel that good during the race. I thought it was going to be better but it was pretty painful. But I don’t want to use that as an excuse. We didn’t find the best tire until Sunday. Maybe if we would have had that tire earlier in the weekend we could have set-up the bike for the pace. Anyway, I’m relatively happy. 16th is around where I’ve been finishing all year long so it means it was an okay weekend.” Looking ahead to the next round at Road Atlanta on September 1-3, Pietri said, “I did a track day at Road Atlanta a couple weeks ago. It’s a really fun track. We’ll see how I can adapt to the track on the GSX-R1000 in two weeks.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: KAWASAKI RACING TEAM ENDURES AT VIR Alton, Va. Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Tommy Hayden, endured a frustrating turn of events as AMA Superbike racing came to Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., this weekend. Tommy and his younger brother, Roger, qualified eighth and ninth respectively, which ironically enough, is where each Hayden finished the first 28-lap feature on Saturday. The second race of the Superbike doubleheader on Sunday saw both Haydens starting just off the second row again with Roger running in seventh and Tommy holding strong in eighth after seven laps. As the race passed the halfway point, Tommy moved-up into sixth and Roger faded back into seventh then Tommy began to charge towards the top five. The final portion of the 28-lap feature saw Tommy engaged in an intense battle for fifth until his shifter broke and he was forced to pit his ZX-10R. Roger eventually faded back one more position before the checkered flag dropped while Tommy was forced to accept a disappointing 24th place finish. Roger also contested in Supersport on Sunday and found himself in seventh just after the start but the race was red flagged on the first lap due to a crash. At the re-start, Roger’s luck did not improve as he was pushed back into tenth shortly after leaving the grid. Despite the setback, Roger advanced into fourth after nine laps but unfortunately crashed a short time later and was done for the day. Attack Kawasaki rider, Ben Attard, finished in fifth and his teammate, Damon Buckmaster, crossed the stripe in seventh. In AMA Superstock Action, Buckmaster put in a respectable ride aboard his Kawasaki ZX-10R by starting in ninth place and holding his position throughout the duration of the 17-lap race. Attard started in 23rd and made a considerable charge toward the front to finish 15th. Racing resumes when the teams head to Road Atlanta Raceway in Braselton, Ga., September 13, for a Superbike doubleheader. More, from a press release issued by Buell Motorcycle Company: BUELL XBRR MODELS COMPETE IN FORMULA XTREME RACE AT VIR Steve Crevier and Mike Hale Learn Best Set-up for Fast, Technical Virginia Track ALTON, Va. Buell racers Steve Crevier and Mike Hale competed aboard Buell XBRR models on Saturday in the AMA Formula Extreme race during the ninth round of the 2006 Formula Xtreme championship August 18-20 at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va. The weekend provided many learning opportunities, as it was the first time the XBRR has been to the fast, yet technical track, and Crevier’s first time ever on VIR’s asphalt. With a long, high-speed front straightaway and tight twisties in the back, the unique, 2.2-mile track configuration makes it necessary for competitive teams to excel at both horsepower and handling. Crevier, riding for Deeley Harley-Davidson/Buell Canada, qualified 13th and crossed the finish line in the final race in 11th place on Saturday. Hale, riding for the Classic H-D/BuellMillville H-D/BuellInnovative Motorcycle Research team, qualified 18th and also finished the final in 18th. Their times over the weekend improved as they learned the track and adjusted the gearing and suspension settings. Crevier raced the XBRR in the season-opening Formula Xtreme race at Daytona 200, as well as those at Road America and Mid-Ohio, while Hale competed aboard an XBRR at the Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio races. “With the solid reliability of the XBRR, the teams are able to get some real learning under their belts, and experiment with settings,” said Chairman and Chief Technical Officer Erik Buell. “Since the bike had never been to VIR before, some basic set-up work was needed. They learned a lot toward what is needed to become truly competitive.” The next Formula Xtreme race for the Buell teams will be Sept. 1-3 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. It will be the penultimate round of the 11-race series. Both teams racing XBRR models are supported by Pirelli Tires, Sentry Insurance, Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Screamin’ Eagle SYN3 Synthetic Motorcycle Lubricant, and Harley-Davidson Visa. The Buell XBRR is a limited-edition production racing motorcycle based on the Firebolt XB12R, which is reworked at the factory into the XBRR for use in closed-course competition. It offers private racers a professional-level, race-ready, production-based platform. Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. Pull into www.buell.com for the Buell dealer nearest you.

NAKANO TAKES HARD FOUGHT EIGHTH PLACE AT BRNO Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano brought his Ninja ZX-RR home in a hard fought eighth place in today’s Czech Grand Prix at Brno, to consolidate his tenth position in the World Championship Standings. Nakano got a good start from the second row of the grid, but dropped down the order after getting his Ninja ZX-RR sideways while battling for position on the opening lap. The 28-year-old Japanese rider was quick to rejoin the battle for fourth place, but was forced to ride on the limit and was unable to fight his way through to the front of the group. After lapping consistently throughout the race, Nakano waited until the last lap before setting up Nicky Hayden for a pass, but as the Kawasaki rider positioned himself to overtake the current championship leader, Suzuki’s John Hopkins managed to find space on the inside to pass both riders for seventh place. Undeterred, Nakano set up Hayden again at the final turn, squeezing up the inside of the American to steal eighth place at the line. Like his Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet also got a good start from the fourth row of the grid, but all his good work was undone in the first turn, when he went for the brakes too early and allowed four riders through, to leave himself down in 15th place. The 25-year-old Frenchman quickly dispatched Alex Hofmann to move up one position, before chasing hard after the battle for tenth place. De Puniet managed to close onto the back of Chris Vermeulen, but was forced to back off without challenging for the position when the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR started to slide under power. Although disappointed not to finish higher up the order at the chequered flag than 14th, de Puniet took some consolation from his consistent pace over the 22-lap race, and the fact that he now has one more race finish under his belt, in this, his debut MotoGP season. The Kawasaki Racing Team will stay on at Brno for a development test on Monday, during which both riders will test and evaluate a range of chassis and suspension settings, as well as conducting tyre tests for Kawasaki’s tyre partner, Bridgestone. Shinya Nakano: 8th “I got away from the start pretty well, but then I had a big slide halfway round the first lap, which lost me some time and dropped me to the back of the group fighting for fourth. While it was possible to match the pace of the guys in front of me, passing was a different matter. I was right on the limit just staying in touch, and with such a big group battling for position, it was difficult to even see a way past the riders in front. On the final lap I decided to have a go at Nicky Hayden but, as I lined myself up for the pass, John Hopkins charged up the inside of both of us to steal seventh place. I managed to get up the inside of Nicky going into the final corner and was able to hold on to the line to take eighth place, and the all-important championship points. Overall, although I would obviously have preferred to finish higher up the order, I’m happy enough with this result ahead of the overseas races.” Randy de Puniet: 14th “A mistake going into the first turn cost me dear today. I got a reasonably good start, but then I got on the brakes too early going into the first turn and allowed too many people to come past me. I managed to find a way past Alex Hofmann and, by the mid-point of the race, I’d closed onto the battle between Chris Vermeulen and Toni Elias. At this point I thought it would be possible to pass both, but then, with just eight laps left to run, the rear tyre started sliding whenever I got hard on the gas out of the turns, and I was unable to maintain the same pace. Although I am disappointed with my finishing position today, it is good to have gained more experience on the Ninja ZX-RR, and I’m happy to have another race finish under my belt.” Harald Eckl: Team Principal “Shinya’s eighth place finish doesn’t really do justice to his performance today. He managed to stay with the battle for fourth place for most of the race, and in different circumstances I think he could have finished fifth or sixth. Maybe he should have tried a move on the riders in front one or two times, but it’s difficult to know whether this was even possible watching from the pit wall; only he can make that decision. But at the end, Shinya rode a good race, the bike and the tyres worked well, and I think we have to be satisfied with his result. Randy’s mistake into the first turn really messed up his race. This is something we need to work on with Randy, and I hope that if we can help him improve in this area, he will then be able to realise his full potential and get the results that he deserves.” MOTOGP RACE RESULT – FINAL TIMES 1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 43’40.145; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team +4.902; 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +8.012; 4. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +14.800; 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +15.025; 6. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +15.699; 7. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +16.775; 8. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +16.942; 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +17.061; 10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +23.978; 14. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +28.961 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Capirossi bounces back with dominant victory in Czech Republic Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske republiky Sunday 20th August 2006 A second victory of the season for Loris Capirossi was achieved in spellbinding fashion at the Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske republiky, completing his full recovery after a horrific crash at Catalunya earlier this year. Capirossi took the holeshot and continued to pull away from the pack, at one point boasting a gap of eight seconds ahead of second placed rider Valentino Rossi, who had a rather more difficult time battling with young pretender Dani Pedrosa. Capirossi had stormed out of the blocks and stamped his authority on the race before the rest had time to react, and led from flag to flag to seal just his second win of the year on board the Ducati machine. Capirossi also set a new fastest lap on his way to the 25-point haul, finishing the race five-seconds clear of his compatriot Rossi. Camel Yamaha’s Italian star certainly had his hands full with Pedrosa, who after following behind for a number of laps pushed past the reigning World Champion on lap 19. There then followed a breathtaking series of exchanges between the two, ending on the final lap when Pedrosa misjudged a corner and lost valuable time on his opponent Rossi. It had been the first direct back-and-forth battle between the two World Champions, a thrilling moment of history that fans had been eagerly waiting for, and one which will have left them begging for more. Having dropped down the field in the initial stages of the race, Kenny Roberts Jr fought his way back to take an impressive fourth after starting on the front row. The former World Champion had his hands full with a number of riders going all-out to improve their positions, with the eventual top six being rounded off by Marco Melandri and Casey Stoner. The young Australian showed great maturity throughout the race and avoided another of the crashes that have plagued him recently whilst in good positions. John Hopkins made a late push to get past both Shinya Nakano and World Championship leader Nicky Hayden, who will be bitterly disappointed with his performance, which saw his championship lead over team-mate Pedrosa cut to just 25 points with a ninth place finish. Colin Edwards rounded off the top ten. 250cc GP Jorge Lorenzo, dominant all weekend at Brno, took victory from pole at today’s 250cc race to extend his lead at the top of the classification to seven points. The Fortuna Aprilia rider, fresh from renewing his contract for 2007, escaped from his pursuers both in the race and championship, Andrea Dovizioso and Hiroshi Aoyama, to win a race which had proved elusive for the Spaniard last season. Behind Lorenzo, Dovizioso and Aoyama were engaged in an exciting duel which drew to a breathtaking conclusion. Having gradually closed in on his Japanese rival, Dovizioso eventually made his move on the last corner, with Aoyama later admitting to have been “sleeping” with the Italian behind him. 17 thousandths of a second was all that separated the two, some distance ahead of fourth placed rider Roberto Locatelli. 125cc GP A fight to the finish at Brno saw Alvaro Bautista deal the knockout blow to race and title rival Mika Kallio. The Spaniard dominated two thirds of the race, although Kallio caught up with him on the final lap and made one final attempt to overtake. Although the Finn got through, Bautista powered out of the final corner to take victory number five of 2006, adding 5 points to his advantage over the Finn in the overall standings. With thousands of fans visiting from nearby Hungary, Gabor Talmacsi gave them something to cheer about with an unexpected podium finish. His chasing of the front two paid off as he headed a small pack of riders looking for a top three spot. Home rider Lukas Pesek, part of the group, slid off the track in the final stages for a heartbreaking conclusion. MotoGP Quotes 1st place: Loris Capirossi (Ducati): “The whole weekend was fantastic, I had said on Friday that “lets take a flight tomorrow” because nothing was working. The plan today was to start well and do my best on the first laps. I saw that I was putting in 1’58.1 etc laps and I was impressed, so its obvious that a lot of people have combined to achieve this great result.” 2nd place: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha): “I’m happy because we gained important points. From pole you always aim to win, and my start was not one of the best, but Loris was fantastic right from the lights going out. I tried to stay close in case his tyres slid, but we had problems today with rhythm, which we’ll work on tomorrow ahead of the next races.” 3rd place: Dani Pedrosa (Honda): “It was hard, starting from ninth, these guys were already in front when I was making up positions. When I got to main group Capirossi was already gone, and even on a normal day it would be hard to catch him. Fighting for second place, I missed a corner and lost 1 second, then decided to settle for what I had because Valentino was too far ahead.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: SUPERB FIGHTBACK FROM MELANDRI AT CZECH REPUBLIC GP Having started on the fourth row for what proved a difficult and hard-fought Czech Republic Grand Prix, Marco Melandri took a deserved fifth place in Brno which left him in fourth place in the World Championship on 161 points, behind Rossi, Pedrosa and current leader Hayden. The Italian made a particularly impressive start in Sunday’s race and made light of being in eleventh place on the grid, moving up to fourth spot before finishing 5th. It proved a difficult day for Spaniard Toni Elias who could not take advantage of starting on the second row as he ultimately finished in 11th. Elias currently sits in 12th position in the championship with 64 points. The FORTUNA HONDA team will stay at the Czech circuit tomorrow for a day of testing. MARCO MELANDRI ( 5th): “Considering my position on the grid, I have to be satisfied. However, I expected a better result at this circuit. After making a good start I climbed through the field and made it up into fourth position. I had a good rhythm and was lapping strongly but could not attack when I wanted. Pedrosa and Rossi pulled away from me and I could not catch them again. I have closed the gap on Nicky by four points although I wanted a better result. All the team did a good job.” TONI ELIAS (11th): “I am satisfied with the work we have done, but I can’t be happy with the result. I did not start well and had no rhythm over the first ten laps. It was then I started to lap better and felt more comfortable. The team did a good job and I hope that continues over the next couple of days testing we are going to do here.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Capirossi storms to victory on Bridgestones in Brno Czech Republic Grand Prix Race Brno Sunday 20 August 2006 Bridgestone-shod Ducati rider Loris Capirossi scored a sensational win in Brno this afternoon after a dominant display which saw the Italian finish the 22-lap race with a five second advantage over runner-up Valentino Rossi, the man who beat him into second in last year’s event. The sensational result takes his and Bridgestone’s 2006 win tally to two. Capirossi also set the fastest lap of the race (1m58.157s) with a four-tenth-of-a-second margin. Such was the competitiveness of the Ducati-Bridgestone package in Brno this afternoon that over one-third of Capirossi’s laps in the race were quicker than second-placed man Rossi’s best lap. Suzuki and Kawasaki also showed good race pace on their Bridgestone tyres with John Hopkins and Shinya Nakano separated by just under two-tenths at the chequered flag. Hopkins Suzuki team-mate Chris Vermeulen ended a difficult weekend in 12th place, two ahead of Kawasaki rider Randy de Puniet, who scored his seventh points result of the season. A further two places further back was Ducati’s Alex Hofmann who finished in 16th place just out of the points. Loris’s victory bolsters his fifth place in the world championship with the points deficit to the leader now just 50 points. With only 25 points gap to second place, there is all to play for in the remaining five events of the year. Points scored by John and Shinya today have seen them retain top ten places in the classification with 9th and 10th respectively. Loris Capirossi Ducati Corse Race Winner: “This has been an unbelievable weekend for me! After a difficult Friday, we did a great job with strong support from Bridgestone. Yesterday, I could see my rhythm on race tyres was really good, a little better than everyone else’s, so I told my team that my dream was to make a great start, push hard during the first few laps, make a gap and I saw from my pitboard that my advantage was growing bigger and bigger. I would like to say fro my heart thanks to the team and all the sponsors who believe in us.” In attendance today, Akira Nishimura – Bridgestone Corporation – General Manager Motorcycle Racing “I am very pleased with this result. Each of our three teams have performed well this weekend, so I would like to say congratulations and thank you to all of them. Loris’s performance was flawless. He has been quick all weekend and has frequently topped the timesheets, but his competitiveness this afternoon far exceeded our expectations. This victory means a lot to Bridgestone.” Junichi Kawajiri – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Race Tire Development “A tremendous performance from Loris this afternoon has produced the perfect end to a competitive weekend for him and Ducati. Their approach to the weekend has been correct with a strong emphasis on bike set-up and long run simulations in free practice, which demonstrated the superior competitiveness of their bike with one Bridgestone tyre specification in particular. Ultimately, all three Bridgestone-shod teams raced with this specification and both Suzuki and Kawasaki were able to take away top eight results with John and Shinya passing Nicky Hayden in the final stages of the race. We always had high hopes for this race and we are pleased to add a second victory to our 2006 account. That first win in Jerez back in March seems a long time ago, but we now have a run of favoured tracks coming up where we will do our best to add a third. The work never stops and we are testing here from tomorrow with all three teams, six race riders and test rider Shinichi Itoh. We have a wide range of tyre compounds, constructions and shapes to try, as we begin our preparation for Malaysia, Australia and Japan GPs. Today’s result certainly boosts our confidence and team morale heading into the next events.” Bridgestone Race Results Pos. Rider Motorcycle Race Time Gap Front Tyres Rear Tyres P1 Loris Capirossi Ducati 43m40.145s WINNER Slick Medium Slick Medium P7 John Hopkins Suzuki 43m56.920s +16.775s Slick Medium Slick Medium P8 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki 43m57.087s +16.942s Slick Medium Slick Medium P12 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 44m04.123s +23.978s Slick Medium Slick Medium P14 Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 44m09.106s +28.961s Slick Medium Slick Medium P16 Alex Hofmann Ducati 44m09.946s +29.801s Slick Medium Slick Medium Weather: Dry and sunny, some cloud Air 24°C, Track 36°C, Humidity 21% More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: Czech Republic Grand Prix Brno Circuit, Czech Republic Sunday 20th August 2006 ROSSI CLINCHES CRUCIAL SECOND PLACE AT BRNO Valentino Rossi picked up 20 vital points in the Czech Republic today after taking second place in a race which saw series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) stumble to ninth a result which reduces the gap between the pair to 38 points with five rounds remaining. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) took a dominant victory, leading from the first corner to finish with a 4.902 second advantage, whilst Rossi had to fend off a valiant challenge from rookie Dani Pedrosa (Honda) four laps from the end before comfortably sealing the runner-up spot. It was an even tougher afternoon for Colin Edwards, who started out in equally impressive fashion to his team-mate but faded in the second half of the race to finish in tenth. The Texan started from eighth on the grid and was keen to get in touch with the leading riders as soon as possible, making up three places on the opening three laps. However, his efforts took their toll on the rear Michelin tyre of his YZR-M1 machine and, without the perfect set-up to rely on in the latter stages of the race, he was forced to drop back and settle for another top-ten finish. VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd; + 4.902) “It was a good race today and I am very happy with the weekend. Obviously starting from pole position you hope that you can win but today Loris had a completely different pace to the rest of us and I couldn’t believe the gap he made! We weren’t perfect today and we still had a few problems, but anyway I was able to do a good race and fight hard to the end. I had a great battle with Pedrosa with many good overtakes, which was great fun, especially since I finally managed to finish in front of him! Even though I didn’t win today this is a very important result for the championship; we are now third and we’ve gained on Pedrosa and Hayden. After this weekend the situation is much clearer for us with the bike and the tyres and now we have two days of testing, during which we have some new things to try in order to help us be even more competitive for the final five races. This weekend my M1 worked well from Friday morning, which is very encouraging after the problems we’ve had during practice this season. Everyone at Yamaha has worked so hard to come back to this level so I want to thank my team and all the engineers. Now there are five more races and five riders who can still fight for the championship, so I think it’s going to be a very exciting end to the season!” COLIN EDWARDS (10th; + 19.435) “At the beginning things felt alright and over the first few laps I was actually quite excited. I was able to be quite aggressive and pass a few people, but then after a while things just went downhill. The balance of the bike didn’t feel right and I just couldn’t keep the same level. Then the tyre started to go off after about eight laps and that just acted as a limiter and my pace went right down. I was fighting really hard just to keep the pace I was running and it was nowhere near fast enough to be competitive. The bike didn’t feel perfect under braking either and that makes life difficult here! We’ve spent all weekend playing around, trying to find the right balance but we just couldn’t find exactly what we needed. Honestly we’ve worked hard all weekend but things just weren’t right today. We’ve got two days of testing now and plenty of work to do if we’re going to improve for the final few races.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “This has been a good weekend, despite the fact that we didn’t win. We’ve achieved the most important goal of taking a lot of points back from Hayden and also gaining on Pedrosa. Valentino starting from pole position is a great improvement after the previous weekends and it’s a good sign for the final part of the season. There are five riders now that can win the championship and it’s clearly going to be a hard fight to the end, for which we need to be fully prepared! This weekend has shown how well Yamaha can react to problems and everyone has worked extremely hard to solve them, so a big thank you to the mechanics, engineers and of course Valentino! Colin made some big changes before the race and in the first part of it he looked very good. Unfortunately he couldn’t keep that pace up and now these two days of testing for him will be very important in order to come up with some things that can help him finish the season well.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Sunday Aug 20 2006 Race – Brno CAPIROSSI SCORES REMARKABLE BRNO WIN Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi rode a remarkable race at Brno today, leaving the rest of the MotoGP grid trailing in his wake for his second victory of 2006. The Italian led from start to finish, increasing his advantage at an astonishing rate until he was eighth seconds ahead, he then eased his pace to win by a very comfortable 4.9 seconds. Team-mate Alex Hofmann, subbing for the injured Sete Gibernau, had a more difficult race, finishing 16th. Today’s victory was greeted enthusiastically but it also had his crew wondering what might have been if he hadn’t suffered injuries at June’s Catalan GP that handicapped him at the next four GPs. Capirossi led the World Championship going into Catalunya and currently lies fifth overall. The Ducati Marlboro Team stays here to test for two days when Capirossi will have his first ride on the team’s 2007 bike, the all-new 800cc GP7. Capirossi’s fifth MotoGP victory also makes a little bit of history – the former 125 and 250 World Champion now has the longest winning career in GP history, spanning more than 16 years. Capirossi scored his first victory in the British 125 GP at Donington on August 5 1990. LORIS CAPIROSSI, race winner, 5th overall on 151 points “This has been an unbelievable weekend for me! After Friday morning I wanted to take the plane back to Monaco because the bike wasn’t working so well, but after that we did a great job, with strong support from Bridgestone. “Yesterday I could see my rhythm on race tyres was really good, a little better than everyone else’s, so this morning I told my team that my dream was to make a great start, push hard during the first few laps, make a gap and I saw from my pitboard that my advantage was growing bigger and bigger. I would like to say from my heart thanks to the team and all the sponsors who believe in us. Of course, I am also a little upset about my bad luck at Barcelona but the three-week break before this race was a big help, it allowed me to rest and get my fitness back, so I came here feeling 100 per cent. “I don’t want to talk about the world championship yet. I will just do my best at the last five races and we will see, you never know. We stay here to test tomorrow. First we try some new tyres on the GP6, then in the afternoon maybe we try the new 800. I will be like a kid tonight, too excited to sleep!” ALEX HOFMANN, finished 16th, 17th overall on 21 points “For sure it didn’t help not having much time on my race tyres during practice. In the race I ran into a wall, whatever I did I couldn’t improve. Whenever I tried to attack I almost highsided, it was impossible to do more. The race was close, so if you lose just a few tenths a lap you are out of the game. I really wanted to do well here, so I’m disappointed.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “This victory was something we needed, it’s great to be back on top. Loris rode an unbelievable race. Now we can’t help but think about Barcelona, but we are not out of the championship yet, we know we have some more good tracks coming up, so we will keep fighting. It was a shame that Sete wasn’t here because I believe he could have run with Loris. Anyway, a big thanks to Loris, the team, the factory and our technical partners, Shell Advance and Bridgestone, who have worked so hard to bring great tyres here.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Grand Prix of the Czech Republic at Brno Sunday August 20, 2006 TITLE RACE TIGHTENS AS NICKY STRUGGLES IN BRNO Loris Capirossi (Ducati) won this MotoGP race easily from Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) in second with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) third. World Championship leader Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) was ninth, his worst result of the season. And the title implications, although not that far-reaching yet, suggest that this season’s World Championship chase may yet have more twists and turns to it. With Capirossi likely to be strong again in Japan and Malaysia, Nicky cannot afford to drop points to this extent with Dani just 25 points behind and Rossi now just 13 behind Dani. Capirossi had so much more pace than anyone here that he finished nearly five seconds ahead of Rossi at the flag, and even held a seven second lead on lap 15 of this 22-lap encounter run in cloudy conditions at 24-degrees with the track at 36-degrees. The Italian Ducati man led into turn one on lap one and never looked back until the final lap when he took two, long lingering gazes backwards to see just how far out of touch his pursuers were. Far away they may have been, but the action was frantic as they fought for the remaining places. Hayden held second on lap one from Rossi who soon deprived the American of that spot and set about trying to stay with Capirossi. Nicky gradually slipped down the race order when a clutch problem compounded a lack of traction as his team-mate Dani moved up from fifth on lap one. Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V), who eventually finished sixth, was another man who was up with the early action in fourth place on the opening laps. The Aussie rookie would finish more than 15 seconds down on the leader, but locked in massive group fight for fourth to ninth place. By lap three Dani was in fourth past Stoner and he would leave that group behind as he began to close on his team-mate Nicky in fourth. Hayden fought hard to hang onto his place, but Dani dislodged him in the space of a lap and began to work on Rossi for second. It was an intense battle and one in which neither rider was prepared to yield. There was contact, sheer bravery, tests of nerve and feints to deceive everything race fans wanted to see between these two stars of the scene. But it was Rossi who prevailed this time to hold onto runner-up spot in this race. Further downfield the scrap for fourth was every bit as monumental as the tussle further up ahead, with Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V), Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V), Stoner and Hayden all involved with Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) and John Hopkins (Suzuki). The verdict went to Roberts with Melandri fifth, Stoner sixth and Nicky a frustrating ninth. Hayden can only hope that this will remain an aberration in what has been a copybook season for him so far. Dani said, “Third was good for me seeing as I started from ninth. I made a good start, although it could have been better. And I was strong on the brakes and could overtake. When I caught Valentino I waited because it was quite early in the race and Capirossi was already gone. We made some good moves, all very aggressive. We were pushing hard, but I made a mistake, lost a second and could not recover the time.” Nicky said, “I had a few issues in the race, but I’m not going to go into them. The bottom line is that this is not the sort of result we wanted here this weekend. One week you win and the next week you’re ninth that’s the level of competition we’re dealing with here. I’ve had some tough results before and battled through, and that’s what we’ll try to do again.” Kenny said, “I hated to see Nicky (Hayden) back there, because he’s leading the championship, and I know every point for him is valuable. Once I got past him he was boxed in. I had a chance to get past Casey (Stoner) and Marco (Melandri) later on the same lap. It’s hard following people all race long, then to try and open up a bit of a gap when they’re trying as hard as they can. So I just tried to keep it tidy, and we made it.” Fifth-placed Marco said, “Considering my position on the grid, I have to be satisfied. However, I expected a better result at this circuit. After making a good start I climbed through the field and made it up into fourth position. I had a good rhythm and was lapping strongly but could not attack when I wanted. Pedrosa and Rossi pulled away from me and I could not catch them again. I have closed the gap on Nicky by four points although I wanted a better result. All the team did a good job.” “That was hard race,” said Stoner. “There was a lot of overtaking going on sometimes three times in one lap. But I didn’t have enough rear tyre left to race for fourth place. They’d already destroyed themselves when I was behind Hayden. That was close racing and while I would have liked a better result sixth will have to do for now. I really needed an extra Red Bull this morning.” Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) finished 11th and said, “I’m satisfied with the work we’ve done, but I can’t be happy with the result. I didn’t start well and had no rhythm over the first ten laps. It was then I started to lap better and felt more comfortable. The team did a good job and I hope that continues over the next couple of days testing we’re going to do here.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) was 13th. He said, “My start was not so bad but after three four laps the rear wheel was spinning and I had little traction, I could not go forward. Then I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike and dropped back. Then in the middle part of the race I was getting more traction and the bike felt much better and I could get closer to the group ahead of me.” The World Championship points table looks like this: Hayden 201, Pedrosa 176, Rossi 163, Melandri 161, Capirossi 151. And in the Constructors’ Championship Honda has 262 points to Yamaha’s 201 with Ducati on 160. The 250cc contest belonged to Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia). He won comfortably from his main series rival Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) who stole second place from Hiro Aoyama (KTM) at the final turn on the final lap. Aoyama led out of turn one on the opening lap, before Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) took the lead and then crashed out on lap four handing the reins to Lorenzo. Aoyama and Dovizioso briefly took turns to lead, but as the final laps approached Lorenzo steadily pulled clear to win by two and a half seconds. Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) finished sixth and his team-mate Martin Cardenas (Repsol Honda RS250RW) was seventh. Lorenzo heads the World standings with 199 points to Dovi’s 192, while the injured and out of action Takahashi remains third with 133 points. Aprilia heads the Constructors’ series with 246 points to Honda’s 209. Dovi said, “To get second here is not a bad result, but we can’t be happy with that. We want to win and we need to win if we’re to have a chance of the World Championship. We’ve got to win the next race and win again if we’re to keep this season alive.” Aoyama said, “My main aim was to finish the race so I wasn’t able to be as fast as I wanted at the beginning of the race. Then I found my pace and tried to stay in the second group, but I finally lost contact and wasn’t able to catch up with them again. I’m not really satisfied because I expected more from this race.” The points table now shows Lorenzo on 199 to Dovi’s 192 and in the Constructors’ table Aprilia with 246 to Honda’s 209. Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) won the 125cc race and further tightened his grip on the series. The Spaniard had to fight hard to fend off the attentions of Mika Kallio (KTM) on the final lap, but the speed of his Aprilia told on the sprint to the line. Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) was third. Bautista was the pace man from the lights and Kallio did all he could to reel in the flying Spaniard and get on terms by the final lap. He dived inside at the final turn on the final lap, but did not have the speed to deny Bautista as the finish line loomed. Talmacsi was delighted with his hard-fought third in front of many Hungarian fans who had made the trip to Brno. It was especially sweet as he beat local man Lukas Pesek (Derbi) to the final podium place when Pesek lost the front-end of his machine on the exit of the final turn. Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) was fifth. Talmacsi said, “I never expected a result like this. This has been my dream since the beginning of the season, and to achieve this result in front of 20,000 Hungarians who are here is amazing. I can hear them all celebrating.” Luthi said, “It has not been easy this season. I need to qualify on the front two rows to stand a chance of the podium but here I could not get on either row. The race was a big fight and I was a little lucky in the end to get fifth place. I have to qualify better in Malaysia.” Bautista now leads the World Championship by a massive margin. He has 230 points to Kallio’s 161. Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) lies third with 147 points. Aprilia lead the Constructors’ Championship with 253 points to KTM’s 166 with Honda lying third on 124 points. Honda GP rider quotes: Race quotes GP Czech Republic Sunday August 20. MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 3rd. “I think we did a great race and third place is very good for me because I started from ninth on the grid. I made a good start but I think it could have been even better and I could have made up even more places into the first corner. When I caught Valentino I was waiting because it was very early in the race. By that point though, Capirossi was already gone he was too fast for us today. So we were battling for second place and we did some very good overtaking manoeuvres, some of them very aggressive. We were pushing very hard. With three laps remaining I made a mistake at one corner and lost a second that I couldn’t recover, so for the last lap I decided to finish third. I’m looking forward to the next races.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 4th.My riding position is still not great, and the full fuel tank affected me in the beginning. I was riding as hard as I could but I wasn’t able to brake as hard as I needed to or open the throttle as soon as I needed, so I lost positions in the early stages. Once the balance came back as the fuel load burned off, it got better. I was right with the group, then I got an opportunity to get past those guys at the end, and I took advantage of it. I was in the right place at the right time. I hated to see Nicky (Hayden) back there, because he’s leading the championship, and I know every point for him is valuable. Once I got past him he was boxed in. I had a chance to get past Casey (Stoner) and Marco (Melandri) later on the same lap. It’s hard following people all race long, then to try and open up a bit of a gap when they’re trying as hard as they can. So I just tried to keep it tidy, and we made it. We need to figure out some things tomorrow. I wanted to be within five seconds of the leader if I could, but it didn’t work out that way. Kenny Roberts Sr. – Team Owner. I still think we need to improve our race pace, but I’ve been saying that for the last two races, and every raced we have improve it … so if we keep going in that direction I don’t think we really have a problem. If you would have said at the beginning of the year that we would get fourth here, we’d have said – yeah, we’ll take it. We’re getting closer and closer. For a team with just one rider, we’re doing pretty good. We didn’t use the new gas tank today, although it gives a better riding position. Every time you make a gas tank, the fuel filtering is very, very critical. wu have to get some miles on it. We had trouble yesterday … we knew there was a chance of that happening, but when you’re trying to develop things as quickly as we are sometimes you take the chance. Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 5th “Considering my position on the grid, I have to be satisfied. However, I expected a better result at this circuit. After making a good start I climbed through the field and made it up into fourth position. I had a good rhythm and was lapping strongly but could not attack when I wanted. Pedrosa and Rossi pulled away from me and I could not catch them again. I have closed the gap on Nicky by four points although I wanted a better result. All the team did a good job.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: 6th “That was a hard race, there was a lot of overtaking going on, sometimes three times in one lap. At the end I just didn’t have enough rear grip to race for fourth position against Melandri and Roberts — the tyres had slowly destroyed themselves when I was stuck racing in the group behind Hayden. There was some really close racing and while I would have liked a better result, sixth place will do for now. I made a great start and was fourth at turn two but then went backwards to seventh – – I just needed an extra Red Bull this morning to pep me up before the race.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 9th. “I was going pretty good for the first part of the race. I made a good start and was feeling comfortable running in third. The result’s frustrating and we had a few little issues in the race but I’m not going to dwell on that. The bottom line is that the result is not what we wanted this weekend, but that’s racing. One week you win and the next you’re ninth that’s the level of the competition in MotoGP. We’ve had some tough results this year and we’ve bounced back so we’ll regroup and do that again. I’ve got some great support from fans at home and abroad and that means a lot to me. I knew it was going to be hard work but me and my boys are strong so we’ll put in a couple of days testing and come back fighting for the next one.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 11th “I am satisfied with the work we have done, but I can’t be happy with the result. I did not start well and had no rhythm over the first ten laps. It was then I started to lap better and felt more comfortable. The team did a good job and I hope that continues over the next couple of days testing we are going to do here.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 13th. “My start was not so bad but after three four laps the rear wheel was spinning and I had little traction, I could not go forward. Then I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike and dropped back. Then in the middle part of the race I was getting more traction and the bike felt much better and I could get closer to the group ahead of me.” 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 2nd. “The four points difference between second and third are really important for the championship. This track is a bit difficult for us and it favourites a lot Aprilia; the only chance to beating Lorenzo was to stay close to him. But when Locatelli caught me and pass me, I lost the contact with him and couldn’t do anything else. I have to be happy with this and wait more favourite circuits like Motegi and Estoril. This second place is for sure a good result, and I gathered important points in the last curve, but I’m not completely satisfied because I want to win and not arrive second. In the last lap I didn’t think I was able to beat Aoyama; then, though, I brake hard in the last corner being able to stay close and keep a good speed in exiting. He, probably, didn’t expect it and didn’t close the way. The championship is still open; I believe I can do it at 100% because we have just 7 points gap and my team works very well. My bike is always competitive as far as chassis concern”. Yuki Takahashi, Humangest Honda: Did not race due to injuries sustained at Suzuka 8 Hours. Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 6th. “I’m not really happy. I made a bad start and at the beginning of the race I wasn’t really able to push as much as I wanted. I hadn’t a good feeling and I didn’t want to crash. My main aim was to finish the race so I wasn’t able to be as fast as I wanted at the beginning of the race. Then I found my pace and tried to stay in the second group, but I finally lost contact and wasn’t able to catch up with them again. I’m not really satisfied because I expected more from this race.” Martin Cardenas, Repsol Honda: 7th.”I made a very good start today and I have been able to be in the top group from the beginning which was of great help for the result. I didn’t want to take any risk during the race because my main aim was to finish. During one or two laps I had a nice fight with Barbera, Debón and Shuhei, but as I said, I didn’t want to take any risk. I was finally seventh and considering that the aim was finishing the race, I think that it’s a very good result.” Arnaud Vincent, Molenaar Honda:14th. “The race was so so for me I pushed at maximum today. The set up was good and the bike handled well in the race but I am a little down on top end power. In general everything worked better than in qualifying but we need to find some more speed before Malaysia where the track is very fast in places.” Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: 15th. “In the morning warm up we changed the set up so the bike was a little closer the one we raced at Sachsenring. It was not the perfect bike but better than in final qualifying. I didn’t make a good job of the start the bike reared up and a lot of riders steamed passed me into the first corner. I was not too fast with a full fuel tank but once the fuel level dropped I felt more comfortable on the bike and started to find a good rhythm and enjoyed the battle for 15th place. I didn’t score any points in the last two races so I am pleased to get one today after the problems I had in qualifying.” Fabrizio Perren, Stop and Go Racing: 16th. “I started from the back of the grid because I missed the start of warm u lap. I had to fight hard to get with the group I was racing with towards the end. I was close but after 15 laps the front tyre was completely finished and the front end kept turning in on me and I could not stay with the group “ Aleix Espargaro, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf crash. “I am quite happy even though I crashed out of the race. Now I know I can ride with the fast factory team riders. But I had to be late on the brakes to stay with them and eventually I made a mistake braking the front end turned in and I went down. I am sorry for the team who did a good job and gave me a great bike for the race today. I am looking forward to Malaysia.” 125cc: Gabor Talmacsi, Humangest Honda: 3rd. “I was dreaming to get on the podium today, but actually I didn’t expect it. In the first part of the season, we had some problems with the bike set-up, but during this summer break the team and I thought a lot about what to do and we made some important changes. Today the bike was working well and for this I want to thanks HRC and my mechanics, who made a great job during this weekend. It is for me a great emotion getting on the podium in front of all my supporters. Now my goal for the last five races is to be always competitive and achieve the sixth place in the final classification”. Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 5th. “I am happy with myself and the way I rode today but I am a little angry because I just could not pass anybody on the straights, not even from the slipstream. I lose too much down the straights here I have to work too hard in the corners to make up positions. I need to get alongside a rider to outbrake him, I cannot do it from behind. It has not been easy this season. I need to qualify on the front two rows to stand a chance of the podium but here I could not get on either row. The race was a big fight and I was a little lucky in the end to get fifth place. I have to qualify better in Malaysia if I hope to be on the podium.” Fabrizio Lai, Seedorf Racing World: 10th. “I don’t like very much this track but after a perfect start and some good laps, the engine performance wasn’t good any more. I tried to follow the leaders, like Taclmacsi, but the gear problems prevented me to maintain the same rhythm of the Aprilia in front of me. I finished 10th but I think to have lost a chance”. Sandro Cortese, Elit Honda: 11th. “I got a perfect start but Bradl passed me on the first straight and we were together the whole race. His bike was really fast today but I could get alongside him at some places and outbrake him but he would come passed again. At the of the race I got him at one of the right hand corners at the bottom of the circuit and just held him off to get 11th place.” Mike Di Meglio, FFM Honda: 13th. “This morning the track was wet and it dried during the warm up. I felt very comfortable on the bike and I finished in 10th position. I also made some starting tests that were very beneficial for the race. I took a very good start and it allowed me to get a good position at the beginning of the race. Then, I was with Sandro Cortese and Stefan Bradl, fighting for the 11th place. I could easily follow them but in the last laps, I missed a gear and I lost places. But I’m happy because this track has always been difficult for me and the level is very high this season. We improved a lot this weekend especially on the chassis and engine and I’m confident for the Grand Prix in Malaysia.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 25th. “I’m reasonably happy with my race the set up was not as good as in qualifying just little things, the bike did not steer so well today. My start was OK and the engine was fast but after one lap I noticed I was not as fast as I could have been but I gave it my best so I can do no more than that. “ Michele Conti, Seedorf Racing World: 26th. “I couldn’t find the right set up. I had problems with the front and I was very slow in the corners. I need to do more sessions to understand the best set up for my bike and during the week end we haven’t much time”. Stefano Musco, replacement rider for Lorenzo Baroni at Humangest Honda: 33rd. “Of course, I’m very happy about today as it is the first race ever in the MotoGP World Championship. Riders are all very fast and it hasn’t been easy for me, but I knew before coming here it would be like that. I finished the race and, for now, I’m happy with it. I had fun to race in such beautiful circuit and in front of so many people. I want to thank Humangest Racing Team for this chance”. Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: Did not race due to broken arm sustained in qualifying. Tito Rabat, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf technical problem. “My start was very good and the bike was fast. Then after two laps I started to hear noises from the engine and it was difficult to change gear. I went back wards slowly then the engine stopped on lap six and I was out. Very disappointing because I had a very fast bike today.” More, from a press release issued by Michelin: MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006 Czech Grand Prix, Brno ROSSI & PEDROSA DUEL THRILLS BRNO CROWD Michelin men Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) provided some superb entertainment as they enjoyed a no-holds-barred battle for second place in today’s Czech GP, won by Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici). The pair swapped positions on numerous occasions in a contest that could have a crucial effect on the outcome of this year’s World Championship. Pedrosa and Rossi are currently second and third on points, still some way behind series leader Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) who had a difficult ride to ninth this afternoon. Rossi finished 4.9 seconds behind Capirossi and 4.1 seconds ahead of Pedrosa. Kenny Roberts Junior (Team Roberts KR211V-Michelin) won a thrilling contest for fourth place, crossing the line a few tenths ahead of Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V-Michelin) and Casey Stoner (Honda LCR RC211V-Michelin). “Loris showed what he could do during practice here, so we knew this would be a tough race,” said Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “But we did enjoy watching Valentino and Dani racing together, the first big battle between these two guys. And they chose quite different tires, Valentino choosing a harder rear, as usual, while Dani went for something softer because his riding style allows it. Both were able to run consistent times during the race. Kenny Junior also rode a great race, running a particularly strong pace during the closing stages when he was able to pass Marco and Casey to get fourth.” Michelin riders currently hold the top four positions in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship, having won 10 races and filled 30 of the 36 podium places so far this year. Top five Michelin riders’ tire choice Valentino Rossi: soft compound narrow profile front; hard compound rear Dani Pedrosa: medium compound narrow profile front; medium compound rear Kenny Roberts Junior: medium compound narrow profile front; medium compound rear Marco Melandri: medium compound wide profile front; medium compound rear Casey Stoner: medium compound wide profile front; medium compound rear

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Amendments to the Rules The Grand Prix Commission, composed of Messrs. Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna, Chairman), Claude Danis (FIM), Hervé Poncharal (IRTA) and Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA), in the presence of Mr Paul Butler (Secretary of the meeting), in a meeting held yesterday at the circuit of Brno, unanimously decided to introduce the following modifications to the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations application as from 1st January 2007. Sporting Regulations 1.15 Practice 1.15.1 Practice Restrictions For the purpose of practice restrictions the year is divided into two parts. The “Season” is defined as the period starting 13 days before the first race of the year and ending 4 days after the last race of the year, both dates being inclusive. The Season does not include “Breaks”. A Break is defined as two consecutive week-ends where events are not scheduled. The period of the Break extends from 09h00 on the fourth day after the Grand Prix until the following Grand Prix. The “Winter” is defined as the rest of the year, i.e. starting 5 days after the last race of the season and ending 14 days before the first race of the subsequent season, both dates being inclusive. The Winter does not include the “Pause”. The Pause is a period starting on the 1st December of one year and finishing on the 20th January of the following year, both dates being inclusive. 1.15.1.1 MotoGP Class Practice with machines eligible for the MotoGP class is forbidden: i) During the “Season” at any circuit included in the Grand Prix calendar of the current year with the following exceptions: a) Practice included in the schedule of the Events. b) Practice during the three days immediately following an event at the circuit at which the event has taken place. c) Any activity authorised by the Race Direction. d) Manufacturers and constructors who supply machines to the MotoGP class may, before the 20th January of each year, designate and inform the Race Direction of one Grand Prix circuit as their testing circuit at which they may practice during the Season and during the Breaks with their MotoGP class machines during a maximum of 30 days or part thereof, but not with their designated riders or with riders designated by other teams and not as from 14 days before the race scheduled for that circuit. The schedule of such tests and any subsequent amendments must be notified to the Race Direction. ii) During the “Winter” at any circuit with the following exceptions: a) At a maximum of seven official tests organised by Dorna/IRTA at Grand Prix circuits included in the calendars of the preceding or following year, each test being of maximum three days duration. b) At any circuit not included in the Grand Prix calendar of the preceding or following year. c) Manufacturers and constructors who supply machines to the MotoGP class may, before the conclusion of the last event of each year, designate and inform the Race Direction of one Grand Prix circuit as their testing circuit at which they may practice during the Winter with their MotoGP class machines at any time, excluding during the Pause. d) Furthermore, during the Winter, no single rider may participate in more than eight tests, each of a maximum of three days, at any circuits.

Pro Honda Oils AMA Supersport Championship Presented by Shoei VIRginia International Raceway Alton, Virginia August 20 Provisional Results: 1. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R6), 17 laps 2. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R600), -1.752 seconds 3. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600), -4.935 seconds 4. Chris Peris (Yam YZF-R6), -10.430 seconds 5. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6RR), -14.708 seconds 6. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R600), -16.556 seconds 7. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-6RR), -21.951 seconds 8. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R600), -25.084 seconds 9. Jeff Wood (Suz GSX-R600), -30.291 seconds 10. Tony Meiring (Suz GSX-R600), -34.332 seconds 11. Michael Beck (Yam YZF-R6), -36.016 seconds 12. Alastair Seeley (Yam YZF-R6), -36.229 seconds 13. Garrett Carter (Yam YZF-R6), -53.874 seconds 14. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R6), -62.029 seconds 15. Keith Marshall (Suz GSX-R600), -73.283 seconds 16. Scott Jackson (Kaw ZX-6RR), -82.872 seconds 17. Jimmy Wood (Kaw ZX-6RR), -82.933 seconds 18. Chris Siebenhaar (Suz GSX-R600), -83.019 seconds 19. Joseph Ford (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 20. Dirk Sanchez (Kaw ZX-6RR), -1 lap, 1.458 seconds 21. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap, 21.268 seconds 22. Dafan Zhang (Kaw ZX-6RR), -1 lap, 44.554 seconds 23. Josh Herrin (Yam YZF-R6), -7 laps, DNF, crash/mechanical 24. Shea Fouchek (Suz GSX-R600), -7 laps, DNF 25. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6RR), -10 laps, DNF, crash 26. Ryan Clay (Yam YZF-R6), -12 laps, DNF 27. David Anthony (Kaw ZX-6RR), -13 laps, DNF 28. Shane Narbonne (Suz GSX-R600), -15 laps, DNF, crash 29. Trey Yonce (Yam YZF-R6), -16 laps, DNF Provisional AMA Supersport Championship Point Standings (After 9 of 11 races): 1. Hacking, 294 points 2. Eslick, 204 points 3. May, 201 points 4. Attard, 199 points 5. Roger Hayden, 197 6. Barnes, 191 points 7. Young, 180 points 8. Meiring, 154 points 9. Beck, 130 points 10. Buckmaster, 127 points 11. Chris “Opie” Caylor, 107 points 12. Ben Spies, 106 points 13. Herrin, 99 points 14. Jeff Tigert, 97 points 15. Seeley, 90 points 16. Ryan Elleby, 80 points 17. TIE, Carter/Tyler McDonald, 74 points 19. Fouchek, 73 points 20. Long, 72 points More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: Pirelli Racers May and Barnes Crowd the Top of Supersport Podium Pirelli demonstrated its performance heritage by taking second and third in the hotly contested AMA Supersport race at Virginia International Raceway. M4 EMGO Suzuki teammates Geoff May and Michael Barnes stood on either side of race winner Jamie Hacking, after a tightly contested, race-long battle for the lead. May and Barnes were in a train with Hacking throughout the race, with May taking the lead in turn one a couple of times. Having an advantage both on the throttle and on the brakes showed off the incomparable traction of the Pirelli SuperCorsa Pros mounted on each end of May’s Suzuki. Before taking the lead, May had to fight his way up from fourth place. At the checkered flag May was merely 1.7 seconds behind the race winner, having been finally interrupted in his attempts to pass for the lead by racers being lapped. This was Pirelli’s second double podium of the year in the AMA Superbike series, made more remarkable by the few number of teams that understand that “power is nothing without control”. In Sunday’s Superbike Race Two, Millennium KWS Suzuki racer Matt Lynn felt as though he was on the podium by finishing 9th, as the second-placed privateer. A few spaces behind Lynn was Cory West, another privateer on Pirelli Diablo Superbike Slicks. The Superstock race at VIR saw Geoff May finish seventh on his M4 EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000, with Matt Lynn taking a close eighth on his Millennium KWS Suzuki GSX-R1000. Other Pirelli riders using the Diablo Superbike Slicks in the Superstock top 15 include Chris Ulrich in 12th, John Haner in 13th, and Cory West in 14th, with Ulrich’s Roadracingworld.com teammate Roberto Pietri taking 16th. More, from a press release issued by Celtic Racing: Celtic Racing in the Top Dozen at VIR Celtic Racing’s Alastair Seeley finished 12th in both the Supersport 600 and the Formula Xtreme races at this weekend’s AMA Superbike Championship meeting at Virginia International Raceway. Seeley finished 12th in Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race before repeating the result in Sunday’s Supersport race, during which he joined the elite list of 600 riders who have lapped the circuit at under 1:30. Seeley did a 1:29.9 on the team’s Pirelli shod Yamaha R6. Seeley had qualified 15th for both races. Considering it was Seeley’s first visit to the very technical circuit, many seasoned observers were impressed by the circuit newcomer’s results.

Repsol Lubricants AMA Superstock Championship VIRginia International Raceway Alton, Virginia August 20 Provisional Race Results: 1. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1 LE), 17 laps 2. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R1 LE), -0.506 second 3. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1 LE), -5.720 seconds 4. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), -6.924 seconds 5. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR1000RR), -10.610 seconds 6. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000), -26.473 seconds 7. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), -33.402 seconds 8. Matt Lynn (Suz GSX-R1000), -35.187 seconds 9. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-10R), -35.334 seconds 10. Marty Craggill (Suz GSX-R1000), -36.141 seconds 11. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR1000RR), -44.491 seconds 12. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), -46.064 seconds 13. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), -49.044 seconds 14. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000), -56.956 seconds 15. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-10R), -66.467 seconds 16. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), -66.545 seconds 17. Kenny Noyes (Yam YZF-R1 LE), -73.391 seconds 18. Michael Sanchez (Suz GSX-R1000), -90.814 seconds 19. Brad Hendry (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 20. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000), -5 laps, DNF, crash 21. Troy Meikle (Suz GSX-R1000), -6 laps, DNF 22. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), -16 laps, DNF, crash 23. Chad Lewin (Suz GSX-R1000), -16 laps, DNF 24. Akira Tamitsuji (Suz GSX-R1000), -17 laps, DNF Provisional AMA Superstock Championship Point Standings (After 9 of 11 races): 1. Hacking, 314 points 2. Yates, 282 points 3. DiSalvo, 252 points 4. May, 241 points 5. Hayes, 218 points 6. Eric Bostrom, 205 points 7. Rapp, 174 points 8. Craggill, 172 points 9. Gobert, 171 points 10. Ulrich, 166 points 11. TIE, Holden/Lynn, 159 points 13. TIE, Buckmaster/Attard, 151 points 15. Pridmore, 145 points 16. Pietri, 141 points 17. West, 122 points 18. Tamitsuji, 111 points 19. Hendry, 85 points 20. Haner, 71 points More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Suzuki: Yoshimura Suzuki’s Yates Picks up Fourth Place in VIR Superstock Race –Next round, Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA, Aug. 1 – 3, 2006– Round 9 AMA Repsol Superstock Series Alton, VA Virginia International Raceway Aug. 18 – 20, 2006 Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates continued his battle for the 2006 AMA Repsol Superstock Championship at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., on Sunday afternoon. The defending Superstock Champion picked up a fourth-place finish at the scenic Southern racetrack. The day before, Yates had struggled a bit in qualifying. Posting a fastest lap time of 1:26.566, the Georgian was slated to start from eighth position on the second row of the grid. “I got hung up messing around with qualifying tires instead of focusing on the right set-up,” said Yates. “So we weren’t as fast as we should have been. But I have faith in my crew and the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 that we’ll be more successful in the race.” Yates and crew were indeed more successful in the 17-lap race. He got an excellent start on his 1000cc Superstock bike and was in second place for the first half of the race. Although he slipped a few positions before the race’s end, Yates still walked away with a top-five result. “The bike started sliding early on,” said Yates. “I think we made the wrong tire choice. We tried a new tire for the race — although it worked well in practice, with the higher temperatures and everything, we just ran out of grip toward the end of the race. But we’re going to Road Atlanta next, which is my home track. And we had a good test there last week, so I’m looking forward to that race More, from a press release issued by Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki: Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki’s Craggill Picks up Seventh Top-10 Finish at VIR ALTON, Va., (Aug. 20, 2006) Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki rider Marty Craggill captured his seventh top-10 finish of the 2006 season in the AMA Repsol Superstock race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Va., on Sunday afternoon. With this finish, Craggill is a mere two points away from taking over seventh-overall in the Superstock Series. The weekend began with qualifying on Saturday afternoon. Craggill posted a fastest lap time of 1:27.064 and carded a third-row spot on the VIR starting grid. True to form, Craggill had more success on race tires than on qualifiers so the Australian used the session to focus on the race track. “VIR is a good track,” he said post-qualifying. “It’s relatively safe, there are a couple of hard-braking spots and I enjoy those. It’s a pretty fun track and the Virginia fans are great.” Sunday afternoon’s 17-lap race was rescheduled due to potential bad weather and saw Craggill get a rough start. “That’s the worst start I ever had,” said Craggill. “I let the clutch out too fast and did a big wheelie. I finally got the front wheel down and everyone came past me. But I worked my way up and felt like I rode pretty good.” Although he found himself far back in the field, the Australian put his head down and rallied on the Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superstock bike. “The bike was good,” Craggill said. “I’m happy with the way I rode. This was one of my best rides this year. I came through, I didn’t fade and my lap times were really consistent. The last three races, I’ve been sick and at the end of the races I was going backward. Here, I felt like I was going forward.” Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki’s next AMA Repsol Superstock race will be at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., the weekend of Sept. 1-3, 2006.

AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited VIRginia International Raceway Alton, Virginia August 20 Provisional Race Results: 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), 28 laps 2. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), -5.278 seconds 3. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), -12.340 seconds 4. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), -27.830 seconds 5. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), -31.445 seconds 6. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999F06), -31.734 seconds 7. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), -36.633 seconds 8. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000), -54.644 seconds 9. Matt Lynn (Suz GSX-R1000), -78.083 seconds 10. Eric Wood (Suz GSX-R1000), -78.958 seconds 11. Larry Pegram (Hon CBR1000RR), -84.858 seconds 12. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 13. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 3.420 seconds 14. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 10.776 seconds 15. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 23.152 seconds 16. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 37.044 seconds 17. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 50.548 seconds 18. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 50.756 seconds 19. Mark Crozier (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 52.586 seconds 20. Brad Hendry (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 66.283 seconds 21. Michael Sanchez (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 69.287 seconds 22. Andi Notman (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, 78.339 seconds 23. Marco Martinez (Suz GSX-R1000), -2 laps 24. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), -2 laps, DNF, pitted, mechanical 25. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), -19 laps, DNF 26. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999F06), -27 laps, DNF, crash 27. Akira Tamitsuji (Suz GSX-R1000), -28 laps, DNF 28. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 29. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 30. Marty Craggill (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 31. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 32. David Weber (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 33. Kenny Noyes (Yam YZF-R1 LE), DNS 34. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 35. Fernando Amantini (Kaw ZX-10R), DNS Provisional AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 16 of 19 races): 1. Spies, 560 points 2. Mladin, 531 points 3. Duhamel, 443 points 4. Yates, 393 points 5. Hodgson, 387 points 6. Tommy Hayden, 384 points 7. Zemke, 376 points 8. Pridmore, 332 points 9. Ben Bostrom, 329 points 10. Pegram, 299 points 11. Rapp, 272 points 12. Holden, 244 points 13. Curtis, 209 points 14. Eric Wood, 206 points 15. Lynn, 197 points 16. Tamitsuji, 172 points 17. Scott Jensen, 152 points 18. Roger Hayden, 144 points 19. West, 136 points 20. Hendry, 122 points More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Suzuki: Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mladin, Yates & Spies Dominate Sunday’s Superbike Race at VIR Round 9 AMA Superbike Series Alton, VA Virginia International Raceway Aug. 18 – 20, 2006 Team Yoshimura Suzuki was absolutely on fire in the second AMA Superbike race of the double-header weekend at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Va., on Sunday. Defending AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin won the race, while teammate Aaron Yates picked up his first Superbike podium of the year with a second-place finish. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies, racing with a fractured right hand, still brought home a strong fourth place and maintained his AMA Superbike points lead. “After Mid-Ohio, I said all we could do is try to win as many races as possible and that’s what we did this weekend,” said Mladin of his fifth victory of the season and his fifth win at VIR. Overall, this win marks Mladin’s 48th career win. Starting from pole position, Mladin got a good start but then fell behind on the first lap. Working his way up from ninth, the six-time AMA Superbike Champion eventually found his way into the lead. “My start on my Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 was awesome,” said Mladin. “But I braked early in the first turn. I finally got a good start and look what I did with it. As for the championship, the only way we can win the title is if Ben loses it. The championship is in Ben’s hands. No matter what, it’s good to get a couple wins.” Teammate Yates also got a good start and led the first eight laps of the 28-lap race. Once Mladin got past him, however, Yates tucked in behind his teammate and the Yoshimura Suzuki duo finished together. “I don’t know why everything came together here at VIR,” said Yates of his first 2006 podium. “We found some things for the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 at the Road Atlanta test last week. And I knew I had to get a good start because I’ve had a tough time passing here. I have to thank my crew for doing a great job getting the Suzuki set up for me.” Meanwhile, Spies was suffering from a hand injury that he got from crashing in Superbike qualifying. Determined to maintain his points lead in AMA Superbike, however, the young Texan rode a strong, consistent race and finished in fourth. “I have to admit, these are the two worst races of my life,” said Spies of competing while injured this weekend. “But I knew that I had everything under control by running in fourth and I just needed to focus on the championship. We have a week and half to heal and come back ready for Road Atlanta.” More, from a press release issued by VIR: Mladin Sweeps AMA Superbike Races at VIR Alton, Va. (August 20) Six-time AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin of Australia won Sunday’s AMA Superbike Championship race at VIRginia International Raceway’s Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals. The victory completed a sweep of the VIR doubleheader weekend for Mladin, who also won Saturday’s race. It marked the second doubleheader sweep of the season for Mladin, who won both legs at Elkhart Lake, Wis., in June. Mladin’s Yoshimura Suzuki passed teammate Aaron Yates, of Milledgeville, Ga., on lap 12 of the 28-lap final and motored away to a 5.278-second margin of victory. Yates finished second. Former series champion Miguel Duhamel was third on a Honda. “It was hard work getting around Miguel and Aaron,” said Mladin, whose perfect weekend breathed new life into the AMA Superbike title chase. “Everyone’s talking about the young guys in the series, but you’ve got three of the oldest riders in the series up here, so experience counts for something.” Series leader Ben Spies broke his right hand in Friday qualifying. The 22-year-old from Longview, Texas, rode with the injury and finished fourth. He held a 45-point lead in the series coming into the weekend and leaves 29 points ahead of defending champ Mladin with three rounds remaining. In the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship race, Yamaha USA’s Jamie Hacking clinched the series title with two races remaining when championship protagonist Roger Hayden’s Kawasaki fell out. Hacking emerged victorious in a tight three-way battle with Team M4 Emgo Suzuki teammates Geoff May and Michael Barnes taking second and third, respectively. Yamaha swept the podium in the Respol Superstock Championship race, with Eric Bostrom winning over teammates Hacking and Jason DiSalvo. The win was veteran Bostrom’s first ever in the Superstock series. The weekend was a huge success, with race promoter Cameron Gray of M1 Entertainment estimating the record weekend crowd at 50,000 over the course of the three-day event. It was the second consecutive year that Gray has promoted the event, which featured a wide variety of off-track entertainment and attractions for the fans. “We are thrilled with this year’s Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals,” Gray said. “We built on last year’s success and have exceeded our expectations in terms of spectators and sponsorships. The Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals is quickly becoming one of the ‘must-do’ events on the professional motorcycle racing calendar, and we intend to keep building on our momentum in the years to come. The staff at VIR has been great to work with, and the fans here are terrific. As soon as we catch our breath, we’ll be hard at work on our plans to make this event even better for next year.” “The Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals is our most-anticipated event of the year,” said VIR general manager Josh Lief, “and Cameron Gray and his staff have outdone themselves in putting on a great show for both the fans and the racers. They have transformed a race weekend into a three-day festival of motorcycling, and we have heard nothing but rave reviews from the spectators. We look forward to more of the same next year, and for many years to come.” The next spectator event on VIR’s schedule is the annual visit of Historic Sportscar Racing, Ltd., scheduled for Labor Day weekend. For more information, visit www.hsrracing.com. VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Va., just north of historic Milton, N.C. In addition to its 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit, VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America’s first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park; the VIR Gallery, a sales showroom for high-end collector and racing cars; Plantation Valley Kart Track, a 5/8-mile paved karting circuit; The Lodge at VIR, a 27-room trackside hotel; the new VIR Paddock Suites and Garages, with 18 dual-purpose hospitality/ lodging units and garages; and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse. For more information on VIRginia International Raceway, visit the track’s website at www.virclub.com or telephone 434-822-7700. For more information on M1 Entertainment, visit their website at www.m1event.com or contact them via telephone at 303-377-3278. For more information on the AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited, visit their website at www.amasuperbike.com.