Rizla Suzuki’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne will start from fifth place on the grid for tomorrow’s double-header 10th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Croft in North Yorkshire, as qualifying times fell more than a second under the pole position time set in 2005. The final afternoon session was intense with Byrne one of just six riders to dip below the 1.20-minute barrier. His pace on race rubber is similar to the front row riders and he is counting on getting his trademark good starts tomorrow to challenge for the podium. Steve Plater, standing in for the injured James Haydon, recorded his fastest lap at the end of the day, managing 19th on the fifth row of the grid. Honda’s Jonathan Rea is on pole position after recording a 1:19.433 lap, a full 1.2 seconds below last year’s pole position. Shane Byrne: “That qualifying session was fast – those boys were on it! I thought for sure a 1.19-lap would have put me on the front row but I’ve ended up fifth. I was biting the screen I was trying so hard. “I have not followed any other riders at Croft. I’ve concentrated on my own riding and doing plenty of laps. In morning warm up I’ll try latching on to a few of the quicker qualifiers and see how I compare on race tyres.” Steve Plater: “This morning we made a significant improvement to my Rizla Suzuki by changing the gearing. It helped the bike to turn into corners and gave me a lot more confidence through the fast sections. “The bike is handling better but a lack of grip from the rear tyre has held me back this afternoon. I am spinning the wheel almost everywhere and can’t get the power to the ground, which is frustrating. We know how to fix that and will be trying a few changes in warm-up ahead of the races.” Niall Mackenzie – Race Operations Manager: “It’s a pity not to have Shane on the front row he missed a top-four slot by just 600ths of a second. That said, starting from fifth is right behind pole position and on the best side of the track for the first corner. The front row qualifying times were exceptional, but on race tyres Shakey is on a similar pace so the team is optimistic he can challenge for the podium. “Steve continues to learn more about the GSX-R1000 and we will use morning warm-up to try to give him more grip so he can exploit the power of the Rizla Suzuki to the full. With a bit of luck he’ll be able to challenge for two top 10 finishes.” Qualifying Positions: 1: Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1:19.433, 2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.134, 3: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.162, 4: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.430, 5: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +0.496, 6: Karl Harris (Honda) +0.520, 7: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +1.044, 8: Michael Rutter (Honda) +1.067, 9: Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +1.238, 10: Glen Richards (Honda) +1.424, 19: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki) +2.111.

Championship Cup Series (CCS) Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama August 11 Race Results: MIDDLEWEIGHT SUPERBIKE EXPERT: 1. Ryan Patterson (Yam YZF-R6); 2. Greg Melka (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Joel Laroche (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Mauricio Roque (Suz GSX-R600); 5. Mark Schnettler (Hon CBR600); 6. Michael Arwood (Suz GSX-R600). MIDDLEWEIGHT SUPERBIKE AMATEUR: 1. Garrett Rick (Duc 749); 2. Alex Marshall (Suz GSX-R600); 3. Robert Wilkey (Kaw ZX-6R); 4. Thomas Moore (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Jon Sigmon (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Jeremy Turner (Yam YZF-R6). THUNDERBIKE EXPERT: 1. Dave Estok (Buell XB-12R); 2. Bradley Duncan (Duc 1000); 3. Dan Bilansky (Buell XB-12R); 4. Sam Rozynski (Buell XB-12R); 5. Greg Avello (Buell XB-12R); 6. Bill Davenport (Suz SV650). THUNDERBIKE AMATEUR: 1. William Thomas (Duc 748); 2. Philip Stracener (Suz SV650); 3. Benjamin Probst (Suz SV650); 4. Anthony Caligiuri (Buell XB-12R); 5. Paul Castiglia (Suz SV650). GTO EXPERT: 1. Jeff Wood (Suz GSX-R750); 2. David McEnery (Suz GSX-R1000); 3. Darren Luck (Suz GSX-R600); 4. Andy Feuersthaler (Suz GSX-R750); 5. Clay Adams (Hon CBR1000RR); 6. Eric Schnorrbusch (Apr RSV1000). GTO AMATEUR: 1. Robert Wilkey (Suz GSX-R1000); 2. David Jackson (Suz GSX-R750); 3. Freddy Frees (Suz GSX-R750); 4. Robert Pretts (Yam YZF-R1); 5. Martin Crotty (Suz GSX-R750); 6. Jason Douglas (Yam YZF-R1). GT LIGHTS EXPERT: 1. Nate Kern (BMW R 1100 S); 2. Matthew Huber (Suz SV650); 3. Bill Davenport (Suz SV650); 4. Michael Santelia (Hon RS125); 5. Daniel Riter (Suz SV650); 6. Bob Michael (Suz SV650). GT LIGHTS AMATEUR: 1. Stanton Simmerson (Suz SV650); 2. Stacy Duncan (Suz SV650); 3. Tony Wang (Hon RS125); 4. Benjamin Probst (Suz SV650); 5. Richard Dubarton (Suz SV650); 6. Lee Hollimon (Hon RS125). GTU EXPERT: 1. Darren Luck (Suz GSX-R600); 2. Ryan Patterson (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Greg Melka (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Bob Michael (Suz GSX-R600); 5. Mauricio Roque (Suz GSX-R600); 6. James Mosley (Suz GSX-R600). GTU AMATEUR: 1. Robert Wilkey (Kaw ZX-6R); 2. Bret Garretson (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Garrett Rick (Duc 749); 4. David Jackson (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Jeremy Turner (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Greg Bordeleau (Hon CBR600). FORMULA 40 EXPERT: 1. Joel Laroche (Yam YZF-R6); 2. Robert Lang (Kaw ZX-6RR); 3. Michael Arwood (Suz GSX-R600); 4. Patrick Johnson (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Lindsay McGregor (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Gary Bunner (Duc 996). FORMULA 40 AMATEUR: 1. Jeff Flatt (Apr RSV1000); 2. Gill Cutchen (Suz GSX-R750); 3. Martin Crotty (Suz GSX-R750); 4. Phillip Doyle (Suz GSX-R750); 5. Richard Dubarton (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Ray Sanders (Suz GSX-R750). FORMULA 40 LIGHTWEIGHT EXPERT: 1. Eric Helmbach (Hon CBR600); 2. Bill Davenport (Suz SV650); 3. Neil Frank (Suz SV650); 4. Gerald Young, III (Suz SV650); 5. Al Harris (Suz SV650); 6. David Myers (Buell XB-12R). FORMULA 40 LIGHTWEIGHT AMATEUR: 1. Stanton Simmerson (Suz SV650); 2. Stacy Duncan (Suz SV650). UNLIMITED SUPERBIKE EXPERT: 1. David McEnery (Suz GSX-R1000); 2. Andy Feuersthaler (Suz GSX-R750); 3. Clay Adams (Hon CBR1000RR); 4. Nate Kern (BMW K 1200); 5. Shay Marlin (Yam YZF-R1); 6. Mitch Stein (Suz GSX-R750). UNLIMITED SUPERBIKE AMATEUR: 1. Robert Pretts (Yam YZF-R1); 2. Bret Garretson (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Freddy Frees (Suz GSX-R750); 4. Jason Douglas (Yam YZF-R1); 5. Eric Douglas (Hon CBR600); 6. David Zylberberg (Yam YZF-R6). SUPERTWINS EXPERT: 1. Dave Estok (Buell XB-12R); 2. Nate Kern (BMW R 1100 S); 3. Bryan Bemisderfer (Buell XB-12R); 4. Van Salt (Suz SV1000); 5. Eric Schnorrbusch (Apr RSV1000); 6. Sam Rozynski (Buell XB-12R). SUPERTWINS AMATEUR: 1. Stanton Simmerson (Duc 998); 2. Garrett Rick (Duc 749); 3. William Thomas (Duc 748); 4. Tony Diaz (Suz 1000); 5. R. Travis Marshall (Duc 998); 6. Jeff Flatt (Apr RSV1000).

SHUBENACADIE, NS Defending Parts Canada Superbike champion Francis Martin led the way in practice Friday for this weekend’s sixth round of the series at Atlantic Motorsport Park. The Rock Forest, QC rider took his Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 around the 2.56km track in one minute, 9.079 seconds. His time just edged the 1:09.080 of Chardon, OH’s Tom Kipp on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R. The result was a big boost for Martin, who saw his hopes of repeating as national Superbike champion disappear when he retired from both races at the previous round of the series at Mosport International Raceway last month. “I’m feeling a lot better,” Martin said. “We just need to change a few little things but the Superbike is working pretty good. Tomorrow [in qualifying] is when it counts, but at least we’re up to speed, we know we’re right there.” Qualifying for the Vicious-I Pole Position Award will take place Saturday afternoon. Granby, QC’s Kevin Lacombe, a two-time Superbike winner at AMP, was third fastest with a 1:09.313 aboard the Team Toyota Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 and Parts Canada Superbike Championship points leader Jordan Szoke of Brantford, ON was fourth at 1:09.320 riding a Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R. Szoke comes into this weekend’s penultimate round of the series poised to clinch his third career Canadian Superbike title. He has a 67- point lead over Lacombe, 267-200, with a maximum of 56 points available at each event. Szoke is also trying to set a record for most Superbike wins in a single season. He hasn’t been beaten through the first five races of 2006, tying the Canadian record for wins and consecutive wins. “We’re going to try and stop Jordan from winning everything,” Martin said. “The team needs it, I need too. We’ve worked so hard this year and had a lot of bad luck.” Andrew Nelson of Kars, ON rounded out the top five with a 1:09.672 on his Z1 Cycletech Yamaha YZF-R1. In other action at AMP, Kipp was quickest in practice for the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike class with a time of 1:09.467 on his factory Kawasaki ZX-6RR. Nelson was second at 1:09.835 aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6 and Bedford, NS’s Todd Scott placed third with a time of 1:10.384 riding his Pro Cycle Suzuki GSX-R600. Saskatoon’s Brett McCormick led practice for Sunday’s International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike race with a time of 1:11.969 on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Granby, QC’s Karl Daigle was second with a 1:12.223 on his Honda CBR600RR and Ross Millson of Hamilton completed the top three with a 1:12.636 aboard a Suzuki GSX-R600. North Vancouver’s Darren James led the Thunder (twins) competitors with a time of 1:12.792 on his Buell XB-9R. Paul Glenn of Keene, ON paced the Suzuki SV650 National Cup competitors at 1:15.193. Qualifying for all five national classes is slated for Saturday afternoon, with practice beginning at 9:00 a.m. Races are set to go Sunday.

Rizla Suzuki’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne was fourth fastest during practice at the 10th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Croft in North Yorkshire today. Croft is Rizla Suzuki’s nominated test track and Byrne started the day with a strong base setting that he refined to suit the dry and windy conditions. He tried both his race bikes and is optimistic for qualifying and practice. Steve Plater, standing in for Rizla Suzuki’s injured rider James Haydon, was 13th in the morning session but ended the day 17th as he continued to acquaint himself with the GSX-R1000. Steve rode for the team for the first time at the previous round and is aiming for two top-10 results this weekend. Honda’s Jonathan Rea was fastest. Shane Byrne: “My fastest lap came quite easily. How did I go faster? I simply didn’t brake as much and set a better time. “I tried both of my race bikes and think we are in a strong position for the weekend. One bike is set up just how I want and handling very well. The other bike has the most amazing brakes. I want the brakes transferred on to my number one bike and then I’ll be flying.” Steve Plater: “It’s a tale of two halves for me at Croft. Generally the first half of the circuit is great and my Rizla Suzuki is handling exceptionally well. “On the second half of the circuit I tip into the fast left-hander at the Dave Clark Esses and I’ve found it needs a bit more work to get it handling just the way I want. Overall though, I am happy to be here and making progress on the Rizla Suzuki.” Niall Mackenzie – Race Operations Manager: “It’s been a steady day for Rizla Suzuki. Shane is about where we would expect him to be and believes he can improve his position tomorrow. I think he’s itching to get practice out of the way so he can concentrate on qualifying and racing. “We are asking a lot of Steve as he learns the bike and circuit. His experience at the previous round is standing him in good stead. We’ll be looking to improve the handling of his bike for him so he can challenge for the front three rows in qualifying tomorrow.” Friday Qualifying: 1: Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1:20.018, 2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.264, 3: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.685, 4: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +1.137, 5: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +1.183, 6: Karl Harris (Honda) +1.439, 7: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +1.507, 8: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +1.628, 9: Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +1.663, 10: Craig Coxhell (Kawasaki). 17: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki) +2.652.

Czech Republic Grand Prix Brno, Czech Republic 17, 18, 19 August 2006 The Camel Yamaha team return from a three-week holiday next weekend to tackle the first of a final spell of six races that will determine whether reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi can turn around his fortunes and make a sixth consecutive defence of the title he has held since 2001. The Czech Republic Grand Prix takes place at the legendary circuit of Brno, located just over 200 kilometres south-east of the capital city of Prague, where last year Rossi took victory and the lap record as he edged towards his fifth straight title. The scenario is dramatically different for Rossi this time around but a similar performance is required as the Italian aims to close down the 51-point gap to series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda). It is a tough task but certainly not impossible, as Yamaha legend Wayne Rainey proved in 1992 when he pipped the injured Mick Doohan to the title despite lying 65 points behind with only five races remaining. Fittingly this weekend marks the thirteen-year anniversary of Rainey’s final 500cc victory for the factory at Brno and is also precisely a decade since Rossi took his maiden Grand Prix win at the very same circuit in the 125cc class. Since then Rossi has added to his Brno tally with a further 250cc success and three wins in MotoGP including last year’s dominant display on the Yamaha. Colin Edwards can’t wait to reacquaint himself with his YZR-M1 machine after riding a specially prepared YZF-R1 SP Superbike alongside Noriyuki Haga in the Suzuka 8 Hour two weeks ago. The prestigious Japanese race proved to be a brief but eventful affair for the American after he was knocked to the ground on lap one and then mounted a stunning recovery, only to suffer a mechanical failure a few laps later continuing a run of bad luck almost comparable to that of Rossi. Despite the shortened holiday Edwards was able to take crucial time out to recharge his batteries at home in Texas and he returns to Europe even more determined to turn things around. VALENTINO ROSSI: RACE BY RACE This time last season Valentino Rossi arrived in the Czech Republic knowing that two more wins would be enough to seal the MotoGP World Championship title but, for only the second time in his premier-class career, ‘The Doctor’ must now accept that with six races remaining his destiny is out of his hands. The latest chapter in a catalogue of misfortune came immediately before the holidays at Laguna Seca, where a win for Nicky Hayden combined with a breakdown for Rossi left the Italian focusing simply on his performance in each approaching race. “This year I’ve had a lot of bad luck and Laguna could not have been worse, but now we have had twenty days of holiday to relax and forget about what happened there,” says Rossi. “Hopefully after this rest we can try to do something better in Brno. It isn’t one of my favourite tracks but last year it was a great race for me; almost perfect, with the fastest lap and the victory. I know that everyone at Yamaha and Michelin has been working hard in the break and hopefully in Brno we can come out fighting on Friday morning and make the most of the weekend. “I don’t know what to say about the championship to be honest. We only have six races left which is maybe not enough to make up the difference but anyway I want to try to have some fun and win as much as possible. Right now I’m not even thinking about the championship. I want to take it race by race and try to find a better way forward with this bike and these tyres so I can have some fun and try to win some more races.” COLIN EDWARDS: REFRESHED AND RELAXED If anyone has endured as much bad luck as Rossi this season it is his Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards, whose Suzuka misfortune came on the back of illness at his home Grand Prix in the USA and, just a few weeks previously, a last-corner crash that denied him of his first MotoGP victory at Assen. However, after spending some time with his young family at home in America, the ‘Texan Tornado’ is confident he can kick up a storm at Brno. “It’s been really good to have a holiday because this season, especially during June and July, has been incredibly hard and I definitely needed some time off to relax with my friends and family,” says Edwards. “Now I am feeling ready to get back on my bike and enjoy the last six races. After the disappointment of Laguna I went to Suzuka for the Eight-Hour and sadly that didn’t work out either – it was a long way to go for six laps! Anyway, I’ve since had two weeks holiday at home in Texas with my family and I’m feeling refreshed and relaxed now and ready to get going again for the last six races. “Things haven’t worked out exactly how we would have liked up until now but I know that when our package is working we can fight at the top and this is what I am determined to do for the rest of the season. Brno is a track I really like and I’ve been racing there a long time so I know it pretty well. There’s always a good atmosphere there as everyone’s nice and chilled out after their holidays! I’m going to give the weekend everything I’ve got and hopefully the bike will work well so we can get a good result under our belts to set us up for the three flyaways.” DAVIDE BRIVIO: KEEPING THE FAITH Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio echoes Rossi’s sentiments about the championship being a ‘race by race’ affair but outlined the determination of his staff to back up their World Champion with 100% commitment until the end of the season. The Italian admits his team faces a tough challenge over the final six rounds but insists that they will not give up on the title until it is a mathematical impossibility. “Brno is the start of the final stage of the season and we go into it finding ourselves in a difficult situation,” admits Brivio. “We are obviously not where we would like to be in the championship with six races to go but we will not give up and every member of the team is ready to fight until the end. Of course we still want to win the title and we still believe we can do it. We have had a lot of misfortune during the season but we still have faith in our potential. “The break was good for everybody but after Laguna Seca we are looking forward to getting back on the track and trying to win races again. That is Valentino’s goal for every Grand Prix between now and the end of the season. Because of the Eight-Hour Colin barely had a day off for seven weeks before the holiday so I think he needed the break more than anybody and we are looking forward to seeing him back in good shape. Our target for both riders is simply to improve our level of performance and try to win every race.” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: BRNO ACCORDING TO MATTEO FLAMIGNI The current Brno circuit is encircled by the tendrils of the various ‘real’ road layouts that made up the Czech Grand Prix venues of yesteryear. Used for a Grand Prix for the final time in 1977, the old track was replaced in 1987 by what is basically the current incarnation, subtly altered in 1996 to measure 5.403km in length. Brno has come a long way since riders used to judder across its cobblestone sections but its winding chicanes and dramatic elevation changes still provide an interesting challenge for the riders and their engineers. “Firstly Brno is a difficult track for the riders because it is so wide around 15m in some parts and that makes it easy for them to run off line and make mistakes,” explains Matteo Flamigni, Data Engineer for Valentino Rossi. “From a set-up point of view we have to give the rider a bike which is strong under braking because there are many areas where a rider can pass or be passed in downhill turns, which adds to the normal stress of braking. The bike must also be stable in the long fast corners, such as turns one, nine and thirteen, and then agile for the chicanes. This is always a compromise situation at any circuit but especially at Brno, where the chicanes are also combined with elevation changes. “The balance of the bike is critical towards the end of the lap because there is a lot of weight transfer between hard uphill acceleration, which naturally lifts the front end, and braking into the chicanes, where the rider must wait for the front to load up again before turning in. Brno is one of the circuits where you can most clearly see the evolution of the MotoGP bikes since changing from two-stroke to four-stroke because a good lap time has come down by around five seconds, even though the track hasn’t changed. As well as showing the general improvement of the bikes and tyres, this outlines the need for a lot of horsepower on the long uphill straights, where gearbox settings are also crucial.” VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 83 (56 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 167 (108 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 41 World Championships 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 59 x MotoGP World Championships – 2 World Superbike Brno Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1’58.787 Brno Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005, 1’57.504 2005 Czech Republic Grand Prix Results: 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Yamaha, 43’56.539 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, +1.837 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Honda +3.444 7. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, +13.532

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and AMA Pro Racing today announced changes to the equipment eligibility list for AMA Formula Xtreme beginning with the 2007 racing season. AMA Formula Xtreme is a support class of the AMA Superbike Championship, the nation’s premier motorcycle road racing series. Beginning next year, production motorcycles featuring engines with the following displacement and specifications will be eligible for competition in the AMA Formula Xtreme class: “¢ 550cc-600cc 4-stroke liquid-cooled 4-valve four cylinders “¢ 650cc-675cc 4-stroke liquid-cooled 4-valve three cylinders “¢ 650cc-850cc 4-stroke liquid-cooled 4-valve twin cylinders “¢ 990cc-1100cc 4-stroke air/oil-cooled 4-valve desmo twin cylinders “¢ 990cc-1200cc 4-stroke air/oil-cooled 4-valve pushrod twin cylinders “¢ 900cc-1350cc 4-stroke air/oil-cooled 2-valve pushrod twin cylinders In making the announcement, AMA Pro Racing Director of Technical Development, Kevin Crowther said the changes were consistent with the intent of the Formula Xtreme class and reflective of the current motorcycle marketplace. “The goal of the Formula Xtreme class is to feature highly-modified machines from the broadest list of models,” said Crowther. “These changes are consistent with that philosophy and should lead to increased brand and rider participation in the class.” Crowther added that emphasis was placed on equipment diversity as well as competitive balance. “If it becomes apparent that a specific model or type of machine gains an unfair performance advantage, AMA Pro Racing reserves the right to implement restrictions including, but not limited to, additional weight to restore competitiveness,” said Crowther. Crowther noted that this stipulation applies to the Formula Xtreme class only. The changes to the eligible model list are the result of actions taken by the newly-formed AMA Racing Committee created earlier this year as part of a re-organization of the AMA and AMA Pro Racing. Equipment standards for the remaining classes (AMA Superbike, AMA Supersport and AMA Superstock) remain unchanged. Rules adding 1000cc motorcycles to AMA Superbike, the premier class of the championship, were announced in 2002 for the 2003 racing season and will continue at least through the 2008 racing season. Current AMA Superbike rules feature 901-1000cc four-stroke engines with two or more cylinders, exclusively.