Deadline Approaching for Fans to Enter Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge at VIR Alton, Va. (July 31) One of the most fun and unique opportunities available for AMA Superbike fans is the chance to enter the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway, which will take place on Thursday, August 17, as part of the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals weekend at VIR. By purchasing a ticket to the race by August 7, a fan’s name will be entered into a drawing from which 10 names will be selected. Each fan whose name is drawn will be invited to enter the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge. The event will be a kart enduro on VIR’s world-class 5/8-mile Plantation Valley Kart Track, with 12 teams of four drivers each. Each team will be comprised of a Superbike racer, a media personality, a staff member from either VIR, AMA Pro Racing or event promoter M1 Entertainment and a fan. Two of the fan seats are already spoken for. Last year’s fan winner, Matt Boike of Charlotte, N.C., will be back to defend his title, along with his teammates, Kawasaki Formula Xtreme competitor Jessica Zalusky, speedtv.com director Mark Mitchell and AMA Superbike Championship series manager Ron Barrick. Another fan seat will go to the winner of the recently-announced M1 Experience promotion, which will award one lucky ticket-buyer an unprecedented package of amenities and access that includes an entry in the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge. Each driver will get seven laps of the circuit, and each driver’s fastest lap will be recorded. The team with the lowest elapsed time (arrived at by adding the team drivers’ four fastest lap times) will win. The winning team will receive trophies and be invited to return in 2008 to defend their championship, and the winning fan will win a free three-day pass for the 2008 Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals. Following the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge, competitors and fans are invited to attend the annual Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals party at Triangle Cycles in nearby Danville. Many of the sport’s top stars will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs at this fun event that has grown into an annual Big Kahuna tradition. Fans are also reminded that time is running out to purchase one of the few remaining Trackside VIP Suite tickets, which offer fans access to the track’s new Paddock Suites overlooking the pit lane. For only $245 (tickets available only in advance), the Trackside VIP Suite ticket includes three-day admission, paddock access, a Pit Walk Pass, car parking pass, official event program and access to a pitside suite overlooking the pit lane. Each climate-controlled suite can accommodate 20 people, and features closed-circuit coverage on a flat-panel plasma TV, private bathroom and catered continental breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack with drinks (cash bar service also available). Each ticket is good for one person only, allowing the individual fan to view the race from the suite with other fans. “We’re getting close now,” said M1 Entertainment president Cameron Gray, “and the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals are only three weeks away. You can feel the excitement building, and everybody’s getting ready for the big show. We’re getting lots of calls from racers and media types wanting to get in on the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge, and there has been a lot of trash-talking about who’s going to beat whom. All I can say is that I expect to be on top of the podium this year, no matter what it takes, and that fans who want a shot to race the racers better get their ticket orders in now, because it is going to be an unforgettable, star-studded lineup and take-no-prisoners competition.” VIR general manager Josh Lief said that the track is gearing up for its part in the competition. “We take the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge very seriously indeed,” he said, “and we are holding a intra-company competition among all our employees to come up with the fastest three drivers to represent VIR in the race. We have some very good kart racers on our staff and, after all, it is our track! We’ll see you on the podium.” The Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals offers a variety of ticket packages designed to fit every budget, including standard general-admissions tickets, Big Kahuna Super Tickets, Big Dog Hospitality Passes, Little Dog Hospitality Passes, Pit Walk Passes, car parking passes and camping passes. All current military personnel will receive a 30-percent discount and free parking with a copy of a current military ID (advance) or by presenting their ID card at the gate. Similarly, college students will be eligible for a 15-percent discount with a copy of a current college ID (advance) or by presenting their ID card at the gate. Groups of 20 or more will also be eligible for a 15-percent discount, providing the order is paid for with one credit card. Discounts do not apply to Trackside VIP Suite and Big Kahuna Super Tickets, or to Big Dog Hospitality Passes or Pit Walk Passes. Children aged 12 and under will receive free admission, provided they are accompanied by a paid adult, but must have a Little Dog Hospitality Pass to enter the Big Dog Hospitality area. Advance ticket sales will end at 5:00 pm on August 14. Tickets ordered too late to mail will be able to be picked up at Will Call at the track. To purchase tickets, visit www.m1event.com or www.gettix.net. 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.

Ty Howard won four expert classes and set a new track record, while Dane Westby and Tyler McDonald also won multiple expert classes at an extremely hot and humid round seven of the CMRA Championship Series held at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit near Hallett, Oklahoma this weekend. Howard battled all day long with Team K&N’s McDonald and Bryan West, en route to his four-win performance, with McDonald getting the better of the Weatherford, Texas resident in the Racing Performance Services B Superstock Expert race, which paid a $150 purse, beating the Honda-mounted Howard by a mere 0.194 seconds at the finish. Howard also trailed West in the Pace American Trailers Formula 1 race, which paid a $1000 purse, before passing the Suzuki rider on lap five of the 10 lap race to take the win. The lap record was lowered three different times during this race, first by Howard, then by West and finally by Howard again. Howard’s final mark was a 1:17.573, which eclipsed the old mark that Howard set last year of 1:17.917 for the counterclockwise direction. Howard returned to add wins in the Komodo Racing C Superstock Expert race, which paid a $250 purse; the Sum of all Parts A Superstock Expert race, which paid a $150 purse; and the Motorcycles Unlimited C Superbike Expert race, which paid a $150 purse. McDonald also claimed the win in the B Superbike Expert race, while West took the victory in the RaceworX A Superbike Expert, which paid a $150 purse. Westby also took four wins on the day, his coming in the Roadracingworld.com Formula 2 Expert race, which pays $150 purse to the top five finishers in the class; the Lightweight Twins Expert race, the South Central Race Center D Superbike Expert, which paid a $150 purse, and the D Superstock Expert race. Bill Syfan rode his Honda SR125 to victory in the AVTEQ Formula 40 Lightweight Expert race, which pays a $150 purse, while Ryan O’Donnell took the win in the Northwest Honda 125 GP race, and claimed a lion’s share of the $150 purse paid for that event. Danny Kelsey and Clayton Schutz each had good days in the Novice divisions, with Kelsey grabbing six wins and Schutz taking four. In Saturday’s Shogun Motorsports Endurance race, which paid an $1125 purse, Team Ridesmart claimed their second win in a row, topping series points leaders Desert-Rats.net by one lap at the end of the four hour contest. Northwest Honda Racing finished third overall and first in the Formula 1 class, while Village Idiots finally got untracked after a season full of problems to take fourth overall and first in the B Superbike division. 2Wheelz.com claimed fifth overall and first in the C Superstock class, after Lone Star Track Days suffered problems, and Team Ogre took the win in the Formula 2 class with a 19th overall finish. Team K&N prevailed in the Shogun Motorsports Mini Endurance two-hour race, beating GMAN Racing 2 by over a lap. Mini Backmarker Racing finished third overall, while Excel Racing took the Formula 5 class win by finishing 10th overall. STD Racing won the Formula 6 class with a 15th overall finish and OnRoad OffRoad Racing finished 21st overall to win the Formula 7 division. In Saturday’s Mini Sprint racing action, Kent Moffitt came from behind to pass Ryan O’Donnell on the final lap to win the Formula 4 class, while Dustin Dominguez won the Formula 6 class over smooth riding Conner Blevins. Ethan Gillim claimed the Formula 5 win and Jason Keene topped the Formula 7 division. Luca Chatham rode his Yamaha TTR90 to victory in the Junior Motard race. The CMRA returns to racing action at MotorSport Ranch, near Cresson, Texas, on August 19-20, with big bike and mini endurance races, plus a full slate of sprint class racing.

SPIES RETURNING TO MID-OHIO AS AMA SUPERBIKE LEADER PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 31, 2006) — Six years ago a 16-year-old Ben Spies made his AMA professional racing debut. The young Texan showed he would be a rider of the future when he qualified on the front row for the Mid-Ohio 750 Supersport final. This weekend, Aug. 4-6, Spies returns to the site of his pro debut, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Now Spies is a factory Suzuki rider and the series points leader in the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. Spies comes to the Mid-Ohio Superbike doubleheader fresh off a victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on July 22. The victory was his eighth of the season and pushed his lead over Yoshimura Suzuki teammate and defending series champ Mat Mladin to a season high 34 points. With a victory worth 36 points, Spies nearly has a full race margin in hand. The Mid-Ohio doubleheader is rounds 13 and 14 of the 19-race series and this pair of races could prove to be pivotal in the championship. Should Spies continue his hot streak he could leave Ohio with a nearly insurmountable lead. However, if Mladin, the all-time Mid-Ohio Superbike wins leader with five victories, can rally and sweep Mid-Ohio, the championship could tighten up considerably and make it a battle to the final round, which will also be hosted by Mid-Ohio on Sept. 30 Oct. 1. Spies is in his second year of AMA Superbike racing and he said he owes his success this season to his Yoshimura Suzuki crew. “The team has worked hard and provided me with a great bike every week,” Spies said. “I’d like to take all the credit for our success this season, but the truth is the team has given me a bike that is capable of winning and that’s the biggest part of the battle.” Spies is seeking his first Mid-Ohio Superbike victory. He won an AMA Formula Xtreme race at the challenging circuit in 2003. Mladin battled illness at Laguna Seca and had his worse race of the year finishing sixth. Look for the rider of the No. 1 bike to come to Mid-Ohio a man on a mission. The all-time AMA Superbike wins leader and six-time series champ is beginning to run short on races to be able to make a comeback bid. Mid-Ohio could be a make or break weekend for the speedy Australian. Honda’s Miguel Duhamel always runs well at Mid-Ohio. The veteran Superbike campaigner sits third in the standings, but is still searching for his first win this season. Look for Duhamel, as well as teammate and 2004 Mid-Ohio winner Jake Zemke, to be among the contenders at this weekend’s races. Aaron Yates is yet another former Mid-Ohio Superbike winner. The Georgian swept the first doubleheader ever held at the circuit in 2000. Yates will be aiming to score his first podium finish of the season. Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom are both hoping to put a Ducati atop the Mid-Ohio podium once again this year. Ben’s younger brother Eric Bostrom took victory in the second of last year’s doubleheader. Both Ben Bostrom and Hodgson have shown good speed in recent rounds. Kawasaki will field a factory team for the first time at Mid-Ohio since 2002, this year with brothers Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden. Tommy is coming off his first career AMA Superbike podium finish, taking a hard-fought second at Laguna Seca. The Hayden brothers are sure to have a load of fans coming up from their home state of Kentucky to cheer them on. The AMA Superbike doubleheader is part of Mid-Ohio’s Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire. The track, which has hosted AMA Superbike races since 1983, recently completed major track renovations. This race is annually one of the best attended in the series. The 2.4-mile, 15-turn road course is laid out in a beautiful area of Ohio and offers fans some of the best sight lines in the series. The Mid-Ohio Superbike races will be televised back to back on SPEED starting at 5 p.m. eastern, Sunday, Aug. 6. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or online at www.midohio.com. WHAT: The Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire, rounds 13 and 14 of the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. WHERE: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Take I-71 north from Columbus to St.Rt. 95 east. Turn right off the ramp and follow St.Rt. 95 for 2 miles and turn left (north) on St.Rt. 314 for 15 miles. Turn right on Steam Corners Rd. Mid-Ohio is one mile on the left. WHEN: August 4-6, 2006. COURSE: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course’s newly revamped 2.4-mile, 15-turn course. SCHEDULE: Thursday, June 1 Test day.; Friday, June 2 Practice begins 8:30 a.m., qualifying at 2:00 p.m.; Saturday, June 3 Practice begin at 8:30 a.m., Superbike race one at 4:00 p.m., Formula Xtreme final at 5:15 p.m.; Sunday, June 4 – Practice begins at 9:00 a.m., Superstock final at 11:30 a.m., Supersport final at 1:45 p.m., Superbike race two at 3:00 p.m. TICKETS: A Super Ticket ($55) includes weekend general admission, paddock pass, and a weekend grandstand seat. General admission weekend $37, Fri. $10, Sat. $22, Sun. $27. Grandstand weekend $45, Sat. $30, Sun. $35. Infield parking $15. Tent camping $30. Motorhome camping $50.

CORR AND VP RACING FUELS ANNOUNCE 3-YEAR SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT Newport Beach (July 31, 2006)””Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR) and VP Racing Fuels, Inc. have announced their intention to enter a three-year sponsorship agreement, effective immediately. “We are pleased that VP Racing Fuels is the new Official Fuel of CORR,” said Jim Baldwin, the owner of CORR, “and we are looking forward to a mutually beneficial three-year partnership.” The announcement came one day after Sunoco’s sponsorship of the 2006 series ended. Sunoco sponsored the first three weekends of the 2006 Lucas Oil Racing Series. VP Racing Fuels will sponsor the remaining five weekends in 2006 and the entire 2007 and 2008 race seasons. “VP is equally enthusiastic about this new marketing opportunity and to be associated with a high profile race series such as CORR,” said Bruce Hendel, VP’s Global Sales Manager. “VP Racing’s complete product line is a perfect match for the many different engine configurations used by CORR competitors. VP’s Late Model Plus produces more power and less heat than any competitor’s products for high compression and high horsepower engines used in the PRO 2 and PRO 4 classes,” adds Hendel. CORR’s partnership with VP Racing has many synergies, with many CORR drivers already using VP fuels. In addition to a large distributor network, VP recently began selling fuel to consumers at eight retail gas stations in Southern California. The company expects to have four more VP-branded gas stations by the end of the year. “The marketing opportunities to cross-promote with VP will help CORR reach a larger audience of enthusiasts who use high performance fuels,” said Baldwin. VP Racing will service CORR race teams at all remaining events for the balance of the season. Teams that need fuel can order directly from VP by contacting Russ Hallett or Kelley Hendel at 951-674-9167 or by faxing orders to 951-674-7367. An order form will also be available soon on CORR’s website — www.corracing.com. VP Racing has manufactured the best fuels for motorsports since 1975. With more than 60 unique blends, VP has fueled champions in virtually every racing category and class — from circle track, drag racing and road racing to off-road, off-shore and even airplane racing. In race venues not controlled by a fuel rule, VP consistently fuels more winners than any other American fuel company. VP has been the fuel of choice for NHRA Pro Stock Champions for 30 consecutive years, a record unmatched by any sponsor in the industry. In addition to being the Official Racing Fuel of CORR, VP is the Official Racing Fuel of Best in the Desert and the Baja Pro Truck Off-Road Race Series as well as a contingency sponsor of SCORE International Off-Road Racing and SNORE (Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts). More information can be obtained from VP’s website vpracingfuels.com.

Brands Hatch is set to host one of the biggest events of the season. On 4/5/6 August the Superbike World Championship comes to the famous circuit south of London. The Brands Hatch round of the World Superbike Championship is always one of the highlights of the year for both the circuit and the series. Of all the circuits in Britain, Brands Hatch with its fantastic atmosphere is the one that exudes the most character. Especially at Brands the fans live things up. Many of them stay the whole weekend at the race track and it is like an immense party. – For the riders Brands is always a challenge. It is like a roller coaster and a very technical track. Alex Barros makes his debut at Brands Hatch this year. He never raced here before. Team Manager Klaus Klaffenböck: “After the disappointing weekend at Brno, where we went with an immense hope, it is now Brand Hatch to be scheduled next. Brands is one of the most challenging tracks in the championship and new for Alex. We made the most of the time between Brno and Brands and improved Alex Fireblade again. We focused a lot on the engine and I’m sure it will perfectly match to the up- and downhill track of Brands. Concerning traction control we are still working on it with our test rider Michael Witzeneder. The Austrian engineer is an expert of motorcycle technology and an experienced Superbike rider, He raced several years in the IDM, the German Nation Championship. But though the results are promising the traction control system is still not sophisticated enough to use it in the upcoming race at Brands Hatch.” Alex Barros: “Brands Hatch is a new race track for me and I have no concrete idea yet. But its style is similar to Laguna Seca. And this is a track I like very much. I feel confident that the bike is well prepared and I’ll do my best. After some first laps I will know how Brands Hatch really is.”

YOSHIMURA SUZUKI 3RD AT SUZUKA Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Nobuatsu Aoki and Atsushi Watanabe raced their GSX-R1000 into third position in the Suzuka 8-Hour World Endurance fifth round as reigning World Champions Suzuki Castrol crashed three times, finished a lowly 38th, but still came away with a 21-point lead in the series. Yoshimura’s Aoki started in seventh position, moving to fourth on the fifth lap when Yamaha’s Colin Edwards crashed out Watanabe took over after an hour and moved into third position, where they stayed for the remainder of the race. Suzuki Castrol rider Vincent Philippe crashed twice and Keiichi Kitagawa once during the event. Philippe, who dropped the SERT GSX-R1000 when holding ninth position said: “I don’t know why I crashed. But the pace of the race was very crazy!” After a change rider to Keiichi Kitagawa in 60th position, another fall cost a lot of time to repair their GSX-R. Said Kitagawa: “Vincent and I lost the front end and crashed. It was slow but the damage was big.” Fujio Yoshimura Yoshimura Team Manager: “Nobuatsu and Atsushi made a big effort in this race, but there was much rain in Suzuka before race-week so we couldn’t test enough. We didn’t find a good set-up for the bike unfortunately but third fastest isn’t so bad. We are proud but unhappy to be honest. This isn’t the end though and we are starting today in preparation for next year’s Suzuka 8-Hours.” Dominique Meliand SERT Team Manager: “Today has been a very strange race for us. Vincent made two and Keiichi made one crash but we don’t understand why. We couldn’t find a good set-up for the bike in this race because we had a lot of rain before the race. Suzuka is very special and a very difficult race. It is not Endurance! But we have a good points-advantage in the championship. We aim to be World Endurance Champions again this year.” Results: 1. TSUJIMURA/ Shin-ichi ITO (TSR-Honda CBR) 214 Laps 2. Yoshiteru KOKNISHI/ Takashi YASUDA (HARCPRO-Honda CBR) 214 Laps 3. Nobuatsu AOKI/ Atsushi WATANABE( Yoshimura-SUZUKI GSX-R) 214 Laps 4. Tady OKADA/ Odsamu DEGUCHI (Honda CBR) 213 Laps 5. Ryuichi KIYONARI/ Makoto TAMADA (Honda CBR) 213 Laps 6. Tatsuya YAMAGUCHI/ Kazuki TOKUDOME (Honda DREAM CBR) 211 Laps 7. Yoshiyuki SUGAI/ JOSHUA BRUKS (Honda CBR) 210 Laps 8. Naoki MATSUDO/ Ryuji TSURUTA (Kawasaki ZX10R) 208 Laps 9. Yusuke TEJIMA/ Gaku KAMATA (TSR Honda CBR) 208 Laps 10. Igor JARMAN/ Gwen JOVANNI /Sebastian SCALNATO (YAMAHA AUSTRALIA) 206 Laps Championship Points: 1 Suzuki Castrol 115, 2 Yamaha Austria 94, 3 Team Fagersjo-el Suzuki 68, 4 Yamaha Phase One Endurance 67, 5 Bolliger Team Switzerland 58. More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: PIRELLI AT THE SUZUKA 8 HOUR Suzuka 8 Hour is one of the most popular races in the world. For the Endurance enthusiasts this is together with the Bol D’Or and the Le Mans 24h the main event of the season. Every year permanent riders face in this race all the “guest stars” with their Official bikes, with more than 70 teams competing. Pirelli together with the team Yamaha Austria has achieved also this year a great result: 10th place in the overall standing, and most of all 1st place as Regular World Endurance team. Looking at the standings its 10th place is the best result achieved by a Yamaha R1, able to express with Pirelli its good potential. Winning the Japanese race the team gave a move to the World Championship: now it’s in second place with 94 points and 21 from the leader. The fight for the Title will be tough with still 70 points to be assigned. To complete the wonderful frame, another step of the podium went to Pirelli and the Team Fagersjo-el Suzuki, currently third in the World standing. The race was definitely hard, on a racetrack that already in the qualifying practice showed its severity on the tyres and the bikes. Bollinger Kawasaki suffered a problem at the first lap, and was out of the game. At the end of the 8 hours the amount of laps completed by Yamaha Austria riders is 206.

The 2006 Suzuka 8 Hour round of the FIM World Endurance Championship has been won by the No.778 FCC TSR Honda CBR1000RR of Ito and Tsujimura, with the No.101 Toy Story Honda of Konishi and Yasuda in second place and the No.12 Yoshimura Suzuki of Aoki and Watanabe third. The FCC TSR bike led from the fourth hour, after the Toy Story Honda had led for two of the incident packed opening hours. Yamaha Blue Racing’s Colin Edwards crashed after being clipped by another bike on the first lap. He remounted and began to work his way through the field from 52nd position but his bike had been damaged in the incident and stopped shortly afterwards. His team mate Haga did not even get to ride. The two Seven Stars Hondas had both hoped to make it onto the podium by the end of the race but both jut missed out despite a series of lap records set late in the race. World Endurance Championship leaders Suzuki Castrol had also been aiming for at least a podium finish but three crashes two by Vincent Philippe and one by Keiichi Kitagawa dropped them from a highest place of sixth in the first hour to an eventual 38th place. Bolliger Kawasaki were even more unlucky, suffering an unusual engine failure on the first lap. Yamaha Austria, meanwhile, ran a faultless and consistent race to finish in 10th place (and first Yamaha across the line), just two laps ahead of championship rivals Yamaha Phase One in 17th place. Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se ended up 24th after crashing and recovering in the final hour, Kawasaki Diablo were 31st after beating the Shell Endurance Academy back to 32nd and Suzuki Endurance Moto45 ended the race in 42nd place. With only the Superbike, SuperProduction and SuperStock bikes scoring championship points, the good result for Yamaha and disappointment for Suzuki Castrol and Bolliger has closed the gap between leaders Suzuki Castrol and second placed Yamaha Austria to just 21 points, with 70 points still available. THE FIM ENDURANCE CUP Japan (with Seven Stars Honda No.7) has won the FIM Endurance Cup of Nations, with Austria (Yamaha Austria) second, Great Britain (Yamaha Phase One Endurance) third and Sweden (SuzukiFagersjo-el.se) fourth. QUOTES Gwen Giabbani, Yamaha Austria: “I expected the race to be tougher because of my injury from Albacete, and also I thought it would be very hot this year, but it wasn’t so bad. We had a good feeling on the bike, good physical conditions; it was okay for us.” Mandy Kainz, Yamaha Austria team manager: “Now we are twenty one points behind Suzuki Castrol, so the championship starts again from here. The next two races are 24 hours, and anything can happen. Suzuki had bad luck here and we had good luck, and now the championship is really close. To win one of the next races would be my dream. I’m quite happy with this result, but this is my dream.” Damian Cudlin, Yamaha Phase One Endurance: “It’s been very hard, but it always is hard here. The team have done a really good job because we’ve really struggled to get the right tyre here. Me and Warwick and Christer all put a big effort in for the race and we’ve had faultless pit stops from the rest of the boys. This result is a credit to everyone in the team. We’re still in the championship…” Niklas Calrberg, Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se team manager: “The race was very difficult. We had some bike problems in the beginning, and then Adrian Coates had a crash in the last session. We had to repair the left side of the bike so we lost some positions and had to win them back.” Alex Cudlin, Kawasaki Diablo 666: “It’s been pretty good for my first Suzuka experience; I didn’t realize how physical this track would be in the heat; it really took it out of me in the last stint.” TOP TEN PROVISIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS 1st 778 FCC TSR Zip FM JPN Honda CBR1000RR T.Tsujimura, S.Ito 214 laps 2nd 101 Toy Story RT Run & HARC Pro JPN Honda CBR1000RR Y.Konishi, T.Yasuda +1:08.459 3rd 12 Yoshimura Suzukiwith JOMO JPN Suzuki GSX-R1000 N.Aoki, A.Watanabe +2:11.149 4th 11 Seven Stars Honda 11 JPN Honda CBR1000RR T.Okada, O.Deguchi +1 lap 5th 7 Seven Stars Honda 7 JPN Honda CBR1000RR R.Kiyonari, M.Tamada +1 lap 6th 04 Masked Rider Kabuto Honda JPN Honda CBR1000RR T.Yamaguchi, K.Tokudome +3 laps 7th 18 Team Yoshiharu Yokkaichi JPN Honda CBR1000RR Y.Sugai, J.Brookes +4 laps 8th 5 Trick Star & B-Line JPN Kawasaki ZX10R N.Matsudo, R.Tsuruta +6 laps 9th 48 FCC TSR Zip FM JPN Honda CBR1000RR Y.Teshima, G.Kamada +6 laps 10th 07 Yamaha Austria AUT Yamaha YZF-R1 G.Giabbani, I.Jerman, S.Scarnato +8 laps More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: F.C.C. TSR HONDA VICTORIOUS IN SUZUKA 8 HOURS HARC PRO HONDA SECOND The F.C.C. TSR Honda pairing of Shinichi Ito and Takeshi Tsujimura raced their XX-F Class CBR1000RR to victory at the Suzuka 8 Hours today. The Japanese pairing led the race almost all the way from start to finish completing 210 laps of the 5.821km circuit to take the win by one clear lap from the Harc Pro Honda of Yoshiteru Konishi and Tsuyoshi Yasuda, racing under Japanese Superbike regulations (JSB). Nobuatsu Aoki and Atsushi Watanabe brought the Yoshimura Suzuki (JSB) home in third place. Near veteran Ito, now 39 years old started the race from pole position and quickly established the order of play by leading the first hour of the gruelling eight-hour sprint race. The Harc Pro pairing were in close contention with their Toy Story liveried CBR1000RR holding at bay the Seven Star 11 HRC CBR1000RRW (JSB) machine of Tady Okada and Osamu Deguchi in third place again on a JSB spec machine. Into the second hour the Toy Story Honda eased ahead of Ito and Tsujimura with the Yoshimura pairing demoting the number 11 Seven Star team to fourth, just a ahead of team-mates Kiyonari and Tamada on the second HRC CBR1000RRW. Hours three and four saw the race pattern set with Ito and Tsujimura pushing hard to maintain their lead over the Toy Story Harc Pro pairing with Yoshimura holding a solid third place. The two Seven Star teams were now fourth and fifth. But the number 7 machine of Kiyonari and Tamada was experiencing ‘front end judder’ attributed to brake problems on the CBR1000RRW bringing Kiyo into the pits for two unscheduled stops. The demise of #11 saw Kiyonari and Tamada slide down the order to 10th place. The top three held their positions through the next two hours but Kiyonari and Tamada were fighting back and with two hours to go were up to fifth place and chasing their Seven Star team-mates, Okada and Deguchi, holding fourth, both teams one lap down on the leading trio. The pace at the front was relentless with Ito and Tsujimura slowly easing away from their pursuers throughout the seventh hour to establish a one-lap cushion over the Toy Story combination of Konishi and Yasuda. The Seven Star teams continued their comeback with Okada and Deguchi holding their fourth place from the hard charging Kiyo and Tamada. Ito was chasing his third Suzuka 8 Hours victory and was in no mood to slacken the pace as the race entered its final hour. Tsujimura had yet to win Japans most prestigious two wheeled race and his determination matched that of his team mate the two men pushing running a fast pace through the final hour to win by over a lap from the Harc Pro Honda with Yoshimura taking third place at the flag. Okada and Deguchi took fourth with Kiyo and Tamada ending their troubled race in fifth place, one lap down on their team-mates. The Masked Rider Honda pairing of Yamaguchi and Tokudome were next home a further two laps down in sixth place. The Yoshiteru Yokkaichi Honda of Japanese rider Yoshiyuki Sugai and Australian Joshua Brookes crossed the line in seventh, one lap clear of the Tsuruta and Matsudo (Kawasaki). The second F.C.C. TSR Honda in the hands of Yasuke Tejima and Gaku Kamada completed a good day for the team with ninth. Yamaha Austria rounded out the top ten. Honda CBR1000RR machines took no less than 10 of the top 15 places in the race. Honda rider quotes: Takeshi Tsujimura, F.C.C. TSR Honda: 1st. “I am relieved because there was an atmosphere that we must win the race. I did a lot of night running during the free practice as I was going to do the final stint. We made a lot of advantage before the dark so I could stay cool till the end. Although we are a private team, people from Kayaba, Nisshin and OGK were with us throughout the race. We were disappointed when we lost the Suzuka 300km Race and that is why we could win today.” Shinichi Ito, F.C.C. TSR Honda: “I still can’t believe we won the race. It is like a dream come true. I am very much relieved because I was invited to the team to win the race. The reason why I was doing the start was that we knew two Seven Stars Honda would push from the start and thus the pace would be high and we wanted to make a fast rhythm. I was surprised to see Kiyonari making an irregular pit-stop. After that we made an advantage to the others. The main reason for the win was that both our machine and Bridgestone tyre was in good condition till the end. I was thinking that if we can’t win this year it doesn’t mean anything to continue participating in the 8 hour race, so I am quite happy that we won.” Yoshiteru Konishi, Toy Story Harc Pro Honda: 2nd. “The reason we could finish second is that Yasuda managed to keep up with the leaders. As it was very hot this year and also we haven’t done any long distance test, I was very tired. I realized how old I am. Yasuda’s riding impressed me and pushed me to do my best. Last year, Yasuda was third and this year we are second, so if we do it again we must win. May be it will be too hard for me physically, still I would like to try.” Takeshi Yasuda, Toy Story Harc Pro Honda: 2nd. “I tried to keep up the pace with the leading group. There were many top riders so I was desperate to try my best. However, both tyre and I were physically tired. That is why, I was left by them. Looking back the race as a whole, we were quite cool in every condition. I want to thank my team for preparing us such a good machine.” Tadayuki Okada, Seven Star Honda: 4th. “I was the start rider today and was third when I came back to the start/finish line after the opening lap. The track temperature was increasing and we could not push too hard. The condition of the machine was very good so we pushed as much as possible. During the last stint, the track temperature lowered and I had no problem physically, so I concentrated so much to improve our position.” Osamu Deguchi, Seven Star Honda: 4th: “If my lap times were better, we would have been on the podium so I fell sorry for the team, Okada san and also for our fans. During my first stint, tyre movements were different from what I had expected and I put excess strength to my body. During my last stint, I was doing my best to catch up Yoshimura. I learned a lot during this weekend riding a factory machine and as a partner to Okada san. I want to utilize this experience for my All Japan Championship race.” Kazuhiko Yamano The Team Manager. “Although Deguchi became the #11 rider this week, I wish I could let him ride more. Also I told him not to crash and this might have become a pressure to him. Deguchi has more potential than he showed today. I think Okada has done a good job.” Tsutomu Ishii HRC General Manager. “#11 Team finished fourth, three places down from the victory. So there must be at least four reasons for the defeat.” Ryuichi Kiyonari, Seven Star Honda: 5th. ” I am very disappointed because we couldn’t win the race. We thought we could win it and we were going to win it. During my first and second stint, front brake judder occurred and I had to come into the pit. For the last stint, I was pushing hard to mark the fastest lap and I am happy I did it. When I passed Okada san during my last stint, I kind of bowed to him to show ‘Sorry Okada san’. If I can ride with Tamada san again, we will try our best to win the race.” Makoto Tamada, Seven Star Honda: 5th. “I feel very sorry to HRC because although they asked me to take part in the race, I could not show my full potential. I also feel sorry to my fans who came to Suzuka to watch us win the race. I wanted to win desperately so I am very disappointed. If I can ride with Kiyonari again, we must win the race. Today my knee wasn’t so bad but my right wrist, which I broke last year, was hurting very much toward the end. I had three weeks before the next MotoGP race in Brno so I will relax to heal it. The Czech GP will be really important for me.” Katsunori Suzuki The Team Manager “There were some unexpected phenomena and Kiyonari had to make two irregular stops. We were aiming for the win so we are very disappointed.” Tsutomu Ishii The HRC General Manager. “#7 Team finished fifth, four places down from the victory. We must find the reasons for this and study them. The result was fifth but two riders were doing their best.”