FIM MotoGP World Championship Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California July 23 Race Results: 1. Nicky Hayden (Hon RC211V), Michelin, 32 laps, 45:04.867 2. Dani Pedrosa (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -3.186 seconds 3. Marco Melandri (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -10.929 seconds 4. Kenny Lee Roberts (Hon KR211V), Michelin, -11.941 seconds 5. Chris Vermeulen (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -27.438 seconds 6. John Hopkins (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -38.820 seconds 7. Carlos Checa (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -44.825 seconds 8. Loris Capirossi (Duc GP06), Bridgestone, -48.526 seconds 9. Colin Edwards (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -53.228 seconds 10. Sete Gibernau (Duc GP06), Bridgestone, -66.279 seconds 11. Makoto Tamada (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -71.941 seconds 12. Randy De Puniet (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -74.407 seconds 13. James Ellison (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -79.283 seconds 14. Alex Hofmann (Duc GP05), Dunlop, -101.277 seconds, crash 15. Toni Elias (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -1 lap, crash 16. Jose Luis Cardoso (Duc GP05), Dunlop, -1 lap 17. Valentino Rossi (Yam YZR-M1, Michelin, -2 laps, DNF, mechanical 18. Shinya Nakanao (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -17 laps, DNF, mechanical 19. Casey Stoner (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -18 laps, DNF, crash MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (After 11 of 17 races): 1. Hayden, 194 points 2. Pedrosa, 160 points 3. Melandri, 150 points 4. Rossi, 143 points 5. Capirossi, 126 points 6. Stoner, 91 points 7. Edwards, 84 points 8. Roberts, 79 points 9. Hopkins, 74 points 10. Nakano, 67 points 11. Tamada, 64 points 12. Elias, 59 points 13. Gibernau, 58 points 14. Vermeulen, 57 points 15. Checa, 53 points 16. TIE, Hofmann/De Puniet, 21 points 18. Ellison, 20 points 19. Cardoso, 8 points More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Hayden claims vital home MotoGP victory as Rossi abandons Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix – Sunday 23rd July 2006 Amidst record temperatures in California, Round 11 of the MotoGP World Championship took place today at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with the sell-out 51,378 crowd treated to a home victory at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. Nicky Hayden took his second win of the season, at the scene of his maiden MotoGP triumph, and saw his championship lead extended to 34 points with the late retirement of Valentino Rossi with an engine problem. Hayden became the first rider to win this race not starting from the front row and boosted his chances of a first MotoGP title. Reacting sharply when the red light went out, the Kentucky Kid was third by the end of the first two turns and then spent the first half of the race on the trail of poleman Chris Vermeulen, finally passing him on lap 17. After that, the American was untroubled by the chasing pack and crossed the line with a 3.186 second advantage over team-mate Dani Pedrosa. The Spanish rookie, racing on U.S. soil for the first time in his career, looked to keep up the pace on his fellow Repsol Honda rider after fighting through a series of rivals. A high pressure battle with Casey Stoner saw the Australian slide off on lap 15, ending his race. Pedrosa then gradually moved up through the podium places and settled in second with a comfortable advantage. Marco Melandri, who had started slowly, was in contention for the podium late on in the race, and was one of a number of riders to take advantage of Valentino Rossi’s retirement on the final laps. The Fortuna Honda rider overtook Vermeulen to take third in both the race and the World Championship. Kenny Roberts Jr. was the second highest finishing home rider, taking the holeshot from the front row and keeping up the pace even when passed by a handful of riders. Following Melandri, Roberts was also able to pass Vermeulen in the closing stages after he and his machine began to suffer in the heat. Rizla Suzuki’s young Australian was however the day’s standout performer, defying many people’s expectations and looking comfortable in the lead before finally being hunted down by Hayden. It was only towards the conclusion of the race that the 24 year-old rookie bowed out of the podium places. His team-mate John Hopkins completed the top six, ahead of Carlos Checa, Loris Capirossi, front row starter Colin Edwards and Sete Gibernau. Alongside Hayden’s victory, the day’s main talking point was the enforced retirement of Valentino Rossi. The reigning World Champion looked to be closing in on the rostrum after a flying series of laps, and a repeat of his previous comebacks this season looked to be on the cards. However, on lap 29, after seeing smoke spew from the back of his M1, the Italian star was obliged to return to the pits and leave Laguna Seca without points. He now lies in fourth in the title chase, 51 points behind Hayden. 1st: Nicky Hayden (Honda): “I felt a lot of pressure, I didn’t want to let the home team down but also wasn’t going to let pride get in the way and make a risky mistake. It was really physical out there but that’s why you get up with the sun every morning and train. In some races that maybe hasn’t been as important as in this one.” 2nd: Dani Pedrosa (Honda): “I’m happy with the result, to finish second in my first race at a circuit is good. I want to thank all the American fans, they were awesome. The conditions were tough and it was a long race, my tyres were sliding all the time but the result is a perfect 1-2 for the team.” 3rd: Marco Melandri (Honda): “It felt as if I’d won today. It was really hard, hot and long. I wasn’t fast on the first few laps, I had tyres which were too soft. I Couldn’t push early, and using the clutch so much gave me arm pump early on. At the end of the race I was quite fast, then passed Vermeulen to get on the podium.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: DETERMINATION PAYS DIVIDENDS FOR DE PUNIET Randy de Puniet rode what he referred to as the hardest race of his life to take 12th place in today’s US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, after being left to fly the flag for Kawasaki alone when his teammate, Shinya Nakano, retired with a mechanical problem shortly before the halfway stage of the race. A poor start from the fifth row of the grid saw de Puniet chasing the whole field into the first turn, but the 25-year-old Frenchman quickly got his head down to reclaim two positions, to move up to 17th place, by the end of the second lap. With the rear of his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR moving around on the entry to every corner, and the handling completely different to that experienced during this morning’s 20-minute warm-up session, de Puniet was left with little option but to aim for a race finish today. The Frenchman’s determination was rewarded on lap 15, when Casey Stoner’s crash and Nakano’s retirement elevated him to fifteenth position, and a potential points scoring finish. De Puniet moved up again as a result of Toni Elias crashing just one lap later, this time into fourteenth position. The Kawasaki pilot was able to close on Makoto Tamada in thirteenth position, but felt that with his Ninja ZX-RR so unpredictable on corner entry, putting in a pass wasn’t a safe option. As the race drew to a close, de Puniet looked set to collect two championship points for 14th position, but the MotoGP rookie found himself elevated to 12th place at the chequered flag when, on the final lap, Valentino Rossi was forced to retire with a mechanical problem and a mistake by Alex Hofmann dropped him back down the field. Shinya Nakano got away from the line in ninth place from the third row of the grid, but quickly lost contact with the leading group after Valentino Rossi came past him on lap four. While he was unable to match the pace of the frontrunners, Nakano was comfortably lapping in the low 1’25s bracket and looked set for a top ten finish until a mechanical failure forced him to retire his Ninja ZX-RR from the race shortly before the halfway stage. Nakano’s retirement drops the Japanese rider from eight to tenth position in the World Championship standings. Randy de Puniet: 12th “That has got to be the hardest race I’ve ever done. We knew the conditions today would make the race difficult, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so physically demanding. I got a really bad start, but then the bike felt totally different in the race to how it felt during morning warm-up; I guess as a result of the increase in temperature. The rear end was moving around a lot and, even though I could close onto the back of Makoto Tamada towards the end of the race, it would have been too dangerous to have tried to put in a pass. At the end we picked up some valuable points, but I can’t say I’m happy with the result today.” Shinya Nakano: DNF “It is so frustrating to be sidelined by a mechanical problem, especially because it has dropped me down the championship standings. I got a reasonable start but it was obvious straightaway that we didn’t have the set-up needed for this track. I couldn’t match the pace of the guys at the front of the race, but I had settled into a good rhythm and I think a top ten finish was a possibility. Unfortunately, at around the halfway point the engine started making some strange noises, and then it stopped and I was forced to retire. We don’t know what the problem was, but now we must use the summer break to relax, so that we can come back at Brno even stronger.” Harald Eckl: Team Principal “I think the first thing we need to take a close look at is our starts, because there is definitely room for improvement there. The start aside, both riders pushed as hard as they could in these difficult conditions, and I’m disappointed for Shinya that his race ended as it did. Randy also had some major handling problems during the race, but he showed his determination by battling on to the end, and he was rewarded with at least some championship points as a result of the retirements at the front of the race. The problems we’ve experienced this weekend just show how much work we have to do over the next few months, if we are to give Shinya and Randy the chance to improve their positions in the championship standings.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Race – Laguna Seca DUCATI MEN END TOUGH RACE WITH DOUBLE TOP TEN The Ducati Team today ended a difficult weekend with a double top-ten result at searing-hot Laguna Seca, Loris Capirossi coming home eighth, team-mate Sete Gibernau in tenth as temperatures nudged 40 degrees. The race was a gruelling endurance test for men, machines and tyres, especially for Capirossi and Gibernau who never managed to get the best out of their bike/tyre package at this unusual racetrack. More then 3.000 ducatisti watched at the race from Ducati Island tribune. LORIS CAPIROSSI, finished eighth, fifth overall “I think I rode a good race, a very good race considering what we had at our disposal. It was impossible for me to do better than this. I never gave up, I passed Sete and Tamada, built a gap and then controlled that gap to the end. I used harder tyres than I had used all weekend, the front was okay, the rear went down mid-race, but overall they were okay. I am glad I finished and got some points. I just hope that this is our last tough race and that the difficult part of the season is over.” SETE GIBERNAU, finished tenth, 13th overall “It’s been the same all weekend, we haven’t been able to adjust our bike/tyre package to this track. It was one of those races which I just wanted to end because my shoulder (Gibernau broke his left collarbone last month) wasn’t good. It was done after eight laps and I didn’t want to ride with anyone else because I was struggling to get the bike stopped. Anyway, we’re done now and we’re going home for the summer break, when we can get our heads down and analyse what we’ve done here. It’s not going to be much of a holiday for me because I’ve got to work very hard to get my physical condition back to where it should be.” FEDERICO MINOLI, Ducati Motor Holding CEO and president “Considering our performance in practice, the race went better than we had expected. It is never fair to be happy with other riders’ misfortune but a little of that definitely helped us today.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “It’s been a very difficult weekend. This is a very particular racetrack and we weren’t able to put it all together here. But both rides gave it their best despite everything and with some other riders having problems we got some decent points. We have to think positive, go home and analyse the data to understand why we weren’t fast here, when we know we can be very fast at more normal racetracks. Thanks as always to our technical partners, first of all to Shell Advance, for their support.” Temperatures: Ambient: 39 degrees C. Track: 56 degrees C More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Laguna Seca, Monterey, USA Sunday 23 July 2006 US Grand Prix pole setter and Bridgestone-shod Suzuki rider Chris Vermeulen ended an agonising 32-lap race at Laguna Seca this afternoon in fifth position having been in strong contention for podium finish with just three laps until the chequered flag. Vermeulen led the first half of the race but was passed by eventual race winner Nicky Hayden on lap 17. Even though he was forced to yield to Dani Pedrosa on lap 26, the Suzuki was still looking good for a first 2006 podium, until a technical problem dropped him to fifth in the closing stages. The result still marks his best Moto GP finish of the season, one better than his sixth place at the Catalan Grand Prix last month and his race pace underlined the competitiveness of the Bridgestone tyres at Laguna Seca this weekend. Vermeulen finished one place ahead of his Suzuki team-mate John Hopkins who took sixth place in his home grand prix, elevating him to ninth place in the riders’ classification on 74 points. Two places further back was Ducati rider Loris Capirossi who adds another eight points to his championship tally after a difficult weekend in Monterey. His team-mate Sete Gibernau rounded off the top ten and earned himself six championship points from an equally tough US GP. Kawasaki also endured a problematic race with Shinya Nakano retiring from a top ten position with a technical issue on lap 16, whilst Randy de Puniet propelled himself from 19th at the end of the opening lap to a points-paying 12th place. The sweltering Californian heat turned the US GP into a race of endurance as the newly-laid asphalt placed increasing demands on the tyres over the gruelling 32 laps. Bridgestone is pleased with the performance of its Laguna Seca tyres which saw Vermeulen amongst the quickest on the track until his technical trouble cruelly denied him a debut podium finish. Bridgestone has worked positively with each of its teams to help them extract the best from the tyres this weekend and derives significant encouragement from the consistency shown over the full race distance in spite of the difficulties faced by some teams. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 5th place: “Everything went pretty well at the start, the bike was running well and we made what I think was the best tyre choice. Thanks to my whole team and Bridgestone for helping me today. But about 12 laps from the end the bike started cutting out, it was not running smoothly and it was hesitating on corner entry – this was making it so hard to ride. It got worse and worse and I only just brought it home. In fact three turns after the end of the race it stopped completely! I’m really disappointed that I didn’t get a podium but I think we have proved how strong the Suzuki, Bridgestone tyres and the whole team were here this weekend, and hopefully we can continue this performance.” In attendance today, Sugio Fukuoka, Bridgestone Corporation Vice-President and Officer: “I would like to extend my thanks to each of our teams and riders for solid work this weekend. It was particularly pleasing to see Chris Vermeulen on pole and it was a shame he was denied a debut podium. Our tyres performed well in today’s race, but I look forward to the remaining races of the season where I am sure we can return to the podium and hopefully challenge for some victories.” Hiroshi Yamada – Bridgestone Motorsport – Motorcycle Racing Manager: “That was a tough race for all involved, for machines, tyres and riders. The intense heat has really transformed this weekend’s race into a battle of the fittest. Chris did a fantastic job and was able to lead up until the midway point and could even retain second place until technical trouble relegated him to third place. With a podium still looking likely, he suddenly found himself unable to keep pace and saw his podium taken with just three laps to go. It is a real shame for Chris and Suzuki to miss out on their debut podium this season, but we congratulate them for their strong showing, which demonstrated the full performance of the Bridgestone tyre-Suzuki bike package. We are pleased that both Ducati and Kawasaki were able to take some valuable points away from a difficult grand prix weekend. Now we have three weeks before the next event in Brno, a race where Loris finished second last year for Bridgestone and Ducati. With that memory to spur us on, our development and work will not stop even if Moto GP can enjoy a deserved break before heading to the Czech Republic in mid-August.” Bridgestone Race Results Pos. Rider Motorcycle Race Time Gap Front Tyres Rear Tyres P5 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 45m32.306s +27.439s Slick Hard Slick Medium P6 John Hopkins Suzuki 45m43.687s +38.820s Slick Hard Slick Hard P8 Loris Capirossi Ducati 45m53.393s +48.526s Slick Medium Slick Medium P10 Sete Gibernau Ducati 46m11.146s +1’06.279s Slick Soft Slick Medium P12 Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 46m19.274s +1’14.407s Slick Hard Slick Medium DNF Shinya Nakano Kawasaki 21m29.242s +17 laps Slick Hard Slick Medium Weather: Dry, Hot and Sunny Air 39°C, Track 56°C, Humidity 10% More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca Sunday July 23, 2006 HAYDEN AND HONDA SHOW THE WAY TO GO IN THE USA Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) won his home race for the second consecutive year here at Laguna Seca, his team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) finished second and another Honda star Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) was third as the factory completed a clean-sweep of podium places. This was an intense race. Intense because of the heat a 62-degree track temperature, intense because of the importance of this race in terms of where it falls in the World Championship calendar, and intense because of the nature of the track and the raw qualities needed to succeed here. This is the first time a rider who didn’t qualify on the front row has won here. But it was clear from the start that Hayden, who only qualified sixth fastest, was in no mood to be denied in his own backyard. He rocketed into third place at turn one, but then cleverly took his time to settle into a race rhythm that would get the only result he wanted a win. Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) did all that could be asked of him by getting the holeshot from pole and he went hard at it early on stretching out a lead of just under a second over Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) by lap two. The early order was Vermeulen, Roberts, Hayden, Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V), Colin Edwards (Yamaha) and Melandri. These would be the men fighting it out at the end, although Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) looked as if he might be a contender until his machine let him down in the closing laps. With the support races delayed until after the grand prix because of the punishing heat and with the track only just retaining its integrity in the beating sun with a 40-degree ambient temperature roasting both riders and machinery, this was a race where only the fittest and the coolest would survive. Hayden dived inside Roberts for second place at the Corkscrew turn on lap nine while Vermeulen held a 1.7 second advantage over his pursuers, while Pedrosa, Stoner and Roberts then set about each other for third. They would conspire to trip each other up for two hard-fought laps before they realised there was still more than two thirds of race distance to run over 32-laps of this 3.610km track. As Hayden gained on Vermeulen, Stoner, who was still involved in the tussle for third crashed out while under pressure from Dani. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) stopped on the same lap and it was clear the heat and the sheer pressure of the pace was staking its toll. On lap 17 Hayden seized the lead from Vermeulen as the Aussie Suzuki man ran wide at turn three. By lap 19 Nicky had a 1.4 second lead over Vermeulen and now the race looked as if it would a question of sensible tyre management as well as an ability to maintain concentration in these deleterious conditions. Pedrosa soon closed on Vermeulen for second place and then as the final five laps drew near, the heat and the pace began to reap its vengeance. Vermeulen slowed and Melandri and Roberts took advantage of his plight. Perhaps more significantly in terms of the Championship Rossi’s machine emitted puffs of terminal smoke, and one lap from the flag he parked his stricken Yamaha at the side of the track. Hayden took the chequers with his front wheel lofted in the air, Dani followed 3.186 seconds behind, then Melandri and Roberts a runaway Honda success story under the very toughest race conditions. Vermeulen brought his bike in fifth followed by his team-mate John Hopkins. A jubilant Hayden said, “I think this feels better than last year, if that’s possible. I got a really good start from the inside I did exactly what my big brother told me and got to the outside and it worked perfectly into turn one allowing me to pick up a few places. I tried not to go too fast too quickly to preserve the tyre because the pace was quick. And then I tried to relax and chip away. It was really big for the Championship today but there’s a long way still to go and I’ve just got to stay healthy and go for some more wins.” Dani, second on his first ever visit to this track in his rookie year on a 990cc MotoGP machine, said, “In terms of conditions, this was the hardest race I’ve competed in. It was so difficult to ride at a consistent rhythm. At the start I braked a little early and lost a couple of places. And then when I was recovering and moving up I made a mistake and lost the places again so this was tough at the beginning. Finally I was able to get in front and finish second which is a fantastic result for me. Finishing one and two is amazing for our team.” Marco, who has now enjoyed three successive podiums for the first time in the MotoGP class, said, “That was a very hard race because of my physical condition, which is not yet 100%. Since the crash at Barcelona I have not had the chance to train as I want to. I got a good start from the third row but at the beginning of the race I was struggling a lot. The bike was sliding a lot in the first 15 laps but lap by lap the feeling got better and at the end I could overtake Kenny (Roberts) Valentino and Vermeulen and get third place. I’m very, very happy to be on the podium.” Fourth-placed Kenny said, “That’s the best we could do today. I was up to my maximum traction control early on and that’s usually a sign that I’m in trouble and I just tried to bring it home a similar situation to Melandri. But at the end he started using the front a little bit more. I was just a tiny bit soft and when I tried to load it, it was like using the tyre too much, not the suspension, and just risking a crash. I just tried to stay with him as long as I could and hope he made a mistake and he didn’t.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) finished 11th and said, “The track conditions were a little different today, the surface was five degrees hotter and the bike was sliding a lot on the left-hand corners. Yesterday I was losing the front-end and I was aggravating my injured knee. In the race it was giving me more pain as the race went on. At about mid-race distance the pain was very bad and I couldn’t push any harder.” Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) was 15th after running into the gravel trap at the corkscrew and said, “It was a very difficult race because of the heat and my injured shoulder. Despite my bad start I could gain a few positions and was fighting with the two Ducati’s and Checa. But on lap 15 while I was 12th I ran straight on into the gravel trap at the Corkscrew and fell. Fortunately I could restart with the aim of finishing the race. I only took one point but now we have the summer break and I will have time to recover and be 100% fit at Brno.” A typically honest Stoner said, “Everything felt fine and I had a race set-up good enough to be running up front. I just made a small mistake and as I let the brake off for turn five the front just slid away. I knew I had to conserve the tyres early in the race, but once I got in front of Dani and Kenny it was no problem, I just concentrated on running a strong pace and not going to hard. I really want to say a big thank you to everyone in the LCR team who’ve worked so hard all season to keep us running up front. I’m the one who has not delivered on my side.” As the Grand Prix circus draws breath until the 12th round of this 17 race series takes place at Brno in the Czech Republic on August 20, the points standings show Hayden with 194 points, Dani with 160, Marco with 150 and Rossi on 143. Honda GP rider quotes: US GP Laguna Seca race, Sunday July 23. MotoGP: Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1st. “I think this feels better than last year, if that’s possible! Last year was perfect and it all came pretty easy but this year I really had to work for it. I want to thank the Repsol Honda team for working so hard, and Michelin because my tyres worked well today. And also thanks to my trainer Eldon Baker because today was really physical. At some tracks it doesn’t pay off to be fit but today was so hot and really physical. My life evolves around being in shape and getting up with the sun to train and days like this make it worth it. I got a really good start from the inside – I did exactly what my big brother told me and got to the outside – and it worked perfectly into turn one allowing me to pick up a few places. I tried not to go too fast too quickly to preserve the tyre because the pace was quick. And then just I tried to relax and chip away. It was really big for the championship today but there’s a long way still to go and I’ve just got to stay healthy and go for some more wins.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd. “I’m so happy because this was a great result. The race was really tough, very hot and it was very demanding for the rider. In terms of conditions, this was the hardest race I’ve competed in. It was so difficult to ride in a consistent rhythm. Thanks to my team because they worked really hard, and also to the legends and celebrities who came here because it’s great that they care about motorcycles. The fans were awesome too. At the start I braked a little early and lost a couple of places. And then when I was recovering and moving up I made a mistake and lost the places again so this was tough at the beginning. Finally I was able to get in front and finish second which is a fantastic result for me. Finishing one and two is amazing for our team.” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 3rd. “That was a very hard race because of my physical condition, which is not yet 100%. Since the crash at Barcelona I have not had the chance to train as I want to. I got a good start from the third row but at the beginning of the race I was struggling a lot. The bike was sliding a lot in the first 15 laps but lap by lap the feeling got better and at the end I could overtake Kenny (Roberts) Valentino and Vermeulen and get third place. I’m very, very happy to be on the podium a US track. I like Laguna Seca and America. It’s a good place to launch my new helmet graphics. I hope to start at racing again with another podium at Brno Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 4th. “I could tell right from the beginning that I just didn’t have the grip. Not so much with the Suzuki, but with the other Hondas. That’s the best we could do today. I was up to my maximum traction control early on and that’s usually a sign that I’m in trouble and I just tried to bring it home. I was similar to Melandri, but at the end he started using the front a little bit more. I was just a tiny bit soft and when I tried to load it was like using the tire too much, not the suspension and just risking a crash. Just tried to stay with him as long as I could and hope he made a mistake and he didn’t. I’m a little bit disappointed because I wanted to be closer to the leaders from the beginning. Especially with Friday’s results. We showed up here and I didn’t want to change a lot. I didn’t want to tune ourselves out of it I would say. We picked our poison, at least I did. And didn’t want to go the other way. And then you lose confidence. So I just stayed with something I knew I had.”. Kenny Roberts, team owner. “I think the racetrack went to them, which is something that now that we’re up there, we’ve got to get over it. Our set-up is a little bit more friendly, but when the grip comes and the race comes, we’re not quite there yet. We got everything, but we need, like I said in England, we’re about a quarter of a second off of where we need to be. We need to engineer a better motorcycle for race day, not for the first two days.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 11th. “The ground conditions were a little different today, the track surface was five degrees hotter and the bike was sliding a lot on the left hand corners. Yesterday I was loosing the front end I was touching my injured knee. At the left hand in the race it was giving me more pain as the race went on. About the middle of the race the pain was very bad and I could not push any harder.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 15th. “It was a very difficult race because of the heat and my injured shoulder. Despite my bad start I could gain a few positions and was fighting with the two Ducati’s and Checa. But on lap 15 while I was 12th I ran straight on into the gravel trap at the Corkscrew and fell over. Fortunately I could restart with the aim to finish the race. I only took one point but now we have the summer break and I will have time to recover and be 100% fit at Brno.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: dnf crash. “Everything felt fine and I had a race set-up good enough to be running up front. I just made a small mistake and as I let the brake off for turn 5 the front just slid away. I knew I had to conserve the tyres early in the race but once I got in front of Dani and Kenny it was no problem, I just concentrated on running a strong pace and not going to hard. I really want to say a big thank you to everyone in the LCR team who have worked so hard all season to keep us running up front. I’m the one who has not delivered on my side.” Lucio Cecchinello, LCR team owner – manager: “It is a difficult moment for both Casey and the team. We all believe we deserve better results, there is a very big potential for Casey and the team. Casey did a perfect warm-up and a perfect start but just made a small mistake while racing in third position. Both Casey and the team have a strong spirit and I believe we will come back at the next race even stronger, and challenge for the podium result we deserve.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: US GRAND PRIX 23rd July 2006, Laguna Seca THIRD STRAIGHT PODIUM FOR MARCO MELANDRI Marco finishes third in punishing race. The suffering heat that has been present throughout the three days of the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca made things tough for the MotoGP field today but FORTUNA HONDA rider Marco Melandri came through it with a creditable third place finish, a result that moves him up to third in the overall standings on 150 points. Despite the tough conditions Marco’s great physical shape kept him going to the end and he was able to make the most of the great job done by his mechanics to set the bike up during practice. His team-mate Toni Elias, still suffering from shoulder problems, struggled in the difficult conditions and finished fifteenth. The next round takes place in the Czech Republic on August 20. MARCO MELANDRI (3rd in the race, 3rd in the standings on 150 points): “It was a really tough race for me because I still haven’t fully recovered from my injuries from Catalunya. I got away well but it was hard at the start to keep the pace up. From lap 15 my feeling with the bike improved and i was able to make a few positions up. I was faster in the second half of the race. This is a very good result for me and I think we’ve done a good job in the first half of the season. Hopefully I can be back on the podium at Brno!” TONI ELIAS (15th in the race, 12th in the standings on 59 points): “It was a really tough race. The heat and my shoulder made things really hard. I got a bad start but lapped with the Ducatis and Carlos Checa but ran off track in the Corkscrew on lap 15 and fell. I got back in the race but was down in fifteenth place. Now I have chance for the rest I really need before the next round at. Hopefully I can be back to 100% at Brno” More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: United States Grand Prix Laguna Seca, USA Sunday 23rd July 2006 ROSSI’S AMERICAN COMEBACK THWARTED AT LAGUNA SECA What looked certain to be another stunning race recovery from Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi ended in disaster today as the reigning MotoGP World Champion retired from the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca with tyre and engine troubles. After starting from tenth on the grid Rossi slowly worked his way through the field and with just five laps remaining he was on course for a valuable fourth place finish. However, with blazing sunshine bringing track temperatures up to a soaring 56ºC, the punishing conditions inevitably took their toll and Rossi’s rear tyre developed a problem, which forced the Italian to drop his pace. To add to Rossi’s woes, his the water-cooling system then malfunctioned and within moments the engine of his YZR-M1 machine overheated, blowing clouds of smoke into the air and bringing his participation in the race to an end. Things started out brightly for Rossi’s Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards before also ending in disappointment, the Texan getting a decent start from the front row of the grid and lapping with the lead group before identical tyre troubles began to kick in. With the searing heat also playing havoc on his physical condition, having suffered from flu symptoms and an upset stomach throughout the weekend, Edwards was unable to maintain his pace and he dropped back from fifth place to eventually cross the line in ninth. Nicky Hayden (Honda) took his second victory of the season to extend his advantage at the top of the championship to 51 points over Rossi, who has dropped to fourth overall with six rounds remaining. COLIN EDWARDS (9th; +53.228) “My start wasn’t great; I got off the line okay but then as I leaned over into turn one the power went a bit and I got slower and slower, so a few guys came past me. After that I just had to give it all I had to hold on and do 24.1s and 2s, which anyway is faster than we were doing on race tyres yesterday. I also had a bit of a problem stopping the bike, which was another thing to contend with. After ten laps I was completely wrecked, I think being ill on Friday took a lot out of me and suddenly I had no power left in my body. I was feeling so bad that I was seriously considering coming in, but then I saw Stoner crash and so I thought I had better hold on and try and get some points! On about lap 20 the tyre started spinning up and it just kept on getting worse and worse on each lap. I had a few big moments where I scared myself a bit, especially coming into turn one a few laps from the end. With about three or four laps to go I looked over at my rear tyre and saw just how bad the problem was, and it was all I could do to bring it safely home. Obviously I’m pretty gutted, the weekend hasn’t worked out how we hoped, but that’s racing!” VALENTINO ROSSI (DNF) “We’ve been in a really difficult situation all weekend, with a lot of problems and unfortunately things got even worse today! We made a big improvement this morning in warm-up and I was much faster, so I thought that maybe we could do a good job in the race and to start with we made good progress from our grid position. But then we had a problem with the rear tyre and I lost all grip and was forced to slow right down in order not to crash. Then we had a problem with the water-cooling system for the engine, it overheated and when I saw the smoke, I knew it was over. Anyway, now we’re 51 points down on Hayden with only six races left, so for the first time I will race for the rest of the season without thinking about the pressure of the championship. My plan is to have a lot of fun over the remaining races and try to win as many as possible, and then who knows what might happen?” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “It’s been a very difficult day from every angle. We had two separate problems of a different nature which affected both riders. Colin could have done a really good race but he was hampered by his physical condition and then later by a problem with his rear tyre. Valentino had exactly the same problem with his tyre and then when he slowed down the cooling system on his engine failed and it overheated, so he had to retire. Now we’re a lot of points behind in the championship and we have a mountain to climb, but we won’t give up and we will fight to the end.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Vermeulen cruelly robbed of Laguna podium Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Chris Vermeulen looked set for his first MotoGP podium at today’s Red Bull US Grand Prix from Laguna Seca, but the rookie Australian was robbed of glory by a mechanical issue. Vermeulen started from pole position and began superbly, leading the field for the first half of the race. Unfortunately a fuel supply system issue possibly caused by the extreme heat at Laguna – made his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R lose power and he was overtaken by eventual winner and Championship leader Nicky Hayden. Although Vermeulen fought to preserve his podium position and looked certain to achieve that feat, his slowing bike was unable to keep pace with those around him and he eventually limped home in fifth place his best finish of the season so far. John Hopkins finished just behind his team-mate in sixth place. After getting baulked at the start, he battled hard in the scorching Californian sun and was able to make his way up the field, continuing with his run of top 10 finishes and enabling him to move up one place into ninth in the World Championship table. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now has a three weekend break before re-grouping for round 12 of the MotoGP World Championship at Brno in the Czech Republic on Sunday 20th August. Chris Vermeulen: “Everything went pretty well at the start, the bike was running well and we made what I think was the best tyre choice. Thanks to my whole team and Bridgestone for helping me today. But about 12 laps from the end the bike started cutting out, it was not running smoothly and it was hesitating on corner entry – this was making it so hard to ride. It got worse and worse and I only just brought it home. In fact three turns after the end of the race it stopped completely! I’m really disappointed that I didn’t get a podium but I think we have proved how strong the Rizla Suzuki, Bridgestone tyres and the whole team were here this weekend, and hopefully we can continue this performance in the next few races.” John Hopkins: “I gotta say I feel sorry for Chris. That really sucks for him because he rode an excellent race. I was trying everything I could and when I saw he was in first, if anything it motivated me even more. I got a bit boxed up at the start and had a hard time getting past Colin, and then made a bit of a mistake when Valentino passed me. Once the lead group had got away I just had to concentrate on my own race and try and put some good laps together. Thanks to Bridgestone, they have brought some good tyres that lasted the race in these blistering conditions so well done to them. It’s a shame one of the Rizla Suzukis wasn’t on the podium, but we have got six more races and I am sure before the end of the season either one of us will be on there. Now we are going into the summer break and we will get our head together for Brno that’s one race I can’t wait for!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “At this stage it difficult to find the balance between being pleased with a stunning weekend’s performance or bitterly disappointed that Chris and Rizla Suzuki were robbed of a certain podium. The team and the riders got everything out of the bike over the course of the weekend and whilst John rode extremely hard and very well all weekend, Chris found something here at Laguna that took him to a podium or even race winning level. We haven’t had many opportunities to stick it on the podium over the last few years, but today was a clear one so the disappointment is huge. But at the same time we still managed to finish in fifth and sixth places and under normal circumstances we would have been delighted with that result. “The potential shown this weekend is going to give us renewed enthusiasm over the summer break and to keep the momentum going forward at Brno and for the remainder of the season.”

Stobart Motorsport rider Michael Rutter added to his points tally by scoring a sixth and seventh place finish in round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship held at a hot and sunny Oulton Park, Cheshire today. Riding the VK and Vent Axia backed Honda Fireblade the 33 year old Midlander qualified on row two of the grid before following up a sixth place finish in the opening 17 lap race with a battling seventh place in leg two to end the day in eighth place in the Championship. “For some reason, the bike didn’t feel quite right in the second race and I’m a bit disappointed as I’d hoped for a better result here. I was sixth in the first one but not near enough to make a race of it, but at least we’ve scored some more points.” Meanwhile team mate Michael Laverty was hoping to be challenging for a podium position following last weekend’s impressive performance at Knockhill but after finishing seventh in the opening race the 25 year old Ulsterman saw his hopes ended in leg two when he crashed out at the Brittens Chicane. As a result Laverty lies in seventh in the Championship and commented: “I just steadily improved all weekend. I was happy enough with seventh in the first one but thought I could have improved on that in the second one so I was disappointed to slide off. I clipped a kerb trying to pass Lavilla.” Team owner Paul Bird left Oulton Park a disappointed man after once again leaving a British Superbike meeting without any silverware. “To say I’m disappointed is a massive understatement as we know that our bikes are competitive and are certainly fast enough. There’s only so long that I can put up with these lowly results and that time is rapidly approaching. We will be having a team meeting this week to decide where we go from here” said the Penrith businessman. The next round of the Championship takes place on August 12th/13th at Croft, North Yorkshire. Superbike Race One Result 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 27m16.848s, 2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +4.673s, 3, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +5.805s, 4, Shane Byrne (Suzuki) +11.573s, 5, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +12.536s, 6, Michael Rutter (Stobart Honda) +22.649s, 7, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) +23.180s, 8, Scott Smart (Suzuki) +30.844s, 9, Billy McConnell (Yamaha) +33.927s, 10, Craig Coxhell (Kawasaki) +34.099s. Superbike Race Two Result 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 27m14.948s, 2, Karl Harris (Honda) +2.786s, 3, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +5.766s, 4, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +9.633s, 5, Shane Byrne (Suzuki) +12.383s, 6, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +20.953s, 7, Michael Rutter (Stobart Honda) +33.139s, 8, Glen Richards (Honda) +42.029s, 9, Ben Wilson (Suzuki) +42.271s, 10, Gary Mason (Honda) +42.369s. Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings (after round 9) 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 274pts 2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 269pts 3, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 260pts 4, Shane Byrne (Suzuki) 174pts 5, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 153pts 6, Karl Harris (Honda) 149pts 7, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) 127pts 8, Michael Rutter (Stobart Honda) 118pts =, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 118pts 10, Scott Smart (Suzuki) 82pts More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne took hard-earned fourth and fifth place finishes in today’s double-header ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at a sun-drenched Oulton Park in Cheshire. Byrne found it difficult to make the most of his fifth place grid position from the start in both races before fighting his way through to dice for the podium places. His early efforts to pass slower riders left him with just too much of a deficit to make up and while matching the leaders’ lap times he couldn’t catch them. Steve Plater, standing in for the injured James Haydon, outperformed his qualifying position of 16th to take two well-deserved 11th places. He continued to gain confidence in his Rizla Suzuki through the course of the weekend as he tripled his Championship points total. Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari won both races. There is now a mini-break in the Championship before the action resumes at the 10th round at Croft in North Yorkshire on Sunday, August 13th. Shane Byrne: “I couldn’t believe the two starts I got. Normally I get off the line really well but it just didn’t happen today. After that I was maxed-out trying to catch the riders in front. “In the second race I was going for fourth and was braking that hard I nearly fell off the bike. I recovered and stayed on and it shows just how hard I was trying. I’ll be keeping that effort going for the rest of the year and am looking forward to the next round already.” Steve Plater: “As the weekend progressed I learnt more about the Rizla Suzuki and started to gel with it. It’s a fantastic race bike and I’ve really enjoyed riding it. “I was a little tired during the races and that is down to being race rusty after seven weeks off the bike recovering from injury. It’s three weeks before the next round and if James isn’t able to race, and I get a chance to ride again for Rizla Suzuki, then I will be both fitter and wiser.” Robert Wicks – Team Manager: “The pace at the front has been of an extremely high standard all weekend. With the knowledge we had from our last outing at Oulton Park and the progress made at Knockhill a week ago, we had high hopes for the weekend. “We expected more from Shane but despite improving his lap times and racing hard, the competition was too fierce and he came away with the best he could achieve on the day. That said, he’s the sort of rider that will rise to the challenge and we can expect him to be more determined that ever at Croft in three weeks time. “Steve put in a decent performance at a very fast and competitive race meeting. He kept on improving, rode wisely, and, given his lack of time on the Rizla Suzuki, acquitted himself well. Our thanks go to Steve for standing in at short notice for the team. We will review James Haydon’s fitness level and make a decision on who will be the team’s second rider at Croft shortly.” Race One Results: 1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 27:16.848, 2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +4.673, 3: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +5.805, 4: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +11.573, 5: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +12.536, 6: Michael Rutter (Honda) +22.649, 7: Michael Laverty (Honda) +23.180, 8: Scott Smart (Suzuki) +30.844, 9: Bully McConnell (Yamaha) +33.927, 10: Craig Coxhell (Kawasaki) +34.099. 11: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki) +45.903. Race Two Results: 1: Kiyonari 27:14.948, 2: Karl Harris (Honda) +2.786, 3: Haslam +5.766, 4: Rea +9.633, 5: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +12.383, 6: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +20.953, 7: Rutter +33.139, 8: Glen Richards (Honda) +42.029, 9: Ben Wilson (Suzuki) +42.271, 10: Gary Mason (Honda) +42.369. 11: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki) +42.381. Championship Positions (after nine of 13 rounds): 1: Kiyonari 274, 2: Haslam 269, 3: Lavilla 260, 4: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) 174, 5: Rea 153, 6: Harris 149, 7: Laverty 127, 8= Rutter, Hill 118, 10: Smart 8., 16: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 36. 21: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki) 15.

FIM MotoGP World Championship Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California July 23 Practice Times: 1. Casey Stoner (Hon RC211V), 1:23.029, Michelin 2. Dani Pedrosa (Hon RC211V), 1:23.409, Michelin 3. Valentino Rossi (Yam YZR-M1), 1:23.494, Michelin 4. Chris Vermeulen (Suz GSV-R), 1:23.497, Bridgestone 5. Nicky Hayden (Hon RC211V), 1:23.631, Michelin 6. Marco Melandri (Hon RC211V), 1:23.732, Michelin 7. John Hopkins (Suz GSV-R), 1:23.748, Bridgestone 8. Colin Edwards (Yam YZR-M1), 1:23.877, Michelin 9. Kenny Lee Roberts (Hon KR211V), 1:24.066, Michelin 10. Loris Capirossi (Duc GP06), 1:24.113, Bridgestone 11. Toni Elias (Hon RC211V), 1:24.157, Michelin 12. Sete Gibernau (Duc GP06), 1:24.365, Michelin 13. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki ZX-RR), 1:24.425, Bridgestone 14. Carlos Checa (Yam YZR-M1), 1:24.690, Dunlop 15. Randy De Puniet (Kaw ZX-RR), 1:24.747, Bridgestone 16. Alex Hofmann (Duc GP05), 1:25.061, Dunlop 17. Makoto Tamada (Hon RC211V), 1:25.334, Michelin 18. James Ellison (Yam YZR-M1), 1:25.665, Dunlop 19. Jose Luis Cardoso (Duc GP05), 1:26.472, Dunlop

What happens or does not happen Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will depend on the condition of the newly-repaved track surface. After Saturday’s practice, qualifying and racing in extreme temperatures, as high as 103°F according to one AMA team, the fresh asphalt started breaking up in turns three and nine. Several riders in Saturday’s AMA Superbike race said they were “roosted” with broken asphalt when behind other riders and that a “hole” was starting to develop in Rainey Curve, turn nine. It is unclear if any attempt to repair the track surface was made overnight. Sunday morning, Dorna Sports “strongly recommended” to Laguna Seca officials that nothing happen on the track before the MotoGP practice and race, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. local time, respectively. Laguna Seca took that recommendation and postponed the practices and race for AMA Supersport and Superstock until after the MotoGP race Sunday afternoon. That is, of course, assuming that the MotoGP riders will agree to deal with the deteriorating racing surface and actually race. If the MotoGP race happens, AMA officials and a small group of riders will inspect the track after the MotoGP race and before AMA practice starts. The decision on whether AMA riders will race will have to be made immediately, according to AMA Pro Racing’s Ken Rogers, who briefed riders and teams in tech inspection tent in the paddock at 9:45 a.m. Sunday morning. “We will access the situation then to make sure you have a safe surface to race on,” said Rogers, who is the Director Timing & Scoring but was conducting the meeting while AMA Pro Racing Road Race Series Director Ron Barrick conducted a track inspection. If the track is deemed safe for racing, Supersport and Superstock will each get a short practice, followed by both races. Right now, each race is still scheduled to go the full, 17-lap distance, but considering Laguna Seca has a 6:00 p.m. noise curfew and that a break will be required between races for riders in both events, it is likely that the race distances will change. Stay tuned”¦ Tentative Schedule: 10:00 – 10:20 a.m. MotoGP Practice 2:00 p.m. MotoGP Race (32 laps) 3:15 p.m. AMA Track Inspection 3:25 – 3:45 p.m. Pro Honda Oils AMA Supersport Practice 3:55 – 4:15 p.m. Repsol Lubricants AMA Superstock Practice 4:40 p.m. Pro Honda Oils AMA Supersport Race (17 laps) 5:25 p.m. Repsol Lubricants AMA Superstock Race (17 laps) More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: AMA Pro Racing Statement Regarding Sunday Schedule Change AMA Pro Racing has confirmed that Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca officials and FIM Race Direction have mandated that the AMA Supersport event and the AMA Superstock event, originally schedule for 11:30a and 3:45p respectively, be rescheduled to run at the end of the day. The Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei will now run at 4:30p immediately followed by the Repsol Lubricants Superstock Race at 5:15p. “Obviously we’re extremely disappointed that this situation has occurred forcing us to comply with this decision,” said AMA Pro Racing Road Race Series Manager Ron Barrick Sunday morning. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca track officials issued a statement early Sunday stating that in order to ‘defend the integrity of the racing surface and the execution of the Grand Prix “¦ all other racing activity on Sunday, July 23 should be postponed until after the Grand Prix race.’ Barrick stated that AMA Pro Racing officials will also be monitoring the race surface throughout the day to ensure its integrity for the AMA championship races. “Hopefully, the track will not deteriorate further and we’ll be able to run our races safely at the end of the day,” said Barrick. “We’ll perform a track inspection prior to our competitors entering the track to determine whether or not the racing surface is acceptable.” Further information will issued if necessary.

FIM Superbike World Championship Brno, Czech Republic July 23 Race Two Results: 1. Yukio Kagayama (Suz GSX-R1000), 20 laps, 40:31.118 2. Michel Fabrizio (Hon CBR1000RR), -2.431 seconds 3. Noriyuki Haga (Yam YF-R1), -2.479 seconds 4. Troy Corser (Suz GSX-R1000), -2.514 seconds 5. James Tosland (Hon CBR1000RR), -4.939 seconds 6. Fonsi Nieto (Kaw ZX-10R), -5.070 seconds 7. Karl Muggeridge (Hon CBR1000RR), -7.932 seconds 8. Troy Bayliss (Duc 999F06), -15.441 seconds 9. Lorsenzo Lanzi (Duc 999F05), -15.755 seconds 10. Chris Walker (Kaw ZX-10R), -17.461 seconds 11. Alex Barros (Hon CBR1000RR), -21.547 seconds 12. Norike Abe (Yam YZF-R1), -22.052 seconds 13. Shinichi Naktomi (Yam YZF-R1), -22.102 seconds 14. Ruben Xaus (Duc 999F05), -26.983 seconds 15. Sebastien Gimbert (Yam YZF-R1), -29.549 seconds 16. Regis Laconi (Kaw ZX-10R), -32.056 seconds 17. Roberto Rolfo (Duc 999F05), -37.287 seconds 18. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Suz GSX-R1000), -39.376 seconds 19. Steve Martin (Petronas FP1), -44.031 seconds 20. Fabien Foret (Suz GSX-R1000), -47.369 seconds 21. Craig Jones (Petronas FP1), -47.742 seconds 22. Jiri Drazdak (Yam YZF-R1), -70.029 seconds 23. Berto Camlek (Yam YZF-R1), -102.455 seconds 24. Milos Cihak (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, DNF, mechanical 25. Andrew Pitt (Yam YZF-R1), -4 laps, DNF, mechanical 26. Josh Brookes (Kaw ZX-10R), -5 laps, DNF, mechanical 27. Pawel Szkopek (Duc 999RS), -10 laps, DNF, mechanical 28. Pierfrancesco Chili (Hon CBR1000RR), -12 laps, DNF, mechanical 29. Ivan Clementi (Duc 999RS), -13 laps, DNF, crash 30. Marco Borciani (Duc 999F05), -15 laps, DNF 31. Jiri Mrkyvka (Duc 999RS), -17 laps, DNF,mechanical FIM superbike World Championship Point Standings (After 14 of 24 races): 1. Bayliss, 262 points 2. Haga, 189 points 3. Tosleand, 188 points 4. Corser, 173 points 5. Barros, 151 points 6. Pitt, 128 points 7. Kagayama, 106 points 8. Lanzi, 87 points 9. Fabrizio, 83 points 10. Nieto, 81 points 11. Walker, 79 points 12. Xaus, 72 points 13. Abe, 71 points 14. Muggeridge, 66 points 15. TIE, Rolfo/Laconi, 52 points 17. Nakatomi, 29 points 18. Foret, 19 points 19. Chili, 16 points 20. Gimbert, 15 points More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: TOSELAND TAKES A PODIUM AFTER DRAMATIC RACE WEEKEND James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) scored a second place and a fifth to finish an eventful weekend for the 2004 World Champion in strong points scoring style. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) made a front tyre swap on race two to improve from 11th in race one to seventh. A bizarre start to the day saw the morning warm-up session stopped the restarted twice for crashes and oil spills, the first of which saw Toseland taken out by a wild card rider, who was later disqualified for cruising on the racing line. Toseland’s avoiding action almost succeeded, but he clipped the errant rider, damaging the engine so badly that oil escaped from a hole in the crankcase, spitting Toseland off and forcing a lot of work for the Ten Kate mechanics to make the start of race one. In the first race Toseland led for fully 14 laps, but could not resist the challenge of eventual winner Yukio Kagayama. Muggeridge, who started well from eighth on the grid, dropped through the order in the hot conditions, to finish 11th. In race two, Toseland looked on for his second podium finish, running second until the 14th lap, then dropping to fifth, with grip and traction problems on right hand corners. Muggeridge fought hard for seventh place, only seven seconds from the win. In the championship James made ground on leader Troy Bayliss, and now sits third, 74 points behind the Ducati rider, and a single point behind Noriyuki Haga. Ronald Ten Kate – Team Manager All in all, we have to be quite happy with the results that James had today, especially looking to the championship standings. We have opened a bit of a gap over some other competitors behind us, but more importantly we have closed the gap in front of us. That’s the good side of things. I must admit Sunday started really badly for us. A horror accident in the morning warm-up for sure didn’t help. James’ number one bike was wrecked in that incident, including the engine. So we had to swap to the number two bike for the whole day. There is not a huge difference, but even a small difference is enough to move you up a couple of places anyway, with the field being as strong as it is. I’m happy that we can move onto Brands Hatch after this and for sure the motivation of James will be full on. The first race for Karl was a difficult one, and he struggled a lot, and in race two he decided to go for the same front as James was using. Apparently that was a good choice. He kept his times pretty consistent and there was only a small gap to the front. Hopefully it will give us something to work on for Karl.” James Toseland – SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Race 1: 2nd position – Race 2: 5th position – Championship Position: 3rd with 188 points) “It was good to get a podium in race one but there was nothing I could do when Kagayama went past me. It was strange in race two, because later in the race I was having trouble with grip on the rights, both front and rear. The little bit higher temperature in the second race made the difference, and I made a couple of silly mistakes. It was a difficult weekend; to have a crash just before Superpole and then a collision this morning. So in some ways I’m happy the way things worked out – but we could have taken advantage of Bayliss having a bad weekend a bit more than we did. But we’ll keep chipping away.” Karl Muggeridge – SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Race 1: 11th – Race 2: 7th – Championship Position: 14th with 66 points) “In race one we didn’t have on the right front tyre I think. In race two, until lap ten, all was OK, then the grip on the corner exits started to drop off, the bike wanted to move around and it was more difficult to control. After 16 laps it got a bit worse again and just kept the bike up to finish the race. I’m not too satisfied with the results but at least we have scored two races in the points.” CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING: 1. Bayliss – Ducati – 262 points 2. Haga – Yamaha – 189 points 3. Toseland – Winston Ten Kate Honda – 188 points 4. Corser – Suzuki – 173 points 5. Barros – Honda – 151 points 14. Muggeridge – Winston Ten Kate Honda – 66 points More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone: The 3 riders 2 times in the top 15! For the first time ever in the history of the Superbike World Championship, the 3 riders of a single team earn points in both races. Norick Abe, Shinichi Nakatomi and Sebastien Gimbert did a great job which proves their qualities and also these of the technicians and the Yamaha R1s of the Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone. In race 1, Norick Abe was 13th after lap 1, Shinichi Nakatomi 16th and Sebastien Gimbert 18th. Then the 3 riders progressed and at half distance Abe was 10th, Nakatomi 11th and Gimbert 14th. They kept on trying hard and Nakatomi finished 8th, Abe 9th and Gimbert 13th. In race 2, after the first lap Abe was 17th, Gimbert 19th and Nakatomi 20th. Like in the previous race, the 3 riders went as fast as they could, with Abe 14th at half distance, Nakatomi 16th and Gimbert 17th. At the chequered flag, Abe finished 12th, Nakatomi 13th and Gimbert 15th. This is a great satisfaction for the team which has the opportunity to prove its qualities, despite the enormous workload for providing the equipment and the logistics for three riders. Shinichi Nakatomi: “I am very happy. My 8th position in race 1 is my best ever result in the World Championship. Race 2 was not as good as I made a mistake in the 1st curve and dropped to 25th. Then I had a good fight with many riders. I was passing some at every lap, event if it was difficult with Ruben Xaus. I had a hard time finishing the race because my rear tyre was spinning a lot.” Norick Abe: “I am not that happy because I usually look for a top 5 position. I had the same problem all weekend long, which is a lack of grip at the rear wheel. We tried so many different settings! Anyhow, I did my best.” Sebastien Gimbert: “I am happy with my weekend. Like everybody, I lacked grip. For race 2, we changed some settings and the road holding was not as good, but this is racing. I am still happy because it is the first time this year that I earn points in both races.” Martial Garcia (team manager): “It feels good, we needed that. It shows the quality of the kit parts and of the tuning. We had the 2nd top speed. The temperature was very hot and we managed better than some top teams. We did some good lap times by the end of the races, close to the ones of the leading riders. Our riders always tried very hard and passed some well known riders. This is for us a positive weekend.” More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: KAGAYAMA DOUBLES UP AFTER HOT RACES AT BRNO – KAGAYAMA THE MASTER AT CLASSIC CZECH TRACK After a resurgent burst of form at the previous round in Misano, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) scored two wins, in similar fashion, at the 5.403km Brno circuit, to take his first SBK double win. He got back to winning ways after running down long time leader James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) in race one, then repeating it even more impressively in race two, when he hunted down Superpole winner Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) to score a second magnificent 20-lap victory. Another candidate for rider of the day was Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda) who scored his first two podium finishes since his promotion from World Supersport. In a nightmare raceday for championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox), he tangled with Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) in race one, and fell from contention at the first corner. A strong start in the second leg gave him only an eighth place finish. He lost ground to both Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) and Toseland in the championship chase, and now has a total of 262 points, with Haga on 189 and Toseland on 188. RACE ONE An astounding contest for the final podium place, behind the clear eventual winner Kagayama and second place rider Toseland, was taken by SBK rookie rider, Michel Fabrizio, all despite a recently broken shoulder. Kagayama claimed his first win of the year after sitting behind long-time leader Toseland and then making a break with six laps to go. Fabrizio, only fifth on the penultimate lap, took both Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) and Haga on the final circuit, to score third, with Haga fourth and Corser fifth. Championship leader Bayliss retired after tangling with Laconi at turn one, after Laconi had been forced wide. Toseland was lucky to make the start of the first race at all, after a collision with a backmarker in morning warm-up trashed his number one engine and chassis. The backmarker was cruising on the racing line, and Toseland’s avoiding action, despite being committed to the corner, meant that they only hit a hard glancing blow, and not something even more serious. An oil leak and subsequent crash from a privateer’s machine in the morning warm-up restart caused another halt to proceedings, postponing the start of the Superstock 1000 race to the last race of the day. RACE TWO With Kagayama finally away and clear, Fabrizio completed the most dramatic last corner double pass imaginable, forcing past Corser and then holding Haga to the white line on the outside of the corner exit, to score his second career podium in SBK, just a few hours after his first. Only 0.173 seconds separated Fabrizio in second with Corser in fourth, in what was an all-time classic finish that brought Sunday’s portion of the 41,000 weekend crowd on the edge of their seats. Toseland took fifth, having difficulty getting into and out of right hand corners. PITT RETIRES IN TWO RACES AS NIETO SCORES TWO SIXTHS Misano race winner Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) had to retire from the leading pack twice, with a recurring misfire on his raceday machine. Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) felt he had learned more in this SBK day than in any other, running with the leading riders almost throughout each race. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) swapped a front tyre specification between races and went from 11th to seventh. Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) had two points scoring rides, in seventh and 10th. YAMAHA RIDERS ON RECORD FORM For the first time in SBK history all three Yamaha Motor France Ipone riders finished each race in the points, with rookie rider Shinichi Nakatomi scoring the single best result, eighth in race one, ahead of his team-mate, Norick Abe, with Sebastien Gimbert 13th. In race two Abe went 12th, with Nakatomi 13th and Gimbert 15th. Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) scored no points today, as he finished race two only 16th. Klaffi Honda rider Alex Barros suffered from a tucking front end and an overheated engine as he retired from race one, but he scored a few points for 11th place in race two. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) followed up his Superpole triumph with his first race win of the season in Supersport. His main championship challenger, current leader Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda), lost ground with a lowly 11th place finish. Charpentier now leads Curtain by only ten points, with the Brands Hatch round coming in two weekends’ time. Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) was an assured second, and a resurgent Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) third, but unable to take any points from Charpentier’s main pursuers. Yoann Tiberio (Megabike Honda) was fourth, Gianluca Vizziello fifth on his Yamaha team Italia machine. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP In a much delayed Superstock 1000 contest, the shortened seven lap race was won by Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) making history for the Italian marque. Luca Scassa (EVR Corse Ormeni racing MV Agusta) scored second while Richard Cooper (MS Racing Honda) took his CBR to a well-earned third. In the championship standings, long term leader Alessandro Polita (Celani Suzuki) remains top, despite a crash and no score today, as Badovini moved to within two points of him. Scassa is third, with 71. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP Xavier Simeon (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki) scored his third win in five races to extend his lead in the Superstock 600 series. He now heads overall second place rider Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox) by 34 points, 115 to 81. Canepa was also second in the race itself, with Andrea Antonelli (Junior Team Italia) third. More, from a press release issued by Ductai Corse: DISAPPOINTING DAY FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM AT BRNO Brno (Czech Republic), Sunday 23 July: Ducati Xerox Team riders Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi had two below-par races in the seventh round of the World Superbike Championship at Brno today. Bayliss was eliminated by Régis Laconi in a first-corner first-lap incident in the opening counter, while Lanzi struggled with lack of grip in his front tyre and had to come into the pits for a change. Both riders then suffered with severe lack of grip in the second race and could only manage eighth and ninth. Troy Bayliss’s lead in the championship with five rounds remaining is now 73 points. “The whole day had been going to plan up until the first corner and I guess you could say it was one of those racing incidents” explained Troy. “Pitty got in a little hot and bumped into me which pushed me wide. Régis had already gone wide and then ran into me as well, down I went and that was my morning over. Like I said before you never know with racing what’s around the corner. In the second race I had to work harder than to have a win but I only lost four points and I have to take it on the chin and move on. Lorenzo gave me a place at the end and you never know a point could be important at the end of the year. I put a softer tyre on for race 2 but after two laps my grip was going down and I had to ride it home, but even that was a struggle.” “We had been protagonists all weekend and had set quickest time in the morning warm-up. There was just time for a bit of relaxation and ….then two races to forget” declared Lorenzo. “For the second race I had managed to sort out the front but then I had problems with the rear. Me and my team are a bit disappointed to say the least. We worked hard as always, we were looking good on the front row and ready for two good races. The conditions were the same as yesterday, the same as in the tests, I don’t know what else I can say. Now let’s move onto the next round and hopefully things will be better at Brands Hatch.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: BAD DAY AT BRNO FOR SCUDERIA SC CARACCHI (Brno 2006, July 23) Also the racing day at Brno has not been brilliant for Scuderia SC Caracchi. In Supersport the team’s riders both ended their race in the gravel after a fet seconds after the start, while in Superbike Roberto Rolfo finished 12th in race-1 after a good recovering race, but in race-2, where he had a poor start, has not been able to grab the points. For Superbike the day started subit in the wrong way, because the morning’s warm up has been actually pointless to look for a better set up, because it has been stopped twice with red flag, that a more professional way to do by race marshals coud avoid stopping the riders which bike were in difficult. “That’s been a quite disappointing day today.” confessed at the end of the day Roberto Rolfo. “We would try for a better setting in the morning, but that has been impossible. So I went on with the same problems of the whole week end. At race-1 start I got a good start and at the first split I was already in 14th place, then I could recover some position finishing 12th . In race-2, on the contrary, I’ve been closed at the start and at the end of the first lap I was in 20th position, more as six seconds behind the leader. There was any possibility to pass the riders in front of me and the race ended like it started, that’s been a great disappointment.” Heavy bad day in Supersport, wher the two 749R Ducatis Scuderia SC Caracchi stay in race just a few meters. Stuart Easton received a touch on his rear tyre in the general crash at the first corner, while Luka Nedog, crashed also during the morning’s warm up, lose the front in the middle of the first lap. More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: The race weekend at Brno was not as successful for Alex Barros as expected. The extreme temperatures and position 15 in the starting grid didn’t made things easier for him. But Alex attacked from the first second on. He did an excellent start in the first heat and was already 11th after the first lap. Alex opened the throttle, pushing forwards but he had no good luck. A problem with his front wheel occurred. It became more and more difficult to control the bike. No chance for Alex to ride on. He had to retire after only six laps. – Kagayama was the first to cross the checkered flag in front of Toseland and Fabrizio. In the second heat things turned out better for Alex. After a tough race he finished 11th. Winner of the second race was Kagayama again in front of Fabrizio and Haga. Alex Barros: “The whole weekend was really disappointing and it took out my oxygen. It did my best, the starts have been okay but it was not possible to achieve better results. In the first heat I had some very bad moments. I nearly lost the control of the front wheel and I had to manage to avoid a crash. So I hope things will be better at Brands Hatch.” More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Jones shows progress for Foggy PETRONAS Racing at Brno Craig Jones enjoyed his best race day on the PETRONAS FP1 when he finished 17th and 21st in the seventh round races of the Superbike World Championship at Brno, Czech Republic. Foggy PETRONAS Racing team-mate Steve Martin’s run of bad luck continued when another mechanical problem ended his first race after just three laps, but he persevered in the second race to finish 19th. With championship leader Troy Bayliss managing one eighth place finish, Yukio Kagayama secured his first double win but rookie Italian Michel Fabrizio stole the show with two stunning rides to clinch two podium finishes from 12th on the grid. Craig was fighting for his first championship point before a gearbox problem on the last few laps of the first race ended that challenge and caused him to drop back one place to 17th. Despite problems with the gear position sensor in race two, he lapped a second faster on average and reduced the gap to Kagayama by 20 seconds. He said: “I have made more progress here than I have anywhere else and it is a shame that I wasn’t able to qualify as well as I could have done. But I have closed the gap on Steve and the weekend has given me a lot of confidence going into the next round at Brands Hatch, where I will be aiming for Superpole and to score some points. I was doing consistent laps at the start of race two but needed to push harder and then started to chip away at those in front until the gear position sensor stopped working. I was also disappointed that the gearbox problem at the end of race one potentially cost me my first championship point.” Steve’s first race began badly with a fire on the bike on the grid, which resulted in him starting the race from the back of the grid on his spare bike. After a good start his gear lever broke and then the bike started to seize up after three laps, forcing him to pull in. He said: “With so many riders failing to finish the first race this was a good opportunity to score good points, so I am very disappointed. In the second race I was losing the front everywhere from the start of the race, so I just had to settle down and ride around to finish the race.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Yukio Kagayama took his first ever World Superbike double victory at Brno in the Czech Republic today. In race one he stalked leader James Toseland (Honda) for 14 laps before making his move, and from them on in, he was never headed, taking the chequered flag by nearly four seconds. Michel Fabrizio (Honda) took third after passing both Noriyuki Haga and Yukio’s team mate Troy Corser in the final two laps: Reigning World Champion Corser suffered grip problems throughout the 20-lapper but still managed to finish fifth just behind Haga. Kagayama had to work much harder in race two but, after fighting his way up from eighth, he charged past Haga just two laps from the end to take his second win of the day. Second was Fabrizio, who had been in fourth place on the last lap, but then barged his way through Haga and Corser with less than two turns remaining. When Fabrizio made his move, Corser was forced to pick up his bike otherwise he would have collided with Fabrizio and Haga, as he would’ve been taken out as well. Haga ended up an angry third, with a very frustrated Corser fourth. Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 1st: “I am so happy today and I want to thank my team for all the great work they have done. Also, thank you to Batta-san, who is not here today, but I hope was watching on TV. In both races, I had to use patience – and this is not my normal style – but it was worth it. I was close to Toseland from the start of race one so it was just a case of waiting to make my move at the right time and my plan worked perfectly. “The second race was much more difficult because I had to pass many riders before I could attack the leader – my friend Nori-chan. In the closing stages of the race he knew that I was faster than him and he very kindly waved me through. After that I just concentrated on keeping a good pace and not making any mistakes. I have always thought of myself as a little crazy, but today I showed another side of Yukio. Maybe this will be my new style for the rest of the season!” Troy Corser – Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 4th: “Considering what position we were in on Friday and even Saturday morning, I guess that a fourth and a fifth is not too bad, but I’m not at all happy. I had some grip problems in the first race so we changed the balance and front and rear ride height for race two. It was a bit better but, because it was more or less Yukio’s set-up, it took me a while to get used to it – and by that time the leaders were gone. I managed to reel them back in and I thought that I’d get at least a third or maybe a second. I got past Haga and into second, but then Fabrizio came along with a couple of desperate moves. Honestly, if I hadn’t picked up my bike when he tried to make his move, I would’ve hit him and we’d both gone down, taking Nori with us as he was so close at the time. There’s racing and there’s desperation. He’s a young kid, but it could’ve ended very badly. After I had crossed the line in race two, I was so frustrated that I was sick – but luckily I opened my helmet first!” Fabien Foret – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 20th: “After Superpole, I really thought that I could get a couple of good top-10 finishes today. In race one, everything was ok for the first five laps and then I crashed! It took place at the same place where Toseland had crashed in the morning warm-up today and there was a lot of dust down to clear up the oil that had been spilled. Maybe I just hit some oil that hadn’t been cleared up properly – I don’t know. It was a slow speed fall so I didn’t hurt myself, but it was a very disappointing and early end to the race. “In race two, my bike started feeling strange after a lap or so. It was juddering or something like that and I just couldn’t push hard at all. I should’ve pulled in, but I wanted to keep going and see if I could score any points. When riders overtook me, I couldn’t do anything about it and so I finished outside the points. It turned out that the tyre was spinning on the rim and that was causing the problem.” World Superbike Results: Race 1: 1 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Toseland (GB-Honda), 3 Fabrizio (I-Honda), 4 Haga (J-Yamaha), 5 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 6 Nieto (E-Kawasaki), 7 Walker (GB-Kawasaki), 8 Nakatomi (J-Yamaha), 9 Abe (J-Yamaha), 10 Chili (I-Honda). Fabien Foret (F-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra) DNF. Race 2: 1 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Fabrizio, 3 Haga, 4 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 5 Toseland, 6 Nieto, 7 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 8 Bayliss, 9 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 10 Walker. 20 Fabien Foret (F-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra). Points: 1 Bayliss 262, 2 Haga 189, 3 Toseland 188, 4 Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 173, 5 Barros 151, 6 Pitt 128, 7 Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 106, 8 Lanzi 87, 9 Fabrizio 83, 10 Nieto 81. 18 Fabien Foret (Alstare Engineering Corona Extra) 19. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: FABRIZIO TAKES FIRST CAREER PODIUMS AS TOSELAND SCORES SECOND Both James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda CBR1000RR) took podium finishes at the 5.403km Brno circuit, with Toseland second in race one, and Fabrizio – an SBK rookie – taking third in the opener and an astonishing second in race two. Race one was led by Toseland for 14 laps, until eventual winner Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) set a pace Toseland’s tyres could not longer match. Toseland ran out an assured second, matching his Superpole performance, but arguably the ride of the race came from recently injured Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda CBR1000RR), who had recently broken his collarbone while riding in the MotoGP race at Donington. The young Italian rider passed two competitors on the last lap to take third, after a mid race charge from his qualifying position of 12th. Pierfrancesco Chil (DFX Treme Honda CBR1000RR) went tenth (improving from 16th and last in Superpole) ahead of a fading Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) who took points for 11th place, after placing eighth in Superpole. Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) underlined an unhappy practice and Superpole qualifying, which put him only 15th on the grid, by retiring on lap nine, complaining of a lack of front grip and overheating problems. Toseland’s possible podium in race two dwindled to as he found right hand corners increasingly difficult to enter and exit, and he clung onto a fifth place. After another blitz through the field, Fabrizio set up a true grandstand finish by overtaking both Troy Corer and Noryuki Haga in the space of the final chicane, making for one of the most forceful finishes in World Superbike history. Kagayama took the second race win, 2.4 seconds clear of Fabrizio. Championship leader Troy Bayliss suffered a crash in race one, after a first corner collision, and dropped from a probably fourth to eighth, as the hot 52°C track temperatures took their toll. His disappointment was Toseland’s partial gain, as he made ground to the lead. Bayliss sits on 262, Haga on 189 and Toseland – third by a single point – on 188. Toseland, having suffered a series of misadventures over race weekend, was philosophical about the way it ended, and glad to have made up ground to Bayliss. “It was good to get a podium in race one but there was nothing I could do when Kagayama went past me,” said Toseland. “It was strange in race two, because later in the race I was having trouble with grip on the rights, both front and rear. The little bit higher temperature in the second race made the difference, and I made a couple of silly mistakes. It was a difficult weekend; to have a crash just before Superpole and then a collision this morning. So in some ways I’m happy the way things worked out – but we could have taken advantage of Bayliss having a bad weekend a bit more than we did. But we’ll keep chipping away.” For Fabrizio, now ninth in the championship, his last lap move in race two was one laden with risk, and eventual joy, but being in a position to score podiums was largely down to a recent Brno tyre test. “It was important to test in June with DFX at Brno,” said Fabrizio. “After five or six laps of race one I had some problems with grip but my race pace was OK, so when I saw the others in front I thought ‘let’s push to try and take them.’ Something just clicked in my head that I could catch them. For my riding style, when the tyres slide it is better for me. Same thing happened in race two, but when I saw Corser and Haga in front right at the end I thought it would be possible to overtake them.” Muggeridge, 14th overall in the series, felt that his change between race one and two paid off, but still had to fight for every place. “In race one we didn’t have on the right front tyre I think,” said Muggeridge. “In race two, until lap ten, all was OK, then the grip on the corner exits started to drop off, the bike wanted to move around and it was more difficult to control. After 16 laps it got a bit worse again and just kept the bike up to finish the race. I’m not too satisfied with the results but at least we have scored two races in the points.” Chili felt that his physical condition was responsible for him pulling in on race two, leaving him 19th in the championship chase. “In race one I was happy enough, despite the drop of in grip as the tyres got hot,” said Chili. “In race two I was very tired but my right hand started to freeze and cramp up, stopping me braking properly, so I decided to pull in.” Barros had a disastrous weekend by his recent high standards, feeling ill from day one, and experiencing problems in the races. He dropped points to the other top riders, and now sits on 151, in fifth place. “The whole weekend was really disappointing and it took all my energy,” said Barros, 11th in race two. “I did my best, the starts were OK, but it was not possible to achieve better results. In the first race I had some very bad moments with the front and had to work hard to not crash.” Brands Hatch hosts the next WSS and SBK rounds, between 4 and 6 August. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: FRUSTRATED TROY MISSES OUT A PODIUM After a difficult Friday and Saturday morning, Troy’s race prospects were not looking good. On Saturday afternoon, he was so fed up with being unable to find a good set-up for the Brno circuit, he decided to use his team mate Yukio’s set-up instead. In the first race, although the bike felt more comfortable, Troy still suffered with a lack of grip throughout the 20-lapper, but kept pushing as hard as he could and ended fifth. Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama won the race after a long battle with James Toseland (Honda). Third went to Michel Fabrizio (Honda) who had charged past Troy and Haga (Yamaha) with just two laps to go. In race two Troy, started a bit tentatively, but then upped his pace to get with the leaders Kagayama and Haga with three laps to go. He dived past Haga on the last lap, but a reckless move by Fabrizio two corners from the end almost took Troy and Haga out. If Troy hadn’t picked up his bike, all three would’ve gone down. To compound the matter, Fabrizio then contrived to hit Haga as he tried to squeeze through a gap that wasn’t there. Kagayama took the win – to make it his first WSBK double – and somehow Fabrizio managed to take second, ahead of Haga and Troy. TROY – Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 4th On Friday and Saturday morning we were lost and didn’t really know which direction would be the best for us. So we took Yukio’s set-up and started working with it. It was definitely better then anything we’d tried, but I guess that’s because Yukio tested here for three days and I didn’t – thanks to being ill at the time. So, maybe fourth and a fifth is not too bad, – it’s certainly better then anything I’d hope for on Saturday morning! But I’m not at all satisfied this weekend. I had some grip problems in the first race, so we changed the balance and front and rear ride height for race two. It was an improvement for sure but, because it was more or less Yukio’s set-up, it took me a while to get used to it and by then the leaders were gone. As I began to get more familiar with how the bike was working, I was able to push harder and I started reeling in the lead group. At that point, I really thought that I’d be able to get at least a third or maybe a second. I passed Haga to go second briefly, but suddenly Fabrizio appeared and made a couple of desperate moves. If I hadn’t picked up my bike when he made his move I would’ve hit him and we’d both gone down, taking Nori (Haga) with us as well. There’s racing and there’s desperation. And that was definitely desperation. I know he’s a young kid, but it could’ve all ended very badly. He’s lucky that both Nori and I saw him and lifted our bikes up, or it would’ve been a disaster. That happened in the last two turns of the last lap, so neither Nori nor I had time to respond, but I can tell you that I was gutted. After I had crossed the line I was so frustrated that I was sick – but I managed to get my helmet open first!

In order to defend the integrity of the racing surface and the execution of the Grand Prix, FIM Race Direction has strongly recommended to the promoter that any other racing activity on Sunday, July 23 should be postponed until after the Grand Prix race. The record temperature in combination with the fresh racing surface has created a situation that could potentially deteriorate with heavy usage on Sunday. Therefore, in order to safeguard the racing surface, the decision has been made to postpone the activities of the AMA Superbike series until the conclusion of the Grand Prix race. The Grand Prix program will proceed as scheduled, with a monring warm-up at 10:00 a.m. local time. The MotoGP World Championship race will begin at 2:00 p.m. local time. The AMA Supersport and Superstock race will take place immediately following the MotoGP World Championship race.

FIM Supersport World Championship Brno, Czech Republic July 23 Race Results: 1. Kevin CURTAIN (Yam YZF-R6), 18 laps, 38:23.594 2. Broc PARKES (Yam YZF-R6), -1.535 seconds 3. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Hon CBR600RR), -3.940 seconds 4. Yoann TIBERIO (Hon CBR600RR), -19.396 seconds 5. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Yam YZF-R6), -21.495 secondcs 6. Johan STIGEFELT (Hon CBR600RR), -22.058 seconds 7. Mauro SANCHINI (Yam YZF-R6), -24.958 seconds 8. David CHECA (Yam YZF-R6), -25.795 seconds 9. Simone SANNA (Hon CBR600RR), -26.684 seconds 10. Christian ZAISER (Duc 749R), -32.440 seconds 11. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Hon CBR600RR), -36.106 seconds 12. Javier FORES (Yam YZF-R6), -45.429 seconds 13. Stephane CHAMBON (Kaw ZX-6RR), -51.659 seconds 14. Tatu LAUSLEHTO (Hon CBR600RR), -52.437 seconds 15. Kai Boore ANDERSEN (Suz GSX-R600), -56.566 seconds More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: SOFUOGLU THIRD AS CHARPENTIER DEFENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) rode a battling race in temperatures of 32°C to score third in the 18-lap Brno Supersport race, tailing the top two riders for virtually the entire race. His third place finish was his best result since his opening race third at Qatar, and pushes him up one place in the championship fight, to eighth overall. Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) rode to a battling 11th, having to fight all the way against tyre grip issues, but earning five points in his comeback ride after pelvic and collarbone injuries. He survived a pre-race scare unharmed, after a crash on the entry to the final corner during morning warm-up. He now leads Kevin Curtain, today’s race winner, by ten points, with second place rider at Brno, Broc Parkes, now 27 points back. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “I am very pleased for Kenan, as it appears that if he returns to a track we have already tested at he performs very well. Physically, Sebastien had no problem of any kind but we had a big, big problem with the rear today and we have yet to find out why. For sure we will, and I feel very sorry for Seb that we could not give him the package he deserved today. Doing 2’09 and 2’10 laps is nothing, that’s cruising, so I don’t know what happened. We did a long run on the tyre and it was the same one that Kenan used. Kenan was strong and had a strong ride. It was nice to see him back again. It was a mature ride, and no big moments. He has had a difficult period recently but has got through it by working very, very hard with the team. He is up where he belongs. It has also been a long road for Sebastien after his injures at the Brno tests. In practice everything was going quite well, and we could have had a top five finish with him, for sure. There is a ten point difference between Sebastien and Curtain now, but it is better to take that to Brands now than to got there ten behind.” Sebastien Charpentier WSS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (11th Championship Position: 1st with 121 points) “From the very start of the race it was very difficult for me because I felt the rear spinning too much and it stayed like that for all the race. It was impossible to get closer to the leaders in front because of that, so it was disappointing not to get more points. But we still have a ten point lead going into Brands Hatch, and it could have turned out a lot worse.” Kenan Sofuoglu WSS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (3rd Championship Position: 8th with 51 points) “I am happy because I am back on the podium and gained a lot more experience in running near the front in World Supersport. I think from now on I can make a high standard and in all the races I will be aiming for a podium. I was just as fast as the other two bikes in most places but I lost a bit entering the start-finish straight; so later in the race I could not try to pass them. After half of the race the bike started to move too much. But I am happy to make a podium for the team and they have worked really hard with me.” CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING: 1. Charpentier – Winston Ten Kate Honda – 121 points 2. Curtain – Yamaha – 111 points 3. Parkes – Yamaha – 94 points 4. Harms – Honda – 74 points 5. Roccoli – Yamaha – 71 points 8. Sofuoglu – Winston Ten Kate Honda – 51 points More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: There were only 20 of the 38 riders which crossed the checkered flag of World’s Supersport Championship today at Brno/CZ. 18 riders had to retire cause they had a technical problem or a crash. William de Angelis and Matthieu Lagrive the riders of Team Intermoto Czech Klaffi were super motivated for the home race of the team. Both did an excellent start and had a lot of chances to achieve a top ten position. William and Matthieu fired up and where chasing Checa and Sanchini. Matthieu, the French rider of the Team Intermoto Czech Klaffi opened the throttle but he had no good luck today. In lap three a technical problem occured. The engine stopped. No chance for Matthieu to start his bike again. Only a few minutes later it was the turn of his team mate. William had an immense highsider – just after crossing the dark section of the track were James Toseland crashed in the warm-up of the Superbike race. Winner of of the race was Curtain in front of Parkes and Sofuoglu. It was a weekend with a lot of bad luck for the team. Now we concentrate on the next race which will take place at Brands Hatch on the first weekend of August. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: SOFUOGLU SCORES A PODIUM AS CHARPENTIER FIGHTS FOR POINTS With his team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) riding a mature and forceful ride to third place at Brno, championship leader Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) fought against rear traction problems throughout the 18-lap race to score 11th place. The five points he earned were vital to his overall title ambitions, as his chief rival Kevin Curtain scored his first race win of the 2006 season. Charpentier now has a ten point lead, with seven of 12 rounds completed. Sofuoglu, who was in the top three for the entire race, scored his second career Supersport podium, to add to his third place at Qatar during the opening round of the series. He had qualified in second at Brno, with Charpentier fifth on the grid. Sofuoglu has now promoted himself one place in the championship standings and is eighth, on 51 points. Yoann Tiberio (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR) replicated his fourth place in qualifying in the race, some 19 seconds from the winner, after experiencing traction problems in the hot 47°C track temperatures. His team-mate, in the absence of regular rider Katsuaki Fujiwara (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR), was once more Simone Sanna (Team Megabike Honda CBR600RR), who scored ninth place. Sanna had qualified sixth, making it four Hondas in the pre-race top six. Honda still has a firm grip on the Manufacturers’ Championship battle, with an 18-point lead over the next closest challenger, and by five race wins to two. Sofuoglu’s second podium of the year gives him hope that he can continue to record more, in the remaining five rounds. “I am happy because I am back on the podium and gained a lot more experience in running near the front in World Supersport,’ said Sofuoglu. “I think from now on I can make a high standard and in all the races I will be aiming for a podium. I was just as fast as the other two bikes in most places but I lost a bit entering the start-finish straight; so later in the race I could not try to pass them. After half of the race the bike started to move too much. But I am happy to make a podium for the team and they have worked really hard with me.” Charpentier’s 11th place earned him five points, and he is now on 121 points, ten ahead of Curtain, and 27 ahead of Parkes. “From the very start of the race it was very difficult for me because I felt the rear spinning too much and it stayed like that for all the race,” said Charpentier, who had a fall shortly before the race started, in morning warm-up. “It was impossible to get closer to the leaders in front because of that, so it was disappointing not to get more points. But we still have a ten point lead going into Brands Hatch, and it could have turned out a lot worse.” Tiberio cited a lack of rear grip after the first few laps as the reason for his inability to get into contention with the podium men, but he set a new lap record of 2’06.602, on his second lap. “I would have liked to have followed the three in front but it was impossible,” said Tiberio after a tough 18-lap race. “It was better to finish fourth than to crash. More points for the championship, to take forward to the next race. The tyres were not so bad because I finished fourth but it was impossible to do more.” Sanna had reduced feel and grip from his front in the race, with his team looking into the reason why after the race. “I did not have the same confidence in the front in this race, although we chose the same tyre we used before,” said the rider who scored second at Misano. “So something has changed but we need to look into what. Maybe the track conditions were a factor as well.”

FIM Superbike World Championship Brno, Czech Republic July 23 Race One Results: 1. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 20 laps, 41:27.271 2. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), -3.900 seconds 3. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), -6.255 seconds 4. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), -6.432 seconds 5. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000), -7.463 seconds 6. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), -21.967 seconds 7. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R), -21.989 seconds 8. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), -26.882 seconds 9. Norick ABE (Yam YZF-R1), -27.174 seconds 10. Pierfrancesco CHILI (Hon CBR1000RR), -27.441 seconds 11. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), -28.299 seconds 12. Roberto ROLFO (Duc 999F05), -32.112 seconds 13. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1), -36.427 seconds 14. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Suz GSX-R1000), -44.249 seconds 15. Ivan CLEMENTI (Duc 999RS), -60.978 seconds 16. Marco BORCIANI (Duc 999F05), -65.300 seconds 17. Craig JONES (Foggy Petronas FP1), -65.914 seconds 18. Josh BROOKES (Kaw ZX-10R), -67.582 seconds 19. Pawel SZKOPEK (Duc 999RS), -91.323 seconds 20. Jiri DRAZDAK (Yam YZF-R1), -91.485 seconds 21. Berto CAMLEK (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, crash 22. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, DNF, mechanical 23. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06), -1 lap, DNF, mechanical 24. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR), -12 laps, DNF, mechanical 25. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F05), -13 laps, DNF, crash 26. Fabien FORET (Suz GSX-R1000), -15 laps, DNF, crash 27. Steve MARTIN (Foggy Petronas FP1, -17 laps, DNF, mechanical 28. Jiri MRKYVKA (Duc 999RS), -19 laps, DNF, mechanical 29. Milos CIHAK (Suz GSX-R1000), -20 laps, DNF, crash 30. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), -20 laps, DNF, crash 31. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06), -20 laps, DNF, crash

The race was red-flagged for a turn two crash involving Matt Lynn, Cory West, Dominic Jones and Shane Turpin and restarted after about a 15-minute delay. Only Lynn made the restart. In a bid to avoid mass heat stroke among crew members in the extreme heat, AMA teams were allowed to deploy their canopies on pit lane for the Superbike race. Prior to the Superbike race, AMA team canopies were banned from pit lane for a variety of constantly shifting reasons attributed variously to officials of Dorna (the Spanish company that holds the marketing and promotional rights to MotoGP) and to officials of Laguna Seca Raceway; reasons ranged from, the canopies would obstruct the view from pit-lane suites, to the canopies did not look professional (as if mechanics laboring in the hot sun with no canopies did). The canopy issue was a (literally) hot one with AMA team managers and riders. AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California July 22 Provisional Race Results: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), 28 laps 2. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), -3.114 seconds 3. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999F06), -7.922 seconds 4. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), -8.997 seconds 5. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), -13.331 seconds 6. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), -18.307 seconds 7. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999F06), -22.261 seconds 8. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), -26.725 seconds 9. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000), -36.258 seconds 10. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000), -52.255 seconds 11. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), -56.033 seconds 12. Marty Craggill (Suz GSX-R1000), -70.532 seconds 13. Larry Pegram (Hon CBR1000RR), -78.563 seconds 14. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 15. Matt Lynn (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, -6.745 seconds 16. Akira Tamitsuji (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, -14.417 17. Scott Jensen (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, -19.363 18. Eric Wood (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, -33.737 19. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, -46.156 20. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, -50.178 21. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, -57.438 22. Jason Perez (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, -61.790 23. Martin Szwarc (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, -68.473 24. Corey Sarros (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap, -82.313 25. Mike Sullivan (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, -82.705 26. Brian Stokes (Yam YZF-R1), -2 laps 27. Doug Chandler (Kaw ZX-10R), -3 laps, DNF, mechanical 28. Corey Eaton (Suz GSX-R1000), -5 laps, DNF, mechanical 29. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), -6 laps, mechanical 30. Mark Ledesma (Hon CBR1000RR), -16 laps, DNF 31. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), -24 laps, DNF, mechanical 32. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000), -28 laps, DNF, crash 33. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000), -28 laps, DNF, crash 34. Shane Turpin (Yam YZF-R1), -28 laps, DNF, crash AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (After 12 of 19 races): 1. Spies, 426 points 2. Mladin, 392 points 3. Duhamel, 329 points 4. Hodgson, 317 points 5. TIE, Tommy Hayden/Yates, 304 points 7. Zemke, 296 points 8. Ben Bostrom, 268 points 9. Pridmore, 259 points 10. Rapp, 226 points 11. Pegram, 218 points 12. Holden, 181 points 13. Wood, 165 points 14. Curtis, 147 points 15. Tamitsuji, 142 points 16. Lynn, 133 points 17. Hendry, 102 points 18. Fernando Amantini, 85 points 19. Scott Jensen, 83 points 20. Mizdal, 70 points More on the pit lane canopy situation from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing: AMA Pro Racing and Dorna agree to team tents to combat heat PICKERINGTON, Ohio AMA Pro Racing and Dorna reached an agreement Saturday to allow AMA teams to set up tents on pit row during the combined Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix/ AMA Superbike Championship event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. It is hoped that the tents will provide some measure of relief from the near record temperatures the Monterey area is experiencing this weekend. Pit row tents are normally prohibited at this event. However AMA and Dorna officials met on Saturday and arrived at a compromise. “We’re pleased that we were able to discuss the situation with Dorna and arrive at a positive solution,” said Kerry Graeber, AMA Pro Racing Vice President, Director of Communications. “We went to Dorna on behalf of our teams and Dorna agreed that due to the extreme conditions this weekend, allowing pit row tents during our races was in everyone’s best interest.” AMA competitors will be allowed to set up their team tents during Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei at 11:30 a.m. and again during the Repsol Lubricants Superstock race scheduled for 3:45 p.m. Teams were being informed of the change on Saturday evening. Temperatures soared to over 100 degrees at the track on Saturday, combined with sunny conditions. The heat is forecasted to moderate somewhat on Sunday. Up to 150,000 fans are expected at over the three days of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix/AMA Superbike Championship, making it the largest motorcycle racing event in the United States. About AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com. More, from a press release issued by American Suzuki: Yoshimura Suzuki’s Spies Wins Laguna Seca Superbike Race! –Next round, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH, Aug. 4 – 6, 2006– Round 7 AMA Superbike Series Monterey, CA Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca July 21 – 23, 2006 Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies battled record-breaking heat as well as the competition to win his eighth AMA Superbike race of the season and extend his points lead at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday. Teammate Aaron Yates finished up in fifth position and Mat Mladin came home in sixth place. “I really want to thank my team and credit the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000,” said Spies of his first Laguna Seca victory. “I asked them to bring me a bike that we wouldn’t have to make too many changes on because we had so little track time. And that’s exactly what they did — I just sat on it and rode around.” Earlier in the day, Spies picked up his fifth career pole position after posting a fastest lap time of 1:24.946. Teammate Yates qualified a close second with a best time of 1:25.433, while Mladin rounded out the front row of the grid in fourth with a 1:26.025 posting. “Right now, getting pole position is just another point toward the title,” said Spies. “It’s going to be a hard fight today, but we’ve found a good set-up for the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and the bike is working really well.” Spies showed just how well the bike was working by taking the lead immediately and leading all 28 laps of the main event. “I just have to give all the credit to the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and my crew,” Spies reiterated. “I knew we had to show up with a bike that was good to go and the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 was just that. I rode as hard as I could, but the bike and the Dunlop tires made it easier this weekend.” Teammate Yates also got a good start and was running in the top five for most of the race. “I got a decent start and then I got hung up behind some guys and couldn’t make any passes,” said Yates. “I got caught up in the pace and then I made a few mistakes. As the race went on, I had a hard time getting a good drive off the corners and it just got worse. I made a charge toward the end of the race but almost went off the track so I backed off. I was hoping to put my Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 up on the podium, but it just didn’t happen today.” Mladin, unlike his teammates, did not get a good start and was forced to play catch-up. Even so, the defending AMA Superbike Champion rode hard and charged up to sixth place before the end of the race. “I made a mistake at the start and it bogged,” he said. “Then I was just doing the best I could and by the time I got up into a decent position it was too late to make any real difference.” Mat Mladin, Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, #1 6th Place AMA Superbike 2nd Place — Overall Aaron Yates, Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, #20 5th Place AMA Superbike 6th Place — Overall Ben Spies, Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, #11 1st Place AMA Superbike 1st Place — Overall AMA Superbike Top 10 Finishers: 1. Ben Spies, Team Yoshimura Suzuki 2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 3. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 5. Aaron Yates, Team Yoshimura Suzuki 6. Mat Mladin, Team Yoshimura Suzuki 7. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 8. Jake Zemke, Honda 9. Jason Pridmore, Jordan Suzuki 10. Steve Rapp, Jordan More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: Heat Causes Problems in Laguna Seca Even before the start of the AMA Superbike race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, there were problems. There was intense, near record heat in the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. There was a lack of practice and qualifying time for the 12th round of the championship, held as a support race for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. And then there was the track itself. A recent repaving had been badly executed and there were extraordinary bumps throughout the track, but especially out of the signature Corkscrew turn. What it all meant was that the valuable data gathered by the American Honda mechanics and engineers in years of racing and testing was of only marginal value. Despite those difficulties, American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel felt his Honda CBR1000RR was capable of a third place finish. But the track temperature wreaked havoc with his rear tire and he just missed out on his fifth podium finish of the year. Teammate Jake Zemke, the winner of the previous round at Miller Motorsports Park, wasn’t as fortunate. Zemke struggled with the elements and wasn’t able to properly set up his Honda CBR1000RR in the less than one hour of practice and qualifying allowed. It all added up to a less than satisfying weekend, one race after American Honda showed themselves to be serious race contenders with Zemke’s win Duhamel led off the start, held late on a 38 degree afternoon in the hills east of Monterey, California. But his moment of glory was short-lived. A multi-rider first turn incident brought out a red flag and forced a re-start. The second time around Duhamel was strong-he ran second for the first two laps and third for the next nine-before he struck traction problems at the rear. Every time he tried to close the gap on the leaders, he’d find himself on the razor’s edge of grip. Rather than risk crashing on a track surface that was rapidly deteriorating, he sensibly decided to finish fourth. The finish allowed him to maintain third in the championship with seven races to run. Zemke found it more difficult to find a solution for the bumps. The team solved one problem, but it caused another, and he rode smartly to an eighth place finish. The race was won by Suzuki’s Ben Spies from Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden, the older brother of Repsol Honda’s Nicky Hayden, and Ducati’s Neil Hodgson. Miguel Duhamel 4th Place The guys did a great job. Al (Ludington) and the boys gave me a really good bike. I made a few little mistakes in there and the leaders got away. And every time I started getting going good pace, starting going low 26’s, the tire got really hot and started sliding a lot. Every single time I went pretty fast, I’d make time, I’d lose time. I felt like I had a lot more speed. But as the race wore on and the tire got a little bit hotter”¦I should have gone harder a little bit quicker. But the bike was good. everything was really good. Just a little click here, a click here. Laguna doesn’t forgive. You make a mistake in four and you’re almost paying for it in 11 before you get your rhythm back. So had a couple of slides. Our tire was not bad, but every time I got to mid to low 26’s, the thing started moving around quite a lot. But anyway, all that being said the bike was still good enough. I think I could have been and maybe should have been, but could have been on the podium. Jake Zemke, 8th Place It was a long race. Well, we showed up here and we were having a big difficulty dealing with the new bumps that have come up here at this race track, especially with the rears. So we went into qualifying making some big changes to the rear end of the bike, changing the link and the suspension to try to absorb those bumps better. It made it absorb those bumps a little bit better on acceleration, but then under deceleration, going into the corner, we had a horrible, horrible chatter in qualifying. Basically, we had to go into the race on something, just roll the dice and gamble. And we got rid of that deceleration chatter a little bit, but the bike didn’t really want to turn once we got into the corner. It was a long day for sure. Superbike: 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 2. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 3. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 4. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 5. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 6. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 7. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 8. Jake Zemke (Honda) 9. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 10. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) Championship Standings: 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 426 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 392 3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 329 4. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 317 5. (TIE) Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki)/Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 304 7. Jake Zemke (Honda) 296 8. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 268 9. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 259 10. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 226 More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati: HODGSON EARNS LAGUNA SECA PODIUM FOR PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI WITH SPECTACULAR CHARGE Monterey (California) 22 July 2006: Neil Hodgson earned a strong third place in Saturday’s AMA Superbike race at Laguna Seca, producing a podium finish in front of the large crowd assembled for the US Grand Prix weekend. Ducati 999-mounted Hodgson charged through the field in the California heat, moving his way through a fierce pack of Superbike riders. Hodgson rose from sixth place in the early stages to challenge for second place in the 28-lap event. Teammate Ben Bostrom finished seventh despite dehydration forcing him to the medical center immediately after the race. Bostrom ran strongly in second place before becoming ill at the mid-point of the event. “I feel really pleased. I thought the race went really well for us today. Hopefully, we’ll become regulars on the podium from here on out,” said Hodgson of his charge that saw his best laps come near the end of the race. “We were strong today despite the heat and had some good battles out on the circuit. Tommy Hayden rode a great race and, as it came down to the final laps, it looked as if the two of us would be fighting for second place. He pulled a bit of a gap but I chased him down and was planning my moves for the end. I lost the front really badly with three laps to go. At that point, I felt that it would be best to be content with the podium. It’s been a tough weekend and we needed a good result to build on.” Hodgson continued: “The team were really put in a rough spot here at Laguna. This was one of the most difficult races of the year. The heat was tough on everyone. The track was bumpy and we didn’t have much practice time, but we all pulled it together and I’m proud of the crew for working so hard,” said Hodgson. Ben Bostrom saw a strong result escape when he became ill. Bostrom thought he might be bound for yet another Laguna Seca victory but saw his hopes foiled when he became ill during the race. “I’m disappointed because I thought I had a great shot at a win today,” said Bostrom. “We were about halfway through the race and I had a lot in reserve. I was just cruising out there. Then I got sick and just fell apart, end of story. I should have pulled in because I was so weak I could barely ride. I was done.” Still, Ben managed to better two factory Superbike riders even though he had to check in to the Laguna Seca medical center for fluids immediately after the race. Bostrom is positive on the next races for the Parts Unlimited Ducati Team. “After our tests, the Miller races, and now Laguna, we are super confident going into the next events.” Team owner Terry Gregoricka was pleased with the performance of both the riders and of the team at Laguna Seca. “This is the type of result we’ve been working for and one we can use to get some positive momentum,” said Gregoricka. “Neil’s podium was well deserved. It’s great watching the team’s rider putting in his best laps towards the end of the race. With Ben, he really charged hard and just was a little unlucky today. We’re feeling good about the way things are going.”

Rizla Suzuki’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne will start tomorrow’s double-header ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park from fifth place on the grid. The Zurich-based Londoner only completed one lap on a qualifying tyre after spending time building confidence in the front end of his Rizla Suzuki. He will try minor changes to both his bikes in tomorrow’s warm-up before deciding on a final setting for the races. Standing in for the injured James Haydon, Steve Plater qualified on the fourth row of the grid in 16th place. He continues to build his pace after a six-week break from racing. Honda’s Karl Harris took pole position. James Haydon is at Oulton Park lending his support to the Rizla Suzuki team and will be joining ITV1 as a guest commentator for the races tomorrow when coverage starts at 1500. Shane Byrne: “I am not riding my Rizla Suzuki exactly the way I want to. I am tiptoeing into corners instead of throwing the bike in like I want to; it just isn’t giving me the feeling and feedback it normally does. We will be trying a couple of changes for tomorrow morning to see if we can sort it out. “I only had one lap on a qualifier and it was my fastest. It’s a shame I didn’t get another lap on a qualifier because I could’ve gone faster again but I’ll take fifth on the grid with a smile – it’s on the outside of the track so is a good place to start.” Steve Plater: “I’ve been working on getting feeling and confidence in my bike. We tried a few things with the forks and tested various tyres and I think we made good progress. “The pace this weekend has been red hot and I’ll be working with my mechanics this evening on ideas to try in morning warm up. I’ve always been a better racer than qualifier and I hope I can get away and challenge for the top 10 tomorrow.” Niall Mackenzie – Race Operations Manager: “Shakey is riding well on race tyres and if he can get a good start from fifth on the grid he will certainly be in contention. He has recorded his fastest ever lap of Oulton Park today and if his mechanics can deliver the front-end feeling he wants in time for the races then he is going to be a happy man. “Steve is doing a solid job. He is riding safely and building his speed gradually. For never having ridden the bike before practice yesterday morning, to qualify just 1.7secs behind his team mate is no mean feat. If he can continue his progress then he should be able to out perform his starting position and score points.” Qualifying Times: 1: Karl Harris (Honda) 1:34.515, 2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.219, 3: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.548, 4: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.806, 5: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +1.068, 6: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +1.269, 7: Michael Rutter (Honda) +1.296, 8: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +1.478, 9: Glen Richards (Honda) +1.731, 10: Michael Laverty (Honda) +2.322. 16: Steve Plater (Rizla Suzuki) +2.753.