FIM MotoGP World Championship Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca July 21 Free Practice One Results: 1. Kenny Lee Roberts (Honda KR211V) 1:23.951, Michelin 2. Colin Edwards (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:24.310, Michelin 3. Casey Stoner (Honda RC211V), 1:24.360, Michelin 4. John Hopkins (Suzuki GSV-R), 1:24.608, Bridgestone 5. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:24.674, Michelin 6. Marco Melandri (Honda RC211V), 1:24.698, Michelin 7. Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki GSV-R), 1:24.739, Bridgestone 8. Nicky Hayden (Honda RC211V), 1:24.943, Michelin 9. Carlos Checa (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:25.100, Dunlop 10. Sete Gibernau (Ducati GP06), 1:25.150, Bridgestone 11. Dani Pedrosa (Honda RC211V), 1:25.311, Michelin 12. Loris Capirossi (Ducati GP06), 1:25.614, Bridgestone 13. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki ZX-RR), 1:25.659, Bridgestone 14. Alex Hofmann (Ducati GP05), 1:25.977, Dunlop 15. Toni Elias (Honda RC211V), 1:26.599, Michelin 16. Makoto Tamada (Honda RC211V), 1:26.658, Michelin 17. Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki ZX-RR), 1:26.913, Bridgestone 18. James Ellison (Yamaha YZR-M1), 1:26.984, Dunlop 19. Jose Luis Cardoso (Ducati GP05), 1:27.531, Dunlop More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MEN GET TO KNOW THE NEW LAGUNA Ducati Team riders Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi made their acquaintance with the revised and resurfaced Laguna Seca circuit this morning, completing the first session tenth and 12th fastest. SETE GIBERNAU, tenth fastest, 1m 25.150s “The track is much safer now, that’s the good point. The new surface is slippery, though new surfaces are always slippery so I’m sure it will get better over the weekend. It’s also really bumpy, I thought it would be smoother than before but it’s not. It’s especially bad coming out of the Corkscrew, but it’s like that for everyone. Our bike doesn’t like bumps too much, so we’ll get our heads down and see what we can do. The shoulder isn’t much different from last week, pain isn’t a problem but the strength isn’t there. I’ve just got to deal with that because I really want to ride hard and push as hard as I can, that’s my goal. Over the past few days we have iced it and massaged it to bring down the swelling, though there’s not much you can do in such a short time because you’ll end up stressing the shoulder.” LORIS CAPIROSSI, 12th fastest, 1m 25.614s “From a safety point of view the track is much better, especially at the first turn and at the Corkscrew, where the bike is much less in crisis than before. We can’t say the same about the surface, which seems even bumpier than before and also not very grippy. It seems like they have laid down some kind of resin in some places, not on the straights but at some corners. The surface at the Corkscrew looks like glass, which doesn’t give you confidence. We had some difficulties with our front tyres but we have others here which we think will be better and we will test them this afternoon. This is a very strange track, it’s pretty easy to improve your lap times here. Anyway, after lunch we’ll continue our work.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: FORTUNA HONDA RIDERS ADAPT TO TRICKY AMERICAN TRACK FORTUNA HONDA riders Marco Melandri and Toni Elías completed the first free practice session for the USGP at the Laguna Seca circuit this morning in perfect weather, using it to simply adapt to the modified track. Marco, who finished second in the last round at Sachsenring, has arrived in confident mood and spent the session finding a good feeling for the track whilst his team-mate Toni Elias took things steadily as he continues his recovery from injury. Alongside his new crew chief Fabrizio Cechinni for only the second Grand Prix the Spaniard worked out the points he needs to spend time on with the Honda RC211V machine in the afternoon. MARCO MELANDRI (6th, 1’24″698, 29 laps): “I am satisfied with the first session. I got a good feeling and I’m optimistic about the weekend ahead because I think we have started off on the right foot. I like this track a lot and I think they’ve done a great job with respect to improving the security.” TONI ELIAS (15th, 1’26″699, 26 laps): “I like Laguna Seca a lot it’s a legendary place. My physical condition hasn’t improved a lot and this circuit layout is hard on my left shoulder. The session was just a first point of contact with the track alter only previously riding here last season and I used it to find my reference points.”

AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California July 21 Practice Results: 1. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 1:27.233 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 1:27.251 3. Matt Mladin (Suzuki) 1:27.285 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 1:27.916 5. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 1:28.114 6. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 1:28.408 7. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 1:28.720 8. Jake Zemke (Honda) 1:28.728 9. Roger Hayden (Kawasaki) 1:28.832 10. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 1:29.325 11. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 1:29.351 12. Marty Craggill (Suzuki) 1:29.533 13. Larry Pegram (Honda) 1:29.609 14. Jake Holden (Suzuki) 1:29.863 15. Doug Chandler (Kawasaki) 1:30.314 16. John Haner (Suzuki) 1:30.710 17. Chris Ulrich (Suzuki) 1:31.122 18. Corey Eaton (Suzuki) 1:31.268 19. Mark Ledesma (Honda) 1:31.445 20. Akira Tamitsuji (Suzuki) 1:31.510 21. Matt Lynn (Suzuki) 1:32.066 22. Cory West (Suzuki) 1:32.121 23. Scott Jensen (Suzuki) 1:32.884 24. Corey Sarros (Suzuki) 1:32.907 25. Jason Curtis (Suzuki) 1:33.124 26. Jason Perez (Yamaha) 1:33.166 27. Mike Sullivan (Yamaha) 1:33.225 28. Shane Turpin (Suzuki) 1:33.313 29. Michael Earnest (Suzuki) 1:33.360 30. Dean Mizdal (Suzuki) 1:33.409 31. Dmoninc Jones (Suzuki) 1:33.544 32. Brian Stokes (Yamaha) 1:33.746 33. James Randolph (Suzuki) 1:33.817 34. Eric Wood (Suzuki) 1:34.256 35. Martin Szwarc (Suzuki) 1:34.618 36. Fernando Amantini (Kawasaki) 1:35.088 37. Brad Hendry (Suzuki) 1:35.902 38. Andi Notman (Suzuki) 1:36.226 39. Robertino Pietri (Suzuki) 1:36.970 40. Kenny Noyes (Yamaha) 1:41.061 More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati: BOSTROM AND HODGSON SIXTH AND SEVENTH IN LAGUNA SECA AMA PRACTICE Monterey (California) 21 July 2006: Ben Bostrom and Neil Hodgson of the Parts Unlimited Ducati Team were sixth and seventh in the brief practice session held on Friday morning for this weekend’s AMA Superbike race. Bostrom and Hodgson, like the rest of their AMA competitors, had little track time to adjust themselves to the changes at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Those significant changes included repaving and modifications to the famous Corkscrew turn. Former Laguna Seca winner Ben Bostrom said the lack of track time left him a bit frustrated on Friday, but still hopeful for another Laguna Seca victory. “I consider Laguna Seca my home track and want to do well at this race,” said Bostrom after turning in a 1:28.408 in the day’s only session. “I have a lot of friends here and all the fans out on Ducati Island are rooting us on. It has always been a special track to me. Today out there was nothing for us, really. We had very little time on the track and we spent most of that timegeting used to the changes in the circuit. When you do that and try out potential race tires, the 40 minutes or so is gone. I don’t really know what tomorrow holds for us but we will fight as hard as possible.” Neil Hodgson was right behind his teammate in seventh. “It was a tough position for us to be in today, not just on the Parts Unlimited Ducati Team but all the AMA Superbike riders,” said Hodgson, whose best time was 1:28.720. “We had a very little time to get up to speed and try out the tires Dunlop has brought for us here. We need more track time on the weekend, not less, when you consider the surface was very bumpy and that we’ve never ridden on the track in its current configuration before today. Tomorrow for qualifying we’ll concentrate and do our best.” Tomorrow’s qualifying begins at 11:15 local time and the 28-lap race begins at 4:00 PM. Ducati’s Federico Minoli and the Parts Unlimited Ducati Team also unveiled a special 2007 model at Laguna Seca. The Ducati 999S Team USA Edition boasts Parts Unlimited graphics and each of the 150 models built exclusively for North America will have bodywork autographed by Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom. Practice times: 1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 1:27.233 2. Ben Spies, Suzuki 1:27.251 3. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 1:27.286 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 1:27.916 5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 1:28.114 6. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 1:28.408 7. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 1:28.720 8. Jake Zemke, Honda 1:28.728 9. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki 1:28.832 10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki 1:29.325

Lockhart Phillips AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California July 21 Practice Times: 1. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 1:29.793 2. Eric Bostrom (Yamaha) 1:29.816 3. Aaron Gobert (Honda)1:30.118 4. Josh Hayes (Honda) 1:30.206 5. Michael Barnes (Suzuki) 1:31.042 6. Danny Eslick (Suzuki) 1:31.819 7. Jeremy McWilliams (Buell) 1:32.489 8. Blake Young (Suzuki) 1:32.884 9. Tony Meiring (Suzuki) 1:33.020 10. Jeffrey Tigert (Honda) 1:33.505 11. Ryan Andrews (Honda) 1:34.084 12. Chris “Opie” Caylor (Suzuki) 1:34.356 13. Ty Howard (Honda) 1:34.361 14. Brian Stokes (Yamaha) 1:35.504 15. Bobby Fong (Yamaha) 1:36.489 16. Chris Siebenhaar (Suzuki) 1:36.725 17. Dirk Sanchez (Kawasaki) 1:37.003 18. Grant Riggs (Suzuki) 1:37.059 19. David Glenn (Suzuki) 1:37.368 20. Garrett Carter (Yamaha) 1:37.507 21. Ryan Elleby (Honda) 1:37.693 22. Kenny Carlotta (Suzuki) 1:37.943 23. James Kerker (Honda) 1:38.108 24. Mike Hale (Buell XBRR) 1:38.725 25. Dr. Jeff Purk (Yamaha) 1:38.982 26. Berto Wooldridge (Suzuki) 1:39.364 27. Morgan Murphy (Suzuki) 1:39.596 28. Johnny Rock Page (Yamaha) 1:39.959 29. Jeremiah Johnson (Suzuki) 1:40.332 30. Gustavo Laya (Kawasaki) 1:40.620 31. Darren Murrey (Ducati 749R) 1:41.039 32. Simon Kowalski (Yamaha) 1:41.723 33. Craig Mason (Yamaha) 1:42.192 34. Jessica Zalusky (Kawasaki) 1:43.328 35. Tamer Kehkia (Yamaha) 1:43.725

Fears that new pavement at Laguna Seca Raceway would destroy tires in a handlful of laps–a problem encountered during the first test at Miller Motorsports Park–were not realized this morning. Several bikes coming in off the track this morning had normal-looking rear tires with accelerated–but still manageable–tearing on the left side of the front tire.

The newly-repaved racing surface at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is much bumpier than before, according to several AMA riders polled by Roadracingworld.com immediately after the first practice for Superbike and Formula Xtreme. “I know some pavers that live about an hour and a half from here who pave parking lots smoother than this,” said American Honda’s Jake Zemke. “There’s bumps where there weren’t bumps before. I don’t understand how they can create bumps. There are bumps in the middle of the straightaway. It’s unbelievable.” “The surface of the racetrack is much rougher than before, much, much rougher, everywhere,” said six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin. “A couple of the corners are better, but most of the corners are actually worse. It’ll be interesting to see what these guys (MotoGP riders) say. “For a racetrack that’s supposed to be repaved and new and all the rest of it, it’s pretty bad. I read a lot of stuff about the racetrack and that they made more run-off in turn six, which actually hasn’t happened. They made more on the inside of the corner. There’s no more run-off in turn four. I read some stuff saying turn four would have more run-off. That’s exactly the same. Exiting the Corkscrew is exactly the same. “I’m glad I’ve got another half an hour (qualifying session), 28 laps (race) and then I can leave.” As for the three ground-down and sealer-treated areas of the track, only the “patch” at the entrance of the Corkscrew has proven to be a factor. “That patch, I don’t know why that thing is there,” said Zemke’s teammate Miguel Duhamel. “It’s slippery, for sure. I go in there pretty cautiously, and I couldn’t believe how much slip I could get out of the front. I pushed the front huge on that thing, and a couple of guys went down. I’m a little surprised why they have patches there and going into turn five. Turn five that doesn’t bother us. It’s not really in a braking zone of accelerating zone. It smells like a new re-pave for next year, because I’m sure the owner will be disappointed that the job is not laid down right.” Lap times during the first Superbike practice session were significantly slower for riders compared to 2005. Duhamel led Friday morning’s session with a 1:27.233 compared with the 1:26.592 he turned during last season’s first practice at Laguna Seca. Mat Mladin turned a 1:27.285 Friday morning compared to the 1:25.981 he did last year. “The lap times being as slow as they are, I think, is just the new track surface,” said Duhamel. “Like, Miller we were slower when we first went there. We were quite a bit slower. Even though the grip is good, there’s just something about a new surface that makes the bike feel different. When the bike’s talking to you in a different language you have to slow down and listen to what it’s telling you. The track’s a little dirty, too, but it’ll get better.”

AMA teams and riders are definitely not the concern of officials of MotoGP commercial rights holder DORNA, who–according to official radio traffic monitored using a scanner at Laguna Seca Raceway this morning–told cornerworkers to not wave warning flags during AMA sessions. Radio traffic also discussed the fact that the workers were 20 minutes late reaching their corner stations this morning, because security officials would not let the workers into the track early enough to set up at the corners. Some of the workers seemed to be in no apparent hurry to get to their stations. As a result, no oil flags were waved after a rider blew an engine early in the first AMA Superbike sessions Friday morning, until riders demanded that workers put out flags and the session was red-flagged for oil clean-up. Among the first on the oiled-down section of track was Robertino Pietri, who said “I saw the guy blow up but it was too late, I was in the corner and my bike went completely sideways. I waved my hand and looked back and saw (Mat) Mladin coming and waved like crazy, and then he started waving, too. There were no flags.” Following the incident, the oiled part of the track was cleaned up and cornerworkers were instructed to flag for AMA sessions. AMA teams are also prohibited–as per DORNA–from setting up canopies on hot pit and are required to remove all their equipment–including toolboxes, tires racks, tables, ice chests, etc.–from their assigned pit wall spaces following the conclusion of each AMA session. A memo issued to teams Friday morning read: Laguna Seca Pit Lane Equipment Restrictions Friday July 21, 2006 -Teams will be allowed to moved their equipment into the pit lane area starting aproxomately 7:00 a.m. –At 12:30 when the AMA practice sessions are finished, AMA teams must move ALL equipment out of the hot and cold pit lane area. There will be an area near one of the pit lane gates where teams may leave equipment. –At 2:45 teams may move their equipment into the pit lane again. An additional release will be available at AMA Tech with times for Saturday and Sunday. And now, comment from a cornerworker stationed in turn two at Laguna Seca: FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: The AMA uses 11 flagging stations (12 if you count start/finish). These are connected by landline, and the radio is not used. The FIM uses radio for 40-something flag stations. What was overheard was directions to the FIM flaggers, who aren’t the same as the AMA flaggers. What happened this morning was that some over-ethusiastic FIM flaggers were throwing flags in places that AMA riders wouldn’t expect. It is confusing to say the least. The AMA flag station did show a yellow flag immediately. Also note that FIM doesn’t use AMA’s pickle flag for oil, so FIM flag stations couldn’t show the right flag even if they were supposed to. No help on why it took so long to get a red flag – that’s under race direction control and we can’t use it without permission. Jo Rhett San Francisco, California

Jensen, Parkerson Lead the Way during WERA National at Grattan BELDING, Mich. Round six of the WERA National Series last weekend was a chance for Robert Jensen to rack up the wins and the championship points, but he was not the only rider who walked away from Grattan Raceway with an armload of trophies. The weekend began with the six-hour WERA/Bridgestone National Endurance Series race on Saturday. Vesrah Suzuki kept up their winning ways, crossing the finish line with a two-lap margin of victory. Tray Batey, John Jacobi and Lee Acree rode the Suzuki GSX-R1000. Macheca Motorsports took second overall with riders Matt Macheca, Jeff Kramer and Bob Sandy on a Heavyweight Superbike Kawasaki ZX 10. The Heavyweight Superstock trophy went to Team Velocity Racing, who finished third overall with Chuck Ivey and Scott Harwell on a Yamaha YZF-R1. Dalke Motorsports’ Brian Dalke, Wrenn Smith, Josh Smith-Moore, Gio Rojas and Daniel Parkerson won Mediumweight Superstock on a Suzuki GSX-R600, finishing fourth overall. Mediumweight Superbike went to Brent Bennett, Jeremy Gordon, Kendrick Morrison and Todd Thomas on the Check-Out Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. In Lightweight Superbike, Weapons of Worship got their first win of the season. Blake Dircks and Justin Garvin rode the team’s Suzuki SV650. Following the race, top-five finishers 5150 Racing and ARNCHU Racing were disqualified for using illegal master cylinders in Heavyweight Superstock. Sunday’s WERA/Michelin National Challenge Series sprint races got started with a win for Jensen in Open Superstock expert. Later in the day Jensen won both 750 Superstock and Formula 1. Other expert-class winners included Daniel Parkerson, who dominated 600 and 750 Superbike, and Dane Westby, who brought home the first-place trophies in Lightweight Twins Superstock and Formula 2. The closest win of the day was in 600 Superstock. Young up-and-coming rider Taylor Knapp beat veteran Lee Acree at the line by a narrow 0.123 second. Tray Batey continued his winning streak in Heavyweight Twins Superstock. In the novice classes, Brian Van Den Brouck was the quickest of the bunch. He took an impressive four wins, including Open Superstock, 750 Superstock, 600 Superbike and 750 Superbike. Stevie Bonsey won Lightwieght Twins Superstock and Formula 2, and Blake Dircks won Heavyweight Twins Superstock. Michael Books won 600 Superstock novice. Round seven of the WERA National Series will be at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, August 11-13. More, from a press release issued by Dalke Motorsports: Dalke Motorsports traveled to Grattan Michigan for the 6th round of the WERA National Endurance. With the entire team at full strength, Dalke showed signs of last years dominance by pressuring the early class leader into a late race ending mistake. Dalke then went on to win MediumWeight Superstock covering the rest of the class entrants by several laps, and climbed into the top five overall. Crew Chief Richard Smith-Moore made last minute adjustments to the bike set-up during pre-race prep, solving a handling issue that came up in Saturday morning practice. This allowed the team riders to run the entire race on one set of Pirelli tires. For more details check us out at www.dalkemotorsports.com More, from a press release issued by L.O.C.: L.O.C. Endurance Finishes 3rd in Mediumweight Superstock at Grattan First year team, L.O.C. Endurance, continued its impressive string of podiums with a third place finish this past weekend at Grattan Raceway in Michigan. The L.O.C. team would start from the middle of the fifth row with Joe Hayes on the bike. Hayes started the race since he is a Michigan native and Grattan is his home track. He would run laps in the 1:26’s and 1:27’s for an hour and ten minutes before pulling in for a rider change and a fresh tank of gas. Then, as other teams put their #2 riders out, the L.O.C. put on their #1 rider, Jimmy Vanderhaar, who was also capable of running consistent 1:26’s and 1:27’s. This gave the team an advantage in the second hour as Vanderhaar went out and moved the team into the 8th overall position. Dan Carr then took over, and despite driving all night with the flu and having never been to Grattan before was able to turn laps in the 1:29 range and keep the team in good position going into the fourth hour when Hayes would begin his second stint. After another 70 minutes on the bike, Hayes pulled in, still in 8th overall position and third in class behind Team Velocity II and Dalke Racing. During the pit stop, however, Team Westby moved ahead of LOC, pushing the team back to 4th in class. L.O.C. then chased Team Westby into the 6th hour with Vanderhaar on the bike. The Bridgestone tires were performing flawlessly and as Vanderhaar settled into a rhythm during his second stint, he turned the team’s fastest lap of the race on lap #175. Knowing that they had enough fuel to finish the race and that Team Westby would need to pit, L.O.C felt they still were in good shape for a podium finish. Then, on lap 167, Team Velocity II crashed out of the Mediumweight Superstock lead and handed the win to Dalke Racing and the final spot on the podium to L.O.C. L.O.C.’s pursuit of Team Westby continued, however, it was cut short when a race ending red flag occurred part way into the 6th hour. L.O.C. would finish third in class; 48 seconds adrift of second place Team Westby.

MOTORCYCLE MANIA MOVES TO MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE FOR TEN DAYS OF TWO-WHEEL ACTION DUBLIN, Ohio (July 21, 2006) Ten days of motorcycle racing, bike shows and two-wheeled festivities come to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, July 28-August 6. The festivities are highlighted by the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, July 28-30, and the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire, August 4-6. The AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days and the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire are each among the largest AMA events of their variety in the United States. The Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Riding School programs highlight the week between the two events. At the twelfth annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, vintage motorcycle owners and enthusiasts will gather from across North America to catch a glimpse of motorcycle years gone by with seminars, vendors, swap meet, auctions, vintage motocross, time trials, and road racing. On the track, the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association’s (AHRMA) vintage motorcycles will power through thunder valley and dance through the esses while vintage motocross will once again take place over Mid-Ohio’s rolling hills. Vintage time trials will snake over and around Mid-Ohio’s terrain in an off-road adventure. In all, the AHRMA racing events are expected to attract more than 1,500 competitors. AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days’ off-track activities are just as special as the on-track activities. The AMA Swap Meet, a large and growing assortment of motorcycle parts collectors, is a great place to purchase everything from standard equipment to one-of-a-kind items. Spectators can enjoy demo rides from top motorcycle manufacturers or enjoy three bike shows. Italian bike MV Agusta will take center stage as the featured marque of the weekend and Giacomo Agostini, Grand Prix racing legend and Hall of Fame Member will be on hand to sign autographs and to serve as the weekend’s Grand Marshal. A new annual activity at VMD is the introduction of a Classic Club. This year, the Classic Club will be the Hodaka Enthusiasts group, which will hold its annual national Hodaka Days gathering at VMD. Rounds 14 and 15 of the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited will arrive at Mid-Ohio for the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire, August 4-6. Fans will witness Superbike riders clash on the track bringing knee dragging and wheel lifting excitement as they compete for a win in one the Wiseco Superbike 100 Doubleheader races featured on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Riders are also jockeying for points as they head for the season-ending Superbike Shootout, to be held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on September 29-October 1. Ben Spies invincibility will be put to the test at Mid-Ohio as he looks to remain ahead of Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Mat Mladin in the point standings. Spies, who won six straight AMA Superbike Championship races at the beginning of the season, will try to hold off Mladin, who sits second in points. Mladin and Eric Bostrom will look for repeat performances after their wins last year at Mid-Ohio during the Wiseco Superbike 100 Doubleheaders. With the rest of the paddock’s top-flight Superbikes not lacking for top-end team (the Hondas, and Miguel Duhamel in particular), it is likely that the battles at the front will include more than just two bikes this weekend. Also included in the schedule are three support series: Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, Repsol Superstock Series, and Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme presented by Budweiser. The 16th Annual Mid-Ohio Dealer Ride will offer motorcycle enthusiasts the opportunity to ride around one of the country’s most premier racetracks at the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire. Participants may register at local participating dealerships and for a complete listing, please visit www.midohio.com. The parade lap around the track will take place at lunchtime on Sunday, August 6. The action of the ten-day event is not however limited to these two weekends. Tuesday through Thursday, August 1-3, The Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Riding School will be offering their Beginning Rider Course and Performance Track Riding Course. Call 1-800-MID-OHIO for more information and to sign up. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a permanent road racing circuit with two primary configurations: a 2.4-mile, 15-turn, and a 2.25-mile, 13-turn circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers. The AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days and the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire will be the third and fourth events on Mid-Ohio’s eight-race 2006 schedule. Still to come on are the Vintage Grand-Prix of Mid-Ohio (August 18-20), National Auto Sport Association Championships (September 15-17), AMA Road Race Grand Championships & AMA Motocross Manufacturers Cup (September 22-24) and the AMA Superbike Shootout (September 30-October 1). Tickets for all events are available by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or visiting www.midohio.com. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Incorporated is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year.

Ready for the 2nd half season The Brno event, last race of the 1st half season, provides the Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone with some good reasons to be confident: Norick Abe likes this track very much, Sebastien Gimbert did here some good tests recently and Shinichi Nakatomi is back in good shape. Norick Abe last year was 11th of the qualifying, and then had a very good start in race 2 which allowed him to be 2nd in the first corner and 4th on the finish line. Sebastien Gimbert did some good testing here last May, when the 2004 endurance World Champion ended up 2nd between Alex Barros and Michel Fabrizio. Shinichi Nakatomi is physically OK, after two difficult weekends because he was injured (broken radius at Silverstone, injured finger at Misano). So the complete team is now is great shape and will try to have the best possible result in the Czech Republic. “It is important for us that Norick Abe likes this track very much, explains team manager Martial Garcia. He had his best result last here year with 4th position. Sebastien Gimbert did some good testing here in May. He needs a good result now to get his confidence back. Shinichi Nakatomi did pretty well at Misano, considering that he was suffering. He has right now a huge program: He arrives from Japan where he tested for the Suzuka 8 Hours, then he races at Brno this weekend, participates at the 8 Hours on July 30 and races at Brands Hatch on August 6. This is a big workload.” Comparing 2005 and 2006: The Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone has been participating to the whole Superbike World Championship since the beginning of 2005. Here is how we can compare the results of the team during the first half seasons of 2005 and 2006: