Zalusky Finishes Up Top at Brainerd Intl Raceway After a year long absence from her home track, Brainerd International Raceway, Kawasaki Team Green Rider, Jessica Zalusky, made a strong return aboard her Kawasaki Ninja® ZX-6RR at the 3rd round of the Central Roadracing Association, held July 14-16, 2006. In spite of the scorching heat and extreme humidity, Zalusky began her race weekend sorting out her bike setup, while finishing respectably in the Supersport classes. Once dialed, Zalusky turned it on for the Superbike classes, finishing 3rd in Middleweight (600) Superbike and 2nd in Heavyweight (750) Superbike. Despite finishing up top, she was not satisfied enough with her results. Following Superbike, Zalusky posted the fastest lap of the Middleweight Grand Prix race, but was held up by a lapped rider near the finish, preventing her from achieving the win and had to settle for the second place finish instead. In the Heavyweight Grand Prix, she was off to a great start and was able to take the lead by turn 2 of the first lap and lead the remainder of the race to a victorious and dominating 1st place finish. “It felt great being back at BIR, my crew Andy, Pat, and Chris and tuner, Jason Bryant, all did a great job,” Zalusky stated following the conclusion of the races. Despite missing the second round of CRA due to a schedule conflict with an AMA event, Zalusky is currently a top contender in the CRA overall expert points chase. Prior to the CRA Race, Zalusky recently attended a Pridmore Star School at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois, to help prepare her for the remainder of the AMA Pro Racing season as well as her club racing with the CRA. “I had an amazing experience and learned so much, I feel confident and ready,” Zalusky stated following the weekend. Next race for Zalusky will be the seventh round of AMA Pro Racing, held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 21-23, 2006. Zalusky will be racing in the Formula Xtreme class. For more information on Kawasaki Team Green Rider, Jessica Zalusky, visit www.roadracinggirl.com . More, from a press release issued by CRA: CRA Hosts a Hot Track and Winning Women Racers With air temperatures reaching 102 and surface temperatures of 150 it was a scorching hot CRA race weekend at the track. If you can’t take the heat stay out of the”¦.racetrack? That’s right guys the ladies cleaned up this weekend. With wins in Heavyweight, Ultralight, and strong showings in all other weight classes the women of the CRA are raising the stakes for the season. It’s proof that with enough dedication and effort this is not a male dominated sport. Congratulations to Jessica Zalusky, Jennifer Jensen, Jet Edwards, Shereen Westerveld, Jennelle LeBlanc, and Abby Mahle for a successful race weekend. And it wasn’t just the ladies tearing it up on the track. The CRA boasted its largest turn out of racers and spectators so far this season and even in the sweltering heat our endurance series continued to challenge and entertain many participants. Now what remains is the end of season 5 hour event taking place September 17th to crown the endurance champs for the season. The Saturday evening pitbike race carried the usual goofiness for all who witnessed the show. The CRA would like to thank all the staff and spectators who toughed out the heat and contributed to this great weekend! Two more exciting CRA events left this season. Come join the fun!! August 25-27 at BIR September 15-17 at BIR To learn more about the CRA (Central Roadracing Association) and check results please visit our website. http://www.cra-mn.com

AFM announcer to call the shots at MotoGP Laguna Seca promotions recently announced that longtime AFM road racing announcer John Fosgate would be joining the team of Brian Drebber and Chris Ernst, as one of the event announcers for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. “This has always been a dream of mine, to help call the event for the world’s greatest racers at the largest motorcycle event on the continent,” said Fosgate. “Brian Drebber is a veteran of motorsports announcing and a staple of the industry, while Chris Ernst is a phenomenal crowd favorite. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me – it’ll be a pleasure to work with both of them!” For almost two decades, Fosgate has been recognized as “the voice of the AFM”. His involvement with motorcycles and road racing has gone well beyond the microphone, with experience as an AFM Race School Instructor, a position on the AFM Board of Directors, and an instructor for Zoom Zoom Trackdays. In addition to his duties as the announcer at AFM events, Fosgate also races a pair of Yamaha GP bikes – a TZ250 and a TZ125. For more information, Fosgate can be contacted through the website of his production company, N3 Productions, at http://www.n3-productions.com/

Only two official complaints against Monterey County hotels have been filed with the Monterey County District Attorney’s office as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Steve Holett.

Holett confirmed that racer Mark Ledesma filed a complaint with his office against the Good Nite Inn, in Salinas, and that a complaint had been filed against another hotel in Pacific Grove.

The Good Nite Inn could be named because Ledesma had already made his complaint known to Roadracingworld.com, but Holett said he could not name the hotel in Pacific Grove.

Holett added that the Good Nite Inn was still under investigation from last year’s U.S. Grand Prix.

“Being this close to the event, there’s probably little we can do to correct or get a person a room,” Holett told Roadracingworld.com Tuesday afternoon. “However, from a standpoint of punishing any wrongful conduct and preventing future wrongful conduct, our investigation goal is to prosecute anyone who breaks the law and to make sure victims are reimbursed any costs that they incur.”

The Monterey County District Attorney’s office announced last month that it had settled a consumer protection case against the Hyatt Corporation regarding complaints of overbooking of the Hyatt Monterey during last year’s U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. In that case, Hyatt Corporation admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to pay nearly $150,000 in penalties and investigation costs and to spend another $50,000 providing better training for its employees in California and to make changes to its website

What advice did Holett have to offer fans planning on staying at hotels in the Monterey County area during the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix weekend?

“The best thing that they can do is document the information of anyone they talk to or anything that is told to them by any hotel operators,” said Holett. “Make sure to get the names and identifying information of anyone they talk to and save any paperwork, such as confirmation letters, e-mails, other documentation of reservation information. And if they are unable to resolve any disputes with the local hotels, they should consider contacting the Consumer Protection Unit of the District Attorney’s office.”

The Monterey County District Attorney’s office can be reached at (831) 647-7770.

For race fans looking for more information about hotel rooms in the Monterey County area, Holett suggested going to Laguna Seca’s website (www.laguna-seca.com), contacting the Monterey Area Chamber of Commerce or visiting Roadracingworld.com.

“Your website’s been a good source of information regarding complaints and those types of things,” said Holett.

HAYDEN RETURNS TO SUPERBIKE ACTION Kawasaki rider plans to return after leg injury Irvine, Calif. (July 18, 2006) Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Roger Hayden, plans to return to AMA Superbike racing July 22, at Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., during the upcoming Superbike doubleheader. Hayden, 23, from Owensboro, Ky., sustained a broken right Tibia and Fibula during a crash while contending in Superbike at Barber Motorsports Park in April. Despite the injury, Hayden only missed one event at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and continued to run in the AMA Supersport category after surgery to repair the damaged limb. Hayden received a plate and eight screws to secure the broken bones and wore a soft removable cast while walking with crutches for the last eight weeks. The cast allowed him to wear a specially designed protective boot while racing. Hayden’s crew also fitted his Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-6RR with a special thumb brake to help him navigate the high-speed turns at Infineon Raceway and Road America where he finished fifth and fourth respectively. Prior to the crash, Hayden led the Supersport point standings after scoring wins at Daytona International Speedway and Barber Motorsports Park. His best finish this season since injuring his leg came at the brand new Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, where he summoned amazing grit and determination to score a runner-up finish. Over the last two months it has been Hayden’s idea to continue to compete in Supersport in order to keep his dream of winning the Supersport championship alive. For the last two seasons, Roger’s dream eluded him because his older brother Tommy proved to be the top gun by winning the Supersport championship while Roger finished runner-up. This season, Tommy decided to compete in Superbike only which has opened the door for Roger to run for the title. “It was pretty tough and I was in a lot of pain while I was racing,” said Hayden. “But I’m not going to let that stop me, I’ve got a job to do and I don’t want anybody crying for me because I’m hurt. I want to win the Supersport championship not just for me but also for Kawasaki, that’s why we are here.” Hayden continued, “I had two great seasons running against Tommy and now I have a chance to go after the title. I also wanted to run in Superbike because Kawasaki gave me a chance to race the new ZX-10R. The bottom line is that this effort is for everybody on my team and for Kawasaki.” Hayden currently trails leader Jamie Hacking by 48 points in the AMA Supersport point standings with five races remaining. On top of the excitement of contending in Superbike at Laguna Seca, Hayden is looking forward to watching his brother, Nicky Hayden, who will be contending in the U.S. MotoGP race. The upcoming U.S. MotoGP and Superbike doubleheader will mark the first time this season where all three Hayden brothers will be in competition on the same track in the same weekend. “It’s great that we are all going to be at Laguna together,” said Hayden. “It will be good to have all the family together, Mom (Rose), Dad (Earl), Jenny, Kathleen, Tommy and Nick. We don’t get to see each other a whole lot, so this weekend is special. Maybe with a little luck we’ll all be on the podium, then it will be really special, who knows.”

HAYES CLOSING FAST IN AMA FORMULA XTREME PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 18, 2006) — The intra-squad battle between Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series riders Jason DiSalvo and Eric Bostrom, of Graves Yamaha, stole most of the headlines early in the season, but lurking in the shadows was Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes. After winning in Utah last month Hayes’ bid for the Formula Xtreme lead is now in broad daylight. DiSalvo, Hayes and Bostrom bring their three-way scuffle to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this Saturday, July 22, for round seven of the 11-race series. Hayes became the fourth winner in Formula Xtreme this year with his victory at the last round of the series at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Hayes’ win not only gave him his first career Formula Xtreme victory, it also put him within two points of series leader DiSalvo. That means whichever rider finishes in front of the other between Hayes and DiSalvo at Laguna Seca will likely leave the Monterey Peninsula with the points lead as the series makes its turn for the homestretch. When asked if he’ll change his approach at Laguna Seca now that he’s so close to the series lead, Hayes replied that he’ll look at this Saturday’s race like any other. “We want to win the championship,” Hayes said. “We want to win races, too. Everybody in the championship is capable of winning races, so you can’t give them away. We have to win races right now. I think it’s exciting. I think it’s good for the series, and hopefully it continues. Of course I’d like to win all the races from here on out, but that’s kind of a tall order. But we’re going to keep chipping away, and we’re going to try to make a good race of it.” Bostrom is also very much in the hunt, just 15 points out of the series lead. With his winning record at Laguna Seca it would be hard to bet against him to tighten up the points chase even further. The Northern California native is eager to get back to his home track. “Laguna has made some track improvements so that’s exciting,” said Bostrom, who witnessed his very first road race as a fan at the 1988 USGP at Laguna Seca. “All of these tracks stepping up and making it safer seems to be the direction the series is going and I’m real happy about that. This race is critical for me in the championship. I’m pretty close in the points, but a win would put me that much closer. The track has new pavement so it’s going to be a question mark for all of us. We did some extensive testing of the 600 [Yamaha’s R6 Formula Xtreme bike] and found some positive new directions to go.” While the focus is primarily on the series’ top three riders, Aaron Gobert’s second-place result on his Erion Honda in Utah, served notice that yet another rider is a potential winner in the class. Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking continues to lead in two classes, Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei and the Repsol Lubricants Superstock Series. In AMA Superstock it appeared that Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates was about to catch Hacking in the points after winning in June at Road America, but Hacking answered the challenge and scored his first double victory in Supersport and Superstock in Utah, and staved off, at least temporarily, the bid by Yates for the Superstock points lead. Yates, who won the AMA Superstock race at Laguna last year, will try again to gain the ground he lost to Hacking in Utah. If the Georgian veteran wins it would mark the first time a rider has won back-to-back Laguna Superstock races since Tom Kipp accomplished the feat in 1994 and 1995. M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May and Graves Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo will also be serious contenders at Laguna. May is coming off an excellent ride in Utah, where he led most of the race before being passed by Hacking and then Yates in the last two laps. DiSalvo scored a victory in the class at California Speedway in April and he’ll be eager to win again in Monterey. Josh Hayes, of Erion Honda, and Chris Ulrich, of the RoadracingWorld.com Suzuki team are also former Superstock winners at Laguna Seca. Hayes won in 2003, Ulrich in 2001. The Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme final from Laguna Seca will be shown on SPEED on Sunday, July 23 at 6:00 p.m. eastern. The Repsol Lubricants Superstock race can be viewed on Tuesday, July 25, at 3:00 p.m. eastern. The Laguna Seca Formula Xtreme and Superstock races are part of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix weekend that runs July 21-23. Call 1-800-327-SECA or (831) 242-8200 to purchase tickets for the combined Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix/AMA Superbike Championship weekend. You can also buy tickets online at www.laguna-seca.com.

Ducati Omaha, in conjunction with Red Bull, is sponsoring a MotoGP viewing party for the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday, July 23rd – Location: Fox & Hound Pub 176th & Center Omaha, Nebraska Time: 2:00-6:00 p.m. (Race is at 4:00 p.m.) On the Big Screen: 2:00 p.m. – Screening of The Doctor, The Tornado & The Kentucky Kid 4:00 p.m. – MotoGP Race Bikes on display, appetizers, Red Bull drink specials, XBox360 with the MotoGP 2006 video game to play, and a raffle for lots of great prizes! If you think you’ll attend, please RSVP at the Ducati Omaha shop, call 402-408-4400 or e-mail [email protected] . More, from a press release issued by Ducati Seattle: Laguna Seca/Moto GP Party in Seattle Seattle, Washington, 98109 Join Ducati Seattle and our neighbors at Outback Steakhouse for a Day at the Races! Ducati Seattle and Outback Steakhouse invite you to watch Moto GP from Laguna and Round 1 of WSBK from Brno tape delayed. This will be upstairs at the Outback (701 Westlake) Sunday July 23, 2006 starting at 1:00 PM. Race Schedule: 1:00 PM – AMA Supersport Laguna Seca 2:00 PM – Moto GP 3:00 PM – WSBK Brno (tape delayed) Complimentary Buffet & No host bar (21 & over please). Full menu available. Call for more details 206-298-9995