AMA Superbike Winners Quench Thirst with Champion’s Cabernet in Victory Lane SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) “” The champion of the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, May 19-21, will not only get the honor of hoisting the winner’s trophy at Infineon Raceway, he’ll also get to sip from the prestigious Champion’s Cabernet wine goblet. The weekend is presented by Supercuts. The Champion’s Cabernet, which will be served in a foot-high goblet that will rest atop a polished marble base, is one of many changes planned for the new Wine Country Winner’s Circle, which will be unveiled during the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown weekend at Infineon Raceway. “What better way to celebrate victory than with a taste of Sonoma Valley’s finest? This is going to be a great addition,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway. The enhanced area will not only feature the classy goblet and sweet sip of Champion’s Cabernet, but also aged oak barrels from Korbel Champagne Cellars that will be decorated with grape vines, 5-liter bottles of wine and wine glasses. A lattice structure has also been built atop victory lane that will read “Wine Country Winner’s Circle.” Prior to being awarded the champion’s trophy, the Superbike race-winner will quench his thirst with a sip of wine from the goblet. The base of the goblet will feature an inscription recognizing the race weekend. Winners of both Superbike races over the weekend will be given the wine goblets. This tradition will be duplicated at all major events during the 2006 Big O Tires Racing Season at Infineon Raceway. The idea behind the Winner’s Circle facelift was to identify the raceway more with the Sonoma Valley Wine Country, not only home to one of the top wine-producing regions in the world, but also a top tourist destination. Infineon Raceway is located in the Sonoma Valley appellation, on the edge of the world famous Carneros growing region. WHAT: Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, presented by Supercuts WHERE: Infineon Raceway, Highways 37 & 121, Sonoma, CA 95476 WHEN: May 19-21. COURSE: 12 turns, 2.22 miles. 2005 WINNERS: Mat Mladin (Superbike, both main events, Suzuki); Tommy Hayden (Supersport, Kawasaki); Jake Zemke (Formula Xtreme, Honda); Aaron Yates (Superstock, Suzuki). SUPERBIKE SCHEDULE(All times Pacific): Friday “” Superbike practice, 9:40-10:40 a.m.; Superbike qualifying, 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday “” Superbike qualifying, 9:50-11 a.m.; Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown main event #1, 3:50 p.m. (28 laps); Sunday “” Superbike practice, 10:20-10:50 a.m.; Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown main event #2, 3 p.m. (28 laps). TICKETS: $10-$65, 12-and-under free, parking is free. 800-870-RACE, www.infineonraceway.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Gates open at 7 a.m. each day.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Rider Chris Vermeulen to Pilot New Boulevard M109R Cruiser BREA, Calif. (May 11, 2006) – American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC) today announced that Suzuki MotoGP racer Chris Vermeulen recently returned home to Australia to pilot an exciting, all-new 109-cubic-inch Suzuki motorcycle. Fresh from his stunning performance in Turkey, where he collected his first MotoGP pole position, Vermeulen expanded his personal motorcycle collection to include the new Suzuki Boulevard M109R power cruiser. Awarded US Rider News’ “Bike of the Year,” Suzuki’s brand-new M109R was also given the nod by Vermeulen. The 23-year-old Suzuki star was taken with the Boulevard’s futuristic cruiser styling and race-bred performance. “I was really impressed when I first saw the new M109R,” said Vermeulen. “It looks awesome. It has just the right mix of classic cruiser design and aggressive, sport-performance styling. Then, when I read the bike specs, I just had to have one — the 1800cc, fuel-injected, V-Twin engine, the massive sportbike brakes and that fat, 240 rear tire – it’s a pretty impressive piece of motorcycle engineering.” Equipped with what is claimed to be the most powerful V-Twin engine in the world, Suzuki’s cruiser king features the largest reciprocating pistons of any production car or motorcycle on the planet. Bigger and better, the Boulevard M109R also sports the largest rear tire of any Suzuki motorcycle ever produced, measuring a whopping 240/40-18. Eager to put his new Suzuki Boulevard to the test, the popular young Queenslander was excited by the prospect of riding his new machine home from the dealership earlier in the week. “I go cruising around the Sunshine Coast whenever I come home to Australia,” said Vermeulen. “Now with my Suzuki Boulevard M109R, it’s going to be more fun than ever.” Vermeulen resumes his racing duties with the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team for round four in Shanghai, China on Sunday, May 14. For more details on the Suzuki Boulevard M109R, log on to www.Suzukicycles.com and choose your Boulevard.

TORONTO, ON – Qualifying for each round of the 2006 Parts Canada Superbike Championship just got a little more vicious. Vicious-I Optics, a product of Laval, QC’s Sport-Sight Innovations, has been named the title sponsor of the pole position award for the feature class in the national road racing series. The winner of the Vicious-I Optics Pole Position Award at each round of the series will receive a cheque for $500 from Sport-Sight. “Qualifying at each Parts Canada Superbike round is always very dramatic, and with the addition of the Vicious-I Optics Pole Position Award our riders will have a little bit more to fight over on Saturday afternoon,” said Colin Fraser of Professional Motorsport Productions, which administers the Parts Canada Superbike Championship. Sport-Sight is run by former factory Pro racer Tom Douglas, who won the 750 Production Canadian Championship in 1987 and placed second in Superbike, and claimed the Open Production national title the following year for the Yamaha team. In 1986 he was runner-up to Michel Mercier in the national Superbike battle as a Yamaha privateer. Douglas retired from racing after the 1990 season. The Vicious-I Optics Pole Position Award will be presented to the fastest Superbike qualifier at each of the six stops on the 2006 Parts Canada Superbike tour. At the doubleheader event at Mosport International Raceway in July, where one qualifying grid will set the line-up for the two Superbike races, the $500 will go to the fastest qualifier in the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike national support class. Vicious-I will be represented at each Parts Canada Superbike round by 1980 national champion George Morin, who since retiring from active competition has worked in a managerial role with Canadian racing stars like Mercier, six-time champion Steve Crevier and current frontrunner Frank Trombino. The Vicious-I line of sunglasses and goggles, which have been designed in Montreal, are the latest products from Sport-Sight Innovations, whose line-up also includes the Leader brand of motorsport goggles and lenses. Sport-Sight also provides electric face shields to all four major snowmobile manufacturers and most of the world’s helmet makers. Sport-Sight Innovations was formed five years ago and its partners include five-time Motocross World Champion Joel Smets. “We now have embarked upon building a brand that is targeted to the 17- to 25-year-old market, and who participate in or are influenced by those who participate in ‘Extreme Sports,'” Douglas said. “We feel our involvement in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship will help us reach that discriminating group, and Vicious-I Optics looks forward to reaching these consumers through our sponsorship of the Vicious-I Optics Pole Position Award.” The Parts Canada Superbike Championship opens its 2006 season at Shannonville Motorsport Park, near Belleville, ON May 18-21. Rock Forest, QC’s Francis Martin is the defending series champion. For more series information, visit ~http://www.cdnsuperbike.com~

After a fantastic Grand Prix of Turkey, the MotoGP tour has landed in China for the fourth race of an amazingly unpredictable 2006 season. The Shanghai International Circuit hosts MotoGP for only the second time, following on from a rain-soaked 2005 Grand Prix, but has already established itself as one of the world’s top motorsport venues. Nicky Hayden arrives in China as the current championship leader with 52 points. The Repsol Honda rider’s amazing consistency has given him seven consecutive podium finishes, his most recent being a third place at Istanbul Park in Turkey. The American rider will have to be looking over his shoulder in China, with no room for error in Shanghai if he wishes to hold onto the top spot. Ducati Marlboro’s Loris Capirossi, the series leader up until the Grand Prix of Turkey, trails Hayden by only one point, whilst Marco Melandri, winner in Turkey, will start the race third in the championship. The top seven riders in the championship are only separated by 20 points, so mathematically any one of them has a chance to lead the series by the end of Sunday’s event. Rookie sensation Casey Stoner lies in fourth place after a superb first MotoGP podium finish in Turkey, and with reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi just behind him in fifth, the duo can both look back on wet weather victories here last year; Rossi’s in MotoGP and Stoner in 250cc. Stoner was actually one of a selection of riders who headed into the city for a pre-event visit to the famous Bund area today. Alongside the majestic river Yangtze, Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso and Makoto Tamada took part in a few traditional Chinese activities in front of a small gathering of fans and masses of local media. After a short introduction and interview session translated into Mandarin for the fans, a Kung Fu expert took to the stage. Guiding the riders through “tiger stance” into “feathered crane,” the game subjects soon picked up the basics. This was followed by a lesson in Chinese drumming, playing along with the popular song “Strong men strive for victory.” Catering for some of MotoGP’s newest fans, an autograph session took place by the river, with the stunning towers and buildings as a backdrop. Meanwhile in the pre-event press conference MotoGP’s new championship leader Hayden was joined by Melandri, Rossi, Shinya Nakano and Chris Vermeulen, with the Australian fresh from a positive weekend in Turkey where he took a gutsy seventh place after starting from a hard-fought pole-position. Despite the sunny conditions in Shanghai today, weather forecasts are for rain on Friday and Saturday, with the track drying by Sunday’s race-day, which could make for another race equally as exciting as the Turkish event, which lit up an already thrilling season. Nicky Hayden (Honda) : “Of course, I’m happy to be leading the championship, it’s a good feeling but I know that there’s a long way to go. The next few races are very important, but having already had a good start to the season allows us to put the heat on the others. We’ve got two races back-to-back, then heading into Europe is always hectic. We’re at the business end of the season now. For me, having been consistent is a good sign, I just want to take it up another level and get the W. It’s not an easy circuit, and it was tricky last year. In the dry the surface has a good grip though, which makes it a lot better. There are 3 first gear corners, which in my opinion is 3 too many. The only thing that I really care about is that it is safe, which where I come from isn’t always the case. We had problems in winter testing, but I set my goals high in any case.” Marco Melandri (Honda) : “It is a good moment right now, we have a better feeling with the bike. After the Qatar Grand Prix we found a good setting, and now after a win I hope to be in the fight for podiums from now on. It was quite a surprise to find myself third in the championship, because obviously my start to the season hasn’t been great. The season starts here I suppose. In MotoGP no race is ever easy. The dry or wet conditions hopefully won’t make too much difference.” Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) : “The championship situation isn’t so bad. If we had earned more points in Jerez then it would have been even better. We know that it’s a long season. We looked at the chattering problem after Turkey, and I think that we have found a few solutions. It will be difficult here, you need to get to know the settings in practice. The feeling changes a lot from track to track, this time it is a big question mark. Last year Shanghai was a bit of a turning point for us, from the race onwards we were very competitive. This year, we need to understand very early on if we are going to have problems or not. This season has been great. There are young and old riders, and it’s fun for spectators”¦.maybe a little less for us!” Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) : “I don’t know why the races have gone differently to the winter testing. Traction problems mean that I can’t open the throttle at the moment. It’s nearly my home Grand Prix, and it’s certainly easier to get to from my house than Motegi! I’m confident with my rain tyre, but I would prefer the dry. We have a year of experience here, so have a better tyre. I need to push hard, but it’ll be fun.” Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) : “Turkey was definitely my best race. I battled at the front, led a race for the first time and fought with Capirossi to be the fastest Bridgestone. The track here is good. The facilities are great, the circuit has a lot of straights and hairpins. We’ll see what happens. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from MotoGP. I love working with the team here, the bike is getting better and I hope we can continue on this upwards trajectory, although there may be harder work to come. I would prefer it to be dry here, but if it rains it won’t be so bad. Just look what happened in Turkey.”

This weekend’s Grand Prix of China in Shanghai marks the start of a frantically busy period for the Kawasaki Racing Team, as they prepare for a run of eight races in just eleven weeks. The 5.45 km Shanghai circuit is the most modern motorsport facility in the world and, at some 1200 metres in length, features the longest straight on the MotoGP calendar. The riders hit speeds in excess of 320 km/h on the straight, before getting hard on the brakes for the 60 km/h, first gear hairpin at Turn 13. This is a critical point in the lap, where late braking can easily secure an improvement in position, but can just as easily lead to an off-track excursion into the run-off area at the end of the straight. It’s a unique challenge that is unrivalled at any other circuit. Shanghai holds mixed memories for the Kawasaki Racing Team. Shinya Nakano was left frustrated after being forced to retire from last year’s inaugural Chinese Grand Prix just two laps into the race, due to an electrical problem on his Ninja ZX-RR. But while Nakano’s retirement was disappointing, Olivier Jacque certainly gave the Kawasaki Racing Team something to remember. The 31-year-old Frenchman brought his Ninja ZX-RR home in second place in the rain lashed race, to give Kawasaki their best ever finish in the premier class of Grand Prix racing. Jacque will not race for Kawasaki this weekend, but both Nakano and Randy de Puniet arrive in Shanghai hopeful of emulating the Frenchman’s performance in Sunday’s 22-lap Grand Prix of China. Nakano has his sights set firmly on a top six finish this weekend, and is confident that the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR will give him a significant advantage through the high-speed turns where fast changes of direction are necessary. De Puniet has already proved his speed in the wet this season, and is confident of a strong result should rain again affect the race, but the Frenchman is determined to improve upon his position in the last race in Istanbul regardless of the prevailing conditions on Sunday. Shinya Nakano: #56 “This is something of a special circuit because of the long straight and the long, fast right-hand turn that leads onto it. The strange thing about the straight is that it feels really slow when you ride it, because it’s so long and there are very few reference points. It’s also hard to identify a braking marker at the end of the straight for the tight, first gear hairpin. This makes things difficult, because the entry to this corner is one of the best overtaking points on the track, but if you brake even fractionally too late then you can’t turn in and you’re forced to run on. It certainly makes things interesting. I enjoyed the circuit in the dry last year, but I still need to get a few more laps under my belt to find the best racing line. Last year I retired from this race with an electrical problem, but I think the high-speed corners with fast changes of direction will suit the Kawasaki, so this year I am definitely aiming for a top six finish.” Randy de Puniet: #17 “Shanghai is not one of my favourite circuits, as I think it is more suited to car racing than motorcycle racing. Having said that, there are a few interesting sections on the track, like the long first corner. Last year I raced here on the 250cc machine, and the circuit will look very different from the seat of a MotoGP bike I’m sure. But it normally doesn’t take me long to learn a circuit, so I hope we can get up to speed quite quickly during practice. It will be interesting to see what the weather is like on Sunday, because I know we can secure a good result if it is a wet race. If it stays dry then I will be pushing as hard as I can to improve upon my result in the last race in Istanbul. I am looking forward to the weekend ahead.”