Geoff May was the fastest, riding his Pirelli-shod Team M4 EMGO Suzuki GSX-R600 to the top of the leader board in Saturday morning’s Supersport practice for round two of the AMA Superbike Championship, at Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama. Chris Ulrich was the fastest rider in Saturday morning’s Superstock practice, on his Team RoadracingWorld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000, giving Pirelli the fastest spots in two of the four AMA Superbike series classes before final qualifying. May’s Pirelli-shod Suzuki set a time in Supersport practice of 1:29.739 on the 2.3-mile Barber racecourse, setting a pace nearly four tenths of a second faster than the second-placed rider in that Supersport practice session. May then put his Suzuki on row one during qualifying by setting the fourth fastest time. May made the most of his front row starting position with a Supersport podium finish, after turning his fastest lap on lap 12 of the 17-lap event, showing the consistency of his Pirelli tires. May’s third-place finish put him ahead of all other non-factory riders and it was the highest finish by any Suzuki racer. In Superstock practice on Friday, May was third fastest before nabbed a place on the front row with the fourth fastest time during qualifying, giving Pirelli two front row staring positions in the four AMA road racing classes. The Superstock final saw May ride his Pirelli-equipped Suzuki to a fourth-place finish. Kurtis Roberts joined Team M4 EMGO Suzuki for a two-event commitment in Formula Xtreme, beginning with the Barber round. This was Roberts’ first professional road race on Pirelli tires and he quickly became comfortable on the Italian rubber, going faster each time he was on track. Roberts qualified fifth for Formula Xtreme and moved into third by the race’s second lap, cutting a half second from the leaders in one lap. Roberts rode a steady race to nab third, giving Pirelli its first podium of the weekend. Even with two podiums the biggest news for Pirelli might have been in Superbike Race One. John Haner set a scalding time in Superbike qualifying to put him ahead of every other privateer in the field. Haner qualified his Pirelli-shod Team KWS Suzuki sponsored GSX-R1000 in tenth-place, on row three of the grid, for the Superbike doubleheader. In Race One Haner shocked the factory boys by jumping into eighth on the first lap, immediately ahead of two of them. By lap three Haner was in seventh. Haner battled with Ben Bostrom for the most of the race, never putting a wheel wrong and eventually passing him back and holding him off, showing how Haner was able to beat a factory effort, head-to-head, on the track. And able to do it on a privateer bike with Pirelli tires. The next fastest privateer finished Race One over 22 seconds behind Haner’s Michael Godin-prepared Suzuki. Pirelli Road Racing Manager Richard Moore said, “We knew coming in here we had new tires that could go the distance. We’re all thrilled with Kurtis adding a podium to Geoff May’s, giving us two in this event from Team M4 EMGO Suzuki. And with John Haner’s Superbike finish we feel like we won the race overall. Watching him battle it out, wheel-to-wheel, with top factory riders, and then come out ahead of a few of them, shows we’re well on our way to contending for the podium in every class.” More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: MAY ON SUPERSPORT PODIUM IN BIRMINGHAM Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May claimed the second podium finish of the weekend for the squad at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL on Sunday. One day after Kurtis Roberts debuted for the team with a third-place finish in the Formula Xtreme race, May guided his Pirelli-shod GSX-R600 to third in the 17-lap Supersport contest. May was able to move up into third and fend off a determined challenge for the position late in the race. He edged a rival by just 0.216 seconds at the flag for the final spot on the podium. The Georgian impressed in the Superstock final as well, challenging the leaders while running in third for the opening seven laps. He eventually settled into a solid fourth-place ride. May said of the Supersport contest, “At the end of the race I just put my head down and said, ‘There’s no way he’s going to pass me. I’m not going to let anyone get by me today.’ I just held a defensive line and brought it home in third. It’s definitely a milestone getting on the box in Supersport for the first time. It’s a big accomplishment.” May also stated that the team’s strong early season form at two dramatically different racetracks bodes well for the remainder of the 2006 season. “I feel like we’ve shown we can go from Daytona, which is a horsepower track, to here, which is one of the most technical tracks in America, and that we’re able to come up with a good set-up and run well anywhere. I feel that at pretty much every track we’ll be able to be up like we were this weekend. This would be a good average for us this season.” Teammate Michael Barnes spent time in the top five during the Supersport race as well before ultimately finishing seventh. It was a solid outing for the Floridian who is still recovering from the knee injury he suffered at the Daytona season opener. Unfortunately, Shea Fouchek’s day didn’t go as smoothly. He was forced out of the Supersport final after completing just five laps. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki will be back in action next weekend as the series heads to California Speedway in Fontana, CA on April 28-30 for the third stop on the 2006 calendar. More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati: HODGSON FOURTH IN AMA SUPERBIKE POINTS AFTER BIRMINGHAM Leeds (Alabama): Parts Unlimited Ducati Team racers Neil Hodgson and Eric Bostrom finished fifth and sixth in the Sunday AMA Superbike contest from Birmingham, Alabama. Hodgson finished 4.511 seconds behind winner Ben Spies in the red-flagged 28-lap race, taking fifth in an eight-lap shootout and finishing in front of teammate and fellow Ducati 999 pilot Ben Bostrom. Neil is now fourth in AMA Superbike points after three races. “It was really a frustrating weekend for us because we expect more than this. As riders, I can assure you Ben and I are riding really, really hard, but we just aren’t seeing it in the lap times,” said Hodgson. “We really don’t have the answers right now. As for the restart, I decided to push things past the limit. I relaxed a little bit and said to myself, ‘I just might have to crash, but I have to step it up.’ In a weekend like this one, you don’t think so much about the championship so much. I might as well just go past the limit, to ignore the warning signs. I did and I went a little quicker.” “I’m just glad we get to race next weekend at Fontana because at least we don’t have to wait so long to get another shot at it. That track does suit our bike better and I had a good race there last year,” he said. Ben Bostrom was sixth, feeling better but still bothered by sinus problems. “Since I was sick and we were struggling anyway, we treated the weekend more like a test. We made big changes with every session. In the red flag, we made another change to the bike and found some more time and I was able to push a little harder. Neil and I ran together most of today and we were pretty evenly matched in most of the sections.” The Parts Unlimited Ducati Team will next race at California Speedway in Fontana, CA, April 28-30. Results: 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 2. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 3. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 5. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 6. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 7. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 8. Jacob Holden, Suzuki 9. Larry Pegram, Honda 10. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki Standings (after three races): 1. Ben Spies, Suzuki 107 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 99 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 88 4. Neil Hodgson, Parts Unlimited Ducati 78 5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 76 5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki 76 7. Ben Bostrom, Parts Unlimited Ducati 71 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki 64 9. Jake Zemke, Suzuki 52 10. Larry Pegram, Honda 52 More, from a press release issued by Millennium/KWS Suzuki: Millennium/KWS Suzuki makes a statement at Barber Millennium/KWS Suzuki sponsored by Ron Ayers Motorsports arrived at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend with a point to prove. The team had tested their Suzuki GSX-R1000’s with Pirelli at Barber the last week of March and felt they were as prepared as possible. “I am extremely happy with the progression of the tires, suspension, and motor package,” said team owner Kevin Hunt. “Pirelli has really stepped up their program and the lap times prove it. With our sponsors’ help we can run with the factory bikes.” John Haner put in one of the most inspiring rides of the 2006 season in the first Superbike race. Haner qualified in the tenth position with a time of 1:27.043. Haner got an excellent start, completing lap one in eighth place ahead of both factory Ducati riders, Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom. Eventually both factory pilots got by, but Haner put his head down and re-passed Bostrom on lap 20. Haner battled the last third of race with Bostrom and factory Suzuki rider Aaron Yates. Haner finished the top privateer in eighth position ahead of Bostrom when Yates beat him at the line by only a tenth of a second. After all of the success of Saturdays Superbike race, the team was extremely hopeful for good results from both Millennium/KWS Suzuki riders in the Superstock race on Sunday. John Haner qualified in the tenth position with a time of 1:27.700 and Matt Lynn in the thirteenth position with a time of 1:28.231. Lynn got an excellent start but was pushed off the track by another rider’s mistake in turn one and completed the first lap in last place, half a lap down. Unfazed by his bad luck, Lynn rode hard making up the half lap deficit and passing thirteen other riders to finish in the nineteenth position. Haner got a great start as well and was racing Jordan Motorsports riders, Jake Holden and Steve Rapp for seventh position when Haner crashed on lap five injuring his shoulder. Although nothing was broken, Haner elected not to compete in the second Superbike race of the weekend. John will be consulting a specialist this week to make sure nothing is seriously damaged. John Haner “The Superbike race on Saturday was good.” said Haner. “It was fun being up there battling with Hodgson, Bostrom, and Yates. My guys have been working their butts off and being able to test here with Pirelli helped a ton.” Haner went on to say that he was very disappointed for the team to have crashed and to have been injured in the Superstock race. “I think that if we could have raced the second Superbike race that we would have had a good chance at a top five, especially with the eight lap sprint to the finish.” John went on to thank his mechanics Michael Godin and Owen Garnett for all their hard work. Matt Lynn “The team worked so hard this weekend and I turned the fastest laps I have ever turned here,” said Lynn. “My mechanics Rick Matheny and Brian Stricker did everything they could to put me in a position for a good finish, but you can’t control everybody else on the track. I was glad to be able to get back on track and get some points.” Kevin Hunt (Team Owner) “Anytime you can beat a factory team in a heads up race is a good weekend. Both riders rode great this weekend and I could not be happier with everyone’s effort, riders and mechanics alike. The sponsors are doing their part as well with Pit Bull and Ron Ayers Motorsports helping out tremendously with some crucial pit equipment to make the mechanics job easier. We have some of the best sponsors in the paddock and they make this possible.”

THE DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM ARRIVES ON ASIAN SHORES. The Ducati Marlboro Team travels to Istanbul in fine spirits, having made a dazzling start to the 2006 MotoGP series, establishing early leads in both the riders’ and constructors’ World Championships. Loris Capirossi won at Jerez on March 26 and took third in Qatar on April 7 to build a five-point lead in the riders’ title chase, his Desmosedici GP06 performing superbly at two very different racetracks. This weekend the Italian faces a major challenge because he’s new to Istanbul Park, having missed last year’s inaugural Turkish GP through injury. Team-mate Sete Gibernau meanwhile aims to keep building momentum in Turkey after a fine ride to fourth in Qatar. The Spaniard, who suffered DNF disappointment at Jerez, was right on the pace in MotoGP’s gruelling desert race, proving that he has really got to grips with the GP6 and its Bridgestone tyres. LORIS CAPIROSSI, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 1st overall “I feel we are in great shape. I’m really confident in the bike and in the tyres, so although I know it’s a long, long championship I think it’s going to be a good year for us. Ducati and Bridgestone have worked so hard to get us where we are and we made some more improvements when we tested at Qatar the day after the race. “I’ll need all their support in Turkey because I know nothing about the track! I got injured in Australia last year so I was home when the race happened. Since then I have watched the race maybe 20 times on television to try and understand something about the track. It looks to me like a good circuit, which is great because some new tracks built primarily for F1 don’t work so well for bikes because they feature too many short corners. Making a rough judgement from the TV, I’d say it could be a nice circuit for me – there are some fast corners and it’s very up and down.” SETE GIBERNAU, Ducati Marlboro Team rider, 10th overall “I’m really looking forward to Turkey because I think we did a good job during the race in Qatar and we enjoyed a very positive day of tests the following day. We solved the chatter we had during the race and made some other improvements which should help us in Turkey, so I feel we can have a good weekend if everything goes to plan. “The layout of Istanbul Park isn’t so bad. It’s quite enjoyable, though a bit bumpy in places. It’s got some difficult corners that challenge both you and the bike. The super-fast right-hander near the end of the lap is amazing, it’s uphill, banked and you attack it pretty much flat-out in fifth gear! When the bike is working well it’s an enjoyable corner. You need a lot of stability through there, but then you also need really good manoeuvrability for the tighter turns like the three-way chicane. So once again you need a bike that does everything well, you need really good balance so you can be fast around the whole track.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “The team is very strong at the moment. Our results from the first two races have pushed our motivation higher and higher, now we must maintain that level. Qatar was great because we thought it would be tough but we got third and fourth, just seconds behind the winner. Those results prove that Bridgestone have made huge steps forward and give us real hope that we’ll be okay at other tracks at which we struggled last year. “Istanbul will be a real challenge for Loris because he knows nothing of the track, but he’s in amazingly good spirits, so I’m sure he’ll be okay. Sete gets better as he gets more used to the bike and tyres. We were so pleased to see him get a great result in Qatar after the disappointment of Jerez.” THE CIRCUIT Istanbul Park received rave reviews when riders got acquainted with the circuit at last October’s inaugural Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix. Situated 62km/38 miles south east of Istanbul city on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, the track flows across rolling hillsides, producing a thrilling lap which contrasts dead-stop chicanes with the awesome 260km/h/160mph Turn 11 right-hander. The circuit thus requires some real compromises in motorcycle set-up, so that bikes are manoeuvrable through the slow sections and stable through the high-speed sections. Riders only had one complaint last year, that the track was too bumpy in some areas. Lap record: Marco Melandri (Honda), 1m 53.111s, 169.956kmh/105.606mph (2005) 2005 pole position: Sete Gibernau (Honda), 1m 52.334s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 33 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 233 (63xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) GP victories: 26 (4xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) Pole positions: 40 (7xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Istanbul 2005 results: DNS (injured at Australian GP) SETE GIBERNAU Age: 33 (born December 15, 1972) Lives: Switzerland Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP6 GP starts: 162 (67xMotoGP, 76×500, 19×250) GP victories: 9 (8xMotoGP, 1×500) First GP victory: Valencia, 2001 (500) First GP: Spain, 1993 (250) Pole positions: 12 (11xMotoGP, 1×500) First pole: South Africa, 2000 (500) Istanbul 2005 results: Grid: 1st. Race: 4th

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP raring to go in Istanbul Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen are eager to get back on their Suzuki GSV-Rs as the MotoGP spectacle heads to Turkey. Both riders are looking forward to returning to a circuit they enjoy racing on. Hopkins is fired up and ready to push his Rizla Suzuki to the limits in search of the podium finish that he is looking for. Team-mate Vermeulen is returning to Turkey a venue he raced at last season in MotoGP and where he signed for Suzuki determined to make his mark. The Grand Prix of Turkey is round three in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship and it is only the second time a motorcycle Grand Prix has been held there. The Istanbul Park circuit is one of the most demanding and technical on the calendar. The 5.3km long track features tricky downhill braking sections and various elevation changes, plus one of the fastest corners in racing – which is taken at speeds in excess of 250km/h. The track certainly favours hard racing and gives riders the opportunity to open up their machines and push to the limits of the tyres and chassis. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will take to the track on Friday morning for the first of two free practice sessions. Saturday will have a further practice hour and is followed by qualifying in the afternoon. The 22-lap race will get underway at 15.00hrs local time (14.00hrs CET) on Sunday 30th April. Paul Denning Team Manager: “We’ve come to Turkey in good spirits and the team morale is positive. You can be assured that Suzuki has been burning a lot of midnight oil to come up with some answers following Qatar, both in terms of durability and performance. Looking at the parts list of what’s due to arrive in Istanbul, there’s a lot of new stuff! We did a lot of pre-season testing and the all-new Rizla Suzuki GSV-R showed a lot of promise – we know that we are moving in the right direction. With a little bit of luck in the first two races both riders would have had much better results. “John is totally focused on the job in hand to get the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R towards the front on the pack – and Chris is coming to a track that he has already raced at in a Grand Prix, so we will hopefully see him on the pace early on as he doesn’t have the added pressure of having to learn the circuit. We need to get down to work straight away and get the bike back on course to what we know we can achieve. Istanbul is a great place to start as the track should suit the bike well, and the best way the whole team can respond to a weekend like Qatar is to get our heads down and achieve the best possible results.”

Camel Yamaha Team Preview Turkish Grand Prix Istanbul, Turkey 28, 29, 30 April 2006 ROSSI SET FOR 100th MOTOGP APPEARANCE IN TURKEY Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi reaches another special milestone in his illustrious career this weekend as he contests his 100th consecutive premier-class race in the Grand Prix of Turkey. The Italian and his team-mate Colin Edwards travel to the Istanbul Park circuit, located 300 kilometres north west of the capital city of Ankara, looking to build on tentative first impressions of the track from last year, when they finished second and seventh respectively in a race won by Marco Melandri. The third round of the current season will also be Rossi’s 160th appearance in all classes since making his 125cc debut in Malaysia in 1996. So far he has amassed an incredible tally of 80 victories, his latest coming just over two weeks ago in the Grand Prix of Qatar; a triumph that also moved the 27-year-old level with Mick Doohan on 54 premier-class wins, leaving him second only to the legendary Giacomo Agostini, on 68. The Istanbul Park circuit was designed by famed German architect Hermann Tilke, the man behind the Sepang, Bahrain and Shanghai circuits, and was used for the first time by the MotoGP World Championship last October. The spectacular 5.378 kilometre track features fourteen turns – eight lefts and six rights and like Phillip Island it has the unusual characteristic of running anti-clockwise. Like the Losail circuit in Qatar, several of the Istanbul track’s corners are based on famous bends at other circuits, such as the ‘Senna Esses’ at Sao Paolo, the ‘Spoon Curve’ at Suzuka and the ‘Eau Rouge’ at Spa. Spectators have ideal facilities to enjoy the action, with seating capacity for around 130,000 fans and an impressive main grandstand which can hold up to 25,000. Sunday’s schedule will start one hour later than usual, with the red lights due to go out for the MotoGP race at 1500h local time (CET +1). VALENTINO ROSSI: RECORD BREAKER As well as taking him level with Mick Doohan in terms of career wins, Valentino Rossi’s victory at Qatar also pulled him to within striking distance of the all-time record Grand Prix points total, currently held by Max Biaggi. Having now scored a total of 2886 points in all classes Rossi will move ahead of Biaggi simply by finishing in ninth place or above this Sunday. However, as always, his only target is victory at one of only two circuits on the current calendar where he has yet to climb onto the top step of the podium in at least one of the three classes. “Qatar was like the start of my championship but we’re already behind in the points and we need to do our best to catch up,” said Rossi. “My rivals are very strong and we need to be able to fight for the win again in Turkey. Istanbul isn’t one of my favourite tracks and we had a really hard time there last year – we had already won the championship and it was difficult to stay 100% focused at that stage of the season, plus we had some set-up problems with the bike. This time we go there feeling fully motivated. “We don’t know how the new bike will react at this circuit; I hope that it will go well and that we won’t have any vibration problems. There are some fantastic fast corners so if the bike is working well it could be great fun to ride there. We tested again after Qatar and we made some improvements, and although we still haven’t completely solved our problems hopefully even if they do reappear at some stage, we’re going to be able to cope with them better now.” COLIN EDWARDS: HARD WORK WILL PAY OFF Colin Edwards is keen to get to Turkey this weekend as he aims to convert the fast and consistent pace he has shown during pre-season testing and Grand Prix practice sessions into a solid race result. Eleventh and ninth place finishes from the first two rounds have not been a true reflection of the Texan’s efforts this year and he is keen to turn things around at a circuit he admits he struggled to get to grips with last season. “I have to say I wasn’t too enamoured with the track when we rode it last October but I was busy trying to adapt to a new riding style at the time and it didn’t make life easier,” says Edwards. “This time my riding style is sorted out but we still have a few problems with the bike so we’ll have to see how it goes. I was very disappointed with the way things went in Qatar but it has been nice to have an extra weekend off over Easter to mull things over and I can’t wait to get out and put it right on the track. “So far this season we’ve been strong in practice – if anything just struggling a little bit to make the step up on a qualifying tyre but in general the pace on race tyres has been good. We were unlucky at Jerez and I was really confident of a good result in Qatar but we came up against a few problems in the race that hadn’t bothered us in practice. The day of tests after the race gave us some good data to work from and hopefully things run smoothly from day one in Turkey.” DAVIDE BRIVIO: AN INTERESTING CHALLENGE Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio sees this weekend’s race as the ideal opportunity to measure early development of the 2006 version YZR-M1 machine at another challenging and demanding venue. After overcoming initial problems in Qatar to end the weekend with a victory for Valentino, the Italian is hoping for more of the same from his team in Turkey and expects the timing of this year’s race to favour a more fruitful outcome than last October’s event at the same circuit. “Last year Istanbul Park was one of the circuits where we had the most difficulties but that Grand Prix was the penultimate of the season, when everything was already won,” explains Brivio. “It will be interesting to see how we go this time around, with the race at the beginning of the year and coming at a time when we really need to get some points for both riders. “It will be a challenging weekend because we still have to fix the problems that we have had with the 2006 version of the YZR-M1. We will test again on Monday in Istanbul after the race, in order to further try to improve the bike. Despite these issues, we showed in Qatar that we can already be competitive and now we have to take that to Turkey. Valentino’s win has given the whole team and the engineers a real boost and the motivation is definitely there to try to win again in Turkey.” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: ANDREA ZUGNA ON ISTANBUL Like all Herman Tilke tracks, Istanbul Park possesses a wide variety of corners and the challenge is further enhanced by plenty of gradients, with the track built on four different ground levels. However, by far the most exciting feature of the layout is turn eleven – a fifth gear bend that is taken at speeds approaching 270km/h, making it easily the fastest corner in the MotoGP World Championship. Combined with some of the tightest chicanes on the calendar, the key to set-up at Istanbul Park is about making compromises. “Istanbul is a tricky circuit because it has some of the fastest corners in the world combined with some of the slowest,” explains Andrea Zugna, Colin Edwards’ Data Engineer. “In turn eleven you need good stability at high speed to give the rider the confidence he needs to attack the corner, but from turn twelve to the end of the lap you have three very slow chicanes which require good agility; so you have to find a balanced set-up between those two characteristics. “This track is also unique because of the changes of elevation. For example turn one dips downhill before going immediately up again, creating a lot of compression on the front forks. The rider’s skill is also very important because there is only really one racing line and they must find it – especially through the three consecutive lefts in the middle of the lap, where it is also very bumpy. It is important that they have confidence in the front through here. Last year Colin struggled a little because it was the first time he used his new riding style but his pace in practice was good and his fastest lap came towards the end of the race so we know the data is good. Hopefully it will make life a little easier this weekend!” VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 80 (54 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 159 (99 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 40 World Championships 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 50 x MotoGP World Championships – 2 World Superbike Istanbul Lap Record: Marco Melandri (Honda) 2005 1’53.111 Istanbul Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005 1’52.334 2005 Results: 1. Marco Melandri (Honda) 41’44.139 2. VALENTINO ROSSI (Yamaha) +1.513 3. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +6.873 7. COLIN EDWARDS (Yamaha) +29.255

PREVIEW GRAND PRIX OF TURKEY THE MAGIC OF ISTANBUL Team Fortuna Honda heads to the third round of the season this weekend and a circuit that holds special memories for both its riders. Last year both Marco Melandri and Toni Elias played starring roles in the inaugural Grand Prix of Turkey, with Marco taking the first victory of his MotoGP career with Fausto Gresini’s team whilst Toni clinched his best result of the season in Fortuna colours. Now they are hoping to fight for the top positions once again at Istanbul, where they arrive in optimistic mood after a positive day of tests following the Grand Prix of Qatar. ALL EYES ON ISTANBUL MARCO MELANDRI: “The positive results we obtained in the Qatar test have made me look forward really positively to Istanbul – it is a track I like and it suits my riding style. These are two factors that are in my favour but I will still have to concentrate hard on the bike. We’ll be starting with a decidedly different base setting to the one we had at the last GP and I believe it has a lot of potential. I would have liked to have been heading into this event with a better performance behind me but I’m sure that the feeling we found in the test, the desire to have fun and the good memories I hold of this circuit will give me plenty of strength. The 2005 Grand Prix of Turkey was a truly memorable event – how could I ever forget the moment I crossed the line?! The chequered flag being waved and the celebrations on the podium were two of the most exciting moments in my life.” TONI ELIAS: “I’m heading to Istanbul feeling very motivated. My feeling with the bike improves from race to race and the test at Qatar confirmed that we’re working in the right direction. Now I have to follow it up in the race with a performance that I believe justifies my potential. I have to try and take another step forward because we have not yet managed to achieve the results I am hoping for and know we are capable of. Istanbul is a track I like a lot because there are so many drops and rises, fast corners and slow corners. I can’t wait to get back to a track where I had good results in practice and in the race last year.” THE TRACK. Designed by Hermann Tilke, the man behind Sepang, Bahrain and Shanghai, Istanbul Park lies on the Asian side of Turkey, around 60km from Istanbul city centre. With plenty of open space to work with, the German architect was able to create a magnificent facility: a technical circuit with an exciting layout, a huge and modern box and paddock complex and a main grandstand with the capacity for 80,000 spectators. Istanbul is different to other Tilke designs in that there are no extremely long straights – here the longest one measures only 720 metres. This track is characterised by the drastic changes in level and a series of varied corners linked together – fast, technical or extremely slow, such as turns 13 and 14. Tilke’s intention was to base the design of certain corners on some of the most famous bends from other legendary circuits, such as turns one and two, which are a copy of the ‘Senna Esses’ at Sao Paolo, whilst turn 11 is based on the ‘Eau Rouge’ at Spa and turn nine 9 is similar to the Spoon Curve at Suzuka. The track is spectacular for the fans and challenging for the riders in equal measures, with the changes in level in particular creating several blind spots. GUIDE Opened: 2005 Lenght:5.340 m Width: 14-21m Pole Position: right Direction: Anti-clockwise Right turns: 6 Left turns: 8 Straight: 720 m Max.gradient: 8.1% Record: 2005 Melandri (Honda) 1’53″111 Pole Position: 2005 Gibernau (Honda) 1’52″334 2005 race:1° M. Melandri (Honda), 2° V.Rossi (Yamaha), 3° N.Hayden (Honda)

BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK SETS RECORD ATTENDANCE AT THE HONDA SUPERBIKE CLASSIC (Birmingham, Ala.) – The Honda Superbike Classic drew more than 56,000 spectators over the 3-day weekend. This is a record attendance for the Barber Motorsports Park for any event in the last four years. Sunday, April 23 was an all-time one-day record attendance in the history of the Barber Motorsports Park with 28,000 spectators for the final events.

Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden has been transported to the University of Alabama Birmingham Medical center with an injury to his lower right leg. The full extent of the injury was still be evaluated, according to Hayden’s Crew Chief Dan Fahie. Hayden suffered the injury in a crash during Sunday’s AMA Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park. Hayden was chasing fourth-place Aaron Yates on lap 21 when Hayden made contact with lapped rider James Kerker going over the blind, cresting kink at turn three. According to reports from cornerworkers, Hayden’s and Kerker’s motorcycles appeared to be locked together, and both riders rode off the track at high speed and impacted Airfence and tires in front of an Armco barrier. Both riders appeared to be injured and were loaded into ambulances. Kerker was treated and released from a local hospital, according to AMA Superbike Media Relations Manager Larry Lawrence. Hayden suffered a hairline fracture to his right foot/ankle in his crash during the AMA Superbike at Daytona International Speedway in March. Pascal Picotte crashed during Sunday morning AMA Supersport practice at Barber and suffered multiple injuries. According to his Crew Chief John Sharrard, Picotte suffered a broken left big toe, a sprained left knee and three cracked lumbar vertebrae. Picotte will be required to wear a brace, for which he has already been fitted, for the next six weeks. Sharrard did not know if Picotte would try to race at the Parts Canada Superbike series opener at Shannonville May 18-21. Corona Extra Suzuki’s Michael Sanchez crashed on the warm-up lap of Sunday’s AMA Superbike race restart, causing the restart to be aborted. According to Sanchez’s brother Gabe, Sanchez’s throttle stuck open going into turn six, causing the crash. Michael Sanchez suffered a broken left collarbone in the fall.

Ben Spies won the restarted Sunday AMA Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park, with Miguel Duhamel barely beating Mat Mladin across the finish line for second place. Mladin and Duhamel went from fourth and fifth to second and third when Aaron Yates attempted to pass Tommy Hayden for second place in turn four, on the last lap, and the pair touched and ran off the track. Mladin passed Duhamel in the run into the last corner but ran wide at the exit and Duhamel accelerated past to regain second place. Results, AMA Superbike, after 8-lap restart: 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000), 28 laps 2. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR), -2.834 seconds 3. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), -2.884 seconds 4. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), -4.511 seconds 5. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999R), -4.760 seconds 6. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999R), -5.229 seconds 7. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), -5.786 seconds 8. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), -17.513 seconds 9. Larry Pegram (Hon CBR1000RR), -22.896 seconds 10. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000), -25.563 seconds 11. Jordan Szoke (Kaw ZX-10R), -25.671 seconds 12. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000), -25.868 seconds 13. Clint McBain (Suz GSX-R1000), -27.705 seconds 14. Eric Wood (Suz GSX-R1000), -30.065 seconds 15. Francis Martin (Suz GSX-R1000), -30.647 seconds 16. Kevin Lacombe (Yam YZF-R1), -31.022 seconds 17. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000), -33.492 seconds 18. Brian Stokes (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap 19. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 20. James Stroud (Suz GSX-R100)), -1 lap 21. Andi Notman (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 22. Brad Hendry (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 23. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 24. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 25. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), -8 laps, DNF, crash 26. James Kerker (Hon CBR1000RR), -8 laps, DNF, crash 27. Michael Sanchez (Suz GSX-R1000), -8 laps, DNF, mechanical/crash 28. Akira Tamitsuji (Suz GSX-R1000), -14 laps, DNF 29. Mike Sullivan (Yam YZF-R1), -18 laps, DNF, mechanical 30. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), -24 laps, DNF, crash 31. Pascal Picotte (Yam YZF-R1), DNS 32. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 33. Matt Lynn (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS 34. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 3 of 19 races): 1. Spies, 107 points 2. Mladin, 99 points 3. Duhamel, 88 points 4. Hodgson, 78 points 5. TIE, Yates/Tommy Hayden, 76 points 7. Ben Bostrom, 71 points 8. Pridmore, 64 points 9. Zemke, 52 points 10. Pegram, 51 points 11. Wood, 50 points 12. Holden, 45 points 13. Rapp, 39 points 14. Stokes, 36 points 15. TIE, West/McBain, 34 points More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies raced to his first-ever double-header victory at today’s second AMA Superbike Championship race at Barber in Alabama to take the lead in the series after three rounds. The GSX-R1000-mounted Texan fended off Miguel Duhamel (Honda) to win by 2.8 seconds as team-mate and reigning champion Mat Mladin crashed out on the fifth lap. Mladin rejoined the race in dead last in 29th position and carved through the field to 14th before the race was red flagged on lap 21 of 28. Mladin, starting from the fourth row, quickly caught the leaders and when third Yoshimura rider Aaron Yates and Tommy Hayden fell, he moved into third place and the final rostrum position. Yates remounted to take a well-deserved fourth place ahead of Neil Hodgson (Ducati). Said six-time AMA Champion Mladin: “We got lucky with the red flag for sure! To come from the fourth row and put it up here on the box, we’re very, very happy.” More, from a press release issued by Vreeke & Associates, on behalf of Dunlop: Dunlop Motorcycle Tires race report: 2006 AMA Superbike Series, round two, Barber Motorsports Park Leeds, AL — The established and rising stars of the world’s best national roadracing competition–the 2006 AMA Superbike Series–came out to play at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, April 21-23. On Saturday, the young guns showed their talent as Yoshimura Suzuki’s second-year Superbike sensation Ben Spies won the first of the weekend’s two Superbike events with a convincing performance on his GSX-R1000. Then it was factory Yamaha’s Jason Disalvo’s turn and the 22-year old delivered his first victory in the Formula Xtreme series on a YZF-R6. Sunday saw Yoshimura Suzuki’s veteran Aaron Yates win a thrilling come-from-behind Superstock race on his GSX-R1000 and Kawasaki Racing’s surging Roger Lee Hayden take the Supersport win on a ZX-6RR. Serving notice that Saturday’s first Superbike win was no fluke, Spies took the second Superbike race in commanding fashion, completing his first Superbike doubleheader. The Barber circuit, home of the world-renowned Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, is a picture-postcard race track that is very demanding of both riders and tires. While the abrasive nature of the track surface was not as evident as in year’s past, the numerous right-hand sweepers still generate significant heat–and therefore wear–in the right-side tread of the rear tires. To cope with these variables, Dunlop brought more than 1800 tires to support the factory teams and support riders in Superbike, Superstock, Formula Xtreme and Supersport competition–including rain tires. It appeared the wet skins might be needed when, on Thursday and Friday, severe weather foreshadowed a wet weekend. Fortunately, Saturday’s and Sunday’s races were run in near perfect conditions, much to the delight of the record 56,000 fans in attendance. Friday’s Superbike qualifying session saw Spies teammate, six-time AMA Superbike champ Mat Mladin, collect the provisional pole position with a record-setting time of 1:24.983 on his GSX-R1000. But Spies came back in Saturday’s session and broke Mladin’s record of 11 straight poles with an even faster lap of 1:24.830. When the flag dropped for the race, Spies took the lead into turn one, followed closely by Mladin. The order was unchanged until Mladin took the lead on lap five. But Spies was not to be denied and he eventually retook the lead for good on lap 16 as the pair negotiated around a lapper. When Mladin had to run off the track to avoid colliding with another lapped rider, the race was Spies’ to lose, something he was not about to do. Mladin managed to get back on the track, still in second but now precious seconds behind Spies with just three laps to go. Spies took the checkered flag with a 10.723 margin over his teammate while Honda Racing’s Jake Zemke collected the final podium slot. “The feeling is awesome,” said Spies. “It was a tough race. I got a good start and put my head down the first couple laps to get a gap on everybody.” Of his battle with Mladin, he commented, “This win means a lot to me. I’m not used to having Mat Mladin behind me”¦ People don’t understand. To run with him the full race on the same motorcycle is not an easy task.” Following Zemke across the line was teammate Miguel Duhamel, Kawasaki Racing’s Tommy Hayden, Ducati Austin’s Neil Hodgson and Suzuki’s Aaron Yates in fourth through seventh, respectively. Ducati’s Ben Bostrom was ninth and Jordon Motorsports Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore tenth as Dunlop riders took nine of the top 10 finishing positions. Spies ended the day tied with Mladin in series points at 70 apiece, followed by Honda’s Duhamel with 56. Saturday’s second race pitted Erion Racing Honda’s veteran Josh Hayes against Yamaha’s streaking young star Disalvo in a terrific battle in the hot-rod 600cc Formula Xtreme class. The day before, Disalvo had smashed the lap record with a time of 1:27.144 aboard his YZF-R6 for the pole position. At the beginning of the race, Hayes jumped to the front and he and Disalvo diced for the lead. Hayes was able to hold off Disalvo for eight laps, but Disalvo got around him on lap nine and put together a string a fast laps, showcasing the Yamaha’s power. He finished the race going away, cruising to the win by 6.707 second over Hayes. Behind Hayes was Team M4 Emgo Suzuki’s Kurtis Roberts, a former class champion who was competing in his first race of the season. “I just tried to put it all together and remember where I was strong, hit my marks, and put a couple of consistent 27s in there,” said Disalvo. “I saw the gap start to build, and knocked it back the last couple of laps, and that was it.” Erion Racing’s Aaron Gobert was fourth and Matsushima Suzuki Racing’s Danny Eslick rounded out the top five as Dunlop riders collected seven of the top 10 positions. In the standings, Disalvo leads with 67 points, followed by Hayes with 64 and Gobert with 52. Sunday’s racing action was every bit as thrilling as Saturday’s. In the first race, Disalvo was again the polesitter, this time in the 1000cc Superstock competition aboard his YZF-R1LE tuned by Graves Motorsports Yamaha. Teammate and early-season series leader Jamie Hacking was alongside Disalvo on the front row and the pair rocketed off the starting line, Hacking in the lead. The duo set a blistering pace for the field to try and match. Accepting the challenge was Suzuki’s Aaron Yates, who methodically worked his way forward from a less than ideal start. On lap 15 he recorded his fastest lap of the race–a 1:27.165–and passed Disalvo to take over second place. Yates then set after Hacking and, on the last lap, caught and passed him in turn four. Yates held off Hacking to take the win by a scant .134 seconds, his 11th career victory in the class; Disalvo was third. “I was trying really hard to keep my GSXR going forward. These guys were going strong at the beginning and they got a pretty good gap out there”¦ I knew the race would come down to the end. It feels really good to get out there and get a win”¦ it was a really fun race out there and hopefully there’s more to come.” Team M4 Emgo Suzuki’s Geoff May was fourth, followed by Erion Racing Honda’s Hayes, Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom, Jordon Motorsports Suzuki’s Steve Rapp and Jake Holden, Erion Racing Honda’s Aaron Gobert and Jordon Motorsports Suzuki’s Pridmore in fifth through tenth, respectively. Overall, Dunlop-shod riders took nine of the top 10 positions. In the series standings, Hacking leads with 69 points, Yates is second with 65 and Disalvo is third with 63. Some say Kawasaki Racing’s Roger Lee Hayden is one of new guard, others count the 22-year old as a veteran given his seven-year AMA pro road racing career. Regardless, Hayden put on a show for the fans in the 600cc Supersport competition on his ZX-6RR, winning his second consecutive race after an exciting battle with Yamaha’s Hacking. Hayden led briefly from the pole position–which he earned the day before with a class record time of 1:27.081–but swapped the lead several times with Hacking before Hacking took over on lap five and held off Hayden for the next 10 laps. Hayden made his move on lap 15 and was never headed after that on his charge to the checkered flag. He crossing the line .380 seconds ahead of Hacking; behind Hacking was Team M4 Emgo Suzuki’s Geoff May, completing the podium. “I’m just happy to be consistent up here on the box,” said Hayden. “It was a really fun race with Jamie. I was lucky to get by him with three laps to go. I wanted to make my move, try to put in three good laps, and it just worked out for me.” Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard and Damon Buckmaster and Matsushima Suzuki Racing’s Eslick took fourth through sixth, respectively, and Eslick’s teammate Blake Young was ninth as Dunlop-equipped riders took six of the top ten positions. Hayden leads the series with 74 points followed by Hacking with 66 and May with 53. The weekend’s final race, Superbike race two, was packed with drama. Suzuki’s Mladin took off in the lead with Spies close behind. In his effort to distance himself from his pursuing teammate, Mladin crashed on lap five, handing the lead to Spies. Mladin, meanwhile, remounted and finally got underway in last place””and seemed all but out of the race. Spies proceeded to build an apparently unassailable lead of 3.45 seconds over Honda’s Duhamel and Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden when a red flag on lap 21 temporarily halted the race. For Mladin, who had worked his way up to 14th, it was a gift that would put him on the fourth row on the restart. The final eight-lap sprint saw Spies motor away from a pack of riders that included Duhamel, Hayden, Suzuki’s Aaron Yates and, with three laps to go, a hustling Mladin. The final lap was eventful; Yates collided with Hayden in turn four as he attempted to take over second place. That left Duhamel in second over a rapidly-closing Mladin. Mladin passed Duhamel, only to be repassed by a determined Duhamel at the line. Spies won handily by 2.835 seconds and Duhamel nipped Mladin by .050 seconds. “We were doing everything right and then I saw the red flag and was pretty bummed out,” said Spies. “But we put some good tires on and I put my head down the first couple of laps and got a gap and pulled it together again.” Of his phenomenal weekend, he said, “My first goal was to out-qualify him (Mladin). And then getting two races wins–if you would have told me that before, I would have told you”¦ well you know.” As in Superbike race one, Dunlop again took nine of the top ten positions. Yates, Ducati’s Hodgson and Ben Bostrom, Tommy Hayden and Jordon Motorsports Holden collected fourth through eighth, respectively, and Holden’s teammate Pridmore was 10th. Spies leads the championship with 107 points, Mladin holds down second with 99 and Duhamel is third with 88. Next stop for Dunlop and the 2006 AMA Superbike road racing tour is the California Speedway in Fontana, California, April 28-30. Round three features a doubleheader for the Superbike series. About Dunlop Tires Dunlop Tires is the largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S. and the only manufacturer of motorcycle tires in North America. With North American operations headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Dunlop has been making and selling high-quality tires in the U.S. since 1923. For more information, please visit www.dunlopmotorcycle.com. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: Double Podium Glory for American Honda in Alabama American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke each earned a podium spot in the AMA Superbike Championship double-header at Barber Motorsports Park, with Duhamel coming within seconds of winning Sunday’s race. The results were a clear indication that the work done in the past year by American Honda’s R&D department, with help from Honda Racing Corporation in Japan, is paying dividends with the new Honda CBR1000RR. “We’re miles ahead of where we were last year,” Duhamel said after nearly winning Sunday’s race, the third round of the AMA Superbike Championship. “The bike is so much better. I’m thanking Honda for giving us such a great chassis this year. The bike is better by itself. But with the guys at Honda here in the U.S R&D still working hard, they’re making some great progress. And I’ve got to thank Honda Japan for assisting. This weekend was a team effort.” Sunday’s race, held in glorious Alabama sunshine, was reduced to an eight lap sprint after a red flag stoppage on the 21st of 28 laps. At the time the race was stopped, Duhamel was in second place, where he’d been since the 11th lap of the race. On the re-start he hounded the race leader to the finish, while fending off an attack from Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, who tried to make a final corner pass of the veteran Honda rider. The final order was Ben Spies (Suzuki), Duhamel, and Mladin. It was Duhamel’s second podium in three races. American Honda’s Jake Zemke high-sided on the fifth lap of the original race while challenging for fourth. Zemke’s day to shine in the sun was Saturday, when the Californian fought his way to third, one spot in front of teammate Duhamel. It was his first podium of the young season, and he predicted many more to come. Duhamel’s successful weekend vaulted him to third in the point standings after three of 19 races. Miguel Duhamel, 4th Saturday, 2nd Sunday Yesterday (Saturday) was a bit of survival. We had a bit of trouble getting the right set-up on the bike. We picked the wrong tire, I guess, for the bike and we were really sliding a lot from the word go. And a little bit my fault. These new tires from Dunlop are bullet-proof. Sometimes I fall into the old trap of trying to save them. You don’t save these tires, you abuse them. I was really, really pleased to get fourth. I didn’t ride my race bike from yesterday. It was one little ingredient missing. I stood there for three hours and at the last minute said ‘Let’s take some oil out of the front fork,’ and that was the miracle cure. And the bike was really wonderful after that. We went from the last factory bike in this morning’s warm-up to finishing second and having a shot at winning. In the first race, until they red-flagged it, I thought I could reel Ben (Spies) in. If he starts relaxing, I’m going to go get him, because my bike was wonderful in that first race. At the end, when I was racing with Mat (Mladin), I know when I went full throttle and he went full throttle, his bike, fortunately it missed a bit. And it went pop, pop, pop. And when it did that I just went by him. And after that it was a heat race all the way to the line. Jake Zemke, 3rd Saturday, DNF Sunday We’re definitely making progress from last year, but those two guys were out in front and they were pretty far gone. We still have a ways to go, that’s for sure. The boys are working hard at it. Hopefully sooner rather than later we’ll be up there challenging these two up at the front. Right when I got up to fourth I was catching Aaron (Yates) just a little bit, but then he definitely picked up the pace. We just kind of evened out for a long time. I’m just disappointed about my crash today (Sunday). The guys worked really hard this weekend to give us something competitive. And we felt we had something to do something with this weekend. At least today, it seemed like we were a little bit on pace. I was running about half a second quicker than I was yesterday. Just kind of bummed out. My crash was spectacular. The next to the last corner up there in the right hander right as it tightens up right as you clip the apex of the curb there. Right when I get to that point, the back end just started coming around on its own. Picked up the throttle a little bit and just to keep it from high-siding me but the thing just kept going and going and I tried to stand the bike up a little bit to get some traction, but the thing just kept coming around. Sunday Superbike: 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 2. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 3. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 5. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 6. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 7. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 8. Jacob Holden (Suzuki) 9. Larry Pegram (Honda) 10. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) Saturday Superbike: 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 3. Jake Zemke (Honda) 4. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 5. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 6. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 7. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 8. John Haner (Suzuki) 9. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 10. Jason Pridmore Championship Standings: 1. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 107 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 99 3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 88 4. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 78 5. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 76 Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 76 7. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 71 8. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 64 9. Jake Zemke (Honda) 52 10. Larry Pegram (Honda) 51

The restart of the Sunday AMA Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park has been delayed because Michael Sanchez crashed on the warm-up lap and requires medical attention.

Ben Spies was leading the Sunday Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park when it was red-flagged on the 21st lap, to allow ambulance crews to attend to Roger Hayden and lapped rider James Kerker, who collided. Both riders went into the Airfence in front of the turn 3 wall and while Hayden limped away with help from a cornerworker, Kerker remained prone. Roger Hayden was running fifth behind Spies, Miguel Duhamel, Tommy Hayden and Aaron Yates when he hit Kerker. Spies had taken the lead when a checking-out Mat Mladin crashed on lap 4, falling back to 29th before he got his bike restarted and rejoined the race. Mladin had worked his way up to 14th when the red flag fell. The race was originally scheduled for 28 laps and is likely to be restarted using the lap 20 running order. Lap 20 Running Order 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR) 3. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 4. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 6. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999R) 7. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999R) 8. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000) 9. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000) 10. Larry Pegram (Hon CBR1000RR) 11. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000) 12. Clint McBain (Suz GSX-R1000) 13. Jordan Szoke (Kaw ZX-10R) 14. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), crash 15. Eric Wood (Suz GSX-R1000) 16. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000) 17. Francis Martin (Suz GSX-R1000) 18. Kevin Lacombe (Yam YZF-R1) 19. Brian Stokes (Yam YZF-R1) 20. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000) 21. Andi Notman (Suz GSX-R1000) 22. Brad Hendry (Suz GSX-R1000) 23. James Stroud (Suz GSX-R1000) 24. Michael Sanchez (Suz GSX-R1000) 25. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000) 26. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000) 27. Akira Tamitsuji (Suz GSX-R1000) 28. Mike Sullivan (Yam YZF-R1) 29. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), crash