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

Race results Le Mans 24 Hours Le Mans France April 22 – 23, 2006. National Motos Honda victorious at Le Mans 24 Hours. 1. National Motos Honda CBR1000RR F.Protat FRA, O.Four FRA, D.Ribalta ESP 2. Suzuki Castrol Team/Suzuki GSX-R1000 V.Philippe FRA, K.Kitagawa JAP, M.Lagrive FRA 3. GMT 94 Yamaha YZF-R1 D.Checa SPA, S.Gimbert FRA, G.McCoy AUS, C.Guyot FRA 4. Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki ZX10R D.Morillon FRA, P.Muff, SUI, H.Saiger AUT, M.Kellenberger SUI. 5. Infini Team Yohann Moto Sport Suzuki GSX-R1000 Ch.Michel FRA, J.Tangre FRA, V.Bocquet FRA. 6. No Limits & RT Moto Virus Suzuki GSX-R1000. R.Ruozi ITA, E.Monot FRA, F.Jond FRA, M.Codeluppi ITA. 7. Maccio Racing Kawasaki ZX10R S.De Rosa FRA, L.Fremy FRA, R.Moisan FRA. 8. Team Fagersjo-el Suzuki GSX-R1000 J.Hanson SWE, T.Andersson SWE, P.Johansson SWE, N.Carlberg SWE. 9. Team Endurance Moto 45 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Th.Perreau FRA, N.Duprez FRA, D.Briere FRA. 10. RMT 21 Racing Honda CBR1000RR S.Mizera GER, R.Chevre SUI, H.Steuer GER, T.Roth GER. 11. Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers Suzuki GSX-R1000 St.Molinier FRA, G.Grelaud FRA, G.Pialoux FRA. 12. Aprilia Motociclismo Test Team Aprilia RSV1000 F.Aliverti ITA, F.Pellizzon ITA, D.Veghini ITA. 13. Team LTG Yamaha YZF-R1 C.Huvier FRA, A.Moreno FRA, J.Cauchard FRA, L.A.Achon FRA. 14. Team Raffin Motos Kawasaki ZX10R D.Chene FRA, W.Veille FRA, St.Kokes FRA. 15. Team X-One Yamaha YZF-R1 P.Tessari ITA, G.De Matteis ITA, S.Sanna ITA, R.Repeti ITA. More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Racing: Apr 23, 2006 Reigning World Endurance Champions Suzuki Castrol clawed back from a heavy crash in the first hour to finish runners-up at the Le Mans 24-hour second round in France that finished this afternoon. The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) of Keiichi Kitagawa, Mathieu Lagrive and Vincent Philippe were only two laps behind winners, National Motors Honda, after 817 laps of racing. Kitagawa put the GSX-R1000 to the front early on, closely pursued by Suzuki Castrol’s second team, but shortly after his first fuel stop he fell heavily, causing the safety car to be brought out which allowed the Suzuki 2 squad to take the lead. Suzuki No.1 then began their long climb back through the field from 49th position as the front-running Yamaha Austria team fell behind and then retired from the race with cylinder head problems. The order remained the same for much of Saturday with Suzuki No.2, Yamaha GMT94 and National Motos Honda filling the top three places until late into the night when GMT94 pitted with an electrical problem. This let the Honda through to second and Suzuki No.1 who had now climbed to third ahead of GMT94 and Kawasaki Bolliger. The order of the race leaders remained static through the night, but dramas continued behind them: Kawasaki Diablo retired with a broken gearbox, Yamaha Phase One with a blown cylinder head gasket, and Suzuki Innodrom with a broken gearbox. But with just four hours to go, any thoughts of a comfortable run to victory were dashed for Suzuki No.2; they pitted after a crash and eventually retired with machine damage. While Suzuki No.2 were in the pits trying to diagnose the problem, Gary McCoy crashed the GMT94 Yamaha heavily: He managed to limp the bike back to the pits but National Motos Honda took the lead and Suzuki Castrol No.1 moved to second place before GMT94 could rejoin the race. Said Lagrive: “For me the race was not very easy. With my injured hand I could manage 20 laps ok, but 30 laps was very difficult. This morning I had no sensation in the left hand; it’s not possible to ride the bike well with just one hand, but I stayed fast.” SERT Team Manager Dominique Meliand, added: “I didn’t worry that the No.1 bike would have the same problem as the other Suzukis; on the No.72 it was a head gasket and for No.72 the problem was changing the forks. For the No.1 bike it was necessary to score the maximum points rather than just having outright speed and going for the win. For No.2 it was different, it was win or nothing.” More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: Honda Win Le Mans 24 Hour Suzuki 2nd – Yamaha 3rd – Kawasaki 4th The National Motos Honda CBR1000RR of Protat, Four and Ribalta has won the Le Mans 24 Hour round of the FIM World Endurance Championship. Second place went to the No.2 Suzuki Castrol GSX-R1000 of Philippe, Kitagawa and Lagrive, third place went to the Yamaha GMT94 YZF-R1 of Gimbert, Checa and McCoy, and fourth to the Bolliger Kawasaki ZX10R of Morillion, Muff and Saiger. The No.1 Suzuki Castrol bike led the first hour, pursued by the No.2 Suzuki Castrol and with the two Yamahas of GMT94 and Yamaha Austria close behind. Shortly after the first fuelling stop, Keiichi Kitagawa crashed the No.2 Suzuki heavily, bringing the pace out car for the first of many times during an incident packed race. Suzuki No.2 took the lead while the No.1 bike was repaired, ahead of National Motos Honda, Yamaha GMT94, Team Kawasaki France and Yamaha Austria. Suzuki No.1 then began their long climb back through the field. Yamaha Austria fell behind and then retired from the race with cylinder head problems shortly afterwards, and Team Kawasaki France were also forced to retire after a heavy crash. The order remained Suzuki No.2, Yamaha GMT94, National Motos Honda until late on Saturday night when GMT94 pitted with an electrical problem. This let the Honda through to second and Suzuki No.1 had now climbed to third while Kawasaki Bolliger had made their way to fifth place behind GMT94 after a steady and consistent performance. The order of the race leaders remained static through the night, but dramas continued behind them. Kawasaki Diablo retired with a broken gearbox, Yamaha Phase One with a blown cylinder head gasket, and Suzuki Innodrom also with a broken gearbox. With four hours to go, any thoughts of a comfortable run to victory were dashed for Suzuki No.2; they pitted after a crash and eventually retired. While Suzuki No.2 were in the pits trying to diagnose the problem, Gary McCoy crashed the GMT94 Yamaha heavily. He managed to limp the bike back to the pits but National Motos Honda had taken the lead and Suzuki Castrol No.1 second place before GMT94 could rejoin the race. Kawasaki Bolliger, meanwhile, had been running a classic endurance race; making up time on track through consistency and in pit lane through rapid and well polished fuel and tyre stops. Italian Suzuki squad No Limits & RT Racing Team ran a similar smooth race, as did Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se, Endurance Moto45 and RMT Racing Honda. The Le Mans 24 Hour is one of the toughest races on the calendar, with only 33 of the 56 starters making it to the end. The next stop for the World Endurance Championship is the Albacete 8 Horas Nocturnas on May 20th. Press Conference Quotes Frederic Protat, National Motos Honda, 1st place: “What a great race. It’s my first time at the Le Mans 24 hours, and it’s unbelievable. I’d like to thank my team mates Olivier and Daniel and the rest of the team.” Dominique Meliand, Suzuki Castrol team manager, 2nd place: “I didn’t worry that the No.1 bike would have the same problem as the other Suzukis; on the No.72 it was a head gasket and for No.72 the problem was changing the forks. For the No.1 bike it was necessary to score the maximum points rather than just having outright speed and going for the win. For No.2 it was different, it was win or nothing.” Mattheiu Lagrive, Suzuki Casrol, second place: “For me the race was not very easy. With my injured hand I could manage 20 laps but 30 laps was difficult. This morning I had no sensation in the left hand; it’s not possible to ride the bike well with just one hand, but I stayed fast.” Gary McCoy, Yamaha GMT94, 3rd place: “It’s great to be on the podium but I couldn’t do my last two rides so I left Sebastien and David with more work to do. Will I be at the Bol d’Or with GMT94? The team work well, I like the riders and it’s a great package. If we can do some more testing”¦ it’s a possibility.” Horst Saiger, Kawasaki Bolliger, 4th place: “For us this was a great success. To finish in the top four is perfect. We didn’t have the speed of the people in front, but we had enough and we could keep it going the whole race. It was not an easy race until the last few hours. A hard fight right from the start of the race.” Provisional Top Ten Finishing Positions 1st 55 National Motos Honda – FRA – Honda CBR1000RR – Protat, Four, Ribalta – 817 laps 2nd 2 – Suzuki Castrol – FRA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – Philippe, Kitagawa, Lagirve – 815 laps 3rd 94 Yamaha GMT94 – FRA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – Gimbert, Checa, McCoy – 804 laps 4th 8 – Kawasaki Bolliger – SUI – Kawasaki ZX10R – Muff, Saiger, Morillon – 799 laps 5th 10 – Infini Team Suzuki – FRA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – Michel, Tangre, Bocquiet – 793 laps (1st SPR) 6th 44 – Suzuki No Limits & RT – ITA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – Ruozi, Monot, Jond – 789 laps 7th 83 – Kawasaki Maccio Racing – FRA – De Rosa, Fremy, Moisin – 788 laps (1st STK) 8th 12 – Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se – SWE – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – Hanson, Andersson, Carlberg – 787 laps 9th 100 – Suzuki Endurance Moto45 – FRA – Perrerau, Duprez, Briere – 786 laps 10th 21 – RMT21 Racing Honda – GER – Honda CBR1000RR – Mizera, Chevre, Steuer +1.21.018

Pro Honda Oils AMA Supersport Championship Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 23 Provisional Race Results: 1. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6RR) 17 laps 2. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R6) -0.380 second 3. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R600) -19.164 seconds 4. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6RR) -19.379 seconds 5. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-6RR) -32.851 seconds 6. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R600) -33.056 seconds 7. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600) -35.970 seconds 8. Ryan Elleby (Hon CBR600RR) -40.877 seconds 9. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R600) -42.564 seconds 10. Nicky Moore (Yam YZF-R6) -49.543 seconds 11. Chris “Opie” Caylor (Suz GSX-R600) -49.834 seconds 12. Michael Beck (Yam YZF-R6) -50.577 seconds 13. Tony Meiring (Suz GSX-R600) -50.919 seconds 14. Kevin Lacombe (Yam YZF-R6) -51.004 seconds 15. Matt Furtek (Suz GSX-R600) -59.187 seconds 16. Alastair Seeley (Yam YZF-R6) 17. Garrett Carter (Yam YZF-R6) 18. Giovanni Rojas (Suz GSX-R600) 19. Tyler McDonald (Yam YZF-R6) 20. Keith Marshall (Suz GSX-R600) 21. Chris Siglin (Suz GSX-R600) 22. Daniel Parkerson (Suz GSX-R600) 23. Barrett Long (Yam YZF-R6) 24. Shane Kuehler (Yam YZF-R6) 25. Skip Salenius (Kaw ZX-6RR), -1 lap 26. Christopher Ancien (Hon CBR600RR), -1 lap 27. Trey Yonce (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 28. Gustava Laya (Kaw ZX-6RR), -1 lap 29. Michael Morgan (Suz GSX-R600), -1 lap 30. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap 31. Kenny Carlotta (Suz GSX-R600), -1 lap 32. Francis Martin (Suz GSX-R600), -6 laps, DNF, mechanical 33. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R600), -8 laps, DNF, mechanical 34. Shea Fouchek (Suz GSX-R600), -12 laps, DNF, crash 35. Clint McBain (Suz GSX-R600), -13 laps, DNF, crash 36. Jeffrey Tigert (Hon CBR600RR), -16 laps, DNF, crash

Repsol Lubricants AMA Superstock Championship Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 23 Provisional Race Results: 1. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), 17 laps 2. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R1 LE), -0.134 second 3. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1 LE), -3.262 seconds 4. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000), -12.574 seconds 5. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR1000RR), -15.831 seconds 6. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1 LE), -17.832 seconds 7. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000), -20.549 seconds 8. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), -21.083 seconds 9. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR1000RR), -27.313 seconds 10. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000), -27.912 seconds 11. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000), -34.666 seconds 12. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000), -35.268 seconds 13. Marty Craggill (Suz GSX-R1000), -35.418 seconds 14. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-10R), -47.749 seconds 15. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-10R), -48.401 seconds 16. Akira Tamitsuji (Suz GSX-R1000), -53.953 seconds 17. Tom Kipp (Kaw ZX-10R), -55.371 seconds 18. Bryan West (Suz GSX-R1000), -62.493 seconds 19. Brad Hendry (Suz GSX-R1000), -62.798 seconds 20. Matt Lynn (Suz GSX-R1000), -71.416 seconds 21. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), -81.731 seconds, crash 22. Randall Kienast (Suz GSX-R1000), -88.082 seconds 23. Barry Teasdale (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 24. Dan Wilson (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 25. C.R. Gittere (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 26. Fernando Amantini (Kaw ZX-10R), -1 lap 27. Robert McLendon (Suz GSX-R1000), -1 lap 28. Brad Puetz (Suz GSX-R1000), -l lap 29. Reno Karimian (Suz GSX-R1000), -3 laps 30. Dominic Jones (Kaw ZX-10R), -8 laps 31. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000), -13 laps, DNF, crash 32. Michael Sanchez (Suz GSX-R1000), -13 laps, DNF, crash 33. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS Provisional AMA Superstock Championship Point Standings (after 2 of 11 events): 1. Hacking, 69 points 2. Yates, 65 points 3. DiSalvo, 63 points NOTE: John Haner became the first rider to benefit from increased run-off room in turn one, tumbling well past where the steel barrier was positioned (outside the corner) prior to being relocated in recent weeks.