FIM Superbike World Championship Valencia, Spain April 22 Qualifying Results Headin Into Superpole: 1. Troy CORSER (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 1:34.920 2. Troy BAYLISS (Ducati 999F06) 1:34.963 3. Chris WALKER (Kawasaki ZX-10R) 1:35.522 4. Steve MARTIN (Foggy Petronas FP1) 1:35.653 5. Noriyuki HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:35.658 6. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 1:35.670 7. Ruben XAUS (Ducati 999F05) 1:35.721 8. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 999F06) 1:35.926 9. Norick ABE (Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:35.974 10. Fonsi NIETO (Kawasaki ZX-10R) 1:36.004 11. Fabien FORET (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 1:36.026 12. James TOSELAND (Honda CBR1000RR) 1:36.116 13. Alex BARROS (Honda CBR1000RR) 1:36.130 14. Regis LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R) 1:36.161 15. Andrew PITT (Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:36.262 16. Roberto ROLFO (Ducati 999F05) 1:36.348 17. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Ducati 999RS) 1:36.480 18. Michel FABRIZIO (Honda CBR1000RR) 1:36.534 19. Jose DE GEA (Honda CBR1000RR) 1:36.569 20. Marco BORCIANI (Ducati 999F05) 1:36.638

FIM Supersport World Championship Valencia, Spain April 22 Final Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER (Hon CBR600RR) 1:36.913 2. Kevin CURTAIN (Yam YZF-R6) 1:37.698 3. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Hon CBR600RR) 1:37.750 4. Broc PARKES (Yam YZF-R6) 1:37.942 5. Javier FORES (Yam YZF-R6) 1:38.385 6. Robbin HARMS (Hon CBR600RR) 1:38.403 7. Barry VENEMAN (Suz GSX-R600) 1:38.448 8. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Hon CBR600RR) 1:38.489 9. Yoann TIBERIO (Hon CBR600RR) 1:38.643 10. Javier TORRES (Yam YZF-R6) 1:38.716 11. Kai Borre ANDERSEN (Suz GSX-R600) 1:38.772 12. Massimo ROCCOLI (Yam YZF-R6) 1:38.836 13. Johan STIGEFELT (Hon CBR600RR) 1:38.971 14. Christian ZAISER (Duc 749R) 1:38.980 15. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Yam YZF-R6) 1:39.137 16. William DE ANGELIS (Hon CBR600RR) 1:39.216 17. Tatu LAUSLEHTO (Hon CBR600RR) 1:39.382 18. Kenny NOYES (Yam YZF-R6) 1:39.412 19. Sebastien LE GRELLE (Hon CBR600RR) 1:39.430 20. Josh BROOKES (Duc 749R) 1:39.477 30. Chris PERIS (Yam YZF-R6) 1:40.254 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: CHARPENTIER TAKES THIRD CONSECUTIVE POLE Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) did not need to improve on his first day track record lap time of 1’36.913 to take his third pole of the 2006 season, putting himself in the perfect starting spot for Sunday’s 23-lap Supersport race. It was the 30th consecutive front row start for a Honda machine in World Supersport. Charpentier concentrated his efforts on finding an optimum race set-up, after he found that the track offered marginally less grip than during the first day of qualifying. Charpentier’s team-mate, Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) could not make the required improvements in his best qualifying time from a crash-affected day one to secure a much desired front row start alongside Charpentier. His eighth best time overall places him on the second row, in front of thirty other riders. Ronald Ten Kate – Team manager “We are happy to take the pole again, the third one of the season for Sebastien. He had already done the job yesterday, so today was a little change of strategy for us. We thought about the race most of the time and just confirmed some race set-ups and endurance runs on the tyres, so we were not pushing so much for a quick single lap. Sebastien is happy with the pace he can do on his race set-up. It will be fun racing but it will be close, as usual here at Valencia. The race is very long, 23-laps, so we’ll see tomorrow. Hopefully it will be dry so that the racing can be at its best. Things didn’t go as planned for Kenan today, the qualifying session was pretty bad but we are still on the second row, and we know how hard a racer he is anyway. But we are definitely going to have a look again at the changes we made to the settings. So tomorrow morning will be important for him to find the speed he has in him. We know he has this because of the times he set in the previous tests are considerably faster than he is setting now. So we’ll see tomorrow.” Sebastien Charpentier Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (1st position 1’36.913) “Some other riders got a little bit close but for the race I am OK, because it is not difficult for me to make many laps in the consistent 1.37s. Nothing to changes for tomorrow because the bike is good. The track was a little bit difficult for me this afternoon. I lost a little bit of time, corner-after-corner, because I think the track grip is not so strong as it. Either way, we are in good shape for the race tomorrow.” Kenan Sofuoglu Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (8th position 1’38.489) “I did not feel so strong after my big crash of yesterday, but I have to be strong in the race. I would have liked to get onto the front row but it didn’t work out here. My ambition was first row but second row isn’t so bad. I want to take good points from here and I will try my best.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes sped their YZF-R6s to the front row of tomorrow’s world supersport race in Valencia. Curtain took advantage of the unexpectedly sunny conditions at the Spanish circuit to improve his time from Friday by almost one second to bag second place on the grid, behind world champion and current points leader Sebastien Charpentier (Honda). The Yamaha Motor Germany squad worked hard overnight to change the set-up of the rapidly improving R6, giving Curtain confidence going into tomorrow’s 23-lap race. The Australian has already taken second place finishes in each of the first two rounds and would dearly love to add to his three career wins in the class in tomorrow’s race. Team-mate and fellow Australian Broc Parkes will start from fourth position, even though he was unable to better his Friday time in today’s 45 minute final session. Like Curtain, he worked on finding a good race set-up and is happy with the way his machine is performing. Joining Charpentier, Curtain and Parkes on the front row is Japanese rider Katsuaki Fujiwara (Honda). Two other R6 riders made it to the top 10 in qualifying. Javi Fores and Jordi Torres, two privately entered Spanish riders, ended the day in fifth and 10th places respectively. More, from a press release issued by Tom Tunstall Racing: Solid Progress for Tunstall in Valencia Qualifying Tom Tunstall continued his good form in the hotly contested World Supersport championship in Valencia today to qualify in 24th place for Sundays race. Throughout the two practice and qualifying sessions around the 4.005KM Valencia circuit in Spain, Tom, riding the Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport Honda CBR600RR slashed his lap time to improve his starting position and ended the day with a sixth row grid spot. After testing at the Valencia circuit four weeks earlier, Tom and Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport team were unable to replicate their best lap times due to the ever changing grip levels of the Spanish track. Despite the tricky conditions Tom and the team worked hard to find a solution and in the final qualifying session made some significant changes to the bike which enabled them to utilise the grip of a new specification Pirelli rear tyre. “It’s been a bit of a frustrating weekend but in final qualifying we made some real progress and I feel happy with what we’ve achieved even though the grid position isn’t what I wanted.” he said “With the advice from the Ten Kate Honda team we changed the balance of the bike quite a lot and that helped us get some grip back. At the end of the session I did my best times despite being on a tyre that had done ten laps, which is promising for tomorrows race.” explained Tom “I’m still a little bit frustrated though, as when we tested here a few weeks ago I was 12th fastest and I was really hoping to continue that momentum into this weekend. Looking at the times I’m about a second off the guys in 15th place and it’s obviously my aim to get in the top 15 and score some points. Valencia is a tough track to pass at and I think the difficulty will be getting up the front to start with, so I’m hoping for a good start and if I can do consistent lap times in the race we’ll have a good chance to score more points.” he continued. Having scored championship points in the opening round of the World Championship in Qatar, Tom is focussed on another strong performance in Sundays’ 23 lap race of the 4.005KM Spanish circuit, which will be televised live on British Eurosport.

Six-time and defending AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin topped qualifying Friday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama to take the provisional AMA Superbike pole position. With severe thunderstorms approaching quickly (within sight of the racetrack during the session), Mladin went straight to work on his Dunlop-race-tire-equipped Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, turning a 1:24.943 on his seventh flying lap of the undulating 2.3-mile road course — a new lap record. “I think that lap time will go fairly easily in the morning, if it’s dry,” said Mladin, when asked by reporters if he thought his lap time would hold up for pole position during Saturday morning’s final qualifying session. “Honda requested that Dunlop bring soft tires from now on so we can all qualify on soft tires, which we all sort of had an agreement that wasn’t going to happen, probably for the last couple of years, I guess. I didn’t want to use qualifiers, but soft tires have come back into the game now since Honda requested them. So we all have to deal with them now. Tomorrow, I’m sure, soft tires will come out, so if that lap time isn’t broken we’ve obviously messed up a lap.” “It’s pretty hard to speculate, to be honest with you,” continued Mladin, when asked if he would speculate why Honda would want to bring back special qualifying tires. “I couldn’t really understand it, simply because if they get soft tires we get them. So is it really going to make any difference in the end? I don’t know. To me, that really doesn’t make much sense. It means we’ve got to waste a bunch of our time, which is very limited these days, especially at these double-headers, to go and run soft tires. Silly, especially when everyone out there rides on Dunlops.” Also anticipating rain during the session, Mladin’s teammate and main challenger Ben Spies used a “softer” rear Dunlop race tire to turn a 1:25.139, before continuing to work on his race set-up for the remainder of the 40-minute session. Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden put in a late lap of 1:26.116 on his ZX-10R to claim the third spot on the provisional front row, just quicker than American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel, who turned a 1:26.142 on his CBR1000RR. After struggling in Friday morning practice, Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke (1:26.192) re-discovered his rhythm and ended up fifth. Parts Unlimited Ducati’s Neil Hodgson’s 1:26.206 on his factory 999 Superbike ranked him sixth in the session. Tommy Hayden, the older brother and teammate of Roger Hayden, turned the seventh-fastest lap time (1:26.345) on his ZX-10R. Hodgson’s teammate Ben Bostrom (1:26.572) shaved 1.6 seconds off his time in Friday morning practice and ended up eighth-fastest. Third Yoshimura Suzuki rider Aaron Yates (1:26.586) and Millennium KWS Suzuki’s John Haner (1:27.043), the fastest non-Dunlop qualifier on his Pirelli-shod GSX-R1000, rounded out the top 10 qualifiers Friday afternoon. Shortly after Superbike qualifying ended it started to rain at Barber Motorsports Park. AMA Superbike Championship Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 21 Friday’s Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:24.943 2. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:25.139 3. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:26.116 4. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:26.142 5. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:26.192 6. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999F06) 1:26.206 7. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:26.345 8. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999F06) 1:26.572 9. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:26.586 10. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:27.043 11. Larry Pegram (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:27.470 12. Pascal Picotte (Yam YZF-R1) 1:28.013 13. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.230 14. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.287 15. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.339 16. Francis Martin (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.468 17. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.720 18. Eric Wood (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.892 19. Jordan Szoke (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:29.013 20. Matt Lynn (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:29.084 21. Clint McBain (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:29.291 22. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:29.810 23. Brad Hendry (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:29.921 24. Kevin Lacombe (Yam YZF-R1) 1:30.091 25. Brian Stokes (Yam YZF-R1) 1:30.190 26. Andi Notman (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:30.474 27. Mike Sullivan (Yam YZF-R1) 1:30.474 28. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:30.841 29. Akira Tamitsuji (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:30.925 30. Michael Sanchez (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:30.966 31. James Stroud (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:31.229 32. James Kerker (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:31.348 33. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:31.731 34. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:32.007 35. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:32.162 36. C.R. Gittere (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:32.162 37. Matt Furtek (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:32.893 38. Fernando Armantini (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:32.950 39. Marco Martinez (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:33.000 40. Victor Chirinos (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:33.571 41. Armando Ferrer (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:33.974 42. Ricardo Sune (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:34.132 43. Reno Karimian (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:35.187 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: HODGSON COMPETITIVE IN BIRMINGHAM QUALIFYING FIGHT Leeds (Alabama) 21 April 2006: Parts Unlimited Ducati pilot Neil Hodgson qualified sixth in the first of two Birmingham Superbike Qualifying sessions on Friday, but the Isle of Man resident was less than one tenth off third place in a hotly contested battle. Teammate Ben Bostrom felt ill, but put his Ducati 999 in eighth spot nonetheless. On the day, the riders competed against each other and the weather as five spots inside the top ten were separated by just over half a second. Just as the session ended, the rains that had threatened the entire 50 minutes of qualifying and forced riders to go for their best times early finally fell. “Not too bad, not too bad, really. It’s hard work around here for us, as always,” said the 2003 World Superbike Champion Hodgson. “It’s close, and it’s going to be a good season I think, better than last year. It’s a shame the two Suzuki guys Mladin and Spies are out front a little bit. After those two guys, we have quite a level playing field out there. I’m pumped about the season and tomorrow. We have a direction we’re going to go in for tomorrow and I’ll be ‘hell for leather’, as they say, really going for it. I don’t feel like I’m sixth in line, a million miles a way. I’m just a tenth or so off third. We’re in the ballpark.” Bostrom struggled on Friday but put in a valiant effort to stay as close as he could to the leaders. The former series champ managed to get in quite a few laps despite his physical condition. “I was under the weather all day. I could barely do 1:28s in the morning, but I felt better in the afternoon and was able to cut a second and a half off the times,” said Bostrom. “We’ll need to cut another second and a half off tomorrow to the man on pole but we’re not so far behind the others, fortunately. Tomorrow, we will go to work in the morning and try to jump up a few spots for qualifying. Then it’s time to race!” Tomorrow’s 28-lap Superbike race begins at 3:50 local time.

Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo earned the pole position for round two of the Lockhart Phillips USA AMA Formula Xtreme Championship during qualifying Friday at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. Riding his factory YZF-R6 with a Dunlop qualifying tire, DiSalvo lapped the 2.3-mile road course in 1:27.143, which broke Miguel Duhamel’s lap record of 1:27.746. “It took me a little while to get into the flow,” DiSalvo told Roadracingworld.com. “We haven’t had any dry time on this bike so far this weekend, so we had to come in and make a suspension adjustment in the middle of the session. I rarely make a suspension adjustment in the middle of a session and never make one in the middle of a qualifying session. The changed worked, so it was good.” Second-fastest in qualifying was Parts Unlimited PJ1 Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes, who turned a 1:27.647 on his Dunlop qualifying tire-shod CBR600RR early in the session. DiSalvo’s teammate Eric Bostrom was really happy with his third-fastest 1:28.319. Hayes’ teammate Aaron Gobert earned the final spot with a 1:28.464 even though he said he had gone quicker on his CBR600RR during testing at Barber. Earning spots on the second row of the grid were: Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Kurtis Roberts with a 1:28.842 on a Pirelli-equipped Suzuki, Team Stargel Castrol’s Brian Stokes with a 1:29.497 on a Michelin-fitted Yamaha, Matsushima Performance Suzuki’s Danny Eslick with a 1:29.527 on his Dunlop-backed GSX-R600, and Leo Vince/Pegram Racing Honda’s Ryan Elleby with a 1:29.720 on his Michelin-sponsored CBR600RR. Lockhart Phillips USA AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 21 Provisional Qualifying Results: 1. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R6) 1:27.144 2. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR) 1:27.647 3. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R6) 1:28.319 4. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR) 1:28.464 5. Kurtis Roberts (Suz GSX-R600) 1:28.841 6. Brian Stokes (Yam YZF-R6) 1:29.497 7. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R600) 1:29.527 8. Ryan Elleby (Hon CBR600RR) 1:29.719 9. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR) 1:29.773 10. Eric Wood (Hon CBR600RR) 1:30.314 11. Chris “Opie” Caylor (Suz GSX-R600) 1:30.795 12. Ty Howard (Hon CBR600RR) 1:30.902 13. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R600) 1:31.249 14. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R600) 1:31.860 15. Tony Meiring (Suz GSX-R600) 1:31.944 16. Alastair Seeley (Yam YZF-R6) 1:32.081 17. Nicky Moore (Yam YZF-R6) 1:32.405 18. Tyler McDonald (Yam YZF-R6) 1:32.555 19. Keith Marshall (Suz GSX-R600) 1:32.881 20. Garrett Carter (Yam YZF-R6) 1:32.927 21. Nathan Hester (Yam YZF-R6) 1:33.110 22. Mike Hale (Buell XB-12R) 1:33.327 23. Trey Yonce (Yam YZF-R6) 1:33.405 24. James Kerker (Hon CBR600RR) 1:33.432 25. Marco Martinez (Yam YZF-R6) 1:33.693 26. Victor Chirinos (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:34.098 27. Armando Ferrer (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:34.168 28. Jeremiah Johnson (Suz GSX-R600) 1:34.300 29. Kenny Carlotta (Suz GSX-R600) 1:34.904 30. Johnny Rock Page (Yam YZF-R6) 1:34.998 110% of fast time: 1:35.858 Did not qualify 31. Mark Hatten (Duc 749R) 1:36.192 More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: TEAM M4 EMGO SUZUKI RETURNS TO ACTION AT BARBER Team M4 EMGO Suzuki came into the second round of the 2006 AMA season at Barber Motorsports Park on Friday four-strong and determined to make their presence felt throughout the weekend at the scenic Alabama circuit. Many eyes throughout the paddock closely tracked the progress of Barber Superbike race winner Kurtis Roberts aboard the squad’s potent Pirelli-shod GSX-R600 Formula Xtreme racer. Filling in for Michael Barnes who injured his knee at the Daytona season opener, the former MotoGP competitor improved from eighth in the morning practice to qualify fifth for Saturday’s 17-lap final. The hard-charging Roberts posted a best time of 1:28.841 in his first qualifying session for the team. Even bigger things are expected from the talented racer come race time. Georgian Geoff May showed impressive speed in the day’s Superstock and Supersport practices. He notched up the third best time of the Superstock practice aboard his powerful GSX-R1000 with a quick lap of 1: 28.360. Immediately following the Superstock session, he put in the fourth fastest lap in the Supersport practice, making his way around the undulating racetrack in 1:29.063. Barnes surprised the team by healing quicker than expected and was given a Supersport-spec GSX-R600 to ride this weekend in order to help him get back into the flow. He was immediately on the pace, setting the eighth best time of the free practice at 1:30.546. Young Shea Fouchek was 20th in the Supersport session at 1:32.718. At the end of the day, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry said, “We’re doing well. We’re not exactly where we want to be on the FX bike, but nobody is concerned because Kurtis knows what we did at the test and we’re making some changes. We’re all just methodically working through a few things.” “Geoff is riding great,” Perry added. “He rode really well on the 1000 and the 600 in both practices and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do this weekend. “Barney’s knee is really coming along faster than what we were told to expect. This is a good test for him to be able to ride here. It’s going to be a good workout for him to run Supersport and hopefully not overwork it. “We have a new mechanic working with Shea and there will be a little bit of an adjustment period as they get used to working together. They just need more time.”

AMA Superbike Championship Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 21 Provisional Friday Practice Times (lap record – 1:25.047): 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:25.674 2. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:25.893 3. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:26.240 4. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999F06) 1:26.309 5. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:26.458 6. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:26.878 7. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:26.892 8. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:27.163 9. John Haner (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:27.407 10. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999F06) 1:28.139 11. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.394 12. Pascal Picotte (Yam YZF-R1) 1:28.523 13. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.690 14. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.728 15. Tom Kipp (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:28.821 16. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.988 17. Larry Pegram (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:29.032 18. Eric Wood (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:29.351 19. Jordan Szoke (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:29.389 20. Francis Martin (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:29.456 21. Jason Curtis (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:29.570 22. Clint McBain (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:29.776 23. Matt Lynn (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:30.122 24. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:30.443 25. Kevin Lacombe (Yam YZF-R1) 1:30.684 26. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:30.819 27. Akira Tamitsuji (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:30.999 28. Brad Hendry (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:31.170 29. Andi Notman (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:31.243 30. Mike Sullivan (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.320 31. Taylor Knapp (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:31.679 32. Scott Carpenter (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:32.150 33. Michael Sanchez (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:32.227 34. Matt Furtek (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:32.372 35. James Stroud (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:32.414 36. C.R. Gittere (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:33.043 37. James Kerker (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:33.582 38. Dominic Jones (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:33.591 39. Dean Mizdal (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:34.028 40. Marco Martinez (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:34.033 41. Fernando Amantini (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:34.294 42. Victor Chirinos (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:34.746 43. Ricardo Sune (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:34.810 44. Brian Stokes (Yam YZF-R1), 1:35.357 45. Reno Karimian (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:35.707 46. Armando Ferrer (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:36.444 47. Johnny Rock Page (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:36.800

FIRST PERSON/OPINION: Via e-mail: Okay, let me take a deep breath”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦.. 13 years ago, I realized my biggest dream by becoming a motorcycle road racer, starting right here with CCS. Since then I have won 100 races, 8 class championships, crashed 39 times with only one injury, 3 stitches in my left elbow. I have met absolutely wonderful people that have shared this experience with me. Especially John Jewett who has always been there for me, becoming my best friend, and at times my closest competition. My entire life has been wrapped around motorcycles and motorcycle racing. I have accomplished everything I wanted. I have created memories that I will own forever, no one can take them away from me. Well, it is time to take a step back. I am walking away from this wonderful sport as of now. I don’t know for how long, I am not sure this is forever, but at the very least I need a break. I have already sold my bike, (to Rick Bucher). I am happy for what I have that I can take with me, but of course I am saddened at the thought of losing the un-realized future cherished experiences that I will not have the opportunity to create. Thank you ALL for sharing the most wonderful time of my life. I hope I have given more than I am taking with me. And thank you Roadracing World for keeping it real all these years when it seemed like just a dream. Your friend forever, Rick Stratton (CCS #16) Peoria, Arizona

AMA Supersport Championship Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 21 Provisional Practice Times (lap record – 1:27.635) 1. Roger Hayden (Kaw) 1:28.056 2. Jamie Hacking (Yam) 1:28.280 3. Ben Spies (Suz) 1:28.401 4. Geoff May (Suz) 1:29.063 5. Ben Attard (Kaw) 1:29.617 6. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw) 1:30.065 7. Pascal Picotte (Yam) 1:30.194 8. Michael Barnes (Suz) 1:30.547 9. Danny Eslick (Suz) 1:30.573 10. Chris “Opie” Caylor (Suz) 1:31.104 11. Ryan Elleby (Hon) 1:31.474 12. Blake Young (Suz) 1:31.743 13. Matt Furtek (Suz) 1:31.834 14. Kevin Lacombe (Yam) 1:31.961 15. Francis Martin (Suz) 1:32.096 16. Clint McBain (Suz) 1:32.218 17. Keith Marshall (Suz) 1:32.511 18. Nicky Moore (Yam) 1:32.653 19. Jeff Tigert (Hon) 1:32.656 20. Shea Fouchek (Suz) 1:32.718 21. Alastair Seeley (Yam) 1:32.723 22. Tony Meiring (Suz) 1:32.831 23. Michael Beck (Yam) 1:32.881 24. Garrett Carter (Yam) 1:33.164 25. Giovanni Rojas (Suz) 1:33.293