Rizla Suzuki racers Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and James Haydon crashed out of both races at the second round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park. In the first race, Shakey was in fourth place and James in ninth when rain and hail started to fall. On slick tyres James crashed at the Old Hairpin and a minute later, Shakey high-sided at Schwantz at 140mph as the rain robbed the track surface of grip. The race was red flagged and taken back a lap with Shakey eventually being awarded fifth place behind winner Gregorio Lavilla on a Ducati. In the second, event Shakey crashed out on the warm-up lap on a track covered in standing water. Haydon made a brilliant start from eighth to second but then went grass-tracking before rejoining well down the field. He crashed on lap two at Goddards and showed his determination when he rejoined the race before crashing again and retiring on lap nine at McCleans as he struggled to find grip in the wet conditions. Vivaldi Suzuki’s Scott Smart won the race. Both Rizla Suzuki racers are battered and bruised after their crashes but have no serious injuries and are already looking forward to the third round of the Championship at Thruxton next weekend. Shakey Byrne: “In the first race I suffered one of the biggest crashes of my career flat out in fifth gear going through the Schwantz curve. It had started to rain and the back end of the bike just came round and I went flying. It was a big crash and I am well bruised after that. The only consolation is the race was declared from a lap earlier and I was awarded fifth place. “In the second race I went into Coppice on a closed throttle nice and steady on my out lap. The back end came round in slow motion and I couldn’t do anything about it and crashed out. I didn’t have a spare bike for race two after my first race crash and that was unfortunately the end of the day for me.” James Haydon: “In the opening race the rain started to pour down and going into the Old Hairpin the back end slid away. I held it for what seemed like forever before it high-sided and I crashed out. It was a real shame because I was enjoying the race and the bike was handling better than ever. “In the next race the wet and slippery conditions caught me out twice. The first time I remounted and was cutting back through the field towards the front when I crashed again and this time I couldn’t get restarted. It’s been a tough weekend and I hope the next round at Thruxton is dry.” Robert Wicks – Team Manager: “It’s been a hard day at the races for Rizla Suzuki with five crashes in four race starts. The conditions were awful and played their part in causing those accidents and we will count our good fortune that both riders can walk away from Donington with minor bruising injuries and nothing more serious. “This weekend we proved in the dry we have front running pace. That’s a step forward for us and we will take the positives from that to the next round at the team’s home circuit at Thruxton. “Well done to Vivaldi Suzuki’s Scott Smart on taking victory in a dramatic and wet second race. Seeing a GSX-R1000 win is encouraging for all of us.” Race One Result: 1: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 20:53.166, 2: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.134, 3: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +5.246, 4: Michael Laverty (Honda) +9.361, 5: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +9.591, 6: Karl Harris (Honda) +10.540, 7: Michael Rutter (Honda) +11.533, 8: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +20.235, 9: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +22.451, 10: Scott Smart (Suzuki) +23.216. James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) DNF. Race Two Result:1: Smart 27:37.071, 2: Haslam +0.576, 3: Lavilla +2.297, 4: Gary Mason (Honda) +5.943, 5: Rea +30.768, 6: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +33.586, 7: Laverty +36.829, 8: Ollie Bridewell (Suzuki) +59.273, 9: Chris Martin (Honda) +59.297, 10: Malcolm Ashley (Kawasaki) +1:04.142,. James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) DNF. Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) DNS. Championship Standings (after two of 13 rounds): 1: Lavilla 82, 2: Kiyonari 58, 3: Haslam 56, 4: Harris 41, 5: Smart 33, 6: Laverty 31, 7: Rea 30, 8: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) 26, 9: Rutter 25, 10: Thomas 23. 16: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 15.

GRITTY HAYDEN GRINDS OUT SIXTH SUCCESSIVE PODIUM Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) came a narrow second to Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) in a tense MotoGP race here in windy Qatar today. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) was third. This is Hayden’s sixth consecutive rostrum finish as he bids for his first win of the 2006 season. With a 33km/h wind, erratic in direction, blowing throughout the day, turns two and nine seemed to be the worst affected. There was also a 44 degree track temperature to contend with, although the elevated ambient temperature that is so often a debilitating factor here was ‘only’ 25-degrees now that this is an April race instead of an October fixture. Pole man Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) simply stormed away from the line as the lights went out and he looked strong as the field struggled to establish an order and make chase. Capirossi was nearest to the young Aussie, but the Italian couldn’t stay with him as the first lap unfolded. At the start of lap two the order was Stoner, Hayden, Rossi, Capirossi, Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki), Sete Gibernau (Ducati), then Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V). Hayden put in an early fastest lap as he went all out to hound Stoner in those early stages. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) was down in 11th place following a slow get away from the starting light. Then it was Rossi piling on the pressure as he chased Hayden, a fastest lap belonging to the Italian rider on lap three. On lap six Rossi and Hayden swapped places twice in both final loops as they fought for dominance in the struggle to reel in runaway Stoner. Rossi eventually got the upper hand and had a 0.77 second gap to close on the swift Australian. On lap ten Rossi nipped past Stoner into turn one, then it was Hayden’s turn to demote Stoner to third on the next lap. Rossi now held a 0.6 second advantage over Hayden and it was only another two laps before Capirossi squeezed past the Aussie to put the ‘old firm’ in charge at the front. As lap fifteen ran its course Rossi and Hayden had an advantage of more than a second over Capirossi and Stoner, with Gibernau losing ground in fifth. Hayden now knew he had to size up Rossi to see what his plan should be in the closing laps. He moved past Rossi at turn one on lap 19. Rossi repaid the compliment on lap 20 at the same place and Hayden could not respond and Rossi won by 0.9 seconds at the flag with closer to Hayden than the American was to Rossi. But Hayden rode a mature race and it can’t be long until the Kentucky Kid notches up a second career win in MotoGP. “We gambled overnight on some changes,” said Hayden. “The team got it right but I didn’t quite do it right today. I had fun though. The six podiums in a row are OK but we need to take another step up. We’ve got two weeks to put some hard work in to find the extra second a lap we need.” Stoner in fourth said, “The start was really good and I felt really good out in front. But as the fuel load went down and the pace went up I lost a bit of rear wheel grip. Physically I wasn’t 100% so today wasn’t a bad result. After 10 laps I had leg cramps.” Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) finished a tight sixth after an intense battle with Melandri and said, “When I caught Melandri we had a big battle. My bike was really fast and I could overtake him, but he was braking so late! I’m not angry, but I’m upset because today I lost a good opportunity to be battling at the front. In the race I learned a lot of things and I know I performed as well as I could have. Although I’m frustrated today, the two races so far have been really positive.” Melandri was seventh after the epic duel with Dani and said, “It was a really difficult race. I got a good start and tried to make up some positions but I made a mistake towards the end of the race that cost me a position. I had a really good battle with Dani Pedrosa, he was passing me on the straight but I was able to get him back on the brakes. I’m still not riding as I’d like, but tomorrow we stay for a day of tests and hopefully it can help us take another step forward.” Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V), despite being ill with a stomach bug, finished eighth. He said, “We’ve done a great job over the two days of practice and I was hoping for more than this today. I didn’t get a good start and I paid the price for that. Then Hopkins’ engine began to drop oil and I had to get off the throttle, sending me even further back. My visor was covered in oil and after losing contact with the lead group it became a really hard race for me. I’m disappointed because I know I could have had a nice race today.” “The bike and tyres were great today,” said Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) in tenth. “But I could have been better if I had got clear of the group quicker but with the oil incident you had to be careful. I have to thank the team for all they did this weekend, a great job. Still, if you had said in November that we would have finished the first two races in the top 10 we might not have agreed with you.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) finished 14th and said, “I didn’t expect to have such a difficult start to the season. I’m not able to ride my RC211V properly yet. It is hard to be fast in the corner without having the right feel from the bikee. I’m sorry about this.” The World Championship points standings look like this after two of 17 rounds: Capirossi 41, Hayden 36, Rossi 30. Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) won a thrilling 250cc race from Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) after the pair pulled well clear of the field by mid-race distance. Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia) was a fine third after running off track in the early laps and fighting back into contention. Locatelli made the run into turn one from the lights to head the field, but Dovizioso led across the line to begin lap two and set an early fastest lap of this 20-lap race. By lap three Dovi held a 1.36 second advantage over his Spanish rival Lorenzo. By lap 12 Lorenzo and Dovi were 13 seconds ahead of Barbera, but the recovering Locatelli was setting a fastest lap on his charge back into contention after his ‘off’. The race order up front was to remain fixed as Dovi shadowed Lorenzo waiting for the final lap. Lorenzo knew a Dovi challenge would come he just didn’t know where. With half a lap to go Dovi made his move up the inside but Lorenzo stayed with him to hold a tighter line into the right/right combination before the final two turns. Dovi hung close but could not make an impression across the line. Sebastian Porto (Repsol Honda RS250RW) finished seventh and Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) was ninth. But the huge gap between themselves and the leading duo will be of some concern. “I have to be happy with this,” said Dovizioso. “After the warm up, I was convinced we’d be able to do a good race and I did a very good start. The team worked very hard and we were fast today. But I need more power. There is a long way to go this season and I know Honda will be working hard so that we can have an edge in the races to come.” Porto said, “Well it hasn’t been that bad. I’m happy with the race, obviously not with the result. You’re here to win, but given all the problems we’ve had and our current situation, finishing today has been very important to me, on a personal level. But there’s still a lot to be improved. We have to improve the chassis, and the engine didn’t work that well today either. I’ve given my best with what I had.” Takahashi said, “It’s been a tough race for me as I’ve had problems with the front throughout the whole weekend. In the warm up we tested other solutions but without getting benefits. Before the race, my team decided to fit new suspension that I’ve never tried and actually it solved the problem. Now we have to adjust the general set up, but Istanbul is similar to this track and so we will start from a good base.” The overall points standings at this early stage of the season show Lorenzo in the lead with 50 points after two consecutive wins, Dovi in second with 36 points and Locatelli on 25. Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) won the 125cc race by 6.7 seconds from Mika Kallio (KTM) who just managed to overhaul third-placed Sergio Gadea (Aprilia) as the pair broached the finish line. Bautista has now posted back-to-back wins in the first two races of the season. It was Gadea who made the early running in this 18-lap race until Bautista upped the pace by lap five, stealing the lead and then setting a fastest lap of 2m 8.591 seconds as he stretched away from the rest of the field. Most Honda riders would prefer to forget this race. Mike Di Meglio (FFM Honda RS125R) retired at the start of the second lap, Sandro Cortese (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) tangled with Juan Olive (Aprilia) and fell on lap two, while reigning World Champion Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) managed a seventh place finish. Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) finished 11th after running with the leading group on the first few laps, but the Hungarian dropped back as the race unfolded and he was nearly 30 seconds adrift of the winner at the flag. Luthi said, “For some reason I was not good at the last two corners and the run onto the start finish straight. But we made a big step this weekend after a bad experience at the start of the season. We have some points and we can now make progress.” “Unfortunately we couldn’t find the right balance,” said Talmacsi. “We need better suspensions settings as I struggled too much today. Also, I wasn’t fast in the straight and 11th place is the best I could do today. The important thing, anyway, is that we have scored some more points in the World Standings.” Bautista leads the World Championship with 50 points after his perfect start to the season. Kallio has 33 points and Pasini 29 as the Turkish round looms at the end of April. QUOTES MOTOGP: Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2nd “Battling for the win is so much more fun than battling for fourth place! I pushed Valentino hard today and I pushed myself about as hard as I could too. We had the bike that could win today, but on the last lap in a left-hander I got into a nice little slide, Valentino gapped me pretty good and it was hard to recover. We gambled a bit with set up today, we rolled the dice, and it worked well for me in the race, helping a lot in the fast corners. So a big thanks to my crew. Its my second year with my crew chief and were working really well together. All the guys have been working hard and making some good improvements on the bike. We’ve still got some work to do and well be back here in the morning testing, but the new bikes definitely getting better and were heading in the right direction. Six podiums on the trot is cool, but it would be nice to get a few wins along the way!” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: 5th “The start was great and I felt really comfortable out front and just concentrated on doing my own thing but as the fuel got lighter I wasn’t able to up the pace as I lost some rear grip. My physical condition was also a factor today and I wasn’t feeling 100%. I thought I could have got a better result today. I missed a lot of pre-season training and then I had the flu and after ten laps my leg began to cramp up. When Valentino came passed for the lead I wasn’t surprised, it was only a matter of time, and over the second half of the race I had a good battle with Loris and Gibernau.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 6th Its easy to say this now, but I believe I could have finished further up, at least in 4th, if Id made a better start. We had a problem with the clutch, like Nicky when he was practising his starts yesterday. At first I thought the wheel was spinning but actually it was the clutch. Then, when I was behind Elias and we were both overtaking Hopkins his bike put oil on our visors. Elias closed the throttle and we lost a lot of time on the leaders at least 3 or 4 seconds. When I caught Melandri we had a big battle. My bike was really fast and I could overtake him, but he was braking so late! Im not angry with the result, but Im upset because today I lost a good opportunity to be battling at the front. In the race I learned a lot of things and I know I performed as well as I could have. Although Im frustrated today, the two races so far have been really positive. Makoto Tanaka Repsol Honda Team Manager ” Ahhh! How disappointing today’s result is! Nicky has worked hard to finalise his set-up since he came here and he did a really excellent job both in yesterdays qualifying and today’s race. He’s become really strong mentally since last year and I want sincerely to praise his work today. Dani lost many positions at the start because of an uncertain feeling from the clutch which caused him to wheelie. However, he did very well to finish sixth. He’s a really professional rider who doesn’t stop racing until he crosses the line. We didn’t win, but Nicky took 2nd place and Dani is in 3rd place in the riders championship which bodes well for the rest of the season. We still have work to do to improve the bikes performance but I think we are close to our target. So, watch this space. Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 7th “It was a really difficult race. I got a good start and tried to make up some positions but I made a mistake towards the end of the race that cost me a position. I had a really good battle with Dani Pedrosa, he was passing me in the straight but I was able to get him back on the brakes. I’m still not riding as I would like to – tomorrow we’ll stay for a day of tests and hopefully it can help us take another step forward.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 8th “We’ve done a great job over the two days of practice and I was hoping for more than this today. I didn’t get a good start and I paid the price for that. Then Hopkins’ engine began to drop oil and I had to shut off the throttle, sending me even further back. My visor was covered in oil and after losing contact with the lead group it became a really hard race for me. I’m disappointed because I know I could have had a nice race today.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: “10TH Start was not too bad but I got boxed in by a lot of guys in front of me who were not going to be racing for the lead. Some of them were loosing oil Chris Vermeulen was dropping oil all over me. I guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When I got clear of those guys the gap to the riders in front of me was too big to close down. The bike and tyres were great today but I could have been better if I had got clear of the group quicker but with oil everywhere you have to be careful. I have to thank the team for all they did this weekend, great job. Still, if you had said in November that we would have finished the first two races in the top 10 we might not have agreed with you.” Kenny Roberts Senior, Team Owner KR Honda. “We are still looking for the ideal base set up and we’re trying too many things in a short time. You can loose your way a bit when you do that. We are also held back a little by having only one rider but all in all we have made progress so far.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 14th “I did not expect to have such a difficult season starting. I’m not able to drive as I would my RC211V yet. It is hard to be fast in the corner without having the right feeling. I am sorry I have not had to possibility to give any satisfaction to KONICA MINOLTA, to Honda and to all team guys that are constantly working to create the best conditions.” 250cc Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 2nd “We struggle a bit in approaching the race and we are too much at the limit with the set-up of the bike. This doesn’t allow me to do the difference. But this morning, after the warm up, I was convinced to be able to do a good race and I did a very good start. However, Lorenzo has followed me and in the middle stages he was able to pass me. Taking some risk, I kept the contact with his Aprilia and when we begun the last lap my strategy was to suddenly pass him and try to take a bit of advantage in the first half of the track, where I was going more strongly, while he was being faster in the final curves. It didn’t happen, though, I went wide in a curve and he has passed me again. I could also have tried in last curve, but a sideslip has forced me to shut off the throttle. Actually, I hoped in the victory but we still need more horsepower to really fight for win. Sebastian Porto, Repsol Honda: 7th “Well, that it hasn’t been that bad. I’m happy, especially with the race, obviously not with the result. You’re here to win, but given all the problems we’ve had and our current situation, finishing today has been very important to me, on a personal level. But there’s still a lot to be improved. We have to further improve the chassis, and the engine didn’t work well today either. I’ve given my best with what I had. The best was the last part of the race. I was fourth in the group and I managed to overtake them all; finishing seventh isn’t bad. Let’s hope that this will be the beginning of an improvement and that the next race will be even better. We haven’t managed to have a good feeling on the bike with the new tyres yet. We loose a lot on new tyres, but then, halfway the race, it is the other way around. When the others start going down, this bike keeps the pace. That’s something I still have to improve, the initial part on new tyres, I need better grip. Now it’s time to enjoy and relax; I’m already looking forward to preparing the next race.” Yuki Takahashi, Humangest Honda: 9th “It has been a tough race for me as I had problems in the front throughout the whole weekend. In the warm up we tested other solutions but without getting benefits. Before the race, my team decided to put a new suspension that I’ve never tried and actually it solved the problem. Now we have to adjust the general set up, but Istanbul is similar to this track and so we will start from a good base” Martin Cardenas, Wurth Honda BQR: 11th “I made a good start and caught the fast group ahead of me. I couldn’t hold onto them and when they went away I concentrated on holding my position. The bike is really good and I am really happy with the season so far. I’m looking forward to Turkey I like the track down there.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 13th “I’m obviously not happy at all, it’s a bad result. The bike worked quite well; we could have improved a bit the suspensions, but the overall setting was OK. But the rider hasn’t been at a good level today. I don’t know why, but I haven’t been able to be fast on this circuit at any time. I probably haven’t been focussed enough this weekend. I made a good start but several riders overtook me in the first corner. After the crash in Jerez I wanted above all to finish the race here, but I wanted to do it much more in the front.” Arnaud Vincent, Molenaar Honda: 16th “From the last qualifying session we had an engine problem. It’s difficult to know what it was because when we checked carburetion it looks really good. I was down on acceleration an top speed was not as good as it was on Friday morning. Pity because we made progress with the chassis. I like the track at Istanbul so if we find the engine problem I will have a better race for sure.” Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf crash “I got a good start and the bike was running really well. We made a compromise on suspension and I ran stiffer suspension settings on the rear and I had a much better feeling with the bike. But I was pushing too hard and lost the font end and crashed. The positive point about this race was that I know I can race with the riders in 250 and I’m looking forward to Turkey, it’s a track I learned last year.” Jordi Carchano, Stop and Go Racing: dnf – crash. “I lost the front end and crashed, on lap 16. It was a pity because the team had given me a good bike to race. The shifter problems we had all though qualifying were fixed and I was able to race as I wanted.” 125cc Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 8th. “I’m more happy than unhappy with this result. My target was to get a good start and be with the lead group. I managed to do it I could race with Faubel and Rodriguez but when Nieto came passed us I mad a small mistake and it cost me two seconds. For some reason I was not good at the last two corners and the run onto the start finish straight. But we made a big step this weekend after a bad experience at the start of the season. We have some points and we can now make progress, as I said I’m happy in the circumstances.” Gabor Talmacsi, Humangest Honda: 11th. “I did my best but the bike was competitive for a couple of laps not for the whole race. Unfortunately we couldn’t find the right balance during the weekend and the wind increased the problem. We have to adjust better the suspensions settings as I struggled too much today. Also, I wasn’t fast in the straight and 11th place is the best I could do today. The important thing, anyway, is that we have conquered some more points in the World Standings.” Aleix Espargaro, Wurth Honda BQR: 17th. “Not so bad when you look at my bad practice and qualifying sessions. I had a small problem with the clutch off the start and was only 20 – 21 at the end of the first lap. I was racing with Koyama but he was a little quicker than me today. I could hold him till the last few laps when my rear tyre started sliding and I had to let him go. I didn’t want a crash at the end of a bad weekend for me.” Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 22nd. “The start was OK. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad. I only lost a couple of places but the first corner was awful. I just got in there; I guess I was thinking too much, being really cautious. I looked at all the riders and it made me so nervous. I just need to get the blockage out of my head and be clear and go right into the corner. There were people around me that moved up to sixteenth on the first lap and I was back in thirtieth. It is possible I just need to be able to do it. The race was good, I made it up to nineteenth, the eighteenth was just in front and then I could see seventeenth and sixteenth in the distance, a few seconds ahead so I kept on pushing. Then I went wide in turn thirteen. I brought the bike back onto the track but pushed too much into the next corner. The bike got a bit squirrelly and then I had to go straight. I lost so much time and places. After that I just kept on putting my head down making sure I was putting in consistent laps to try to catch the riders in front. Now I’m just thinking what could have been but we’re going to sort everything out for Turkey.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 27th. “I got a good start and caught the group ahead of me on the grid and enjoyed the race much more than at Jerez. The beginning of the ace was good and I caught and passed a lot of riders. Then on the sixth lap I made a mistake, ran wide nearly onto the grass. I had to close the gas and lost contact with the group. The engine was good but I had a small problem on set up. But things are definitely going in a good direction for me. Now I’m really looking forward to Turkey.” Lorenzo Baroni, Humangest Honda: 30th. “I’m not really happy with today’s race. We have had many problems with the front of the bike all over the weekend, we didn’t solve them for the race and the wind today didn’t help us at all. I started well but at the first turn I brake a bit too early and so the other riders passed me. In the final lap, I was fighting with two riders but I made a mistake with the gear and so I lost time. So, this is a race to forget, but it is good for gathering experience.” Sandro Cortese, Elit Honda: dnf – crash. “Not very good at all, I crashed with Olive. I was running my normal line in the corner when Olive came across in front of and I hit him, I had no place to go. I’m very disappointed because that’s twice I have crashed so far. Pity because I got a good start and the bike was running good.” Mike Di Meglio, FFM Honda: dnf – brake problem. “What an eventful race that was and I only lasted one and a half laps! Even then it was a big fight. My start was not so bad but one rider hit me in turn one and then I couldn’t keep the right line because of the wind. On the second lap the rider behind ran into me and hit my brake lever knocking it forward so I had no front brake and I had to pull in. Pity because we had found a good compromise on rear end settings and the chatter problems we had in qualifying were gone.” Fabrizio Lai, Valsir Seedorf Racing: 14th “I tried to do my best with this bike. I started very well and I recovered many positions. During the second lap I touched Pesek and I lost the front mudguard and consequently I lost in performance. The bike wasn’t very fast in the straight, even in slipstream I couldn’t have the same pace of the other riders. In this conditions is not easy to be competitive.” Michele Conti, Seedorf Racing World: 28th.”Our Honda are not ok. In straights all the riders of my group could pass me very easily. Then I could overtook them in curves. I need to learn to ride faster, but also the bike need to grow in power.”

Six-time and defending AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin turned the quickest time during the first day of a two-day AMA team test at Miller Motorsports Park (MMP), near Salt Lake City, Utah. Riding his Dunlop-shod Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, Mladin turned a time of 1:54.769 around the 3.06-mile, 15-turn “Perimeter Course,” the course AMA Pro Racing will most likely race on during its inaugural event at MMP in June. “It’s good,” said Mladin, when asked what he thought of MMP. “It’s a nice layout. I think it’s a good racetrack. As always, there’s going to be places where things are certainly not quite right and there are a few out there, but it’s a good racetrack. We certainly can’t complain too loudly given some of the places we have to go race at. But I think there are some things they can change quite easily and make it a lot better. We’re going to go and talk here in a few minutes, get a few of the things out there, see what they say.” At the end of the day, a debriefing session was held, involving most of the riders and team managers, AMA Pro Racing Superbike Series Manager Ron Barrick and other AMA Pro Racing officials, MMP designer and General Manager Alan Wilson, MMP Director of Motorcycle Operations Dan Solomon and MMP Director of Racing Mitch Wright. The group went over the track corner-by-corner to discuss problems, safety concerns, possible improvements, etc. Aside from the location of some curbings, Airfence safety modules and gravel traps, the main issues discussed were how traffic from pit lane would be merged onto the racetrack and the location of an Armco barrier on the outside of the track at the exit of the final corner. After some debate, possible solutions for each issue were proposed. There was also some debate over whether to try the full, 4.5-mile course on Sunday or not. Although AMA Pro Racing may race on the longer, more technical course in the future, it seems that it was decided to postpone testing on the full course until a later date. Another issue during testing Saturday, discussed outside of the debriefing, was the rate of tire wear on the track’s abrasive surface, which is not unusual for a brand new racing surface. “The track is brand new, and it’s very, very hard on tires,” said Mladin, who stated he is only at the MMP test to test tires for Dunlop and learn the track. “After a few laps, the tires are pretty much gone. But it’s good to come out and do some laps and figure out which way the track goes and that sort of stuff.” Hotbodies Racing’s Cory West, who rides on Pirellis, and Leo Vince/Pegram Racing Honda’s Larry Pegram, who rides on Michelins, also reported excessive tire wear issues Saturday. Three riders crashed Saturday afternoon, but not one of the three riders reported an injury. Hotbodies Racing/Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki’s Marty Craggill was the first rider to crash at MMP, losing the front in the final turn, a second-gear left-hander called “Release.” A few minutes later, Jamie Hacking crashed his Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 LE when he got off the clean line and into a dirty section of the fast (fourth-gear) right-hand sweeper in the middle of the track, turn seven or “Witchcraft.” The day ended with Attack Kawasaki’s Damon Buckmaster lowsiding his ZX-6RR Supersport bike in turn eight, “First Attitude,” the entrance to a rolling set of esses. Saturday Afternoon AMA Test Times (as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing & scoring): 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:54.769 Superbike 2. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:55.387 Superbike 3. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:55.975 Superbike 4. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1 LE), 1:56.350 Superstock 5. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R1 LE), 1:57.489 Superstock 6. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:58.034 Superstock 7. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:58.209 Superstock 8. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R6), 1:58.368 Formula Xtreme 9. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1 LE), 1:58.372 Superstock 10. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:59.328 Supersport 11. Marty Craggill (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:59.408 Superstock 12. Larry Pegram (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.848 Superstock 13. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:59.931 Supersport 14. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000), 2:00.163 Superstock 15. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R6), 2:00.471 Supersport 16. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R6), 2:01.249 Formula Xtreme 17. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-6RR), 2:01.455 Supersport 18. Shane Turpin (Yam YZF-R1), 2:03.961 Superstock 19. C.R. Gittere (Suz GSX-R1000), 2:06.524 Superstock 20. Shane Turpin (Yam YZF-R6), 2:06.995 Supersport

The first-ever AMA Superbike test at Miller Motorsports Park, near Salt Lake City, Utah, kicked off Saturday morning. Present for the test are: Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin; Hotbodies Racing/Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki’s Marty Craggill; American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke; Leo Vince/Pegram Racing Honda’s Larry Pegram and Ryan Elleby; Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden and Roger Hayden; Attack Kawasaki’s Damon Buckmaster and Ben Attard; Yamaha/Graves Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom, Jamie Hacking and Jason DiSalvo; Hotbodies Racing’s Cory West; and privateers Shane Turpin and C.R. Gittere. Asked why 2005 Superstock Champion Aaron Yates and 2005 Superbike Championship runner-up Ben Spies were not at the test, Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura said, “Aaron’s not 100% healthy yet, so we felt it would be better if he skipped this test and worked on getting healthy for the race at Barber. And we didn’t really have much to test. We’re primarily looking at tires for Dunlop. Plus, we’re coming back here for another test (with several other teams) in May, and we can work on our race set-up stuff then.” American Honda’s Duhamel and Zemke are not riding their CBR1000RR Superbikes at Miller Motorsports Park. Instead, the two men are sharing one CBR1000RR “R&D” bike built by Zemke’s former Crew Chief David McGrath “to have a look at the track, look at some tires for Dunlop and test a couple of things for Dave,” Zemke told Roadracingworld.com. The Superbike he was riding, added Zemke, was used for testing this past off-season before their new, 2006-spec machines were completed. The test is being conducted on the 3.06-mile “perimeter course” at Miller Motorsports Park, the course AMA Pro Racing is planning to race on, but some riders have asked AMA Pro Racing if they may also ride the full, 4.5-mile course at some point of the two-day test. The 4.5-mile course includes more turns and more technical turns than the 3.06-mile course, but the shorter course will allow for the riders to come past at-track spectators more times during the races. In general, riders had good things to say about the wide, fast and flowing course Saturday morning, but called the track’s surface “dirty” and “green.” The AMA riders are the first ones to ever ride on the 3.06-mile course. Some riders pointed out some bumps at pavement transitions (including one on the front straightaway that resulted in nasty tank-slappers), which track personnel were already aware of, and a few safety concerns were also identified, like the Armco barrier at the exit of the final corner. All of the riders have expressed appreciation for the way their concerns have been received by Miller Motorsports Park staff, which has said plans are already in the works to make several adjustments the riders have called for. A debriefing session between the riders, AMA Pro Racing and Miller Motorsports Park staff is scheduled for Saturday evening. In spite of a media event being snow/rained out Thursday and snow-covered mountains surrounding the racetrack, conditions for Saturday’s test are relatively mild, with temperatures near 60 degrees, but a persistent moderate-to-heavy wind is blowing from the south and keeping things on the chilly side. Saturday Morning Test Times (as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing & scoring): 1. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1 LE), 1:55.631 Superstock 2. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R1 LE), 1:58.042 Superstock 3. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:58.513 Superbike 4. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:59.302 Superstock 5. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:59.859 Superstock 6. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1 LE), 2:00.108 Superstock 7. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:00.163 Superbike 8. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:00.387 Superbike 9. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R6), 2:00.630 Formula Xtreme 10. Marty Craggill (Suz GSX-R1000), 2:01.397 Superstock 11. Larry Pegram (Hon CBR1000RR), 2:01.546 Superstock 12. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6RR), 2:02.480 Supersport 13. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6RR), 2:03.849 Supersport 14. Cory West (Suz GSX-R1000), 2:04.084 Superstock 15. Shane Turpin (Yam YZF-R1), 2:05.689 Superstock 16. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R6), 2:06.093 Formula Xtreme 17. C.R. Gittere (Suz GSX-R1000), 2:13.258 Superstock

FIM MotoGP World Championship Losail International Circuit, Qatar April 8 Race Results: 1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, Michelin, 22 laps, 43:22.229 2. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, Michelin, -0.900 second 3. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, Bridgestone, -1.494 seconds 4. Sete GIBERNAU, Ducati, Bridgestone, -4.638 seconds 5. Casey STONER, Honda, Michelin, -7.575 seconds 6. Dani PEDROSA, Honda, Michelin, -10.820 seconds 7. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, Michelin, -11.784 seconds 8. Toni ELIAS, Honda, Michelin, -19.481 seconds 9. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, Michelin, -22.920 seconds 10. Kenny Lee ROBERTS, Roberts/Honda, Michelin, -34.286 seconds 11. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, -35.316 seconds 12. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, Dunlop, -49.245 seconds 13. James ELLISON, Yamaha, Dunlop, -61.469 seconds 14. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, Michelin, -70.778 seconds 15. Alex HOFMANN, Ducati, Dunlop, -82.051 seconds 16. Jose Luis CARDOSO, Ducati, Dunlop, -93.818 seconds 17. Chris VERMEULEN, Suzuki, Bridgestone, -15 laps, DNF, mechanical 18. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, Bridgestone, -18 laps, DNF, mechanical 19. Randy DE PUNIET, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, -22 laps, DNF, crash FIM MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (After 2 of 17 races): 1. CAPIROSSI, 41 points 2. HAYDEN, 36 points 3. PEDROSA, 30 points 4. ROSSI, 27 points 5. TIE, ELIAS/STONER, 21 points 7. MELANDRI, 20 points 8. TIE, NAKANO/ROBERTS, 14 points 10. GIBERNAU, 13 points 11. EDWARDS, 12 points 12. TAMADA, 8 points 13. TIE, HOPKINS/CHECA, 7 points 15. VERMEULEN, 4 points 16. ELLISON, 3 points 17. HOFMANN, 2 points More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006 KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE NAKANO SCORES POINTS IN HARD FOUGHT QATAR RACE Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano rode a determined race at the Losail International circuit today, overcoming the traction problems that have plagued him all weekend to take a hard fought eleventh place in the Grand Prix of Qatar. A fast start from ninth place on the grid saw Nakano lying fourth into the first corner, but the Kawasaki rider was quickly swallowed up by the chasing pack as he struggled to get his Ninja ZX-RR to hook up out of the turns. By the halfway point Nakano looked set to secure a top ten finish, but was unable to hold off a determined attack by Kenny Roberts, who drafted past the Kawasaki rider on the short straight at the back of the circuit. Nakano immediately fought back, but was unable to close the gap sufficiently to mount a challenge on Roberts to retake tenth place. The 28-year-old Japanese rider tried one last charge towards the end of the race, but was eventually forced to settle for eleventh place, and five championship points, at the chequered flag. Randy de Puniet’s run of bad luck continued today, with the Kawasaki rider again failing to notch up his first MotoGP race finish, after crashing out of the Grand Prix of Qatar on the opening lap. The MotoGP rookie was forced to retire through injury from the opening race of the season in Jerez two weeks ago, but arrived in Qatar determined to make amends with a points scoring finish in today’s race. But, after a lightning fast start, that saw him make up three places in the run to the first corner, the 25-year-old Frenchman race ended prematurely when he lost the rear of his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR on the entry to the relatively slow, left-hand turn six. Although small consolation after such a bitter disappointment, de Puniet was uninjured in the crash, and will be fighting fit for the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul on 30th April. Shinya Nakano: 11th “We just ran out of time to fix the problems that we have been experiencing all weekend, so all I could do this afternoon was go as hard as possible and try and salvage some championship points. Our main problem seems to be a lack of traction out of the turns, mainly because the power delivery off the bottom is just too aggressive and this is causing the rear tyre to break contact and spin up. So, it was difficult to accelerate hard out of the turns, which reduced my speed along the straights. Even on the short straight between turns three and four, people were just riding past me on the throttle, while I was struggling to get the bike to hook up through the gears. It must be something about this circuit, because the bike has worked well throughout winter testing and at the first race in Jerez. After a difficult weekend I’m just happy we ended today with a points scoring finish.” Randy de Puniet: DNF “I got a good start and I felt comfortable on the bike, but after overtaking Alex Hofmann going into the slow left hander the rear just came round on me. I don’t know why yet; hopefully the telemetry will tell us something when we get the bike back to the pit box. This is the worst possible end to a difficult weekend for me. My hand injury was a problem on Thursday, but this improved throughout the weekend and I was looking for a good result today. Obviously I am disappointed to have crashed out on the first lap, but the only thing I can do is look at why it happened, learn from it, and then put it behind me so that I can concentrate on preparing for the next race in Istanbul.” Harald Eckl: Team Principal “It is a bitter disappointment to finish outside the top ten as a factory MotoGP team. Our main aim now needs to be to go away from here and work hard to improve power delivery, driveability and top speed, so we can come back stronger for the next race in Istanbul.” MOTOGP RACE RESULT 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team 43’22.229; 2. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.900; 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.494; 4. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +4.638; 5. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +7.575; 6. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +10.820; 7. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +11.784; 8. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Honda +19.481; 9. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team +22.920; 10. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +34.286; 11. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +35.316; 12. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha +49.245; DNF. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +21 Laps More, from a press release issued by Dorna: Rossi returns to form with hard-fought win in Qatar Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar – Saturday 8th April Valentino Rossi was the delighted victor of the 2006 Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar today, amidst strong winds and high temperatures at the Losail Circuit. The win is his second at the track, putting him on level terms with MotoGP legend Mick Doohan on 54 premier class victories. Starting from sixth, the reigning World Champion got off well and worked his way through the field. He finally made his move on pole-man Casey Stoner on lap ten, passing the young Australian for first place whilst coming into the first corner. After a hard duel with Rossi for the lead, Nicky Hayden extends his run of podium finishes to six, a record which started at the Losail Circuit back in October. He briefly led Rossi having pulled off an exciting overtaking manoeuvre on lap 19, only to see the Italian retake the position in the same place a lap later. Loris Capirossi still leads the championship, having added to his win in Jerez with a third place in Qatar. The Ducati rider headed his team-mate Sete Gibernau, who had an inauspicious race but diligently went about his work to earn his first points of the season. Casey Stoner couldn’t quite maintain the speed which had seen him continually fastest at the Losail Circuit over the practice sessions, but led the race for a third of its duration. The Honda rider held out for a fifth place finish, still improving from his impressive debut place in Jerez. A fierce battle raged behind the Australian, with Dani Pedrosa and Marco Melandri involved in a back-and-forth shootout for sixth place. After a series of thrilling exchanges, the Honda factory rookie Pedrosa eventually took the position. Toni Elias started on the front row, but didn’t start well and eventually finished eighth. The Spaniard had been suffering from gastroenteritis during the week, which made racing difficult for the young rider. Two Americans completed the top ten, Colin Edwards coming in ahead of Kenny Roberts Jr, who had been fastest on Thursday in free practice. Both Suzuki riders John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen were forced to retire with mechanical problems, whilst a first lap crash for Randy de Puniet gave him an early exit from the race. 250cc GP The lower cylinder classes were something of a repeat from the season curtain-raiser in Jerez, both having the same winners in Qatar. Jorge Lorenzo took victory ahead of a determined challenge from Andrea Dovizioso, in a near repeat of the tightest ever Grand Prix finish in 2004’s 125 race at this track which featured the same two riders. Roberto Locatelli had a phenomenal race, during which he took the holeshot, crashed his bike and then came back to earn third. He moved through the 250cc pack like a man possessed, and stepped onto the podium for the first time this season. Hector Barbera came home fourth ahead of Hiroshi Aoyama, Sylvain Guintoli and Sebas Porto, whilst Marco Simoncelli and Yuki Takahashi snatched eighth and ninth spot on the last lap from Jakub Smrz, who was perhaps unlucky not to maintain the positions so close to the line after a steady ride. 125cc GP Alvaro Bautista took his second victory in a row, with a video finish for second place between Mika Kallio and Sergio Gadea with the wind seriously affecting the 125 riders. The Spaniard broke the circuit record to add to his fastest pole time from yesterday. It is the first time that a rider has put together consecutive victories in the class since 2002. A last lap battle between Kallio, Lukas Pesek and Pasini gave Gadea a chance to get away, but disaster struck for Derbi rider Pesek as he crashed onto the run-off area and lost the chance to repeat his podium finish from Jerez. Mattia Pasini came in fourth, ahead of Pablo Nieto and Hector Faubel. Angel Rodriguez was ahead of a resurgent Thomas Luthi, who continues on the road to full recovery. Simone Corsi and Julian Simon completed the top ten. MotoGP 1st, Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) : “I’m very happy, it is a pleasure to equal Mick Doohan’s record of wins, the numbers are always important. We came out of this difficult situation with the chattering problem so I need to thank Jeremy Burgess, all my mechanics and the Japanese engineers, who helped fix the bike. Today is for me the first race, after what happened in Jerez. Today the M1 was very good and I could push hard like I wanted. I was able to come back from a lower position on the grid and battle with Stoner and Nicky. Nicky had a great race, and I also saw Loris coming on strong so I thought I’d really have to push for the last two laps” 250cc 1st, Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) : “I thought I wasn’t going to do it. Being in front for so many laps is not good because the rider behind can watch you and decide what he wants to do. I tried to shake off Dovizioso but I could not manage it which worried me as he is a very clever rider who can take advantage at any moment. But I have won here again, just as I did in the 125s two years ago although the level is a bit higher this time. The wind made it difficult for us but the important thing is that we have two wins and have a little advantage in the championship already. The team is working together perfectly and now we just have to keep it up.” 125cc 1st, Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) : “It was very difficult, as it was so windy and hard to control the bike. I found a good rhythm and took the lead, getting used to the wind and I knew the others weren’t going to catch me and I’m really pleased to have broken the record for back to back wins in 125cc, but the record wasn’t my objective.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Losail Grand Prix, Qatar Race Day, Saturday April 8 2006 DUCATI MARLBORO MEN THIRD AND FOURTH AS CAPIROSSI MAINTAINS OVERALL LEAD Loris Capirossi continued his great early season form to take third place at Losail, keeping his name at the top of the championship table after a strong ride in high winds. Sete Gibernau overcame his third row start to take an assured fourth place, and earn his first points of the year; his first score as a Ducati Marlboro rider. Capirossi was part of the leading group throughout the 22-laps, conserving his tyres for a late push to ensure third, and finished only 1.494 seconds from the winner, Valentino Rossi. For Gibernau, one particular section of the circuit proved difficult in race conditions, but still he improved his qualifying result by three places. Capirossi, the race victor in the opening race of the season at Jerez, now sits on 41 points, in a five-point lead over Nicky Hayden, second in the race as well as second overall. Ducati also continues to lead the Constructors’ Championship, by a single point. LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “I am very happy for the team and for Bridgestone. We were last here for the race in October, just a few months ago, and compared with then they have made an unbelievable step forward. So we must really thank them. Loris rode perfectly so thanks to him as well. When he is in a good mood he is incredible! I am very happy for Sete too. After the delusion of Jerez he kept his nerves under control and made a very good race. Tomorrow we stay here to test, because we never stop development. To start the season in such a good way, and when we see the potential we have, we must work hard to keep the potential at a high level. I want to thank our technical partner Shell Advance, for their big support”: LORIS CAPIROSSI, third, 41 points “I am very happy and this is a great weekend for the team, because for sure this circuit was not one of the best for us. Bridgestone made a good job during the winter tests and we have made great improvements. For us, this was a difficult track and last year we had big problems. But this year we managed to fight for the victory right to the end, and took a very good result. The first part of the race was difficult because of the wind, but I adapted my style and made a good rhythm. Big thanks to everyone in the team and Ducati Corse. This is going to be a very interesting championship and if we can keep on like this we will be there for the whole season. I think we are in good shape, and have great confidence in the bike and the tyres.” SETE GIBERNAU, fourth, 13 points “I think we did a good job. We only lost time in the race at the slow hairpin. Right there I was getting a lot of chatter at the front of my Desmosedici, and in this one corner I lost half a second. In all the rest we were OK. Also, on the main straight, I was moving from side to side in the wind too much, which made it very physical. But we needed to finish this race and I look forward to the next one. The wind was the same for everyone and I would like to say thanks to Bridgestone and Ducati, they did very well.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Double disappointment for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP suffered a double setback at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar as both John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen were forced to retire early in the race. Hopkins had made his intentions known in the morning warm-up as he stormed to the fourth quickest time in near gale-force winds. In the 22-lap race he got off to a great start and was soon up to eighth place from his 13th position on the grid. But, as he was rapidly catching the riders in front of him, disaster struck and the 22-year old Anglo American was forced to retire from the race with a cooling system fault. Vermeulen also made a good start and was starting to close on others riders when he too had to retire from the race with a similar fault to his team-mate. Today’s race was held in very windy conditions with temperatures reaching only 26°c. The second round of the MotoGP World Championship was won by reigning World Champion and last year’s winner, Valentino Rossi. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will now re-group before the next round of the championship is held at Istanbul in Turkey on Sunday 30th April. John Hopkins: “It’s a really big shame with what happened to me and Chris – I know that he is as frustrated as I am. I got a great start and I felt extremely good during the first couple of laps and made a lot of passes. I felt like I could have got past the guys in front of me but then the bike gradually lost performance and that was it it was all over. I am really disappointed, all my team and everyone here at Rizla Suzuki have worked hard all weekend and it’s such a shame for all of us that it has happened like this.” Chris Vermeulen: “I got a better start than I did at Jerez. I was baulked a bit on the first lap and then I lost a bit of time when another rider crashed. I passed Kenny Roberts Jr and I was up with the group in front of me, but then it looked like John’s bike started to leak fluid. This made the track slippery and we all dropped back. I was doing ok and was in the 1 minute 58 seconds lap-time bracket but then I had a problem of some kind and the bike slowed down I realised how slow it had become when another rider passed me doing about 100kph more than I was! So I just headed for the pits and that was the end of my race. We’ve all worked hard in Qatar and it was a big disappointment.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “John, Chris and the whole Rizla Suzuki team deserved so much more than this. The effort that the crew and riders have put in this weekend has been incredible. Without going into detail, it has been an extremely difficult weekend. For John in particular today was very disappointing as his bike felt so much better than it had done all weekend. He made a good start and he was sure that he could catch the riders in front of him. Unfortunately, the performance of the bike tapered off to a point where it finally stopped. John was obviously visibly upset and after the weekend that he has had I don’t think it would be human not to let some of that frustration out and nothing more will be said on the subject. “Chris’ bike suffered a similar problem to John’s and I know that Suzuki will be working night and day to find out what it is exactly and rectify it – we will certainly have much better days than this. “I would like to thank Rizla’s guests from the Middle East region for attending the event today and despite the result I hope they enjoyed their first taste of MotoGP. We will be working hard for Rizla and all our other sponsors to get some rapid improvements in place for Turkey in three weeks time.” Temperatures: Ambient: 26 degrees C. Track: 41 degrees C More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda/Gresini Racing: FORTUNA HONDA RIDERS TAKE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH IN QATAR FORTUNA HONDA riders Marco Melandri and Toni Elias today took seventh and eighth placed finishes respectively in the second race of the 2006 season held at the Losail circuit in Qatar. Melandri, runner-up in last year’s championship, endured some set-up problems but rode a fine race in which he staged an intense battle with Spaniard Dani Pedrosa. After struggling in qualifying, the Italian adapted well to the windy conditions and put in a much-improved performance. Team-mate Toni Elias, who did not make a good start, was involved in an incident of his own, along with Pedrosa, when the pair were behind John Hopkins early on. The American’s bike began to lose oil and both Spaniards were forced to slow right down to ensure they did not skid. It meant they lost important ground on the leading riders, which they were not able to make up. Despite their mixed weekends, the FORTUNA HONDA riders are looking forward to the next round of the championship in Turkey on April 30. MARCO MELANDRI – 7th; 43’34.013 (+ 11’784) 5th in the championship on 21 points: “It was a really difficult race. I got a good start and tried to make up some positions but I made a mistake towards the end of the race that cost me a position. I had a really good battle with Dani Pedrosa, he was passing me in the straight but I was able to get him back on the brakes. I’m still not riding as I would like to – tomorrow we’ll stay for a day of tests and hopefully it can help us take another step forward.” TONI ELIAS – 8th; 43’41.070 (+ 19’481) 7th in the championship on 20 points: “We’ve done a great job over the two days of practice and I was hoping for more than this today. I didn’t get a good start and I paid the price for that. Then Hopkins’ engine began to drop oil and I had to shut off the throttle, sending me even further back. My visor was covered in oil and after losing contact with the lead group it became a really hard race for me. I’m disappointed because I know I could have had a nice race today.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: ROSSI BOUNCES BACK WITH QATAR VICTORY Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi returned to the top step of the podium after a stunning ride in today’s Grand Prix of Qatar. Rossi’s 54th career MotoGP victory was sealed with a perfectly timed run in the second half of the race, passing early leader Casey Stoner (Honda) on lap 10 of 22 and holding off a late attack from Nicky Hayden (Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Ducati), who completed the podium. The win brings Rossi’s premier-class tally level with that of Mick Doohan, with only the legendary Giacomo Agostini now ahead of him on 68 victories. Colin Edwards endured a difficult afternoon after front-end problems that appeared throughout the weekend returned to haunt him in the race. The American started from eighth on the grid and made a good start, moving up to sixth place by lap five, but he was unable to maintain the fast and consistent pace he showed in practice and he eventually dropped to ninth. Rossi’s victory moves him up to fourth in the championship, fourteen points behind early leader Capirossi after two rounds of seventeen. VALENTINO ROSSI – 1st; 43’22.229 “That was a great race it was hard but that is what made it such fun. My M1 worked really well today – as the race went on the grip went down and the vibration completely disappeared, so I was able to go fast at the end. Also I set the fastest lap of the race on lap three, so this shows how well my M1 was working. This win is important for the championship but even more so from a mental point of view for me and the team. It was windy but the grip was good and I was able to chase Stoner, who was very fast at the start. When his tyres went down I was able to pass him and I thought I could escape but Nicky stayed with me. Then I looked back and saw Loris was coming too so I began to get worried about the last few laps. Anyway, I pushed hard and managed to hold on. It is great to be level with Mick Doohan, now only Giacomo Agostini is ahead of me. Records are not the most important thing but they are always nice! This feels like the start of the championship for me. Jerez was a nightmare but here we woke up! Big thanks to Jeremy and all the guys because they stayed focused during a difficult time and this is their reward.” COLIN EDWARDS – 9th; 43’45.149 (+22.920) “I made a good start and over the first five laps I felt fine the bike was good and I was able to ride aggressively. I thought: ‘okay, let’s go for it.’ Then on lap six I lost the front three times in a row and I almost crashed on each one of them. I thought it was a bit early in the race for that to happen so I pushed on and got going again but the front kept going and I had to ride slower and slower. In the practice simulation I ran a 1’57.2 on my last lap but in the race it was three seconds slower so clearly something is not right. Thankfully we have a test tomorrow to find out what it was and make sure that we are in better shape for Turkey.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “This is a great day for us because we have been going through a difficult patch so to come out of it with a win is fantastic. It is a credit to the team because they have remained determined throughout the problems and never lost their focus. On Colin’s side we have to keep this focus because he had some problems today and we want to bring both Yamahas to the top. We have work to do but we made up some important points in the championship today and this victory gives us even more motivation to continue in the same way at Istanbul.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone continue positive start in desert classic Bridgestone’s impressive start to the 2006 MotoGP world championship continued today when Loris Capirossi finished a hard-fought third place in the Qatar GP. Capirossi’s podium finish was his 31st in the premier class and not only preserved his status as the world championship leader after two rounds, but maintained Bridgestone’s 100 per cent podium record in 2006. The Italian continued his own purple patch in the premier class as his third place made it four podium finishes in his last six races, but more significantly today’s result highlighted the dramatic development steps made by Bridgestone last winter. The demanding 5.38km Losail circuit has provided Bridgestone with one of its most severe tests of the season. Bridgestone’s best result at last year’s Qatar GP was Carlos Checa’s sixth place, 31.4 seconds behind the race winner. Today Capirossi was only 1.4s adrift of eventual winner Valentino Rossi, while his overall race time was an impressive 42 seconds faster than Checa’s best in 2005 Full of confidence after his victory in the season’s opening race at Jerez last month, Capirossi settled into fourth place for the opening half of the 22-lap clash, the Italian keeping a watching brief on world champion Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner in front of him. He clocked his fastest lap of the race on lap 11 and just two laps later his surge was rewarded when he passed impressive rookie Stoner to grab third. He then went into full attack mode and with just four laps remaining the 33-year-old closed to within 0.5s of the lead, but settled for a safe third place and 16 valuable points to keep him top of the rider standings. Marlboro Ducati team-mate Sete Gibernau finished his first race for Bridgestone, taking a battling fourth place. Today’s race was run in typically hot conditions, though significantly cooler than temperatures usually seen in Doha with the race switched from its traditional October slot on the calendar. Conditions though were no less demanding with a fierce wind blowing off the surrounding barren desert landscape, and while the air temperature was almost 15 degrees cooler, track temperatures were only four degrees lower than the 2005 race. Loris Capirossi Ducati Corse Team 3rd position “It’s fantastic for us because this track has never been the easiest for Ducati and Bridgestone but today we were able to fight for the victory. It took me a bit of time to overtake Casey because he was riding very fast and I lost the contact a little with Valentino and Nicky. They both pushed very hard and then I tried to go down, but when I got close I started to have more problems with the grip of the tyre. Third is a fantastic result though and really good for the championship. I think this is the start of a really interesting season for us. The bike and the tyres are working very well. Bridgestone made a great job in the winter and I really want to thank them because we know we had problems here last year, but now we are competitive.” Hiroshi Yamada – Motorcycle Racing Manager Bridgestone Motorsport “I am very, very happy to finish third and fourth because this track was one of the worst last year for us. Last year our tyres didn’t work so well and we were not competitive. Our best rider was 31 seconds behind the winner. But today the gap was less than two seconds and Loris got third for a very good result. This result again shows our big step forward during the winter season. Our tyres and also our team made a great job and our potential for the tyres at this track improved a lot. The character of this surface is very slippery compared to other tracks and also the temperature is very high so we needed good grip and durability. We concentrated on this for our development in these conditions. Our weak point last year was when we got to a track with a slippery surface. Our tyres didn’t work, but today you can see we are competitive in all conditions and we can show our potential.”

FIM 250cc GP World Championship Losail International Circuit, Qatar April 8 Race Results: 1. Jorge LORENZO, Aprilia, 20 laps, 41:29.946 2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, -0.077 second 3. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, -19.364 seconds 4. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, -19.398 seconds 5. Hiroshi AOYAMA, KTM, -24.051 seconds 6. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, -28.695 seconds 7. Sebastian PORTO, Honda, -33.255 seconds 8. Marco SIMONCELLI, Gilera, -34.214 seconds 9. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Honda, -34.406 seconds 10. Jakub SMRZ, Aprilia, -34.419 seconds 11. Martin CARDENAS, Honda, -49.121 seconds 12. Andrea BALLERINI, Aprilia, -60.069 seconds 13. Shuhei AOYAMA, Honda, -60.633 seconds 14. Manuel POGGIALI, KTM, -64.619 seconds 15. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, -72.332 seconds 16. Arnaud VINCENT, Honda, -73.128 seconds 17. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, -104.684 seconds 18. Luca MORELLI, Aprilia, -119.950 seconds 19. Michele DANESE, Aprilia, -1 lap 20. Alessio PALUMBO, Aprilia, -1 lap 23. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, -14 laps, DNF, mechanical 25. Alex BALDOLINI, Aprilia, -17 laps, DNF, mechanical 26. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, -20 laps, DNF, crash FIM 250cc GP World Championship Point Standings (After 2 of 16 races): 1. LORENZO, 50 points 2. DOVIZIOSO, 36 points 3. LOCATELLI, 25 points 4. BARBERA, 24 points 5. AOYAMA, 21 points 6. TIE, DE ANGELIS/TAKAHASHI, 20 points 8. GUINTOLI, 17 points 9. CARDENAS, 13 points 10. PORTO, 9 points

FIM 125cc World Championship Losail International Circuit, Qatar April 8 Race Results: 1. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia, 18 laps, 38:56.548 2. Mika KALLIO, KTM, -6.765 seconds 3. Sergio GADEA, Aprilia, -6.775 seconds 4. Mattia PASINI, Aprilia, -8.327 seconds 5. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, -14.551 seconds 6. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, -15.266 seconds 7. Angel RODRIGUEZ, Aprilia, -15.356 seconds 8. Thomas LUTHI, Honda, -16.236 seconds 9. Simone CORSI, Gilera, -22.770 seconds 10. Julian SIMON, KTM, -23.137 seconds 11. Gabor TALMACSI, Honda, -29.516 seconds 12. Raffaele DE ROSA, Aprilia, -29.527 seconds 13. Andrea IANNONE, Aprilia, -42.997 seconds 14. Fabrizio LAI, Honda, -45.532 seconds 15. Tomoyoshi KOYAMA, Malaguti, -58.675 seconds FIM 125cc World Championship Point Standings (After 2 of 16 rounds): 1. BAUTISTA, 50 points 2. KALLIO, 33 points 3. PASINI, 29 points 4. GADEA, 25 points 5. TIE, PESEK/FAUBEL, 20 points 7. TIE, NIETO/SIMON, 17 points 9. TALMACSI, 13 points 10. CORSI, 12 points

FIM MotoGP World Championship Losail International Circuit, Qatar April 8 Practice Times: 1. Casey STONER, Honda, 1:58.095 2. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:58.299 3. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:58.435 4. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:58.464 5. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:58.502 6. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 1:58.657 7. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:58.733 8. Dani PEDROSA, Honda, 1:58.952 9. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:58.964 10. Randy DE PUNIET, Kawasaki, 1:59.254 11. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:59.322 12. Sete GIBERNAU, Ducati, 1:59.488 13. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:59.685 14. Chris VERMEULEN, Suzuki, 2:00.076 15. Kenny Lee ROBERTS, Roberts/Honda, 2:00.390 16. James ELLISON, Yamaha, 2:00.513 17. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 2:01.165 18. Alex HOFMANN, Ducati, 2:01.195 19. Jose Luis CARDOSO, Ducati, 2:02.307