Supersport World Championship Round 2 Phillip Island, Australia March 4, 2006 Final Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER, Honda CBR600RR, 1:35.616 2. Kevin CURTAIN, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.436 3. Broc PARKES, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.548 4. Robin HARMS, Honda CBR600RR, 1:36.672 5. Christian ZAISER, Ducati 749R, 1:36.741 6. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Honda CBR600RR, 1:36.865 7. Anthony GOBERT, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.929 8. Yoann TIBERIO, Honda CBR600RR, 1:36.992 9. MaximeBERGER, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:37.147 10. Johan STIGEFELT, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.190 11. Barry VENEMAN, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:37.311 12. Tatu LAUSLEHTO, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.405 13. Josh BROOKES, Ducati 749R, 1:37.533 14. Dean THOMAS, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:37.567 15. Kai Borre ANDERSEN, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:37.682 25. Chris PERIS, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.785 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: CHARPENTIER ON POLE AT PHILLIP ISLAND AS SOFUOGLU CONTINUES ON STEEP LEARNING CURVE For the second 2006 race in succession Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) scored pole in World Supersport, adding to his recent success in Qatar. It was the 28th consecutive pole position for a Honda rider in World Supersport, since Assen in 2003. On a warm track Charpentier was the only rider into the 1’35 bracket, setting a best time of 1’35.616. Second quickest rider Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) set a 1’36.436, just under 0.8 seconds from Charpentier. As the race winner in 2005, Charpentier is out to repeat the feat, to add to his Qatar race victory in round one and extend his championship lead. Charpentier’s team-mate, Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) secured a safe sixth place on his first visit to Phillip Island, earning a second row grid placing with a 1’36.859. Sofuoglu was fourth fastest on day one, and despite the mass of more experienced riders making improvements around him, he was less than 1.249 seconds from his team-mate’s pole time, improving on his opening day best by 0.703 seconds. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “Very happy to take pole once again with Sebastien. Because we already had quite a gap yesterday, we concentrated on possible race set-ups for tomorrow, to prove our consistency. It will be a hard and long race in this heat, but everything is going well. Towards the end we threw in more of a fast lap set-up and he did quite a good lap time, but the track conditions were not as good as yesterday. But we are happy with pole. For Kenan to get a second row start, and sixth position, is a good result for him in his first visit here. And we know what kind of a racer he is, so he will be up there in the leading group. Tomorrow morning in warm-up we are going to confirm a couple of things, especially on Kenan’s bike, and I think we are ready for it.” Sébastien Charpentier WSS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Pole position 1’35.616) “I’m happy because we are in good condition for the race tomorrow. This morning we had a small disappointment; nothing important and it actually helped us understand the bike a bit better. The mechanics had good ideas and we went in a good direction, so our best work was in the afternoon. I think for tomorrow we have more good possibilities to finish on the podium. Many people went fast this afternoon so it was difficult work, also for Kenan, as we can see from the sheets. I hope we can have the same conditions in the race, and our tyres are good. It will be hard tomorrow, lots of laps in hot conditions, which is normal for Australia.” Kenan Sofuoglu WSS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (6th position 1’36.865) “For me this track is quite difficult because in most corners I am capable of setting second best time, but on the last corner I lose a lot of time and positions on the grid. If I can make that last corner as good as the rest then my lap time would be much better. In the race it should not be as difficult, as we are all in a group and I am better in race conditions. I wanted to start on the front row but first time here it is not easy. In some corners you cannot see what is coming next. But the gap between me and the other riders in front is not so bad, not two seconds or anything like that. So we should hopefully be better in the race. I am positive and I believe I can score a podium.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: STILL DIFFICULTIES IN SUPESPORT FOR JOSH AND LUKA (Phillip Island 2006, March 4) As we told on his home track Joshua Brookes would have a fantastic result. Unfortunately the promising Australian rider will start only from the fifth row, with the 13th fastest lap time. “During the week end we made some progress, studying the data we collect in Qatar round.” said a bit disappointed Brookes at the end of qualifying. “We worked today too on the suspensions, but I cannot find a good solutions to improve the package. However we made several adjustment, not all get a good result, but overall the bike is better and the performance has increased every session. So at the end I’m not satisfied for my grid position, but I have some satisfaction for the progress. For the race I must use the same strategy as in Qatar, have a good start, be careful in the first corners, the most dangerous, and then fight a try to be fast in the final laps to get a good position, maybe in the top ten.” Also Luka Nedog clearly improved his performance, but his bike, very powerful, has not still a good set up, and that a difficult job for a small experienced rider. ” The engine push very hard, in the final qualifying session my bike was the fastest at the speed trap recording 272,3 kph.” commented at the end of qualifying Luka Nedog “Our problem is in the corners where the bike doesn’t close the lines and I must keep the throttle out. For tomorrow’s warm up we’ll try some new setting, I hope to get a positive answer and made a good race. “ More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes will start tomorrow’s second round of the Supersport World Championship from the front row of the grid after a strong showing at Phillip Island today. The Australians, who ride for the Yamaha Motor Germany squad, changed the set-up of their YZF-R6s to improved their times from Friday’s session and maintain the important front row starts. Curtain posted a best of 1:36.436 to end the day second, just ahead of Parkes, who was just over a tenth of a second slower than his team-mate. After experimenting with the settings during yesterday’s session, the squad reverted to the data gained during January’s Phillip Island test for today’s final qualifying. Both riders declared themselves happier with the machine today and confident that they can run with pole position man Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) during tomorrow’s 21-lap race. A third R6-riding Australian featured heavily in qualifying, with Anthony Gobert posting the seventh fastest time on the Yamaha GMT94 machine. A five-time world superbike winner at the venue, Gobert was in impressive form in his second stand-in ride for the injured David Checa. FIM Superstock 1000 Cup champion Didier van Keymeulen ended the day 19th on his R6, ahead of Yamaha Team Italia riders Massimo Roccoli and Gianluca Vizziello. They continued to experience set-up problems and ended up 21st and 24th on tomorrow’s grid.

Superbike World Championship Round 2 Phillip Island, Australia March 4, 2006 Qualifying Results: 1. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati 999F06, 1:32.321 2. Troy CORSER, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.991 3. Noriyuki HAGA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:33.441 4. James TOSELAND, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:33.548 5. Steve MARTIN, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:33.566 6. Andrew PITT, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:33.567 7. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati 999F05, 1:33.658 8. Karl MUGGERIDGE, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:33.702 9. Alex BARROS, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:33.749 10. Fonsi NIETO, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:33.784 11. Chris WALKER, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:33.945 12. Ivan CLEMENTI, Ducati 999RS, 1:34.089 13. Pierfrancesco CHILI, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:34.132 14. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:34.158 15. Lorenzo LANZI, Ducati 999F06, 1:34.174 16. Regis LACONI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:34.182 17. Norick ABE, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.269 18. Fabien FORET, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:34.513 19. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Ducati 999RS, 1:34.559 20. Michel FABRIZIO, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:34.632 21. Sebastien GIMBERT, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.666 22. Ruden XAUS, Ducati 999F05, 1:34.790 23. Marco BORCIANI, Ducati 999F05, 1:34.944 24. Shinichi NAKATOMI, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:35.039 25. Franco BATTAINI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:35.316 26. Craig JONES, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:35.886 27. Lucio PEDERCINI, Ducati 999RS, 1:35.931 28. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:36.202

MOTORCYCLE RIDERS CAN GET PLENTY OF SEAT TIME AT HPT IN ’06 TOPEKA, Kan. — For road racers that prefer two wheels instead of four, the 2006 season at Heartland Park Topeka will provide ample opportunities to get on track. With new amenities and ultra-smooth asphalt, motorcycle riders will find that the improvements made at the track have transformed the facility, and have also made Heartland Park Topeka motorcycle-friendly. The professional riders of the American Sportbike Racing Association (ASRA) are on-track June 16-18, with a Heartland Park sponsored test day set for June 15. ASRA marks the first professional motorcycle road racing event at Heartland Park Topeka since 2003. The weekend will also include Championship Cup Series (CCS) Midwest and Great Plains regional racing. CCS racers are back at Heartland Park Topeka Aug. 5-6, with a Heartland Park test day set for Aug. 4. In addition to the ASRA and CCS dates, Heartland Park Topeka has partnered with Visionsports Riding Schools to provide instruction during six open track days. The Heartland Park Track Days include April 10, May 8, June 14, July 17, Sept. 11, and Oct. 23. Interested riders can sign up now at www.hpt.com. Sportbike Track Time (STT) will also provide limited endurance days and riding instruction on May 13 and Aug. 7, and a riding school June 24-25. STAR Motorcycle School will be at Heartland Park Topeka July 10-11. The 2006 motorcycle season at Heartland Park Topeka concludes with the Northeast Sportbike Association (NESBA) Nov. 4-5. A complete list of motorcycle events is below. Heartland Park Topeka, a multi-purpose facing facility located in Toepka, Kan. annually hosts NHRA POWERade drag racing, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), and many other pro and amateur drag, road, and dirt track racing events throughout the race season. April 10: Heartland Park Topeka Motorcycle Track Day/Visionsports Riding School May 8: Heartland Park Topeka Motorcycle Track Day/Visionsports Riding School May 13: Sportbike Track Time Motorcycle School June 14: Heartland Park Topeka Motorcycle Track Day/Visionsports Riding School June 15: Heartland Park Topeka Motorcycle Test Day June 16-18: American Sportbike Racing Association National (ASRA), Championship Cup Series (CCS) Great Plains/Midwest Regional June 24-25: Sportbike Track Time Motorcycle School July 10-11: STAR Motorcycle School July 17: Heartland Park Topeka Motorcycle Track Day/Visionsports Riding School August 4: Heartland Park Topeka Motorcycle Test Day August 5-6: Championship Cup Series (CCS) August 7: Sportbike Track Time Motorcycle School September 11: Heartland Park Topeka Motorcycle Track Day/Visionsports Riding School October 23: Heartland Park Topeka Motorcycle Track Day/Visionsports Riding School November 4-5: Northeast Sportbike Racing Association

Nobody Does it Better: Hotbodies Racing’s World-Class World-Wide Race Support For 2006, Hotbodies Racing covers the paddock from privateers to Moto GP, providing multi-levels of race support for novices and World Champions alike. Hotbodies Racing has stepped to the pinnacle of road racing with its 2006 sponsorship of the American-owned Team KR in Moto GP. Team KR is operated by “King” Kenny Roberts, multi-time World Grand Prix Champion and legendary hero of motorcycle racing. Hotbodies Racing’s Bodywork and Windscreen sponsorship of Team KR might make them the only wholly American-owned company currently sponsoring a Moto GP team. Hotbodies Racing Bodywork will cloak the all-new 2006 chassis of the Honda-powered Team KR bikes, designed and manufactured through cooperative engineering with the England-based team. In the upper echelon of AMA Superbike, Hotbodies Racing is now the exclusive Bodywork and Windscreen sponsor of the Parts Unlimited Ducati factory team. World Superbike pilots Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom will compete on Ducati 999s, outfitted with Hotbodies Racing Grandprix Windscreens and Bodywork, looking to improve the team’s performance of winning the second most Superbike races in 2005. For its actual AMA team, Hotbodies Racing has changed manufacturers and will use Suzuki’s for 2006. Riding under the Hotbodies Racing colors for Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki is Marty Craggill, returning from a successful 2005 season. Australian Craggill will compete in AMA Superstock on a distinctive red, black and white 2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000, complete with Hotbodies Racing Bodywork and Windscreens. Once again Hotbodies Racing will be supporting talented privateers on their quest to fulfill their dreams. The Team Hotbodies Racing privateers for 2006 will be Garret Carter (17), Taylor Knapp (19), Barrett Long (19) and Cory West (21). Carter, new to the team, won the USGPRU 125 and 250 Grand Prix championships in 2005, as well as raced 250GP bikes in England and Spain. Taylor Knapp returns to improve on his top-ten finish in the Formula Xtreme championship and race in the entire WERA National Challenge series with technical assistance from Vesrah Suzuki, on racing his new Suzukis. Cory West, the 2004 AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year who finished 15th in the 2005 AMA Superbike championship, also returns this year to race in the AMA SuperStock class with crew chief Chuck Giacchetto. Barrett Long, son of John Long who finished second in the Superbike championship in 1978, is new to Hotbodies Racing. Last year Long finished 14th in Supersport and is the third generation of his family to be a motorcycle racer. Look for these riders at every AMA national pitted together under the big red Hotbodies Racing canopy. Other Hotbodies Racing sponsored teams include Matsushima Performance Suzuki with riders Blake Young and Danny Eslick, each riding Suzuki GSX-R600s in the Formula Xtreme and Supersport classes; Safety First Suzuki with racers Tony “The Tiger” Miering and Chris “Opie” Caylor, also competing in Formula Xtreme and Supersport on Suzuki GSX-R600s. Again sponsored by Hotbodies Racing are the Corona Racing and Hooters teams, both racing on Suzukis. Hotbodies Racing will also continue to support last years privateers Jeremy Toye racing in the AMA and WSMC series as well as the Isle of Mann and the Macau GP. Justin Filice, son of former 250GP champion Jimmy Filice, will also receive support from Hotbodies and is racing in the AMA Supersport championship. Hotbodies Racing also provides various sponsorship programs for all racers in nearly every American regional series. Hotbodies Racing specializes in manufacturing performance parts for performance bikes. Hotbodies Racing is the design leader in Undertails, Windscreens, Flush-Mount Signals, Huggers and full-race Bodywork. Hotbodies Racing supports the sport with sponsorship and its own in-house race team, and encourages dealer inquiries. For more information visit: hotbodiesracing.com. More, from another press release issued by Hotbodies Racing: Garrett Carter has entered into an agreement with Team Hotbodies Racing for the entire WERA National Challenge Series, and the AMA Superbike Series beginning at Barber Motorsports Park. Hotbodies Racing is fielding a separate team for the WERA races that includes Carter and his teammate, Taylor Knapp. This team will fold into Team Hotbodies Racing’s AMA team when campaigning the AMA Superbike Series. Carter is the current reigning United States 125 GP National Champion and the 250 GP National Champion. Carter won 8 out of 12 races on his way to the dual championships last year and set four class track records. Garrett also raced the entire Spanish championship last season with 2 satellite World GP teams, and competed in the 2005 AMA Grand Nationals at Mid-Ohio, finishing first in both the 125 GP and 250 GP classes. Additionally, Carter is one of Roadracing World’s Young Gun picks of last year. Carter began his racing career with the 125 GP class at age 13. Now, at age 17, Carter is moving into the 600cc classes where he will be competing on two 2006 Yamaha R6’s in the 600 Superstock and Superbike classes in WERA, and in Supersport and Formula Xtreme in the AMA Superbike Series. Hotbodies Racing principal Roger Davis said, “Garrett is exactly the type of racer we’re dedicated to helping as much as possible. He has a great attitude and unusual talents that he has already proven on tracks around the world. We look forward to assisting Garrett with getting experience on the 600s and earning the recognition he deserves.” The Royal Oak eleventh-grade racer, Carter, said, “The Team Hotbodies Racing deal is a great opportunity for me. Roger Davis has given me a chance to excel and I plan on making the most of it. Last year was a great way to finish my time on the 125 and 250 but as soon as I knew that I was going to race 600s, I started training all over again. Now after two days of testing at Jennings and three days with Freddie Spencer, plus our test at Barber that’s coming up, I pumped up to join Team Hotbodies Racing and start racing my R6’s.” Hotbodies Racing specializes in manufacturing performance parts for performance bikes. Hotbodies Racing is the design leader in Undertails, Undertail Exhausts, Windscreens, Flush-Mount Signals, Huggers and full-race Bodywork. Hotbodies Racing supports the sport with sponsorship and its own in-house race team, and encourages dealer inquiries. For more information visit: www.hotbodiesracing.com.

TEAM SUZUKI RIDES ROCKET! With the start of the much anticipated 2006 AMA Superbike Series at Daytona International Speedway just days away, Randy Robison, President of Joe Rocket Sports Gear is pleased to announce an official sponsorship agreement with the Suzuki Road Race Team. The agreement with American Suzuki, the AMA Superbike Champions, will see America’s leading sport bike apparel brand outfit the entire team in Joe Rocket designed gear. “Both Suzuki and Joe Rocket are championship brands,” said Robison, “and we are very excited to be associated with Suzuki and their pursuit of greatness.” “Our agreement with Joe Rocket is a natural progression of their long term relationship with riders Ben Spies and 6 time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin,” said Mel Harris, Manager of Suzuki Road Racing. “Joe Rocket’s dedication to making championship caliber gear makes them a valuable addition to our program.” Editorial Note: Mel Harris is not “Manager of Suzuki Road Racing” but is in fact an American Suzuki Motor Co. Vice President.

FORD QUALITY CHECKED CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED BRAND EXTENDS SPONSORSHIP OF AMA FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP PICKERINGTON, Ohio (March 3, 2006) — AMA Pro Racing announced today that Ford Motor Company and the Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned brand will continue its title sponsorship of the AMA Flat Track Championship. Ford originally became title sponsor of the championship beginning with the 2005 season. According to Mike Dennis, Manager of the Ford Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Program, sponsorship of AMA Flat Track continues to meet his company’s objectives. “The connection to motorcyclists that we’re achieving with this program has been a positive for Ford,” said Dennis. “We’re seeing increased exposure for our product, expanded sales leads, and an improved relationship with our customer base as a direct result of this sponsorship.” Bruce Bober AMA Pro Racing’s Flat Track Series Manager said Ford’s support of the championship has been tremendously worthwhile. “Flat Track racing has a loyal following and Ford is connecting itself to these passionate enthusiasts,” commented Bober. “The company’s title sponsorship not only helps Ford reach its business objectives, but also provides benefits to the fans and riders in terms of added exposure for the sport and a generous championship bonus program. AMA Pro Racing appreciates all that Ford does to support Flat Track racing.” In early November, AMA Pro Racing announced that the AMA Flat Track Championship, the oldest and most traditional form of racing sanctioned by the AMA, would see a dramatic change. Beginning with the 2006 racing season the championship will now feature two classes; one based on twin-cylinder equipment and the other based on single-cylinder equipment. “One of the primary reasons Ford supports AMA Flat Track is because of its American history and roots,” said Dennis. “At the same time, we want to see this championship grow by attracting new riders, fans and manufacturer support. We support AMA Pro Racing and want to continue what’s become a great relationship.” Chris Carr, the reigning and seven-time AMA Flat Track Champion will be among the top riders competing at the opening round of the 2006 racing season on March 8 at Daytona Beach’s Municipal Stadium. Other notable riders expected are Ken Coolbeth, Joe Kopp, Jared Mees and 2005 Ricky Graham Flat Track Rookie of the Year, Nick Cummings. Wednesday’s event will be followed up by a second event on Thursday, March 9, marking the first-ever Grand National doubleheader in Daytona.

MLADIN OPENS TITLE DEFENSE AT DAYTONA The 30th Anniversary of the AMA Superbike Championship begins PICKERINGTON, Ohio (March 3, 2006) — Mat Mladin comes to Daytona Beach, Fla., to open his title defense as the 2006 AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited kicks off on March 11. Mladin, the No. 1 Yoshimura Suzuki rider who turns 34 the day before the race, has the opportunity to win his seventh AMA Superbike title this season. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of the AMA Superbike Championship. Daytona International Speedway hosted the very first race of the series on March 5, 1976. Motorcycle Hall of Famer Steve McLaughlin won that race on a BMW. Mladin feels confident that he and his team are ready to capture yet another AMA Superbike Championship in 2006. “We’ve had successful pre-season testing,” Mladin said. “Suzuki has given me a great motorcycle and I’m looking forward to the season. It’s always important to get through Daytona with a good number of points. That’s how I approach the race. If things come together and we have what it takes to go for the win, then that’s a bonus.” Mladin heads up an impressive factory Suzuki lineup that includes up-and-coming Texan Ben Spies and hard-charging veteran Aaron Yates, from Georgia. Last year the factory Suzuki trio took three of the four top finishing spots at Daytona. This year the team would love nothing better than to sweep the podium. Honda is placing more emphasis on the premier Superbike class this year. Like Mladin, Honda’s veteran Miguel Duhamel is a proven winner at Daytona. He feels the team has made major improvements since last year’s sub-par season. “We have the help once again of HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) with our Superbike program,” Duhamel said. “Combine that with what American Honda learned developing the CBR1000RR last year and I think we have a winning combination. After Daytona, Superbike is the only class I’m concentrating on, so that focus on a single championship should be a benefit as well.” Duhamel will compete in the Daytona 200 by Honda (the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme opener), as well as the Daytona Superbike race but is slated to just race in the Superbike class after the season opener. Jake Zemke is the other factory Honda entry in the AMA Superbike opener at Daytona. Zemke would love to earn his second-career AMA Superbike victory next weekend. Kawasaki is back in the AMA Superbike fray with a factory effort featuring the brother combination of Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden. Kawasaki has a rich tradition at Daytona, winning three Daytona 200s in the 1990s with Scott Russell. It’s been 11 years since Team Green last stood atop the podium, but with the Haydens, Kawasaki has two of the fastest riders in all of AMA racing making the team a contender in spite of this being the first test for the new Kawasaki ZX10R Superbike. Ducati has been a contender in the Daytona Superbike race nearly every year since 1976, but the Italian maker has only won the race one time in 1977 with Cook Neilson. Once again in 2006 the team hopes to score the ever-elusive Daytona victory with either Neil Hodgson or Ben Bostrom. Both have extensive Superbike experience at both the World and national level. Hodgson is a former British and World Superbike champ, while Bostrom claimed the AMA Superbike title in 1998. Jordan Suzuki has easily the strongest non-factory team entered in the Daytona Superbike race. Jason Pridmore, Steve Rapp and Jacob Holden are likely to race alongside the factory squads in the 70-kilometer race. Pridmore is the son of three-time AMA Superbike Champion Reg Pridmore and has a pair of AMA road racing titles to his own credit. A number of privateer riders hope to find the speed to mix it up with the factory riders at Daytona. Former AMA Superbike winner Larry Pegram is chief among those. The Ohio racing veteran is slated to ride a Pegram Racing Honda in the Daytona Superbike contest. New Englander Eric Wood is another top privateer expected to be among the leaders on his Hooter’s Suzuki. On March 11, SPEED will offer morning-to-evening coverage of Daytona Motorcycle Week racing. The day starts at 11 a.m. EST with flag-to-flag coverage of the 2006 AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited season opener. For ticket information visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

MotoGP bikes on track for first day of official tests Today saw the start of the MotoGP Official Test for the premier class of MotoGP. Following on from the 125cc and 250cc categories’ sessions at the Circuit de Catalunya which have been running since Monday, the MotoGP teams took to the track for the first of three days of testing. After John Hopkins and Colin Edwards had started promisingly in the morning, it was World Champion Valentino Rossi who led the table at 1pm local time. The Yamaha rider had only begun testing just after 12.30, and within six laps he was already heading the timesheets. The Italian later clocked an even faster time of 1’43.608 to confirm his dominance. The flamboyant Rossi did however suffer a crash during the eight-hour long session, which brought out the red flags, and the Italian decided to call an end to his testing for the day after the incident, which occurred just after 3.30pm. Nonetheless, his time stood strong for the remainder of the afternoon, and he headed up a Yamaha one-two-three, with team-mate Colin Edwards and home-rider Carlos Checa trailing him on board the M1. It was something of a special occasion for Checa, who after moving from Ducati to Honda last year lost his MotoGP ride in early January. However a last-minute package was put together by the Tech3 team and Dunlop to allow the Spaniard to continue this season, and their faith in one of the most experienced riders in the sport got at least some small reward today. Behind the Yamaha trio came the newly-liveried Rizla Suzuki of John Hopkins, with Nicky Hayden top Honda rider in fifth, and Shinya Nakano in sixth place on the Kawasaki. Ducati’s new rider Sete Gibernau was seventh fastest at his home track, with former team-mate and last year’s championship runner-up Marco Melandri just behind him. Toni Elias was ninth fastest after his move from Yamaha to Honda over winter, with Makoto Tamada finishing tenth. Earlier this week, Jorge Lorenzo was the fastest 250cc rider on Wednesday, and subsequently repeated his leaderboard-topping form in Thursday’s eight-hour session. Having set a fastest lap of 1’46.563 he was only three-tenths off Dani Pedrosa’s pole-winning time from last season at this track. Despite suffering a crash half an hour before the end of the session, Alex de Angelis came in second quickest with a time of 1’47.232, whilst 250cc’s surprise package was Czech rider Jakub Smrz, who continued his intriguing success at the Circuit de Catalunya finishing third fastest. The big news from 125cc was the crash suffered by Thomas Lüthi. Switzerland’s reigning World Champion fractured his left collarbone in the incident, and doctors have recommended that he misses the MotoGP Official Test in Jerez next week in order to recover without surgery. The Swiss rider is still expected to compete in the first race of the season, the Gran Premio betandwin.com de España on March 26th. His main rival from last year, Finland’s Mika Kallio, topped the leaderboard with a fastest lap of 1’50.849, three tenths of a second off Hector Barbera’s 2004 lap record. Lukas Pesek and Alvaro Bautista came in second and third, whilst the top five was completed by Sergio Gadea and Angel Rodriguez. The weekend’s fastest laps are likely to occur on Sunday, when the third annual BMW M Award takes place. A forty-minute televised session in which riders compete to earn the fastest lap starts at just after 2pm local time, with a brand new BMW Z4 M Roadster going up for grabs for the winner. The previous winners of the competition are Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau. Cloud is predicted for tomorrow, Saturday, with a forecasted drop in temperature and light rain for Sunday’s final MotoGP Official Test day at the Circuit de Catalunya. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Catalunya MotoGP test Day one, Friday March 3 2006 DUCATI MARLBORO MEN GIVE GP6 FIRST EUROPEAN OUTING Ducati Marlboro Team riders Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi gave the Desmosedici GP6 its first European outing at Catalunya today, continuing the good work so far completed in Australia and Malaysia. In pleasantly mild conditions, with track temperature reaching 27 degrees this afternoon, the pair focused on engine-braking set-up and evaluating Bridgestone’s latest tyres. Also on track here is test rider Vittoriano Guareschi and the Development Team. Gibernau, Capirossi and Guareschi continue testing here over the next two days and on Sunday take part in the officially timed practice session, the traditional hors d’oeuvre to the World Championship which commences at Jerez on March 26. FILIPPO PREZIOSI, Ducati Corse director “We’re happy because Bridgestone have made good progress at this track. Today we did a lot of work on the engine-braking system, working with software, that’s why Sete and Loris didn’t get to ride any really fast laps. We hope the good weather continues over the next two days because today’s conditions were better than we had expected for this time of year.” SETE GIBERNAU, 63 laps, 7th fastest, 1m 44.556s “We’ve gone through a lot of stuff today, so we are more or less where I thought we’d be. Bridgestone have done a good job here, they’ve brought a lot of different tyres and we’ve found a good direction with both the front and the rear. As far as the bike goes, we’re still working to create a good base set-up. Right now, we don’t have one. We want to create a base here, confirm it during next week’s Jerez tests, then keep it through the year. We ran into a few engine-braking problems today but the team did a good job finding their way out of that. We have a way to go, we’ve got to keep our heads down, but both Bridgestone and the Team are doing a good job.” LORIS CAPIROSSI, 71 laps, 14th fastest, 1m 45.253s “Today we worked on a few things, we had to sort a small problem with the engine-braking, that’s why we didn’t go any quicker, because we were concentrating on fixing the engine-braking, rather than working on a bike set-up to that would give us faster lap times. It’s never easy to find a good set-up but we still have two more days here, so I’m happy with what we’ve done so far. Bridgestone have done some good work. Their latest front tyre is a big improvement over what we had here last year. The front is good now and the rear is not so bad, they’ve done well.” Temperatures: Ambient: 19 degrees C. Track: 27 degrees C More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: SUPER SHINYA SIXTH FASTEST IN CATALUNYA Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano ended the opening day of the Catalunya IRTA test sixth fastest, as the all-new Ninja ZX-RR made it’s European debut after a winter of development and testing overseas. With rain forecast for the weekend, Nakano started today’s test working with Bridgestone to evaluate another batch of new front and rear slicks from the Japanese tyre manufacturer. Still running with the same basic set-up on his Ninja ZX-RR from Malaysia, and cautious of the cold track conditions, Nakano quickly set about familiarising himself once again with the Catalunya circuit. The 28-year-old Japanese rider lapped consistently throughout the day, rarely dropping far from the top of the timesheet, and eventually finished sixth fastest overall. For Nakano’s Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, today’s test ended prematurely when the 25-year-old Frenchman was highsided from his Ninja ZX-RR early in the afternoon session. De Puniet was examined in the Clinica Mobile following the crash, but suffered only from bruising on his lower back and has been passed fit to continue testing tomorrow. The Kawasaki rider was disappointed to miss out on much of the afternoon session, after consistent improvements in his lap times had seen him inside the top ten fastest times for much of the morning. Although battered and bruised, de Puniet remains confident that further improvements are possible during the remaining two days of testing at Catalunya. Shinya Nakano: #56 – 1’44.399 (61 Laps) “It’s good to be back testing in Europe, because this is where most of our races are held and it’s important that we find a set-up that works on the European tracks, and in European weather conditions. Today we started on the same set-up we ran in Malaysia, because it was important to get tyre testing out of the way, as we’re not sure about the weather this weekend. Most forecasts seem to be predicting rain. The cold track temperature today meant we were unable to test as many tyres as we wanted, but we finished close to the top of the timesheet, so I’m happy with what we have achieved.” Randy de Puniet: #17 – 1’45.111 (59 Laps) “It was disappointing to have to end the test early because of the crash. We made good progress this morning and I was confident of improving further on my lap time, but the crash meant we were not able to continue with the two test runs we had planned for the afternoon. I don’t really know what caused the crash. I opened the gas in the same way as always, but this time the bike just highsided me. It was a big crash, and I came down quite hard on my back, but thankfully I’ve only suffered some bruising. For sure I’ll be sore in the morning, but it won’t stop me from continuing with the test, and I’m hopeful that I can continue to improve over the next two days.” More, from Camel Yamaha: MotoGP Official Test Circuit de Catalunya, Spain Friday 3rd March 2006 ROSSI AND EDWARDS TOP FIRST OFFICIAL TESTS AT CATALUNYA Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards made their first formal track appearances of the year today as the MotoGP Official Tests got underway at the Montmelo circuit in Catalunya. The traditional pre-season curtain raiser runs for three days, with a timed 40-minute session determining the winner of a new car in an exciting climax to the action on Sunday afternoon at 1405h. Sporting their new bright-yellow Camel livery, both Rossi and Edwards were in sparkling form throughout the day, dominating the time sheets and ending the session with the quickest times. With barely any changes made to the base set-up of their 2006 version YZR-M1 machines following recent tests, the Italian and the American were quickly on the pace despite brisk morning temperatures, backing up impressive results in contrasting conditions at Sepang and Qatar. A positive first day for Yamaha was completed by Carlos Checa (Tech 3 Yamaha), who sealed the third fastest time on only his third appearance for the team. VALENTINO ROSSI (1st, 1’43.608, 54 laps) “The first day here in Catalunya has been very positive. The weather has been better than we expected, especially in the afternoon, so the tyres were running at the right temperature to be enable us to understand the performance of the bike. The data we are gathering will not be much use for the race here in May because it will be so much warmer, but at least we are moving forward with the setting of the bike. I’m pleased because the lap times have been very fast this is the third track we have ridden at with the 2006 machine and we have been very competitive at all of them. Since 20th January we have been thinking exclusively about race one on 26th March and we will continue with this attitude for the rest of the test.” COLIN EDWARDS (2nd, 1’44.063, 66 laps) “We didn’t change too much with the bike today just rolled out what we had at Sepang to see how it worked. It was freezing this morning but we did some tests for Michelin and things just got better and better for the rest of the day. I’m happy with the bike, I’m happy with everything really, but as good as it looks and feels we still have a lot of work to do. It’s nice to be running up at the top from the start and I must admit it’s hard not to have one eye on the car on Sunday! I don’t know what I would do with it if I won but we’ll figure that out when it comes!” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “It is a positive surprise to see three Yamahas at the top of the time sheets and of course we are all very pleased. It’s only the first day of a long test but we hope it is a good sign of things to come. Things ran very smoothly today, we continued working to our testing programme, on the setting and on the tyres. The base setting seems to work well this is the third circuit with this bike and it’s encouraging that it has worked so well in so many different conditions. Both riders look relaxed and concentrated on the job at hand so let’s just keep working this way!” Lap Times: 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’43.608 2. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’44.063 3. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’44.070 4. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1’44.197 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’44.209 6. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’44.399 7. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1’44.556 8. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda, 1’44.672 9. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Honda, 1’44.702 10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda, 1’44.721 11. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts, 1’44.868 12. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’45.011 13. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’45.111 14. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team,1’45.253 15. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1’45.968 16. James Ellison (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’46.217 17. Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) D’Antin Pramac, 1’46.603 18. Alex Hoffman (GER) D’Antin Pramac, 1’46.606 19. Vittoriano Guareschi (ITA) Ducati, 1’47.379 Catalunya Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005 1’43.195 Catalunya Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005 1’42.337 More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: MELANDRI AND ELIAS BACK ON TRACK First day of testing for the Fortuna Honda riders at Barcelona The Fortuna Honda Team is back on track for the first official appointment of the 2006 season: the Irta test on the Spanish track of Montmelò. After the hard winter pre-season test at Sepang and Phillip Island, Marco Melandri and Toni Elias face the new challenge with enthusiasm and motivation. Marco Melandri worked on the setting and tyre testing while his team mate Toni Elias worked on weight distribution in order to improve his feeling with the bike. MARCO MELANDRI (76 laps, 1’44.672, 8th best time): “We worked a lot and we still have a lot of work to do to find the pace we’d like to have. All in all I’m confident, this is only the first day of testing. ” TONI ELIAS ( 71 laps, 1’44.702, 9th best time ): “I’m quite satisfied of today’s testing on this track that is particularly dear to me because it’s my home circuit. Thanks to the work done on weight distribution and tyre testing, my feeling with the bike improved and my rhythm too. I’m confident to continue improving thanks to the work with my team and Michelin techs.” More, from Honda Racing: MotoGP test Catalunya. Day one March 3, 2006. The MotoGP teams returned to Europe this week for the closing stages of winter testing. The teams began a three-day test at the Catalunya circuit, close to Barcelona today with final testing taking place at the Jerez circuit in, Andalusia scene of the opening race of the 17-round world championship series. Cold weather and strong wind made for a difficult early morning but as soon as the track surface warmed the teams set about finding machine base settings the riders will need to get the best out of the three-day test. Fastest Honda rider on the opening day of test was American Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda). The former AMA Superbike Champion ran the whole day with the latest version of the all-new 2006 Honda RC211V five-cylinder 990cc GP machine he will campaign in the championship. Hayden spent his day finding a good base setting and machine balance for the RCV before working on a range of tyres for Michelin in a bid to find the optimum package before moving on to fine tuning and chasing fast lap times tomorrow. Hayden’s young teammate, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa was pleased with his day’s work, in fact surprised by his turn of speed on the latest development of the standard RC211V he will begin the season with. At the end of his 88-lap stint the reigning double 250cc World Champion admitted he has some work to do on his physical strength if he is to get the best out of the RCV when the season starts. Fortuna Honda rider Marco Melandri, the fastest Honda rider for much of the winter, did not find the pace at Catalunya that he had hoped for. The team worked hard on machine balance and suspension settings improving as the opening day wore. Sufficient progress was made to allow Marco to take on tyre testing for Michelin late in the afternoon. Team-mate Toni Elias concentrated on finding a good balance for his RCV before working on the suspension. Elias is in his second season of MotoGP racing. He lives within sight of the Catalan circuit but has no MotoGP experience of the circuit having missed the GP race at the track in 2005. Konica Minolta Honda man Makoto Tamada was a late starter on the opening day preferring to wait for the track to reach high temperatures before venturing out on his RCV. Tamada concentrated on finding a good enough set up to test a range of Michelin front tyres, the front end of his RCV was a particular problem for the popular Japanese rider in 2005. Tamada had made the switch to Michelin from a rival manufacturer and it has taken him some time to adjust to the feel of the Michelin shod front end of the RCV. Team Roberts arrived at Sepang with the third development version of their chassis that will house the RC211V engine. The British based team have worked wonders in producing a very competitive chassis is such a short time. To reach the third stage of development in little over 10 weeks is nothing short of astonishing. Kenny Roberts Jnr was delighted with progress and will spend day two of the three-day test fine-tuning the new chassis before looking for fast lap times. LCR Honda rider Casey Stoner has decided to wait until the opening GP of the season, at Jerez on March 26, before returning to the track. Stoner aggravated an old injury while physically training in February and has been advised by LCR team owner-manager Lucio Cecchinello to make sure he is 100% ready to cope with the physical demands required to handle the 240 hp plus RC211V. Honda rider lap times and quotes. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1m 44.209s – 103 laps “It’s always really good to get back to Europe. The whole team’s working hard towards the beginning of the season, and the conditions and track temperature are so different to the last few tests. This morning it was really cold and we struggled a little to get good traction coming out of corners. But we tried some new stuff and this afternoon and it felt a lot better. We tried some different Michelins too which helped a lot – so a big thanks to the Michelin guys.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 45.001s – 88 laps. “It’s really nice to come here to my home circuit riding for the Repsol Honda team, I’ve had a great welcome from the fans. I’ve ridden the RC211V before at Valencia, Sepang and Phillip Island but today was the first time I’ve ridden it in really cold conditions, and it was windy too, so it actually wasn’t easy. My lap time is not really so important today and I’m looking forward to improving over the next two days.” Makoto Tanaka, Team Manager Repsol Honda. “Today we made some good progress with the new machine. This morning the weather meant that the times weren’t so fast but this afternoon it was fine “¦with new developments. Dani made some good progress too, improving on his time from November. We’re happy with the progress so far. We’re working step by step. The level is very high this year and with the new generation of riders it will be an exciting. I expect the racing to be very close at Jerez.” Marco Melandri, Repsol Honda: 1m 44.672s 76 laps. “We worked a lot and we still have a lot of work to do to find the pace we’d like to have. All in all I’m confident, this is only the first day of testing. “ Toni Elias, Repsol Honda: 1m 44. 700s 71 laps. “I’m quite satisfied of today’s testing on this track that is particularly dear to me because it’s my home circuit. Thanks to the work done on weight distribution and tyre testing, my feeling with the bike improved and my rhythm too. I’m confident to continue improving thanks to the work with my team and Michelin technicians.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 44.721s 78 laps. “The track conditions only permitted me to get on my RC211V around midday. Today we have made some steps ahead towards the research of the best setting even if we cannot say that we have finished our work yet. During the afternoon I have been able to try some 2006 Michelin front tyres and I can state that the situation seems to be better than last year. I still have some problems to solve to be efficient at the exit of the corner when I start using the throttle again; for this I do hope tomorrow I’ll be able to test the new rear Michelin tyres which should guarantee a better performance” Kenny Roberts Junior, KR Honda: 1m 44.868s 80 laps. “I’m tired, we really did a lot of laps today, 80 I think. We have a lot of stuff to test here. We only went out on the third development of the chassis for the last run at the end of the day but it felt as if it has a higher potential. Tomorrow we will try back-to-back runs with the second version of the chassis and the new one. Basically we will refine the new chassis. So far everything has been positive and I could not find a negative point. We also did some tyre testing for Michelin running about five laps with each of six tyres. “