CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM TEST Losail, Qatar Wednesday, February 8th 2006 Ambient temperature: 28.1 degrees Track temperature: 44.0 degrees Humidity: 50.3% ANOTHER TEST COMPLETED FOR CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM IN QATAR The Camel Yamaha Team finished their third day of testing at the Losail International Circuit with the track to themselves today, all other teams having begun testing one day earlier and finished yesterday. Alone on the track, Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were quickly able to complete the remaining Michelin tyre work they needed to do, before concluding the test with long runs in the afternoon. Neither Rossi nor Edwards improved on their times from yesterday of 1’56.53 and 1’56.81 respectively, and these remain the fastest times from the three days of testing. However both riders still lapped under lap record pace today, Rossi setting a best time of 1’56.78 after 49 laps and Edwards 1’57.07 from 57 laps. The Yamaha riders and team members now have a five day break before they rejoin the rest of the MotoGP paddock for the final ‘winter’ test in Sepang, Malaysia on 14th, 15th and 16th February. VALENTINO ROSSI (1’56.78, 49 Laps) “Today was not quite as good as the last two days, mainly because the condition of the track was slightly worse and we didn’t have such good grip. I think that last night there was a lot of wind and with only two bikes on the track today it wasn’t enough to clean the surface properly. Anyway we continued to work, did our long run and found out some more information about the new M1 in different conditions. We have some vibrations and our top priority now is to find a way to fix this; I hope we can do that in Sepang. Anyway, in general this has been a good test and we have made some more improvements. The times have been quite good and we’ve done some important work with Michelin. Now I go home for a few days to rest before we start again in Sepang next week.” COLIN EDWARDS (1’57.07, 57 Laps) “Overall I am really happy with this test and I am looking forward to the season ahead. I am especially pleased with the setting of the bike, which we seem to be improving all the time. Both Yamaha and Michelin have worked really hard over the winter and, together with the new tyres, we’ve got a really good package. My long run was not bad this afternoon and the encouraging thing was that my times were consistent, even later on as the tyres started to go off slightly in the heat. It’s difficult to compare to last year’s race since the conditions are so different, but this year’s Qatar race is only two months away now, so we hope that the work we’ve done at this test will put us in a good starting position for that weekend. The general progress of the bike has been great over just two tests this year so now we will hopefully be able to keep working like this in Sepang next week.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “It was interesting to come here in very good conditions and we got some good information which we can work on for the start of the season. It’s good to now go immediately to Sepang to check again the settings that we found there at the first test in January. Sepang is the last really important test for us before the start of the season.” Unofficial Lap Times: 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Yamaha, 1’56.78 2. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, 1’57.07 Qatar Lap Record: 1’57.903 (Nicky Hayden, Honda, 2005) Qatar Best Lap: 1’56.917 (Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 2005)

The Yamaha Motor Italia World Superbike Team today announces a three-year sponsorship agreement with Santander Consumer Bank Italy, the leading consumer credit bank in the automotive industry. The deal will see the YZF-R1 machines of Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt run in the red and white corporate colours of the financial giant, which also works with Yamaha Motor Italia as a partner in the Yamaha Credit System – a finance programme available to Yamaha’s Italian customers facilitating the purchase of their machines. Santander Consumer Bank is part of the Gruppo Santander, the leading financial institution in Spain and one of the top ten international banks in the world. Gruppo Santander operates in 46 countries with 10,000 franchises servicing 59 million clients, with more than 126,000 employees. Santander Consumer Bank (SCB) is an important contributor to the success of the group. In Italy, SCB achieved much of its business success developing financial products for the automotive industry. Laurens Klein Koerkamp – Yamaha Motor Europe, Racing Division “We’re pleased to have secured a three-year partnership with Santander Consumer Bank. It is a very positive development that such a leading financial company values the marketing potential of motorcycle racing, and following their existing relationship with Yamaha Motor Italia this partnership is a perfect fit for us and a valuable new contribution to world superbike racing as a whole. Superbike is all about racing production machines which can be bought in our dealerships and this sponsor also has a strong presence in Yamaha’s Italian dealerships providing financial services to our customers. I am sure it will be a very fruitful relationship giving our team the opportunity to further improve its competiveness, while Santander will surely raise their public profile in and outside the motorcycle population.” Mauro Viotto – C.E.O. of Santander Consumer Bank Italy “For us the partnership with Yamaha Motor Italia is very important from a commercial point of view. For many years we have been developing products, services and operations tailored for automotive partners. We want to support Yamaha Motor Italia and its dealer network with all these tools and with new ones that we will be developing following their needs through the Yamaha Credit System. We’ve already reached the lead between independent companies in the whole automotive market. Our aim is to increase our market share in motorcycle financing, in order to expand our existing leadership based largely upon consumer credit within the car segment. We think that the sponsorship of the Yamaha Motor Italia World Superbike Team will strengthen our relationship with the Yamaha dealer network, enabling us to reach our business goals together.”

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Hi. I have read your article about Anthony. I would be grateful if you could make it clear that the addiction is completely gone and Anthony has been clean for a long time. The court case was adjourned last year a few times and so for the article to give the impression that it is a current thing is very misleading. I understand that you have not in any way embellished the facts but you were not given the full facts. The newspaper article in Australia was also very misleading and did not state the full facts. It also selectively printed only part of the whole storey. The reason why Anthony received such a minor penalty is that the judge could see that Anthony had taken steps to help himself and was no longer an addict. He has in fact been clean for a long time. Some jealous person over here has gotten hold of the article and has sent it to every journalist and motorcycle person all over the world and this in itself is very sad that someone could be so hateful as to try to sabotage another person. Thank you, Sue Gobert (Note: Sue Gobert is Anthony Gobert’s mother and manager.) FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I just read the article about Anthony Gobert. Although I don’t condone of any illegal drug use, especially in sports, I find it sad that our society (or possibly just the press) seems to have a fascination with building people up, and then tearing them down. People make all kinds of mistakes in life–small ones, big ones, private ones and very public ones. But at the end of our lives, I believe that we are as much judged (if not more so) by how we correct our mistakes, than by the mistakes we make. So let’s give Anthony a break. Oliver Chami San Diego, California

2005 AMA Superstock Champion Aaron Yates fractured his right shoulder blade when he crashed his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superstock bike during AMA team testing Tuesday morning at California Speedway. “We were testing some stuff. We had made some adjustments to the shock,” Yates told Roadracingworld.com Tuesday evening in the paddock of California Speedway. The Georgian had exited turn nine and was driving down the infield straightaway and toward the revised-in-2005 turn 10/11 chicane (which is now more of a kink than a chicane) when he came upon Team M4 EMGO Suzuki development rider Shea Fouchek, who was making his first lap of the day on his new GSX-R600 Supersport bike. “I could tell that guy was on a 600, and he was way off the line out there,” said Yates. “I felt like I could get in there and get by him. He started coming down and coming down. I was trying to go tighter and tighter, and I ended up collecting a cone pretty good and brushing him a little. I got into a big, nasty tankslapper. I was headed out there for that big wall of haybales and stuff out by that bridge, and I had to get off. I just let go of it because it was swapping so big.” Yates was not immediately rushed to the hospital. Instead, he was taken to be examined by Dr. Thomas Bryan, a local orthopedic surgeon who has recently operated on Mat Mladin and Damon Buckmaster. Dr. Bryan confirmed the fracture with X-rays and an MRI, and Yates was back at the track before the end of the day. “We’re getting the stuff to Dr. (David) Kieffer to see what he thinks,” continued Yates, referring to the surgeon he has worked with for most of his injuries during his racing career, “but it looks like we might just let it sit. I just hope everything’s going to work out and I can go to Daytona and try to go fast, but the main thing is to try and get some points.”

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin was the fastest man Tuesday during the first day of a two-day AMA team test at California Speedway in Fontana, California. After turning a time of 1:25.411 in the morning session, Mladin was able to pilot his Dunlop-fitted GSX-R1000 Superbike around the 2.36-mile infield road course in a time of 1:24.708. “I feel it was a successful day,” the noticeably leaner six-time and defending AMA Superbike Champion told Roadracingworld.com. “We went through quite a bit of stuff. Those times were a bit down, but we had quite a bit of stuff to re-test that we started with in Australia. I think we found some good stuff, though.” Mladin qualified for last year’s Superbike race at California Speedway with a new record time of 1:23.612. As in the morning session, American Honda’s Jake Zemke and Miguel Duhamel were next on the time sheets with afternoon lap times of 1:25.438 and 1:25.614, respectively. Both men split time Tuesday between their Ohlins-suspended CBR1000RR Superbikes and the CBR600RR Formula Xtreme machines they will only race in selected 2006 events, including the Daytona 200. Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Neil Hodgson was the fourth-fastest Superbike man, shaving 0.6-second from his Tuesday-morning time to end up with a 1:25.766. Hodgson’s new teammate Ben Bostrom, however, stalled out at 1:26.4 Tuesday morning and stopped riding mid-afternoon because he wasn’t making any progress. Bostrom feels the character of California Speedway’s course does not suit the Ducati 999. Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden and Roger Hayden continued the development process with their new ZX-10R Superbikes (which are actually closer to Superstock bikes than true Superbikes) with help from former MotoGP and World Superbike racer Akira Yanagawa. Tommy Hayden shaved 1.5 seconds from his best lap time Tuesday afternoon with a 1:25.861. The only other Superbike men at the test, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates and Ben Spies, did not factor into the fastest lap times because Yates crashed early in the day and did not ride again and Spies focused on dialing in the new suspension of his GSX-R600 Supersport racebike. Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking recorded the fastest time in the Superstock class, turning a 1:26.254 on his YZF-R1 LE Tuesday afternoon. Hacking’s teammate Jason DiSalvo was the top Formula Xtreme rider with 1:26.073 on his factory Yamaha YZF-R6. Kawasaki’s Roger Lee Hayden turned the fastest Supersport lap time (1:27.108), before parking his ZX-6RR at lunchtime. Tuesday Afternoon AMA Team Test Times (as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing & scoring): 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:24.708 Superbike 2. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:25.438 Superbike 3. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:25.614 Superbike 4. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999F06) 1:25.766 Superbike 5. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:25.861 Superbike 6. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R6) 1:26.073 Formula Xtreme 7. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:26.118 Superbike 8. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R1 LE) 1:26.254 Superstock 9. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999F06) 1:26.479 Superbike 10. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1 LE) 1:26.830 Superstock 11. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:26.977 Superstock 12. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:27.136 Superstock 13. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:27.524 Superstock 14. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:27.533 Superstock 15. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:27.627 Superbike 16. Marty Craggill (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:27.670 Superstock 17. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:27.685 Supersport 18. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:28.240 Supersport 19. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R6) 1:28.308 Formula Xtreme 20. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:28.317 Superstock 21. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:28.318 Superstock 22. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R600) 1:28.467 Supersport 23. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR) 1:28.648 Formula Xtreme 24. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR600RR) 1:28.807 Formula Xtreme 25. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600) 1:28.846 Formula Xtreme 26. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:29.024 Superstock 27. Ty Howard (Hon CBR600RR) 1:29.330 Formula Xtreme 28. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:30.204 Superstock 29. Danny Eslick (Suz GSX-R600) 1:30.482 Supersport 30. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R600) 1:30.998 Supersport 31. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR) 1:31.103 Formula Xtreme 32. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:31.685 Superstock 33. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R600) 1:32.742 Supersport More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Yoshimura Suzuki Concludes Day One of Testing at California Speedway BREA, Calif. (Feb. 7, 2006) — Team Yoshimura Suzuki concluded the first day of a two-day test at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., today. The 2005 AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin, 2005 AMA Superstock Champion Aaron Yates and AMA Superbike frontrunner Ben Spies were on hand at the 21-turn, 2.36-mile circuit. “This is just the final shakedown of equipment leading into the first round of AMA Superbike at Daytona,” said Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura. “Also, we have had several updates to the new Suzuki GSX-R600 – mostly with suspension and chassis – and we needed to address those.” In his first 2006 U.S. test, Mladin was fastest on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 with a best lap time of 1:24.708 and he was upbeat at the end of the day. “It was a good first day,” said Mladin. “We’re just running through a bunch of stuff we tested earlier in the year in Australia. What we have now is what we’re going to start the season with.” Teammate Spies spent the day developing the new Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600. “This is really the first time I’ve been able to put any real miles on the 600,” said Spies. “It’s a little difficult because I’m the only guy in the U.S. who’s developing the bike. But we found out what we needed to do and the guys are going to work on some stuff tonight, then we’re going to go back out tomorrow.” Yates, meanwhile, had an unfortunately short day as a get-off in the back-straight kink resulted in a broken right shoulder blade. “Going into that right/left, I got into a tank-slapper and went off over the front and landed on my shoulder,” described Yates, who went to the doctor after the incident. “Most likely, I won’t need surgery and I’ll be ready for Daytona.” Team Yoshimura Suzuki will continue the two-day test tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 8, while the season-opening round of AMA Superbike is scheduled for March 8-11 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Six-time and defending AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin was the fastest rider Tuesday morning at an AMA team test at California Speedway in Fontana, California. In near-perfect weather conditions, Mladin turned a lap time of 1:25.411 on his Dunlop-equipped Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike while navigating the 2.36-mile infield road course. Mladin qualified for last year’s Superbike race at California Speedway with a new record time of 1:23.612. Mladin’s teammates Aaron Yates and Ben Spies did not have as smooth of a morning, however. Yates crashed when he ran off the track trying to avoid Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s development rider Shea Fouchek, who was on his out lap and was confused by the cones marking the turn 10/11 chicane on the infield straightaway. According to his team, Yates suffered a concussion and a shoulder injury when he fell. He has not left the track seeking medical attention, but he has not ridden since the incident. Less than an hour after Yates’ crash, Spies and Fouchek collided at the entrance to the fast turn one chicane. Spies did not fall, but Fouchek crashed without injury. While Spies’ and Fouchek’s versions of the incident differed, both riders expressed regret, said they had no hard feelings and described the incident as “just one of those things.” In addition to Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mladin, Yates and Spies; the test is being attended by: Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Michael Barnes, Geoff May and Fouchek; Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore, Steve Rapp and Jake Holden; Hotbodies Racing/Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki’s Marty Craggill; Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich and Robertino Pietri; Matsushima Performance Suzuki’s Danny Eslick and Blake Young; American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke; Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes and Aaron Gobert; Rockwall Honda’s Ty Howard and Ryan Andrews; Yamaha/Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom, Jamie Hacking and Jason DiSalvo; Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden and Roger Hayden; Attack Kawasaki’s Damon Buckmaster and Ben Attard; and Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom. Kawasaki has also brought former MotoGP and World Superbike racer Akira Yanagawa to California Speedway. Yanagawa rode a spare ZX-10R Superbike without numbers on it Tuesday morning. “Top secret,” Yanagawa joked with Roadracingworld.com when asked why he was at California Speedway. “Of course, our bikes are completely new. So my job is to collect data to help make a really good bike for the future.” Yanagawa said he planned to race a Kawasaki ZX-10R in the All-Japan Superbike Championship this season, as he did last year. While the morning’s weather conditions were very good, with unseasonable warm temperatures and very little wind, the early afternoon as brought more wind than the racers would like. AMA Team Test Times (as provided by AMA Pro Racing timing & scoring): 1. Mat Mladin (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:25.411 2. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:25.997 3. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:26.161 4. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999F06) 1:26.331 5. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R1) 1:26.381 6. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999F06) 1:26.453 7. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:26.923 8. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR) 1:27.106 9. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:27.108 10. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R6) 1:27.188 11. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:27.214 12. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:27.345 13. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:27.395 14. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:27.591 15. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1) 1:27.663 16. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR600RR) 1:27.672 17. Marty Craggill (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:27.834 18. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:28.297 19. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.457 20. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R600) 1:28.604 21. Michael Barnes (Suz GSX-R600) 1:28.744 22. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:28.901 23. Ty Howard (Hon CBR600RR) 1:29.352 24. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:29.769 25. Geoff May (Suz GSX-R600) 1:30.285 26. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:30.833 27. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR) 1:32.034 28. Blake Young (Suz GSX-R600) 1:33.138 29. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:36.112 30. Shea Fouchek (Suz GSX-R600) 1:37.388

QATAR TESTS HAGA IMPROVES TIME TO GO FASTEST AT LOSAIL Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) suffered a late crash in the last of three days at Losail, but nonetheless secured the fastest time of the test with a 2’00.5. His fall resulted in no significant injury, leaving him in good shape for the start of the season at Qatar on February 25th. All riders in Qatar were on 2005 Pirelli spec tyres, with more improvements expected when the latest 2006 versions are made available. Second fastest on day two was Haga’s team-mate Andrew Pitt, with Superbike rookie Michel Fabrizio (D.F.X. Treme Honda) heading off his team-mate Pierfancesco Chili. 1. Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) 2’00″5 2. Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) 2’00″8 3. Fabrizio (D.F.X. Treme Honda) 2’01″3 4. Chili (D.F.X. Treme Honda ) 2’01″4 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Testing alongside Yamaha’s MotoGP teams, the Yamaha Motor Italia squad proved the performance and reliability of their new specification engine and fine-tuned the updated Magneti Marelli electronics in their three-day outing at the Losail circuit. The team’s 2006 YZF-R1s feature a host of new parts over the 2005 version, designed to give the bike improved power delivery and controllability for the riders. The squad also evaluated a number of chassis parts, including a new swingarm and 2006 specification Ohlins suspension. With Pirelli supplying only 2005-spec race rubber, the squad was able to concentrate fully on the machine performance rather than testing development tyres. Using these tyres, both riders were quicker on race tyres than at December’s Pirelli test, confirming the progress made by the team over the winter months. Haga was the faster of the two riders, setting a 2:00.4, with Pitt fractionally behind on 2:00.8. The Australian was slightly detuned on the final day after picking up a stomach bug but gamely completed his test programme, while Haga’s day came to a premature end when he suffered a spectacular highside just 30 minutes before the end of the session. The Japanese rider was uninjured in the crash, although his bike suffered damage. Noriyuki Haga “Not so bad a test although it was a shame to end with a crash. Going through the last of the high-speed right hand corners I lost the rear and had a big crash. I am ok but maybe I hurt in the morning! The new bike is a real improvement although we are still trying to find the perfect settings. The engine for sure is much nicer: less aggressive and stronger coming out of the corners, and the team has made some improvements in all areas. At the end we made some big changes to the front and, for me, it was a good direction. I am happy with the progress made by the team, but we have not tested with our rivals, so only at the first race will we know how competitive we are.” Andrew Pitt “I was happy with how it went over the three days. I feel some big improvements from last year, especially with the electronics and the engine braking. We got through a lot here and we’re running the 2006 suspension front and back now and it’s working well already. The lap times are good and consistent and there was none of the chatter problem that we have had here in the past, so that’s also a big step forward. There’s a few more things to try before the race and I’ve still got to find a front tyre that will work good over the race distance.”

BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX TEAM) WARMS UP FOR SUPERBIKE START WITH QUICKEST TIME IN VALENCIA TESTING – LANZI TAKES SECOND SLOT Valencia (Spain), Tuesday 7 February 2005: The Ducati Xerox Team completed its final pre-season testing programme with more excellent times set by 2001 champion Troy Bayliss and his team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi. The Australian, who returns to Superbike this season for the Italian manufacturer after a three-year spell in MotoGP, continued the superb form he has shown so far in testing since signing for the Ducati Xerox Team at the end of last year and ended the two-day session at the top of the timesheets with a time of 1m34.45s. “The first time I tested here in November I did a 36 and now today on the race tyre I did a 34.4 which is quite an improvement” declared Troy, who covered 133 laps of the Valencia track on his Ducati 999F06. “Obviously I feel pretty comfortable on the bike and things are going really well so that makes me happy. The start of the championship is just around the corner and we haven’t had to change the bike a lot since I first hopped on it. I’m feeling confident and I’m sure I’m going to be a contender for the championship and especially for the race wins. It’s been quite a while since I’ve won so I’m a bit excited about that and can’t wait to get one under my belt. I’m very impressed with the bike and feel good on it. I haven’t felt this much at home for a long time!” Lorenzo Lanzi (136 laps in two days) took a bit more time to settle into the rhythm of the test, but made a big improvement on the second day to end up second quickest on race tyres with a time of 1m35.6s “I felt that I rode well and am pleased with that, I made a good improvement over yesterday when I struggled to get into the groove and back onto the bike after a break of two months” said Lorenzo. “Today I did some good times, on race tyres we’re just two or three tenths away from Troy’s pace with 1m35s. The feeling with the bike is good and we learnt a lot these two days so I now think we’re ready for Qatar. The championship finally gets underway in a couple of weeks time and it’ll be great to get back to racing, especially with the factory Ducati, and the prospects are looking good”. The 2006 World Superbike Championship gets underway on February 25th at the Losail Circuit in Qatar. UNOFFICIAL TIMES (courtesy of Pirelli): 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1m34.4s (Qualifying tyres – 1m34.3s); 2. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 1m35.6s (Q – 1m35.4s); 3. Toseland (Honda) 1m35.8s (Q – 1m35.2s); 4. Muggeridge (Honda) 1m35.9s (Q – 1m35.4s); 5. Neukirchner (Ducati) 1m36.4s; 6. Abe (Yamaha) 1m36.4s; 7. Clementi (Ducati) 1m36.6s; 8. Rolfo (Ducati SC) 1m36.6s; 9. Borciani (Ducati) 1m36.7s; 10. Foret (Suzuki) 1m36.9s. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: BAYLISS LEAVES VALENCIA WITH BEST TESTING TIME Valencia, Tuesday 7th February 2006 2001 CHAMPION BACK IN THE GROOVE Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox Team) once more ripped into his testing task with gusto at Valencia, setting a quicker time than Neil Hodgson’s previous recorded track best on a SBK™ race weekend, with a 1’34.3 on qualifying tyres. He made an even more impressive 1’34.4 on 2006 versions of Pirelli’s race spec tyres. Bayliss worked through some additional tyre options before finishing the test early and satisfied with his latest outing. 2004 CHAMPION TOSELAND SECOND QUICKEST James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) was second fastest rider on qualifying tyres, with Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox Team) the second fastest when using race rubber. Each of the top Honda and Ducati riders had access to 2006-spec tyres, including Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda). Fourth fastest overall Muggeridge equalled Toseland’s best on race tyres, but was marginally behind with a qualifying set-up. NEUKIRCHNER ADAPTS QUICKLY TO DUCATI POWER Max Neukirchner (Team Pedercini Ducati) and Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) shared a best time of 1’36.4 on the final day, with neither able to use 2006 specification tyres. Neukirchner, a new inductee to the Pedercini squad, enjoyed his time on the Ducati, making the most of its characteristics in a short space of time. Abe tested ignition and electronics packages on day two, stopping him making great improvements to his suspension set-up. PRIVATE RIDERS TO THE FORE Ivan Clementi (Pedercini Ducati) and Roberto Rolfo (Caracchi Ducati) also shared a best time; 1’36.6. Marco Borciani (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati) was only a tenth behind, but the biggest improvement over day one came from new Suzuki rider, Fabien Foret (Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) who posted a 1’36.9. PIRELLI TIMES (R: Race tyres – Q: Qualifying tyres) Bayliss (Ducati Xerox Team) 1.34”4 R 1.34”3 Q Lanzi (Ducati Xerox Team) 1.35”6 R 1.35”4 Q Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1.36”2 R 1.35”3 Q Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1.36”2 R 1.35”5 Q Nuekircnker (Team Pedercini Ducati 1.36”4 R Abe (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) 1’36.4 R Clementi (Pedercini Ducati 1.36”6 R Rolfo (Caracchi SC Ducati) 1.36”6 R Borciani (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati) 1.36”7 R Foret (Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1.36”9 R Pedercini Pedercini Ducati 1.37”2 R SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP® Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) once more proved to be transcendent, setting a 1’37.1 lap when going for a single quick time, and a host of fast laps with a full race set-up in place. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Megabike Honda) as again his closest challenger, with a 1’37.5 also set on 2006 tyres. Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) came on in leaps and bounds in what was his first full test for his new team, taking a 1’38.2 time, and impressing all who watched him. Only these three riders used 2006 spec tyres. French rookie Yoann Tiberio (Megabike Honda) made a 1’39 flat, while Josh Brookes (Ducati SC Caracchi) did a 1’39.5. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP® TIMES Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1.37”1 Fuji (Megabike Honda) 1.37”5 Soufouglou (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1.38”2 Tiberio (Megabike Honda) 1.39”0 Brookes (Ducati SC Caracchi).39”5 Nedog (Ducati SC Caracchi) 1.41”2 More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: In the last test before the start of the 2006 World Superbike season the Winston Ten Kate Superbike and Supersport squads, running in 2006 livery for the first time, made their final on-track preparations for the first round of the championship in Qatar. James Toseland and Karl Muggeridge each improved their times from day one gaining great confidence on their full 2006 spec machines. In Supersport, 2005 World Champion Sebastien Charpentier set class leading times in the good track conditions, with new inductee Kenan Sofuoglu improving with each and every taste of the latest CBR600RR. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “We are very happy with where we are at this moment. On the Supersport side of things we are quite a lot faster than last year’s pole position time and also during a race simulation Sebastien was lapping constantly half a second or more faster than he did in the last race. For Kenan, he has made quite remarkable progress during this test, which was his first full test with us. He is faster than last year’s pole time and he is also in quite a good situation with the race tyres. On that side of things we can’t wait to go to Qatar. My riders are already excited to go there and show the performance of the 2006 CBR600RR. On the Superbike side of things, when I look back to the beginning of last season, we were around 70% ready to go racing. At the moment we are now about 95% ready. In the upcoming week we will fine-tune all the details but the riders feel very well connected to the machines, and have a good feeling with the throttle. Also, the suspension is better and the tyres are working very consistently over race distance. That will be the key factor, I think, in the coming races. We are ready, ready to rumble!” Karl Muggeridge SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Best lap time 1’35.4 – Total lap 71) “We did a race simulation, and it was pretty good. The only other thing we could have done is make the long run at lunchtime, instead of a quarter past four, when the track was colder and the grip level is not so hot. It took two whole days to work through everything we had to test here, but it was OK, and we put together the best bike we could. I think we have really good info from here and we can even improve the bike again before we even start. We’ve had a good test.” James Toseland SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Best lap time 1’35.2 – Total lap 82) “For me this test has mostly been about time with the bike. Getting to learn it even more, doing quite a few laps and I tried the qualifying tyres for the first time on a Honda. The first one I put in I was a bit tentative with but on the second one I did a decent time. We went round in circles a bit this morning, so we didn’t really improve until this afternoon. We worked on the tyres and then right at the end we changed a bit of the set-up and it gave us another improvement. I think we are nearly there now, largely because of the tests at Almeria and here. I’m looking forward to Qatar, especially with the amount of improvements we have made since the last time we were there.” Sébastien Charpentier SS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Best lap time 1’37.1 – Total lap 60) “The good weather helped us again today, and in general the track was OK. I am very happy because my best lap was a 1’37.1. I made a race simulation in the afternoon and my best lap in those conditions was a 1’37.6, with many laps in the 1’38s. I think this was a very good sign because those are very fast lap times. I am OK, ready to race, and my energy is at the maximum. We tested many different solutions, and we did a very good job. I think the team and I are completely ready for Qatar.” Kenan Sofuoglu SS Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Best lap time 1’38.2 – Total lap 83) “Now I can say I am really happy with the bike and ready for the first race. Today we tried many things on the bike; many different setting and now we have a good set-up. I am very happy. Without pushing I could do 1’38s, and if we had one more test here I think we could make an even better time. I achieved my ambition because I wanted to be connected with the bike. I am getting closer to Sebastien, even if he is very fast right now. For me it would be great if Sebastien comes first and I could be in the top three, or ideally, second!” More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha Motor France: Stronger engine for Abe After two days of testing in Valencia, Norick Abe can now enjoy a stronger engine for its Yamaha R1. “We have worked mostly on a revised engine mapping, the brakes and the chassis, explains team owner Martial Garcia. With this better engine, we now have a top speed which is 4 mph faster.” Abe was only one second slower than Lorenzo Lanzi and James Toseland, which is fine because the Italian and the British riders used 2006 spec tires, while Abe used 2005 models (G17 on the front and 1015 on the rear). There is some more work to be done on the R1, like for instance to improve the performances with qualifying tires. “These two days of testing have been positive, says Garcia. The rider is happy, there has been no crash, so we are ready for the first race in Qatar on February 25.” Unofficial times: 1- Bayliss (Ducati) 1’34.3 2- Toseland (Honda) & Lanzi (Ducati) 1’35.4 4- Muggeridge (Honda) 1’36.1 5- Abe (Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone) 1’36.4 6- Foret (Suzuki) 1’36.8 Valencia stats Practice record (2003): 1’34.633 Hodgson (Ducati) 152.360 kph / 2nd free practice session 2003 Lap record (best race time 2003): 1’35.007 Hodgson (Ducati) 151.760 kph 2005 Yamaha Motor France practice times: Norifumi Abe: 1’36.862 / 8th and Sébastien Gimbert: 1’38.203 / 15th Round 1 of the Superbike World Championship: Losail (Qatar) February 25 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Norick Abe spent two days at the Valencia circuit. Having tested extensively at Phillip Island last month, the Japanese rider was back on the Ohlins suspension which he will run in the 2006 season. Abe was the sole Yamaha Motor France rider in attendance at Valencia. Shinichi Nakatomi, who will run Japanese Soqi suspension, elected to miss the test having twice tested his R1 at the circuit, while Sebastien Gimbert was also absent. The Frenchman did not test as he will not race in Valencia due to a date clash with the Le Mans 24-hour race. Abe suffered some fueling glitches as the team tested new injection mappings and he was also one of the few riders at the test not running development tyres. His best of the day was a 1:36.4. Fastest at the test was Troy Bayliss (Ducati) with a 1:34.4 lap. Norick Abe “Today we worked mainly on the injection system. We wanted to get a good setting for this and then try for a good suspension setting. It was difficult to get a good setting on the mapping and it is still not perfect. Because of this we didn’t get to try any new settings on the suspension.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “We have been able to get through a lot of work over the last few days. Often at these first tests we face a lot of small problems but other than a few minor electrical things on the first morning these three days have been very good. The team has been working hard over the winter and it has been good to hear the riders’ feedback confirm what we had seen on the dyno. We started trying a lot of new parts yesterday and we lost our way a little bit with the set-up, but today both riders found some good settings and were happy with the results. Of course we tested many development tyres when we came in December and we do not know yet which other tyres Pirelli will bring for the race, but we are happy with our settings on the ones we had here. Our times have been under what the tyre technicians predicted so this is a positive sign for the first race.”