Hotbodies Racing has inked a deal to be the exclusive Bodywork and Windscreen sponsor of the AMA Superbike Ducati factory team of Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin. Last year the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team won the second most Superbike races of any team, with Neil Hodgson winning one and Eric Bostrom winning three, while Hodgson also scored six podium finishes in his first year on the AMA Superbike circuit. In 2006, the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin teammates Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom brother of Eric will compete on a pair of updated Ducati 999s, sleeked out with slippery Hotbodies Racing Grandprix Windscreens and full Hotbodies Racing Bodywork. Hotbodies Racing founder Roger Davis said, “We’re thrilled to be aligned with one of the premier factory teams, showing everyone that our products belong on the podium in the top class of motorcycle road racing in America. With Ducati Austin it’s extra special because some performance riders don’t know that we have products for more than just the Pacific-Rim sportbikes.” 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.

HACKING RIDES ROCKET Randy Robison, President of Joe Rocket, is pleased to announce the signing of AMA star, Jamie Hacking as the newest member of the Rocket Racing Team. Jamie will contest the 2006 AMA Supersport and Superstock series aboard Factory Yamaha R6 and R1 LE machinery. A rider who is no stranger to the Winners’ Circle, Jamie “The Bulldog” Hacking won the 2003 Supersport Championship. Hacking, who was born in Oswaldtistle, England, now resides in Lake Norman, North Carolina is a past “AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year”. “Jamie is a terrific addition to the Rocket Racing Team”, said Robison, “his experience and drive to succeed make him a threat to win each and every race he enters. As a Yamaha vendor and licensee, we are very proud to support Jamie and the racing efforts of the Yamaha Motor Corporation.” In pre-season testing, Jamie has clocked the fastest Supersport lap times aboard his Yamaha R6 at Daytona International Speedway. Look for Jamie Hacking to make his Joe Rocket race debut March 8 – 11 on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway during Bike Week 2006.

CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM TEST Losail, Qatar Tuesday, February 7th 2006 Ambient temperature: 25.9 degrees C Track temperature: 39.0 degrees C Humidity: 64.6% PROGRESS CONTINUES AS PLANNED FOR CAMEL YAMAHA DUO IN DOHA Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards continued the good work they began yesterday with a second day at the top of the time sheets at the desert circuit of Losail, Qatar today. Spending the majority of the day testing tyres for Michelin, Rossi and Edwards completed 60 and 76 laps respectively on their 2006-spec YZR-M1s. Rossi was once again fastest, setting a best lap of 1’56.53 with Edwards close behind him with a time of 1’56.81. Yamaha Tech 3 rider Carlos Checa was third quickest, according to the unofficial lap times, setting a time of 1’56.95. The Camel Yamaha Team will continue for one final day of testing tomorrow whilst Yamaha Tech 3, Suzuki and the Kawasaki and Ducati test teams have finished their Qatar testing today. VALENTINO ROSSI (1’56.53, 60 Laps) “We managed many laps today, everything went very well and I am quite pleased. In the morning we worked mostly on settings and we have now nearly fixed the chatter we were experiencing. We made some small modifications and the bike responded quickly and it is giving me a very good feeling now. After that we worked for the rest of the day with Michelin and tested most of the tyres that they brought with them; the new things they have brought here seem to be extremely good. Our main target with them is to keep the performance level of the tyre up after 15 or 20 laps, and it seems we’re improving in this area and our times were consistent throughout the day. With these new tyres and the new M1 combined we have much better stability and grip. For sure we don’t have most of the other teams testing here so it’s hard to judge exactly where we are, but I think anyway we can tell that we are doing okay.” COLIN EDWARDS (1’56.81, 76 Laps) “Today has been great, I’m really happy. We got going on the new Michelin stuff after lunch and they’ve made some great improvements. We had some new things to try for Yamaha, but we mostly concentrated on tyres. I’m really starting to feel confident with the bike and to believe in myself again. This is my first time in MotoGP to be with the same team for two years running and it’s great not to have to worry about adjusting to a new bike and team at the start of the season. It feels really good to be back with the best team and on the best bike! I can concentrate entirely on my race preparation without any distractions or worries and the new style I adapted to last season now feels totally natural. I feel like I have all the tools in place for a really good season. Tomorrow we’re planning to do a long run and we have a few more tyres to test; I am sure we’ll make some more progress.” JEREMY BURGESS VALENTINO ROSSI’S CREW CHIEF “Everything is going well so far. The test has been successful and the weather has been good. We’ve been able to test everything that we wanted up to now and we’ve confirmed everything that we found out in Malaysia. We’re proceeding well towards the first race!” Unofficial Lap Times: 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Yamaha, 1’56.53 2. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, 1’56.81 3. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha, 1’56.95 4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 1’57.87 5. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 1’58.33 6. S. Ito (JPN) Ducati, 1’58.85 7. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha, 1’58.98 8. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki, 1’59.46 Qatar Lap Record: 1’57.903 (Nicky Hayden, Honda, 2005) Qatar Best Lap: 1’56.917 (Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 2005) More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team SUZUKI MotoGP makes further advancements on final day Team SUZUKI MotoGP has finished its test in Qatar with John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen completing long test runs on their new Suzuki GSV-Rs. Both racers finished off their respective test programmes with full race length runs to assess the race distance performance of their respective new GSV-R prototype race bikes at the Losail International Circuit. Hopkins also tested a new evolution Bridgestone race tyre over a full distance and was pleased with the consistency of the new rubber. Vermeulen concluded his testing schedule by knocking almost another second off his previous best time to record a fastest lap of 1’57.88. The young Australian star also completed further long tests on the newest generation Bridgestone tyres and was happy with the improvements he made throughout the test. Team SUZUKI MotoGP now head off to Sepang for its third and final private test before returning to Europe for the Official MotoGP tests in March. The first round of the MotoGP World Championship will be at Jerez in Spain on Sunday 26th March. John Hopkins: “We didn’t do quite as much as we would have liked today for one or two reasons. But nevertheless it was good to get a long run completed and to see that Bridgestone has improved tyre consistency compared to the race here last year is a big bonus. I feel that the new bike has so much more potential than last year’s. It is more consistent and easier to ride and I know that I am now ready to race it at a higher level. We still need a certain amount more performance out of the bike and a bit more durability in some areas. But I am confident that Suzuki will make big steps prior to the first race in Jerez. I’m looking forward to going to Sepang next week one of my favourite tracks and see what I can do there, that’s for sure!” Chris Vermeulen: “We got through lots of work here at Losail and I’m beginning to feel that I’m getting to know the GSV-R and the Bridgestone tyres really well. I am very pleased with how my guys are working and Tom O’Kane and I have managed to get the bike set up to suit my style well. My technique has improved since the start of the test at Sepang in January and this has helped me to find more consistency from the bike. We still need more speed from the GSV-R, but it is certainly a very nice package to ride at the moment and I am looking forward to the Sepang test and getting back to Europe.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “We got through a lot of work at this test and we now have a better motorcycle and a better Bridgestone tyre than we did for the race last year. The team has done a fantastic job over the three days and we now need to maximise the benefits from this test and to keep things pointing in the right direction. “The bike still needs more performance but the potential in this machine is massive compared to last year’s bike. For me one of the most positive points of this test has been the performance of both riders. They have given full effort and application and have made no mistakes which is really all you can ask of them. John is riding superbly well and if Chris can keep closing the gap on John as he has done over the last three days, then we should have two very competitive riders come the first race at Jerez.”

Italian MotoGP coverage to stay with Mediaset until 2011 MotoGP World Championship rights holders Dorna Sports and Italian television network Mediaset have agreed a deal to continue their coverage of the series for a further five years beyond the upcoming season. The extension will run from 2007 to 2011 and was signed at the network’s headquarters in Cologno Monzese today during a meeting between Mediaset vice-president Pier Silvio Berlusconi and Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. The agreement allows Mediaset exclusive live terrestrial broadcast rights for every round of the 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP World Championships in Italy and follows impressive viewing statistics for the network during the 2005 edition of the series, when national hero Valentino Rossi claimed the title for the fifth successive season. Mediaset’s live coverage of the MotoGP races was followed by an average of 4,000,000 viewers, representing a 36.8% audience share. As well as enjoying Rossi’s exploits, with the reigning World Champion taking eleven victories from seventeen races, Italian fans were also treated to the emergence of exciting youngster Marco Melandri, who himself took two wins including the season finale at Valencia. The eagerly anticipated 2006 MotoGP World Championship gets underway with the first round of the campaign at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, on 26th March.

Nonella Racing are pleased to announce the signing of new team rider Brid Caveney for their 2006 Bonneville World Land Speed Record attempt. Team Owner Ralph Nonella says, “We are happy to have such an experienced rider as Brid on the team. He’ll learn the ropes while running alongside our current rider, Shayne Torgrimson, and Caveney’s prior motorcycle racing experience will give a real boost to our team effort.” Ralph Nonella is the designer and captain of the 1978 Yamaha 2-stroke, 2-cylinder aircooled partially-streamlined motorcycle, Joan’s Baby, with which he will attempt to set a new World Speed Record. Former Isle of Man racer and national vintage Roadrace and Trials champion Caveney had this to say: “I’ve known Ralph for some years now, and have always had the greatest respect for his team. Now I get to ride for him, and have a crack at getting the world record for us all—it’s stunning! I’ve always fancied doing the “salt”, and now I’ll be a part of this really dedicated team. I’m thrilled for us all, and can’t wait for October.” www.nonellaracing.com [email protected]

According to a news report by Rebecca Senescall published in the February 1, 2006 edition of the Camden Advertiser newspaper in Camden, Australia, racer Anthony Gobert admitted in court to being a heroin addict and blamed his addiction for a string of traffic arrests that have resulted in his license being revoked until November, 2010. Gobert has also been sentenced to 300 hours of community service and fined $600. During Gobert’s most recent court appearance, according to the report, Gobert’s lawyer said Gobert demonstrated “no regard for the law” but blamed the behavior on his heroin addiction. Gobert was in court after being caught speeding and driving with a suspended license, and explained that he was seeking more heroin at the time.

Suzuki Support Teams Gear up for 2006 Road Race Season –Suzuki expects a strong year from its extensive array of satellite teams in AMA, WERA, ASRA road racing series– BREA, Calif. – American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC) is proud to announce its extensive and talented line-up of road race support teams for 2006. ASMC’s support teams compete in a wide range of road race series, from the premier AMA series to the WERA endurance series to ASRA. “We’re really excited about the 2006 road race season,” said Morgan Broadhead, senior on-road specialist for ASMC. “Our program is more focused and our lineup is solid. Suzuki is proud to support all of these riders and teams, and we’re looking forward to the upcoming season.” AMA The M4 EMGO Suzuki team will race several classes in 2006. Returning this year is Michael Barnes, who earned a full-time spot on the team after filling in for injured Vincent Haskovec last year. Barnes and returning teammate Geoff May both will race the Suzuki GSX-R600 in AMA Supersport. Barnes also will race the Suzuki GSX-R600 in Formula Xtreme, whereas May will contest the Superstock class aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000. The Michael Jordan Motorsports team will field three riders: returning Jason Pridmore and Steve Rapp as well as recently signed Jake Holden. The trio will campaign Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000s in the AMA Superbike and Superstock classes. Pridmore’s Suzuki GSX-R1000-based Superbike will be jointly developed by Gemini Racing and Bazzaz Performance Design. Rapp and Holden will compete in Superbike aboard their Superstock machines. Hotbodies Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki will again field Australian rider Marty Craggill aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000. Finishing seventh-overall in AMA Superbike last year and carding first-privateer bragging rights, Craggill will race AMA Superstock in 2006. Matsushima Performance Suzuki will field two young, up-and-coming riders with Blake Young and Danny Eslick. Eslick had a breakout year in 2005 after finishing third overall in Formula Xtreme. Both will race Suzuki GSX-R600s in the Formula Xtreme and Supersport classes. Team Millennium/KWS Suzuki, with support from Ron Ayers Suzuki, will field John Haner and Matt Lynn aboard Suzuki GSX-R1000s in the Superbike and Superstock classes. Safety First Suzuki will continue to promote their bicycle helmet safety program in elementary schools across the country. The team will field Tony “The Tiger” Miering and Chris “Opie” Caylor in Supersport and Formula Xtreme. Both riders will campaign Suzuki GSX-R600s. WERA Endurance Series For 2006, Vesrah Suzuki will try and win back the WERA Endurance Championship they have owned for four of the last five years. The team’s Suzuki GSX-R1000 will be ridden by Mark Junge, Tray Batey, John Jacobi and Lee Acree. ASRA (formerly F-USA) Arclight Suzuki’s Jeff Wood will defend his ASRA (Formerly Formula USA) number-one plates that he won last year in Sportbike and Superbike aboard the new Suzuki GSX-R600. For more information on Suzuki’s support teams, log on to www.team-suzuki.com.

QATAR TEST DAY ONE While one significant part of the Superbike World Championship® grid was sunning itself at high speed in Valencia, another faction was lapping Qatar in testing mode. Team Yamaha Motor Italia and the DFX Honda squad were making the most of the desert heat, with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) fastest on day one of three, on a 2’02.00. His team-mate Andrew Pitt, the 2001 SS™champion, was just 0.2 seconds behind. New SBK™inductee, Michel Fabrizio (DFX Honda) scored a 2’03.00, while the most experienced SBK™ rider of all, Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Honda) scored 2’03.10. On the second day times tumbled, as the Yamaha squad made advances with their new electronics systems, even if none of the riders present had any 2006 Pirelli development tyres available to them to test. Haga was fastest on a 2’01.6, with Pitt almost keeping pace on a 2’01.7. Chili’s experience showed with his best of 2’01.8 while Fabrizio posted a 2.02 flat. The DFX Honda pairing worked through new front forks and three designs of rear swingarm. 1. Haga Yamaha 2’01″6 2. Pitt Yamaha 2’01″7 3. Chili Honda 2’01″8 4. Fabrizio Honda 2’02″0