Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Ben Bostrom recorded the fastest lap time of the rain-interrupted Dunlop tire test Monday morning at Daytona International Speedway. Riding his 2006-spec factory Ducati 999, Bostrom turned a time of 1:39.131, which is faster than the fastest lap turned by Mat Mladin en route to winning the 2005 AMA Superbike race at Daytona. “We’re just cruising around and trying out some tires for Dunlop,” Bostrom said with a smile around noon local time Monday. “The bike is fantastic. We haven’t made too many changes, just a little one to the front. Seat time has the biggest thing that has caused us to cut a half-second off our times.” Bostrom’s teammate Neil Hodgson was just a fraction of a second behind at 1:39.348 Monday morning. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates set the third-fastest time overall, a 1:39.455 on his Superstock GSX-R1000, before switching to his GSX-R1000 Superbike later in the morning session. Yates’s teammate Ben Spies likewise split Monday morning between his all-new GSX-R600 Supersport racer and his GSX-R1000 Superbike. Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking, however, was the fastest of the few Supersport riders Monday morning with a 1:42.721. The 1:42.210 he was credited with doing on his new YZF-R6 Saturday was not a legitimate lap time, according to his team. Hacking’s teammate Jason DiSalvo recorded the fastest Formula Xtreme lap Monday morning, a 1:41.646, after turning a 1:40.465 on his 2006 YZF-R1 LE Superstock bike. Eric Bostrom, the third Yamaha rider, continued to acclimate himself to his new Yamaha YZF-R1 LE Superstock and YZF-R6 Formula Xtreme bikes Monday morning at Daytona. Due to Sunday, day two of the three-day test, being rained out, there will be no lunch break Monday. The weather at Daytona is sunny and warm with little wind. Unofficial Monday Morning Test Times (as recorded from the AMA timing and scoring monitors): 1. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999F06) 1:39.131 Superbike 2. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999F06) 1:39.348 Superbike 3. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:39.455 Superstock 4. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:39.588 Superbike 5. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:39.759 Superbike 6. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:40.192 Superbike 7. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R1 LE) 1:40.465 Superstock 8. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:41.132 Superbike 9. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:41.352 Superstock 10. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:41.643 Superstock 11. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R6) 1:41.646 Formula Xtreme 12. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:41.890 Superstock 13. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000) 1;42.104 Superstock 14. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:42.173 Superstock 15. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:42.221 Superstock 16. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:42.308 Superbike 17. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1 LE) 1:42.595 Superstock 18. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR600RR) 1:42.663 Formula Xtreme 19. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R6) 1:42.721 Supersport 20. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:42.751 Supersport 21. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R600) 1:44.109 Supersport 22. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:44.141 Supersport

Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki Teams up with Hotbodies Racing for 2006 Record-setting, six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin announced today that the Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki team he formed in 2005 will be teaming up with Hotbodies Racing as its title sponsor for the upcoming 2006 season. Australian Marty Craggill will again ride for friend and countryman Mladin, but this year aboard the Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the AMA Repsol Superstock Championship. Last year, Craggill won first-privateer bragging rights by finishing in seventh place in the AMA Superbike Championship Series. “Next year is an exciting time for the newly formed Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki team,” said Team Owner Mladin. “I look forward to moving into the Superstock class, especially knowing that we will have access to the most dominant 1000cc motorbike in the world to race on. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 won the World Superbike Championship, the AMA Superbike and Superstock Championships and others in a record-breaking year. Having the chance to supply Marty Craggill with competitive machinery for the 2006 race season brings our chances of becoming a front-running team to a new level.” Based in San Diego, Calif., Hotbodies Racing is the performance and sportbike-style leader for race and street bodywork, windscreens, undertails, rear tire huggers, flush mount LED turn signals and the patented Undertail Exhaust systems. Hotbodies Racing’s mission is to create custom, superior-quality sportbike parts of exceptional value that are easily accessible through local dealers, e-commerce dealers or www.hotbodiesracing.com. “Hotbodies Racing has made a pretty big impression in the paddock over the last two seasons in AMA Pro Racing and we’ve gotten better at it each year,” said Hotbodies Racing’s Roger Davis. “Joining forces with Mat Mladin Motorsports and Suzuki is just a great opportunity and I’m very excited about starting a new chapter in Hotbodies Racing’s programs. Having the opportunity to work with Mat last year as a sponsor of his team, and now developing this new relationship with him is great, he’s a professional in everything he gets involved with and this is no exception. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 is a proven motorcycle, winning both AMA Superstock and Superbike championships this year, and with Marty Craggill at the controls we’re looking for great results next season from this new team.” Added Craggill, “I am very excited about being part of the new Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki team. I am particularly excited about the move to the Superstock class. For the 2005 season, my Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike was great but I see the move into the Superstock class as giving us a chance to be on equal machinery with everybody else. I have been training hard for the 2006 season and this latest news gives me more reason to push myself harder to be ready for the start of the racing season in early March at Daytona.” The Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki Team will debut its 2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superstock machines in February at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

CMRRA adds Motard Bikes to their schedule The California Motorcycle Road Race Association, Inc. (CMRRA) in addition to promoting 50-80cc mini road racing will be adding 250-450 Motard motorcycles at all their Grange’ and Willow Springs races. These classes will be on asphalt only (no dirt section). For more information call (951) 757-4869 or www.racecmrra.com

The second day of a three-day Dunlop tire test at Daytona International Speedway has been rained out. A light yet persistent rain was falling when teams arrived at the track early Sunday and continued all morning. No riders made any laps. With no end to the rain in sight and ambient temperatures struggling to reach 60° F, making any possibility of the track drying look slim, Dunlop officials called the day rained out shortly after noon local time. As the paddock cleared at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, there was no plan to add a fourth day to the test, Tuesday, according to Dunlop. One local weather forecast calls for clear skies Monday with a high temperature of approximately 63° F.

AMA team testing at the annual Dunlop tire test at Daytona International Speedway is currently on hold due to a persistent light rain that has been falling all morning. There is no reason for the riders assembled to test in wet conditions at Daytona as AMA Pro Racing does not race in the rain on the 2.95-mile infield road course for safety reasons. The rain is not expected to last all day, and the DIS course has historically dried out relatively quickly.

2005 AMA Superbike Championship runner-up Ben Spies, 21, turned the fastest lap time Saturday, the opening day of the annual Dunlop tire test at Daytona International Speedway. Riding his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 on 2005-spec Dunlop slicks, Spies turned a best time of 1:39.545, which nearly equaled the fastest race lap time of 2005 Daytona Superbike winner Mat Mladin. “It was OK,” said Spies. “We only did about 10 timed laps, and we basically rode the bike just like it rolled off the truck. We didn’t even get to run any of the new tires, and I hear they’re pretty good. We’ll start messing with the bike a little bit tomorrow, get it working a little better and then start trying some of the new tires.” Spies added that he has new Showa forks for his Superbike that have given him the front end feel he was searching for throughout the 2005 season. Just behind Spies on the time sheet was Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin Ben Bostrom, who turned a 1:39.685 on his 2006-spec Ducati 999 in spite of having to learn the changed-in-2005 infield road course. Although he said he preferred the old infield road course, Bostrom said he was instantly happy with the 999 and only made a few changes to make it more stable on the banking. Jake Zemke was quickest in the morning session (1:40.379) and third-quickest in the afternoon (1:39.903), but his time on his American Honda CBR1000RR Superbike was cut short by a crash in turn one. Zemke said lost the front on the brakes but was completely uninjured. Zemke was the only known crasher Saturday. Zemke also recorded the fastest trap speed, according to AMA Pro Racing, 196.17 mph at the start/finish line. Spies’ teammate Aaron Yates was the fifth-fastest Superbike rider with a 1:40.322 but was over one second faster than any other Superstock rider with a 1:40.504. In fact, Yates’ Superstock lap time was quicker than the fastest lap time of the 2005 Superstock race. Having had two test sessions in California to set up his GSX-R1000, Yates was able to immediately start sorting through most of the many new rear Superstock tires Dunlop brought to the test. Second-fastest in the Superstock category was Damon Buckmaster, who turned a 1:41.586 on his Attack Kawasaki ZX-10R. Attack Kawasaki only has one 2006 ZX-10R at Daytona, so Buckmaster will trade the big bike for Ben Attard’s ZX-6RR at lunch time Sunday, the halfway point of the three-day test. Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking turned the fastest Supersport lap of the test so far, a 1:42.210, on the all-new YZF-R6 and was third-quickest on his YZF-R1 LE Superstock bike with a 1:41.672. Hacking’s Supersport lap time was quicker than the pole time and the fastest race lap from 2005 Supersport race at Daytona. Hacking’s teammate Jason DiSalvo spent all Saturday working with his YZF-R6 Formula Xtreme machine and led the class by quite a margin — with a 1:41.740. DiSalvo’s time was 0.8 second fastest than the fastest qualifying time from the 2005 Daytona 200. Eric Bostrom, the third factory Yamaha rider, cut three seconds off his best Superstock lap from Saturday morning but was listed ninth Saturday afternoon with a 1:44.178. Eric Bostrom was also listed last in Formula Xtreme, but he only did two timed flying laps on his new YZF-R6 Saturday afternoon. Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden (1:40.575) and Roger Hayden (1:40.618) tested their new ZX-10R Superbikes with promising results at Daytona, posting the sixth- and seventh-fastest Superbike lap times, respectively, not far behind Yates and Neil Hodgson. Both Haydens said their new Superbikes, although in an early stage of development, were already much better than their 2005-spec ZX-10R Superstock bikes. Saturday Afternoon AMA Team Test Times (as supplied by AMA Pro Racing): 1. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:39.545 Superbike 2. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999F06) 1:39.685 Superbike 3. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:39.903 Superbike 4. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999F06) 1:40.171 Superbike 5. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:40.322 Superbike 6. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:40.504 Superstock 7. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:40.575 Superbike 8. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:40.618 Superbike 9. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-10R) 1:41.586 Superstock 10. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:41.609 Superbike 11. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R1) 1:41.672 Superstock 12. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:41.718 Superstock 13. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R6) 1:41.740 Formula Xtreme 14. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:41.975 Superstock 15. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:42.026 Superbike 16. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R6) 1:42.210 Supersport 17. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:42.302 Superstock 18. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000) 1:42.626 Superstock 19. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR1000RR) 1:43.002 Superstock 20. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR) 1:43.419 Formula Xtreme 21. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR600RR) 1:43.419 Formula Xtreme 22. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR600RR) 1:43.656 Formula Xtreme 23. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR600RR) 1:43.781 Formula Xtreme 24. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6RR) 1:44.087 Supersport 25. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R1) 1:44.178 Superstock 26. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R600) 1:44.578 Supersport 27. Ryan Andrews (Hon CBR600RR) 1:45.631 Formula Xtreme 28. Ty Howard (Hon CBR600RR) 1:46.012 Formula Xtreme 29. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R6) 1:57.446 Formula Xtreme

American Honda’s Jake Zemke was the fastest man Saturday morning during AMA team testing at Daytona International Speedway. Riding his CBR1000RR Superbike, which was equipped with Ohlins suspension, Nissin brakes and a swingarm fabricated in the Team Roberts race shop, Zemke turned a 1:40.379 to lead all riders. Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Neil Hodgson was second-quickest overall and of the Superbike riders with a 1:40.875 on the 2.95-mile infield road course. Hodgson’s new teammate Ben Bostrom was delayed in getting started due to his leathers not arriving at the track. In fact, Bostrom had to borrow leathers in order to put a few laps in Saturday morning. His best time was a 1:42.920. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates was third-fastest overall and fastest of the Superstock riders with a 1:41.205 on his GSX-R1000, which now wears the number-one plate. Yates’ teammate Ben Spies spent Saturday morning working with his all-new GSX-R600 Supersport racebike, which is still fitted with stock suspension. Spies’ best time was a 1:45.756, slightly slower than the 1:43.447 set by Supersport pace-setter Roger Hayden on his Kawasaki ZX-6RR. Hayden’s brother and teammate Tommy Hayden spent the morning riding his new ZX-10R Superbike with a best lap time of 1:41.466. The fastest Formula Xtreme tester was Jason DiSalvo with a 1:42.155 on the aggressive looking new Yamaha YZF-R6. DiSalvo’s teammate Eric Bostrom continued to re-learn how to ride a 600cc machine, while Jamie Hacking started with his Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstock racebike. Rockwall Honda, a new, Texas-based factory-supported team with riders Ty Howard and Ryan Andrews, did not take its 2005-spec, ex-Erion Honda CBR600RR Formula Xtreme bikes out Saturday morning. As reported earlier, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin is not and will not be at Daytona. Portions of the infield road course have been repaved since the AMA last visited Daytona. All of the riders Roadracingworld.com polled gave positive feedback on the new pavement’s quality and level of grip. Saturday Morning AMA Team Test Times (as supplied by AMA Pro Racing): 1. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:40.379 Superbike 2. Neil Hodgson (Duc 999), 1:40.875 Superbike 3. Aaron Yates (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:41.205 Superstock 4. Tommy Hayden (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:41.466 Superbike 5. Jamie Hacking (Yam YZF-R1), 1:41.597 Superstock 6. Jason DiSalvo (Yam YZF-R6), 1:42.155 Formula Xtreme 7. Jason Pridmore (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:42.612 Superstock 8. Ben Bostrom (Duc 999), 1:42.920 Superbike 9. Roger Hayden (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:43.447 Supersport 10. Miguel Duhamel (Hon CBR600RR), 1:43.767 Formula Xtreme 11. Damon Buckmaster (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:43.894 Superstock 12. Aaron Gobert (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:43.985 Superstock 13. Jake Holden (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:43.988 Superstock 14. Josh Hayes (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:44.381 Superstock 15. Ben Attard (Kaw ZX-6RR), 1:44.678 Supersport 16. Ben Spies (Suz GSX-R600), 1:45.756 Supersport 17. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR), 1:46.861 Formula Xtreme 18. Eric Bostrom (Yam YZF-R6), 1:47.518 Formula Xtreme 19. Steve Rapp (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:56.495 Superstock

The annual, three-day Dunlop tire test opens today and runs through Monday, December 12 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Teams and riders expected to attend the test include: American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke; Erion Honda’s Josh Hayes and Aaron Gobert; Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden and Roger Hayden; Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard and Damon Buckmaster; Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates and Ben Spies; Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore, Steve Rapp and Jake Holden; Yamaha’s/Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom, Jamie Hacking and Jason DiSalvo. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin is not expected to attend the test. Mladin is in Australia still recovering from post-season surgery to his left foot/ankle. The test is organized each year to allow Dunlop to evaluate developmental race tires with its supported teams and their 2006-spec racebikes and make changes to the designs of those tires, if necessary, prior to the season-opening AMA race at Daytona in March of 2006. The Dunlop test at Daytona is not intended to be a media event, but historically Dunlop has invited a few, select media outlets including Roadracingworld.com — to attend and cover the test. Look here for updates each day and in the February 2006 issue of Roadracing World magazine for complete coverage.