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.

JORGE LORENZO UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL OPERATION FORTUNA APRILIA rider JORGE LORENZO underwent surgery on his broken left collarbone this morning at the Dexeus Institute in Barcelona, where Dr. Xavier Mir fitted a titanium plate to seal the fracture. After the operation, which lasted just over an hour, the rider remained under observation for a further hour before he was taken to his room. He could barely open eyes when he asked how long it would be before he could ride again, just as he had done after a similar operation on the same injury earlier in the year. On that occasion he had sustained the break in a fall during the Catalunya GP although he returned to action just thirteen days later to set pole position and clinch a podium finish in the Dutch TT at the demanding Assen circuit. The Valencia crash was the fourth time Jorge Lorenzo has fractured his collarbone during his fledgling race career. According to the medical staff, Lorenzo will be released from hospital within the next 24 hours. After a few days’ rest the Mallorcan will begin a recuperation programme that should allow him to return to action without any further problems at the tests FORTUNA APRILIA have planned for the end of January at Jerez de la Frontera. Jorge Lorenzo’s excellent physical condition has raised optimism of a swift recovery and should leave this injury as a mere anecdote. JORGE LORENZO (48), FORTUNA-APRILIA RIDER: “The thing that most annoys me is not the injury itself but the fact that the crash prevented me from following up the excellent times we had been setting. On Thursday we were already inside the circuit record and I am sure we could have made even more progress. I feel sorry for my team and for my physical trainer because on Christmas Day he’ll have to eat his ‘turron’ [typical Spanish sweet] quickly because he knows that whilst other people might be at home taking a rest, we’ll be doing a double session in the gym. You have to be optimistic, even in a situation like this, so on the positive side at least we will have a different kind of Christmas this year!”

FORTUNA APRILIA COMPLETE FIRST PHASE OF ’06 PRESEASON After lapping in record time, Lorenzo today fractured his collarbone and will undergo an operation in Barcelona tomorrow. Barberá set lap times that demonstrated his competitiveness on the Aprilia. After three days at the Valencia circuit, the FORTUNA APRILIA team today completed the first phase of their 2006 World Championship preseason schedule, which has so far encompassed nine days of tests at Jerez (3) and Cheste (6). A bout of bad luck on the final day saw JORGE LORENZO crash during the morning and fracture his left collarbone, the same injury he sustained at the Catalunya GP back in May, which ruled him out of two races. The Mallorcan rider had barely completed fifteen minutes of track time when he crashed at the chicane immediately before the main straight at the Ricardo Tormo circuit, an accident probably caused by the low temperatures. Lorenzo was thrown into the gravel trap after running slightly onto the strip of grass that runs around the edge of the track. On Lorenzo’s arrival at the Dexeus Institute in Barcelona this afternoon, Dr. Xavier Mir made his first assessment of the injury: “Jorge has suffered a small fracture of the left collarbone, slightly below the plate we fitted earlier this year. We will have to operate tomorrow morning to replace the plate. The previous injury has completely healed and had nothing to do with this one. We’ll put a smaller plate in than the one he had up to now and after the operation we will be able to assess the exact seriousness of the injury, as well as the time he will need to recover.” During three days at Valencia Lorenzo covered more than 120 laps, setting a magnificent best time of 1.35.19, which is inside the current lap record. His team-mate HECTOR BARBERA completed a total of 150 laps and also set an impressive lap time of 1.35.89, despite a crash of his own on the first day. After the accident the youngster from Dos Aguas was quickly back on the pace and continued with his more than satisfactory adaptation to the new machine. The two FORTUNA APRILIA were joined on track by Alex de Angelis and Marco Simoncelli, who also fractured his collarbone in a crash. “Jorge’s crash was a shame,” commented DANI AMATRIAIN, Team Director for FORTUNA APRILIA. “The test had been very positive for everybody so it’s a pity that we all go on holiday now in this way. In any case you have to look on the positive side, even of a crash like this, and say it is better that it happened now and not in the middle of the season, as happened in 2005. I am sure that Lorenzo will be completely recovered from the injury by the time we return to action in the New Year.” The next test for the FORTUNA APRILIA team will take place on the 23, 24 and 25 January at Jerez de la Frontera.

A new website at ~http://www.ccsracing.us/~ confirms that CCS is under new overall management and announces the formation of the American Sportbike Racing Association (ASRA) to replace F-USA. A post on the website headlined “ASRA Assumes Management of CCS” states “Under an agreement with Clear Channel Entertainment Motorsports, the newly formed American Sportbike Racing Association will assume the day-to-day operations of the Championship Cup Series. This agreement will allow CCS and ASRA to react quicker to our racers’ needs by placing all operations in one office dedicated soley to the business of running these series. This will eliminate the situation where riders would have to call numerous offices to get answers to a single question. All operations will take place in a single location, making it easier and quicker to get your questions answered. “Full time staff of ASRA will consist of Kevin Elliott as Director of Operations, Eric Kelcher as Director of Competition and Ryan Hoyler as Director of Communications. With the bulk of the duties falling to the full time staff, we are pleased to welcome Nancy Elliott who will run the Finance Department and man the Fort Worth office on race weekends to lend support to the event staff whenever necessary. “It is our goal to improve the service you receive from the Fort Worth office and to make certain you continue to have the best race day experience possible with CCS and ASRA.” Reliable sources say that Elliott, who has been running CCS for years, is actually buying CCS from Clear Channel with the arrangement positioned as a licensing agreement until Elliott finishes paying for the organization.

After 5 months of virtually no supply in the U.S., Dunlop has just released their newest, 2005 125cc World Championship-winning race slicks! Sport Tire Services, of Paso Robles, California has just received a limited supply of the new soft compound front and rear 125cc racing slicks from Japan. These will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, at the 2005 price until the end of this month. All backorders have been filled. “We are very sorry for the situation created for our loyal 125 customers this year, meaning a sudden drop in the inventory level of these tires in the U.S.! However, the supply of these tires for the 2006 race season looks very good!” says Dennis Smith, President of Sport Tire Services, Inc. “We’ve been assured of supply for the entire 2006 race season from Dunlop Japan and Dunlop Tires in Buffalo, New York.” Call 805-434-4810 to order tires. Sport Tire Services sells to licensed racers from west of the Mississippi River only. Sport Tire Services is now accepting support resumes for next year’s 125cc races.

Charles “Yamaha Charlie” Butler, the man credited with bringing the first Yamaha into the United States, died on Thursday, December 8. He was 80 years old and had cancer. Butler, of Columbus, Georgia, was an avid race fan and amateur photographer, often attending AMA Nationals at Road Atlanta and Daytona and WERA races at Road Atlanta before his outings were limited by health problems. His son, former racer Rick Butler, has worked as a cornerworker and race official with WERA and AMA Pro Racing and is a prominent poster on www.wera.com as “Yamaha Rick.” Charlie Butler is survived by his wife of 50 years, Reiko as well as by Rick and another son, Michael. Besides his involvement with motorcycling, Yamaha Charlie had a 28-year career in the U.S. Army, serving in World War II, the Korean War and in Vietnam. His exploits during the Battle of the Bulge with the 82nd Airborne were mentioned in a book on World War II. Butler earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star during his Army service. R.I.P., Yamaha Charlie. A link to a Yamaha website entry mentioning Yamaha Charlie, including a photo showing him posing with son Michael on that first Yamaha imported into the U.S., follows: ~http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/epic_mcy/1957_yd-1_small.aspx~

AMA Pro Racing is not the only organization with the embarrassing problem of top riders/drivers failing to show up for the end-of-season awards banquet, disappointing sponsors and fans in attendance and watching banquet coverage on racing TV news shows. The top three riders in the 2005 AMA Superbike Championship–Mat Mladin, Ben Spies and Eric Bostrom–did not attend the AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet in Las Vegas November 20th. And according to this news report, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not attend the NASCAR Awards Banquet in New York: ~http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=ap-nascar-noshows&prov=ap&type=lgns~