HRC MotoGP test Sepang, Malaysia November 28, 2006. Opening day of three-day test. Honda teams open three day MotoGP test at Sepang, Malaysia. The final test of the 2005 MotoGP season began at the 5.548 km Sepang circuit close to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today. Three Honda teams taking the opportunity to test their RC211V five cylinder 990cc grand prix machines before the winter break in a bid to provide HRC engineers with technical the vital feed back necessary to build the 2006 RCV. The test is scheduled to last three-days but the teams lost much of the morning session when overnight rain left the track surface wet delaying serious work until after 11.00 am. Once the session was underway the teams concentrated their efforts on finding optimum settings for the RCVs before moving on to test the latest chassis developments and a range of Michelin tyres in preparation for the first test of 2006 scheduled for Sepang in late January. The two-man Repsol Honda factory team will be comprised of Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa in 2006 with the two men approaching the Sepang test with vastly different objectives. Former US Superbike Champion Hayden, a three-year MotoGP veteran, will bear the brunt of RCV testing at Sepang with his new team-mate, reigning double 250cc World Champion Pedrosa continuing his education at the top level in the senior category of motorcycle racing. Hayden tested a combination of the latest chassis developments from HRC and a range of front and rear tyres. Pedrosa, from Barcelona, Spain, spent his day coring as many kilometres as possible on the 990cc 240 PS plus GP machine growing more and more confident as the day wore on. The Gresini Racing MotoGP Fortuna Honda of double 2005 GP winner Marco Melandri and Toni Elias took to the track with the same intentions as their Repsol Honda counterparts. Melandri, in his second season aboard an RC211V set the pace with a superb best lap time of 2m 2.019s while testing a range of new rubber for tyre supplier Michelin. Elias entering his second MotoGP season but his first for Honda was not chasing lap times as he adopted a step-by-step approach to the test. The test was run in temperatures of 30 degrees with humidity in excess of 70% so stifling that Italian Melandri, still suffering the after effects of a serious bout of influenza decided the team would be best served if he ended the opening day early in order to save his strength for the remaining two-days. Spaniard Elias began cautiously on the damp track eventually finding a comfortable rhythm that yielded a series of low 2m 04s laps. Team Honda Pons arrived at Sepang with their all-new line up for the 2006 season, Spaniard Carlos Checa and Australian Stoner. The team riders spent the opening day of the test acclimatising to the RC211V looking for the optimal base settings that will allow them to start testing in earnest tomorrow. For Checa, an experienced 500cc and MotoGP campaigner 2006 will be his first aboard a 4-stroke Honda. For Stoner next season will be his first ever season in the senior category of racing fooling his successful 125cc and 250cc 2-stroke career. On the fast 5.548km circuit Checa’s experience carried him to a best lap time of 2m 03.605s, with his young team-mate just over 0.5s slower, despite him loosing the front end of the RCV and sliding off into the gravel trap. Honda rider lap times and quotes. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2m 03.027s – 52 laps. “Decent days work looking back on it. Good weather this afternoon and we just kept chippin away at the job all across the board and we made good progress in some places. A few things I really liked about the bike today we tried some chassis changes and they help a lot like going into the corners the bike is better and that was good for my confidence. We also tested front and rear tyres for Michelin, which seem pretty good. We have to work hard at this test and get more consistent. A lot of guys are working hard for me here and we have to take a lot out of this test.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2m 03.70s – 52 laps. “I was looking to get a good feeling on the bike try to find the best riding position for me get comfortable. Then just ride and get more information for the team and gain experience with the bike, engine chassis and tyres. The mechanics need experience with the new group everybody has to grow up together. Today I think we made big improvement in confidence compared to the test at Valencia, I am now much more confident on the bike. Braking hard on this high bike was much better than the last time I tested it. We only tried two different types of Michelin tyres today. I don’t have any experience of the Michelin tyres so we let Michelin do our thinking for me today because they know the tyres me and my chief mechanic, Michael Leitner, don’t have the experience yet. But I could feel the front end pushing but I think this is coming from the big rear tyre. The step up to MotoGP is very big, much bigger than from 125 to 250. I like the Sepang circuit and this will help during this test. ” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 2m 2.97s – 61 laps. “It’s only three weeks since I raced the bike I felt good and did a lot of laps. The track not in good condition but I found a decent rhythm. We spent the day working on the general bike settings for the bike before we started testing tyres for Michelin. I was injured when the race was held here but we improved the set up from the last time I tried the RCV here. We tried several front and rear tyres before I stopped my test one hour early. I was quite sick while I was in Japan last week so I didn’t want to get too tired because we have two more days testing. Tomorrow we will try some chassis changes and HRC want us to try something new on the electronics.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 2m 04.059s – 49 laps. “The conditions wee not ideal today the track was quite wet in the morning but we got in a lot of laps. I made a lot of kilometres today and found a good riding position. I didn’t get crazy with the set up by trying to many things just little adjustments. I felt more comfortable on the bike today than I did at the first test in Valencia I was very calm and comfortable not getting nervous about when we had some small problems. I am very happy with this team everything is completely new for my chief mechanic, Antonio Jimenez and me. Everybody has been very helpful and it has given me a lot of confidence for this test and the future. ” Carlos Checa, Team Honda Pons: 2m 03.605s – 38 laps. “I enjoy riding this bike seems very positive but I still have to learn a lot about the bike. I am still in a little pain from my crash at Valencia earlier this month. For me it’s a good experience to ride with this team. If you had told me at half way through the last season that I would be riding for the team with Santi Mulero as my chief mechanic I would have been very happy for my future. I feel we can grow together into a good team. At this test I want to do a lot of laps with the bike and try various set up options and test as many tyres as possible. Now we have found a good riding position I am ready to begin tyre testing tomorrow.” Sito Pons, Team Manager Honda Pons. “Today we have been working with the two riders to get them used to the feel of the bike and the tyres. Casey is completely new to the MotoGP class but he was very confident on the bike after just 10 laps today. He is a very talented rider and you can see how well he is riding already. Carlos is very experienced and will adapt to the RCV quickly. We have a good mix of experienced and raw talent in the team and I have confidence in both riders.” Casey Stoner, Team Honda Pons: 2m 04.259s – 59 laps. “The whole day was pretty good except for the crash, the front end just went away from me. I need a lot of laps on the bike but we made an improvement from the test at Valencia the team have made the riding position better for me the size of the bike suits me better than a 250. I felt good out there, really comfortable but I have to take the test step by step. After the crash I didn’t make much more progress.”

FIRST DAY OF TESTING FOR MARCO AND TONI AT SEPANG The 2006 championship started today for Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki. The teams of the four Japanese manufactures came back to action at Sepang, Malesia for the last test of the year, three days before the winter break, providing one last opportunity for the riders to continue preparations for next season before the end of 2005. It will be the final chance until next year as teams are not permitted to test between the 1st of December until the 20th of January. The first day of testing was very hot and humid (30 degrees the air temperature and over 70% of humidity). Because of the overnight rain, the track was wet in the morning and the Fortuna Honda riders could start testing only from 12.00. Both Marco Melandri and Toni Elias worked hard out there and were very positive. Marco worked mainly on set up and tyre testing while Toni, at his second debut on the RC211V after the test in Valencia, lapped in order to gain confidence with the bike. MARCO MELANDRI (61 laps, 2’02″96): “It’s only three weeks since I raced the bike I felt good and did a lot of laps. The track today was not in very good condition but I could find a decent rhythm. We spent the day working on the general bike settings for the bike before we started testing tyres for Michelin. I was injured when the race was held here so we needed to fix the best setting before testing several front and rear tyres. Unfortunately I had to stop my test one hour early. I’m not 100% well, I was quite sick while I was in Japan last week so I didn’t want to get too tired because we have two more days testing.” TONI ELIAS (49 laps, 2’04″059): “I like the bike and I’m very happy of today’s test session. The conditions were not ideal today because the track was quite wet in the morning but we got in a lot of laps. I made a lot of kilometres today and found a good riding position. I didn’t get crazy with the set up by trying to many things, just little adjustments. I felt more comfortable on the bike today than I did at the first test in Valencia. I was very calm and comfortable and lapped without forcing. I am very happy with this team and my chief mechanic, Antonio Jiminez. Everybody has been very helpful and it has given me a lot of confidence for this test and the future. “

Gauloises Yamaha Team Test Sepang, Malaysia Monday 28th November 2005 Ambient temperature: 30.2 degrees Track temperature: 40 degrees Humidity: 65% GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM GET BACK TO BUSINESS IN SEPANG Just three weeks after rounding off Yamaha’s victorious 2005 season in Valencia, Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were back in Malaysia at their most frequently-visited testing venue today, as they commenced their winter program at Sepang alongside Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha Tech 3. A short rain shower in the morning slightly delayed proceedings, but the weather then stayed dry and the team was able to continue working uninterrupted through to the end of the day. Rossi concentrated mainly on Michelin tyre testing, before getting on to the prototype version of the new 2006-spec YZR-M1 towards the end of the session. He completed a short run of the 5.548km circuit on the new bike and will begin more in-depth work on it tomorrow. Edwards spent the day focusing on the new riding style he has been adapting to over the last part of the season, working with settings and electronics on his M1 as well as testing some new tyres for Michelin. According to the unofficial lap times, the fastest man on the track today was Marco Melandri (Honda) with a time of 2’02.95. He was followed by Nicky Hayden, Carlos Checa and MotoGP rookie Dani Pedrosa (all Honda) with Edwards (2’03.78) and Rossi (2’03.80) fifth and sixth fastest. COLIN EDWARDS 5th, 2’03.78, 64 LAPS “As usual it was hot and humid out there, but it feels good to be back on the bike. We had a bit of a rain delay in the morning and got started a bit late, but once we did get going I instantly felt comfortable on the bike. I said in Valencia that I needed to get out and do lap after lap to really ingrain this new style in to my head, and this test is offering me that chance. As soon as I started I felt that it was coming much more easily than at the last two races; I didn’t have to make such an effort to consciously think about doing it and it felt more natural. We played around with some new settings and electronics and found that we are moving even more towards Valentino’s settings; it all felt good. We tested a couple of tyres for Michelin, but mostly today was about getting back into the swing of things and getting comfortable with my new style.” VALENTINO ROSSI 6th, 2’03.80, 60 LAPS “My first impressions of the new bike are very positive. The engine seems a little bit faster and it feels more stable. However I only did a short run; just a few laps, so it’s really too early to make any detailed observations about it at this stage. Tomorrow the real work will start and we will take some time to try to understand the new bike and begin to work on the set-up. Most of today we spent on the 2005 bike, testing tyres for Michelin and trying to understand the problems that we had here during the race in September. We made some investigations and tried to gather some information to help us, and we made some good progress. We will continue like this tomorrow as well as getting started working on the new bike.” DAVIDE BRIVIO GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “This morning the track was a bit wet so we had a delay to our starting time. It’s only the first day back but it was a positive start for both riders. Valentino made some laps on the new bike, just to get the initial feeling, and tomorrow we will start to work properly on it, trying to gather as much information as we can. Colin is continuing from where he left off in Valencia, getting used to his new style of riding and adapting his settings to match it. He will carry on like this tomorrow and then on Wednesday he will try the new bike also.” UNOFFICIAL LAP TIMES 1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 2’02.95 2. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, 2’03.20 3. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda, 2’03.58 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda, 2’03.75 5. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team, 2’03.78 6. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 2’03.80 7. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda, 2’04.05 8. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 2’04.13 9. Casey Stoner (AUS) Honda, 2’04.29 10. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki, 2’04.90 11. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha, 2’05.10 12. Chris Vermuelen (AUS) Suzuki, 2’05.56 13. Randy du Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki, 2’05.60 Sepang Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 2’02.993 Sepang Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 2’01.731

ERIC BOSTROM HELPS KICK OFF ’06 R2SL EVENT AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE SHOW Denver November 28, 2005 – Flying out to Denver on his birthday to promote the 2006 Racing 2 Save Lives event, AMA Superbike pilot Eric Bostrom once again showed why he is a favorite among race fans and kids. With his ever-present smile and gracious demeanor, he greeted the crowd that had been waiting for his arrival. “Partnering up with a great guy like Eric has been a shot in the arm for us to be able to go top the next level; building a national presence” said Sharon Foxworthy, President of R2SL. “It also gives Eric a chance to do what he’s always wanted to do, but because of his busy schedule, hasn’t had the time to organize it.” Bostrom signed autographs, took pictures with fans of all ages, and promoted Racing 2 Save Lives. Thanks to Eric’s dedication, proceeds raised through his autographing efforts totaled around $1500. The booth at the International Motorcycle Show in Denver served as the kick off for the organization’s next Children’s Charity Fundraising event, which will take place April 13-16th, 2006 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah about thirty miles southwest of Salt Lake City. The event works like a high speed walk-a-thon on motorcycles, with participants collecting pledges or donating a fixed amount for sessions on the racetrack and a silent auction. “Miller Motorsports Park really came through for us”, stated Stan Foxworthy executive director for R2SL, “Freddie Spencer was kind enough to let them know of our predicament when PPIR was sold and subsequently destroyed, leaving us without a track to hold our annual event. When we found out that Larry Miller is quite philanthropic with children’s charities in Utah, it looked like the perfect fit for both organizations.” R2SL was created as a philanthropic opportunity for riders and racers to give back to the community through the combination of pledge fundraising, corporate donations and track riding sessions, R2SL has raised over $200,000 in donations for five well-deserving Children’s Charities: Make A Wish® Foundation of Colorado, The Children’s Hospital, Missing Children Task Force, Family Pathways of Colorado, and Here’s Life Inner-City Denver. R2SL is anticipating more exciting news in the upcoming weeks. To find out more, check out www.racing2savelives.org

DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP6 MAKES ITS TRACK DEBUT AT JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA Jerez (Spain), Monday 28 November 2005 – The Ducati Desmosedici GP6 took to the track today for its maiden run at the circuit that will host the opening round of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. Unfortunately the rain that had fallen during the night delayed the start of testing: in the morning both Ducati Marlboro Team riders were only able to carry out a rapid bike ‘shakedown’, but they took to the track again at around 1.30 pm and continued testing for the rest of the day. With low temperatures and damp patches around the Spanish track, conditions were not ideal, but Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau were able to put in their first serious laps with the Italian manufacturer’s new bike in the afternoon. Loris and Sete also had the 2005 version available in the pit garage for eventual back-to-back tests but on this first day they concentrated exclusively on the new GP6. Loris Capirossi, who set a best time of 1m42.644s in his 35 laps, was already able to give some positive impressions. “Despite the fact that the track was not in the best condition, I got a good feeling from the new bike” declared Loris. “I immediately felt OK on it and that’s positive. We did a good job today and started off in the best possible way. As the conditions were not so good, we mainly focussed on engine management to improve the bike’s ‘rideability’ rather than suspension set-up or tyres. On this track in these conditions you can do a good job and that’s what we did today. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll wake up with some good weather.” It was also the first time out on the 2006 bike for Sete Gibernau, who spent the day getting used to his new team, machine and surroundings. Today was virtually a debut for Sete with Ducati, seeing as in the previous test at Valencia the weather conditions did not allow him to do any serious testing. The Spanish rider completed 52 laps, his best time being 1m42.606s. “It was a good day today” commented Sete at the end of the session. “First impressions were good and I am more and more convinced that I made the right decision, especially because I can see that everyone, members of the team and Bridgestone personnel included, really want to do well and they have a lot of faith in me: that was what I was looking for and I’m happy to have found it. We’ve got a lot of work to do but the most important thing is that everyone has a great desire to work! Today I started to get familiar with the Ducati and the Bridgestone tyres as well as the team’s working method. Let’s hope tomorrow will bring some good weather so we can continue working like we did today.” The Ducati Marlboro Team will continue testing at Jerez tomorrow, Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 November. Temperature: air 17° – 18° C, track 16° – 20° C

Report on qualifying for the final round of the Spanish Formula Extreme Championship from the Jerez de la Frontera, Spain held on November 26, 2005 American Kenny Noyes Third on Grid for Final Spanish FX Race in Jerez Former Californian dirt tracker Kenny Noyes will start third off the front row in today’s round of the Spanish 1000cc Formula Extreme Championship in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. Noyes, riding an R1 for Folch Endurance Yamaha, joins pole sitter Javier del Amor (Laglisse Yamaha), second qualifier Ivan Silva (Laglisse Yamaha) and fourth fastest Dani Ribalta (ZP Pontgrup Suzuki) on the front row of the seventh and final round of the Spain’s premier roadracing championship. “I’ve gotten some important help from a top Öhlins technician who talked me through the whole process so I could understand what was wrong with our setup and we were able to come down over two seconds from Friday to Saturday,” said Noyes. “This is the first time this year the bike has worked the way I like it. I wish this was the first round instead of the last.” Kenny won the Spanish Bancaja Superstock (“Superseries”) Championship in 2003 on a CBR954RR Honda Fireblade but had a frustrating 2004 season on the CBR1000RR due to niggling mechanical problems. He switched to Folch Yamaha for 2005 and was part of the Folch team that won the Spanish Endurance Championship and also rode the Folch Yamaha to second place in the Spanish round of the World Endurance Championship at Albacete. This will be Noyes’ first front row start since his final Superstock ride at the end of 2003. Folch’s second rider Bernat Martinez will start ninth. Newly crowned FX Champion Jose David de Gea (BQR Honda) is not taking part due to injury. 125 and Supersport Qualifying The Spanish 125 championship is still wide open with Italian Stefano Bianco (Aprilia) leading Spaniard Mateo Tunez (Aprilia) by only two points, 100-98 and with Britain’s Bradley Smith third and 21 points adrift, but neither Bianco nor Tunez will start off the front two rows. Bianco is 12th on the third row and Tunez is back in 34th on the eighth row. The front row of 125 is composed of veteran Spanish GP campaigner Angel Rodriguez (Honda) with Brit Daniel Webb (Honda) Italian Gioele Pellino (Aprilia) Manuel Hernanez Junior (Aprilia). Smith, in with a chance to steal the title on the last day of the season, starts fifth. American teenager Garret Carter (Angaia Honda) did not make the 42 rider grid, but finished third in the eight-lap consolation race held on Saturday evening, his best performance to date in the very tough Spanish Championship. The Supersport title went last week to Arturo Tizon (Yamaha). Tizon just missed the front row and will start fifth back of Santiago Baragan (Honda), Britian’s Steven Neate (Honda), Ruben Torras (Suzuki) and Jordi Torras (Yamaha). The 125 and FX races will be televised live on Spain’s TVE-2.