Hurricane Katrina, a category four storm on the five-level Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, made landfall very close to Gulfport, Mississippi, home of Josh Hayes, the 2003 AMA Superstock Champion, at daybreak Monday morning, August 29. The storm brought with it sustained 140-mph winds, extremely heavy rains and a storm surge (an abnormal rise in the sea level) of 15-20 feet that flooded streets and homes as far as six miles inland. As many as 80 deaths may have occurred in Harrison County, Mississippi, where Gulfport is located, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour told the media. Hayes’ home is located two miles inland from the gulf coast, but the Attack Kawasaki rider was not at his home when Katrina hit. Hayes, 30, who raced in the AMA Superbike event at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), continued with his plan to stay near VIR Monday and travel directly to Atlanta, Georgia, Tuesday. The 2005 AMA season finale is scheduled this weekend at Road Atlanta, near Atlanta, Georgia. Hayes’ manager Gina Nadeau, however, left VIR Sunday morning, August 28 with plans to return to her powersports dealership located on Gulfport’s coast and prepare for the storm. Reached on his cell phone Tuesday morning, Hayes said he last spoke with Nadeau at 8:30 a.m. Gulfport time Monday. At that time, Nadeau reported that she and her family were taking refuge on the second floor of her new home while the first floor held three feet of flood water. Nadeau also informed Hayes that his Ford F250 pick-up truck, which she had been driving, was “gone,” presumably washed away by the storm surge. Hayes, who is single, was also able to contact two sets of relatives who were attempting to ride the storm out in their Gulf Coast homes, but one of the homes had already lost its roof Monday morning at the peak of the storm. Since Monday morning, communications with the Gulfport, Mississippi, area have been interrupted by the storm, but Hayes said he has exchanged text messages on his cell phone with a few more friends who expressed that they were “alright.” “Yeah, for sure, I’m terrified about my home and everything,” Hayes told Roadracingworld.com. “I won’t find out until a week from now what’s going on. There’s not much I can do right now except concentrate on what I need to do this weekend at Road Atlanta. “If you write anything about this, please tell everyone that I appreciate all of the calls of support I’ve received and thanks for thinking of me.”

KAWASAKI SHINES AT VIR Roger Hayden wins Supersport and takes second in Superstock ALTON, Va. Reigning AMA Supersport champion Tommy Hayden and series runner-up Roger Hayden gave another stellar performance aboard their Kawasaki NINJA® sport motorcycles as AMA motorcycle road racing returned to Virginia International Raceway last weekend. In the AMA Superstock race, Roger blasted off the grid in fourth and quickly advanced into second by the end of the first lap. As the laps wound down, the younger Hayden was determined to make it to the front aboard his NINJA® ZX™-10R and began to set up a pass on leader Aaron Yates, but a crash back in the field red flagged the race and Roger was forced to accept second place. Tommy elected to sit-out the race to protect his right hand which is still in the healing process following surgery to repair a broken bone back in July. “I wanted to wait until there was two laps to go before passing because I knew I was faster than him [Yates],” said Roger. “It is kind of hard that my best ride of the season got cut short but I guess that’s how it goes.” In the AMA Supesport race, Roger got the jump on the field aboard his NINJA® ZX™- 6RR and took the lead going into the first turn with Tommy close behind. However, Roger’s lead was short-lived as Tommy quickly passed him by turn three with Team Attack Kawasaki rider Ben Attard in fifth. As the first three laps were completed, Roger was determined to take back the lead and passed Tommy at the beginning of lap four. Tommy continued to keep the pressure on Roger for the duration of the event with Attard remaining close behind. On the final straight, Tommy made a final effort to pass Roger during an all out drag race for the finish that put him just .022 of a second short of capturing his second consecutive AMA Supersport championship. Ben Attard crossed the line in fourth. “All in all, it was a good race,” said Roger during the post-race press conference. “It was a difficult race because the board said +0 for 16 laps and I could still hear Tommy behind me and I didn’t want to make a mistake.” As Roger spoke about preventing his brother from clinching the championship with one race left, he joked, “I definitely wanted him to lose a little bit more sleep. I didn’t want to give it to him that easy. Fun and games I guess.” For his part Tommy commented, “I really wanted to get the championship wrapped up today and have a stress-free week. But it didn’t work and we’ll try to finish up with a win in Atlanta.” With his win, Roger kept his slim championship hopes alive as he inched even closer to Tommy in the points chase. However, with only one race remaining in the ’05 season, Tommy currently has 301 points to his second-ranked brother’s 270 and remains a strong favorite to earn his second consecutive Supersport title. During Saturday’s AMA Superbike race, Attack Kawasaki rider Josh Hayes captured his ninth top-ten finish of the season by keeping a consistent pace with the rest of the field despite two re-starts and rode to a seventh-place finish in the 28-lap event. Ben Attard qualified sixth for Saturday’s AMA Formula Xtreme event and rode a clean and consistent race to earn his sixth top-ten finish of the season after crossing the finish line in fourth place. Hayes also competed in the second Superbike race on Sunday and captured a sixth place finish for his efforts. Racing resumes when the teams head to Road Atlanta Raceway in Braselton, Ga., September 2-4. More, from a press release issued by Jason DiSalvo’s publicist: Disalvo tuffs it out at VIR with two pole positions and two podiums Jason Disalvo of Stafford New York competed in the American Motorcycle Association. SuperBike races August 26th, 27th and 28th at Virginia International Raceway. With practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and racing Sunday there is little time for rest. Friday proved exciting with Jason being among the fastest. Saturday continued ok until the second practice when he hit a curb at full speed with his left knee almost causing him to crash, and was able to return to the pit and needed assistance getting of the bike, after review by the medics he was transported to the hospital in Danville VA. for x-rays. With no apparent fractures Jason returned to the track for two qualifying sessions. In the 1000 SuperStock class Jason set the fastest lap to give him his 7th consecutive pole position. In the 600 SuperSport class Jason again set the fastest lap to gain his second pole of the day. During interviews after qualifying Jason commented, “I don’t know how race day will be with the damage to my knee, it’s a lot easier to run 1 or 2 fast laps in qualifying compared to a 17 lap race.” The 1000 SuperStock race started a 11:14 Sunday morning under cloudy skies with Jason running with the lead group until late in the race when he realized couldn’t mount a charge and settled for third place giving him another podium. Starting from his pole position in the 600 SuperSport class Jason was 5th after the first lap and worked his way up to third before the checkered flag came out giving him his 2nd podium for the day. Following the race Jason stated, “It was tough to keep the pressure on while my leg forced me to use the right side of my upper body to compensate for my left leg, I’m happy to come away with two podiums under the circumstances. The next race is Road Atlanta in a week son Jason will stay in Atlanta for some rehab prior to the race. Jason maintains his 2nd place position in the SuperStock class 21 points from the leader and keeps his third place position in the SuperSport class. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS SUZUKI: HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AT VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY The Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki team continued its successful race season at round nine of the AMA Superbike Championship at Virginia International Raceway with four top ten finishes. Jason Pridmore raced to two strong eighth place finishes in the Superstock and Superbike races, while teammate Steve Rapp finished ninth in Sunday’s Superbike race and seventh place in the Superstock event to strengthen his overall third place position in the season point standings. Montez Stewart had a good weekend, continuing to find speed and lowering his lap times to a personal best on the picturesque southern Virginia road course. Jason Pridmore Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 8th Place “We’re testing every weekend, and the bike is definitely a testament to my guys,” said Pridmore. “We made a change last night, and it made the bike better. I got in that group of four or five of us, and we ran around together for a few laps at the beginning. Once I was able to get by John (Haner), I thought maybe I could run those three guys down again. I wasn’t going to give up. Then, coming down the front straight, I saw L2 on my board, and I felt something sucking me in (the draft), and then I felt a nudge going through the kink, and I thought, ‘That’s weird’. I thought I had a flat tire. As it turned out, it was Jake (Holden) running into the back of me. I was lucky to stay on the track.” Sunday’s Superbike Final – 8th Place “That’s a little bit more of what we like to see,” said Pridmore, pleased after a strong finish. “Right now, we’re where we should have been at Barber, making these improvements. Ammar (Bazzaz, crew chief) and the guys made some big changes to the bike last night, and made it a lot better. Now we can see those guys up ahead of us. We’ve got one race left this year. We’ll go there, do our best and then go to the off season and do some testing.” Steve Rapp Saturday’s Superbike Final – 11th Place “I had a good race going,” said Rapp. “I ran in eighth place for the majority of the race. I saw Josh (Hayes) up ahead by a couple of seconds, and I kept pushing to close the gap.” Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 7th Place “I got a good start and stayed with the leaders for a couple of laps,” said Rapp. “There were a couple of corners where I had little sidegrip issues. It kept happening as the race went on, and Geoff (May) and Aaron (Gobert) got around me right there at the end. The bike was good, but I just had to wait to get on the gas.” Sunday’s Superbike Final – 9th Place “I got a good start and Jason passed me five or six laps into it,” Rapp said. “I’m glad for him, because he was riding so well. He started to pull away, so at that point I had Kurtis (Roberts) behind me and he passed me. I followed him for four or five laps. He was having a hard time holding his lines, struggling with his bike, so I passed him back and I guess he pulled in. At that point I had a ten second lead over Marty (Craggill), and Jason was ten seconds in front of me, so I just rode a consistent race and stayed out of trouble.” Montez Stewart Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 29th Place / DNF “I had a really good race going,” said Stewart. “It’s a shame I fell, because I was going good. I had worked my way up, and I was sure I was going to get into the 1:30s (after qualifying at 1:31.838). I had a good chance at finishing really well.” Superbike Results – Race 1 – Round 9 – Virginia International Raceway, Alton, VA 1. Mat Mladin, Yoshimura Suzuki 2. Ben Spies, Yoshimura Suzuki 3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 4. Jake Zemke, Honda 5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 6. Eric Bostrom, Ducati 7. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki 8. Marty Craggill, Mladin Motorsports Suzuki 9. Jeremy Toye, Honda 10. Lee Acree, Millennium KWS Suzuki 11. Steve Rapp, Jordan Suzuki 27. Jason Pridmore, Jordan Suzuki Superbike Results – Race 2 – Round 9 – Virginia International Raceway, Alton, VA 1. Mat Mladin, Yoshimura Suzuki 2. Aaron Yates, Yoshimura Suzuki 3. Ben Spies, Yoshimura Suzuki 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 5. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki 7. Eric Bostrom, Ducati 8. Jason Pridmore, Jordan Suzuki 9. Steve Rapp, Jordan Suzuki 10. Cory West, Hotbodies Suzuki Superstock Results – Round 9 – Virginia International Raceway, Alton, VA 1. Aaron Yates, Yoshimura Suzuki 2. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki 3. Jason Disalvo, Yamaha 4. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha 5. Geoff May, M4 EMGO Suzuki 6. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha 7. Steve Rapp, Jordan Suzuki 8. Jason Pridmore, Jordan Suzuki 9. John Haner, Lion Suzuki 10. Michael Barnes, M4 EMGO Suzuki 29. Montez Stewart, Jordan Suzuki 2005 Superbike Point Standings (After 15 Races) 1. Mat Mladin, 471 2. Ben Spies, 450 3. Eric Bostrom, 382 4. Aaron Yates, 377 5. Miguel Duhamel, 341 6. Neil Hodgson, 328 7. Marty Craggill, 290 8. Steve Rapp, 268 9. Lee Acree, 265 10. Josh Hayes, 252 20. Jason Pridmore, 144 2005 Superstock Point Standings (After 9 Races) 1. Aaron Yates, 301 2. Jason Disalvo, 280 3. Steve Rapp, 230 4. Roger Lee Hayden, 205 5. John Haner, 196 6. Jake Holden, 195 7. Aaron Gobert, 162 8. Tommy Hayden, 168 9. Damon Buckmaster, 165 10. Geoff May, 160 19. Jason Pridmore, 97 25. Montez Stewart, 57 More, from a press release issued by Jessica Zalusky’s publicist: Zalusky’s Debut at V.I.R. Gets Cut Short Making her first racing appearance at V.I.R., Kawasaki Team Green Rider Jessica Zalusky acclimated quickly and qualified 28th in the AMA Formula Xtreme class. At the start of the race, Zalusky had a great start and was able to keep her momentum going. As the race progressed, she continued to drop her lap times, closing in on the 19th position rider during the last lap. As Zalusky hit the apex of turn 7, another rider came on the inside and took them both out, just seconds from passing the checkered flag. “After I was well into the corner, I recall briefly seeing a bike coming right at me, leaving me no where to go,” Zalusky stated following being discharged from the hospital. As a result of the crash, she suffered a fractured collar bone, concussion, several bruises and muscle strains. Despite the crash, Zalusky finished respectively in 21st position, leaving her in 35th position in the AMA Formula Xtreme Championship. Zalusky would like to express her sincere gratitude to the many supporters for their concern following her crash. “I am overwhelmed by the kindness of so many people, thank you for the visitors at the hospital, emails, and phone calls.” Zalusky stated following her return to Minnnesota. As a result, Zalusky will end her AMA season with VIR, but will hopefully, depending on her recovery, defend her points chase with the Central Roadracing Association in October. For more information on Jessica Zalusky and for any “well wishes,” visit www.roadracinggirl.com.

RIDE FOR KIDS® EVENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA, MICHIGAN RAISE $175,500 TO FIGHT PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMORS Hundreds of big-hearted motorcyclists rode together at Ride for Kids® events in Asheville, N.C., and Ann Arbor, Mich., on Sunday, Aug. 28, to show their support for children diagnosed with a brain tumor. The events raised more than $175,500 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s medical research and family support programs. Early morning fog at the 12th annual Asheville event greeted more than 825 motorcyclists, fundraisers, volunteers, and patient families. The police-escorted riders climbed above the clouds on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the sun followed them along curving mountain roads to Lake Lure. Under the shade of a festive big-top tent, the participants celebrated the lives of 11 young brain tumor survivors””the Ride for Kids® “stars” of the day. Three of the older children shared truly inspiring experiences””Matthew and Julia are attending college with the help of Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation scholarships, while Adam, who has been cancer-free for 20 years, is getting married this fall. Not all pediatric brain tumor patients fare as well, however. The absence of Maryann Sluder, a vivacious six-year-old who lost her battle in 2003, underscored the importance of raising money for research. One of the researchers whose work is supported by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is Dr. Darell Bigner of Duke University, director of the PBTF Institute at Duke and chairman of the PBTF Scientific Advisory Board. “We’re working on a new generation of treatment without disastrous side effects,” he said. “And we’ll keep working as hard as we can.” The total raised at the Asheville event was $92,541. The top individual fundraisers were Denise Mathers and Leah Sherritt, who brought $6,500. The top club, GWRRA NC Chapter M2, raised $14,291, while the customers of MR Motorcycles of Asheville made it the top motorcycle business with $11,026 in donations. Ray Hobby of Newberry, S.C., was the winner of a brand-new Honda motorcycle. Heartfelt appreciation went to Asheville’s task force leaders, Shelba and Terry Murray, and their hardworking volunteers for organizing a fantastic ride. Meanwhile, 475 people gathered at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Mich., under a spectacular, cloudless blue sky for the area’s 14th annual Ride for Kids® road ride and dual-sport event. The police-escorted road ride traveled winding, tree-lined rural roads before looping back to the college for the Celebration of Life program. Seven young brain tumor survivors were in attendance, including 9-year-old Morgan, who said, “That ride was awesome!” Alan, the father of PBTF scholarship winner Caroline, expressed his appreciation for foundation’s family support program, “When this happened to us the foundation made it feel like our family grew,” he said. “We found strength and support when we needed it.” The Ann Arbor event raised a total of $82,972. Top individual fundraiser honors went to Lewis and Cindy Shuler of Angola, Ind., who raised $10,300. The top club was Cycle Conservation Club of Michigan, whose members brought $20,643. The customers of Central Motorsports of Mt. Pleasant, Mich., raised $8,601 to make it the top motorcycle business. Connie Hatch of Westland, Mich., won the grand prize, a brand-new Honda motorcycle. Special thanks went to task force leaders Kathy and Bill Chapin, along with their dedicated volunteers, for putting together a super event. Proceeds of the events fund the medical research and family support programs of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Since 1984, the national Ride for Kids® program and PBTF have supported childhood brain tumor research and family support programs. Programs include free literature about brain tumors, the Helping Hand and Caring Hand national newsletters, the Informed Parent Internet Conference series and college scholarships for young brain tumor survivors. Thanks to the thousands of caring and generous motorcyclists and motorcycle dealers who have supported the program since its inception, PBTF has become the world’s largest non-governmental source of funding for pediatric brain tumor research. The next Ride for Kids® events are on Sunday, Sept. 11 in Carnation, Wash., and Sunday, Sept. 18 in Philadelphia, Penn., and St. Louis, Mo. For more information about the Ride for Kids® and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, please visit rideforkids.org or pbtfus.org, or call (800) 253-6530.

Jake Holden was released from a Danville, Virginia, hospital Monday morning but will not race next weekend at Road Atlanta. Holden suffered a broken right thumb and a broken bone in his left foot as well as extensive bruising when he crashed at about 165 mph following a collision with Jason Pridmore on the front straight at VIR Sunday. The inadvertent contact between Holden’s front wheel and Pridmore’s rear wheel came when Pridmore’s bike hit the rev limiter as he leaned through the finish line kink. Holden’s tire wedged between the rear wheel and muffler of Pridmore’s bike before sending Holden over the high side and tumbling down the race track. The incident caused the Superstock race to be red-flagged and called complete several laps before its scheduled conclusion. Pridmore did not crash.

ROAD ATLANTA TO HOST AMA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Aug. 29, 2005) — Braselton, Georgia’s Road Atlanta is set to host the final two rounds of the 2005 AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited on Sept. 2-4. Australian Mat Mladin is on the verge of winning his sixth series championship and has the opportunity to break the single-season record of 10 wins shared by Mladin and Motorcycle Hall of Famer Fred Merkel. Mladin had a tough break at the Mid-Ohio round in July when he was caught up in another rider’s crash and had his points lead shaved to just nine points. Mladin wasn’t overly upset about the Mid-Ohio incident, instead he vowed to go to work at the next round in Virginia to rebuild his championship lead and that’s just what he did. Last weekend at Virginia International Raceway, Mladin earned victory in both legs of the weekend doubleheader and as a result his lead over Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Ben Spies has blossomed back up to 21 points. “It was nice to get the wins in Virginia,” said Mladin, who has twice swept the Road Atlanta doubleheader including the races last year. “We needed to start stretching out the points lead going into Road Atlanta and we accomplished that. It was a hot and humid weekend in Virginia and I’m sure it could be the same in Georgia. I’ll get the fluids back in and do some training in preparation for the final weekend.” Mladin will go down as one of the best road racers in the history of AMA racing. He already owns about every record in the book, including most AMA Superbike wins, poles and championships. To illustrate how long 33-year-old Mladin has maintained his reign, for years no rider could crack the three championship mark, and now Mladin is about to double that number. Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates and Honda’s Miguel Duhamel are the other two former Road Atlanta Superbike winners in this weekend’s field. Yates is a home state hero from Milledgeville. He has scored six runner-up finishes in the series this year and is looking for his first win. Duhamel and his factory Honda have improved dramatically in the later stages of the season. The Canadian has scored four-straight top-five finishes after having a sub-par start to the year. Duhamel hopes to give Honda its first AMA Superbike win of the year. It’s been 11 years since Honda has been blanked out for an entire season of AMA Superbike racing. Rookie sensation Spies still has a remote shot at winning the AMA Superbike title in his first full season. The young Texan will need for some more bad luck to strike his teammate Mladin for that to happen, but even if he finishes second in the series he’ll have to consider the year a success. With Mladin, Yates and Spies, Suzuki clearly has the most powerful team in the championship. Suzuki has swept the Superbike podium five times so far this season. Austin Ducati’s Eric Bostrom and Neil Hodgson hope to give Ducati its first victory at Road Atlanta since 1999. Both riders have earned wins in the series this year. Four factory support or privateer riders are jockeying for position inside the top 10 to be the top non-factory rider for 2005. Mladin Motorsports Suzuki’s Marty Craggill is seventh in the standings coming into Road Atlanta. Craggill is holding off Michael Jordan Suzuki’s Steve Rapp, KWS / Millennium Suzuki’s Lee Acree and Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes as the top gun among the support riders. Road Atlanta’s Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Makita will be televised on SPEED Channel beginning with Saturday’s Superbike race at 9 p.m. EST Sept. 3. Sunday’s Superbike finale will begin at 8 p.m. EST Sunday, Sept. 4. For additional information on the event contact (800) 849-RACE or visit the website www.roadatlanta.com. About AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the THQ AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Motocross Championship, the AMA Superbike Championship, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.

PERFORMANCE BOOST FROM REVISED NINJA ZX-RR ENGINE Following their points scoring finishes in yesterday’s Czech Grand Prix Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, were back on track at the Brno circuit today, to continue the development of Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine. For Nakano, the aim of today’s test was to evaluate the latest version of Kawasaki’s 990cc, inline four-cylinder Ninja ZX-RR engine, comparing it during back-to-back tests with the bike that the Japanese rider took to twelfth place in yesterday’s race. With more revs and improved top end power from the revised engine, Nakano was able to match his lap times from yesterday’s race, circulating the 5.4km Brno circuit today with a best time of 1’59.6s. While his Japanese teammate concentrated on the engine, Hofmann’s test schedule focussed on tyre testing with Bridgestone and the evaluation of revised chassis components on his Ninja ZX-RR. The 25-year-old German rider tested a new specification front fork from Öhlins, which both Kawasaki riders have now confirmed improves stability of the Ninja ZX-RR under braking. Hofmann also tested new carbon brakes from Brembo, designed to offer more consistent operation and improved durability under extreme high temperatures. The Kawasaki pilot then completed his test schedule with two endurance runs for Bridgestone, using rear tyres with the same profile and construction – although with different compounds – to the tyre that took Loris Capirossi to a podium finish in yesterday’s Czech Grand Prix. Nakano will continue evaluation of the latest specification Ninja ZX-RR engine tomorrow, together with a revised exhaust system from Akrapovic. With near perfect test conditions at the Brno circuit today, Hofmann was able to complete his test programme ahead of schedule and will not ride alongside his teammate tomorrow. Shinya Nakano: 1’59.6 (64 Laps) “The latest engine is a definite improvement; I could feel straight away that there was more top-end power. The power also doesn’t drop off as steeply at the top of the rev range, there’s more over-rev, and this gives you more options on gear selection for some corners. I tried a shorter gear through some of the turns today that would not have been possible with the previous specification engine. We still have some development work to do, but first are positive.” Alex Hofmann: 1’59.9 (67 Laps) “It’s always hard testing after a race, but today’s test has been very productive. The new brake discs and pads from Brembo worked well on the bike, although we won’t really see the benefits of this new system until Motegi, which is always hard on brakes. We also tested a new specification front fork that improved the stability of the bike under braking. Finally I did two endurance runs for Bridgestone and, although it was hard work, I was happy to see that my lap times stayed consistent throughout.” Naoya Kaneko: Technical Coordinator “Shinya’s feedback on the latest version of our Ninja ZX-RR engine was very positive, which confirms that our development programme is moving in the right direction. Shinya will continue the engine evaluation tomorrow using a slightly different exhaust system. Alex’s comments about the new carbon brake set-up from Brembo were also positive, and we’re confident that the new system will eliminate some of the problems that he suffered at Motegi last year.” More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: FIRST DAY OF TESTING FOR THE MOVISTAR HONDA TEAM AT BRNO Brno, 29th August 2005 First day of testing for the MotoGP teams at Brno after the Czech Republic GP. Marco Melandri started to test around noon while his team mate Sete Gibernau, as scheduled, tested only in the afternoon. The Spanish rider tested this afternoon with the goal to understand what happened yesterday during the race. SETE GIBERNAU (34 laps, 1’59″00): “the main goal of today’s test session was to understand the problems we had yesterday during the race. In order to understand what happened I have lapped today with the bike in the same configuration used for the race. We haven’t changed anything and we have used the same tyres of the warm up and the race. We have gathered important data that we are going to analyse in order to understand. I hope that tomorrow we can face the second day of testing with clearer ideas.” MARCO MELANDRI (62 laps, 1’59.656): “this test session is very important for us, in fact we are testing different solutions in order to improve the traction. I’m quite small and for me it’s a problem to load the back of the bike so I loose in traction. Today I was not looking for a fast lap. I tried instead to lap consistently in order to see how the bike reacts in the second part of the race. Today we tested a chassis slightly modified. It’s too early to tell which are the advantages, tomorrow I will go on doing some comparative testing.” UNOFFICIAL LAP TIMES 1. Nicky Hayden (USA/Honda) 1:57.602 2. Valentino Rossi (Ita/Yamaha) 1:58.969 3. Colin Edwards (Usa/Yamaha) 1:58.972 4. Troy Bayliss (Aus/Honda) 1:58:981 5. Sete Gibernau (Sp/Honda) 1:59.00 “¦ 13 Marco Melandri (Ita/Honda) 1:59.656

James Haydon battled his way to hard-earned sixth and seventh place finishes for Rizla Suzuki in today’s 10th round of the British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park. In front of a bumper Bank Holiday crowd at the picturesque Lincolnshire circuit, Haydon overcame poor starts from eighth on the grid to claw his way back through the field in both races. In the opening event he was 13th after the first corner and came back to seventh. In race two he dropped to 11th from the off and came back to sixth, showing tremendous courage, speed and determination on the way. British Superbike Champion John Reynolds took 12th and eighth places starting from an uncharacteristic 12th on the grid. Yamaha’s Tommy Hill won the first race and Ducati’s Leon Haslam the second. Rizla Suzuki now travels to Assen World Superbikes next weekend with Jurgen van den Goorbergh piloting a single GSX-R1000 at his home Dutch track as a wild-card entry. Racing starts at noon (CET) on Sunday, September 4th and will be televised live on Eurosport. The next round of the British Superbike Championship is at Oulton Park in Cheshire on Sunday, September 11th. James Haydon: “After poor starts I tried everything I could to overtake the guys in front of me in both races – but Cadwell Park is a circuit that doesn’t offer a great deal of passing opportunities. That was very hard work for sixth and seventh place finishes. “We made minor changes to my Rizla Suzuki’s rear suspension settings in-between the races and I’ve ended the day with the best race bike set-up of the season so far. Now we will try to build on that for Oulton Park.” John Reynolds: “After I qualified in 12th place it was always going to be an uphill battle to get any decent results. All I want to do now is put this weekend firmly behind me and start afresh at Oulton Park in a fortnight’s time; it’ll be my first visit to the track – one of my favourites – this year.” Robert Wicks – Team Manager: “It has been another tough day for Rizla Suzuki and good results are proving difficult to achieve. James showed decent pace and certainly did not lack commitment in either race, which is encouraging. “John had a bad weekend by his own very high standards. He’s had a tough day at the office and I am sure that will just fire him up all the more for the next round of the Championship. “The team now goes to WSB at Assen with more valuable data about the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 under its belt. Hopefully we can apply some of that to help Jurgen put on a good performance at his home track.” Race One Results: 1: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 28:41.871, 2: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +4.180, 3: Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +4.607, 4: Karl Harris (Honda) +5.045, 5: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +5.311, 6: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +7.498, 7: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) +13.062, 8: Michael Rutter (Honda) +13.765, 9: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +13.974, 10: James Buckingham (Suzuki) +14.625, 12: John Reynolds (Rizla Suzuki) +34.740. Race Two Results: 1: Haslam 26:41.146, 2: Lavilla +0.444, 3: Kiyonari +9.839, 4: Hill +10.751, 5: Harris +15.894, 6: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) +16.284, 7: Thomas +16.460, 8: John Reynolds (Rizla Suzuki) +24.476, 9: Steve Plater (Honda) +28.365, 10: Gary Mason (Honda) +30.347. Championship Positions (after 10 of 13 rounds): 1: Lavilla 326, 2: Rutter 324, 3: Kiyonari 317, 4: Haslam 243, 5: Richards 199, 6: Harris 168, 7: Thomas 145, 8: Mason 127, 9: Michael Laverty (Honda) 113, 10: John Reynolds (Rizla Suzuki) 96, 11: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 89. More, from a press release issued by Stobart Honda: BATTLING TOP TEN FOR BRUISED MASON Stobart Honda rider Gary Mason rode through the pain of a torn cruciate ligament sustained in a high speed qualifying incident to post a tenth position in race two of round ten of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at a warm and sunny Cadwell Park on Bank Holiday Monday. In front of another record crowd of around 40,000, Mason added to his tenth position with an equally brave eleventh place in the first race and as a result he goes into the final three rounds of the series in eighth position in the championship Following the withdrawal of Michael Laverty due to injury Mason was left to uphold the VK, The Mob and Vent Axia backed team’s honour but by his own admission he struggled. “I’m a bit peeved because of my injury, but I just did the best I could. It was really difficult to change direction and I could only push as hard as my knee would let me” said Mason. Team owner Paul Bird was philosophical leaving the track at which the team claimed the championship in 2003 with Shakey Byrne. “Its not where we wanted to be this weekend but all things considered there’s not a lot more we could do. Hopefully we’ll have Michael back for Oulton Park and we can get back to winning ways before the end of the season. It’s frustrating for everyone concerned that we are not where we wanted to be and we knew this year would be a very difficult task for us all.” The team is next in action at Oulton Park, Cheshire in two week’s time. Bennetts British Superbike Race One Result 1, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 27m41.871s, 2, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +4.180s, 3, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +4.607s, 4, Karl Harris (Honda) +5.045s, 5, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +5.311s, 6, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +7.498s, 7, James Haydon (Suzuki) +13.062s, 8, Michael Rutter (Honda) +13.765s, 9, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +13.974s, 10, James Buckingham (Suzuki) +14.625s, 11, Gary Mason (Stobart Honda) +27.331s. Bennetts British Superbike Race Two Result 1, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 26m41.146s, 2, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.444s, 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +9.839s, 4, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +10.751s, 5, Karl Harris (Honda) +15.894s, 6, James Haydon (Suzuki) +16.284s, 7, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +16.460s, 8, John Reynolds (Suzuki) +24.476s, 9, Steve Plater (Honda) +28.365s, 10, Gary Mason (Stobart Honda) +30.347s. Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings (after Round 20) 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 326pts 2, Michael Rutter (Honda) 324pts 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 317pts 4, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 243pts 5, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 199pts 6, Karl Harris (Honda) 169pts 7, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) 145pts 8, Gary Mason (Stobart Honda) 127pts 9, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) 113pts 10, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 96pts 2005 Bennetts British Superbike Race Dates R1: 2628 March, Brands Hatch, Kent (Indy) www.motorsportvision.co.uk R2: 810 April, Thruxton, Hants www.barc.net R3: 2224 April, Mallory Park, Leics www.mallorypark.co.uk R4: 30 April2 May, Oulton Park, Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk R5: 1315 May, Mondello Park, Co Kildare www.mondellopark.ie R6: 35 June, Croft, N Yorks www.croftcircuit.co.uk R7: 2426 June, Knockhill, Fife www.knockhill.co.uk R8: 810 July, Snetterton, Norfolk www.motorsportvision.co.uk R9: 19-21 August, Silverstone, Northants www.silverstone-circuit.co.uk R10: 27-29 August, Cadwell Park, Lincs www.motorsportvision.co.uk R11: 911 September, Oulton Park, Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk R12: 2325 September, Donington Park, Leics www.donington-park.co.uk R13: 79 October, Brands Hatch, Kent (GP) www.motorsportvision.co.uk

Hopkins and Suzuki partnership continues Suzuki and John Hopkins have agreed to enter into a new two-year contract, which will see MotoGP’s youngest rider racing the ever-improving Suzuki GSV-R in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The exciting Anglo-American star has been with Suzuki since 2003 and his hard riding style has been instrumental in the advancements made to Suzuki’s prototype race bike during that time. At 22-years-of-age, Hopkins is one of the brightest stars and most promising racers in the MotoGP field. Suzuki believe Hopkins has the potential to be a future World Champion and is delighted to have secured his services for a further two years against strong opposition from other manufacturers. Hopkins confirmed the continued partnership shortly after last weekend’s Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno. No announcement has been made as yet who will partner him on the Suzuki next year. John Hopkins: “It’s really great to get the deal all done and sorted out and to be able to concentrate on the rest of the year. To keep the same crew members plays a big, big part in my decision to stay with Suzuki. I’ve worked with them now for three years and that has been pretty special, I’ve got a really good relationship with them. “To stay with Suzuki is definitely an honour. I’ve been here a while now, basically I’ve been with the GSV-R from day one day in and day out. I’d like to say that I have put the majority of my input into developing the bike that I am riding today. I have every reason to believe that Suzuki is going to get it right and we are going to run at the front. The pride in riding a bike that I’ve helped to develop and being able to ride at the front gives you so much more satisfaction than going to another bike that may already have been developed by somebody else. “I look forward to my future here at Suzuki and definitely plan on putting in my best seasons so far for them over the next two years.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Suzuki is very happy to have retained the services of John for a further two years. He was being chased by other teams and manufacturers, so to get his signature in the face of such strong competition says a lot about the plans for the GSV-R and the strength of the Team. “I have been really impressed by John’s attitude this season, even when things have not gone to plan he still gives everything and that is an important factor. He is learning all the time and has shown real maturity throughout the year. The best thing is that he can still improve in all areas and that he will become a more complete package as time goes on. “I am sure that the podiums and race wins that John so desperately wants are not far away. He has already led two GP’s this season and with a little bit more luck I’m sure he would have turned them in to great results. “Chief Technician Stuart Shenton and all his crew are delighted at John’s decision to stay and I am convinced that the strong bond between John and all the guys in his team was a major contributory factor in him signing again for Suzuki. “We can all now look forward to the remainder of the season with high hopes for next year and beyond, with the target of seeing John fulfil the massive potential that he has and becoming a winner with Suzuki!”