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!”

Assen Fast, difficult and fascinating The next Round of Superbike World Championship will take place at Assen, 02-04 September. Frankie Chili, Max Neukirchner and Tatu Lauslehto/Supersport, are eager to start the engines of their Klaffi Hondas again. At Assen Nicolai Sørensen, the Scandinavian Champion Standard 600, joins the Klaffi Honda Team. He will ride a Klaffi Klaffi Honda CBR 600 RR in the Supersport race. Max Neukirchner: “žAssen is one these fast tracks I like very much. But his track is also a challenge which requests a lot of experience. Last year I finished 7th in Supersport race at Assen. This was perfect. But I had to learn in the hard way before. I crashed twice in the practice sessions. This time I hope to keep a little bit cooler in the beginning. In return I’ll open the throttle during the race. A top ten position would be great! ” Frankie Chili: “žThe last three years I was always on the podium at Assen. So this is one good reason I like the track very much. This time there is one renewed part of the race track I don’t know yet. I wonder if this will make a real difference. I’m looking forward to ride at Assen and I’ll give my all to be on the podium again. ” Tatu Lauslehto: “žI like Assen a lot. Actually, it is my favourite track. In 2004 I won my first European Championship race at Assen. I have a confident feeling for the next round. But I try always to think realistic and a position somewhere in the top ten seems possible.” Nicolai Sørensen: “This is like a wish coming true. I’ve been dreaming about being a part of a World Championship team for years, but to be team mate with Pierfrancesco Chili has not been in my wildest dreams. It will for sure not be easy to come to Assen and do a top result amongst the established World Championship riders. I cannot wait to go to Holland and jump on the Honda CBR 600 RR of Team Klaffi.” Nicolai Sørensen Date of Birth: 07.08.1974 Nationality: Danish Marital status: Lives with girlfriend Trine Hometown: Thisted, north of Denmark Hobbies: Motocross, Mountain Bike, Jogging Starting number at Assen: 67 1998 Debut race in road racing category after many years as junior motocross rider 1999 3rd Danish Championship Standard 250, 2nd Scandinavian Championship Standard 250 2000 Danish Champion 250 Racer 2001 Danish Champion 250 Racer, debut race in European Championship 250 Racer 2002 Danish Champion Supersport 600, debut race in European Championship Supersport 600 2003 4th European Championship 250 Racer, 3 wins from 3 races Danish Championship 600 2004 Scandinavian Champion Standard 600, 3rd Scandinavian Championship Supersport 600

JOHN HANER FIGHTS TO NINTH PLACE IN SUPERSTOCK AT VIRGINIA John Haner rode his Lion Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 to ninth place in the Repsol Lubricants Superstock race at Virginia International Raceway during round nine of the AMA Superbike Championship event today. The race was red-flagged with three laps remaining when John’s teammate Jake Holden crashed heavily in the high speed kink on the front straightaway. Jake was transported to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken thumb, a broken bone in his foot and a concussion. The rest of John’s weekend didn’t go as well as his Superstock race, having to pull in from both Superbike races due to mechanical issues. Saturday’s Superbike Final – 33rd Place / DNF “I got a good start, then it evaporated as turn one unfolded,” said Haner. “Everybody was pushing everybody around. On the second lap, my shifter tip fell off. I pulled in, so I was a couple of laps down on the restart. I started dead last and got all the way back into, track position, like probably 11th through 14th. On the next restart, I saw ! was starting dead last again, so we tried to make a change to the bike before we went out. We didn’t get it done in time and they wouldn’t let us go back out.” Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 9th Place “I got, I would say, an average start with the best riders in the country,” explained John. “I went into turn one and had a brake marker set up for myself, and that’s what I went to. I got by two people, then two other guys got together. I got up around Jason Pridmore, and then I went around Geoff May on the outside of turn three. I just tried to get up to the front and see what my bike would do at that pace. I was right with Steve Rapp, and had absolutely no issues. Then right after that, I just started losing rear grip. I know I got in Jason and Geoff’s way, all the guys I was in front of. I couldn’t get off the corners, but I could brake as good as anybody. Once those guys got by, I wasn’t able to hang on.” Sunday’s Superbike Final – 28th Place / DNF “It just didn’t feel safe to keep riding,” said Haner, who pulled in on lap 15 of the 28 lap race. “I wasn’t comfortable at all. We’ve been working hard all weekend, but it just didn’t get a whole lot better. The motors are strong, but we’ve just had setup issues. It was just a bad weekend. I guess all of us have them sometimes.” 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, 187 8. Tommy Hayden, 168 9. Damon Buckmaster, 165 10. Geoff May, 160 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Yoshimura’s Mat Mladin recorded his 42nd AMA Superbike win at today’s second-leg AMA Superbike double-header at Virginia International raceway, Alton, Virginia, leading a Suzuki GSX-R1000 one-two-three for the second time this weekend. The five-time AMA Champion headed team mates Aaron Yates and Ben Spies by more than 11 seconds at the end of the 28-lap, 100-mile race and increased his series lead to 21 points over Spies with just one round and two races remaining. The Australian captured the pole position and the track record by posting a 1:23.986 lap time, his 46th career pole position and his ninth – out of a potential nine – this season. He said: “It’s a long way from over. We still have two races to go. I want to thank my guys for working really hard this weekend. And what can I say about the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000? Two Superbike wins and a Superstock win in one weekend — the motorbike speaks for itself. Along with Suzuki and Dunlop tyres, I’d also like to thank all the fans who came out.” At the start of the 28-lap race, Mladin got a fairly good start but it was Spies who took the lead. Spies led for the first several laps before Mladin overtook him. He then began creating a gap and held onto it for the victory. Spies, meanwhile, held on to second before running wide in a turn and being passed by Yates. “I couldn’t even see Mat in today’s race so I’m not doing as well as I’d like to,” joked Spies from the podium. “But it’s get to get three Suzukis up here.” Said Yates, “This has been a good weekend for me, a good weekend for Suzuki and a good weekend for the fans. It’s great to have Suzuki one-two-three up here and I guess that shows how strong the new GSX-R1000 is.” Mladin, Spies and Yates will campaign the final AMA Superbike race of the season at Road Atlanta next weekend. AMA Superbike Top 10 Finishers: 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 (Suzuki) Full Championship points uploaded under: AMA/ AMA Superbike/ Championship Points. YATES TAKES SUPERSTOCK VICTORY In the first race of the day, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates won his fifth AMA Repsol Superstock race of the season and extended his points lead in the title chase at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday morning. “I was just really comfortable out there,” said Yates from the podium. “I got a great start on my Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and got into Turn One first. I just tried to keep a smooth rhythm out there and keep the pace fast.” In the previous afternoon’s qualifying session, Yates carded himself the fourth position on the grid by posting a fastest lap time of 1:26.303. Although the soft-spoken Georgian was pleased about being on the front row, he would have preferred to be on pole. “I had some issues with the front tyre,” he explained. “The qualifying tyre made the front end feel a little unstable and I couldn’t get into some of the turns the way I wanted. I kind of feel like that’s holding us back a little, but we still have a practice session tomorrow to work on it.” Apparently Yates’ Yoshimura Suzuki crew and GSX-R came through. Yates did indeed get out front immediately, and kept up a blistering pace in what should have been a 17-lap race. Unfortunately, a crashed rider caused a red flag toward the end of the event and the AMA calledthe race. “The Suzuki had great grip at the beginning of the race and then the tyres started slipping and I felt more comfort able,” he said. “About halfway through the race I eased up on the throttle and I couldn’t decide whether Roger Hayden was going to come by me, so I picked it up towards the end of the last lap and then I saw the red flag. I expected some excitement at the end of the race and I was ready for it, so it’s sort of strange for the race to end this way. But congratulations to Roger for a great race and thanks to Yoshimura Suzuki.” Yates is currently 21 points ahead of second place in the Superstock championship points chase. Superstock Top 10 Finishers: 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. Jacob Holden (Suzuki) 10. John Haner (Suzuki) SPIES CRASHES IN SUPERSTOCK Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies was headed for a top-five finish in today’s Supersport race at Virginia International Raceway when an unfortunate get-off took him out of the running. Spies had qualified on the second row of the grid with his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600 after posting a 1:28.124 lap time the previous afternoon. In the 17-lap race, the young Texan got a good start and was with the front-runners dicing for sixth. “I was right there with Chris Peris in sixth and I was watching my gap on Aaron Gobert,” said Spies, who wasn’t hurt in the incident. “I didn’t want to let him catch me and I was going to wait until the last lap to pass Chris. Then I saw Chris start to lose the front end and then I started to lose the front end. Then he did lose the front end and I think I lost the front end in the exact some place. I don’t know if we were on a sealer line or what.” Supersport Top 10 Finishers: 1. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki) 2. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) 3. Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) 4. Ben Attard (Kawasaki) 5. Damon Buckmaster (Yamaha) 6. Aaron Gobert (Yamaha) 7. Geoff May (M4 EMGO Suzuki) 8. Nickoles Moore (Yamaha) 9. Taylor Knapp (Yamaha) 10. Blake Young (Suzuki) More, from a press release issued by Proforma: GOOD WEEKEND FOR MILLENNIUM KWS SUZUKI IN VIRGINIA The Millennium KWS Suzuki team of Lee Acree and Blake Young had more ups than downs during round nine of the AMA Superbike Championship at Virginia International Raceway. Lee made solid progress on the suspension setup of his Superstock-spec GSX-R1000, allowing him to run closer to the front until a shifting problem forced him into the pits. Two strong Superbike class finishes also helped the cause. Teammate Blake Young didn’t get the results he hoped for, but rode hard to finish well and garner more points in the Superstock and Supersport classes. Lee Acree Saturday’s Superbike Final – 10th Place “You ride the front end so hard here, and I just don’t get along well with the green (harder) front tire,” said Acree, who made progress with the overall setup on his GSX-R1000 leading into the race. “The front started to go, but that wasn’t the issue. I just couldn’t match (Marty) Craggill’s drive off the corners. The only warnings the front gave me was from trying to run it on down in there to make up what I was losing on the other end. The last few laps, the rear was spinning, and I took a couple of shots at being on him, within striking distance. It gave me a couple of bucks out of the seat, and said, ‘Okay, you can keep doing that and you can crash’, so I opted for the tenth place as opposed to the ride back in the crash truck with no points.” Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 21st Place / DNF “The chassis felt good,” said Lee, who was running in 13th place when he encountered transmission problems. “The best Superstock bike I’ve been on all year, clear and away. We made a lot of chassis progress this weekend, which was nice. The rear tire started spinning pretty early, but then the bike started shifting itself from third to fourth, and I was coping with that. I caught Eric (Wood), and his pace started to drop off, because he was hurting. At first, because I was spinning and had for a while, I decided I was just going to ride with him, and keep an eye on my pit board. I knew I had motor on him, and physically, I knew I had an advantage on him. When Eric started slowing up even more, I figured we might get run down from the next guy back. I went by Eric and picked up the pace again. Then all of a sudden it didn’t shift at all. I came up out of turn seven and it wouldn’t upshift. I tried to get it to shift, to see if I could stay out for the next few laps, but I came out on the front straight and it just wouldn’t shift. As soon as I pulled in the pits, the red flag came out.” Sunday’s Superbike Final – 13th Place “The bike seemed to work pretty well,” admitted Lee after struggling through the last few events. “We chose between two tires we hadn’t tried this weekend, because we knew the stuff we had wouldn’t go race distance in this heat. I chose the harder one and it wasn’t near as good as the others I’ve ridden in the last day or so at the beginning. The first lap, I tried to ride it like I had ridden what I was on yesterday, and tried to highside myself two or three times. I was behind a group of five or six guys at the beginning, then Cory (West) and (Marty) Craggill worked their way through and they gradually pulled away.” Blake Young Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 13th Place “I had a carrot to go catch, I just couldn’t get to it,” said Blake. “The only time I could make up was on the brakes. I was chasing Matt Lynn. I tried a couple of things towards the end of the race, but it played against me. I just couldn’t get off the turns. I’d make up some ground on the brakes, but I’d lose twice as much trying to get out of the turn on the gas. Every time I got passed it was coming out of a turn.” Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Final – 10th Place “I was trying to play the strategy game, expecting their tires to go off,” Blake said, referring to Nicky Moore and Taylor Knapp. “I just tried to play out a strategy where I would be in front of them at the end. My strategy was banking on my tires a little bit more than what tire I had. When I went to make my push, the tires weren’t there.” More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: May Top Supersport Suzuki In Virginia Team M4 EMGO Suzuki closed out the Virginia International Raceway race weekend in strong fashion, picking up three top ten on Sunday. The squad had high hopes in particular for Geoff May in the Superstock final and he delivered with a top five result in the hotly contested class. The Georgian didn’t get the start he had hoped to from his second row grid position, dropping to eighth by the conclusion of the opening lap. However, May battled his way up the order throughout the race on his GSX-R1000, climbing to fifth by the time the race was prematurely ended after 13 of a scheduled 17 laps due to a red flag. Teammate Michael Barnes had a harder go it during the race. Missing his set-up slightly, the Floridian fought hard to break into the top ten, claiming tenth in the final results after running in twelfth early. May came back out in the afternoon for the Supersport contest. Continuing the day’s trend of movement up through the field, May guided his Pirelli-shod GSX-R600 from tenth early to seventh by the time he took the checkered flag. He was the highest placed Suzuki-mounted rider in the race. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki crew chief Keith Perry said, “With a little bit better start, we felt Geoff could have finished a position or two higher than he did in the Superstock race. But even without it he finished fifth and I can’t argue with top fives. The guys are working hard and the tires keep coming along better and better. We’re by no means perfect yet, but things are progressing.” He continued, “VIR was another track that we come close to hitting it big — we’ve run really, really strong. We just need to find that consistency to be able to do it all the time. All in all, it was a good day.” Next up is the 2005 AMA season finale at Road Atlanta this upcoming weekend, September 2-4. More, from a press release issued by Hotbodies Racing Honda: Hotbodies Racing Honda Race Report: A Weekend With Top Tens Hotbodies Racing Honda at Virginia International Raceway, August 26-28 Larry Pegram #72 After setting top-fifteen times during Superbike practice on his HRC-kitted Honda CBR1000RR, racer Larry Pegram crashed on Virginia International Raceway’s tough and technical track, injuring his foot and denying him the chance to compete in either of the AMA Superbike races. Pegram was ranked tenth in the points and now having sat out this double-header has slipped to 12th. Even though the next event is in one week at Road Atlanta, Pegram is looking forward to the possibility of being able to compete. Jeremy Toye #57 Jeremy Toye, on his proverbially HRC-kitted Honda CBR1000RR, had a fine weekend at VIR with a qualifying position of 17th that he turned into a 9th-place finish in the twice-restarted Race One, and in Race Two he had an early finish involving grass and sod. Alright, it wasn’t a totally fine weekend. Toye said, “One of the bikes was gone early because I practiced the acrobatic skills of its frame on Thursday. Everybody at the track this weekend is going fast but we kept our head down and things are coming around. I like the bike now. I like the tires. We got almost where we wanted to be. This place will bite you quickly so in the race we kept our heads on our shoulders. In the first start I might as well have taken off in one of the crash trucks. I was on the outside and I thought I’d do something brave but that turned out to be stupid. On the second start I blew it almost as badly. If you give me enough chances I’ll eventually get it right and so on the third start I was fairly deep up in there with some real fast guys. I was a battle for tenth with Cory [West] I think I had three clear laps the whole time. This track is hard to pass on, you either have to make big, ballsy moves or bide your time. I saw some guys make ballsy moves and they didn’t finish the race. So we were happy with the finish. We were 11th-fastest in Sunday’s morning practice, with the 15th-fastest trap speed, so we’re showing what we can do. But in Sunday’s Superbike Race Two I got frustrated. After having a really good start I was stoked but I had a different tire and figured it would take and extra lap to come in. A couple guys went by with no problem and then a couple more and I got pissed off. I then passed one back and ran us both wide. A couple laps later I went to pass another and went off the track. So I mellowed out and then riders kept coming back to me and I was riding fine and then I tucked the front in turn three and went off and fell in the grass and it was all over.” Justin Filice #170 Young gun Justin Filice showed well at VIR in Formula Xtreme and Supersport on his Honda CBR600RR, finishing 15th in the first and 17th in the other. Filice said, “We struggled a little in the beginning. I couldn’t get under “33” for a while. Nicky [Moore] helped by running in front of me. Oh, I also ran off and crashed in the first practice but all I did was just fall over at a low speed. I like the track, it’s tough and physical. In FX I rode by myself for most of the race. My bike has a stock engine so it was down on power but I got 15th. In Supersport I was in a race with guys throughout the whole race. I had a horrible start and was 27th at the end of the first lap. I worked my way up slowing picking guys off and I got into “31’s” during the race. That was a second faster than I’d gone all weekend up to then.” More, from a press release issued by Team Hotbodies Racing: Cory West #187 At VIR Cory West rode his Suzuki GSX-R1000 to 10th, his best Superbike finish ever. That was in Race Two and in Race One West had a nicely complementing 12th-place finish. West said, “Last year I qualified with a 30 flat, this year I did a high-28 my first time out. I got some help from Computrack and that helped. I qualified 21st and was behind Acre and Wood and running fourteenth when the first red flag came out. I was on the fourth row for the restart, Mladin and Hayes got together on that start and there was a hole I slipped through and I was about sixth going into turn one. I was running around in tenth when the second red flag came out. We changed tires for the final restart and they were sliding quickly because we only had them on the warmers for about ten minutes. I hit a huge bug and pulled a tear-off and missed the next corner. I can’t blame it on the bug. 12th matches my best finish and I’d like to see a top ten. So yeah, Sunday’s race when I got that tenth place it was my best finish ever. I had a great start and tried passing a guy in three and I almost high sided my brains out. The bike then went into a huge tank slapper but I stayed on the gas. I was closing in on guys on the brakes in a lot of turns. I got the bike up on the middle of the tire as fast as possible to get on the power as hard as I could. Craggill and I were in a battle all race. He got by me and I saw the gap stayed the same. I finally got him back and he hounded me until about a lap to go. My birthday was Tuesday and it wasn’t anything exciting so I felt like thus was my present to myself. I almost thought I was going to cry crossing the finish line. It was great to finally get a top- ten finish.” Nicky Moore #28 Racer Nicky Moore finished 8th in the Supersport race at VIR, and backed up that performance with a 7th-place finish in Formula Xtreme. Moore is now 14th in Superstock points and 6th in Formula X points with one round remaining in each class. Moore said, “It’s a fun track. I just had a few issues. All of a sudden in the Supersport race I dropped a couple seconds. I was four seconds faster than last year and it was my best finish in Supersport ever. I had a good start but I was back on the fifth row.” Moore said the reason he looks back during a race, nearly as much as he looks towards where he’s going, is to determine if he’s riding fast enough to stay in front of who’s hounding him. Taylor Knapp #38 Taylor Knapp had a weekend of great results by improving from his 19th-place qualifying in Supersport to a ninth-place finish. Knapp also had a 12th-place finish in FX from 14th on the grid on his Yamaha YZF-R6. And he managed it all from his unusual riding style ala Scott Russell: he hangs his head sideways in the turns?! Knapp said, “Practice went really good. I like this track a lot. I had a good set up and almost qualified on row three for FX. I had a great start and was seventh right out of the gate. A couple guys caught me up and then I came together with a lapper and ran off the track and fell on the last lap. I picked up the bike and finished 12th. Supersport went better. I had a really good start. Like everyone else we’ve been battling with traction all weekend because of the heat here. We were all kind of having the same problems. In the race four of us were going back and forth the whole way. It was a great battle.” Heath Small #27 In Superbike Heath Small qualified at the top of row six in 21st, turning that into a 20th-place finish in Race One and a DNFth in Race Two. Riding in Superstock on another Yamaha YZF-R1, Small qualified 23rd and moved forward to finish 17th. Small said, “Practice didn’t go as well as we expected. I missed Thursday practice and on Friday we had a few problems with the bikes. I concentrated on just riding the 1,000cc bikes this weekend because that way I could concentrate better and my mechanic Charlie wouldn’t be overloaded. In practice we had tranny problems on the Superbike and the bike jumped out of gear and then back in and I high sided. In the first Superbike race it was hard to tell if the tire was going to make it with three red flags but it did. I need to practice my starts. I’m not used to the Superbike from having ridden too many different classes at once. We’ll just do these two classes for the rest of the season and for next year I’ll do just two classes. In the second Superbike race the brake pads gave up on the second lap. It felt like the wheel spun on the rim or something, going into turn one on the second lap. On the next lap the lever came back to my knuckles and on the next lap there was even less so I pulled in.” Keith Marshall Keith Marshall concentrated solely on Supersport at VIR, finishing 13th from his 16th-place qualifying position, on his Suzuki GSX-R600. Marshall has been racing a limited AMA schedule this season and this was his best finish ever in the Supersport class. More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin: ‘A TOUGH DAY AT THE OFFICE’ FOR HODGSON AND BOSTROM IN VIRGINIA Alton,Virginia (Aug 28) – Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin riders Neil Hodgson and Eric Bostrom fought through a difficult weekend at Virginia International Raceway, finishing fifth and seventh in Sunday’s 28-lap Superbike race. Both riders managed the hot and humid conditions and the twisty track to earn points in the championship, but the ultra-competitive factory Ducati 999 Superbike pilots were left wanting more. Hodgson, winner at Road America this year, was able to find some speed in the morning warm-up, placing third quickest in that session. Neil earned a solid finish in the race but was unable to fight for the podium on Sunday. “For the most part, I ran my own lonely race, not feeling any pressure (from other riders) and not needing to keep an eye on my pit board,” said Neil after the race. “Really and truly, I don’t know why we had such a rough go of it this weekend. It was the middle section of the track that gave us a tough time. The first part and the last parts were fine. It was a tough day at the office.” Eric Bostrom didn’t find the improvements he needed on Sunday morning, either, although his result meant the Californian and winner of three races in 2005 is still third in AMA Superbike points with just two races left. “There’s really not much to comment on. I feel like I rode even better than yesterday but it didn’t matter much. We were really struggling for feel and didn’t have some grip in spots. I followed around another rider for a while, and in some of the turns, we were pretty fast compared to the competition. In some others, we lost a lot of ground. After winning and doing well lately, we expected to be quick this weekend and anything less was disappointing. Fortunately, we have three days to think about it and we’ll move on to the next one and do better.” “We definitely were aiming higher with our results this weekend,” said team manager Tom Bodenbach. “The team tried hard and we improved our lap times, but it wasn’t enough and we never fully caught up. We’re a competitive team and we’re glad the next race is so soon. We are looking forward to it.” The Road Atlanta doubleheader weekend is September 2-4. Race results – 1.Mat Mladin, Suzuki 2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 3. Ben Spies, Suzuki 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 5. NEIL HODGSON, PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999 6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki 7. ERIC BOSTROM, PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999 AMA Superbike points (after 15 of 17 rounds) 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 471 2. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 450 3. ERIC BOSTROM, PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999 382 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 377 5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 341 6. NEIL HODGSON, PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999 328 More, from a press release issued by Team Stargel: Team Stargel Yamaha Scores Solid Finishes at VIR It’s been said when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. During a 2005 season that has brought injuries and lack of setup time, Team Stargel finally got to drink lemonade in the warm Virginia sunshine. After gaining some insight into their handling problems at the last round at Mid-Ohio, the team arrived at VIR eager to implement chassis changes to improve the bike’s handling. Immediately, rider Brian Stokes felt more comfortable on the team’s Yamaha R1 and continued to gain speed and confidence as the weekend wore on. Saturday’s superbike race kept team mechanic Ward Wilson on his toes with tire changes and clutch adjustments during the three starts it took to complete the race. Stokes, rode hard and consistently, finding himself more comfortable with the feel of his Yamaha as the race unfolded. With a thrilling run to the stripe, he passed Corona’s Brent George to take 14th. The result in race number one did nothing but foster Stokes’ confidence for Sunday’s race. Under warm and sunny skies, the race got off cleanly with no red flags. Stokes’ poor start did not help his cause as he put his head down and charged through the pack. After having a back and forth battle with Hooters’ Eric Wood, Brian wisely latched on to him and worked to gain ground on the riders ahead of them. In a thrilling last lap move, Stokes went underneath both Wood and KWS Suzuki rider, Lee Acree to finish twelfth. Stokes remarked afterwards that after 26 hard laps, his Michelin front slick still gave him the confidence to make that inside pass. Team Stargel Yamaha now looks to this upcoming weekend’s round at Road Atlanta. This is the team’s home track and the site of Stokes’ eleventh place superbike finish in 2004.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin came back from another less-than-perfect start to win Sunday’s 28-lap AMA Superbike race at Virginia International Raceway. The win was 10th win of the season, tying the single season record, and the 42nd of his career. It also extends his Championship point lead out to 21 points over teammate Ben Spies, who finished third Sunday. Spies was beaten by his other teammate Aaron Yates, who took second, 11 seconds behind Mladin. It was the fifth time the Yoshimura Suzuki trio have swept the AMA Superbike podium in 2005. The fourth sweep came Saturday. American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel put on a big charge to erase Spies’ 10-second lead, but the French-Canadian came up 1.6 seconds short at the finish. Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke retired with mechanical problems while running fourth on lap 15. AMA Superbike Race Two Results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 28 laps 2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -11.009 seconds 3. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -16.886 seconds 4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -18.517 seconds 5. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, -28.518 seconds 6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -34.130 seconds 7. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -41.715 seconds 8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -55.975 seconds 9. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -67.021 seconds 10. Cory West, Suzuki, -87.616 seconds 11. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -1 lap 12. Brian Stokes, Yamaha, -1 lap 13. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -1 lap 14. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -1 lap 15. Jason Perez, Yamaha, -1 lap 16. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -1 lap 17. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki, -1 lap 18. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, -1 lap 19. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -1 lap 20. Jason Curtis, Suzuki, -1 lap 21. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, -1 lap 22. Anthony Fania, Suzuki, -1 lap 23. David Bell, Suzuki, -1 lap 24. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -1 lap 25. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -1 lap 26. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, -1 lap 27. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap 28. John Haner, Suzuki, -8 laps, DNF, mechanical 29. Marco Martinez, Suzuki, -9 laps, DNF 30. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -11 laps, DNF, mechanical 31. Jake Zemke, Honda, -13 laps, DNF, mechanical 32. Jeremy Toye, Honda, -14 laps, DNF, crash 33. Heath Small, Yamaha, -23 laps, DNF 34. Brent George, Suzuki, -24 laps, DNF, mechanical 35. James Kerker, Honda, -27 laps, DNF, mechanical 36. Geoff May, Suzuki, DNS 37. Jake Holden, Suzuki, DNS 38. Larry Pegram, Honda, DNS More, from a press release issued by Vreeke & Assoc, on behalf of Dunlop: Dunlop race report: 2005 AMA Superbike series at Virginia International Raceway Alton, VA It’s going to come down to the last race of the season to determine all of the champions of the AMA 2005 Superbike series. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin was dominant in two Superbike wins, improving his odds to collect an unprecedented sixth AMA Superbike crown. In support series action, Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates collected his fifth Superstock win to inch closer to the class championship. A victory by Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel improved his upset chances to win a second Formula Xtreme title and Kawasaki Road Racing’s Roger Lee Hayden collected his second consecutive win to keep his hopes alive for a Supersport ring. For Dunlop, it was another impressive outing. In the weekend’s five races, Dunlop-shod riders took 36 of the 50 top-ten winning positions. VIR is predominantly a fast “right-hand” track that generates significant heat in the right side of the rear tire, particularly along the front straightaway, which curves to the right as the riders approach turn one at speeds exceeding 160 mph. Dunlop brought 2583 tires to support the factory teams and support riders in the Superbike, Superstock, Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes at VIR (as well as next week’s round at Road Atlanta), including rain tires. The factory Superbike teams had three front and three rear tire options, including multi-compound rear tires utilizing Dunlop’s NT (New Technology) construction. The factory Superstock riders had six front and five rear tire compound choices. Coming into this Superbike round, Mladin led his teammate Ben Spies by a scant nine points in the championship tally. In qualifying, Mladin would pad that margin by one as he rode his Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a new track record of 1:23.986, marking his 46th career pole position and his ninth (out of a potential nine) this season. In the first Superbike race of the weekend doubleheader, Mladin was a man on a mission. Despite three red flags and two poor restarts, the five-time champ relentlessly worked his way through the pack and ultimately took the victory by 3.7 seconds. “It’s not that hard to pass at VIR,” said Mladin. “This track is pretty good about that. It’s also a matter of being aggressive and getting through and that’s what I did. Also, the front of the bike’s sticking very well and I was able to be aggressive in some tight corners.” With teammates Ben Spies coming in second and Aaron Yates in third, Yoshimura Suzuki swept the podium for the fourth time this year. The results of the second Superbike race nearly duplicated the first, giving Suzuki their second podium sweep of the weekend. It was far-less dramatic, however and Sunday’s race ran without serious incident. With a less-than-ideal start, Mladin once again had to work his way forward, but by lap five he had overtaken teammate Spies. He then motored away to amass a comfortable lead and took the checkered flag with 11.01 seconds in hand. In so doing, he collected his 42nd career Superbike victory while his 10th win this season ties his own record set in 2003 and that of Fred Merkel in 1984. “It’s a long way from over,” said Mladin. “We still have two races to go. I want to thank my guys for working really hard this weekend. Along with Suzuki and Dunlop tires, I’d also like to thank all the fans who came out.” Following Mladin home was Yates and then Spies. Mladin’s win, combined with Spies’ third-place finish, staked out a 21-point cushion (471 vs. 450) over Spies in the championship hunt. Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom is in third with 382. The first support race of the weekend showcased an incredibly-tight battle between Honda Racing teammates Duhamel and Jake Zemke aboard their CBR600RRs in Formula Extreme competition. Zemke led Duhamel by just 11 points coming into the event. Duhamel gained ground in qualifying, establishing a new 600-class lap record of 126.581 seconds and picked up a point in the process. Indicative of the close racing action was the start of lap seven, when according to the AMA’s timing feed, both riders crossed the start-finish line at exactly the same time. Duhamel was not to be denied; his eventual 1.136-second margin of victory was his third of the season and his 11th career Formula Xtreme win. “My bike was strong all weekend,” said Duhamel. “I was going to do everything I could in order to get the win. My CBR600RR rain great and hats off to my crew, they worked really hard to get us in a position to win the race.” With just one round remaining, Zemke’s lead is only five points, meaning that a perfect performance by Duhamel at Road Atlanta (pole, laps led and race win) could seal his second Formula Xtreme championship. MPT Racing’s Danny Eslick holds down third with 171 points. Superstock action on Sunday morning promised more close-action racing as series-leader Yates hoped to protect a 14-point lead over Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Jason Disalvo. In qualifying, Disalvo set the fastest lap at 125.584 on his YZF-R1 despite a painful knee-injury suffered earlier in the day in Supersport practice. Yates led from the start of the race on his GSX-R1000, closely followed by Kawasaki Road Racing’s Roger Lee Hayden. The two raced nose-to-tail, lap-after-lap until a red-flag on lap 14 brought the action to a premature end, giving Yates his fifth victory of the season. “The Suzuki had great grip at the beginning of the race and then the tires started slipping and I felt more comfortable,” said Yates. “I expected some excitement at the end of the race and I was ready for it, so it’s sort of strange for the race to end this way.” An exhausted Disalvo took third. With one race to go, Yates increased his point lead over Disalvo to 21 (301 vs 280), while Jordon Motorsports Suzuki’s Steve Rapp is third with 230. Coming into the penultimate Supersport race of the season, Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden had a chance to win his second consecutive Supersport title. He led younger brother Roger Lee by 36 points, but it would take a win to do it. And he almost pulled it off, coming just .331-seconds short of”¦ who else, Roger Lee at the checkered flag. This day belonged to the younger Hayden, who officially led every lap but the first on his ZX-6RR, taking his second consecutive win and third victory of the season. “It was a good race,” said Hayden. “Tom stayed close the whole way. I was hoping he’d give me a break the last couple of laps but it didn’t happen. All in all it was a good day for me.” Yamaha’s Jason Disalvo soldiered home to third. Tommy Hayden still holds the championship lead with 301 points going into the final round at Road Atlanta. Roger Lee follows with 270 and Disalvo is third with 240. The next stop for Dunlop and the AMA road racing tour will be Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia, September 2-4, featuring a doubleheader round of Superbike action. About Dunlop Tires Dunlop Tires is the largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S. and the only manufacturer of motorcycle tires in North America. With North American operations headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Dunlop has been making and selling high-quality tires in the U.S. since 1923. For more information, please visit www.dunlopmotorcycle.com. More, from a press release issued by VIR: Mladin Leads Double Suzuki Superbike Sweep in Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at VIR Alton, Va. (August 28) Five-time AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin led a double Suzuki 1-2-3 sweep in the two feature races for the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited in the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at VIRginia International Raceway this weekend. On Saturday, Mladin started from pole with a track-record qualifying time but had to rebound from 15th place after falling back in the field following a red-flag restart to claim his 41st career win, with Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Aaron Yates and Ben Spies filling the podium spots. On Sunday, Mladin fell to fifth at the start but roared back to totally dominate the second race, pulling out as much as a 15sec lead. Again, Yates and Spies finished second and third, respectively. In Saturday’s Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme series race, defending series champ Miguel Duhamel held off a strong challenge from Honda teammate Jake Zemke to win, with Yamaha-mounted privateer Robert Jensen finishing third. Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport series race featured a thrilling finish between two Kawasaki-mounted brothers, as Roger Lee Hayden edged his elder sibling Tommy by a razor-thin 0.022sec margin, with third place going to Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo. Yates backed up his two runner-up Superbike finishes with a win in Sunday’s Repsol Superstock series race, holding off a race-long chase by Roger Lee Hayden, with DiSalvo taking another third place. The race was red-flagged after 14 of 17 scheduled laps when Jake Holder crashed heavily on the front straight after tangling with Jason Pridmore. Holder was transported to the hospital, but was reportedly awake and alert and responding to the medical staff. DiSalvo’s performances were notable considering that he injured his knee in practice on Friday, a mishap that necessitated a trip to the hospital for treatment. Despite the pain in his knee, he put went on to take pole position for both the Superstock and Supersport races, and claimed the two third-place finishes. The Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals event was a huge success, with an estimated 40,000 spectators attending over the three days, and new event promoters Race Promotion Management (RPM) were pleased with the outcome. “We are ecstatic with the way everything went for our first Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at VIR,” said RPM vice president Cameron Gray. “From Thursday’s celebrity kart race to the fan party on Friday, the live music and stunt shows on Saturday and Sunday and some of the best motorcycle racing in the world on top of it all, it couldn’t have been better. “The fans at VIR were great, and everybody seemed to have a good time. We appreciate their support, as well as that from Suzuki, Red Bull and Speed Channel, and we look forward to making this event bigger and better next year.” The VIR staff will now gear up for next weekend’s Stock Car Spectacular, and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series’ VIR 400 scheduled for Oct. 7-9. For ticket information, visit www.virclub.com. VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Va., and just north of historic Milton, N.C. In addition to its 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit (designed to be operated as two autonomous, full-service courses), VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America’s first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park; the VIR Gallery, which is a sales showroom for high-end collector and racing cars; the VIR Safety and Security Institute, which provides specialized training for U.S. Government and military groups; The Lodge at VIR, a 27-room hotel overlooking the track; and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse. VIR made history from 1957 to 1974 and is doing so again. The 2.25-mile VIR North Course circuit on which the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals will take place has 17 challenging turns and 130 feet of elevation change. In addition to spectator events, the track is also available to rent for testing, driving schools and club days. For more information on VIRginia International Raceway, visit the track’s website at www.virclub.com or contact VIR at 434-822-7700. For more information on Race Promotion Management, visit their website at www.rpmcolorado.com or contact them via telephone at 303-377-3278. For more information on the AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited, visit their website at www.amasuperbike.com. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: Temperature: 31 degrees Climate: Warm, overcast Mixed Fortunes in Virginia American Honda’s Jake Zemke and Miguel Duhamel endured two red flags and lengthy delays in Saturday’s Superbike race, but never lost focus en route to fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively, in the penultimate round of the AMA Superbike Championship at Virginia International Raceway. Sunday was more of a challenge, with both suffering mechanical problems. Even so, Duhamel was a closing fourth, while Zemke went out just past the halfway point while challenging for the final podium position. Saturday’s race was stopped twice, each break giving the teams time to fine tune the American Honda CBR1000RR’s. Zemke was in third when Sunday’s race was stopped for the second time on the 13th of 28 laps, Duhamel was fifth. The final leg would be 16 laps. Off the re-start Zemke took the lead, holding it for a lap before moving to second for four laps, then third for the next nine laps. Zemke lost the final podium position two laps from the finish. Duhamel moved into fifth, his final finishing position, on lap six. At the start of Sunday’s race, held in brilliant sunshine, Zemke bolted with the leaders while Duhamel dealt with a balky clutch. Second on the opening lap, Zemke settled into third until the ninth lap. He spent his remaining time trying to win back the third position, only to see it come undone with an electrical gremlin lap 15. Duhamel was ninth on the opening lap before a ruthless attack put him up to fifth on lap 10 and fourth when Zemke retired. Both Superbike races were won by Suzuki’s Mat Mladin. Teammates Ben Spies and Aaron Yates were second and third in race one, with Yates taking second from Spies on Sunday. As they’ve done all year, Zemke and Duhamel dominated Formula Xtreme on their American Honda CBR600RR’s. From his pole position, Duhamel bolted to a lead he was disinclined to relinquish. Only twice in 17 laps was Zemke able to inch ahead, and then not for long. Both times Duhamel re-passed him on the following laps. Duhamel edged away with five laps to go and grew the lead to 1.136 seconds at the end. It was his second win in a row and he did it in record time, averaging 92.799 mph. With only next week’s season finale at Road Atlanta remaining, Zemke leads Duhamel by five points. Regardless of how they do next week, the teammates are guaranteed to give Honda a one-two finish in the standings for the second year in a row. “There’s only one race left now and it ain’t going to be no picnic at Road Atlanta either,” Duhamel said. Jake Zemke, 4th, Saturday Superbike The guys made some changes to the bike this morning and it really came around. The thing’s working a whole lot better. It’s still a little bit hard on the tires. I definitely was starting to slide around quite a bit on the front and the rear. We were starting to reel in (second placed Ben) Spies and I was thinking, ‘Man we might be able to catch him before the end here.’ I was just catching lappers wrong and catching lappers wrong and catching lappers wrong. I just kept getting them in all the wrong spots. And that allowed Aaron (Yates) to suck right up to us. I was basically a sitting duck at that point. Miguel Duhamel, 5th, Saturday Superbike I think we had three races in Superbike; two I was pretty happy with. My starts were not that great, but my times were terrific. I did a 25.3 with race tires. That’s all we had, but they were better than my qualifying time. At the end there we did a little change, it wasn’t maybe enough. Tomorrow we’ll try to get something better for the Superbike and be a bit more in there. Our lap times are really competitive. We’ve just got to get out with the guys and run with them in beginning, like we did in one or two of those races. We had a good shot at podium. I could see Jake (Zemke) up there and man, I’ve got to at least get up there. If he can do it I can do it and I got to get up there. And he got some great starts. It was terrific. It was a good race. Jake Zemke, DNF, Sunday Superbike Something happened to thing at 100% throttle, the thing started cutting out. But it wouldn’t cut out anywhere else. It was just right on top. It wasn’t just cutting out, it was coughing and burbling and sputtering. We’re not really sure yet what it is. The boys will have to tear that one apart and see what happened to it. Miguel Duhamel, 5th, Sunday Superbike We started pretty far back and when those guys started to get going I was not able to respond because I had to get through some guys. And they were riding OK, obviously, because I couldn’t get by them comfortably. So once I got by them I just tried to put my head down. I was ten seconds back. The bike was good. I figured I’d give it a shot, see what we can do. We might as well have some fun. I’ve got nothing else to do. Jake Zemke, 2nd, Formula Xtreme It was pretty decent, all except for the finishing order, I think. Other than that it was good. We had to play a little bit of catch-up this weekend. I didn’t have the opportunity to test here. I had a little something going on with my elbow at the time. So we were playing catch-up all weekend to Miguel. Hats off to him. He rode great and his crew did a great job and at the end of the day we just didn’t have it for him today, but we’ll come back swinging next week. Miguel Duhamel, 1st, Formula Xtreme I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. I’ve got to go out there and win everything I can, lead every lap, and a little bit in the.I wouldn’t call it panic, but definitely the time to do everything I can. It was really tight tracing and I did touch Jake up in turn 14, 14A, that right-hander going in. We were both on the brakes sliding. He started turning, which we had to do and we just touched and I was happy that it wasn’t too much of a big nudge or sent him off or anything like that. And then after that I just said come on, just get yourself together. Put some good laps down. And that’s what I did. Superbike Race One 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 3. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 4. Jake Zemke (Honda) 5. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 6. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 7. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki) 8. Marty Craggill (Suzuki) 9. Jeremy Toye (Honda) 10. Lee Acree (Suzuki) Sunday Superbike 1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 3. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 4. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 5. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 6. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki) 7. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 8. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) 9. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 10. Cory West (Suzuki) Championship Standings 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) 11. Jake Zemke (239) Formula Xtreme 1. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 2. Jake Zemke (Honda) 3. Robert Jensen (Yamaha) 4. Ben Attard (Kawasaki) 5. Michael Barnes (Suzuki) 6. Opie Caylor (Suzuki) 7. Nicky Moore (Yamaha) 8. Ryan Andrews (Ducati) 9. Mike Hale (Honda) 10. Trey Yonce (Suzuki)