AMA SUPERMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP SET TO FIRE UP AGAIN IN SHAWANO Riders from across the globe to converge on Wisconsin’s USA International Raceway PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 25, 2005) — After an early summer break, the AMA Supermoto Championship is set to get back underway at USA International Raceway in Shawano, Wis., on Saturday, July 30. Round two of the six-event championship will see top American and international Supermoto riders coming to Shawano for the first time. Shawano marks the second national event hosted in Wisconsin. The series will also visit Colorado and Tennessee, before moving to the annual Red Bull Supermoto A-Go-Go in Reno, on Oct. 1. World Supermoto Champion Thierry van den Bosch and American star Doug Henry split wins in the opening round at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Van den Bosch, crashed and broke his leg in a World Championship round in Austria last month and is not expected to race this weekend, so it is German ace Jurgen Kunzel, of Red Bull KTM, who emerges from round one with the series lead among riders who will participate in Shawano, after taking a pair of third-place finishes. Kunzel has been one of the fastest riders in the championship since AMA Supermoto launched in 2003, but he’s yet to score a victory in the premier class. “For sure my goal is to win races and most importantly the championship,” said Kunzel. “We had a good beginning in Elkhart Lake and now I need to keep my momentum going in the Shawano race. I’ve had the opportunity to win many times, but things haven’t gone my way. I’ve trained very hard to be ready for this season and I am expecting to do well.” Kunzel’s primary competition at Shawano is sure to be Elkhart Lake race two winner Doug Henry and defending AMA Supermoto Champion Jeff Ward. Henry was teammates with Ward last year with Honda, but has moved to the newly formed factory Graves Yamaha team. Henry won the second race in Elkhart Lake with a dramatic last lap, last turn pass on van den Bosch. He expects more of the same close racing action at Shawano. “The track will be new to most of the riders,” said Henry, a former AMA Motocross Champion. “Fortunately we’ll have a couple of days to practice, so we should be good to go by race day. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the track in Shawano. We often race on parking lot or street courses, so it will be good to race on a track that was specially built with supermoto racing in mind.” Henry comes into Saturday’s race three points behind Kunzel and he’s happy about this year’s new two-race format. “With two races per round it’s going to give you the chance to make up ground,” he said. “I think it’s exciting for the fans also to be able to watch two shorter races. It’s definitely intense for the riders.” Wisconsin’s own Ben Carlson, of Team HMC/Generations of Sonoma is tied with Henry for third in the standings. Carlson has a lot of race experience on USA International Raceway and that could give him the edge he needs to get his first Supermoto victory. He’s keyed up about racing on the new racing circuit. “It’s a world class supermoto track,” said Carlson, who is concentrating solely on the premier Supermoto class this year. “It has everything from first gear turns to fourth gear sweepers. It flows really well and it’s wide so there should be plenty of passing going on. I’m really excited about having a national round there.” The mile-long, 24-turn USA International Raceway was constructed last summer and state-of-the-art asphalt was used with special polymers that give the racing surface not only durability, but also makes it tremendously smooth. Defending champ Jeff Ward has been busy this summer doing everything from racing in the Indianapolis 500, to trying to keep the No. 1 plate on his Troy Lee Designs Honda. Even at 44, the veteran Ward is expected to be among the favorites to win the championship this year. Shawano fans will be treated to the appearance of a couple of non-series regulars, but big stars nevertheless. AMA Superbike contender Eric Bostrom is slated to race this weekend, as is X-Games star Travis Pastrana and 1999 World Motocross champ Andrea Bartolini from Italy. Bostrom is on somewhat of a roll coming off a pair of wins in AMA Superbike. In front of an enormous crowd at the combined MotoGP/AMA Superbike weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca two weeks ago, “E-Boz” took a dramatic victory then followed that up with a flag to flag win this past weekend in Superbike race two at Mid-Ohio. “I think it’s great to have these guys coming into the series,” said Doug Henry of Bostrom, Pastrana and Bartolini. “Anytime you have riders of that caliber coming to race it only adds to the visibility of the series. Plus, Bostrom, Pastrana and Bartolini are great riders, so it really gives the series regulars a major challenge. I think it’s going to make this race one of the best of the year.” In addition to the main Supermoto class, Wisconsin fans will also see the Unlimited and new Lites Supermoto classes at Shawano. Ohioan Mark Burkhart leads the newly formed Lites class after his win at Elkhart Lake last month. Frenchman David Baffeleuf leads the Unlimited class. The Shawano races will be nationally televised on OLN. It will air on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. EST. Advance tickets for Saturday’s race can be purchased online at www.ticketstaronline.com. For additional information call USA International Raceway at 414-234-8230 or visit www.usainternationalraceway.com. Editorial Note: Eric Bostrom will ride a KTM during his Supermoto racing appearances. Gary Medley will tune Bostrom’s Supermoto bikes. In addition to being Bostrom’s current AMA Superbike Crew Chief, Medley was previously a Crew Chief on the HMC factory KTM AMA Supermoto team.

by Lisa Theobald Jim Pihokken ran undefeated at Moroso Motorsports Park, winning all three of the heavyweight classes he entered on the Prieto Racing GSX-R1000. Pihokken started his winning streak with the first race of the day, beating Darren Luck to the finish line in the GTO event. Halfway through the day, he was out front again in the Unlimited Superbike race and simply dominated the race. Pihokken quickly opened a gap on second place and never looked back. He ran all six laps, unchallenged. At the end of the day, Pihokken was back for the Unlimited Grand Prix. The no muffler bonus payout for this class was doubled and the stakes were increased even higher as it started to rain during the warm up lap for the race. Dave McEnery nabbed the holeshot with his GSX-R1000 and led the first two laps of the race. But, Pihokken was on a mission and charged his way to the front. By lap three he was in the lead and breaking away on slicks and a wet track. Behind him Jones Conception’s CBR1000RR challenged for second place and a battle began behind the leader. Conception pulled ahead in the final lap. Pihokken took the final win of the day, followed by Conception, McEnery, Scott Cunningham, and Michael Rouleau. After the race, Pihokken commented, “It’s the fastest I’ve ever gone in the wet, and that was on slicks. I was going as hard as I possibly could go in the back and then tiptoeing through the rest.” Pihokken dedicated his wins to teammate Scott Ritchey, who was injured during a practice session on Saturday. “I made a promise to myself that I was going to win all three and I just went for it,” Pihokken stated. “I was lonely out there without him.”

GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM CARRY MOMENTUM TO SACHSENRING The Gauloises Yamaha team heads to Germany for the tenth round of the MotoGP World Championship this weekend just days after sealing its seventh victory of the season at Donington Park. All of those wins have come at the hands of reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi, but the recent form of his team-mate Colin Edwards has suggested that a victory for the American is not too far around the corner and the pair will be looking to carry their momentum to the Sachsenring a circuit that promises to be a major challenge for the 2005 version of the Yamaha YZR-M1. The German venue’s tight and twisty characteristics gave Rossi some unexpected problems with the 2004 bike last season but this new machine has already proved that it is a more complete package. The base set-up that the team has found for both riders has allowed them to be quickest out of the blocks at five of the last six circuits, where either Rossi or Edwards has set the fastest time in the first free practice session, and helped Rossi to take victory in wet conditions as well as dry. Early practice form has also translated into race results for the pair, with Rossi in particular demonstrating why he is now a clear favourite for his fifth consecutive MotoGP World Championship crown. Victory at Donington Park on Sunday took his season-tally to seven wins, a second and a third place from the opening nine races of the season and extended his advantage at the top of the standings to 104 points just three points less than nearest challenger Marco Melandri’s current total. Meanwhile, consecutive podium finishes for Edwards followed by a steady fourth place in the treacherous conditions at Donington Park have propelled him to third place in the championship, just one point short of Melandri in second place. The American is now targeting another top finish as he aims to overturn the Italian and provide Yamaha with a championship one-two ahead of the four-week summer break before the eleventh round of the season at Brno in the Czech Republic on August 28th. There is a slight change to the race day schedule again this weekend, with the MotoGP event taking place at 12:30pm local time after the 125cc race, which kicks off the action at 11am, but before the 250cc race at 2pm. VALENTINO ROSSI: A SCORE TO SETTLE Valentino Rossi says he is ready to put last season’s disappointment at the Sachsenring behind him as he chases another victory to put the seal on an incredible first half to the season. The Italian struggled with set-up problems with the 2004 version M1 at the German track and finished fourth, but has more confidence than ever in the current bike’s capabilities particularly after his victory at Donington Park on Sunday. “Donington was a very special win for me because there were two or three times when I almost didn’t make it to the end of the race,” says Rossi. “When I saw the big ‘casino’ at the beginning I thought to myself: ‘I do not want to crash today.’ Of course, I was lucky but I also rode very strongly. I am not as fast at Sachsenring as I am at Donington, especially last year when we had some problems with the M1, but I think we are more competitive this season and will be able to fight for the podium. “Things have gone very well in the first half of the year but we have some tracks coming up that I don’t like especially Sachsenring and Brno. I won an important race against Biaggi at Brno in 2001 but I don’t like the track. Also Sachsenring will be very difficult but hopefully it will be dry and we will be able to find the best set-up for the bike very quickly, like at the past races. “Before this season I had never won in the wet with the Yamaha, but this year we have managed it more than once. I am happy and also surprised with the amount of points we have scored. My team has worked brilliantly and I hope that continues in the second half of the season. My aim is to finish on the podium at every race until the end of the season. Also, my record number of victories in a season is eleven so I would like to beat that!” COLIN EDWARDS: SECOND PLACE IN SIGHT Colin Edwards’ recent form has given him plenty of reason for optimism for this weekend, with second place in the MotoGP World Championship now a realistic target ahead of the holiday period, even at a circuit that holds one of his worst racing memories. On his first visit to the Sachsenring riding for Aprilia two years ago Edwards was forced to leap from his bike when it burst into flames, famously turning the American into a high-speed fireball. “The Sachsenring”¦ that’s the place we had the barbecue a couple of years ago!” laughs Edwards. “Actually, despite that, I don’t mind the track at all and I finished fifth there last year, which wasn’t too bad under the circumstances. It’s a strange circuit with two very different parts one where it’s very difficult to overtake and another which requires a massive physical effort because it works the left-hand side of your body really hard. “The tyres are under a lot of strain and it’s vital to make the right choice so they don’t overheat on the left-side. Then there’s the downhill right where you have to be careful in the first few laps, because that side of the tyre takes a bit more time to get up to temperature. Generally I get along pretty well with the layout and there are always a lot of fans so it should be a good weekend. “Fourth place at Donington was definitely not the result we wanted but the momentum from Assen to here has been fantastic and I’ve moved into third in the championship. I’m only one point behind Melandri and it would be nice to go home for the summer holidays in second place. That’s definitely the goal.” DAVIDE BRIVIO: ANOTHER BIG EFFORT Gauloises Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio says he is looking for one more big effort from his team before the summer holidays, after an intense first half of the season that has reaped rewards on all fronts. Not only does Rossi lead the riders’ standings, but Yamaha and Gauloises Yamaha have extended their advantages in the manufacturers’ and teams’ championships respectively. “This is the tenth race of the season so over half of the championship is gone and we have a good advantage,” reflects Brivio. “We had some problems with the M1 at Sachsenring last season but if that happens again we know Valentino is in a position where he can control the race because of the cushion he has in the championship. Of course, our intention is to see both Valentino and Colin at the front again, as they have been so many times this season, but we will have to wait and see. “I am very interested to see how well Colin does in Germany because for the last three races he has been on top form and his team are working very well. So far it has been a very exciting season for Yamaha in general so we hope that can continue in the second half of the year. Everybody in the team has worked so hard all season but now we have to give one more big effort before taking a well deserved holiday.” BLAST FROM THE PAST: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF YAMAHA GLORY The Sachsenring circuit has featured intermittently on the MotoGP World Championship calendar since 1961 but Grand Prix racing in Germany has a rich and colourful history at a variety of legendary circuits. The Solitude, Nürburgring and Hockenheim circuits all played host to the series before it moved back to its current venue in 1998, and it was at Hockenheim that Yamaha enjoyed most success. Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey all took famous victories there, but perhaps the most remarkable was that of Christian Sarron in 1985. After winning the 250cc title for Yamaha with fifteen wins the previous year, Sarron stepped up to 500cc racing in impressive style, finishing on the podium in the second round at Jarama and then ending a 30 year premier-class victory drought for France with a masterful wet display that left Lawson and Freddie Spencer trailing in his wake. “For some people it was a surprise that I won but for me it wasn’t,” recalls Sarron, who scored a total of 18 podiums for Yamaha in the premier-class. “I had won a lot of wet races in the 250cc class and also on a 750 at Hockenheim so I expected to do well. The only surprise was that I got a really bad push-start and ended up in last place. It was so hard to see in all the spray but I just kept passing people and passing people. I didn’t even know I was at the front until my team held out the pit board! “Of course it was a great feeling and I will always remember my only 500cc win, although to be honest I don’t think it was my best performance and it isn’t my best memory as a rider. That would be the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp in 1989. It was a similar performance but it was in the dry and I came through to take second place behind Eddie Lawson. In my opinion, the performance is always more important than the result. “I have a lot of happy memories from my career with Yamaha and I am so glad to see them on top of the World Championship again. I think they took a lot of unfair criticism when the M1 came out but I always believed it was a good bike it just needed a rider with the confidence and skill to push it hard enough to find the right setting. Valentino Rossi has shown himself to be exactly that man and I am so happy that they found each other.” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Located in the heartland of the former East Germany’s once glorious motorcycle racing industry, the Sachsenring is built right next to the old road course, a characteristic the track shares with Brno in the nearby Czech Republic. The current circuit could not be more different, its ultra-modern nature showing in its relatively slow lap times, with a surfeit of slow corners juxtaposed with some dazzlingly fast ones. The 3.671km circuit has already changed its layout since it was first used for MotoGP in 1998, with the addition of a super fast downhill right hander in 2003, an awesome challenge which has already proved to sort out the best from the rest. With a relatively short 780m pit straight, running sharply uphill from the long Queckenberg hairpin, and the throttle only fully open for 10% of the lap, outright power is not the key at Sachsenring. Some riders use only four of the possible six gear ratios on a flying lap. The ability to set-up the machine to deal with the disparity between fast and slow corners is one main goal and as the track is relatively new, bumps are not that much of a concern in relation to other circuits. The main consideration in preparation for Sachsenring is the fact that the track features only four right handers, but has no less than ten lefts, meaning that the machine is heeled over to that side for half of the entire lap distance. Premature wear on one side of the rubber can be minimised by the use of dual compound tyres, but the section from Omega corner onwards has no less than seven left hand corners, one after the other, the next right being the dramatic downhill right hander of the new section. One of the main overtaking possibilities follows immediately after the aforementioned fast right, the Sachsen corner being a favourite place to put in a pass before the uphill dash to the finish line. VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 26 Lives: London, UK Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 GP victories: 75 (36 X MotoGP, 13 X 500cc, 14 X 250cc, 12 X 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 149 (57 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 40 World Championships 6 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 3 x MotoGP) Sachsenring 2004 Results (Yamaha): Grid 2nd, Race 4th COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 31 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 41 (MotoGP) World Championships – 2 World Superbike Sachsenring 2004 Results (Honda): Grid 11th, Race 5th Sachsenring MotoGP lap record: Alex Barros (Honda), 1’24.056 – 2004 Circuit best lap: Max Biaggi (Honda) 1’22.756 2004

Alex Barros condemned to pay Altadis USD 2,9 million. Award from the Paris Court of Arbitration dated July 18, 2005 At the end of the 2002 MotoGP season Altadis and Alex Barros signed a two year contract for the duration of the 2003 and 2004 MotoGP seasons. At the end of the 2003 MotoGP season Alex Barros decided to abandon the project and unilaterally breach this contract. This breach of contract caused Altadis to take legal action and sue Alex Barros before the Paris Court of Arbitration, not only to protect its own interests but also for the good of the sport itself. The decision issued by the Arbitral Court on this procedure is definitive and without any possibility of appeal. The Arbitral Court made the following Award: 1. Mr Barros to pay to Altadis the amount of USD 2,900,000, plus interest at the rate of 3.85% on the amount so awarded from November 2003 until payment. 2. Orders that Mr Barros bear 70% of the costs of this arbitration fixed at USD 150,000. 3. Orders that Mr Barros pay to Altadis the amount of USD 180,000 as contribution to Claimant’s costs and expenses incurred for this arbitration. 4. Declares the present Award immediately enforceable. Altadis wants to express its full satisfaction with the contents of the award, which considers as a recognition by one of the most respected Courts of Arbitration on the necesity for the parties to respect the contractual terms.

AMA Supersport Race Results: 1. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, 16 laps 2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, -0.331 second 3. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, -0.553 second 4. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, -1.716 seconds 5. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -9.400 seconds 6. Robert Jensen, Yamaha, -10.399 seconds 7. Chris Peris, Yamaha, -13.454 seconds 8. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -14.430 seconds 9. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -19.236 seconds 10. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, -23.170 seconds 11. Geoff May, Suzuki, -25.963 seconds 12. Blake Young, Suzuki, -26.014 seconds 13. Taylor Knapp, Yamaha, -46.468 seconds 14. Armando Ferrer, Yamaha, -46.943 seconds 15. Barrett Long, Yamaha, -48.027 seconds 16. Derek Keyes, Suzuki, -51.473 seconds 17. Brandon Parrish, Suzuki, -51.750 seconds 18. Chad Klock, Honda, -52.070 seconds 19. Justin Filice, Honda, -52.379 seconds 20. Shea Fouchek, Suzuki, -55.098 seconds 21. Nathan Hester, Yamaha, -55.504 seconds 22. Scott Jackson, Suzuki, -58.974 seconds 23. Giovanni Rojas, Suzuki, -59.509 seconds 24. Danny Kelley, Suzuki, -63.709 seconds 25. Scotty Vanscoik, Kawasaki, -94.036 seconds 26. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki, -94.101 seconds 27. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, -1 lap 28. Michael Morgan, Suzuki, -1 lap 29. Joseph Ford, Yamaha, -1 lap 30. Brad Graham, Honda, -1 lap 31. Jason Temme, Yamaha, -2 laps 32. Mark Kittel, Honda, -5 laps, DNF 33. Robert Deily, Yamaha, -5 laps, DNF 34. Robert Ternando, Kawasaki, -7 laps, DNF 35. Victor Chirinos, Yamaha, -15 laps, DNF, crash 36. Matt Furtek, Kawasaki, DNS 37. Keith Marshall, Suzuki, DNS 38. Roger Bell, Suzuki, DNS AMA Supersport Championship Point Standings (after 8 of 10 races): 1. Tommy Hayden, 269 points 2. Roger Hayden, 233 points 3. DiSalvo, 210 points 4. Spies, 202 points 5. Aaron Gobert, 197 points 6. TIE, May/Peris, 181 points 8. Jensen, 172 points 9. Jamie Hacking, 165 points 10. Buckmaster, 162 points 11. Attard, 145 points 12. Eslick, 139 points 13. Blake Young, 124 points 14. TIE, Long/Nicky Moore, 103 points

Sunday’s AMA Superbike Race Results: 1. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, 26 laps 2. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -3.085 seconds 3. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -12.700 seconds 4. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, -19.714 seconds 5. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -28.776 seconds 6. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -45.515 seconds 7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -50.264 seconds 8. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -56.547 seconds 9. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -61.311 seconds, crash 10. Larry Pegram, Honda, -62.125 seconds 11. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -71.125 seconds 12. Jeremy Toye, Honda, -80.682 seconds 13. Cory West, Suzuki, -81.077 seconds 14. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -81.411 seconds 15. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -81.717 seconds 16. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -85.271 seconds 17. David Weber, Suzuki, -1 lap 18. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, -1 lap 19. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -1 lap 20. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap 21. Jason Perez, Yamaha, -1 lap 22. Jason Curtis, Suzuki, -1 lap 23. Doug Duane, Suzuki, -1 lap 24. Brian Stokes, Yamaha, -1 lap 25. James Kerker, Honda, -1 lap 26. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -1 lap 27. David Bell, Suzuki, -1 lap 28. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -1 lap 29. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, -1 lap 30. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -1 lap, crash 31. Anthony Fania, Suzuki, -1 lap 32. Steve Scott, Yamaha, -2 laps 33. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -6 laps, DNF, mechanical 34. Heath Small, Yamaha, -8 laps, DNF, mechanical 35. John Haner, Suzuki, -12 laps, DNF, mechanical 36. Jake Zemke, Honda, -17 laps, DNF, mechanical 37. Brent George, Suzuki, -18 laps, DNF, crash AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 13 of 17 races): 1. Mladin, 397 points 2. Spies, 388 points 3. Bostrom, 334 points 4. Yates, 316 points 5. Hodgson, 302 points 6. Duhamel, 288 points 7. Craggill, 247 points 8. TIE, Rapp/Acree, 226 points 10. Pegram, 219 points 11. Zemke, 212 points 12. Hayes, 203 points 13. Eric Wood, 185 points 14. Scottt Jensen, 175 points 15. Roberts, 173 points 16. Holden, 168 points 17. Jimmy Moore, 162 points 18. West, 161 points 19. Toye, 130 points 20. Clint McBain, 127 points More, from a press release issued by Vreeke & Associates, on behalf of Dunlop: Dunlop race report: Round 8 of the AMA Superbike series at Mid-Ohio Lexington, OH Mat Mladin’s steady march to an unprecedented sixth AMA Superbike title with Yoshimura Suzuki was slowed considerably at round eight of the 2005 AMA Superbike series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, July 22-24. Mladin was convincing in his win of the first race of the Superbike doubleheader but a fall in the second race and an equally-impressive performance by Austin Ducati’s Eric Bostrom put the championship in question with four races to go. Victories by Honda Racing’s Jake Zemke in Formula Xtreme, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates in Superstock, and Kawasaki Road Racing’s Roger Lee Hayden in Supersport highlighted dominant performances by Dunlop-shod riders, who amassed 37 of the 50 top-ten winning positions. In a weekend marked by hot, humid and stormy weather, the track surface at Mid-Ohio presented the riders with many challenges. Mid-Ohio is noted for its bumps and concrete patches in the corners, which greatly affect traction in the transitions between the asphalt and the concrete. The concrete patches have been ground down to smooth the abrupt transitions to and from the asphalt, but this has created grooves in the concrete, which greatly affect steering control. Wet conditions elevate the risk, as water pumps through the seams and the riders struggle to predict and manage the available traction. Dunlop brought nearly 1800 tires to Mid-Ohio to support the factory teams and support riders in the Superbike, Superstock, Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes, including rain tires. The factory Superbike teams had five front and four rear tire options, including many multi-compound rear tires utilizing Dunlop’s NT (New Technology) construction that improves tire compound performance across a broad range of racing conditions. The factory Superstock riders had six front and six rear tire compound choices. In Saturday’s Superbike qualifying, Mladin rode his Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a new track record of 1:26.058.The veteran rider then collected his eighth victory of the season and the 40th AMA Superbike win of his career with a decisive wire-to-wire performance that saw him finish nearly 12-seconds ahead of teammate Ben Spies. Bostrom finished third. “The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 felt amazing,” said Mladin. “I knew we had a good bike and, as I said earlier, this is the best this bike has ever felt on this track.” Superbike race two on Sunday provided much more drama. Bostrom took the lead from the start aboard his Ducati 999R; he never trailed as he collected his third win of the season, and it’s a good thing. Pursuing Bostrom were Suzuki’s Yates and Mladin, in second and third respectively, when they both fell on lap 11 as Yates low-sided and Mladin ran off the track avoiding him. Though they later returned to the race, the finishing order behind Bostrom was Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel in second and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies in third. “It’s so good to be up here, that was a long race,” said Bostrom. “I couldn’t be more happy to get the Ducati Austin Parts Unlimited bike up here. Obviously, a huge thanks to Dunlop Tires for getting us back up here.” With four races remaining in the series, Spies’ third-place finish earned him 29 points and closed him to within nine points of Mladin in the championship hunt (397 to 388). Bostrom is in third with 334 points. The first support race of the weekend took place on Saturday as Honda teammates Jake Zemke and Duhamel wage a fierce battle on their CBR600RRs in the Formula Xtreme event. Zemke””who grabbed the pole with a 1:28.628″”took his fifth win of the season by just .373 seconds over Duhamel, while Erion Racing’s Kurtis Roberts took third to make it a Honda podium sweep. “It was a really tough race,” said Zemke. “Anytime you’re racing with Miguel its tough. I knew it was going to come down to the last lap and I made the pass going into turn one. We were riding about as hard as we could.” With two rounds to go, Zemke leads Duhamel by nine points (249 vs 238) in the championship, followed by MPT Racing’s Danny Eslick with 171. Sunday’s first support race featured the highly-competitive 1000cc Superstock machines. Yates led briefly at the start and then took his GSX-R1000 to the lead for good on lap four, holding off a charge by Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Jason Disalvo to take his fourth Superstock victory of the season. Jordon Motorsports’ Steve Rapp was third. “My GSXR was going good, I had a really good pace, steady, consistent,” said Yates. “We made a real good choice on our rear tire selection and it really worked out.” In the points chase, Yates leads Disalvo 265-250, with Rapp in third with 206. Following a rain delay and the second Superbike race, Kawasaki secured the second manufacturer’s podium sweep of the weekend as Kawasaki Road Racing’s Roger Lee Hayden and Tommy Hayden and Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard finished 1-2-3, respectively, on their ZX-6RRs. It was a stellar performance for Roger Lee, who led all but the first lap and won his second race of the year. “It was a tough race, my pit board said plus-zero the whole time,” said Hayden. “It feels good to win, everybody’s done a good job, Dunlop tires made my job easier.” Tommy Hayden’s finish was impressive, considering he is riding with an injured hand that was operated on two weeks ago. He remains on top of the championship board with 269 points and two rounds to go, followed by Roger Lee with 233 and Disalvo with 210. The next stop for Dunlop and the AMA road racing tour will be Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, August 26-28, featuring a doubleheader round of Superbike action. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates both crashed out of today’s second-leg AMA Superbike double-header at Mid-Ohio. Yates and Mladin were holding strong second and third places behind leader Eric Bostrom (Ducati) when on the 12th lap, Yates crashed and Mladin went down trying to avoid him. Both remounted, Yates finishing ninth but Mladin had to pit to repair his damaged GSX-R1000 and finished out of the points in 30th. The five-time AMA Superbike Champion still heads the series after 13 of 17 races but his lead has now been cut to just nine points over team mate Ben Spies, who finished third today. Steve Rapp raced to sixth place with Jason Pridmore and Jacob Holden seventh and eighth on their GSX-R1000s, putting five of the top-10 finishers on Suzukis. Final Results: 1. Eric Bostrom (Ducati), 2. Miguel Duhamel (Honda), 3. Ben Spies (Yoshimura Suzuki), 4. Neil Hodgson (Ducati), 5. Kurtis Roberts (Honda), 6. Steve Rapp (Suzuki), 7. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki), 8. Jacob Holden (Suzuki), 9. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki), 10. Larry Pegram (Honda). Full series standings can be found on: www.suzuki-racing.com under AMA/ AMA Superbike/ Championship Points. YATES WINS SUPERSTOCK: Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates extended his points lead in the AMA Repsol Superstock Series title chase by taking his fourth Superstock win of the 2005 season at Mid-Ohio today. “The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 is going good and I was happy with the pace,” said Yates from the podium. “I was relaxed enough to think about where I could go faster if I needed to and I was happy with our choice for a rear tyre. I wanted to be in the lead so I wouldn’t have to worry about running into anybody and just keep the GSX-R on the podium.” For Superstock, Yates qualified just a few hours prior to the first Superbike race of the weekend the previous day. Not feeling any undue pressure, however, Yates posted an impressive 1:27.663 lap time and was gridded on the front row. “Qualifying was good,” he said afterwards. “The Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 got us on the front row. But the times were really close, really competitive. But we’re here to race, not qualify, and we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.” In the race, Yates got the holeshot and was out front immediately. Although he moved back into second briefly, he quickly regained the lead and held it until the 16-lap race’s end. “It feels good to come out of here with a win,” added Yates. “It’s good to have a points cushion but it’s still a little close for comfort. In the race, everything was just working really well and I tried to keep a good pace. I was just really comfortable and trying to run a good race.” Superstock Results: 1. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki), 2. Jason Disalvo (Yamaha), 3. Steve Rapp (Jordan Suzuki), 4. Jacob Holden (Suzuki), 5. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki), 6. Jason Pridmore (Jordan Suzuki), 7. Michael Barnes (M4 EMGO Suzuki), 8. Damon Buckmaster (Yamaha), 9. John Haner (Suzuki), 10. Geoff May (M4 EMGO Suzuki). SPIES FIFTH IN SUPERSPORT: Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies carded a fifth-place finish in the AMA Supersport race at Mid-Ohio today. The young Texan managed the impressive finish in spite of just having taken a podium spot in the AMA Superbike race that was held immediately prior to the Supersport event. “It was a pretty good race,” said tired Spies after campaigning back-to-back races in the hot Ohio sun. “It was tough coming off the Superbike race, but that’s how it goes. I was just glad to get theYoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600 up in the top five.” Spies qualified strongly with a 1:29.947 lap time, putting him firmly on the front row of the grid. Even so, Spies would have preferred taking the pole position. He said: “We’re struggling a bit with this track. I don’t really feel comfortable on the bike right now. I’m not sure what the problem is but we’re working on it. But I have faith in my Yoshimura Suzuki crew and the GSX-R600.” Spies is just six points behind third-place overall in the Supersport title chase. Supersport Results: 1. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki), 2. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki), 3. Ben Attard (Kawasaki), 4. Jason Disalvo (Yamaha), 5. Ben Spies (Yoshimura Suzuki), 6. Robert Jensen (Yamaha), 7. Chris Peris (Yamaha), 8. Damon Buckmaster (Yamaha), 9. Aaron Gobert (Yamaha), 10. Danny Eslick (Suzuki).

The AMA Superbike race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is currently on hold while the racetrack surface is dried. A brief rain shower soaked the track during the scheduled lunch break, and Mid-Ohio staff has been working to dry the track ever since the rain stopped. The Superbike race will start shortly after the surface is dried and inspected, and the Supersport final will follow the Superbike event Sunday afternoon. No more rain is expected to fall at Mid-Ohio on Sunday. Update: According to AMA Pro Racing Superbike Media Manager Donnie Clark, the AMA Superbike race at Mid-Ohio will be televised live on SPEED Channel at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, followed immediately by the AMA Supersport race, which will be televised live on SPEED at 4:00 p.m.