Saturday Morning MotoGP Practice Results: 1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:28.990 2. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:29.215 3. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:29.448 4. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:29.451 5. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:29.510 6. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 1:29.533 7. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:29.692 8. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:29.715 9. Troy BAYLISS, Honda, 1:29.977 10. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:30.108 11. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, 1:30.312 12. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:30.362 13. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:30.607 14. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:30.620 15. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, 1:31.130 16. Toni ELIAS, Yamaha, 1:31.168 17. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:31.881 18. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, 1:32.104 19. Shane BYRNE, Proton, 1:32.515 20. James ELLISON, Blata, 1:32.833 21. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, 1:33.364

Saturday Morning 125cc GP Practice Times: 1. Fabrizio LAI, Honda, 1:37.899 2. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Honda, 1:37.968 3. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, 1:38.097 4. Mika KALLIO, KTM, 1:38.138 5. Thomas LUTHI, Honda, 1:38.168 6. Gabor TALMACSI, KTM, 1:38.560 7. Mattia PASINI, Aprilia, 1:38.703 8. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, 1:38.711 9. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, 1:38.714 10. Tomoyoshi KOYAMA, Honda, 1:38.744

Milwaukee, WI – Higbee Racing Team owner and rider Shawn Higbee will not be competing in the AMA Formula Xtreme race on Saturday July 23rd at Mid-Ohio. Higbee is still recovering from his hand injury sustained in March at Daytona Speedway. Higbee was scheduled to race the Buell at Mid-Ohio but in a recent Dr. appointment to remove the external fixture revealed that his left ring finger’s bone fusion is not healing as expected. Shawn comments, “This is unfortunate, I really looked forward to racing at Mid-Ohio because it’s is one of the larger fan based AMA roadracing events of the year, plus my local support of friends and family will be there. However, I’m very fortunate that my major sponsors Bartels HD/Buell, New Castle HD/Buell and Revolution Performance are familar with the ups and downs of racing and are continuing to support my efforts.” The world famous Bartels’ is displaying a Higbee Racing Buell showbike at the newly remodeled dealership in Marina Del Rey,CA. Higbee Racing has also been featured in some of New Castle HD/Buell promotions. Revolution performance is continuing to develop a finely tuned engine for Higbee’s Buell Thunderbike. Higbee is scheduled to see another hand specialist in Illinois on August 1st to discuss options to speed up healing.

Five-time and defending AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin plans to stay with American Suzuki through the 2008 season. Mladin made the revelation during the Suzuki-sponsored “Supercycle Weekend Special,” which was televised live Friday night from the paddock of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course over independent station WMFD-TV in Mansfield, Ohio. Mladin told the hosts of the show that he had secured a deal to race with American Suzuki for the next three years. He also mentioned plans to “step up” his Mat Mladin Motorsports AMA Superbike race team from a single-rider (Marty Craggill) operation to possibly two riders and a bigger truck.

AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth is scheduled to appear on Wind Tunnel on Sunday, July 24 at 9p EST. Wind Tunnel, the first motorsports call-in show, airs on SPEED TV. Host Dave Despain covers the issues on topics related to the world of motorsports. Viewers can interact live via e-mail or telephone. Despain and Hollingsworth are expected to discuss the current status of the AMA Superbike Championship including class structures, rules and the overall direction the sport is taking. For more information log on to [email protected] 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 presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.

American Honda’s Jake Zemke took pole position in AMA Formula Xtreme qualifying Friday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Riding a Dunlop-equipped CBR600RR, Zemke turned a new lap record time of 1:28.628 around the 2.4-mile, 15-turn road course, breaking Miguel Duhamel’s one-year-old lap record of 1:28.731 and collecting his third FX pole position of the season. Second-fastest in Formula Xtreme qualifying was Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Michael Barnes with a 1:28.848 on his Pirelli-shod GSX-R600. Duhamel was third-fastest with a lap of 1:28.872 on his CBR600RR. Completing the front row will be Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts, fourth-fastest with a time of 1:29.945 on his CBR600RR. Roberts is riding in Formula Xtreme to “fly the Honda colors” at the Honda-sponsored event at Mid-Ohio, according to Crew Chief Rick Hobbs. Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Qualifying Results; 1. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:28.628 2. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, 1:28.848 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:28.872 4. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:29.945 5. Ty Howard, Yamaha, 1:30.259 6. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, 1:31.066 7. Robert Jensen, Yamaha, 1:31.299 8. Chris “Opie” Caylor, Suzuki, 1:31.563 9. Chris Peris, Yamaha, 1:31.643 10. Ryan Elleby, Suzuki, 1:31.792 11. Ryan Andrews, Ducati, 1:32.369 12. Mike Hale, Honda, 1:32.474 13. Tim Knutson, Yamaha, 1:32.719 14. Shea Fouchek, Suzuki, 1:33.091 15. Heath Small, Yamaha, 1:33.122 16. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, 1:33.236 17. Justin Filice, Honda, 1:33.699 18. Taylor Knapp, Yamaha, 1:33.715 19. Matt Furtek, Kawasaki, 1:33.828 20. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, 1:34.014 21. Kevin Pate, Suzuki, 1:34.078 22. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:34.431 23. Daniel Doty, Yamaha, 1:34.662 24. Jonas McCluskey, Yamaha, 1:34.724 25. Myron Bell, Suzuki, 1:34.789 26. Roger Bell, Suzuki, 1:35.139 27. Derek Keyes, Suzuki, 1:35.183 28. Armando Ferrer, Yamaha, 1:35.412 29. Nathan Hester, Yamaha, 1:35.826 30. Victor Chirinos, Yamaha, 1:36.639 31. M. Ivan Garza, Suzuki, 1:36.768 32. Scotty Vanscoik, Kawasaki, 1:36.962 33. Lance Yeager, Kawasaki, 1:37.520 34. Robert Deily, Honda, 1:37.858 35. Mark Hatten, Ducati, 1:38.460 36. Jeff Johnson, Buell, 1:40.011 More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: BARNES QUALIFIES SECOND IN MID-OHIO FORMULA XTREME Team M4 EMGO Suzuki kicked off this weekend’s AMA race meeting at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in spectacular fashion on Friday. Spearheaded by an on-form Mike Barnes, the team played heavily near the top of the charts throughout the day, which ended with the Floridian claiming a front row starting position for tomorrow’s 16-lap Formula Xtreme race. Barnes guided his Pirelli slick-shod GSX-R600 FX racer around the flowing 2.4-mile raceway near Lexington, Ohio, with a best lap of 1:28.848 during the afternoon qualifying session. His mark was less than a quarter-second off pole and quick enough to secure him the second spot on the Formula Xtreme grid. His effort saw him split up the long-dominant factory machines on the front row. While pleased, Barnes is determined to continue improving. He said, “I’m relatively happy. I know we’ve got a little bit more to go. We’re real close to finding exactly what I want in the front end. We’re working on that and we worked on that throughout the test that we were here at last month and we’ve made a lot of progress. I really enjoy riding 600s — the GSX-R600 is just a missile and these guys do such a great job with it. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki is such a top-notch team, the bike just runs great, and the Pirelli tires were unbelievable as well. The bike worked phenomenally well and I thought we might have something for the factory guys to get pole today. I’m just looking forward to tomorrow.” Barnes’ FX showing wasn’t his only highlight on Friday. He also ranked third in the day’s Superstock free practice, registering a 1:29.143 aboard the team’s fire-breathing GSX-R1000. Teammate Geoff May enjoyed an impressive opening day of his own. The Georgian stood as the top Suzuki-mounted rider in the morning’s Supersport practice — sixth best overall — with a time of 1:35.400 in difficult damp/drying weather conditions. He then posted the sixth fastest time in the Superstock session as well, clocking a 1:29.958. Saturday’s schedule sees Team M4 EMGO Suzuki qualifying in Supersport and Superstock and concludes with the 60k Formula Xtreme race.

Friday Afternoon’s Provisional AMA Superbike Qualifying Results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:26.670 2. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:26.717 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:26.789 4. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:27.020 5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:27.123 6. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, 1:27.457 7. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:27.759 8. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:28.449 9. Larry Pegram, Honda, 1:28.747 10. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, 1:28.754 11. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, 1:28.783 12. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:28.952 13. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:29.556 14. David Weber, Suzuki, 1:29.715 15. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:29.975 16. Jeremy Toye, Honda, 1:30.121 17. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:30.143 18. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:30.530 19. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, 1:30.606 20. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, 1:30.644 21. Jason Perez, Yamaha, 1:30.784 22. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 1:31.187 23. Jason Curtis, Suzuki, 1:31.205 24. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 1:31.220 25. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:31.293 26. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, 1:31.409 27. Brent George, Suzuki, 1:31.529 28. Heath Small, Yamaha, 1:31.579 29. Cory West, Suzuki, 1:31.627 30. Doug Duane, Suzuki, 1:31.811 31. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, 1:32.403 32. James Kerker, Honda, 1:32.442 33. David Bell, Suzuki, 1:33.149 34. Brian Stokes, Yamaha, 1:33.244 35. Logan Young, Suzuki, 1:33.495 36. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, 1:33.574 37. Roger Bell, Suzuki, 1:34.096 38. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, 1:34.597 39. Sean Wray, Yamaha, 1:34.635 40. Steve Scott, Yamaha, 1:34.673 41. Anthony Fania, Suzuki, 1:35.361 More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin: HODGSON AND BOSTROM ON THE PROVISIONAL SECOND ROW IN OHIO Lexington, Ohio (July 22) In a day marked by damp conditions, Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin teammates Eric Bostrom and Neil Hodgson qualified their Ducati 999s on the provisional second row for this weekend’s Mid-Ohio Superbike races. Bostrom, second in the morning session and just 0.06 seconds behind the leader, had a bike issue in the afternoon that kept him from repeating his recent excellent performances. Eric, winner of two of the last four AMA Superbike races, is confident he can improve in tomorrow’s qualifying session. Bostrom’s lap time was 1:27.457. “We had a good test here. In the morning, that was shining through with the good lap times,” said Eric. “In the afternoon, I had two bikes with very different setups. I liked the one we had a problem with better and was down into the 1:27s pretty quickly on that machine. With the other bike, it took a while to get my lap times down and I definitely prefer the first set-up. Tomorrow, we’ll have both bikes with those settings. Still, things are going pretty well. We need to get some track time tomorrow and I look forward to putting my head down in the race.” Hodgson, the former World Superbike Champion, learned the difficult Mid-Ohio circuit on Friday. Neil was a solid seventh in his first day of competition at Mid-Ohio. He finished just 0.3 seconds behind his teammate. “To be honest, I’d have to criticize myself more than the bike at the moment. I’m still trying to get the rhythm of this place,” said Neil. “I’m trying a little too hard at the moment, trying to get through the corners. With all the bumps, you almost have to relax a bit to get through them here.” “It was a productive day,” said Team Manager Tom Bodenbach. “Eric ran well in the morning and things are looking up for him in the races. He liked the first bike’s settings. Neil got a lot of valuable laps around this place and that’s what you need to do well here.” Tomorrow’s Superbike race begins at 3 PM local time.

Friday’s 250cc Grand Prix Qualifying Results From Donington Park: 1. Jorge LORENZO, Honda, 1:32.609 2. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:32.713 3. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:32.826 4. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:32.887 5. Casey STONER, Aprilia, 1:33.085 6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 1:33.231 7. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:33.368 8. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Honda, 1:33.787 9. Simone CORSI, Aprilia, 1:33.850 10. Hector BARBERA, Honda, 1:33.855 11. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:33.962 12. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:33.999 13. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:34.210 14. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 1:34.257 15. Anthony WEST, KTM, 1:34.402

Provisional Friday Morning AMA Superstock Practice Times: 1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:28.507 2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:28.579 3. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, 1:29.143 4. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:29.485 5. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:29.761 6. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:29.958 7. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:30.102 8. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:30.614 9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:31.013 10. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:31.828 11. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:31.164 12. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 1:31.548 13. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:31.650 14. Jason Perez, Yamaha, 1:31.770 15. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, 1:31.793 16. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:32.052 17. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 1:32.120 18. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, 1:32.372 19. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:32.764 20. Brent George, Suzuki, 1:33.006