Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates held off Graves Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo to take his third AMA Superstock win of the season Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. DiSalvo’s last-lap pass attempt on Yates failed, but he held on for second at the finish. In contention all the way, Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden finished a close third on his ZX-10R. All of the top three finishers used Dunlop tires. Not far behind, Lion Racing’s Jake Holden and John Haner finished fourth and fifth, respectively, on their Pirelli-shod Lion Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000s. By mid-race, Tommy Hayden had fought his way to the front and was beginning to open up a lead when he brushed a back marker, ran off the track and crashed hard. Hayden did not immediately get up from his crash. Yates’ win extends his Championship lead over DiSalvo to 10 points. Provisional AMA Superstock Race Results: 1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 17 laps 2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, -0.228 second 3. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, -2.378 seconds 4. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -4.419 seconds 5. John Haner, Suzuki, -4.483 seconds 6. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -9.293 seconds 7. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -16.812 seconds 8. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -17.106 seconds 9. Brent George, Suzuki, -21.558 seconds 10. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -22.729 seconds 11. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -23.391 seconds 12. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, -27.190 seconds 13. Jason Perez, Yamaha, -36.453 seconds 14. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -47.266 seconds 15. Mark Miller, Suzuki, -47.458 seconds 16. Blake Young, Suzuki 17. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki 18. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki 19. Cory Call, Kawasaki 20. Michael Barnes, Suzuki 21. Matt Lynn, Suzuki 22. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki 23. Montez Stewart, Suzuki, -1 lap 24. James Kerker, Honda, -1 lap 25. Reno Karimian, Suzuki, -1 lap 26. Sean Wray, Yamaha, -1 lap 27. Eli Edwards, Suzuki, -1 lap 28. Brian Boyd, Suzuki, -1 lap 29. Johnny Rock Page, Yamaha, -1 lap 30. Jeremy Haiduk, Yamaha, -1 lap 31. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, -3 laps, DNF, crash 32. Corey Eaton, Suzuki, -4 laps, DNF, crash 33. Skye Girard, Yamaha, -4 laps 34. Brad Puetz, Suzuki, -7 laps 35. Christopher Ancien, Suzuki, -10 laps, DNF 36. Geoff May, Suzuki, -12 laps, DNF, mechanical 37. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -15 laps, DNF 38. Eric Haugo, Suzuki, -17 laps, DNS More, from a press release issued by Proforma: BEST-EVER FINISH FOR JOHN HANER IN SUPERSTOCK AT LAGUNA SECA John Haner of the Lion Racing Suzuki team had his best-ever finish in AMA Superbike Championship racing today in the Repsol Lubricants Superstock race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in front of over 57,000 spectators. John moved into sixth place on the third lap and began closing the gap to the leading group that included his teammate Jake Holden, and he was elevated to fifth when leader Tommy Hayden crashed out of the race on lap 15. Lapped traffic kept Haner from getting past Jake on the last lap, but he was ecstatic with the race finish. On Saturday, John finished 13th after fighting his way back from an off-track excursion on lap two of the Superbike race. John had gotten a good start from his third row starting position and was in 11th position when he had to run off the track to avoid hitting rider Marty Craggill entering the corkscrew, coming back on course in 35th place. He passed over half the field in the remaining laps, collecting 13th place before the checkered flag fell. Saturday’s Superbike Final – 13th Place “I made a mistake and almost hit Marty Craggill,” admitted John. “I went off in the gravel and came back on in God knows what place. I just started picking people off one at a time, in little packs. I finished the race and got something out of it. I had a few issues with the bike. The suspension adjustments we made didn’t work. We’ll make some changes for tomorrow.” Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants Superstock Final – 5th Place “That’s one of the better races I’ve had in the AMA,” said an obviously happy John Haner. “I had an on-par start, nothing exceptional, everyone got off the line pretty well. I went into turn two, everyone was scrambling for positions. A few people spun it up and made some mistakes. I was behind (Steve) Rapp and (Aaron) Gobert. I got around Gobert when he made a mistake in turn five, then I got around Rapp. I saw the gap to my teammate Jake, and I could see the two Kawasakis and (Jason) Disalvo. I said, ‘Hell yes, I can catch these guys’. I just put my head down and I almost got Jake. I had some issues with traffic, both of us did, that helped me close up and helped him get away, both back and forth. You know, that’s just racing. We had a good day. The crew changed the motor this morning, it got rid of the transmission issues and it made a world of difference.”

Provisional AMA Supersport Qualifying Results: 1. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:27.707 2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:28.054 3. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:28.595 4. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, 1:28.620 5. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:28.853 6. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:29.199 7. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:29.626 8. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:29.747 9. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, 1:30.090 10. Chris Peris, Yamaha, 1:30.383 11. Jeff Tigert, Honda, 1:30.904 12. Chris Siglin, Suzuki, 1:31.180 13. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:31.421 14. Barrett Long, Yamaha, 1:31.661 15. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, 1:31.768 16. Robert Jensen, Yamaha, 1:31.920, crash 17. Eli Edwards, Suzuki, 1:32.782 18. Grant Riggs, Yamaha, 1:32.858 19. Jimmy Wood, Kawasaki, 1:32.871 20. Heath Small, Yamaha, 1:32.906 21. Chad Lewin, Suzuki, 1:33.178 22. Ricky Orlando, Kawasaki, 1:33.312 23. Shea Fouchek, Suzuki, 1:33.341 24. Tim Knutson, Yamaha, 1:33.362 25. Armando Ferrer, Yamaha, 1:33.365 26. Taylor Knapp, Yamaha, 1:33.513 27. Nathan Hester, Yamaha, 1:33.714 28. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki, 1:33.901 29. Victor Chirinos, Yamaha, 1:34.091 30. Justin Filice, Honda, 1:34.214

Sunday Morning MotoGP Practice Times: 1. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:23.402 2. Alex Barros, Honda 1:23.582 3. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:23.859 4. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:23.956 5. Colin Edwards, Yamaha, 1:24.176 6. Carlos Checa, Ducati, 1:24.310 7. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 1:24.324 8. Marco Melandri, Honda, 1:24.340 9. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:24.414 10. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:24.593 11. Troy Bayliss, Honda, 1:24.593 12. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, 1:24.598 13. Kenny Lee Roberts, Suzuki, 1:24.827 14. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:24.890 15. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 1:25.079 16. Ruben Xaus, Yamaha, 1:25.474 17. Toni Elias, Yamaha, 1:25.811 18. Roberto Rolfo, Ducati, 1:26.115 19. James Ellison, Blata, 1:27.057 20. Shane Byrne, Proton, 1:27.187 21. Franco Battaini, Blata, 1:28.905

Podium place for improving Reynolds JOHN REYNOLDS scored Rizla Suzuki’s first podium finish of the 2005 season when he finished third in the opening race at the eighth round of the British Superbike Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk. British Champion JR spent the first race battling with his Rizla Suzuki team mate James Haydon for the podium, eventually coming out on top by a tiny margin with James close behind in an impressive fourth – marking the team’s best result of the season to date. In race two JR was challenging James early in the race for fifth when he made a mistake and ran wide on the entry to the Revett straight. He lost a fraction of time on the leaders and despite matching their lap times for the next 20-laps, was never able to close the small gap to compete for the victory. James was in third when he fell unhurt at the Esses on lap seven. Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari won the opening race and Ducati’s Gregorio Lavilla the second. Rizla Suzuki’s next outing is at Castle Combe in the annual Grand National races on July 30th – 31st. Rizla Suzuki will be represented in the two Superbike races by James Haydon and Joey Dunlop’s nephew William Dunlop. JR: “What a fantastic feeling to be back on the podium, especially when I was celebrating my 200th race start today. The opening race was hard, the pace was fast and I had a battle royale with James for that podium – that was fun and I really enjoyed it. “The second race was frustrating as I made a small mistake trying to overtake James early on and that caused me to lose touch with the leaders. Fourth is okay but now I have tasted the podium that’s where I want to be for the rest of the season. I’m back racing again and there’s plenty more to come from me and my Rizla Suzuki.” James: “Well done to JR in race one, it was a fantastic battle for third and in the end he edged me off the podium. Race two was going great and I was in with a shout for the victory when I came off and that is bitterly disappointing. “My Rizla Suzuki is very close to winning races, it’s only a tiny percentage away. We know what we need to do to make the bike just right for me and will be working on that before I race again at Castle Combe in three weeks time.” Robert Wicks, Team Manager: “Rizla Suzuki is back racing at the front of the pack for podium places and today has seen our best results of the season by far. “Well done to JR for getting a podium and fourth place as he continues his comeback to form. He won the Sky Sports Rider of the Day award and got the loudest cheer of the day when he stepped onto the podium. There is plenty more to come from him as he continues to improve during the second half of the season. “James crashed on Friday and was riding with an injured shoulder for the rest of the weekend. Despite that he put on a brilliant performance in race one to finish fourth and was in contention for the podium in race two when he crashed out. He has a few niggling issues with the front end feeling on his Rizla Suzuki and we will be working hard during the next couple of weeks to fix those for him. “Thanks to all of the Rizla Suzuki fans for sticking with us through thick and thin and to the team technicians for working so hard – today’s podium is dedicated to you all!” Race One Result: 1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 27:34.719, 2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +8.280, 3: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +12.002, 4: JAMES HAYDON (RIZLA SUZUKI) +13.263, 5: Michael Rutter (Honda) +19.725, 6: Karl Harris (Honda) +28.409, 7: Steve Plater (Honda) +28.723, 8: Gary Mason (Honda) +29.066, 9: Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) +30.246, 10: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +31.866. Race Two Result: 1: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 27:39.538, 2: Michael Laverty (Honda) +1.768, 3: Rutter +5.982, 4: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +10.080, 5: Plater +21.383, 6: Wilson +21.666, 7: Hill +21.755, 8: Mason +22.234, 9: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +22.716, 10: Chris Burns (Yamaha) +39.610, DNF JAMES HAYDON (RIZLA SUZUKI). Championship Positions after eight of 13 rounds: 1: Rutter 302, 2: Kiyonari 257, 3: Lavilla 241, 4: Haslam 172, 5: Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 160, 6: Harris 125, 7: Laverty 113, 8: Thomas 109, 9: Mason 98, 10: Sean Emmett (Yamaha) 79, 12: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) 68, 14: JAMES HAYDON (RIZLA SUZUKI) 56. More, from a press release issued by Stobart Honda: MAGIC MICHAEL SIZZLES AT SNETTERTON Stobart Honda rider Michael Laverty followed up a superb third place at Knockhill with a scintillating second place at round eight of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship held at a hot and sunny Snetterton in Norfolk today. Following on a career best front row starting position, the 23 year old from Toomebridge endured disappointment in race one when he was forced to retire when circulating with the leaders following a rear wheel bearing failure but bounced back in the best possible fashion in race two and even led the race in the early stages. Battling with race winners so far this season Michael Rutter, Ryuichi Kiyonari and Gregorio Lavilla, Laverty proved more than a match for them and ended up in a superb second place after twenty five tortuous laps. “I was disappointed in the first race but made amends in the second one and I just pushed the whole race. I had a bit of a problem with the clutch and made a mistake but managed to catch it back, then Lavilla joined us and passed me and then I got caught up with some backmarkers and I just couldn’t get close enough to make a pass. We’ve made another step forward and hopefully I will get it on the top of the rostrum before long” said a delighted Laverty. Meanwhile Gary Mason could not quite emulate Laverty’s success but recorded two eighth positions on the second of the VK, The Mob and Vent Axia backed Stobart Honda machines. The 25 year old from Lichfield commented: “I just got boxed in and I had a few stability problems with the bike. I could push really hard half way through the race but I couldn’t catch back up with the others. I got caught up in the battle for fifth place in the first race but then I ran out of laps and places to pass. The bike feels good and it’s just frustrating where I have ended up because I want to be higher.” Team owner Paul Bird was once again delighted with his young protégé’s performances: “A good day, but it could have been a brilliant day. It was a fantastic performance again from Michael and a shame in the first race as he could have had two rostrums. He had a problem with the rear wheel centre breaking up which caused him to stop in the first race. The main thing is that we are leaving Snetterton with both bikes and riders intact.” The series now endures a five week break before the next round at Silverstone on 20th and 21st August whereby Laverty and the team will be looking for more success. Bennetts British Superbike Race One Result 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 27m34.719s, 2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +8.280s, 3, John Reynolds (Suzuki) +12.002s, 4, James Haydon (Suzuki) +13.263s, 5, Michael Rutter (Honda) +19.725s, 6, Karl Harris (Honda) +28.409s, 7, Steve Plater (Honda) +28.723s, 8, Gary Mason (Stobart Honda) +29.066s, 9, Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) +30.246s, 10, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +31.866s. Bennetts British Superbike Race Two Result 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 27m39.538s, 2, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) +1.768s, 3, Michael Rutter (Honda) +5.982s, 4, John Reynolds (Suzuki) +10.080s, 5, Steve Plater (Honda) +21.383s, 6, Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) +21.666s, 7, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +21.755s, 8, Gary Mason (Stobart Honda) +22.234s, 9, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +22.716s, 10, Chris Burns (Yamaha) +39.160s. Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings (after Round 16) 1, Michael Rutter (Honda) 302pts 2, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 257pts 3, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 241pts 4, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 172pts 5, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 160pts 6, Karl Harris (Honda) 125pts 7, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) 113pts 8, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) 109pts 9, Gary Mason (Stobart Honda) 98pts 10, Sean Emmett (Yamaha) 79pts

Provisional Sunday Morning AMA Superstock Practice Times: 1. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:27.436 2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:27.452 3. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:27.542 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:27.740 5. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:27.772 6. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:27.811 7. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:27.901 8. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:28.129 9. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, 1:28.195 10. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:28.203 11. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:28.245 12. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:28.460 13. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:28.779 14. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:29.346 15. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 1:29.608 16. Jason Perez, Yamaha, 1:29.652 17. Brent George, Suzuki, 1:29.657 18. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 1:30.298 19. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki, 1:30.479 20. Mark Miller, Suzuki, 1:30.766

Yamaha U.S. Factory Roadrace Team Commemorates 50th Anniversary With Yellow And Black Race Bikes In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the U.S. Factory Yamaha road race team’s YZF-R6s and Graves Motorsports YZF-R1s will race “old school” today only with yellow and black color schemes carrying the traditional black and white “Yamaha strobe” graphics during the AMA Supersport and Superstock races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. As a further nod to the past, the designer of the original paint scheme, Molly Sanders, was enlisted to paint the new race machines. The Yamaha factory racing colors from the past are indelibly associated with road racing and dirt track legends from the 1970s like Kenny Roberts, Kel Carruthers, and Eddie Lawson. Keith McCarty, Yamaha racing manager, says the colors bring back a lot of memories. “I’ve seen a lot of guys win championships with wearing the ‘bumblebee’ colors both roadracers and motocrossers. It will be fun to see Aaron Gobert, Damon Buckmaster and Jason DiSalvo on the line in yellow and black!” Watch for Team Yamaha riders to “buzz” the competition in AMA Superstock and AMA Supersport classes. Editorial Note: Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. currently does not have any plans to sell production bikes with the “Bumblebee” racing color scheme.

SUNDAY GUIDE MotoGP · Nicky Hayden has qualified on pole for the first time in his Grand Prix career, in what will be his 38th GP start. His previous best qualifying result was second on the grid at Mugello last year. · Nicky Hayden is the first rider from the USA to start from pole since Kenny Roberts at the Rio GP last year. Hayden is also the youngest rider to start a MotoGP race from pole since Valentino Rossi at the British GP at Donington Park in 2002. · Yamaha riders have taken five victories at Laguna Seca; Eddie Lawson in 1988, Wayne Rainey in 1989, 1990 & 1991 and Luca Cadalora in 1994. The only other manufacturer to have won was Cagiva in 1993 with John Kocinski. · Valentino Rossi has won nine of the last ten MotoGP races, the exception being his second place to Alex Barros at the second round of the year in Portugal. · Valentino Rossi is the only rider amongst the top eight qualifiers who has not previously competed at Laguna Seca in either a US domestic Championship, Grand Prix or World Superbike race. · Alex Barros starts from the front row for the first time since he qualified on pole in Portugal. · Troy Bayliss starts from his highest grid position since he started the Czech GP at Brno last year from 4th place on the grid. · After finishing in third place at the last GP at Assen, Colin Edwards will be aiming to score back-to-back podium finishes for the first time in his Grand Prix career. Edwards has finished as second best Yamaha rider at each of the seven races so far in 2005. · John Hopkins has been the top Suzuki qualifier at each of the eight races this year. · The last American rider to win a Grand Prix was Kenny Roberts at the Pacific GP at Motegi in 2000. This seventy-two race string is the longest run of successive races in the premier-class without a rider from the USA taking a victory since Pat Hennen scored the first win by an American rider at the Grand Prix of Finland at Imatra in 1976. · Five riders have scored points at all seven MotoGP races this year Valentino Rossi, Marco Melandri, Max Biaggi, Colin Edwards and Loris Capirossi. · Loris Capirossi is the only rider in the field who has previously won a Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, having taken victory in the 250cc race in 1993. · Marco Melandri starts from his lowest grid position since joining Honda at the start of 2005. · Sete Gibernau has qualified in his lowest grid position since he started the Japanese GP last year also from 13th place on the grid.

MotoGP to hold one minute’s silence for London bombings victims on the grid of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix One minute’s silence to honour the victims of this week’s London bombings will be observed at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca on Sunday July 10th. The one minute’s silence will be observed at approximately 13:50 (local time). The World Championship’s top riders, together with local and international dignataries, will stand in front of the starting grid immediately before the beginning of the MotoGP race, round 8 of the 2005 World Championship.

Four times 500cc World Champion Eddie Lawson was welcomed into the MotoGP Hall of Fame when he was nominated as a MotoGP legend on the eve of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Californian Lawson won three World titles in 1984/86/88 for Yamaha before switching to Honda to clinch the 1989 title. Lawson and Valentino Rossi are the only riders in the 55 year history of grand prix racing to win successive premier class titles on different machinery. After his induction ceremony, Lawson raced in the Superkart race at Laguna which he started from pole position and finished third. Eddie Lawson MotoGP Legend (Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, 9th July 2005) Birth date: 11/03/1958 Birth place: Upland (California, USA) First Grand Prix: 1983 RSA 500cc, 1981 GER 250cc First Pole” 1984 SPA 500cc First Podium” 1983 NAT 500cc First Grand Prix Victory: 1984 RSA 500cc Grand Prix Victories: 31 2nd Placements: 31 3rd Placements: 16 Podiums: 78 World Championship Wins: 4

Provisional AMA Superbike Results: 1. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, 28 laps 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -5.910 seconds 3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -7.728 seconds 4. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -9.322 seconds 5. Jake Zemke, Honda, -14.570 seconds 6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -18.417 seconds 7. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -77.144 seconds 8. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -77.673 seconds 9. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -82.079 seconds 10. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -83.958 seconds 11. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -85.308 seconds 12. Larry Pegram, Honda, -86.537 seconds 13. John Haner, Suzuki, -1 lap 14. Jeremy Toye, Honda, -1 lap, 1.845 seconds 15. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, -1 lap, 2.177 seconds 16. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -1 lap, 9.012 seconds 17. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -1 lap, 16.996 seconds 18. Cory West, Suzuki, -1 lap, 17.313 seconds 19. Clint McBain, Suzuki, -1 lap, 17.601 seconds 20. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -1 lap, 19.060 seconds 21. Brent George, Suzuki, -1 lap, 30.544 seconds 22. Levin Lacombe, Suzuki, -1 lap, 30.894 seconds 23. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -1 lap, 33.535 seconds 24. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki, -1 lap, 38.621 seconds 25. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap, 60.779 seconds 26. Cory Call, Kawasaki, -1 lap, 61.849 seconds 27. Shane Turpin, Suzuki, -2 laps 28. James Kerker, Honda, -2 laps, 1.944 seconds 29. David Bell, Suzuki, -2 laps, 2.791 seconds 30. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, -2 laps, 3.227 seconds 31. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha, -2 laps, 13.264 seconds 32. Brian Boyd, Suzuki, -2 laps, 19.135 seconds 33. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, -2 laps, 19.349 seconds 34. Jeff Tigert, Honda, -2 laps, 24.190 seconds 35. Mark Ledesma, Honda, -3 laps 36. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -6 laps 37. Geoff May, Suzuki, -15 laps, DNF, retired 38. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, -28 laps, DNF, crash 39. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -28 laps, DNF, crash 40. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, -28 laps, DNS Provisional AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (After 11 of 17 races): 1. Mladin, 358 points 2. Spies, 327 points 3. Yates, 294 points 4. Eric Bostrom, 268 points 5. Hodgson, 249 points 6. Duhamel, 229 points 7. Zemke, 212 points 8. Craggill, 206 points 9. Acree, 192 points 10. Rapp, 188 points 11. TIE, Pegram/Hayes, 178 points 13. Wood, 156 points 14. Jimmy Moore, 150 points 15. Scott Jensen, 141 points 16. West, 131 points 17. McBain, 127 points 18. TIE, Holden/Roberts, 123 points 20. Haner, 113 points More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin increased his lead in the AMA Superbike series after finishing second in the 11th round at Laguna Seca. The five-time champion raced his GSX-R1000 to a 31-point advantage over team mates Ben Spies – who finished third in today’s 28-lapper – and also Aaron Yates who lies third in the series. “I’m glad to see everyone out for the AMA Superbike race,” said Mladin from the podium. “It’s good to have the MotoGP here in the U.S. It’s a shame it’s been 11 years since they’ve been her because America is a great racing community and it’s good to have them back.” In the weekend’s only qualifying session on Saturday, Mladin captured his 44th career pole position as well as his seventh pole position of the year. His blistering 1:24.886 lap time was an AMA Superbike track record at Laguna Seca. “This is the first time that we’ve had the new Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Laguna Seca,” said Mladin after qualifying. “And an hour and 20 minutes just isn’t enough time to get the most out of the motorcycle. But that also says a lot about the new Suzuki.” Team mate Yates was also on the front row in third position, after posting a best time of 1:25.491. Spies, meanwhile, qualified in fifth position with a 1:25.879 lap time. At the start of the 28-lap Superbike race, Mladin was out front and pushing for the lead. Even so, the leader got a slight gap and the confident Australian stayed put in second position. “It was a good race and congratulations to race winner Eric Bostrom,” he said. “I wanted to get to the front and control it from the front. But my one attempt at that sucked pretty badly. Then I started thinking about the championship and backed off a little and Eric was able to pull away.” Meanwhile, Spies and Yates were battling for third position. At the start, Spies had it, but then swapped out with Yates a few laps in. The two rode their Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000s hard and traded positions several more times before Yates settled into third and Spies into fourth. “I was out there racing with my team mate and I really wanted to come out on top so I was pushing pretty hard,” said Yates from the box. “It was probably an exciting race for the fans and I hope they enjoyed it. I know I did. It kept me going. But at the end of the day, we got two Suzuki’s on the podium and that’s a good day.” Added Spies: “It was an ok race, but I haven’t been comfortable with the front end all season. Overall, the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 is awesome but we just haven’t found the right set-up for me. Hopefully, we can figure something out and pick up the pace.” Five Suzuki GSX-R 1000s finished in the top 10: Behind Spies in fourth was Steve Rapp in eighth and Jason Pridmore in 10th. Results: 1. Eric Bostrom (Ducati). 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki). 3. Aaron Yates (Suzuki). 4. Ben Spies (Suzuki). 5. Jake Zemke (Honda). 6. Miguel Duhamel (Honda). 7. Kurtis Roberts (Honda). 8. Steve Rapp (Suzuki). 9. Jacob Holden (Suzuki). 10. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki). Championship Points: 1 Mladin 358, 2 Spies 327, 3 Yates 294, 4Bostrom 268, 5 Hodgson 249, 6 Duhamel 229, 7 Zemke 212, 8 Craggill 206, 9 Acree 192, 10 Rapp 188. More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Corse: ERIC BOSTROM BLASTS TO LAGUNA SECA VICTORY Monterey, CA (July 9) – Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom was victorious at Laguna Seca on Saturday, winning the AMA Superbike race held in front of a record crowd at the 2.2-mile circuit. Bostrom took the lead at the start and officially led all 28 laps of the race to take his 14th career AMA Superbike victory and his second of 2005. Bostrom won over the highly competitive field by a margin of 5.91 seconds for the Ducati 999’s third triumph in the last four AMA Superbike contests. “It was a fun race,” said a jubilant Bostrom, also a winner at Pikes Peak this year. “Everyone was unsure with what the tires would end up doing because no one was able to do race distances (in practice). The whole race strategy was a question mark. Usually, around halfway, you can guess where the set-up is going to go for the rest of the race, but I didn’t know if I was going to finish the race in the 1:29s or the 1:25s. Everything stayed consistent with the Ducati 999 and it worked out really well.” Bostrom’s only challenge of the race was when series champion Mat Mladin tried to pass Eric in the slow turn 11 early in the race. Mladin was not able to keep Eric behind him on the exit. “He wasn’t able to quite stick to the inside so I was able to square him up and get him right back,” said Eric after the race. From that point, Bostrom expertly controlled his Ducati 999 through the corners to pull out his winning margin over the next 25 laps. “We couldn’t be happier! It feels fantastic for the entire team when we are winning races,” said Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team owner Terry Gregoricka. “With the time issues this weekend because of the limited practice, there was a lot of pressure on every member of the team to get things done quickly. It was great for Eric to win in front of all the Ducati fans at the track today. It’s a shame Neil’s day ended early because he might have been right up there with Eric.” Neil Hodgson saw his race last only half a lap when another rider knocked him out of the event at the Corkscrew. “I’d cycled thousands of miles between the races getting ready for today … it’s so frustrating. The team had put in so much effort to get ready for the race. We’d been having a few problems this weekend and we’d just gotten through them and we were looking forward to having a good race, like Eric’s. We felt confident. I tipped it into the Corkscrew on the first lap and then it was out of my hands.” Hodgson said he felt no ill effects from the crash apart from a sore ankle. Bostrom, Hodgson, and Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin will race next at Mid-Ohio on July 22-24. Race Results (28 laps) – 1. ERIC BOSTROM, PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999, 2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 4. Ben Spies, Suzuki 5. Jake Zemke, Honda 6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda DNF NEIL HODGSON, PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999 AMA Superbike Points Standings (After 11 of 17 races) – 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki 358 2. Ben Spies, Suzuki 327 3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki 294 4.ERIC BOSTROM, PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999 268 5. NEIL HODGSON, PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN 999 249 6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda 229 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: Climate: Sunny Temperature: 18 degrees Crowd: 59,000 Hondas Battle at Laguna Seca On the same track where former American Honda rider Nicky Hayden earned the first pole position of his young MotoGP career only hours earlier, American Honda teammates Jake Zemke and Miguel Duhamel battled almost to the finish. The pair fought for nearly entire duration of the AMA Superbike race, round 11 of the championship, held in support of the Red Bull U.S. GP at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Zemke was balked on the first lap by an incident in the Corkscrew, the track’s signature corner, which caused him to lose touch with the leaders and caused him to play catch up to his teammate. The delay motivated the Californian to fight back and he stalked Duhamel for much of the race before making the decisive pass on the 24th of 28 laps. Duhamel wanted to retaliate, but his aggression caused him to run off the track, allowing Zemke to pull away to a secure fifth place. Duhamel came sixth. The race was won by Eric Bostrom (Ducati) from Mat Mladin (Suzuki). Aaron Yates came third on the second Yoshimura Suzuki. Jake Zemke, 5th Basically when the crash in the Corkscrew happened, I had to almost stop up there. And Miguel (Duhamel) went by. Shoot, the whole rest of the front pack was gone. And times being fairly close, with all the short practice and everything, everyone seemed to be about the same time on a race tire or generally close. We didn’t have anything to catch them. I was just kind of riding around there and hanging out and waiting to the end. But we had a little bit of a problem with our bike and then with grip. We did the best we could with what we had. Miguel Duhamel, 6th Everybody rode a really solid pace. Nobody made any mistakes. My only problem was after Jake (Zemke) passed me, going into turn ten, the rear end just came around on me. I had to get out of it to save it. I was able to save it, but I wasn’t able to stay on the track. I went off in the dirt and came back onto the race track. With two laps to go and I tried to get back into the 27’s, but there was nothing I could do. Jake was riding good. I think if that wouldn’t have happened it would have been a hell of a battle for me and Jake for fifth place. It would have been hard fought. AMA Superbike: 1. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 3. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 4. Ben Spies (Suzuki) 5. Jake Zemke (Honda) 6. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 7. Kurtis Roberts (Honda) 8. Steve Rapp (Suzuki) 9. Jacob Holden (Suzuki) 10. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki) . Championship Point Standings: 1. Mat Mladin (358) 2. Ben Spies (327) 3. Aaron Yates (294) 4. Eric Bostrom (268) 5. Neil Hodgson (249) 6. Miguel Duhamel (229) 7. Jake Zemke (212) 8. Marty Craggill (206) 9. Lee Acree (192) 10. Steve Rapp (188) More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports: Mat Mladin on Laguna Seca Podium, Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki Puts in Strong Performance MONTEREY, Calif. (July 9, 2005) – Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin extended his AMA Superbike Championship lead to 31 points by carding an impressive second-place finish in the AMA Superbike race at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif., on Saturday afternoon. Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki rider Marty Craggill, meanwhile, returned to the track after a month off and qualified strongly and finished in a notable 11th place. Mat Mladin, Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mladin continued to rack up the pole positions at Laguna Seca. Carding the 44th of his career and the seventh out of a potential seven for this season, Mladin also broke the Laguna Seca lap record for AMA Superbikes with an ultra-fast lap time of 1:24.886. This feat is more impressive, considering this race weekend is the first time Mladin has ridden the new Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 at this very technical track. “We decided to test another day in Fontana instead of coming to Laguna because of the weather,” said Mladin. “You elect to do what you need to do to win the most races.” In the race itself, Mladin was out front but did not capture the lead. With a care in mind about winning the AMA Superbike Championship at the end of the season, Mladin remained in the second spot until the finish. “This is the hardest track on the circuit for me,” admitted Mladin after the race. “I can go fast here, but it’s not easy. I’ve struggled here for 10 years. But it was a good race today and congratulations to Eric (Bostrom) for the win. We just couldn’t get it done today.” Mat Mladin, Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, #1 2nd Place – AMA Superbike 1st Place – Overall Marty Craggill, Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000 Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki rider Craggill started out the weekend strong and by the end of Saturday morning’s qualifying, Craggill was slated in the 11th spot on the third row of the grid. After posting a 1:27.406 lap time, Craggill was pleased. “It was good,” said Craggill, who’s only ridden at Laguna Seca three times. “We made some improvements to the bike, and the Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000 is getting better. I rode a lot better today than yesterday in practice, and I haven’t actually ridden in a month so I’m happy about that.” In the 28-lap Superbike race, Craggill was out in 11th place and had begun to work his way forward. He’d gotten up to ninth place when a run-in with a lapped rider caused him to run off the track and lose a few positions. With only a few laps left, Craggill couldn’t catch up and he finished in 11th. “I had a good race,” said Craggill. “I was struggling over the start/finish hill and so I tried to be aggressive and I hit a lapper with about five laps to go and I ran off the track.” Added Team Owner Mladin,” I was really happy with his qualifying this weekend and I think that they’re doing a great job. I think they’re gong in the right direction.” Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki will next campaign the AMA Superbike race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, the weekend of July 22-24. Marty Craggill, Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki, #16 11th Place – AMA Superbike 8th Place – Overall