American John Hopkins turned the fastest lap time in the first half of the split and extended first MotoGP practice Friday at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Hopkins’ 1:25.265 on his Bridgestone-equipped Red Bull Suzuki GSV-R was just better than Troy Bayliss’ 1:25.336, turned on his Michelin-shod Camel Honda RC211V. In pre-event P.R. material, Bayliss predicted that the lap record for Laguna Seca (Colin Edwards’ 1:24.888 from 2002 World Superbike qualifying) would not last 15 minutes into the first MotoGP practice, but the overall lap record has held up, thanks in part to what riders have described as slippery, or “green,” track conditions. Telefonica Movistar Honda’s Marco Melandri was in the top five of the session when he crashed in the Corkscrew on his 19th lap. Melandri was seen on video feeds limping away from the accident with assistance, before lying down trackside. He did not go back out in the session. MotoGP Free Practice One Lap Times: 1. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:25.265 2. Troy Bayliss, Honda, 1:25.336 3. Kenny Lee Roberts, Suzuki, 1:25.635 4. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:25.965 5. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 1:25.966 6. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:26.030 7. Alex Barros, Honda, 1:26.204 8. Marco Melandri, Honda, 1:26.344, crash 9. Colin Edwards, Yamaha, 1:26.376 10. Ruben Xaus, Yamaha, 1:26.648 11. Carlos Checa, Ducati, 1:26.658 12. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:26.728 13. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 1:26.933 14. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:27.080 15. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:27.608 16. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, 1:27.652 17. Roberto Rolfo, Ducati, 1:28.721 18. Shane Byrne, Proton KR, 1:28.764 19. Toni Elias, Yamaha, 1:28.933

RIZLA SUZUKI’S John Reynolds spent today’s practice sessions for the eighth round of the British Superbike Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk testing new Ohlins gas forks on his GSX-R1000. Today was the first time the reigning British Champion tried the latest specification forks and he adapted quickly, setting the seventh fastest lap time just over a second behind quickest man on the day, Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari. Rizla Suzuki’s James Haydon was fifth fastest and threatening to climb further up the timesheets with five minutes to go when he suffered a high-side crash coming out of Russells chicane. He is receiving treatment for muscle damage to his right shoulder and will undergo a medical examination tomorrow morning to assess his fitness to continue racing this weekend. Superbike racing starts at 1:15pm on Sunday, July 10th, at the 1.95-mile long Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk. The action will be covered live by Sky Sports. Channel 4 will broadcast a highlights package of the race action one week later. JR: “When James went more than a second faster than me at the recent Croft test using new Ohlins gas forks I knew I was going to try the same suspension here at Snetterton. We have worked hard and I think the gas forks are a step forward in performance. “Using new forks means that we are having to revisit the overall set-up of my Rizla Suzuki. I am still not completely comfortable but we are making progress every time we go out on track and there is quite a bit more to come tomorrow.” James: “Russells corner is the only left hand corner on the track that you are on the gas and pushing the rear tyre to its limits. Right at the end of the session I asked too much of the tyre when I was on a very fast lap and I high-sided. “I have hurt muscles in my right shoulder and it is now under an ice-pack to control the swelling. I am resting and preparing for a medical examination in the morning. If I can get through that, I know that my Rizla Suzuki is pretty well sorted and capable of running at the front for the rest of the weekend.” Practice Times: 1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1:05.696, 2: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.119, 3: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.407, 4: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +0.835, 5: JAMES HAYDON (RIZLA SUZUKI) +0.888, 6: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +1.009, 7: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +1.126, 8: Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +1.128, 9: Gary Mason (Honda) +1.231, 10: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +1.314.

Provisional Friday Morning AMA Superbike Practice Times: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:25.981 2. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, 1:26.219 3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:26.593 4. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:26.657 5. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:26.865 6. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:27.008 7. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:27.474 8. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, 1:27.823 9. Larry Pegram, Honda, 1:28.573 10. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:28.629 11. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:29.338 12. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, 1:29.494 13. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, 1:29.625 14. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:29.858 15. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:29.901 16. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:30.192 17. Jeff Tigert, Honda, 1:30.202 18. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:30.657 19. Jeremy Toye, Honda, 1:30.707 20. Clint McBain, Suzuki, 1:30.838 21. Mark Ledesma, Honda, 1:30.893 22. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:31.324 23. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 1:31.596 24. Brent George, Suzuki, 1:32.168 25. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:32.244 26. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha, 1:32.288 27. Kevin Lacombe, Suzuki, 1:32.382 28. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, 1:32.733 29. Cory West, Suzuki, 1:32.771 30. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:32.797 31. Cory Call, Kawasaki, 1:32.806 32. Shane Turpin, Suzuki, 1:33.271 33. David Bell, Suzuki, 1:33.673 34. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, 1:33.753 35. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, 1:34.150 36. Brian Boyd, Suzuki, 1:34.965 37. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, 1:36.221 38. Akira Tamisuji, Suzuki, 1:36.579 39. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, 1:36.809 40. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, 1:36.972 41. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, 1:40.930 42. James Kerker, Honda, 1:56.063 More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin: BOSTROM SECOND QUICKEST IN OPENING LAGUNA SECA SESSION Monterey, CA (July 8) – Eric Bostrom of the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team was second fastest at Laguna Seca on Friday in AMA Superbike practice. The two-time race winner at the track put his 999 near the top of the charts in the day’s sole 50 minute session as the US Superbike series supports MotoGP this weekend. Bostrom’s lap time was 1:26.218, set in cool but sunny weather. His teammate, Neil Hodgson, was sixth. “I was really happy with the lap times because I feel we have even more in the motorcycle,” said Eric, the winner at Pikes Peak earlier this season. “The lap times being as good as they were at the start means there’s a lot of room for improvement with our settings on the 999. We have some good ideas to make it even better for tomorrow and the team is working hard to get it done. We expect to go faster.” Bostrom affirmed that the 11-turn Monterey circuit is his favorite track. “It feels like home,” said Eric. “It’s a special place to me. When I show up at the track, I just feel comfortable. In the past, we’ve really had some good races at Laguna Seca and a few wins.” Neil Hodgson, Elkhart Lake race winner, was sixth with a lap time of 1:27.008, but held fourth spot until being bumped at the end of the session. “It wasn’t the best practice session I’d ever had,” said Hodgson, the 2003 World Superbike champion. “We spent half an hour changing some things around and that did cost us some track time. I’ll be okay tomorrow. I get on with this track really well and was ready to ride. It really doesn’t bother us having very little practice time because it’s here at Laguna Seca, a track I’ve been to a bunch. I think I can probably get around here with my eyes closed if I had to. I’m really looking forward to riding tomorrow.” Saturday will see AMA Superbike qualifying at 11:50 AM and the race begins at 4:35 PM local time.

Provisional Friday Morning AMA Supersport Practice Times: 1. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:29.737 2. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:29.849 3. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:29.921 4. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:30.039 5. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, 1:30.952 6. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:31.887 7. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:32.058 8. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:32.162 9. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, 1:32.289 10. Chris Peris, Yamaha, 1:32.405 11. Chris Siglin, Suzuki, 1:32.955 12. Jeff Tigert, Honda, 1:33.408 13. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:34.122 14. Robert Jensen, Yamaha, 1:34.790 15. Jimmy Wood, Kawasaki, 1:34.903 16. Barrett Long, Yamaha, 1:34.950 17. Heath Small, Yamaha, 1:35.106 18. Tim Knutson, Yamaha, 1:35.109 19. Grant Riggs, Yamaha, 1:35.176 20. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, 1:35.227 21. Ricky Orlando, Kawasaki, 1:35.473 22. Chad Lewin, Suzuki, 1:36.107 23. Eli Edwards, Suzuki, 1:36.149 24. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki, 1:37.143 25. Taylor Knapp, Yamaha, 1:37.306 26. Nathan Hester, Yamaha, 1:37.602 27. Berto Wooldridge, Suzuki, 1:38.110 28. Shea Fouchek, Suzuki, 1:38.427 29. Dr. Jeff Purk, Yamaha, 1:38.615 30. Chad Rolland, Yamaha, 1:38.925 31. Martin Sims, Yamaha, 1:38.984 32. Jeremy Haiduk, Yamaha, 1:38.993 33. Jeremiah Johnson, Suzuki, 1:39.209 34. Victor Chirinos, Yamaha, 1:39.801 35. Chris Siebenhaar, Honda, 1:40.531 36. Justin Filice, Honda, 1:40.683 37. Tristan Shoenewald, Honda, 1:40.793 38. Armando Ferrer, Yamaha, 1:41.131

FUJIWARA FORCED OUT OF BRNO WORLD SUPERSPORT ROUND Winston Ten Kate Honda rider, Katsuaki Fujiwara, will miss next weekend’s seventh round World Supersport championship event at Brno, Czech Republic (15-17 July) through injury. The Japanese ace crashed his HRC Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade on Wednesday 6 July while testing at Suzuka in Japan, sustaining injuries to his lower back. Fujiwara is fully expecting to be fit for round eight of the series, however, which takes place at Brands Hatch, GB on 7 August. In the meantime, he will stay in Japan for further medical treatment and spend time with his family in Chiba. Katsuaki Fujiwara: “I am very disappointed to miss Brno, especially as I am second in the championship behind my team-mate Sébastien (Charpentier). I was looking forward to the opportunity to close the gap with him but it looks like that will have to wait until Brands Hatch. I have cracked one of the vertebrae in my lower back and the doctors in Japan have advised me not to race until it is healed. They say it normally takes around four weeks. I don’t remember much about the crash, which happened while I was testing for the Suzuka 8-hour race, but there was a bit of fire as well. The back of my neck was burned a little and I look a bit funny because I have lost some hair from the back of my head. Otherwise, I’m pretty much OK and I just can’t wait to get back on the bike.” Ronald ten Kate team manager: “It’s a real shame for Kats because the next race at Brno will be a level playing field for all the Supersport riders since we have not raced there before. However, I spoke to him this morning and he is in very good spirits, in spite of this disappointment. I’ve been very impressed with the way he has adapted to the new team and the CBR600RR during the first half of the season and it’s a pity that he won’t get the chance to race for another win at Brno. We are currently investigating the possibility of running with a replacement rider for the Czech Republic round and hope to be in a position to make an announcement on this early next week.”

AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca July 8-10, 2005 AMA Total Purse: $94,500 AMA Superbike Purse: $62,500 1. $4500 2. $3800 3. $3300 4. $3000 5. $2800 6. $2750 7. $2700 8. $2650 9. $2600 10. $2550 11. $2400 12. $2300 13. $2200 14. $2100 15. $2000 16. $1950 17. $1900 18. $1850 19. $1800 20. $1750 21. $1550 22. $1450 23. $1350 24. $1250 25. $1150 26. $850 27. $750 28. $650 29. $550 30. $450 31. $425 32. $375 33. $325 34. $275 35. $200 Pro Honda Oils Supersport Repsol Lubricants Superstock Purse For Each Class: $16,000 1. $1900 2. $1500 3. $1200 4. $1100 5. $1050 6. $950 7. $900 8. $850 9. $800 10. $750 11. $725 12. $675 13. $625 14. $575 15. $525 16. $475 17. $425 18. $375 19. $325 20. $275

Top MotoGP Trap Speeds From Friday Afternoon Practice: 1. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 157.836 mph 2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 156.841 mph 3. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 156.034 mph 4. Troy Bayliss, Honda, 155.536 mph 5. Alex Barros, Honda, 155.164 mph 6. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 153.113 mph 7. Max Biaggi, Honda, 152.492 mph 8. Colin Edwards, Yamaha, 152.305 mph 9. Kenny Lee Roberts, Suzuki, 150.565 mph 10. Carlos Checa, Ducati, 149.260 mph 11. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 148.328 mph 12. James Ellison, Blata, 148.266 mph 13. Ruben Xaus, Yamaha, 148.142 mph 14. Marco Melandri, Honda, 147.520 mph 15. Roberto Rolfo, Ducati, 147.210 mph 16. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, 147.148 mph 17. Shane Byrne, Proton, 146.899 mph 18. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 146.205 mph 19. Toni Elias, Yamaha, 145.656 mph 20. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 144.600 mph 21. Franco Battaini, Blata, 134.720 mph

Local riders aiming to overturn Rossi at Laguna Seca The MotoGP World Championship paddock returned to the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the first time in over a decade today as hundreds of fans poured into the circuit to witness the final preparations for this weekend’s Red Bull US Grand Prix. Whilst the current series leader Valentino Rossi ended a short vacation with a trip to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, attention at the Monterey track turned to the home riders aiming to halt the Italian’s winning run and reduce his 63 point advantage at the top of the standings. Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards and Kenny Roberts will be benefiting from the sell-out support of over 59,000 fans for almost the whole weekend, with the only remaining entrance tickets now available for Friday’s first day of free practice, which will start with a two-hour morning session at 10am. Today the trio set their sights on overturning a run of form that has seen Rossi win six of the opening seven races this season as they look to follow in the footsteps of former home winners at Laguna Seca such as Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey and John Kocinski. “Valentino has definitely raised the bar this season and it’s up to us to step up and join him,” commented Hayden. “Personally I feel I have been making progress at every round and I’m ready to take it to the next level. Obviously it would be perfect for me to do that at this racetrack because I have been dreaming of racing in a Grand Prix here since I was a kid. I came with my brother to watch the last GP here in 1994 and if I have as much fun on Sunday as I did that day then I’ll be doing alright.” Edwards added that it would take “32 perfect laps” of the modified 3,602m circuit to beat his team-mate as he aims to take inspiration from Yamaha’s 50th anniversary paint scheme, which features the traditional yellow, white and black retro design of Yamaha USA. The American took victory here in his last appearance on a World Superbike but admitted things could be a little tougher this time around. “Troy Bayliss said that my Superpole lap record here will last about 15 minutes of tomorrow’s first practice session and I reckon that’s pretty accurate,” smiled Edwards. “I’m really curious to see what it’s like to ride a MotoGP bike here but above all I want to win, that’s the only thing I am thinking of. If anybody else wants to win they have to beat me on my own turf.” Edwards and Rossi won’t be the only riders sporting the colours made famous by Kenny Roberts in the late 1970s, with the former World Champion’s son also paying his respects. Suzuki rider Roberts Jr. today unveiled a new helmet design, half of which is painted with the yellow and black eagle motif worn by his father and the other half in his own blue and black colours, before signaling his intentions for Sunday’s race. “It has been a tough season for me but this could be the track where we turn it around,” said Roberts, who emulated his father by winning the 500cc title in 2000. “I have a lot of family and friends here and it would be nice to get our best result of the season in front of them.” Makoto Tamada joined Rossi on the trip to San Francisco before heading to the Laguna Seca paddock and paying a visit to the Clinica Mobile. The Japanese rider is still nursing the effects of an operation on his forearm, undertaken in Barcelona last Thursday after he suffered hardening of the muscle following intense physiotherapy on a broken wrist. “My physical condition is good despite last week’s operation,” said Tamada. “It will be hard but thanks to the help of the Mobile Clinic I’m sure that as soon as I get on my bike the small amount of pain will go away.”

It was free to come into Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Thursday, including full access to the paddock and pit lane. Was there anything to see? Absolutely. The MotoGP teams were setting up their garages, cleaning parts and putting heat cycles in new engines by running the racebikes on their stands on pit lane. Remember, ear plugs are a necessity this weekend. The AMA teams were setting up their pit areas. Yamaha’s AMA team has been charged with setting up a hospitality area to accommodate the Gauloises Yamaha team, including Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards, a total of over 60 people. The team has borrowed one of the factory off-road teams’ semi-truck for the job. In addition, many AMA riders are roaming the paddock, especially the MotoGP garage area. Yamaha may announce its 2006 AMA racing plans within the next two weeks, according to one highly-placed source within the team. The weekend at Laguna Seca will include many promotional events. At noon Thursday, Rossi, John Hopkins, Ruben Xaus and Makoto Tamada attended a media photo opportunity at the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. At 4:00 p.m. local time, the MotoGP pre-event press conference is scheduled to take place. At 4:30 p.m. Eric Bostrom’s personal sponsor Cannondale will hold a bicycle riding event for the media, which will include unveiling Bostrom’s special replica bicycle and riding jersey. At 5:00 p.m. the Marlboro Ducati MotoGP team will host a meet-and-greet cocktail party in front of its garage on pit lane. Some of the events apparently have not been well thought out, however, as one helmet company’s media event takes place in off the track grounds in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday. At post time, the AMA teams were working with AMA Pro Racing and Laguna Seca Raceway officials on whether or not large canopies will be allowed on hot pit lane. Due to the small size of pit lane, it has already been determined that each rider, factory or privateer, is only entitled to 10 linear feet of pit lane. No canopies will be allowed to be set-up on hot pit lane in front of the MotoGP team garages and that area must be completely vacated before the start of any MotoGP practice or qualifying session. In addition to the 20 permanent garages, four additional, temporary garages have been placed along pit lane. Above the temporary garages, a huge stage has been erected for the podium ceremonies. A row of elevated hospitality suites and another, three-level temporary building have been placed along pit lane. All of the new curbing around the track has been painted red and white, and artificial grass has been placed between the curbing and the gravel traps in some locations, like turn 11. There is no mistaking that Red Bull is the sponsor of this event. Red Bull signage is dominant around the track. A large, temporary, enclosed Red Bull bar has been constructed in the paddock, just off pit lane. A Red Bull vending machine has even been placed in the media center. No major hotel problems have come to the attention of Roadracingworld.com. In fact, one AMA race team crew member who said his confirmed reservation was bumped by the Embassy Suites in Seaside is now staying at the Embassy Suites free of charge for the entire weekend. In addition to being an attraction for motorcycle fans, Laguna Seca could also be a field of dreams for computer hackers. There were no less than eight active wireless networks detectable in the paddock of Laguna Seca Thursday, and none of those belonged to teams. One veteran international race reporter is predicting that some of the top MotoGP riders will voice complaints about the safety of the Laguna Seca racetrack. Thursday’s weather forecast for the weekend did not call for rain or for heat. Low temperatures are expected to be in the 50’s with highs in the 60’s.