FIM 125cc Grand Prix Results From Le Mans: 1. Thomas LUTHI, Honda, 24 laps, 41:52.772 2. Sergio GADEA, Aprilia, -3.080 seconds 3. Mika KALLIO, KTM, -3.263 seconds 4. Mike DI MEGLIO, Honda, -4.237 seconds 5. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, -4.311 seconds 6. Gabor TALMACSI, KTM, -4.882 seconds 7. Pablo NIETO, Derbi, -25.823 seconds 8. Julian SIMON, KTM, -26.349 seconds 9. Imre TOTH, Aprilia, -31.611 seconds 10. Manuel POGGIALI, Gilera, -32.853 seconds 11. Lorenzo ZANETTI, Aprilia, -33.270 seconds 12. Aleix ESPARGARO, Honda, -40.620 seconds 13. Dario GIUSEPPETTI, Aprilia, -43.477 seconds 14. Manuel HERNANDEZ, Aprilia, -45.390 seconds 15. Sandro CORTESE, Honda, -53.924 seconds

On lap 10 of 17 of Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race at Infineon Raceway, American Honda’s Jake Zemke held a narrow lead over teammate and Championship rival Miguel Duhamel. Ben Attard was third, and Vincent Haskovec was holding off Robert Jensen for fourth. Then Haskovec lowsided his Team M4 EMGO Suzuki GSX-R600 in high-speed turn five. Haskovec preceded his bike into an Armco barrier fronted by car tires. The bike then hit Haskovec solidly. A helicopter was dispatched to the crash scene, and Haskovec was airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Trauma Center. His condition was not known at post time. Because over 50% of the race had been completed and the crash scene would require some time to deal with and clean up, the race was not re-started, at the discretion of AMA Pro Racing officials. Scoring was reverted to lap nine of 17, and Zemke was awarded the win over Duhamel by 0.152 second. Attard was six seconds back in third. Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Race Results: 1. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR600RR, 9 laps 2. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR600RR, -0.152 second 3. Ben Attard, Kaw Zx-6RR, -5.982 second 4. Robert Jensen, Yam YZF-R6, -7.606 seconds 5. Chris Peris, Yam YZF-R6, -17.521 seconds 6. Danny Eslick, Suz GSX-R600, -17.900 seconds 7. Alex Gobert, Hon CBR600RR, -29.410 seconds 8. Clint McBain, Suz GSX-R600, -30.439 seconds 9. Chris “Opie” Caylor, Suz GSX-R600, -34.643 seconds 10. Kevin Lacombe, Suz GSX-R600, -37.056 seconds 11. Nicky Moore, Yam YZF-R6, -37.332 seconds 12. Shea Fouchek, Suz GSX-R600, -45.356 seconds 13. Nathan Hester, Yam YZF-R6, -46.279 seconds 14. Eric Gulbransen, Duc 749R, -47.618 seconds 15. Armando Ferrer, Yam YZF-R6, -50.785 seconds 16. Tom Montano, Hon CBR600RR, -52.301 seconds 17. Eli Edwards, Suz GSX-R600, -58.725 seconds 18. Justin Filice, Hon CBR600RR, -62.393 seconds 19. Victor Chirinos, Yam YZF-R6, -67.723 seconds 20. Matt Binns, Suz GSX-R600, -79.617 seconds 21. Craig Wierman, Suz GSX-R600, -86.738 seconds 22. Mark Degross, Hon CBR600RR, -89.055 seconds 23. Vincent Haskovec, Suz GSX-R600, -1 lap, crash, DNF 24. Taylor Knapp, Yam YZF-R6, -1 lap 25. Tim Knutson, Yam YZF-R6, -5 laps, DNF 26. Ryan Andrews, Duc 749R, DNF Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Point Standings (after 4 of 10 races): 1. Zemke, 142 points 2. Duhamel, 135 points 3. Eslick, 97 points 4. Alex Gobert, 87 points 5. Nicky Moore, 82 points 6. Peris, 78 points 7. TIE, Caylor/Knapp, 69 points 9. Haskovec, 66 points 10. Ferrer, 63 points More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: HASKOVEC INJURED AT INFINEON Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec suffered a serious injury from a crash at Infineon Raceway on Saturday. The 31-year old Czech-born rider was transported by helicopter to the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. The team is currently awaiting a full report from the doctors. Vincent fell victim to a crash in a high-speed corner in the Formula Xtreme race, slid through a grassy area, and came into contact with a steel barrier fronted by a single row of tires. There were no soft barriers in the turn. More, from a press release issued by Team EMGO Taiwan: Team EMGO Taiwan’s Chris “Opie” Caylor finished in 9th place in an FX race cut short at lap nine by an unfortunate red-flag incident. Opie qualified on the second row by turning consistent lap times that were within two seconds of the final pole position time. At the start, Caylor got a great drive and held position through the first few laps. He then began to uncharacteristically experience “arm-pump” and started falling back nearly a quarter of a second a lap. Arm-pump is temporary yet near debilitating muscle fatigue in the forearm caused by lack of oxygen in the muscles. “On the third lap my hands started going numb,” explained Opie. “By the fifth lap my hands had no feeling and I wasn’t able to use the brakes and throttle like I should. This is only like the third time I’ve ever had arm-pump. I’ve raced hour long endurance race stints and even Daytona 200’s with no problems. It’s extremely frustrating to get everything perfect with the bike and team and then have something like this come out of the blue!” Caylor’s condition and finish are more than over shadowed by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec’s horrific crash into a bare tire wall. Opie and everyone at Team EMGO Taiwan are praying for Vinnie’s quick recovery and look forward to racing with him in the future.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin re-established his control of the AMA Superbike Championship Saturday at Infineon Raceway. The five-time and defending Champion took a commanding victory in the 28-lap event, building a large early lead before winning by 9.968 seconds. The victory, the fifth in six races for Mladin in 2005 and the 37th AMA Superbike race win of his career, puts Mladin back into the Championship points lead. He fell out of the points lead when he did not finish race one at California Speedway due to mechanical problems. Second place went to Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates, who suffered a bad launch and first lap on the restart but worked his way forward to score runner-up points. Yates got second by passing and holding off Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Neil Hodgson late in the race. Yates and Hodgson are now tied for third in the Championship. Ben Spies slipped to second in the Championship standings after taking fourth Saturday, well clear of Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes. American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke both suffered rear tire problems and pitted during the race. Duhamel ended up 25th, while Zemke finished 20th. Provisional AMA Superbike Race One Results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 28 laps 2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -9.968 seconds 3. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, -10.687 seconds 4. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -43.537 seconds 5. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -51.307 seconds 6. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -57.422 seconds 7. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -62.496 seconds 8. Larry Pegram, Honda, -72.801 seconds 9. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -87.038 seconds 10. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -88.508 seconds 11. Clint McBain, Suzuki, -89.893 seconds 12. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -96.136 seconds 13. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -98.630 seconds 14. Cory West, Suzuki, -1 lap 15. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -1 lap 16. Jeremy Toye, Honda, -1 lap 17. Jeff Tigert, Honda, -1 lap 18. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -1 lap 19. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -1 lap 20. Jake Zemke, Honda, -1 lap, pit 21. Michael Earnest, Suzuki, -1 lap 22. Cory Call, Kawasaki, -1 lap 23. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -1 lap 24. Alan Schmidt, Suzuki, -1 lap 25. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, pit, -1 lap 26. Mike Sullivan, Suzuki, -1 lap 27. Mark Miller, Suzuki, -1 lap 28. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki, -1 lap 29. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, -1 lap 30. James Kerker, Honda, -2 laps 31. James King, Suzuki, -2 laps 32. Harley Barnes, Suzuki, -3 laps 33. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -7 laps, DNF, crash 34. Kevin Lacombe, Suzuki, -9 laps, DNF 35. Brent George, Suzuki, -16 laps, DNF 36. Eric Gulbransen, Ducati, -25 laps, DNF, mechanical 37. Reno Karimian, Suzuki, -25 laps, DNF 38. John Haner, Suzuki, DNF, mechanical (clutch) 39. Dave Stanton, Suzuki, DNF 40. David Bell, Suzuki, -28 laps, DNF, crash Provisional AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 6 of 17 races): 1. Mladin, 190 points 2. Spies, 182 points 3. Tie, Yates/Hodgson, 175 points 5. Bostrom, 143 points 6. Craggill, 127 points 7. Duhamel, 124 points 8. Rapp, 117 points 9. Acree, 107 points 10. Pegram, 95 points 11. Wood, 94 points 12. Zemke, 87 points 13. Holden, 83 points 14. Hayes, 75 points 15. Jensen, 74 points 16. Moore, 73 points 17. Vincent Haskovec, 67 points 18. George, 65 points 19. West, 64 points 20. Roberts, 60 points More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Mat Mladin took a start-to-finish win in the first leg of this weekend’s Sonoma double-header at Infineon Raceway in California to lead a Suzuki GSX-R1000 one-two. The Australian dominated from the start and had a five-second lead by the second lap when the race was stopped for an accident. Then, on the re-start, he built up a 13-second lead before he backed off, but still won by almost 10 seconds from Yoshimura team mate Aaron Yates. And he lapped up to 14th place as Suzuki Superbike team newcomer Ben Spies raced to fourth behind Briton Neil Hodgson (Ducati). More, from a press release issued by Infineon Raceway: Suzuki’s Mladin Takes Wire-to-Wire Win at Infineon Raceway SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin continued his mastery of Infineon Raceway on Saturday with a wire-to-wire victory in the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, presented by Supercuts. Mladin started on the pole, took the lead at the drop of the green flag and never looked back, taking the victory by 9.97 seconds over second-place Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki). Neil Hodgson (Ducati Austin) was third in the 28-lap feature. It was Mladin’s fifth career Superbike victory at Infineon Raceway, tying him for the all-time track record with Honda’s Miguel Duhamel. It was also Mladin’s fifth victory in six Superbike features this year as he reclaimed the season points lead from teammate Ben Spies (190-182). Spies placed fourth. Mladin will hope to make it a sweep of the doubleheader on Sunday in the second 28-lap Superbike feature of the weekend. The green flag will drop on Sunday’s Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown at 3 p.m. “The bike felt pretty good most of the race,” said Mladin. “The GSX-R performed unbelievably great again, which is making our life much easier. It’s good to get the points lead again, and hopefully we can improve on that tomorrow.” “I got a pretty lousy start,” said Yates. “I was way back and I did what I could to get by folks. I just chased him (Hodgson) down; I was a rabbit chasing him. I did what I could.” Mladin started on the pole thanks to Friday’s track-record provisional qualifying time of 1:36.019. Jake Zemke (Honda) held off teammate Duhamel for the victory in the Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme main event. It was Zemke’s third consecutive victory in the class as he upped his lead in the points standings to seven points over Duhamel (142-135). “Me and Miguel have gotten to race quite a bit the last couple years now, and I have a ton of respect for him,” Zemke said. “It’s always a good race with him and it’s always clean. We have these great battles and it’s always safe. It’s fun racing with Miguel, it really is. I really trust him, and hopefully he feels the same way about me.” Earlier in the day, Jason Disalvo (Yamaha) grabbed the pole for Sunday’s Repsol Lubricants feature with a fast-lap of 1:36.912 (track record), while Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki) took the pole for Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport feature (1:37.877, track record). In addition to the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown on Sunday, there will also be feature events for Pro Honda Oils Supersport (1 p.m.) and Repsol Lubricants Superstock (2 p.m.). Gates open at 7 a.m. (for more information visit www.infineonraceway.com). More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin: HODGSON CONTINUES CONSISTENT RESULTS WITH FOURTH PODIUM OF THE YEAR Sonoma, CA (May 14) Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Neil Hodgson finished third in the Saturday Infineon Raceway Superbike race, taking his fourth podium of the season in a hard-fought 28-lap event on his Ducati 999. Neil, currently third in the season’s points race, had a good battle for second with Aaron Yates but was unable to take the position in the closing laps. Eric Bostrom ended the race in tenth, although he ran as high as second in the early portions of the event once restarted due to a red flag. “I was out riding on my own and Aaron closed in. That was with about five laps to go. After that, it was a good last five laps of me trying to hang on, trying to see if there was anyway I could do anything,” said Hodgson, who finished in the top five at every AMA Superbike race this year and on the podium four times. “There wasn’t and that was that.” Neil stayed close to second place but wasn’t able to re-take the slot as the grip began to fade late in the 28-lap race. “I think we were all in the same boat. No excuses,” said Hodgson. “I’m just trying to keep pushing as hard as I can.” Still, it was a solid result for the 2003 World Superbike champion. Hodgson remains third in AMA Superbike points after six races, a strong debut to his rookie year in the United States. Teammate Eric Bostrom ran as high as second, but a tire issue caused him to fade to tenth. “Unfortunately, we had a tire problem in the race,” said Bostrom. “We had a good start to things and I got in the 1:37s, something I hadn’t been able to do all weekend. But then we had a grip problem that made it impossible for me to keep up that pace. I don’t want to dwell on the negative about today because we’ve continually made progress over the last few races.” “Neil rode hard and did his best. Today, that meant third place. It’s good to see Neil earn another podium, even if we did come up short when it came to fighting for the win,” said team manager Tom Bodenbach. “With Eric’s race, sometimes things just don’t go your way and that was the case today.” Tomorrow’s race begins at 3PM. More, from a press release issued by Hot Bodies Racing Triangle Cycles Honda: HotBodies Racing/Triangle Cycles/Pro Honda Oils rider Larry Pegram took 8th in race one at Infineon Raceway in the 2005 AMA Superbike Championship. It was his best finish so far this season on the still developing Michelin shod, factory kitted Honda CBR1000RR. “We had a few problems today, I tried some new brake pads, however I glazed them over before they were bedded in properly. The problem cost me a couple of positions.” Said #72. Pegram took over top Honda honors after factory riders Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke suffered from tire problems on their still developing CBR1000RRs. Pegram concluded by saying, “I am pretty happy with being the top Honda in race one and I look forward to continuing to move up the finish order in the coming rounds.”

Saturday’s AMA Superbike race at Infineon Raceway was stopped on lap three due to a crash that left a rider lying on the racetrack in need of medical assistance. At the completion of lap two, before the race was stopped, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin was leading by five seconds over the field. The race will be completely re-started from the original grid positions. The rider who crashed was David Bell, He was seen walking, with assistance, to an ambulance.

Tommy Hayden took the AMA Supersport pole position during qualifying Saturday at Infineon Raceway with a new lap record time of 1:37.877 on his factory Kawasaki ZX-6RR. Not only was Hayden’s time good enough for a new lap record, it would have put him third on the Superstock (1000cc) grid. In fact, Hayden went 0.8-second faster on his 600cc machine than he did on his 1000cc bike. Yamaha teammates Jason DiSalvo, Jamie Hacking and Aaron Gobert earned the second, third and fourth grid spots, respectively, during the windy afternoon session. Provisional AMA Supersport Qualifying Results: 1. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:37.877 2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:38.586 3. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:38.993 4. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:39.006 5. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:39.343 6. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:39.383 7. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, 1:39.509 8. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:39.895 9. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:39.952 10. Robert Jensen, Yamaha, 1:40.427 11. Chris Peris, Yamaha, 1:40.561 12. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, 1:41.590 13. Chris Siglin, Suzuki, 1:42.174 14. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, 1:43.365 15. Armando Ferrer, Yamaha, 1:43.447 16. Nathan Hester, Yamaha, 1:43.518 17. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:43.596 18. Shea Fouchek, Suzuki, 1:43.607 19. Barrett Long, Yamaha, 1:43.630 20. Grant Riggs, Yamaha, 1:44.430

Graves Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo, 21, took pole position for the AMA Superstock race during qualifying Saturday at Infineon Raceway. Riding his Dunlop-shod YZF-R1, DiSalvo’s time of 1:36.912 was not only good enough for pole position and a new lap record for the Superstock class, it also would have broken the 2004 AMA Superbike lap record and put the young New Yorker second on the 2005 AMA Superbike grid. Lion Racing Suzuki’s Jake Holden turned a 1:37.749 on a Pirelli qualifying tire to earn the second slot on the Superstock grid. Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki’s Steve Rapp qualified third with a time of 1:37.999. DiSalvo’s teammate (and one of his closest Championship challengers) Jamie Hacking will start from the final spot on the front row after turning a 1:38.046 in Saturday’s 35-minute qualifying session. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates (who suffered a minor crash during the session), Graves Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster, Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden, Graves Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert, Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec and Holden’s teammate John Haner filled out the top 10 qualifying spots. Corona Extra Suzuki’s Tony Meiring did not ride during Superstock qualifying. Former AMA Pro Thunder Champion Tom Montano qualified 21st on Meiring’s GSX-R1000. It was Montano’s first ride on the bike. Norbert Katona, of Tracy, California, was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Trauma Center after crashing his Suzuki GSX-R1000 at the exit of turn six during Superstock qualifying at Infineon Raceway. Katona suffered a concussion. Provisional AMA Superstock Qualifying Results; 1. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:36.912 2. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:37.749 3. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:37.999 4. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:38.046 5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:38.069 6. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:38.207 7. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:38.488 8. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:38.663 9. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:38.747 10. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:38.956 11. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:39.041 12. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:39.043 13. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:39.803 14. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:40.590 15. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:40.902 16. Brent George, Suzuki, 1:40.962 17. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, 1:42.002 18. Cory Call, Kawasaki, 1:42.573 19. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:42.657 20. Mark Miller, Suzuki, 1:42.773 21. Tom Montano, Suzuki, 1:42.966 22. Corey Eaton, Suzuki, 1:43.024 23. Reno Karimian, Suzuki, 1:43.133 24. Eli Edwards, Suzuki, 1:43.093 25. Brien Whitlock, Suzuki, 1:43.548 26. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki, 1:43.686 27. Corey Sarros, Suzuki, 1:44.005 28. Martin Szwarc, Suzuki, 1:44.482 29. Mark Simon, Yamaha, 1:44.674 30. Jeremy Haiduk, Yamaha, 1:44.740 31. John Scott Wilson, Kawasaki, 1:44.776 32. Lance Williams, Suzuki, 1:44.941 33. Steven Weir, Kawasaki, 1:45.224 34. Christopher Ancien, Suzuki, 1:45.310 35. James King, Suzuki, 1:45.602 36. Sean Wray, Yamaha, 1:45.790 37. Montez Stewart, Suzuki, 1:45.972 38. Skye Girard, Yamaha, 1:46.108 39. Peter Doyle, Suzuki, 1:46.480 40. Brad Puetz, Suzuki, 1:47.221

Saturday’s Provisional AMA Superbike Qualifying Results: 1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:36.718 2. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:37.092 3. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:37.139 4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:37.445 5. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:37.884 6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:37.884 7. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, 1:38.330 8. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:38.552 9. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:38.566 10. Larry Pegram, Honda, 1:38.630 11. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, 1:38.636 12. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:38.862 13. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:39.166 14. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, 1:39.169 15. Kurtis Roberts, Suzuki, 1:39.178 16. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:40.699 17. Dave Stanton, Suzuki, 1:40.973 18. Cory West, Suzuki, 1:41.012 19. Jeremy Toye, Honda, 1:41.030 20. Brent George, Suzuki, 1:41.156 Provisional Combined AMA Superbike Qualifying Results: 1. Mladin, 1:36.019 2. Hodgson, 1:37.092 3. Yates, 1:37.116 4. Spies, 1:37.139 5. Zemke, 1:37.884 6. Duhamel, 1:37.884 7. Hayes, 1:38.330 8. Bostrom, 1:38.425 9. Rapp, 1:38.434 10. Haskovec, 1:38.552 11. Holden, 1:38.565 12. Pegram, 1:38.629 13. Haner, 1:38.862 14. Craggill, 1:39.169 15. Roberts, 1:39.178 16. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:40.408 17. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, 1:40.601 18. Moore, 1:40.699 19. George, 1:40.899 20. Stanton, 1:40.973 21. West, 1:41.012 22. Toye, 1:41.030 23. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:41.363 24. Clint McBain, Suzuki, 1:41.595 25. Alan Schmidt, Suzuki, 1:41.624 26. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, 1:41.754 27. Jeff Tigert, Honda, 1:41.804 28. Cory Call, Kawasaki, 1:41.843 29. Kevin Lacombe, Suzuki, 1:41.991 30. Eric Gulbransen, Ducati, 1:42.295 31. Akira Tamitsuji, Suzuki, 1:42.433 32. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, 1:42.440 33. Mark Miller, Suzuki, 1:42.468 34. James Kerker, Honda, 1:42.656 35. Mike Sullivan, Suzuki, 1:42.718 36. Reno Karimian, Suzuki, 1:42.781 37. David Bell, Suzuki, 1:42.795 38. Michael Earnest, Suzuki, 1:42.864 39. Matt Lynn, Suzuki, 1:42.957 40. Harley Barnes, Suzuki, 1:43.286 41. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 1:43.385 42. Brien Whitlock, Suzuki, 1:43.402 43. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, 1:43.771 44. James King, Suzuki, 1:44.347

Lap times tumble for Rizla Suzuki duo RIZLA SUZUKI racers Scott Smart and James Haydon both cut their lap times by more than a second during today’s qualification sessions for the fifth round of the British Superbike Championship at Mondello Park in Ireland. Final qualification was held in bright sunshine and high winds as both Rizla Suzuki riders improved the set-ups of their GSX-R1000s at the bumpy 2.18-mile Mondello Park circuit. Scott eventually finished 12th and within touching distance of the front-runners, while James was close behind in 15th. Honda’s Jonathan Rea took pole position. Superbike racing starts at 1:15pm on Sunday, May 15th, at Mondello Park in County Kildare, the Republic of Ireland. It will be shown live on Sky Sports and a highlights package will be broadcast on Channel 4 the following Sunday morning. Scott: “I am comfortable on my Rizla Suzuki and it is working well over the bumps and through the tight corners at Mondello Park. As the sessions progressed I was getting faster and faster and I think on race rubber we have a competitive package. “The end of the third row isn’t the ideal place to start, but if I can make a good getaway and can get up with the leading pack, I’m sure I’ll be able to race with them.” James: “I am bitterly disappointed with qualification – it is not where either the team or me expect to be. We tried a major change to the front suspension this morning that didn’t work. We reverted to an earlier setting for second qualifying and went faster. I think with a bit more time on track we could have reduced our lap times even further. “We are still working on the handling of the bike and will test a change to the geometry of my Rizla Suzuki in morning warm up that we think will help. After that it’s all about getting a good start and seeing what we can achieve from there.” Niall Mackenzie, Team Performance Co-ordinator: “Watching Scott on track today was really encouraging. He is now riding faster than at any other time this season and looks very composed and smooth compared to his competitors. His race pace is fast and if he can get away with the front group there’s no doubt he has the ability to run with them. “James is working hard and made progress during qualification. He is looking for more confidence in the front end of his GSX-R and his crew has a good idea how to achieve that. If he can find it, expect him to carve through the pack in the races and get some strong results.” Qualification Times: 1: Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1:39.344, 2: Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +0.131, 3: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.174, 4: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.305, 5: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.380, 6: Michael Laverty (Honda) +0.530, 7: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.559, 8: Gary Mason (Honda) +0.733, 9: Karl Harris (Honda) +0.753, 10: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +0.848, 12: SCOTT SMART (RIZLA SUZUKI) +0.936, 15: JAMES HAYDON (RIZLA SUZUKI) +1.601.

Provisional Saturday Morning AMA Supersport Practice Times: 1. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:38.430 2. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:38.833 3. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:39.259 4. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:39.367 5. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:39.841 6. Chris Peris, Yamaha, 1:40.253 7. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:40.312 8. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:40.638 9. Ben Attard, Kawasaki, 1:40.925 10. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:41.066 11. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, 1:41.387 12. Robert Jensen, Yamaha, 1:41.713 13. Chris Siglin, Suzuki, 1:43.445 14. Andy Carman, Yamaha, 1:43.745 15. Shea Fouchek, Suzuki, 1:43.855 16. Nicky Moore, Yamaha, 1:44.077 17. Barrett Long, Yamaha, 1:44.215 18. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:44.237 19. Nathan Hester, Yamaha, 1:45.249 20. Victor Chirinos, Yamaha, 1:45.499

Corona Extra Suzuki’s Tony Meiring, 21, was taken into custody Saturday morning in the paddock of Infineon Raceway by Sonoma County (California) Deputy Sheriffs and taken to Sonoma County Jail, in Santa Rosa, California, on unspecified misdemeanor charges. “As I understand it, our office received a call from the Tracy (California) Police Department asking us to serve a warrant. They sent us a copy of the warrant for his arrest, a misdemeanor warrant, and asked us to serve it. They have a valid warrant for his arrest from a judge down there. So we came over, arrested him, and he understood the nature of it and was a gentleman about it,” said Sonoma County Deputy Sheriff Richard York. “It’s a misdemeanor warrant, so he will be able to bail out pretty quickly, I would assume.” York said he did not see the complaint number, indicating the charges, on the warrant but said the bail amount was $10,000. “He didn’t do nothing,” Bob Meiring, father of Tony Meiring, told reporters. “I called the police department in Tracy to find out, and they said, ‘We have some papers for him. Can (he) come down to the police department?’ He never got anything.” According to Bob Meiring, Tony Meiring was in his leathers and helmet and getting ready to go out on track for Saturday morning AMA Superstock practice when he was taken into custody by the Sheriff’s Deputies. Corona Extra Suzuki Team Principal Tim Saunders was not immediately available for comment. Update: Reached mid-day Saturday in the paddock at Infineon Raceway, Saunders told Roadracingworld.com that Meiring would not be riding any more during the AMA event at Infineon Raceway. “Meiring’s contract is on hold, at the moment, until we can get this all sorted out,” said Saunders.