Alex Asigno

With exactly one month to go before the first race of the new MotoGP season, the Camel Yamaha Team today celebrated the start of its 2006 campaign with a Team Presentation in Milan, in front of 300 guests and international media. World Champion Valentino Rossi and his American team-mate Colin Edwards, who was celebrating his 32nd birthday today, were joined on stage by VIP guests from Yamaha and Japan Tobacco International, as well as Italian TV presenter Marco Mazzocchi, who compered the presentation. The bikes were uncovered by the Festi group of acrobats, who descended from the roof to reveal the M1s of Rossi and Edwards in their final 2006 livery. Mazzocchi then welcomed Masao Furusawa, Executive Officer for Engineering Operations at Yamaha Motor Company and Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, onto the stage. "Even though the basic M1 concept for 2006 is the same", commented Furusawa, "this is a more sophisticated bike, especially with the increasing RPM of the engine. It is very important for the progression of the bike to keep Valentino and Colin together, as they are not just riders for us, but a key part of the development of the M1." "Last year we got everything right with this team," added Jarvis. "The rider combination, the bike and every other element. Now our goal with our new title sponsor Camel is to achieve all this once again and win the championship." Roberto Zanni, European Regional President for Japan Tobacco International, spoke about the exciting new partnership between Camel and Yamaha. "The feeling has been very good with Yamaha right from the beginning. Everything is very professional but also very friendly, it's a good atmosphere. I expect that the passion this year within this team will be very great and with two riders as successful as Valentino and Colin, we can expect great things." Davide Brivio, the Team Director for the Yamaha Factory Team for the fifth year running, then took to the stage to talk about his goals for the season. "I think that everybody will really like the new livery, and especially the riders' numbers on the white squares. We needed to come up with something original for the livery without moving away from the Camel yellow, which we all really like, and now I think this final livery is going to look really spectacular on track. For the season, we're ready! We've done some important and successful tests, and now we will just make the most of the six remaining days of testing before the first race to make some final improvements to the new M1." The audience was then treated to a spectacular video of the team and riders, before Rossi and Edwards mounted the stage together for their part in the day. "This new bike is really beautiful!" exclaimed Rossi, who this season aims to win a sixth consecutive World Championship title. "It's exciting to be starting another season with Yamaha; these last two seasons together with them have probably been the best of my career. It's also nice to be with Colin again, we're very close in our team. The new M1 is already very good and we've been working very closely to develop it with Yamaha. Yamaha has done a very good job. This year I have many new young adversaries who will be challenging me, and I think there is going to be some spectacular racing!" His team-mate Edwards, seeking to improve on his fourth-place in the championship last year, said "I really like the new bike design, it looks really great. I had the retro-style number five like this on the bike at Laguna Seca last year and I've used it again for this year. The new bike in general has been fantastic throughout the winter tests, I'm really excited. Yamaha has done a great job and everything about it feels better than last year. I honestly can't wait to get back on board this week in Barcelona, we have a few things to work on still but we're in good shape. My promise for the year is to win at least a few races and have a one-two for the Camel Yamaha Team at the end of the year!"

Rinaldi Yamaha rider Stefan Everts clinched his second victory of the 2006 pre-season motocross period last weekend with a comprehensive display at the Pernes Les Fontaines International meeting in France. Under sunny skies and good racing conditions the nine times world champion and factory Yamaha star claimed both MX1 motos onboard his 2006 spec YZ450FM, defeating a number of his world championship peers including Honda's Josh Coppins, KTM's Mickael Pichon and Sebastien Tortelli and Suzuki's Steve Ramon. The 33 year old has won the MX1 World Championship for the last two seasons and will be pushing for a tenth career title in his final Grand Prix campaign this term. Everts hole-shotted the first race and kept a healthy distance over Coppins. The Belgian was forced to hold off Pichon in the second moto and also overtook Coppins who had started very quickly. A battle raged until the flag with Everts able to defeat the 2005 MX1 runner-up by less than three seconds at the finish. After his triumph at Mantova in Italy two weeks ago Everts will now try for a 'hatrick' by travelling to Hawkstone Park in England for another star-studded meeting. The first Grand Prix of fifteen in the 2006 FIM World Championship is now a month away and is scheduled to take place at Zolder in Belgium on April 1st/2nd. Results MX1 Moto1: 1. Everts, Yamaha 2. Coppins, Honda 5.055 3. Pourcel, Kawasaki 5.985 4. Demaria, KTM 8.278 5. T. Leok, Kawasaki 26.743 6. Sword, Kawasaki 33.103 7. Bill, Yamaha 45.117 8. Ramon, Suzuki 47.994 9. Ristori, Honda 48.701 10. Strijbos, Suzuki 51.887 Results MX1 Moto2: 1. Everts, Yamaha 2. Coppins, Honda 2.233 3. Pichon, KTM 4.855 4. Tortelli, KTM 18.055 5. Demaria, KTM 43.741 6. De Dycker, Honda 52.211 7. Sword, Kawasaki 55.164 8. T. Leok, Kawasaki 59.411 9. Strijbos, Suzuki 1'02.96 10. Leuret, Honda 1'03.127 Overall standings: 1. Everts 50 2. Coppins 44 3. Demaria 34 4. Sword 29 5. T. Leok 29 6. Bill 24 7. Pichon 23 8. Strijbos 23 9. Ramon 22 10. Leuret 21 11. Pourcel 20 12. Tortelli 18 13. De Dycker 15 14. Martin 15 15. Priem 13

Superbike World Championship: round two - Phillip Island Phillip Island, Australia 27/2/2006 Track length: 4448 m, Opened: 1956 Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 32.193 (Troy Corser, 2001) WSB lap record: 1' 33.019 (Troy Corser, 2001) Last year WSB winner: Troy Corser, Troy Corser Circuit tel: +61 3 59522710; Circuit web site: http://www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au After a sensational weekend of racing in Qatar, round two of the Superbike World Championship takes place coming weekend at the Phillip Island circuit, located a little more than an hour's drive south of Melbourne. The track is a favourite with most of the riders and one that holds good memories for both Yamaha Motor Italia's riders, Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt. They go to the Island on a high after playing a starring role in the Middle Eastern thriller. Each rider ran at the front of the pack and scored a podium finish at the Losail circuit, leaving them in a positive mood ahead of this weekend.Fresh from his first ever podium in the class, Pitt in particular is looking forward to racing at his home circuit. "As with many riders, Phillip Island is my favourite circuit," says Pitt. "It's a fast and flowing circuit and it's always good to go back home and race. I enjoy the home support and generally I go quite well there. Winning the world supersport race there in 2002 is probably still my best moment in racing and as a rule I go better on fast circuits rather than your slower Valencia type circuits. It can be a bit tricky with the high winds so I hope the weather will be good. Most riders will say it is the best circuit in the world and certainly you can expect great racing there. I was stoked to get on the podium in Qatar at the weekend and that will certainly let me go to Australia feeling much more relaxed." Pitt's podium at Losail came thanks to the hard work of the Yamaha Motor Italia squad, who have transformed the YZF-R1 over the winter break. "The bike is so much easier to ride," confirms Pitt. "We understand the bike a lot better now and there's still a lot of potential that can be unlocked. In Qatar Nori (Haga) and I were able to run at the front, only to fall back when the tyres went off. That's something we need to work on, transferring the power to the track while being more sympathetic to the tyres is our next big goal". Haga also has good memories of the circuit having won there in 1998 - his first race win outside of Japan. "I am looking forward to going back to Phillip Island. It is a very challenging circuit and a beautiful country with many excellent golf courses! I am spending a few days back in Japan this week, but I still hope to arrive soon enough to play a round or two!" The Japanese lies seventh in the championship after scoring a podium in race two, but failing to score in the opening race in Qatar. Challenging for the win, Nori-chan crashed while attempting to pass his friend Yukio Kagayama - taking them both out in the process. Despite this, Haga was still happy with his day in the Middle East. "We were very competitive," he says. "Our bike has improved a lot over the winter and it was good to see that we are much closer to our rivals compared to last year." Also looking forward to the trip Down Under is the Yamaha Motor Germany world supersport squad. Their Aussie riders had contrasting fortunes in Qatar. Kevin Curtain took a fine second place, while Broc Parkes did not finish. The two riders spent three days testing at the circuit last month and having achieved a good base set-up they are looking forward to returning for what is their home race.

WSB : Podium for Haga and Pitt in Qatar thriller Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Date: 25 February 2006 Crowd: 1000 Temp: 30ºC Weather: Sunny Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt took a podium finish apiece as the 2006 Superbike World Championship fired into life with two sensational races at the Losail circuit in Qatar. The duo each took a third place finish, although Haga could well have stood on the top step of the podium had he not crashed on the final lap of the opening race. The Japanese star led for most of the race, hotly pursued by fellow countryman Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki). Kagayama took the lead going into the last lap but typically the Yamaha man would not settle for second. Haga tried to repass Kagayama at the left handed turn six but asked too much of the front end of his machine and slid into the gravel. Kagayama was the unfortunate victim of Haga's crash, allowing James Toseland (Honda) to take the win, with Pitt promoted to third behind Troy Bayliss (Ducati). Race two was similar to the first, with the two red Yamahas racing into the lead. Haga set a new lap record on lap two, but both he and Pitt slipped back when their front tyres wore later in the race. That allowed Australians Troy Corser (Suzuki) and Troy Bayliss (Ducati) to fight out a dramatic last few laps, world champion Corser taking the flag after a slight error from his countryman. Haga held onto third by the narrowest of margins, crossing the line one thousandth of a second ahead of Toseland, with Pitt in fifth. Yamaha Motor France trio Norick Abe, Sebastien Gimbert and Shinichi Nakatomi had a tough start to the season but were able to record valuable points. Abe was forced to switch bikes for race one after finding a technical fault on the sighting lap. He came from dead last to finish 11th place, a performance he repeated in race two. Frenchman Gimbert scored three points for 14th and 15th places, while Nakatomi took 16th and 17th places in what were his first races outside his native Japan. After today's two exciting races, Bayliss leads the championship with 40 points to Corser and Toseland's 38. Pitt is fourth on 27 points, with Haga's 16 points in race two putting him seventh in the overall standings. Round two takes place at Australia's Phillip Island circuit next Sunday and if the racing proves half as good as that in Qatar then the fans are in for a treat. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "The second race was very close with Toseland. He passed me going into the chicane but I could not close the door as my tyres were gone. I was able to get into his slipstream though and thankfully my bike was quicker than his. The first race crash was 100 percent my fault. On the last lap every rider pushes hard and I just braked harder than before and I lose the front end. I crashed and I am sorry that my bike hit Yukio and made him crash too. I saw the 600 race and our friend Katsuaki Fujiwara also crashed there. Maybe it is special unlucky corner for Japanese riders!" Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I'm delighted to get that first podium and I can go to Australia a lot more relaxed now that I've reached that target. The overall package is just so much easier to ride this year and there's still a lot more potential in the bike. We've still got a bit of work to do in making our tyres last a bit longer because you could see both Nori and I were sliding around a bit at the end when the others still had a bit left. I went for a different front tyre in the second race, the same as the other guys had, and it definitely allowed me to run a lot more consistent lap times. We used the same rear though and I still lacked some side grip, so we will work on that and hopefully find some improvements in the coming races." Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "I had a broken bike in the warm up lap (of race one) so I had to use the spare machine and start form the back of the grid, so I had to work hard to get through. I changed my setting from first to second race, and the lap time was a bit better, better than qualifying. At this point I am happy but it was difficult to pass the top riders." Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "It was much better than last year, because I made many laps faster than before. Unfortunately I lost time at the start so my main work is to learn how to start well, because my lap times were not so bad." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "Compared to where we were this time last year we have improved a lot. Our riders led 21 of the 36 laps here this weekend and although we were not able to lead at the flag we were able to take a lot of confidence from the performances. I believe that our performances prove that the direction we are taking with the bike development is the right one and I am sure that we will see the benefits of this in the coming season. The whole team has done a fantastic job this weekend and the riders have repaid them with good results." Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France) "Some points, so not so bad for the first race of the year. Everyone came home OK in the races and we had only two sessions of dry set-up on a track we do not know so well. It was also more difficult for our beginner (Nakatomi) because of this." Race classification WSB Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 2' 0.061 (Noriyuki Haga, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 2' 0.061 (Noriyuki Haga, 2006) Race: 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 J. Toseland Honda GBR 35' 31.339 2 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS +0.088 3 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +2.390 4 T. Corser Suzuki AUS +2.599 5 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +6.999 6 A. Barros Honda BRA +14.717 7 R. Rolfo Ducati ITA +15.224 8 P. Chili Honda ITA +21.183 9 M. Borciani Ducati ITA +22.450 10 M. Neukirchner Ducati GER +23.932 11 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +24.816 12 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS +25.643 13 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA +29.139 14 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA +29.977 15 R. Xaus Ducati ESP +36.675 16 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN +37.495 21 T. Al Naimi Yamaha QAT +1 lap(s) Race 2: 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 36' 20.395 2 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS +1.025 3 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +3.462 4 J. Toseland Honda GBR +3.463 5 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +4.350 6 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +19.610 7 A. Barros Honda BRA +20.548 8 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +21.183 9 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS +23.198 10 R. Xaus Ducati ESP +26.533 11 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +26.854 12 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP +28.132 13 R. Rolfo Ducati ITA +28.135 14 M. Borciani Ducati ITA +34.176 15 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA +35.395 17 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN +50.906 21 T. Al Naimi Yamaha QAT +1 lap(s) Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 2' 0.061 Championship standings WSB Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 40 2 James Toseland Honda GBR 38 3 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 38 4 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 27 5 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 19 6 Alex Barros Honda BRA 19 7 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 16 8 Roberto Rolfo Ducati ITA 12 9 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 11 10 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 10 11 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 10 12 Marco Borciani Ducati ITA 9 13 Pierfrancesco Chili Honda ITA 8 14 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 7 15 Max Neukirchner Ducati GER 6 17 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 3 Manufacturers standings WSB Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Ducati 40 2 Suzuki 38 2 Honda 38 4 Yamaha 32 5 Kawasaki 7 WSS : Curtain second on R6 debut Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Date: 25 February 2006 Crowd: 1000 Temp: 30ºC Weather: Sunny Kevin Curtain gave the 2006 Yamaha YZF-R6 a promising debut, taking second place in today's opening world supersport round in Qatar. The Yamaha Motor Germany rider rode a cautious race to take the flag behind world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda). Although despite having only had 90 minutes dry weather practice at the circuit, Curtain was still able to run under lap record pace to start the season with 20 valuable points. Charpentier had made a good start to lead from the line and pull away in the opening laps, while the Australian rider endured some inimical moves from Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda). Curtain was able to break away from his young Turkish opponent, running several laps on record pace to close right up with the champion. But Charpentier was able to increase his pace and build a gap over Curtain, who decided discretion was the better part of valour. Unsure of the endurance of his front tyre, he decided to bring his R6 home in a safe second place, five seconds behind Charpentier but a similar distance ahead of third placed Sofuoglu. Curtain's team-mate Broc Parkes' Qatar outing was a short one, ending in the gravel on lap two. The Australian burnt the clutch out on the startline but continued anyway, only to be caught out by a lack of engine braking caused by the slipping clutch. The new R6 is powering the bulk of riders in this year's championship with Spanish privateer Javier Fores showing the potential of the machine with a fine fourth place. Italian riders Massimo Roccoli and Gianluca Vizziello also finished in the top 10 on their Lorenzini by Leoni entered R6s. Anthony Gobert's world supersport debut saw him end up 12th on the Yamaha GMT94 machine. Round two takes place in eight days' time at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia, Curtain and Parkes' home race. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) "We're not that far off for the first time in a race with the new bike. We have a little bit to go yet but I'm really happy we can just about match them, especially in top speed. It was close but not close enough. Sebastien ran a fast race today, and the opposition has shown that they are still strong this year. But I am happy that the new R6 has performed this well this quickly so it can only get even better. We didn't have much time in the dry and I wasn't sure if the front tyre could last the distance. In the end it was fine but I didn't want to risk a DNF at this stage. Now it's off to Phillip Island, where we've already tested and have a good set-up, so that's something to look forward to." Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) "I burned the clutch on the start line and I could feel that after a few corners it was not right, but I decided to continue anyway. As I went into one corner it was just slipping all the way, no engine braking at all, and then I ran into the gravel and couldn't save it. Of course, it's a disappointing start to the season but there's a long way to go and I'm looking forward to racing at Phillip Island next weekend." Javier Fores (SLM Racing) "I thought I would get fifth but then Fujiwara crashed, so it was a bonus to get fourth. I didn't know that there was a rider closing on me until near the end, but I managed to hold the gap to him. The bike was revving to the red line even in the top gears so I think we could have done something else with the gearing and gone even faster." Anthony Gobert (Yamaha GMT94) I struggled a bit at the start but once I got going and into the groove of it, it went better. There were so many things different today, the suspension, the gearing shorter and so on. By the time I had adjusted to the new settings I was 24th but then worked my way back up to 12th at the finish." Race classification WSS Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 2' 3.921 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 2' 3.921 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006) Race: 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 37' 30.955 2 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS +5.396 3 K. Sofuoglu Honda TUR +11.657 4 X. Fores Yamaha ESP +38.142 5 J. Stigefelt Honda SWE +39.168 6 K. Andersen Suzuki NOR +45.547 7 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA +47.631 8 C. Zaiser Ducati AUT +47.682 9 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA +48.575 10 J. Brookes Ducati AUS +49.814 11 S. Le Grelle Honda BEL +54.509 12 A. Gobert Yamaha AUS +54.702 13 W. De Angelis Honda ITA +57.362 14 T. Tunstall Honda GBR +1' 3.436 15 G. Nannelli Yamaha ITA +1' 5.482 16 D. Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL +1' 7.541 18 C. Peris Yamaha CAN +1' 14.340 19 M. Sanchini Yamaha ITA +1' 14.556 20 V. Ivanov Yamaha RUS +1' 14.876 21 A. Velini Yamaha ITA +1' 44.747 22 D. Garcia Yamaha ITA +1' 46.385 23 J. Enjolras Yamaha FRA +1' 46.500 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 2' 3.921 Championship standings WSS Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 25 2 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 20 3 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 16 4 Xavi Fores Yamaha ESP 13 5 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 11 6 Kai Borre Andersen Suzuki NOR 10 7 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 9 8 Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 8 9 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 7 10 Joshua Brookes Ducati AUS 6 11 Sebastien Le Grelle Honda BEL 5 12 Anthony Gobert Yamaha AUS 4 13 William De Angelis Honda ITA 3 14 Tom Tunstall Honda GBR 2 15 Gianluca Nannelli Yamaha ITA 1 Manufacturers standings WSS Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Honda 25 2 Yamaha 20 3 Suzuki 10 4 Ducati 8

WSB : Pitt on front row for Qatar opener Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Date: 24 February 2006 Temp: 30ºC Weather: Sunny Yamaha Motor Italia rider Andrew Pitt will start tomorrow's two 18-lap races from the front row of the grid after an impressive superpole lap saw him set the third fastest time. Team-mate Noriyuki Haga also put in a strong qualifying performance and will start from the second row, in sixth position. Rule changes for this season means that special soft qualifying tyres are not used during the two one-hour sessions, only in the one-lap superpole and preceding practice, Both the Yamaha riders looked strong during the morning qualifying session, occupying top five places on their race rubber and giving them optimism for tomorrow's races. Both riders took advantage of the latest R1's increased controllability to take their place at the head of the timesheets during qualifying, Pitt ultimately ending the one-hour session third and Haga in fifth. Both were able to find further improvements in the afternoon's free practice session, although a small mistake from Haga saw him go slightly slower on his grid-deciding superpole lap. Pitt however achieved his target of a personal best lap in superpole, his 2:00.110 being bettered only by factory Ducati team-mates Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi. Both riders have declared themselves happy with the race settings ahead of tomorrow's races, which could well be a close affair if today's times are anything to go by: just a second-and-a-half separates the top 13 riders from today's superpole session. The Yamaha Motor France squad had a tough day in Qatar with all three riders missing out on superpole. Fifth fastest in yesterday's wet qualifying, Losail lap record holder Sebastien Gimbert was again the fastest of the trio in combined qualifying, despite problems with his front brakes overheating during second qualifying. He will start the race from 18th on the grid after posting a best of 2:02.710. Team-mate Norick Abe will start one place further back after experiencing some problems with his favoured machine during the morning session. He was forced to switch to his spare machine during the morning session but found the set-up unsuited to the circuit. The third Yamaha Motor France rider, superbike debutant Shinichi Nakatomi, continued to learn both the circuit and his Pirelli-shod R1 retaining his 24th place from the overnight standings. All three riders were able to improve their lap times in the afternoon free practice session, although these would not count towards the grid position for tomorrow's races. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "It's always good to get a front row start, especially around here as it is pretty dirty off the racing line. The bike has been working really well. The team has worked hard just to make it that bit easier to ride. We've got a much better understanding of the bike this year and hopefully that can pay off with some good results." Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "The bike is working well here and I am looking forward to the races. I did my best qualifying lap on the soft race tyre and that seemed to work better for me than the qualifier I used in my superpole lap. Our race set-up is good and the times are close. I think we will have some great racing tomorrow." Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "It is disappointing miss out on superpole, especially considering I was on the front row here last year. I had a problem with the braking on my bike. The front discs were getting too hot and I couldn't brake as hard as I liked to." Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "In the morning session I had a technical problem with my number one bike. I switched to my number two machine but it had a different set-up and I could not go as fast as I like to. We went faster in the afternoon but by then it was too late to make the superpole." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "I am making improvements in each session but still I am learning the circuit. It has been difficult as there has not been much time to ride in the dry, but I am now looking forward to my first ever world superbike races." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "In the end the feedback we had from our test here last month has been confirmed. We were satisfied with the results of our test but we had been testing on our own. Today was our first time on the track with our rivals and I think we can confirm the improvements we have made over the winter. I'm pleased for Andrew getting on the front row, while Nori lost some time through a small mistake on his superpole lap. I think we can do a good job tomorrow. Andrew did a lot of laps on the race tyre today and was still able to put in good lap times while with Noriyuki the most important thing is that he has a good set-up. If he is happy with the bike then you know that he is capable of good results." Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 2' 1.852 (Sebastien Gimbert, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 2' 1.244 (Troy Corser, 2005) Date: 24 February 2006 Temp: 30ºC Session 2 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 2nd Qualifying Superpole 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 2' 17.326 2' 0.639 1' 59.696 2 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA 2' 26.171 2' 1.369 2' 0.028 3 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 2' 19.991 2' 0.818 2' 0.110 4 J. Toseland Honda GBR 2' 21.732 2' 1.692 2' 0.112 5 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 2' 19.614 2' 1.008 2' 0.206 6 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 2' 20.164 2' 1.314 2' 0.613 7 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 2' 21.234 2' 1.579 2' 0.895 8 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS 2' 21.152 2' 0.745 No time 9 S. Martin Petronas AUS 2' 21.505 2' 1.613 2' 0.940 10 A. Barros Honda BRA 2' 19.834 2' 1.953 2' 0.960 11 R. Rolfo Ducati ITA 2' 21.233 2' 2.020 2' 1.072 12 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 2' 19.684 2' 1.975 2' 1.137 13 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP 2' 20.469 2' 1.809 2' 1.155 14 P. Chili Honda ITA 2' 20.695 2' 1.781 2' 2.038 15 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA 2' 22.655 2' 2.437 2' 2.596 16 M. Borciani Ducati ITA 2' 21.778 2' 2.449 2' 3.150 18 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA 2' 19.687 2' 2.710 19 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 2' 20.720 2' 3.026 24 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 2' 24.788 2' 3.741 28 T. Al Naimi Yamaha QAT 2' 46.833 2' 9.934 WSS : Curtain third on Qatar grid Round: 1 - Qatar WSS Circuit: Losail Circuit Date: 24 February 2006 Temp: 23ºC Weather: Sunny Having never run the latest R6 at the Losail circuit, the Yamaha riders were disappointed to find wet conditions for yesterday's opening practice sessions - restricting their set-up time ahead of Saturday's 18 lap race. Dry conditions also meant that yesterday's world supersport qualifying times were redundant by the very first lap of today's session, although in the end the expected names would be topping the leaderboard. After ending yesterday's wet first session in second place, Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain again led the hordes of riders running the new YZF-R6. The multiple Australian champion, second in last year's series, recorded a 2:04.741 to end the day in third place despite crashing late in the session. Team-mate Broc Parkes will start tomorrow's race from the second row of the grid, in fifth place, after recording a best of 2:05.082. Spanish Yamaha privateer Xavi Fores of the SLM Racing team confirmed the R6's potential by recording the sixth fastest time, with Italian Gianluca Nannelli another R6 runner in the top ten. Reigning world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) will start tomorrow's race from pole position. His team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu starts alongside him with Katsuaki Fujiwara (Honda) completing the front row in fourth place. Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 2' 4.686 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 2' 3.747 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Date: 24 February 2006 Temp: 23ºC Session 1 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 2nd Qualifying 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 2' 27.755 2' 3.093 2 K. Sofuoglu Honda TUR 2' 21.890 2' 4.089 3 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS 2' 23.872 2' 4.741 4 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN 2' 27.615 2' 4.756 5 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS 2' 24.757 2' 5.082 6 X. Fores Yamaha ESP 2' 26.887 2' 5.415 7 K. Andersen Suzuki NOR 2' 25.853 2' 5.924 8 M. Berger Kawasaki FRA 2' 30.213 2' 5.994 9 G. Nannelli Yamaha ITA 2' 24.021 2' 6.183 10 B. Veneman Suzuki NED 2' 26.770 2' 6.227 11 C. Zaiser Ducati AUT 2' 26.945 2' 6.265 12 M. Sanchini Yamaha ITA 2' 26.670 2' 6.362 13 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA 2' 27.690 2' 6.447 14 W. De Angelis Honda ITA 2' 29.724 2' 6.647 15 C. Peris Yamaha CAN 2' 30.164 2' 6.734 16 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA 2' 29.666 2' 6.818 17 A. Gobert Yamaha AUS 2' 28.284 2' 6.872 26 D. Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 2' 30.832 2' 7.972 28 A. Velini Yamaha ITA 2' 30.150 2' 8.219 29 D. Garcia Yamaha ITA 2' 28.596 2' 8.921 30 V. Ivanov Yamaha RUS 2' 30.250 2' 9.142

Yamaha Fazer Owners Club The 2006 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer was designed for the all round rider who wants everything possible out of a 600 – the heart pumping fun of the R6-based fule injected engine, excellently responsive handling from the flawlessly tuned cast alloy frame and box section swingarm. The 2006 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer comes with a wide 180 cross section rear tyre, plus heaps of cool street style and everyday usability. The FZ6 mixes it all up for an exhilarating ride anytime, anywhere. Whether you have an owner of a 2003 Yamaha Fazer FZ6 600, or an owner 2005 FZS Fazer 600 this is a fun club to be a member of. Why don’t you let us know all about your new Yamaha Fazer at our Fazer Owners Club Forums. Here are the Yamaha Fazer 600 Owners Club Forums 2006 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer Technical specificationsEngine Engine type 4-stroke, forward-inclined, in-line 4-cylinder, DOHC, 16 valves Engine cooling Liquid cooled Displacement 600cc Bore x stroke 65.5 x 44.5mm Compression ratio 12.2:1 Maximum power 72kW (98 HP) @ 12,000rpm Maximum torque 63.1Nm (6.4 kg-m) @ 10,000rpm Lubrication system Wet sump Carbutator Grouped injected fuel injection Clutch type Wet, multiple-disc Ignition system TCI Starter system Electric Transmission system Constant mesh, 6-speed Final transmission Chain Fuel tank capacity 19.4 litres (3.6 litres) Oil tank capacity 3.4 litres Chassis Front suspension system Telescopic fork Front travel 130mm Rear suspension system Swingarm (Linkless type Monocross) Rear travel 130mm Front brake Double discs, Ø 298mm Rear brake Single disc, Ø 245mm Front tyre 120/70 ZR17 (58W) Rear tyre 180/55 ZR17 (73W) Dimensions Length (mm) 2,095mm Width (mm) 755mm Height (mm) 1,085mm Seat height (mm) 795mm Wheel base (mm) 1,440mm Minimum ground clearance (mm) 130mm Dry weight (kg) 180 kg So why not choose the Yamaha Owners Club to be your new Fazer Owners Club!

WSB : Yamaha makes a positive start at wet Qatar Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Date: 23 February 2006 Temp: 22ºC Weather: Wet Yamaha Motor Italia riders Andrew Pitt and Noriyuki Haga got their seasons underway by posting the seventh and eighth fastest times in today's first qualifying session for round one of the 2006 Superbike World Championship at the Losail circuit in Qatar. For the second year in a row, riders arrived at the Losail circuit to find themselves faced with a wet opening practice, ironic considering that the country's annual rainfall is less than 130mm per year. The rain stopped prior to the timed afternoon session and, although the track was to dry out in places the Yamaha Motor Italia riders opted to save their tyre allocation and run just one set of wet-weather tyres each throughout the day. Having tested at the circuit just over two weeks ago, Haga sat out of the wet morning free practice session with Pitt completing just a handful of laps. With teams restricted to just nine front and 13 rear tyres throughout the weekend, the squad decided to preserve their rubber allocation for tomorrow's expected dry session. Even so, both riders were able get their first feel of the 2006-version YZF-R1 in wet conditions and carry out further work on the new engine management system. Yamaha Motor France rider Sebastien Gimbert, fastest of the 17 riders who ventured out in the soaked morning practice, continued his record strong performances around the Middle Eastern venue in today's opening practice. The Losail lap record holder ended the day in fifth position and keen to replicate the front row start he gained in Qatar last year during tomorrow's superpole session. Team-mate Norick Abe took no risks to end the day in 12th place while Shinichi Nakatomi was probably the rider most badly affected by the morning wash out. One of seven championship rookies this year, the Japanese newcomer is one of only three riders never to have ridden at the Losail circuit. The 27-year-old clocked 35 laps over the two sessions, making him the day's most active rider. He ended the day 24th in the overnight standings. Former world champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati) was the fastest man on track today, setting a 2:17.326 lap late in the session. Regis Laconi (Kawasaki) was second on 2:19.064 with Pitt and Haga less than a second behind, recording 2:19.991 and 2:20.164 respectively. Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "This has been a good track for me in the past. I was on the front row here last year and also got the lap record, so I know that I can be strong. I am usually quite good in these wet conditions but I hope that it is dry tomorrow and we can get a good setting for the race." Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "We learned a lot today. This year's bike is definitely much better to ride in the wet (compared to last year's version) and we were able to work on the electronics again today and make some further improvements there. If the session had gone on for another 10 minutes then we could have gone out on intermediates but as it was we just used the one set of tyres for the morning and afternoon sessions. Even with a fresh set of wets I could have gone quicker but we didn't want to use up a set of tyres unnecessarily." Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "We did what we could to improve the bike in the conditions but really I wanted it to be dry today. We already have a base from our test here but I want to work a little bit more on improving the set-up and choosing our tyre for the race." Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "Twelfth is neither bad nor good, in fact it's not really important. Tomorrow the conditions will change and everyone will go faster, so today I treated qualifying as a warm-up session for my body and to get a feel for riding the bike again." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "Today is my first visit to this circuit so I had to make as many laps as possible to learn the layout. I hope that it is dry tomorrow and we can make some faster lap times." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "Overall it has been a positive day for us. We had no problems and both riders are happy with the bike in wet conditions. We decided not to use up any more of our tyre allocation than necessary in these conditions. Hopefully it will be dry tomorrow and we can work on finding the best tyres for the race. Pirelli has brought along one option which is new to us, so we must try this out in the dry." Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 2' 1.852 (Sebastien Gimbert, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 2' 1.244 (Troy Corser, 2005) Date: 23 February 2006 Temp: 22ºC Session 1 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 2' 17.326 2 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA 2' 19.064 3 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 2' 19.614 4 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 2' 19.684 5 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA 2' 19.687 6 A. Barros Honda BRA 2' 19.834 7 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 2' 19.991 8 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 2' 20.164 9 F. Battiani Kawasaki ITA 2' 20.200 10 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP 2' 20.469 11 P. Chili Honda ITA 2' 20.695 12 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 2' 20.720 13 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS 2' 21.152 14 R. Rolfo Ducati ITA 2' 21.233 15 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 2' 21.234 16 M. Neukirchner Ducati GER 2' 21.491 24 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 2' 24.788 29 T. Al Naimi Yamaha QAT 2' 46.833 WSS : Three R6s provisional front row at rainy Qatar Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Date: 23 February 2006 Temp: 19ºC Weather: Wet Yamaha riders occupied three of the top four places in today's wet first qualifying session for Saturday's opening round of the Supersport World Championship. With rain falling just before the start of the 45-minute session, riders remained cautious in the wet and humid conditions - valuing circuit and machine time ahead of ultimate speed. Despite taking it easy, Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain found himself at the top of the leader board until the dying moments of the session, when young Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) pushed hard to set a time almost two seconds quicker than his opponents. Curtain remained second by the chequered flag with another R6 rider, Gianluca Nannelli of the new Kopron Edo Racing squad third. Curtain's team-mate Broc Parkes completed the provisional front row on a promising start to what will be the third generation YZF-R6's first competitive race meeting. Final qualifying for Saturday's race takes place tomorrow and, with improved weather forecast, today's times are expected to be irrelevant in deciding the final grid. Round: 1 - Qatar Circuit: Losail Circuit Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 2' 4.686 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 2' 3.747 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Date: 23 February 2006 Temp: 19ºC Session 1 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 1 K. Sofuoglu Honda TUR 2' 21.890 2 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS 2' 23.872 3 G. Nannelli Yamaha ITA 2' 24.021 4 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS 2' 24.757 5 K. Andersen Suzuki NOR 2' 25.853 6 M. Sanchini Yamaha ITA 2' 26.670 7 B. Veneman Suzuki NED 2' 26.770 8 X. Fores Yamaha ESP 2' 26.887 9 C. Zaiser Ducati AUT 2' 26.945 10 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN 2' 27.615 11 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA 2' 27.690 12 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 2' 27.755 13 A. Gobert Yamaha AUS 2' 28.284 14 J. Brookes Ducati AUS 2' 28.508 15 D. Thomas Kawasaki AUS 2' 28.542 16 D. Garcia Yamaha ITA 2' 28.596 20 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA 2' 29.666 23 A. Velini Yamaha ITA 2' 30.150 24 C. Peris Yamaha CAN 2' 30.164 26 V. Ivanov Yamaha RUS 2' 30.250 27 D. Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 2' 30.832

Round 1: Losail, Qatar Track length: 5400m Opened: 2004 Fastest superbike lap: 2:01.244 (Troy Corser, Suzuki) Lap record: 2:01.852 (Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha) Last year's winners: Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama (both Suzuki) The 2006 Superbike World Championship gets underway this weekend at the Losail circuit in Qatar with Yamaha Motor Italia looking to build on a race-winning debut season in 2005. Having tested twice at the Middle Eastern circuit during the winter break, riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt are more than familiar with the characteristics of the modern 5.4km circuit. The team has worked hard over the winter to increase the competitiveness of the YZF-R1. Most of the focus has gone into improving traction and rideability of the bikes over race distance. The new engine management system from Magneti Marelli has been well received by the riders, who commented on the improved power delivery and engine braking characteristics. "I'm happy with the bike," explains Pitt. "The R1 is really feeling more comfortable now and it's about evolution as much as anything else. Everything is looking good, we made some good progress at our December test in Qatar and I think that the team is well equipped to take on any problems that arise. The important thing is that I have a lot of confidence in the bike and that I really enjoy riding it now. The new electronics make it much easier to ride and we've pretty much found a good set-up for the race. The main thing we need to work on is finding a front tyre that will do the race distance. That was our big problem here last year, although it was our first race with the R1 and hopefully it won't be a problem this year." Having won two races and having outscored eventual champion Troy Corser over the second half of last year, Haga will undoubtedly be among the favourites for the 2006 title. It's a challenge the popular Japanese rider is relishing as he looks to win the title that has so far eluded him. "I don't feel any pressure," he says. "It is hard for me to say if I can win the title or not because we have still not tested with our rivals. We have made some good tests in Qatar and the bike is stronger than last year. It looks like Yamaha has been able to make the improvements I asked for at the end of last year so for now I am happy with progress. It is still my target to win the title. Every year I am close: second position, fourth position, third position... but never number one. I will always try my best at each race but only when we race with the others can I know how strong we are. All I can say now is that the championship is the one thing that I have never achieved. Every year I always go in with the attitude and focus to win it and this year is no different." Yamaha will be represented by a second distributor-backed squad in 2006. Yamaha Motor France will enter a three-rider team with Japanese rider Shinichi Nakatomi joining the incumbent Norick Abe and Sebastien Gimbert for his world superbike debut. In the world supersport race, Yamaha riders will make up the lion's share of the grid, with 15 riders aiming for glory on the new YZF-R6. Expected to lead the Yamaha charge is the officially-supported Yamaha Motor Germany squad of Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes. The Australians were consistently among the front runners in the 2005 campaign and despite the early start to the season the German squad is as well prepared as possible, having tested successfully with the new bike at Valencia and Phillip Island.

Yamaha GMT94 has signed Australian rider Anthony Gobert to ride its YZF-R6 in the opening rounds of the Supersport World Championship. The eight-time world superbike race winner will substitute for the injured David Checa. Checa crashed in testing last week and broke his arm, forcing him out of the opening races in Qatar and Australia. After undergoing a successful operation on Friday the Spaniard is expected to return to the saddle by the end of March, leaving the team needing a replacement rider for the opening two races. Gobert, who celebrates his 31st birthday on the day of the Phillip Island race, rocketed onto the world superbike scene at the end of the 1994 campaign - taking pole position and a win at the Australian round. After three years in the championship 'The Go-Show' moved to 500cc Grands Prix before returning to the world superbike series in which he made his name in 2000. His win on the underpowered Bimota, again at Phillip Island, was as memorable as the race six years earlier and showed his undoubted natural talent as he won by almost 30 seconds in a wet race. His last world championship outing came in October 2000 when he rode a Yamaha YZF-R7 at Brands Hatch. In the intervening years he faced well-documented personal problems while racing in American and Australian national championships, but Anthony says he is fit and ready to race in what will be his debut world championship supersport races. "I'm really happy to have the opportunity to get back into the world series with a good team and bike," he said. "I took a few years out to work out what I wanted to do and I've realized that it is to get back into racing. I raced in Australia last year and it looked like I might be doing that again, until this offer came to ride in the first few races. At first I was approached for the Phillip Island race but I really wanted some time on the bike beforehand, so the team invited me along to Qatar as well. "The first race will really be a test for us. I raced supersport for Yamaha US in 2001 and 2002 but the bikes have changed a lot since then. It's a new track, team, tyres and bike for me and I haven't ridden for five months, so the goal in Qatar to get a good set-up and hopefully a top ten. If we can get into the groove in Qatar then there's no reason why we can't be aiming at the top five in Phillip Island." Round one of the Supersport World Championship takes place at the Losail circuit in Qatar this Saturday with round two at Phillip Island taking place eight days later.

Yamaha GMT94 rider David Checa will miss the opening rounds of the 2006 Supersport World Championship after breaking his wrist in a testing accident on Wednesday. The Spaniard had only completed a few laps at the Albacete circuit in his homeland when he crashed the YZF-R1 he is due to race at the Le Mans and Bol d'Or 24 hours endurance races alongside his supersport commitments. "David is very disappointed," commented team owner Christophe Guyot. "He can't understand why he lost the bike but he has kept his iron will. He knows that even if he has to miss a few races there will be a lot more opportunities to prove how well he can race with GMT throughout the season." With doctors recommending a four-week lay-off, Checa will miss the Qatar and Australian rounds of the Supersport World Championship, due to take place on February 25 and March 5 respectively. David is planning to return to the saddle for the Le Mans 24 hours race on 22-23 April. As this clashes with round three of the Supersport World Championship, Checa's first race outing on the R6 is expected to be at the Monza race on May 7.

Rain interrupts Camel Yamaha Team test on Rossi's birthday Bad weather again today meant that track time for Yamaha duo Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards was severely limited on their last day of testing in Sepang. The riders were unable to complete their planned long-runs but Rossi, who turned 27 today, made the most of the inactivity and celebrated with a large birthday cake in the team garage. Despite the rain the riders declared the test valuable and now head back to Europe looking forward to the final stages of preparation, before the first race in Jerez on 26th March. With track conditions patchy throughout the day, times were slightly slower across the board than yesterday. Rossi and Edwards only completed 34 and 28 laps respectively, Rossi setting the second fastest time of 2'02.06 and Edwards the fourth fastest with a lap of 2'02.33. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) was quickest in a time of 2'01.92. The Camel Yamaha Team now return home for a short holiday before they reconvene at the Montmelo circuit, outside Barcelona, for the Official MotoGP Tests on 3rd, 4th and 5th March. Valentino Rossi (2'02.06, 34 Laps) "27 years is quite a lot and I am definitely getting old, although most of the time I still feel like I am only 16! Today we couldn't do much because of the weather but overall it's been a very interesting test. I am especially happy because we have made some good progress to solve the problem with the vibration. We have some new data now and we understand better why it's happening, and how to finally fix it. We're not yet at 100% and I think we can go faster, but I am feeling confident. Before the Jerez GP we might receive a small improvement for the engine, and hopefully we will have a bit more power. The test in Barcelona isn't so important for us but the final one in Jerez is very useful, as it's just a week before the first race and the conditions will be similar. Now we're close to the start of the season and it's already becoming clear who the main challengers will be; Melandri and Pedrosa especially are looking very fast and it also seems like Ducati are strong. I think it's going to be a very exciting year with some wonderful races!" Colin Edwards (2'02.33, 28 Laps) "Today was a bit of a wash-out for me! This morning we only tested a couple of tyres and then it looked like it might rain, so we decided to get started on our long run. Unfortunately I only had time for my warm-up and half a lap before it rained, so that was kind of it for the day! Anyway it's been a good test, we've learned a lot more about the bike and we've been able to try quite a lot of new things which seem to make sense. We're definitely not chasing our tails anymore and the bike is better than it was on Tuesday when we started; that's the most important thing. In general the new bike is great, pretty much everything is better than last year and now I am just counting down the days to the start of the season." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director We have concluded our overseas testing sessions and now we're going back to Europe for the final two tests. The conditions in Barcelona won't help us so much with the bike development but anyway we will try to make the most of it. The important test will be Jerez, which will be the final opportunity for some key preparation before the first race. At the moment we still have a small problem to solve with vibration but apart from that everything is going well. Now we have to work in cooperation with Michelin to find the best combination between the new bike and the new tyres, because both have great potential." The Yamaha Tech 3 outfit again surprised with very competitive times of Carlos Checa, who seems to have made the chance to Yamaha and Dunlop effortlessly. Yamaha debutant James Ellison however could not progress on the strong last day test results he achieved in Qatar. He will need some time to digest the input of the last tests to recalibrate himself for the Barcelona IRTA test starting on March 3. Carlos Checa (2'02.66) "The times have been really good this week and I am quite happy and surprised with the progress we have made so far. We didn't know what would happen coming here after the good first test we made in Qatar and we were prepared to have some problems, but things have been better than we expected and I am happy. The new bike is excellent, as I said before, and now we're starting to understand more about the tyres with Dunlop and how to work together with what we have. We have tried quite a lot of new things with Dunlop this week and there are some good improvements; we have found much better grip here which is helping me to have more confidence. "Anyway despite all this and the times we have set, I don't want to be overconfident or to start to think that things are going to be easy. We have only done two tests and, although the initial signs are good, we can't afford to relax. We have a lot of work to do and a long way to go. The conditions here have been quite strange and now we go to Barcelona, which is a very different track and with much colder weather. Let's wait and see what happens there. Of course it's my home track so it's always nice for me to ride there, but we have a lot of hard work ahead of us so I won't let anything distract me." James Ellison (2'05.70) "This test has really been one that I would like to forget! We started with the settings we had in Qatar because everything felt good there, but they were a mile off for this track so we gradually started to go back to what we had here in January. We got the times back to what they were then but I couldn't go any faster. My riding style is all wrong for here, comparing the data with Carlos' it's clear that I am still carrying way to much corner speed - a hang-over from my Superbike days - and I am having a real problem to make the change. I need to be running in fast on the brakes, stopping the bike, turning it and then firing it out, but it's not easy at this circuit, which I find very difficult. The encouraging thing is that I have been losing all my time on just three corners, so if I can crack my corner style, which I know I can, then I believe I can start to be more in touch with Carlos. "We've been pretty unlucky with the weather as well. Most of the time I spent on the old tyres, and then when we put some new stuff in yesterday it immediately started to rain! Exactly the same thing happened today; we tried some of the good tyres and the grip was much better straight away, but then we needed to change the bike at the front and as soon as we did that it started to rain again. "Anyway, I think I've just been thinking about everything too much! Now I am going to go home and spend some time mountain-biking - my second passion after riding motorcycles and my best form of training. I hope that I can clear my head a bit and go to Barcelona in a new frame of mind. I think I just need to just go there, ride the bike, trust in my ability a little bit and stop trying to think about too many things at once! I really like Barcelona so I hope it will be a big improvement there." Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "We are really happy and pleasantly surprised with the performance of Carlos this week. He was fast in Qatar, but it was only the first test and we knew that Qatar has always been a good track for Dunlop. We didn't know what would happen here, since Sepang has always been one of the more difficult tracks for Dunlop. Anyway, Carlos has been fast all week and it's looking very promising, we're very pleased with the situation with him. We certainly didn't expect this level of results that quickly so well done to Yamaha, Dunlop and Carlos for the work they've done together in a short space of time. "With James things have been more difficult and we haven't made as much progress as we had hoped. He's done a lot of laps but we haven't been able to find the right way forward for him. This is a difficult track for him and I think, after three tests here, he needs a break and a change of scenery. I hope that a bit of time to rest now will help him so that we can make a new start in Barcelona. "Overall it's been an important test and once again we've learned a lot. We also got the chance to do a couple of runs in the rain which was good. The most important thing is that we're leaving with bikes and riders in good shape for the tests in Spain and we're looking forward to the start of the season." Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, 2'01.92 2. Valentino Rossi(ITA) Yamaha, 2'02.06 3. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki, 2'02.20 4. Colin Edwards(USA) Yamaha, 2'02.33 5. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 2'02.34 6. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki, 2'02.47 7. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati, 2'02.65 8. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha, 2'02.66 9. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda, 2'02.70 10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, 2'02.86 11. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Honda, 2'02.87 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 2'03.00 13. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda, 2'03.64 14. Alex Hofmann (GER) Ducati, 2'04.18 15. Kenny Roberts (USA) KR Honda, 2'04.30 16. Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) Ducati, 2'04.82 17. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha, 2'05.70 Sepang Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 2'02.993 Sepang Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 2'01.731 Ambient temperature: 33 degrees Track temperature: 48 degrees Humidity: 74%

Rain shower calls early halt to second day of Sepang test Work ended early for Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards today when day two of the Camel Yamaha Team's Sepang Test was cut short by a mid-afternoon rainstorm. The Team spent the morning working on different settings and testing tyres with Michelin, looking to eliminate the vibration that the riders have been experiencing lately, before the rain came down after lunch. Both riders ventured out in the wet on the 2006-spec M1, the first time they have been able to see the performance of the new bike in these conditions, but the track soon started to dry out in patches and they decided to call it a day after just a few laps. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) set the fastest time of the day with a lap of 2'01.80, followed by Loris Capirossi (Ducati, 2'01.87). Rossi, who celebrates his 27th birthday tomorrow, was close behind him with a time of 2'01.89 after 47 laps, whilst team-mate Edwards completed 57 laps and set the seventh fastest time with a lap of 2'02.20. The Camel Yamaha Team has one final day of testing remaining tomorrow. Valentino Rossi (2'01.89, 47 Laps) "This morning we did quite a lot of laps and we were quite fast and consistent, so I was happy. We worked very well with Michelin and with one or two new tyres that they brought we made some good improvements to the vibration. Unfortunately in the afternoon it rained and we couldn't go on as we wished. We made a few laps in the rain just to see how the new bike was in the wet; we had some new things to try with the electronic mapping in these conditions, but we needed more time. After a few laps the track started to dry and then with the conditions half wet and half dry, we had to stop. Tomorrow we might do a long run and we will also continue with the work we started today." Colin Edwards (2'02.20, 57 Laps) "The weather was a real disappointment today because we had a lot of work to do and we weren't able to complete as many laps as we had hoped. Anyway in the morning we concentrated on a new front fork setting and generally played around, looking for some improvements to the chatter issue. We didn't have enough time to do everything but we definitely made some steps in the right direction. We tested a couple of tyres for Michelin but then the rain came down. We did a few laps in the rain, just to check some settings and try out a couple of new things for Yamaha, and everything seemed okay in that area. Tomorrow we're going to get started nice and early as we've got a lot still to do; I really hope the weather is better!" Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Unfortunately the rain stopped us from completing all the work we wanted to do, but anyway we tried to use these conditions as best we could to check some things with the new bike. Tomorrow is our final day of testing in warm conditions before we return to Europe and we have to try to use all the time we have available to us." Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki, 2'01.80 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, 2'01.87 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 2'01.89 4. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 2'01.90 5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda, 2'01.93 6. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha, 2'02.06 7. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, 2'02.20 8. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki, 2'02.37 9. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda, 2'02.62 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 2'02.65 11. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Honda, 2'02.66 12. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati, 2'02.87 13. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, 2'02.93 14. Kenny Roberts (USA) KR Honda, 2'02.95 15. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 2'03.18 16. Alex Hofmann (GER) Ducati, 2'04.23 17. Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) Ducati, 2'04.65 18. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha, 2'05.08 Sepang Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 2'02.993 Sepang Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 2'01.731 Ambient temperature: 31 degrees Track temperature: 45 degrees Humidity: 74%

Camel Yamaha Team returns to Sepang for final 'winter' test Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards began their last three-day test in Sepang today, where they rejoined the rest of the MotoGP grid at the popular Malaysian venue. Fresh from their test in Qatar last week, Rossi and Edwards completed more valuable development work with the 2006-spec YZR-M1, both finishing the day in the top five on the unofficial time sheets. Focusing almost entirely on ironing out the small vibration problems they have been suffering from lately, fast lap times were not the aim of the day for the Yamaha pair. Despite this however, Rossi and Edwards were on the pace and well inside lap record time. Edwards was third behind Marco Melandri (Honda, 2'01.66) and Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 2'01.89) with a best lap of 2'02.00 from 54 laps whilst Rossi, who also completed 54 laps, was fifth with a time of 2'02.20. Colin Edwards (2'02.00, 54 Laps) "It was seriously hot out there today and pretty exhausting! Today we concentrated on fixing the little bit of chatter we've had and played around with some front fork settings, just trying to dial it in. We made some good progress and we have a new front-end setting to try in the morning; we hope that this will be the final key. Honestly we didn't really concentrate much on lap times but it seems that they came anyway, so I'm pretty happy! The bike already feels even better than it did here in January, the new stuff we have from both Yamaha and Michelin is great and after Qatar I am feeling really confident, especially with the front-end. It's all going well so hopefully we can make the final steps we need over the next two days." Valentino Rossi (2'02.20, 54 Laps) "Today we worked almost entirely on trying to solve the vibration problems that we have had. We changed many things, tried various different settings and collected a lot of important information throughout the day. Now we are looking forward to using all this information over the next two days and we are confident that we are close to fixing the problem. Once we've been able to fix it, we will be able to use this bike to its full potential. Yamaha has done a great job and the potential of this bike is very high, it's a big improvement to last year's M1 and I am sure that once we've solved this one remaining issue, things will be very good." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Of course fixing this vibration is now our main focus and today we worked a lot with the entire team to try to find the right way forward. We had great cooperation between the two riders and both crews, exchanging information and experience and this is very important for the team's progress. We've been working on data collection today and we will continue tomorrow, trying some new things and gathering more information to help us. We've already done many days testing with this new bike and mostly it's going very well, now we have two more days here to continue with our improvement." Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2'01.66 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2'01.89 3. Colin Edwards(USA) Yamaha 2'02.00 4. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2'02.15 5. Valentino Rossi(ITA) Yamaha 2'02.20 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2'02.64 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.75 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2'02.86 9= Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha 2'03.40 9= Casey Stoner (AUS) Honda 2'03'40 11. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati 2'03.51 12. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2'03.52 13. Kenny Roberts (USA) KR Honda 2'03.58 14. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Honda 2'03.66 15. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki 2'04.02 16. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1'04.10 17. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 2'05.40 18. Jose Luis Cardosa (SPA) Ducati 2'05.81 19. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha 2'05.90 Sepang Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 2'02.993 Sepang Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 2'01.73 Ambient temperature: 37 degrees Track temperature: 54 degrees Humidity: 79%

With a second place and two heat wins Stefan Everts claimed victory for the third consecutive time in the Starcross di Mantova race in Italy. Riding in perfect harmony with his new aluminum framed Yamaha YZ450FM, the nine times world champion from Belgium opened the 2006 motocross season in the best possible way. In the first heat Everts had to give in to Sebastian Tortelli, the French MX250 world champion of 1998 who returned from the US to campaign the 2006 MX1 world championship. In the other two heats Tortelli experienced bike trouble and could not prevent Everts claiming the other two heat wins. Other then Tortelli in the first heat there were no other riders to really challenge Everts. Unfortunately this also the case for Stefan's teammate Cédric Melotte who was not yet able to go all the way, due to a wrist injury that needs more time to heal. Stefan Everts obviously was pleased with his season opener; "It is always nice to start the season with a victory. It was a pleasant surprise because it was impossible to tell how the race would go by looking at the qualifying results. Saturday and this morning I did not have a very good feeling with the track because the surface was still frozen, which makes the racing rather unpredictable. In the end everything went okay, the track started to soften throughout the day and thankfully my bike was in excellent condition. We will have to do more racing to find the perfect setting for the machine, but we are progressing well." On the other hand Stefan's teammate Cédric Melotte needs to further nurture his injury to arrive at full race fitness; "After my wrist operation in September I started practicing again mid December with the bike, but still I have too much pressure on my wrist. I have tried some pain killers and it did feel better, but I do not prefer to take any unnecessary risks, I simply have to think of the world championship. I will try to enter the international race in Pernes-les-Fontaines or Hawkstone Park to see how my wrist will hold." The Italian David Philippaerts won the MX2 class, while Yamaha supported rider Aigar Leok (Van Beers Yamaha) made an impressive start of the year, classifying fifth overall, with fifth, sixth and seventh position heat finishes. Davide Guarneri of Yamaha Team Ricci ended the day dramatically by crashing at the start of the third heat in a spill with several other riders. Two retirements of teammate Kenneth Gundersen were a disappointment for the Norwegian, who qualified in first position." Kenneth Gundersen has positive outlook on the season ahead, despite the fact that he and his bike are not yet 100%:"I am satisfied with this first race, considering the fact that we had some problems with the front fork. Even though we still have to improve things further I am still very happy with the performance of the YZ250F. My riding technique has to further improve too over the next few months, but this should come when my knees get better, at the moment they are not yet 100% recovered. The world championship start is still two months away and I expect to be completely ready by then. Despite crashing in the third heat Davide Guarneri was able to make a good judgment of his bike and competitors; "I wanted to race here to have a good practice session before the start of the season and to judge the level of my competitors. We rode with the new suspension and other new parts on the bike and I'm rather pleased with my results. I expected that the others would go a bit faster, but I found it quite easy to match the pace of the leaders. It was a shame I crashed during the start of the third heat, brake problems forced me to retire from the race." MX1 Overall result 1. Everts (Yamaha); 2. Strijbos (Suzuki); 3. Garcia Vico (Honda); 4. Ramon (Suzuki); 5. Leok(Kawasaki); 6. Salvini (Suzuki); 7. Sword (Kawasaki); 8. Jorgensen (Honda); 9. Beggi (Honda); 10. Correia (Suzuki); 11. Tortelli (KTM); 12. Verhoeven (Kawasaki); 13. Kovalainen(Honda); 14. Parshin (Suzuki); 15. Teybers (Suzuki). MX2 Overall result 1. Philippaerts (KTM); Rattray (KTM); 3. Meo (Honda); 4. Goncalves (KTM); 5. Leok A. (Yamaha); 6. Lombrici (KTM); 7. Pellegrini (Suzuki); 8. Guarneri (Yamaha); 9. Baima Besquet (Honda); 10. Boscolo (KTM); 12. Gundersen (Yamaha).

The Yamaha Motor Italia World Superbike Team today announces a three-year sponsorship agreement with Santander Consumer Bank Italy, the leading consumer credit bank in the automotive industry. The deal will see the YZF-R1 machines ofrun in the red and white corporate colours of the financial giant, which also works with Yamaha Motor Italia as a partner in the Yamaha Credit System - a finance programme available to Yamaha's Italian customers facilitating the purchase of their machines. Santander Consumer Bank is part of the Gruppo Santander, the leading financial institution in Spain and one of the top ten international banks in the world. Gruppo Santander operates in 46 countries with 10,000 franchises servicing 59 million clients, with more than 126,000 employees. Santander Consumer Bank (SCB) is an important contributor to the success of the group. In Italy, SCB achieved much of its business success developing financial products for the automotive industry. Laurens Klein Koerkamp - Yamaha Motor Europe, Racing Division "We're pleased to have secured a three-year partnership with Santander Consumer Bank. It is a very positive development that such a leading financial company values the marketing potential of motorcycle racing, and following their existing relationship with Yamaha Motor Italia this partnership is a perfect fit for us and a valuable new contribution to world superbike racing as a whole. Superbike is all about racing production machines which can be bought in our dealerships and this sponsor also has a strong presence in Yamaha's Italian dealerships providing financial services to our customers. I am sure it will be a very fruitful relationship giving our team the opportunity to further improve its competiveness, while Santander will surely raise their public profile in and outside the motorcycle population." Mauro Viotto - C.E.O. of Santander Consumer Bank Italy "For us the partnership with Yamaha Motor Italia is very important from a commercial point of view. For many years we have been developing products, services and operations tailored for automotive partners. We want to support Yamaha Motor Italia and its dealer network with all these tools and with new ones that we will be developing following their needs through the Yamaha Credit System. We've already reached the lead between independent companies in the whole automotive market. Our aim is to increase our market share in motorcycle financing, in order to expand our existing leadership based largely upon consumer credit within the car segment. We think that the sponsorship of the Yamaha Motor Italia World Superbike Team will strengthen our relationship with the Yamaha dealer network, enabling us to reach our business goals together."

The Camel Yamaha Team finished their third day of testing at the Losail International Circuit with the track to themselves today, all other teams having begun testing one day earlier and finished yesterday. Alone on the track, Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were quickly able to complete the remaining Michelin tyre work they needed to do, before concluding the test with long runs in the afternoon. Neither Rossi nor Edwards improved on their times from yesterday of 1'56.53 and 1'56.81 respectively, and these remain the fastest times from the three days of testing. However both riders still lapped under lap record pace today, Rossi setting a best time of 1'56.78 after 49 laps and Edwards 1'57.07 from 57 laps. The Yamaha riders and team members now have a five day break before they rejoin the rest of the MotoGP paddock for the final 'winter' test in Sepang, Malaysia on 14th, 15th and 16th February. Valentino Rossi (1'56.78, 49 Laps) "Today was not quite as good as the last two days, mainly because the condition of the track was slightly worse and we didn't have such good grip. I think that last night there was a lot of wind and with only two bikes on the track today it wasn't enough to clean the surface properly. Anyway we continued to work, did our long run and found out some more information about the new M1 in different conditions. We have some vibrations and our top priority now is to find a way to fix this; I hope we can do that in Sepang. Anyway, in general this has been a good test and we have made some more improvements. The times have been quite good and we've done some important work with Michelin. Now I go home for a few days to rest before we start again in Sepang next week." Colin Edwards (1'57.07, 57 Laps) "Overall I am really happy with this test and I am looking forward to the season ahead. I am especially pleased with the setting of the bike, which we seem to be improving all the time. Both Yamaha and Michelin have worked really hard over the winter and, together with the new tyres, we've got a really good package. My long run was not bad this afternoon and the encouraging thing was that my times were consistent, even later on as the tyres started to go off slightly in the heat. It's difficult to compare to last year's race since the conditions are so different, but this year's Qatar race is only two months away now, so we hope that the work we've done at this test will put us in a good starting position for that weekend. The general progress of the bike has been great over just two tests this year so now we will hopefully be able to keep working like this in Sepang next week." Davinde Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It was interesting to come here in very good conditions and we got some good information which we can work on for the start of the season. It's good to now go immediately to Sepang to check again the settings that we found there at the first test in January. Sepang is the last really important test for us before the start of the season." Unofficial Lap Times: Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 1'56.78 Colin Edwards(USA) Yamaha, 1'57.07 Qatar Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 1'57.903 Qatar Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 1'56.917 Ambient temperature: 28.1 degrees Track temperature: 44.0 degrees Humidity: 50.3%

Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards continued the good work they began yesterday with a second day at the top of the time sheets at the desert circuit of Losail, Qatar today. Spending the majority of the day testing tyres for Michelin, Rossi and Edwards completed 60 and 76 laps respectively on their 2006-spec YZR-M1s. Rossi was once again fastest, setting a best lap of 1'56.53 with Edwards close behind him with a time of 1'56.81. Yamaha Tech 3 rider Carlos Checa was third fastest, according to the unofficial lap times, setting a time of 1'56.95. The Camel Yamaha Team will continue for one final day of testing tomorrow whilst Yamaha Tech 3, Suzuki and the Kawasaki and Ducati test teams have finished their Qatar testing today. Valentino Rossi (1'56.53, 60 Laps) "We managed many laps today, everything went very well and I am quite pleased. In the morning we worked mostly on settings and we have now nearly fixed the chatter we were experiencing. We made some small modifications and the bike responded quickly and it is giving me a very good feeling now. After that we worked for the rest of the day with Michelin and tested most of the tyres that they brought with them; the new things they have brought here seem to be extremely good. Our main target with them is to keep the performance level of the tyre up after 15 or 20 laps, and it seems we're improving in this area and our times were consistent throughout the day. With these new tyres and the new M1 combined we have much better stability and grip. For sure we don't have most of the other teams testing here so it's hard to judge exactly where we are, but I think anyway we can tell that we are doing okay." Colin Edwards (1'56.81, 76 Laps) "Today has been great, I'm really happy. We got going on the new Michelin stuff after lunch and they've made some great improvements. We had some new things to try for Yamaha, but we mostly concentrated on tyres. I'm really starting to feel confident with the bike and to believe in myself again. This is my first time in MotoGP to be with the same team for two years running and it's great not to have to worry about adjusting to a new bike and team at the start of the season. It feels really good to be back with the best team and on the best bike! I can concentrate entirely on my race preparation without any distractions or worries and the new style I adapted to last season now feels totally natural. I feel like I have all the tools in place for a really good season. Tomorrow we're planning to do a long run and we have a few more tyres to test; I am sure we'll make some more progress." Jeremy Burgess - Valentino Rossi's Crew Chief "Everything is going well so far. The test has been successful and the weather has been good. We've been able to test everything that we wanted up to now and we've confirmed everything that we found out in Malaysia. We're proceeding well towards the first race!" Tech 3 Yamaha Team The three-day test at the Doha venue saw the Tech 3 team complete for the first time. It was the first possibility for newly-signed Carlos Checa to ride the 2006 YZR-M1. Even with the new Dunlop tyres Checa was straight on the pace, while his teammate James Ellison also made great progress. Carlos Checa (1'56.95) "I am satisfied with this first test although of course we have many improvements to make. It's important to be realistic, even though the times have been good, and to keep focused and working hard. Obviously one of the main areas we need to work on is the tyres. They work well in these conditions and I am happy with the front, but we need to work a lot on the rear. We need to do as much testing as we can during the next days in Sepang to find the right mix and to find a better situation for the rear. "I really want to say thank you to Yamaha, Dunlop and all the other people who helped to make this possible given me the chance to be back on the grid. In January my situation was not so good and I have had to fight hard to come back, but now I have this chance and I am happy for it. I think this new M1 is definitely the best Yamaha I have ever ridden so this is very exciting. "Now we need to go to Sepang and continue to work in the same way. Everyone will make comparisons and look at the times but at this time that should not be our focus. We have started work and we have a lot more to do. We must not hurry to be in front at the moment, but focus on development. For myself I have finished to think about my previous situation and now I just want to focus on my sporting activities for this season." James Ellison (1'58.98) "I feel like I am improving slowly. I've had to change my style a bit but I am getting there. It's been great to have Carlos here, I have really learnt some things from following him, especially about lines and the use of the rear brake. I hit a bit of a wall on Monday and Tuesday morning but once we got over that things have really got better. Now I am going about two seconds faster and, as I said, following Carlos and then Valentino a bit also today has really helped me to understand some of the changes I need to make. I'm now trying not to ride so fast round the corner but just to use the bike's own power to take me round. The tyres are much better here and we've improved in that area since the last test in Sepang. There were a couple of different tyres that I liked here last year and Dunlop have made a combination of those two and that's the main one we've been using here. I wasn't looking forward to going back to Sepang but after today I am feeling much better about it. The stability is much better and we're using a bigger wheel on the front which is working well. It will be interesting to go back to Sepang now and see if we can improve there also." Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "A very good test altogether. I think it's been a really good idea to come here to test; the facilities and track are great, it's close to the conditions we can expect in the race and everyone is very helpful here! Our biggest news of course is that we now have two riders and it's been great to come here with a full team and with Carlos. It's been a good three days. The performance of Carlos has been better than anyone expected for his first outing on the Dunlops, so this is encouraging. There were three Yamaha's at the front today and this makes me very happy. Carlos is already riding well and fast and James has improved considerably over the three days. We're looking forward to Sepang although we know it won't be so easy for us there. Anyway, we're looking to the future. Once again I want to thank Yamaha, Dunlop and everyone involved for making this a possibility." Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 1'56.53 2. Colin Edwards(USA) Yamaha, 1'56.81 3. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha, 1'56.95 4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 1'57.87 5. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 1'58.33 6. S. Ito (JPN) Ducati, 1'58.85 7. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha, 1'58.98 8. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki, 1'59.46 Qatar Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 1'57.903 Qatar Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 1'56.917 Ambient temperature: 25.9 degrees Track temperature: 39.0 degrees Humidity: 64.6%

Yamaha's world superbike stars made their final preparations ahead of the 2006 campaign, with the Yamaha Motor Italia squad testing in Qatar and Yamaha Motor France in Valencia. Testing alongside Yamaha's MotoGP teams, the Yamaha Motor Italia squad proved the performance and reliability of their new specification engine and fine-tuned the updated Magneti Marelli electronics in their three-day outing at the Losail circuit. The team's 2006 YZF-R1s feature a host of new parts over the 2005 version, designed to give the bike improved power delivery and controllability for the riders. The squad also evaluated a number of chassis parts, including a new swingarm and 2006 specification Ohlins suspension. With Pirelli supplying only 2005-spec race rubber, the squad was able to concentrate fully on the machine performance rather than testing development tyres. Using these tyres, both riders were quicker on race tyres than at December's Pirelli test, confirming the progress made by the team over the winter months. Haga was the faster of the two riders, setting a 2:00.4, with Pitt fractionally behind on 2:00.8. The Australian was slightly detuned on the final day after picking up a stomach bug but gamely completed his test programme, while Haga's day came to a premature end when he suffered a spectacular highside just 30 minutes before the end of the session. The Japanese rider was uninjured in the crash, although his bike suffered damage. Over in Spain, Norick Abe spent two days at the Valencia circuit. Having tested extensively at Phillip Island last month, the Japanese rider was back on the Ohlins suspension which he will run in the 2006 season. Abe was the sole Yamaha Motor France rider in attendance at Valencia. Shinichi Nakatomi, who will run Japanese Soqi suspension, elected to miss the test having twice tested his R1 at the circuit, while Sebastien Gimbert was also absent. The Frenchman did not test as he will not race in Valencia due to a date clash with the Le Mans 24-hour race. Abe suffered some fueling glitches as the team tested new injection mappings and he was also one of the few riders at the test not running development tyres. His best of the day was a 1:36.4. Fastest at the test was Troy Bayliss (Ducati) with a 1:34.4 lap. Noriyuki Haga "Not so bad a test although it was a shame to end with a crash. Going through the last of the high-speed right hand corners I lost the rear and had a big crash. I am ok but maybe I hurt in the morning! The new bike is a real improvement although we are still trying to find the perfect settings. The engine for sure is much nicer: less aggressive and stronger coming out of the corners, and the team has made some improvements in all areas. At the end we made some big changes to the front and, for me, it was a good direction. I am happy with the progress made by the team, but we have not tested with our rivals, so only at the first race will we know how competitive we are." Andrew Pitt "I was happy with how it went over the three days. I feel some big improvements from last year, especially with the electronics and the engine braking. We got through a lot here and we're running the 2006 suspension front and back now and it's working well already. The lap times are good and consistent and there was none of the chatter problem that we have had here in the past, so that's also a big step forward. There's a few more things to try before the race and I've still got to find a front tyre that will work good over the race distance." Norick Abe "Today we worked mainly on the injection system. We wanted to get a good setting for this and then try for a good suspension setting. It was difficult to get a good setting on the mapping and it is still not perfect. Because of this we didn't get to try any new settings on the suspension." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "We have been able to get through a lot of work over the last few days. Often at these first tests we face a lot of small problems but other than a few minor electrical things on the first morning these three days have been very good. The team has been working hard over the winter and it has been good to hear the riders' feedback confirm what we had seen on the dyno. We started trying a lot of new parts yesterday and we lost our way a little bit with the set-up, but today both riders found some good settings and were happy with the results. Of course we tested many development tyres when we came in December and we do not know yet which other tyres Pirelli will bring for the race, but we are happy with our settings on the ones we had here. Our times have been under what the tyre technicians predicted so this is a positive sign for the first race."

Testing for the first time at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were pleased to get back in the saddle on their new 2006-specification YZR-M1s today. Both riders made the most of good temperatures to put in some fast laps at a track where both of them enjoy riding. Although they are only joined on the track here by the MotoGP Teams of Suzuki and Tech 3 Yamaha, as well as test riders from Ducati and Kawasaki, Rossi and Edwards were encouraged to finish the day at the top of the time sheets and are looking forward to more improvement over the next two days. Both Rossi and Edwards were inside the lap record of 1'57.903; the World Champion with a time of 1'57.36 after just 48 laps and his American team-mate just behind after 77 laps with a best time of 1'57.52. Suzuki rider John Hopkins was third fastest with a time of 1'57.66 and Tech 3 Yamaha pilot Carlos Checa, making a return to Yamaha after a year's absence, was fourth with a lap of 1'57.94. Valentino Rossi (1'57.36, 48 Laps) "It's always nice to be fastest, although of course here we don't have Honda or Ducati. Everything went very well today and I am pleased with this first day of work. As we're quite close to home I have no problem with jet-lag, unlike at Sepang, so I feel like I have plenty of energy for these three days! The temperature is about 15 degrees cooler than at the race last year and so we are able to have quite good grip and to use the tyres at 100%, enabling us to go quite fast. Anyway with the new bike we have much more grip than with the old M1, but as in Sepang we have a tiny bit of chatter, so we are doing a lot of work with Michelin to fix that. Michelin have come here with many new tyres and so we are working a lot with them to test as much as possible. The new bike is already at a good level and now we are working hard on finding the right settings for it. I'm looking forward to the next two days." Colin Edwards (1'57.52, 77 Laps) "Unlike Valentino I get pretty bad jet-lag here, coming from the US, so I felt pretty tired today! I hope to get a good night's sleep tonight and to have a bit more energy tomorrow. The track is getting cleaner by the minute as more rubber gets laid down, so the grip is improving all the time; it's already much better than in the race last year. Michelin have a lot of new tyres here so we're spending a large part of our time on testing the new stuff with them. I really like this track, I've always gone good from the first time I came here so it's an enjoyable place for me to test, plus the weather is great. The new bike really is better in every way and now I've just got to build my confidence with it. At the moment I am feeling stronger with every lap. It was a good first day and I was pleased to be able to get going so well so quickly." Daniele Romagnoli - Colin Edwards' Crew Chief "We very quickly found a good base-setting here today, much better than what we had at the race here last year. We've improved the front-end grip a lot and therefore Colin has much more confidence already in the front. It seems the new bike works well at this track and the lap times were good today. We made a good start." Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 1'57.36 2. Colin Edwards(USA) Yamaha, 1'57.52 3. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 1'57.66 4. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha, 1'57.94 5. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 1'58.62 6. S. Ito (JPN) Ducati, 1'58.90 7. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha, 1'59.81 8. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki, 2'00.43 Losail Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 1'57.903 Losail Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 1'56.917 Ambient temperature: 24.7 degrees Track temperature: 38.0 degrees Humidity: 73%

The UFO Corse Yamaha team have signed a new agreement with multiple enduro world champion Stefan Merriman. The Australian rider has decided to renew his contract with the team, with which he has won the world championship title in 2004 in the Enduro 1 class. Stefan Merriman will start in the Enduro 2 World Championship and in the Assoluti d'Italia 450 class, riding the Yamaha WR450F. Director of UFO Plast, Vito Consoloni, said after confirming the agreement; "I am very enthusiastic having reached an agreement with Stefan again. For me it feels like a victory, as I am one of Stefan's biggest fans. Also as entrepreneur I am proud to associate the name UFO Plast to a champion of such big stature. Over the years, Stefan has consistently shown he is a tenacious and determined rider, the UFO Corse team and UFO Plast company therefore have the highest respect for him. His arrival makes it possible for the team to compete for the world championship title, so that we can add further to our impressive tally in Enduro." Claudio Consonni, Technical manager Yamaha Motor Italia, stated; "We achieved another important goal by re-confirming Stefan Merriman. The partnership with the UFO Corse team goes back many years, in which we achieved many goals: four world championship titles, both rider and manufacturer, four national (Italian) titles and two Six Days events. These successes definitely prove the quality of our WR machinery and are evidence of the professional qualities of the team. Mr. Vito Consoloni truly has a great racing spirit and remarkable entrepreneurial qualities, which really meets with Yamaha's philosophy and our will to succeed." Stefan Merriman's first race appearance in the UFO Corse Yamaha colors will be during the Assoluti d'Italia, 4 - 5 March at Acireale (CT), riding the WR450F in the 450 class.

The Tech 3 Team will compete in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship with two riders, Spaniard Carlos Checa and Briton James Ellison, both on Yamaha M1s fitted with Dunlop tyres. "Thanks to the combined efforts of Dunlop, Yamaha Motor and Tech 3, we have been able to finalize this project", explains Herve Poncharal, Team Manager of the French team. "After a difficult winter during which we developed our project with Dunlop, Yamaha and the young rider James Ellison, we are now really excited to see Carlos Checa joining the team. "Carlos is the most experienced rider on this year's MotoGP grid. During his ten-year career as one of the top riders in the sport's premier category, he has ridden different bikes on different tyre brands and, based on this experience, his input to our development will be of great value, especially for Dunlop. "With Carlos partnering James Ellison, one of the emerging talents and who raced on Dunlop tyres last year, we complete the ideal line-up of our team, a blend of youth and experience, in which we have strong hopes." Carlos Checa will get his first experience of his new Yamaha M1 on Dunlop tyres during the team's next tests in Qatar on 5th, 6th and 7th February. Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, adds: "Yamaha is very pleased to be able to finally complete its two team, four rider line-up for the 2006 season. It was always our desire to try to have four riders on the grid, both to continue Yamaha's MotoGP participation at the optimum level and also to support the MotoGP sport which is very important for our business and provides us with great exposure and promotion for motorcycling worldwide. Yamaha would like to thank all the parties that contributed to the completion of this project and we wish the Tech 3 Yamaha Team every success in 2006."

2006 Yamaha YZF-R1 LE Owners Club2006 YZF-R1 LE Key Features: The R1 LE is a special, limited-edition version of our awe-inspiring liter-bike—packed with premium components in addition to the standard tremendous firepower of the R1. Öhlins suspension units front and rear, custom-developed for the R1 LE by the same people who work on the YZR-M1 MotoGP bike, provide the ultimate ride and handling. Custom, YZR-M1-style forged aluminum Marchesini wheels designed specifically for the LE add style while removing nearly a pound of unsprung weight. Back torque-limiting slipper clutch greatly aids downshifting from speed, helping the rider exploit all the R1 LE’s tremendous braking power. New intake port modifications increase output by three horses, to 183 at 12,500 rpm. New for 2006: Special 50th Anniversary Yellow/Black paint with a numbered serial plate and gold Marchesini wheels; only 500 of these machines will be produced. GP tech trickles down: Revised rigidity of the main frame between the engine mounts and steering head, a new, more rigid lower triple clamp and a 20mm longer swingarm produce the best-handling R1 ever. Öhlins 43mm front fork and rear shock, fully adjustable, with hydraulic preload adjuster at the rear, provide ultimate handling on the track and the street. Slipper clutch for smooth downshifts; revised clutch boss for increased oil flow. Shorter valve guides increase intake flow and reduce friction, for more power. Adjustable rear-shock linkage allows 10mm of ride height adjustability; the longer swingarm accepts a greater range of rear tire sizes. Integrated lap timer switch on the right handlebar for track days. Gold drive chain, gold M1-style tuning fork fuel tank badge, define this special R1 as a production racer. Engine: Short-stroke 998cc, DOHC, 20-valve, liquid-cooled, inline four-cylinder engine now produces 183 horsepower (with Ram-Air) at an amazing 12,500 rpm. Dual-valve fuel injection system uses motor-driven secondary throttle valves and 32-bit ECU for super-responsive, instantaneous power delivery. Two-piece ergonomically designed fuel tank carries fuel in the rear section, for good centralization of mass, while the front half contains a Ram-Air-fed airbox for increased power. Lay-down design cylinder head – 40° forward – optimizes weight distribution, straightens intake tracts for improved cylinder filling, and allows frame to pass over instead of around the engine for great strength and a narrow chassis. Closed-deck cylinder block provides great strength while allowing a narrow engine in spite of big, 77mm bores. Narrow-angle five-valve combustion chambers produce a highly efficient 12.4:1 compression ratio. Big valves and high-lift cams flow plenty of air. Carburized connecting rods with fractured big ends produce a quick-revving engine with excellent high-rpm durability. High silicon-content ceramic-composite cylinder sleeves ensure great heat dissipation for consistent power delivery and reduced friction. Titanium underseat exhaust system (except for stainless steel midpipe with catalyst) contains a titanium EXUP valve for a broad, seamless powerband. High-efficiency curved radiator and an aluminum liquid cooled oil cooler maintain stable operating temperature. Direct ignition coils, dual-electrode spark plugs and highoutput magneto deliver extremely accurate, reliable firing. AC generator behind cylinder block produces a narrow engine with excellent cornering clearance. Chassis/Suspension: Overall frame width of only 15.6 inches produces comfortable ergonomics as well as efficient aerodynamic penetration. Controlled Fill die cast, truss-type swingarm is very strong and long, for optimal traction and feedback. Controlled Fill die cast, detachable aluminum subframe is light, strong and allows easy rear shock access. Dual 320mm front disc brakes; light/strong, forged one-piece radial-mount calipers and Brembo radial-pump front master cylinder with adjustable lever delivers amazing braking power and controllability. Fully adjustable Öhlins inverted telescopic front fork settings were carefully developed by MotoGP Championship-winning technicians to provide track-tuned handling. Fully adjustable Öhlins rear shock was also developed by MotoGP technicians, and includes a super-convenient hydraulic preload adjuster. Additional Features: Two multi-reflector and two projector beam headlights provide great illumination and distinctive style. Adjustable LCD illumination and multi-function digital gauges: adjustable shift light, odometer, dual tripmeters, water temperature, air temperature, full-time clock, lap timer and large 15,000 rpm analog tachometer. Aggressive bodywork with twin Ram-Air intakes for increased engine performance. LED taillight is light, bright and highly efficient. Sticky 120/70-ZR17 and 190/50-ZR17 Pirelli tires for incredible grip and precise handling. Forged footpegs are extra durable and light. Extensive use of hollow bolts and lightweight fasteners helps trim overall weight. 8.2 AH battery is compact and light. Durable #530 O-ring–sealed drive chain. Standard toolkit located in convenient storage compartment under passenger seat.

The Camel Yamaha Team completed their three-day test in Sepang, Malaysia today with more promising work on the new 2006-spec YZR-M1. Both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards concentrated mainly on work for Michelin in the morning and made some important progress in this area with the tyre manufacturer. After lunch both riders then completed a long run in order to gather information about the new M1 in race conditions, and were both pleased with the performance of the bike and the improvement in times from the race in September. Sete Gibernau (Ducati) was fastest today with a time of 2'01.03. Rossi, who captured his seventh World Championship title at this track in September, set a fastest lap of 2'01.60, which puts him fifth fastest over the three days according to the unofficial times. Edwards' best lap of the day was 2'02.54 but his fastest time from the three days remains the 2'02.00 that he set yesterday. The Camel Yamaha Team now has a 12-day break before heading to Doha, Qatar for their next test on February 6th, 7th and 8th. Valentino Rossi (2'01.60, 60 Laps) "This morning we worked 100% on tyres with Michelin. Last year at the race here we had some problems in this area but Michelin have brought a lot of new tyres here and they seem to be very good. We've been working with them to find a better grip. This afternoon I did the race simulation which was also promising. In general I am happy with this first test and with the evolution of the new bike; I already have a good feeling with it. It's not so different from the 2005 version but it's better in many areas. Yamaha is working especially hard on improving the stability of the bike and making it easier to find the right setting. The engine is also better. Now it's important that we try the bike at a different track and I think it will be interesting in Qatar. Last year I was able to win the race there, one of the best races of the season, but we had some problems throughout the weekend. It will be good to see how the new bike performs there." Colin Edwards (2'02.54, 62 Laps) "In the morning we worked a lot on tyres and setting, and made some progress to get rid of the chatter we had yesterday. This afternoon I did a long run and was quite pleased with it. It was much faster than I was in the race last year, so that's proof that we've made some progress. The tyre I used is maybe not the one I would have chosen for the race, but it worked okay all the same and we've found some other good new stuff with Michelin. Overall I think it's been a good first test. It's helpful to have the chance to get used to the new bike at a track we know well and I'm pretty excited about it. Everything has improved and the package seems to work. We've had a few problems this week, and we need to understand why they happened, but we've got plenty more time before the first race. I'm looking forward to going to Qatar, a track I really like, and seeing how the bike goes there." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It has been a good first test and we have some positive results for both riders. They both managed to complete many laps and made some excellent progress with the new bike. It's been very important to test the new bike here to check that everything is okay and it was also useful to end with the long run. Now we go to Qatar where it will be interesting to see our bike at a different circuit." Tech 3 Yamaha Team The Tech 3 Team have completed the three-day test in Sepang despite an ill James Ellison. Being the first chance for Ellison to ride the 2006-spec YZR-M1, the focus was mainly on gathering data for Dunlop and getting a feel for the new version of the M1. Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "It's been a hard test, but in the end it's been quite important for us. We've done a lot of tyre testing, which was our main aim for the week and we are quite happy with the directions we've found for the front and rear. James has done a really good job, especially considering that he's been ill, and it hasn't been easy for him. Our main mission for this year is to develop with Dunlop and this has just been the start of a long year's work. We're very happy with the new M1, it seems that Yamaha has done an excellent job over the winter and this new bike is a big step forward from the old one. Obviously the main thing is for Dunlop to get as much data and laps done as possible. With this in mind and as everyone knows, we are still hoping to have a second rider and we are working as hard as possible to try to find a solution and a way to attend the test in Qatar with two riders." James Ellison (2'04.17) "I got sick over a week ago and I really hoped it would be okay by now but I was at my worst on Monday for the first day of the test! It was really disappointing because we had so much to do! Yesterday and today were better and we managed to get a lot of laps done and make some progress. I am pretty knackered after the three days! The bike is really good, the main difference I can see from the one I rode last year is in the power.there's more of it! This circuit is not one of my favourites and I find it quite hard, but I am a little disappointed with my times over the days. Obviously I am much faster than I was in the race last year but I am still off the pace a bit - I thought I could be a bit closer to the main group. I am definitely not fast enough considering that I am on a factory Yamaha. With Dunlop the main problem is traction - with qualifying tyres it's great but with race tyres we have some problems and some chatter in the rear. I hope that in Qatar - a track I really like and where Dunlop performs well - we can do better and make more progress." Unofficial lap times 1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati 2'01.03 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2'01.08 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2'01.12 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2'01.51 5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2'01.60 6. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2'01.69 7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki 2'01.78 8. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.18 9. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2'02.30 10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 2'02.43 11. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2'02.54 12. Casey Stoner (AUS) Honda 2'02.67 13. K. Akiyoshi (JPN) Suzuki 2'02.80 14. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2'03.05 15. Alex Hofmann (GER) Ducati 2'03.20 16. Kenny Roberts (USA) KR Honda 2'03.37 17. Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) Ducati 2'03.50 18. S. Ito (JPN) Ducati 2'03.60 19. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha 2'04.17 Ambient temperature: 29.2 degrees Track temperature: 49 degrees Humidity: 63.8%

Yamaha Motor Germany today completed their final test before next month's opening round of the Supersport World Championship. The team spent three days at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia, with riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes both completing over 1000 trouble-free kilometres and lapping their home circuit at lap record pace. Having given their machines a shakedown test in Valencia last month, the team travelled to Australia with updated machines fitted with a range of new Öhlins suspension parts. Good weather greeted the riders present at the legendary circuit, with the strong winds that blighted Yamaha Motor France's test a few days earlier all but gone. Riding alongside Yamaha's Australian national superbike team, Curtain was the fastest of the Yamaha Motor Germany riders clocking a best of 1:35.6, Parkes was less than a second behind his experienced team-mate with a 1:36.4. Having found a good base setting at Valencia, the team worked on fine-tuning the R6 package, experimenting with the bike's electronics and slipper clutch in a bid to improve corner speed. Tyre supplier Pirelli brought along a range of new rubber for the test, while the new suspension parts proved an improvement over the off-the-shelf components used at the Valencia test. Both riders declared themselves happy with developments and have found a satisfactory base setting for next month's opening race. Round one of the series takes place at the Losail circuit in Qatar on Saturday 25 February with Phillip Island playing host to the second round eight days later. Kevin Curtain "I'm really, really happy with how it's gone. The difference between this bike and the 2005 one is night and day. The energy it takes us to do the same lap times is just so much less and overall the package is far better. The weather has been good to us as well. There wasn't much wind and this morning (Wednesday) was the best I've ever seen Phillip Island. There was not a cloud in the sky and virtually no wind. The ocean looked beautiful and it was a magical experience riding around there." Broc Parkes "After hurting my ankle in Valencia it took me a day to get back into the swing of things but by the second day I felt comfortable again. Luciano Zaza (suspension technician) brought over so much stuff and although we've found a pretty good base there's still a bit more to come from the suspension. I'm not at my best riding around on my own so on the last day Kevin and I did a race simulation together. I was able to run right with him and run the same lap times. We had a bit of a battle, so that was good for my confidence. We've had three really good days and the lap times have been good. I don't want to get carried away though. We've done the times in perfect conditions but there was no one else here to compare ourselves to, so the proof will only come in Qatar. One thing is for sure though, we are much further ahead of where we were at this time last year." Terrell Thien (Team Manager) "We made a good decision to come to Phillip Island as we have found perfect testing conditions. The first day was maybe a little too hot, but better too hot than too cold, although and after that the temperatures were just right. We've tried four different (specification) of front forks internals and even more rear shocks. The team worked well together and I was happy to arrive and find both riders in really good shape. We came with a big test schedule and were able to get through everything we needed to get a good base setting."

The Italian based UFO Corse Yamaha enduro team are pleased to announce details of the riders that will represent them in the eight-round 2006 World Enduro Championship (WEC), which starts in Sweden on March 18-19. Bringing together riders from three of Europe's leading enduro nations, the UFO Corse Yamaha team will again compete in two of the WEC's three senior classes and is this year represented by Italian, Spanish and French riders. With the new-look squad, an exciting mix of experience and youth, the UFO Corse Yamaha team are hoping to repeat the successes of past seasons while guiding the squad's enduro newcomers through their first year of World Enduro Championship competition. In the Enduro 1 class, Italian rider Maurizio Micheluz and Spaniard Arnau Vilanova will compete aboard Yamaha WR250F machines as they bid to stamp their mark on what will be one of the most competitive WEC classes. For Micheluz 2006 will be the start of his second season with the UFO Corse Yamaha team following a strong seventh place finish in the 2005 E1 world championship. Joining Micheluz in the E1 class is Arnau Vilanova, one of Spain's most promising young riders. After bursting onto the WEC scene in 2004, where he placed third in the highly competitive Enduro 2 class as a privateer, 2006 will see Arnau compete aboard a Yamaha for the first time in his professional career. Having already proved to have the speed to compete against the world's best, Arnau is looking to improve on his previous WEC successes and will be the UFO Corse Yamaha team's number one rider in the Enduro 1 class. In the Enduro 2 class Frenchman Johnny Aubert and Italian Fabrizio Dini will compete in the WEC for the first time. Under the watchful eye of the experienced UFO Corse Yamaha team, both riders hope to compete at the head of the Enduro 2 class while learning more about the series. Both compete on Yamaha WR450F machines and will need to adapt their motocross and supercross skills to perform at their best in the WEC. Both riders, despite being newcomers to the WEC, look set to battle it out with the series' established riders as they fly the flag for Yamaha in the Enduro 2 class. Furthermore the UFO Corse Yamaha Team will support young talent in 2006. Slovakian Robert Kapacik (age 19) and Polish Michal Szuster (age 20) will compete in the Enduro Junior challenge riding the WR250F. Enduro 1 class: Arnau Vilanova (Spain) + Maurizio Micheluz (Italy) Enduro 2 class: Johnny Aubert (France) + Fabrizio Dini (Italy) Rider Profiles WEC 2006 Arnau Vilanova Regarded as one of the most exciting young riders competing in the World Enduro Championship today Spaniard Arnau Vilanova has a point to prove in 2006. Competing as a privateer in the 2004 Enduro 2 world championship he finished his first full season of the World Enduro Championship in an amazing third position. Competing in only a handful of international enduro competitions during 2005, Arnau returns to the World Enduro Championship arena this season as the UFO Corse Yamaha team's number one Enduro 1 class rider. Having already proved that he has the speed and skills to mix it with the world's best Arnau is gunning for glory in 2006. Date of birth: 3 October 1981 Place of birth: Andorra la Vella (Spain) Nationality: Spanish Residence: La Seu (Spain) Weight: 75kg Height: 175cm Marital status: single Hobbies: everything in bike racing! Team: UFO Corse Yamaha Bike: Yamaha WR250F Class: Enduro 1 Career highlights: 2005: 1st Spanish Championship E1 class 2004: 3rd Enduro 2 World Championship 2003: 2nd 250cc Spanish Enduro Championship Maurizo Micheluz During 2005 Maurizio Micheluz continued to show that he is one of Italy's brightest Enduro talents. In only his second full season of the World Enduro Championship, his first as a member of the UFO Corse Yamaha team, Maurizio finished in a strong 7th position in the competitive Enduro 1 class. Finishing the season as one of the classes most consistent performers, the former 125cc European Enduro Champion placed just a handful of points behind some of the WEC's most experienced and well known riders. For 2006 Maurizio is looking to continue his rise to the top and has his sights set firmly on finishing amongst the world's best. Date of birth: 16 February 1976 Place of birth: Pordenone (PN) Nationality: Italian Residence: Aviano (PN) Weight: 75kg Height: 174cm Marital status: girlfriend Sandrina Hobbies: Mountain biking Team: UFO Corse Yamaha Bike: Yamaha WR250F Class: Enduro 1 Career highlights: 2005: 7th Enduro 1 World Championship, 3rd Italian Championship 'assoluti d'Italia 250 4T' 2004: 7th Italian 450 Championship 2003: 125 European Enduro Junior Championship. Junior four stroke Italian Championship 2002: Italian Champioin 'Cadetti Assoluto e 4t' Johnny Aubert 13 years after becoming 80cc World Motocross Champion Frenchman Johnny Aubert faces a new big challenge as he takes to the World Enduro Championship stage for the first time ever in 2006. Having raced in both the World Motocross Championship and in the US National Motocross Championship, Aubert will compete in the Enduro 2 class in this year's WEC series aboard a Yamaha WR450F. Bringing new blood to the eight-round World Enduro Championship, Aubert will call upon his years of motocross experience in order to perform at his best and deal with enduro racing's many technical and physical challenges. Although a newcomer to international enduro racing the Frenchman is no stranger to enduro racing having placed in fourth position at the 2005 Le Touquet Beach race. In 2006 Johnny Aubert will be looking to make a big impression on the World Enduro Championship. Date of birth: 31 March 1980 Place of birth: Maubeuge (France) Nationality: French Residence: Saulnes (France), second residence Pecrot (Belgium) Weight: 77kg Height: 183cm Marital status: single Hobbies: Jet ski, karting, cinema, computers Team: UFO Corse Yamaha Bike: Yamaha WR450F Class: Enduro 2 Career highlights: 2005: 4th Le Touquet Beach Race 2004: 125 AMA Supercross & 250 AMA Motocross competitor 2003: Motocross GP competitor 2002: 12th world championship motocross class 250cc 2001: 2nd German MX championship 250cc, 11th World championship MX 250cc 1999: National champion France, 125cc elite class, 15th World championship MX 125cc 1998: National champion France, Supercross 125cc, 2 wins in Paris-Bercy 1996: National champion France, Junior class 80cc 1993: World champion 80cc class. National champion France, rookie class 80cc Fabrizio Dini The second Italian within the 2006 UFO Corse Yamaha squad Fabrizio Dini is also the team's second newcomer to the World Enduro Championship. After many successful years competing at the front of the Italian motocross scene, Dini has decided it is time for a change in direction of his professional motorcycling career and will channel his energies into competing in the Enduro 2 class of the 2006 World Enduro Championship aboard an UFO Corse Yamaha prepared WR450F. While needing to develop new skills in order to master the challenges of the WEC series, Dini, like Aubert, comes equipped with years of experience of high-level racing - including world championship motocross - and as the 2005 Motocross Italian Champion. Looking forward to competing in the WEC Fabrizio Dini is only interested in one thing - battling against the world's best. Date of birth: 9 April 1976 Place of birth: Montevarchi (AR) Nationality: Italian Residence: Abbadia Agnano (AR) Weight: 82kg Height: 190cm Marital status: married to Roberta Hobbies: Fishing Team: UFO Corse Yamaha Bike: Yamaha WR450F Class:Enduro 2 Career highlights: 2005: National champion Italy, senior class 2004: injured 2003: 7th Italian championship Italy 500, 1st 'assoluti d'Italia' 2002: 15th Italian championship 500, 3rd 'assoluti d'Italia' 2000: 15th Italian championship 500, 3rd 'assoluti d'Italia' 1997: European champion 125 MX