Alex Asigno

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi slid out of the Grand Prix of Valencia today and lost his grip on the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in six years on the final day of an implausibly dramatic season. Nicky Hayden (Honda) lifted the title after claiming third place behind surprise winner Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi (both Ducati), with Rossi recovering to cross the line in 13th place but missing out on the title by just five points. The fifth lap mishap came after a bad start from Rossi, who looked to be in perfect shape to defend his eight-point advantage going into the race after qualifying on pole position. However, the bad luck that followed the Italian throughout the first half of the season returned to strike its final, decisive blow when the front end of Rossi's YZR-M1 tucked under braking and sent him spinning into the gravel. Another heroic charge from the defending champion saw him recover seven places and brought him back into the points but it wasn't enough to hold off Hayden. The last ever MotoGP race of the 990cc era, before maximum engine capacity is reduced to 800cc in 2007, also proved to be a let-down for Rossi's Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards. The Texan had shown good pace throughout the weekend but higher track temperatures reaching 43ºC this afternoon did not suit the set-up of his machine and he was unable to reproduce that practice form. After starting tenth on the grid he made up one place to finish ninth, a result that lifted him to seventh in the final championship standings. Colin Edwards (9th; +26.072) "Well, obviously that was a disaster from all angles! After two or three laps I lost the front a couple of times but I'm not really sure why. We chose a soft front here but it was the same one as in Motegi and Estoril and it had worked great all weekend here. Today it was quite a lot hotter so maybe that's what did for us. Basically from then on I couldn't turn it properly, I had to put it all on the knee and slow right down to turn, otherwise I was going straight on. I was really feeling that I might crash any minute and I had to follow Hopkins for the whole race; without any corner speed I just couldn't get the jump to pass him. It's a disappointing end to a difficult season for me. I want to say a huge thank you to my team and everyone at Yamaha for all their work throughout the year; they've never given up and I'm sorry that we couldn't finish on a better note. Bad luck to Valentino, he's shown once again how good he is this season and I'm sorry for him and for the whole team. It's all over for another year but we'll both be back in March with the new bike, ready to get some serious revenge!" Valentino Rossi (13th; +38.546) "Of course this is a big disappointment for me because to arrive at the final race with an eight-point advantage and then not win the title is a disaster. Basically I made two mistakes today - one was at the start and then the second one was the crash. It has been a very emotional season, with some great moments, some bad luck and now some mistakes. But this is racing. All I can say now is a big 'congratulations' to Nicky because he is a great guy, a great rider and he is the World Champion because he has been the best this year. I have known him a long time, I know his family well and even though I am disappointed I am also very happy for them. It has been a great fight with him this year - not like in the past with other riders when there have always been some polemics - and we have great respect for each other. I want to say a huge thank you to Yamaha, to all my team and engineers and to everyone else involved, they've done an amazing job this year and now I am looking forward to working towards next season with the 800; I am sure it will be another exciting season and another big battle!" Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It is normal that the feeling now within the team is one of disappointment but we are also proud that we brought this fight to the final round after all the bad luck we had in the first half of the season. Valentino has worked incredibly hard and shown on several occasions why he has been such a great World Champion - even today he kept on fighting to the very end. It is a sad day for us but we are already looking to the future with great excitement about the new 800cc era and the chance to win the title back in 2007. I want to thank all our riders, team staff, sponsors and technical partners for their excellent work this season and, from our behalf, congratulations to Nicky Hayden." Checa ends his tenure with Tech 3 Yamaha Team scoring another top 10 result It was a fitting result for the current Tech 3 Yamaha Team as Carlos Checa, in his swansong for the team brought his Yamaha home in 10th place after a hard fought tussle at the Grand Prix of Valencia at the Ricardo Tormo circuit won by Australian, Troy Bayliss on a Ducati. After starting from 16th position on the grid Carlos battled his way through a number of other factory machines showing the determination that has attracted the appreciation of many in the Grand Prix world and again demonstrating the impressive improved performance of the Dunlop tyres the team has used this year. Carlos came close to being the first Yamaha home as he followed Colin Edwards home by less than two seconds after defending world champion, Valentino Rossi made a very rare mistake when he crashed although he remounted to finish in 13th position Team mate James Ellison finished his time with the Tech 3 team in the points finishing in 14th position after battling handling problems with his machine. Carlos Checa Carlos Checa (10th, Fastest lap 1'33.944) It was a very good race. I got a start that was not so bad and I was with a group fighting for 10th to 15th position then Valentino crashed. I feel sorry for them because they lost the championship. Finally, I finished in the top 10 but it wasn't easy at the beginning. I was extremely happy with the performance of the tyre as it stayed very stable and this gave me the opportunity to pass some riders and I ended up quite close to Colin. This will give the team a good reference for us considering Colin's team is using another tyre brand and it shows how much Dunlop has improved. I feel very close to Yamaha but very sad as it is the day I leave this team, Dunlop and Yamaha and after this year I feel so very satisfied as we always fought to improve as it was never easy to get better to bring the bikes and tyres as good as possible. I feel that this is one of my best seasons considering how the season started as it was quite difficult an intense. This team gave me the chance to continue competing to learn more about tyre, and in the human aspects we had a very close relationship with many positive things. We must be very satisfied now. It is something hard to explain at this moment why I am leaving because I want to challenge for a better position in races and I know if they continue here I need more time to develop to get into a more competitive position. At least I left something very important, some progress, some results and some improvements so they can keep working and growing. This is the kind of year I will not forget for sureas like I said it has probably been my most satisfying in al the years I have spent in the Grand Prix. I'd like to thank Herve, Yamaha, Dunlop and the entire team for allowing me to learn more about riding, development and about myself and know that we will part as good friends." James Ellison (14th,Fastest lap 1'35.311) "For me the race was pretty disappointing as the chatter problem was still with us. All year it has been much the same. We ran the same tyre as Carlos but I've been running a different spec Yamaha all year to what Carlos runs. Getting the setup has been very, very difficult. No matter what we run the chatter problems has been persisting. After four laps the chattering is there. It's either a case of ride with it or if I try to ride through it. If I try and ride though it I will crash like happened in Assen and yesterday during qualifying. When things go well and the bike is working I know I can run the times but when I'm riding something that is chattering every corner and it is so close to the limit all the time it makes this impossible. After today I'm wrecked trying to hang onto it. But saying that, I'd like to say I really appreciate the work and the effort Herve and the team have put in. Truthfully the team has been unbelievable all year. I only wish that there were a few things that were different that may have given me the chance of scoring some results I know I'm capable of. I would love to be staying with the team as well to continue the hard work we have all put in but that isn't possible, so I'd just like to say thanks to them all and hope that one day I can return to the MotoGP paddock." Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "It was an incredible day today. Firstly, I feel sorry for Yamaha and Valentino who lost the championship today but that is racing. I am very sorry about that. I am very happy for our last race with Carlos as he showed much fighting spirit because he started 16th and he passed a lot of guys. His pace was very close to that of the leaders for a lot of the race and he caught many riders on other tyres. He eventually passed Hopkins and was closing on Colin to be just two seconds away at the end so we went close to being the first Yamaha - and on Dunlop. That says a lot. We have definitely improved so much during the year but we still have to concentrate on qualifying tyres but if you look at the last few races - apart from Motegi - the second part of the season really showed consistency and a big improvement. Thank you to Carlos and well done Dunlop. We go again with Dunlop next year and together with the new tyre rule and the 800cc capacity everything is much more open and we are very positive so it's good to end up with a race like this. The only sad thing for us is that we say goodbye to Carlos as he has done so much for us. I want to wish him all the best and good luck for what he is doing and thanks again for what he has done. I would also like to say thanks to James as well. I know that he tried very hard all year to come to grips with the bike and the tyres but unfortunately it didn't work out. Like Carlos I would like to wish him the best for anything he does in the future." Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 32 Crowd: 129.446 Weather: Hot 2006 MotoGP Valencia 29/10/2006 Race 1 - 30 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 46'55.415 2 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 0'1.319 3 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 0'9.230 4 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'12.065 5 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'16.306 6 Toni Elias Honda ESP 0'17.390 7 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 0'19.329 8 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 0'23.174 9 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'26.072 10 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 0'28.194 11 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 0'29.364 12 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 0'29.707 13 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'38.546 14 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'20.013 15 Garry McCoy Imor X3 AUS -7 Laps Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'32.924 Rider Standings 29/10/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 252 2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 247 3. Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 229 4. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 228 5. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 215 6. Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 134 7. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 124 8. Casey Stoner Honda AUS 119 9. Toni Elias Honda ESP 116 10. John Hopkins Suzuki USA 116 11. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 98 12. Makato Tamada Honda JPN 96 13. Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 95 14. Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 92 15. Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 75 18. James Ellison Yamaha GBR 26 Team Standings 29/10/2006 Pos. Team Points 1. Repsol Honda Team 467 2. Camel Yamaha Team 371 3. Ducati Marlboro Team 356 4. Fortuna Honda Team 344 5. Rizla Suzuki 214 6. Team Roberts KR 134 7. Kawasaki Racing Team 129 8. Honda LCR 119 9. Tech3 Yamaha 101 10. Konica Minolta Honda 96 11. Pramac D'Antin 33 12. Ilmor SRT 2 Manufacturer Standings 29/10/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 360 2. Yamaha 289 3. Ducati 248 4. Suzuki 151 5. Team Robert KR 134 6. Kawasaki 109 7. Imor X3 2

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi will launch his bid for the MotoGP World Championship title in the best possible circumstances tomorrow after sealing pole position for the final race of the season in today's qualifying session at Valencia. The Italian repeatedly smashed the pole record here to make sure of the top spot, eventually clocking a best lap of 1'31.002 to hold off the twin challenge of Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi (Ducati), who join him on the front row. Tomorrow, in front of an expected crowd of over 120,000 fans, the five-time MotoGP World Champion will defend an eight-point advantage over Nicky Hayden (Honda) as he aims to secure his sixth consecutive title. Hayden, the only man with a mathematical chance of denying Rossi, starts from the second row after qualifying fifth fastest, meaning there are three riders between the championship contenders on the grid. Unfortunately Rossi's Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards is not one of those, having struggled to significantly improve his lap times on a qualifying tyre this afternoon. Nevertheless, the in-form Texan has set an impressive pace throughout the day on race rubber. In the morning free practice, when Rossi also topped the time sheets, Edwards was fourth fastest and in the afternoon he lapped consistently inside the circuit record before being forced to settle for tenth place on the grid. Valentino Rossi (1st - 1'31.002; 30 laps) "We knew we had great potential with the qualifying tyre because we tried it this morning in the free practice and then this afternoon I did three very good laps, each one better and better and then the final lap was very fast. To do a 1'31.0 was really incredible. This pole position is crucial for me because it is an important part of my race tactics to start from the front. The session couldn't have gone much better for us because we have a couple of other riders between myself and Nicky. It is a shame Colin is not one of them but he has a good race pace so hopefully he can help me out like he did at Estoril. The team has done a great job this weekend, especially with the balance of the bike. Now we need to make one or two small changes for tomorrow and then we'll just wait and see. I hope the weather will be like this - for the riders and for the fans because it looks like there will be a great crowd! Now we have the most important thirty laps of the season left to complete our target." Colin Edwards (10th - 1'31.711; 28 laps) "I'm really pleased with the race setting although we could still make a little more time up in the second sector so that is something we will look at in the warm-up tomorrow. I'm also having a slight problem under braking into turn one but it's good to know that even with those small setbacks we are still right up there in terms of the pace we can expect to see at the front tomorrow. The bike is a lot better than yesterday - we were confident that the changes we had in mind would work and they did, so I have to give my thanks to the team for that. They've done a great job on the bike and we're all set to give a good showing in the last race. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get it done on the qualifying tyre today so the starting position is a little further back than we would like but I know this circuit really well and hopefully I can use that knowledge to make as many passes as possible at the start of the race, get up there and help Valentino win this championship." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "We couldn't have asked for a better starting position for the most important race of the season but the main thing is that Valentino's general feeling with the bike is good and he is comfortable going into such a big day tomorrow. Of course, anything can still happen but we feel ready for this last battle and happy in the knowledge that our bike will be competitive enough to go out and race. Unfortunately Colin wasn't able to take advantage of the qualifying tyre today but we're pleased with his pace on race rubber and we expect a big effort from him tomorrow. If he can get a good start then I'm sure he can stay with the lead group and help out Valentino, just like he did at Estoril. We are ready for D-Day!" Tech3 Yamaha confident of strong race at Valencia Two hours of practice and qualifying for tomorrow's final MotoGP of the year at the Grand Prix of Valencia have placed the Tech 3 Yamaha Team in an encouraging frame of mind for a good performance in what is the final race with the team for both Carlos Checa and James Ellison. Carlos and James finished the critical one hour qualifying session in 16th and 19th positions respectively but these places are deceptive as on race tyres the Tech 3 Yamaha Team is right in the hunt. Carlos's lap times especially are similar to those of pole sitter and fellow Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi and, encouragingly, just over a second off the fastest pole time of the defending world champion. Also during qualifying, Carlos did almost an entire Grand Prix distance on race tyres to boost his confidence for his final race with the Tech 3 Yamaha Team while teammate James had his session interrupted with a crash as he was pushing hard following Carlos in an effort to move up the grid. Although he had a small hiccup with the low-side crash, the Englishman still lowered his lap times from yesterday to set him in the mood for a good performance. Carlos Checa Carlos Checa (16th, 1'32.747, 31 laps) "I am not too disappointed with the session, although of course we would like to be closer to the front, but I did a race pace on a new tyre selection so we hope we can do the same times and be able to do the entire distance. We are quite satisfied with the job we did as on the last lap we did a flat 34. Our main problem is the consistency and to be able to race all laps in the 33s will be quite difficult. Unfortunately, with qualifying tyres we had a lot of chattering and couldn't improve too much. I thought I may be able to do one more lap but this was not possible. We are not in the best place on the grid as we are a bit further back than we would've liked but I am confident after doing the lap times today on race tyres that if we can get a good start we may be able to push our way through a few positions to get closer to the front but we have to remember that this is a very hard place to pass so we must aim for the best of starts. Also, as it is my last race with the team I want to have a good result to say thanks for all the hard work they have put in this year. At the beginning of the year we knew this would be a very difficult season but for everything that has happened I must say that it is one of the most personally satisfying years I have had in my career." James Ellison (19th, 1'33.953, 25 laps) "The session was ok at first and I really thought we may pull out a half decent qualifying position but we are still hitting a barrier that we can't push through, as once we start pushing through it we are having heaps of chattering problems on the right side. It starts to chatter then you try and ride through it and sometimes you get away with it and it stops chattering and sometimes it doesn't and that's what happened when I lost the front through the second right-hander. I can follow Carlos on exactly the same line and speed but when we look at the telemetry we see how different each bike is performing but it seems to have been the case all year. We have a pretty good idea for a race setup as I can run around in the 34 second bracket quite comfortably so I am fairly confident that we can run a good pace tomorrow and finish off a difficult year in the points. Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "First up congratulations to Valentino as this could be the most important pole position of his career. Saying that, it was a not so bad day for us today although the time sheets may show different. We look quite good on race tyres as we did 20 laps with Carlos earlier in the session and the lap times was very consistent with the entire block in the 1 minute 33 second bracket which after two days appears to be what the race pace will be and this is quite promising. Unfortunately we didn't qualify as well as we could've done and the starting position is not what we would've have liked but we saw Carlos at Estoril start from quite far behind after an incident at the first corner and he came back to a very decent position after the first few laps. We hope tomorrow that he will be able to make his way through the field for a similar result. As it is Carlos' last race for the team in Spain front of his home crowd we would like him to do well so we will all be trying our best. James was riding quite well also until he fell when pushing. We are happy to see him pushing hard and although he didn't improve after he crashed, he was very aggressive and this is what we like him to do and tomorrow we hope that he can do the same thing and finish his time with the team with a satisfactory result." Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 31 Weather: Dry 2006 MotoGP Valencia 28/10/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'31.002 2 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'31.210 3 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'31.307 4 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'31.341 5 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'31.378 6 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'31.385 7 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'31.470 8 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'31.606 9 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'31.663 10 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'31.711 11 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1'31.892 12 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'32.062 13 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'32.144 14 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'32.358 15 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 1'32.467 16 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 1'32.747 19 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'33.953

Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd is pleased to announce that Colin Edwards will continue with the Japanese factory for a third year in 2007, racing in the official Yamaha Factory Team. The 32-year-old American, who has previously won two World Superbike titles and has a best finish of fourth in the MotoGP World Championship with Yamaha, joined the Team in 2005 and has scored points in all but one of his 33 starts for them. Edwards has signed a one-year agreement, which will see him race on Yamaha’s new 800cc bike alongside Valentino Rossi again next season. Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, Lin Jarvis, commented, “We are very happy to have retained Colin for another year. Although he hasn’t had the easiest of seasons in 2006, he has given a strong showing in the last few races and has proven he can fight at the top of the MotoGP World Championship. He fits very well into the Yamaha ‘family’ and we’re sure that he will play a key role in the development of the new 800cc Yamaha MotoGP bike alongside Valentino.” Edwards, who began his international career with Yamaha in the World Superbike series in 1995 before returning to the Factory last year, said “I couldn’t be happier to be staying with Yamaha for another year. It’s no secret that this season we haven’t achieved the results we should have had, but in the last few races I feel that things have started to turn around and we hope to finish on a high in Valencia. I couldn’t ask for a better team-mate or team, I’m really happy at Yamaha and I can’t wait to start working on the new bike!” “The good partnership between Colin and Valentino is one of the strongest assets of our team,” added Davide Brivio, Team Director of Yamaha’s Factory Team. “We think that, for various different reasons, Colin wasn’t able to show his full potential this year and that’s why we’re very glad to have the chance to work again together next year. We are confident that we can offer him the right package to enable him to stay at the top throughout next season. Working with Colin is a real pleasure and we’re very happy to continue with him for another year.” Colin Edwards Statistics: Grands Prix contested in total: 65 First Grand Prix: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, 2003 MotoGP Podiums: 6 World Championships: 2 (World Superbike) 2006: Camel Yamaha Team – MotoGP World Championship 2005: 4th – MotoGP World Championship (Yamaha) 2004: 5th – MotoGP World Championship 2003: 13th – MotoGP World Championship 2002: World Superbike Champion – race wins 11, Winner Suzuka Eight Hours 2001: 2nd – World Superbike Championship – race wins 4, Winner Suzuka Eight Hours 2000: World Superbike Champion – race wins 8 1999: 2nd – World Superbike Championship – race wins 4 1998: 5th – World Superbike Championship – race wins 3 1997: 12th – World Superbike Championship 1996: 5th – World Superbike Championship, Winner Suzuka Eight Hours 1995: 11th – World Superbike Championship 1994: 5th – AMA Superbike Championship – race wins 3 1993: 6th – AMA Superbike Championship 1992: AMA 250cc Champion

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi today began preparations for the race that will decide the destiny of the MotoGP World Championship title as the first free practice sessions took place at Valencia. Fans have already begun to stream into the Ricardo Tormo circuit to witness the first exchanges of what promises to be another historic chapter in this sport's great history, with bright sunshine and warm autumn temperatures of 25ºC welcoming them to the eastern coast of Spain for the final round of the season. In the morning session Rossi and his Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards helped raise the heat with a series of quick laps that left the Italian on top of the time sheets, with the American sixth fastest, over lunch. However, the pace picked up considerably in the afternoon as a number of riders tested out their qualifying rubber ahead of tomorrow afternoon's grid decider and the pair slipped down the order, with Rossi ending the day seventh fastest overall and Edwards, who was unable to improve on his best lap from the morning, down in eleventh. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) clocked the fastest time of the day with a lap of 1'32.220, ahead of Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) and Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki). Rossi and Edwards will look to close the gap as they work on further setting refinements to their YZR-M1 machines in the final free practice session tomorrow morning, before official qualifying gets underway at 2pm local time. Valentino Rossi (7th - 1'33.274; 51 laps) "We found a good setting this morning and we were quite fast from the start, but this afternoon some of the others made big improvements and caught up with us! This afternoon we tried a lot of different things and quite a few tyres, trying to find the best possible package for tomorrow and Sunday. Tyres are fundamental here and its very hard on the left side of the tyre especially. This track isn't so easy and it takes time to find the right setting, but the feeling from the bike is good and in general our race pace is quite fast so we're not really worried. We've got one or two things to improve, especially in a couple of the hard braking areas, but I think if we can make just a couple of improvements then we will be able to fight at the top. For now we will stay calm and focused and tomorrow things will be clearer." Colin Edwards (11th - 1'33.545; 39 laps) "It's okay, everything is under control! Our new breakthrough, 'miracle' setting that we found in Motegi needed a few tweaks before it was perfect for Estoril and here it's the same story. In fact we need to make a few small changes back towards the Motegi setting in order to have it perfect for this track. Everything we're learning and understanding here, especially with the setting, is going to be really valuable next year, even with the new bike, so that's quite exciting. We understand why it was perfect in Portugal and why we've got some problems here, so there's no need to panic. We'll make some changes tonight and I'm confident that we'll be back up there tomorrow." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "With Valentino we worked a lot today on many different things. We're still trying to fine tune the setting and select the right tyres but anyway the situation is not so bad. Colin this morning was quite fast but now we need to look at what happened this afternoon because he couldn't improve on that time. We've got some work to get through tonight to see how we can improve with him but it seems his team understands what they need to do and I am sure they will be able to bring everything together for tomorrow. It's not a perfect start but we're relaxed, it's only Friday and we have all of Saturday to improve." Hard work ahead for Tech3 Yamaha at Valencia The opening day of practice proved to be a difficult one for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team as riders Carlos Checa and James Ellison struggled to find a suitable setup in preparation for tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions in preparations for Sunday's Grand Prix de Valencia where over 125,000 spectators are expected to witness one of the great races of the modern MotoGP era as both riders prepare for their last race in the yellow and black Tech 3 Yamaha colours. Carlos along with fellow Yamaha rider Colin Edwards were the only two riders not to improve their morning time later in the day as higher temperatures made tyre selection challenging. While Carlos struggled to be in the somewhat unfamiliar position of 15th fastest, James took nearly two seconds off his time from the opening session to be one position behind his team mate with both riders confident that some hard work overnight can improve their chances for Sunday's race. Carlos Checa (15th, 1'33.860; 53 laps) "It hasn't been a frustrating day but it has been very hard work. This afternoon we couldn't find the right combination with grip and we also had a lot of chattering. We have been using one bike then the other, testing different rear tyres but we haven't found good performance especially with the side grip. Sometimes it hasn't been so bad but then we get some big chatter in one bike very badly but in my other bike we have a setting to try and stop the chatter. Today is one of those days where you hit the same wall and can't jump over it. We need to change something else to try and stop this chatter and improve the side grip but honestly at the moment I can't find that next step that we need to move forward. But like this team has been doing all year we have some ideas to try tomorrow and Dunlop have some other combinations with rear tyre that we will try tomorrow to see if this can give us something better. We also tried a different front rim size to try and eliminate our problems but the tyre worked quite different this afternoon. I don't know if it was the rim or the fact that the track had a lot higher temperature but I'm sure we will find something tomorrow as we have already been working on some ideas. Although many others tried qualifying tyres it didn't make sense for us to use one. We have to improve the pace to be more consistent and faster with the race tyre. It is my last race with this team and I am determined to give a good result for the team as they have been working very hard all year to improve the situation we are in. I thi k we all have done a very good job to get the Dunlop tyres to where we are now but of course not every day is going to be perfect so we will work on making these improvements for tomorrow. Ellison and Checa James Ellison (16th1'34.323; 51 laps) "We had a slow start this morning as we had a lot of changes with setup to find a balance with the bike and tried a few new tyres to find a direction for this afternoon which obviously we did as straight out of the box we were a lot better than we were this morning but, to be honest it seems all the Dunlop runners are struggling to find the right combination of tyres. The ingredients are there in each tyre. A certain area of one is good and then there are the same things in other tyres that are goods so it's a case of all getting together and finding the one that is going to work this weekend because the times are so close. I am very happy to be right with Carlos. It's probably the closest since Brno so in that respect I'm happy but we still have along way to go. I'm sure Carlos isn't too happy so the only way is moving forward. The times are so close so its not like taking big chunks out of a lap time we're looking for its just fine-tuning with the tyres and the balance of the bike. Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director This is an important weekend for us of course as it is the end of the season but also the last Grand Prix with Carlos which is something very special because we have had a really good year together and I think we have done a great job thanks to him. The improvement of the Dunlop tyres owes him a lot and most of it is because of his dedication and hard work. This morning was good as we started really strong and looked like we could be doing another Phillip Island or Estoril but I'm not in a position at the moment to explain this afternoon. Maybe it was because of the unexpected heat combined with the track. The only two guys that didn't improve were Carlos and (Colin Edwards) but still Carlos didn't want to use the qualifying tyre. We know that the result of the second practice session doesn't reflect 100% of the situation because we are only 0.8 to the best time on race tyres. It is still a long way behind but not as bad as we've seen on the screen. I am quite confident that we can give Carlos the best package possible to end this adventure with us and I think he is very motivated to give a good gift to the team. We are not too far away and we are going to push very hard tomorrow so we are quite confident. James has been riding well to improve his time so I think we are in a pretty good shape to move up the sheets tomorrow. Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 25 Weather: Dry 2006 MotoGP Valencia 27/10/2006 Free Practice Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'32.220 2 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1'32.408 3 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'32.786 4 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'33.019 5 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'33.080 6 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'33.254 7 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'33.274 8 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'33.369 9 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'33.394 10 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'33.433 11 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'33.556 12 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'33.622 13 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 1'33.689 14 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'33.795 15 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'33.954 16 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 1'33.967 17 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'34.323

The Tech 3 Yamaha Team have chosen Makoto Tamada to join their team for the 2007 MotoGP World Championship season. The 29-year-old Japanese will ride the new 800cc Yamaha and continue the development of Dunlop tyres of which the performance has significantly improved during the 2006 season. "We are very happy to welcome Makoto Tamada" says Herve Poncharal, Tech 3 Yamaha Dunlop team manager. " He is an excellent rider who has already proved his potential by winning two Grands Prix and being on the podium five times in the MotoGP era. We are sure that he will be able to help Dunlop becoming more competitive - a challenge that has become even more interesting as we will all jointly work with the new Yamaha 800 with the full support of the Yamaha factory." Makoto Tamada, who made his MotoGP debut in 2003 also looks forward to joining this project: "I am happy to be back on Dunlop tyres again, and have good memories of riding on Dunlop in the Japanese Superbike Championship. I am excited by the challenge that the Tech 3 Yamaha Dunlop project offers. I was able to judge at close quarters the current level of the Yamaha Dunlup package during the Portuguese GP, where Carlos Checa and I raced very close together." Makoto Tamada's statistics: Grands Prix contested in total: 62 Debut in Grand Prix: 1998 in 250 cc First MotoGP: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, 2003 MotoGP Podiums: 5 MotoGP victories: 2 (Japan and Brazil 2004)

Today two-time former world superbike champion Troy Corser had his first outing with the Yamaha Motor Italia team with whom he will compete in the 2007 Superbike World Championship. The Australian completed 74 laps on the Mugello circuit in Italy riding a 2006-spec YZF-R1. The main objectives of the test were to help the team understand the rider’s preferences with regards to machine settings and to give Corser a first impression of his new team and of the R1 he has competed against for the past two seasons. Corser and team-mate Noriyuki Haga will get their first taste of the 2007-spec YZF-R1 at the official FG Sport test on 14th and 15th of November at Valencia. Troy Corser “I am very happy with today’s results. After altering the settings of foot pegs, handlebars and the thumb operated rear brake in the morning session, I already felt quite comfortable on the bike. The Yamaha R1 has impressed me on several points, especially the mid range power is strong and the chassis is very stable under braking. We worked on different bike settings during the day and the cooperation with the team worked out very well. At the end of the day I was already doing lap times equal to Noriyuki’s times here at Mugello so that gives good expectations for the next test at Valencia. There we will be able to make a realistic comparison. All in all I am very pleased with my first day working with the team and looking forward to next season.” Massimo Meregalli “Today we have completed a quite significant amount of laps in order to have Troy getting used to the bike and the team. The result of the test was initially not to set competitive lap times but in the end Troy has shown us some impressive results. It was an important shakedown for the team and now that Troy has already proven he is able to work with the 2006 bike, we can now fully focus on 2007 season preparations. Today’s test was very positive so now we can work towards the Valencia test with full confidence.”

One of the most exciting seasons in the history of the MotoGP World Championship reaches an intense climax next weekend as Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden (Honda) go head-to-head for the title in a final-round shootout at Valencia. The amphitheatre-style surroundings of the Ricardo Tormo circuit on the outskirts of the Spanish city provide the perfect stage for the ultimate instalment of a 17-round epic that began on the Iberian peninsular in less than perfect fashion for Camel Yamaha rider Rossi nine months ago. Since being knocked from his bike in the first corner of the first race at Jerez, the Italian has been through virtually every emotion known to a motorcycle racer. A dramatically unpredictable season of twists and turns has seen Rossi visit the gravel traps, the hospital and the top step of the podium in almost equal measures, with technical problems also robbing him of vital points in the first half of the season. However, since finding himself a massive 51 points behind Hayden after round eleven at Laguna Seca, the five-time World Champion has shown his true colours with a string of five consecutive podium finishes. His latest, second place in the Grand Prix of Portugal at Estoril, coupled with a crash for Hayden, finally lifted him above the American to the top of the standings for the first time this season and opened up an eight-point gap between the pair with one round to go. It means that for the first time in fourteen seasons the destiny of the MotoGP World Championship will be decided in the final round, with the drama set to unfold in front of a sell-out crowd in excess of 120,000 people in the firecracker atmosphere of Cheste. Colin Edwards will once again be looking to play the role of good team-mate after his star performance at Estoril just over a week ago. The Texan was back to his best form in Portugal, qualifying second on the grid and providing a crucial helping hand to Rossi in the early stages of the race - only to narrowly miss out on his second rostrum of the season as he took fourth place at the line. This weekend Edwards' clear objective is to go at least one position better and make sure he is celebrating alongside Rossi on Sunday evening. Valentino Rossi: My one chance Valentino Rossi travels to Spain this week knowing that he cannot afford to let this incredible opportunity slip after admitting that a fifth title defence was effectively out of his hands just five rounds ago. Hayden's well-publicised misfortune in Portugal has perhaps overshadowed the fact that it is Rossi's own form - a run of nine top-three finishes from the last eleven races - that has propelled him to the top of the standings and fulfilled his target of arriving at the final round with a sixth consecutive premier-class title in sight. "Things went very well for us in Estoril - we've achieved our goal of coming here still fighting for the championship and for this I have to thank everyone in the team so much," says Rossi. "Each person has worked at 100% to bring us back to this position and now we're all very excited about this final race. Of course it's not going to be like other times, when I have won the championship with some races to spare and less pressure. Now I only have one chance. It's a big pressure for everyone but it's great for the show. "Valencia isn't one of my best tracks and we also know that Hayden is really strong there, so it's definitely not going to be easy. On the other hand we know that the M1 works quite well there and in the race last year it was very good in the second half of the race especially. If we can start from the front then I think we can try for the win, but whatever happens it's going to be a really exciting race. Hopefully Colin and I can be at the front together like in Estoril and we'll just see what we can do!" Colin Edwards: A team player Colin Edwards says his number one aim this weekend is to help out his great friend and team-mate Valentino Rossi in his quest to win the title. The best way to do that, of course, is for the Texan to keep his excellent form going and continue with the recent progress the pair have made with the set-up of their YZR-M1 machines. Edwards' attitude is a reflection of a tight team ethic at Camel Yamaha and it is something he hopes will pay dividends when the chequered flag greets the 2006 MotoGP World Champion on Sunday. "I'm pretty excited about the last race of the season, it's going to be pretty close I reckon," says Edwards. "Estoril worked out well for the team and I was able to help Valentino out, which was the number one aim. Obviously I was disappointed not to be on the podium but my bike worked great and I think that we're in good shape to do it all again at Valencia." "I've raced at Valencia for years so I know it really well and I know I am quite fast there. Like in Estoril, the aim is going to be to get on the front row alongside Valentino and then just to help him out in the race as much as possible. Of course this time out I want to be on the podium too, a Yamaha one-two would be the perfect end to the season!" Davide Brivio: The final push For Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio the Grand Prix of Portugal epitomised the togetherness and spirit shown by his riders and staff since bouncing back from the brink of failure midway through the season. With just one round remaining the Italian is asking for one final, definitive push before a well-earned break and the start of the new 800cc era in 2007. "Since the summer break we have just taken the races one-by-one, working our hardest and keeping our focus, and the results have been excellent," reflects Brivio. "Our objective from Brno onwards was to keep fighting until the end of the season and try to get to the last round with a mathematical chance of winning the title. After Portugal that mathematical chance is a lot stronger than we expected but it is not over yet and, as we all know from our experience this season, anything can still happen. "It looks like being another dramatic weekend but from our point of view the objective is just the same as it has been for the last five or six races - to keep our heads down, work hard and stay focused on the job of giving our riders the best possible package for Sunday. If we can do that then I'm sure Valentino and Colin will do their part too, and hopefully we can celebrate together on Sunday." Technically speaking: Valencia according to Jeremy Burgess With its unique stadium-style surroundings the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia is a spectacular, if somewhat cramped facility characterised by a never-ending burst of tight corners, connected by short straights. The long penultimate looping left-hander and the fast entry to turn one contrast violently with the otherwise geometric flip-flop chicanes and slow-speed corners of the infield. "Valencia isn't one of Valentino's favourite tracks because it is so tight and twisty, but we won there in 2004 and finished third last year after starting well down the grid, so we know the M1 works well," says Jeremy Burgess, Chief Engineer to Valentino Rossi. "One of the big lessons we have learnt this season is that if you want to win in this class nowadays then you really have to start from the front so we will again be using the free practice sessions to make sure we have the right bike settings for both qualifying and the race. "Technically there is not much to say about Valencia other than the obvious fact that it has a lot of low gear usage and very little throttle - with the back straight and the start-finish straight being the only two high speed sections. The last long left is different to any other corner in the world and it can be crucial to the outcome of the race so for that reason it requires special attention when setting the bike up to make sure you have the speed coming towards the line. The rest is slow and anti-clockwise - there's not much else to say about it really!" Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 84 (57 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 172 (113 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 44 World Championships - 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 65 x MotoGP World Championships - 2 World Superbike Valencia Lap Record: Marco Melandri (Honda) 2004, 1'33.043 Valencia Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005, 1'31.874 2005 Valencia Grand Prix Results: 1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 46'58.152 2. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, +0.097 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +2.959 8. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, +25.678

A fantastic team effort from Yamaha today saw Valentino Rossi take the lead in the MotoGP World Championship by eight points ahead of the final round of the season at Valencia, after taking second place in a race that saw Nicky Hayden (Honda) dramatically crash out at Estoril. Rossi missed out on victory by just 0.002 seconds after a photo finish with Toni Elias (Honda), the Spanish youngster slipstreaming the Italian to the line to take his maiden success in the class. Nevertheless the 20-point haul means that second place for Rossi at the final race in two weeks' time will be enough for the title, regardless of who wins. Colin Edwards also played a crucial role for the team today, turning in one of his best performances this season to battle with the lead group throughout the race before being forced to settle for fourth in that breathtaking finale. The Texan got a great start from the front row of the grid and fulfilled his promise to help out Rossi for the opening laps, protecting his team-mate from the attentions of Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and Hayden. Whilst Rossi tried to escape at the front, a pass by Edwards on Pedrosa for second place on lap three proved critical, as the Spaniard then became involved in a tussle with his own team-mate Hayden before sensationally colliding into the American to send them both tumbling into the gravel. Rossi and Edwards looked set for a one-two finish, mirroring their qualifying result, but a late charge from Elias, who was followed by Kenny Roberts JR (Team KR) put paid to those hopes as the top four crossed the line separated by just 0.864 seconds. Valentino Rossi (2nd ; +0.002) "I'm really happy to be finally leading the championship; this is the most important thing for today, even if I am disappointed not to have won! I made a good start and was in front after turn one, but I knew that my pace wasn't as fast as yesterday, because it was about ten degrees colder and this gave us some problems. When I saw that Colin was behind me this made me quite relaxed because I knew he would help me as much as he could. He rode a great race and I have to say a big thank you to him, I am so sad that he's not on the podium with me today. It was a very hard race for me and I had to push all the way because Kenny, Toni and Colin were very fast too. Going into the last chicane I knew I had to come out in front, but then Toni was just a little bit faster than me to the line. Well done to him for his first win, he really rode a hard race today! Now we have two weeks until the final showdown, so we need to relax and stay focused and try to do another weekend like this in Valencia! Once again of course I need to thank my team and everyone involved, I think we've really shown today that we have real 'team spirit' at Yamaha and Colin and I are really lucky to be able to race in a team like this." Colin Edwards (4th; + 0.864) "I got a decent start and just tried to help Valentino out, holding the other guys up where I could because in practice our pace was around the 1'37.9 mark so I thought if I could hold it at 1'38.5 he might be able get away. My plan was to put the hammer down once he'd gone and hopefully shake off the rest of the guys to seal up second place but Valentino couldn't quite match his practice pace and we were just hanging behind him. It was a real scrap out there at the end and to be honest I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't make it onto the podium because we had the pace all weekend, the guys have done a brilliant job with the bike and I wanted to give them something to celebrate. Anyway, as a team things couldn't have worked out much better so it's been a very satisfactory weekend for us and now we'll aim to go out on an even bigger high in Valencia." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Our main target throughout the second half of the season was to arrive in Valencia with the championship still possible and we have done that so we are very pleased. We are delighted that Colin was able to get back to the kind of pace he is capable of this weekend and it couldn't have come at a better time because he played a brilliant role and showed what a great team player he is. The two riders have a great relationship with each other and that team ethic runs throughout the staff. Today was a perfect example of why that is so important. Now we have to keep doing what we have done since Brno for one more race. Personally I wish it was tomorrow but we've got two weeks to wait so we will have to just use this time as best we can and make sure we are ready to try and win the title at Valencia." Superb seventh to celebrate Checa's birthday for Tech 3 Yamaha The Tech 3 Yamaha Team equalled its best result of the 2006 season as Carlos Checa finished in a superb seventh position after an action packed Grande Premio de Portugal at the Estoril circuit. It was a fitting result to help celebrate Carlos' 34th birthday. Besides his excellent seventh place, Carlos also recorded the seventh fastest lap of the race just 0.050 second slower than new championship leader and fellow Yamaha rider, Valentino Rossi and prove the continued advancement that the Dunlop tyres have achieved in recent weeks. For his team mate, James Ellison it was a hard fought battle to finish in 13th position after a bad start saw him involved in an intense tussle with Alex Hoffman. In his endeavours to pass the German, he lost some grip and was forced to play it safe to ensure he brought his Yamaha home to secure more championship points. Carlos Checa Carlos Checa (7th, Fastest lap 1'38.306) "I am very satisfied with this result but it could've been much worse as I had some difficulty in the first corner. I touched with (Chris) Vermeulen as he braked very deep inside me and I know that first turn can have some big troubles and I wanted to have some space. After that I passed some riders and I was really having fun because it was the first time for awhile I have been able pass some riders and race. Then I caught the group with Elias and Roberts but then I started to lose the stability of the rear and it started moving around. Also I lost the side grip particularly on the final turn so I lose three or four tenths each lap and combined with the lose of stability this didn't give me a chance to stay with them. I swapped places with Tamada a few times but then I couldn't keep with him. I was riding so hard I nearly ran off the track and then Hopkins passed me I was lucky to stay on the track so I decided I had to finish the race and conserve the tyre as much as I could so this seventh place finish was very acceptable considering these difficulties. James Ellison (13thFastest lap 1'39.887) "To be honest the race was a bit of a disaster that commenced at the start as I was out-dragged by Alex (Hoffman) because I really wanted to stay in front of him and try and tag on the end of Carlos and keep the guys I out-qualified behind me because I knew if they were in front they would hold me up. It's pretty difficult to pass around this track without making some desperate moves. It was a fight to get past him for six or seven laps as he was really holding me up. I tried slip-streaming himdown the straight but he was doing some good blocks on me then by seven laps I had lost all grip trying to ride too hard to get past him. It was a real handful to ride as it was sliding all over the place so I gradually I dropped back. That's it basically so it's extremely disappointing." Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "It was a very good day for Yamaha today overall. We are very happy because we equalled our best race result from the US Grand Prix. Even though Carlos had some problems at the first corner and was about 13th or 14th at the end of the first lap, it is a credit to the tenacity of him that he kept his cool and kept his head down to recover a lot of positions. During the first 10 laps he was as quick or even quicker than some of the leaders and was riding a really great race at that moment but he had a coming together with Tamada and Hopkins and he lost some ground, around five seconds." "We are very happy because we have proved we have reached another step. After Japan it was very important to have a good race and result here." "I'm really hoping he will stay with us for next year and hopefully we will find out tonight. We gave him a cake this morning and hopefully we can celebrate his birthday and the result with some champagne later." "I would also like to offer my congratulations to Valentino as he moves in to the championship lead so overall it has been a very successful day for Yamaha" Circuit Length: 4182 Temp: 20 Weather: Dry 2006 MotoGP Estoril 15/10/2006 Race 1 - 28 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Toni Elias Honda ESP 46'8.739 2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'0.002 3 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 0'0.176 4 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'0.864 5 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 0'18.419 6 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 0'25.181 7 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 0'29.348 8 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'31.831 9 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'40.117 10 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 0'41.496 11 Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 0'41.533 12 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 0'44.776 13 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'19.113 14 Jose Luis Cardoso Ducati ESP 1'40.716 15 Garry McCoy Imor SRT AUS -4 Laps Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'37.914 Rider Standings 15/10/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 244 2. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 236 3. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 217 4. Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 209 5. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 202 6. Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 126 7. Casey Stoner Honda AUS 119 8. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 117 9. John Hopkins Suzuki USA 111 10. Toni Elias Honda ESP 106 11. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 98 12. Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 95 13. Makato Tamada Honda JPN 92 14. Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 83 15. Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 69 18. James Ellison Yamaha GBR 24 Team Standings 15/10/2006 Pos. Team Points 1. Repsol Honda Team 438 2. Camel Yamaha Team 361 3. Fortuna Honda Team 323 4. Ducati Marlboro Team 311 5. Rizla Suzuki 209 6. Team Roberts KR 126 7. Kawasaki Racing Team 120 8. Honda LCR 119 9. Tech3 Yamaha 93 10. Konica Minolta Honda 92 11. Pramac D'Antin 33 12. none 1 Manufacturer Standings 15/10/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 344 2. Yamaha 282 3. Ducati 223 4. Suzuki 146 5. Team Robert KR 126 6. Kawasaki 100 7. Imor SRT 1

Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards will start the Grand Prix of Portugal from the front two places on the grid tomorrow, after a sensational qualifying practice that saw the Italian seal his fourth pole of the season with a record time of 1'36.200. Edwards was just 0.278 seconds off the pace of his team-mate to equal his best qualifying position of the campaign ahead of what promises to be a mouth-watering penultimate round. Both riders worked hard on the race setting of their YZR-M1 machines throughout the day, building on positive recent tests at Motegi and an exhaustive first day of practice yesterday. In the morning they were second and fifth fastest but the momentum grew in the afternoon when they both dipped under the 1'38 mark on race rubber before launching their grid attack in an exciting climax to the session, Rossi setting his definitive pole time on the last of three impressive efforts. Tomorrow's race, which gets underway at 1pm local time (CET -1), will see the reigning World Champion aim to reduce a 12-point deficit to series leader Nicky Hayden, who clinched the final front row spot in third place, before the final round of the season at Valencia in two weeks' time. Valentino Rossi (1st - 1'36.200; 27 laps) "With the championship as it is now I think it was fundamental to be on pole position today and for Colin to qualify second is perfect - I am really pleased for him and all his guys. We've worked hard this weekend because the right setting was quite difficult to find and all the team had to give 100% so I'm really thankful to them and to Michelin for a great tyre. Of course the important thing is tomorrow and with Hayden on the front row with us it looks like it will be a great battle for the victory. There are a lot of other riders with good pace too but for now I'm really happy with the pole position. My first two qualifying laps were quite good but the last one was unbelievable - it is so much fun to ride the M1 when it's working so well like this. Hopefully the weather will stay like this tomorrow and we can have a good show for everybody." Colin Edwards (2nd - 1'36.478; 27 laps) "It's a fantastic feeling to be back on the front row and running with consistent times that we know can make us competitive in the race. Hats off to my team and to Michelin as well, because we had a lot of help from them today. After Motegi we stayed and tested and finally figured out the little piece of the puzzle that has been missing all year. Now the bike feels easy to ride - I can push it to the limit, even go over the limit, and I don't know how to thank the guys enough. Personally I feel good and feel that I'm riding great. Tomorrow looks like it's going to be really interesting so hopefully I can play my part for the team and we'll see what happens." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It was a perfect end to the session for us and a perfect way to start the race tomorrow! To have Valentino and Colin start first and second at such a crucial moment in the season is very important. It's great for us to see Colin back on the front row and so happy on the bike. It's also encouraging to see that we're making progress with the bike, even at this stage of the championship. It's fantastic that Valentino is on pole and in such good shape for these last two battles. But it is only Saturday and now we have to focus on tomorrow and hope for an equally good day." Tech 3 Yamaha Team storm into top 10 after sensational qualifying With a positive opening day as a springboard for today's one-hour qualifying session, the Tech 3 Yamaha Team, led by Carlos Checa, continued the encouraging performance of the weekend as he grabbed a top 10 spot on the grid claiming ninth fastest time to start tomorrow's Gran Premio de Portugal at the Estoril circuit from the third row of the grid. His lap time was less than a second off pole-sitter and fellow Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi who is attempting to defend his world champion status in the 28-lap race. With just 10 minutes remaining of the session Carlos astounded the MotoGP paddock as he was second fastest taking over a second off his time from yesterday to confirm the on-going improvements of the Dunlop tyres and the factory Yamaha combination at a track where side-grip is so very important. With these two days now behind them, the team is confident that Carlos can score his best result of the year and help celebrate the Cataluyan's 34th birthday tomorrow. The second Tech 3 Yamaha pilot, James Ellison also improved taking nearly two seconds of his fastest lap from yesterday and will start from 17th position on the grid but unfortunately was pushed off the track after another rider came underneath him in the closing stages of the session causing him to crash and thus negate any further chance of moving up the grid. Carlos Checa (9th, 1'37.107, 28 laps) "It was a very positive day because we improved a lot with our race tyre and of course the track has improved in grip as well but we have made some good steps. We have found a good tyre for tomorrow after I had some concerns about warming the left hand side of the tyre and grip on that side but we have found a combination of tyre that we don't lose anything on the right side so this automatically gives me more confidence. With qualifying I had some chatter but we tried a different wheel size with the same tyre and we improved more than one second which for us is good. It was not enough to be in the top spot but I am quite satisfied with our procedure, our work and the structure of the tyre area for this race and gives us much more confidence for tomorrow. We have been moving step by step so we are improving time and again. Finally I couldn't improve anymore but at the end of the day we have had some very good information so I think for the next race we will be more effective in qualifying but for tomorrow I hope we can get the best result of the year." James Ellison (17th 1'38.810, 26 laps) "We improved again as I took two seconds off my time but I was hoping for a little bit more with another half a second. With the bike at the moment I feel I'm on the limit all the time but I don't think I pushed hard enough. I'm not entirely happy but not too disappointed either. Then to finish off the session I had a bit of an incident. There were a lot of guys going slow and I moved to keep out of the way but John (Hopkins) came around and he had to hit the brakes really hard getting out of shape to miss everyone and his handlebar hit me pushing me into the gravel and that was it. If it was anyone's fault it was all the guys going slow spread out over the track but at least it was right at the end of the session so I didn't lose too much. I'm ok and John came to apologise but really it wasn't his fault. Just one of those things and it was only cosmetic damage to the bike and I'm ok so no problem. I'm feeling pretty good for tomorrow as we can run a low 1'39 on race tyres so I'm fairly happy with that. Ive looked at the times and the guys that we should be up against, Chris (Vermeulen) and Randy (De Puniet), they're doing the same sort of times on race tyres so we just need a good start to get away with everybody - if it's dry. Chances are it's going to be wet tomorrow so we'll have to wait and see. If that's the case it's going to turn into a gamble for everybody." Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "We have had a fantastic day today but what is really worrying me is the weather forecast for tomorrow as it is supposed to be showers so it could be the same scenario like we had at Philip Island. That was also after such a good qualifying where we were sixth fastest, but we can't do anything about the weather. We have had a very positive weekend so far and it was so good to happen here because we were very sceptical after Japan and as I said yesterday we are back to where we were in Phillip Island. Carlos is very happy and I think the Yamaha/Dunlop package is working very well here as qualifying was very satisfactory and the third row is good enough for us. Also I think we have a good pace with the race tyre and providing we can get a good start I know we can stay with the lead group. Dunlop is looking good here and Carlos is very strong here and very motivated. James has also been improving a lot. Yesterday morning was a disaster but since then he has improved and his lap time is very decent. I'm sorry that he was taken out and he had a fall. Everybody knows that we are trying to finalise our collaboration for next year at the end of this race so I hope a good result will push the reason to allow Carlos to stay with us." Circuit Length: 4182 Temp: 25 Weather: Dry 2006 MotoGP Estoril 14/10/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'36.200 2 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'36.478 3 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'36.549 4 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'36.569 5 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'36.702 6 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'36.790 7 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'36.790 8 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 1'36.940 9 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 1'37.107 10 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'37.182 11 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'37.245 12 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'37.371 13 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'37.433 14 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 1'37.517 15 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'37.582 17 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'38.810

The World Supersport race report of last Sunday included a mistake in the announcement of the Yamaha Motor Germany Team riders for next season. The release mentioned that both Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes re-signed with the team for 2006, this must be for 2007.

Yamaha Motor Italia has signed Australian Troy Corser to ride alongside Noriyuki Haga in the 2007 Superbike World Championship. The spectacular line-up demonstrates Yamaha’s commitment to a series they returned to in 2005. Haga has won races on the R1 in each season – ending the 2005 and 2006 campaigns third in the standings. Corser is a two-time world champion with 33 race wins to his credit. He won the series with Ducati in 1996 and became the first rider to win the world superbike championship on a 1000cc four-cylinder machine last year. The Australian has competed in 250 world superbike races, more than any other active rider, and alongside Haga will provide Yamaha with an experienced and formidable squad as they look to win their first title in the class. The first appearance of Troy Corser with the Yamaha Motor Italia squad is planned to take place in Mugello on 25th October. Troy Corser “I am extremely happy to have the chance to work with Yamaha. The team has lots of experience and is very professional. Nori and I get along well and I think together we will be strong in development and bike set up. I’m looking forward to riding the bike and I will be aiming to score my third world title on the R1.” Noriyuki Haga Noriyuki Haga “I’m very happy to be staying with Yamaha Motor Italia. After two seasons together we have a very good working relationship and it was always my first choice to stay with Yamaha and continue our good work. My aim, as always, is to win the championship and I think Yamaha gives me the best chance to do it. I am looking forward to working with Troy as he has a lot of experience. We can learn a great deal from him, which will help make the bike even more competitive. We have had many great battles over the years and he is a rider for whom I have a massive amount of respect. I am sure that he will be a good team-mate - as well as one of my biggest rivals.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) ”I believe this rider pairing is a dream come true for any team manager. With Noriyuki we feel that we are ready to reap the rewards of the past two years. We have learned his specific bike preparation preferences, his way of communication and his approach to races. We both share the same strong feelings and it is now time to cash in on our investments.” “Troy is a proven championship winner and known as a highly qualified developer who is obviously very experienced. We expect him to be up front from the start. It's important for me to thank Andrew (Pitt) for all his efforts over the past two years. He did a great job, nevertheless we have chosen to go for the extra experience of Troy as a two times world champion. Particularly for his ability to set up a bike and tyre selection during the race weekend, we expect this to be a mutual benefit for both riders. We expect that Troy and Noriyuki will work together closely in the development of the 2007 bike. It’s essential to be ready from race one to go for the title with both riders”. Laurens Klein Koerkamp (Racing Manager - Yamaha Motor Europe) ”To have Noriyuki and Troy as team-mates gives Yamaha a very strong base for our 2007 world title challenge. Both riders are big characters in the world of superbike, who combine experience, consistency and success with flamboyance and aggression. Noriyuki is a true Yamaha man and part of the family, having already ridden three different Yamaha models in world superbike. In the third year with R1 the only objective is to be champion. Troy brings a wealth of development and bike setting up experience, that we believe will be beneficial to the whole team. He is extremely motivated to win a third title with as many different manufacturers. All in all, I believe we will have two serious title candidates who will provide an interesting rider cocktail on track and off track.”

Five years to the week since he won the MotoGP World Championship for the first time, Valentino Rossi heads into the penultimate round of the 2006 season at Estoril in Portugal next Sunday aiming to finally overthrow Nicky Hayden from the top of the standings and set-up his sixth premier-class title in a row. After an amazing run of form for the Italian, who has made up 39 points over the last four races, he is now just 12 behind and on course to catch the American by the final round at Valencia. A slip-up for Rossi, of course, could see Hayden take the number 1 plate this Sunday, but the formbook suggests that this should not be the case, with Rossi having finished on the podium in each of his previous six visits to Estoril. The 27 year old has won the race four times, including his first appearance there for Yamaha in 2004, whilst conversely for Hayden it is one of his least successful circuits - his best result coming last year when he finished seventh. Estoril's location on the western tip of Europe, just seven kilometres from the Atlantic coast, makes it vulnerable to dramatic changes in weather and high gusts of wind, meaning the riders can take nothing for granted. An autumn visit promises to deliver similarly wild conditions to those encountered when the event was held last year in the spring, culminating in the first ever flag-to-flag race in MotoGP - although unlike at Phillip Island three weeks ago none of the riders opted to come in and change bikes. Rossi's team-mate Colin Edwards was a victim of the conditions on that occasion, the Texan sliding off his bike on lap twenty-four and then remounting to finish in sixth place. This year the 31-year-old is hoping for much better fortune as he looks to build on excellent recent progress with the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine, including sensational lap times in the recent one-day test at Motegi, and end his season on a high. Valentino Rossi: Two difficult tracks Valentino Rossi remains confident that he has the speed to beat Nicky Hayden in any situation although he admits that the upcoming circuits are not amongst his favourites. An intense summer of hard work by Yamaha's engineers on the YZR-M1 has given Rossi a competitive and adaptable package that he believes can adjust to the demands of both Estoril and Valencia and give him every chance of retaining the title, which he has made his own in recent seasons. "Now we have two difficult tracks but I think our M1 can be fast at both of them," says Rossi. "Since Brno, when we finally understood everything about what we needed to do to make our bike work at 100% again, we've been very strong everywhere and on the podium each time. I think that we're as strong as our rivals now and when we're at the maximum we're always going to be fighting at the front. Of course we know we could have won more if we'd been like this earlier in the season but we can't do anything about that. Anyway we know our potential and when we've started from the front lately we've been on the podium each time, so we have to carry on like this. "Everyone involved has helped bring us back to this level. I think the team's level of motivation and concentration is the best in the paddock, it's incredible, more than anyone else, so I have to say thank you again. I actually like Portugal - the '04 bike especially was very good there. It's twisty but we can go well there. In '05 we had some problems with the tyre, plus it was only the second race and early in the year so the weather was bad. I hope that it will be a bit warmer and won't rain, and that we can find a good tyre with Michelin." Colin Edwards: Our turn for sunshine Colin Edwards is also hoping that recent hard work on the YZR-M1 can bear fruit in a final two-race swansong for the 990cc machine. With development of the 800cc bikes now well underway ahead of the rule changes in 2007, the American is hoping he can end the era on a high and finally fulfil the promise he has shown on the current bike in brilliant flashes over the past two seasons. "We made a big step forward at the test after the last race in Motegi and I was pretty much flying round the track that day," says Edwards. "We've only got two more races with this bike but it is always important to improve in testing so that you can translate that to race conditions, which is what we hope will happen in Portugal. Even though we haven't had the exact results we've hoped for at the last two races, the overall feeling with the bike has been much better and so with any luck the recent adjustments we made in Motegi will give us a competitive package in Estoril. "I was unlucky to be one of the ones that went down in the rain last year but I did get back on and finish sixth, although I had better improve on that this time around! I don't have any particularly strong feelings one way or another for the track, it's got a bit of everything but I think it suits our bike quite well. As a place it's not bad either - the coastline is beautiful and the food is great. The only problem is the weather, but we've been fairly unlucky with that this season so hopefully it's our turn for some sunshine!" Davide Brivio: Keeping the focus After such a good run of recent form, Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio says that the most important requisite from his staff over the final two rounds is that they maintain their focus. From being 51 points behind just four races ago Valentino Rossi is now within striking distance of the championship summit and Brivio is determined not to let this opportunity slip. "The championship is now in its final, vital stage and it's important that we don't lose focus," says Brivio. "Our target for Estoril is to continue in the same way as at the last few races and arrive at the last round in a position to fight for the championship there. Estoril is going to be very important because we need to try to close the gap as much as possible to put us in the best position to win in Valencia. "Colin did a great test on Monday in Motegi and made some really important steps forward. If we're able to confirm this improvement in Estoril and Valencia then I think we can definitely see him back fighting at the front at these two races. Unfortunately he's struggled quite a bit this season with finding the perfect setting on the bike, but we're not giving up! We have confidence in him and we know that we can see him in a better position for the final two races." Technically speaking: Estoril according to Mike Norton The Autodromo Fernanda Pires de Silva is a circuit of extreme contrasts. One of the lengthiest main straights in MotoGP allows speeds of over 340km/h to be reached and yet the chicane is one of the slowest corners on the calendar. The track itself has the slowest average speed and the throttle is seldom overworked on the extensively twisty and tortuous infield sections, riddled as they are by a host of second and third gear bends. However, the 200km/h kink at turn five and the final Parabolica corner are two of the toughest tests of any rider and machine's cornering prowess. With such contrasting challenges to overcome, the team mechanics and Michelin tyre technicians have no choice but to opt for compromise settings. "Suspension front and rear has to be generally set to work best towards the end of the race, to aid the tyres after such an extensive workout on the circuit's nine right and four left hand corners," explains Mike Norton, Öhlins' Suspension Technician to Valentino Rossi. "It's not particularly technical but it is quite hard on the tyres so the setting needs to help them out as much as possible. "Estoril needs a good compromise in order to be able to deal with the difference between the very twisty and quite slow infield sections and some much faster corners, such as turn five and the final Parabolica corner. The biggest problem last year was the temperature of the tyres because it was so early in the year and it rained, but hopefully this time the weather will be a little better and it will stay dry!" Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 84 (57 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 171 (112 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 43 World Championships - 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 64 x MotoGP World Championships - 2 World Superbike Estoril Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2004, 1'38.423 Estoril Best Lap: Alex Barros (Honda) 2005, 1'37.202 2005 Portuguese Grand Prix Results* : 1. Alex Barros (BRA) Honda, 47'14.053 2. Valentino Rossi(ITA) Yamaha, +2.771 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Honda, +6.071 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, +44.216 * Wet Race

It may 'only' have been the battle for second place in the 2006 Superbike World Championship, but Yamaha Motor Italia's Noriyuki Haga and Honda rider James Toseland certainly served up an end of season thriller at Magny Cours today. Along with outgoing world champion Troy Corser (Suzuki), Haga and Toseland gave the fans probably the best racing of the year as they traded positions corner after corner in the day's opening race. Haga did a remarkable job to even catch the leading group after running wide under braking on the first lap. That put the Japanese rider way down to 13th in the pack but, undeterred, Nitro Nori lit the afterburners to charge through the pack and challenge for the lead by lap nine of the 23 lap race. The leading quartet, with new world champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati) hanging in the background, traded places with the outcome of the race hanging in the balance until the final lap, with Toseland leading the Yamaha man across the line by one tenth of a second, Corser no more than a few lengths behind. Race two proved to be more of the same for the fans, although this time Haga was unable to challenge for the lead as Bayliss, Corser and Toseland fought it out a few seconds ahead of him. The Japanese rider had retained the same machine settings for the second outing, but found that his rear tyre performance was less impressive than in the opener. Bayliss went on to take his 12th win from 24 races, with Corser second and Toseland third. The result sees Haga repeat his 2006 performance, ending the year third in the standings. Haga's team-mate Andrew Pitt ended his best ever season with a fine fifth place in race two. The Australian suffered disappointment in the opener when he slid off on lap two, but showed typical grit to pull his R1 out of the sand trap and finish the race, albeit just outside the points. In the second outing Pitt struggled for front end feel and ran just behind the leading group to take fifth at the flag and fifth in the championship, missing out on fourth place to Corser by just five points. Sebastien Gimbert The Yamaha Motor France squad had a mixed day at their home race. Shinichi Nakatomi was the top individual performer, showing stunning speed as race one wore on to charge through to tenth, although the Japanese rider ended his debut world championship season in the gravel, crashing out of race two. Countryman Norick Abe took 13th and 12th place finishes, with local favourite Sebastien Gimbert retired from the opener with brake problems and took 11th in race two. In the championship, Abe finished 13th, Nakatomi 17th and Gimbert 19th on the kit part development bikes. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "The first race was good fun with some big fighting with James and Troy. I made a mistake under braking but the bike worked very good and I was able to push hard and catch the leaders. For the second race we kept everything the same but unfortunately rear tyre performance was not as good and after two or three laps I knew that it would be very hard to win the race. I am a little disappointed not to be able to take second in the championship today. I only finished 10 points behind Toseland in the championship and it for sure there were some places where we lost points." Andrew Pitt Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "We went for a softer front tyre in race two and on the brakes, going into corners, it was moving a little bit. It was never one I really liked, but I used the harder one in race one and crashed. I didn't quite have the speed in the early laps, and I just hung in there and got back up to fifth, which was an ok result to end the season on. We've had a good season I'd like to thank Yamaha for giving me this opportunity to run at the front of the championship for the past two years." Shinichi Nakatomi Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "So-so! This weekend everything was pretty bad with the set-up in qualifying and afterwards. Other times we can improve on race day but this time it maybe got worse. The lap times were not as good as in qualifying. I don't know why. I have raced two years in this team and everyone is so kind, it is like a family now." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "In race one I had a good finishing position, up on what I could do normally. In race two we changed the settings a little bit and they were better, and I was behind Walker and Kagayama. I pushed and pushed but the front washed out and I fell down." Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "My races were unbelievable. I had a problem in race one with a warped brake rotor and no brakes. Then I had no grip in the second race. But I finished 11th and scored good points." Massimo Meregalli (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Having both riders in the top five is a fine achievement for our team, although there has to be some disappointment as our target at the start of the season was to go for the title. We've improved a lot this year and it gives us a good base for next season. Today Noriyuki made the same tyre choice for the two races, but in the second the rear did not work the same. In the first race it had been perfect but in the second the bike started to slide after around two laps. Andrew was not so confident with the front end today and couldn't push as hard as he wanted to. In the end he did the best he could and fifth in the championship is a good result." Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France) "Sebastien was not so lucky with a warped disc in race one. In race two, finishing between Barros and Abe was a good result. Abe got some useful points for the team, and it was too bad that he did not have enough grip. The tenth of Nakatomi was very nice, although he fell in race two. I would like to thank everyone for their efforts in 2006." Circuit Length: 4411 Temp: 22 Crowd: 61000 Weather: Sunny 2006 WSB Magny Cours 08/10/2006 Race 1 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Toseland Honda GBR 38'53.856 2 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'0.115 3 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 0'0.412 4 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 0'3.000 5 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'7.152 6 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 0'14.906 7 Alex Barros Honda BRA 0'17.330 8 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'17.474 9 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'25.257 10 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'25.883 11 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'31.542 12 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'33.422 13 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 0'36.159 14 Roberto Rolfo Ducati ITA 0'40.867 15 Joshua Brookes Kawasaki AUS 0'50.110 18 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 0'57.659 Race 2 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 38'54.239 2 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 0'1.282 3 James Toseland Honda GBR 0'3.388 4 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'8.524 5 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 0'11.836 6 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 0'14.126 7 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'15.217 8 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 0'18.212 9 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'20.224 10 Alex Barros Honda BRA 0'23.387 11 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 0'28.965 12 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 0'33.071 13 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'33.125 14 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'35.223 15 Pierfrancesco Chili Honda ITA 0'40.136 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'40.370 Rider Standings 08/10/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 406 2. James Toseland Honda GBR 320 3. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 313 4. Alex Barros Honda BRA 240 5. Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 239 6. Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 234 7. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 204 8. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 160 9. Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 150 10. Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 139 11. Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 122 12. Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 113 13. Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 108 14. Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 103 15. Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 103 17. Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 48 21. Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 18 Manufacturer Standings 08/10/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Ducati 425 2. Honda 398 3. Yamaha 388 4. Suzuki 352 5. Kawasaki 221 6. Petronas 19 RACE REPORT 08/10/2006 Curtain takes runners-up slot in France Kevin Curtain Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain took the runners-up spot in the 2006 Supersport World Championship after crashing out at Magny Cours today. The Australian needed to finish eighth or higher to deny Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) the world title for the second year, but crashed out of fourth place on the eighth lap of 22. Charpentier went on to win the race from team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu and become the first rider to win the championship two times. Curtain's still-injured team-mate Broc Parkes rode a brilliant race to take the final podium position. The Australian, who won at Magny Cours 12 months ago, stayed with the leaders for the opening part of the race but slipped back to take the flag 10 seconds behind the leader. Yamaha GMT94's David Checa finished fifth at his team's home race, his best result since taking fourth place at Misano in June, although it was a bad end to the season for Yamaha Team Italia. Massimo Roccoli crashed out at the final chicane on the second lap while team-mate Gianluca Vizziello scored just two points for 14th position. The results see Charpentier win the title by seven points from Curtain, with Sofuoglu taking third ahead of Parkes. Roccoli who, like Curtain and Parkes, won one round on his YZF-R6 this year, ends the year in sixth. Yamaha has re-signed Curtain and Parkes to lead its world supersport challenge in 2006. Roccoli has also demonstrated his commitment to the brand by signing a two year extension to his contract with Yamaha's Italian distributor, Yamaha Motor Italia. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) "I just don't know what to say. It all seemed too good to be true and we came back to reality with a bang. That's my first race crash of the year and I just can't believe that it had to happen today. I don't really know what happened, I was running with Checa and was trying to pull a bit of a gap on him as we had almost touched a few times. I was going through the long left when I just lost the front and went down. I'm feeling down just now but I know that I'll be able to refocus and come back to challenge for the title next year." Broc Parkes Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) "It's been a very disappointing day for us and I can't believe that Kevin hasn't won the championship. Our team has put so much into this season and after Brands Hatch it seemed that we had two chances at the title. Sebastien has taken the opportunity and I must congratulate him and his team, because they have done a great job. After Assen I lost my own chance of winning the championship when I crashed and got injured, but today I was ready and willing to help Kevin. I thought that he was behind me, in fourth, and it was only when the race finished I knew that he was out. I'm so disappointed for Kevin but I feel that I have ridden well in these last two races. I like this circuit and fully fit I could probably have run with Sebastien and Kenan today. I felt the power drain out of my body at about half distance and I was happy to bring it home on the podium. I want to win the title so badly next year and I'll be training hard over the winter to make sure that we come back fitter and stronger." David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) "I got a good start and I thought I had a shot at the podium but the headwind lowered our top speed today. I was chasing Curtain when he just lost the front and I had a similar experience when I lost both wheels. I thought I would crash but the bike picked itself up. I think we showed what we could do today, with a little more power we might have been further up." Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha Team Italia) "I destroyed my first bike in the morning warm-up and I had to ride my spare bike in the race, with which I do not have as good a feeling. I tried to get some points for the championship but I am sorry for the team as I could not make a good performance today." Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia) "I was trying to recover from a bad start when my front wheel touched the kerb and I went down at the final chicane. I'm disappointed, because I lost any chance of fifth in the championship, but it has been a good season with our win at Misano the definite high point." Circuit Length: 4411 Temp: 27 Crowd: 61000 Weather: Sunny 2006 WSS Magny Cours 08/10/2006 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 38'14.775 2 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 0'3.779 3 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 0'10.879 4 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 0'19.556 5 David Checa Yamaha ESP 0'22.790 6 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 0'25.745 7 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 0'29.437 8 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 0'31.609 9 Stephane Chambon Kawasaki FRA 0'35.190 10 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 0'37.552 11 Simone Sanna Honda ITA 0'52.996 12 Mauro Sanchini Yamaha ITA 0'55.346 13 Gregory Leblanc Honda FRA 0'55.462 14 Stuart Easton Ducati GBR 0'59.631 15 Vesa Kallio Yamaha FIN 1'4.252 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 1'42.506 Rider Standings 08/10/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 194 2. Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 187 3. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 157 4. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 145 5. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 117 6. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 96 7. Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 80 8. Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 70 9. Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 69 10. Xavi Fores Yamaha ESP 49 11. David Checa Yamaha ESP 44 12. Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 43 13. Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 39 14. Simone Sanna Honda ITA 32 15. Stephane Chambon Kawasaki FRA 31 Manufacturer Standings 08/10/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 277 2. Yamaha 240 3. Ducati 87 4. Kawasaki 62 5. Suzuki 39 RACE REPORT 08/10/2006 Corti takes French win and championship silver Claudio Corti Yamaha young gun Claudio Corti ended his first season in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup on a high with a win at Magny Cours. The 19-year-old Yamaha Team Italia racer led for most of the 14-lap race to take his fourth win in the ten race series. The Italian, who won the 600cc superstock class on a YZF-R6 last season, has won more races than any other rider on his YZF-R1 SP and ends the year second in the championship. Starting on pole position, his third of the season, Corti grabbed the holeshot as behind him four riders went down at the first corner. Low temperatures saw many riders crash out of the race, but Corti rode intelligently to build up heat in his tyres and increase his pace as the race went on. Fellow Italian Alessandro Polita (Suzuki), who came to France as the champion, passed Corti on lap four and led briefly, but the Yamaha man was able to regain the lead on four laps later and retain it to the chequered flag. Polita came home two seconds behind the Yamaha in second place, with former European supersport champion Matteo Baiocco making it two YZF-R1 SPs on the podium, in third. Corti's win moves him onto 156 championship points, 21 behind Polita in the final standings and 34 ahead of third placed Ayrton Badovini (MV Agusta). Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) "I made a good start and was able to push in the early laps. When I looked behind me I could see that only two riders were behind me, Polita and Baiocco, and this helped me relax. Alessandro passed me but I was able to increase my pace and build up a gap on him. To win here is the best way to end the season I can imagine. Many people have helped me in my career and I would like to dedicate my silver medal to Yamaha, the FMI (Italian motorcycle federation) and my team." Circuit Length: 4411 Temp: 16 Crowd: 61000 Weather: Dry 2006 Superstock Magny Cours 08/10/2006 Race 1 - 14 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 24'37.791 2 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 0'1.975 3 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 0'2.705 4 Ilario Dionisi Yamaha ITA 0'6.275 5 Emeric Jonchiere Suzuki FRA 0'11.139 6 Arne Tode Suzuki GER 0'11.475 7 Riccardo Chiarello Kawasaki ITA 0'11.746 8 Herve Gantner Yamaha CHE 0'17.334 9 Marko Jerman Suzuki SVK 0'18.450 10 Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 0'19.786 11 Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 0'22.745 12 Olivier Depoorter Yamaha BEL 0'24.472 13 Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 0'24.812 14 Raphael Chevre Suzuki CHE 0'25.927 15 Petter Solli Yamaha NOR 0'32.251 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 1'44.667 Rider Standings 08/10/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 177 2. Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 156 3. Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 122 4. Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 118 5. Brendan Roberts Suzuki AUS 87 6. Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 87 7. Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 78 8. Loic Napoleone Suzuki FRA 58 9. Riccardo Chiarello Kawasaki ITA 57 10. Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 45 11. Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 42 12. Richard Cooper Honda GBR 41 13. Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 35 14. Ilario Dionisi Yamaha ITA 35 15. Alex Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP 30 Manufacturer Standings 08/10/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 209 2. Yamaha 174 3. MV Agusta 153 4. Kawasaki 95 5. Honda 45

Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt will start tomorrow's final round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship from fifth and ninth places respectively. Both men made small mistakes on their superpole lap to slip down the order from their positions in regular qualifying and, despite not qualifying as well as hoped, the Yamaha Motor Italia riders are primed for action in tomorrow's 22-lap showdown. A damp circuit, caused by overnight rain, meant that superpole positions were decided by Friday's times. Only a few riders ventured out onto the circuit during the session, with the best time some six seconds from the ultimate dry weather performance. After ending yesterday fourth on the timesheets, Pitt was the fourth to last rider to take to his superpole lap. Despite clocking his best lap time of the weekend, a 1:40.090, the Australian rider was unable to make as big an improvement as many of his rivals on the soft qualifying rubber. His time saw him take the ninth slot on the grid for tomorrow's races, on the outside of the third row. Haga was last to depart for his superpole lap after holding the provisional pole position but made a small mistake on the opening part of the lap. An improved performance in the latter part of the lap saw Haga post a lap time of 1:39.914, to end the superpole session directly in front of Pitt, in fifth. Rain has meant that set-up time has been at a premium at Magny Cours this weekend, although Haga and Toseland gave fans a sneek preview of tomorrow's action in the afternoon practice session, when they spent 10 laps trading positions and never separated by a few bike lengths. The speedy R1 has proved rapid around the French circuit, with Yamaha riders recording the top three speeds in the superpole session. At 285.7kph through the speed trap, Sebastien Gimbert was the fastest on his Yamaha Motor France machine, followed by Haga (284.2kph) and Pitt (283.5kph). Sebastien Gimbert The Yamaha Motor France squad saw two of its riders qualify for the top 16 superpole shootout. Home rider Gimbert was the fastest of the squad's trio, earning a third row start with 12th position. Shinichi Nakatomi starts from the fourth row maintaining his pre-superpole 14th, although fellow Japanese Norick Abe was one of the men to lose out in the weather conditions. The Japanese rider was hoping to improve his 18th position from Friday but had no chance due to the wet conditions this morning. Abe was able to find some improvements in the afternoon free practice session, ending 16th on the timesheets. Pole position for tomorrow's races goes to outgoing world champion Troy Corser (Suzuki), with James Toseland (Honda), Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) and Karl Muggeridge (Honda) completing the front row. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Second row is ok, in fact in many ways fifth (on the grid) is better than third or fourth because I am on the outside going into the first corner. Race set-up is good but we're going to make a few changes to the gearbox settings to make it a little better still. The conditions made it pointless to ride in the morning session but this afternoon went well and I had fun riding in the group with Toseland." Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I made a mistake on the first sector of my superpole lap and for sure I'm disappointed to be starting ninth. But actually our race set-up is ok and we should be in good shape for the race. I did a good simulation in the practice and our race pace seems to be up there with everyone else." Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "The first free practice session was difficult because I could not do many laps due to a small technical problem. Later on, we worked very well on the suspension and I was able to get into the 1:40 bracket. I can go fast with the bike and am able to make consistent laps. Tomorrow, I shall try to shine to thank my team, my mechanics and my sponsors. This is also the occasion to prove the qualities of the endurance riders." Shinichi Nakatomi Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "Yesterday during the timed session, I could go faster and faster when I followed some riders like Chili, Nieto and Fabrizio. My best improvement was when I followed Troy Corser - I went one second quicker! Many riders here are following other riders. For me, it was a good progression. I am very happy to have made superpole but my settings for the race are also good. We only have very little details to improve and we do that step by step." Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "Yesterday I was 18th and I wanted to qualify for superpole this morning. But the conditions were so bad that is was impossible. So I had to change my mind. We work on the bike to improve the setting. Tomorrow I must make a good race." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "I think that we're in a good situation for the race. Despite missing the morning session we know what tyres to use in the races and both riders have made good simulations. I think Andrew expected a little more on his superpole lap. He made a few mistakes and that cost him a few places on the grid, although his race pace is good and he should be up there tomorrow. Nori ran with Toseland in the afternoon and found a good rhythm. We'll make a few changes to the gearbox on his bike tonight but otherwise we are ready for what should be some good races tomorrow." Circuit Length: 4411 Weather: Dry 2006 WSB Magny Cours 07/10/2006 Superpole Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 1'39.147 2 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'39.355 3 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'39.773 4 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'39.911 5 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'39.914 6 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'39.944 7 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'39.961 8 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'40.079 9 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 1'40.090 10 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'40.270 11 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 1'40.307 12 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'40.613 13 Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'41.113 14 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'41.412 15 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'41.475 Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'40.474 2 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'40.734 3 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'40.821 4 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 1'40.872 5 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 1'40.936 6 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'40.950 7 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'40.954 8 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'41.006 9 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'41.044 10 Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'41.184 11 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 1'41.385 12 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'41.547 13 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'41.563 14 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'41.644 15 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'41.648 18 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 1'41.993 QUALIFYING 2 REPORT 07/10/2006 Second row for Curtain in title decider Kevin Curtain Championship leader Kevin Curtain will start tomorrow's final round of the Supersport World Championship from the head of the second row after failing to improve his time in a rain-affected final qualifying session at Magny Cours today. The Australian Yamaha Motor Germany rider, who needs to finish eighth or higher in the 22 lap race to win the title, was looking to improve upon his 1:43.765 lap from Friday when a light rain fell - curtailing any opportunity to move up to the front row. Ahead of Curtain will be two other YZF-R6s, with his Yamaha Motor Germany team-mate Broc Parkes an impressive third at the circuit where he scored his first race win in the class. The 24-year-old improved his Friday time by almost a second before the rain arrived, moving him up from sixth on the provisional grid. Joining Parkes on the front row will be will be Yamaha GMT94's David Checa. The Spaniard, who has completed hundreds of laps of the circuit in endurance racing, was another overnight improver. Massimo Roccoli will start the race from eighth position on the Yamaha Team Italia entry, with team-mate Gianluca Vizziello 12th after failing to improve his time. Pole position goes to Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), with his team-mate Kenan Sofuolu in second position. Circuit Length: 4411 Weather: Changeable 2006 WSS Magny Cours 07/10/2006 Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 1'42.506 2 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'43.097 3 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 1'43.514 4 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'43.763 5 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'43.765 6 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'44.032 7 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'44.170 8 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'44.238 9 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 1'44.367 10 Stephane Chambon Kawasaki FRA 1'44.371 11 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'44.430 12 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1'44.452 13 Fabien Foret Kawasaki FRA 1'44.553 14 Mauro Sanchini Yamaha ITA 1'44.556 15 William De Angelis Honda ITA 1'44.638

Yamaha Motor Italia's Noriyuki Haga topped the timesheets in today's opening practice session at Magny Cours, while team-mate Andrew Pitt also impressed with the fourth fastest time of the day. In a close qualifying session that saw the top ten riders covered by less than one second, the Japanese rider topped the timesheets for virtually the whole session. Haga set a best time of 1:40.474 just six minutes into the session and was never to be topped. The Yamaha man went on to work at finding the best possible settings for Sunday's two 23-lap races and declared himself generally happy with his day's work, despite an off-track excursion midway through the session. Pitt ended the day four-tenths of a second behind his team-mate, fourth in the overnight standings. The Australian also worked on race set-up, although he lost a little track time when one of his machines developed a minor technical problem in the morning free practice session. Confirming the R1's potency at the French circuit, Pitt and Haga sit jointly at the top of the speed charts, gunning their Yamahas through the speed trap at 285kph. Both riders go into Sunday's races with similar objectives: Haga is looking to overhaul James Toseland (Honda) for second place in the championship while Pitt looks to consolidate his best ever season by retaining his fourth place in the points' standings. Home rider Sebastien Gimbert was the quickest of the Yamaha Motor France riders, ending the day 13th on a circuit he knows like the back of his hand. Shinichi Nakatomi was less than one tenth of a second behind his team-mate in his first competitive outing at the circuit. Norick Abe tried various machine set-ups throughout the day and ended the day 18th fastest. Final qualifying positions will be decided by tomorrow's superpole session for the top 16 riders. Making up the provisional top four is second placed Toseland and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati), in third. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "As always we are working to make a good setting for the race, but it is still nice to be at the top of the timesheets, even if it is only on the Friday. I like this circuit and the feeling with the bike is already very good, although we will continue working hard and trying to make the bike a little better at a few points on the track." Andrew Pitt Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I found a good rhythm this afternoon and we were able to get through lot of work. Overall it's not been a bad day. The main thing we need to improve are the gearbox settings but I know that the team will look at all the data tonight and try and find a solution for tomorrow." Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "I lost some time in the morning session as we had problems with both bikes, but in the afternoon I was able to make some good laps. My fastest lap was not perfect, as I made mistakes in the first two sectors, and I know that I can go faster tomorrow." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "We made a test here a few weeks ago so this circuit is not new to me. I'm happy to be so close to the top riders and I hope to remain in the superpole tomorrow. It would be good to get some strong results at my team's home race and end my first season in Europe on a high." Norick Abe Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "We changed the bike settings from the morning to the afternoon but it turned out that what we had in the morning was better, as we had less grip and stability in the afternoon. For tomorrow we will try to go in another direction again and hopefully this will help us make a better lap time." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "It's been a good day, certainly better than at Imola last weekend. Both riders were able to do a run a lot of laps and we're pleased that both are at the top end of the timesheets. Andrew needs to find a better gearbox (setting) but otherwise I think we are in good shape for the races." Circuit Length: 4411 Weather: Dry 2006 WSB Magny Cours 06/10/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'40.474 2 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'40.734 3 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'40.821 4 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 1'40.872 5 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 1'40.936 6 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'40.950 7 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'40.954 8 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'41.006 9 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'41.044 10 Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'41.184 11 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 1'41.385 12 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'41.547 13 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'41.563 14 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'41.644 15 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'41.648 18 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 1'41.993 QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 06/10/2006 Curtain third despite early crash Kevin Curtain Championship leader Kevin Curtain ended today's first practice in third position, despite suffering a crash at a cold and grey Magny Cours circuit. The Australian crashed at Adelaide corner on his seventh lap of the afternoon qualifying session but, despite completing just a handful of laps, Curtain remained one of only three riders to break the 1:44 bracket. Curtain was one of many riders to be caught out by the low surface temperatures, which saw many of the supersport riders crash out, thankfully without injury. Curtain's team-mate Broc Parkes ended the day sixth on the other Yamaha Motor Germany YZF-R6. The Australian is still riding in some discomfort following his big crash in Assen last month and rode with a safety first attitude around the circuit where he scored his maiden world supersport victory 12 months ago. Yamaha GMT94's David Checa took a provisional seventh place at his team's home race. The Spaniard knows the Magny Cours circuit well from his many outings in the Bol d'Or 24-hour race, which is held at the circuit each September. Yamaha Team Italia's Gianluca Vizziello and Massimo Roccoli ended the day on the provisional third row, in 10th and 11th positions respectively. Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) took provisional pole position, just ahead of his team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu, with Katsuaki Fujiwara (Honda) completing the front row with Curtain. Circuit Length: 4411 Weather: Dry 2006 WSS Magny Cours 06/10/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 1'42.829 2 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'43.097 3 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'43.765 4 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'44.032 5 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'44.170 6 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 1'44.273 7 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'44.277 8 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 1'44.367 9 Stephane Chambon Kawasaki FRA 1'44.371 10 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1'44.452 11 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'44.741 12 Simone Sanna Honda ITA 1'44.869 13 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 1'45.044 14 Kai Borre Andersen Suzuki NOR 1'45.081 15 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'45.147

The Yamaha Motor Italia squad travels to this weekend's final round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship with Noriyuki Haga looking to take the runner-up slot in the championship from Honda rider James Toseland. While Troy Bayliss (Ducati) celebrated his second world title in Imola last weekend, the British rider overtook Haga in the battle for second place and holds a two point advantage going into the final race. Haga had a difficult time in Imola, where set-up problems restricted him to fourth and sixth place finishes, but is focused on equalling his best ever final ranking by taking second in the championship. "There are only two points between me and James so I know what I have to do," says 31-year-old Haga. "I like the Magny Cours circuit and have won there in the past. It has an interesting mix of long straights, some fast corners and very slow hairpins. There are a lot of places where you can make a pass under braking and this is one of our strengths with the R1. As always I will be going with the target of winning the races. If I can do that then the championship will look after itself." Andrew Pitt has his own targets going to Magny Cours after yet another impressive outing in Imola. The Australian has been one of the revelations of the season and moved up to fourth in the standings with a third and fourth place finish last weekend. The former supersport champion knows that a good result is required in France if he is to fend off the attentions of the in form Alex Barros (Honda) and outgoing world champion Troy Corser (Suzuki) in the battle for fourth. In the Supersport World Championship, Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain aims to give Yamaha its first riders title since 2000 and, in doing so, end Honda's four-year run of dominance in the class. The Australian goes to the final round with an 18 point advantage over defending champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), meaning he needs to finish in eighth place or better to add a world title to his 13 Australian championships. "I was disappointed that I couldn't challenge Sebastien in Imola," explains Curtain. "We struggled for rear grip but I rode with the championship in mind, so third was an ok result. All year we've been working towards the championship, so this weekend will be no different. We know exactly what we need to do to win the title and that's exactly what we'll focus on this weekend." Curtain's team-mate Broc Parkes made a fighting return from injury in Imola and could potentially take third in the championship. The Australian's enforced absence saw him overtaken by the in form Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) and is hoping for a good result at the track where he took his first world championship win 12 months earlier. "I should be much fitter this week than last," says Parkes. "It was hard work in Imola but I was pleased with my result because it pretty much tied up fourth in the championship."

Andrew Pitt continued his rich vein of form at Imola today, scoring a podium finish in the day's opening race to move up to fourth in the championship ahead of next weekend's final round of the season. The Yamaha Motor Italia rider backed up his hard fought third place in race one with a tremendous fourth around the demanding Imola circuit in race two. Meanwhile team-mate Noriyuki Haga fought set-up problems to post a fourth and sixth place finish, keeping his hopes of finishing second in this year's championship well and truly alive. Race one saw both the red Yamahas fighting for the lead, with Pitt overtaking pole man Troy Bayliss (Ducati) on the second lap. The Yamaha man rode confidently at the front for five laps, only to slip back to fifth after the rear of his machine slid violently as he exited a corner. Despite struggling for rear grip, the Australian was able to regain a good rhythm and pass his way through to third, behind the Hondas of Alex Barros and James Toseland, by lap 19 of the 21-lap race. Haga too found himself plagued by rear grip problems. After holding third in the opening laps, he had no answer to the advancing Barros and Toseland. The Japanese stuck diligently to his task and was rewarded with fourth place at the flag, overtaking Bayliss as he crossed the line for the final time. Both of the Yamaha riders made slight adjustments to their machines for the second outing and it looked like the changes would pay dividends as they occupied second and third behind Bayliss in the opening laps. Pitt was able to push his fellow Australian harder than anyone else, but eventually the Yamaha man succumbed to front end grip problems and was passed by the slow-starting Barros and Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki), who crossed the line in second and third. Bayliss took the chequered flag for his 11th win of the season, with Haga behind Toseland in sixth. Norick Abe was Yamaha Motor France's leading rider in Imola, scoring 12 points from ninth and 11th place finishes to move him up one place, to 13th, in the championship. Team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi had one of the best weekend's of his rookie world superbike season, finishing 11th and 12th in the races, although the team's third member, Frenchman Sebastien Gimbert, had a disaster at one of his favourite circuits. Still racing with an injury sustained in Assen he retired from both races. Bayliss' performances secured him his second world title with one round remaining, while Barros' win makes him the eighth different race winner in what has proved an exciting season. The battle for the silver medal is very much alive, with Haga trailing Toseland by just two points following today's races. Pitt currently lies fourth in the series and will also be looking to defend his eight point advantage over Barros in France. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Overall I'm pretty happy, although I'd have liked to have got another podium in the second one as well. In the first race the rear grip was gone after a few laps but after I had a big slide I was able to find my rhythm again and work my way through to the podium. For the second race we made quite a few changes and moved some more weight onto the front of the bike. It was a definite improvement and the bike worked better for longer, but as the fuel went down the front started pushing a bit. I thought that maybe I could get past Kagayama, as he was making some mistakes, but by the end the front tyre was gone and I couldn't take the risk. At the end of the day we've come to a track that we felt wouldn't be one of the best for our bike and got some good results to move up to fourth in the championship. On Friday we were struggling but my team is working very hard and it's always great to give them a podium at one of their home races, so it's been a good day." Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "In the end it was not such a bad result. All weekend we found it difficult to get a perfect feeling with the bike and this made the races hard work, especially around this demanding circuit. In both races I was able to make a good start and fight for a few laps. In the end I had to ride for the points. Ten years ago I think I would have crashed trying to win the race, but today I was able to use my head and think of the championship. Now we go to Magny Cours two points behind Toseland, so this is not so bad and possible for us to overcome." Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "So many riders crashed in race one that the result maybe looked better than it was. I was lucky to be ninth. We had problems with rear grip, lots of sliding and moving. Then between the races we changed a few small settings and maybe the bike worked better, because the lap times were faster. But we were still sliding everywhere, uphill and downhill!" Shinichi Nakatomi Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "I started from the 22nd position on the grid and then I passed some riders. My lap times and positions went better and better from Friday to Sunday. I finished the second race 1.8 behind Abe and my fastest lap was on the 19th of the 21 laps, so for my first time on this track, it is good progress." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "Of course, we would prefer to be winning the races but I think that today we did a good job as we had a problem getting race distance out of our tyres. Andrew rode very well in both races and is now fourth in the championship. Noriyuki has had some small problems over the weekend and although we lost some points to Toseland he made sure he didn't crash and got as many points as possible. We have two riders in the top four of the championship and our targets for Magny Cours are now clear: for Noriyuki it is to finish second in the championship, while Andrew must defend his fourth place." Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France) "It is a good overall result with one ninth position, two 11th and one 12th. Our two riders are in fact the first privateers on this very difficult and dangerous track with a bad surface, so we have many reasons to be happy. Sebastien Gimbert, injured at Assen and the Bol d'Or, tried everything but unfortunately had to retire. Abe is now 13th in the championship standings and Nakatomi, for his first year, is 17th which is good because the level is very high. We hope that Sebastien Gimbert will feel better at Magny Cours and that he will be able to express himself properly on bike." Circuit Length: 4959 Temp: 28 Crowd: 86500 Weather: Sunny 2006 WSB Imola 01/10/2006 Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Alex Barros Honda BRA 39'0.096 2 James Toseland Honda GBR 0'4.351 3 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 0'6.809 4 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'11.179 5 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 0'11.537 6 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'20.974 7 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'23.055 8 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 0'23.747 9 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 0'27.289 10 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'29.160 11 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'30.792 12 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 0'32.104 13 Ivan Clementi Ducati ITA 0'38.537 14 Roberto Rolfo Ducati ITA 0'45.410 15 Joshua Brookes Kawasaki AUS 0'48.494 Race 2 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 38'57.069 2 Alex Barros Honda BRA 0'1.413 3 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'4.355 4 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 0'5.387 5 James Toseland Honda GBR 0'6.418 6 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'9.615 7 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'12.429 8 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 0'14.895 9 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 0'19.708 10 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'20.577 11 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 0'23.473 12 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'25.368 13 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'31.340 14 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 0'32.993 15 Roberto Rolfo Ducati ITA 0'41.830 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'50.266 Rider Standings 01/10/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 393 2. James Toseland Honda GBR 295 3. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 293 4. Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 239 5. Alex Barros Honda BRA 231 6. Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 218 7. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 193 8. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 152 9. Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 140 10. Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 139 11. Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 117 12. Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 113 13. Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 105 14. Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 103 15. Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 96 17. Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 42 21. Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 18 Manufacturer Standings 01/10/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Ducati 412 2. Honda 373 3. Yamaha 368 4. Suzuki 336 5. Kawasaki 211 6. Petronas 19 RACE REPORT 01/10/2006 Podium placing keeps Curtain on title track Kevin Curtain Yamaha Motor Germany rider Kevin Curtain will go in to next weekend's final world supersport round with an 18-point advantage after finishing third at Imola today. The race was won by championship rival Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), who needed to beat the Yamaha man to keep his title defence alive, but Curtain's sensible ride to his ninth podium of the season keeps him in the driving seat for next weekend's race in Magny Cours. The Imola event proved somewhat less exciting than most of the year's previous supersport races. From the lights it was Charpentier's team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu who led the race, riding in formation with his team-mate until the Frenchman unsurprisingly took the lead with eight laps remaining. Behind them, Curtain struggled for traction and rode a lonely race, with five seconds of tarmac ahead and behind him for much of the race. Yamaha Team Italia's Gianluca Vizziello, winner of the previous weekend's Italian supersport championship race at the same venue, had a great race to secure the best result of his world supersport career, crossing the flag in fourth place. Broc Parkes Broc Parkes, team-mate to Curtain in the Yamaha Motor Germany squad, rode heroically to bring his YZF-R6 home in sixth place, just one month after receiving serious injuries in a crash at Assen. The Australian was still in considerable discomfort from his injured neck and ribs, but rode a determined race to bag 10 points that could prove vital in deciding his final championship position. Massimo Roccoli made it four YZF-R6s in the top ten, bringing his Yamaha Team Italia entry home in tenth. Spain's David Checa finished 12th on the Yamaha GMT94 R6. The series will now be decided next weekend at the last round of the year in Magny Cours. Curtain goes to the French Formula One circuit on 187 points, with Charpentier on 169. Parkes will be looking to reclaim third place at the circuit where he gained his maiden world supersport win 12 months earlier. The Australian currently lies eight points behind third placed Sofuoglu, on 129 points. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) "I did the best I could with what I had but we just didn't have enough rear grip to challenge Sebastien and Kenan today. I don't know what it was, if it was the temperature or the tyre, but it made it a long hard and lonely race. I'm disappointed that I couldn't run with Sebastien today but if you'd told me at the start of the season that we'd be going to the final race with an 18 point lead I'd have taken it like a shot. We did a professional job today and we've now got to do more of the same at Magny Cours next weekend." Gianluca Vizziello Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha Team Italia) "I got off the line really well but I made a mistake when I changed into second and this lost me a lot of time and places. After that I pushed hard and just found a good rhythm. I was able to run the same lap times as the guys in front of me so there is a little disappointment as you never know what I might have been capable of had I got away with the leaders. Anyway, I am very happy and I would like to dedicate the result to my team, who have worked very hard for me." Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) "I just got on and pushed as hard as I could and tried to stay at the same pace for the whole race. The guys in front of me were a little bit quicker, a bit more than I felt comfortable pushing, so I powered on at my best pace and felt good in the middle of the race. I could see Vizziello in front of me and he was making some mistakes. But I had no stamina at all and found it hard to change the bike from side-to-side in the middle of the chicanes. I think I will be a lot better next weekend but, considering the circumstances, I'm quite happy with today's result." Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia) "I wanted to get a good result for my fans today but I went into the race knowing that it would be difficult because we struggled to find a good set-up in practice. I'm now looking forward to Magny Cours. It is a challenging track and I will be doing my best to get back up to fifth in the championship." Circuit Length: 4959 Temp: 28 Crowd: 86500 Weather: Sunny 2006 WSS Imola 01/10/2006 Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 40'7.972 2 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 0'0.406 3 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 0'9.627 4 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 0'13.983 5 William De Angelis Honda ITA 0'14.390 6 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 0'16.870 7 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 0'18.171 8 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 0'18.534 9 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 0'31.522 10 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 0'31.561 11 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 1'32.047 12 David Checa Yamaha ESP 0'36.420 13 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 0'43.105 14 Stuart Easton Ducati GBR 0'43.674 15 Chris Peris Yamaha CAN 0'47.734 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 1'53.388 Rider Standings 01/10/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 187 2. Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 169 3. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 137 4. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 129 5. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 107 6. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 96 7. Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 74 8. Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 69 9. Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 62 10. Xavi Fores Yamaha ESP 49 11. David Checa Yamaha ESP 33 12. Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 30 13. Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 30 14. Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 30 15. Kai Borre Andersen Suzuki NOR 29 Manufacturer Standings 01/10/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 252 2. Yamaha 224 3. Ducati 74 4. Kawasaki 55 5. Suzuki 39 RACE REPORT 01/10/2006 Corti moves up to second at Imola Claudio Corti Yamaha Team Italia rider Claudio Corti moved up to second place in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup after a dramatic race in Imola. The 19-year-old from Como finished the race fourth but was moved up to third following the exclusion of race winner Luca Scassa (MV Agusta) for a technical infringement. Corti made a good start from fourth on the grid, lying in second place to in the opening laps. While Scassa was able to pull away up front and take the flag by over two seconds, Corti slipped back into a thrilling five-way battle for the remaining podium slots, which was eventually won by Australian rider Brendan Roberts (Suzuki). Corti raced elbow-to-elbow with series leader Alessandro Polita (Suzuki) on the final lap and although the Yamaha man tried to overtake his fellow Italian for the final podium position on several occasions, he could not quite force his YZF-R1 SP past his more experienced rival. With Scassa's exclusion, Roberts was declared the winner and Polita's second position seals the championship in his favour. Corti moves up to second place, 26 points behind the champion. Ironically, had Scassa not been excluded Corti would have gone to Magny Cours with the slimmest of hopes of winning the title. Despite being unable to win the title at the final race Corti will be looking to retain a top three position in the championship, his initial target after moving up from the 600cc class he won last year. Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) "I started very fast but found myself slipping back into the pack after a few laps. I was able to recover and tried very hard to pass Polita on the final lap. He defended his line well and seemed to be able to accelerate out of the slow corners a little bit more quickly than me today. Probably our set-up wasn't quite as good as it could have been today but it's a good result and we're now second in the championship, so I am happy." Circuit Length: 4959 Temp: 23 Crowd: 86500 Weather: Sunny 2006 Superstock Imola 01/10/2006 Race 1 - 12 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Brendan Roberts Suzuki AUS 23'4.667 2 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 0'0.538 3 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 0'0.624 4 Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 0'2.939 5 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 0'6.047 6 Loic Napoleone Suzuki FRA 0'10.025 7 Roberto Lunadei Yamaha ITA 0'15.101 8 Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 0'15.527 9 Leonardo Biliotti MV Agusta GER 0'15.907 10 Gilles Boccolini Kawasaki ITA 0'16.449 11 Marko Jerman Suzuki SVK 0'16.585 12 Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 0'18.130 13 Matej Smrz Honda CZE 0'22.745 14 Arne Tode Suzuki GER 0'23.202 15 Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 0'26.382 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 1'54.426 Rider Standings 01/10/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 157 2. Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 131 3. Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 122 4. Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 118 5. Brendan Roberts Suzuki AUS 87 6. Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 72 7. Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 71 8. Loic Napoleone Suzuki FRA 58 9. Riccardo Chiarello Kawasaki ITA 48 10. Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 45 11. Richard Cooper Honda GBR 41 12. Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 39 13. Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 30 14. Alex Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP 30 15. Ivan Silva Kawasaki ESP 27 Manufacturer Standings 01/10/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 189 2. MV Agusta 153 3. Yamaha 149 4. Kawasaki 86 5. Honda 45

Yamaha Motor Italia's Andrew Pitt rode a super-smooth lap during today's superpole session to take a front row start for tomorrow's races in Imola, with team-mate Noriyuki Haga on the second row after making big improvements to his machine set-up. Having worked methodically on finding a good race setting throughout the four one-hour practice sessions, Pitt demonstrated his ultimate pace with a blistering 1:49.433 lap time to take third on the grid for tomorrow's races. Despite being almost half-a-second quicker than his previous best lap of the weekend, the Australian's YZF-R1 looked like it was running on rails as he shot himself up from seventh to third on the final grid. Haga had struggled to find a perfect set-up for his machine around the demanding five kilometre Imola track on Friday, hindered in no small part by ligament damage to his left wrist. The Japanese rider's pit crew made changes to the chassis set-up of his R1 overnight to find something closer to a satisfactory solution for tomorrow's races, although the Yamaha Motor Italia team will make some further changes to the set up overnight in a bid to further improve Haga's competitiveness. Like Pitt, Haga set his best lap of the weekend on his superpole outing, dipping into the 1:49 bracket for the first time of the weekend. Norick Abe was the fastest of the Yamaha Motor France riders in qualifying. The Japanese rider qualified for superpole after ending the two one-hour timed practice sessions in 14th position, although he was unable to improve his qualifying position on his grid-deciding lap and will start the race from 15th. Abe's team-mates both failed to make the cut for superpole. Shinichi Nakatomi will start his first race at the circuit from 22nd position, while Frenchman Sebastien Gimbert struggled with set-up and fitness problems throughout the weekend. He will start tomorrow's races from 25th on the grid. Pole position for tomorrow's races goes to series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati), with a superpole lap of 1:48.804. James Toseland (Honda) will start second, with Pitt and outgoing champion Troy Corser (Suzuki) completing the front row. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "We had a difficult day yesterday and even this morning we were still trying to find that little bit extra. We finally found the right direction this afternoon, so thanks to the team for their efforts. Te lap itself felt good, although I ran out of tyre towards the end of the lap and wasn't sure just how quick I was. This is a track where it is important to be on the front row and I'm really pleased as it has turned out to be a good day's work for us." Shinichi Nakatomi Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "As usual we made a lot of changes overnight and the feeling of the bike is definitely better, although still not quite good enough. For me, qualifying is not so important, so second row is ok. Tonight we will try to make another step forward for the races, so we will see how it goes in the morning. One of the problems is that this is a bumpy track and I still have pain in my wrist. I still need a painkiller to race, so I hope that the wrist does not affect my performance tomorrow." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "I'm happy with the performance of the riders today. Both found improvements today, not big changes but enough to help improve the balance of the bike for superpole. As always you never know what is going to happen in the races but I am happy and looking forward to tomorrow." Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "This morning went quite well and I was able to run in the 1:50 bracket. For the afternoon we put in a new engine which has much better performance but which meant the gearbox settings needed changed. Because the gearbox setting was not quite right it was difficult on the superpole lap, but still my lap time was ok. I think we can make some improvements tomorrow. Always the second race is better for us anyway, so hopefully we can have a good first race and a better second one." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "Step by step we are improving the bike but there are many fast riders in superbike and this makes it difficult. I am sure I can make some more improvements for the races but we must wait and see what tomorrow brings." Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "For sure I am disappointed to be starting 25th, especially as this is a track that I like and have done well at before. After riding at the Bol d'Or it's proving difficult to adapt to this bike again. I am still not 100 percent fit after my crash in Assen and because I destroyed the bike there we are still having to work on finding a good set-up." Circuit Length: 4959 Weather: Sunny 2006 WSB Imola 30/09/2006 Superpole Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'48.804 2 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'49.394 3 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 1'49.433 4 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 1'49.442 5 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'49.497 6 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'49.840 7 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'49.856 8 Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'49.888 9 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'49.958 10 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'50.081 11 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'50.362 12 Ivan Clementi Ducati ITA 1'50.737 13 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'50.892 14 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'50.963 15 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 1'51.147 Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'49.758 2 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 1'49.875 3 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'50.039 4 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'50.155 5 Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'50.212 6 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'50.214 7 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 1'50.250 8 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'50.350 9 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'50.376 10 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'50.745 11 Vittorio Iannuzzo Suzuki ITA 1'50.755 12 Ivan Clementi Ducati ITA 1'50.768 13 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'50.799 14 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 1'50.832 15 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'50.882 22 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'51.406 25 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'52.034 QUALIFYING 2 REPORT 30/09/2006 Curtain secures front row start in Imola Kevin Curtain Kevin Curtain secured a vital front row start for tomorrow's 11th round of the Supersport World Championship in Imola. The Yamaha Motor Germany rider set a best time of 1:53.512 around the Italian circuit to grab fourth place on the grid for the 21-lap race. Getting on the front row was the main priority for the Australian YZF-R6 rider, who will become world champion if he beats Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) in tomorrow's race. Charpentier starts the race from pole position, with fellow Honda riders Kenan Sofuoglu and Katsuaki Fujiwara joining him on the front row. Curtain's team-mate Broc Parkes missed out on a second row start by less than a tenth of a second. The 24-year-old Australian is still quite stiff after his huge crash in Assen less than a month ago, but was still able to take over a second off his best time from Friday to take ninth on the grid for tomorrow's race. Starting one place ahead of Parkes will be Yamaha Team Italia's Gianluca Vizziello, who won the Italian supersport championship race at Imola last weekend. His team-mate, the newly crowned Italian supersport champion Massimo Roccoli, was a surprisingly low 13th on the grid, one place ahead of Yamaha GMT94's David Checa. Circuit Length: 4959 2006 WSS Imola 30/09/2006 Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 1'52.245 2 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'52.541 3 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'53.441 4 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'53.512 5 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'53.758 6 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'53.902 7 William De Angelis Honda ITA 1'53.906 8 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1'53.960 9 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 1'53.991 10 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 1'54.019 11 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 1'54.225 12 Chris Peris Yamaha CAN 1'54.373 13 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'54.426 14 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'54.429 15 Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 1'54.497

Yamaha Motor Italia's Andrew Pitt was the top R1 rider in today's first qualifying session for Sunday's penultimate round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship in Imola, ending the day seventh fastest in a close session that sees the top 14 riders covered by just over a second. The Australian gunned his Yamaha around the long and demanding circuit in best time of 1:50.502, just 0.463 behind the day's fastest rider James Toseland (Honda). Pitt, who lifted the 2001 world supersport crown at the Italian venue, went through the usual Friday programme of testing tyres and settings ahead of Sunday's two races, working mostly with his crew chief Dave Marton and datalogging expert Carlo Luzzi to find the optimal gearbox settings for the complex Formula One circuit. Pitt's team-mate Noriyuki Haga struggled with a wrist injury sustained in Germany three weekends ago, ending the day in 11th. The Japanese star damaged some ligaments in both his wrists and found the going tough around the bumpy circuit after failing to get the R1 set up exactly to his liking. Despite his handicap, Haga is confident that he can make some improvements to the set-up of his machine ahead of tomorrow's final qualifying sessions. Fastest rider today was 2004 world champion Toseland, ahead of outgoing champion Troy Corser (Suzuki). Current series leader Troy Bayliss ended the day fourth, with Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) rounding out the top four. The superbike riders will have a final one hour qualifying session tomorrow morning, with the top 16 riders going through to the one-lap superpole session, which will decide the first four rows of the grid for Sunday's two 21-lap races. Norick Abe Norick Abe led Yamaha Motor France's trio of riders in Imola. The Japanese former Grand Prix rider ended the day in 16th position, provisionally occupying the final slot for tomorrow's grid-deciding superpole session. Sebastien Gimbert ended the day 21st, just two seconds from pole sitter Toseland, with Shinichi Nakatomi less than a tenth of a second behind his French team-mate on his Imola debut, in 24th. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "The main thing we've been working on is finding a good gearbox setting. This place is such a compromise that when you get the gearing right for one corner it's out at the next. We had a couple of little niggling problems with the electronics but overall it's been a good day. We were able to try out a lot of different tyres and we're pretty sure what we'll be running on Sunday. Our race pace seems good and the guys ahead of us are only doing one faster lap before dropping back to the same pace, so I think we'll be right up there." Noriyuki Haga Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "We're still trying to find the right balance of the bike and tonight we'll make some changes to improve the feeling. Imola is a very physical circuit and my wrist is still quite painful, but I do not think this will be a problem because when the lights go out you forget about any problems you have." Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "Not such a bad day! The bike is working ok and close to the top riders, so this is an alright result for us. I hope that tomorrow we can stay in the top 16 and qualify for the superpole. That would prepare us for a good race." Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "This is my first time at Imola so today my priority is to learn the course and improve the set-up. Tonight we will try some things and I am quite confident that I can get faster as the weekend goes on." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "The times are very close today and we can still make some improvements. Andrew had a few small problems with the electronics today, while Noriyuki is still trying to find a different balance on his bike. We will make some changes tonight and see what tomorrow brings." Circuit Length: 4959 Weather: Sunny 2006 WSB Imola 29/09/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'50.039 2 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 1'50.250 3 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'50.265 4 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'50.357 5 Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'50.388 6 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'50.468 8 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'50.553 9 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'50.659 10 Ivan Clementi Ducati ITA 1'50.768 11 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'50.882 12 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'50.882 13 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'51.003 14 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'51.077 15 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 1'51.227 16 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 1'51.338 21 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'52.034 24 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'52.108 QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 29/09/2006 Curtain third in first practice Kevin Curtain Championship leader Kevin Curtain prepared for Sunday's penultimate supersport round by setting the third fastest time in today's first qualifying session at Imola. The Australian set a best time of 1:53.728 around the famous Italian circuit to claim a spot on the provisional front row alongside title rival Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) and last year's Imola winner Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati). With two rounds of the series remaining it will be either Curtain or 2005 champ Charpentier who will be crowned king of the 600 class, with Yamaha Motor Germany man Curtain holding a 27 point advantage going into this weekend's race. Yamaha Team Italia's Gianluca Vizziello, winner of the Italian championship race held at Imola last weekend, was sixth fastest, with team-mate Massimo Roccoli, who was last week crowned as his national supersport champion, tenth after taking a tumble during the session. Curtain's team-mate Broc Parkes made a welcome return from injury to take 12th place on the provisional grid. The Australian missed the last round after breaking ribs and punturing a lung in Assen but is ready to race in Imola, albeit not at 100 percent fitness. Final qualifying for Sunday's race takes place tomorrow (Saturday). Circuit Length: 4959 Weather: Dry 2006 WSS Imola 29/09/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 1'52.842 2 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'53.081 3 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'53.728 4 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'53.790 5 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'53.902 6 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1'54.202 7 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'54.250 8 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 1'54.355 9 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 1'54.521 10 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'54.718 11 Stephane Chambon Kawasaki FRA 1'54.891 12 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 1'54.993 13 Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 1'55.186 14 Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 1'55.330 15 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'55.402

The penultimate round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship takes place this weekend at the famous Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in the town of Imola, the championship's third visit of the year to Italy. The technically demanding circuit is steeped in heritage thanks mainly to its history as a Formula One circuit but it is also famous as a bike venue too, having hosted the classic Imola 200 events during the Seventies and, more recently, Grand Prix and superbike racing. The circuit's surface bears the scars of this history, with the old tarmac proving bumpy and providing the bike racers with a tough challenge to find good settings. Despite this, Imola is generally very popular with the riders - its challenging layout providing the sort of test that only the old-fashioned classic circuits can. Last year's event took place in atrocious weather conditions that eventually led to the cancellation of race two. The Yamaha Motor Italia squad goes into the meeting looking to give another strong showing for their home fans and to help their riders meet their end-of-season targets. With Ducati's Troy Bayliss looking like clinching the series thanks to a 87 point advantage, the team's Noriyuki Haga is targeting more wins to add to solitary success so far this year and to consolidate his second place in the championship, which would equal his best ever end of season ranking. Team-mate Andrew Pitt has also taken one win this season, in Misano, and is looking to get back on track after crashing out of the second race in Germany. The Australian has been the man on form in the latter part of the season, with only a slower than hoped for start to the season and a double DNF in Brno denying him a crack at the title. Having been the top points scorer at Assen, Pitt was unlucky to slip off last time out in Lausitz. That failure to score moved him down to fifth in the championship, one point behind outgoing champion Troy Corser (Suzuki). Race date: 1 October 2006 Circuit: Imola Country: Italy Track length: 4933m Opened: 1953 Fastest ever superbike lap: 1'48.075 (Chris Vermeulen) Superbike lap record: 1'48.389 (Troy Corser) Last year's winner: Chris Vermeulen (Honda) Circuit telephone: +39 0542 31444 Circuit web site: http://www.autodromoimola.com "The result at Lausitz was disappointing because we made the wrong tyre choice in race one and then just touched the footrest down and crashed in the second," said Pitt. "I was disappointed to slip back to fifth in the championship but the bike was working really well and we were lucky that Barros and Corser also missed out on the big points. Imola's a circuit that I like. I've some good memories of the place, as I won the supersport title there in 2001. It's a challenging track with a lot of blind corners. To go well there you need a lot of confidence in the bike, which is good for us as the R1 is working really well. Who knows where we can end the season? Second place is not out of the question but my aim is just to keep finishing on the podium in these last two weekends and then the championship positions will sort themselves out." In the Supersport World Championship, Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain can lift the title at Imola. The veteran Australian goes to Italy 27 points ahead of current champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) and will win his first world crown should he leave Italy with at least 26 points over his rival going into the final round. "I never expected to go to Imola with such a big lead," says Curtain. "I had hoped that maybe I could have something like 10 points advantage after Lausitz so to be in this position is something we couldn't dream of. It's all a credit to the team, who have worked so hard to put us in this situation. We had a new bike at the start of the season but straight away we have been competitive. With a lot of hard work we now have a bike which is as good as anything else out there. Imola is where I had my first ride with Yamaha Germany, in 2003, and I've gone well there in the past. I'm not thinking too much about the championship and am going with the same attitude as always, to pick up as many points as possible and let everything look after itself." Curtain should be joined at Imola by his team-mate Broc Parkes. Parkes missed the race at Lausitz after crashing at Assen. The Australian will is ready to race but must undergo a final fitness test in Imola. Should he be declared fit by the circuit medics then he will look to consolodate his third place in the championship standings.

Poland's Bartosz Oblucki and Frenchman Marc Germain shared top honours in the Enduro 1 class at the eighth and final round of the 2006 World Enduro Championship, the GP of France held in Boussac. With conditions far from ideal following heavy rain during the days leading up to the race, as well as during the event itself, the last round of the 2006 WEC series proved to be extremely challenging for all competitors. Performing at his best in the slippery conditions Oblucki placed 14 seconds ahead of Italian Simone Albergoni after a day long battle while Germain, making his first appearance in the 2006 WEC series having focused his efforts on national events in France this season, placed third and ahead of Spain's Ivan Cervantes. Needing just a handful of points from the first day's competition Cervantes claimed the E1 world championship title for the second consecutive season. With conditions harder on day two of the GP of France than they have been on any other day of the eight-round WEC series this season Yamaha rider Marc Germain claimed a popular victory finishing just over five seconds ahead of day one winner Oblucki. Although competing simply for fun Germain showed that he is still a world class performer despite opting not to compete in the full world championship series in 2006. Winning three of the day's four special tests in the E1 class Germain headed what was a great second day in France for Yamaha. With Oblucki second Portuguese Yamaha rider Helder Rodrigues claimed his first WEC podium of 2006 in third while UFO Corse Yamaha rider Maurizio Micheluz finished in fourth. In finishing fourth Micheluz claimed fifth in the 2006 E1 world championship, finishing as the highest placed Yamaha rider. Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: Sixth, Day 2: Fourth "I think that it is important to have good luck in a race with such bad conditions. On the first day I didn't have such good luck and I finished in sixth position. On the second day I just wanted to make sure that I didn't make any mistakes, and my result improved. I was being careful on all the special tests and finished in fourth and not so far behind third. I am happy with the way the race has gone and the championship. I finished in fifth position, which is my best championship result in the WEC, so I am happy. I am learning more every year so I'm looking forward to 2007." Marc Germain (Yamaha France) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: Third, Day 2: First "It was never my plan to get a really good result here at the world championship race in France. I have had a great season in France so I just wanted to race in front of the spectators that have supported me all season. I was really tired on day one because I didn't prepare for the race as well as I could. But I could see that I could still get a good result. I saw that I could improve my result with some good times on the enduro test. I was behind Oblucki going into the last tests, and I wasn't expecting to win, but he made a mistake and I won. I am really happy with this." Temp: 12 Crowd: 20000 Weather: Rain 2006 Enduro 1 France 24/09/2006 Race 1 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 50'40.800 2 Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 0'14.360 3 Marc Germain Yamaha FRA 1'10.190 4 Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 1'17.440 5 Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 2'15.650 6 Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 2'27.460 7 Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 2'30.900 8 Julien Gauthier Honda FRA 2'45.010 9 Gregory Eyries Yamaha FRA 4'54.110 10 Damien Miquel Kawasaki FRA 5'37.640 11 Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 6'7.790 12 Mike Hartmann KTM GER 6'45.290 13 Freddy Blanc KTM FRA 7'39.320 14 Evrard Gutkin TM FRA 8'23.400 15 Nicolas Joye KTM CHE 9'52.530 Race 2 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Marc Germain Yamaha FRA 33'57.610 2 Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 0'5.710 3 Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 1'13.610 4 Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 1'31.570 5 Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 2'2.360 6 Julien Gauthier Honda FRA 3'24.230 7 Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 4'22.270 8 Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 4'42.430 9 Damien Miquel Kawasaki FRA 5'29.580 10 Joan Jou Yamaha ESP 5'32.960 11 Greg Evans KTM GBR 11'49.770 12 Nicolas Joye KTM CHE 14'41.870 13 Benoit Calomine KTM FRA 14'53.940 Rider Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 372 2. Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 318 3. Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 291 4. Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 284 5. Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 255 6. Petri Pohjamo TM FIN 166 7. Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 155 8. Mike Hartmann KTM GER 148 9. Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 125 10. Freddy Blanc KTM FRA 82 11. Julien Gauthier Honda FRA 71 12. Anthony Roberts Yamaha AUS 58 13. Peter Bergvall Suzuki SWE 52 14. Shane Cuthbertson KTM CAN 49 15. Marc Germain Yamaha FRA 45 44. Arnau Vilanova Yamaha ESP 10 Manufacturer Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 372 2. Honda 333 3. Husqvarna 301 4. Yamaha 273 5. TM 173 6. Suzuki 90 7. Kawasaki 64 8. GasGas 23 9. Christini 19 RACE REPORT 24/09/2006 Merriman third, Aubert fourth in world championship Stefan Merriman Finn Samuli Aro wrapped up the 2006 Enduro 2 world championship on day one of the GP of France by claiming his eighth E2 class win of the series. Winning just two of the opening day's seven special tests Aro placed eight seconds ahead of Frenchman Fabien Planet. Finishing in third was Finn Mika Ahola some 29 seconds behind Planet while Australian UFO Corse Yamaha rider Stefan Merriman placed in fourth five seconds behind Ahola having lost valuable seconds when he got wire wrapped around his rear wheel on one of the day's extreme tests. On day two Mika Ahola improved on his day one result to top the E2 class finishing 32 seconds ahead of Merriman. With just 13 riders reaching the finish of the second day in the E2 class due to the severity of the conditions Merriman was followed home by Aro. With Aro topping the 2006 E2 world championship UFO Corse Yamaha team mates Merriman and Johnny Aubert placed in third and fourth. French UFO Corse Yamaha rider Johnny Aubert's hopes of a good result at both his home round of the series and the final round of the championship ended when the former motocross rider DNF the opening day after just one timed special test. Crashing as he crossed a slippery wooded bridge on the extreme test Aubert took no further part in the event having injured his ankle. Although in pain at the time of his incident Aubert returned to the race on Sunday. Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: DNF, Day 2: DNS "I crashed on the first timed enduro test, on one of the bridges. I am not sure what happened exactly but I had a lot of pain in my ankle. I had some problem with the bones but I don't think that anything is broken. On Monday I will go to Paris and there I will have a doctor examine my foot. I can walk on it but something is not right. I hope it is nothing too serious." Stefan Merriman (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: Fourth, Day 2: Second "I got stuck in a fence on the extreme test on the last lap. I was just going up a rocky uphill, slipped backwards, and got caught up in the fence. I lost some time getting the wire out of the wheel, so that didn't help me. I had a fall on one of the tests earlier in the day as well but thankfully they were the only problems I had. With the conditions the way they were it could have been a lot worse. It would have been nice to have got onto the podium but fourth wasn't so bad. Day two was really tough. On the last enduro test I met one of the other riders coming towards me after he'd made a mess of one of the uphill. I had to try and dodge him, figure out where he'd come from, and I ended up getting stuck myself. It was a bit tricky in places. I find it difficult to ride at my best when I know that I can't win a championship. The race hasn't been too bad, despite the weather, and although there were a lot of ruts it's been pretty enjoyable." Temp: 12 Crowd: 20000 Weather: Rain 2006 Enduro 2 France 24/09/2006 Race 1 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Samuli Aro KTM FIN 48'12.910 2 Fabien Planet KTM FRA 0'8.300 3 Mika Ahola Honda FIN 0'37.630 4 Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 0'42.980 5 Andrea Belotti KTM ITA 2'6.710 6 Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 2'8.100 7 Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 2'16.310 8 Paul Edmondson Honda GBR 2'52.010 9 Emmanuel Albepart Honda FRA 3'3.350 10 Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 3'15.040 11 Euan McConnell TM GBR 3'42.780 12 Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 4'27.260 13 Thierry Klutz Sherco BEL 4'40.860 14 Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 5'6.060 15 Jordan Curvalle Kawasaki FRA 6'1.340 Race 2 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Mika Ahola Honda FIN 32'20.250 2 Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 0'32.870 3 Samuli Aro KTM FIN 0'58.450 4 Paul Edmondson Honda GBR 1'4.460 5 Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 1'7.060 6 Fabien Planet KTM FRA 1'14.160 7 Euan McConnell TM GBR 1'50.890 8 Emmanuel Albepart Honda FRA 1'52.570 9 Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 1'58.090 10 Andrea Belotti KTM ITA 4'2.040 11 Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 5'12.110 12 Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 7'55.330 13 Jordan Curvalle Kawasaki FRA 9'23.220 Rider Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Samuli Aro KTM FIN 360 2. Mika Ahola Honda FIN 328 3. Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 318 4. Johnny Aubert Yamaha FRA 277 5. Fabien Planet KTM FRA 239 6. Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 210 7. Xavier Galindo KTM ESP 185 8. Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 153 9. Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 141 10. Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 135 11. Valtteri Salonen HusaBerg FIN 134 12. Euan McConnell TM GBR 108 13. Paul Edmondson Honda GBR 105 14. Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 98 15. Andrea Belotti KTM ITA 92 Manufacturer Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 360 2. Yamaha 356 3. Honda 328 4. GasGas 210 5. Husqvarna 165 6. Aprilia 135 7. HusaBerg 134 8. Beta 112 9. TM 108 10. Sherco 58 11. Suzuki 52 12. Kawasaki 30

Poland's Bartosz Oblucki and Frenchman Marc Germain shared top honours in the Enduro 1 class at the eighth and final round of the 2006 World Enduro Championship, the GP of France held in Boussac. With conditions far from ideal following heavy rain during the days leading up to the race, as well as during the event itself, the last round of the 2006 WEC series proved to be extremely challenging for all competitors. Performing at his best in the slippery conditions Oblucki placed 14 seconds ahead of Italian Simone Albergoni after a day long battle while Germain, making his first appearance in the 2006 WEC series having focused his efforts on national events in France this season, placed third and ahead of Spain's Ivan Cervantes. Needing just a handful of points from the first day's competition Cervantes claimed the E1 world championship title for the second consecutive season. With conditions harder on day two of the GP of France than they have been on any other day of the eight-round WEC series this season Yamaha rider Marc Germain claimed a popular victory finishing just over five seconds ahead of day one winner Oblucki. Although competing simply for fun Germain showed that he is still a world class performer despite opting not to compete in the full world championship series in 2006. Winning three of the day's four special tests in the E1 class Germain headed what was a great second day in France for Yamaha. With Oblucki second Portuguese Yamaha rider Helder Rodrigues claimed his first WEC podium of 2006 in third while UFO Corse Yamaha rider Maurizio Micheluz finished in fourth. In finishing fourth Micheluz claimed fifth in the 2006 E1 world championship, finishing as the highest placed Yamaha rider. Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: Sixth, Day 2: Fourth "I think that it is important to have good luck in a race with such bad conditions. On the first day I didn't have such good luck and I finished in sixth position. On the second day I just wanted to make sure that I didn't make any mistakes, and my result improved. I was being careful on all the special tests and finished in fourth and not so far behind third. I am happy with the way the race has gone and the championship. I finished in fifth position, which is my best championship result in the WEC, so I am happy. I am learning more every year so I'm looking forward to 2007." Marc Germain (Yamaha France) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: Third, Day 2: First "It was never my plan to get a really good result here at the world championship race in France. I have had a great season in France so I just wanted to race in front of the spectators that have supported me all season. I was really tired on day one because I didn't prepare for the race as well as I could. But I could see that I could still get a good result. I saw that I could improve my result with some good times on the enduro test. I was behind Oblucki going into the last tests, and I wasn't expecting to win, but he made a mistake and I won. I am really happy with this." Temp: 12 Crowd: 20000 Weather: Rain 2006 Enduro 1 France 24/09/2006 Race 1 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 50'40.800 2 Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 0'14.360 3 Marc Germain Yamaha FRA 1'10.190 4 Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 1'17.440 5 Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 2'15.650 6 Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 2'27.460 7 Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 2'30.900 8 Julien Gauthier Honda FRA 2'45.010 9 Gregory Eyries Yamaha FRA 4'54.110 10 Damien Miquel Kawasaki FRA 5'37.640 11 Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 6'7.790 12 Mike Hartmann KTM GER 6'45.290 13 Freddy Blanc KTM FRA 7'39.320 14 Evrard Gutkin TM FRA 8'23.400 15 Nicolas Joye KTM CHE 9'52.530 Race 2 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Marc Germain Yamaha FRA 33'57.610 2 Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 0'5.710 3 Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 1'13.610 4 Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 1'31.570 5 Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 2'2.360 6 Julien Gauthier Honda FRA 3'24.230 7 Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 4'22.270 8 Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 4'42.430 9 Damien Miquel Kawasaki FRA 5'29.580 10 Joan Jou Yamaha ESP 5'32.960 11 Greg Evans KTM GBR 11'49.770 12 Nicolas Joye KTM CHE 14'41.870 13 Benoit Calomine KTM FRA 14'53.940 Rider Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 372 2. Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 318 3. Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 291 4. Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 284 5. Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 255 6. Petri Pohjamo TM FIN 166 7. Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 155 8. Mike Hartmann KTM GER 148 9. Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 125 10. Freddy Blanc KTM FRA 82 11. Julien Gauthier Honda FRA 71 12. Anthony Roberts Yamaha AUS 58 13. Peter Bergvall Suzuki SWE 52 14. Shane Cuthbertson KTM CAN 49 15. Marc Germain Yamaha FRA 45 44. Arnau Vilanova Yamaha ESP 10 Manufacturer Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 372 2. Honda 333 3. Husqvarna 301 4. Yamaha 273 5. TM 173 6. Suzuki 90 7. Kawasaki 64 8. GasGas 23 9. Christini 19 RACE REPORT 24/09/2006 Merriman third, Aubert fourth in world championship Stefan Merriman Finn Samuli Aro wrapped up the 2006 Enduro 2 world championship on day one of the GP of France by claiming his eighth E2 class win of the series. Winning just two of the opening day's seven special tests Aro placed eight seconds ahead of Frenchman Fabien Planet. Finishing in third was Finn Mika Ahola some 29 seconds behind Planet while Australian UFO Corse Yamaha rider Stefan Merriman placed in fourth five seconds behind Ahola having lost valuable seconds when he got wire wrapped around his rear wheel on one of the day's extreme tests. On day two Mika Ahola improved on his day one result to top the E2 class finishing 32 seconds ahead of Merriman. With just 13 riders reaching the finish of the second day in the E2 class due to the severity of the conditions Merriman was followed home by Aro. With Aro topping the 2006 E2 world championship UFO Corse Yamaha team mates Merriman and Johnny Aubert placed in third and fourth. French UFO Corse Yamaha rider Johnny Aubert's hopes of a good result at both his home round of the series and the final round of the championship ended when the former motocross rider DNF the opening day after just one timed special test. Crashing as he crossed a slippery wooded bridge on the extreme test Aubert took no further part in the event having injured his ankle. Although in pain at the time of his incident Aubert returned to the race on Sunday. Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: DNF, Day 2: DNS "I crashed on the first timed enduro test, on one of the bridges. I am not sure what happened exactly but I had a lot of pain in my ankle. I had some problem with the bones but I don't think that anything is broken. On Monday I will go to Paris and there I will have a doctor examine my foot. I can walk on it but something is not right. I hope it is nothing too serious." Stefan Merriman (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: Fourth, Day 2: Second "I got stuck in a fence on the extreme test on the last lap. I was just going up a rocky uphill, slipped backwards, and got caught up in the fence. I lost some time getting the wire out of the wheel, so that didn't help me. I had a fall on one of the tests earlier in the day as well but thankfully they were the only problems I had. With the conditions the way they were it could have been a lot worse. It would have been nice to have got onto the podium but fourth wasn't so bad. Day two was really tough. On the last enduro test I met one of the other riders coming towards me after he'd made a mess of one of the uphill. I had to try and dodge him, figure out where he'd come from, and I ended up getting stuck myself. It was a bit tricky in places. I find it difficult to ride at my best when I know that I can't win a championship. The race hasn't been too bad, despite the weather, and although there were a lot of ruts it's been pretty enjoyable." Temp: 12 Crowd: 20000 Weather: Rain 2006 Enduro 2 France 24/09/2006 Race 1 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Samuli Aro KTM FIN 48'12.910 2 Fabien Planet KTM FRA 0'8.300 3 Mika Ahola Honda FIN 0'37.630 4 Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 0'42.980 5 Andrea Belotti KTM ITA 2'6.710 6 Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 2'8.100 7 Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 2'16.310 8 Paul Edmondson Honda GBR 2'52.010 9 Emmanuel Albepart Honda FRA 3'3.350 10 Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 3'15.040 11 Euan McConnell TM GBR 3'42.780 12 Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 4'27.260 13 Thierry Klutz Sherco BEL 4'40.860 14 Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 5'6.060 15 Jordan Curvalle Kawasaki FRA 6'1.340 Race 2 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Mika Ahola Honda FIN 32'20.250 2 Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 0'32.870 3 Samuli Aro KTM FIN 0'58.450 4 Paul Edmondson Honda GBR 1'4.460 5 Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 1'7.060 6 Fabien Planet KTM FRA 1'14.160 7 Euan McConnell TM GBR 1'50.890 8 Emmanuel Albepart Honda FRA 1'52.570 9 Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 1'58.090 10 Andrea Belotti KTM ITA 4'2.040 11 Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 5'12.110 12 Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 7'55.330 13 Jordan Curvalle Kawasaki FRA 9'23.220 Rider Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Samuli Aro KTM FIN 360 2. Mika Ahola Honda FIN 328 3. Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 318 4. Johnny Aubert Yamaha FRA 277 5. Fabien Planet KTM FRA 239 6. Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 210 7. Xavier Galindo KTM ESP 185 8. Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 153 9. Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 141 10. Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 135 11. Valtteri Salonen HusaBerg FIN 134 12. Euan McConnell TM GBR 108 13. Paul Edmondson Honda GBR 105 14. Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 98 15. Andrea Belotti KTM ITA 92 Manufacturer Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 360 2. Yamaha 356 3. Honda 328 4. GasGas 210 5. Husqvarna 165 6. Aprilia 135 7. HusaBerg 134 8. Beta 112 9. TM 108 10. Sherco 58 11. Suzuki 52 12. Kawasaki 30

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi now trails MotoGP World Championship series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) by just twelve points with two rounds remaining thanks to his fourth consecutive podium, his eighth from the last ten races, in Japan today. Rossi took second place in a race dominated and won by Loris Capirossi (Ducati), with Marco Melandri (Honda) completing the podium in a carbon copy of the front row order. The 20-point reward for Rossi moved him another nine closer to Hayden, who finished fifth behind Sete Gibernau (Ducati). Colin Edwards had shown promise of mounting a podium challenge himself this weekend but unfortunately his excellent practice pace on race rubber did not translate into the top result he was hoping for. Despite making a good start from tenth on the grid the American was forced wide by another rider into turn one and lost several positions, dropping back to twelfth. However a determined ride from that point onwards saw him battle back to eighth place - a position he also now holds in the championship after moving above John Hopkins (Suzuki). Valentino Rossi (2nd; +5.088) "I'm really happy with this second position today. It wasn't a great battle like in Sepang, but my rhythm was really good and my bike worked very well. We had a few problems in warm-up this morning and, like always, my mechanics, the Yamaha engineers and Michelin did a great job to make some last-minute changes to our race set-up. At the start my M1 was a little bit hard to ride but slowly I found my rhythm and then bit by bit I started to come closer to Marco. Once I passed him I started pushing to try to reach Loris and made the fastest lap, but once he realised I was coming closer he opened the throttle again and he was just too fast for me to catch. My bike worked brilliantly since Friday morning and I want to thank everyone for all their hard work, it seems that when everything is working for us then it's hard for the others! 20 points is a great result for me at this track, which isn't one of my favourites, and now we're only 12 points behind in the championship. We have two races left and if we can continue in this way then it's possible!" Colin Edwards (8th; +22.492) "I got off the line pretty well but then (Dani) Pedrosa pushed me out a bit on the exit of turn one and I had to chop it. I lost speed and then about three people went by me so I was playing catch-up from then on. I had to spend some time getting past (Makoto) Tamada and (Randy) De Puniet but then I got my head down and just kept going in the same rhythm. I was doing good lap times, consistent with what we were doing all weekend, but it wasn't enough to make up for our grid position and the problems in turn one. About 15 laps in I hit a bit of a wall, couldn't hold the load on the rear tyre and started losing corner speed, so life was more difficult from then on. Of course I'm really disappointed; we had a plan but it was messed up by our starting position and turn one. On the bright side we were able to run the same good pace we ran all weekend for most of the race, but it seems a few others, my team-mate included, found a bit extra today and what we had just wasn't enough!" Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Today was a very important race for us because we have been able to reduce the gap by another nine points, which keeps us on target. Our goal today was to finish on the podium and we did that so we are happy, even though Loris had a pace that Valentino wasn't quite able to follow. Unfortunately Colin couldn't quite live up to the high hopes he had raised before the race so we will investigate the reasons for that. We still have two races left and we want to help get him back to the front of the pack. The last three weeks have required a lot of energy, effort and concentration from the whole team and I am delighted the way every one of them has responded. Now we need them to keep it going for two more races and hopefully we will continue to get our rewards." Tech 3 Yamaha Team satisfied with Motegi result after difficult weekend It wasn't the result that the Tech 3 Yamaha Team desired as Carlos Checa celebrated his 200th Grand Prix start but the team will come away from the Japanese Grand Prix at the Motegi Twin Ring satisfied with the outcome after an extremely difficult weekend of practice and qualifying. Carlos and his team mate, James Ellison battled as hard as they could for the entire race mixing it with the factory Suzuki team as Carlos eventually came home in 14th position and James secured one championship point to finish 15th in a race won by Loris Capirossi (Ducati) Carlos Checa (14th, Fastest lap 1'48.992) "I cannot be really happy but I'm quite satisfied because we did our best. We must have some satisfaction because we did our best but certainly we are not happy because the result is quite far from where we want. After the many tyres we tested over the two days it was a bit of a compromise on tyre choice but it didn't end up too bad in the end. The pace has increased a lot this year and this makes it more difficult to demonstrate the evolution we are doing. I think to keep in the 1'49's all race is not so bad .I did these times last year and finished fourth but I think Dunlop need a little more time to improve the tyres. I was with the Suzuki team the entire race and we passed each other quite a few times then my tyre went off a little and I couldn't go with them. For me it was quite a cool race to be battling with others. I know inside myself I did my best and basically the main limitation is technical. It is good training for me and it is better to be here than at home as I'm still enjoying what I am doing very much. We knew that this year would be difficult and we would have different races where we would be struggling like here and then have other races like Phillip Island where we would have good results but then the wet tyre didn't work so well. Our target is to keep improving - even myself - I think we had a great opportunity even with all the problems because we fought against the limitations and the problems we had so we will keep going and we will keep learning. " James Ellison (15thFastest lap1'49.616) "Truthfully, it's not such a bad end to the weekend after the struggle we had early on and to finish with a point is quite satisfying although I'm always hoping for a better result. It is the best race I have had yet, dicing with people and the one I have enjoyed the most. For the first time in a few races I really had fun out there today as I was actually able to race with a few guys and Carlos wasn't really that far in front of me, but in a way it was frustrating as I know I can go a lot faster. I was thinking if I didn't have these problems how much higher could I finish than where we are now? Honestly, I couldn't have tried any harder to get that one point. It is good because the team are very happy with the effort we both put in and it is nice to finish this bunch of races like this after the difficulties we have had. I still I want to do a lot more but this is where we are at the minute." Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "It was definitely a difficult weekend but at least we had a bit more of a positive ending as we have been struggling on Friday and Saturday big time. We were very disappointed especially coming from Australia with such a good feeling with the bike and tyre package. Fortunately today both of our riders showed great fighting spirit and determination in battling from the first to the last lap with both of them in the top 15 getting points. That was something we didn't expect even after the positive warmup this morning. Sure we are down on performance but it was also good to see the top Dunlop management here from the chairman to the general manager and everyone involved in the project for them to see what was happening here, to see where we are an dto understand what we have to do in the future if we want to be competitive against our rivals. Hopefully, this difficult weekend will have some positive outcome. We have another two races to keep on working and try to improve our best race result which was a seventh in the USA. There is a possibility that we can do that. Finally, I want to congratulate Yamaha and Valentino for their brilliant race here and where they are now in the championship shrinking the points to the leader." Circuit Length: 4801 Temp: 27 Weather: Dry 2006 MotoGP Motegi 24/09/2006 Race 1 - 24 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 43'13.585 2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'5.088 3 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'8.378 4 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 0'9.712 5 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 0'11.944 6 Toni Elias Honda ESP 0'18.108 7 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'19.937 8 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'22.492 9 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 0'26.824 10 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 0'30.970 11 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'39.263 12 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 0'39.440 13 Kousuke Akiyoshi Suzuki JPN 0'45.595 14 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 0'49.571 15 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'9.085 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'47.288 Rider Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 236 2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 224 3. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 209 4. Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 205 5. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 202 6. Casey Stoner Honda AUS 119 7. Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 110 8. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 104 9. John Hopkins Suzuki USA 101 10. Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 95 11. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 91 12. Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 83 13. Toni Elias Honda ESP 81 14. Makato Tamada Honda JPN 81 15. Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 60 18. James Ellison Yamaha GBR 21 Team Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Team Points 1. Repsol Honda Team 438 2. Camel Yamaha Team 328 3. Ducati Marlboro Team 307 4. Fortuna Honda Team 290 5. Rizla Suzuki 192 6. Honda LCR 119 7. Kawasaki Racing Team 114 8. Team Roberts KR 110 9. Konica Minolta Honda 81 10. Tech3 Yamaha 81 11. Pramac D'Antin 26 Manufacturer Standings 24/09/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 319 2. Yamaha 262 3. Ducati 218 4. Suzuki 136 5. Team Robert KR 110 6. Kawasaki 94

MX1 World Champion Stefan Everts and vice-World Champion Antonio Cairoli gave Yamaha a 100% score in the MX-des-Nations event. MX1 World Champion Stefan Everts ended his career by guiding Team Belgium to second place today at Matterley Basin in Great Britain for the 60th Motocross of Nations. The 33 year old finished the year in typical fashion by winning both of his races ahead of USA’s Ryan Villopoto and James Stewart in front of a record-breaking 85,000 people (weekend figure). The track was rougher with larger jumps, and the problems with dust as seen in the British Grand Prix in June were lessened by heavy rain on Friday and again Sunday morning. A fantastic cosmopolitan crowd filled the Matterley site and created an exciting atmosphere but also verged on the point of overwhelming the venue due to the unprecedented numbers. Stefan Everts powered into the lead of the first moto contested between the MX1 and MX2 classes. The Belgian was on the precipice of an interesting duel with James Stewart until the American crashed and the World Champ was free to run his own race with a lead of almost ten seconds. In his second outing (MX1 and MX Open) Everts engaged in an exciting tussle with David Philippaerts and James Stewart but once again found the right lines and rhythm to escape from his most direct rival and give World Championship motocross a memorable double over its AMA counterparts. Despite the ten times Champion’s speed and results Belgium finished seven points behind the USA. Everts continued his remarkable record of being on the podium of every Nations event in which he has participated (all fourteen) but could not add a sixth victory to the last time he walked the top step with his two countrymen in 2004. De Carli Yamaha rider Antonio Cairoli was absolutely sensational in the second moto between MX2 and the MX Open categories. The Italian had crashed and had a tough race earlier in the day but his fights with Ben Townley and Ryan Villopoto in Moto2 was the action highlight of the event and the flamboyance of the 2006 MX2 vice-champion on the YZ250F was a joy to behold. Cairoli’s victory ensured a clean sweep of the three races for Yamaha and Team Italy missed the podium by just one point. Stefan Everts After six seasons and six consecutive World titles – all with Yamaha - Stefan Everts now signs off an eighteen year, ten Championships and 101 Grand Prix winning career. He announced on Saturday that he will move into the position of race director with another manufacturer. Stefan Everts, Team Belgium, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: “It was a pretty easy day. It was a great pity that Ricky didn’t ride because I believe he would have pushed for the individual win. Anyway it has been a great race for me. I am very happy to end this way. As a team we were a bit unlucky with Kevin’s bike problem and our chances might have been better if that had not happened; that’s racing. I am always very motivated for this race. I think that was one of the biggest crowds at a motocross event I have seen. It is incredible and for sure I am going to miss this event.” Antonio Cairoli, Team Italy, Team Yamaha De Carli: “I felt really good with the bike and physically I am in good shape. In the first heat I got an unbelievable start and was second; this was excellent because we had all the MX1 bikes with us. After two corners Mackenzie had a bit too much adrenaline I think and hit my back wheel so I crashed. I came from last I think and finished tenth. I was quite satisfied but it wasn’t good for the team. I found it hard to make up ground with the MX1 bikes there also. I was high again, fifth, in the second moto. I waited five or six laps to see the lines of Villopoto and Townley. I was close to Villopoto when he made a mistake and ran off the track. I saw that Tedesco was not so fast and I could control the gap at the front. I really like this track and the fans were incredible when they were cheering me going to the lead.” Michele Rinaldi, Team Manager, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: It's unfortunate that after an unbelievable successful 6 years the Yamaha - Everts relation has to come to an end. Yamaha has made a very good offer to Stefan to continue the relationship, which Stefan also admitted. But Yamaha was not prepared to make a similar position offer as KTM due to being differently organized and judging certain things differently. At the same time we are disappointed about the timing and the way the news was presented as we had agreed before with Stefan to lift it over the weekend. It doesn’t change the fact that we are very proud that Yamaha, Stefan and the team together wrote a unique chapter in the Motocross World Championship history. And it will not affect our preparation nor determination to continue our successes in 2007

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi delighted his legion of local fans with a sensational final lap in qualifying practice for the Grand Prix of Japan this afternoon. Rossi continued his excellent progress with another day of hard work on the race setting of his YZR-M1 before heading out to challenge Loris Capirossi (Ducati) for pole. Unfortunately Rossi's first attempt on qualifying tyres was baulked when a rider crashed in front him, forcing the Italian to make a last-minute pit-stop. It made for a tense finale as Rossi returned to the track and beat the chequered flag by just ten seconds, giving him one last chance to challenge Capirossi's dominance. The World Champion responded in typical style with a lap of 1'45.991 - inside last year's pole record but not quite enough to topple pole man Capirossi, meaning he will start tomorrow's race from second place. Colin Edwards worked in tandem with Rossi throughout the day to improve the solid base setting the pair had found in yesterday's opening free practice sessions. The Texan was again one of the leading riders on race rubber, lapping consistently in the low 1'48 mark and even dipping under the lap record of 1'47.968. However, the Texan struggled to improve on that pace significantly after fitting a qualifying tyre and he slid down the time sheets in the closing stages, ending the session in tenth place and setting himself a tough challenge tomorrow from the fourth row of the grid. Valentino Rossi (2nd - 1'45.991; 26 laps) "For sure I am very happy to be on the front row again for the fourth race in a row. My M1 has worked well from the start here so we've been able to work on the setting with various different things and then mix everything together to find the very best race set-up. Now it seems we're in good shape. The bike worked very well also with the qualifying tyre and I had very good grip. Unfortunately I lost one qualifying tyre when Hopkins crashed in front of me, but luckily my team did a great job with the pit-stop - it was even faster than a Formula 1 team! Fortunately I made a good lap with the final tyre and now we're starting from second. I am happy; tomorrow will be a difficult race but I am quite confident." Colin Edwards (10th - 1'46.726; 26 laps) "I've been happier with my qualifying position but I've got a good race pace so it's not all doom! To be honest, even though on paper it doesn't look too great, I'm really happy with the bike right now. It's working really well, it's just we couldn't quite get it together with the qualifying tyre and when we put it in today it just overloaded the suspension a bit and made everything a bit too soft, so that's something we need to think about for the next time. Race-wise our setting is pretty good and I think I've got one of the best rhythms out there. Obviously it's annoying to be starting from the fourth row but I think I can come through the pack pretty quickly and then just get my head down! I need to get a good start, fight my way past a few people and then just keep pushing. I'm actually pretty excited about tomorrow and I'm looking for a good result." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It's been another very good day for Valentino, it seems things are working well and it's nice to be consistently on the front row. It's good to be starting tomorrow's race, which is so important for us with regards to the championship, from this position. It looks like he's in good shape for the race and hopefully he can make the most of the start to get away in front. Unfortunately Colin wasn't able to qualifying in such a high position but he actually has a very strong race pace so the situation is not too bad. If he can get a good start then I think he will be able to come through the field quite quickly and once he's up front he should be able to stay there. Now we hope that the weather stays dry and that we can have a fun and exciting race! Challenging weekend continues for Tech 3 Yamaha Team at Motegi Twin Ring Although it was a challenging one hour qualifying session for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team there are plenty of encouraging signs to demonstrate to riders, Carlos Checa and James Ellison that the Japanese Grand Prix at the Motegi Twin Ring tomorrow could provide satisfactory results for the team in a session headed by Loris Capirossi on a Ducati. With a multitude of Dunlop tyres to test it was never going to be an easy two days of practice and qualifying as Carlos and James will start from finished in 17th and 19th positions respectively. It was a confidence building exercise as well, as both riders lowered their lap times considerably and set their fastest times in the closing moments of the qualifying session. Carlos Checa (17th, 1'47.905, 24 laps) "We knew we would have a lot of tyres to test here this weekend but to be in this position is not what we imagined after the success of last weekends efforts. We tried many different tyres that Dunlop has brought along for the weekend. We have cured the chattering problems from yesterday so now we will continue to work hard at improving the situation. We have proven to ourselves and everyone else this year we will try everything to reflect the hard work that the entire team has put in to find a little secret to work some magic. With the times I did on race tyres I am looking forward to the race as if I can get a good start I know I can stick with many of the riders that qualified in front of me and now we have good durability in the tyres I hope to be passing quite a few of them." James Ellison (19th1'48.716, 23 laps) "We were struggling here yesterday but we have found something that has allowed us to improve our lap times. Even though we had so many tyres to test that may have put us behind a bit, we have found something in the setup to give us a good direction to work on overnight. We still haven't decided on a race tyre for tomorrow as with the way the weather has been we don't want to make a final decision until after warmup in the morning. The competition in MotoGP is so tight these days that if you are having a little problem you seem to be so far off the pace and that is what is happening here but nonetheless we will continue to work hard and hope for a competitive race tomorrow." . Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "Fortunately today was better than yesterday so both riders are moving in the right direction and as usual Carlos and James have been working hard to find the best tyres to suit the conditions. It wasn't the best start for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team yesterday but that has been the case for most of the year as we continue to develop the Dunlop tyres during a race weekend. Sure, this is not the perfect situation but we came into this year knowing that we would have good days and bad days. Dunlop have been working extremely hard to supply us with as many tyres as possible to give us many options so it does take time to narrow the selections down but we have lowered our times considerably and this gives us confidence for a good result tomorrow." Circuit Length: 4801 Temp: 22 Weather: Dry 2006 MotoGP Motegi 23/09/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'45.724 2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'45.991 3 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'46.250 4 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'46.291 5 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 1'46.316 6 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'46.326 7 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'46.489 8 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1'46.512 9 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'46.576 10 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'46.726 11 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'46.847 12 Kousuke Akiyoshi Suzuki JPN 1'46.958 13 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'47.071 14 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'47.310 15 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'47.451 17 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 1'47.905 19 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'48.716