Spanish Ducati Team Ready for the Inaugural SunTrust MOTO-ST 8 Hours At Daytona DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 10, 2006) When the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series thunders into Daytona International Speedway for its inaugural race, October 20-21, it will boast a full field of top endurance riders from all over the world. Coming from all over the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia, the 8 Hours At Daytona race promises non-stop, action-packed racing from beginning to end. Eager to put their Motorrad Ducati Madrid banner in the front of the field is the Spanish Ducati team of Dani Ribalta of Barcelona and Kenny Noyes, a Madrid-born American. Both are established endurance riders and both are among the top 10 in Spain’s premier road race series, Formula Extreme 1000cc. In fact, Ribalta won this year’s Le Mans 24-Hours in a one-off ride for National Motor Honda of France and Noyes is a member of the Folch Endurance Yamaha Team, winner of the 2005 and 2006 Spanish Endurance title. “We raced Ducati twins for many years and are glad to have an opportunity to take part in this prestigious event on a legendary circuit,” says team owner Manual Alonso, who runs a Suzuki team in the Spanish National 1000cc Formula Extreme Endurance Championship. “As soon as we saw the regulations, we understood the philosophy of this series which limits preparation by placing a roof on horsepower and keeping the twins almost completely stock. We have pulled a new Ducati 749 from the shop window and started work very late, on Friday the sixth of October. We’ll do a quick shakedown test at Albacete and ship the bike off. We were very fortunate to obtain support from Brumos Porsche (Jacksonville, Fla.) on the American end and from Belson (manufacturers of TV monitors and plasma computer screens) here in Spain.” “Daytona is a legendary track for all Europeans,” says Ribalta. “I can’t imagine what it is like up on the banking, but I am looking forward to taking on the bigger bikes with our Ducati. We’ll be short on torque out of the infield turns but we should have good corner speed and good aerodynamics on the banking.” “We know we are in for a hard race,” continues Noyes. “For sure the M4 EMGO Suzuki team will be real fast and we hear that two-time World Endurance Champion Warwick Nowland has signed to ride for BMW, and I’m sure there will be lots of good teams out there. Eight hours is really a short endurance race so the main thing is to avoid trouble on the track and have smooth stops.” The inaugural event of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series will take the Green Flag on Saturday, October 21 at 1:00 PM (ET) with racers taking the Checkered Flag at 9:00 PM (ET). Tickets to the 8 Hours At Daytona may be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or www.racetickets.com or by calling 1-800-PIT-SHOP. MOTO-ST is organized by Professional Motorsports Productions of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) of Pickerington, Ohio. The Grand American Road Racing Association, based in Daytona Beach, Fla., provides the series with administrative and commercial support. The MOTO-ST advisory board features some of the most respected individuals in the world of motorsports, including AMA Hall of Fame members, respected motorcycle racing journalists and renowned officials from various forms of road racing. Learn more about MOTO-ST at www.moto-st.com .