Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki Leaves Barber Test on a Positive Note BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After two days of testing at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., the Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki team of Jason Pridmore, Steve Rapp and Jake Holden called the experience a success. All three riders put in numerous laps on the undulating, 2.5-mile course aboard their Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000s and walked away happy. “We’re really pleased with the results of this test,” said Team Manager Rich Alexander. “For Jason, we hoped to find a much better set-up than we’ve had in the past, and we did indeed find it. We’re leaving here with a good, strong base setting that should help get him up to speed more quickly than before. Jake is getting better at every event and he’s improving as he gets more comfortable with the team and his crew. Finally, Steve has been consistently fast wherever we’ve gone, so we just had him testing chassis and tires. We’re happy with the outcome.” Pridmore was most pleased with the actual amount of intense testing that he and his crew did. “This test went very well for me,” he said. “For the first time, we really, really tested and that’s what we needed to do. I’m so excited to come back here and race.” Like Pridmore, Rapp was thrilled about the sheer number of components that they went through over the course of the two days. “We tested a lot of tires, a lot of suspension components — and we needed to. I think we made a lot of progress,” he said. “Yesterday was tough,” admitted team newcomer Holden. “We got stuck on some stuff but today we tried some new suspension components and I think we’ll be set for the race.” The Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki team will return to the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., for round two of the AMA Superbike Championship the weekend of April 21-23, 2006. Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports in 2004 as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. His mission is to bring a new level of excellence and style to the motorcycle racing industry. For more information on the team, visit the race team website at www.23RACE.com and the Jumpman website at www.Jumpman23.com More, from a press release issued by Team M4 EMGO Suzuki: Roberts, May, and Fouchek Complete Barber Test For M4 EMGO Suzuki Team M4 EMGO Suzuki completed a two-day test at Barber Motorsports Park on Tuesday. For the team, it was an opportunity to prepare for next month’s race at the facility located just a couple of hours from the M4 EMGO Suzuki race shop. The team’s regular riders, Geoff May and Shea Fouchek, were joined by Kurtis Roberts, who filled in for the injured Michael Barnes at the test. “I think it went really well,” said Roberts, “both lap-time wise and the overall experience. The team is made up of a bunch of good guys that work hard and want to win. I thought the Pirellis were really fun to ride. The have different characteristics to some of the tires I’ve ridden on in the past, but they gave good feel. I had never ridden a production Suzuki of any kind before and I enjoyed it, too.” During the two-day test, Roberts, a former Birmingham Superbike race winner, saw his lap times comparable to the series regulars in Formula Xtreme. “During both days, I was only on race tires. We didn’t make many suspension changes at all,” said Kurtis. “I just rode it to get back in the rhythm since I hadn’t ridden a road race bike since November. The lap times were close to what it will take, so I’m quite happy. If I was to race this bike for the team, a podium or win isn’t out of the question, I don’t think. “Everything was positive about the test. We’ll just have to see how it goes as far as a deal to race the bike. I do know it was nice to be on a competitive motorbike again,” said Roberts. “Kurtis did a great job for us,” said Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Keith Perry. “He did some really respectable lap times. We got good feedback with the tires and settings. As the Crew Chief, I thought he did well.” Geoff May also turned in a solid performance on his Superstock and Supersport Suzuki GSX-Rs. “We really came close to breaking into the 1:26 range on the Superstock bike with Geoff. You can tell Geoff is really focused this year,” said Perry. “You can tell he’s testing well and riding the bike hard in the practice and the races. I’ve gotten a lot of comments from around the paddock about how well Geoff is doing. He’s really smooth and under control and fast. I think he’s made the jump. I think he’s going to be in there all year.” The team’s development rider Shea Fouchek continued his learning year at Barber. “Shea was struggling a little bit but he steadily improved over the course of the two days,” said Perry. “He’s a young rider and just needs more experience and time on the bike.”