Jordan Suzuki finds Success at California Speedway Test The Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki team finished its two-day test at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., confident and ready for the season-opening round of AMA Superbike in March. The three-man Suzuki team of Jason Pridmore, Steve Rapp and Jake Holden all put their GSX-R1000s through their paces on the 21-turn, 2.36-mile circuit. “We left California Speedway with a good result,” said Jordan Suzuki Team Coordinator Rich Alexander. “Jake had time to get familiar with the new bikes. Steve put in some good laps on the Superstock bike and was third fastest. Jason’s test was a success in that we learned that as far as R&D goes, we’re not far off.” Pridmore is looking forward to the upcoming season-opener. “We’re ready for Daytona,” said Pridmore. “The test there in December was great, and I’ve been training and I’m healthy.” Teammates Rapp and Holden, meanwhile, focused on the Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superstock machines that they will also compete on in AMA Superbike. “We tested shocks, different set-ups, tires,” said Rapp. “We were trying to improve on last year’s race set-up and we did. We’ve made the bike a lot better.” “We were just really focusing on getting the Jordan Suzuki GSX-R1000 running right,” added the newly signed Holden. “We wanted to make sure there are no glitches and the team wanted me to make sure my wrist is totally healed after my injury at Virginia last year. The bike is up to par and I’m 100 percent for Daytona.” The Jordan Suzuki team’s first race is the season-opening round of AMA Superbike, scheduled for March 8-11, 2006 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. 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 another press release: Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki Concludes Positive Test at CA Speedway Record-setting, six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin’s Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki team debuted its 2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superstock machine at their successful two-day test at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Australian rider Marty Craggill rode for Mladin’s fledgling team in 2005 and will again ride for Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki. Last year, he raced a Suzuki GSX-R1000 in AMA Superbike and won first-privateer bragging rights by finishing in seventh place. For 2006, the Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki team will contest AMA Superstock on a more production-based GSX-R1000. “It was a great couple of days and it was nice to be back on a bike after five months,” said Craggill. “I felt very good and the 2006 GSX-R1000 performed flawlessly for the two days. It is amazing that we started building the race bike just three weeks ago and when we turned up to test, the bike never missed a beat. It goes to show how great a package the 2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000 is and I look forward to the first race with the Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki team.” The Hotbodies Racing Mat Mladin Motorsports Suzuki team’s first race will be the season-opening round of AMA Superbike at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., March 8 – 11, 2006. More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Suzuki: Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, Ben Spies and Aaron Yates have completed a productive and relatively successful two-day test of their 2006 GSX-Rs at California Speedway in Fontana, California. “This test was really just final preparation for Daytona,” said Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura. “The biggest priority for us was for Ben to focus on developing the new GSX-R600 and he spent the whole day riding that bike.” “This was a hard test for us,” said Spies (pictured). “But it was good. This is the first test where we’ve had real race suspension on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600. We’ve just been making little changes, taking small steps at a time. We got a decent setting today and we know what direction we need to go in to make it better.” Team mate Mladin finished off the test with the fastest lap time on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike, posting a best of 1:24.448. Mladin and his crew had been focusing on 2005 and 2006 suspension components and engines. “It was a good test,” said Mladin. “The last time out, we put a couple of things together that we liked. We tried the 2005 and the 2006 motor and I preferred the 2006 version. This test wasn’t ideal for lap times, with the wind and everything, but we found some stuff that we liked and that’s what we’re here for.” Unfortunately for the team, 2005 AMA Superstock Champion Aaron Yates was absent, having broken his right shoulder blade on the first day of the test. According to Sakakura, Yates should be healed in time for the season’s first race. “Going into a ‘right left’, I got into a tank-slapper and went off over the front and landed on my shoulder,” said Yates, who went to the doctor after the incident. “Most likely, I won’t need surgery and I’ll be ready for Daytona,” he added. Next for Team Yoshimura Suzuki is the season-opening round of AMA Superbike Championship, scheduled for March 8-11 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.