Aprilia Wins SunTrust MOTO-ST SST Championship Aprilia USA/Lloyd Brothers Motorsports and Tuono 1000R Close the Door on the Competition DAYTONA BEACH, FL”” October 22, 2007 Outpacing four other manufacturers, Aprilia captured the 2007 SunTrust MOTO-ST SST Class championship title at the series’ finale, the 8 Hours of Daytona, held October 20 at Daytona International Speedway. The Aprilia USA/Lloyd Motorsports team completed the season with 187 points and a commanding margin over the competition. The Daytona International Speedway provided an ideal setting for the Italian manufacturer’s crowning performance at the final stop in the six-race series. The legendary 3.56-mile road course proved especially hospitable to Aprilia in March, when the team captured a dramatic first-place finish during the season-opening Daytona USA 300. Aboard Aprilia’s powerful production-based Tuono1000R V-Twin, Ty Howard, Henry Wiles, and Benny Thompson were among the fastest riders in practice and during the opening hours of the race. An unfortunate accident brought the team’s day to an early end, but not before they gained enough points to capture the team championship in the SST class. With a final points count of 187, Aprilia easily outdistanced second-place SST Class finisher Suzuki (159), as well as teams from BMW and Ducati. The SST rider championship went to Aprilia rider Troy Green with 179 points. The team’s performance resulted in an exceptional season for Aprilia, with three first place finishes, including the Daytona USA 300, Iowa Speedway 500K and Road America 500K, and second place finishes at the Homestead 500K and Virginia International Raceway 500K. “We are very proud to contribute yet another chapter to Aprilia’s ever-growing portfolio of international racing championships and achievements,” said Paolo Timoni, president of Aprilia USA parent Piaggio Group Americas, Inc. “We congratulate our teams as well as the entire Suntrust MOTO-ST series on an exceptional inaugural season and look forward to 2008.” Aprilia enthusiasts are invited to watch their favorite Italian sport bike brand go full throttle to the victory podium on SPEED TV. The sights and sounds of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series will thunder onto the airways beginning Tuesday, November 20 at 12:00 p.m. (EST) with an hour-long broadcast of the season-opening Daytona USA 300 where Team Aprilia USA 2 scored its first victory. Each of the six events in this year’s series will be broadcast. For a complete schedule, visit www.speedtv.com ~http://www.speedtv.com/~ . For more information on the Aprilia Tuono 1000R and the company’s entire line of sports bikes and sporting scooters, visit ~http://www.apriliausa.com/~ About Aprilia Aprilia world headquarters are in Noale (Venice, Italy). Founded in 1962, the company designs and manufactures motorcycles in Noale, with additional production facilities in Scorzè. With 36 motorcycling world championship titles (30 road and 6 off-road) under its belt, Aprilia is the only European manufacturer to have a complete on- and off-road model portfolio, ranging from sporty scooters, innovative off-road bikes and tough adventure tourers to award-winning super sport bikes. For information on Aprilia’s complete U.S. model line, visit the company’s website at www.apriliausa.com. In December 2004 Aprilia became part of the Piaggio Group, Europe’s leading manufacturer of two wheelers and one of the world’s most recognized and respected names in motorcycle and scooter production. With over 6,700 employees, an annual production of more than 680,000 vehicles, 5 R&D centers, 7 production facilities in Europe and Asia, and operations in over 50 countries, the Piaggio Group has a consolidated leadership in the European 2 wheeler market. Its production includes scooters, motorcycles and mopeds in the 50cc to 1,200 cc displacement range, marketed under the Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Derbi, Aprilia, Scarabeo and Moto Guzzi brands. More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: 8 Hours At Daytona Daytona International Speedway Moto-ST ended last Saturday night with a magical Endurance race. There was a great expectation for the event, also thanks to the participation of some real motorbike legends. Doug Polen is well known as World Superbike winner in 1991 and 1992, and again was going to face “Mr Daytona”, Scott Russel, ex-WSBK Champion with Kawasaki (1993), also known as Mr. Daytona for his 5 victories in that famous 200 mile race with Kawasaki and Yamaha. Those were only 2 of the riders sharing bikes among the 45 teams that are entered into the final event of the year, but was enough to push European interest. Moto-ST series is divided in three categories: The Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport class (SST) which includes motorcycles producing between 90-118 horsepower, the BMW GrandSport Twins class (GST) covering motorcycles producing 75-90 horsepower and SportTwins (ST) for machines under 75 horsepower. All the riders and the different series share the same tyre brand: Pirelli is the official tyre supplier. The race went on in front of a huge and enthusiastic crowd, and The No. 18 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki SV1000S won the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series 8 Hours At Daytona Finale at Daytona International Speedway while the No. 6 Aprilia USA squad locked up the Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport Twins (SST) class despite a 13th place class finish. Suzuki riders celebrating the race victory are Ulrich, Mason and West, while Championship winner team was composed of Howard, Thompson and Wiles. In the BMW GrandSport Twins class, Doug Polen started from second position but quickly took the lead and dominated the field during his double stint, running as high as seventh overall and never handing the GST class lead off. Polen shared the No. 77 Touring Sport Ducati SS1000 with Pete Friedland and Frank Shockley, finishing 2nd in the Championship with 153 points. Title went to Shawn Higbee of the Richie Morris Racing team, with 160 points. SportTwins class race win went to SV Suzuki 650 bike of the SpeedWerks.com team, with riders Mazzotta, Ryan and Kcraget with a 11th overall place. Class winner is team Pair-a-Nine with Kawasaki EX 650, ridden by Springsteen and Felice whose team manager was well known Gary Nixon; former Daytona 200 winner and AMA national champion with Pirelli in 1968. More, from a press release issued by James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing: James Gang/Hoban Brothers Finish 3rd in MOTO-ST GST Class Daytona Beach, FL — James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing riders Paul James, Jeff Johnson and Walt Sipp finished third in class and twelfth overall at the MOTO-ST 8 Hours at Daytona season finale. It was the #70 Buell team’s fourth Grand Sport Twins (GST) podium finish in the deepest, and most competitive field of the season. James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing ended the season third in MOTO-ST GST championship points with one win, one second place and two third place finishes. The team never finished outside the top five. “Daytona’s Victory Lane is a sweet place to end the MOTO-ST season,” said team owner Paul James. “After finishing on the box in all three MOTO-ST events held so far at Daytona, we’ve come to expect nothing less.” “It was a great weekend for our team,” said Hoban Brothers’ John Dahmer. “Our riders clicked off consistent lap times, our pit stops were solid and our 2008 Buell Thunderstorm engine worked flawlessly. It was a total team effort.” The team’s Buell Firebolt XB12R completed 216 laps of the 3.5 mile Daytona International Speedway road course during the 8 hour event and passed the post race dyno test with the same horsepower as measured before the start of practice the day before. In the Championship Cup Series races held at Daytona during the same weekend, team rider Jeff Johnson won the CCS Lightweight Formula 40 National Championship race aboard his Hoban Brothers Racing Buell. James took third in CCS Lightweight SuperSport, fourth in GT Lights and fifth in SuperTwins aboard his Buell. “The Buell XB12R has been a good endurance racing platform for us,” said Crew Chief Mike Kirkpatrick. “We kept the bike mostly stock and had strong, consistent results. We’re already looking forward to next season.” For a complete race season recap go to: ~http://jamesgangracing.blogstream.com~ More, from a press release issued by Rightsforbikers.com: Team RightsforBikers.com rounds out the 2007 SunTrust MOTO-ST season strong in all 3 classes · Fourth place finish in the SST class in the 8 Hours at Daytona; clinching 2nd place in the Championship · Earned a 2nd and a 4th place finish in the GST class · Finished 6th in the ST class Palmetto, Fla., October 22, 2007: The Team RightsforBikers.com #69 Suzuki SV1000 ridden by Mark Crozier and Nathan Dressman rode to a 4th place finish in the 8 Hours at Daytona, securing the 2nd place spot in the first full championship season of the series. Overall, pit strategy and consistency played an important part in their finish in the 8-hour race. “We haven’t had that much practice with the safety car, which is actually very fortunate. All season long each race has really been without any major incident. Regular use of the safety car is pretty new to this sport, so we really have to think about our strategy when the safety car comes out”, says Crozier. “We were able to take advantage of the three full course cautions, as they came out about the time we were scheduled to pit.” Crozier was a member of the winning team in the ST class in the inaugural 8 Hours at Daytona one year ago on the #16 Team RightsforBikers.com Suzuki SV650. Crozier and Dressman rode all season long with an eye on the big picture, the championship points race. “To finish second overall in the championship is a big deal for the team and our partners. It’s obvious that this team was able to put together a total package that provided excitement for the fans and produced results. That’s the key in endurance racing, being there in the end. I am indebted to my new friend CJ Czaia for providing me with an opportunity to compete this year,” said Dressman. Riding to a second place finish in the GST class was the #89 Ducati PS 1000LE of John Linder, Chris Boy and Jason Edmonds. After closing up a three-lap gap to the No. 77 Touring Sport Ducati of two-time World Superbike Champion Doug Polen, Peter Friedland, and Frank Shockley, who suffered a mechanical, the team pressed on after a couple of setbacks. They were penalized and held in pit lane when Edmonds passed under caution and the Ducati took an additional, unexpected tire change late in the race. “It just goes to show that in 8 hours of racing anything can happen,” said John Linder. The #16 Suzuki SV650 of Robert Fisher, Chuck Ivey and Nicole Hoffman was hoping for a repeat performance of last year’s win at the inaugural 8 Hours at Daytona. Instead, through determination and consistency Robert Fisher, Nicole Hoffman and team owner CJ Czaia fought back to a 6th place finish in the ST class after a crash by rider Chuck Ivey in the second hour. Ivey suffered a broken collar bone and a knee injury in the incident. The crew, including rider Mark Crozier, worked flawlessly to repair damages to the bike for Hoffman’s first stint. “Credit goes to this entire team riders and crew. We have logged plenty of hours and this season is an overall team victory. In endurance racing it is more than just fast riders it’s about having excellent equipment, pit stops and strategy, and team communication. The crew has really improved over the course of the season and stayed disciplined in their individual roles and as a team,” said Czaia. This improved crew is what allowed Czaia the chance to jump on the #16 bike and enjoy the ride at Daytona International Speedway, what he calls his “all-time favorite race track”, and among his favorite legends in motorcycle racing. For more information contact CJ Czaia (941) 727-6944 or visit www.rightsforbikers.com. About Team RightsforBikers.com Team RightsforBikers.com is an online resource dedicated to defending the rights of motorcyclists. Developed by the law firm of Czaia & Gallagher, an accident and injury law firm, the motorcycle road racing team competes in the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series. Also known as TeamHurtByAccident.com, the team is supported by Czaia & Gallagher, P.A., PIAA Corporation, USA, Kryptonite Locks, YoYoDyne, LeoVince USA, Pit Bull Products, Inc., K&N Engineering, Inc., Motion Pro, Inc., RK Excel America, Vortex Racing Components, Parts Unlimited by SBS, Spiegler Performance Parts, MechanixWear, Inc., Held USA, SEBIMOTO, Brembo and Lockhart Phillips, USA. About PIAA PIAA has been an acknowledged leader in innovative automotive products since its founding in Japan in 1963. PIAA products, created in PIAA’s Technical Design Center in Japan, are known for their visionary design, inspired engineering, quality construction and superior performance. PIAA Corporation, USA is located at 3004 NE 181st, Portland, OR 97230, 503-489-6666. For more information visit the PIAA Web site at www.piaa.com. About the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series MOTO-ST is organized and sanctioned by Professional Motorsports Productions (PMP) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the Grand American Road Racing Association, based in Daytona Beach, Fla., which provides the series with administrative and commercial support. The MOTO­ST 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.