REPSOL AND HONDA AGREE NEW TWO-YEAR PARTNERSHIP REPSOL YPF will continue its title sponsorship of the Honda factory MotoGP team after an agreement was reached for a new two-year partnership for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The highly successful 11-year partnership between the Honda Racing Corporation and the Repsol YPF brand has brought eight 500cc and MotoGP titles, 90 race victories in the premier class and 130 podium finishes. HRC Managing Director, Mr Satoru Horiike commented: “After 11 years with Repsol, HRC is very pleased to continue the relationship with a new agreement from the 2006 season. He continued: “The Repsol Honda team has enjoyed record-breaking success in the past 11 years and it is our intention to continue this. Repsol Honda is an established brand and we are very happy to be able to continue the growth of this image in the world of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.” Mr Jaume Giro, Repsol YPF Executive Director for Communication, explained: “Being able to finally announce that HRC and Repsol YPF are going to be together in the next years is a satisfaction for us and the culmination of several months of intense work in a joint project for the future, outlining the foundations for this agreement. “Working with HRC is something that we’ve been doing now for more than 10 years. Our vision for the future and the determination of both companies to improve and be always one step ahead of our competitors has taken us to reach this collaboration.” Giro concluded: “Competing at the highest level is something innate for us and part of the corporate strategy for Repsol. Competition gives us the chance to be the leaders in research and development of new products and, at the same time, it allows us to enjoy being close to the fans.”