MotoAmerica AMA/FIMNA Mid-Atlantic Superbike Road Racing Championship
VIRginia International Raceway
Alton, VA
May 16, 2015
Provisional Supersport Race One Results (all using Dunlop tires):
1. Josh Herrin (Yamaha), 23 laps
2. JD Beach (Yamaha), -0.100 second
3. Garrett Gerloff (Yamaha), -13.584 seconds
4. David Anthony (Suzuki), -13.784
5. Bobby Fong (Triumph), -15.985
6. Tomas Puerta (Yamaha), -44.749
7. Ben Young (Yamaha), -56.727
8. Kyle Wyman (Yamaha), -64.600
9. Hayden Gillim (MV Agusta), -76.800
10. Corey Alexander (Yamaha), -80.500
11. Javelin Broderick (MV Agusta), -1 lap
12. Kaleb De Keyrel (Yamaha), -1 lap
13. Mitch Card (Honda), -1 lap
14. Melissa Paris (Suzuki), -1 lap
15. Cameron Petersen (Yamaha), -2 laps, pitted
Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 16 races):
1. Gerloff, 81 points
2. Herrin, 79
3. Beach, 77
4. Anthony, 53
5. Young, 39
6. Puerta, 34
7. De Keyrel, 26
8. Kyle Wyman, 25
9. Petersen, 22
10. TIE, Fong/Gillim, 18
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Yamaha R6 Riders Show Their VIRility In MotoAmerica Supersport Race 1 As Herrin Wins; Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha Teammates Beach And Gerloff Finish Second And Third
Alton, VA – May 16, 2015 – The Yamaha bLU cRU made another big statement, this time at VIRginia International Raceway, as YZF-R6 riders swept the podium in Saturday’s MotoAmerica Supersport Race 1. Wheels In Motion/MotoSport.com/Meen/Yamaha rider Josh Herrin won the race, while Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha teammates JD Beach and Garrett Gerloff rounded out the all-R6 podium by finishing second and third, respectively.
JD started on pole, got the holeshot, and led pretty much the entire 22-lap race, while Josh stalked the Kentuckian, carefully studied his racing lines, and patiently waited to make his move to the front. It took a combination of last-lap heroics, a hot and somewhat slick racing surface, and diminishing tire grip for Josh to make his decisive move, getting around JD and crossing the finish line to notch his second win in four races.
Meanwhile, the biggest hero of the day was arguably Garrett Gerloff, who had a big crash early in the first qualifying session on Friday and fractured the little finger on his left hand. Garrett sat out Saturday morning’s final qualifying session, went out in the late-morning warmup, and started in sixth position for the early-afternoon race. With a plan to salvage as many points as he could under the difficult circumstances, Garrett had an exciting race, fighting for position with Bobby Fong and then David Anthony. He ultimately passed both riders and brought home his #31 Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha R6 in a very impressive third place.
After his win, Josh said, “JD was holding a really good pace, and I really couldn’t get by him until that last lap. It was a good race for me, and I was glad to be able to get by him when I did and make it stick. This is a tight championship battle, and I need all the points I can get.”
Riding out front with no one in front of me was a good lesson,” JD commented. “I tried to set a good pace, and that kept me out front for most of the race. It got a little bit greasy out there towards the end of the race. I tried to keep Josh behind me, but he got by me right there at the end. It was a good race, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
When asked about how he felt while riding with the injury to his left hand, Garrett said, “After two or three laps, I got into a battle with Bobby Fong and then Dave Anthony, and I forgot all about the injury. I felt pretty good, despite the broken finger, and I concentrated on keeping my R6 on two wheels and bringing it home safe. I’m glad to get on the podium, considering the situation, and we’re still in good shape in the points standings, which was my goal today.”
Based on his finish, Garrett retained the lead in the 2015 Supersport Championship, while Josh moved into second place over JD, who is now in third. All three riders are only separated by four points with a lot of racing left to go in the 2015 MotoAmerica season.
MotoAmerica Supersport Race 2 will go green from VIR tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 PM. Go to www.MotoAmerica.com, click on “Streaming” under the “LIVE” header in the top-left corner of the page, and then click on “WATCH SUPERSPORT” to watch the race live online.
For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, visit http://www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racing. Also, check out “YamahaMotorUSA” on your favorite social media site.
More, from a press release issued by Latus Motors Racing/Castrol Triumph:
Fong Fights through pain to finish race 5th
5/16/15- Virginia International Raceway
We had clear skies at Virginia International Raceway for the 3rd round of MotoAmerica. Team Latus Motors / Castrol / Triumph was positioned in 3rd place on the grid for Race 1 of Supersport. Pilot Bobby Fong #50 started off strong but around lap 5, his arm started bothering him. Previously injured from a crash in Austin, he is essentially riding with one arm. Bobby hung in there for 23 laps of hard racing and dropped a couple positions to finish 5th overall.
Team Owner George Latus said, “We had a great qualifying with a 3rd place which we were very pleased with. Bobby is still in somewhat of the healing process so we wondered how that would be for the duration of the race. We thought he might be coming into the race maybe 80% or 90% ready to go. He certainly has the desire but he is still in a great bit of pain and he doesn’t have all the strength he could have in his injured arm. In the race we saw that and we still think it was a great effort. We got a 5th place finish and we are really happy with it. He has another couple weeks now to continue his recuperative process and I think we will be good to go for Road America.”
Bobby Fong stated, “Today’s race went ok. We had some vibration issues on the front of the bike which caused me to back it down a little bit to get 5th today. We are fixing the problem and hopefully tomorrow we can run closer up front. It was pretty hard by the end of the race because I was controlling the bike with just my right arm. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and am here to race so I’ll give it my all.”
Stay tuned for Supersport Race 2 on Sunday at 1:30 PM!
Team Latus Motors is supported by: Castrol,Triumph, Latus Motors racing, GE Capital, Freedom Road Financial, K-Tech, Hindle exhaust, ET, Cortech, Shoei, Grinder, Hindle, Galfer, Dyno Jet, Bickle, Vet Motorsports, Catalyst, Zero Gravity, Helimot, Superlite, Cafe Racer XXX, Grifter Company