VIR Next Up For MotoAmerica Stars

The Series Resumes For All Classes In Virginia

COSTA MESA, CA (May 1, 2019)– The 2019 MotoAmerica Series began a month ago at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, but most of the riders in the series will tell you that the championship begins in earnest this coming weekend at VIRginia International Raceway with the Championship of Virginia, May 4-5.

For the EBC Brakes Superbike Series, VIR makes up the third round of that championship as the Superbike men ventured to Circuit of The Americas the week after Road Atlanta to share the Texas round with the MotoGP World Championship. For the other four classes, VIR is round two. For all five classes, VIR is where the championships really begin to take shape.

In the EBC Brakes Superbike class, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias has shown once again that no one starts the season with the same vigor as the Spaniard. Always a fast-starter, Elias has kicked the door down on the 2019 season with two wins and two second-place finishes in the four races. That gives him a 13-point cushion over Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Cameron Beaubier, who is actually delighted with his start given that his seasons normally start slower. The three-time and defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion won the first race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, finished third in race two and fared better than normal in Texas with second- and third-place finishes.

Beaubier will be seeking some redemption at VIR as he lost out to Elias last year in both races, saying later that it was the most frustrating weekend of the year. In the first of two races, Beaubier led for 21 of the 23 laps with Elias passing him in turn one with two laps to go to ultimately beat his rival by just .114 of a second. In race two, Elias did all the leading with a charging Beaubier making a mistake in turn one (his bogey corner in 2018) with two laps to go that let Elias out of his grasp. Beaubier kept fighting, turned in the fastest lap of the race on the last lap, but came up a head-shaking .546 of a second short.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Josh Herrin didn’t have the weekend he was looking for in his debut with his new team at Road Atlanta, but he made up for it at COTA with his first win of the year (in race two) combined with a fourth-place finish in race one. Still, Herrin finds himself in a pretty big hole – 41 points behind his teammate Elias in the championship. Herrin puts VIR as amongst his favorite tracks and he will be looking to claw his way back into the title chase.

Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz comes to VIR fourth in the title chase, four points behind Herrin. Scholtz had a good weekend to open the season in Georgia, but his weekend in Texas was a bit rough with a best of seventh in race one. He is just five points ahead of JD Beach, who has shined thus far in his first season of MotoAmerica Superbike racing, and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis. Beach finished third, fourth and fifth in his first three races before suffering a mechanical problem in race two at COTA that led to a non-score with Lewis a consistent as always seventh, sixth, sixth and fifth.

Beaubier’s teammate Garrett Gerloff has been fast but unlucky thus far in 2019 and you get the feeling he’s on the verge of his first career EBC Brakes MotoAmerica Superbike win. A disastrous Road Atlanta put him on his heels (after earning his first career Superbike pole position) but he was third and fourth in the two races in his home state of Texas. Gerloff is seventh in the title chase, tied with FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony, and 54 points behind Elias.

Omega Moto’s Cameron Petersen sits ninth in the championship in his debut season with the team while more is expected from Kyle Wyman as he continues to develop his new Ducati. Wyman needs time with the bike and the two weeks since COTA will likely prove valuable to his KWR Ducati team. Wyman is 10thin the standings as MotoAmerica heads to VIR.

Bobby Fong joined the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team in the off-season and also switched from the Superbike class to Supersport. So far, the change has reaped him rewards. Fong heads to VIR with a 14-point lead in the title chase after finishing second and first in the two races at Road Atlanta. He leads last year’s championship runner-up Hayden Gillim, the Kentuckian winning race one in Atlanta before slipping to 10thin race two. PJ Jacobsen made his MotoAmerica debut in Georgia, the New Yorker finishing sixth and second in the two races. He is third in the title chase, just a point behind Gillim and a point ahead of Hudson Motorcycles – HB Racing’s Richie Escalante and three better than M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rookie Sean Dylan Kelly.

The Liqui Moly Junior Cup class has some catching up to do after Rocco Landers simply decimated the field at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Landers handily won both races in Georgia on his Landers Racing Kawasaki and he’s 10 points clear of Quarterley Racing/On Track Development’s Dallas Daniels. South African Dominic Doyle is third and 23 points behind Landers.

The Twins Cup class belonged to Quarterley Racing’s Michael Barnes at Atlanta, the racing veteran winning both races on his Ducati Monster 797. He is 14 points clear of defending series champion Chris Parrish and his Ghetto Customs Suzuki, the pairing tied for second with RBoM Racing Copulous Built’s Curtis Murray.

The Stock 1000 class only raced once at Road Atlanta and what a race it was with defending class champion Andrew Lee and his Franklin Armory/Graves Kawasaki barely beating Team Norris Racing’s Michael Gilbert by just .130 of a second.

VIR Notes

Cameron Beaubier put his Yamaha on pole position for last year’s two EBC Brakes Superbike races at VIR. The Californian lapped at a best of 1:23.790 on the 2.250-mile course, besting Yoshimura Suzuki’s Toni Elias by .150 of a second. Mathew Scholtz filled the front row with his 1:23.985 on his Westby Racing Yamaha.

Toni Elias won both Superbike races at VIR last year, the Spaniard besting Beaubier by .114 of a second in race one and by .546 of a second in race two. Scholtz was third in both races. The fastest lap of the weekend in the two Superbike races went to Beaubier in race two – a 1:24.068 on the final lap.

JD Beach won both Supersport races last year en route to taking his second MotoAmerica Supersport title. Beach beat Hayden Gillim and Richie Escalante in race one and then topped Braeden Ortt and Cory West in race two. Beach is now in the EBC Brakes Superbike class, riding an Attack Performance Estenson Racing Yamaha YZF-R1. Alex Dumas, who has moved on to the Twins Cup class for 2019, won both of the Liqui Moly Junior Cup races at VIR last year. Xavier Zayat was the Twins Cup winner a year ago with Travis Wyman winning the Stock 1000 class.

With his victory in race one at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Cameron Beaubier continued to build on his win total. The three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion now has 33 career AMA Superbike victories, which puts him third on the all-time Superbike win list behind Mat Mladin and Josh Hayes. With his two wins thus far this season, Toni Elias now has 27 AMA Superbike wins, which puts him just a win behind Ben Spies and fifth on the all-time list. The only other active riders on the win list are Josh Herrin (7) and Mathew Scholtz (2).

The first-ever AMA Superbike race at VIRginia International Raceway in 2001 was won by the late Nicky Hayden, the 2002 AMA Superbike Champion and 2006 MotoGP World Champion backing that up with a second victory at VIR in 2002. 

More, from a press release issued by Kyle Wyman Racing:

KWR Ducati team rolls on to VIR with title sponsor Inde Motorsports Ranch

(Above) Kyle Wyman (33). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Kyle Wyman Racing (KWR) has formed a new partnership with Inde Motorsports Ranch, a private motorsports facility to title sponsor the KWR Ducati team for this weekend’s event at Virginia International Raceway. Wyman will ride the #33 Inde Motorsports Ranch/KWR Ducati Panigale V4 R in his third round on the new machine.

Inde Motorsports Ranch is a private motorsports oasis located outside of Tucson, Arizona in the small town of Willcox. Wyman is a member of the club that boasts a 2.75 mile, 21 turn road course in the desert hills, with garages, lodging, hospitality facilities, conference rooms and even a shooting range. Inde Motorsports Ranch is also the winter home for Champions Riding School, of which Wyman is a senior instructor.

The KWR team will come back to action for the third round of the series this weekend in hopes of capitalizing on a couple weeks off after round two at Circuit of the Americas. The KWR team has had the chance to refine the Panigale V4 R package and looks to climb the ranks and maximize the potential of the bike, which is still in largely stock trim.

“After a couple weeks to regroup, I’m looking forward to coming into the VIR weekend with a little less on my plate,” Wyman said. “We now have our final version of the custom fuel tanks, have been able to clean up and stock up on parts, and every member of our team has had a chance to gather our thoughts after the craziness of the first two rounds. We haven’t had the chance to test the bike still, but I’ve had time to digest and understand the bike and I want to come out swinging this weekend.”

The third round of MotoAmerica will be the first of four two-day events in 2019, where teams will not get a chance to ride and qualify all day Friday. Superbikes hit the track first thing Saturday morning for a pair of 45-minute qualifying practice sessions, a quick 15-minute Superpole session and then straight into Superbike race one. It will be important for the team to make quick work of the morning sessions to find a base setup for the race, all in one day.

“I’m looking forward to the two-day format,” Wyman added. “I’ve worked really hard the last few years on my ability to get up to speed quick, and this format is going to challenge all of the riders in that way. I can’t wait to see what the Panigale V4 R is capable of at VIR and I look forward to building on our progress from the previous events.”

First practice starts Saturday morning, May 4th at 8:35am EST. Live coverage begins right at the start of practice via MotoAmerica Live+, and both races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 (FS2).

Visit www.kylewymanracing.com for more news and updates. 

More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:

Westby Racing Is Ready For VIR And MotoAmerica’s First-Ever Two-Day Event

(Above) Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Tulsa, OK – May 1, 2019 – Round three of the 2019 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship starts this Saturday at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, VA, and riders Mathew Scholtz and “Samurai Sam” Lochoff, along with the entire Westby Racing team, are ready to showcase their talents at MotoAmerica’s first-ever two-day event.

The shorter schedule means that, for Superbike rider Mathew, he’ll qualify, compete for the #1 starting position in Superpole, and go for the win in Superbike race one all on Saturday, then line up for Superbike race one on Sunday.

Currently ranked fourth in the Superbike points standings, Mathew is looking to rebound from uncharacteristic 7th- and 13th-place results at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) a couple of weeks ago. Last year at VIR, Mathew was third in Superpole and equaled that podium result with a pair of third-place finishes in Saturday’s and Sunday’s Superbike races. It’s safe to say that the “Durban Dynamo” enjoys VIR’s 14-turn, 2.25-mile natural road course.

“VIR has been a very good track for me,” Mathew said. “It’s also one of the tracks where we tested during the off-season, which is very fortunate for us because it’s going to be our first two-day event. Saturday is going to be crazy because it’s the first time we’re going to have two qualifying practices, Superpole, and the race all in one day. It’s a lot of riding to squeeze in, and Virginia is definitely one of the more demanding circuits that we go to, which to a certain point, is really good for me because I consider myself one of the stronger, fitter guys. On the other hand, we do need time to improve the electronics settings on the bike. Either way, I’m looking for some serious redemption after COTA, and I definitely think we’ll be battling for the podium in both of the races. I’m going flat-out this weekend, and I’m looking forward to putting that sweet, golden Westby Superbike up at the front of the field and battling with the factory boys.”

Superbike Superpole (Qualifying) is on Saturday at 12:30 AM Eastern, Superbike Race 1 will go green on Saturday at 3 PM Eastern, and Superbike Race 2 is on Sunday also at 3 PM Eastern. Both races will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2), and streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.

Samurai Sam, who competes in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship aboard the #57 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R3, is excited to race again after a month off while the rest of the team participated in the Superbike-only round a couple of weekends ago at COTA.

In his very first MotoAmerica Junior Cup weekend at Road Atlanta in the beginning of April, Samurai Sam qualified fourth on the starting grid, scored a podium finish in Saturday’s race one (his first-ever MotoAmerica race), and was headed for another podium result in race two until another rider on the outside of the final corner just before the finish line turned into Sam’s rear wheel. Both riders went tumbling into the gravel and out of the race.

“After getting taken out in my second MotoAmerica race, which was very upsetting, I have trained hard, and I am ready to fight for the lead aboard the R3 at VIR and make Yamaha proud,” commented a very determined Sam. “The disadvantage I have on the straightaways is not going to stop me from becoming a MotoAmerica champion.”

Junior Cup Qualifying is on Saturday at 10:15 AM Eastern, Junior Cup Race 1 starts on Saturday at 1:10 PM Eastern, and Junior Cup Race 2 is on Sunday also at 1:10 PM Eastern. MotoAmerica Junior Cup will be streamed via MotoAmerica Live+.

Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase

Eazi-Grip, Fast Frank Racing, and Superbike Unlimited LLC will be the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.

For more updates about Westby Racing, including news, photos, and videos, visit http://www.WestbyRacing.com

Also, follow “Westby Racing” on your favorite social media sites.

More, from a press release issued by Weir Everywhere Racing:

Travis Wyman aims for first win of 2019 season at MotoAmerica Championship of Virginia

Weir Everywhere Racing BMW rider hopes to build on dominant performance at VIRginia International Raceway in 2018

(Above) Travis Wyman (24). Photo by BrockImaging, courtesy of Weir Everywhere Racing.

LAS VEGAS — Travis Wyman was at the top of his game at the 2018 MotoAmerica Championship of Virginia, and he’s aiming for a repeat performance when the series returns to VIRginia International Raceway on May 4-5.

The Weir Everywhere Racing BMW rider and Las Vegas resident was the class of the Stock 1000 field at VIR last season. Wyman put the team’s BMW S 1000 RR at the top of the time sheets in every Stock 1000 practice and qualifying session and led every lap of the race, winning by a commanding 9.707-second margin.

The team is coming off its MotoAmerica Superbike Class debut three weeks ago at Circuit of the Americas, where Wyman scored a top 10 finish.

“We have had a lot of success at VIR, and I feel like I am finally getting back to the same fitness level I was at last season,” Wyman said. “VIR’s fast, flowing track layout really suited the BMW last season, and the track is one of my favorites on the MotoAmerica schedule. We gained a lot of setup knowledge by racing our BMW S 1000 RR at Circuit of the Americas, and I think the data we collected there will help us be right back at the front of the Stock 1000 field this weekend.”

Wyman currently sits fourth in the 2019 Stock 1000 championship points standings and is hoping to gain some ground on his title rivals on the picturesque 2.25-mile North Course at VIRginia International Raceway.

Wyman’s responsibilities at VIR don’t end when the Championship of Virginia comes to a close on Sunday. He will be sticking around to teach several schools with the BMW-affiliated California Superbike School. One-day schools are scheduled for May 6 and 7, followed by a two-day camp May 8-9. For more information about California Superbike School and how to sign up to be one of Wyman’s students for a day or two, visit superbikeschool.com.