On Wednesday, May 28, Luca Marini suffered a heavy fall while testing for the Suzuka 8-Hour and will remain in Japan for observation and recovery.
After the British GP, Luca Marini travelled to the Suzuka Circuit for a first test on the CBR1000RR-R SP. Having completed a successful first day, the Italian began the second day of his program but crashed heavily. Suffering from a dislocated left hip, damage to the ligaments in his left knee, fractures in the sternum and left collarbone, and a right-sided pneumothorax, Marini was transferred to local hospital and stabilised.
Marini will remain under observation in Japan until he is deemed fit to travel.
Honda HRC and the Honda HRC Castrol team will support Marini fully in his recovery.
Talent Cup Will Race For The First Time At “America’s National Park Of Speed” As Road America Awaits Superbike And Five Additional Classes.
The Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul class is back on track this coming weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, after a 57-day hiatus since MotoAmerica’s youngest riders threw a leg over their Krämer APX-350 MAs in anger at Barber Motorsports Park.
While the calendar has changed, what hasn’t changed is the fact that, after two rounds and four races, things are tight at the top. Well, maybe not right at the top.
Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario heads to Wisconsin with a 21-point lead in the championship standings. The defending MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion has been on the podium in all four races with two wins, a second and a third.
However, Di Mario has proven to be fallible as he was beaten by CTR/D&D Cycles’ Bodie Paige in race two at Circuit of The Americas and by Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg in race two at Barber Motorsports Park.
Still, when he doesn’t have the pace to win, Di Mario has shown his experience by taking what he can get. And that has treated him well thus far as he leads Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane, 86-65, with the 14-year-old Aussie showing grit with three podium finishes in the four races.
The battle for third is tight with Vossberg and Jones Honda’s Julian Correa tied, just 11 points behind Drane and only a single point ahead of Paige.
MP13 Racing’s Ella Dreher has scored good points in all four races, and she’s sixth in the title chase, 10 points clear of a tie between Envy Powered by Warhorse’s Derek Sanchez and Royalty Racing’s Carson King.
Mission King Of The Baggers – So Far, It’s All Wyman
The all-time winningest racer in Mission King Of The Baggers history is also the winningest racer in the early days of the new season. That man is 21-time Mission King Of The Baggers race winner, Kyle Wyman.
Wyman has been nearly perfect with three wins out of four starts on his Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing Road Glide. The race he didn’t win was a wet race one at Road Atlanta, where class rookie Loris Baz snatched victory from Wyman on the final lap. The Frenchman’s victory vaulted him to second in the championship just four races into his King Of The Baggers career.
Another rookie, not only the class but also to the MotoAmerica series, is Brit Bradley Smith. Wyman’s Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing teammate was sixth and third in the two races at Road Atlanta, and that puts him third in the championship – nine behind Baz and 43 behind the hot-starting Wyman.
Where art thou defending Mission King Of The Baggers Champion Troy Herfoss? The Australian is fourth in the championship with his season taking a big hit in race two at Road Atlanta when a mechanical failure knocked him and his S&S/Indian Motorcycle Challenger out of the race. But this is Baggers racing and anything can happen, so Herfoss will be looking for nothing but wins as the series heads to America’s Dairyland.
Herfoss’s teammate Tyler O’Hara, who was third in both races at Road America last year, is tied for fifth in the title chase with RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim.
Motovation Supersport – Jacobsen Vs. Scholtz
The two protagonists from last year’s Motovation Supersport Championship are protagonists again in 2025. Those two are defending series champion Mathew Scholtz and 2024 championship runner-up PJ Jacobsen.
But after four races, the order has been flipped with Jacobsen at the top of the standings over Scholtz by just eight points. Strack Racing’s Scholtz has two wins to Jacobsen’s one, but Jacobsen and his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2 have been on the podium in every race. And therein lies the difference.
But it’s early days, and the rest of the Supersport gang can’t be counted out of mixing it up with the two at the top. The rest are being led by Scholtz’s teammate Blake Davis with his season bookended so far by two third-place finishes. He’s 32 points behind Jacobsen and just four points ahead of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott. Scott has one podium finish to show from the four races.
Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis is fifth in the standings as the series heads to Road America with the lanky Kentuckian’s best finish being an impressive second behind Jacobsen in race one at Road Atlanta.
Lewis is just a single point ahead of BPR Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes, with the five-time AMA Superbike Champion tasting victory in horrendous conditions in race two at Barber Motorsports Park to open the season.
Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s Kayla Yaakov, Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati’s Cameron Petersen, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Max Van and ADR’s David Anthony round out the top 10 after four races.
Stock 1000 – Teammates Are Tied
The Stock 1000 season is truly in its infancy with just one round and two races run so far in 2025. What we can glean from that opening round at Road Atlanta is that the top two are going to be difficult to beat.
OrangeCat Racing teammates Jayson Uribe and Andrew Lee split wins at Road Atlanta. Lee won race one on his BMW M 1000 RR, and Uribe flipped the results in race two. They sit tied atop the standings with 45 points apiece.
That puts them 13 points ahead of Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates, the Georgian putting his Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP on the podium in both of his home races at Road Atlanta.
Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach made his Stock 1000 debut in the series opener, and he came away from it with two fourth-place finishes on his Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. The two fourths put him fourth in the title chase, six points behind Yates and seven ahead of Edge Racing’s Jason Waters and his BMW M 1000 RR.
Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. – Knebel On Top
So far in 2025, the Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. series is one of brevity. They’ve only had one round at Barber Motorsports Park, and they only raced once with the second of the two races being cancelled due to storms that made a schedule change necessary. The BTR women will make up for the missing race when the series goes to Ridge Motorsports Park in July.
So, they will line up at Road America with just one race under their belts and so far, it’s Kira Knebel who sits atop the standings with her victory at Barber. Knebel is five points clear of race-one runner-up Shea MacGregor with Camille Conrad, who was on the podium in race one at Road America a year ago, in third.
Pre-Road America Notes…
PJ Jacobsen and Tyler Scott won the two Supersport races at Road America in 2024. Jacobsen topped Mathew Scholtz by just .040 of a second in race one with Jake Lewis finishing third. In race two, it was Scott by a scant .001 of a second over Scholtz, with the South African missing out on victory in both by just .041 of a second. Jacobsen was third in race two.
Troy Herfoss won the first of two Mission King Of The Baggers races in 2024 by a whopping 5.2 seconds over Kyle Wyman and Tyler O’Hara. In race two, it was Wyman taking the victory with Herfoss coming up just. .039 of a second short of sweeping the two races. O’Hara again finished third.
Mikayla Moore didn’t start race one of the two Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. events last year after suffering bruising from a crash in a Twins Cup practice session. That left Cassie Creer to take full advantage, and she took victory over Emma Betters and Camille Conrad. Moore was back in race two, however, and she was dominant, topping Aubrey Credaroli by 23.9 seconds. Creer ended up third in race two.
Dunlop is proud to announce its role as the title sponsor for the 2025 Dunlop Loudon Classic, the oldest and richest motorcycle road race in the United States. Scheduled for June 13-15, this year’s event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire is set to achieve new heights with an impressive purse of $400,000 distributed across four exciting classes.
Following the landmark celebration of the 100th Classic in 2023, which featured a remarkable $250,000 purse, and the subsequent $300,000 purse in 2024, the 102nd Dunlop Loudon Classic is positioned to elevate American road racing. NEMRR Executive Director John Grush stated, “We aim to foster growth in our sport by providing an unparalleled platform for both professional and local racers. The record-setting purse generates considerable media interest, enabling us to highlight our riders and teams while backing their racing pursuits throughout the season. We take great pride in offering such a significant opportunity for positive exposure within the sport.”
The podium after the featured race at the 2024 Loudon Classic, with winner Hayden Gillim (who won $55,000 in purse money) flanked by third-place Bobby Fong (left, who made $25,000) and second-place Ty Scott (right, who made $35,000). All three rode MotoAmerica-spec Supersport GSX-R750s. Photo courtesy NEMRR.
The centerpiece of the three-day event will be the four premier races on Saturday. The Loudon Classic Main Event will pay an impressive $285,000, showcasing the top Middleweight GP class from NEMRR along with MotoAmerica Supersport Next Gen bikes. The top 32 qualifiers will have the chance to compete in the Main, with the champion of the 2025 Dunlop Loudon Classic earning a historic $60,000 prize.
In what promises to be a thrilling addition for 2025, the Streetfighter class, dedicated to naked twin-cylinder and three-cylinder motorcycles, will feature a substantial $100,000 purse. Additionally, the total purse for the Classic and Streetfighter classes includes $25,000 and $10,000 in bonus incentives, respectively, for local participants. The popular Pro Thunderbike and 500 Superbike classes will also make a return, each offering a $7,500 purse.
Dunlop is excited to provide trackside support, including technical assistance and sales. Racers can conveniently order Sportmax Slick tires through www.dunlopracing.com. Dunlop is dedicated to ensuring that competitors have access to high-quality products and expert guidance.
Please note that participation is limited to 60 riders for the Dunlop Loudon Classic and 48 riders for the new Streetfighter class. For registration, riders may visit https://nemrr.volarehq.com/, or contact NEMRR at 603-738-2190, or email [email protected].
Dunlop looks forward to an exhilarating 2025 Dunlop Loudon Classic and is honored to officially support this prestigious event!
About Dunlop Motorcycle Tires:
Dunlop is the number one selling and largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in North America. For more information, visit www.DunlopMotorcycleTires.com. Follow @ridedunlop on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and X for the latest Dunlop news. Use #RideDunlop and/or #RaceDunlop to share your Dunlop moments.
Red-Hot Beaubier Leads The Superbike Pack As MotoAmerica Heads To Road America
Five-Time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier Off To A Fast Start In 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
A red-hot Cameron Beaubier struts his way into Wisconsin this week, hoping to maintain the advantage he currently holds after a near-perfect beginning to his quest for a sixth MotoAmerica Superbike Championship as the series heads into round three at Road America, May 30-June.
How hot is hot? There have been 100 points handed out from the opening two rounds of the 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Beaubier and his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR have snatched 95 of those 100 points.
Thus, with three wins and a second-place finish on his scorecard from the first four races, Beaubier is in the catbird seat as the series heads to “America’s National Park of Speed.”
After winning race one in the Barber Motorsports Park series opener, Beaubier was beaten in the wet second race by Jake Gagne, proving that Beaubier wasn’t infallible. Then came Road Atlanta, and a clean sweep of the two races for the 31-year-old Californian – and plenty of his rivals’ smiles turned upside down.
But the credo that “it ain’t over til it’s over” definitely applies to motorcycle racing.
Case in point, last year: After five races in the first two rounds (Barber’s round featured three Superbike races), Beaubier had won three of them, finished second, and had a DNF. Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin, the man who would march on to the 2024 Superbike title, was sixth and 47 points behind Beaubier.
Then came Road America, and everything changed when Beaubier crashed in the rain and suffered a broken heel that required surgery. Gagne inherited the championship lead and was 18 points ahead of Beaubier. Herrin was 34 points behind in sixth place.
After missing the two races at Brainerd International Raceway and coming back too soon to try and race at Ridge Motorsports Park, Beaubier was on the back foot (his good one). Bobby Fong led the championship by a point over Gagne, who was suffering with carpal tunnel in his wrist and would eventually end his season early. Herrin was up to fourth, just nine points out of first and about to go on a tear, winning five of the last 10 races and finishing on the podium in all but one of the races he didn’t win.
Herrin won the title by 55 points over Beaubier, who somehow clawed his way back to second in the points after his injury. Gagne dropped all the way down to seventh.
So, you can see that a fast start doesn’t mean much if you get injured or have mechanical issues.
It’s way too early for anyone in the Superbike pack to panic, though they must be wary of Beaubier’s pace and how he has been able to dominate the season thus far. He’s in his third year on the BMW, his third year in the Tylers team, and he is comfortable and happy. And a happy and comfortable Beaubier can prove to be unbeatable.
As if three wins out of four races wasn’t enough to make him smile, Beaubier also moved into a tie with Josh Hayes on the all-time AMA wins list across all classes with his 89th victory coming at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Number 90 could come this weekend.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne sits second in the title chase with three podium finishes in the first four races in his quest for a fourth MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Gagne again thrived in the wet conditions of race one at Road Atlanta, finishing a close second to Beaubier. In Sunday’s dry race, Gagne slipped back to fifth. Gagne is 23 points behind Beaubier and 13 ahead of Herrin.
Like last year, Herrin’s start to the season is nothing to write home about. He was third in both races at Road Atlanta on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R and looking forward to the wide-open spaces of Road America.
Gagne’s teammate Bobby Fong was fast in Sunday’s dry race at Road Atlanta where he hounded Beaubier in race two, finishing just a tad over two seconds behind him. That came a day after Fong slipped off and remounted, scoring five points for finishing 11th.
Fong is just three points behind Herrin in the title chase and has Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly breathing down his neck, just four points behind. Kelly carded a pair of fourth-place finishes as he continues to shine on his Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Real Steel Honda teammates Hayden Gillim and JD Beach are sixth and seventh in the title chase, with Beach remaining undefeated in the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup Championship for those racing Stock 1000-spec motorcycles in the Superbike class.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante was a consistent sixth in both races in Georgia as he starts to make up ground from his first-race crash in the series opener at Barber Motorsports Park.
FLO4LAW/SBU Racing’s Benjamin Smith earned a career-best fifth in race one at Road Atlanta, and he’s just a point behind Escalante and 11 points ahead of Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders, who rounds out the top 10 as the series readies for its third round in Wisconsin.
Pre-Road America Notes…
Cameron Beaubier earned pole position for last year’s two Superbike races at Road America with the five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion breaking the Superbike lap record with his 2:08.464. Josh Herrin was second fastest with his 2:09.197 and Jake Gagne’s 2:09.564 earned him the final spot on the front row.
It was a second Cameron who won race one at Road America last year with Cameron Petersen beating his teammate Jake Gagne by a miniscule .004 of a second in a Wisconsin rainstorm. Loris Baz, who now competes in the Mission King Of The Baggers series was third. Josh Herrin was dominant in winning race two on Sunday, topping Bobby Fong by nine seconds with JD Beach a shadow third.
Cameron Beaubier’s hopes for a sixth MotoAmerica Superbike Championship were derailed at Road America in 2024 when he crashed out of a wet race one, suffering a broken heel that would require surgery.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of three-time World Champion Freddie Spencer’s victory in what was the first-ever AMA Superbike race at Road America in 1980. Road America opened its gates to racing in 1955 with an SCCA National.
Cameron Beaubier has won 11 Superbike races at Road America. That’s two more than Australian Mat Mladin and three more than Josh Hayes.
Active MotoAmerica racers with Superbike wins at Road America other than Beaubier include Josh Herrin, Jake Gagne, and Bobby Fong, as well as Cameron Petersen and Mathew Scholtz, who are now both racing in the Supersport class.
Yamaha continues to lead the way in manufacturer Superbike wins at Road America with 27 victories. Suzuki is second with 18 Superbike race wins at the venue in Elkhart Lake, followed by Honda with 12, Ducati with 10 and Kawasaki with four. Cameron Beaubier’s race-one victory in 2023 was the first Superbike win for BMW at Road America
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid finished their first of two testing days as the 2025 season approaches its midway point. Italy’s Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” hosted the event, split between a pair of Free Practice sessions on Tuesday, allowing the field to get used to the track ahead of the upcoming Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished fastest of the day, followed by Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC). The day featured an early pair of red flags, including a crash for Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) from which he walked away uninjured, as well as a return from injury for Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven).
Current Riders’ Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) didn’t take to the track to test on Day 1, however, his Ducati factory teammate Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) tied Razgatlioglu for the second-most laps run with 88 laps completed. His 1’33.361s time landed the #19 fourth on the timesheet. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) looked fast on the day, and while his bike suffered a red-flag-inducing tech issue in FP1, he returned to lay down a 1’33.451s lap for fifth place. Rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) finished the fastest of the two Barni Spark riders, pipping ‘Petrux’ for P6 via his 1’33.487s lap. Hot off his trio of P3’s at Most, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) looks to in his setup for the race weekend. The #9 finished the day in P7 with a time of 1’33.541s. Andrea Iannone was able to make his return to the track at the Misano Test’s Day 1 after fracturing his 3rd and 4th toes on his right foot from his FP1 crash at Most. Sporting a larger-sized boot on his right foot, the ‘Maniac’ finished in P16, his 1’34.153s fastest lap coming in the afternoon’s British Rookie Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) finished Day 1 11th fastest thanks to his 1’34.091s lap.
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Toprak Razgatlioglu are focused on addressing their new M 1000 RR’s rear grip issues, which, however, didn’t stop the defending Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) from laying down the fastest lap of the day. His 1’32.559s lap made him the only rider to break into the 1’32 range, and his lap was faster than the circuit’s standing Race lap record he set last year of 1’32.687s Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) suffered a red-flag inducing crash as he and his bike were sent tumbling in the T16 ‘Misano’ corner. He was uninjured and able to continue, returning to set his fastest lap of 1’33.839s for 13th place and run the most laps of any rider. Sylvain Guintoli and Markus Reiterberger were also on track as test riders for the German manufacturer, recording a total of 114 laps.
Winding back the clock, Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was the fastest rider in blue on the day, returning to form after his injury before Phillip Island. The #65 finished in P8 with his 1’33.635s time behind Petrucci. In P10, two places behind Rea and just a thousandth of a second behind Gerloff in P9, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) stays hot after a strong performance to close out Most with his time of 1’33.783s. Subsequently, another two places back was Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) in P12, registering his fastest lap in FP2 of 1’33.822s. In P14 was Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), his 1’34.095s lap placing him between van der Mark and Iannone. The last Yamaha on the timesheet was Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha Test Team), riding as a test rider after his stint earlier this season, when he filled in for Rea during his injury, and recorded 81 laps.
Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) set the bar high for the Japanese manufacturer, his 1’33.195s lap placing him third-fastest and just a tenth of a second from Bassani in P2. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) was the sole rider on the day for his team, finishing 18th fastest with his time of 1’35.265, ahead of test riders Tommy Bridewell and Ivo Lopes, who finished in P20 and P26 respectively, and fastest times of 1’36.191s and 1’37.757s
Bimota’s Italian-British rider pair earned a top 8 finish at Most; coming into the Misano test with that feather in their caps, Day 1 saw Axel Bassani finish the quicker of the pair, his 1’33.178s lap earing him P2 and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finish P8 via his 1’33.779s lap.
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) looks to be bit by bit getting up to speed atop his Kawasaki ZX-10RR. After his season-high P10 in Most’s Race 2, he finished P9 behind Alex Lowes with a fastest lap of 1’33.782s. In 2024, Gerloff improved greatly from the first to the second half of the season, with the added complication of a new bike and a new team. Perhaps the American is in for a similar turnaround now into 2025.
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is delighted to make a first update on its factory rider line-up for the 2025 Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours Endurance Road Race. After eight years, MotoGP star Jack Miller is set to make his return to FIM Endurance World Championship racing with the factory Yamaha Racing Team. Miller will team with seasoned Suzuka 8-Hours rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga, under the guidance of Team Manager Wataru Yoshikawa, for the 46th edition of the FIM Endurance World Championship Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours Endurance Road Race.
The Suzuka 8-Hours event is one of Japan’s most prestigious motorcycle races, and the 2025 edition holds extra significance for Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. as they celebrate their 70th anniversary this year.
Yamaha was founded on July 1, 1955, and its motorsports activities started only 9 days later at the 3rd Mount Fuji Ascent Race on July 10. To commemorate this upcoming milestone, Yamaha will enter a factory equipe at the Suzuka 8-Hours for the first time since 2019.
Miller already has experience in endurance racing. He took part in the Suzuka 8-Hours once before in 2017. Though he finished just off the podium in fourth place, he caught the endurance racing bug and fell in love with the prominent Japanese event. He has been dreaming of a do-over ever since, and he feels all the more honoured to have been selected by Yamaha for the 2025 factory line-up.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga played an integral part in Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s four-consecutive victories (2015-2018) and is also a 12-time All Japan Road Race JSB1000 Champion. Yamaha’s third rider for the 2025 Suzuka 8-Hours event will be selected from Yamaha’s current crop of WorldSBK riders, with an announcement to follow shortly.
The appointed Team Manager for the factory entry is a rider who himself contested in the 1999 Suzuka 8-Hours and took the All Japan Road Racing Superbike title that same year: Wataru Yoshikawa, one of Yamaha’s iconic stars of the 1990s.
The Yamaha Racing Team will complete two private test days on July 3-4 before they officially return to action at the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race on Friday, August 1 when practice and qualifying get underway ahead of the traditional Top Ten Trial on Saturday and the Race on Sunday.
Jack Miller Takes On 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours Challenge With Factory Yamaha Racing Team
PAOLO CAMPINOTI – Team Principal, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP:
“I’m very pleased to see Jack taking part in the next edition of the Suzuka 8-Hours, representing the official Yamaha team. Beyond the sporting value of his involvement — defending the colors of Iwata in one of the most prestigious endurance races in the world — this is above all a confirmation of how strong and solid our still-young collaboration with Yamaha has already become.“
GINO BORSOI – Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP:
“The Suzuka 8-Hours is one of the most captivating races for any true motorcycle racing fan. Whether you’ve competed in it as a rider or followed it as a spectator, it’s one of those legendary events that has earned its place in the sport’s epic history. That‘s why I‘m particularly happy that Yamaha has chosen Jack as one of the three riders to represent their official team. Jack‘s enthusiasm, generosity, and always-positive attitude in taking on any kind of challenge, combined with the genuine affection he receives from fans all over the world, make him the perfect ambassador for Yamaha—not only in terms of top-level competition, but also as a personality who continues to attract new audiences to our sport.“
JACK MILLER – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider:
“It’s obviously a massive honour for me to be able to represent Yamaha at the Suzuka 8-Hours this year. It’s a race I’ve been wanting to go back to since 2017 when I finished fourth, losing to Yamaha that time. It’s a big pleasure that I get to ride that Yamaha R1 motorcycle this time and represent the factory Yamaha Racing Team in Japan at such a prestigious race. Like I said, I’ve been dreaming of this race, and to have the opportunity to come back with such a strong team is a massive pleasure. I look forward to hopefully a good result for them at home and receiving some big support from the Japanese fans.”
Jack Miller Biography
Jack Miller made his road racing debut in 2009 after starting his career on dirt and soon made his appearance in the 125cc World Championship. Taking the IDM 125 crown on his way to full-time competition on the world stage, Miller first impressed in 2013 when he proved to be a consistent frontrunner with Racing Team Germany. Finishing as the Vice Champion with Red Bull KTM Ajo in 2014, Miller made the incredible move from Moto3 straight to MotoGP in 2015 with the LCR Honda team.
Following a tough rookie season, Miller moved to the Marc VDS Racing Team. He took a stunning maiden win at the 2016 Dutch GP in heavy rain that flooded the TT circuit at Assen, after starting the season with a broken leg. With a good number of top-10 results, Miller remained with the Marc VDS team for 2017, impressing once again before moving to Pramac Racing for the 2018 season, switching from Honda to Ducati.
It was a solid season for the Australian, highlighted by a superb pole position at the Argentinian GP: his growth and competitiveness secured him a place on the Pramac Ducati for 2019. It was a season in which Miller improved his results with five podiums, and he added four more in the following year, his third with the Pramac team, which secured him the team’s factory bike for the 2021 season.
His debut year as a Ducati factory rider turned out to be the best of his career so far, with Miller taking two wins, three other podiums, and a fourth place in the overall standings. In 2022 the Aussie again proved his quality with seven podiums, including the best MotoGP performance of his career when he dominated the race in Japan. Miller – who proved to be a great help to Francesco Bagnaia in the Italian’s hunt for his first MotoGP World Title – finished the season in fifth place overall with 189 points.
After five years with Ducati, Miller swapped his red leathers for KTM’s orange in 2023, claiming a double podium at the Spanish GP and another Sprint podium at the German GP and ending the season in 11th before a difficult 2024 season saw him finish 14th in the riders’ standings.
Because there is nothing like the air of home to rejuvenate, Miller returned to Paolo Campinoti’s court in 2025 as one of the two riders defending the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP colours as a Yamaha factory rider.
Miller showed quick adaptability to the YZR-M1, with a fifth place at the Grand Prix of The Americas Race as a highlight.
Jack Miller
Date of Birth: 18-01-1995
Place of Birth: Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Nationality: Australian
Instagram: @jackmilleraus
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 64 kg
Highlights:
First Grand Prix: 2011 German GP (125cc)
First GP Win: 2014 Qatar GP (Moto3)
First Premier Class Grand Prix: 2015 Qatar GP
First Premier Class Grand Prix Win: 2016 Dutch
GP Grand Prix Wins: 10 (4x MotoGP, 6x Moto3)
Podiums: 33 (23x MotoGP, 10x Moto3)
Sprint Podiums: 2x (2023 Spanish GP & 2023 German GP)
Pole position: 10 (2x MotoGP, 8x Moto3)
Racing Career:
2025 MotoGP World Championship (17th – 20 points) [With Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP after the British GP Sprint]
2024 MotoGP World Championship (14th – 87 points)
2023 MotoGP World Championship (11th – 163 points)
Yamaha‘s factory effort at Suzuka began in earnest in 1985. Before 2002, Yamaha had at times fielded international star-studded full factory teams and had hoisted the winner‘s trophy high beneath the firework-filled skies at Suzuka a total of four times: in 1987, 1988, 1990, and 1996.
From 2003 onward, Yamaha discontinued having full factory team entries and limited itself to a support role assisting Europe-based Yamaha teams competing as part of the FIM Endurance World Championship.
However, in 2015 Yamaha brought back its full factory team to highlight its 60th anniversary and the release of an all-new YZF-R1. After taking Yamaha’s fifth win at the Suzuka 8-Hours that year in stunning fashion following a 19-year drought, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team was nigh unbeatable, winning the race again the next two years for a hat-trick of victories. With 2018 marking the YZF-R1’s 20th anniversary, a special red-and-white race livery was run to commemorate the original R1, and the factory team secured a record-setting fourth straight win.
In 2019, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team sported a revival of the colour scheme used by the legendary 1985 Yamaha TECH21 Team, the origin of Yamaha’s now iconic #21 race number. The factory squad battled for victory the entire race. Though a record-resetting fifth consecutive win eluded the team, the race was a thrilling addition to the storied history of the Suzuka 8 Hours.
In 2020 and 2021, the Suzuka 8-Hours was cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned to the EWC calendar in 2022. However, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team did not take part in the 2022, 2023, or 2024 editions, but Yamaha still landed a podium.
In 2024, the Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team (YART) secured their first pole position since 2012 and 2013 (both set by Nakasuga) thanks to Marvin Fritz recording a 2’05.130s lap in the Top 10 Trial. It was Yamaha’s first pole since 2017 and 2019 (also both set by Nakasuga).
Niccolò Canepa was chosen to ride the opening stint for the Race. Canepa, Fritz, and Karel Hanika, showed grit in the 8-hour competition, riding in extreme temperatures and high humidity. In the end, YART completed 220 laps, the same as the leader, which set a record for the most laps ever recorded in a Suzuka 8-Hours race. The YART team finished on the podium in second place, 7.86s from the winners (after the 40-second penalty that the ‘Team HRC with Japan Post’ received for violating a rule during their final pit stop). It was the YART team’s first time visiting the Suzuka 8 Hours rostrum.
As part of Yamaha’s 70th anniversary celebrations, the factory Yamaha Racing Team will make a comeback in the renowned Suzuka 8-Hours event this year with the rider line-up consisting of 12-time All Japan Road Race JSB1000 Champion and Suzuka 8-Hours legend Katsuyuki Nakasuga, MotoGP-star Jack Miller, and one of Yamaha’s WorldSBK riders (to be announced shortly).
The appointed Team Manager for the factory team, Wataru Yoshikawa, is a rider who himself contested the 1999 Suzuka 8-Hours on the YZF-R7 in addition to winning an All Japan title on that iconic machine. He was one of Yamaha’s star factory riders in the 1990s and is to many a representative of that era of racing.
The 2025 team will race a specially liveried YZF-R1, adorned with the traditional #21. The special new design is inspired by Yamaha Racing Team’s YZF-R7 that Yoshikawa rode in 1999. The YZF-R7 model was first released in that year in a limited edition of 500 units worldwide.
In 2025, the team is called ‘Yamaha Racing Team’ as this name was used by Yamaha’s factory Suzuka 8-Hours team in the late 1990s. The 2025 team logo is a version of the logo used at the time with an updated motif. Rider and team staff clothing and the look of the team’s garage are also coordinated to reflect the 1999 design.
Yamaha’s Suzuka 8-Hours Victories:
1987 – Shiseido TECH21 Racing Team – YZF750 (Martin Wimmer, Kevin Magee)
1988 – Team Lucky Strike Roberts – YZF750 (Kevin Magee, Wayne Rainey)
1990 – Shiseido TECH21 Racing Team – YZF750 (Tadahiko Taira, Eddie Lawson)
1996 – Yamaha Racing Team – YZF750 (Colin Edwards, Noriyuki Haga)
2015 – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – YZF-R1 (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Pol Espargaró, Bradley Smith)
2016 – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – YZF-R1 (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Pol Espargaró)
2017 – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – YZF-R1 (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark)
2018 – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – YZF-R1 (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark)
Americans Julian Correa and Josh Raymond, Jr. both ran well in wet R&D British Talent Cup Race 2 at Silverstone on Sunday.
Correa was trying for the lead when he crashed out on Lap 4.
Raymond finished 5th, just ahead of British riders George Bowes and Harrison MacKay. In Race 1 on Saturday, Raymond had finished 14th.
Race 1 winner Filip Surowiak crashed on the last lap of Race 2; Race 1 runner-up MacKay finished seventh in Race 2; and Ryan Frost, who had finished third in Race 1, finished second in Race 2, behind Race 2 winner Peter Willis, who had finished 5th behind Correa in Race 1 on Saturday.
More, from a press release issued by R&G British Talent Cup:
Highs and lows: Surowiak and Willis rule Silverstone
Surowiak maintains championship control at Silverstone
Filip Surowiak (City Lifting Team) made it three wins from three races in 2025, clinching another victory after a stunning ride (in Race 1) at Silverstone. Harrison Mackay (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) chased behind, narrowly missing out by 0.052s after a solid ride to kickstart his weekend. Ryan Frost (Fibretec Honda by Mlav Racing) took the final spot on the podium, completing an impressive comeback from the fourth row of the grid. It was a huge weekend for the R&G British Talent Cup riders, who enjoyed back-to-back race weekends, this time at the British GP.
Surowiak took a stunning second pole of the year, setting the timesheets alight with a 2:30.541. Once the lights went out for a 10-lap showdown in front of the Grand Prix crowd, the #75 held onto his advantage at Turn 1, blasting into P1 with Peter Willis (WM Racing) showing a front wheel at the start of Race 1. Julian Correa (Mortimer Racing) then joined the fight, with Mackay and Ethan Sparks (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) following behind as spots of rain began to appear.
Frost then hit the front, taking control, with Surowiak now waiting for his opportunity to pounce. There were some fierce moves being made, with 12 riders completing a massive lead group – leaving everyone on the edge of their seats. Sparks made a bold move with six laps to go, seizing the lead as his hard work began to pay off after a rough start. The pace was blistering, with the field dipping into the 2:21 bracket. But just one lap later, disaster struck as Sparks went down at Turn 1 – recording his first DNF of the season.
Willis entered the podium fight in the closing stages while Surowiak muscled his way back into P1. Drama continued to be served in the front group, setting up a last-lap showdown at Silverstone. Surowiak led the field over the line, going head-to-head with Frost on the entry to Turn 1. Mackay soon took the lead, holding onto P1 through Brooklands, before the #75 made the decisive move at Vale.
Surowiak narrowly took victory, edging out Mackay by just 0.052 seconds. Frost secured third to complete the podium. Correa finished fourth, ahead of Willis in fifth after a strong ride. Meanwhile, Mason Foster (Mortimer Racing) claimed sixth place, followed by Clayton Edmunds (City Lifting Team), Jack Burrows (Burows Engineering / RK Racing), Scott McPhee (SMP Racing) and Jack Dunabie (Kovara Projects / RS Racing), who rounded out the top 10. Further back, it was a dramatic end, with George Bowes (GB|67 / Edwards Racing) and Lewis Mullen (Wilson Racing) crashing at the Vale on the final lap.
Willis triumphs in the wet as Surowiak blunders In Race 2
Peter Willis stole the spotlight at Silverstone by clinching victory in Race 2, mastering the tricky wet conditions on Sunday morning. Willis crossed the line with a 5.993s advantage over Ryan Frost, who took a late second after unbelievable final lap drama. Frost narrowly finished ahead of Jack Dunabie, who rounded out the podium rostrum. Championship leader Filip Surowiak saw his race unravel in heartbreaking fashion, crashing on the final lap.
As the lights went out to begin Race 2, Frost immediately snatched the lead from polesitter Harrison Mackay on the charge to Turn 1. It was a crucial opening lap as Clayton Edmunds made a dream start, fighting his way into the podium battle as Surowiak continued to make ground after launching from the third row of the grid. Further back, there was early opening lap drama as Daniel Stephenson (Rocket Racing) crashed out at the final corner.
Surowiak moved into the podium positions with nine laps remaining, as Edmunds and Willis continued to duel for the lead. Jack Burrows joined the front group on Lap 3, further intensifying the battle. The race soon took a turn as Charlie Huntingford (Holmes Plant Mototechniks Racing), Samuel Munson (Wilson Racing), and Scott McPhee (SMP Racing) saw their days end early following separate crashes. Edmunds later crashed at Turn 16, with Julian Correa going down moments later – ending both of their challenges.
Amidst all the drama, Willis stretched a four-second lead, and Surowiak and Jack Dunabie continued to fight for the podium. The sun began to break through, but conditions on the circuit remained tricky. Dunabie led Surowiak over the line, with Frost and Burrows hot on their tails. Everything was decided on the final lap, with the riders setting themselves up for the perfect launch down the Hangar straight. Burrows stole second, but Surowiak’s response at Vale led to a crash, which brought an end to both of their podium hopes.
Willis charged to the line, securing Race 2 victory by nearly six seconds after an impressive ride. After the last lap drama, Frost was promoted into second as Dunabie claimed the final spot on the podium. Ethan Sparks grabbed fourth, missing out on a podium finish, with Joshua Raymond Jnr (Fibretec Honda by Mlav Racing) claiming the final spot inside the top five. George Bowes took sixth, finishing ahead of Mackay and Ben Jolliffe (Wilson Racing) as Mason Foster and Jensen Bishop (Wilson Racing) rounded out the top 10 – bringing a dramatic race to a close, with only 12 riders reaching the flag.
Teams and riders will now be treated to a short break before R&G British Talent Cup action returns for the third instalment of the season. Make sure you join us as we head to Snetterton on June 20-22!
Andrea Locatelli and Yamaha Motor Europe have reached an agreement for the Italian to continue with Yamaha’s official team in the FIM Superbike World Championship in 2026 and 2027.
The agreement will see Locatelli become one of the longest serving Yamaha WorldSBK riders in history as he enters his sixth and seventh seasons with Yamaha in the Superbike World Championship, with only the legendary Noriyuki Haga having spent more time racing for Yamaha in the premier class of production racing.
The 2025 season has seen Locatelli enjoy his strongest start to a WorldSBK championship aboard the R1 to date with three podium finishes from the first five rounds including a remarkable debut victory with Pata Maxus Yamaha at the TT Circuit Assen. The 28-year-old currently sits fifth in the championship standings ahead of Round 6 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli next month.
Locatelli first joined Yamaha in the Supersport World Championship in 2020, where he dominated with the Evan Bros Racing team to clinch the world title in his rookie season. He moved up to WorldSBK for 2021 with the official Yamaha team where he has remained since, scoring 20 WorldSBK podium finishes including his Assen victory.
“I am really happy to sign with Yamaha for another two years. I have been with Yamaha for many years now, and I believe in the team, I believe in the people at Yamaha and want to continue to work, because I feel that we can achieve a lot more together. The people at Yamaha believe in me and this is important. Our approach will be to continue to push and try and make progress, just like we have seen this season.”
— Andrea Locatelli
“Having been with us for six years now, Andrea has become a true part of the Yamaha Racing family. His performances have been impressive since his rookie season and it has always felt like he has been on an upward trajectory in WorldSBK, as evidenced this season where he’s taken a real step forward to become not just the established leading Yamaha rider in the championship, but also a regular front-runner and podium contender. Keeping hold of him for the future was a priority for us as we look to take the next step with the R1 in WorldSBK, and we are pleased to have reached an agreement that will see him become one of the longest serving Yamaha riders in WorldSBK history.”
— Niccolò Canepa, Road Racing Sporting Manager, Motorsport Division, Yamaha Motor Europe
Army Of Darkness (AOD) Wins Season Opener WERA National Endurance Race at Road Atlanta
A full grid of endurance amateurs and pros, novices and experts, took to the track on a beautiful day, at a legendary track, for a day of competition against entropy and other teams.
Hunter Dunham on the AOD Yamaha during the endurance race. Photo by Raul Jerez/ Highside Photo.
AOD qualified on pole, led the race from the first lap, rode fast, and had clean pit stops to take their first win at Road Atlanta in three years. Taylor Knapp and Hunter Dunham rode for AOD. Their teammate Josh Hayes was also on site but didn’t get to ride after the race, originally scheduled for 4 hours, was shortened by two red flag incidents.
The celebration of the high attendance and the AOD victory were tempered by a single-bike accident over the blind rise under the bridge which unavoidably gathered another competitor, culminating with one rider injured and another deceased.
The team’s condolences go out to the friends and family of David Hildebrand, R.I.P.
AOD is sponsored by: Army of Darkness, Dunlop, Wood Craft, Hindle, Vortex, EK Chains, Thermosman, WERA, Roadracing World and Industry 13.
On Wednesday, May 28, Luca Marini suffered a heavy fall while testing for the Suzuka 8-Hour and will remain in Japan for observation and recovery.
After the British GP, Luca Marini travelled to the Suzuka Circuit for a first test on the CBR1000RR-R SP. Having completed a successful first day, the Italian began the second day of his program but crashed heavily. Suffering from a dislocated left hip, damage to the ligaments in his left knee, fractures in the sternum and left collarbone, and a right-sided pneumothorax, Marini was transferred to local hospital and stabilised.
Marini will remain under observation in Japan until he is deemed fit to travel.
Honda HRC and the Honda HRC Castrol team will support Marini fully in his recovery.
Alessandro Di Mario leads the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul Championship after two rounds of the new series. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Talent Cup Will Race For The First Time At “America’s National Park Of Speed” As Road America Awaits Superbike And Five Additional Classes.
The Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul class is back on track this coming weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, after a 57-day hiatus since MotoAmerica’s youngest riders threw a leg over their Krämer APX-350 MAs in anger at Barber Motorsports Park.
While the calendar has changed, what hasn’t changed is the fact that, after two rounds and four races, things are tight at the top. Well, maybe not right at the top.
Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario heads to Wisconsin with a 21-point lead in the championship standings. The defending MotoAmerica Twins Cup Champion has been on the podium in all four races with two wins, a second and a third.
However, Di Mario has proven to be fallible as he was beaten by CTR/D&D Cycles’ Bodie Paige in race two at Circuit of The Americas and by Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hank Vossberg in race two at Barber Motorsports Park.
Still, when he doesn’t have the pace to win, Di Mario has shown his experience by taking what he can get. And that has treated him well thus far as he leads Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane, 86-65, with the 14-year-old Aussie showing grit with three podium finishes in the four races.
The battle for third is tight with Vossberg and Jones Honda’s Julian Correa tied, just 11 points behind Drane and only a single point ahead of Paige.
MP13 Racing’s Ella Dreher has scored good points in all four races, and she’s sixth in the title chase, 10 points clear of a tie between Envy Powered by Warhorse’s Derek Sanchez and Royalty Racing’s Carson King.
Mission King Of The Baggers – So Far, It’s All Wyman
The all-time winningest racer in Mission King Of The Baggers history is also the winningest racer in the early days of the new season. That man is 21-time Mission King Of The Baggers race winner, Kyle Wyman.
Wyman has been nearly perfect with three wins out of four starts on his Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing Road Glide. The race he didn’t win was a wet race one at Road Atlanta, where class rookie Loris Baz snatched victory from Wyman on the final lap. The Frenchman’s victory vaulted him to second in the championship just four races into his King Of The Baggers career.
Another rookie, not only the class but also to the MotoAmerica series, is Brit Bradley Smith. Wyman’s Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing teammate was sixth and third in the two races at Road Atlanta, and that puts him third in the championship – nine behind Baz and 43 behind the hot-starting Wyman.
Where art thou defending Mission King Of The Baggers Champion Troy Herfoss? The Australian is fourth in the championship with his season taking a big hit in race two at Road Atlanta when a mechanical failure knocked him and his S&S/Indian Motorcycle Challenger out of the race. But this is Baggers racing and anything can happen, so Herfoss will be looking for nothing but wins as the series heads to America’s Dairyland.
Herfoss’s teammate Tyler O’Hara, who was third in both races at Road America last year, is tied for fifth in the title chase with RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim.
Motovation Supersport – Jacobsen Vs. Scholtz
The two protagonists from last year’s Motovation Supersport Championship are protagonists again in 2025. Those two are defending series champion Mathew Scholtz and 2024 championship runner-up PJ Jacobsen.
But after four races, the order has been flipped with Jacobsen at the top of the standings over Scholtz by just eight points. Strack Racing’s Scholtz has two wins to Jacobsen’s one, but Jacobsen and his Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL Panigale V2 have been on the podium in every race. And therein lies the difference.
But it’s early days, and the rest of the Supersport gang can’t be counted out of mixing it up with the two at the top. The rest are being led by Scholtz’s teammate Blake Davis with his season bookended so far by two third-place finishes. He’s 32 points behind Jacobsen and just four points ahead of Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott. Scott has one podium finish to show from the four races.
Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis is fifth in the standings as the series heads to Road America with the lanky Kentuckian’s best finish being an impressive second behind Jacobsen in race one at Road Atlanta.
Lewis is just a single point ahead of BPR Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes, with the five-time AMA Superbike Champion tasting victory in horrendous conditions in race two at Barber Motorsports Park to open the season.
Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL’s Kayla Yaakov, Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati’s Cameron Petersen, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Max Van and ADR’s David Anthony round out the top 10 after four races.
Stock 1000 – Teammates Are Tied
The Stock 1000 season is truly in its infancy with just one round and two races run so far in 2025. What we can glean from that opening round at Road Atlanta is that the top two are going to be difficult to beat.
OrangeCat Racing teammates Jayson Uribe and Andrew Lee split wins at Road Atlanta. Lee won race one on his BMW M 1000 RR, and Uribe flipped the results in race two. They sit tied atop the standings with 45 points apiece.
That puts them 13 points ahead of Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates, the Georgian putting his Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP on the podium in both of his home races at Road Atlanta.
Real Steel Honda’s JD Beach made his Stock 1000 debut in the series opener, and he came away from it with two fourth-place finishes on his Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. The two fourths put him fourth in the title chase, six points behind Yates and seven ahead of Edge Racing’s Jason Waters and his BMW M 1000 RR.
Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. – Knebel On Top
So far in 2025, the Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. series is one of brevity. They’ve only had one round at Barber Motorsports Park, and they only raced once with the second of the two races being cancelled due to storms that made a schedule change necessary. The BTR women will make up for the missing race when the series goes to Ridge Motorsports Park in July.
So, they will line up at Road America with just one race under their belts and so far, it’s Kira Knebel who sits atop the standings with her victory at Barber. Knebel is five points clear of race-one runner-up Shea MacGregor with Camille Conrad, who was on the podium in race one at Road America a year ago, in third.
Pre-Road America Notes…
PJ Jacobsen and Tyler Scott won the two Supersport races at Road America in 2024. Jacobsen topped Mathew Scholtz by just .040 of a second in race one with Jake Lewis finishing third. In race two, it was Scott by a scant .001 of a second over Scholtz, with the South African missing out on victory in both by just .041 of a second. Jacobsen was third in race two.
Troy Herfoss won the first of two Mission King Of The Baggers races in 2024 by a whopping 5.2 seconds over Kyle Wyman and Tyler O’Hara. In race two, it was Wyman taking the victory with Herfoss coming up just. .039 of a second short of sweeping the two races. O’Hara again finished third.
Mikayla Moore didn’t start race one of the two Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. events last year after suffering bruising from a crash in a Twins Cup practice session. That left Cassie Creer to take full advantage, and she took victory over Emma Betters and Camille Conrad. Moore was back in race two, however, and she was dominant, topping Aubrey Credaroli by 23.9 seconds. Creer ended up third in race two.
The start of the 2024 Loudon Classic, with Tyler Scott (70) leading Teagg Hobbs (79), and Bobby Fong (50) with winner Hayden Gillim in fifth. Photo courtesy NEMRR.
Dunlop is proud to announce its role as the title sponsor for the 2025 Dunlop Loudon Classic, the oldest and richest motorcycle road race in the United States. Scheduled for June 13-15, this year’s event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire is set to achieve new heights with an impressive purse of $400,000 distributed across four exciting classes.
Following the landmark celebration of the 100th Classic in 2023, which featured a remarkable $250,000 purse, and the subsequent $300,000 purse in 2024, the 102nd Dunlop Loudon Classic is positioned to elevate American road racing. NEMRR Executive Director John Grush stated, “We aim to foster growth in our sport by providing an unparalleled platform for both professional and local racers. The record-setting purse generates considerable media interest, enabling us to highlight our riders and teams while backing their racing pursuits throughout the season. We take great pride in offering such a significant opportunity for positive exposure within the sport.”
The podium after the featured race at the 2024 Loudon Classic, with winner Hayden Gillim (who won $55,000 in purse money) flanked by third-place Bobby Fong (left, who made $25,000) and second-place Ty Scott (right, who made $35,000). All three rode MotoAmerica-spec Supersport GSX-R750s. Photo courtesy NEMRR.
The centerpiece of the three-day event will be the four premier races on Saturday. The Loudon Classic Main Event will pay an impressive $285,000, showcasing the top Middleweight GP class from NEMRR along with MotoAmerica Supersport Next Gen bikes. The top 32 qualifiers will have the chance to compete in the Main, with the champion of the 2025 Dunlop Loudon Classic earning a historic $60,000 prize.
In what promises to be a thrilling addition for 2025, the Streetfighter class, dedicated to naked twin-cylinder and three-cylinder motorcycles, will feature a substantial $100,000 purse. Additionally, the total purse for the Classic and Streetfighter classes includes $25,000 and $10,000 in bonus incentives, respectively, for local participants. The popular Pro Thunderbike and 500 Superbike classes will also make a return, each offering a $7,500 purse.
Dunlop is excited to provide trackside support, including technical assistance and sales. Racers can conveniently order Sportmax Slick tires through www.dunlopracing.com. Dunlop is dedicated to ensuring that competitors have access to high-quality products and expert guidance.
Please note that participation is limited to 60 riders for the Dunlop Loudon Classic and 48 riders for the new Streetfighter class. For registration, riders may visit https://nemrr.volarehq.com/, or contact NEMRR at 603-738-2190, or email [email protected].
Dunlop looks forward to an exhilarating 2025 Dunlop Loudon Classic and is honored to officially support this prestigious event!
About Dunlop Motorcycle Tires:
Dunlop is the number one selling and largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in North America. For more information, visit www.DunlopMotorcycleTires.com. Follow @ridedunlop on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and X for the latest Dunlop news. Use #RideDunlop and/or #RaceDunlop to share your Dunlop moments.
With three wins out of the first four races, Cameron Beaubier leads the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship as the series heads to Wisconsin for round three at Road America. Photo by Brian J. Nelson
Red-Hot Beaubier Leads The Superbike Pack As MotoAmerica Heads To Road America
Five-Time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier Off To A Fast Start In 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
A red-hot Cameron Beaubier struts his way into Wisconsin this week, hoping to maintain the advantage he currently holds after a near-perfect beginning to his quest for a sixth MotoAmerica Superbike Championship as the series heads into round three at Road America, May 30-June.
How hot is hot? There have been 100 points handed out from the opening two rounds of the 2025 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Beaubier and his Tytlers Cycle Racing BMW M 1000 RR have snatched 95 of those 100 points.
Thus, with three wins and a second-place finish on his scorecard from the first four races, Beaubier is in the catbird seat as the series heads to “America’s National Park of Speed.”
After winning race one in the Barber Motorsports Park series opener, Beaubier was beaten in the wet second race by Jake Gagne, proving that Beaubier wasn’t infallible. Then came Road Atlanta, and a clean sweep of the two races for the 31-year-old Californian – and plenty of his rivals’ smiles turned upside down.
But the credo that “it ain’t over til it’s over” definitely applies to motorcycle racing.
Case in point, last year: After five races in the first two rounds (Barber’s round featured three Superbike races), Beaubier had won three of them, finished second, and had a DNF. Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati’s Josh Herrin, the man who would march on to the 2024 Superbike title, was sixth and 47 points behind Beaubier.
Then came Road America, and everything changed when Beaubier crashed in the rain and suffered a broken heel that required surgery. Gagne inherited the championship lead and was 18 points ahead of Beaubier. Herrin was 34 points behind in sixth place.
After missing the two races at Brainerd International Raceway and coming back too soon to try and race at Ridge Motorsports Park, Beaubier was on the back foot (his good one). Bobby Fong led the championship by a point over Gagne, who was suffering with carpal tunnel in his wrist and would eventually end his season early. Herrin was up to fourth, just nine points out of first and about to go on a tear, winning five of the last 10 races and finishing on the podium in all but one of the races he didn’t win.
Herrin won the title by 55 points over Beaubier, who somehow clawed his way back to second in the points after his injury. Gagne dropped all the way down to seventh.
So, you can see that a fast start doesn’t mean much if you get injured or have mechanical issues.
It’s way too early for anyone in the Superbike pack to panic, though they must be wary of Beaubier’s pace and how he has been able to dominate the season thus far. He’s in his third year on the BMW, his third year in the Tylers team, and he is comfortable and happy. And a happy and comfortable Beaubier can prove to be unbeatable.
As if three wins out of four races wasn’t enough to make him smile, Beaubier also moved into a tie with Josh Hayes on the all-time AMA wins list across all classes with his 89th victory coming at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Number 90 could come this weekend.
Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne sits second in the title chase with three podium finishes in the first four races in his quest for a fourth MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Gagne again thrived in the wet conditions of race one at Road Atlanta, finishing a close second to Beaubier. In Sunday’s dry race, Gagne slipped back to fifth. Gagne is 23 points behind Beaubier and 13 ahead of Herrin.
Like last year, Herrin’s start to the season is nothing to write home about. He was third in both races at Road Atlanta on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R and looking forward to the wide-open spaces of Road America.
Gagne’s teammate Bobby Fong was fast in Sunday’s dry race at Road Atlanta where he hounded Beaubier in race two, finishing just a tad over two seconds behind him. That came a day after Fong slipped off and remounted, scoring five points for finishing 11th.
Fong is just three points behind Herrin in the title chase and has Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly breathing down his neck, just four points behind. Kelly carded a pair of fourth-place finishes as he continues to shine on his Suzuki GSX-R1000R.
Real Steel Honda teammates Hayden Gillim and JD Beach are sixth and seventh in the title chase, with Beach remaining undefeated in the MotoAmerica Superbike Cup Championship for those racing Stock 1000-spec motorcycles in the Superbike class.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante was a consistent sixth in both races in Georgia as he starts to make up ground from his first-race crash in the series opener at Barber Motorsports Park.
FLO4LAW/SBU Racing’s Benjamin Smith earned a career-best fifth in race one at Road Atlanta, and he’s just a point behind Escalante and 11 points ahead of Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders, who rounds out the top 10 as the series readies for its third round in Wisconsin.
Pre-Road America Notes…
Cameron Beaubier earned pole position for last year’s two Superbike races at Road America with the five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion breaking the Superbike lap record with his 2:08.464. Josh Herrin was second fastest with his 2:09.197 and Jake Gagne’s 2:09.564 earned him the final spot on the front row.
It was a second Cameron who won race one at Road America last year with Cameron Petersen beating his teammate Jake Gagne by a miniscule .004 of a second in a Wisconsin rainstorm. Loris Baz, who now competes in the Mission King Of The Baggers series was third. Josh Herrin was dominant in winning race two on Sunday, topping Bobby Fong by nine seconds with JD Beach a shadow third.
Cameron Beaubier’s hopes for a sixth MotoAmerica Superbike Championship were derailed at Road America in 2024 when he crashed out of a wet race one, suffering a broken heel that would require surgery.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of three-time World Champion Freddie Spencer’s victory in what was the first-ever AMA Superbike race at Road America in 1980. Road America opened its gates to racing in 1955 with an SCCA National.
Cameron Beaubier has won 11 Superbike races at Road America. That’s two more than Australian Mat Mladin and three more than Josh Hayes.
Active MotoAmerica racers with Superbike wins at Road America other than Beaubier include Josh Herrin, Jake Gagne, and Bobby Fong, as well as Cameron Petersen and Mathew Scholtz, who are now both racing in the Supersport class.
Yamaha continues to lead the way in manufacturer Superbike wins at Road America with 27 victories. Suzuki is second with 18 Superbike race wins at the venue in Elkhart Lake, followed by Honda with 12, Ducati with 10 and Kawasaki with four. Cameron Beaubier’s race-one victory in 2023 was the first Superbike win for BMW at Road America
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid finished their first of two testing days as the 2025 season approaches its midway point. Italy’s Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” hosted the event, split between a pair of Free Practice sessions on Tuesday, allowing the field to get used to the track ahead of the upcoming Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished fastest of the day, followed by Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC). The day featured an early pair of red flags, including a crash for Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) from which he walked away uninjured, as well as a return from injury for Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven).
Current Riders’ Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) didn’t take to the track to test on Day 1, however, his Ducati factory teammate Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) tied Razgatlioglu for the second-most laps run with 88 laps completed. His 1’33.361s time landed the #19 fourth on the timesheet. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) looked fast on the day, and while his bike suffered a red-flag-inducing tech issue in FP1, he returned to lay down a 1’33.451s lap for fifth place. Rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) finished the fastest of the two Barni Spark riders, pipping ‘Petrux’ for P6 via his 1’33.487s lap. Hot off his trio of P3’s at Most, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) looks to in his setup for the race weekend. The #9 finished the day in P7 with a time of 1’33.541s. Andrea Iannone was able to make his return to the track at the Misano Test’s Day 1 after fracturing his 3rd and 4th toes on his right foot from his FP1 crash at Most. Sporting a larger-sized boot on his right foot, the ‘Maniac’ finished in P16, his 1’34.153s fastest lap coming in the afternoon’s British Rookie Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) finished Day 1 11th fastest thanks to his 1’34.091s lap.
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Toprak Razgatlioglu are focused on addressing their new M 1000 RR’s rear grip issues, which, however, didn’t stop the defending Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) from laying down the fastest lap of the day. His 1’32.559s lap made him the only rider to break into the 1’32 range, and his lap was faster than the circuit’s standing Race lap record he set last year of 1’32.687s Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) suffered a red-flag inducing crash as he and his bike were sent tumbling in the T16 ‘Misano’ corner. He was uninjured and able to continue, returning to set his fastest lap of 1’33.839s for 13th place and run the most laps of any rider. Sylvain Guintoli and Markus Reiterberger were also on track as test riders for the German manufacturer, recording a total of 114 laps.
Winding back the clock, Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was the fastest rider in blue on the day, returning to form after his injury before Phillip Island. The #65 finished in P8 with his 1’33.635s time behind Petrucci. In P10, two places behind Rea and just a thousandth of a second behind Gerloff in P9, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) stays hot after a strong performance to close out Most with his time of 1’33.783s. Subsequently, another two places back was Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) in P12, registering his fastest lap in FP2 of 1’33.822s. In P14 was Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), his 1’34.095s lap placing him between van der Mark and Iannone. The last Yamaha on the timesheet was Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha Test Team), riding as a test rider after his stint earlier this season, when he filled in for Rea during his injury, and recorded 81 laps.
Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) set the bar high for the Japanese manufacturer, his 1’33.195s lap placing him third-fastest and just a tenth of a second from Bassani in P2. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) was the sole rider on the day for his team, finishing 18th fastest with his time of 1’35.265, ahead of test riders Tommy Bridewell and Ivo Lopes, who finished in P20 and P26 respectively, and fastest times of 1’36.191s and 1’37.757s
Bimota’s Italian-British rider pair earned a top 8 finish at Most; coming into the Misano test with that feather in their caps, Day 1 saw Axel Bassani finish the quicker of the pair, his 1’33.178s lap earing him P2 and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finish P8 via his 1’33.779s lap.
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) looks to be bit by bit getting up to speed atop his Kawasaki ZX-10RR. After his season-high P10 in Most’s Race 2, he finished P9 behind Alex Lowes with a fastest lap of 1’33.782s. In 2024, Gerloff improved greatly from the first to the second half of the season, with the added complication of a new bike and a new team. Perhaps the American is in for a similar turnaround now into 2025.
Jack Miller in action last weekend at Silverstone Circuit, in England. Photo courtesy Prima Pramac Team.
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is delighted to make a first update on its factory rider line-up for the 2025 Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours Endurance Road Race. After eight years, MotoGP star Jack Miller is set to make his return to FIM Endurance World Championship racing with the factory Yamaha Racing Team. Miller will team with seasoned Suzuka 8-Hours rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga, under the guidance of Team Manager Wataru Yoshikawa, for the 46th edition of the FIM Endurance World Championship Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours Endurance Road Race.
The Suzuka 8-Hours event is one of Japan’s most prestigious motorcycle races, and the 2025 edition holds extra significance for Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. as they celebrate their 70th anniversary this year.
Yamaha was founded on July 1, 1955, and its motorsports activities started only 9 days later at the 3rd Mount Fuji Ascent Race on July 10. To commemorate this upcoming milestone, Yamaha will enter a factory equipe at the Suzuka 8-Hours for the first time since 2019.
Miller already has experience in endurance racing. He took part in the Suzuka 8-Hours once before in 2017. Though he finished just off the podium in fourth place, he caught the endurance racing bug and fell in love with the prominent Japanese event. He has been dreaming of a do-over ever since, and he feels all the more honoured to have been selected by Yamaha for the 2025 factory line-up.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga played an integral part in Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s four-consecutive victories (2015-2018) and is also a 12-time All Japan Road Race JSB1000 Champion. Yamaha’s third rider for the 2025 Suzuka 8-Hours event will be selected from Yamaha’s current crop of WorldSBK riders, with an announcement to follow shortly.
The appointed Team Manager for the factory entry is a rider who himself contested in the 1999 Suzuka 8-Hours and took the All Japan Road Racing Superbike title that same year: Wataru Yoshikawa, one of Yamaha’s iconic stars of the 1990s.
The Yamaha Racing Team will complete two private test days on July 3-4 before they officially return to action at the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race on Friday, August 1 when practice and qualifying get underway ahead of the traditional Top Ten Trial on Saturday and the Race on Sunday.
Jack Miller Takes On 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours Challenge With Factory Yamaha Racing Team
PAOLO CAMPINOTI – Team Principal, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP:
“I’m very pleased to see Jack taking part in the next edition of the Suzuka 8-Hours, representing the official Yamaha team. Beyond the sporting value of his involvement — defending the colors of Iwata in one of the most prestigious endurance races in the world — this is above all a confirmation of how strong and solid our still-young collaboration with Yamaha has already become.“
GINO BORSOI – Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP:
“The Suzuka 8-Hours is one of the most captivating races for any true motorcycle racing fan. Whether you’ve competed in it as a rider or followed it as a spectator, it’s one of those legendary events that has earned its place in the sport’s epic history. That‘s why I‘m particularly happy that Yamaha has chosen Jack as one of the three riders to represent their official team. Jack‘s enthusiasm, generosity, and always-positive attitude in taking on any kind of challenge, combined with the genuine affection he receives from fans all over the world, make him the perfect ambassador for Yamaha—not only in terms of top-level competition, but also as a personality who continues to attract new audiences to our sport.“
JACK MILLER – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider:
“It’s obviously a massive honour for me to be able to represent Yamaha at the Suzuka 8-Hours this year. It’s a race I’ve been wanting to go back to since 2017 when I finished fourth, losing to Yamaha that time. It’s a big pleasure that I get to ride that Yamaha R1 motorcycle this time and represent the factory Yamaha Racing Team in Japan at such a prestigious race. Like I said, I’ve been dreaming of this race, and to have the opportunity to come back with such a strong team is a massive pleasure. I look forward to hopefully a good result for them at home and receiving some big support from the Japanese fans.”
Jack Miller Biography
Jack Miller made his road racing debut in 2009 after starting his career on dirt and soon made his appearance in the 125cc World Championship. Taking the IDM 125 crown on his way to full-time competition on the world stage, Miller first impressed in 2013 when he proved to be a consistent frontrunner with Racing Team Germany. Finishing as the Vice Champion with Red Bull KTM Ajo in 2014, Miller made the incredible move from Moto3 straight to MotoGP in 2015 with the LCR Honda team.
Following a tough rookie season, Miller moved to the Marc VDS Racing Team. He took a stunning maiden win at the 2016 Dutch GP in heavy rain that flooded the TT circuit at Assen, after starting the season with a broken leg. With a good number of top-10 results, Miller remained with the Marc VDS team for 2017, impressing once again before moving to Pramac Racing for the 2018 season, switching from Honda to Ducati.
It was a solid season for the Australian, highlighted by a superb pole position at the Argentinian GP: his growth and competitiveness secured him a place on the Pramac Ducati for 2019. It was a season in which Miller improved his results with five podiums, and he added four more in the following year, his third with the Pramac team, which secured him the team’s factory bike for the 2021 season.
His debut year as a Ducati factory rider turned out to be the best of his career so far, with Miller taking two wins, three other podiums, and a fourth place in the overall standings. In 2022 the Aussie again proved his quality with seven podiums, including the best MotoGP performance of his career when he dominated the race in Japan. Miller – who proved to be a great help to Francesco Bagnaia in the Italian’s hunt for his first MotoGP World Title – finished the season in fifth place overall with 189 points.
After five years with Ducati, Miller swapped his red leathers for KTM’s orange in 2023, claiming a double podium at the Spanish GP and another Sprint podium at the German GP and ending the season in 11th before a difficult 2024 season saw him finish 14th in the riders’ standings.
Because there is nothing like the air of home to rejuvenate, Miller returned to Paolo Campinoti’s court in 2025 as one of the two riders defending the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP colours as a Yamaha factory rider.
Miller showed quick adaptability to the YZR-M1, with a fifth place at the Grand Prix of The Americas Race as a highlight.
Jack Miller
Date of Birth: 18-01-1995
Place of Birth: Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Nationality: Australian
Instagram: @jackmilleraus
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 64 kg
Highlights:
First Grand Prix: 2011 German GP (125cc)
First GP Win: 2014 Qatar GP (Moto3)
First Premier Class Grand Prix: 2015 Qatar GP
First Premier Class Grand Prix Win: 2016 Dutch
GP Grand Prix Wins: 10 (4x MotoGP, 6x Moto3)
Podiums: 33 (23x MotoGP, 10x Moto3)
Sprint Podiums: 2x (2023 Spanish GP & 2023 German GP)
Pole position: 10 (2x MotoGP, 8x Moto3)
Racing Career:
2025 MotoGP World Championship (17th – 20 points) [With Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP after the British GP Sprint]
2024 MotoGP World Championship (14th – 87 points)
2023 MotoGP World Championship (11th – 163 points)
Yamaha‘s factory effort at Suzuka began in earnest in 1985. Before 2002, Yamaha had at times fielded international star-studded full factory teams and had hoisted the winner‘s trophy high beneath the firework-filled skies at Suzuka a total of four times: in 1987, 1988, 1990, and 1996.
From 2003 onward, Yamaha discontinued having full factory team entries and limited itself to a support role assisting Europe-based Yamaha teams competing as part of the FIM Endurance World Championship.
However, in 2015 Yamaha brought back its full factory team to highlight its 60th anniversary and the release of an all-new YZF-R1. After taking Yamaha’s fifth win at the Suzuka 8-Hours that year in stunning fashion following a 19-year drought, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team was nigh unbeatable, winning the race again the next two years for a hat-trick of victories. With 2018 marking the YZF-R1’s 20th anniversary, a special red-and-white race livery was run to commemorate the original R1, and the factory team secured a record-setting fourth straight win.
In 2019, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team sported a revival of the colour scheme used by the legendary 1985 Yamaha TECH21 Team, the origin of Yamaha’s now iconic #21 race number. The factory squad battled for victory the entire race. Though a record-resetting fifth consecutive win eluded the team, the race was a thrilling addition to the storied history of the Suzuka 8 Hours.
In 2020 and 2021, the Suzuka 8-Hours was cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned to the EWC calendar in 2022. However, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team did not take part in the 2022, 2023, or 2024 editions, but Yamaha still landed a podium.
In 2024, the Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team (YART) secured their first pole position since 2012 and 2013 (both set by Nakasuga) thanks to Marvin Fritz recording a 2’05.130s lap in the Top 10 Trial. It was Yamaha’s first pole since 2017 and 2019 (also both set by Nakasuga).
Niccolò Canepa was chosen to ride the opening stint for the Race. Canepa, Fritz, and Karel Hanika, showed grit in the 8-hour competition, riding in extreme temperatures and high humidity. In the end, YART completed 220 laps, the same as the leader, which set a record for the most laps ever recorded in a Suzuka 8-Hours race. The YART team finished on the podium in second place, 7.86s from the winners (after the 40-second penalty that the ‘Team HRC with Japan Post’ received for violating a rule during their final pit stop). It was the YART team’s first time visiting the Suzuka 8 Hours rostrum.
As part of Yamaha’s 70th anniversary celebrations, the factory Yamaha Racing Team will make a comeback in the renowned Suzuka 8-Hours event this year with the rider line-up consisting of 12-time All Japan Road Race JSB1000 Champion and Suzuka 8-Hours legend Katsuyuki Nakasuga, MotoGP-star Jack Miller, and one of Yamaha’s WorldSBK riders (to be announced shortly).
The appointed Team Manager for the factory team, Wataru Yoshikawa, is a rider who himself contested the 1999 Suzuka 8-Hours on the YZF-R7 in addition to winning an All Japan title on that iconic machine. He was one of Yamaha’s star factory riders in the 1990s and is to many a representative of that era of racing.
The 2025 team will race a specially liveried YZF-R1, adorned with the traditional #21. The special new design is inspired by Yamaha Racing Team’s YZF-R7 that Yoshikawa rode in 1999. The YZF-R7 model was first released in that year in a limited edition of 500 units worldwide.
In 2025, the team is called ‘Yamaha Racing Team’ as this name was used by Yamaha’s factory Suzuka 8-Hours team in the late 1990s. The 2025 team logo is a version of the logo used at the time with an updated motif. Rider and team staff clothing and the look of the team’s garage are also coordinated to reflect the 1999 design.
Yamaha’s Suzuka 8-Hours Victories:
1987 – Shiseido TECH21 Racing Team – YZF750 (Martin Wimmer, Kevin Magee)
1988 – Team Lucky Strike Roberts – YZF750 (Kevin Magee, Wayne Rainey)
1990 – Shiseido TECH21 Racing Team – YZF750 (Tadahiko Taira, Eddie Lawson)
1996 – Yamaha Racing Team – YZF750 (Colin Edwards, Noriyuki Haga)
2015 – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – YZF-R1 (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Pol Espargaró, Bradley Smith)
2016 – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – YZF-R1 (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Pol Espargaró)
2017 – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – YZF-R1 (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark)
2018 – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – YZF-R1 (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark)
American Julian Correa (40) leads Harrison MacKay (61), Scott McPhee (19), Ryan Frost (24) and another rider in wet R&G British Talent Cup Race 2 at Silverstone. Photo by Bonnie Photography/courtesy Michael Correa.
Americans Julian Correa and Josh Raymond, Jr. both ran well in wet R&D British Talent Cup Race 2 at Silverstone on Sunday.
Correa was trying for the lead when he crashed out on Lap 4.
Raymond finished 5th, just ahead of British riders George Bowes and Harrison MacKay. In Race 1 on Saturday, Raymond had finished 14th.
Race 1 winner Filip Surowiak crashed on the last lap of Race 2; Race 1 runner-up MacKay finished seventh in Race 2; and Ryan Frost, who had finished third in Race 1, finished second in Race 2, behind Race 2 winner Peter Willis, who had finished 5th behind Correa in Race 1 on Saturday.
More, from a press release issued by R&G British Talent Cup:
Highs and lows: Surowiak and Willis rule Silverstone
Surowiak maintains championship control at Silverstone
Filip Surowiak (City Lifting Team) made it three wins from three races in 2025, clinching another victory after a stunning ride (in Race 1) at Silverstone. Harrison Mackay (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) chased behind, narrowly missing out by 0.052s after a solid ride to kickstart his weekend. Ryan Frost (Fibretec Honda by Mlav Racing) took the final spot on the podium, completing an impressive comeback from the fourth row of the grid. It was a huge weekend for the R&G British Talent Cup riders, who enjoyed back-to-back race weekends, this time at the British GP.
Surowiak took a stunning second pole of the year, setting the timesheets alight with a 2:30.541. Once the lights went out for a 10-lap showdown in front of the Grand Prix crowd, the #75 held onto his advantage at Turn 1, blasting into P1 with Peter Willis (WM Racing) showing a front wheel at the start of Race 1. Julian Correa (Mortimer Racing) then joined the fight, with Mackay and Ethan Sparks (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) following behind as spots of rain began to appear.
Frost then hit the front, taking control, with Surowiak now waiting for his opportunity to pounce. There were some fierce moves being made, with 12 riders completing a massive lead group – leaving everyone on the edge of their seats. Sparks made a bold move with six laps to go, seizing the lead as his hard work began to pay off after a rough start. The pace was blistering, with the field dipping into the 2:21 bracket. But just one lap later, disaster struck as Sparks went down at Turn 1 – recording his first DNF of the season.
Willis entered the podium fight in the closing stages while Surowiak muscled his way back into P1. Drama continued to be served in the front group, setting up a last-lap showdown at Silverstone. Surowiak led the field over the line, going head-to-head with Frost on the entry to Turn 1. Mackay soon took the lead, holding onto P1 through Brooklands, before the #75 made the decisive move at Vale.
Surowiak narrowly took victory, edging out Mackay by just 0.052 seconds. Frost secured third to complete the podium. Correa finished fourth, ahead of Willis in fifth after a strong ride. Meanwhile, Mason Foster (Mortimer Racing) claimed sixth place, followed by Clayton Edmunds (City Lifting Team), Jack Burrows (Burows Engineering / RK Racing), Scott McPhee (SMP Racing) and Jack Dunabie (Kovara Projects / RS Racing), who rounded out the top 10. Further back, it was a dramatic end, with George Bowes (GB|67 / Edwards Racing) and Lewis Mullen (Wilson Racing) crashing at the Vale on the final lap.
Willis triumphs in the wet as Surowiak blunders In Race 2
Peter Willis stole the spotlight at Silverstone by clinching victory in Race 2, mastering the tricky wet conditions on Sunday morning. Willis crossed the line with a 5.993s advantage over Ryan Frost, who took a late second after unbelievable final lap drama. Frost narrowly finished ahead of Jack Dunabie, who rounded out the podium rostrum. Championship leader Filip Surowiak saw his race unravel in heartbreaking fashion, crashing on the final lap.
As the lights went out to begin Race 2, Frost immediately snatched the lead from polesitter Harrison Mackay on the charge to Turn 1. It was a crucial opening lap as Clayton Edmunds made a dream start, fighting his way into the podium battle as Surowiak continued to make ground after launching from the third row of the grid. Further back, there was early opening lap drama as Daniel Stephenson (Rocket Racing) crashed out at the final corner.
Surowiak moved into the podium positions with nine laps remaining, as Edmunds and Willis continued to duel for the lead. Jack Burrows joined the front group on Lap 3, further intensifying the battle. The race soon took a turn as Charlie Huntingford (Holmes Plant Mototechniks Racing), Samuel Munson (Wilson Racing), and Scott McPhee (SMP Racing) saw their days end early following separate crashes. Edmunds later crashed at Turn 16, with Julian Correa going down moments later – ending both of their challenges.
Amidst all the drama, Willis stretched a four-second lead, and Surowiak and Jack Dunabie continued to fight for the podium. The sun began to break through, but conditions on the circuit remained tricky. Dunabie led Surowiak over the line, with Frost and Burrows hot on their tails. Everything was decided on the final lap, with the riders setting themselves up for the perfect launch down the Hangar straight. Burrows stole second, but Surowiak’s response at Vale led to a crash, which brought an end to both of their podium hopes.
Willis charged to the line, securing Race 2 victory by nearly six seconds after an impressive ride. After the last lap drama, Frost was promoted into second as Dunabie claimed the final spot on the podium. Ethan Sparks grabbed fourth, missing out on a podium finish, with Joshua Raymond Jnr (Fibretec Honda by Mlav Racing) claiming the final spot inside the top five. George Bowes took sixth, finishing ahead of Mackay and Ben Jolliffe (Wilson Racing) as Mason Foster and Jensen Bishop (Wilson Racing) rounded out the top 10 – bringing a dramatic race to a close, with only 12 riders reaching the flag.
Teams and riders will now be treated to a short break before R&G British Talent Cup action returns for the third instalment of the season. Make sure you join us as we head to Snetterton on June 20-22!
Andrea Locatelli and Yamaha Motor Europe have reached an agreement for the Italian to continue with Yamaha’s official team in the FIM Superbike World Championship in 2026 and 2027.
The agreement will see Locatelli become one of the longest serving Yamaha WorldSBK riders in history as he enters his sixth and seventh seasons with Yamaha in the Superbike World Championship, with only the legendary Noriyuki Haga having spent more time racing for Yamaha in the premier class of production racing.
The 2025 season has seen Locatelli enjoy his strongest start to a WorldSBK championship aboard the R1 to date with three podium finishes from the first five rounds including a remarkable debut victory with Pata Maxus Yamaha at the TT Circuit Assen. The 28-year-old currently sits fifth in the championship standings ahead of Round 6 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli next month.
Locatelli first joined Yamaha in the Supersport World Championship in 2020, where he dominated with the Evan Bros Racing team to clinch the world title in his rookie season. He moved up to WorldSBK for 2021 with the official Yamaha team where he has remained since, scoring 20 WorldSBK podium finishes including his Assen victory.
“I am really happy to sign with Yamaha for another two years. I have been with Yamaha for many years now, and I believe in the team, I believe in the people at Yamaha and want to continue to work, because I feel that we can achieve a lot more together. The people at Yamaha believe in me and this is important. Our approach will be to continue to push and try and make progress, just like we have seen this season.”
— Andrea Locatelli
“Having been with us for six years now, Andrea has become a true part of the Yamaha Racing family. His performances have been impressive since his rookie season and it has always felt like he has been on an upward trajectory in WorldSBK, as evidenced this season where he’s taken a real step forward to become not just the established leading Yamaha rider in the championship, but also a regular front-runner and podium contender. Keeping hold of him for the future was a priority for us as we look to take the next step with the R1 in WorldSBK, and we are pleased to have reached an agreement that will see him become one of the longest serving Yamaha riders in WorldSBK history.”
— Niccolò Canepa, Road Racing Sporting Manager, Motorsport Division, Yamaha Motor Europe
Taylor Knapp on the Army of Darkness Yamaha during the WERA endurance race. Photo by Raul Jerez/Highside Photo.
Army Of Darkness (AOD) Wins Season Opener WERA National Endurance Race at Road Atlanta
A full grid of endurance amateurs and pros, novices and experts, took to the track on a beautiful day, at a legendary track, for a day of competition against entropy and other teams.
Hunter Dunham on the AOD Yamaha during the endurance race. Photo by Raul Jerez/ Highside Photo.
AOD qualified on pole, led the race from the first lap, rode fast, and had clean pit stops to take their first win at Road Atlanta in three years. Taylor Knapp and Hunter Dunham rode for AOD. Their teammate Josh Hayes was also on site but didn’t get to ride after the race, originally scheduled for 4 hours, was shortened by two red flag incidents.
The celebration of the high attendance and the AOD victory were tempered by a single-bike accident over the blind rise under the bridge which unavoidably gathered another competitor, culminating with one rider injured and another deceased.
The team’s condolences go out to the friends and family of David Hildebrand, R.I.P.
AOD is sponsored by: Army of Darkness, Dunlop, Wood Craft, Hindle, Vortex, EK Chains, Thermosman, WERA, Roadracing World and Industry 13.
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Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
