Granado wins dramatic, shortened Race 2 at the Cathedral
The Brazilian cuts the gap after a stop-start second encounter for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup at Assen
Eric Granado (51) leading Mattia Casadei (27) and the others during MotoE Race Two. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 26 June 2022
Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) was rewarded for his bravery in tricky conditions as the Brazilian took victory in Race 2 of FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup at the Motul TT Assen. The number 51 scythed his way from fourth to the lead in just three laps in a contest which would be cut short due a Red Flag, with points leader Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) claiming second and Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) completing the podium.
The Red Flag saw Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) crash out and suffer contact from Marc Alcoba (Openbank Aspar Team), with the LCR rider conscious and getting a check up at the circuit before heading to local hospital in Groningen for a CT scan to his pelvis.
Before the flag was thrown, however, it was a five-wide run to the first corner when the action finally got underway, with patchy showers having twice delayed the start. Casadei came from fourth on the grid to lead the field into the first corner, while Aegerter fended off an early challenge from Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) at Strubben, and then again at De Bult, to end the opening lap in second, with Granado just behind them.
The riders had no time to waste, with the delays seing the originally distance of eight laps cut to six, and Granado was a man on a mission. He passed Ferrari as they turned into Haarbocht at the start of Lap 2 although, in doing so, he made room for Pons to follow him. A brief battle between the LCR duo ensued before Granado shook off his teammate and attacked Aegerter.
Incredibly, as the rain flags flew again, Granado passed Aegerter around the outside of the high-speed Ramshoek left-hander, then went down the inside of Casadei when they arrived at Haarbocht again on Lap 3. Ferrari got back underneath Pons three corners further around at the Ossebroeken complex and, unfortunately, that was just the start of the LCR rider’s troubles.
Exiting the following corner, De Strubben, Pons highsided and was thrown from his motorcycle. Running two bikes back, Marc Alcoba was unable to avoid it and also crashed. Alcoba eventually remounted but, as Pons was initially attended to at the side of the track, the race was red flagged during Lap 4. Soon after news came through it would not restart, and instead half points would be awarded.
Granado is therefore classified the winner, ahead of Aegerter, Casadei, Ferrari, Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team), Alex Escrig (Tech3 E-Racing), Kevin Manfredi (Octo Pramac MotoE™), Maria Herrera (OpenBank Aspar Team), Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta Sic58 Squadracorse), and Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing).
In the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup standings, Aegerter has now moved to 158 points, but Granado closes in slightly in second on 126.5 points, with Ferrari third but on 112.5. Action in the electric class resumes with the Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg on August 19-21!
MotoE™ PODIUM
1 Eric Granado – LCR E-Team – Energica – 05’21.0940
Eric Granado: “It was a strange win for me, just three laps. I knew that the conditions were going to change during the race, even if it’s just six laps, so I was just trying to be at the front as soon as I can. I just tried to be there and if the Red Flag came, I was in first position, and finally it came. It’s strange to win a three-lap race, but I’m happy. I want to say thank you to them team because yesterday was so close and I slept with a little strange feeling, but today it’s good. It’s not so good that it’s just half points in the championship but anyway, I take it and it’s good for confidence for the next race.”
HERE IS GRESINI MOTOGP’S LINE UP FOR 2023 FABIO IS CONFIRMED; MARQUEZ TO JOIN THE SQUAD
Our first official news for 2023 is here: Team Gresini MotoGP have selected Alex Marquez to replace Enea Bastianini – who will race a factory-spec Ducati machine starting next year. The Faenza-based squad looks once again at the wealth of talent from Spain, a country that always had strong ties and success with the team: from Gibernau to Martin, but also Toni Elias, Alvaro Bautista and Emilio Alzamora, who currently manages rider #73.
Born in Cervera, Alex Marquez has a top-level CV: he was Moto3 and Moto2 World Champion in 2014 and 2019, respectively, with a tally of 40 podiums that include 12 race wins – and two second places in the premier class back in 2020. The experienced 26-year-old will tackle his fourth season in the series, the first one with Ducati machinery.
Alongside the Spaniard will be Fabio Di Giannantonio, who is currently having great success tackling his rookie MotoGP season with Gresini. The Italian, who despite his young age has a long history with the squad, is among the contenders for Rookie of the Year 2022. He already has a pole position in the premier class and an eighth place as a best result.
#73 – ALEX MARQUEZ
“I’m really happy to announce that I’ll be joining Team Gresini MotoGP, and I’m also very excited to be starting this new adventure: it was crucial for me to change in order to recover the same type of motivation I had when I first joined this class. This was the best option for me, with a team that helped writing the history of this championship. I would like to thank Nadia, Carlo and all the GR staff for believing in me. I still have half a season left to do my best before starting 2023 with top motivation.”
#49 – FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“I’m really happy to extend my partnership with this team, which is like a family to me. It’s great because we’ll continue on this learning curve, and we’ll be doing so with a Ducati – and that makes me very happy. Continuity is key in MotoGP in order to be able to work on myself to be the best possible. We have been working on this contract extension for a little while, and now we can finally announce it. Obviously the goals will be higher: we’ll be using this second part of the season to improve our results and then next year I really want to make that step up.”
NADIA PADOVANI GRESINI – TEAM OWNER
“I’m really happy with this new project. First of all we’re confirming our continuation with Fabio Di Giannantonio. He has already shown his talent this year, as he has been improving race after race, and I’m sure that he’ll keep getting more competitive. We were looking to put a more experienced rider alongside him, and I think Alex Marquez is the perfect one for our team. His CV speaks for itself: we think he has great potential and that the Desmosedici machine may be the perfect companion on his new journey. Welcome to the family, Alex!”
Gagne Completes Perfect Weekend At Ridge Motorsports Park
Jake Gagne Moves To Second In Championship With Fifth Win Of The Year
Jake Gagne (1) leads Cameron Petersen (45), Danilo Petrucci (9), and Mathew Scholtz (11) early in MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2022) – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne had a perfect weekend in the Pacific Northwest, the defending MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion breaking the lap record at Ridge Motorsports Park while qualifying on pole position, and then winning both Superbike races over the course of the Dynapac MotoAmerica Superbikes At The Ridge weekend.
If his rivals weren’t already worried, they should be now. Gagne looks to be on the verge of going on a roll like he did during his 17-victory, championship-winning season of 2021. Although a rough start to the 2022 season means Gagne only has six podium finishes in the 10 races held thus far, five of those podiums have been victories.
With five rounds (10 races) in the books, Gagne has now closed to within 11 points of championship leader Danilo Petrucci, the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R-mounted Italian earning his second podium of the weekend on Sunday at Ridge with a second-place finish to Gagne.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen also had a solid weekend with two podium finishes, the South African splitting second- and third-place finishes with Petrucci.
In typical Gagne fashion, the Colorado resident stormed off to a flying start, put his head down for the first five laps to open a gap on his pursuers and then maintained that lead for the duration of the 16-lap race. At the finish line, Gagne was 4.578 seconds clear of Petrucci, who in turn was just a second ahead of Petersen. The win was the 22nd AMA Superbike victory of Gagne’s career, all of which have come in the MotoAmerica era.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz matched his fourth-place finish from Saturday with another fourth on Sunday, the South African losing his hold on second in the title chase to Gagne after holding it for the first nine races.
Fifth for the second day in a row was Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera, the Spaniard beating Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante by just .171 of a second. Those two were well clear of Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim who barely got the better of his Yuasa Stock 1000 Championship rival Corey Alexander and his Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Tytlers Cycle’s PJ Jacobsen was a lonely ninth with David Anthony riding the injured Jake Lewis’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki to 10th.
For the first time all year, Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates failed to score a point with the Georgian crashing out of the race for his first DNF. Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Travis Wyman was another who crashed out of the race.
Petrucci leads Gagne by 11, 176-165, after 10 races. Scholtz is third with 159 points, 20 better than Petersen. Barbera rounds out the top five in the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike point standings with 101 points.
Jake Gagne – Winner
“It was a good weekend. I’ve always liked this track. It’s really technical, lots of ups and downs. We’ve had a lot of great weekends, but this is one of those tracks that really suits the Yamaha, for sure. After yesterday and all those red flags, it was kind of crazy, got off to a bunch of good starts. Today I knew these guys… everybody stepped it up and had a little more pace in them today than yesterday. So, I knew if I could lead into turn one, I had to push as hard as I could for four or five laps and see if I could have a gap or not. Luckily, I was able to have some clean laps and kind of get a gap. It was a fun race. Kind of flew by pretty quick. I knew those guys were probably battling hard back there. I’m happy to be back on track. I think the first couple races were tough on us. There were some things that we finally figured out with the front end of the motorcycle that I finally feel comfortable on now. So, just hats off to the crew because they just don’t stop working hard. We keep making progress. We know we’ve got to because these guys are making progress every weekend as well.”
Danilo Petrucci – Second Place
“I can be happy, for sure. I hoped before the race to have a better start and stay with Jake (Gagne), but I had a quite good start, but Jake and Cameron (Petersen) were better than me. I tried my best. At the beginning I was not really good. Then I tried to manage all the chattering, all the issues with the bike. For sure, it’s been really, really tough weekend. It started quite good in FP1, but at the end of FP1, our problems began. We miss a lot of confidence because we have these kinds of issues with the electronics side that cover my feeling. We are investigating why. But it’s not an excuse. Jake today was unbelievably fast, another level. Big congrats to him and also to Cam. I passed him (Petersen) and I knew I wasn’t able to close the gap with Jake, so I tried to defend my position. Happy to go away with two podiums. Cannot wait to go to Laguna, even if my last time was 2013 with MotoGP. Like another era. Happy to be here.”
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“It was a rough race, honestly. I could tell Jake (Gagne), even getting ready in the riders’ lounge and stuff, I knew he was going to drop the hammer and have something a little bit different for us today. So, I tried the first few laps, but, honestly, he was just on another level. It was a really tough race. Not making excuses or anything, but about six or seven laps into the race I developed a chatter that I haven’t had all weekend. So, tried to ride around that. I was just really struggling to get into corners and turn the bike through some of the longer stuff. But regardless, we’re walking away from the Ridge with two podiums, a second and third, so I’ll take it. Honestly, I believe it’s only up from here. Just doing good work with the team. I’m learning so much from Jake. I’m having so much fun. Looking forward to the rest of the season.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Danilo Petrucci Puts It On The Box In The Sweltering Washington Heat
Petrucci keeps his championship lead after carding a third and second on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 SBK
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Sunnyvale, Calif., June 26, 2022 – Despite several setbacks in the boiling heat of Washington State, Danilo Petrucci showed his mettle by staying on top of the points standings for the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship after taking a third and second place finishes.
On the Italian’s first visit to the undulating 2.5-mile circuit nestled between the pine trees of Shelton, Washington, Petrucci’s third place in race one came after two red flag disruptions. Given Petrucci suffered a technical issue on Friday which curtailed much of his riding for the day, he and the team were happy with the race one result and went into Sunday’s race two determined to close the gap to the factory Yamahas.
A race-long battle with Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen ensued, Petrucci eventually getting the better of the South African to take second place.
With a week off before the next round at Laguna Seca on July 8-10, Petrucci will take rest and come back strong, determined to build on his now 11-point championship lead over Gagne.
2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Top Five
P1 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 176
P2 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 165
P3 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 159
P4 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 139
P5 – Hector Barbera (BMW) 101
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9): “It has been a tough weekend,” Petrucci said. “I am happy I am still leading the championship but for sure, we need to focus because now we start from zero (at Laguna Seca) as we are more or less the same points as Jake, who is riding very well. It’s a long time ago that I last won a race in Road Atlanta, and we need to recover that speed so we can continue to fight for the championship.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Two Fours For The Double-One At Ridge Motorsports Park
Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Shelton, WA – June 26, 2022 – Mathew Scholtz, rider of the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, followed up his fourth-place finish in Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race one with another fourth-place result in Sunday’s race two.
Finishing just off the podium in both races would be considered a pretty good weekend for most MotoAmerica Superbike teams, but it was cold comfort for Mathew and Westby Racing. They came into the weekend in second place and just 10 points behind the championship leader, but they leave the Pacific Northwest in third place and now 17 points behind the championship leader.
For whatever reason, Ridge Motorsports Park has always been a tough track for Mathew. In the three years that MotoAmerica has been going there, he’s finished second once, fourth a total of four times, and fifth once. All top-five results, but for a rider and team of Mathew’s and Westby Racing’s caliber, Ridge has been an annual challenge.
On Sunday, Mathew got a good jump off the line from fifth position, in the middle of the second row, and he overtook Hector Barbera and slotted into fourth behind Danilo Petrucci in short fashion. As the laps wound down, Mathew’s race pace closed the gap on the frontrunners, but there just weren’t enough laps left for him to improve his position.
“Another fourth place obviously wasn’t what we were looking for,” Mathew lamented. “But Ridge has always been the worst track for us as a team and for me as a rider. Yesterday’s race, we got fourth, but we weren’t even close. Today, we were fourth again, but we improved our race pace by almost a second every lap. We managed to close in on the battle for second in the latter half of the race. Overall, I think you could call it a positive day, but two fourths are not what we want or need. We most certainly have the package to be battling up front. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that, at Ridge, we would get two fourths, I would have taken it. But, considering how well everything has gone so far this year, it’s obviously a disappointment. We’ve got Vitto (Bolognesi) as our data person now, and this is our first race weekend with him, so we need to give him time to figure things out. Overall, it puts us in a really good spot for the rest of the season. The tracks we go to for the second half of the season really suit me, so I’m looking forward to those. Thank you to my Westby Racing team for working hard this weekend, and let’s get ready for Laguna.”
The Westby Racing team will be back in action for round six of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, on July 8 through 10.
Kayla Yaakov Makes History With Victory At Ridge Motorsports Park
15-Year-Old Yaakov Becomes First Female To Win A MotoAmerica Race
SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2022) – Anthony Mazziotto, Josh Herrin and Corey Alexander completed perfect weekends at Ridge Motorsports Park on Sunday with victories in Twins Cup, Supersport and Yuasa Stock 1000, respectively, but it was Kayla Yaakov who made history on a scorching hot day in the Pacific Northwest.
Yaakov became the first female racer to win a MotoAmerica race on Sunday when she stormed to victory in the SporbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race, leading the majority of the laps, including the only one that really mattered. The victory came just days after the Pennsylvanian celebrated her 15th birthday and it was a popular victory that was embraced by everyone in the MotoAmerica paddock.
Yuasa Stock 1000 – Alexander Perfect
The grid at the start of Stock 1000 Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
In Sunday’s Yuasa Stock 1000 race two, Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW rider Corey Alexander followed up his Saturday race one victory with another win. In fact, Corey is undefeated at Ridge. The New Yorker has won every Stock 1000 race at the Pacific Northwest track since MotoAmerica started racing at Ridge in 2020.
Alexander withstood a challenge from Hayden Gillim, who made an attempt to overtake Alexander, but ran out of track and had to take to the grass, which ruined his chance at a podium. Instead, it was a 1-2 finish for Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW with Alexander’s teammate Travis Wyman. Local rider Andy DiBrino finished third, the Precision Iron Works/DiBrino Racing Kawasaki rider notching his second MotoAmerica podium in as many days.
“Unfortunately, it’s a bummer that (Gillim) ran off like that, but it is good for us in the points standings,” Alexander said. “I’m honestly trying not to focus too much on that. Two rounds ago I’m like, ‘I’m out of this thing. I’m just going to go out and have fun and try to win races.’ That’s literally all we focused on, and we’re back in the points lead, which is pretty surreal. Moving forward, I just want to keep doing the same thing. I just want to keep pushing the envelope and trying to win more races. If we win more races, then the championship will come. Really excited to be up here with Travis again. That’s our goal. We want to be one and two every weekend, whether it’s him or I. Everyone puts a lot of effort into this team. It’s a big structure, for sure.”
Twins Cup – Mazziotto Perfecto
Anthony Mazziotto (516) won the Twins Cup final for the second day in a row with a victory over Hayden Schultz (49) and Cody Wyman (34). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing Aprilia rider Anthony Mazziotto is from New Jersey, but his weekend in the Pacific Northwest couldn’t have gone better. First, he earned the pole position and the high-dollar timepiece that came from Wilbur Watch Company for being the fastest qualifier in the Twins Cup class. He then followed that up with a win in Saturday’s race one and capped things off with the win on Sunday, as well. Second place went to Cycle Tech Yamaha rider Hayden Schultz, who improved by one position from his third-place result on Saturday. Third on Sunday went to Alpha Omega rider Cody Wyman.
“I knew the last lap was the lap that I wanted to make the pass on, I just wasn’t sure what corner I wanted to do it in,” said Mazziotto. “I got a good run-on Hayden coming up the blind kink coming into that real sharp left-hander. He covered that really tight, and I couldn’t get in there. Chopped my wheel off a little bit, so I had to slam on the binders a little hard. But then I knew coming out of that corner it was either up in the corkscrew or that was it. That was my last shot. He actually pulled a little bit of a gap on me since I got a bad drive out of that corner that he cut my nose off on. I just hammered down the throttle and just went really, really deep into that corkscrew. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was going to get it stopped. I started folding the front there at the apex and almost went up onto the curb. I heard him coming around the outside of me, so I knew I just had to keep it tight through the last two corners and maybe I was going to have it at the line. It turned out that way. Couldn’t get the drive out of the last corner, and we were able to hold onto it.”
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – Yaakov Makes History
Kayla Yaakov (31) became the first female to win a MotoAmerica race when she took victory in Sunday’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
History was made in Sunday’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race as Altus Motorsports Kawasaki rider Kayla Yaakov became the first female rider in history to win a MotoAmerica race. Yaakov, who turned just 15 years old on Friday, had been knocking on the door of a victory for the past few rounds, and she had recorded four third place finishes so far this season. And then, in Sunday’s race two, after leading the morning warmup, Yaakov got her breakthrough win.
Second place went to SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki rider Joseph LiMandri Jr., who was battling a respiratory infection but managed to get through the weekend and notched two podium finishes in the process. Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing Kawasaki rider Gus Rodio finished third as a follow-up to his win on Sunday.
“Since Atlanta, it’s been a big thing, even before Atlanta, even before I started really racing, this is where I wanted to be.” Said Yaakov. “To do it is really cool. This is crazy. It’s actually really cool to be up here with these guys because I’ve raced with them both. We all started around the same time, and it’s really cool.”
Supersport – Herrin Again
Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) in the Supersport race on Sunday at Ridge. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Like Corey Alexander in Stock 1000 and Anthony Mazziotto in Twins Cup, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Josh Herrin also had a perfect weekend at Ridge. Herrin earned the pole, won Saturday’s race one and also won Sunday’s race two. It was a dominant victory for Herrin, who crossed the finish line more than six seconds ahead of second-place finisher Tyler Scott aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha rider Kevin Olmedo finished third for his first podium result so far this season.
“It’s pretty unbelievable how good this bike is,” Herrin said. “We’ve never turned any laps at any of these tracks on this motorcycle. The guys work really hard behind the scenes, even at Ducati Corse over in Italy just trying to compare V4 data from last year to this year to try and help us with gearing choices and things like that. It’s huge. We have guys from Ducati Corse flying in every weekend from Italy, which is insane. Just a huge shout out to those guys. It obviously wouldn’t work without them and the rest of my crew really working hard. I’m just happy to be able to get these wins. Road America, we knew going into it, it was a really tough weekend. We knew we were going to struggle there. These next two coming up are tracks that I really like and also tracks that I think will favor the V2. I’m really excited to go to Laguna. We’re doing a special livery for Medallia there, so it will be a really cool all-black bike that weekend. Just having fun. Like I said at the beginning of the year, this team has really allowed me to be myself, which is huge in my opinion for anybody. It’s hard going up to do your job, especially when there’s as much pressure as there is on all these guys to perform well, and they do a really good job at making me feel like I’m just spinning laps at a cart track or something. Just a huge shout out to everybody. Looking forward to going to Laguna and seeing a bunch of friends and family.”
North American Talent Cup – Di Mario Doubles
The North America Talent Cup was in action this weekend, and they had race two races, with one on Saturday and the second one on Sunday. The spec race series features young road racers aboard identically prepared Aprilia RS250 motorcycles.
Both races were won by B&M American Racing team’s Alessandro Di Mario, who dominated each event by more than three seconds over his closest competition. Second place in race one went to Mini Cup by Motul Championship regular Chris Clark, while fellow Mini Cupper Logan Cunnison was third.
Second place in race two went to Jesse James Shedden, who is also a Mini Cup veteran, and once again, Cunnison was third.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA LLC:
TYLER SCOTT AND VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI SCORE ANOTHER PODIUM IN WASHINGTON
The GSX-R750 Continues to Add Trophies to this Season
BREA, Calif., June 26, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer closed out the Ridge Motorsports Park weekend of the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season by adding another podium to its season tally.
While it was Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sam Lochoff who did the honors on Saturday, 16-year-old Tyler Scott took his turn in the spotlight in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Supersport contest.
Scott leaped to an early lead aboard his Suzuki GSX-R750 before settling into a race-long defense of second position. Despite facing heavy pressure on his rear wheel throughout the race, Scott kept his head and protected his racing line like a crafty veteran.
With another podium for Tyler Scott (70), he is looking to carry the momentum to Laguna Seca. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Demonstrating racecraft beyond his years, Scott managed to keep his rival corralled behind him to the checkered flag. The runner-up result was the rising star’s fourth podium finish of his rookie Supersport season.
Scott said, “All weekend we’ve been challenged with some handling issues, but we finally figured it out on the last day and made it count for the podium. I knew I had an aggressive rider on my back wheel. If I gave him an opportunity, he would have put a pass in there. The last five laps, I just put my head down and tried to keep 100% the best pace I could go.”
After a tough Race 2, Sam Lochoff (44) is ready to heal up before the upcoming round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Unfortunately, the day wasn’t nearly so kind to Lochoff. The South African, already suffering from a painful broken ankle, crashed while running in fifth early. He remounted and returned to the pits for a quick check and adjustment before returning to the fray. Lochoff was awarded a championship point for his gritty effort with a 15th-place result.
Liam Grant (90) continues to gain confidence on his GSX-R750 with a career-best sixth place. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Third Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Supersport ace Liam Grant stepped up to fill the void. The up-and-coming rider earned sixth – his best Supersport result yet – as he continues to build confidence and speed in his rookie campaign.
Meanwhile, the squad’s MotoAmerica Superbike duo scooped a pair of top-ten finishes aboard their GSX-R1000Rs as well on Sunday. Richie Escalante made good on his impressive pace at the undulating circuit with a solid sixth-place performance. The premier-class rookie made a bid for a top-five, but ultimately fell just 0.171 seconds short at the flag.
Escalante said, “To be honest, I am very happy with this weekend. Road America was very difficult for me, but I trained hard and was eager to get back on the bike at the Ridge, which I feel is easier for me to get up to speed.
After a sixth-place finish, Richie Escalante (54) is continuing to make strides aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
“I felt strong on Friday and was going well on Saturday until I had the crash. Thankfully, my body was okay and the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team worked hard to get me back in the race and we were able to get tenth. The race on Sunday felt great; I was in a competitive fight for position throughout, and I feel like we made a lot of progress. I know the areas where I need to improve and I am looking forward to Laguna Seca.”
With Jake Lewis unable to ride after suffering a broken thumb, bruised hip, and banged up elbow in Saturday’s fall, Team Hammer test rider David Anthony filled in as a substitute. The Australian proceeded to put forth a steady effort to collect a tenth-place finish for the team.
Team Hammer will next head to Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California on
July 8-10.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season marks Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 340 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Double Delight For Josh Herrin at The Ridge
The man in red put the torch to the opposition between the pine trees in MotoAmerica Supersport
Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) during Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Sunnyvale, Calif., June 26, 2022 – Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) completed a near perfect weekend at the undulating 2.5-mile venue of The Ridge in Washington State, sweeping both races for the second time this year on the Ducati Panigale V2.
Herrin’s first race saw the Californian resident wrestle the lead on lap three from Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, easing away to a comfortable 2.5-second win over Yamaha’s Rocco Landers and Suzuki’s Sam Lochoff.
If that wasn’t enough, Herrin came back for seconds in the sweltering heat on Sunday by blasting the field to record a crushing 6.3-second victory over Scott and Yamaha’s Kevin Olmedo. Herrin at times looked like he was just out for a Sunday cruise, and his wins gave him a perfect 50 points to increase his lead at the top of the standings to a massive 69 points heading into the next round at Laguna Seca on July 8-10.
2022 MotoAmerica Supersport – Top 5
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 174
P2 – Rocco Landers (Yamaha) 106
P3 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 103
P4 – Kevin Olmedo (Yamaha) 88
P5 – Samuel Lochoff (Suzuki) 83
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC): “Two wins this weekend, so I’m super happy with how everything went,” Herrin said. “We had a feeling that the Ducati Panigale V2 would work well around this track, and we were right—it has been near perfect all weekend. Our race pace was fast, and we could get a gap in both races and pull away. This is something that hasn’t happened many times in my career, so I was happy to stay consistent and make the most of it. The team worked hard all weekend, so thanks to them and thank you also to Ducati for making this Panigale V2 such a fun bike to ride.”
Schneider claims debut win as Moor crashes on final lap
The title leader crashed unhurt at Turn 15 while battling for the win; Varga and Vincze stand on the rostrum
Dustin Schneider (Goblin Racing) is a Northern Talent Cup winner after coming out on top of another thriller at the TT Circuit Assen, as a last lap fight for victory saw Rossi Moor (Farium Next Generation Riders) crash unhurt at Turn 15 – the same corner he won Race 1 at 24 hours prior. Tibor Varga (Forty Racing) claimed P2 for his second podium of the weekend, as Martin Vincze (Chrobak Motorsport Egyesület) climbed onto the box for the first time this season.
Home heroes Jurrien van Crugten (BB64 Academy) and Loris Veneman (Team NL Open Line) started from pole and P2 once again and just as we saw in Race 1, we were treated to an absolute stunner. Moor took no take in taking the lead from P4 on the grid, but the lead was changing lap after lap in Assen, no one able to break clear of the slipstream.
Heading into the closing stages, the top 12 riders were split by little over a second. It was as close as it could possibly be but Moor, at the beginning of the final lap, had a bit of breathing space. 0.6s was the Hungarian’s advantage but that was soon gone. The run out of Turn 11 all the way through to the Geert Timmer Chicane was where it came down to, as drama unfolded.
Moor was on the outside line as both Schneider and Varga slipped up the inside. Moor touched the curb on the outside of Turn 15, and this caused the number 92 to crash out of contention. Thankfully the title leader was perfectly alright as we saw Schneider negotiate the final chicane and cross the line as a winner in the NTC for the first time, the German leading home Varga and Vincze.
Lenoxx Phommara (Team Phommara) finished fourth for the second time this weekend, 0.3s from the win, as Veneman bounced back from his Race 1 disappointment to claim P5 on home turf. Sixth went to van Crugten, as Valentino Herrlich (Busch und Wagner Racing Team), Matteo Masili (Farium Next Generation Riders), second in the Cup Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) and Noa Cuypers (Junior Black Knights) completed the top 10.
Next up for the NTC riders and teams is a trip to the Czech Republic at the end of July, as they join the WorldSBK paddock in Most for Round 5 of the season.
Veteran David Anthony will replace injured Jake Lewis on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two at Ridge Motorsports Park.
Lewis broke his left thumb and suffered other, less serious injuries when he crashed early in Medallia Superbike Race One Saturday.
Lewis’ full prognosis and recovery time was not known at post time.
We will post more information as it becomes available.
Granado wins dramatic, shortened Race 2 at the Cathedral
The Brazilian cuts the gap after a stop-start second encounter for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup at Assen
Eric Granado (51) leading Mattia Casadei (27) and the others during MotoE Race Two. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 26 June 2022
Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) was rewarded for his bravery in tricky conditions as the Brazilian took victory in Race 2 of FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup at the Motul TT Assen. The number 51 scythed his way from fourth to the lead in just three laps in a contest which would be cut short due a Red Flag, with points leader Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) claiming second and Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) completing the podium.
The Red Flag saw Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) crash out and suffer contact from Marc Alcoba (Openbank Aspar Team), with the LCR rider conscious and getting a check up at the circuit before heading to local hospital in Groningen for a CT scan to his pelvis.
Before the flag was thrown, however, it was a five-wide run to the first corner when the action finally got underway, with patchy showers having twice delayed the start. Casadei came from fourth on the grid to lead the field into the first corner, while Aegerter fended off an early challenge from Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) at Strubben, and then again at De Bult, to end the opening lap in second, with Granado just behind them.
The riders had no time to waste, with the delays seing the originally distance of eight laps cut to six, and Granado was a man on a mission. He passed Ferrari as they turned into Haarbocht at the start of Lap 2 although, in doing so, he made room for Pons to follow him. A brief battle between the LCR duo ensued before Granado shook off his teammate and attacked Aegerter.
Incredibly, as the rain flags flew again, Granado passed Aegerter around the outside of the high-speed Ramshoek left-hander, then went down the inside of Casadei when they arrived at Haarbocht again on Lap 3. Ferrari got back underneath Pons three corners further around at the Ossebroeken complex and, unfortunately, that was just the start of the LCR rider’s troubles.
Exiting the following corner, De Strubben, Pons highsided and was thrown from his motorcycle. Running two bikes back, Marc Alcoba was unable to avoid it and also crashed. Alcoba eventually remounted but, as Pons was initially attended to at the side of the track, the race was red flagged during Lap 4. Soon after news came through it would not restart, and instead half points would be awarded.
Granado is therefore classified the winner, ahead of Aegerter, Casadei, Ferrari, Niccolo Canepa (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team), Alex Escrig (Tech3 E-Racing), Kevin Manfredi (Octo Pramac MotoE™), Maria Herrera (OpenBank Aspar Team), Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta Sic58 Squadracorse), and Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing).
In the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup standings, Aegerter has now moved to 158 points, but Granado closes in slightly in second on 126.5 points, with Ferrari third but on 112.5. Action in the electric class resumes with the Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg on August 19-21!
MotoE™ PODIUM
1 Eric Granado – LCR E-Team – Energica – 05’21.0940
Eric Granado: “It was a strange win for me, just three laps. I knew that the conditions were going to change during the race, even if it’s just six laps, so I was just trying to be at the front as soon as I can. I just tried to be there and if the Red Flag came, I was in first position, and finally it came. It’s strange to win a three-lap race, but I’m happy. I want to say thank you to them team because yesterday was so close and I slept with a little strange feeling, but today it’s good. It’s not so good that it’s just half points in the championship but anyway, I take it and it’s good for confidence for the next race.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio (left) and Alex Marquez (right) with Gresini Racing Team Owner Nadia Padovani Gresini (center). Photo courtesy Gresini Racing.
HERE IS GRESINI MOTOGP’S LINE UP FOR 2023 FABIO IS CONFIRMED; MARQUEZ TO JOIN THE SQUAD
Our first official news for 2023 is here: Team Gresini MotoGP have selected Alex Marquez to replace Enea Bastianini – who will race a factory-spec Ducati machine starting next year. The Faenza-based squad looks once again at the wealth of talent from Spain, a country that always had strong ties and success with the team: from Gibernau to Martin, but also Toni Elias, Alvaro Bautista and Emilio Alzamora, who currently manages rider #73.
Born in Cervera, Alex Marquez has a top-level CV: he was Moto3 and Moto2 World Champion in 2014 and 2019, respectively, with a tally of 40 podiums that include 12 race wins – and two second places in the premier class back in 2020. The experienced 26-year-old will tackle his fourth season in the series, the first one with Ducati machinery.
Alongside the Spaniard will be Fabio Di Giannantonio, who is currently having great success tackling his rookie MotoGP season with Gresini. The Italian, who despite his young age has a long history with the squad, is among the contenders for Rookie of the Year 2022. He already has a pole position in the premier class and an eighth place as a best result.
#73 – ALEX MARQUEZ
“I’m really happy to announce that I’ll be joining Team Gresini MotoGP, and I’m also very excited to be starting this new adventure: it was crucial for me to change in order to recover the same type of motivation I had when I first joined this class. This was the best option for me, with a team that helped writing the history of this championship. I would like to thank Nadia, Carlo and all the GR staff for believing in me. I still have half a season left to do my best before starting 2023 with top motivation.”
#49 – FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“I’m really happy to extend my partnership with this team, which is like a family to me. It’s great because we’ll continue on this learning curve, and we’ll be doing so with a Ducati – and that makes me very happy. Continuity is key in MotoGP in order to be able to work on myself to be the best possible. We have been working on this contract extension for a little while, and now we can finally announce it. Obviously the goals will be higher: we’ll be using this second part of the season to improve our results and then next year I really want to make that step up.”
NADIA PADOVANI GRESINI – TEAM OWNER
“I’m really happy with this new project. First of all we’re confirming our continuation with Fabio Di Giannantonio. He has already shown his talent this year, as he has been improving race after race, and I’m sure that he’ll keep getting more competitive. We were looking to put a more experienced rider alongside him, and I think Alex Marquez is the perfect one for our team. His CV speaks for itself: we think he has great potential and that the Desmosedici machine may be the perfect companion on his new journey. Welcome to the family, Alex!”
Gagne Completes Perfect Weekend At Ridge Motorsports Park
Jake Gagne Moves To Second In Championship With Fifth Win Of The Year
Jake Gagne (1) leads Cameron Petersen (45), Danilo Petrucci (9), and Mathew Scholtz (11) early in MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2022) – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne had a perfect weekend in the Pacific Northwest, the defending MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Champion breaking the lap record at Ridge Motorsports Park while qualifying on pole position, and then winning both Superbike races over the course of the Dynapac MotoAmerica Superbikes At The Ridge weekend.
If his rivals weren’t already worried, they should be now. Gagne looks to be on the verge of going on a roll like he did during his 17-victory, championship-winning season of 2021. Although a rough start to the 2022 season means Gagne only has six podium finishes in the 10 races held thus far, five of those podiums have been victories.
With five rounds (10 races) in the books, Gagne has now closed to within 11 points of championship leader Danilo Petrucci, the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R-mounted Italian earning his second podium of the weekend on Sunday at Ridge with a second-place finish to Gagne.
Gagne’s teammate Cameron Petersen also had a solid weekend with two podium finishes, the South African splitting second- and third-place finishes with Petrucci.
In typical Gagne fashion, the Colorado resident stormed off to a flying start, put his head down for the first five laps to open a gap on his pursuers and then maintained that lead for the duration of the 16-lap race. At the finish line, Gagne was 4.578 seconds clear of Petrucci, who in turn was just a second ahead of Petersen. The win was the 22nd AMA Superbike victory of Gagne’s career, all of which have come in the MotoAmerica era.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz matched his fourth-place finish from Saturday with another fourth on Sunday, the South African losing his hold on second in the title chase to Gagne after holding it for the first nine races.
Fifth for the second day in a row was Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera, the Spaniard beating Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante by just .171 of a second. Those two were well clear of Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim who barely got the better of his Yuasa Stock 1000 Championship rival Corey Alexander and his Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW M 1000 RR.
Tytlers Cycle’s PJ Jacobsen was a lonely ninth with David Anthony riding the injured Jake Lewis’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki to 10th.
For the first time all year, Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates failed to score a point with the Georgian crashing out of the race for his first DNF. Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Travis Wyman was another who crashed out of the race.
Petrucci leads Gagne by 11, 176-165, after 10 races. Scholtz is third with 159 points, 20 better than Petersen. Barbera rounds out the top five in the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike point standings with 101 points.
Jake Gagne – Winner
“It was a good weekend. I’ve always liked this track. It’s really technical, lots of ups and downs. We’ve had a lot of great weekends, but this is one of those tracks that really suits the Yamaha, for sure. After yesterday and all those red flags, it was kind of crazy, got off to a bunch of good starts. Today I knew these guys… everybody stepped it up and had a little more pace in them today than yesterday. So, I knew if I could lead into turn one, I had to push as hard as I could for four or five laps and see if I could have a gap or not. Luckily, I was able to have some clean laps and kind of get a gap. It was a fun race. Kind of flew by pretty quick. I knew those guys were probably battling hard back there. I’m happy to be back on track. I think the first couple races were tough on us. There were some things that we finally figured out with the front end of the motorcycle that I finally feel comfortable on now. So, just hats off to the crew because they just don’t stop working hard. We keep making progress. We know we’ve got to because these guys are making progress every weekend as well.”
Danilo Petrucci – Second Place
“I can be happy, for sure. I hoped before the race to have a better start and stay with Jake (Gagne), but I had a quite good start, but Jake and Cameron (Petersen) were better than me. I tried my best. At the beginning I was not really good. Then I tried to manage all the chattering, all the issues with the bike. For sure, it’s been really, really tough weekend. It started quite good in FP1, but at the end of FP1, our problems began. We miss a lot of confidence because we have these kinds of issues with the electronics side that cover my feeling. We are investigating why. But it’s not an excuse. Jake today was unbelievably fast, another level. Big congrats to him and also to Cam. I passed him (Petersen) and I knew I wasn’t able to close the gap with Jake, so I tried to defend my position. Happy to go away with two podiums. Cannot wait to go to Laguna, even if my last time was 2013 with MotoGP. Like another era. Happy to be here.”
Cameron Petersen – Third Place
“It was a rough race, honestly. I could tell Jake (Gagne), even getting ready in the riders’ lounge and stuff, I knew he was going to drop the hammer and have something a little bit different for us today. So, I tried the first few laps, but, honestly, he was just on another level. It was a really tough race. Not making excuses or anything, but about six or seven laps into the race I developed a chatter that I haven’t had all weekend. So, tried to ride around that. I was just really struggling to get into corners and turn the bike through some of the longer stuff. But regardless, we’re walking away from the Ridge with two podiums, a second and third, so I’ll take it. Honestly, I believe it’s only up from here. Just doing good work with the team. I’m learning so much from Jake. I’m having so much fun. Looking forward to the rest of the season.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Danilo Petrucci Puts It On The Box In The Sweltering Washington Heat
Petrucci keeps his championship lead after carding a third and second on the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 SBK
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Sunnyvale, Calif., June 26, 2022 – Despite several setbacks in the boiling heat of Washington State, Danilo Petrucci showed his mettle by staying on top of the points standings for the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship after taking a third and second place finishes.
On the Italian’s first visit to the undulating 2.5-mile circuit nestled between the pine trees of Shelton, Washington, Petrucci’s third place in race one came after two red flag disruptions. Given Petrucci suffered a technical issue on Friday which curtailed much of his riding for the day, he and the team were happy with the race one result and went into Sunday’s race two determined to close the gap to the factory Yamahas.
A race-long battle with Yamaha’s Cameron Petersen ensued, Petrucci eventually getting the better of the South African to take second place.
With a week off before the next round at Laguna Seca on July 8-10, Petrucci will take rest and come back strong, determined to build on his now 11-point championship lead over Gagne.
2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Top Five
P1 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 176
P2 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 165
P3 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 159
P4 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 139
P5 – Hector Barbera (BMW) 101
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9): “It has been a tough weekend,” Petrucci said. “I am happy I am still leading the championship but for sure, we need to focus because now we start from zero (at Laguna Seca) as we are more or less the same points as Jake, who is riding very well. It’s a long time ago that I last won a race in Road Atlanta, and we need to recover that speed so we can continue to fight for the championship.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Two Fours For The Double-One At Ridge Motorsports Park
Mathew Scholtz (11). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Shelton, WA – June 26, 2022 – Mathew Scholtz, rider of the #11 Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, followed up his fourth-place finish in Saturday’s MotoAmerica Superbike race one with another fourth-place result in Sunday’s race two.
Finishing just off the podium in both races would be considered a pretty good weekend for most MotoAmerica Superbike teams, but it was cold comfort for Mathew and Westby Racing. They came into the weekend in second place and just 10 points behind the championship leader, but they leave the Pacific Northwest in third place and now 17 points behind the championship leader.
For whatever reason, Ridge Motorsports Park has always been a tough track for Mathew. In the three years that MotoAmerica has been going there, he’s finished second once, fourth a total of four times, and fifth once. All top-five results, but for a rider and team of Mathew’s and Westby Racing’s caliber, Ridge has been an annual challenge.
On Sunday, Mathew got a good jump off the line from fifth position, in the middle of the second row, and he overtook Hector Barbera and slotted into fourth behind Danilo Petrucci in short fashion. As the laps wound down, Mathew’s race pace closed the gap on the frontrunners, but there just weren’t enough laps left for him to improve his position.
“Another fourth place obviously wasn’t what we were looking for,” Mathew lamented. “But Ridge has always been the worst track for us as a team and for me as a rider. Yesterday’s race, we got fourth, but we weren’t even close. Today, we were fourth again, but we improved our race pace by almost a second every lap. We managed to close in on the battle for second in the latter half of the race. Overall, I think you could call it a positive day, but two fourths are not what we want or need. We most certainly have the package to be battling up front. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that, at Ridge, we would get two fourths, I would have taken it. But, considering how well everything has gone so far this year, it’s obviously a disappointment. We’ve got Vitto (Bolognesi) as our data person now, and this is our first race weekend with him, so we need to give him time to figure things out. Overall, it puts us in a really good spot for the rest of the season. The tracks we go to for the second half of the season really suit me, so I’m looking forward to those. Thank you to my Westby Racing team for working hard this weekend, and let’s get ready for Laguna.”
The Westby Racing team will be back in action for round six of the 2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, which takes place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, on July 8 through 10.
Kayla Yaakov Makes History With Victory At Ridge Motorsports Park
15-Year-Old Yaakov Becomes First Female To Win A MotoAmerica Race
SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2022) – Anthony Mazziotto, Josh Herrin and Corey Alexander completed perfect weekends at Ridge Motorsports Park on Sunday with victories in Twins Cup, Supersport and Yuasa Stock 1000, respectively, but it was Kayla Yaakov who made history on a scorching hot day in the Pacific Northwest.
Yaakov became the first female racer to win a MotoAmerica race on Sunday when she stormed to victory in the SporbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race, leading the majority of the laps, including the only one that really mattered. The victory came just days after the Pennsylvanian celebrated her 15th birthday and it was a popular victory that was embraced by everyone in the MotoAmerica paddock.
Yuasa Stock 1000 – Alexander Perfect
The grid at the start of Stock 1000 Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
In Sunday’s Yuasa Stock 1000 race two, Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW rider Corey Alexander followed up his Saturday race one victory with another win. In fact, Corey is undefeated at Ridge. The New Yorker has won every Stock 1000 race at the Pacific Northwest track since MotoAmerica started racing at Ridge in 2020.
Alexander withstood a challenge from Hayden Gillim, who made an attempt to overtake Alexander, but ran out of track and had to take to the grass, which ruined his chance at a podium. Instead, it was a 1-2 finish for Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW with Alexander’s teammate Travis Wyman. Local rider Andy DiBrino finished third, the Precision Iron Works/DiBrino Racing Kawasaki rider notching his second MotoAmerica podium in as many days.
“Unfortunately, it’s a bummer that (Gillim) ran off like that, but it is good for us in the points standings,” Alexander said. “I’m honestly trying not to focus too much on that. Two rounds ago I’m like, ‘I’m out of this thing. I’m just going to go out and have fun and try to win races.’ That’s literally all we focused on, and we’re back in the points lead, which is pretty surreal. Moving forward, I just want to keep doing the same thing. I just want to keep pushing the envelope and trying to win more races. If we win more races, then the championship will come. Really excited to be up here with Travis again. That’s our goal. We want to be one and two every weekend, whether it’s him or I. Everyone puts a lot of effort into this team. It’s a big structure, for sure.”
Twins Cup – Mazziotto Perfecto
Anthony Mazziotto (516) won the Twins Cup final for the second day in a row with a victory over Hayden Schultz (49) and Cody Wyman (34). Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing Aprilia rider Anthony Mazziotto is from New Jersey, but his weekend in the Pacific Northwest couldn’t have gone better. First, he earned the pole position and the high-dollar timepiece that came from Wilbur Watch Company for being the fastest qualifier in the Twins Cup class. He then followed that up with a win in Saturday’s race one and capped things off with the win on Sunday, as well. Second place went to Cycle Tech Yamaha rider Hayden Schultz, who improved by one position from his third-place result on Saturday. Third on Sunday went to Alpha Omega rider Cody Wyman.
“I knew the last lap was the lap that I wanted to make the pass on, I just wasn’t sure what corner I wanted to do it in,” said Mazziotto. “I got a good run-on Hayden coming up the blind kink coming into that real sharp left-hander. He covered that really tight, and I couldn’t get in there. Chopped my wheel off a little bit, so I had to slam on the binders a little hard. But then I knew coming out of that corner it was either up in the corkscrew or that was it. That was my last shot. He actually pulled a little bit of a gap on me since I got a bad drive out of that corner that he cut my nose off on. I just hammered down the throttle and just went really, really deep into that corkscrew. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was going to get it stopped. I started folding the front there at the apex and almost went up onto the curb. I heard him coming around the outside of me, so I knew I just had to keep it tight through the last two corners and maybe I was going to have it at the line. It turned out that way. Couldn’t get the drive out of the last corner, and we were able to hold onto it.”
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – Yaakov Makes History
Kayla Yaakov (31) became the first female to win a MotoAmerica race when she took victory in Sunday’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
History was made in Sunday’s SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race as Altus Motorsports Kawasaki rider Kayla Yaakov became the first female rider in history to win a MotoAmerica race. Yaakov, who turned just 15 years old on Friday, had been knocking on the door of a victory for the past few rounds, and she had recorded four third place finishes so far this season. And then, in Sunday’s race two, after leading the morning warmup, Yaakov got her breakthrough win.
Second place went to SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki rider Joseph LiMandri Jr., who was battling a respiratory infection but managed to get through the weekend and notched two podium finishes in the process. Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing Kawasaki rider Gus Rodio finished third as a follow-up to his win on Sunday.
“Since Atlanta, it’s been a big thing, even before Atlanta, even before I started really racing, this is where I wanted to be.” Said Yaakov. “To do it is really cool. This is crazy. It’s actually really cool to be up here with these guys because I’ve raced with them both. We all started around the same time, and it’s really cool.”
Supersport – Herrin Again
Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) in the Supersport race on Sunday at Ridge. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Like Corey Alexander in Stock 1000 and Anthony Mazziotto in Twins Cup, Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC rider Josh Herrin also had a perfect weekend at Ridge. Herrin earned the pole, won Saturday’s race one and also won Sunday’s race two. It was a dominant victory for Herrin, who crossed the finish line more than six seconds ahead of second-place finisher Tyler Scott aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki. N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha rider Kevin Olmedo finished third for his first podium result so far this season.
“It’s pretty unbelievable how good this bike is,” Herrin said. “We’ve never turned any laps at any of these tracks on this motorcycle. The guys work really hard behind the scenes, even at Ducati Corse over in Italy just trying to compare V4 data from last year to this year to try and help us with gearing choices and things like that. It’s huge. We have guys from Ducati Corse flying in every weekend from Italy, which is insane. Just a huge shout out to those guys. It obviously wouldn’t work without them and the rest of my crew really working hard. I’m just happy to be able to get these wins. Road America, we knew going into it, it was a really tough weekend. We knew we were going to struggle there. These next two coming up are tracks that I really like and also tracks that I think will favor the V2. I’m really excited to go to Laguna. We’re doing a special livery for Medallia there, so it will be a really cool all-black bike that weekend. Just having fun. Like I said at the beginning of the year, this team has really allowed me to be myself, which is huge in my opinion for anybody. It’s hard going up to do your job, especially when there’s as much pressure as there is on all these guys to perform well, and they do a really good job at making me feel like I’m just spinning laps at a cart track or something. Just a huge shout out to everybody. Looking forward to going to Laguna and seeing a bunch of friends and family.”
North American Talent Cup – Di Mario Doubles
The North America Talent Cup was in action this weekend, and they had race two races, with one on Saturday and the second one on Sunday. The spec race series features young road racers aboard identically prepared Aprilia RS250 motorcycles.
Both races were won by B&M American Racing team’s Alessandro Di Mario, who dominated each event by more than three seconds over his closest competition. Second place in race one went to Mini Cup by Motul Championship regular Chris Clark, while fellow Mini Cupper Logan Cunnison was third.
Second place in race two went to Jesse James Shedden, who is also a Mini Cup veteran, and once again, Cunnison was third.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA LLC:
TYLER SCOTT AND VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI SCORE ANOTHER PODIUM IN WASHINGTON
The GSX-R750 Continues to Add Trophies to this Season
BREA, Calif., June 26, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer closed out the Ridge Motorsports Park weekend of the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing season by adding another podium to its season tally.
While it was Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sam Lochoff who did the honors on Saturday, 16-year-old Tyler Scott took his turn in the spotlight in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Supersport contest.
Scott leaped to an early lead aboard his Suzuki GSX-R750 before settling into a race-long defense of second position. Despite facing heavy pressure on his rear wheel throughout the race, Scott kept his head and protected his racing line like a crafty veteran.
With another podium for Tyler Scott (70), he is looking to carry the momentum to Laguna Seca. Photo courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Demonstrating racecraft beyond his years, Scott managed to keep his rival corralled behind him to the checkered flag. The runner-up result was the rising star’s fourth podium finish of his rookie Supersport season.
Scott said, “All weekend we’ve been challenged with some handling issues, but we finally figured it out on the last day and made it count for the podium. I knew I had an aggressive rider on my back wheel. If I gave him an opportunity, he would have put a pass in there. The last five laps, I just put my head down and tried to keep 100% the best pace I could go.”
After a tough Race 2, Sam Lochoff (44) is ready to heal up before the upcoming round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Unfortunately, the day wasn’t nearly so kind to Lochoff. The South African, already suffering from a painful broken ankle, crashed while running in fifth early. He remounted and returned to the pits for a quick check and adjustment before returning to the fray. Lochoff was awarded a championship point for his gritty effort with a 15th-place result.
Liam Grant (90) continues to gain confidence on his GSX-R750 with a career-best sixth place. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Third Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Supersport ace Liam Grant stepped up to fill the void. The up-and-coming rider earned sixth – his best Supersport result yet – as he continues to build confidence and speed in his rookie campaign.
Meanwhile, the squad’s MotoAmerica Superbike duo scooped a pair of top-ten finishes aboard their GSX-R1000Rs as well on Sunday. Richie Escalante made good on his impressive pace at the undulating circuit with a solid sixth-place performance. The premier-class rookie made a bid for a top-five, but ultimately fell just 0.171 seconds short at the flag.
Escalante said, “To be honest, I am very happy with this weekend. Road America was very difficult for me, but I trained hard and was eager to get back on the bike at the Ridge, which I feel is easier for me to get up to speed.
After a sixth-place finish, Richie Escalante (54) is continuing to make strides aboard his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
“I felt strong on Friday and was going well on Saturday until I had the crash. Thankfully, my body was okay and the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team worked hard to get me back in the race and we were able to get tenth. The race on Sunday felt great; I was in a competitive fight for position throughout, and I feel like we made a lot of progress. I know the areas where I need to improve and I am looking forward to Laguna Seca.”
With Jake Lewis unable to ride after suffering a broken thumb, bruised hip, and banged up elbow in Saturday’s fall, Team Hammer test rider David Anthony filled in as a substitute. The Australian proceeded to put forth a steady effort to collect a tenth-place finish for the team.
Team Hammer will next head to Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California on
July 8-10.
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2022 season marks Team Hammer’s 42nd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 340 times, and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport.) The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati North America:
Double Delight For Josh Herrin at The Ridge
The man in red put the torch to the opposition between the pine trees in MotoAmerica Supersport
Josh Herrin (2) leads Tyler Scott (70), Sam Lochoff (44), and Kevin Olmedo (16) during Race Two. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Ducati North America.
Sunnyvale, Calif., June 26, 2022 – Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) completed a near perfect weekend at the undulating 2.5-mile venue of The Ridge in Washington State, sweeping both races for the second time this year on the Ducati Panigale V2.
Herrin’s first race saw the Californian resident wrestle the lead on lap three from Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, easing away to a comfortable 2.5-second win over Yamaha’s Rocco Landers and Suzuki’s Sam Lochoff.
If that wasn’t enough, Herrin came back for seconds in the sweltering heat on Sunday by blasting the field to record a crushing 6.3-second victory over Scott and Yamaha’s Kevin Olmedo. Herrin at times looked like he was just out for a Sunday cruise, and his wins gave him a perfect 50 points to increase his lead at the top of the standings to a massive 69 points heading into the next round at Laguna Seca on July 8-10.
2022 MotoAmerica Supersport – Top 5
P1 – Josh Herrin (Ducati) 174
P2 – Rocco Landers (Yamaha) 106
P3 – Tyler Scott (Suzuki) 103
P4 – Kevin Olmedo (Yamaha) 88
P5 – Samuel Lochoff (Suzuki) 83
Josh Herrin (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC): “Two wins this weekend, so I’m super happy with how everything went,” Herrin said. “We had a feeling that the Ducati Panigale V2 would work well around this track, and we were right—it has been near perfect all weekend. Our race pace was fast, and we could get a gap in both races and pull away. This is something that hasn’t happened many times in my career, so I was happy to stay consistent and make the most of it. The team worked hard all weekend, so thanks to them and thank you also to Ducati for making this Panigale V2 such a fun bike to ride.”
Schneider claims debut win as Moor crashes on final lap
The title leader crashed unhurt at Turn 15 while battling for the win; Varga and Vincze stand on the rostrum
Dustin Schneider (Goblin Racing) is a Northern Talent Cup winner after coming out on top of another thriller at the TT Circuit Assen, as a last lap fight for victory saw Rossi Moor (Farium Next Generation Riders) crash unhurt at Turn 15 – the same corner he won Race 1 at 24 hours prior. Tibor Varga (Forty Racing) claimed P2 for his second podium of the weekend, as Martin Vincze (Chrobak Motorsport Egyesület) climbed onto the box for the first time this season.
Home heroes Jurrien van Crugten (BB64 Academy) and Loris Veneman (Team NL Open Line) started from pole and P2 once again and just as we saw in Race 1, we were treated to an absolute stunner. Moor took no take in taking the lead from P4 on the grid, but the lead was changing lap after lap in Assen, no one able to break clear of the slipstream.
Heading into the closing stages, the top 12 riders were split by little over a second. It was as close as it could possibly be but Moor, at the beginning of the final lap, had a bit of breathing space. 0.6s was the Hungarian’s advantage but that was soon gone. The run out of Turn 11 all the way through to the Geert Timmer Chicane was where it came down to, as drama unfolded.
Moor was on the outside line as both Schneider and Varga slipped up the inside. Moor touched the curb on the outside of Turn 15, and this caused the number 92 to crash out of contention. Thankfully the title leader was perfectly alright as we saw Schneider negotiate the final chicane and cross the line as a winner in the NTC for the first time, the German leading home Varga and Vincze.
Lenoxx Phommara (Team Phommara) finished fourth for the second time this weekend, 0.3s from the win, as Veneman bounced back from his Race 1 disappointment to claim P5 on home turf. Sixth went to van Crugten, as Valentino Herrlich (Busch und Wagner Racing Team), Matteo Masili (Farium Next Generation Riders), second in the Cup Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) and Noa Cuypers (Junior Black Knights) completed the top 10.
Next up for the NTC riders and teams is a trip to the Czech Republic at the end of July, as they join the WorldSBK paddock in Most for Round 5 of the season.
Veteran David Anthony will replace injured Jake Lewis on the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 in Sunday’s MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race Two at Ridge Motorsports Park.
Lewis broke his left thumb and suffered other, less serious injuries when he crashed early in Medallia Superbike Race One Saturday.
Lewis’ full prognosis and recovery time was not known at post time.
We will post more information as it becomes available.
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