Featured In the June 2022 issue of Roadracing World:
At the pointy end of our ECU/IMU-moderated 200-horsepower engines and computer-modeled chassis, we have the humble pneumatic tire.
Although modern tires would be clearly recognizable by last century engineers as, well, tires, the black art of chemistry and catalysts has allowed modern tire designers to craft an array of multi-compound dynamic-carcass tires in the pursuit of the same goal: Sticking well while lasting as long as possible.
On the race track that useful life is measured in minutes, while on the road we want tires where tire life can be measured in thousands of kilometers (or miles). Of course, bike designers make life hard on tires by stacking on the horsepower and narrowing up the engines so riders can lean further and deliver ever increasing amounts of torque to the rear contact patch.In every system there are different parameters which usually work in opposition to each other…
“Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa Intro,” by Sam Fleming
Pirelli set out to build an improved version of the company’s already excellent hypersport tire, one that has durability for the highway, race tire grip for the corners and, best of all, would allow us to take a bike straight from a mountain road to a racetrack without swapping tires. That tire is the Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa (DR4C), and Sam Fleming’s impressions of it after blasting though Italian roads and on the track at Mugello are in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.
Provisional Mission Production Twins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Cory Texter (Yam), 20 laps
2. Jesse Janisch (Har), -01.463 seconds
3. Billy Ross (Har), -07.933
4. Cameron Smith (Yam), -08.544
5. Cole Zabala (Yam), -10.783
6. Ryan Wells (Kaw), -17.550
7. Patrick Buchanan (Kaw), -19.572
8. Jeremiah Duffy (Kaw), -21.226
9. Nick Armstrong (Yam), -26.793
10. Danny Eslick (Kaw), -1 lap, -00.401
11. Cody Johncox (Yam), -1 lap, -07.496
12. Mitch Harvat (Kaw), -1 lap, -07.971
13. Brandon Newman (Kaw), -1 lap, -14.736
14. Johnny Lewis (Roy), -6 laps
15. Ben Lowe (Har), -18 laps
16. Ryan Varnes (KTM), -20 laps
17. Jordan Harris (Kaw), -20 laps
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Kody Kopp (KTM), 21 laps
2. Tom Drane (KTM), -04.120 seconds
3. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -07.512
4. Dalton Gauthier (Hon), -16.552
5. James Ott (KTM), -17.098
6. Trevor Brunner (Yam), -18.122
7. Morgen Mischler (Hon), -18.706
8. Trent Lowe (Hon), -22.025
9. Hunter Bauer (KTM), -23.759
10. Brandon Kitchen (Hus), -24.785
11. Tyler Raggio (Hon), -25.556
12. Kevin Stollings (Hon), -1 lap, -01.670
13. Jared Lowe (Hon), -1 lap, -02.400
14. Travis Petton (KTM), -1 lap, -04.004
15. Damon Ream (Hon), -1 lap, -13.663
16. Justin Jones (Hon), -1 lap, -16.184
17. Aidan RoosEvans (Hon), -7 laps
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Brandon Robinson (Ind), 25 laps
2. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -02.766 seconds
3. Jared Mees (Ind), -03.903
4. Briar Bauman (Ind), -05.044
5. JD Beach (Yam), -06.341
6. Bronson Bauman (Har), -12.748
7. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -13.127
8. Davis Fisher (Ind), -13.598
9. Cory Texter (PT) (Yam), -1 lap, -01.273
10. Brandon Price (KTM), -1 lap, -10.944
11. Jesse Janisch (PT) (Har), -1 lap, -15.132
12. Shayna Texter-Bauman (Ind), -1 lap, -25.203
13. Robert Pearson (Kaw), -12 laps
14. Cameron Smith (PT) (Yam), -15 laps
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track:
Robinson Comes Up Huge in Lima Half-Mile
Brandon Robinson (44). Photo courtesy AFT.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 25, 2022) – A rejuvenated Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) earned his first victory of the 2022 Progressive American Flat Track season in Saturday’s Mission Lima Half-Mile at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio.
Over the few several seasons, Robinson has established himself as the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle rider most likely to steal the occasional win away from class dominators Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) and Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750).
However, on this night, Robinson had to overcome the challenge of the series’ newest star in Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) to get to the checkered flag first. The rookie looked to be the race favorite prior to the Main but gave himself a big task by getting shuffled down from pole to sixth at the start.
So instead, it was Daniels’ teammate, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), who took point early on despite searching for pace all day long. Beach actually gapped the field by nearly a second in the early going before the likes of Robinson, Bauman, Mees, and Daniels really got rolling.
Robinson was the first one by and built up a one-a-half-second lead of his own by the time Daniels arrived in second with some six minutes remaining on the clock. The Yamaha pilot steadily ate away at that gap, drawing near enough to crisscross in front of Robinson momentarily with his low-to-high line with less than three minutes remaining.
The Mission Roof Systems rider was up for the challenge, adjusting his line to tighten his grip on the race. Daniels eventually conceded, allowing Robinson to secure the win with a 2.766-second margin of victory.
The breakthrough was Robinson’s second Lima triumph, the first coming back in 2016. Afterward, he said, “We needed this. This year has been an absolute struggle for us… My team hasn’t given up, and they gave me a great motorcycle. All the guys pitch in and make this fun. Man, I needed this big. I can’t wait to go to the next one now.”
Reigning champion and current points leader Mees worked his way past Bauman late to round out the podium, while Beach came home in fifth behind the two works Indian runners. Mees’ championship advantage was reduced slightly as a result; he now leads Daniels 139-127, while Bauman (115) and Beach (112) remain solidly in contention.
Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) finished in sixth just ahead of Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750).
Cory Texter (No. 100 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) was the top Mission Production Twins Challenge entrant in ninth, while Brandon Price (No. 92 Pro One Industries/Mission Foods KTM Duke 890) rounded out the top ten in his first ride aboard the KTM.
Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
In recent weeks, defending Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) has been quietly keeping his hopes for a third and final class crown alive by clawing his way to gritty seconds, thirds, and fourths on nights he just didn’t have the speed to contend for the win.
Texter was anything but quiet on Saturday night at Allen County Fairgrounds, however, registering a lopsided victory to narrow the gap to title leader Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) to just a single point (132-131).
Texter, Janisch, and Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) exploited the multiple nature of the circuit to each take a turn at the lead on the opening lap of the Main Event. But by lap two, Texter had seized control and he would never relent.
Janisch both kept Texter honest and minimized the damage with a steady ride to second at a track he’s never completely gelled with.
The win was Texter’s second of the season and his (and Yamaha’s) first ever at Lima. He said, “I’ve been coming here since I was two years old – maybe younger. Last year, I was all angry on the podium. I knew I could do better here. I rode really hard at the beginning and then just brought it home. This is my last Lima, and this is one I’m going to miss. It’s such an iconic track. It feels amazing to finally win here.”
Billy Ross (No. 109 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) proved his win at Laconia was no fluke by following up that maiden victory with a second-career podium. It didn’t come easily, however, as he only just managed to fend off a charging Cameron Smith (No. 34 Thee Cathy Gray/Al Barker Yamaha MT-07).
Smith, who boasted terrific speed all day, encountered unwelcome bike issues just prior to the start and was forced to move to the back of the grid. Despite that, Smith powered through the pelting roost of the field to finish in fourth, just over a half-second back of the box.
Cole Zabala (No. 51 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Yamaha MT-07) finished another two seconds back, equaling his best finish of the year in fifth.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
With each successive race, Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) continues to further the case that he’s the odds-on favorite to claim this year’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER crown.
At Lima, Kopp scored a second consecutive blowout victory, his fourth win among six top-twos in just seven attempts this season. The emerging superstar gapped the field within a single lap and then piled it on from there, ultimately winning with more than four seconds in hand.
Kopp’s mastery was reminiscent of that of his father, 2000 Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, who won at the circuit three times.
The secret? Kody said, “Holeshots win races here, especially in this Lima pea-gravel. So we did our job and got a good start, and that’s pretty much all we had to do, honestly.”
While there was little drama in deciding the podium, the race still proved to be a spectacular showcase for the future stars of the sport. Joining 17-year-old Kopp in the spotlight were a pair of 16-year-old phenoms.
Australian Tom Drane (No. 359 Construction Supply Specialists/ICCONS KTM 450 SX-F) earned a remarkable runner-up result in his Progressive AFT debut while Rookie of the Year hopeful Chase Saathoff (No. 106 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) scooped up his second consecutive third-place finish.
No other rider finished within 16 seconds of the runaway Kopp.
Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) came home fourth, while James Ott (No. 19 MediaHT/G&G Racing KTM 450 SX-F) won out in a tight scrap for fifth ahead of Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R).
As a result of Kopp’s win and Mischler’s seventh, Kopp now boasts a rather hefty 31-point advantage (155-134) in a quickly tilting title fight.
The Mission Lima Half-Mile will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, July 3, at 11:00 a.m. ET/8:00 a.m, PT, including exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary.
Next Up:
The 2022 Progressive AFT season picks right back up next weekend with the Mission New York Short Track presented by Mad Max Indian Motorcycle at Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, New York, on Saturday, July 2. Gates will open for fans at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT ahead of the evening’s Main Event program.
You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FansChoice.tv. FansChoice.tv provides free-to-view livestreaming of Practice and Qualifying. FansChoice.tv subscribers will then be able to watch the drama unfold from Opening Ceremonies through the Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations. FansChoice.tv offers two subscription options, granting unlimited access to premium AFT content. Monthly subscriptions start at just $7.99, while a six-month subscription is available for $44.99.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
How to Watch:
OX Sports and FansChoice.tv are the official homes for coverage of Progressive American Flat Track. For the 2022 season, all races will premiere in one-hour telecasts on FS1 during highly desirable weekend time slots. The complete schedule can be viewed at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports. FansChoice.tv provides livestreaming coverage of every Progressive AFT round at http://www.FansChoice.tv.
Gagne Dominates Red-Flag Interrupted MotoAmerica Medallia Superbikes At Ridge Motorsports Park
Defending Class Champion Wins In Pacific Northwest For Fourth Victory Of The Season
Jake Gagne (1) leads Cameron Petersen (45) in Medallia Superbike Race One at The Ridge. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
SHELTON, WA (June 25, 2022) – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne doesn’t lay in bed at night thinking about the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship point standings. He focuses on the present and the present is all about winning races. On a hot and sunny day in the Pacific Northwest, Gagne made it through three starts in the red-flag-interrupted race to win for the fourth time in 2022 – a few hours after earning pole position with a lap-record-setting performance at Ridge Motorsports Park.
Gagne led every practice session and both qualifying sessions, then went out and led all three starts on Saturday. In other words, no one ever led him. Oh, yeah, don’t tell him but he’s also now climbed to within 16 points of championship leader Danilo Petrucci.
Gagne’s victory at Ridge was the 21st of his Superbike career and it was typical Gagne. Get the holeshot, pull a gap and maintain said gap to the finish.
After a final portion of the race that lasted just eight laps, Gagne crossed the finish line 3.935 seconds ahead of his teammate Cameron Petersen, the South African earning his fifth podium of the year and keeping Gagne honest for the duration.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Petrucci ended up third, the Italian benefitting from the second red flag as he crashed in turn one just moments after Jake Lewis’ crash in the last corner brought a premature stop to the race. Petrucci was able to get his bike back to pit lane where his crew replaced a broken left footpeg. Petrucci was a bit more cautious on the third start and it took him longer to get to third place. Once there, he settled in and brought the Panigale V4 R home for his seventh podium finish of the season.
Petrucci’s fourth-place finish allowed him to extend his lead in the championship over Mathew Scholtz to 10 points with the South African finishing fourth on Saturday.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera was less than a second behind Scholtz and some four seconds ahead of Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates.
Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander was seventh, a tick over a second ahead of Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim. Precision Iron Works/DiBrino Racing’s Andy DiBrino finished ninth after earlier finishing second to Alexander in the Yuasa Stock 1000 race.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante was given second life after highsiding out of the first portion of the race and making the restart. He battled on to finish 10th on the day.
It was a race of fairly high attrition with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis among those crashing out of the race.
With nine races in the books, Petrucci leads Scholtz in the title chase by 10 points, 156-146. Gagne is third with 140 points, 17 more than his teammate Petersen. Barbera rounds out the top five in the championship with 90 points.
Jake Gagne – Winner
“My first start was awesome. I see a red flag and I’m like, ‘oh, man.’ Then the second start again was pretty awesome and I’m like, ‘oh, man. I got to do it one more time.’ It’s not a long run to turn one here, so if you get a good jump, it’s hard for anybody to dive in there. I think everybody was a little frustrated to see two red flags first lap, first lap. It’s like, let’s just get this race rolling. It was shortened, too. But no matter what, I think these Yamahas are obviously really, really working good here. This is kind of one of those Yamaha tracks. It always works well. I’m happy. There’s been a couple little things that we’ve struggled with all year, and then I think we finally figured out some big steps at Road America. Then to bring the bike here, the bike is really, really good. Hats off to the team. Hopefully, we can get a full 18 (laps) in tomorrow. Everybody is going to step it up for sure tomorrow. So, I think we’re in for some good racing. Good racing all year. I’m enjoying it.”
Cameron Petersen – Second Place
“I’m super happy. Obviously, yesterday, I felt pretty good and then this morning just everybody kind of upped their game. I started panicking just a little bit, especially with how much faster Jake (Gagne) was than me. But who knows? Who knows what Jake’s doing? After all the restarts and the tires and stuff, once he settled into his rhythm there was just no way I could keep up with him. I felt good. Just for the first two or three laps I was able to kind of at least latch on a little bit and see what he was doing. I think it helped me out big time just to kind of create a gap to some of the guys behind me. It was just a nice, comfortable race. Easy to get into my rhythm, ride my own thing. I had one mistake up in 11 that was just a brain fart. I just completely missed my brake mark and ran wide in turn 13. But other than that, everything is super good. I’m so happy. Every single weekend we’re chipping away at it. We’re learning. I’m super happy to get another podium. It’s another one-two for the Yamaha boys. That’s what we need. That’s what the team is looking for. I’m just going to keep building off of this, keep having fun with the guys, having fun with the team. Congrats to Jake on another unreal race. Congrats to Danilo (Petrucci) on another podium. Looking forward to having fun tomorrow.”
Danilo Petrucci – Third Place
“I’m happy because we had a lot of troubles this weekend. We completely destroyed one engine at the end of FP1. We missed most of FP2. For me, this is a new track and it’s quite difficult to learn. Then we had to find also a setup. Overall, I’m happy because the Yamaha guys today were on another planet. I was feeling good in the second restart, also in the first, but the second restart I was feeling good. I was at the end of the first lap catching them, but I crashed out in this corner (turn one) so maybe I was too optimistic. I was lucky then because there was a red flag. Then, anyway, I tried to manage because in the race I had massive chattering. I just thought to stay up and finish the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
It Was A “Big 10-4” For Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz In Superbike Race One At Ridge
Mathew Scholtz (11) running third early in Superbike Race One at Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Shelton, WA – June 25, 2022 – If one were to use a colloquial phrase to sum up the fortunes of Mathew Scholtz and the Westby Racing team after MotoAmerica Superbike race one at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, you’d have to call it a “big 10-4.” “10” because that’s how many points Mathew now sits behind championship leader Danilo Petrucci in the standings, and “4” because that was Mathew’s finishing position in the race, a result just off the podium and just behind the aforementioned Petrucci, who finished third.
Mathew qualified on the inside of the second row in fourth and Petrucci lined up right next to the Italian. The pair engaged in a battle almost immediately, and Petrucci unfortunately overtook Mathew on lap two of the eight-lap race, which was shortened due to two red-flag stoppages and the subsequent restarts.
The rest of the race was processional between the two riders.
“Obviously, today was not the result we were looking for. Fourth really wasn’t too bad considering that Ridge has never been a track where I’ve gone as well as I would like. Qualifying was difficult, but my fourth-place result in the race was disappointing because of how far back we were at the finish line. I wasn’t able to hang with the guys up front. We just need to find something for race two, Make some changes to the bike and hopefully take some big steps forward. The good news is that we know exactly where I need to improve and where we can help with some changes to the bike’s setup. Tomorrow is a new day, and we have some time in morning warmup to make some improvements. I really want to get back out there and have a better race on Sunday. I’ve got an amazing team that works extremely hard, so I’m confident that we’ll get there.”
Mathew will line up again on Sunday for Superbike race two, which starts at 3:10 p.m. PT. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 (FS2), so don’t miss it.
For all the action from Ridge, as it happens, subscribe to MotoAmerica Live+, which is MotoAmerica’s live streaming and on-demand service.
Meet Mathew, Get An Autographed Poster, And More
Mathew will be available for autographs during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session, scheduled for 11 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at Ridge. He and the team will be handing out free posters and T-shirts, so don’t miss it.
Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. and Pro-Bolt USA. are the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area this race weekend, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.
Moor emerges victorious from a scintillating Assen battle
The Cup standings leader beats Farkas and Varga as the three Hungarians lock out the Cathedral of Speed’s podium
Sunday, 26 June 2022
Rossi Moor (Farium Next Generation Riders) claimed a fourth victory of the season to extend his advantage at the top of the 2022 Northern Talent Cup standings in a scintillating Race 1 at the TT Circuit Assen. A late move on title rival Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) saw Moor keep up his 100% podium tally this season, with Farkas picking up P2 ahead of fellow Hungarian – and debut rostrum finisher – Tibor Varga (Forty Racing).
It was the first time this season that Moor hadn’t started from the front row and despite not getting the best of launches, it wasn’t long before the impressive Hungarian found his way to the front. The lead was changing constantly though with home hero Loris Veneman (Team NL Open Line) carving his way to P1, but his race ended with a highside on the exit of Turn 1. Thankfully, Veneman was uninjured in the early crash.
From there on, it was a fascinating battle. Moor, Farkas, Varga, polesitter Jurien van Crugten (BB64 Academy) and Dustin Schneider (Goblin Racing) all took turns at leading, with slipstream being used to great effect on the front straight, back straight and the winding ribbon of fast kinks that take us to the final chicane.
Heading into the closing stages, Schneider was hit with a Long Lap penalty for exceeding track limits as the fight for victory raged. Farkas took the lead on the last lap but at Turn 15, the final left hander before the Geert Timmer Chicane, Moor pounced. The latter made no mistake at the final corner to win again, while Farkas did well to hold onto P2.
Varga’s debut podium was richly deserved as Lenoxx Phommara (Team Phommara) narrowly missed out on a third rostrum of the season in P4. The Swiss rider crossed the line fifth but benefitted from van Crugten’s penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap – the Dutch rider was demoted to P5. Martin Vincze (Chrobak Motorsport Egyesület) finished P6 from P12 on the grid, with Schneider doing well to recover to P7 ahead of Noa Cuypers (Junior Black Knights) and Matteo Masili (Farium Next Generation Riders) – the top nine covered by just over a second. Luca Göttlicher (JRP Junior Academy Team) rounded out the top 10.
Rodio, Mazziotto Take First Wins Of 2022 At Ridge On Day One
Herrin And Alexander Join Rodio Racing Teammates In Scoring Wins On Saturday In Pacific Northwest
SHELTON, WA (June 25, 2022) – Two riders who have tasted success in previous years in the MotoAmerica Series earned their first victories of the 2022 season on a hot and sunny Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park with teammates Gus Rodio and Anthony Mazziotto winning the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup and Twins Cup races, respectively.
Rodio’s victory in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race was his first of the year and the second of his career and the Rodio Racing/Warhorse HSBK Racing rider was joined in victory later in the day when Mazziotto rode the team’s Aprilia RS 660 to victory in the red flag shortened Twins Cup race. Three of the four support class races on Saturday featured red flag stoppages.
Yuasa Stock 1000 – Alexander Closes In
Corey Alexander (23) leads Andy DiBrino (62), Michael Gilbert (55) and the rest of the Yuasa Stock 1000 class on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
In Yuasa Stock 1000 race one, the 12-lap race was reduced to 10 laps due to a red flag on the initial start. Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW rider Corey Alexander started from the pole and led from start to finish to record his third race win in a row at Ridge Motorsports Park after getting the double-win last year. Oregon-based rider Andy DiBrino showed well at his home track. Aboard his Precision Iron Works/DiBrino Racing Kawasaki, DiBrino started second and maintained his runner-up position all the way to the checkers. Third place went to Disrupt Racing Suzuki rider Hayden Gillim.
“I grew up racing in the Northeast, so we have Loudon, which is in New Hampshire,” Alexander said. “It’s blind and a little sketchy, and it just takes some areas where you’ve got to be really comfortable with your bike and confident. So, it reminds me a little bit of that. The Supermoto tight section at the top of the hill is fun. I think being a little bit bigger maybe helps, too, here. You can kind of do some things with the bike to get over the curbs and use my height to my advantage, a little bit. We won both races here last year, but I was working ten times harder. The BMW is just working so well for me, and everybody is working really hard. My uncle and Steve Weir (from BMW), everybody who is part of the program. It’s fun to be able to come out and push the envelope every weekend without having issues with the electronics and that kind of stuff. The bike actually works. It’s fun to ride. Hayden (Gillim) is obviously kind of the guy in the championship that I’ve got to keep my eyes on. I’m trying to push the envelope, that’s what it’s about. If I take a break, he’s going to be right there. So, that’s kind of my mindset. Really happy to be up here, and congrats to these guys.”
Supersport – Four For Herrin
Tyler Scott (70) leads the Supersport pack that includes Rocco Landers (97) and eventual winner Josh Herrin (2) at Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Supersport points leader Josh Herrin notched his fourth victory of the season with his win in race one at Ridge Motorsports Park. Herrin stalked Tyler Scott in the beginning of the race, and then on lap three, he overtook Scott and maintained his lead all the way to the finish line. Scott, meanwhile, faded as the laps wound down, and polesitter Rocco Landers took over second position aboard his Landers Racing Yamaha on lap 11 of the 15-lap event, ultimately finishing as runner-up in the race, a little over two and a half seconds behind Herrin. Also moving up into podium position on lap 11 was Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sam Lochoff, the South African finishing third.
“At the beginning, I didn’t get a great start, so my game plan kind of changed,” Herrin said. “I was going to sit there for a little bit and see what the leader’s pace was. I thought maybe he was trying to save his tire or something, because we were in the 46’s when he qualified at 42. So, I was a little confused. I decided to make a move on him, and I figured, we’re doing 46’s right now. If I can put down some 44’s and see if he hangs or see if I can get a gap. Somehow, I was able to get a gap doing 44’s. So, I decided to obviously stay there and not do anything crazy. It worked out. Super happy with how the day went. You can’t ask for a better race than that. I’m happy. Happy for my team. Just looking forward to tomorrow.”
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – Rodio’s First Of The Year
Gus Rodio (96) started from pole position and went on to win the SportbikeTrackGear.com race at Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing’s Gus Rodio started out the season competing in both Twins Cup and SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup. But, after round two at Road Atlanta, Rodio and his team decided that he would focus all of his energies completely on STG Junior Cup and withdraw from Twins Cup.
The strategy has paid dividends for Rodio in Junior Cup because he podiumed in Virginia, finished second in race one at Road America, and in race one at Ridge, he got the win. The New Jerseyan built a big lead aboard his Kawasaki in the red-flagged-and-restarted 10-lap race, but SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki rider Joseph LiMandri Jr. closed the gap considerably and finished in second, just ,204 of a second behind Rodio. Third place went to Kayla Yaakov, who turned 15 years old on Friday. It was the fourth podium result of the season and third in a row for the Altus Motorsports Kawasaki rider.
“I was looking back a little bit throughout the race and I saw the pit board said 2.8 or 1.8, or something,” Rodio said. “So, I was like, ‘All right, I have a healthy lead.’ I was just trying to maintain that. Even at my maintaining pace with old tires from qualifying, I was losing the front everywhere. The grip was pretty bad. So, we’re going to fix that stuff for tomorrow and try and last the whole 12 laps.”
Twins Cup – Mazziotto!
Anthony Mazziotto (516) leads the Twins Cup race on Saturday en route to his first win of the season. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing followed up their win in SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race one with Gus Rodio’s teammate Anthony Mazziotto winning Twins Cup race one. Mazziotto started from the pole aboard his Aprilia and was never headed in the red-flagged-and-restarted seven-lap race. Second place went to defending Twins Cup champion Kaleb De Keyrel aboard his Veloce Racing Aprilia, while Cycle Tech Yamaha rider Hayden Schultz rounded out the podium in third.
“The guys behind me were definitely pushing trying to catch up,” Mazziotto said. “Then, I made a mistake coming into turn nine or ten, after you come up over the hill and that kink and then come into that really slow left-hander. I just couldn’t grab any downshifts. I was stuck in sixth gear, so I rolled around the corner in sixth gear and then I looked over my left and I see Kaleb (De Keyrel) there. So, I really just had to dig deep after that. I was just ready for a battle. Then when the red flag popped out, I kind of saw something up at the top of the corkscrew, off way in the distance. Then I kept looking as I was coming down the corkscrew, and I didn’t see any more red lights, so I came around the lap just to make sure, so I didn’t pull in. That would have been pretty bad. I saw the red lights after I came out of the right onto the straightaway, so I put my hand up and let everybody behind me know. It was a good race. We’ve been working really hard at this all year. My crew has been fighting to put a motorcycle underneath me that we can do this on. I think finally now we’re heading in the right direction with everything. I think, now, we’re finally going to be around, and we’re here to stay for a little while.”
Mini Cup By Motul – Fast Kids In Washington
Kensei Matsudaira (74) won both 190cc races in Mini Cup by Motul action. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The Mini Cup by Motul Championship was back in action at Ridge Motorsports Park, and in the 110cc class, Nathan Gouker got the race one win over runner-up Anthony Lupo Jr., with Mac MacClugage completing the podium in third. Gouker also got the victory in 160cc race one, and again, Lupo Jr. crossed the finish line as runner-up to Gouker, while Ryder Davis was third. In 190cc race one, Kensei Matsudaira won over Mahdi Salem in second and Kylie Botkin in third.
In 110cc race two, Lupo Jr. recorded his third podium result of the day, and it was a win for the rider from Carlsbad, California, over Gouker in second, who hails from North Carolina. As he did in 110cc race one, MacClugage finished third in 110cc race two. 160cc race two went to Gouker for his third win and fourth podium of the day. MacClugage was second and Joshua Raymond completed the 160cc podium in third.
The Mini Cup event wrapped up at Ridge with Matsudaira doing the double with the win in 190cc race two. Jesse James Shedden was second and Joshua Raymond finished third.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:
LOCHOFF SHINES FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI IN WASHINGTON
New Generation GSX-R750 Continues Racking Up Supersport Podiums
BREA, Calif., June 26, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer added to their extensive trophy collection with another podium performance as the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing campaign resumed at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, on Saturday.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Samuel Lochoff and Tyler Scott were both in podium contention throughout a thrilling MotoAmerica Supersport contest.
Sam Lochoff (44) battling for the last podium spot in Race 1 of the Supersport class. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Scott was in the spotlight early; the 16-year-old stormed to the holeshot and held firm aboard his new-generation Suzuki GSX-R750 in second position for over half the contest. Over the second half of the race, he was joined by Lochoff and two other adversaries as a four-rider shootout took shape for the final two steps on the podium.
Despite still suffering from a broken right ankle, Lochoff managed to continue his forward push, fighting up to third despite a near fall in the race’s early stages.
Tyler Scott (70) with a top-five finish after having a tough time managing tire wear. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
With Scott close behind in fifth, Lochoff was overtaken for third on the race’s final lap. Undeterred, the South African executed a timely counterattack to reclaim a spot on the podium at the last possible moment.
Lochoff said, “We had a little off in qualifying and had a pretty bad impact on my ankle. It’s not going to heal anytime soon if I keep riding, but I love this. This has been a struggle, not getting the results we know we’re capable of. But now we’re back on the podium, it feels like a win, and the team definitely worked for it. I’m really happy to be making progress. I really want to thank my crew who worked late into the night preparing my bike.”
Scott led the race early and fought for the podium, but lost pace as his tires faded.
Liam Grant (90) continues to progress with a top ten aboard his GSX-R750. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Liam Grant added to Lochoff’s third and Scott’s fifth by finishing ninth as the young racer continues to improve. Furthermore, Suzuki’s GSX-R750s accounted for a full half of the race’s top ten, adding additional momentum to this landmark motorcycle’s return to national competition.
After a brilliant qualifying session, Richie Escalante (54) couldn’t keep up the momentum into Race 1 and is looking forward to Race 2. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Meanwhile, to call the day eventful for the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike duo of Richie Escalante and Jake Lewis would be an understatement.
After showcasing promising speed in qualifying, Superbike rookie Escalante suffered a big highside on the race’s opening lap. A separate incident moments later brought out a red flag, but Escalante was unable to make the restart.
Jake Lewis (85) looking to bounce back in the next race aboard his GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
However, Lewis then suffered a hard fall of his own while running sixth shortly after the restart, bringing out another red flag. While Lewis didn’t make the second complete start, Escalante did, starting from the back of the grid in the eight-lap sprint race.
The Mexican ace made the most of the valuable track time and charged his way forward throughout the remainder of the race. Escalante made one final pass just before the checkered flag to break into the top ten in tenth.
Escalante said, “I was disappointed to crash at the original start because I felt great on the bike today. I had a big moment in the rear and couldn’t control the bike – it was my first highside on the Superbike. I’m okay, and big thanks to the team for repairing the bike. I was very happy to have another chance to get back out there and make the most possible points.”
Team Hammer will be back in later today to conclude this weekend’s racing at Ridge Motorsports Park.
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 128 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 332 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.
Sam Fleming caught saving a front-end tuck/slide on his knee and not crashing!
Featured In the June 2022 issue of Roadracing World:
At the pointy end of our ECU/IMU-moderated 200-horsepower engines and computer-modeled chassis, we have the humble pneumatic tire.
Although modern tires would be clearly recognizable by last century engineers as, well, tires, the black art of chemistry and catalysts has allowed modern tire designers to craft an array of multi-compound dynamic-carcass tires in the pursuit of the same goal: Sticking well while lasting as long as possible.
On the race track that useful life is measured in minutes, while on the road we want tires where tire life can be measured in thousands of kilometers (or miles). Of course, bike designers make life hard on tires by stacking on the horsepower and narrowing up the engines so riders can lean further and deliver ever increasing amounts of torque to the rear contact patch.In every system there are different parameters which usually work in opposition to each other…
“Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa Intro,” by Sam Fleming
Pirelli set out to build an improved version of the company’s already excellent hypersport tire, one that has durability for the highway, race tire grip for the corners and, best of all, would allow us to take a bike straight from a mountain road to a racetrack without swapping tires. That tire is the Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa (DR4C), and Sam Fleming’s impressions of it after blasting though Italian roads and on the track at Mugello are in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.
Provisional Mission Production Twins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Cory Texter (Yam), 20 laps
2. Jesse Janisch (Har), -01.463 seconds
3. Billy Ross (Har), -07.933
4. Cameron Smith (Yam), -08.544
5. Cole Zabala (Yam), -10.783
6. Ryan Wells (Kaw), -17.550
7. Patrick Buchanan (Kaw), -19.572
8. Jeremiah Duffy (Kaw), -21.226
9. Nick Armstrong (Yam), -26.793
10. Danny Eslick (Kaw), -1 lap, -00.401
11. Cody Johncox (Yam), -1 lap, -07.496
12. Mitch Harvat (Kaw), -1 lap, -07.971
13. Brandon Newman (Kaw), -1 lap, -14.736
14. Johnny Lewis (Roy), -6 laps
15. Ben Lowe (Har), -18 laps
16. Ryan Varnes (KTM), -20 laps
17. Jordan Harris (Kaw), -20 laps
Provisional Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Kody Kopp (KTM), 21 laps
2. Tom Drane (KTM), -04.120 seconds
3. Chase Saathoff (Hon), -07.512
4. Dalton Gauthier (Hon), -16.552
5. James Ott (KTM), -17.098
6. Trevor Brunner (Yam), -18.122
7. Morgen Mischler (Hon), -18.706
8. Trent Lowe (Hon), -22.025
9. Hunter Bauer (KTM), -23.759
10. Brandon Kitchen (Hus), -24.785
11. Tyler Raggio (Hon), -25.556
12. Kevin Stollings (Hon), -1 lap, -01.670
13. Jared Lowe (Hon), -1 lap, -02.400
14. Travis Petton (KTM), -1 lap, -04.004
15. Damon Ream (Hon), -1 lap, -13.663
16. Justin Jones (Hon), -1 lap, -16.184
17. Aidan RoosEvans (Hon), -7 laps
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Brandon Robinson (Ind), 25 laps
2. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -02.766 seconds
3. Jared Mees (Ind), -03.903
4. Briar Bauman (Ind), -05.044
5. JD Beach (Yam), -06.341
6. Bronson Bauman (Har), -12.748
7. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -13.127
8. Davis Fisher (Ind), -13.598
9. Cory Texter (PT) (Yam), -1 lap, -01.273
10. Brandon Price (KTM), -1 lap, -10.944
11. Jesse Janisch (PT) (Har), -1 lap, -15.132
12. Shayna Texter-Bauman (Ind), -1 lap, -25.203
13. Robert Pearson (Kaw), -12 laps
14. Cameron Smith (PT) (Yam), -15 laps
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track:
Robinson Comes Up Huge in Lima Half-Mile
Brandon Robinson (44). Photo courtesy AFT.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 25, 2022) – A rejuvenated Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) earned his first victory of the 2022 Progressive American Flat Track season in Saturday’s Mission Lima Half-Mile at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio.
Over the few several seasons, Robinson has established himself as the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle rider most likely to steal the occasional win away from class dominators Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) and Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750).
However, on this night, Robinson had to overcome the challenge of the series’ newest star in Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) to get to the checkered flag first. The rookie looked to be the race favorite prior to the Main but gave himself a big task by getting shuffled down from pole to sixth at the start.
So instead, it was Daniels’ teammate, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), who took point early on despite searching for pace all day long. Beach actually gapped the field by nearly a second in the early going before the likes of Robinson, Bauman, Mees, and Daniels really got rolling.
Robinson was the first one by and built up a one-a-half-second lead of his own by the time Daniels arrived in second with some six minutes remaining on the clock. The Yamaha pilot steadily ate away at that gap, drawing near enough to crisscross in front of Robinson momentarily with his low-to-high line with less than three minutes remaining.
The Mission Roof Systems rider was up for the challenge, adjusting his line to tighten his grip on the race. Daniels eventually conceded, allowing Robinson to secure the win with a 2.766-second margin of victory.
The breakthrough was Robinson’s second Lima triumph, the first coming back in 2016. Afterward, he said, “We needed this. This year has been an absolute struggle for us… My team hasn’t given up, and they gave me a great motorcycle. All the guys pitch in and make this fun. Man, I needed this big. I can’t wait to go to the next one now.”
Reigning champion and current points leader Mees worked his way past Bauman late to round out the podium, while Beach came home in fifth behind the two works Indian runners. Mees’ championship advantage was reduced slightly as a result; he now leads Daniels 139-127, while Bauman (115) and Beach (112) remain solidly in contention.
Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) finished in sixth just ahead of Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750).
Cory Texter (No. 100 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) was the top Mission Production Twins Challenge entrant in ninth, while Brandon Price (No. 92 Pro One Industries/Mission Foods KTM Duke 890) rounded out the top ten in his first ride aboard the KTM.
Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
In recent weeks, defending Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) has been quietly keeping his hopes for a third and final class crown alive by clawing his way to gritty seconds, thirds, and fourths on nights he just didn’t have the speed to contend for the win.
Texter was anything but quiet on Saturday night at Allen County Fairgrounds, however, registering a lopsided victory to narrow the gap to title leader Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) to just a single point (132-131).
Texter, Janisch, and Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) exploited the multiple nature of the circuit to each take a turn at the lead on the opening lap of the Main Event. But by lap two, Texter had seized control and he would never relent.
Janisch both kept Texter honest and minimized the damage with a steady ride to second at a track he’s never completely gelled with.
The win was Texter’s second of the season and his (and Yamaha’s) first ever at Lima. He said, “I’ve been coming here since I was two years old – maybe younger. Last year, I was all angry on the podium. I knew I could do better here. I rode really hard at the beginning and then just brought it home. This is my last Lima, and this is one I’m going to miss. It’s such an iconic track. It feels amazing to finally win here.”
Billy Ross (No. 109 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) proved his win at Laconia was no fluke by following up that maiden victory with a second-career podium. It didn’t come easily, however, as he only just managed to fend off a charging Cameron Smith (No. 34 Thee Cathy Gray/Al Barker Yamaha MT-07).
Smith, who boasted terrific speed all day, encountered unwelcome bike issues just prior to the start and was forced to move to the back of the grid. Despite that, Smith powered through the pelting roost of the field to finish in fourth, just over a half-second back of the box.
Cole Zabala (No. 51 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Yamaha MT-07) finished another two seconds back, equaling his best finish of the year in fifth.
Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER
With each successive race, Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) continues to further the case that he’s the odds-on favorite to claim this year’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER crown.
At Lima, Kopp scored a second consecutive blowout victory, his fourth win among six top-twos in just seven attempts this season. The emerging superstar gapped the field within a single lap and then piled it on from there, ultimately winning with more than four seconds in hand.
Kopp’s mastery was reminiscent of that of his father, 2000 Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, who won at the circuit three times.
The secret? Kody said, “Holeshots win races here, especially in this Lima pea-gravel. So we did our job and got a good start, and that’s pretty much all we had to do, honestly.”
While there was little drama in deciding the podium, the race still proved to be a spectacular showcase for the future stars of the sport. Joining 17-year-old Kopp in the spotlight were a pair of 16-year-old phenoms.
Australian Tom Drane (No. 359 Construction Supply Specialists/ICCONS KTM 450 SX-F) earned a remarkable runner-up result in his Progressive AFT debut while Rookie of the Year hopeful Chase Saathoff (No. 106 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) scooped up his second consecutive third-place finish.
No other rider finished within 16 seconds of the runaway Kopp.
Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) came home fourth, while James Ott (No. 19 MediaHT/G&G Racing KTM 450 SX-F) won out in a tight scrap for fifth ahead of Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R).
As a result of Kopp’s win and Mischler’s seventh, Kopp now boasts a rather hefty 31-point advantage (155-134) in a quickly tilting title fight.
The Mission Lima Half-Mile will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, July 3, at 11:00 a.m. ET/8:00 a.m, PT, including exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary.
Next Up:
The 2022 Progressive AFT season picks right back up next weekend with the Mission New York Short Track presented by Mad Max Indian Motorcycle at Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, New York, on Saturday, July 2. Gates will open for fans at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT ahead of the evening’s Main Event program.
You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FansChoice.tv. FansChoice.tv provides free-to-view livestreaming of Practice and Qualifying. FansChoice.tv subscribers will then be able to watch the drama unfold from Opening Ceremonies through the Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations. FansChoice.tv offers two subscription options, granting unlimited access to premium AFT content. Monthly subscriptions start at just $7.99, while a six-month subscription is available for $44.99.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
How to Watch:
OX Sports and FansChoice.tv are the official homes for coverage of Progressive American Flat Track. For the 2022 season, all races will premiere in one-hour telecasts on FS1 during highly desirable weekend time slots. The complete schedule can be viewed at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports. FansChoice.tv provides livestreaming coverage of every Progressive AFT round at http://www.FansChoice.tv.
Gagne Dominates Red-Flag Interrupted MotoAmerica Medallia Superbikes At Ridge Motorsports Park
Defending Class Champion Wins In Pacific Northwest For Fourth Victory Of The Season
Jake Gagne (1) leads Cameron Petersen (45) in Medallia Superbike Race One at The Ridge. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
SHELTON, WA (June 25, 2022) – Fresh N Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne doesn’t lay in bed at night thinking about the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship point standings. He focuses on the present and the present is all about winning races. On a hot and sunny day in the Pacific Northwest, Gagne made it through three starts in the red-flag-interrupted race to win for the fourth time in 2022 – a few hours after earning pole position with a lap-record-setting performance at Ridge Motorsports Park.
Gagne led every practice session and both qualifying sessions, then went out and led all three starts on Saturday. In other words, no one ever led him. Oh, yeah, don’t tell him but he’s also now climbed to within 16 points of championship leader Danilo Petrucci.
Gagne’s victory at Ridge was the 21st of his Superbike career and it was typical Gagne. Get the holeshot, pull a gap and maintain said gap to the finish.
After a final portion of the race that lasted just eight laps, Gagne crossed the finish line 3.935 seconds ahead of his teammate Cameron Petersen, the South African earning his fifth podium of the year and keeping Gagne honest for the duration.
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC’s Petrucci ended up third, the Italian benefitting from the second red flag as he crashed in turn one just moments after Jake Lewis’ crash in the last corner brought a premature stop to the race. Petrucci was able to get his bike back to pit lane where his crew replaced a broken left footpeg. Petrucci was a bit more cautious on the third start and it took him longer to get to third place. Once there, he settled in and brought the Panigale V4 R home for his seventh podium finish of the season.
Petrucci’s fourth-place finish allowed him to extend his lead in the championship over Mathew Scholtz to 10 points with the South African finishing fourth on Saturday.
Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Hector Barbera was less than a second behind Scholtz and some four seconds ahead of Aftercare Hayes Scheibe Racing’s Ashton Yates.
Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander was seventh, a tick over a second ahead of Disrupt Racing’s Hayden Gillim. Precision Iron Works/DiBrino Racing’s Andy DiBrino finished ninth after earlier finishing second to Alexander in the Yuasa Stock 1000 race.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante was given second life after highsiding out of the first portion of the race and making the restart. He battled on to finish 10th on the day.
It was a race of fairly high attrition with Tytlers Cycle Racing’s PJ Jacobsen and Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Jake Lewis among those crashing out of the race.
With nine races in the books, Petrucci leads Scholtz in the title chase by 10 points, 156-146. Gagne is third with 140 points, 17 more than his teammate Petersen. Barbera rounds out the top five in the championship with 90 points.
Jake Gagne – Winner
“My first start was awesome. I see a red flag and I’m like, ‘oh, man.’ Then the second start again was pretty awesome and I’m like, ‘oh, man. I got to do it one more time.’ It’s not a long run to turn one here, so if you get a good jump, it’s hard for anybody to dive in there. I think everybody was a little frustrated to see two red flags first lap, first lap. It’s like, let’s just get this race rolling. It was shortened, too. But no matter what, I think these Yamahas are obviously really, really working good here. This is kind of one of those Yamaha tracks. It always works well. I’m happy. There’s been a couple little things that we’ve struggled with all year, and then I think we finally figured out some big steps at Road America. Then to bring the bike here, the bike is really, really good. Hats off to the team. Hopefully, we can get a full 18 (laps) in tomorrow. Everybody is going to step it up for sure tomorrow. So, I think we’re in for some good racing. Good racing all year. I’m enjoying it.”
Cameron Petersen – Second Place
“I’m super happy. Obviously, yesterday, I felt pretty good and then this morning just everybody kind of upped their game. I started panicking just a little bit, especially with how much faster Jake (Gagne) was than me. But who knows? Who knows what Jake’s doing? After all the restarts and the tires and stuff, once he settled into his rhythm there was just no way I could keep up with him. I felt good. Just for the first two or three laps I was able to kind of at least latch on a little bit and see what he was doing. I think it helped me out big time just to kind of create a gap to some of the guys behind me. It was just a nice, comfortable race. Easy to get into my rhythm, ride my own thing. I had one mistake up in 11 that was just a brain fart. I just completely missed my brake mark and ran wide in turn 13. But other than that, everything is super good. I’m so happy. Every single weekend we’re chipping away at it. We’re learning. I’m super happy to get another podium. It’s another one-two for the Yamaha boys. That’s what we need. That’s what the team is looking for. I’m just going to keep building off of this, keep having fun with the guys, having fun with the team. Congrats to Jake on another unreal race. Congrats to Danilo (Petrucci) on another podium. Looking forward to having fun tomorrow.”
Danilo Petrucci – Third Place
“I’m happy because we had a lot of troubles this weekend. We completely destroyed one engine at the end of FP1. We missed most of FP2. For me, this is a new track and it’s quite difficult to learn. Then we had to find also a setup. Overall, I’m happy because the Yamaha guys today were on another planet. I was feeling good in the second restart, also in the first, but the second restart I was feeling good. I was at the end of the first lap catching them, but I crashed out in this corner (turn one) so maybe I was too optimistic. I was lucky then because there was a red flag. Then, anyway, I tried to manage because in the race I had massive chattering. I just thought to stay up and finish the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
It Was A “Big 10-4” For Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz In Superbike Race One At Ridge
Mathew Scholtz (11) running third early in Superbike Race One at Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Westby Racing.
Shelton, WA – June 25, 2022 – If one were to use a colloquial phrase to sum up the fortunes of Mathew Scholtz and the Westby Racing team after MotoAmerica Superbike race one at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, you’d have to call it a “big 10-4.” “10” because that’s how many points Mathew now sits behind championship leader Danilo Petrucci in the standings, and “4” because that was Mathew’s finishing position in the race, a result just off the podium and just behind the aforementioned Petrucci, who finished third.
Mathew qualified on the inside of the second row in fourth and Petrucci lined up right next to the Italian. The pair engaged in a battle almost immediately, and Petrucci unfortunately overtook Mathew on lap two of the eight-lap race, which was shortened due to two red-flag stoppages and the subsequent restarts.
The rest of the race was processional between the two riders.
“Obviously, today was not the result we were looking for. Fourth really wasn’t too bad considering that Ridge has never been a track where I’ve gone as well as I would like. Qualifying was difficult, but my fourth-place result in the race was disappointing because of how far back we were at the finish line. I wasn’t able to hang with the guys up front. We just need to find something for race two, Make some changes to the bike and hopefully take some big steps forward. The good news is that we know exactly where I need to improve and where we can help with some changes to the bike’s setup. Tomorrow is a new day, and we have some time in morning warmup to make some improvements. I really want to get back out there and have a better race on Sunday. I’ve got an amazing team that works extremely hard, so I’m confident that we’ll get there.”
Mathew will line up again on Sunday for Superbike race two, which starts at 3:10 p.m. PT. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 (FS2), so don’t miss it.
For all the action from Ridge, as it happens, subscribe to MotoAmerica Live+, which is MotoAmerica’s live streaming and on-demand service.
Meet Mathew, Get An Autographed Poster, And More
Mathew will be available for autographs during the Dunlop Hot Pit Walk & Autograph Session, scheduled for 11 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday on pit lane at Ridge. He and the team will be handing out free posters and T-shirts, so don’t miss it.
Check Out The Westby Racing Sponsor Showcase
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. and Pro-Bolt USA. are the featured team sponsors on display in the Westby Racing paddock area this race weekend, so be sure to stop by to say hello and learn about some of the companies that support the team.
Moor emerges victorious from a scintillating Assen battle
The Cup standings leader beats Farkas and Varga as the three Hungarians lock out the Cathedral of Speed’s podium
Sunday, 26 June 2022
Rossi Moor (Farium Next Generation Riders) claimed a fourth victory of the season to extend his advantage at the top of the 2022 Northern Talent Cup standings in a scintillating Race 1 at the TT Circuit Assen. A late move on title rival Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) saw Moor keep up his 100% podium tally this season, with Farkas picking up P2 ahead of fellow Hungarian – and debut rostrum finisher – Tibor Varga (Forty Racing).
It was the first time this season that Moor hadn’t started from the front row and despite not getting the best of launches, it wasn’t long before the impressive Hungarian found his way to the front. The lead was changing constantly though with home hero Loris Veneman (Team NL Open Line) carving his way to P1, but his race ended with a highside on the exit of Turn 1. Thankfully, Veneman was uninjured in the early crash.
From there on, it was a fascinating battle. Moor, Farkas, Varga, polesitter Jurien van Crugten (BB64 Academy) and Dustin Schneider (Goblin Racing) all took turns at leading, with slipstream being used to great effect on the front straight, back straight and the winding ribbon of fast kinks that take us to the final chicane.
Heading into the closing stages, Schneider was hit with a Long Lap penalty for exceeding track limits as the fight for victory raged. Farkas took the lead on the last lap but at Turn 15, the final left hander before the Geert Timmer Chicane, Moor pounced. The latter made no mistake at the final corner to win again, while Farkas did well to hold onto P2.
Varga’s debut podium was richly deserved as Lenoxx Phommara (Team Phommara) narrowly missed out on a third rostrum of the season in P4. The Swiss rider crossed the line fifth but benefitted from van Crugten’s penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap – the Dutch rider was demoted to P5. Martin Vincze (Chrobak Motorsport Egyesület) finished P6 from P12 on the grid, with Schneider doing well to recover to P7 ahead of Noa Cuypers (Junior Black Knights) and Matteo Masili (Farium Next Generation Riders) – the top nine covered by just over a second. Luca Göttlicher (JRP Junior Academy Team) rounded out the top 10.
Rodio, Mazziotto Take First Wins Of 2022 At Ridge On Day One
Herrin And Alexander Join Rodio Racing Teammates In Scoring Wins On Saturday In Pacific Northwest
SHELTON, WA (June 25, 2022) – Two riders who have tasted success in previous years in the MotoAmerica Series earned their first victories of the 2022 season on a hot and sunny Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park with teammates Gus Rodio and Anthony Mazziotto winning the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup and Twins Cup races, respectively.
Rodio’s victory in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race was his first of the year and the second of his career and the Rodio Racing/Warhorse HSBK Racing rider was joined in victory later in the day when Mazziotto rode the team’s Aprilia RS 660 to victory in the red flag shortened Twins Cup race. Three of the four support class races on Saturday featured red flag stoppages.
Yuasa Stock 1000 – Alexander Closes In
Corey Alexander (23) leads Andy DiBrino (62), Michael Gilbert (55) and the rest of the Yuasa Stock 1000 class on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
In Yuasa Stock 1000 race one, the 12-lap race was reduced to 10 laps due to a red flag on the initial start. Tytlers Cycle/RideHVMC Racing BMW rider Corey Alexander started from the pole and led from start to finish to record his third race win in a row at Ridge Motorsports Park after getting the double-win last year. Oregon-based rider Andy DiBrino showed well at his home track. Aboard his Precision Iron Works/DiBrino Racing Kawasaki, DiBrino started second and maintained his runner-up position all the way to the checkers. Third place went to Disrupt Racing Suzuki rider Hayden Gillim.
“I grew up racing in the Northeast, so we have Loudon, which is in New Hampshire,” Alexander said. “It’s blind and a little sketchy, and it just takes some areas where you’ve got to be really comfortable with your bike and confident. So, it reminds me a little bit of that. The Supermoto tight section at the top of the hill is fun. I think being a little bit bigger maybe helps, too, here. You can kind of do some things with the bike to get over the curbs and use my height to my advantage, a little bit. We won both races here last year, but I was working ten times harder. The BMW is just working so well for me, and everybody is working really hard. My uncle and Steve Weir (from BMW), everybody who is part of the program. It’s fun to be able to come out and push the envelope every weekend without having issues with the electronics and that kind of stuff. The bike actually works. It’s fun to ride. Hayden (Gillim) is obviously kind of the guy in the championship that I’ve got to keep my eyes on. I’m trying to push the envelope, that’s what it’s about. If I take a break, he’s going to be right there. So, that’s kind of my mindset. Really happy to be up here, and congrats to these guys.”
Supersport – Four For Herrin
Tyler Scott (70) leads the Supersport pack that includes Rocco Landers (97) and eventual winner Josh Herrin (2) at Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Supersport points leader Josh Herrin notched his fourth victory of the season with his win in race one at Ridge Motorsports Park. Herrin stalked Tyler Scott in the beginning of the race, and then on lap three, he overtook Scott and maintained his lead all the way to the finish line. Scott, meanwhile, faded as the laps wound down, and polesitter Rocco Landers took over second position aboard his Landers Racing Yamaha on lap 11 of the 15-lap event, ultimately finishing as runner-up in the race, a little over two and a half seconds behind Herrin. Also moving up into podium position on lap 11 was Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sam Lochoff, the South African finishing third.
“At the beginning, I didn’t get a great start, so my game plan kind of changed,” Herrin said. “I was going to sit there for a little bit and see what the leader’s pace was. I thought maybe he was trying to save his tire or something, because we were in the 46’s when he qualified at 42. So, I was a little confused. I decided to make a move on him, and I figured, we’re doing 46’s right now. If I can put down some 44’s and see if he hangs or see if I can get a gap. Somehow, I was able to get a gap doing 44’s. So, I decided to obviously stay there and not do anything crazy. It worked out. Super happy with how the day went. You can’t ask for a better race than that. I’m happy. Happy for my team. Just looking forward to tomorrow.”
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup – Rodio’s First Of The Year
Gus Rodio (96) started from pole position and went on to win the SportbikeTrackGear.com race at Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing’s Gus Rodio started out the season competing in both Twins Cup and SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup. But, after round two at Road Atlanta, Rodio and his team decided that he would focus all of his energies completely on STG Junior Cup and withdraw from Twins Cup.
The strategy has paid dividends for Rodio in Junior Cup because he podiumed in Virginia, finished second in race one at Road America, and in race one at Ridge, he got the win. The New Jerseyan built a big lead aboard his Kawasaki in the red-flagged-and-restarted 10-lap race, but SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki rider Joseph LiMandri Jr. closed the gap considerably and finished in second, just ,204 of a second behind Rodio. Third place went to Kayla Yaakov, who turned 15 years old on Friday. It was the fourth podium result of the season and third in a row for the Altus Motorsports Kawasaki rider.
“I was looking back a little bit throughout the race and I saw the pit board said 2.8 or 1.8, or something,” Rodio said. “So, I was like, ‘All right, I have a healthy lead.’ I was just trying to maintain that. Even at my maintaining pace with old tires from qualifying, I was losing the front everywhere. The grip was pretty bad. So, we’re going to fix that stuff for tomorrow and try and last the whole 12 laps.”
Twins Cup – Mazziotto!
Anthony Mazziotto (516) leads the Twins Cup race on Saturday en route to his first win of the season. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Rodio Racing/HSBK Racing followed up their win in SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race one with Gus Rodio’s teammate Anthony Mazziotto winning Twins Cup race one. Mazziotto started from the pole aboard his Aprilia and was never headed in the red-flagged-and-restarted seven-lap race. Second place went to defending Twins Cup champion Kaleb De Keyrel aboard his Veloce Racing Aprilia, while Cycle Tech Yamaha rider Hayden Schultz rounded out the podium in third.
“The guys behind me were definitely pushing trying to catch up,” Mazziotto said. “Then, I made a mistake coming into turn nine or ten, after you come up over the hill and that kink and then come into that really slow left-hander. I just couldn’t grab any downshifts. I was stuck in sixth gear, so I rolled around the corner in sixth gear and then I looked over my left and I see Kaleb (De Keyrel) there. So, I really just had to dig deep after that. I was just ready for a battle. Then when the red flag popped out, I kind of saw something up at the top of the corkscrew, off way in the distance. Then I kept looking as I was coming down the corkscrew, and I didn’t see any more red lights, so I came around the lap just to make sure, so I didn’t pull in. That would have been pretty bad. I saw the red lights after I came out of the right onto the straightaway, so I put my hand up and let everybody behind me know. It was a good race. We’ve been working really hard at this all year. My crew has been fighting to put a motorcycle underneath me that we can do this on. I think finally now we’re heading in the right direction with everything. I think, now, we’re finally going to be around, and we’re here to stay for a little while.”
Mini Cup By Motul – Fast Kids In Washington
Kensei Matsudaira (74) won both 190cc races in Mini Cup by Motul action. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
The Mini Cup by Motul Championship was back in action at Ridge Motorsports Park, and in the 110cc class, Nathan Gouker got the race one win over runner-up Anthony Lupo Jr., with Mac MacClugage completing the podium in third. Gouker also got the victory in 160cc race one, and again, Lupo Jr. crossed the finish line as runner-up to Gouker, while Ryder Davis was third. In 190cc race one, Kensei Matsudaira won over Mahdi Salem in second and Kylie Botkin in third.
In 110cc race two, Lupo Jr. recorded his third podium result of the day, and it was a win for the rider from Carlsbad, California, over Gouker in second, who hails from North Carolina. As he did in 110cc race one, MacClugage finished third in 110cc race two. 160cc race two went to Gouker for his third win and fourth podium of the day. MacClugage was second and Joshua Raymond completed the 160cc podium in third.
The Mini Cup event wrapped up at Ridge with Matsudaira doing the double with the win in 190cc race two. Jesse James Shedden was second and Joshua Raymond finished third.
More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Motor USA, LLC:
LOCHOFF SHINES FOR VISION WHEEL M4 ECSTAR SUZUKI IN WASHINGTON
New Generation GSX-R750 Continues Racking Up Supersport Podiums
BREA, Calif., June 26, 2022 — Suzuki Motor USA and Team Hammer added to their extensive trophy collection with another podium performance as the 2022 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing campaign resumed at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, on Saturday.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Samuel Lochoff and Tyler Scott were both in podium contention throughout a thrilling MotoAmerica Supersport contest.
Sam Lochoff (44) battling for the last podium spot in Race 1 of the Supersport class. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Scott was in the spotlight early; the 16-year-old stormed to the holeshot and held firm aboard his new-generation Suzuki GSX-R750 in second position for over half the contest. Over the second half of the race, he was joined by Lochoff and two other adversaries as a four-rider shootout took shape for the final two steps on the podium.
Despite still suffering from a broken right ankle, Lochoff managed to continue his forward push, fighting up to third despite a near fall in the race’s early stages.
Tyler Scott (70) with a top-five finish after having a tough time managing tire wear. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
With Scott close behind in fifth, Lochoff was overtaken for third on the race’s final lap. Undeterred, the South African executed a timely counterattack to reclaim a spot on the podium at the last possible moment.
Lochoff said, “We had a little off in qualifying and had a pretty bad impact on my ankle. It’s not going to heal anytime soon if I keep riding, but I love this. This has been a struggle, not getting the results we know we’re capable of. But now we’re back on the podium, it feels like a win, and the team definitely worked for it. I’m really happy to be making progress. I really want to thank my crew who worked late into the night preparing my bike.”
Scott led the race early and fought for the podium, but lost pace as his tires faded.
Liam Grant (90) continues to progress with a top ten aboard his GSX-R750. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Liam Grant added to Lochoff’s third and Scott’s fifth by finishing ninth as the young racer continues to improve. Furthermore, Suzuki’s GSX-R750s accounted for a full half of the race’s top ten, adding additional momentum to this landmark motorcycle’s return to national competition.
After a brilliant qualifying session, Richie Escalante (54) couldn’t keep up the momentum into Race 1 and is looking forward to Race 2. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
Meanwhile, to call the day eventful for the Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Superbike duo of Richie Escalante and Jake Lewis would be an understatement.
After showcasing promising speed in qualifying, Superbike rookie Escalante suffered a big highside on the race’s opening lap. A separate incident moments later brought out a red flag, but Escalante was unable to make the restart.
Jake Lewis (85) looking to bounce back in the next race aboard his GSX-R1000R. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy Suzuki Motor USA LLC.
However, Lewis then suffered a hard fall of his own while running sixth shortly after the restart, bringing out another red flag. While Lewis didn’t make the second complete start, Escalante did, starting from the back of the grid in the eight-lap sprint race.
The Mexican ace made the most of the valuable track time and charged his way forward throughout the remainder of the race. Escalante made one final pass just before the checkered flag to break into the top ten in tenth.
Escalante said, “I was disappointed to crash at the original start because I felt great on the bike today. I had a big moment in the rear and couldn’t control the bike – it was my first highside on the Superbike. I’m okay, and big thanks to the team for repairing the bike. I was very happy to have another chance to get back out there and make the most possible points.”
Team Hammer will be back in later today to conclude this weekend’s racing at Ridge Motorsports Park.
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 128 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 332 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.
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