Hosciuc takes maiden win in style at the Cathedral
The Romanian stands on the top step ahead of Farkas and a first podium for Willemsen as drama hits for key players in the standings
Sunday, 15 August 2021
Jacopo Hosciuc (Hos Racing Team) is the newest addition to the winners’ club, the Romanian pulling off a maiden victory in style at Assen, striking at the final chicane to finally put some bad luck to bed. Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) was the rider just losing out, the Hungarian forced to settle for second, with Noel Willemsen (MCA Racing Team) taking his first podium to round out an impressive weekend.
There was some key drama for Lorenz Luciano (Junior Black Knights Team), as well as Rossi Moor (FAIRIUM Next Generation Riders Team) AND Jakub Gurecky (JRT Brno Circuit), as Assen hosted some crashes and clashes…
Off the line, Moor got away well and managed to deny Luciano the holeshot, although the Belgian hit back quickly. Initially a group of four was breaking away, but the first of the drama wasn’t long in coming.
Heading into the Geert Timmer chicane on Lap 3, Luciano was ahead and Moor looking for the inside line, and as the number 81 tipped in, Moor was there. The two made contact and both headed into the gravel – Luciano down, Moor able to stay in it. A huge moment in the standings, and there was some more to come, too.
That left Hosciuc and Gurecky at the head of a huge freight train fight, and that fight went all the way to the wire… and the Geert Timmer chicane. Farkas was leading the way on the way in, but Hosciuc judged his attack perfectly and lined himself up to deny the Hungarian. Moor had other ideas though, going for a 2-for-1 move and then having to bail out, leaving Hosciuc to take a first NTC win in style, ahead of Farkas in second.
Moor gathered it up to stay on but in doing so, came together with Gurecky – and with the Czech rider on the outside, it was him running further off and over the gravel, losing a good number of positions. Willemsen avoided the chaos for third, and a good reward for a weekend of fast work.
Jonas Kocourek (JRT Brno Circuit), Allesauto Racing’s Jordan Bartucca, Kas Beekmans (Team KNMV), Tibor Varga (Forty Racing) and Martin Vincze (Chrobák Motorsport Egyesület) took fourth to eighth, all impressing to fight at the front throughout.
Moor is classified in ninth although that’s after a three-position penalty applied after the race, as the Hungarian did cross the line a little further ahead. He takes some points but gains little on Gurecky as the number 59 was able to get back on track and end the race in 10th, forced into some damage limitation.
Now we return to Austria and the Red Bull Ring for the season finale, with the Cup on the line but Gurecky on the verge of glory. Can the Czech rider seal the deal in Spielberg? We’ll find out in two weeks!
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Mackenzie and Bridewell claim the wins to end O’Halloran’s winning streak
Tarran Mackenzie and Tommy Bridewell shared the victories in today’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship races at Donington Park, as the pair put themselves into contention alongside Jason O’Halloran for the Milwaukee Summer Grand Slam prize.
Championship leader O’Halloran had won the opening race of the weekend yesterday, but if any of the three riders can secure the triple win at Cadwell Park next weekend, then they will win a £10,000 prize.
In the second race of the weekend, Mackenzie won under pressure following an intense final three-lap dash to the chequered flag.
At the start of the race, Mackenzie had grabbed the advantage ahead of teammate O’Halloran, with Peter Hickman and Andrew Irwin in close contention. The McAMS Yamaha pair traded blows at the front, switching positions before local hero Mackenzie maintained the lead.
Andrew Irwin had moved the SYNETIQ BMW into second place ahead of Christian Iddon as the pair battled for second place, however on the seventh lap contact was made at Redgate and the VisionTrack Ducati rider crashed out. The race stewards subsequently issued Irwin a two-second time penalty for his part in the collision.
At the front, Glenn Irwin hit the front, but he was only able to hold off a determined Mackenzie for two laps, as the McAMS Yamaha rider moved back ahead. Glenn Irwin continued to push but his race ended with a crash on lap 17, leaving him with a dislocated shoulder, which was relocated and he was able to return for race three.
Mackenzie was desperately trying to gap the chasing pack, edging out a margin over his rivals. Hickman meanwhile pushed himself into second place ahead of O’Halloran and Bradley Ray as the podium fight continued to rage.
The BMW Safety Car was deployed when Danny Buchan crashed heavily out of the race, making a new race distance of 28 laps, when the race resumed with three laps remaining.
The SYNETIQ BMW rider will miss next weekend’s Cadwell Park event due to a suspicion of concussion.
Mackenzie had backed the pack up and was able to defend hard to keep O’Halloran at bay when the race resumed, whilst Hickman was pushed back to fourth as a hard-charging Ray moved into third place ahead of the final lap.
Ray saved his best until last, making a move on O’Halloran into Roberts for the final time to record the first podium finish for the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW team, as O’Halloran completed the top three.
The final race of the weekend produced another different race winner, following a tactical decision of tyre choices. The race initially started in dry conditions and was red flagged for rain after three laps.
The race was then restarted and declared wet, but the shower had passed and tyre options would prove crucial to the outcome of the race result.
At the start, Vickers got off to an incredible start with his choice of a wet front and intermediate rear tyre to lead the pack. However, it was short lived as he crashed out at Coppice on the opening lap.
Mackenzie had opted for a wet front and intermediate rear which had initially given him the edge to then lead the field from Hickman and Glenn Irwin with Bridewell holding fourth position.
As the track started to dry though, Mackenzie was soon dropping back through the order as the riders who had opted for the intermediate front and rear option moved forward, and by lap five Glenn Irwin was leading for Honda Racing.
A lap later and Bridewell had taken control at the front and he soon began to edge an advantage ahead of Glenn and Andrew Irwin, but Iddon was making rapid progress as he was the only rider to opt for an intermediate front and slick rear tyre.
It was soon all over for Iddon though as he crashed the VisionTrack Ducati out of the race with a crash at Craner Curves on the ninth lap after working his way through into fourth place.
At the front, Bridewell bridged the gap to Glenn Irwin to claim his first victory of the season, as the Honda Racing rider finished second, incredibly after dislocating his shoulder in the earlier race of the day!
Andrew Irwin became the eleventh different podium finisher of the season, taking his first top three finish for SYNETIQ BMW.
Reigning champion Josh Brookes had also opted for the same combination of intermediate tyres and he claimed his best result of the season in fourth place for VisionTrack Ducati.
Joe Francis scored his first top five finish of the season for the iForce Lloyd & Jones BMW team, just ahead of Storm Stacey who delivered an impressive performance to claim his best ever finish in Bennetts BSB with a sixth place.
Mackenzie dropped to seventh, but still accumulated the most points to be crowned Milwaukee King of Donington, just ahead of Dean Harrison who celebrated his best ever finish for Silicone Engineering Kawasaki.
Dan Linfoot and Gino Rea completed the top ten as championship leader Jason O’Halloran finished twelfth after opting for a wet front tyre and intermediate rear tyre.
The Donington Park races have put Glenn Irwin and Bradley Ray into the top eight in the standings, whilst the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki pairing of Rory Skinner and Lee Jackson have just dropped into ninth and tenth respectively.
Tommy Bridewell – Oxford Products Racing Ducati
Race 3 winner
“That was a nice, clean race – I didn’t go off like a bat out of hell to start with because I wanted to see what the track was like and it was a bit patchy at Coppice, so you had to be careful. Glenn got to the front and went off pretty hard, so I had to push hard to catch him, but I caught him fairly quick and comfortably so I knew I had the better pace.
“When I passed him, I thought ‘right, do I put the hammer down and try to break him or do I chip away’ and I did a bit of both. I put the hammer down to see what reaction I got and then just kept pushing.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved, and proud of the way I rode. I really enjoyed it, but we’ve got to keep the momentum going now and take some points back for the championship. The Showdown’s looking well and I’m looking forward to doing it again in a few days’ time.”
More, from a press release issued by Dynavolt Triumph:
Brandon Paasch makes it a double podium celebration at Donington
American Brandon Paasch on the podium after British Supersport Race Two at Donington Park. Photo courtesy Dynavolt Triumph.
Dynavolt Triumph’s Brandon Paasch gave the team further cause for celebration when he clinched his second podium of the weekend with another third place in today’s Quattro Group British Supersport Championship Feature Race at Donington Park.
Paasch was strong from the lights in the incident packed 24-laps and charging hard, actually posted his fastest lap of the weekend in the race to cross the line in third spot just 0.3s off the win.
Brandon Paasch: “Another P3 today but much closer to the win. That’s the closest I’ve been all year, that’s the closest I’ve been in a long time so we are definitely headed in the right direction. I’m confident again and feeling good with the bike so now it’s just a case of making some small changes, some small adjustments and see if we can improve just a little bit more and keep fighting at the front. Let’s go to Cadwell.”
After his huge crash yesterday in qualifying, Kyle Smith got a good start from the middle of the third row of the grid but front tyre woes saw him steadily drop back to take fifth at the flag. Smith drops one place to fourth in the championship but with main protagonists Perie and Kennedy crashing out, the 29-year-old is still very much in contention.
Kyle Smith: “To be honest a disappointing finish to the day. I just had a problem with the front end feel. It’s the first proper dry long race we’ve had and I just couldn’t get the front tyre working properly so ended up dropping back. We are still in championship contention so just keep working with the bike and see if we can be further up the next round.”
Dynavolt Triumph Team Manager Simon Buckmaster: “Another great podium for Brandon. He was really fighting for the win, that’s an even better third place than yesterday. His confidence will grow from these two podiums so congratulations to him, Simon and George and everyone in the team.”
“After Kyle’s massive crash yesterday, he never really got the feel back but he actually came away from a bad weekend where we smashed a bike to pieces and the boys had to do a great job to rebuild it, only losing two points to the lead. Kyle rode quite coolly there, he did the right thing and got as many points as possible because it’s all about the championship at the end of the year. We’ll be at our team home round, Cadwell Park next week with the biggest fans of the year so let’s hope for both riders fighting for the win.”
Lukas Tulovic (Tech 3 E-Racing) put in a stunner in Austria to take his maiden win in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup, the German blasting away from the front row, taking the holeshot and proving uncatchable thereafter. Behind him a group fight for the podium went down to the last lap, with Eric Granado (ONE Energy Racing) completing an impressive comeback from 13th in second place and Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) just holding off Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) for third.
Tulovic shot away from second on the grid and held his ground for the holeshot, the German then instantly putting the pedal to the metal in the lead. Behind him, Aldeguer was forced to settle into second as Granado made big gains and the pack shuffled.
Not long after that, Tulovic was already whopping 1.8 seconds clear as some key contenders fought it out in his wake. Aegerter was one, soon in the thick of the action and managing to climb up to P2 by Lap 3 before an Aegerter, Aldeguer, Granado battle royale was about to go off.
The final lap saw Tulovic keeping just under a second in hand, the German out of reach but the fight behind still gaining ground despite the scrap. Turn 3 saw Granado initially get the better of both Aegerter and Aldeguer as the trio went into Turn 4 locked together, but the Brazilian was able to hit back and floor it to just stay clear of the fight in the final sector.
Aegerter then sliced through for P3 at Turn 9, muscling past Aldeguer, and the Spanish rookie swept round Turn 10 to give himself the best run to the line, hoping to just pip the Swiss rider to the flag. But it wasn’t to be.
Tulovic, meanwhile, started his victory lap and treated the fans to a burnout, with Granado taking second and Aegerter just, just holding on. The gap between the Swiss rider and Aldeguer was less than two hundredths and the Spaniard’s wait for a first MotoE™ podium rolls on, although a maiden E-Pole is ticked off.
Rookie Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) claimed P5 to celebrate his best result, the Japanese rider beating points leader Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) by just under half a second. Zaccone’s lead is still seven points ahead of the final round of the season at Misano though, with reigning World Cup winner Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40) 0.053s off the Italian in Austria, taking P7.
Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE) slipped to P8 from the front row, the maiden World Cup winner crossing the line less than a second ahead of Kevin Zannoni (LCR E-Team) and Yonny Hernandez (Octo Pramac MotoE).
That’s a wrap on Austria, and MotoE™’s return to the Red Bull Ring tightens up the standings even more: 11 points, four riders and two races remain in the 2021 MotoE™ title race, and next we’re off to Misano… home turf for Zaccone, but known turf for Granado, Aegerter, Torres and very much so for Ferrari. Tune in for more when MotoE™ returns on the Riviera di Rimini!
Lukas Tulovic: “It will be difficult to find the correct words after winning here in Austria in front of so many German and Austrian fans, it’s an amazing feeling. I have to say a huge thank you to my team and Herve Poncharal, they’ve believed in me and given me this opportunity in MotoE and we’ve been so many times in top positions in practice and E-Pole and it’s never worked out in the race. I’m so happy to finally be on the podium, and even winning the race. It’s incredible!”
Three brilliant race wins in a row for David Alonso gives the Colombian 15-year-old a strong claim to the 2021 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. Right on his tail all the way to the Spielberg finish line was Tatchakorn Buasri, the 20-year-old Thai, with Spanish 17-year-old Ivan Ortolá leading the chasing pack.
It was a fabulous 13 KTM lead battle for most of the race and Alonso could not break away as he had done in the Austrian GP Race 1 on Saturday. Arch rival David Muñoz was particularly determined to hold on but then so nearly crashed and his big save gave Alonso and Buasri breathing room.
David Muñoz, the 15-year-old Spaniard, finally crossed the line 6th and is now 38 points adrift with two races and 50 points still to be claimed at Motorland Aragon.
David Alonso on top
“It was a great weekend since Free Practice, yesterday a good race. Today we know that it was going to be hard but well, from the first lap I was in the group and then I tried to push, but it was not possible.”
“I was happy with my pace but the other riders were competitive in this race and I had some more laps in the group, fighting. Some riders were on the limit, a bit aggressive but I managed well.”
“Then I had another opportunity, and I pushed harder. Finally I could do it and only Tatchakorn Buasri was behind me.”
“That was perfect because in 4 races here we win 3, it is incredible for the championship, for my confidence. Most important is that each lap I do with this bike I enjoy a lot, I have a super, super good feeling and I am ready for Aragon.”
Tatchakorn Buasri on his tail
“The Red Bull Ring is a second home for me. I am so happy with the race today, it was a little bit difficult because I made a mistake in turn one in the beginning of the race and went back to position 9. Then I was pushing, pushing, passing, passing, then I could follow Alonso.”
“On the last lap I wanted to overtake but you know, he is very fast. Still, today I am so happy. I will keep trying to win, to concentrate, more training, keep trying.”
Iván Ortolá on the podium
“This weekend was amazing, in the first race I suffered a lot in the group, I pushed a lot.”
“I looked at the race last night and saw what I could do, what I could improve.”
“This podium for me, it tastes like a victory, because of yesterday’s race. Thanks to everyone who supports me.”
David Muñoz on the limit
“The race today was very fast, for me with the bike it was difficult. A big moment near the end, it was almost a disaster, right on the limit.”
Szoke outlasts Dumas, Young to grab pivotal victory in race two of three at CTMP
Bowmanville, ON – The Pro Superbike tripleheader at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park delivered another new winner in race two, as reigning champion Jordan Szoke claimed a crucial victory after another thrilling battle on Sunday.
Szoke’s weekend had previously been off to a rocky start, as unusual circumstances left him ninth in qualifying before he struggled to sixth in race one. However, the Canada General Warranty Kawasaki rider demonstrated why he is a 14-time national champion in race two, methodically picking his way through the lead four-rider battle before sealing the win with a penultimate lap pass on championship leader Alex Dumas.
The much-needed win slightly trims Szoke’s deficit to the top of the standings, as his title defence now sits 41 points away with three races to go, though Dumas again executed his ability to limit the damage with a strong second-place finish.
The rookie teenager was briefly shunted to third with three laps to go as Young and Szoke renewed their storied rivalry out front, but he only needed one more lap to place his Liqui Moly MPG FAST Riding School Suzuki back into the top two spots.
Race one winner Young desperately tried to catch Dumas at the line, but he ultimately settled for third as his deficit increases again to 13 points. The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider will be looking to settle the score in race three this afternoon, knowing Dumas will have one hand on the trophy if he enters the final round with a points lead.
Sebastian Tremblay continued his stellar dual-threat season with another stellar fourth-place finish, as the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike championship leader ran behind the lead trio for the entire race and seemed poised for a podium spot before ultimately settling for crucial points inside the top-five.
Rounding out the five best finishers was race one podium finisher Trevor Daley, who got scrappy with the frontrunner on lap one but ultimately couldn’t replicate his pace from earlier in the day, settling for fifth after a thrilling battle with Dewildt Honda’s Steven Nickerson and a charging Tomas Casas.
Casas’ efforts were enough to secure him the second FAST Riding School Hard Charger award of the day, as the Parts Canada Yamaha rider slipped as far back as 16th on the opening lap before storming his way to sixth across the line.
Szoke’s win and Tremblay’s top-four result will see Kawasaki make a massive jump in the Constructors Championship, as they leapfrog BMW for second in the overall table, though Suzuki retains a 47-point gap atop the standings thanks to Dumas and Daley.
The full results from race two can be found here, while race three – the final leg of the historic tripleheader – is set to get underway at roughly 4 p.m. EST.
Young holds off Dumas in thrilling race one battle at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Bowmanville, ON – The first leg of Sunday’s action-packed Pro Superbike tripleheader did not disappoint, as Ben Young held off title rival Alex Dumas in a sensational battle in race one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Young’s pole position start was quickly negated by Dumas, as the championship leader stormed off the line to grab the holeshot and pace the eight-rider lead group through the opening laps.
After a few pass attempts were denied by Dumas early on, Young finally made the decisive move on lap six, putting his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW at the front of the pack with numerous challengers close behind.
Dumas nearly spoiled Young’s charge as the duo renewed their battle on the final lap, but the 2019 champion ultimately closed the door and sealed a crucial victory as he trims his title deficit to just six points.
Despite the unsuccessful pass attempts, Dumas was able to hang on for an equally important second-place finish, as the Liqui Moly MPG FAST Riding School rookie escaped race one of three with a championship lead intact.
Completing the podium was fellow Suzuki rider Trevor Daley, who benefited from a late red-flag incident that pushed the results back to the previous lap. Daley had been running third for much of the race, but ultimately lost the position to Sebastian Tremblay on the final lap – though Tremblay was pushed back to fourth due to the unfortunate last-lap red flag.
Completing the top five was Tomas Casas, who was forced to start from seventh after Friday’s qualifying crash but managed to work his way back into the lead group. After running briefly inside the top three, Casas ran into late trouble and faded back aboard his Parts Canada Yamaha, settling for a solid fifth at his home circuit.
One of the biggest movers – both up and down the leaderboard – was reigning champion Jordan Szoke, who quickly made up for his unfortunate ninth-place qualifying position by joining the lead group early on.
However, after running as high as third and briefly putting pressure on the leaders, Szoke ran into problems of his own in the closing stages, fading well off the pace and mustering only a distant sixth – his worst finish on track since 2008.
Steven Nickerson battled through injury to claim a solid seventh in race one, scoring the first points for Honda this season aboard his Dewildt Powersports machine, as the SOAR Regional champion recovered from a crash earlier this week to briefly run with the lead group early on.
Launching his way up the grid to eighth was rookie Samuel Guerin, who struggled with mechanical difficulties on Friday to only qualify in 12th for the EFC Group BMW team but fixed the issue on Sunday, as he was lapping similarly to the podium finishers en route to his first points finish of the season.
In the process, Guerin secured the first FAST Riding School Hard Charger award of the weekend, which is given to the rider in each Superbike race deemed to have produced the best effort in the context of that race, specifically one who overcame certain challenges across the weekend.
Despite Young’s victory, the double-podium for Suzuki boosts their hopes of securing the inaugural Constructors Championship, with Dumas and Daley providing them a 36-point cushion over BMW entering race two and three this afternoon.
Championship leader Mackenzie Weil extended his advantage in the Super Sonic Road Race School Lightweight class, fending off a thrilling battle throughout the race to continue his perfect season.
A four-rider group broke away quickly and maintained that gap throughout the contest, before a crash promoted Weil to the front in the late stages, handing him the lead for good with three laps to go as he held off fellow Kawasaki challenger Jacob Black across the line.
Weil’s biggest challenger, Jean-Francois Croteau, overcame a grid penalty that forced him to start from the back, powering his way to fifth as he salvaged enough points to maintain second in the championship.
The points lead changed hands early in the AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike category, however, as former championship leader Anthony Bergeron crashed out on lap one as a lead group broke away.
The incident allowed title rivals Pascal Bastien and Alex Cleary to gain an advantage over the rest of the field, with Bastien leading the rest of the way for the victory despite relentless pressure from Cleary in second.
As a result, Bastien will take over the championship lead entering race two on Sunday, while Cleary jumps to fourth overall and just a handful of points behind Bergeron, who will aim to fix his bike in time for the second leg of their doubleheader this afternoon.
Brad Macrae moved one step closer to clinching the Amateur Sport Bike title, winning race one in dominant fashion after rival Matthew Simpson crashed out.
Macrae will take a 42-point lead over fourth-place finisher Nathan Playford in the title fight, with his first chance to secure the trophy coming in race two this afternoon.
Race two and three of the Pro Superbike tripleheader are slated to run this afternoon at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, while the results from the other national classes can be found online at the series’ official website at csbk.ca.
MotoAmerica Supersport Championship Point Standings (after 14 of 18 races):
Kelly, 320 points
Escalante, 259
Lochoff, 163
Landers, 156
Smith, 148
Mesa, 143
Olmedo, 82
Soltisz, 82
Nassaney, 76
Thermiotis, 66
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Kelly, Scott And Lewis Show Why They Lead The Way At Pitt Race
The Three MotoAmerica Championship Leaders Win On Day Two At Pittsburgh Int’l Race Complex
WAMPUM, PA (August 15, 2021) – Just when it looked like momentum had swung away from championship points leaders Sean Dylan Kelly and Tyler Scott in the Supersport and SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Championships, respectively, on Saturday, it swung back right back to the duo on Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Kelly was beaten on Saturday by his championship rival Richie Escalante, but on Sunday it was Kelly doing the beating as he won his 10th Supersport race of the season to take firm control of the championship.
In the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Championship, Ben Gloddy made big inroads into Scott’s lead in the title chase on Saturday, but the latter was able to stop the bleeding with a bounce-back victory on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Jake Lewis won his fourth Stock 1000 race of the season to take full advantage of an off day by Corey Alexander to stretch his points lead to 20 as the series heads to New Jersey Motorsports Park, September 10-12. Supersport: Kelly Turns The Tables
Sean Dylan Kelly (40) and Richie Escalante (1) fly in formation at the front of the Supersport pack on Sunday at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Sunday’s Supersport race was a chance for either HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki rider Richie Escalante to do the double and get his second win of the weekend or for M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly to resume his winning ways after Escalante broke Kelly’s six-race winning streak on Saturday. That’s because Kelly or Escalante had won all but one of the 13 races prior to Sunday. And, as it turned out, it was Kelly who got the win, which was his 10th of the season.
As usual, it was far from easy, though, as Escalante shadowed Kelly throughout the entire race. Kelly led 12 laps of the 16-lap event, but Escalante took over the lead on lap 12 and held the position almost to the end. On the final go-around, Kelly, who had been carefully studying Escalante’s racing lines, overtook Escalante in the only place he thought he could make it stick. And he was right. Kelly took the checkered flag by just .064 of a second over Escalante.
Benjamin Smith, who was in third place for most of the race, faded back in the pack as the race approached its conclusion, and Landers Racing/Tyrant Designs/Yamaha/Yamalube’s Rocco Landers emerged as the third rider to stand on the podium.
“Something about this one felt pretty extra special,” Kelly said. “It was a really good day. Yesterday was tough. Honestly, I think I ran a really good race yesterday. I did everything I could. I think Richie (Escalante) just played it a little smarter and was having a good pace behind me and was just able to read me and study me a bit more and get me on the last couple of laps. I made a mistake, so I wasn’t able to get by him again yesterday on the last lap. Today definitely different strategies, a few different things. It played out well. I led most of the race, but I tried different rhythms there with my pace to see how Richie would react, and I saw he was with me the whole time. About five laps to go, he went by me again and at that point I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to try and do the studying this time.’ It worked out well. Richie was going really fast. He did some really consistent mid-43’s, which was really fast. I was able to push my bike to that same pace. I was able to study him. Honestly, that first flier he did, I had a little gap at first, but I was able to gather it and get right behind for the last couple laps. I knew, with two laps to go, exactly where I was going to do the pass the final lap. I’m pretty proud of that pass. Proud that I was able to defend the last few corners after that because that’s where he was able to get me yesterday in the last few corners. I was able to get it done, and honestly it just felt so good. I think I did the right work from yesterday to today. Just considering where we are in the season and where we are standing in the championship, this is really important for us. I’m just really excited to be going into New Jersey feeling like this with these races. Obviously, it’s an important win for us for many, many reasons. It just feels good to get this done.” SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup: Scott Rebounds!
Tyler Scott (70) beat Ben Gloddy (72) by just 0.061 of a second to win the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race two was similar to Supersport race two in that the two combatants at the top of the championship continue to battle back and forth, and each of those protagonists took race wins at Pitt Race.
Landers Racing Kawasaki rider Ben Gloddy, who had won Saturday’s race while Scott Powersports/KTM rider Tyler Scott faded and finished fourth, faced a much stronger challenge from Scott in race two. In fact, after Scott overtook Gloddy on lap two, the pair swapped the lead back and forth until three laps from the end of the 10-lap race when Scott stabilized his lead despite Gloddy trying everything he could to get around him. Gloddy made one more attempt to take the lead on the final run to the checkers, but Scott ultimately took the victory by .061 of a second.
Bauce Racing/Cybersafe Solutions/JL62 Racing Kawasaki rider Joe Limandri Jr., who recorded his first podium of the 2021 Junior Cup season with a second-place finish on Saturday, finished third on Sunday to make it a double podium for him at Pitt Race.
“It was pretty disappointing yesterday because we lost a bunch of championship points,” Scott said. “We kind of fell back this weekend in the championship. We still have the lead. Yesterday I didn’t have the same aggression as I did today, and I kind of fell back right there at the end. I didn’t have enough laps to get back to the front and get crucial points that I needed. Today was a great race. The pace was definitely a lot faster, and I gave it my all. I knew I had to get to the front and try and pull away on the last lap.” Stock 1000: Lewis Gets His Fourth
Jake Lewis (85) beat Travis Wyman (10) to win the Stock 1000 race on Sunday. Michael Gilbert (55) and Ashton Yates (22) finished fourth and seventh, respectively. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Coming into this weekend, Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Jake Lewis had said that he was looking forward to Pitt Race because it’s one of his favorite tracks. And in Sunday’s Stock 1000 race, the current championship leader showed exactly why it’s a favorite racecourse for him. Lewis started from the pole and led every lap of the 10-lap race to notch his fourth win of the season and extend his championship lead to 20 points over Corey Alexander.
Travis Wyman Racing BMW rider Travis Wyman started second on the grid and maintained his runner-up position all the way to the checkered flag, finishing 1.442 seconds behind Lewis. The surprise of the podium was third-place finisher Hayden Gillim who replaced Jason Farrell aboard the Franklin Armory/Disrupt Racing Kawasaki. Gillim had competed in the three-round King Of The Baggers Championship, but he hasn’t competed in any of MotoAmerica’s sportbike race classes for nearly two years. Also, he had to work on Friday before driving to Pittsburgh, so he missed Stock 1000 first practice and provisional qualifying. Given all that, it was remarkable that Gillim finished third.
“It was a good race, Lewis said. “That was my plan to get out front and try to go. I felt like I had a little bit of pace on these guys all weekend to do 43’s pretty easy. This race was so tough because my pit board, I wasn’t getting a gap. I was just pushing honestly as hard as I could. I looked back once there. I was telling Travis (Wyman), I didn’t know who it was when I looked back. I was just trying like heck to break him. I was honestly a little tired. I was trying to relax my arms and stuff and focus on breathing. I was just focused on putting down those 43’s. But it feels good to win. I didn’t know where Corey was, if he crashed, or where he finished, but it’s a nice points weekend for us, especially in the Superbike cup and this class, as well. It’s a good weekend.”
Fortune favours the brave: Binder pulls off an all-time great on KTM home turf
The South African gambles big and takes the house with a stunning wet win on slicks in Spielberg
Sunday, 15 August 2021
Brad Binder. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Fortune favours the brave! That certainly rings true this Sunday but it takes more than bravery to wrestle a MotoGP™ bike around a wet track on slicks, with a race win on the line, in your factory’s home race. It also takes some serious skill and talent. But Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had the perfect mixture of each to take victory in the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, the South African disappearing down the start finish straight alone to hold his nerve as those around him peeled into pitlane in an all-time classic flag-to-flag. He somehow pulled it off for a second premier class win and the first for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team on home turf: Sunday rider, on many occasions, is the highest of compliments.
Behind the sheer daring of the man in the lead, the fight for second was instead an electrifying charge from those who made the opposite gamble. In the end, it was won by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the Italian put on a show that, on nearly any other Sunday, would have likely delivered him a maiden MotoGP™ win. And behind him, Styrian GP winner and rookie Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) found some more magic, another who switched to wets and charged through to make it work.
It started well for the Spaniard too and it was Martin took the holeshot, the rookie once again solid under the added pressure of pole, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) getting a little too close for comfort and heading wide – allowing Bagnaia through into second. And as the White Flag came out to show some spots of rain, meaning riders were allowed to change bikes, Bagnaia took over at the front and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) found himself the sole Honda in a Ducati armada at the front. Quartararo dropped down to sixth behind Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), although he did hit back as Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) watched on behind that duel.
Bagnaia pounded on at the front, with Martin trying to attack but losing out from the move. So Bagnaia it remained, with Quartararo charging back through into second and even taking the lead as the rain flags came out… again. But Bagnaia muscled back through at Turn 1, and Marc Marquez homed in on El Diablo to boot.
Bagnaia, Quartararo, Marquez, Martin and Zarco marched on, with Mir then battling past Miller to become the man on the chase. And soon enough the top three started to pull away, Mir reeled in the Pramac riders, and the Brad Binder Sunday charge was well underway as the South African homed in on Miller. From tenth on the grid, the number 33 was on the way.
Suddenly, drama then hit for a frontrunner as Zarco crashed out. Sliding off at Turn 9, the Frenchman’s Championship charge took a dent as he couldn’t get back on either. And not long after, Quartararo headed a little wide… allowing Marquez to get back on the chase after Bagnaia. And with 7 to go, the eight-time World Champion struck for the first time. Bagnaia hit back, but a few cards were on the table.
With five to go, and the rain flags still out, the first gamble: Miller and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) pitted, rolling their dice earlier than the rest as Bagnaia continued on at the front. But what had started to seem a clear trio was fast becoming a six-man freight train as Martin and Mir homed in, and the Jaws music could start to fade in: Binder was coming. The South African didn’t win on on one gamble.
With 4 to go, Binder was on the scene, Martin was already past Quartararo for third, and Bagnaia headed wide at Turn 1, giving Marc Marquez the lead. In the braking zone for Turn 3, Martin screeched up the inside of Bagnaia, and then Quartararo pulled off the perfect dance between madness and excellence to shoot past both, back into second. The shuffle continued, and the rain got heavier and heavier. By the time the six-rider train reached the pit entry, there was a clear decision for five of them: it was time to change. So Marquez, Bagnaia, Martin, Quartararo and Mir headed in to swap… and a lone KTM swept round the final corner and tucked in down the main straight. Binder was going all in.
Out of pitlane, the five were Marc Marquez leading Bagnaia – and both immediately hammering it – with Martin next up, Mir in fourth of the group and Quartararo losing out slightly at the rear of the train. But Bagnaia headed in hot at Turn 3 and lost out to Martin… and then Marc Marquez slid out. A lowside at Turn 1 saw the number 93 lose a shot at the podium, with Bagnaia leading Martin and both taking over in the fight back through. Mir and Quartararo also headed well wide, with the clock ticking and just under 2 laps to go.
When he made the decision to stay out, Binder had been a few of seconds ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), who also gambled on slicks and was in second. By the time the number 33 crossed the line to start the penultimate lap, the South African was 7 clear. Starting the final lap, the gap was over 11.
Bagnaia and Martin, meanwhile, started that final lap in eighth and ninth. And by halfway round, the two were cutting through Binder’s fellow gamblers like there were two categories on track. Second and third were locked down well before the final corner, with the two pushing to perfection to cut the gap.
Ahead of them, though, arguably the wrong decision was turned into the perfect hand in the right hands. Binder’s final lap saw him suffer a couple of moments, but he had somehow pulled it off. In the rain, in KTM’s backyard, with the brakes suffering in the conditions and the tyres the opposite of the weather, the South African made a little more history. And this time around, it wasn’t a statistical milestone, it was pure, instant legend: add bravery and stir.
Behind Binder’s miracle ballet and Bagnaia and Martin’s charge to the podium, there was plenty to sort out. Mir made it home in a solid fourth place to make some good gains in the standings, with Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) making some magic for fifth place on slicks. Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) had been ahead of both and in podium contention but dropped to sixth, the Spaniard getting a little less reward for his earlier bravery than he likely hoped for, but he did hold off Quartararo as the Championship leader came home seventh.
Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was in podium contention too before the final lap and he finished eighth, but some good points for the Doctor, who was also highly entertained by the shuffle and the challenge. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) took ninth, with Aleix Espargaro ultimately completing the top ten.
Miller’s early gamble didn’t pay off and he finished in P11, ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) by almost nothing. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was next up, with Rins a little further out of touch behind.
The final point went to Marc Marquez, who may have gambled and lost, but still very much didn’t give up.
And so a new legend is written into the history books, with another win on home turf for KTM and a second premier class victory for Binder. How they did it, and how the South African forced fortune to favour the brave, will be a long time in the memory of MotoGP™ fans, and likely a few of the number 33’s rivals.
Quartararo remains the points leader, Bagnaia gains ground and Zarco loses some… as Mir moves onto equal points with Pecco in second. What will Silverstone bring? We’ll find out in two weeks….
Brad Binder: “When I saw everyone tipping into the pits, I saw an opportunity and I decided I’d rather risk it and crash rather than maybe get top five. It’s a big Grand Prix for us, for KTM, for Red Bull. I’ve won here in Moto2 and I know what it’s like to win here at their home GP. To do it in MotoGP is an unbelievable feeling. Huge gamble, but I’m really glad it paid off.
“I knew when there were 3 laps to go, if I didn’t come in when they did I wasn’t going to come in at all. And yeah, I made it to the end somehow! The biggest problem was no brakes, the carbon brakes were cold and as soon as the rear tyre cooled off I couldn’t open the throttle either. Somehow I made it round the track, and a couple of times I thought it was over but I kept it up straight. So happy, so happy this gamble paid off.”
Hosciuc takes maiden win in style at the Cathedral
The Romanian stands on the top step ahead of Farkas and a first podium for Willemsen as drama hits for key players in the standings
Sunday, 15 August 2021
Jacopo Hosciuc (Hos Racing Team) is the newest addition to the winners’ club, the Romanian pulling off a maiden victory in style at Assen, striking at the final chicane to finally put some bad luck to bed. Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) was the rider just losing out, the Hungarian forced to settle for second, with Noel Willemsen (MCA Racing Team) taking his first podium to round out an impressive weekend.
There was some key drama for Lorenz Luciano (Junior Black Knights Team), as well as Rossi Moor (FAIRIUM Next Generation Riders Team) AND Jakub Gurecky (JRT Brno Circuit), as Assen hosted some crashes and clashes…
Off the line, Moor got away well and managed to deny Luciano the holeshot, although the Belgian hit back quickly. Initially a group of four was breaking away, but the first of the drama wasn’t long in coming.
Heading into the Geert Timmer chicane on Lap 3, Luciano was ahead and Moor looking for the inside line, and as the number 81 tipped in, Moor was there. The two made contact and both headed into the gravel – Luciano down, Moor able to stay in it. A huge moment in the standings, and there was some more to come, too.
That left Hosciuc and Gurecky at the head of a huge freight train fight, and that fight went all the way to the wire… and the Geert Timmer chicane. Farkas was leading the way on the way in, but Hosciuc judged his attack perfectly and lined himself up to deny the Hungarian. Moor had other ideas though, going for a 2-for-1 move and then having to bail out, leaving Hosciuc to take a first NTC win in style, ahead of Farkas in second.
Moor gathered it up to stay on but in doing so, came together with Gurecky – and with the Czech rider on the outside, it was him running further off and over the gravel, losing a good number of positions. Willemsen avoided the chaos for third, and a good reward for a weekend of fast work.
Jonas Kocourek (JRT Brno Circuit), Allesauto Racing’s Jordan Bartucca, Kas Beekmans (Team KNMV), Tibor Varga (Forty Racing) and Martin Vincze (Chrobák Motorsport Egyesület) took fourth to eighth, all impressing to fight at the front throughout.
Moor is classified in ninth although that’s after a three-position penalty applied after the race, as the Hungarian did cross the line a little further ahead. He takes some points but gains little on Gurecky as the number 59 was able to get back on track and end the race in 10th, forced into some damage limitation.
Now we return to Austria and the Red Bull Ring for the season finale, with the Cup on the line but Gurecky on the verge of glory. Can the Czech rider seal the deal in Spielberg? We’ll find out in two weeks!
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Mackenzie and Bridewell claim the wins to end O’Halloran’s winning streak
Tarran Mackenzie and Tommy Bridewell shared the victories in today’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship races at Donington Park, as the pair put themselves into contention alongside Jason O’Halloran for the Milwaukee Summer Grand Slam prize.
Championship leader O’Halloran had won the opening race of the weekend yesterday, but if any of the three riders can secure the triple win at Cadwell Park next weekend, then they will win a £10,000 prize.
In the second race of the weekend, Mackenzie won under pressure following an intense final three-lap dash to the chequered flag.
At the start of the race, Mackenzie had grabbed the advantage ahead of teammate O’Halloran, with Peter Hickman and Andrew Irwin in close contention. The McAMS Yamaha pair traded blows at the front, switching positions before local hero Mackenzie maintained the lead.
Andrew Irwin had moved the SYNETIQ BMW into second place ahead of Christian Iddon as the pair battled for second place, however on the seventh lap contact was made at Redgate and the VisionTrack Ducati rider crashed out. The race stewards subsequently issued Irwin a two-second time penalty for his part in the collision.
At the front, Glenn Irwin hit the front, but he was only able to hold off a determined Mackenzie for two laps, as the McAMS Yamaha rider moved back ahead. Glenn Irwin continued to push but his race ended with a crash on lap 17, leaving him with a dislocated shoulder, which was relocated and he was able to return for race three.
Mackenzie was desperately trying to gap the chasing pack, edging out a margin over his rivals. Hickman meanwhile pushed himself into second place ahead of O’Halloran and Bradley Ray as the podium fight continued to rage.
The BMW Safety Car was deployed when Danny Buchan crashed heavily out of the race, making a new race distance of 28 laps, when the race resumed with three laps remaining.
The SYNETIQ BMW rider will miss next weekend’s Cadwell Park event due to a suspicion of concussion.
Mackenzie had backed the pack up and was able to defend hard to keep O’Halloran at bay when the race resumed, whilst Hickman was pushed back to fourth as a hard-charging Ray moved into third place ahead of the final lap.
Ray saved his best until last, making a move on O’Halloran into Roberts for the final time to record the first podium finish for the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW team, as O’Halloran completed the top three.
The final race of the weekend produced another different race winner, following a tactical decision of tyre choices. The race initially started in dry conditions and was red flagged for rain after three laps.
The race was then restarted and declared wet, but the shower had passed and tyre options would prove crucial to the outcome of the race result.
At the start, Vickers got off to an incredible start with his choice of a wet front and intermediate rear tyre to lead the pack. However, it was short lived as he crashed out at Coppice on the opening lap.
Mackenzie had opted for a wet front and intermediate rear which had initially given him the edge to then lead the field from Hickman and Glenn Irwin with Bridewell holding fourth position.
As the track started to dry though, Mackenzie was soon dropping back through the order as the riders who had opted for the intermediate front and rear option moved forward, and by lap five Glenn Irwin was leading for Honda Racing.
A lap later and Bridewell had taken control at the front and he soon began to edge an advantage ahead of Glenn and Andrew Irwin, but Iddon was making rapid progress as he was the only rider to opt for an intermediate front and slick rear tyre.
It was soon all over for Iddon though as he crashed the VisionTrack Ducati out of the race with a crash at Craner Curves on the ninth lap after working his way through into fourth place.
At the front, Bridewell bridged the gap to Glenn Irwin to claim his first victory of the season, as the Honda Racing rider finished second, incredibly after dislocating his shoulder in the earlier race of the day!
Andrew Irwin became the eleventh different podium finisher of the season, taking his first top three finish for SYNETIQ BMW.
Reigning champion Josh Brookes had also opted for the same combination of intermediate tyres and he claimed his best result of the season in fourth place for VisionTrack Ducati.
Joe Francis scored his first top five finish of the season for the iForce Lloyd & Jones BMW team, just ahead of Storm Stacey who delivered an impressive performance to claim his best ever finish in Bennetts BSB with a sixth place.
Mackenzie dropped to seventh, but still accumulated the most points to be crowned Milwaukee King of Donington, just ahead of Dean Harrison who celebrated his best ever finish for Silicone Engineering Kawasaki.
Dan Linfoot and Gino Rea completed the top ten as championship leader Jason O’Halloran finished twelfth after opting for a wet front tyre and intermediate rear tyre.
The Donington Park races have put Glenn Irwin and Bradley Ray into the top eight in the standings, whilst the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki pairing of Rory Skinner and Lee Jackson have just dropped into ninth and tenth respectively.
Tommy Bridewell – Oxford Products Racing Ducati
Race 3 winner
“That was a nice, clean race – I didn’t go off like a bat out of hell to start with because I wanted to see what the track was like and it was a bit patchy at Coppice, so you had to be careful. Glenn got to the front and went off pretty hard, so I had to push hard to catch him, but I caught him fairly quick and comfortably so I knew I had the better pace.
“When I passed him, I thought ‘right, do I put the hammer down and try to break him or do I chip away’ and I did a bit of both. I put the hammer down to see what reaction I got and then just kept pushing.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved, and proud of the way I rode. I really enjoyed it, but we’ve got to keep the momentum going now and take some points back for the championship. The Showdown’s looking well and I’m looking forward to doing it again in a few days’ time.”
More, from a press release issued by Dynavolt Triumph:
Brandon Paasch makes it a double podium celebration at Donington
American Brandon Paasch on the podium after British Supersport Race Two at Donington Park. Photo courtesy Dynavolt Triumph.
Dynavolt Triumph’s Brandon Paasch gave the team further cause for celebration when he clinched his second podium of the weekend with another third place in today’s Quattro Group British Supersport Championship Feature Race at Donington Park.
Paasch was strong from the lights in the incident packed 24-laps and charging hard, actually posted his fastest lap of the weekend in the race to cross the line in third spot just 0.3s off the win.
Brandon Paasch: “Another P3 today but much closer to the win. That’s the closest I’ve been all year, that’s the closest I’ve been in a long time so we are definitely headed in the right direction. I’m confident again and feeling good with the bike so now it’s just a case of making some small changes, some small adjustments and see if we can improve just a little bit more and keep fighting at the front. Let’s go to Cadwell.”
After his huge crash yesterday in qualifying, Kyle Smith got a good start from the middle of the third row of the grid but front tyre woes saw him steadily drop back to take fifth at the flag. Smith drops one place to fourth in the championship but with main protagonists Perie and Kennedy crashing out, the 29-year-old is still very much in contention.
Kyle Smith: “To be honest a disappointing finish to the day. I just had a problem with the front end feel. It’s the first proper dry long race we’ve had and I just couldn’t get the front tyre working properly so ended up dropping back. We are still in championship contention so just keep working with the bike and see if we can be further up the next round.”
Dynavolt Triumph Team Manager Simon Buckmaster: “Another great podium for Brandon. He was really fighting for the win, that’s an even better third place than yesterday. His confidence will grow from these two podiums so congratulations to him, Simon and George and everyone in the team.”
“After Kyle’s massive crash yesterday, he never really got the feel back but he actually came away from a bad weekend where we smashed a bike to pieces and the boys had to do a great job to rebuild it, only losing two points to the lead. Kyle rode quite coolly there, he did the right thing and got as many points as possible because it’s all about the championship at the end of the year. We’ll be at our team home round, Cadwell Park next week with the biggest fans of the year so let’s hope for both riders fighting for the win.”
Lukas Tulovic (Tech 3 E-Racing) put in a stunner in Austria to take his maiden win in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup, the German blasting away from the front row, taking the holeshot and proving uncatchable thereafter. Behind him a group fight for the podium went down to the last lap, with Eric Granado (ONE Energy Racing) completing an impressive comeback from 13th in second place and Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) just holding off Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) for third.
Tulovic shot away from second on the grid and held his ground for the holeshot, the German then instantly putting the pedal to the metal in the lead. Behind him, Aldeguer was forced to settle into second as Granado made big gains and the pack shuffled.
Not long after that, Tulovic was already whopping 1.8 seconds clear as some key contenders fought it out in his wake. Aegerter was one, soon in the thick of the action and managing to climb up to P2 by Lap 3 before an Aegerter, Aldeguer, Granado battle royale was about to go off.
The final lap saw Tulovic keeping just under a second in hand, the German out of reach but the fight behind still gaining ground despite the scrap. Turn 3 saw Granado initially get the better of both Aegerter and Aldeguer as the trio went into Turn 4 locked together, but the Brazilian was able to hit back and floor it to just stay clear of the fight in the final sector.
Aegerter then sliced through for P3 at Turn 9, muscling past Aldeguer, and the Spanish rookie swept round Turn 10 to give himself the best run to the line, hoping to just pip the Swiss rider to the flag. But it wasn’t to be.
Tulovic, meanwhile, started his victory lap and treated the fans to a burnout, with Granado taking second and Aegerter just, just holding on. The gap between the Swiss rider and Aldeguer was less than two hundredths and the Spaniard’s wait for a first MotoE™ podium rolls on, although a maiden E-Pole is ticked off.
Rookie Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) claimed P5 to celebrate his best result, the Japanese rider beating points leader Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) by just under half a second. Zaccone’s lead is still seven points ahead of the final round of the season at Misano though, with reigning World Cup winner Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40) 0.053s off the Italian in Austria, taking P7.
Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE) slipped to P8 from the front row, the maiden World Cup winner crossing the line less than a second ahead of Kevin Zannoni (LCR E-Team) and Yonny Hernandez (Octo Pramac MotoE).
That’s a wrap on Austria, and MotoE™’s return to the Red Bull Ring tightens up the standings even more: 11 points, four riders and two races remain in the 2021 MotoE™ title race, and next we’re off to Misano… home turf for Zaccone, but known turf for Granado, Aegerter, Torres and very much so for Ferrari. Tune in for more when MotoE™ returns on the Riviera di Rimini!
Lukas Tulovic: “It will be difficult to find the correct words after winning here in Austria in front of so many German and Austrian fans, it’s an amazing feeling. I have to say a huge thank you to my team and Herve Poncharal, they’ve believed in me and given me this opportunity in MotoE and we’ve been so many times in top positions in practice and E-Pole and it’s never worked out in the race. I’m so happy to finally be on the podium, and even winning the race. It’s incredible!”
David Alonso (80) leading Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race Two in Austria. Photo courtesy Red Bull.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull:
Alonso makes it Austrian Rookies Cup triple
Three brilliant race wins in a row for David Alonso gives the Colombian 15-year-old a strong claim to the 2021 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. Right on his tail all the way to the Spielberg finish line was Tatchakorn Buasri, the 20-year-old Thai, with Spanish 17-year-old Ivan Ortolá leading the chasing pack.
It was a fabulous 13 KTM lead battle for most of the race and Alonso could not break away as he had done in the Austrian GP Race 1 on Saturday. Arch rival David Muñoz was particularly determined to hold on but then so nearly crashed and his big save gave Alonso and Buasri breathing room.
David Muñoz, the 15-year-old Spaniard, finally crossed the line 6th and is now 38 points adrift with two races and 50 points still to be claimed at Motorland Aragon.
David Alonso on top
“It was a great weekend since Free Practice, yesterday a good race. Today we know that it was going to be hard but well, from the first lap I was in the group and then I tried to push, but it was not possible.”
“I was happy with my pace but the other riders were competitive in this race and I had some more laps in the group, fighting. Some riders were on the limit, a bit aggressive but I managed well.”
“Then I had another opportunity, and I pushed harder. Finally I could do it and only Tatchakorn Buasri was behind me.”
“That was perfect because in 4 races here we win 3, it is incredible for the championship, for my confidence. Most important is that each lap I do with this bike I enjoy a lot, I have a super, super good feeling and I am ready for Aragon.”
Tatchakorn Buasri on his tail
“The Red Bull Ring is a second home for me. I am so happy with the race today, it was a little bit difficult because I made a mistake in turn one in the beginning of the race and went back to position 9. Then I was pushing, pushing, passing, passing, then I could follow Alonso.”
“On the last lap I wanted to overtake but you know, he is very fast. Still, today I am so happy. I will keep trying to win, to concentrate, more training, keep trying.”
Iván Ortolá on the podium
“This weekend was amazing, in the first race I suffered a lot in the group, I pushed a lot.”
“I looked at the race last night and saw what I could do, what I could improve.”
“This podium for me, it tastes like a victory, because of yesterday’s race. Thanks to everyone who supports me.”
David Muñoz on the limit
“The race today was very fast, for me with the bike it was difficult. A big moment near the end, it was almost a disaster, right on the limit.”
Canadian Superbike competitors Ben Young (86), Alex Dumas (23), Jordan Szoke (1), and Sebastien Tremblay (24) in action. Photo by Damian Pereira, courtesy CSBK.
Szoke outlasts Dumas, Young to grab pivotal victory in race two of three at CTMP
Bowmanville, ON – The Pro Superbike tripleheader at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park delivered another new winner in race two, as reigning champion Jordan Szoke claimed a crucial victory after another thrilling battle on Sunday.
Szoke’s weekend had previously been off to a rocky start, as unusual circumstances left him ninth in qualifying before he struggled to sixth in race one. However, the Canada General Warranty Kawasaki rider demonstrated why he is a 14-time national champion in race two, methodically picking his way through the lead four-rider battle before sealing the win with a penultimate lap pass on championship leader Alex Dumas.
The much-needed win slightly trims Szoke’s deficit to the top of the standings, as his title defence now sits 41 points away with three races to go, though Dumas again executed his ability to limit the damage with a strong second-place finish.
The rookie teenager was briefly shunted to third with three laps to go as Young and Szoke renewed their storied rivalry out front, but he only needed one more lap to place his Liqui Moly MPG FAST Riding School Suzuki back into the top two spots.
Race one winner Young desperately tried to catch Dumas at the line, but he ultimately settled for third as his deficit increases again to 13 points. The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider will be looking to settle the score in race three this afternoon, knowing Dumas will have one hand on the trophy if he enters the final round with a points lead.
Sebastian Tremblay continued his stellar dual-threat season with another stellar fourth-place finish, as the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike championship leader ran behind the lead trio for the entire race and seemed poised for a podium spot before ultimately settling for crucial points inside the top-five.
Rounding out the five best finishers was race one podium finisher Trevor Daley, who got scrappy with the frontrunner on lap one but ultimately couldn’t replicate his pace from earlier in the day, settling for fifth after a thrilling battle with Dewildt Honda’s Steven Nickerson and a charging Tomas Casas.
Casas’ efforts were enough to secure him the second FAST Riding School Hard Charger award of the day, as the Parts Canada Yamaha rider slipped as far back as 16th on the opening lap before storming his way to sixth across the line.
Szoke’s win and Tremblay’s top-four result will see Kawasaki make a massive jump in the Constructors Championship, as they leapfrog BMW for second in the overall table, though Suzuki retains a 47-point gap atop the standings thanks to Dumas and Daley.
The full results from race two can be found here, while race three – the final leg of the historic tripleheader – is set to get underway at roughly 4 p.m. EST.
Ben Young (86) held off championship leader Alex Dumas (23) in a thrilling race-long battle at CTMP. Photo by Damian Pereira, courtesy CSBK.
Young holds off Dumas in thrilling race one battle at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Bowmanville, ON – The first leg of Sunday’s action-packed Pro Superbike tripleheader did not disappoint, as Ben Young held off title rival Alex Dumas in a sensational battle in race one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Young’s pole position start was quickly negated by Dumas, as the championship leader stormed off the line to grab the holeshot and pace the eight-rider lead group through the opening laps.
After a few pass attempts were denied by Dumas early on, Young finally made the decisive move on lap six, putting his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW at the front of the pack with numerous challengers close behind.
Dumas nearly spoiled Young’s charge as the duo renewed their battle on the final lap, but the 2019 champion ultimately closed the door and sealed a crucial victory as he trims his title deficit to just six points.
Despite the unsuccessful pass attempts, Dumas was able to hang on for an equally important second-place finish, as the Liqui Moly MPG FAST Riding School rookie escaped race one of three with a championship lead intact.
Completing the podium was fellow Suzuki rider Trevor Daley, who benefited from a late red-flag incident that pushed the results back to the previous lap. Daley had been running third for much of the race, but ultimately lost the position to Sebastian Tremblay on the final lap – though Tremblay was pushed back to fourth due to the unfortunate last-lap red flag.
Completing the top five was Tomas Casas, who was forced to start from seventh after Friday’s qualifying crash but managed to work his way back into the lead group. After running briefly inside the top three, Casas ran into late trouble and faded back aboard his Parts Canada Yamaha, settling for a solid fifth at his home circuit.
One of the biggest movers – both up and down the leaderboard – was reigning champion Jordan Szoke, who quickly made up for his unfortunate ninth-place qualifying position by joining the lead group early on.
However, after running as high as third and briefly putting pressure on the leaders, Szoke ran into problems of his own in the closing stages, fading well off the pace and mustering only a distant sixth – his worst finish on track since 2008.
Steven Nickerson battled through injury to claim a solid seventh in race one, scoring the first points for Honda this season aboard his Dewildt Powersports machine, as the SOAR Regional champion recovered from a crash earlier this week to briefly run with the lead group early on.
Launching his way up the grid to eighth was rookie Samuel Guerin, who struggled with mechanical difficulties on Friday to only qualify in 12th for the EFC Group BMW team but fixed the issue on Sunday, as he was lapping similarly to the podium finishers en route to his first points finish of the season.
In the process, Guerin secured the first FAST Riding School Hard Charger award of the weekend, which is given to the rider in each Superbike race deemed to have produced the best effort in the context of that race, specifically one who overcame certain challenges across the weekend.
Despite Young’s victory, the double-podium for Suzuki boosts their hopes of securing the inaugural Constructors Championship, with Dumas and Daley providing them a 36-point cushion over BMW entering race two and three this afternoon.
Championship leader Mackenzie Weil extended his advantage in the Super Sonic Road Race School Lightweight class, fending off a thrilling battle throughout the race to continue his perfect season.
A four-rider group broke away quickly and maintained that gap throughout the contest, before a crash promoted Weil to the front in the late stages, handing him the lead for good with three laps to go as he held off fellow Kawasaki challenger Jacob Black across the line.
Weil’s biggest challenger, Jean-Francois Croteau, overcame a grid penalty that forced him to start from the back, powering his way to fifth as he salvaged enough points to maintain second in the championship.
The points lead changed hands early in the AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike category, however, as former championship leader Anthony Bergeron crashed out on lap one as a lead group broke away.
The incident allowed title rivals Pascal Bastien and Alex Cleary to gain an advantage over the rest of the field, with Bastien leading the rest of the way for the victory despite relentless pressure from Cleary in second.
As a result, Bastien will take over the championship lead entering race two on Sunday, while Cleary jumps to fourth overall and just a handful of points behind Bergeron, who will aim to fix his bike in time for the second leg of their doubleheader this afternoon.
Brad Macrae moved one step closer to clinching the Amateur Sport Bike title, winning race one in dominant fashion after rival Matthew Simpson crashed out.
Macrae will take a 42-point lead over fourth-place finisher Nathan Playford in the title fight, with his first chance to secure the trophy coming in race two this afternoon.
Race two and three of the Pro Superbike tripleheader are slated to run this afternoon at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, while the results from the other national classes can be found online at the series’ official website at csbk.ca.
MotoAmerica Supersport Championship Point Standings (after 14 of 18 races):
Kelly, 320 points
Escalante, 259
Lochoff, 163
Landers, 156
Smith, 148
Mesa, 143
Olmedo, 82
Soltisz, 82
Nassaney, 76
Thermiotis, 66
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
Kelly, Scott And Lewis Show Why They Lead The Way At Pitt Race
The Three MotoAmerica Championship Leaders Win On Day Two At Pittsburgh Int’l Race Complex
WAMPUM, PA (August 15, 2021) – Just when it looked like momentum had swung away from championship points leaders Sean Dylan Kelly and Tyler Scott in the Supersport and SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Championships, respectively, on Saturday, it swung back right back to the duo on Sunday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Kelly was beaten on Saturday by his championship rival Richie Escalante, but on Sunday it was Kelly doing the beating as he won his 10th Supersport race of the season to take firm control of the championship.
In the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Championship, Ben Gloddy made big inroads into Scott’s lead in the title chase on Saturday, but the latter was able to stop the bleeding with a bounce-back victory on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Jake Lewis won his fourth Stock 1000 race of the season to take full advantage of an off day by Corey Alexander to stretch his points lead to 20 as the series heads to New Jersey Motorsports Park, September 10-12. Supersport: Kelly Turns The Tables
Sean Dylan Kelly (40) and Richie Escalante (1) fly in formation at the front of the Supersport pack on Sunday at PittRace. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Sunday’s Supersport race was a chance for either HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki rider Richie Escalante to do the double and get his second win of the weekend or for M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly to resume his winning ways after Escalante broke Kelly’s six-race winning streak on Saturday. That’s because Kelly or Escalante had won all but one of the 13 races prior to Sunday. And, as it turned out, it was Kelly who got the win, which was his 10th of the season.
As usual, it was far from easy, though, as Escalante shadowed Kelly throughout the entire race. Kelly led 12 laps of the 16-lap event, but Escalante took over the lead on lap 12 and held the position almost to the end. On the final go-around, Kelly, who had been carefully studying Escalante’s racing lines, overtook Escalante in the only place he thought he could make it stick. And he was right. Kelly took the checkered flag by just .064 of a second over Escalante.
Benjamin Smith, who was in third place for most of the race, faded back in the pack as the race approached its conclusion, and Landers Racing/Tyrant Designs/Yamaha/Yamalube’s Rocco Landers emerged as the third rider to stand on the podium.
“Something about this one felt pretty extra special,” Kelly said. “It was a really good day. Yesterday was tough. Honestly, I think I ran a really good race yesterday. I did everything I could. I think Richie (Escalante) just played it a little smarter and was having a good pace behind me and was just able to read me and study me a bit more and get me on the last couple of laps. I made a mistake, so I wasn’t able to get by him again yesterday on the last lap. Today definitely different strategies, a few different things. It played out well. I led most of the race, but I tried different rhythms there with my pace to see how Richie would react, and I saw he was with me the whole time. About five laps to go, he went by me again and at that point I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to try and do the studying this time.’ It worked out well. Richie was going really fast. He did some really consistent mid-43’s, which was really fast. I was able to push my bike to that same pace. I was able to study him. Honestly, that first flier he did, I had a little gap at first, but I was able to gather it and get right behind for the last couple laps. I knew, with two laps to go, exactly where I was going to do the pass the final lap. I’m pretty proud of that pass. Proud that I was able to defend the last few corners after that because that’s where he was able to get me yesterday in the last few corners. I was able to get it done, and honestly it just felt so good. I think I did the right work from yesterday to today. Just considering where we are in the season and where we are standing in the championship, this is really important for us. I’m just really excited to be going into New Jersey feeling like this with these races. Obviously, it’s an important win for us for many, many reasons. It just feels good to get this done.” SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup: Scott Rebounds!
Tyler Scott (70) beat Ben Gloddy (72) by just 0.061 of a second to win the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race two was similar to Supersport race two in that the two combatants at the top of the championship continue to battle back and forth, and each of those protagonists took race wins at Pitt Race.
Landers Racing Kawasaki rider Ben Gloddy, who had won Saturday’s race while Scott Powersports/KTM rider Tyler Scott faded and finished fourth, faced a much stronger challenge from Scott in race two. In fact, after Scott overtook Gloddy on lap two, the pair swapped the lead back and forth until three laps from the end of the 10-lap race when Scott stabilized his lead despite Gloddy trying everything he could to get around him. Gloddy made one more attempt to take the lead on the final run to the checkers, but Scott ultimately took the victory by .061 of a second.
Bauce Racing/Cybersafe Solutions/JL62 Racing Kawasaki rider Joe Limandri Jr., who recorded his first podium of the 2021 Junior Cup season with a second-place finish on Saturday, finished third on Sunday to make it a double podium for him at Pitt Race.
“It was pretty disappointing yesterday because we lost a bunch of championship points,” Scott said. “We kind of fell back this weekend in the championship. We still have the lead. Yesterday I didn’t have the same aggression as I did today, and I kind of fell back right there at the end. I didn’t have enough laps to get back to the front and get crucial points that I needed. Today was a great race. The pace was definitely a lot faster, and I gave it my all. I knew I had to get to the front and try and pull away on the last lap.” Stock 1000: Lewis Gets His Fourth
Jake Lewis (85) beat Travis Wyman (10) to win the Stock 1000 race on Sunday. Michael Gilbert (55) and Ashton Yates (22) finished fourth and seventh, respectively. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Coming into this weekend, Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Jake Lewis had said that he was looking forward to Pitt Race because it’s one of his favorite tracks. And in Sunday’s Stock 1000 race, the current championship leader showed exactly why it’s a favorite racecourse for him. Lewis started from the pole and led every lap of the 10-lap race to notch his fourth win of the season and extend his championship lead to 20 points over Corey Alexander.
Travis Wyman Racing BMW rider Travis Wyman started second on the grid and maintained his runner-up position all the way to the checkered flag, finishing 1.442 seconds behind Lewis. The surprise of the podium was third-place finisher Hayden Gillim who replaced Jason Farrell aboard the Franklin Armory/Disrupt Racing Kawasaki. Gillim had competed in the three-round King Of The Baggers Championship, but he hasn’t competed in any of MotoAmerica’s sportbike race classes for nearly two years. Also, he had to work on Friday before driving to Pittsburgh, so he missed Stock 1000 first practice and provisional qualifying. Given all that, it was remarkable that Gillim finished third.
“It was a good race, Lewis said. “That was my plan to get out front and try to go. I felt like I had a little bit of pace on these guys all weekend to do 43’s pretty easy. This race was so tough because my pit board, I wasn’t getting a gap. I was just pushing honestly as hard as I could. I looked back once there. I was telling Travis (Wyman), I didn’t know who it was when I looked back. I was just trying like heck to break him. I was honestly a little tired. I was trying to relax my arms and stuff and focus on breathing. I was just focused on putting down those 43’s. But it feels good to win. I didn’t know where Corey was, if he crashed, or where he finished, but it’s a nice points weekend for us, especially in the Superbike cup and this class, as well. It’s a good weekend.”
Fortune favours the brave: Binder pulls off an all-time great on KTM home turf
The South African gambles big and takes the house with a stunning wet win on slicks in Spielberg
Sunday, 15 August 2021
Brad Binder. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Fortune favours the brave! That certainly rings true this Sunday but it takes more than bravery to wrestle a MotoGP™ bike around a wet track on slicks, with a race win on the line, in your factory’s home race. It also takes some serious skill and talent. But Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had the perfect mixture of each to take victory in the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, the South African disappearing down the start finish straight alone to hold his nerve as those around him peeled into pitlane in an all-time classic flag-to-flag. He somehow pulled it off for a second premier class win and the first for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team on home turf: Sunday rider, on many occasions, is the highest of compliments.
Behind the sheer daring of the man in the lead, the fight for second was instead an electrifying charge from those who made the opposite gamble. In the end, it was won by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the Italian put on a show that, on nearly any other Sunday, would have likely delivered him a maiden MotoGP™ win. And behind him, Styrian GP winner and rookie Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) found some more magic, another who switched to wets and charged through to make it work.
It started well for the Spaniard too and it was Martin took the holeshot, the rookie once again solid under the added pressure of pole, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) getting a little too close for comfort and heading wide – allowing Bagnaia through into second. And as the White Flag came out to show some spots of rain, meaning riders were allowed to change bikes, Bagnaia took over at the front and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) found himself the sole Honda in a Ducati armada at the front. Quartararo dropped down to sixth behind Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), although he did hit back as Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) watched on behind that duel.
Bagnaia pounded on at the front, with Martin trying to attack but losing out from the move. So Bagnaia it remained, with Quartararo charging back through into second and even taking the lead as the rain flags came out… again. But Bagnaia muscled back through at Turn 1, and Marc Marquez homed in on El Diablo to boot.
Bagnaia, Quartararo, Marquez, Martin and Zarco marched on, with Mir then battling past Miller to become the man on the chase. And soon enough the top three started to pull away, Mir reeled in the Pramac riders, and the Brad Binder Sunday charge was well underway as the South African homed in on Miller. From tenth on the grid, the number 33 was on the way.
Suddenly, drama then hit for a frontrunner as Zarco crashed out. Sliding off at Turn 9, the Frenchman’s Championship charge took a dent as he couldn’t get back on either. And not long after, Quartararo headed a little wide… allowing Marquez to get back on the chase after Bagnaia. And with 7 to go, the eight-time World Champion struck for the first time. Bagnaia hit back, but a few cards were on the table.
With five to go, and the rain flags still out, the first gamble: Miller and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) pitted, rolling their dice earlier than the rest as Bagnaia continued on at the front. But what had started to seem a clear trio was fast becoming a six-man freight train as Martin and Mir homed in, and the Jaws music could start to fade in: Binder was coming. The South African didn’t win on on one gamble.
With 4 to go, Binder was on the scene, Martin was already past Quartararo for third, and Bagnaia headed wide at Turn 1, giving Marc Marquez the lead. In the braking zone for Turn 3, Martin screeched up the inside of Bagnaia, and then Quartararo pulled off the perfect dance between madness and excellence to shoot past both, back into second. The shuffle continued, and the rain got heavier and heavier. By the time the six-rider train reached the pit entry, there was a clear decision for five of them: it was time to change. So Marquez, Bagnaia, Martin, Quartararo and Mir headed in to swap… and a lone KTM swept round the final corner and tucked in down the main straight. Binder was going all in.
Out of pitlane, the five were Marc Marquez leading Bagnaia – and both immediately hammering it – with Martin next up, Mir in fourth of the group and Quartararo losing out slightly at the rear of the train. But Bagnaia headed in hot at Turn 3 and lost out to Martin… and then Marc Marquez slid out. A lowside at Turn 1 saw the number 93 lose a shot at the podium, with Bagnaia leading Martin and both taking over in the fight back through. Mir and Quartararo also headed well wide, with the clock ticking and just under 2 laps to go.
When he made the decision to stay out, Binder had been a few of seconds ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), who also gambled on slicks and was in second. By the time the number 33 crossed the line to start the penultimate lap, the South African was 7 clear. Starting the final lap, the gap was over 11.
Bagnaia and Martin, meanwhile, started that final lap in eighth and ninth. And by halfway round, the two were cutting through Binder’s fellow gamblers like there were two categories on track. Second and third were locked down well before the final corner, with the two pushing to perfection to cut the gap.
Ahead of them, though, arguably the wrong decision was turned into the perfect hand in the right hands. Binder’s final lap saw him suffer a couple of moments, but he had somehow pulled it off. In the rain, in KTM’s backyard, with the brakes suffering in the conditions and the tyres the opposite of the weather, the South African made a little more history. And this time around, it wasn’t a statistical milestone, it was pure, instant legend: add bravery and stir.
Behind Binder’s miracle ballet and Bagnaia and Martin’s charge to the podium, there was plenty to sort out. Mir made it home in a solid fourth place to make some good gains in the standings, with Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) making some magic for fifth place on slicks. Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) had been ahead of both and in podium contention but dropped to sixth, the Spaniard getting a little less reward for his earlier bravery than he likely hoped for, but he did hold off Quartararo as the Championship leader came home seventh.
Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was in podium contention too before the final lap and he finished eighth, but some good points for the Doctor, who was also highly entertained by the shuffle and the challenge. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) took ninth, with Aleix Espargaro ultimately completing the top ten.
Miller’s early gamble didn’t pay off and he finished in P11, ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) by almost nothing. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was next up, with Rins a little further out of touch behind.
The final point went to Marc Marquez, who may have gambled and lost, but still very much didn’t give up.
And so a new legend is written into the history books, with another win on home turf for KTM and a second premier class victory for Binder. How they did it, and how the South African forced fortune to favour the brave, will be a long time in the memory of MotoGP™ fans, and likely a few of the number 33’s rivals.
Quartararo remains the points leader, Bagnaia gains ground and Zarco loses some… as Mir moves onto equal points with Pecco in second. What will Silverstone bring? We’ll find out in two weeks….
Brad Binder: “When I saw everyone tipping into the pits, I saw an opportunity and I decided I’d rather risk it and crash rather than maybe get top five. It’s a big Grand Prix for us, for KTM, for Red Bull. I’ve won here in Moto2 and I know what it’s like to win here at their home GP. To do it in MotoGP is an unbelievable feeling. Huge gamble, but I’m really glad it paid off.
“I knew when there were 3 laps to go, if I didn’t come in when they did I wasn’t going to come in at all. And yeah, I made it to the end somehow! The biggest problem was no brakes, the carbon brakes were cold and as soon as the rear tyre cooled off I couldn’t open the throttle either. Somehow I made it round the track, and a couple of times I thought it was over but I kept it up straight. So happy, so happy this gamble paid off.”
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