The Frenchman pulls the pin to reverse the Yamaha 1-2 on Sunday, with Mir slicing through to third
Fabio Quartararo. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 27 June 2021
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) pitched the tactics to perfection in the Motul TT Assen to come out on top, heading a Yamaha 1-2 ahead of teammate Maverick Viñales as the two Iwata marque machines pulled the pin once again on Sunday. The duo also push the factory past the milestone of 750 podiums, with Yamaha now counting on 751 with two riders on the rostrum at Assen. Reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completed the podium, slicing through from 10th on the grid.
Quartararo took the holeshot from second, but the Frenchman wasn’t allowed to escape early as fellow front row starter as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) went for a Lap 1 leap at Turn 8. It was close between Quartararo and Pecco, their exits compromised, with that allowing Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) up alongside the pair as Quartararo ran hot into Turn 9. Bagnaia said thank you very much, the Italian through to lead and holding station – for now.
Quartararo went for a move at the final chicane to answer back but was wide, and Bagnaia got his GP21 stood up and blasted back past. That happened again on Lap 6, before Lap 7 saw Quartararo grab P1 through Turns 12 and 13. How crucial was that going to prove? Meanwhile, Nakagami was still holding Viñales at bay, with Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Mir and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) line astern right behind.
Two 1:32.8s saw Quartararo stretch a 1.2 lead to Bagnaia on Lap 9, hammer down. On Lap 11, that gap was up to 2.5 as Bagnaia had to switch focus to keeping Nakagami behind him. The Japanese rider passed the Ducati rider on Lap 11 through the rapid kinks, but Bagnaia grabbed P2 back down the front straight. Viñales, Zarco, Mir and Oliveira were all waiting in the wings and there was a copy paste of Nakagami vs Bagnaia a couple of laps later. Drama hit then though as the number 63 was handed a long-lap penalty for exceeding track limits.
On Lap 15, there was plenty of action. Bagnaia dived into the long-lap penalty loop, and then teammate Jack Miller crashed unhurt at Turn 5. Nakagami was sat up by Mir at the same corner and it was now Viñales in second place, four seconds behind runaway leader Quartararo. Mir was then up past Zarco at Turn 5 with eight laps to go into third, with Oliveira around half a second away back on the Pramac rider, in fifth.
At the front, the gap came down to 2.5 with two laps to go between Quartararo and Viñales as the latter seemed quicker, but after too much lost ground no one had an answer to El Diablo at Assen. A fourth 25-point haul of the season extends his Championship advantage to 34 points heading into the summer break. Viñales delivered impressive late-race pace on the front soft tyre, but it wasn’t enough to reel in Quartararo. Nevertheless, after finishing last at the Sachsenring, P2 for the Spaniard is a splendid effort as the number 12 returns to the podium for the first time since his Qatar GP win. Mir kept his powder dry ahead of Zarco to secure third, the podium also his third of the season.
Zarco was forced to settle for fourth ahead of Oliveira in fifth, with a real battle deciding sixth just behind. Marc Marquez made a stunning start from 20th on the grid to gain ten places in what seemed like the blink of an eye, and he hustled on to the back of Bagnaia after the Italian’s Long Lap penalty. The eight-time World Champion couldn’t quite find a way past, although he was within 0.075 over the line as Bagnaia held on for sixth. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took eighth, with Nakagami disappointed with ninth after an early podium challenge and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top ten.
11th went to Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) despite a run off for the number 42 following contact early in the race with Johann Zarco, with the Suzuki holding off Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the South African got his first taste of Assen on a MotoGP™ bike. Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) took 13th, ahead of Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) – another debuting at the track in the premier class – as was rookie Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama), who completed the points.
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crashed out fast at Turn 7 but rider ok, Miller went down at Turn 5. He rejoined but then had to stop with a mechanical problem. Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) also crashed, and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was forced back into pitlane with an issue.
Now it’s time for summer break and a reset, with a double-header at the Red Bull Ring up next at the start of August. Quartararo heads in with another win and a sizeable advantage at the top, but can anyone hit back in the second half? Join us for the Styrian Grand Prix from the 6th to the 8th of August.
Fabio Quartararo: “I trained with the ball a little bit higher all the days but this one was tough. Was really tough race, I was struggling so much to overtake Pecco. I struggled a little bit all weekend with my right arm, and in the race, I could have gone three or four tenths faster every lap, but I was feeling really bad and, at the half race I was a bit scared, but I kept the pace and I can be happy because with the battle with Maverick on Saturday, he won, but the points arrive on Sunday so I am so happy.”
Raul Fernandez fights through four-way battle for victory at Assen
Raul Fernandez (25). Photo courtesy Dorna.
The Spaniard gains a little ground on teammate Gardner as the Australian takes second, with Augusto Fernandez back on the rostrum in third
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) heads into the summer break on a high after a hard-fought win at the Motul TT Assen, the Spaniard recovering from the latter half of the top ten to get back to the front and then pull away from the fight to complete the podium. That fight was won by his teammate Remy Gardner as the Australian did some good damage control to hold off Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team). With third place, the Spaniard nevertheless took his first podium since 2019 after a weekend of great form.
Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) took the holeshot ahead of Raul Fernandez, but Gardner muscled through on his teammate too as the number 25 got shuffled back. Lowes made quick work of moving back forward as he got up into second behind Canet, striking for the lead not long after but the Spaniard taking it back. Gardner was next on the charge as he picked his way through into the lead and Lowes followed, with Raul Fernandez then running off and dropping all the way back to ninth…
That left Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) making his presence felt at the front in fourth as Augusto Fernandez found himself looking for a way past the Japanese rider, but soon enough the number 37 was able to start pulling away with Gardner and Lowes, as Raul Fernandez started his fight back towards the podium battle.
The number 25 was on a charge and once in some clear air on the chase, his was reeling them in on his mission back to the front. Once there, he sliced back through past Gardner and the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team duo back into the lead and soon, the number 25 had the hammer down to pull away.
That left a Gardner-Lowes-Augusto Fernandez showdown to decide the podium, with Lowes still heading the train with four to go. But over the line next time around his teammate pulled alongside and made his move, with Gardner leaving it two apexes longer before picking the Brit’s pocket too.
Onto the penultimate lap, Gardner was lining up a move for second and he struck at the end of the lap. Slicing through at the Geert Timmer chicane, the move was super clean as the Australian lost little momentum, then shutting the door as he withstood the pressure from Augusto Fernandez the remainder of the lap. The number 37 couldn’t make it through, however, with Gardner able to have enough in hand to head through the final chicane unbothered, taking second place and another 20 points. Augusto Fernandez got back on the podium in third after a tough start to the season, with Lowes forced to settle for fourth as the Brit just dropped off the back of the duo on the latter half of the final lap.
Raul Fernandez, however, made it another masterclass on Sunday for another 25 points. Over a second and a half clear once he’d escaped the squabble, the Spaniard continues to impress and pulled in five points on Gardner.
Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) took fifth after an impressive ride back from P17 on the grid, ahead of Ogura as the Japanese rider took P6 and another impressive rookie result. Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) took seventh.
Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) just beat Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) to eighth by 0.042, with Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) completing the top ten for his second top ten finish of his rookie season. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2), Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP 40), Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and his teammate and home hero Bo Bendsneyder completed the points, the latter despite two Long Laps for a jump start.
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) crashed out, as did teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2).
Raul Fernandez: “It was an amazing race, I am destroyed. At the beginning I did two very bad laps, I held on but lost too many positions. Later I had a recovery. It was a really difficult and mental race. I want to say thanks to my team, they have brought me an incredible bike and in the last part of the race I was really, really strong, and this victory is for the big brother of Heinz Kinigardner, who is in the hospital, because I want to send my support to him. See you in the next races.”
More, from a press release issued by Italtrans Racing:
Unlucky Dutch Grand Prix for Italtrans Racing Team.
Unlucky Sunday for Italtrans Racing Team at the TT Circuit Assen, in the Netherlands, ninth round of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship.
After an excellent qualifying with the 9th best time, today Lorenzo Dalla Porta started from the third row of the grid ready to push. Unfortunately, during the first lap he had a collision with a rival and he crashed out ending early his race, without the opportunity to demonstrate the excellent pace set in Q2.
Unlucky race for Joe Roberts too. He started from 19th, but he crashed while pushing to recover positions during the third lap, while he was 14th. Back to the track he continued for a few laps before the withdraw.
Now the long summer break of over one month: the chance to reset, recharge the batteries and come back in the best shape.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (19). Photo courtesy Italtrans Racing.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta
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“A very unlucky Sunday. I was on the inside and another rider was on the outside: we had a collision and I crashed. It’s a shame because I could have had a good race and the result we deserve. I was hoping to end this first part of the season and face the summer break with a good result. Let’s not give up and try again in Austria. Thanks to the team for the help”.
Joe Roberts (16). Photo courtesy Italtrans Racing.
Joe Roberts
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“The last few races have been tough, but we have had some good results this year, showing we are fast. We have lost our way a bit, but I’m sure after the summer break we will be back in the top positions. Now it’s time to relax: I’ll go back to California spending some time with my family and then I’ll come back stronger for the second part of the season. Thanks to the team for the work and for believing in me”.
Giovanni Sandi, Technical Director
“A very unlucky Sunday for the team. Today was a good opportunity to show all our potential, but it did not go as we expected. Now we try to face positively the summer break: our riders will have the opportunity to recharge the batteries and be ready for the next GPs in August”.
Provisional AFT Production Twins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Johnny Lewis (Roy), 19 laps
2. Ryan Varnes (Kaw), -0.153 second
3. Cory Texter (Yam), -0.502
4. Ben Lowe (Har), -1.543 seconds
5. Cameron Smith (Yam), -1.933
6. Dalton Gauthier (Har), -2.563
7. Patrick Buchanan (Har), -2.907
8. Chad Cose (Har), -6.893
9. Jordan Harris (Kaw), -7.762
10. Jeffery Lowery (Yam), -7.861
11. Dylan Bell (Har), -9.879
12. Brandon Newman (Kaw), -14.357
13. Brock Schwarzenbacher (Kaw), -1 lap
14. Mitch Harvat (Kaw), -6 laps
15. Dan Bromley (Yam), -12 laps
Provisional AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Henry Wiles (Hon), 20 laps
2. Max Whale (KTM), -2.302 seconds
3. Morgen Mischler (KTM), -4.872
4. Trevor Brunner (Hon), -6.636
5. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -7.235
6. Kody Kopp (Hon), -7.727
7. Dustin Brown (Hon), -8.526
8. Cole Zabala (Hon), -14.416
9. James Ott (KTM), -15.195
10. Trent Lowe (Suz), -16.839
11. Aidan RoosEvans (KTM), -17.519
12. Michael Rush (Yam), -17.628
13. Kevin Stollings (Hon), -19.869
14. Hunter Bauer (KTM), -22.694
15. Shayna Texter-Bauman (KTM), -1 lap
16. Brandon Kitchen (Hus), -16 laps
17. Tanner Dean (Hon), -20 laps
Provisional AFT Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Briar Bauman (Ind), 25 laps
2. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -0.428 second
3. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -5.519 seconds
4. Brandon Price (Ind), -9.128
5. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -9.202
6. Davis Fisher (Ind), -11.158
7. JD Beach (Yam), -13.848
8. Jared Mees (Ind), -20.246
9. Bronson Bauman (Ind), -21.276
10. James Rispoli (Har), -1 lap
11. Robert Pearson (Ind), -25 laps
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track:
Bauman Triumphs in Lima Instant Classic
Wiles commands another Honda victory; Royal Enfield dominates AFT Production Twins.
LIMA, Ohio (June 26, 2021) – Defending Grand National Champion Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) scored arguably the most critical victory yet of the 2021 Progressive American Flat Track season following an epic showdown with Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) in Saturday evening’s Johnny K’s Indian Motorcycle Lima Half-Mile powered by Drag Specialties at Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio.
While Bauman controlled the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle points coming in, Robinson threatened to seize control of the momentum with another impressive performance. Robinson entered the Main Event as the clear favorite, soundly defeating Bauman in their shared Semi before adding his fourth Mission Challenge win with relative ease as well.
In the Main, Robinson squared up teammate Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) on the opening lap and immediately looked to check out yet again. A motivated Bauman didn’t allow that to happen, however, overhauling Vanderkooi with maximum expediency before trading haymakers with Robinson over the lead.
That heavyweight fight went right down the final lap, with Robinson attempting one final desperation overtake in the race’s final corner before Bauman cut back underneath to secure his second victory of the season.
“What a battle,” Bauman said. “This was an incredible event… I didn’t really think we had anything for Brandon there today — he was so fast all day. He smoked us in the heat race and smoked us in the dash. But Dave (Zanotti) got dialed in for the Main Event, so I’m really, really happy with that one.
“It was an incredible event. I’m so happy we were able to do that for this big of a crowd. There are so many people all the way around this facility. Lima is probably the best track on the circuit. And to actually have a battle and not let Brandon just check out like we kinda planned on him doing, it means a lot to me and a lot to my team.”
Behind, Vanderkooi outdueled Brandon Price (No. 92 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) to grab his third podium on the season as the Mission Roof Systems squad locked down spots 2-3-4 on the evening.
Kolby Carlile (No. 36 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) continued his recent run of form to finish fifth, marking the third consecutive race in which he was the highest-placed mong the non-Indian riders.
Meanwhile, the widely expected victory challenge of race promoter and multi-time Lima Half-Mile winner Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) failed to materialize. Mees was simply not his usual self, suffering from the ill effects of his still mending knee. As a result, he was stuck down near the bottom of the order from start to finish, ultimately finishing an uncharacteristic eighth.
AFT Singles
Last weekend’s AFT Singles winners, Henry Wiles (No. 17 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) and Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE), picked up right where they left off in Saturday’s rematch.
Wiles, in particular, showed off his rediscovered vintage form, moving his way to the front early and opening up more than two seconds of padding. The race still wasn’t over at that point, however, as Whale put his head down after overhauling Wiles’ teammate, Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) to slash away at that gap.
Whale did well to reduce the margin to around a half-second at one point, but Wiles ultimately proved too strong in the end.
After opening his season in disappointing 17-5-5-11 fashion, the 450cc legend has firmly put himself back in title contention with consecutive finishes of 1-2-1. Aussie Whale is in even better shape as he’s now tied with Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) atop the points order while holding the tiebreaker with two wins to Daniels’ one.
“I think I’ve used about every line at this track besides the low line that I was running today,” Wiles said. “I’ve really just relied on the whole Turner Racing crew powered by Progressive Insurance. My suspension guy, Tim (Bennet) at TCD racing, made a phenomenal call and we actually changed shocks for the Main Event. It was a pretty ballsy move. We were just so confident in it and I’m glad we made the choice.
“I’ve got to thank the whole crew. It wasn’t me — it was the bike. All I could do was ride the wheels off of it, and I tried to do that and be as smart as I could all day. I’m glad we could execute and get the job down again.”
Despite no claims as a cushion specialist, Morgen Mischler (No. 13 Mission Roof Systems KTM 450 SX-F) charged his way up through the field to round out the podium. Second American Honda runner Brunner held on to claim fourth, while defending champion Daniels salvaged fifth after dropping as low as seventh at mid-distance.
An unlucky Brandon Kitchen (No. 105 Husqvarna Motorcycles/Vance & Hines Husqvarna FC450) was forced to retire with a mechanical issue while running fourth. Fellow future stars Kody Kopp (No. 143 Smartop/Jones Honda/Latus Motors CRF450R) and Dustin Brown (No. 191 Jones Racing Honda CRF450R) came home sixth and seventh, respectively.
AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT) sat out last weekend’s OKC Mile doubleheader in order to best position himself and his factory Royal Enfield race bike for success in the AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines class at the Lima Half-Mile. It worked.
To the surprise of no one, despite getting the third pick on Row 1, title leader Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) scored yet another holeshot. Despite the rapid start, however, he had nothing for the streaking Lewis, who drove underneath Texter less than a minute into the Main, blasted him with the roost, and immediately opened up a sizable advantage.
Second qualifier Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) then worked his way into a scrap with Texter over second as Lewis continued to escape at the front.
That battle came to a momentary half when the red flag flew due to a downed rider with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. In fact, Lowe and Texter both beat Lewis off the line at the restart, but the Royal Enfield pilot easily powered around the outside of both to reclaim his spot at the front.
The real drama came courtesy of Ryan Varnes (No. 68 RVR/RoyBuilt Don’s Kawasaki Ninja 650), who seemingly found another gear in the second leg.
Varnes, who found himself near the bottom of the top ten early, somehow put himself in podium contention late. Over the final few laps of the Main, he zapped both Lowe and Texter, and actually managed to close down on Lewis just as the checkered flag flew. But in the end, Lewis held on for the win by 0.153 seconds.
“I just cannot give Woody Kyle and David Lloyd enough credit for what they’ve been able to accomplish,” Lewis said. “Going into the first race this year, we had a pretty slow motorcycle. Every weekend it’s more work, more work. David and Woody just do not stop. It’s amazing to have these guys on my team. I cannot thank them enough. It was a fun Lima.”
The results marked the first podiums of the year for 2020 race winners Lewis and Varnes, while third-place finisher Texter added his sixth. Fourth-place finisher Lowe, meanwhile, was left still seeking his first.
OKC podium finisher Cameron Smith (No. 44 Mike Butler Racing/Cornerstone Masonry Group Honda CRF450R) closed out the top five.
The Johnny K’s Indian Motorcycle Lima Half-Mile powered by Drag Specialties will air on NBCSN on Saturday, July 3, at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT, featuring exclusive features and cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage.
Next Up:
The “Magic Mile” is back! Progressive American Flat Track will return to the incredibly fast DuQuoin Mile at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in DuQuoin, Illinois, on Saturday, July 17. Tickets are now available for purchase at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3377#selectTickets. For those viewing from home, live coverage will be available on any device for only $1.99 a month via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.
For more information, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER SEAN DYLAN KELLY WINS AGAIN IN WASHINGTON
Sean Dylan Kelly (40). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Sean Dylan Kelly and Team Hammer were in red hot form as the 2021 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season resumed on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki ace Kelly scored a clutch victory in a MotoAmerica Supersport contest waged under blazing conditions, surviving an intense late-race scrap before shaking free on the final two laps to grab his fourth checkered flag of the young season.
‘SDK’ jumped out to the early advantage on his Suzuki GSX-R600 from pole only to be tracked down at mid-distance by his chief rival. Kelly was overtaken momentarily, but immediately countered with a slick inside pass in the ultra-tight left at the top of the hill. A follow-up assault was ultimately dismantled by SDK, who put his head down and eked out the decisive gap at the race’s conclusion.
Kelly’s second consecutive Ridge Motorsports triumph extended his championship advantage to 16 points. He said, “What a tough race — mentally and physically. It feels like it’s 200 degrees out here, but this is what I train for. It was such a difficult race keeping the pace, but I did. I kept the pressure on, I knew what I could do, and I was comfortable at the front.
“I’m really happy with the whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team and the work we are doing. Thank you to my guys.”
Kelly’s Supersport teammate, Sam Lochoff, registered yet another impressive ride in his rookie season in the middleweight class. Lochoff chased after Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Kevin Olmedo for the bulk of the contest as the two chased after the final spot on the podium.
That honor ultimately went to Olmedo as he, SDK, and Lochoff combined to put three Team Hammer-built Suzuki GSX-R600s in the race’s top four.
Meanwhile, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cam Petersen continued his ascension to MotoAmerica Superbike stardom. After securing his first- and then second-career premier-class podium at the previous round at Road America, the South African upped his podium streak to three on Saturday.
Petersen, who qualified on the front row aboard his GSX-R1000 Superbike, went from second to third to fourth to second in a chaotic opening lap. He then settled into third, where he would remain to the checkered flag.
“I wanted to be patient today and I think maybe I was a little too patient,” said Petersen. “I felt like I was holding the guys up the first two laps. Once someone came by, my plan was to just sit behind him and see where he was strong and where I was losing. He kept gapping me, but I found my rhythm and got used to the tires and started closing the gap back down, but I made a little mistake going into the chicane with about five or six laps to go and that was the end of my race for second. We settled down and brought it home in third for the boys. Once again, I can’t thank my crew enough. Honestly, I feel it’s the best crew in the paddock, and I’m so blessed to have them. Thanks to the whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team.”
His teammate Bobby Fong salvaged some crucial championship points despite being hampered due to a heavy crash suffered during Thursday’s test. After pushing for a top-five position in the opening stages of the race, the Californian lost feeling in his hand due to lingering issues from the crash. Fong persevered to make it to the finish line in eighth.
Earlier, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Wyatt Farris raced his way up to ninth position in the day’s Stock 1000 race. Olmedo’s Altus Motorsports Suzuki teammate, Jake Lewis, powered his Team Hammer-built GSX-R1000 to second place to maintain a 17-point lead in the Stock 1000 championship standings.
Team Hammer will be back gunning for more wins and podiums in Sunday’s rematches at Ridge Motorsports Park.
About Team Hammer
The 2021 season marks Team Hammer’s 41st consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 114 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 307 times and have won nine 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.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
It’s Hot, Hot, Hot As MotoAmerica Scorches At Ridge Motorsports Park
Support Class Action Features Two First-Time Winners
SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2021) – With temperatures soaring into the triple digits in the Pacific Northwest, nothing came easy for those trying to win races on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park.
But win they did. In Supersport, Sean Dylan Kelly got the better of his rival, Richie Escalante to win for a fourth time on the season; Jackson Blackmon won his first-career Twins Cup race; ditto for Max Toth in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup; and Corey Alexander gained some ground on Jake Lewis in the Stock 1000 class.
Sean Dylan Kelly (40) held off Richie Escalante (1) in Supersport Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Supersport: SDK Does The Business
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Sean Dylan Kelly started from the pole in Supersport race one, and as anticipated, the usual battle that Kelly has with defending class champion Richie Escalante quickly materialized. Escalante, aboard his HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki, tried to overtake Kelly, but he was never able to get close enough to finish the move and, in fact, Kelly not only maintained the lead from start to finish, but he built a gap of over a second at the checkered flag. Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Kevin Olmedo, who missed the first two rounds of the season due to a shoulder injury suffered while training, finished third for his first podium result since the first Supersport race of the season last year.
“That was a really difficult race,” Kelly said. “It was so hot out there, super physical. Richie (Escalante) was on me the entire race and never let go of me. It was super tough. I tried to keep the best pace I could. I didn’t go as fast as I was expecting for myself. I think the conditions were just so tough. Good thing is, I was able to be super consistent up until the last lap. I think that’s what got us the win today. I made a really big mistake putting a false neutral. I made a few other smaller mistakes through turn 13 and a few other corners. I need to gather myself up and change a couple things for the warmup to make that a little bit more consistent. Overall, I’m really happy we got the win today. We pushed through it, one of the hardest mentally and physically races, for sure, with this weather. Happy with the work we did.”
Corey Alexander (23) came from behind to win in Stock 1000 Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Stock 1000: Alexander Over Lewis
In Stock 1000, which was the first race of the day on Saturday, Altus Motorsports Suzuki rider Jake Lewis started from the pole in the 13-lap race, and he looked to have the measure of the field. With less than three laps to go, HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki’s Corey Alexander, who was gaining ground on Lewis lap by lap, overtook the Kentuckian and made it stick. Alexander crossed the finish line a little more than one second ahead of Lewis, who finished second. Third place went to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway/Octane Lending Kawasaki rider Michael Gilbert.
“In qualifying two, first off, we didn’t run our race tire until qualifying two,” Alexander said. “We changed a lot of things in qualifying two and during that, we had an issue pop up. It kind of prevented me from really qualifying where I think I was capable of. Ultimately, going into the race, I knew the first few laps, it was going to be important just to kind of stay out of trouble and get through turn one, obviously. That’s always the most important part of the race here. Once I got through those guys, I could kind of see everyone was struggling with rear grip, and I think even a little with front grip. The laps we’ve been doing yesterday, we’d done quite a few laps with the tires. I kind of had a pretty good flow once things settled in. That’s all I did. I honestly didn’t think I would catch Jake (Lewis). It’s hard when you’re behind that many guys to gauge how fast you’re going compared with the leader. It wasn’t until I really got into second that I could kind of see. Take a little bit here, a little bit here, and then, all of a sudden, the gap started getting smaller and smaller. I thought, for sure, maybe he was just maintaining it, and he wasn’t expecting me to come up as quick as I did, and he’d have something more for me. But it’s hot out there, and the track is getting greasier and greasier by the minute.”
Jackson Blackmon (18) leads early in Twins Cup Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Twins Cup: Blackmon’s First
The air temperature approaching 100 degrees had a varying effect on all of Saturday’s races at Ridge, but in Twins Cup, where the bikes are modded more than in any other class to extract maximum horsepower from the twin-cylinder engines, there was a lot of attrition in race one with nearly half of the riders unable to finish the race.
Jackson Blackmon Racing Yamaha’s Jackson Blackmon seemed almost completely unaffected by the heat. The South Carolinian won his first Twins Cup race by .215 of a second over Robem Engineering Aprilia rider Kaleb De Keyrel. Anthony Mazziotto, who started from the pole and looked to be headed for victory, was one of riders failed finish the New Jersian crashing out of the lead on lap eight. After Mazziotto went out, De Keyrel led the race for two laps until Blackmon overtook him with two laps to go. Third place went to Innovative Motorsports/Mike’s Imports Suzuki rider Teagg Hobbs.
“The past few rounds have definitely gotten my confidence up,” said Blackmon. “I’ve been so close. The last couple years, just kind of getting down on myself. I wasn’t getting the results I was hoping for. This year, between me and my dad and Yamaha, we put the program together that was perfect. I knew we could do it this year. The bike has been different at every round, setup-wise. This weekend, we had it working perfect. I didn’t even make a change before the race. I thought I was able to just ride the thing. Those guys were pushing hard. I almost was going back just a little bit and I was like, ‘the win is right there.’ I can’t stop. I was able just to reel them in and just make it happen at the perfect time. That Yamaha was riding so strong. A big thank you to Yamaha. A big thank you to all my family that’s behind me – my grandparents, my mom, my dad, just everybody. Big thank you to my girlfriend, Chloe. She’s been behind me through all of this and seen me at some low points even when I didn’t think I was racing this year. So, to be here and to get my first Twins win is just incredible. I’m lost for words. I hope I’m not forgetting anybody. Thank you to everyone that has gotten me this far. Also, big thank you to Yamalube. That thing didn’t even overheat at all that whole race, it just stayed right in the range.”
Max Toth (58) leads Tyler Scott (70) in Junior Cup Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup: Toth Gets It Done
Saturday’s races at Ridge Motorsports Park wrapped up with SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race one, and MotoAmerica’s entry-level riders put on a great show. Veloce Racing Kawasaki rider Max Toth, who joined the MotoAmerica series for the final round of the 2020 season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, got the first win of his MotoAmerica career after recording a podium finish at both VIRginia International Raceway and Road America earlier this season. Toth took the lead on the final lap of the 11-lap event and won by 1.527 seconds over Landers Racing Kawasaki rider Ben Gloddy, who inherited second place when polesitter Tyler Scott was penalized five seconds for cutting the track. With the time added to his result, Scott was moved back from second place to fourth in the results, and Veloce Racing Kawasaki’s David Kohlstaedt was credited with third place.
“I’m really happy with this result,” beamed Toth. “This is what we were chasing since the first race of the season, so to get it now, it’s a great achievement. I knew pretty much halfway through the race that I had the speed to get to the front. The only thing I was uncertain about was whether I’d be able to stay there. I didn’t know once I got to the front if Tyler was going to show me a wheel or not. I just stuck to my plan and came out okay.”
Kensei Matsudaira (74) won four Mini Cup races Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Mini Cup By Motul: Matsudiaira Times Four
American Racing Team’s Kensei Matsudaira had a good evening at Ridge Motorsports Park’s karting track, the Californian going four for four with victories in both 110 and 160 races.
The two 190 races were split between American Racing’s Travis Horn and Atlas Speed Factory’s Jesse James Shedden.
Editorial Note: American Brandon Paasch, who races a Dynavolt Triumph Street Triple RS 765, did not finish (DNF) British Supersport Race One Saturday at Oulton Park.
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
First blood to O’Halloran in season opening Bennetts British Superbike race
Jason O’Halloran returned to winning ways in the opening BikeSocial race of the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park this afternoon, withstanding earlier pressure from both Christian Iddon and Tommy Bridewell to be victorious for McAMS Yamaha.
Iddon had hit the front of the pack on the opening lap as he launched off the front row to lead into Old Hall for the first time ahead of O’Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie.
As Iddon led the pack, O’Halloran was looking to make his move, but it wasn’t until lap eight when he could make it ahead with a move down the inside at Old Hall.
The VisionTrack Ducati rider tried to reclaim the position, edging ahead as the crossed the line on the tenth lap, but O’Halloran had the lead into Old Hall.
The McAMS Yamaha rider held off the challenge until the chequered flag as Iddon claimed second place for VisionTrack Ducati with Bridewell in third to continue his successful weekend so far for Oxford Products Racing Ducati.
Peter Hickman was just adrift of the leading trio to lead the BMW contenders to score fourth place on the FHO Racing BMW team debut at Oulton Park.
Mackenzie finished in a lone fifth place ahead of Honda Racing’s Glenn Irwin and Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW’s Kyle Ryde after teammate Bradley Ray was forced to retire in the early stages of the race.
Lee Jackson scored FS-3 Kawasaki eighth place, maintaining his position ahead of Ryan Vickers and Josh Brookes as the reigning champion completed the top ten.
It was a disappointing opening race for SYNETIQ BMW’s Andrew Irwin, who crashed out at Old Hall and Buildbase Suzuki’s Danny Kent, who slid off at Lodge.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, BikeSocial Race 1:
1. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha)
2. Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) +0.630s
3. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +1.408s
4. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) +5.913s
5. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +12.954s
6. Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) +15.889s
7. Kyle Ryde (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) +16.155s
8. Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) +16.578s
9. Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki) +17.074s
10. Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) +17.918s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Oulton Park, BikeSocial Race 1:
1. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 25
2. Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 20
3. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 16
4. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 13
5. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 11
6. Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 10
7. Kyle Ryde (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) 9
8. Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) 8
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Jason O’Halloran – McAMS Yamaha
Bennetts BikeSocial Race 1 winner
“It feels absolutely great to claim the first win of the year! We’ve had probably the best pre-season I’ve ever had, I’ve topped the majority of the test sessions – but the first sessions that actually counted were this weekend and we got one lap so I was a bit unhappy about qualifying.
“I put my head down though in the race and got a really good start. I’ve done about three practice starts this weekend and fluffed them all so I’m glad I got that one right when it mattered!
“I just settled in to the race, I sort of knew my pace as I had done a pretty long run in FP3 and I could see Christian ahead. I was pretty happy with what he was doing, he wasn’t really getting away although there was a little gap, it was more of a yo-yo gap and I just picked my time.
“Once I got to the front I started to push it a bit more. I knew he would come with me because when you’re following you can tag on and get pulled away, and I was happy to just run my normal lines and learn as much as I could for tomorrow.
“I think we can still improve tomorrow, it’s a longer race as well which I think will play into our favour.”
More, from a press release issued by VisionTrack Ducati:
Podium For Iddon At Oulton Park Opener
VisionTrack Ducati rider Christian Iddon opened his 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship campaign with a strong second place finish at Oulton Park this afternoon although it was a more challenging maiden outing for teammate and defending champion Josh Brookes as he came home in tenth place.
Iddon had proved to be the quicker of the two during Free Practice and the SUPERPICKS 12 qualifying sessions before posting second quickest time in the final qualifier to line up in second place on the front row of the grid on the factory supported VisionTrack Ducati Panigale for the first race of the season.
Brookes set the ninth fastest time for a third row start but the Bedfordshire-based Aussie was only three tenths of a second adrift of pole setter and fellow Ducati rider Tommy Bridewell and with less than half a second covering the leading 11 riders, a close race looked in store.
Conditions were again perfect for the 14-lap race and Iddon, now based at Blaydon on Tyneside, made the perfect start to lead the field round at the end of the first lap. Brookes had been shuffled back to 12th which gave him plenty of work to do.
In a similar pattern to last year, Iddon had Yamaha’s Jason O’Halloran in close company, but he successfully kept him at bay for the first six laps before he eventually nosed ahead on lap seven. The duo exchanged positions for the next couple of laps, but O’Halloran hit the front again as the race entered its final third and although he went on to take the win, Iddon pressurised him the whole way, the gap between the two at the chequered flag just over half a second.
For Brookes, it was a lot harder, and he was unable to find a setting with the bike he was comfortable with, or find a setting that enabled him to do the lap times he was doing last September, meaning he eventually finished in tenth place.
Christian Iddon (21). Photo courtesy VisionTrack Ducati.
Christian Iddon: “To come away from the first race of the season with a trophy is obviously great but it was a hard race and after eight months away from racing it was quite a shock to the system. I don’t think I’ve been riding as well as I can do this weekend so I didn’t want to lead and when Jason came by, he pulled quite a gap straight away, but our bikes are so completely different these gaps can come and go and that’s what happened. We’ve definitely improved, and we’ll look to see if we can make further improvements for tomorrow, but 20 points is a good start to the season.”
Josh Brookes: “We’ve used testing to try a number of things with the bike and did so with optimism and we felt confident we had the package to come here and challenge for the win. For whatever reason though, that’s not happened and even though we eventually put in exactly the same settings as what we had last year, I haven’t been able to get anywhere near where I should be. We know what the issue is, we just need to work out how to solve it. Sometimes you can look at your own shortcomings which I can accept so we’ll sit down and have a good look at what we need to do to make a better fist of things in tomorrow’s races.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It was a good, solid haul of points for Christian, and he was in control for the first half of the race. When Jason got by, he got a bit flustered and had a couple of big slides, but he settled back in, and the race was very similar to those in 2020 whereby the bikes worked differently in different corners. Second is a good start but hopefully, he can go one better tomorrow. Josh and his side of the garage have been chasing their tails a bit this weekend in terms of set up. With three years with the bike, we know how good it can be around here but something is missing at the moment. We’ll get our heads together this evening and I have every confidence the team will help get Josh back at the sharp end tomorrow.”
Tomorrow’s two races, held over the longer distance of 18 laps, are schedule to take place at 13:45 and 16:45.
More, from a press release issued by Dynavolt Triumph:
A brave ride from Kyle Smith in the sprint race
Dynavolt Triumph’s Kyle Smith delivered his aim of a top ten finish with a brave performance to come in tenth in today’s Quattro Group British Supersport Sprint race at Oulton Park. Not fully fit, Smith rode through the pain barrier in the 12-lap race to claim six valuable points at his, and the team’s British Championship debut.
Kyle Smith (11). Photo courtesy Dynavolt Triumph.
Kyle Smith: “A positive end to the day, we came to get some points and we’ve got some points. Physically I struggled in the race, the first 3 or 4 laps I felt really good but then the pain kicked in and my good side got really tired. We are still working on the bike trying to get comfortable but all in all we’ve got some points and two days ago I didn’t think I would be able to race so we will just work on that and hopefully improve a bit tomorrow.”
Teammate Brandon Paasch’s race ended early when, running in sixth place he slid off on the fifth lap at Knickerbrook. Paasch was uninjured in the fall and will be looking to deliver a result in the feature race tomorrow.
Brandon Paasch. Photo courtesy Dynavolt Triumph.
Brandon Paasch: “I had a decent start and made up a couple of positions. The race was going pretty well just trying to hang in there with the guys in front of me. I was just on the limit on the front end. Not a whole lot to say about today’s race, hopefully we can go look at the data and come back stronger for tomorrow.”
Dynavolt Triumph Team Manager Simon Buckmaster: “To be honest we were aware from the start that it wouldn’t really be possible for Kyle to fight right at the front where he should be. He’s not close to full fitness and the more riding he does the harder it is as he hasn’t been able to train and he lacks strength in his right arm. We were always signalling to him his position in the Supersport class because we knew the important thing was to grab as many points as possible because it’s a long season. He’ll be fitter again at Knockhill in a couple more weeks.”
“It was a shame for Brandon, he just lost the front coming out of the last right, the second chicane. We need to look at that to see what he did different see what caused the crash but we’ll take the positives from today.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda UK:
Honda Racing UK in action at Oulton Park for BSB season opener
Racing action got underway today as Oulton Park hosted the opening race of the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship, where Honda Racing UK are ending the day on a positive note with the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP at the 2.692-mile Cheshire circuit.
Glenn Irwin has been working through the various unique challenges that Oulton Park throws at riders and teams. Qualifying for today’s race in eighth place, Glenn enjoyed a battle on track with Kyle Ryde and after passing his rival on the eighth lap, he managed to keep him at bay to come home sixth.
BSB rookies Ryo Mizuno and Takumi Takahashi got their first taste of a Saturday in the British series with qualifying and Race 1 taking place. Throughout the weekend Ryo’s times have improved as he continues to learn the layout, as well as getting up to speed riding with Pirelli tyres. Making up places from his 25th position on the grid, Ryo crossed the line 19th.
Teammate Takumi also worked to improve his lap times from Friday’s practice sessions. Having not long recovered from a dislocated shoulder, Takumi was keen to start the race and experience a BSB start procedure, but despite a valiant effort, he pulled in on the eighth lap.
In the Pirelli National Superstock class, Tom Neave enjoyed a positive qualifying session finishing sixth overall in the combined times and will start tomorrow’s 14-lap race from the second row of the grid. Making strides all weekend, Tom’s quickest lap today was 1.616 seconds faster than his qualifying time last year, where he started the race from 16th place. The Superstock race gets underway at 14.30 on Sunday (27th June).
The team will now debrief and prepare for another race day tomorrow with two 18-lap Superbike races at 13.15 and 16.45.
#2 Glenn Irwin
I’m happy with today’s results, coming into this weekend I set a target of being in the top-six, being realistic and looking at last year’s results, so that’s one objective ticked off. Saying that we have to improve for tomorrow, not just to look further ahead but to maintain the result we got today, we have to make progress tomorrow. We decided to race and qualify with the hard option tyre, which I feel was a good call and helped us get the top-six, but myself and the team are aware we have work to do ahead of tomorrow. It might not be a podium finish, but this result at one of our trickier circuits I’m happy with, and this weekend is about gathering points.
#88 Ryo Mizuno
I was able to finish FP3 in good shape today and by following riders I was able to improve my best time by a second, I am exploring and learning every time, so I’d like to keep learning every session. I couldn’t get a good flow from qualifying and I had a little trouble in the race as I find the circuit very physical, this is something we need to improve tomorrow. During the race I couldn’t set a good pace and it was tough, but I was relieved to finish after the chequered flag. I’m positive that I was able to finish my first BSB race and I will try to finish higher in the two races tomorrow.
#13 Takumi Takahashi
My first race experience was OK, but the result was disappointing having to retire early, however I did learn a lot on track. My shoulder now isn’t too painful, my main problem is muscle weakness, so after this weekend I have a lot to work on to get stronger for the next round. Tomorrow I am aiming to take part in both races, but I have to take each session as it comes starting with the morning warm-up and go from there.
#68 Tom Neave
Today has been quite a positive day for me we’re starting sixth, whereas last year we qualified 16th, so we’ve definitely made improvements and I am happy to be nearer the front tomorrow. After having a bit of a difficult off-season my main aim for this weekend is to start the championship cleanly and get as many points on the table as possible, and I think starting from the second row I’ve given myself the best chance of that. I had a little slip off on my last lap in qualifying but luckily both me and the Fireblade are ok so we are ready to fight tomorrow, and I can’t wait!
Gagne Unstoppable In Race One At Ridge Motorsports Park
Jake Gagne Wins His Sixth Straight MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Race
Jake Gagne (32) leads Cameron Petersen (45), Loris Baz (76), Mathew Scholtz (11), Josh Herrin (2), and Bobby Fong (50) early in Superbike Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2021) – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne’s plan doesn’t change from race to race. And why would it? It’s simple, really. Qualify on pole position, get the jump on everyone off the start and put the race out of reach in the first handful of laps. Such was the case again on a scorching hot Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, the Californian winning his sixth-straight MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike race after leading from start to finish.
Gagne, who broke the track record during Q2 on Saturday morning, was unstoppable again. He led every lap and if it wasn’t for the oppressive heat, it could have been classified as a walk in the park.
“It’s kind of a balance,” Gagne said. “Especially this weekend, I knew if I got a good start, if I got through turn one, turn two clean then I could put my head down for a couple laps. It’s a balance. I knew with how hot it is these tires are taking a beating. It was hotter than all weekend, so I wasn’t really sure how we were going to end up after the second half. So, I got a good, solid gap in the beginning and then rode around and just tried to be smooth, be easy on the tires, not do anything crazy. I was actually impressed with how well these Dunlops held up again. Every single time I say that. Like Josh (Herrin) said, this team is working, working so hard, so it’s great to get Josh up here. These guys were close, man. I was looking at my pit board and I can’t let up. It’s only a couple seconds, but anything can happen. Again, hats off to the team. These guys are going to be coming even harder tomorrow and I know that we can make some improvements in a couple areas tomorrow because I know these boys will be gunning for me. Try to keep this ball rolling and again, hats off to everybody. It will be a hot one tomorrow, so it will be fun.”
Second place went to Gagne’s teammate Josh Herrin, the 2013 AMA Superbike Champion finding something in his setup that made him faster and more comfortable than in previous races. The second-place finish was Herrin’s best thus far in 2021 and he was 4.49 seconds behind Gagne after 17 laps.
“The biggest thing is time, I think,” Herrin said when asked what changes have been made. “I came into this season expecting to be where Jake (Gagne) is, and it was a hard lesson whenever it didn’t happen. It was a struggle. Mentally I just beat up on myself. I think kind of like Cam (Petersen) said, my realistic goal needs to be to just progress and try and get better as the season goes on. Obviously, my main goal is to try and win races, but I need to be smart about it and not throw it away and just progress throughout the season. So, I think we’re doing a good job of that. The team is putting in countless hours at the shop and here, even guys like Josef back at the shop that don’t get a lot of attention here at the races. He’s back at the shop building engines and keeping Attack going while Richard’s (Stanboli) here. So, it’s a huge team effort for these guys. They’re not only a race team but they’re a performance shop too, so they’ve got a lot of work back home when they get back from the races. Walker is driving the truck back and then working 24/7 when he gets home. So, it’s a big group effort. What we do is the least effort I think out of the whole thing, for sure. I think I made the smartest decision of my career in reaching out to Josh Hayes at the Brainerd test. It’s been huge just in the three days I’ve worked with him now. I’ve not only noticed a big difference on the track, but then also whenever I’m going over data with Richard it’s like I have something a little bit better than I had before. I can communicate a little bit better with him because Josh is telling me things that I’m doing on the track.”
Herrin’s first few laps were a bit daunting, and he came very close to crashing after losing the front at one point.
“The beginning of the race today, I had it,” Herrin said. “I felt so good at the beginning and (Loris) Baz threw a super sketchy pass on me into turn 12 and I tucked the front because I got out in the dirty stuff. But it kind of made me see like an Eslick (Herrin and Danny Eslick used to be fierce rivals) moment. I just got so fired up. It just made me push so hard. I think I rode like I haven’t rode since 2018. So, thanks to Baz for being sketchy and putting it on the line. Hats off to Jake (Gagne). Six races in a row is not easy. It’s cool being teammates with somebody that’s riding that good. Cam (Petersen) rode a great race. I’m sure that more of those guys are going to be up towards the front tomorrow, so we’ve got to get some rest tonight and be ready tomorrow.”
Herrin had his hands full for the majority of the race with M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen with the South African hounding Herrin until giving up the chase after running wide in the turn one chicane. He ended up some four seconds behind in third place.
“The beginning of the race, I’m not going to lie, the first two laps I was really struggling,” Petersen said. “I knew Josh (Herrin) had some pace, so when he got by me, I tried to latch onto him. He actually ended up pulling a pretty decent gap on me. I knew we had done a lot of laps on old tires, so I was kind of waiting for that feeling to come back. Once I got used to that feeling with the tires, I started just trying to put in some clean laps. I managed to bridge the gap a little bit to Josh and then sat there for most of the race. I think five or six laps to go, I made a mistake going into the chicane. He got that second on me, or .8 or whatever it was, and that was pretty much race over for me. He had a pretty solid pace going the whole race, so I was definitely pushing behind him. It wasn’t easy at all. Super stoked to get another podium. That’s three in a row. First front row ever. So, we’re getting there. We’re slowly chipping away at it. But congrats to these two guys. Jake (Gagne) once again just on another level. It was fun riding around with Josh (Herrin) there. Congrats to these two guys.”
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz ended up fourth and 14 seconds behind Gagne after qualifying second and looking like he might have a challenge for Gagne in the race.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz crossed the finish line some five seconds behind Baz in fifth place, well clear of HONOS HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander. Alexander put in a solid ride to finish a career-best sixth in the HONOS Superbike class while winning the Superbike Cup for racers riding Stock 1000-spec motorcycles.
FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony finished seventh, which matched his best of the season. Then came M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong, who managed to finish eighth despite a mechanical problem.
Anthony’s FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ teammate Jayson Uribe and Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis rounded out the top 10.
Gagne is blowing the championship up at this point as he now leads Scholtz by 32 points, 150-118. Herrin is a further 15 points behind and just five points ahead of Petersen. Fong is fifth and 80 points behind Gagne after seven races.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Gagne and Herrin Bring the Heat with 1-2 Finish at The Ridge
Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne scored his sixth-straight MotoAmerica Superbike victory today in a hot race one at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington. Teammate Josh Herrin joined him on the podium with a solid second-place finish.
Gagne continues to rack up the track records, adding The Ridge Motorsports Park to the list of the other three venues this season and maintaining his perfect qualifying record. He then grabbed the holeshot from pole position and set a blistering pace to gap the field by two seconds after the first lap. The Colorado rider upped the ante with the fastest lap of the race on Lap 7 after Herrin set the benchmark and ultimately crossed the line four seconds ahead of his teammate. Gagne’s sixth superbike win of the season expanded his championship lead to 32 points.
Herrin got a decent start from the second row of the grid in fourth, but it was a hectic first lap. He quickly made his way to second, but as the two riders behind him jockeyed for the runner-up position, he was pushed wide and shuffled back to fifth. The 2013 Superbike Champion fought back and advanced to third on the following lap and kept pushing, moving into second on Lap 3. He put the hammer down and was able to put some distance between himself and the competition, but after the halfway mark, he was back on his heels. Herrin held him off and ultimately was able to build another gap for a solid second-place finish.
The Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team returns tomorrow for more action at The Ridge Motorsports Park, lining up 1-2 on the grid for race two.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“It was a good day for the team, finishing 1-2. Jake, as usual, maintained the pace from the front, and Josh made some big improvements and found his rhythm to finish second. He may be keeping Jake honest starting in P2 tomorrow. The high heat conditions were tough for the riders, but our R1s loved it. They ran great, handled well, and maintained good grip, allowing both riders to run good consistent laps. We are excited and looking forward to tomorrow’s race.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“We had a great race and got off to the start we needed. I’m so happy with the R1 and the whole crew. Tomorrow will be another hot one, but I’m confident that we can make some changes and pick up the pace tomorrow. It’s great to go 1-2 for the team, and Josh was putting in some fast laps, so I know they will be coming for me tomorrow.”
Josh Herrin – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“I’m so pumped about our results today! I’m finally starting to ride like I was in 2018, and I’m so happy. I started working with Josh Hayes, and he’s taught me a lot this weekend. I finally believe that I can be there. The team is working super hard, so I have to thank them, and hats off to Jake for running a solid race. Hopefully, tomorrow we can get up there after the start with Jake and try and hang on. He’s running fast, but I think we have the pace. I can’t wait to get back on track tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing Finishes 5th in Superbike and 12th In Junior Cup On Saturday At Ridge Motorsports Park
Shelton, WA – June 26, 2021 – With air temperatures approaching 100 degrees on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, the Westby Racing team battled through the extra adversity brought on by the uncharacteristic weather and, while the results were mixed for the team’s two riders—Mathew Scholtz in Superbike and his teammate Jack Roach in Junior Cup—both men and their crew members have their heads held high and are determined to get better results on Sunday.
Mathew maintained his second-place position in the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with a solid fifth-place finish on Saturday. He started from the middle of the second row on the grid, and he was able to move into fourth position on the opening lap, but the rest of the race was mostly processional as he went back to fifth on lap two and remained in that position for the rest of the 17-lap race.
“All in all, today wasn’t the best of days,” Mathew said. “But, I think we learned a lot, and I know where I am struggling. We kind of have an idea about where we can improve tomorrow, and we always seem to improve on Sunday I know it’s going to be extremely hot again tomorrow, even hotter than it was today. That’s something that we’re going to be looking out for, but I believe we have the potential to fight for the podium tomorrow. I’m going to give it my all, and I know the entire team will, too. I’m thankful to be racing here, and to be on this great team, and I am looking to put the Westby bike up on the podium tomorrow where it belongs.”
Sunday’s Superbike race two is at 2 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), as well as streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
In Saturday’s Junior Cup race, Jack started from the inside of the fourth row, which is pretty much mid-pack, and he knew he would have to work hard, especially in the oppressive heat, to move further up in the field. He managed his way into ninth position in the early going, but as the laps started to wind down, he started to lose positions and ultimately finished the 11-lap race in 12th place.
“That was not the race I wanted,” Jack said. “I felt like I was pushing hard, but I wasn’t really capitalizing on the bike’s strengths. I’m not a rider to blame the bike, so I will be doing a lot of work on line choice and race strategy with my crew chief Shiloh (Salopek). She helps with everything, and without her, I would be lost. So, a big thank you to Shiloh for seeing my potential and working with me and as hard as possible. Also, a huge thanks to Westby Racing and Chuck Giacchetto for their support and for continuing to believe in me.”
Jack and the team will try for better results in Sunday’s Junior Cup race two, which is at 3 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2), streamed on MotoAmerica Live+, and then broadcast again via tape-delay on FS2 this Tuesday, June 29, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The Frenchman pulls the pin to reverse the Yamaha 1-2 on Sunday, with Mir slicing through to third
Fabio Quartararo. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 27 June 2021
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) pitched the tactics to perfection in the Motul TT Assen to come out on top, heading a Yamaha 1-2 ahead of teammate Maverick Viñales as the two Iwata marque machines pulled the pin once again on Sunday. The duo also push the factory past the milestone of 750 podiums, with Yamaha now counting on 751 with two riders on the rostrum at Assen. Reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completed the podium, slicing through from 10th on the grid.
Quartararo took the holeshot from second, but the Frenchman wasn’t allowed to escape early as fellow front row starter as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) went for a Lap 1 leap at Turn 8. It was close between Quartararo and Pecco, their exits compromised, with that allowing Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) up alongside the pair as Quartararo ran hot into Turn 9. Bagnaia said thank you very much, the Italian through to lead and holding station – for now.
Quartararo went for a move at the final chicane to answer back but was wide, and Bagnaia got his GP21 stood up and blasted back past. That happened again on Lap 6, before Lap 7 saw Quartararo grab P1 through Turns 12 and 13. How crucial was that going to prove? Meanwhile, Nakagami was still holding Viñales at bay, with Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Mir and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) line astern right behind.
Two 1:32.8s saw Quartararo stretch a 1.2 lead to Bagnaia on Lap 9, hammer down. On Lap 11, that gap was up to 2.5 as Bagnaia had to switch focus to keeping Nakagami behind him. The Japanese rider passed the Ducati rider on Lap 11 through the rapid kinks, but Bagnaia grabbed P2 back down the front straight. Viñales, Zarco, Mir and Oliveira were all waiting in the wings and there was a copy paste of Nakagami vs Bagnaia a couple of laps later. Drama hit then though as the number 63 was handed a long-lap penalty for exceeding track limits.
On Lap 15, there was plenty of action. Bagnaia dived into the long-lap penalty loop, and then teammate Jack Miller crashed unhurt at Turn 5. Nakagami was sat up by Mir at the same corner and it was now Viñales in second place, four seconds behind runaway leader Quartararo. Mir was then up past Zarco at Turn 5 with eight laps to go into third, with Oliveira around half a second away back on the Pramac rider, in fifth.
At the front, the gap came down to 2.5 with two laps to go between Quartararo and Viñales as the latter seemed quicker, but after too much lost ground no one had an answer to El Diablo at Assen. A fourth 25-point haul of the season extends his Championship advantage to 34 points heading into the summer break. Viñales delivered impressive late-race pace on the front soft tyre, but it wasn’t enough to reel in Quartararo. Nevertheless, after finishing last at the Sachsenring, P2 for the Spaniard is a splendid effort as the number 12 returns to the podium for the first time since his Qatar GP win. Mir kept his powder dry ahead of Zarco to secure third, the podium also his third of the season.
Zarco was forced to settle for fourth ahead of Oliveira in fifth, with a real battle deciding sixth just behind. Marc Marquez made a stunning start from 20th on the grid to gain ten places in what seemed like the blink of an eye, and he hustled on to the back of Bagnaia after the Italian’s Long Lap penalty. The eight-time World Champion couldn’t quite find a way past, although he was within 0.075 over the line as Bagnaia held on for sixth. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took eighth, with Nakagami disappointed with ninth after an early podium challenge and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top ten.
11th went to Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) despite a run off for the number 42 following contact early in the race with Johann Zarco, with the Suzuki holding off Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the South African got his first taste of Assen on a MotoGP™ bike. Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) took 13th, ahead of Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) – another debuting at the track in the premier class – as was rookie Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama), who completed the points.
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crashed out fast at Turn 7 but rider ok, Miller went down at Turn 5. He rejoined but then had to stop with a mechanical problem. Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) also crashed, and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was forced back into pitlane with an issue.
Now it’s time for summer break and a reset, with a double-header at the Red Bull Ring up next at the start of August. Quartararo heads in with another win and a sizeable advantage at the top, but can anyone hit back in the second half? Join us for the Styrian Grand Prix from the 6th to the 8th of August.
Fabio Quartararo: “I trained with the ball a little bit higher all the days but this one was tough. Was really tough race, I was struggling so much to overtake Pecco. I struggled a little bit all weekend with my right arm, and in the race, I could have gone three or four tenths faster every lap, but I was feeling really bad and, at the half race I was a bit scared, but I kept the pace and I can be happy because with the battle with Maverick on Saturday, he won, but the points arrive on Sunday so I am so happy.”
Raul Fernandez fights through four-way battle for victory at Assen
Raul Fernandez (25). Photo courtesy Dorna.
The Spaniard gains a little ground on teammate Gardner as the Australian takes second, with Augusto Fernandez back on the rostrum in third
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) heads into the summer break on a high after a hard-fought win at the Motul TT Assen, the Spaniard recovering from the latter half of the top ten to get back to the front and then pull away from the fight to complete the podium. That fight was won by his teammate Remy Gardner as the Australian did some good damage control to hold off Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team). With third place, the Spaniard nevertheless took his first podium since 2019 after a weekend of great form.
Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) took the holeshot ahead of Raul Fernandez, but Gardner muscled through on his teammate too as the number 25 got shuffled back. Lowes made quick work of moving back forward as he got up into second behind Canet, striking for the lead not long after but the Spaniard taking it back. Gardner was next on the charge as he picked his way through into the lead and Lowes followed, with Raul Fernandez then running off and dropping all the way back to ninth…
That left Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) making his presence felt at the front in fourth as Augusto Fernandez found himself looking for a way past the Japanese rider, but soon enough the number 37 was able to start pulling away with Gardner and Lowes, as Raul Fernandez started his fight back towards the podium battle.
The number 25 was on a charge and once in some clear air on the chase, his was reeling them in on his mission back to the front. Once there, he sliced back through past Gardner and the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team duo back into the lead and soon, the number 25 had the hammer down to pull away.
That left a Gardner-Lowes-Augusto Fernandez showdown to decide the podium, with Lowes still heading the train with four to go. But over the line next time around his teammate pulled alongside and made his move, with Gardner leaving it two apexes longer before picking the Brit’s pocket too.
Onto the penultimate lap, Gardner was lining up a move for second and he struck at the end of the lap. Slicing through at the Geert Timmer chicane, the move was super clean as the Australian lost little momentum, then shutting the door as he withstood the pressure from Augusto Fernandez the remainder of the lap. The number 37 couldn’t make it through, however, with Gardner able to have enough in hand to head through the final chicane unbothered, taking second place and another 20 points. Augusto Fernandez got back on the podium in third after a tough start to the season, with Lowes forced to settle for fourth as the Brit just dropped off the back of the duo on the latter half of the final lap.
Raul Fernandez, however, made it another masterclass on Sunday for another 25 points. Over a second and a half clear once he’d escaped the squabble, the Spaniard continues to impress and pulled in five points on Gardner.
Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) took fifth after an impressive ride back from P17 on the grid, ahead of Ogura as the Japanese rider took P6 and another impressive rookie result. Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) took seventh.
Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) just beat Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) to eighth by 0.042, with Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) completing the top ten for his second top ten finish of his rookie season. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2), Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP 40), Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and his teammate and home hero Bo Bendsneyder completed the points, the latter despite two Long Laps for a jump start.
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) crashed out, as did teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2).
Raul Fernandez: “It was an amazing race, I am destroyed. At the beginning I did two very bad laps, I held on but lost too many positions. Later I had a recovery. It was a really difficult and mental race. I want to say thanks to my team, they have brought me an incredible bike and in the last part of the race I was really, really strong, and this victory is for the big brother of Heinz Kinigardner, who is in the hospital, because I want to send my support to him. See you in the next races.”
More, from a press release issued by Italtrans Racing:
Unlucky Dutch Grand Prix for Italtrans Racing Team.
Unlucky Sunday for Italtrans Racing Team at the TT Circuit Assen, in the Netherlands, ninth round of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship.
After an excellent qualifying with the 9th best time, today Lorenzo Dalla Porta started from the third row of the grid ready to push. Unfortunately, during the first lap he had a collision with a rival and he crashed out ending early his race, without the opportunity to demonstrate the excellent pace set in Q2.
Unlucky race for Joe Roberts too. He started from 19th, but he crashed while pushing to recover positions during the third lap, while he was 14th. Back to the track he continued for a few laps before the withdraw.
Now the long summer break of over one month: the chance to reset, recharge the batteries and come back in the best shape.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (19). Photo courtesy Italtrans Racing.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta
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“A very unlucky Sunday. I was on the inside and another rider was on the outside: we had a collision and I crashed. It’s a shame because I could have had a good race and the result we deserve. I was hoping to end this first part of the season and face the summer break with a good result. Let’s not give up and try again in Austria. Thanks to the team for the help”.
Joe Roberts (16). Photo courtesy Italtrans Racing.
Joe Roberts
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“The last few races have been tough, but we have had some good results this year, showing we are fast. We have lost our way a bit, but I’m sure after the summer break we will be back in the top positions. Now it’s time to relax: I’ll go back to California spending some time with my family and then I’ll come back stronger for the second part of the season. Thanks to the team for the work and for believing in me”.
Giovanni Sandi, Technical Director
“A very unlucky Sunday for the team. Today was a good opportunity to show all our potential, but it did not go as we expected. Now we try to face positively the summer break: our riders will have the opportunity to recharge the batteries and be ready for the next GPs in August”.
Provisional AFT Production Twins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Johnny Lewis (Roy), 19 laps
2. Ryan Varnes (Kaw), -0.153 second
3. Cory Texter (Yam), -0.502
4. Ben Lowe (Har), -1.543 seconds
5. Cameron Smith (Yam), -1.933
6. Dalton Gauthier (Har), -2.563
7. Patrick Buchanan (Har), -2.907
8. Chad Cose (Har), -6.893
9. Jordan Harris (Kaw), -7.762
10. Jeffery Lowery (Yam), -7.861
11. Dylan Bell (Har), -9.879
12. Brandon Newman (Kaw), -14.357
13. Brock Schwarzenbacher (Kaw), -1 lap
14. Mitch Harvat (Kaw), -6 laps
15. Dan Bromley (Yam), -12 laps
Provisional AFT Singles Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Henry Wiles (Hon), 20 laps
2. Max Whale (KTM), -2.302 seconds
3. Morgen Mischler (KTM), -4.872
4. Trevor Brunner (Hon), -6.636
5. Dallas Daniels (Yam), -7.235
6. Kody Kopp (Hon), -7.727
7. Dustin Brown (Hon), -8.526
8. Cole Zabala (Hon), -14.416
9. James Ott (KTM), -15.195
10. Trent Lowe (Suz), -16.839
11. Aidan RoosEvans (KTM), -17.519
12. Michael Rush (Yam), -17.628
13. Kevin Stollings (Hon), -19.869
14. Hunter Bauer (KTM), -22.694
15. Shayna Texter-Bauman (KTM), -1 lap
16. Brandon Kitchen (Hus), -16 laps
17. Tanner Dean (Hon), -20 laps
Provisional AFT Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Briar Bauman (Ind), 25 laps
2. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -0.428 second
3. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -5.519 seconds
4. Brandon Price (Ind), -9.128
5. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -9.202
6. Davis Fisher (Ind), -11.158
7. JD Beach (Yam), -13.848
8. Jared Mees (Ind), -20.246
9. Bronson Bauman (Ind), -21.276
10. James Rispoli (Har), -1 lap
11. Robert Pearson (Ind), -25 laps
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track:
Bauman Triumphs in Lima Instant Classic
Wiles commands another Honda victory; Royal Enfield dominates AFT Production Twins.
LIMA, Ohio (June 26, 2021) – Defending Grand National Champion Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) scored arguably the most critical victory yet of the 2021 Progressive American Flat Track season following an epic showdown with Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) in Saturday evening’s Johnny K’s Indian Motorcycle Lima Half-Mile powered by Drag Specialties at Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio.
While Bauman controlled the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle points coming in, Robinson threatened to seize control of the momentum with another impressive performance. Robinson entered the Main Event as the clear favorite, soundly defeating Bauman in their shared Semi before adding his fourth Mission Challenge win with relative ease as well.
In the Main, Robinson squared up teammate Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) on the opening lap and immediately looked to check out yet again. A motivated Bauman didn’t allow that to happen, however, overhauling Vanderkooi with maximum expediency before trading haymakers with Robinson over the lead.
That heavyweight fight went right down the final lap, with Robinson attempting one final desperation overtake in the race’s final corner before Bauman cut back underneath to secure his second victory of the season.
“What a battle,” Bauman said. “This was an incredible event… I didn’t really think we had anything for Brandon there today — he was so fast all day. He smoked us in the heat race and smoked us in the dash. But Dave (Zanotti) got dialed in for the Main Event, so I’m really, really happy with that one.
“It was an incredible event. I’m so happy we were able to do that for this big of a crowd. There are so many people all the way around this facility. Lima is probably the best track on the circuit. And to actually have a battle and not let Brandon just check out like we kinda planned on him doing, it means a lot to me and a lot to my team.”
Behind, Vanderkooi outdueled Brandon Price (No. 92 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) to grab his third podium on the season as the Mission Roof Systems squad locked down spots 2-3-4 on the evening.
Kolby Carlile (No. 36 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) continued his recent run of form to finish fifth, marking the third consecutive race in which he was the highest-placed mong the non-Indian riders.
Meanwhile, the widely expected victory challenge of race promoter and multi-time Lima Half-Mile winner Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) failed to materialize. Mees was simply not his usual self, suffering from the ill effects of his still mending knee. As a result, he was stuck down near the bottom of the order from start to finish, ultimately finishing an uncharacteristic eighth.
AFT Singles
Last weekend’s AFT Singles winners, Henry Wiles (No. 17 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) and Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE), picked up right where they left off in Saturday’s rematch.
Wiles, in particular, showed off his rediscovered vintage form, moving his way to the front early and opening up more than two seconds of padding. The race still wasn’t over at that point, however, as Whale put his head down after overhauling Wiles’ teammate, Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) to slash away at that gap.
Whale did well to reduce the margin to around a half-second at one point, but Wiles ultimately proved too strong in the end.
After opening his season in disappointing 17-5-5-11 fashion, the 450cc legend has firmly put himself back in title contention with consecutive finishes of 1-2-1. Aussie Whale is in even better shape as he’s now tied with Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) atop the points order while holding the tiebreaker with two wins to Daniels’ one.
“I think I’ve used about every line at this track besides the low line that I was running today,” Wiles said. “I’ve really just relied on the whole Turner Racing crew powered by Progressive Insurance. My suspension guy, Tim (Bennet) at TCD racing, made a phenomenal call and we actually changed shocks for the Main Event. It was a pretty ballsy move. We were just so confident in it and I’m glad we made the choice.
“I’ve got to thank the whole crew. It wasn’t me — it was the bike. All I could do was ride the wheels off of it, and I tried to do that and be as smart as I could all day. I’m glad we could execute and get the job down again.”
Despite no claims as a cushion specialist, Morgen Mischler (No. 13 Mission Roof Systems KTM 450 SX-F) charged his way up through the field to round out the podium. Second American Honda runner Brunner held on to claim fourth, while defending champion Daniels salvaged fifth after dropping as low as seventh at mid-distance.
An unlucky Brandon Kitchen (No. 105 Husqvarna Motorcycles/Vance & Hines Husqvarna FC450) was forced to retire with a mechanical issue while running fourth. Fellow future stars Kody Kopp (No. 143 Smartop/Jones Honda/Latus Motors CRF450R) and Dustin Brown (No. 191 Jones Racing Honda CRF450R) came home sixth and seventh, respectively.
AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT) sat out last weekend’s OKC Mile doubleheader in order to best position himself and his factory Royal Enfield race bike for success in the AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines class at the Lima Half-Mile. It worked.
To the surprise of no one, despite getting the third pick on Row 1, title leader Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) scored yet another holeshot. Despite the rapid start, however, he had nothing for the streaking Lewis, who drove underneath Texter less than a minute into the Main, blasted him with the roost, and immediately opened up a sizable advantage.
Second qualifier Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) then worked his way into a scrap with Texter over second as Lewis continued to escape at the front.
That battle came to a momentary half when the red flag flew due to a downed rider with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. In fact, Lowe and Texter both beat Lewis off the line at the restart, but the Royal Enfield pilot easily powered around the outside of both to reclaim his spot at the front.
The real drama came courtesy of Ryan Varnes (No. 68 RVR/RoyBuilt Don’s Kawasaki Ninja 650), who seemingly found another gear in the second leg.
Varnes, who found himself near the bottom of the top ten early, somehow put himself in podium contention late. Over the final few laps of the Main, he zapped both Lowe and Texter, and actually managed to close down on Lewis just as the checkered flag flew. But in the end, Lewis held on for the win by 0.153 seconds.
“I just cannot give Woody Kyle and David Lloyd enough credit for what they’ve been able to accomplish,” Lewis said. “Going into the first race this year, we had a pretty slow motorcycle. Every weekend it’s more work, more work. David and Woody just do not stop. It’s amazing to have these guys on my team. I cannot thank them enough. It was a fun Lima.”
The results marked the first podiums of the year for 2020 race winners Lewis and Varnes, while third-place finisher Texter added his sixth. Fourth-place finisher Lowe, meanwhile, was left still seeking his first.
OKC podium finisher Cameron Smith (No. 44 Mike Butler Racing/Cornerstone Masonry Group Honda CRF450R) closed out the top five.
The Johnny K’s Indian Motorcycle Lima Half-Mile powered by Drag Specialties will air on NBCSN on Saturday, July 3, at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT, featuring exclusive features and cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage.
Next Up:
The “Magic Mile” is back! Progressive American Flat Track will return to the incredibly fast DuQuoin Mile at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in DuQuoin, Illinois, on Saturday, July 17. Tickets are now available for purchase at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3377#selectTickets. For those viewing from home, live coverage will be available on any device for only $1.99 a month via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.
For more information, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER SEAN DYLAN KELLY WINS AGAIN IN WASHINGTON
Sean Dylan Kelly (40). Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Sean Dylan Kelly and Team Hammer were in red hot form as the 2021 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship season resumed on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington.
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki ace Kelly scored a clutch victory in a MotoAmerica Supersport contest waged under blazing conditions, surviving an intense late-race scrap before shaking free on the final two laps to grab his fourth checkered flag of the young season.
‘SDK’ jumped out to the early advantage on his Suzuki GSX-R600 from pole only to be tracked down at mid-distance by his chief rival. Kelly was overtaken momentarily, but immediately countered with a slick inside pass in the ultra-tight left at the top of the hill. A follow-up assault was ultimately dismantled by SDK, who put his head down and eked out the decisive gap at the race’s conclusion.
Kelly’s second consecutive Ridge Motorsports triumph extended his championship advantage to 16 points. He said, “What a tough race — mentally and physically. It feels like it’s 200 degrees out here, but this is what I train for. It was such a difficult race keeping the pace, but I did. I kept the pressure on, I knew what I could do, and I was comfortable at the front.
“I’m really happy with the whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team and the work we are doing. Thank you to my guys.”
Kelly’s Supersport teammate, Sam Lochoff, registered yet another impressive ride in his rookie season in the middleweight class. Lochoff chased after Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Kevin Olmedo for the bulk of the contest as the two chased after the final spot on the podium.
That honor ultimately went to Olmedo as he, SDK, and Lochoff combined to put three Team Hammer-built Suzuki GSX-R600s in the race’s top four.
Meanwhile, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cam Petersen continued his ascension to MotoAmerica Superbike stardom. After securing his first- and then second-career premier-class podium at the previous round at Road America, the South African upped his podium streak to three on Saturday.
Petersen, who qualified on the front row aboard his GSX-R1000 Superbike, went from second to third to fourth to second in a chaotic opening lap. He then settled into third, where he would remain to the checkered flag.
“I wanted to be patient today and I think maybe I was a little too patient,” said Petersen. “I felt like I was holding the guys up the first two laps. Once someone came by, my plan was to just sit behind him and see where he was strong and where I was losing. He kept gapping me, but I found my rhythm and got used to the tires and started closing the gap back down, but I made a little mistake going into the chicane with about five or six laps to go and that was the end of my race for second. We settled down and brought it home in third for the boys. Once again, I can’t thank my crew enough. Honestly, I feel it’s the best crew in the paddock, and I’m so blessed to have them. Thanks to the whole M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team.”
His teammate Bobby Fong salvaged some crucial championship points despite being hampered due to a heavy crash suffered during Thursday’s test. After pushing for a top-five position in the opening stages of the race, the Californian lost feeling in his hand due to lingering issues from the crash. Fong persevered to make it to the finish line in eighth.
Earlier, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Wyatt Farris raced his way up to ninth position in the day’s Stock 1000 race. Olmedo’s Altus Motorsports Suzuki teammate, Jake Lewis, powered his Team Hammer-built GSX-R1000 to second place to maintain a 17-point lead in the Stock 1000 championship standings.
Team Hammer will be back gunning for more wins and podiums in Sunday’s rematches at Ridge Motorsports Park.
About Team Hammer
The 2021 season marks Team Hammer’s 41st consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 114 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 307 times and have won nine 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.
More, from a press release issued by MotoAmerica:
It’s Hot, Hot, Hot As MotoAmerica Scorches At Ridge Motorsports Park
Support Class Action Features Two First-Time Winners
SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2021) – With temperatures soaring into the triple digits in the Pacific Northwest, nothing came easy for those trying to win races on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park.
But win they did. In Supersport, Sean Dylan Kelly got the better of his rival, Richie Escalante to win for a fourth time on the season; Jackson Blackmon won his first-career Twins Cup race; ditto for Max Toth in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup; and Corey Alexander gained some ground on Jake Lewis in the Stock 1000 class.
Sean Dylan Kelly (40) held off Richie Escalante (1) in Supersport Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Supersport: SDK Does The Business
M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Sean Dylan Kelly started from the pole in Supersport race one, and as anticipated, the usual battle that Kelly has with defending class champion Richie Escalante quickly materialized. Escalante, aboard his HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki, tried to overtake Kelly, but he was never able to get close enough to finish the move and, in fact, Kelly not only maintained the lead from start to finish, but he built a gap of over a second at the checkered flag. Altus Motorsports Suzuki’s Kevin Olmedo, who missed the first two rounds of the season due to a shoulder injury suffered while training, finished third for his first podium result since the first Supersport race of the season last year.
“That was a really difficult race,” Kelly said. “It was so hot out there, super physical. Richie (Escalante) was on me the entire race and never let go of me. It was super tough. I tried to keep the best pace I could. I didn’t go as fast as I was expecting for myself. I think the conditions were just so tough. Good thing is, I was able to be super consistent up until the last lap. I think that’s what got us the win today. I made a really big mistake putting a false neutral. I made a few other smaller mistakes through turn 13 and a few other corners. I need to gather myself up and change a couple things for the warmup to make that a little bit more consistent. Overall, I’m really happy we got the win today. We pushed through it, one of the hardest mentally and physically races, for sure, with this weather. Happy with the work we did.”
Corey Alexander (23) came from behind to win in Stock 1000 Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Stock 1000: Alexander Over Lewis
In Stock 1000, which was the first race of the day on Saturday, Altus Motorsports Suzuki rider Jake Lewis started from the pole in the 13-lap race, and he looked to have the measure of the field. With less than three laps to go, HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki’s Corey Alexander, who was gaining ground on Lewis lap by lap, overtook the Kentuckian and made it stick. Alexander crossed the finish line a little more than one second ahead of Lewis, who finished second. Third place went to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway/Octane Lending Kawasaki rider Michael Gilbert.
“In qualifying two, first off, we didn’t run our race tire until qualifying two,” Alexander said. “We changed a lot of things in qualifying two and during that, we had an issue pop up. It kind of prevented me from really qualifying where I think I was capable of. Ultimately, going into the race, I knew the first few laps, it was going to be important just to kind of stay out of trouble and get through turn one, obviously. That’s always the most important part of the race here. Once I got through those guys, I could kind of see everyone was struggling with rear grip, and I think even a little with front grip. The laps we’ve been doing yesterday, we’d done quite a few laps with the tires. I kind of had a pretty good flow once things settled in. That’s all I did. I honestly didn’t think I would catch Jake (Lewis). It’s hard when you’re behind that many guys to gauge how fast you’re going compared with the leader. It wasn’t until I really got into second that I could kind of see. Take a little bit here, a little bit here, and then, all of a sudden, the gap started getting smaller and smaller. I thought, for sure, maybe he was just maintaining it, and he wasn’t expecting me to come up as quick as I did, and he’d have something more for me. But it’s hot out there, and the track is getting greasier and greasier by the minute.”
Jackson Blackmon (18) leads early in Twins Cup Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Twins Cup: Blackmon’s First
The air temperature approaching 100 degrees had a varying effect on all of Saturday’s races at Ridge, but in Twins Cup, where the bikes are modded more than in any other class to extract maximum horsepower from the twin-cylinder engines, there was a lot of attrition in race one with nearly half of the riders unable to finish the race.
Jackson Blackmon Racing Yamaha’s Jackson Blackmon seemed almost completely unaffected by the heat. The South Carolinian won his first Twins Cup race by .215 of a second over Robem Engineering Aprilia rider Kaleb De Keyrel. Anthony Mazziotto, who started from the pole and looked to be headed for victory, was one of riders failed finish the New Jersian crashing out of the lead on lap eight. After Mazziotto went out, De Keyrel led the race for two laps until Blackmon overtook him with two laps to go. Third place went to Innovative Motorsports/Mike’s Imports Suzuki rider Teagg Hobbs.
“The past few rounds have definitely gotten my confidence up,” said Blackmon. “I’ve been so close. The last couple years, just kind of getting down on myself. I wasn’t getting the results I was hoping for. This year, between me and my dad and Yamaha, we put the program together that was perfect. I knew we could do it this year. The bike has been different at every round, setup-wise. This weekend, we had it working perfect. I didn’t even make a change before the race. I thought I was able to just ride the thing. Those guys were pushing hard. I almost was going back just a little bit and I was like, ‘the win is right there.’ I can’t stop. I was able just to reel them in and just make it happen at the perfect time. That Yamaha was riding so strong. A big thank you to Yamaha. A big thank you to all my family that’s behind me – my grandparents, my mom, my dad, just everybody. Big thank you to my girlfriend, Chloe. She’s been behind me through all of this and seen me at some low points even when I didn’t think I was racing this year. So, to be here and to get my first Twins win is just incredible. I’m lost for words. I hope I’m not forgetting anybody. Thank you to everyone that has gotten me this far. Also, big thank you to Yamalube. That thing didn’t even overheat at all that whole race, it just stayed right in the range.”
Max Toth (58) leads Tyler Scott (70) in Junior Cup Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup: Toth Gets It Done
Saturday’s races at Ridge Motorsports Park wrapped up with SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup race one, and MotoAmerica’s entry-level riders put on a great show. Veloce Racing Kawasaki rider Max Toth, who joined the MotoAmerica series for the final round of the 2020 season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, got the first win of his MotoAmerica career after recording a podium finish at both VIRginia International Raceway and Road America earlier this season. Toth took the lead on the final lap of the 11-lap event and won by 1.527 seconds over Landers Racing Kawasaki rider Ben Gloddy, who inherited second place when polesitter Tyler Scott was penalized five seconds for cutting the track. With the time added to his result, Scott was moved back from second place to fourth in the results, and Veloce Racing Kawasaki’s David Kohlstaedt was credited with third place.
“I’m really happy with this result,” beamed Toth. “This is what we were chasing since the first race of the season, so to get it now, it’s a great achievement. I knew pretty much halfway through the race that I had the speed to get to the front. The only thing I was uncertain about was whether I’d be able to stay there. I didn’t know once I got to the front if Tyler was going to show me a wheel or not. I just stuck to my plan and came out okay.”
Kensei Matsudaira (74) won four Mini Cup races Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
Mini Cup By Motul: Matsudiaira Times Four
American Racing Team’s Kensei Matsudaira had a good evening at Ridge Motorsports Park’s karting track, the Californian going four for four with victories in both 110 and 160 races.
The two 190 races were split between American Racing’s Travis Horn and Atlas Speed Factory’s Jesse James Shedden.
The grid before the start of British Superbike Race One at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Editorial Note: American Brandon Paasch, who races a Dynavolt Triumph Street Triple RS 765, did not finish (DNF) British Supersport Race One Saturday at Oulton Park.
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
First blood to O’Halloran in season opening Bennetts British Superbike race
Jason O’Halloran returned to winning ways in the opening BikeSocial race of the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park this afternoon, withstanding earlier pressure from both Christian Iddon and Tommy Bridewell to be victorious for McAMS Yamaha.
Iddon had hit the front of the pack on the opening lap as he launched off the front row to lead into Old Hall for the first time ahead of O’Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie.
As Iddon led the pack, O’Halloran was looking to make his move, but it wasn’t until lap eight when he could make it ahead with a move down the inside at Old Hall.
The VisionTrack Ducati rider tried to reclaim the position, edging ahead as the crossed the line on the tenth lap, but O’Halloran had the lead into Old Hall.
The McAMS Yamaha rider held off the challenge until the chequered flag as Iddon claimed second place for VisionTrack Ducati with Bridewell in third to continue his successful weekend so far for Oxford Products Racing Ducati.
Peter Hickman was just adrift of the leading trio to lead the BMW contenders to score fourth place on the FHO Racing BMW team debut at Oulton Park.
Mackenzie finished in a lone fifth place ahead of Honda Racing’s Glenn Irwin and Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW’s Kyle Ryde after teammate Bradley Ray was forced to retire in the early stages of the race.
Lee Jackson scored FS-3 Kawasaki eighth place, maintaining his position ahead of Ryan Vickers and Josh Brookes as the reigning champion completed the top ten.
It was a disappointing opening race for SYNETIQ BMW’s Andrew Irwin, who crashed out at Old Hall and Buildbase Suzuki’s Danny Kent, who slid off at Lodge.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, BikeSocial Race 1:
1. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha)
2. Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) +0.630s
3. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +1.408s
4. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) +5.913s
5. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +12.954s
6. Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) +15.889s
7. Kyle Ryde (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) +16.155s
8. Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) +16.578s
9. Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki) +17.074s
10. Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) +17.918s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Oulton Park, BikeSocial Race 1:
1. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 25
2. Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 20
3. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 16
4. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 13
5. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 11
6. Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 10
7. Kyle Ryde (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) 9
8. Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) 8
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Jason O’Halloran – McAMS Yamaha
Bennetts BikeSocial Race 1 winner
“It feels absolutely great to claim the first win of the year! We’ve had probably the best pre-season I’ve ever had, I’ve topped the majority of the test sessions – but the first sessions that actually counted were this weekend and we got one lap so I was a bit unhappy about qualifying.
“I put my head down though in the race and got a really good start. I’ve done about three practice starts this weekend and fluffed them all so I’m glad I got that one right when it mattered!
“I just settled in to the race, I sort of knew my pace as I had done a pretty long run in FP3 and I could see Christian ahead. I was pretty happy with what he was doing, he wasn’t really getting away although there was a little gap, it was more of a yo-yo gap and I just picked my time.
“Once I got to the front I started to push it a bit more. I knew he would come with me because when you’re following you can tag on and get pulled away, and I was happy to just run my normal lines and learn as much as I could for tomorrow.
“I think we can still improve tomorrow, it’s a longer race as well which I think will play into our favour.”
More, from a press release issued by VisionTrack Ducati:
Podium For Iddon At Oulton Park Opener
VisionTrack Ducati rider Christian Iddon opened his 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship campaign with a strong second place finish at Oulton Park this afternoon although it was a more challenging maiden outing for teammate and defending champion Josh Brookes as he came home in tenth place.
Iddon had proved to be the quicker of the two during Free Practice and the SUPERPICKS 12 qualifying sessions before posting second quickest time in the final qualifier to line up in second place on the front row of the grid on the factory supported VisionTrack Ducati Panigale for the first race of the season.
Brookes set the ninth fastest time for a third row start but the Bedfordshire-based Aussie was only three tenths of a second adrift of pole setter and fellow Ducati rider Tommy Bridewell and with less than half a second covering the leading 11 riders, a close race looked in store.
Conditions were again perfect for the 14-lap race and Iddon, now based at Blaydon on Tyneside, made the perfect start to lead the field round at the end of the first lap. Brookes had been shuffled back to 12th which gave him plenty of work to do.
In a similar pattern to last year, Iddon had Yamaha’s Jason O’Halloran in close company, but he successfully kept him at bay for the first six laps before he eventually nosed ahead on lap seven. The duo exchanged positions for the next couple of laps, but O’Halloran hit the front again as the race entered its final third and although he went on to take the win, Iddon pressurised him the whole way, the gap between the two at the chequered flag just over half a second.
For Brookes, it was a lot harder, and he was unable to find a setting with the bike he was comfortable with, or find a setting that enabled him to do the lap times he was doing last September, meaning he eventually finished in tenth place.
Christian Iddon (21). Photo courtesy VisionTrack Ducati.
Christian Iddon: “To come away from the first race of the season with a trophy is obviously great but it was a hard race and after eight months away from racing it was quite a shock to the system. I don’t think I’ve been riding as well as I can do this weekend so I didn’t want to lead and when Jason came by, he pulled quite a gap straight away, but our bikes are so completely different these gaps can come and go and that’s what happened. We’ve definitely improved, and we’ll look to see if we can make further improvements for tomorrow, but 20 points is a good start to the season.”
Josh Brookes: “We’ve used testing to try a number of things with the bike and did so with optimism and we felt confident we had the package to come here and challenge for the win. For whatever reason though, that’s not happened and even though we eventually put in exactly the same settings as what we had last year, I haven’t been able to get anywhere near where I should be. We know what the issue is, we just need to work out how to solve it. Sometimes you can look at your own shortcomings which I can accept so we’ll sit down and have a good look at what we need to do to make a better fist of things in tomorrow’s races.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It was a good, solid haul of points for Christian, and he was in control for the first half of the race. When Jason got by, he got a bit flustered and had a couple of big slides, but he settled back in, and the race was very similar to those in 2020 whereby the bikes worked differently in different corners. Second is a good start but hopefully, he can go one better tomorrow. Josh and his side of the garage have been chasing their tails a bit this weekend in terms of set up. With three years with the bike, we know how good it can be around here but something is missing at the moment. We’ll get our heads together this evening and I have every confidence the team will help get Josh back at the sharp end tomorrow.”
Tomorrow’s two races, held over the longer distance of 18 laps, are schedule to take place at 13:45 and 16:45.
More, from a press release issued by Dynavolt Triumph:
A brave ride from Kyle Smith in the sprint race
Dynavolt Triumph’s Kyle Smith delivered his aim of a top ten finish with a brave performance to come in tenth in today’s Quattro Group British Supersport Sprint race at Oulton Park. Not fully fit, Smith rode through the pain barrier in the 12-lap race to claim six valuable points at his, and the team’s British Championship debut.
Kyle Smith (11). Photo courtesy Dynavolt Triumph.
Kyle Smith: “A positive end to the day, we came to get some points and we’ve got some points. Physically I struggled in the race, the first 3 or 4 laps I felt really good but then the pain kicked in and my good side got really tired. We are still working on the bike trying to get comfortable but all in all we’ve got some points and two days ago I didn’t think I would be able to race so we will just work on that and hopefully improve a bit tomorrow.”
Teammate Brandon Paasch’s race ended early when, running in sixth place he slid off on the fifth lap at Knickerbrook. Paasch was uninjured in the fall and will be looking to deliver a result in the feature race tomorrow.
Brandon Paasch. Photo courtesy Dynavolt Triumph.
Brandon Paasch: “I had a decent start and made up a couple of positions. The race was going pretty well just trying to hang in there with the guys in front of me. I was just on the limit on the front end. Not a whole lot to say about today’s race, hopefully we can go look at the data and come back stronger for tomorrow.”
Dynavolt Triumph Team Manager Simon Buckmaster: “To be honest we were aware from the start that it wouldn’t really be possible for Kyle to fight right at the front where he should be. He’s not close to full fitness and the more riding he does the harder it is as he hasn’t been able to train and he lacks strength in his right arm. We were always signalling to him his position in the Supersport class because we knew the important thing was to grab as many points as possible because it’s a long season. He’ll be fitter again at Knockhill in a couple more weeks.”
“It was a shame for Brandon, he just lost the front coming out of the last right, the second chicane. We need to look at that to see what he did different see what caused the crash but we’ll take the positives from today.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda UK:
Honda Racing UK in action at Oulton Park for BSB season opener
Racing action got underway today as Oulton Park hosted the opening race of the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship, where Honda Racing UK are ending the day on a positive note with the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP at the 2.692-mile Cheshire circuit.
Glenn Irwin has been working through the various unique challenges that Oulton Park throws at riders and teams. Qualifying for today’s race in eighth place, Glenn enjoyed a battle on track with Kyle Ryde and after passing his rival on the eighth lap, he managed to keep him at bay to come home sixth.
BSB rookies Ryo Mizuno and Takumi Takahashi got their first taste of a Saturday in the British series with qualifying and Race 1 taking place. Throughout the weekend Ryo’s times have improved as he continues to learn the layout, as well as getting up to speed riding with Pirelli tyres. Making up places from his 25th position on the grid, Ryo crossed the line 19th.
Teammate Takumi also worked to improve his lap times from Friday’s practice sessions. Having not long recovered from a dislocated shoulder, Takumi was keen to start the race and experience a BSB start procedure, but despite a valiant effort, he pulled in on the eighth lap.
In the Pirelli National Superstock class, Tom Neave enjoyed a positive qualifying session finishing sixth overall in the combined times and will start tomorrow’s 14-lap race from the second row of the grid. Making strides all weekend, Tom’s quickest lap today was 1.616 seconds faster than his qualifying time last year, where he started the race from 16th place. The Superstock race gets underway at 14.30 on Sunday (27th June).
The team will now debrief and prepare for another race day tomorrow with two 18-lap Superbike races at 13.15 and 16.45.
#2 Glenn Irwin
I’m happy with today’s results, coming into this weekend I set a target of being in the top-six, being realistic and looking at last year’s results, so that’s one objective ticked off. Saying that we have to improve for tomorrow, not just to look further ahead but to maintain the result we got today, we have to make progress tomorrow. We decided to race and qualify with the hard option tyre, which I feel was a good call and helped us get the top-six, but myself and the team are aware we have work to do ahead of tomorrow. It might not be a podium finish, but this result at one of our trickier circuits I’m happy with, and this weekend is about gathering points.
#88 Ryo Mizuno
I was able to finish FP3 in good shape today and by following riders I was able to improve my best time by a second, I am exploring and learning every time, so I’d like to keep learning every session. I couldn’t get a good flow from qualifying and I had a little trouble in the race as I find the circuit very physical, this is something we need to improve tomorrow. During the race I couldn’t set a good pace and it was tough, but I was relieved to finish after the chequered flag. I’m positive that I was able to finish my first BSB race and I will try to finish higher in the two races tomorrow.
#13 Takumi Takahashi
My first race experience was OK, but the result was disappointing having to retire early, however I did learn a lot on track. My shoulder now isn’t too painful, my main problem is muscle weakness, so after this weekend I have a lot to work on to get stronger for the next round. Tomorrow I am aiming to take part in both races, but I have to take each session as it comes starting with the morning warm-up and go from there.
#68 Tom Neave
Today has been quite a positive day for me we’re starting sixth, whereas last year we qualified 16th, so we’ve definitely made improvements and I am happy to be nearer the front tomorrow. After having a bit of a difficult off-season my main aim for this weekend is to start the championship cleanly and get as many points on the table as possible, and I think starting from the second row I’ve given myself the best chance of that. I had a little slip off on my last lap in qualifying but luckily both me and the Fireblade are ok so we are ready to fight tomorrow, and I can’t wait!
Gagne Unstoppable In Race One At Ridge Motorsports Park
Jake Gagne Wins His Sixth Straight MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Race
Jake Gagne (32) leads Cameron Petersen (45), Loris Baz (76), Mathew Scholtz (11), Josh Herrin (2), and Bobby Fong (50) early in Superbike Race One. Photo by Brian J. Nelson, courtesy MotoAmerica.
SHELTON, WA (June 26, 2021) – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne’s plan doesn’t change from race to race. And why would it? It’s simple, really. Qualify on pole position, get the jump on everyone off the start and put the race out of reach in the first handful of laps. Such was the case again on a scorching hot Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, the Californian winning his sixth-straight MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike race after leading from start to finish.
Gagne, who broke the track record during Q2 on Saturday morning, was unstoppable again. He led every lap and if it wasn’t for the oppressive heat, it could have been classified as a walk in the park.
“It’s kind of a balance,” Gagne said. “Especially this weekend, I knew if I got a good start, if I got through turn one, turn two clean then I could put my head down for a couple laps. It’s a balance. I knew with how hot it is these tires are taking a beating. It was hotter than all weekend, so I wasn’t really sure how we were going to end up after the second half. So, I got a good, solid gap in the beginning and then rode around and just tried to be smooth, be easy on the tires, not do anything crazy. I was actually impressed with how well these Dunlops held up again. Every single time I say that. Like Josh (Herrin) said, this team is working, working so hard, so it’s great to get Josh up here. These guys were close, man. I was looking at my pit board and I can’t let up. It’s only a couple seconds, but anything can happen. Again, hats off to the team. These guys are going to be coming even harder tomorrow and I know that we can make some improvements in a couple areas tomorrow because I know these boys will be gunning for me. Try to keep this ball rolling and again, hats off to everybody. It will be a hot one tomorrow, so it will be fun.”
Second place went to Gagne’s teammate Josh Herrin, the 2013 AMA Superbike Champion finding something in his setup that made him faster and more comfortable than in previous races. The second-place finish was Herrin’s best thus far in 2021 and he was 4.49 seconds behind Gagne after 17 laps.
“The biggest thing is time, I think,” Herrin said when asked what changes have been made. “I came into this season expecting to be where Jake (Gagne) is, and it was a hard lesson whenever it didn’t happen. It was a struggle. Mentally I just beat up on myself. I think kind of like Cam (Petersen) said, my realistic goal needs to be to just progress and try and get better as the season goes on. Obviously, my main goal is to try and win races, but I need to be smart about it and not throw it away and just progress throughout the season. So, I think we’re doing a good job of that. The team is putting in countless hours at the shop and here, even guys like Josef back at the shop that don’t get a lot of attention here at the races. He’s back at the shop building engines and keeping Attack going while Richard’s (Stanboli) here. So, it’s a huge team effort for these guys. They’re not only a race team but they’re a performance shop too, so they’ve got a lot of work back home when they get back from the races. Walker is driving the truck back and then working 24/7 when he gets home. So, it’s a big group effort. What we do is the least effort I think out of the whole thing, for sure. I think I made the smartest decision of my career in reaching out to Josh Hayes at the Brainerd test. It’s been huge just in the three days I’ve worked with him now. I’ve not only noticed a big difference on the track, but then also whenever I’m going over data with Richard it’s like I have something a little bit better than I had before. I can communicate a little bit better with him because Josh is telling me things that I’m doing on the track.”
Herrin’s first few laps were a bit daunting, and he came very close to crashing after losing the front at one point.
“The beginning of the race today, I had it,” Herrin said. “I felt so good at the beginning and (Loris) Baz threw a super sketchy pass on me into turn 12 and I tucked the front because I got out in the dirty stuff. But it kind of made me see like an Eslick (Herrin and Danny Eslick used to be fierce rivals) moment. I just got so fired up. It just made me push so hard. I think I rode like I haven’t rode since 2018. So, thanks to Baz for being sketchy and putting it on the line. Hats off to Jake (Gagne). Six races in a row is not easy. It’s cool being teammates with somebody that’s riding that good. Cam (Petersen) rode a great race. I’m sure that more of those guys are going to be up towards the front tomorrow, so we’ve got to get some rest tonight and be ready tomorrow.”
Herrin had his hands full for the majority of the race with M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Cameron Petersen with the South African hounding Herrin until giving up the chase after running wide in the turn one chicane. He ended up some four seconds behind in third place.
“The beginning of the race, I’m not going to lie, the first two laps I was really struggling,” Petersen said. “I knew Josh (Herrin) had some pace, so when he got by me, I tried to latch onto him. He actually ended up pulling a pretty decent gap on me. I knew we had done a lot of laps on old tires, so I was kind of waiting for that feeling to come back. Once I got used to that feeling with the tires, I started just trying to put in some clean laps. I managed to bridge the gap a little bit to Josh and then sat there for most of the race. I think five or six laps to go, I made a mistake going into the chicane. He got that second on me, or .8 or whatever it was, and that was pretty much race over for me. He had a pretty solid pace going the whole race, so I was definitely pushing behind him. It wasn’t easy at all. Super stoked to get another podium. That’s three in a row. First front row ever. So, we’re getting there. We’re slowly chipping away at it. But congrats to these two guys. Jake (Gagne) once again just on another level. It was fun riding around with Josh (Herrin) there. Congrats to these two guys.”
Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York’s Loris Baz ended up fourth and 14 seconds behind Gagne after qualifying second and looking like he might have a challenge for Gagne in the race.
Westby Racing’s Mathew Scholtz crossed the finish line some five seconds behind Baz in fifth place, well clear of HONOS HVMC Racing’s Corey Alexander. Alexander put in a solid ride to finish a career-best sixth in the HONOS Superbike class while winning the Superbike Cup for racers riding Stock 1000-spec motorcycles.
FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony finished seventh, which matched his best of the season. Then came M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong, who managed to finish eighth despite a mechanical problem.
Anthony’s FLY Racing ADR Motorsports’ teammate Jayson Uribe and Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis rounded out the top 10.
Gagne is blowing the championship up at this point as he now leads Scholtz by 32 points, 150-118. Herrin is a further 15 points behind and just five points ahead of Petersen. Fong is fifth and 80 points behind Gagne after seven races.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Gagne and Herrin Bring the Heat with 1-2 Finish at The Ridge
Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing’s Jake Gagne scored his sixth-straight MotoAmerica Superbike victory today in a hot race one at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington. Teammate Josh Herrin joined him on the podium with a solid second-place finish.
Gagne continues to rack up the track records, adding The Ridge Motorsports Park to the list of the other three venues this season and maintaining his perfect qualifying record. He then grabbed the holeshot from pole position and set a blistering pace to gap the field by two seconds after the first lap. The Colorado rider upped the ante with the fastest lap of the race on Lap 7 after Herrin set the benchmark and ultimately crossed the line four seconds ahead of his teammate. Gagne’s sixth superbike win of the season expanded his championship lead to 32 points.
Herrin got a decent start from the second row of the grid in fourth, but it was a hectic first lap. He quickly made his way to second, but as the two riders behind him jockeyed for the runner-up position, he was pushed wide and shuffled back to fifth. The 2013 Superbike Champion fought back and advanced to third on the following lap and kept pushing, moving into second on Lap 3. He put the hammer down and was able to put some distance between himself and the competition, but after the halfway mark, he was back on his heels. Herrin held him off and ultimately was able to build another gap for a solid second-place finish.
The Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team returns tomorrow for more action at The Ridge Motorsports Park, lining up 1-2 on the grid for race two.
Richard Stanboli – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“It was a good day for the team, finishing 1-2. Jake, as usual, maintained the pace from the front, and Josh made some big improvements and found his rhythm to finish second. He may be keeping Jake honest starting in P2 tomorrow. The high heat conditions were tough for the riders, but our R1s loved it. They ran great, handled well, and maintained good grip, allowing both riders to run good consistent laps. We are excited and looking forward to tomorrow’s race.”
Jake Gagne – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“We had a great race and got off to the start we needed. I’m so happy with the R1 and the whole crew. Tomorrow will be another hot one, but I’m confident that we can make some changes and pick up the pace tomorrow. It’s great to go 1-2 for the team, and Josh was putting in some fast laps, so I know they will be coming for me tomorrow.”
Josh Herrin – Fresh N’ Lean Attack Performance Yamaha Racing
“I’m so pumped about our results today! I’m finally starting to ride like I was in 2018, and I’m so happy. I started working with Josh Hayes, and he’s taught me a lot this weekend. I finally believe that I can be there. The team is working super hard, so I have to thank them, and hats off to Jake for running a solid race. Hopefully, tomorrow we can get up there after the start with Jake and try and hang on. He’s running fast, but I think we have the pace. I can’t wait to get back on track tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Westby Racing:
Westby Racing Finishes 5th in Superbike and 12th In Junior Cup On Saturday At Ridge Motorsports Park
Shelton, WA – June 26, 2021 – With air temperatures approaching 100 degrees on Saturday at Ridge Motorsports Park, the Westby Racing team battled through the extra adversity brought on by the uncharacteristic weather and, while the results were mixed for the team’s two riders—Mathew Scholtz in Superbike and his teammate Jack Roach in Junior Cup—both men and their crew members have their heads held high and are determined to get better results on Sunday.
Mathew maintained his second-place position in the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship with a solid fifth-place finish on Saturday. He started from the middle of the second row on the grid, and he was able to move into fourth position on the opening lap, but the rest of the race was mostly processional as he went back to fifth on lap two and remained in that position for the rest of the 17-lap race.
“All in all, today wasn’t the best of days,” Mathew said. “But, I think we learned a lot, and I know where I am struggling. We kind of have an idea about where we can improve tomorrow, and we always seem to improve on Sunday I know it’s going to be extremely hot again tomorrow, even hotter than it was today. That’s something that we’re going to be looking out for, but I believe we have the potential to fight for the podium tomorrow. I’m going to give it my all, and I know the entire team will, too. I’m thankful to be racing here, and to be on this great team, and I am looking to put the Westby bike up on the podium tomorrow where it belongs.”
Sunday’s Superbike race two is at 2 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), as well as streamed on MotoAmerica Live+.
In Saturday’s Junior Cup race, Jack started from the inside of the fourth row, which is pretty much mid-pack, and he knew he would have to work hard, especially in the oppressive heat, to move further up in the field. He managed his way into ninth position in the early going, but as the laps started to wind down, he started to lose positions and ultimately finished the 11-lap race in 12th place.
“That was not the race I wanted,” Jack said. “I felt like I was pushing hard, but I wasn’t really capitalizing on the bike’s strengths. I’m not a rider to blame the bike, so I will be doing a lot of work on line choice and race strategy with my crew chief Shiloh (Salopek). She helps with everything, and without her, I would be lost. So, a big thank you to Shiloh for seeing my potential and working with me and as hard as possible. Also, a huge thanks to Westby Racing and Chuck Giacchetto for their support and for continuing to believe in me.”
Jack and the team will try for better results in Sunday’s Junior Cup race two, which is at 3 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2 (FS2), streamed on MotoAmerica Live+, and then broadcast again via tape-delay on FS2 this Tuesday, June 29, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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